Jesus, The Father’s Standard

John 5:24-30

This morning we began this sermon of Jesus.
It is the sermon in which Jesus outlines the special relationship
That He has with the Father.

This morning we learned that Jesus is the Father’s Son.
He shares His Father’s Passions
He sees His Father’s Plan
He shows His Father’s Power
He shares His Father’s Praise

But tonight Jesus hits the second point of His sermon.
There is another very unique thing
About Jesus relationship with the Father.

Not only is He the Father’s Son
He is the Father’s Standard

When asking people why they will go to heaven…
“Because I’m a good person”

Now of course you and I both know this is not true.
Romans 3:10-18 “as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.” “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,” “THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”; “WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”; “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD, DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.” “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

The Bible is clear that no one has ever been good enough, Save One.

Matthew 3:17 “and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, ” This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

Biblical truth is that no one but Jesus has ever been good enough to go to heaven, yet people still believe this today.

While this is an erroneous belief, it is not a new belief.

700 years before Jesus Isaiah
Dealt with a people who had such a view.
Isaiah spends the first 8 verses of this chapter describing how the priest and the prophet are comparable to drunkards. They put on a good show, but all that comes from their mouth is worth no more than the vomit that comes from a drunk’s mouth.

They were justifying men who were not righteous. They told people “peace, peace, when there was no peace.” They had omitted the message of righteousness, they had omitted the message of holiness, and they were in the business of telling people what they wanted to hear.

Isaiah 28:7-8 “And these also reel with wine and stagger from strong drink: The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, They are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink; They reel while having visions, They totter when rendering judgment. For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place.”

Now apparently the prophets didn’t appreciate Isaiah’s sermon.
They took this opportunity to respond.

Isaiah 28:9-15 “To whom would He teach knowledge, And to whom would He interpret the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast? “For He says, ‘Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there.'” Indeed, He will speak to this people Through stammering lips and a foreign tongue, He who said to them, “Here is rest, give rest to the weary,” And, “Here is repose,” but they would not listen. So the word of the LORD to them will be, “Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there,” That they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared and taken captive. Therefore, hear the word of the LORD, O scoffers, Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem, Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a pact. The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by, For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception.”

You can hear in their message that they thought they were ok.

BROTHER JIM TOLD ME:
“You know Rory, one time I was preaching a pretty tough message to the people and I determined, I could either look at people like they were a bunch of condemned sinners, or I could see them as people who are pretty good just trying to do what’s right.”

That’s the same kind of heretical stuff
These prophets were railing Isaiah for.

The Bible says men are nothing but a bunch of condemned sinners And that they aren’t good enough.

The problem is far reaching.
Men all over America believe their own goodness will carry them to heaven, And why not, because preachers all over America tell them that is so.

But they are all forgetting one thing.
GOD GETS TO SET THE STANDARD.

Salvation is not attained through men being good.
Salvation is not attained through men justifying themselves.

Salvation is difficult.
Salvation is a small gate followed by a narrow path,
The Bible teaches that while many will want to enter the wedding banquet, many will be locked outside where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Since this is the case, we must come to grips
With what God’s standard for righteousness is.

THIS IS EXACTLY THE POINT WE LEARN TONIGHT

Tonight we are going to look at Jesus, The Father’s Standard, and there are three truths we see about Him tonight.
#1 JESUS IS THE PATHWAY OF SALVATION
John 5:24-25

Did you ever talk with a person about how to go to heaven?

I like the question Mark Cahill asks. “I need directions. How do you get to heaven?”
That is what Jesus is telling us here.
We don’t go to heaven because we are good enough to do so.
We don’t go to heaven because our parents did.

Jesus gets extremely clear as to how a person goes to heaven.
There are two pre-requisites He mentions.

1) “He who hears My word”

NOW THAT SEEMS STRANGE.
That is a simple step, just hear what Jesus says.

You would think that was easy,
Yet this step weeds many out right off the bat.

Let me talk to you theologically about hearing for a second.
Take into consideration what Paul said in Ephesians 2.

Ephesians 2:1 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,”

A dead soul cannot hear.
John 8:42-43 “Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.”

SO HOW DOES ANYONE EVER HEAR?
Jesus makes them able to hear.

Look at verse 25, “an hour is coming AND NOW IS, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”

Here He is talking about the spiritually dead.
There is only One who can speak to the soul.

That is why the Bible makes this point.
John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

People must hear, and only Jesus can speak to the dead soul.

The next problem however comes with people who have been given the opportunity to hear, but who refuse to hear.

And this goes right along with the second pre-requisite
2) “and believes Him who sent Me”

Remember this lesson?
Matthew 13:10-13 “And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. “For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”
Some people don’t hear because they won’t hear.

It is a person who refuses the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
It is a person who refuses to believe the conviction.

That person can’t be saved, because hearing is a pre-requisite.
Hebrews 6:4-8 “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.”

