John 5:16-47 | Come and See Jesus - He Raises the Dead | Shaun McGregor

What if Jesus really is God?

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SPEAKER_02 0:00

But instead of rejoicing, the Jewish leaders accuse him because he did it on the Sabbath, the special Jewish day of rest. How will Jesus respond? Please take out the blue Bibles in front of you, turn to page 1068.

SPEAKER_00 0:26

Good morning. So the reading is from John's Gospel, chapter 5, verses 16 to 47, and as Sean's just said, page 1068. So because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. In his defense, Jesus said to them, My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working. For this reason they tried all the more to kill him. Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own father, making himself equal with God. Jesus gave them this answer. He can do only what he sees his father doing, because whatever the father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honour the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honour the Father who sent him. Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and will not be judged, but is crossed over from death to life. Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself, and he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out. Those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. By myself I can do nothing. I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself, but him who sent me. I testify about myself. If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies in my favour, and I know that his testimony about me is true. You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. Not that I accept human testimony, but I mention it that you may be saved. John was a lamp that burned and gave light. You chose for a time to enjoy his light. I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish, the very works that I am doing, testify that the Father has sent me, and the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice, nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. You study the scriptures diligently, because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. I do not accept glory from human beings, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me. But if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe since you accept glory from one another? But do not seek the glory that comes from the only God. But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe that he wrote what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?

