On the Witness Stand for Christ #20 Gospel of John Series John 5:30-47 Grace Baptist Church 2/19/17

John 5:30-47 30 ¶ "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. 31 " If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. 32 "There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. 33 "You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 "Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. 35 "He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. 36 "But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37 "And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. 38 "But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.

39 "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 "But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. 41 "I do not receive honor from men. 42 "But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. 43 "I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. 44 "How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? 45 "Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust. 46 "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. 47 "But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

Thinking Back… All through Israel’s history we see her unfaithfulness to the Lord. The book of Judges, the books of the kings, the books of prophecy, and even the Psalms showed Israel’s worsening spiritual condition. The 4 Gospels and Acts show the ultimate act of apostasy in the rejection of the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. Read the parable of Matthew 21:33-39 Even then God did not abandon Israel, and we always see a remnant that would believe. I Kings 19:14,18

By Verse 18… …Jesus was in deep trouble! He had healed the paraplegic man on the Sabbath. And He asserted that He was equal to the Father by working as the Father on the Sabbath. Serious? Yes, for these statements the Jews wanted to kill the Lord Jesus. So Christ defended His deity in verses 17-24 and then claimed the ultimate responsibility of being the Judge of the World in verses 25- 29. Yes, it seems that Jesus was in deep trouble, but now He masterfully defends Himself by calling on 4 witnesses to His deity and authority.

I. The Witness of John the Baptist 33 "You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 "Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. 35 "He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. It was John’s duty to prepare the way, and to point out the Messiah when He arrived. Well done, John, and yet they did not believe. He called them to repentance He pointed out their hypocrisy He practiced baptizing Jews Jesus’ words were a tribute and a rebuke.

II. The Witness of the Miracles 36 "But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. These are a greater witness than the ministry of John Their number – not a few – 36 recorded in the Gospels Their greatness – not little Their publicity – not in a corner Their character – not self-serving or barren Their visibility – not spiritualized or parabolic but real He deliberately did all these under the direction of and in the will of His Father

III. The Witness of His Father 32 "There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true… 37 "And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. 38 "But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. Vs. 32 – Present Tense Verb (John was past tense) You haven’t heard or seen His form – a rebuke – that they had not received the Father’s witness in the Son. Their refusal to see God in Christ would have been like Moses, or the prophets, or Gideon, or Manoah (etc) covering their eyes or stopping up their ears when God revealed Himself or spoke to them.

IV. The Witness of the Scriptures Go back and read Slide 3 – vs. 39-47 The Problem of Approach vs. 39,40 (your approach to Scripture) You Search… - You focus on every line, word, and letter - Preoccupied and fanatical in your life of study. Yet you missed what it said about Jesus Christ, God’s Son, the Messiah. A major purpose of the Scriptures is to point to Christ and reveal Him. Verse 39 and Luke 24:25-32 Look beyond the frame to the picture! The Problem of Motive vs. 41-44 Getting glory vs. giving glory The Bible cannot be understood properly apart from a transformed and humble heart. False Messiahs vs. the Real One -vs 43 60 to 70 false messiahs tickled their ears Matt. 24:23,24; II Thess. 2:3-12

Luke 16:27-31. The Problem of Belief vs. 45-47 Verse 44 – It takes a humble heart to accept Me - - The Problem of Belief vs. 45-47 Verse 45 – It is not I that will accuse you before the Father but Moses. They were shocked. They thought they could be saved by observing the Law of Moses. Moses’ Law was to show them their need for salvation by GRACE – to bring them to Christ. Moses wrote to bring men to Christ. Luke 24:25-32 Luke 16:27-31.

Jesus was on trial but… The defense became the prosecution. He finished on the offense. His witnesses were strong and true. His accusers were guilty! These guilty men did not repent and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior They crucified their own Messiah Acts 2:23 What will you do with Jesus? Let these witnesses persuade you. Come to Him that you might have Life.