However, the person who hears and believes “has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

A person who hears and believes will never stand God’s judgment.
That means they will never have the standard lifted beside them.
They don’t come into judgment.
“but has passed out of death into life.”

They literally have left death and been made alive.

Ephesians 2:4-6 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ ( by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”

Jesus is the pathway of salvation.

If you won’t hear His word…
If you won’t believe what God says about Him…
You cannot be saved.
Salvation must go through Jesus.

So many in the world today want to go to heaven without dealing with Jesus. It cannot be done.

If you won’t believe Him, you cannot be saved.
#2 JESUS IS THE PROVIDER OF SALVATION
John 5:26-27

This text teaches that the power for salvation is also His.

These verses are some amazing truths that we ought not miss.

Man is very technologically advanced today.
We can build almost anything.
We can build almost anything that can do almost anything.

But you know what a man can’t do.
MAKE LIFE

Life is exclusive to God.
Only He has life in Himself.

And His Son because “He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself”

But as you have figured out by now, we aren’t just talking about physical life, a thing which Jesus made.

We are talking about spiritual life.

Jesus is the only One who can speak to a dead soul,
He is the only One who can resurrect a dead soul.
I’ve told you the story about the hand that popped up out of the grave yard.

You see only Jesus can give life.

John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

And then look at what Jesus says next.
Vs. 27, “and He gave Him authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of Man.”

“execute judgment” means to rule as a King. To set as a ruler.

“Son of Man” is a Messianic title that Jesus took upon Himself. It literally means human.

The idea here is this.
That because God gave life to Jesus,
And because Jesus became human,
He has the right to rule and give life to whomever He wishes.

Remember vs. 21 from this morning?

John 5:21 “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.”

This is what makes Jesus the provider of salvation.

YOU CAN GET SALVATION FROM NO OTHER SOURCE

Our world is full of false prophets and false religions
They can tell you what to do with your life….
They can tell you how they think to sustain your life…
They can tell you how they think to gain eternal life…

But their mouth is writing checks they can’t cash.
No one else can give life.

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

Jesus is both the pathway of salvation and the provider of salvation,
But here on a Sunday night I’m going to assume we all knew that.

So let’s look at this third point of Jesus about Himself.
#3 JESUS IS THE PLUMB-LINE OF SALVATION
John 5:28-30

Jesus says, “Do not marvel at this”

You get the feeling Jesus was talking to a people
Who were wondering why He was speaking of such things.

You get the feeling that He was talking to people
Who didn’t even realize they needed to be made alive.

And here He is telling them that life is only found in Him.

You see this is the other upsetting attribute of the lost.
Their soul is dead and they don’t even know it.

The Pharisees didn’t. The Jews didn’t.
Many in our world don’t.

We speak of the need of salvation
And they marvel or wonder why we say such things.

WELL THIS IS WHY WE SAY SUCH THINGS
THIS IS WHY JESUS MADE THOSE TWO POINTS.

“for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice.”

Here He is talking about physical death.

DON’T MARVEL THAT I SPEAK OF NEEDING ME FOR SALVATIION, YOU NEED ME BECAUSE JUDGMENT IS COMING.

All will “come forth”

And come forth for a purpose.
“those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.”

You see up until this point Jesus has been talking about the possibility of salvation, here He talks about the need of it.

There is coming a day when all the dead will be raised
And all will be judged, and the judgment will be carried out.

This is something that our world needs to understand.
We started off by talking about how people don’t really see their need for Jesus because they all think they will go to heaven.

This is the point they have missed.
WE DON’T JUDGE OURSELVES – GOD DOES.

We must fall under God’s standard.
SO WHAT IS GOD’S STANDARD?

Well, let’s look back at the passage we first read in Isaiah.
Isaiah 28:15-19 “Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a pact. The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by, For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception.” Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed. “I will make justice the measuring line And righteousness the level; Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies And the waters will overflow the secret place. “Your covenant with death will be canceled, And your pact with Sheol will not stand; When the overwhelming scourge passes through, Then you become its trampling place. “As often as it passes through, it will seize you; For morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night, And it will be sheer terror to understand what it means.”

You see God has a standard by which all men will be judged.
God has a standard by which all deeds will be measured.

“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed. “I will make justice the measuring line And righteousness the level”

Good deeds and evil deeds are determined by Jesus.

John 6:29 “Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

1 John 3:23 “This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.”

Jesus is God’s standard. Jesus is the plumb-line of salvation
He is God’s standard because He is perfectly righteous.

Vs. 30, “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

He is the Only One to walk perfectly according to the will of the Father.
He is the Only One who ever performed good deeds.

He is the Father’s Standard.

That leaves this world with two options.

You either run to Jesus for salvation,
Or you are measured by Him.

Matthew 21:42-44 “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.”

You either fall on this stone resulting in brokenness and repentance,
Or this stone will fall on you resulting in destruction.

