Will You Reject Jesus? (John 5:18-47)
Some of the GBC members and I have recently been asking students on campus what they think about Jesus. There was one student we spoke to named Holmes.
Holmes would say that he is a Christian. He grew up learning about the bible, he had gone to many classes and studied many things about the Bible. He followed his mentors around and asked them a multitude of questions about the Christian faith. However, after all his research he had concluded that Jesus was merely a good moral teacher and leader. All be it, Jesus was an exceptional human being, he was only merely a saintly human being of the same quality of the other saints like Mary, Joseph or Peter.
I asked him what he thought about Jesus's claims to be God himself. Although Holmes conceded that there is a higher lifeform and God does exist, He rejected the idea that Jesus was God. The stories about Jesus in the Bible were just sensationalised stories.
During my conversation, it became clearer to me that it didn't really matter what new evidence or plausible arguments I would put forward, Holmes had already made up his mind about Jesus and in his own ways he had rejected Jesus as God.
We all have preconceptions about Jesus, whether you are inside the church or outside. Would your conclusions about Jesus cause you to reject Him?
It is possible to think you are a Christian and yet reject Jesus. It is possible to be known as pious and religious and still come to the wrong conclusions about Jesus.
What conclusions have you made about Jesus?
Our conclusions about the identity of Jesus are incredibly important.
Rejecting Jesus has severe consequences.
Who Jesus is and what you think about Him matters and there is a clear warning in the Bible, if you reject Jesus there will be severe consequences. That is the main idea of today’s message: Rejecting Jesus has severe consequences.
I have structured today’s message into two sections:
If you reject Jesus, you reject God (Jn 5:18-30)
If you reject Jesus, his witnesses will testify against you (Jn 5:31-47)
My hope and prayer is that you will come to see that Jesus is God, and the testimonies about Jesus confirm His divinity. I desire for your lives to be changed as a result of believing the right things about who Jesus is. My prayer is that you will be challenged not to reject Jesus, but instead to love and honour Him as He deserves.
Over the past few weeks, we have been studying the book of John here at Grace Baptist Church, and we have been confronted with a unique person: Jesus Christ.
We have been challenged to consider the question: Who is Jesus?
So far in the book of John we have learned that Jesus is the Word who became flesh. Jesus is the temple: the meeting place between God and Man. Jesus teaches us that salvation is for everyone everywhere and that we need to believe in Him in order to be born again.
And last week Eugene preached that belief in Jesus is not based on seeing, but rather believing in Jesus means believing in His words. In particular Jesus was warning the Pharisees of their unbelief.
And today we will explore more about what happens when we continue to choose not to believe in Jesus. Jesus will go on to explain the dangers of rejecting Him.
That brings us to our first section: if you reject Jesus, you reject God (Jn 5:18-30).
If you reject Jesus, you reject God (Jn 5:18-30)
If you reject Jesus, you reject God. In this section we will be looking at the Father’s relationship with Jesus, the Son. We will look at three things to show us why rejecting Jesus is rejecting God.
Rejecting Jesus is rejecting God because:
Jesus does what the Father does
The Father loves Jesus
The Father has given Jesus the authority to give life and to judge
Jesus does what the Father does
The first reason why rejecting Jesus is rejecting God is because Jesus does what the Father does.
In the beginning of John 5, Jesus healed a man who was invalid for 38 years (Jn 5:17-18). Now the healing itself was not the problem, it was because Jesus healed this man on the Sabbath.
So because Jesus healed this man on the Sabbah, a conflict arose between the Jewish leaders and Jesus. This conflict is all regarding the identity of Jesus.
Now it was not a coincidence that Jesus healed on the Sabbath. If the invalid was there for 38 years, Jesus could have very easily waited one more day to heal Him. But Jesus deliberately chose to heal this man on the Sabbath day because Jesus wanted the Jews to notice Him. Jesus intended to communicate something about Himself.
