Jesus is ___, Part. 7: “The Judge of All” (2026 Easter Service)

Is equal with God. And today we'll see how Jesus is

the judge of all. You may have heard children say

this particular phrase. Prove it, prove it, prove it.

Well, this particularly is in a scene in a movie that I watched

a lot with my family. It's about a famous boy band of

five brothers who couldn't get along, so they split up.

And one of the brothers, Bruce, went on and got married and had

children. And he also with that, got a dad

bod. If you don't know what that is,

it's a big belly that comes along with being a father.

And when all the brothers started getting back together,

Bruce's children just could not believe his dad's words when he

said he used to be in a boy band, singing, dancing.

And so they start chanting, prove it, prove it, prove it.

And the dad feels like he has no choice but to prove himself.

Now this posture of unbelief until proven otherwise is not

just in children, not just in movies, it's and it's also not

just against people when people claim to be something that is

hard to believe. This posture first is in all

people and and we are all naturally against God.

We are not naturally believers. 1 atheist summarizes it well.

His reason for being an atheist. He claims that simply God has

not given sufficient evidence, just not enough.

At the heart, saying there is not enough evidence from God is

the same as mockingly demanding God prove it, prove it, prove

it, when God has already provided the evidence to go

along with the claims and the truths that he makes in God's

word. It's just simply a more mature

way to say God doesn't show us enough evidence.

Well, we need to understand that a lack of more obvious evidence

does not mean that there is no evidence at all.

If God wanted us to give more obvious evidence in the ways we

wanted, He could. He could have spelled out the

name Jesus using the pieces of chicken in your Boo Boo I am, or

whatever else you had this morning.

But let's be clear. In the Bible there are

descriptions of people who have seen miraculous things, signs of

God, but did not necessarily draw closer to God by faith.

This is clear in the Old Testament.

The Israelites, prime examples of people miraculously slaves

out of slavery from Egypt, miraculously sustained by manna,

this miraculous food from God every morning in the wilderness,

who drank water flowing from the rock, yet still disobeyed and

rebelled against God. And then in the New Testament,

it's no surprise when we see the same pattern all over again now

happening with Jesus and the Jews.

Jesus came to his own people, but his own people did not

receive him. They saw Jesus signs and wonders

like healing all kinds of sicknesses and physical

conditions and infirmities, even spiritual ones, and even raising

people back from the dead. But that still was not enough,

because in our natural perspective we are naturally

against God. Let's not think too highly of

ourselves that somehow we would ever be satisfied by more

obvious evidence, even if God were to show us.

So instead of doing that, instead of demanding God with an

attitude of prove it, prove it, prove it.

The more reasonable approach would be for us to come and

examine and evaluate the evidence that has already been

given. To do the honest work of first

carefully considering what God has said and done, to work with

what is available to us, and then to come to a conclusion to

believe it as true or not believe.

This is what we will all need to do today as we go through the

words of Jesus Christ in John chapter 5 verses 19 to 47.

John 5:19–47

To give some context, in the beginning half of John chapter

John 5 · chapter mention

5, we saw last time how Jesus miraculously healed a man who

was an invalid for 38 years by simply telling the man get up,

take up your bed and walk and instantly he was healed.

But the problem that was, was that it was on the Jewish

Sabbath day where no one could be working, even healing

apparently, where no one else but God could be working to that

Jesus called God my Father. And that upset the Jews even

more because they saw Jesus making himself equal with God.

So Jesus now responds to them in verses 19 to 47.

So follow along as please follow along with me as I read.

And if you don't have a Bible, I'm sure somebody next to you

would be willing to share. It will benefit you to keep your

Bible open throughout the sermon to check that what I am saying

is really from God's Word and not my own ideas.

So let's look to John chapter 5 verses 19 to 47.

John 5:19–47

So Jesus said to them, truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can

do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father

doing. For whatever the Father does

that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and

shows him all that he himself is doing, and greater works than

these will he show him, so that you may marvel.

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

also the Son gives life to whom He will.

For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgement to

the Son, that all may honour the Son, just as they honour the

Father. Whoever does not honour the Son

does not honour the Father who sent him.

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and

believes Him who sent me has eternal life.

He does not come into judgement, but He has but has passed from

death to life. 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 here will live.