Consider the people in Isaiah’s day.
They didn’t like what Isaiah was telling them.

Isaiah 30:8-17 “Now go, write it on a tablet before them And inscribe it on a scroll, That it may serve in the time to come As a witness forever. For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen To the instruction of the LORD; Who say to the seers, “You must not see visions”; And to the prophets, “You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us pleasant words, Prophesy illusions. “Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.” Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Since you have rejected this word And have put your trust in oppression and guile, and have relied on them, Therefore this iniquity will be to you Like a breach about to fall, A bulge in a high wall, Whose collapse comes suddenly in an instant, Whose collapse is like the smashing of a potter’s jar, So ruthlessly shattered That a sherd will not be found among its pieces To take fire from a hearth Or to scoop water from a cistern.” For thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.” But you were not willing, And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses,” Therefore you shall flee! “And we will ride on swift horses,” Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift. One thousand will flee at the threat of one man; You will flee at the threat of five, Until you are left as a flag on a mountain top And as a signal on a hill.”

Our world is one which desperately needs to know
That there is a Standard and there is a Savior.

Jesus will be one or the other in your life.
When God judges, it will all be according to Jesus.

He is the only source of salvation.

John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

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.”

 

Jesus, The Persecuted One

John 5:10-18

When last we looked at the book of John,
We took a look at Jesus the deliverer.

There was a pool called Bethesda, many in Jesus day thought it was a place of healing, but what it really was, was a place of extreme bondage.

Jesus however is the true deliverer.
He approached this man and uttered a very powerful term.
“Do you want to get well?”

The text went on to show us that Jesus did indeed heal this man,
And then verse 9 provides the bridge to our text this morning.

Verse 9, “Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day.”

Now, I don’t know if you caught it last Sunday night or not,
But that last phrase is far more than incidental.

“Now it was the Sabbath on that day.”

When you read through the gospels, and you are familiar with the works of Jesus, you read that last phrase and everyone says to themselves,
“Uh-oh, here we go again.”
He did it on the Sabbath – AGAIN.

It is far from incidental. As we talked about when Jesus cleared out the temple, sometimes Jesus sought out confrontation.

And so you and I both know what is coming next.

Vs. 10, “So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.”

They were here in Jerusalem, when Jesus healed this man and told him to carry his pallet and walk, it was literally only a matter of minutes before someone ridiculed him for it.

The Jews had taken an extreme legalistic approach to the Law
Especially those who were Pharisees.

And according to their legalities, this man was busted.
He was carrying a pallet, and immediately someone calls him on it.

So he responds in his own defense.
Vs. 11, “But he answered them, “He who made me well was the one who said to me, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk.'”

This man’s point was that he was not intentionally breaking God’s law,
But surely anyone with the authority to heal his sickness
Had the authority to tell him to pick up his pallet and walk.

This man was simply trying to do what he was told.

Vs. 12, “They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk’?”

What manner of blindness can’t even see the workings of God simply because they can’t see past their legalism?

These people couldn’t even see
That God had worked a major miracle in this man’s life
Because they were concerned
That their man-made laws were being violated.

They wanted to know who this man was.

Vs. 13, “But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place.”

And so at this point Jesus is off the hook.
He went out and healed on the Sabbath, but no one knows who did this.

If He just lets everything alone, He can bypass the trouble.
But you and I know better.

We know what happens and here we see,
“Jesus: The Persecuted One”

Vs 16 says, “For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus…”
Vs. 18 says, “For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him…”

Jesus was about to find Himself in the middle of persecution.
WHY?

WHY WHERE THEY PERSECUTING JESUS?
WHY DID THEY WANT TO KILL HIM?

As we examine why Jesus was persecuted,
We will see three truths about Jesus
That further help us understand exactly who He is.
In seeing why Jesus was persecuted,
We are going to learn what things are truly important to Him.

If a man will suffer for something,
We know he cares about it.

There are three reasons in this text why Jesus was persecuted, and through this we see three things that Jesus is passionate about.
#1 HIS CONCERN FOR THE SINNER
John 5:14-15
Alright, consider the scene.

Certainly Jesus knew that they were angry about what happened.
He had to know that coming forward would mean trouble for Him.

SO WHY DID HE?

Because Jesus’ concern was not for safety,
Or for popularity, or even just for curing social ills.
Jesus’ concern was that men be set free from sin
And it’s consequences.

He had more to tell this man.
Jesus wanted to make sure that this man understood
That his biggest problem wasn’t a disease.

His biggest problem was sin,
And Jesus was willing to risk it all to make sure this man knew that.

Jesus was willing to expose Himself to this ridicule
Because He was still concerned about this man.

Look at what Jesus came and told him.
Vs. 14, “Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.”
Jesus wanted to make sure that this man understood
That sin was his enemy, not just sickness.

I am not implying that this man was sick because he sinned.
That could have been the case, but it is not necessarily the case.