SPEAKER_02 6:04

How can you know for sure? I mean, how can you know for sure that my name really is Sean McGregor? That I'm not an AI representation of Sean McGregor and the real Sean McGregor is sitting on a beach somewhere. How can you know for sure anything? Well, if you've studied any philosophy or talked to someone philosophical recently, you'll know that philosophy helps you to realize you cannot know anything for sure. Is that helpful? Not particularly. Jesus makes big claims. Jesus offers life forever. How could you be sure? How could you be sure that it is really true? How could you stake your whole life upon such a claim? This morning I want you to see three things. We can know Jesus is equal with God. So we know the dead are raised to life and to judgment because the Father has testified to his Son. Firstly, we can know that Jesus is equal with God. We saw last week, if you were here, that Jesus revealed his power and his grace over death and disability, so that people would believe in him and have life. And so the start of our passage on page 1068. Please have it open, page 1068. So the first sentence of our passage should say, because Jesus was doing these things, the Jewish leaders believed in him. But we saw last week that many rejected him because they wanted his gifts. They rejected him because he didn't fit their rules. And so he healed a man disabled for 38 years, and the leaders began to persecute him. Why? Verse 16. Because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. He was doing these things on the Sabbath. What is the Sabbath? It is the Jewish people's special day of rest. And the rules were that you could do no work whatsoever, and this man who was healed, he was carrying his mat. Well, how would you respond if you were Jesus, hauled in front of a press conference, perhaps, and questioned about why you healed a man on the Sabbath? I think I would say something like, guys, he was just carrying his mat. It's hardly work, is it? And as for what I did, I healed him after thirty-eight years. Don't you want him to be healed? But Jesus doesn't talk about the Sabbath. That's not how he answers the accusation. No, instead he talks about his father, verse 17. In his defense, Jesus said to them, My father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working. The Jews debated, you know, whether God actually worked on the Sabbath. God would have to keep his own rules, and so he would not have to not work, and yet the world would collapse, you would think. Which way is it going to be? Well, Jesus assumes that God does work. But his response makes things worse, doesn't it? Verse 18, for this reason they tried all the more to kill him. Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, that's bad enough, but he was even calling God his own father, making himself equal with God. If the Jews knew one thing, it's that they were not God. And that God was not a human being, verse Isaiah chapter 40, to whom will you compare me? Who is my equal? No one. Surely Jesus will clarify, he'll retract. I didn't mean it like that. No. Jesus says the Father shares his work with his son. Verse 19. Jesus gave them this answer. Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself. He can do only what he sees his father doing, because whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Am I equal with God? says Jesus. Yes. But he doesn't give a philosophical explanation. We have the same being, we are co-eternal. No, he says it's like a family business. My dad was a carpenter, so I became a carpenter. That was normal in the first century. I could have a business, Sean and Sons, with a sort of a van, and all my sons would pour out the back when I turned up, and we'd all start preaching together. The family business. Some people in my family have unique abilities. They can wiggle their ears without touching them. Can you do that? They can touch their nose with their tongue. They can curl their tongue. Can I do any of those things? No. I'm boring. But imagine if I could heal a person who'd been disabled for 38 years. And I was the only person in the world, the history of the world, who'd ever been able to do it with their voice. And then along comes someone claiming to be my son, who can do exactly the same thing, who has the same power. How can you do this? They say, Who are you? I am my father's son. My father loves me, he shows me, I do his work. That is exactly what Jesus is saying. I do the works that my father has shown me. He shares them with me because I am his son. And you ain't seen nothing yet, he says. Verse 21. You will see, so verse 20, yes, you will see greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. What are the greater works? Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son. Daniel chapter 12. At that time your people will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake to everlasting life or everlasting shame. God can raise the dead and judge people. And Jesus says, My Father loves me. The Father and the Son are not identical. They are actually different persons. The Father loves, the Father shows, the Son is pleased. And the Father is the source of these things and as in charge. The Son does nothing by himself. They are different people with a different relationship. But Jesus says, I am equal with God. You can tell by what I do. I don't know whether you've ever spoken to someone about Jesus and they've said, Yes, I believe in Jesus. I think he was a really good man who said some good things. He was a great moral teacher. Perhaps you think that yourself. He calls himself the Son of God. He says he is equal with God. You cannot be a good moral teacher and say that. Which will it be? Lunatic, devil, or the son of God? You must decide. Do you believe that Jesus is equal with God? I know it's complex, it's difficult. The Trinity that we talk about is hard to understand, but you must not reject it. You must not simplify it simply because it's hard to understand. You will not only, if you do that, you will not only miss out on the true Jesus, you will create an idol, and you will destroy God's greatest desire. What is that? That all will honor his son. Verse 23. God has done these things that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Of course, if Jesus is equal with God, he should be honored. But it's more than that. The Father's desire, what he wants most to happen, what he wants you most to do, is that you might honor his son. Do you see what a crime it was that the disabled man and the Jewish leaders refused to see and honor Jesus? Do you see what a crime it is when people do not honor the Son today? You might have friends or family members who are really good people. And so you want to ask God, why would you reject them in all their goodness just because they don't believe in Jesus? They might follow a different religion. But God says, no matter how ancient, no matter how beautiful, no matter how devoted someone is to their ancient religion, do they honor my son? The Lord Jesus. Someone could be part of a Christian church, which could have a long history, a beautiful building, it could be dignified and claim the name of Jesus, but not listen to what he says in his word. And they are not honoring the Son, and then they are not honoring the Father. And if you like Jesus, see him as a great moral teacher, but will not believe the evidence of his miracles that show he is the Son of God, equal with God, if you will not honor him as he is, then you are not honoring God Himself. And it's time to repent. Of course, if we say we honor the Son, if we want all of our lives and our words and our thoughts to honor the Son, then they need to honor the Son, don't they? Perhaps there's an area of your life, of my life, which we're keeping from Him, which, if we're honest, do not bring honor to Him. It could be your workplace or your home, this church, or what you do with your mobile phone. We know Jesus is equal with God, for the Father shares his work with his son so that we may honor him. But what does that mean for us? Secondly, this means that the dead are raised to life and to judgment. In particular, whoever believes is raised to life now. Verse 24. Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged, but has crossed over from death to life. Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. At our last house, when we lived in Kurajong, our neighbors were very quiet. We never had any trouble with them. They never made any noise, and we could make as much noise as we liked. Can you guess why from the picture? Our house is a beautiful house, over a hundred years old, next to the church, and outside every bedroom window, there was the graveyard. Hundreds of people dead. Convenient, you might think, in terms of noise, but disturbing and lonely. But Jesus says here, do you notice in these two verses, 24-25, he assumes as a fact that all people, when they hear his voice, are already dead. They can be raised from death, verse 24. They are the dead, verse 25. For Genesis 3, the very beginning of the Bible, you will die the very day that you eat this fruit. And so all human beings are like cut flowers, already dead, just slowly dying. And Jesus has been saying, people can be born again. I can give living water. Let me show you by saving a son who was close to death. Very truly I tell you, verse 25, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. As we remember and celebrated Easter, Jesus died. And he rose again Resurrection Sunday to destroy the power of death. And so when the dead hear his voice, they can be raised to eternal life. I love how universal this is. Jesus says, whoever. Whether you are Jew or Gentile, American or Iranian, rich or poor, good or bad, clever or dumb, religious or secular. All people are dead, and Jesus is pleased to give life to whoever believes. I love how powerful and decisive it is. It's once for all. You believe and you have eternal life. We think that when you cross from life to death, it is permanent. But all people are dead, and when they cross from death to life, their bodies may die, but they have already. Started eternal life. They have already crossed over to eternal life, and nothing, even death, will stop that. Billy Graham was a very famous evangelist in the 20th century. He came to Australia three times. And on the third time, Mike Willesey, a famous TV journalist at the time, interviewed him. Mike asked him about heaven, about eternal life, and whether Billy felt he was sure about having eternal life. Do you think you have eternal life? He asked. Mike, he said. I know I do. Mike had spoken to many different people from many different walks of life. He was a hardened journalist, but he was astonished. How could anyone have such confidence? How could you have such confidence if it depended upon you about your good acts and your bad acts? You could not have confidence. But if you are dead and the voice of Jesus can raise you to life, and the voice of Jesus tells you that, if you simply believe you will have life, then you must have confidence. You can know. Do you know? Have you believed? And do you know you have eternal life? Perhaps you have. Perhaps you have believed that you crossed over from death to life. But you keep thinking like you used to, that it was all about being good enough. And so you're never quite sure. Hear Jesus' words again. Whoever hears my voice believes in me will have eternal life. He could not make it clearer, could he? Perhaps someone you love has died. And you know that they believed in Jesus. They crossed over from death to life, but you saw the curtain close. You saw their coffin go down into the grave. You saw, it seemed, then cross from life to death. Well, you need to know, don't you? You need to remember. They had already crossed from death to life. And nothing, not even death, can change that. Hear Jesus' words and believe. Whoever believes is raised to life now. But there is a second work that the Father shares with his son, and we need to make sure that we see it. All the dead will be raised to judgment. Verse 28, do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out. Those who have done what is evil will rise to live, and those who have done those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. This is amazing, isn't it? All the billions of people who have died, being cremated or placed in their graves, will hear the voice of Jesus and come out. The hundreds of people laid into the grave outside my house encouragement will hear the voice of Jesus and come out to life. And there are just two outcomes, said Jesus. Those who have done good to life, and those who have done evil to condemnation. Doing good here is not all the good things that you have done as if God would stack them up and some of us would get in and some not. We are all dead, he says, because of our sin. And it is only those who believe in Jesus who honor the Son. That's what it is to do good, who will be raised. And so if you imagine every single person raised from the grave, and God patiently listens to each one, outlining why they think God should let them into his heaven. I did this and this and minimizing the bad. Imagine God listens every time. And at the end, he will simply say, Yes, but what did you do about my son? Those who honored the son will have life. But notice here how Jesus does this, how he gives people life, and how he raises the dead. What is his method of operation? What has such power, verse 25? Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. The dead, physically dead, verse 28. A time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out. President Trump, the leaders of Iran, their words have great power. The power of death and destruction. But not one of them have words that can raise the dead. Jesus' words can do that. His power to raise the dead is not mysterious or mystical. Please don't wait for some experience where you feel God's presence. Every time you read the Bible on your own at home, every time you read it with someone else, every time you read it in your growth group, every time you speak about Jesus to someone else and say, Come and see Jesus. As someone read the Bible this morning, as you hear me speak true words from the Bible, there is the power of God to raise people from the dead. For if there are dead people here this morning who don't yet know Jesus, his word is powerful to raise you from the dead and give you life forever. That's why we want to invite people to join us at Easter. That's why we want to invite people to come to Alpha, because they'll hear the voice of Jesus, and Jesus' voice has the power to cause people to cross over from death to life. If we want to see more and more people in our community raised to life forever, then Jesus' word has the power to do it. Whoever hears my voice. Finally, these are massive claims, aren't they? Jesus claims he is equal with God and that his voice can raise the dead and give you