John 5:18 tells us that the Jews wanted to kill Jesus for two reasons: Jesus was breaking the Sabbath and Jesus was calling God His own Father making Himself equal to God.
Jesus’ argument is simple. In John 5:17, we read that since the Father is always working, even on the Sabbath, Jesus is also working.
God is the one who provides all things and in him all things hold together. The world only operates and runs through God’s powerful provision. If God did observe the sabbath and rested, no one would be keeping the world running.
One of the key points of observing the Sabbath was to remember that God is the one who provides. In Exodus, God had provided salvation from the Egyptians, God had provided manna from heaven and water in the desert. God instructed His people to observe the Sabbath and not work so that they could be trusting in God’s provision. The Sabbath was a reminder that God is the one who provides for the needs of His people. So in fact for the Jews, God would be the only one actually working to protect and provide for them on the Sabbath.
That is the point Jesus is making here. Just the Father is working, Jesus is working. The two reasons why they wanted to kill Jesus were actually one reason. The Jews wanted to kill Jesus because He was claiming to be equal to God.
So what does it mean that Jesus is equal to God? It means that Jesus is equal in ability and status to God. He holds all the same substance of God, yet somehow Jesus is a different person.
For all those Math students out there, think about your standard math equation. For something to be equal, there must be two different elements on either side of the equation, but the equals sign in the middle makes them the same.
Or perhaps you can think of human beings. Man and Woman are created equal. Both genders have equal value, equal rights, equal dignity, but are different kinds of human beings.
Jesus knew that there is only one God, it was one of the defining attributes of what it meant to be a Jew. The Hebrew prayer starts like this: “Here O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One”.
However, by claiming to be equal with God, Jesus is beginning to help us understand more the nature of God. Jesus will continue to explain in this passage how there can be one God but in that one God there are different persons, but still only one God.
This is a profound idea. I am sure the Jews present were wondering: Who is this Jesus that is before them? What kind of person is Jesus? How can He make such outrageous claims?
The stage is now set for Jesus to tell us more about Himself. Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise (Jn 5:19). The Son does what the Father does. Jesus says here there is a distinct difference between the Father and the son, yet they are still equal.
Jesus is not independent nor in competition with the Father. Jesus is in perfect harmony with the Father. Jesus IS God.
Jesus is teaching that it is impossible for the Son to take independent, self-determined action that would set Him over against the Father. The Son’s will, decisions, desires, they are the same as the Father’s. Jesus is not independent nor in competition with the Father. Jesus is in perfect harmony with the Father. Jesus IS God.
As Michael Reeves would put it: “There is no God in heaven who is unlike Jesus.” Why is rejecting Jesus rejecting God? Because Jesus is God. Jesus does what the Father does. However, if we meditate on this for a moment, we can kind of understand the objections the Jews have.
God is incomparable. No one can be compared to God. No one is like God.
So Jesus’ claims are mindblowing because the fundamental characteristic about God is that he is holy and distinct, yet this Jesus before them seems like just a regular human being.
God is infinite. Jesus became finite
God is all powerful. Jesus became weak.
God is invisible. Jesus became physical.
God is everywhere. Jesus was there.
This is one of the profound mysteries about Jesus. How can God be a man?
What Jesus is claiming is no small thing. Now you can see the objections of the Jews. How can a mere man be God? What Jesus is claiming is blasphemous.
Yet, Jesus will go on to tell us what the Father thinks about Him. The Father himself does not reject Jesus, rather the Father loves Jesus.
Why is rejecting Jesus rejecting God? The second reason is because the Father loves Jesus.
The Father Loves Jesus
Notice what Jesus says about how the Father responds to Him as the Son (Jn 5:20). The Father loves the Son.
Jesus’ point is this: His claims must be true, because the Father does not love or approve of a blasphemous sinner. The Father’s response to Him as the Son demonstrates that Jesus’ claims are legitimate.