John 9:1-3 “As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
Just because a person is sick does not necessarily mean they sinned, but it also does not mean they haven’t.

The simple truth is that sin brings consequences,

Jesus understands that
So He continually warns people
That sickness is not their enemy, sin is their enemy.

Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

This is something we should all remember.
It was important enough to Jesus
That He was willing to be persecuted to tell you.

Satan would have you believe that God is trying to ruin your life.
He would have you believe that God’s laws
Are just to kill all your fun and make you miserable.

This is the first lie he ever told, and he still tells it today.
Remember Eve?
Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

Satan still does this today.
God says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me”
Is it because He just doesn’t want any other god to get any credit, and doesn’t want you to have other religious experiences? No.

Isaiah 43:11 “I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides Me.”

He knows that to worship any other god will leave you in hell.
He is the only one who can save.

God says, “Thou shalt not make any graven image.”
Is it because God doesn’t want you worshiping a god that is exactly like you want him to be, and He is trying to steal your fun? No.

Isaiah 46:5-7 “To whom would you liken Me And make Me equal and compare Me, That we would be alike? “Those who lavish gold from the purse And weigh silver on the scale Hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; They bow down, indeed they worship it. “They lift it upon the shoulder and carry it; They set it in its place and it stands there. It does not move from its place. Though one may cry to it, it cannot answer; It cannot deliver him from his distress.”
He doesn’t want you to worship a god that you have to carry,
He wants you to worship the God that can carry you.
God says, “Thou shalt not commit adultery”
Is it because He doesn’t want you having sex, or enjoying a relationship? No.
God created sex.

He’s trying to save you from the heartache of adultery.
(teenage pregnancy, AIDS, or just the shame on your wedding night)

Proverbs 6:26 “For on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread, And an adulteress hunts for the precious life.”

God says, “Thou shalt not bear false witness”
Is it because He doesn’t want you to have the fun when you talk with your friends? No.

He just knows that deception leads to a tangled web in life.

Proverbs 17:4 “An evildoer listens to wicked lips; A liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.”

God says, “Thou shalt not covet”
Is it because He doesn’t want you to want nice things and enjoy getting stuff that makes you happy? No.

He just knows that happiness is fleeting
And if you sell yourself to it, it will destroy you.

1 Timothy 6:9-10 “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

Jesus doesn’t enforce righteousness
Because He is some egotistical domineering control freak.
Jesus enforces righteousness
Because He knows sin will kill you.

And Jesus is so concerned that you know this, that He was even willing to face persecution in order to make sure you understand.

And sure enough, persecution is what He would earn.
Vs. 15, “The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.”

I don’t know why this man did it.
I don’t know if it was to save his own skin…
I don’t know if it was to glorify Jesus…
I don’t know if he resented Jesus implication…
But for whatever reason, the word is out.
This was the risk Jesus took
Because He was so concerned that sinners be set free from sin.

He was persecuted because of His concern for the sinner
#2 HIS CONTEMPT FOR RITUAL
John 5:16
Now to catch why they are upset at Jesus,
You have to read this verse very carefully.

It does not say, “For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus because He did this thing on the Sabbath.”

It says, “because He was doing these things on the Sabbath.”

If this were just a one time deal…
If this were just a one time occurrence…

But this was getting all too common.
Jesus constantly healed on the Sabbath.

This man didn’t approach Jesus wanting healing.
Jesus approached Him and asked, “Do you want to get well?”

Jesus didn’t have to do this on the Sabbath, but just like so many other times, He did it on the Sabbath on purpose.

Matthew 12:1-14 “At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.” But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? “Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent? “But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. “But if you had known what this means, ‘ I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” — so that they might accuse Him. And He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? “How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.”

And of course that story is just one of many.
The point is Jesus purposely healed on the Sabbath
WHY?
Because He hated their ritual.
He hated these stupid ordinances that would actually prefer
That men be bound than to forsake their traditions.

Jesus had so much contempt
For this ritualistic, man-made, tradition led, religion
That He was willing to be persecuted in order to expose it.

Jesus didn’t have to do this on the Sabbath again,
But He wanted them to know, He doesn’t approve of ritual.

Matthew 6:1-6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

Matthew 6:16-18 “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

In fact, not only did Jesus teach against ritualistic religion,
He scorned it.

Matthew 9:14-17 “Then the disciples of John came to Him, asking, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. “But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. “Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Matthew 23:23-24 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. “You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”
Matthew 15:1-9 “Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? “For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.’ “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'”

All the Jews had was a man made standard by which they could justify themselves, and that made Jesus sick.

That is all that religion does.
It eliminates God’s standard of heart righteousness
And enforces a man made standard that allows self-justification.

Remember the Sermon on the Mount?
“You have heard…but I say…”
Jesus condemned them because their hearts were filthy.