For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the

Son to have also to have life in himself, and He has given him

authority to execute judgement, because He is the Son of man.

Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are

in the tombs will hear His voice and come out, those who have

done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done

evil to the resurrection of judgement.

I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my

judgement is just because I seek not my own will, but the will of

Him who sent me. If I alone bear witness about

myself, my testimony is true. There's another who bears

witness about me, and I know that the testimony that He bears

about me is true. You sent to John, and he has

borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I

receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be

saved. He was a burning and shining

lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his

light. But the testimony that I have is

greater than that of John. For the works that the Father

has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear

witness about me that the Father has sent me.

And the Father who sent me has Himself borne witness about me.

His voice you have never heard, His form you have never seen,

and you do not have His word abiding in you.

For you do not believe the one whom He has sent.

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them

you have eternal life, and it is they that bear witness about me.

Yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

I do not receive glory from people, but I know that you do

not have the love of God within you.

I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive Me.

If another comes in His own name, you will receive Him.

How Can you believe when you receive glory from one another

and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father.

There is one who accuses you, Moses, on whom you have such a

hope. For if you believe Moses, you

would believe me, for he wrote of me.

But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe

my words? This is the Word of God, Amen.

We'll look at this passage in two parts.

And if you're undertaking notes, these are the two points of the

sermon. These are the evidences that are

already available for us to carefully consider today, right

now, as Jesus explains his define authority as the judge of

all. So first we'll see Jesus's

defence of divine authority verses 19 to 29.

And 2nd, Jesus witnesses of his define authority verses 30 to

47. So first his defence of divine

authority. Jesus begins his defence by

saying in verse 19, Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can

do nothing of his own accord, but only that what he sees the

Father doing for whatever the Father does that the Son does

likewise. To be clear here, Jesus is not

just another prophet like Moses or Elijah.

Prophets came to people declaring thus says the Lord,

for they were messengers from God delivering messages to the

people. But Jesus says in this passage

three times and including here, truly, truly, I say to you, He

then says that he cannot do anything of his own choosing.

He doesn't say that he does not do other things from the Father.

He cannot do other things apart from the Father.

This is emphasized in the the original language here as a

double negative, literally meaning I cannot do nothing.

It's not the best of grammar in English, but we still

nevertheless understand the meaning that is emphasized.

Jesus is making a strong point that he indeed is equal with God

for everything that he does. It's what the Father does.

Everything the Father does is what he does.

And so in the most ultimate sense, we see like Father, like

Son. By seeing who Jesus is, we get

to see what God the Father is like.

And so for us here today, if you have a hard time believing how

God created the universe by speaking creation, all of

creation into existence, then look to Jesus.

Look to Jesus and how he healed a man who could not move on his

own for 38 years, simply telling him to get up and walk and he

did just that. And before that we saw how Jesus

healed the dying Son in the next town over when he told the

desperate Father who came searching for Jesus.

Your Son will live in that very moment.

Next town over, the Son was healed.

See God the Son and you can know more of God the Father.

Jesus continues his defence that the unity that He has between

the Father and the Son is seen in their unique relationship

with one another. Their unique relationship is

marked by a shared love between Father and the Son.

This truth helps us to understand because all of us to

some degree have a difficult time understanding how there is

one God eternally existing in three persons.

If you have a hard time believing that doctrine of

Trinity, hear Jesus words. He describes this mysterious

unity of the distinct persons of one God in this passage.

How and it is how people throughout history came to

understand what the Bible teaches about the Trinity along

with the Holy Spirit as the third person of God.

Christians studied Jesus's words and then came to the conclusion

that there is a special spiritual unity among three

persons, the Tri unity of God. The doctrine of the Trinity is

not then man made stuff, but truths that Jesus himself taught

us. If I could speak briefly to the

teens here and to the young people, if you want to consider

yourself young, whoever you are, if you truly want to know God

who is invisible and cannot be seen, look to Jesus in his word.

Hear what Jesus says, study carefully what he teaches, see

what he has done, and you can know the God of this universe.

You can know the God who created you.

As your parents are helping you, as church members here are

helping you, as Sunday services are meant to help you know God

more, you must come to see for yourself.