eternal life forever. How could you be sure? How could you stake your whole life on these words? Someone like Richard Dawkins will tell you it's all just fairy tales to indoctrinate your children. How could you be sure? Because the Father has testified to his son. Jesus was used to this very question. He was used to a hostile audience. They were already persecuting him, and when they wanted to kill him because he'd made himself equal with God, he didn't back off. No, he doubled down and explained. How do I know? How do you know this is true? said Jesus. Is it just my word against yours? Where is the evidence? From verse 34 in our passage, Jesus talks about evidence. He uses the legal technical term for testimony or testify ten times. Verse 36. The works that the Father has given me to finish, the very works that I am doing, and that you can see and that you can read about testify that the Father has sent me. He loves me, he shares with me. I do the things that he does. How else could I do such things? I do the very things you'd expect God to do if God was to turn up. And Jesus says, on top of that, not just my works, but God's word. Verse 37 The Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. Where is God spoken? Verse 39, in the Old Testament scriptures, which Jesus fulfills. Verse 33, in the words of his prophet John the Baptist. And in these very words that John is writing. At the end of John's Gospel, he says, This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. I want it to pend Jesus raising me from the dead. Can I really know it's true? I want to invite others to come and see. Can I be confident that what I'm talking about is true? Or perhaps this morning you are here investigating the claims of Jesus. Can you take them seriously? Jesus is equal with God. His word really does raise the dead, and you can know it is true because God Himself has testified. Let's pray. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you that you've not left us in the dark, but that you've testified about Jesus by the works you've given him to do and by your words about him. Father, we thank you that his word is so powerful. Powerful even to raise the dead. Father, help us to believe in its power and to want to share it with other people, confident that it can give them eternal life as well. Father, we praise you for the Lord Jesus. Please enable us to honor him. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Jesus says, doesn't he? That he is equal with God, that he is God's Son. And so we want to turn our eyes towards Jesus that we might know him and be confident of what he's done. Please stand. We're going to sing, turn your eyes upon Jesus. We have the joy of turning our eyes to Jesus now in prayer. We are going to bring our concerns to God in prayer, confident that God hears them. And isn't that a joy? We want our prayers to honor Jesus, for the Father wants us to honor the Son. So let us turn our eyes to Jesus and bring our concerns to him. Please join with me in prayer, and then we'll join together in what we call the mission prayer at the end. Let's pray. Our Father, we have many concerns on our heart. Concerns for ourselves, our families, our church, our community, and our world. Father, help us now in these brief minutes to turn our eyes upon Jesus with those concerns. We thank you for the power and grace that He showed to other people. Father, we thank you for the power of His word to raise the dead. And Father, we thank you that you have testified to him so that we can be sure. Father, we do pray for the people of our church, family, and friends who suffer. Those who are upon our hearts who we care deeply about. We praise you that Jesus has the power and the grace to grant healing. And so we pray for that. Father, we pray too that you would strengthen them to turn their eyes upon Jesus, who will indeed raise the dead and give us new bodies. Father, as Easter approaches, as we look forward to turning our eyes to the hillside where justice and mercy embrace, as we look forward to celebrating that resurrection morning when Jesus rose, and that he has the power to raise us as well. Father, help each of us to come and see Jesus afresh this Easter. And Father, give us opportunities and the confidence that Jesus' word is powerful so that we can invite others to come and see Jesus this Easter and through the Alpha Course. Father, we pray too, in partnership with the churches connected with the India Gospel League and our sponsored village in particular. Father, we pray that you'd give your people, whatever their circumstances, confidence in Jesus' word and confidence to invite people to come and see him and to honor him. Father, we thank you for the ministry of Paul Seville in our church for eight years, for him helping us to see Jesus, and we pray that now that he's begun at Five Doc, that you would give him great wisdom and faithfulness in his ministry there. And Father, we are looking, searching, and praying that you would add a new minister, a new member of our ministry staff team to lead us in seeing people who trust in Jesus. Father, we ask that you provide us with a godly and faithful person that would help us to invest in children's ministry and youth ministry, families and adults, that we might see more and more people become and live as followers of Jesus in our community. Finally, Father, we pray for our world. Father, many of us have seen destruction and wars on our screens for many years, but each time, each time we are filled with sadness and dismay and anxiety. Father, as we observe and are worried about what is happening now in Iran and the Middle East, Father, we pray that you would restrain, restrain destruction, bring about a ceasefire soon. Father, we pray that somehow, even in this situation, Jesus' voice would be heard with great clarity, and that people would turn to him, and that you would take away the desire for. Turn your eyes to the heavens. Every knee will bow, every tongue will shout. Father, we pray these things that we might honor your Son. Amen. Please join me in this mission prayer, which is about our mission to see more and more people come to know Jesus, to honor him. Our Father, thank you for giving us a gospel to proclaim and a community to serve, strengthen us to glorify you by knowing Christ more and more, and transform us to become more like Him. Empower us by your Spirit to boldly make Christ known to people of all nations and call many into your kingdom. We ask this through our only Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. And he joins us together in that eternal life. So let's celebrate that in our last song. We are one in the Father's life.

SPEAKER_01 44:15

That's that be my protein. Brother, let's be bear your fears. Come on every daughter, every sun. Let us walk in love for we are one. We are here to every child's love. Let forgive us you forgive us. Let us walk in love for we are one. We are one in the Father's Son. We of every tribe and every time we are found in the risen sun. We are bound together by his love. Let us walk in love, for we are one. We are one in the Father's God. Let us walk in love, for we are one on the day you come to call us home. With a multitude before the throne. Now we all the same to God. We are one and the father's time. We have in the sun. We have a bit. We are in the bottom. We have every time and every time. We are bound together by this one.

SPEAKER_02 48:12

We are familiar in the reason why we