I have authority to judge

Okay, so as Australians, our minds have been conditioned.

That's no surprise, I guess, but we've been conditioned to take on board and give acceptance to ideas that are actually opposite or exclusive of one another.

So Australians, who often believe there's no control of any god of any sort in their lives, will often talk about karma, which is a Hindu belief that the gods repay you according to what you deserve.

Those two things seem to be exclusive opposites.

Likewise, many Australians believe in both reincarnation and resurrection.

Opposites.

Our political leaders, you'll often hear them say that they don't believe in God.

And yet, when there's a crisis, you'll also hear them saying, well, our prayers go out to so-and-so and so-and-so.

It assumes that there's a God out there who cares, who will come to people and help them in time of trouble.

And yet, on another level, they say, well, they don't believe in God.

We see the same problem in churches.

On the one hand, people say, yes, of course, I believe and trust in Jesus.

We might even say, I believe and trust in the Lord Jesus.

And yet, what they actually believe, or their lifestyle, might be totally at odds with what they say they believe.

It might be totally in opposition to Jesus' commands, Jesus' teaching, and Jesus' example.

And so the problem we have, you see, is that oftentimes professed belief is not the same as actual belief.

And when push comes to shove, it's the actual belief that drives us, that governs our life's actions, not the professed belief.

And the strange thing is that we can have both, and the two can be quite opposite.

And that's how we've been conditioned to live as Australians.

And that's exactly the problem we wrestle with, we have to wrestle with, when we jump back into John's biography of the life of Jesus.

On the one hand, none of us come to these verses in neutral.

I suspect that everyone here this morning have opinions and beliefs about Jesus, who he is, and how we should respond to him.

But our professed beliefs may not be right.

Our actual beliefs may be quite different to that which we profess, and oftentimes are for us as Christians.

So if we're going to actually respond to Jesus properly, then our beliefs, our opinions, our views, need to be shaped by his words, his opinions, his views.

And my friends, that includes, as we'll see this morning, being shaped by teachings that are actually uncomfortable personally.

And in fact, unfashionable in our modern day society.

But we'll see more of that in a little while.

But with that in mind, let's remind ourselves of the structure and context of these verses.

So verse 18 is a bridge.

So the bridge links the healing miracle of Jesus, where he healed that guy who had been a cripple for 38 years, and he heals him.

Just like that. Just gone. Bang.

Complete restoration of health.

It's not even a restoration.

It's complete giving of health and physical fitness.

And then the passage we're doing this morning is Jesus teaching about the significance of that particular sign or miracle.

And the key thing in that verse 18 is this.

That the Jewish religious leaders had already by that stage decided that the only way to respond to Jesus was to kill him.

The healing did nothing but increase their outrage and increase their determination to kill him as soon as ever possible.

How does that happen?

Well, the key issue seems to be, as we read verse 18, the key issue was that Jesus disregarded the Sabbath rules.

Now remember, these Sabbath rules were rules that were actually made up by the Jewish religious leaders.

But they had been teaching that these rules were actually, you had to obey them.

They were essential.

You had to obey them if you were to be acceptable to God.

If you were to be saved.

If you were to get into the kingdom of God.

If you were to get into heaven.

And all those terms are the same thing.

You have to keep these rules.

That's what makes you acceptable to God.

That's what enabled you to say, I've honored God.

And so when it comes to the rules of the Sabbath, the Jews would have thought like this.

Well, only God has exemption from these rules because only God made Sabbath.

So when Jesus gets disregarded these rules, he was not only rejecting their authority as Pharisees and Jewish religious leaders,

but he was rejecting their understanding of what honored the Lord.

What made a person acceptable to him.

And most offensive of all to these Jewish religious leaders, they could hear Jesus saying,

I am God.

Added to that, if you look back at verse 14,

Jesus had dared to take upon himself the responsibility of determining the place of sin in another person's life.

That was outrageous to the Pharisees.

Only God could do that.

And verse 17, Jesus identified himself very personally with God in his work of healing.

My father's working, so am I.

My father is healing, so do I.

