Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

A reminder to consider others Please: Turn off your cell phone or set to vibrate only Use the nursery or cry room if your child is fussy Get up during the preaching only if absolutely necessary (please sit in back if you must leave early)

The Pool at Bethesda John 5 Multitudes of sick, blind & lame were there: Jesus talks with a man who was incapacitated for 38 years

Equality with the Father John 5:19-29 Jesus simply said to him, “Arise, take up your pallet and walk” (John 4:8) “The Jews” became very upset when they saw the man carrying his pallet and breaking their Sabbath laws Jesus claimed His work, including healing a man on the Sabbath & telling him to walk, was the work of God

Equality with the Father John 5:19-29 They were furious because they believed Jesus’ claim to be equal with God the Father was blasphemy Jesus clarifies His claims in vs 19-29 and then cites four witnesses in vs 30-47 to validate His claim

Equality with the Father John 5:19-29 Jesus makes three claims in vs 19-29 each starting with the phrase, "Truly, truly, I say to you.”

Jesus’ First Claim of Equality The Son’s Submission to the Father John 5:19 Jesus could not act for Himself but works in complete submission to and harmony with the Father

The Father’s Love for the Son John 5:20 Love: file;w (phileo) - the love of personal relationship. Jesus knows everything the Father is doing and joined His Father in healing on the Sabbath This miracle was not a one time event - there would be greater ones in the future

Power to Give Life John 5:21 They would have known Deut. 32:39 and stories of God’s prophets raising the dead Jesus raised several people from the dead: Luke 7:14-15 Matthew 9:18-26 John 11:43-44

Power to Judge John 5:22 God is the judge: Genesis 6-9; 18:25; Exodus 6-12; Deut. 27-28; Isaiah 3; Jeremiah 1, Malachi 3 The Lord is coming to judge (Ps. 96) - all judgment past, present and future have been given to the Son

Worthy of Honor John 5:23 They were zealous for God, but without knowledge Failure to honor the son dishonors both the Son and the Father

Jesus’ Second Claim of Equality The Nature of Eternal Life - John 5:24 All people will have eternal existence: The wicked in Hell and the righteous in heaven (Matthew 25) “Eternal life” refers to a blessed quality of life lived eternally with the Lord Those who are in Christ are not condemned (Romans 8:1) and so escape judgment and spiritual death

The Nature of Belief Belief in Jesus is more than intellectual assent - James 2:19 A person’s professed faith may be in opposition to their actual belief demonstrated by their actions The implications of actually believing Jesus is the Son of God will necessarily change a person’s life

The Nature of Belief Most Americans will not deny Jesus outright, but they reject certain claims so they can live as they desire To profess faith in Jesus but reject His claims results in faith in a false Jesus who cannot save

Jesus’ Third Claim of Equality The Son Who Gives Life John 5:25-26 Jesus has life in Himself and can give it to others “Hearing” refers to not only receiving the message, but heeding it too - Matthew 13:13-14; cf. Isaiah 6:9-10

The Son Who Gives Life John 5:25-26 Some were even then hearing, understanding and believing and so were passing from death to life The physical resurrections Jesus would perform in the future would validate His claim to give spiritual life

The Son Who Judges John 5:27 The Father gave Jesus authority to both give life and judge because He is the Son of Man - Daniel 7:13-14

The Resurrection John 5:28-29 Future resurrection was spoken of specifically in the Psalms and prophets: Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:1-2 All people have an eternal soul and will receive future resurrected body Those who do good are resurrected to life while those who do evil are resurrected to judgment

The Resurrection John 5:28-29 Those who believe are made righteous before God and escape judgment - John 5:24; 3:16f The unbelieving reject Christ and will be judged and condemned by their deeds - Revelation 20:13f

Conclusions Jesus’ invitation to believe in Him (John 5:24) is the only hope because no one does good - Romans 3:10; Isaiah 64:6 Examine yourself and be sure of your belief - do not gamble your eternal future on a false profession

Conclusions Believers: Take heed of the lost around you and consider how God can use you to bring them to faith

Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