How does the Father respond? The Father loves the Son.
What conclusion is to be drawn from this? Our attitude towards Jesus should be the same as the Father’s. If the Father loves Jesus, we should love Jesus. If the Father, the God of the universe loves Jesus and finds Him worthy of His love, how much more should we love Jesus? If you say you love and follow God, then you will love the Son whom God loves.
Would you say you love God? Would you say you love Jesus? Do you see Jesus as God? But what does loving Jesus look like?
Think of someone you love dearly. It could be your family, a good friend, your spouse, even your children. What might loving them look like?
Loving them looks like spending time with them. You enjoy conversing with them, talking and listening to them. You love the things they love and spend time together doing the things you love together. It is a joy to serve those you love and sacrifice your time and energy for them. You rejoice in those you love and speak about them often.
To love Jesus means the same things.
I hope you can see that our Christian disciplines are just expressions of our love for Jesus. We spend quality time praying and reading our Bibles because of our desire to relate and converse with Jesus. We want to hear from Jesus and talk to Him.
Jesus loves His church, so we go to church and fellowship with God’s people because we love the people that Jesus loves. We work hard for Jesus in all things, sacrificing our time and energy for Him because of our love for Him. Evangelism is just rejoicing in Jesus Christ. We evangelise and tell others of the goodness of Jesus Christ because of our abiding love of Jesus. So brothers and sisters, how are you expressing your love for Jesus? Would you say you love Jesus?
We can never claim to be better than the Father who loves Jesus, so why is rejecting Jesus rejecting God? Because the Father loves Jesus.
The final reason why rejecting Jesus is rejecting God is because the Father has given Jesus authority to give life and to judge.
The Father has given Jesus authority to give life and to judge
Jesus will go on to tell us that He has been given the authority from God the Father to give life and to judge (Jn 5:20b-23).
The Father will show the Son even greater things than the healing of this invalid. Jesus, in obedience to the Father, will give life to the dead and He will pronounce final judgment.
These two things of giving life and pronouncing judgement are unique attributes of God.
God is the only one to give life. God was the one who breathed life into Adam in Genesis 2. And God is also the only one who passed judgement onto the Man, Women and Serpent in Genesis 3.
The Father has bestowed this authority to the Son and this is confirmation of Jesus’ divinity. And because Jesus has this authority, the honour that is due to Him is the same honour that is due to the Father. The Son is one with the Father not only in activity but also in honour. Just as someone would honour the Father, so they should honour the son.
What does it mean to honour? It means to have high respect and high esteem. To honour God means placing God in high regard in our lives. It is acknowledging God’s authority in our life and taking seriously what He says.
Think about the people who deserve honour in Singapore. It could be the prime minister of Singapore, or a judge in a court room or a police officer. If you hold these people in high regard and then you would pay careful attention to what they say or tell you.
Jesus is saying that we need to give Him that honour, just as we would give that honour to the Father. Jesus has taught us that He is equal to God and that he has the authority to give life and to judge, something that only God can do.
What does that mean for us? Well we are to honour Jesus. If we honour the Father, we will honour the son. If we do not honour Jesus, we do not honour the Father.
Would you say that you do that? Do you honour the Son just as you honour the Father?
Just as we honour and heed the words of those in authority over us, we need to similarly heed the words of Jesus. I wonder if you have been really honouring Jesus' words over these past few months while we have studied the book of John.
When Jesus says that we should believe without seeing signs, do you honour Him and take His words seriously?
When Jesus says that we are to leave our broken water jars that do not satisfy and turn to the one who provides living water, do you honour Him and take His words seriously?
When Jesus says we need to believe in Him to be born again, do you honour Him and take His words seriously?
Do not be like the Jews in this passage who are in danger of not honouring the God they claim to worship. Honour Jesus, take His words seriously.
Jesus is to be honoured, also because Jesus has authority over your life.