And as the Jewish religious leaders heard this and saw this in front of their very eyes,

the fury raised up within them.

And there's only one possible outcome.

And that was Jesus had to go.

Exposing sin specifically in a person's heart.

Healing or restoring life.

Working on the Sabbath.

These were things that only God could do.

Only God should do.

And for somebody like Jesus to take this sort of responsibility on himself was just vile blasphemy.

Deserving of death.

So how does Jesus respond in the face of this dire threat to his life?

Well, he doesn't run if that's what you're expecting.

He actually ramps up the confrontation.

He really takes it up to these guys and says to them effectively as we move into these verses,

Yeah, actually, you know, you guys have got this one right at least.

Yes, you are hearing me correctly saying I am God.

I'm equal with God.

But let me tell you, the concept of me being equal with God is far more outrageous than you guys can even begin to imagine.

Let me tell you a bit more about what it means to be equal with God.

He takes the battle up to them.

And he uses formal rabbinic language in this truly, truly.

That's exactly what a rabbi would use if he was teaching his disciples.

Jesus is having a lend to these guys.

Let's see what you're going to do with this, says Jesus.

And he proceeds to make three huge statements about equality.

Each of which pushes them to see that Jesus' understanding of equality with God is far more outrageous than they could imagine.

Statement one.

You cannot honour the Father if you reject me.

Now that doesn't sound all that hard for us because we're used to it.

But for these Jews, that would have just done their head in straight away.

Jesus spells out in verses 19 through to 23 the detail of his relationship to his Father.

But it's all leading to the conclusion of verse 23.

And that is, the conclusion is, the relationship's important, but it's the conclusion that's the most important because the conclusion is that to honour the Father is to honour Jesus as God.

That's the connection Jesus wants these guys to see.

So let's see how Jesus breaks that down in these verses.

Verse 19.

The one that James opened up for us already.

There's a total unity of will, purpose, and action.

A total harmony between the Father and the Son.

And it says there in verse 19 that Jesus never acts independently of his Father.

Now it's really important we notice the language there.

It's not that he just does not act independently as if he had a choice.

It's not just that he imitates the Father.

No, it says he cannot act independently of the Father because he's got the exact same nature.

Which means he's got the exact same desires.

He does the exact same things for the exact same reasons.

But that equality is not without difference or distinction.

So the Father and Son remain distinct personalities.

It's clear they've got different roles.

Especially seen in the issue of God's salvation purposes.

The Son is happily obedient to and always dependent upon the Father.

Yet that happens without competitiveness or resentment in the roles.

Now immediately I need to stop and say,

Well look, we're going to have trouble with that concept of equality.

Because that's not equality as we understand it in our world.

So when we talk about different roles.

So if we're talking about a workplace or even in a marriage.

When we talk about different roles, our minds immediately start to go to,

Ah, that means somebody's inferior and somebody's superior.

Or that means that somebody's open to exploitation by somebody else.

So for us in our world, when we think of equality,

we're thinking of a concept that removes distinctions and removes roles.

So that there's a perfectly reciprocal relationship.

Even to the fact that if we're going to be equal as husbands and wives,

we have to wear the same clothes.

Have the same hairstyles.

That's our concept of equality.

But that's not what Jesus is talking about here.

He's talking about a unity, a harmony, that's much deeper.

That's based in a oneness of values.

A oneness of mind.

A oneness of purpose.

Not competitive.

How does it work?

Well, verse 20, it works because of love.

This unity is nurtured, we're told in verse 20 there,

through a constant, generous, giving love

in which the Father reveals everything he has in mind in the salvation plan to Jesus.

And in turn, Jesus is driven by love for the Father.

So everything he does and says and teaches in response to that is perfectly synced.

He makes real the things that his Father has said and is doing.

So it's an equality that we have trouble getting our minds around.

And Jesus says, look, you've already seen these great things that we're doing together, Father and Son.

It's already been evident in my ministry of grace and mercy, says Jesus.

But you know what?

Far greater things are yet to come.

There's more to be heard, more to be seen, more to be experienced.

As I and the Father work together in the achieving of his salvation purposes.