Look to Jesus if you want to know and be in a relationship

with God. And the fact that the Father

loves the Son is the foundation of our hope to know God and then

to know His love. Our hearts that are longing for

such acceptance, for such love and care that is deep, that

lasts throughout all situations and all seasons and trials of

life. Our foundation to know such a

love is found in the fact that the Father loves the Son.

Because Jesus would then later teach his disciples saying that

as the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.

Abide, remain in my love. In other words, if we see Jesus

and how he loves, then we know the Father and how God loves us.

For God so loved the world, He gave up his Son, and because the

Son so loved his people that he would save, he gave up his life,

was obedient to the Father's will, even to death, death on a

cross. And so the more that we see the

Son, the more that we know what God the Father is like, the more

than we are able to respond in love to love the Son as the

Father loves the Son. Many of us as Christians walking

this Christian walk feel that dryness or in regards to our our

love and and our passion that once perhaps burned brightly

well as sinners that that love, that affection for God will come

and and wax and wane in the seasons of life.

What's the solution? Look again to Jesus.

Don't try to muster up more love somehow.

OK, I just need to read the Bible five times this month

through from beginning to end. Don't lean on the the exercises

or the religious activities that you aim to do and accomplish,

but look. Simply look to Jesus as you look

to Jesus and you know more of God, your affections will

continue to grow and be kindled into a bright and burning flame.

There's more to see so that we may properly respond to Jesus

continuing in verse 20. It says in the second a sentence

there, and greater works than these will he show him, will the

Father show the Son so that for the purpose that you may marvel,

so that you may be in awe, you may be in wonder.

Now what greater works can there be then an impossible healing

done simply by speaking that Jesus has done so far?

Well, there are two greater works that Jesus mentions.

First is eternal life and the second eternal judgement.

Those are the two works. First, eternal life.

We see it in verse 21. For as the Father raises the

dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom

he will. And again in verses 25 to 26, if

you drop down there, 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 here will live.

For as the Father has life in himself, so he granted the Son

also to have life in himself, Jesus as fully man.

He is just like the rest of us in every way, but also as fully

God. Jesus is unlike us in unique

ways. Here is another claim to divine

authority, the power to give life.

Only God can give life, and we can only receive because the

Father and the Son as God has life in himself.

In other words, our lives are dependent on the life God has.

No one gave God life, for He is the source of all life.

One theologian reminds us of how this truth should deeply humble

us, puts us in our right place, because our life, though it is a

fact, it's real, it's not a necessary fact.

He says The world would have moved on without us if we had

not been born. But that's not with the life of

God. His life is a necessary life

because if God did not exist, none of us would.

Nothing would exist. So to think that we could exist

apart from God. To think that we could live

separately from God means that we are thinking way too highly

of ourselves. In fact, it is a vain attempt of

trying to make ourselves equal with God, even claiming we can

produce life on our own. Perhaps to think we are even

better than God. Perhaps we think we can imagine

better lives than the life God provides.

The Father is a source of all life, and Jesus the Son shares

in that very life from all eternity.

And Jesus explains how he will give life to whom he will.

How does he do that? He makes the dead here now.

Jesus can do this as he has proven it later.

He proves it later and and again in John Chapter 11, specifically

John 11 · chapter mention

when he calls out to his friend Lazarus who was dead and laid in

his tomb for four days. Jesus shows how he has the

power, the authority to give physical life to the physically

dead by his voice, for he simply calls out to Lazarus.

Lazarus come out and the man who was really physically dead,

still wrapped in the linen clods, he came out walking

alive. But this here does not only

describe Jesus's authority to give physical life, because look

at verse 24. He says truly, truly.

I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who has

sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgement,

but has passed from death to life.

And so Jesus here speaks also of spiritual life.

And that points to the reality that we are all spiritually dead

for Christians. We were spiritually dead because

that's how we all start off, dead in our sins.

We know that we are sinners because we do not give what we

owe God. God created every single one of

us to know God, to love God, to worship God, and so God deserves

our whole hearts and our whole lives.

But instead of loving and living for God, we as sinners, we love

ourselves and we live for ourselves.

I mean, just think about how naturally it is for us, for you

to think about yourself and not God, how much you want to do

what you want to do and not what God wants you to do.