Jesus is to be honoured, also because Jesus has authority over your life. Jesus has the authority to give life and to judge, and it is only by believing in Jesus that we can be saved from judgement and have life. That is what Jesus says in John 5:24-27, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.”
Jesus has the power to raise the dead and give life. Tied to that, Jesus has the authority to bring us into judgement according to our sins. Your beliefs in Jesus is what determines if you will have eternal life or judgement.
We have all transgressed against God and chosen to live life our own way. God being the creator of everything has determined what is right and wrong. However, in our foolishness we have decided to disregard God’s commands and we have rebelled against Him. Every one of us have sought to live life in our own ways. We have all not loved God or worshipped Him as he rightly deserves.
Just think about this past week, I am sure that you have all thought things, said things and done things you have been ashamed of or regretted. These impure thoughts, hurtful angry words, and shameful actions we have taken. Only you know the extent of what you have done, but there is one more, God Himself sees and knows all.
And God will not let us continue to rebel against Him. For the evil rebellious things we have done, we will need to come under judgement. Just as a righteous judge executes penalties to criminals, Jesus similarly has that authority to judge you and I for the wrong things we have done in life.
All the times we have ignored God and disregarded Him, all the times we have hurt our fellow man. All the times we did not worship or love God as He deserves. All the times we have selfishly put ourselves first at the expense of others. We deserve death and judgement for our sins.
But Jesus offers us an alternative to death and judgement. Jesus Christ came to take the punishment that we deserve. Jesus Christ was the only one who lived the perfectly righteous life that we should have lived. But instead of righteously condemning the world, instead, Jesus took the full punishment of sin by dying on the cross, for us. And three days later He rose again, defeating death.
We can receive eternal life and be spared of Judgement when we hear Jesus' words and believe in Him. When we believe in Jesus, He takes the punishment that we deserve, and He gives us His righteousness, making us pleasing before God. When we put our trust in Jesus, that is how we pass from death to life.
To believe in Jesus means to trust that Jesus’ words are true and to live your lives accordingly.
So when we believe in Jesus, we are to trust Him when He says that He is the only way to be reconciled to God. We are to trust His words when He says He is God and that it is only through Him that we can have eternal life. We are to rely on Him alone to be reconciled to God.
Friends, do you believe this? Do you believe that the only way you can have life is through Jesus? If you are here and not a Christian, I hope you will seriously consider that you need to believe in this gospel. There is no hope of salvation anywhere outside of Jesus.
Believe in Jesus, because if you reject Him, there are severe consequences from the one who has rule and dominion over everything.
Believe in Jesus, because if you reject Him, there are severe consequences from the one who has rule and dominion over everything.
Notice also the title that Jesus gives Himself in John 5:27, “The Son of Man”. When Jesus mentions this title “The Son Of Man” He is referring to an Old Testament passage that the Jews should have known about in Daniel 7. In Daniel’s vision there is the Ancient of Days,God, sitting on this throne, ready to judge (Dan 7:13-14). Then one like a Son of Man comes and he is given dominion over everything.
Those are the ideas that Jesus is using to explain who He is. Jesus is the one with the power to rule over everything and to judge those who oppose the Ancient of Days. Jesus is that Son of Man who is given the authority to rule over all things.
God has entrusted dominion and judgement to Jesus. Jesus is the only one you need to be primarily concerned about in life. Jesus has the final say on your final destination.
Look with me at John 5:28-30. Jesus is talking here about life after death. One which will determine our eternal destination.
There is a thing called resurrection. There is life after death. And a time is coming where everyone who has ever lived will be raised from the dead. Those who trust in Jesus and believe that He has taken their sin, they have been credited with Christ’s good works. Those who believe in Jesus will receive eternal life that will be with God for ever and ever for all eternity.
But there is also a terrifying reality. In the same way, those who reject Christ and do not believe His words, there will also be a resurrection but one to judgement. Upon that final judgement they will receive a just judgement based on their sinful deeds and experience the wrath of God for all eternity.