And verse 21 and 22.

The key point is in terms of Jesus giving life.

For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life,

so also the Son gives life to whom he will, to whomever he chooses.

The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son.

Jesus has been given by the Father the primary role in achieving his salvation purposes.

And again, this would have just blown the heads of these Jewish religious leaders.

Because they understood that the Father was the source of all life.

It was his jurisdiction only to give life.

Now Jesus is saying, no, the Father's actually handed that on to me.

It's now become my role.

Yes, the Father is a source of life.

But in his salvation purposes, in real time,

he has committed the responsibilities of bestowing life and judgment to me, his Son.

Something already demonstrated in this miracle you've just witnessed,

but couldn't actually witness.

Because you're so tied up about rule-breaking.

So ultimately, Jesus is saying here,

it will be seen and demonstrated that he is the Messiah that Isaiah spoke about.

Both in his role as God's Savior,

in the future looking forward with death and resurrection as the basis for acceptance with God and new life.

But also, as we're told in here, in his role as God's King.

Now what does a King do?

Well, a King rules.

What is it to rule?

Well, a King rules by passing judgments.

That's acceptable.

That's not acceptable.

I want you to do this.

I don't want you to do that.

If you do that, when I don't want you to do it,

there will be consequences.

That's judging.

So Jesus is God's Savior and God's King.

And the two, we'll see a little bit more towards the end.

Those two things, just inseparable.

Jesus says,

The Father has given me free reign.

That's the bit to whomever I will.

The Father has given me free reign

in matters of achieving God's salvation purposes in this world.

Wow.

Wow.

Now why would God do that?

Verse 23.

So that Jesus is honored

in precisely the same way

as the Father has been honored.

Now,

the implications of that one verse

are simply enormous.

Especially for these Jewish religious leaders.

Because the rejection of Jesus by these guys,

Jesus is really saying,

is a very, very serious matter indeed.

Jesus is saying to these guys,

now look,

you have a really strong commitment to honoring God.

I can see that.

Your idea of expressing that commitment of honoring God

is through rule keeping.

Religious activities.

You think these things honor the Lord,

but I'm telling you now, says Jesus,

that when they're put against me

and you reject me in favor of these things,

what you're actually doing is dishonoring God.

Yes, you can do all the good religious things you want to,

but if you reject me,

then you are not honoring God

and you will not have God's favor.

Ever.

Ever.

In healing on Sabbath,

he was breaking their rules,

but acting in total accord

with God's character and God's purposes.

But they couldn't see it

because they were absolutely convinced

that they had it right.

It didn't occur to them

that they were ignorant.

It didn't occur to them

that they needed to change.

No, it had to be Jesus that changed

or face the consequences.

Jesus challenges them here.

And he challenges us too

in the exact same way

to acknowledge him,

sorry,

he challenges to honor him,

to honor the Father

by acknowledging who Jesus is.

That he is who he says he is

by submitting to him,

by submitting to his teaching.

His teaching especially

on how a person

is made acceptable to God.

And look at the outcome

that Jesus wants for his opponents.

Remember,

this is a highly confrontational situation.

But rather than rage and rejection

that we have in verse 20,

you see Jesus' heart for these people.

Jesus wants them to see himself

for who he really is.

And he wants them,

verse 23,

he wants them to marvel.

Don't respond to me

in rage and rejection,

says Jesus.

If you can just step back

and look at me

for who I am,

for what I'm saying,

for what I'm offering to you,

you'll marvel at me,

you'll welcome me.

There's nothing to be frightened of

in me,

says Jesus.

There's much to be loved.

If only you can see it.

If only you can accept it.

And marveling,

verse 23,

will result in honoring.

If we're to marvel at the Lord,

as I've already suggested earlier

in my introduction,

if we're to marvel at God

and honor him,

then we must allow our minds

and attitudes

and understanding

to be molded by Jesus.

And this includes,

again I say,

when we get to it,

his uncomfortable

and unfashionable teaching,

which is what Jesus moves on

to spell out next.

So statement two

about equality.

My desire is to move people

from death to eternal life.