Our sin then, has separated us from the living God, and apart

from Him, there is no spiritual health or life in us at all.

And let's be clear, it's not that we were spiritually sick

and just need some spiritual medicine or spiritual advice or

some spiritual help. No, we were spiritually dead,

unable to do anything of worth in heaven.

We needed, we need a miracle and the only and only the voice of

the Son of God could raise us up to new life.

This means for all the Christians here, it's a good

reminder we were not always Christian.

We know this from even in Ephesians chapter 2, where the

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

Apostle Paul tells Christians, you were dead in the trespasses

and sins in which you once walked.

In which among the sons of disobedience, among whom we all

once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the

desires of the flesh, and were by nature children of wrath.

Now the best thing about what what those verses claim is that

it's all written in the past tense.

We're dead. It's the ways we once walked.

We were by nature the children of wrath.

But that's not the case, because what's even better is what Jesus

says here in the present tense. Whoever believes him who sent me

has eternal life. As you look to Jesus, as you

look to his, as you look to what he has done, what he has taught,

we come to know more of God the Father who has sent the Son.

And whoever believes him who sent me, has eternal life.

It's a present tense gift, a present tense possession.

So if you're a believer here today, you have a real present,

living, lasting hope. Not only did Jesus Christ die

for your sins on the cross, but as the giver of life who has

life in himself, He did not remain dead and buried in his

tomb. Jesus has risen from the dead.

He has by by his resurrection. He has secured your gift of

eternal life so that no one and nothing in this world could ever

take it away from you. What a wonderful truth to

remember if you're Christians for members of this church this

morning. I recently turned 39 and

honestly, I had no immediate sense of joy about it at all.

And I can testify there is such a thing as the midlife crisis.

I couldn't help but just think, what is my life worth?

What have I done? But as I thought about my life

in the in the redeemed perspective that God has given

me, I realized that now I have been Christian for a little bit

longer than I have not been a Christian all by the grace of

God. I've walked with God longer now,

a little bit longer than I was walking away from him.

By the grace of God, I have been hating my sin for a little bit

longer than I have been loving sin.

By the grace of God, I have been loving Jesus a little bit longer

than I have been disobeying and rebelling against Him.

All because through 1 sermon some 18 years ago, I heard the

voice of the Son through faithful preaching of God's word

and Jesus, though I was dead, He gave me life.

The only thing I desire from the previous years of my life, if

it's if I had just a little bit more time to walk with the Lord,

a little bit more time to know him and love him, perhaps now

that I would have a deeper well of of love for Him and affection

for him. If you're a Christian today,

this too is your testimony of what Christ has done.

You were dead, but by hearing His voice, He has made you

alive, a new heart that desires and beats with affection for

him. More than anything else in this

world, it is this greater work of eternal life that we praise

God for. And we can thank God, especially

today. That was the first greater work,

eternal life. Now the second work is eternal

judgment. We see this in verse 22 for the

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

And again in verses 27 to 29, drop down there it says, and He

has given him authority to execute judgement because He is

the Son of man. Do not marvel at this for an

hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice

and come out. Those who have done good to the

resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the

resurrection of judgement. Let's make sure Paul's here for

a moment. Make sure we feel the weight of

what Jesus is saying here. He is really telling people that

He is the final judge of all people, that He is the Son of

Man. To the Jews, they knew what

Jesus was referring to, that he was referring to the prophetic

vision of the book of Daniel, Chapter 7, where God, who is

Daniel 7 · chapter mention

called the Ancient of Days, is seated on his throne.

The description of him, His clothing as white as snow, the

hair of his head like pure wool, His throne fiery flames with all

people standing before him. The court sat in judgement and

the books were opened, for he is the judge.

And then, strangely, a son of man comes to the Ancient of

Days. And this son of man was given an

everlasting Kingdom of all peoples, nations and languages

that they should serve him. So imagine how crazy it sounded

when they just saw a man, son of a Carpenter coming, you know,

without degrees in the, in the, in the synagogue and, and, and

studies and to show what he what he knows.

Imagine when they saw just a man claiming to come at the end of

time to judge every single person and that their eternal

destiny depended on how they listen and obey him.

That they had to come to a decision.

And indeed, they had to come to a decision.