Remember Jesus confrontation of the Pharisees?
Matthew 23:25-28 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. “You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. “So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Jesus wanted you to understand it so bad
That He was willing to be persecuted to expose it.

He was persecuted be of His concern for the sinner, because of His contempt for ritual…
#3 HIS CLAIM TO BE LIKE GOD
John 5:17-18

OK Jesus, you were already in enough trouble.
You had healed on the Sabbath – AGAIN,
And the people were getting pretty riled about it.

If you don’t want to be persecuted, then I suggest you start trying to keep the peace a little bit. I suggest you do Your healing on another day of the week, and that start playing by the rules that everyone else is playing by.

But Jesus wasn’t finished.

There was one more thing that Jesus wanted you to know,

He was doing was what God wanted,
And everyone else had missed the boat.

Vs. 17, “But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”

Jesus response to their anger was that, “I am just doing the same things My Father is doing.”

CAN YOU HEAR THE REBUKE IN THAT STATEMENT?
He is point out that He is the One who is right,
And everyone else has missed the point.

OK that does it!
Vs. 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.”

Now they didn’t just want to malign Him or punish Him,
They wanted to kill Him, and they wanted to kill Him bad.

But Jesus wanted you to know that religion doesn’t please God so bad that He was willing to be persecuted to tell you.
1 Samuel 16:7 “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Isaiah 1:16-17 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.”

Isaiah 58:5-7 “Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the LORD? “Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?”

Isaiah 29:13 “Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,”

1 Samuel 15:22-23 “Samuel said, “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king.”

Amos 5:21-24 “I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. “Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. “Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. “But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

God hated their religious displays, and so did Jesus,
Because it had nothing to do with pleasing God.

Psalms 51:16-17 “For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”

Hosea 6:6 “For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

Micah 6:6-8 “With what shall I come to the LORD And bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves? Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”

Jesus was passionate that you know
That righteousness is what is important,
That religion is not what works,
That this is exactly how God feels.

He was persecuted to give you this truth, so what have you done with it?

Are you living in the sin Jesus is desperately trying to get you out of?
Are you trying to appease Jesus through religion?

He doesn’t want your attendance, He wants your heart.
CAN HE HAVE IT?

Joel 2:12-13 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning; And rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil.”

Jesus, The Deliverer

John 5:1-9

The picture tonight is that Jesus is the true deliverer.

All throughout this world, people are literally trapped in bondage.
Some are trapped in sickness…
Some are trapped in addiction…
Some are trapped in deception…

Some are trapped in all of those, and more.

Tonight, we are going to learn one truth rises above the rest, And that is that Jesus is the only source of freedom.

Only Jesus can deliver a person from their prison.

John 8:31-36 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

As we examine this story,
There are three things I want you to focus on,

And as you do, you will see the power of Jesus unfold to bring freedom in a way that the world never will.

#1 A PRISONER’S POOL
John 5:1-4

When Jesus is in Jerusalem, the contrast between Him and religion is seen so much more clearly.

And John says in Jerusalem there is a pool called “Bethesda, having five porticoes.”

And in these pools we have a peculiar sight.
“In these lay a MULTITUDE of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered”

Now, if you are reading the NIV, verse 4 is omitted.
You can find it in italics at the bottom of the page.

It gives us insight as to why there were a multitude of people at this pool. They were “waiting for the moving of the waters; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the waters; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.”

Let me tell you why the verse may be missing in your Bible.

The thought of the day was that an angel of the Lord was stirring the waters and making it healing water and whoever could get in first would be healed.

And this kept them surrounding the pool.

But here is what I want you to see tonight.

This pool is not a place of healing.
This pool is a prison.
I believe this is a place of demonic deception.
Just because the people thought it was from God does not mean it was.

2 Corinthians 11:14 “No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”

Whatever it is that happens at this pool, it is not a work of God that sets men free, it is a work that keeps men bound.
Whoever is doing this, is not wanting men healed,
He is wanting men to stay bound in their prison.

That is not the freedom that comes from God.
John 8:36
“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”
Not only that, but there is a real ambiguity
As to the source of the healing.

This is never the case with God.
When He works a miracle,
He makes sure that there is no doubt where it comes from.

I believe this pool to be a work of the enemy meant to keep people in chains, not the work of God meant to set men free.

But here is what I want you to realize tonight.
THIS STILL HAPPENS TODAY

I believe the enemy still works
In exactly the same fashion today.
He mimics and copies the true works of God
in order to draw people to himself.

FOR EXAMPLE
1 Corinthians 12:8-11 “For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”

In that passage Paul mentions 9 gifts that come from the Spirit of God.
Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miracles, Prophecy, Discernment, Tongues, and Interpretation of Tongues

Satan counterfeits them in order to keep men in bondage.

Benny Hinn, “It’s because they stop believing that they have been healed.”

Now let’s test that theory off of what we know to be true about Jesus.
John 8:36
“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

False prophets do this in pulpits throughout America.