And that eternal life,

says Jesus,

is available only on me.

Verse 24.

Truly, truly,

there's that rabbinic

formal statement again.

Listen up, you guys.

I say to you,

whoever, whoever,

hears my word

and believes him

who sent me

has eternal life.

He does not come

into judgment,

but has passed

from death to life.

Now,

that's a wonderful promise

in its own right.

So we've got to put

a couple of things here together

to appreciate the promise.

The Father and Son

are totally united

in the reality

that there will be

a day of judgment,

a day of accounting

for our sin

and how we treated the Lord.

That comes out

in those previous verses,

verses 22.

So the concept of judgment

or that day of accounting

is put on the table.

Now, here's the beauty

of the promise.

No sooner has Jesus

and the Father

put this big thing,

this day of accounting

on the table

than verse 24.

He immediately offers

as a way to escape

that judgment.

How good is that?

He says,

yes, there will be

a day of judgment

and it's going to be

a fearsome day.

Now, let me tell you

what you need to do

to escape God's judgment

and be safe.

It's amazing

the generosity

with which he continues

to respond

to these Jewish

religious leaders

and to us

down the track.

So Jesus promises

that anybody,

that word doesn't need

explanation,

includes everybody here,

anybody,

anybody

who hears his word,

that is,

the word being

the whole message

of Jesus,

that salvation

and acceptance

with God

and new life

is not earned

by doing religious things

and keeping rules,

but is received

as a gift

through simple belief

and trust in Jesus.

Wow.

Which of those

two alternatives

would you rather go for?

Whoever hears his word

and believes,

believes what?

Well, it's not just

a sort of loose

mental ascent,

but it's believes

what Jesus is teaching,

believes what he's showing

and demonstrating

that the Father and Son

are working together

to move people

from death to life.

That is their desire,

that is their purpose

in salvation.

That is the whole reason

Jesus came into the world

in his rescue mission

to move spiritually dead people

to life.

marvelling and honouring

is great,

but the ultimate response

to Jesus

must be this sort of belief,

faith and trust,

that my acceptance

with God

is determined by Jesus,

not by my performance

of religious rights

or rules.

and that person

then already

has eternal life

and will never,

ever

experience

God's judgment.

Now,

we've got to look

at the text again

carefully here.

Lots of people

take it one way,

lots of people

take it another way.

I think the way

I want to take it

is this,

that the fact

that a person

hears and believes

are not steps

towards receiving

eternal life,

but evidence

that you already

have eternal life.

So, in other words,

the reason we can

actually hear and believe

is because

God's already

done a work

in our life.

It's a much

stronger concept,

I think.

What a wonderful

promise.

And the receiving

of eternal life

guarantees we'll

never face

God's judgment.

Now,

I want to say to you,

it's a very simple

promise.

And then follow on

immediately by saying,

and you know,

it's the simplicity

of the promise

that we often

trip over.

We struggle

to believe

that Jesus

can give us

so much

in terms of

forgiveness

from sin,

acceptance

with God,

a new life

and relationship

with God.

We struggle

to believe

that Jesus

can give us

all that

at no cost.

Like the Jewish

religious leaders,

we actually feel

more comfortable

and prefer

to put our

confidence

for acceptance

with God

in a mixture

of Jesus

and our own

goodness

and our

religious actions

because that

makes us feel

better.

It sort of

takes all the

emphasis off

Jesus delivering

so much

and it's a

combined effort

and that's

what we prefer

because that's

how life

operates here

in our world.

But God

says,

no,

that's not

how it works

in my economy.

That,

in fact,

says the Lord,

is to dishonor

me

and it's

ultimately

to disbelieve

God,

to say that

Jesus himself

can go a bit

and then we

have to do

our own bit

alongside,

that actually

ultimately

dishonors God.

And yet,

here we are,

so many people

believe they can

ignore Jesus

and simply have

this sort of

generalized view

of God

and say,

well,

okay,

I believe in God

and at the end

of my life

when I die

and stand before him,

yes,

my goodness

and my belief

in God

will be enough

to get me

over the line

and I'll be

in heaven.

