Jesus, The Father’s Son
John 5:19-23
When last we looked at the book of John,
Jesus once again poked His finger directly into the eye of the devil.
Jesus approached a crippled man on the Sabbath and healed Him.
Perhaps a one-time offense wouldn’t have been that bad,
But this wasn’t a one-time offense.
John 5:16 “For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath.”
Of course that didn’t stop Jesus.
He had a perfect explanation
For why He continually healed on the Sabbath.
John 5:17 “But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”
This statement really set the Jews off.
John 5:18 “For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.”
They wanted to kill Jesus
Because He was claiming to have an inside track on God.
They wanted to kill Jesus because He claimed to be the Son of God, and thus made Himself equal with God.
But the story doesn’t end there.
Jesus takes the opportunity to teach a theological lesson.
This lesson brings about the first sermon of Jesus
In the book of John.
We will study this sermon over the next four services.
The main point behind His sermon
Is to show His unique relationship with the Father.
In verses 37-47, we learn that Jesus is the Father’s Sermon.
John 5:39 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;”
In verses 31-36, we learn that Jesus is the Father’s Savior.
John 5:36 “But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish — the very works that I do — testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.”
In verses 24-30, we learn that Jesus is the Father’s Standard.
John 5:26-27 “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.”
But this morning we learn a different truth about Jesus relationship.
This morning we learn that Jesus is the Father’s Son.
That being the case we must think for a moment this morning about the unique relationship that exists between a father and his son.
All throughout the Old Testament a Son had privileges.
Every son received a blessing.
You can read in Genesis about Jacob blessing his twelve sons.
You can read about Jacob blessing Joseph’s sons.
You can read about the blessing that Isaac gave to Jacob and Esau.
In Jesus parable of the prodigal son
We see this benefit from an even higher plain.
You know the story. One son determines to collect his inheritance and try his hand at the world. After he completely squanders his wealth, he comes to his senses.
Luke 15:14-19 “Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. “So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. “And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. “But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! ‘I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”‘
The son returns to the father hoping to simply become a servant,
But the story takes an unexpected turn of events.
Luke 15:20-24 “So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. “And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.”
This son that was hoping to be a servant learned a valuable truth.
It doesn’t matter the mistakes made. It doesn’t matter the roads traveled.
There is nothing that can change a son’s status.
Not only that, but a son has privileges.
Look at what the father told the older son,
Who was upset about the whole thing.
Luke 15:31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours.”
One of the points to that story is the unique status of a son.
A SON OUTRANKS A SERVANT
That is why Jesus claim to be the Son of God
Made the Jews so hostile.
They didn’t like the thought
That Jesus might have special privileges over them.
But look at what the Bible teaches about Jesus status as a Son.
TURN TO HEBREWS 1:1-13
Jesus holds a special place before the Father
Because Jesus is the Father’s Son.
Today we see 4 privileges that Jesus has as The Father’s Son
As the Father’s Son
#1 JESUS SHARES HIS FATHER’S PASSIONS
John 5:19
We all understand this principle.
How many times have we heard the statements?
“He’s a chip off the old block”
“Like father, Like son”
“The apple didn’t fall far from the tree”
“He comes by that honest”
All those statements make the same point.
SONS ARE LIKE THEIR FATHERS.
Ever watch a boy and how he will mimic his father?
They will dress the same, and walk the same, and talk the same.
Sons spend a life time learning to share their father’s passions.
You can see it in simple things like style of dress
You can see it in religious things like choice of denomination.
It’s amazing how many passions a son learns from his father.
This is one truth that sets Jesus apart from any other person.
While we too are sons of God, we are sons of God through adoption.
But not Jesus.
John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:18 “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
Jesus is the Only Begotten. He holds a special place,
And as such He shares His Father’s passions.
Look at what this verse says.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son CAN DO nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing:”
Shouldn’t that say, “the Son will do nothing of Himself”?
NO.
Because it is not as though they have different passions
And the Son must choose to follow the Father.
They had the same passions and so Jesus could rightly say
It was impossible for Him to do anything different.
“for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.”
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW THE PASSIONS OF GOD?
Look at Jesus.
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT ANGERS GOD?
Look at Jesus.
John 1:18 “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”
When you look at Jesus, you are looking at the Father.
This is what Jesus said.
John 14:9 “Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”
This truth is echoed in the New Testament.
Colossians 1:15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”
Hebrews 1:3 “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”
“the exact representation of His nature”
(NOT – the exact representation of His appearance)
Jesus is not like a statue that looks like God.
Jesus is not just out of the same mold that God is out of.
JESUS IS THE SAME SUBSTANCE
A son doesn’t just look like his father.
A son doesn’t just act like his father.
A son is made of the same substance as his father.
A person can look at a Christian and see the work of the Father.
But if you want to see the Father, you have to look at Jesus.
He is the Father’s Son and they share the same passions.
As the Father’s Son
#2 JESUS SEES HIS FATHER’S PLAN
John 5:20
This is another truth we understand about the father / son relationship.
Son’s have an inside track on what their father’s are doing.