2 Peter 2:17-19 “These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.”

Peter said there would be loads of false prophets who would come promising you freedom, when they aren’t even free themselves.

HOW CAN THIS BE?

Because just as we talked about on Easter Sunday,
They are not treating the source.
WHY DID JESUS SAY YOU WILL BE FREE?
John 8:32 “and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

The point is there are prisons like this pool all over the place today.
Some are actual churches.
Some are doctor’s offices.

Look at how fast anti-depressant drugs sell in America.
It is not Biblical that a believer should need them.

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”

These people weren’t receiving freedom, they were being enslaved.

LET ME ASK YOU: IS THERE ANYTHING THAT IS PROMISING YOU FREEDOM, BUT HAS REALLY JUST ENSLAVED YOU?

Maybe it is that second job that promised financial freedom, but instead became your master.

Maybe it is that drug that promised you happiness, but instead became something you can’t live without.

Maybe it is that relationship that promised you fulfillment, but instead became a sinful snare.

Maybe it is that addiction that promised you acceptance into a certain group, but instead controls your life.

Those things only say they will set you free, but they don’t really do it.
This world is full of Bethesda’s pools,
Promising people freedom, but does not deliver.

ARE YOU DEPENDANT ON ANYTHING BUT JESUS?
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ANYTHING BUT JESUS?

Make sure you aren’t a member at the prisoner’s pool.
It is an addictive place.

And I want you to see just how addictive it is.
#2 A PARLYTIC’S PROBLEM
John 5:5-7
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW JUST HOW GRIPPING THOSE FALSE FREEDOMS CAN BE OVER YOUR LIFE?
Then take this man for an example.

This man was so deceived that he was sitting by this pool for 38 years without a change.

This certainly was a problem he faced, but I want you to know his problem runs much deeper than that, and we know this because of what Jesus says to him.

Verse 6, “When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, “Do you wish to get well?”

WHY ASK SUCH A QUESTION?

Because part of becoming free is wanting freedom.
(DEMON POSSESSION)

NOW THAT SEEMS STRANGE, WHY WOULDN’T THEY WANT TO BE?
John 3:19-20 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”

In order to be free, they must turn from the sin.
We will see this is the fact when Jesus approaches this man later.

John 5:14 “Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.”

This is much of the problem with the Bethesda pools of our day. There are some who really don’t want to stop what they are doing. They don’t truly have freedom because if we got right down to it, they like the attention.

But there is also another potential problem, and that is self-pity.
Vs. 7, “The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”

Now we see that answer to the whole desire thing. This man was trying to get into the pool. But now we are borderline on the problem of pity.
Let met help you understand something about salvation.
Jesus requires that you be poor in spirit, not rich in self-pity.
There is a big difference.

Jesus wants you humble enough to come to Him, not feeling so sorry for yourself that you expect Jesus to do something for you.

People who are full of self-pity are still full of self,
And you must deny yourself to follow Jesus.

These are the dangerous effects of buying into the devil’s deceptions for false freedom.

If you accept what he offers,
Not only are you setting yourself up for a life time of bondage,
But you are also setting yourself up to grow complacent
About the bondage, and selfish about the bondage.

Think about how greed can do this to a person.
1 Timothy 6:9-10 “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

Adultery can do this to a person.
TURN TO PROVERBS 7

In fact any sin can do this to a person.
Romans 6:16 “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?”

The point thus far is there are many pools like this in our world,
But the real problem is a heart that is willing to sit by them.

If you are willing to find comfort anywhere but Jesus, Satan will offer it.
If you are willing to accept temporary freedom, Satan will offer it.

So we see a prisoner’s pool, and we see a paralytic’s problem
But there is a third thing I want you to see.
#3 A PICKED UP PALLET
John 5:8-9
Regardless of the prison you are in.
Regardless of the lie you have bought.

Freedom is still possible, and it is evidenced by the fact that this pallet that once held a slave is now being held by a free man.
AND DO YOU NOTICE WHAT IT TOOK ON THE PART OF THIS MAN.

We already know he had to want to be free from his slavery.

Now it took 2 things.

1) THE POWER OF JESUS
As we learned this morning, Jesus is the Authoritative One.
He is the only one with power over your captor.

Whatever it is that holds you in bondage, He is the only One who can break the chains.

2) OBEDIENCE TO JESUS COMMAND
When He told this man to get up, he had to obey.

And when this man, by the power of Jesus, obeyed, he was immediately made well.

I believe that you can have freedom tonight.
It comes through the power of Jesus and obedience to His command.

I don’t know where you are in your daily grind.
You may be in prison.

But I know this, if you are willing to
Turn your back on the sin in your life,
Are willing to come to Jesus,
Will walk in obedience to His command,
Then freedom awaits.

And when Jesus sets a person free, it is not temporary.
Nor does He taunt us with a false promise of future freedom.

Remember the passage we started with.