And Jesus

doesn't even

figure.

Or people

think Jesus

is a savior

and this is

more in churches.

People say

Jesus is savior

but I know

people who

believe that

Jesus is savior

but I actually

don't believe

he's God.

Or people

think that

Jesus is a

great teacher

and as a

great teacher

then I can

cherry pick

those moral

principles

that he's

shown and

demonstrated

so well

and so

capably

because they

endure across

the generations

but I don't

need to think

about Jesus

as God

and savior

and judge.

And so we

go back

to the

introduction

again.

These ideas

we just

take on board

and we

think we're

safe

but in

actual fact

the ideas

we're taking

on board

are opposites.

They're

exclusive

of one

another

according to

Jesus'

teaching.

See many

who claim

to be

Christians

have a

professed

belief

in needing

Jesus for

salvation

but then

their actual

belief

drives them

to continue

building their

acceptance

before God

on the base

of their own

goodness

their own

religious

actions.

And I'd be

very surprised

if there's

not more

than a few

here

who are

exactly in

that position.

Professed

belief

yes I'm

saved by

Jesus.

Actual

belief

I need

to do

things

to be

more

acceptable

to

Jesus

in

fear

of

judgment

ahead.

And that

traps many

Christians

doesn't it?

We say

on the one

hand that

yes I do

believe the

gospel.

I do

believe I

have forgiveness.

I do

believe I

have eternal

life.

I do

believe that

Jesus saved

me.

Yet we

live in

fear of

God's hand

of judgment

falling upon

us and it

debilitates

us.

Well what

about that

sin back

then or

what about

these sins

now or

what about

the sin I

haven't yet

committed?

And we

sort of say

on the one

hand yes I

believe that

I've been

saved I've

been given

new life and

I'll never

have to

experience God's

judgment but

the actual

belief makes

us live in

fear.

sin.

Since Jesus

is God then

he has power

and authority

to keep the

promise he

makes here in

verse 24.

Including

delivering on

eternal life

and guaranteeing

that we will

never ever face

the judgment of

God in the

future.

Statement

three.

Your response

to Jesus

now determines

how your

life story

will end.

So this is

one of those

stories you

know with

kids books

and I'm

getting

reacquainted

with that

sort of

stuff.

This is one

of those

stories where

you can

choose your

ending.

And verses

25 through

to 29 will

either be a

fantastic comfort

and promise

or a dire

warning.

And so that's

going to divide

us here now

this morning.

So you're

all out there

well some of

you are

listening to

me or

still listening

to me or

maybe once

were listening

to me.

Whatever.

But you

see these

verses are

going to

divide us

because the

verses are

going to talk

about God's

judgment in

relation to

where we are

now.

and the

way your

story will

end depends

on whether

you accept

Jesus and

believe in

him or

you reject

him.

It's that

simple.

There isn't

a third

alternative.

Verse 25

truly truly I

say to you

an hour is

coming and

is now

here when

the dead

will hear the

voice of the

son of God

and those

who hear will

live to

life.

A

saviour

Jesus has

power and

authority to

give spiritually

dead people

new life and

relationship with

God.

That as my

previous point

was that's

God's desire

desire,

that's the

father's

desire,

that's the

son's

desire,

that's what

they're

working on

in harmony

to move

people who

are spiritually

dead to

life.

But this

also means

that Jesus

is the

judge because

in giving

people new

life he makes

a judgment

about them,

he stamps

them never

again to

be considered

for God's

judgment.

no longer

under

judgment,

Romans 8,

no longer

under

condemnation.

So the

act of

saving involves

the act of

judging.

Now we

don't actually

see that so

much now when

we're actually

talking about

Jesus and

responding.

But verse

28 and

29, that

reality, which

is sort of

covered a

little bit when

we're just

offering people

the gospel,

that reality

will be seen

at the end

of the world,

verse 28 and

29.

on the

great and

final day of

judgment when

Jesus will

divide all

people into

two groups.

And it's

very clear what

the two groups

are.

Those who have

done good,

those who have

done evil.