DO YOU KNOW WHY THIS IS?
Love.
A father wants his son to have a leg up,
So the Father discloses His entire plan to the Son.
“The Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.”
Jesus point to the Jews that as the Son of God
He has an inside track to the will of the Father.
The Father shows Him what He is doing.
Jesus always knew more about God’s will than anyone else.
Matthew 16:21 “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.”
John 8:28 “So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.”
John 12:49-50 “For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. “I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”
As God’s Son, Jesus had an inside track to the will of God.
That is why He could have confidence to do these things on the Sabbath. He knew this is what God was doing.
But there is another reason God does this.
HE WANTED THE SON TO EXCEL.
“and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.”
DID YOU CATCH THAT?
“Show HIM…so that YOU will marvel”
That verse didn’t say God would show you so that you will marvel.
God was going to show Jesus so that you would marvel at Jesus.
All throughout the Bible, God has revealed Himself to men.
One of the verses God gave Tommy for Mission China.
Amos 3:7-8 “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing Unless He reveals His secret counsel To His servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken! Who can but prophesy?”
God revealed to the prophets on a need to know basis,
But the Son has greater privilege than that.
“shows Him ALL THINGS that He Himself is doing”
This again makes Jesus exclusive.
He is the Son and He Sees His Father’s Plan.
As the Father’s Son
#3 JESUS SHOWS HIS FATHER’S POWER
John 5:21
Here is another unique truth about the father / son relationship.
Sons not only desire to follow in their father’s steps,
But they generally have the ability to follow in their father’s steps.
I like to watch football.
Watch how many football players
Can get recruited on their father’s name.
That is because scouts have learned that since the son
Is made up of the same substance as the father,
There is a good chance that the son will excel
In the same things the father excelled in.
BUT THERE IS ANOTHER REASON
That is because scouts know
A son benefits from his father’s instruction.
Take the Manning family.
Archy Manning played pro-football for the New Orleans Saints.
Now his two sons play, one for the Indianapolis Colts, the other for the New York Giants. Those boys were hot commodities to Pro scouts. Not only because they should have the same ability as the father but also because the odds were good that the Father had been training them to excel with their abilities.
A son is very capable of showing his father’s power.
Jesus is no different.
“For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.”
Jesus shows His Father’s power,
And it is not incidental that Jesus mentions this specific ability.
ONLY GOD COULD RAISE THE DEAD
If Jesus did it, then He MUST be God’s Son.
Take for example the miracle of Lazarus.
John 11:41-44 “So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. “I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
WHY DO YOU THINK JESUS RAISED HIS EYES AND SPOKE TO THE FATHER?
He was reminding people that this work was the work of God and not man.
Jesus gives life to whom He wishes.
He shows His Father’s Power
As the Father’s Son
#4 JESUS SHARES HIS FATHER’S PRAISE
John 5:22-23
This is perhaps the most important aspect of Jesus Sonship,
And most certainly the fact that Jesus is driving home to the Jews.
God has given this authority over to the Son,
But He has done it for a purpose.
“so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father.”
It is the intention of every father that some day his son receive honor.
And because this is the case, Jesus then makes the next statement.
“He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”
There is a statement the Jews had to let sink in.
There is a statement everyone must allow to sink in.
We can go through life pretending to love God…
We can go through life pretending to worship God…
We can go through life pretending to serve God…
But if we aren’t living our lives in honor of Jesus, we aren’t.
If you don’t honor the Son, you are not honoring the Father.
Remember this parable?
The Jews rightly understood it.
TURN TO MATTHEW 21:33-41
The Jews rightly understood that if you don’t honor the Son,
You are not honoring the Father.
Then look at what Jesus says next.
Matthew 21:42-46 “Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone; THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES’? “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. “And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. When they sought to seize Him, they feared the people, because they considered Him to be a prophet.”
This is the vital point.
If you don’t honor the Son, you are not honoring the Father.
Jesus is the Son
Jesus is the Franchise
It all hinges upon Him.
This is yet another reason why false religion doesn’t cut it.
This is another reason why it must be done in Jesus name.
This is another reason why you can’t just be religious, but you must deal with Jesus.
The Father will not accept those who do not honor His Son.
Because the Son shares in the Father’s praise.
Matthew 17:1-5 “Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”
God is not interested in you being more religious.
God is not interested in you becoming more knowledgeable.
GOD IS INTERESTED IN YOU HONORING HIS SON
THEN HOW DOES ONE HONOR JESUS?
Psalms 50:23 “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; And to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God.”
Psalms 2:10-12 “Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”
We call it submission.
We call it bowing your heart before Him.
He doesn’t want token honor.
Matthew 15:8 “THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.”
If you want to honor God.
If you want to be a worshiper of God,
Then you must honor the Son.
You must surrender your whole life to Him.
If you aren’t living in submission to Jesus,
Then you are not living in submission to God.
He is the Father’s Son and He shares His Father’s Praise.
SO HOW ABOUT IT?
ARE YOU HONORING GOD?
ARE YOU LIVING IN SUBMISSION TO JESUS?
Matthew 10:37-39 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”