John 8:31-36 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

Give your life to Jesus, obey His word, acknowledge your slavery and turn from it, and let Jesus make you free.

Jesus, The Authoritative One

John 4:43-54

The truth we learn of Jesus this morning
Is one that I believe to be
The single most transforming truth in people’s lives today.

I have shared with you many times how at 8 years old
I walked the aisle and was baptized,
But how it was not until I was 19 years old that I was saved.

I could easily sum up the difference in one word.
AUTHORITY

19 years old was when I came under the authority of Jesus.
19 years old was when I gave Jesus the reigns.
19 years old was when I gave Jesus control of my life.

I believe that there is no truth that will transform a person’s life more than the truth of the authority of Jesus.

Now we all know what authority is,

Little children certainly understand it.
“Because I said so.”
“You’re not my dad.”

When I worked for my parents,
Dad was always hiring high school students to do the less fun jobs
“Let me tell you about a totem pole”

We call that authority.

Before we dive too far into our text,
I want to talk a little bit about the authority of Jesus.

There’s no doubt what John is trying to show us about Jesus

Verses 50-54, “Jesus said to him, “Go; your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off. As he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was living. So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives”; and he himself believed and his whole household. This is again a second sign that Jesus performed when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.”

When this man approaches Jesus, you will notice in verse 47
That this man wants Jesus to “come down and heal his son”.
Again in verse 49 he says, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

But Jesus flexes His authoritative muscle.
Not only does He not go with the man,
But He also makes a promise. “Your son lives”

This was Jesus showing His authority to speak a word and make it so.
That is why John says this in verse 54, “This is again a second sing that Jesus performed when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.”

Again, this is not just a miracle, this is a sign.
Jesus is teaching about Himself, and the point here is His authority.

So let’s take a moment and talk about the authority of Jesus.

Matthew 28:18 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”

Much of Jesus ministry was a demonstration of His authority.

Jesus had authority in His teaching.
Matthew 7:28-29 “When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”

Jesus had authority over nature.
Matthew 8:23-27 “When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, ” Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Jesus had authority over evil spirits
Matthew 8:28-32 “When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way. And they cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” Now there was a herd of many swine feeding at a distance from them. The demons began to entreat Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.” And He said to them, “Go!” And they came out and went into the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters.”

Jesus had authority over sickness
Matthew 8:16-17 “When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.”

Jesus had authority over death
John 11:43-44 “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.”

Jesus had authority over His enemies
John 18:4-6 “So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.”

Jesus continually demonstrated His authority,
And the people began to understand it.

Matthew 8:5-13 “And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.” Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion said, ” Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. “For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. “I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed that very moment.”

People had begun to understand the authority of Jesus.

But that’s not that unusual, we understand the authority of Jesus.
We have heard the stories, we know the miracles.
We understand that Jesus has authority.

There is more than just understanding Jesus has authority.
We also need to understand the purpose of His authority.

His authority is for a purpose.
The gospels also show us this purpose.

To forgive sins
Matthew 9:2-6 “And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” And some of the scribes said to themselves, “This fellow blasphemes.” And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? “Which is easier, to say, ‘ Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, and walk’? “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.”
To grant salvation
John 17:1-2 “Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.”

To conquer death
John 10:17-18 “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

For Judgment
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.”

All of this is vitally important for us to understand about Jesus.
He can do anything He wants, anytime He wants.

Everything is under His command, He has authority.
He is the only One with the authority to forgive your sin.
He is the only One with the authority to grant you eternal life.
He is the only One with the authority to conquer the grave.
He is the only One with the authority to judge you and condemn you.

Jesus is the authoritative One.
No one else has such authority.
You need not fear or trust in Buddha…
You need not fear or trust in Allah…
They have not authority.

Jesus holds all authority.
But then again, most of us know that too. I knew that at 8 years old.
But let me make a very important statement to you.

There is a difference between knowing about Jesus authority, And submitting to Jesus authority.

When I was 8 years old, I knew about Jesus authority,
But it wasn’t until I was 19 that I submitted to His authority.

Now don’t misunderstand me.
I didn’t make Jesus Lord. He was already Lord.
I didn’t give Him authority over me, He already had authority
I chose to submit to His authority.

There is no doubt that Jesus is the authoritative One.
He already has all authority in heaven and on earth.
He already is God’s chosen King.

Psalms 2:6-12 “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'” 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!”

When you read that, you can see two clear truths.
One is that Jesus already has all authority,
The other is that you must submit to it.

It is the concept of the authority of Jesus
That I believe changes men’s lives forever.

Too often today we see people who
Claim to have a relationship with Jesus Christ,
But who have not submitted to His authority in their lives.
That is not salvation.

Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;”

It is imperative that Jesus become the authority in your life.
Because some day, He will rule over you.

Since that is the case,
I want to quickly take you through our text this morning and show you how we are required to respond to the One with authority.