Now, our

natural tendency

again is to

immediately think

of our

performance.

But that's not

what these words

mean here in

the context.

Good here in

the context is

those who have

believed in the

Lord Jesus

Christ.

as the basis

of acceptance

before God.

Evil are those

who have

believed in

their own

merits, in

their own

religious actions

as the basis

of acceptance

before God.

God.

And so, at that

great day of

judgment will

be a very

simple matter.

Jesus will

call all people

from their

graves across

all the

generations.

And here's

the either or

alternative.

Either he

will greet you

warmly and

welcome you

into heaven and

full enjoyment of

the life that you

now enjoy in

him because

you've believed

in him.

Or he

will greet

you formally

and coldly

as a

formidable

judge and

he'll say to

you, go to

hell.

Because you

dared to

reject me.

Now, this is

the uncomfortable

and unfashionable

truth I

mentioned earlier.

Because you

see, we don't

like the idea of

judgment in our

world.

When people are

challenged about

anything these

days, what's the

standard response?

Don't judge me.

Don Carson

says the most

favorite verse in

the Bible for

Christians used to

be John 3, 16.

But now he

says, Matthew 7,

Matthew 7:1

verse 1, don't

judge me or

you'll be judged.

Very sad, isn't

it?

We don't like

judgment.

We do it when we

can to avoid the

concept of

judgment.

We refuse to

be accountable of

our actions by

allowing other

people to make a

judgment upon our

actions.

It's a very

uncomfortable

truth.

that that's

exactly what

Jesus says will

happen.

We play it

down, we

avoid it, but

it's a key

role in Jesus

achieving God's

salvation purpose.

It's not going to

go away just

because we don't

like it.

It's not going to

go away just

because it's

unfashionable.

a savior, Jesus

is also king

and a key role

of ruling, as

I've said before,

is judging,

discerning between

this one and

that one.

But at the same

time, it's also a

wonderfully positive

truth because it

means that everyone

here this morning

has the opportunity

to sort the

future, your

future, right

now.

And isn't

that what we

long for?

I'm hearing

people all the

time and it's

in my own

heart.

We just wish

that we could

secure the

future.

We plan for

the future in

terms of

savings.

We long for

the future to

be good.

We long for

the future to

have security

for us.

People invest

time and energy

and money

consulting those

who claim to

be able to

predict the

future, whether

scientists or

witches.

we're geared.

We've got that

deep longing

within us to

settle the

future.

And by the

way, I

wasn't saying

scientists and

witches were the

same there.

I see one

scientist up

the back having

a bit of

smile.

They're polar

opposites.

But rationale

versus

irrational.

All right, I'll

talk to you

afterwards,

Adam.

And the

other 27

scientists.

I didn't.

Yeah, okay.

But you

see, we're

hardwired.

for eternity.

We get so

often get trapped

into seeking

security for the

future in our

own effort.

And all the

while, Jesus

said, look,

come to me,

and this

morning, your

future can be

sorted.

So Jesus

says to us

this morning,

yes, I am

equal with God.

But he also

says, I'm the

man you

cannot ignore.

or maybe he'll

give it a

second go.

I'm the man

you can only

ignore at your

own peril.

Because at the

end of the day,

says Jesus,

when you die,

and that final

judgment comes,

my voice will

be the first

thing you will

hear consciously

after your

death.

And that voice

will either say

to you,

every one of us

here this morning

will either say

to you,

welcome home

on the basis

that you

believed in me

and trusted in

me for acceptance

before God,

or will say,

go to hell.

Let me pray.

Lord, these

are big words,

heavy words,

and yet exciting

words.

Help us,

Lord, to walk

through them

carefully,

sensing the

awe of them,

but walk

through them,

Lord, with

excitement and

confidence,

knowing that you

want to move us

from death to

life.

You want us to

be settled in

respect to the

future, and that

both those things

are achieved by

belief and trust

and living under

the lordship of

the Lord Jesus

Christ.

Help us to see

that, Lord.

Help us to

respond, not just

in marvel and

honor, but to

believe.

Amen.

Amen.