Either Jesus is a madman, he has lost his mind, or that Jesus is

truly the God man as he says he is.

Either Jesus has severe delusions of grandeur or he

really is God. There's no middle ground based

on the kinds of claims that Jesus is making, but for them,

learning from them. We should not jump to

conclusions too quickly without weighing in the claims and the

defence that Jesus makes, because it's serious what Jesus

is saying. On that final day, each one of

us has a scheduled appointment with the Judge of all.

There will be a physical resurrection then, when all who

are in the tombs will hear His voice and come out, and each one

of us will be judged, as it says here, by what we have done,

Those who have done good, those who have done evil, doesn't

matter what we think about ourselves, how much good we

think we have done, no matter how much good we think has

outweighed our wrongs, because only the judgement of the judge

of all will matter. It says in Revelation 20,

describing how there will be books open before the throne of

God, these books that contain the evidence, whether you have

done the good work of hearing the good work of believing, the

good work of living for Jesus, or you have not done that good,

no one will then will be excused.

No one then will be given a second chance when that time

comes. So if you're here today and you

are not a Christian, we are glad that you are here so that you

can hear the same truth that has saved us, that has changed our

lives. We would love for you to be able

to say with us that we were once dead, now made alive because of

Jesus Christ. We want you to hear the gospel

that has changed our destiny. We were headed for eternal death

and separation from God in hell to eternal life, to be with God

forever. To our non Christian friends,

this is what you need because without faith in Jesus you still

are spiritually dead. But if you repent of your sins

and believe in Jesus Christ and follow him as a disciple in His

church, you can be sure that you are saved, that you can say in

the present tense, I have eternal life.

Now understand the purpose of God in all of this in verse 23,

that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father.

And so we want to make it clear, as Jesus makes it clear who He

is to you, so that you too may honour God by honouring the Son.

You cannot honour God but just doing whatever good works you

think is good enough. You cannot honour God if you

have checked off all the religious duties that you think

are fit or are coming fitting for someone worthy to be saved.

No, if you do not honour Jesus, honour him with faith and

obedience and the life of following him.

You cannot honour God. So please do not face the judge

of all thinking. You can get by with anything

else other than faith in Jesus Christ and the accomplished work

of Jesus on the cross for your sins.

If we're honest, we couldn't even get by our friends, let

alone the judge of all. You know, if we ask our family

members, if we ask even our good friends, close friends who know

us very well, and if we tell them just honestly tell me some

things about me that are not good that I need to work on,

they will have things to say, wouldn't they?

Now it's if that is from our sinful fellow peers.

How much more than before? An all knowing Almighty God who

knows the desires of your heart, who sees even your thoughts, who

is well aware of everything you have done and said, who knows

our sins even better than we no our own sins.

You want Jesus as your Saviour, not as your judge.

And remember that the concluding verdict of Jesus that you have

will determine His concluding verdict of you.

You can starting today as you hear His words, believe you too

can have the love of the Father that he has for His Son.

You can live now with true love that you need starting now if

you hear His words and believe. But if you're not yet sure of

this, if you're not yet convinced, let's see Jesus how

he helps us to be sure, because He provides in the second here,

witnesses of his divine authority.

Let's quickly move to verse 30 to 31.

He says I can do nothing of my own, repeating that he says I

can do nothing of my own. As I hear, I judge, and my

judgement is just because I seek not my own will, but the will of

Him who sent me. If I alone bear witness about

myself, my testimony is not true.

Here Jesus is referring to a common Jewish understanding that

any testimony required a witness.

So Jesus is not saying he he is able to be false or wrong.

No, no, he understands. No one could just make claims

without any supporting witnesses, especially the kind

of claims that Jesus was making. So in this case is not true

means is not deemed valid like in the court of law.

So he calls a witness to the witness stand.

See verse 32. There's another who bears

witness about me and I know that testimony that he bears about me

is true. The the one mentioned here that

Jesus mentioned, if we drop down to verse 37 initially you might

think, oh, he's talking about John the Baptist.

But as you read the whole passage carefully, you realize

that the one mentioned here in verse 32 is the same one in

verse 37. It is the Father himself.

Jesus makes it clear there if it's the Father himself who has

borne witness about Jesus. Now the Father has used three

other witnesses to affirm Jesus claims.