God promises that there will be two types of resurrection, one to eternal life and joy and another one to eternal judgement and condemnation. This judgement is the judgement of God, given to Jesus who seeks the will of the Father.
If you are here and you are not a Christian, You should know that there is only one hope for salvation, and that is in Jesus Christ, that is why Jesus came. Jesus calls us to hear His word and believe in Him, because it is only through Him that we can be saved.
Come to Christ today, believe in His words. Trust in the one who can give you life and save you from judgement. What you conclude about who Jesus is will determine where you will be and what you will do for all eternity.
If you reject Jesus, you reject God.
Jesus has told us about Himself, but His claims have evidence. Jesus goes on to present us with credible testimonies that prove His claims. Which brings us to our next and final section: If you reject Jesus, His witnesses will testify against you.
If you reject Jesus’s, his witnesses will testify against you (Jn 5:31-47)
In this next section Jesus will verify that His claims of divinity are credible. In a Jewish law court, any claim needed to be backed up by at least two witnesses as conclusive proof of reality.
So Jesus presents us with 3 witnesses which verify His claims to be God. He puts forward
John the Baptist
Jesus’ works and miracles
God’s own words of Scripture
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was the first witness Jesus references (Jn 5:31-34). John the Baptist was very popular among the Israelites and Jewish leaders. All the countryside and Jerusalem went out to see him.
This very same John the Baptist who they respected and revered, he pointed to Jesus Christ as the Son of God. John had God’s confirmation when he baptised Jesus. At Jesus’ baptism everyone present would have known that Jesus is the Son of God.
This is because during Jesus’ baptism, just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, the heavens were torn open and the Spirit of God descended on Him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
This is what John said Himself in John 1:32-34, “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him (Jesus)… And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
John the Baptist witnessed the Spirit’s confirmation of Jesus’s divinity and approval from God. And John testified to everyone about it. So John the Baptist is a witness to Jesus’ divinity.
Jesus’ works and miracles
John 5:36 reads, “But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.”
Jesus says that the works He is currently doing is a greater witness than that of John the Baptist. The works and miracles that Jesus had been performing are testimonies to the truth of Jesus’ claims.
Jesus has already turned water into wine, He healed the official's son with a mere word and has now just healed this invalid man. Surely these signs and miracles cannot be performed by a mere human. These miracles all testify that Jesus is divine.
Ultimately the work that Jesus was called to do was to give His life as a ransom for many. That is the work that God the Father sent Him to do. And eventually Jesus’ resurrection will be the final evidence to show that He was indeed the Son of God.
So Jesus’ works and miracles is a witness to Jesus’ divinity.
God’s words of Scripture
Jesus is clear here in John 5:37-47 that God’s Word verifies Jesus’ claim. Not only did God Himself speak during Jesus’ baptism, but God’s word in Scripture also testifies to Jesus’ divinity.
Jesus says that one of the reasons why the Jews do not believe in His claims is because they have never really listened to God’s word. They never had God’s word abiding in them. Because if they did listen to God’s words, they would believe in Jesus.
The Jew’s rejection of Jesus clearly shows that they do not really believe God’s word in Scripture, because Jesus says in John 5:39, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.”
Where does eternal life come from? Eternal life is found in Jesus alone, and all the Old Testament Scriptures point towards Jesus. I hope that you will notice throughout this sermon series in John that the Old Testament is repeatedly quoted pointing us to Jesus. Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament Scripture. Jesus is saying that the Old Testament Scriptures point to Him.
Jesus even states in John 5:42-44, “But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”
Jesus says that if the Jews really knew and loved God sincerely, you would know Him when He showed up.
Jesus is saying to the Jews that if they knew God, admired God and are focused on the glory of God as He reveals Himself in the Old Testament, then when God comes they would recognise Him and receive Him. Jesus is that God who has come. Jesus is that glory of God revealed.