If God has truly given Jesus all the authority…
If Jesus is the only One who truly has the authority to help…
Then there is a way we ought to respond to Him.

Now first, let’s review the setting.
Verses 43-46, “After the two days He went forth from there into Galilee. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves also went to the feast. Therefore He came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum.”
This official gives us insight as to what to do with the Authoritative One.

I am going to show three things Jesus deserves from you because of His authority.
#1 SEEK JESUS FERVENTLY
John 4:47

Now we learned that this man had a son sick in Capernaum,
And here we read that Jesus had come to Cana.

The two cities are 20 miles apart.

It was unheard of for a royal official to come to a carpenter for help.

The point is, it is not normal for this royal official to come to Jesus, And it certainly isn’t normal for him to travel 20 miles to do it.

Unless, Jesus has the authority to fix the problem.

When push comes to shove,
You will do whatever it takes to find the One with the power.

People will be fine to skip church, and do their own thing,
But let them hear the word “cancer”,
And all of a sudden Jesus becomes pretty important.

YOU SEE JESUS IS THE ONLY ONE WITH AUTHORITY
You could just look for a solution in Capernaum, but none will work.

There is only One who truly has the authority to deal with you,
And He deserves for you to seek Him fervently.

BECAUSE, WHERE WILL YOU GO, IF NOT TO JESUS?

The Bible says you must seek Him fervently.

Now, here is the good news.
The Bible promises that if you will seek Him, you will find Him.

Jeremiah 29:13 “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

If you seek Jesus fervently, you will find Him,
But understand you must seek Him.
He is the Only one who can save your soul.

He is the only One with authority, He deserves to be sought after fervently.
#2 STICK WITH JESUS PERMANENTLY
John 4:48-50

Now at this point, the story takes an unexpected turn.
This man traveled all the way to Jesus,
And Jesus seemingly throws it in his face.

“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.”

It is almost as if Jesus challenges his motives.
It is almost as if Jesus pushes him aside.

Now this is most certainly not what we expected.
But I don’t want you to think this is uncharacteristic of Jesus.

Matthew 15:21-28 “Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.” But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.” But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” And He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at once.”

When this woman first comes to Jesus, He ignores her.
But this woman doesn’t stop, she is so loud the disciples as Jesus to send her away.

Then Jesus says what His silence had suggested, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

But that doesn’t stop this woman, she bows before Him.

Then He seemingly insults her, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

But she still humbles herself, and Jesus commends her faith.

We find at the end that Jesus wasn’t trying to send her away, He was discerning if she really thought He was the authoritative One.
If she really believed that Jesus was her only hope,
Then her only option was to stick it out,
But if she was not convinced He was the only answer,
Then she certainly would have left.

“The royal official said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off.”
He could have gotten offended and left,
But he knew that Jesus was the only One with the authority to heal his son.

You see, if Jesus really is the only One with authority,
Then not only should we seek Him fervently,
But we should stick with Him permanently.

If Jesus is the only One who can help, then let nothing drive you away.
If Jesus is the only One who can save, then let nothing deter you.

Jesus used this tactic all the time.
Matthew 8:19-20 “Then a scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

It is quite common for Jesus to throw a test your way
When you come to Him.

This is why so many today do not submit to the authority of Jesus.
It is hard to submit to the authority of Jesus.
He requires self denial; He requires humility; He requires sacrifice.

And people aren’t going to pay that price until they are convinced that He is the only authority.

But if you believe that Jesus is the Authoritative One,
Then not only will you seek Him fervently,
But you will stick with Him permanently.

#3 SUBMIT TO JESUS TOTALLY
John 4:51-53

Here we find the entire story coming to a close
With the only reasonable outcome.

As the father is making the journey home, his servants met him to report that his son was living. The man inquires the time and understands that it was exactly at the moment when Jesus said he would live.

And then this man gives the proper response.

“and he himself believed and his whole household”

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?
They came to a point of saving faith in Jesus.
They surrendered fully to His authority.

They didn’t make Jesus authoritative.
Jesus was already authoritative.
THEY JUST SUBMITTED TO IT.

That is what you do to One with authority.

There is no doubt that Jesus is the Authoritative One.
There is no doubt that Jesus is the only answer for sin and death.
There is no doubt that Jesus is Lord.

The question is:
HAVE I SUBMITTED TO HIS AUTHORITY?
IS HE THE LORD OF MY LIFE?

That simple fact makes the difference in your life like nothing else.

DO YOU WANT TO KNOW IF JESUS IS IN YOUR HEART, THEN IS THE CROSS ON YOUR BACK?

Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

ARE YOU WALKING IN OBEDIENCE TO JESUS?

Luke 6:46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”

I knew Jesus was Lord for a long time in my life.
But at age 19 Jesus became my Lord and I was saved.

He is the Authoritative One, give Him authority over your life.

Philippians 2:9-11 “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”