Instead the Jews are not really seeking the glory of God, rather they seek their own praise and glory. They love the praise that comes from men more than praise from God. The Jewish leaders loved worshipping God, but only in front of others. The Jewish leader loved the idea of looking religious and godly rather than God loving Himself.
And we know this because if they really sought after the glory of God, they would have sought after Jesus, who is the glory of God!
Seeking our own glory and praise from men, it blinds us from seeing God’s glory. It prevents us from coming to Jesus and loving Him as He deserves.
Seeking our own glory and praise from men, it blinds us from seeing God’s glory. It prevents us from coming to Jesus and loving Him as He deserves.
How often do we look for the approval of men rather than looking for the approval of God Himself? How often have we feared man instead of fearing God?Just think back on your past week, how often were you concerned about what people thought of you? How did that affect your actions and behaviours?
Perhaps you did not confess your sins because you were worried about how others would view you. I wonder if you hesitated from sharing the gospel in fear of looking weird or strange in front of others. It is possible to come to church on Sundays and look like a Christian and say all the right things without having any love for God or concern for His glory.
Would you obey Jesus’s teachings even if you would receive nothing in return? Would you seek after the glory of God even if it possibly meant that those around you would disliking you or even hate you? Would you seek after Jesus even if it even meant persecution from men? Are you seeking the approval and praise from men instead of God? It is sobering to think that we can be just like these Pharisees.
Jesus goes so far to say that the Jewish leader’s rejection of Jesus means that they do not even believe in Moses, the most revered leader and prophet in all of Israel’s history.
Look at John 5:45, “There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”” When Jesus referred to Moses’s writing, He may have been making a point that the whole Torah points to Him. But at the very least Jesus had in mind at least Deuteronomy 18:18-19 where The Lord says: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.”
That is how Moses is accusing them. Jesus is that prophet Moses talked about! There will be no contradiction between the God of the Old Testament and Jesus. If you love the God of the Old Testament, you will love Jesus Christ. Those who reject Jesus, reject God’s word, and reject God Himself.
Scripture testifies about Jesus. God's words are a witness to Jesus’ divinity. So brothers and sisters, if we are to love Jesus, we are to love Scripture, love the Old Testament. Love God’s word. Come to love Scripture. Read it, study it, saturate yourself in Scripture.
I hope as a church we will never show contempt to Scripture that we have a deep and abiding love for scripture because we love Jesus.
I know the Bible can be difficult to understand at times, but If you find the Old Testament hard to understand, focus on Jesus, meditate on Him. Jesus says that the Old Testament is all about Him. So actively participate in your CG bible studies. Think of questions from the text and search out answers. Do not be lukewarm towards your daily Bible reading. Come to some of the church activities which help you read and understand Scripture better. Come to EQUIP and learn about what the Bible says about various topics, attend the Wednesday Bible Study and study with brothers and sisters. Work hard at reading and understanding Scripture rightly because it is possible to read scripture wrong. You can read Scripture and not come to the conclusion that Jesus is Lord. The Jews were experts in the Old Testament, but they did not get it right. Do not just study Scripture to gain knowledge, but study Scripture to meet Jesus.
Love Jesus through your love of Scripture.
Now that you have heard from God through his word, what have you concluded about the identity of Jesus? Will you reject Him and face the consequences, or will you love and honour Him today, just as He deserves?
Going back to my conversations with Holmes. As we were sharing our thoughts on Jesus Christ, I told him that the Bible says that one day Jesus Christ will come back and he will judge every human being on what they think about him. Then I redirected the conversation back to him and asked him: One day you will stand before Jesus as Lord and judge, what will you say to Him? Will you admit that you have been rejecting Him?
Those who do not honour the son, do not honour the Father.
Brothers, sisters, friends, do not reject Jesus, because rejecting Jesus has severe consequences.