So we'll go through each one briefly.

The first witness that Jesus mentions that God uses is John

the Baptist. See verses 3335.

You sent to John, and he has borne witness about to the

truth. Not that the testimony that I

received is from man, but I say these things so that you may be

saved. He was a burning and shining

lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his

light. So as we have followed the story

of John the Baptist earlier and earlier on in the, in the, in

the Gospels, we know that he came preaching and declare and,

and giving a baptism of repentance, calling people to

repent of their sins, preparing the way for Jesus to come.

He bore witness to the truth. People gathered flocked around

him and they heard him point to the One to come about Jesus and

he would fulfil his ministry as he declared with his own eyes as

he saw Jesus, that Jesus is the Lamb of God who has come to take

away the sins of the world. Now Jesus does not need people

to witness about him, but he does use people as his witnesses

to save others. It is a privilege and a

responsibility that he gives to his disciples to be his

witnesses. Note how Jesus says he was a

burning and shining lamp. And so John the Baptist may have

been already in prison or even killed, beheaded at by this

time. And So what Jesus says of him is

like a eulogy, a summary of his life and what inspiration for

all of us to live in that way, to be a burning and shining lamp

for Jesus. I would love for that to be

written on my tombstone one day. Not because I picked it out for

myself, like my favorite verse I went on there.

No, because I hope that there will be other people in my life

who will be able to testify that my life was burning and shining

for Jesus Church. Do you want that to be the

summary of your life as well, that people can see in your

love, in your obedience to Jesus and how you shared his love, how

you spoke of his love because of John, John the Baptist, even in

the height of a successful ministry, as people rejoiced for

a while in his light, he burned away.

He gave his life. It ended as he lived his life

for the Lord Jesus. But the call to be witnesses of

Jesus still remain today for us. Jesus saves us, chooses to save

us, and then by our salvation it means that he has chosen to use

us to be his witnesses so that we as Christians, no matter how

old or young you are, as a Christian, we are called in our

individual efforts, in our individual lives to burn and

shine for Jesus. In our personal evangelism, we

pray for such opportunities. And even as we've prayed, when

God grants us opportunities, we ask him for help that we may

faithfully, boldly, without shame, talk about Jesus and

persuade others to believe in Jesus Christ.

But we also do this corporately together as we bring non

Christians and invite them to our services so they can hear

God's word and so that they can as they come.

They see the witnesses of Jesus Christ as they even as they see

sinful people like us in this church.

We know we are terrible sinners who deserve God's wrath, but we

also believe that Jesus has saved us by his life, death and

resurrection. And so together we give our

lives to make Him known. This is how we can continue

together to honour the Son, to tell of who He is, to tell

others what He has done and how all of that matters in our lives

today. You can be sure as you bring

your non Christian friends to our Sundays, we will be sharing

this truth, this same old gospel over and over again every Sunday

after every Sunday. So join us, bring your

unbelieving family friends so that they too may hear the word

of God. So that and then for you as

you're here that you can learn how to present the Word of God

and the truths of God to your friends and your family members.

May God bless us in our efforts to be burning in shining lamps

for Jesus. The next witness, the second

one, it's Jesus says it's a greater testimony, even that of

John. So we see in in verse 36, but

the testimony that I have is greater than that of John for

the works that the Father has given me to accomplish.

The very works that I am doing bear witness about me that the

Father has sent me. Jesus's works here probably

include everything, including his teachings, His signs, and

His miracles that authenticated Jesus's claims.

Meaning these miracles that Jesus did were signs that

pointed people to see all that Jesus said and taught were true.

But see the response in verse 37.

And the Father who has sent me has borne witness about me.

His voice you have never heard, His form you have never seen.

And you do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not

believe the one in whom he has sent.

Now how could this be? Imagine you're on top of a tall

building in Jakarta and you have the view of the entire city, the

unique Monas monuments. You see the mountains and the

clouds and the scenery in the background.

A beautiful view from an uncommon angle.

We usually see the monas from down below, and it's hard to see

past the trees. But imagine you're enjoying that

view. And then comes somebody comes

alongside next to you and imagine they're just so caught

up, not with the view, but with the window, with the glass.

How lovely is this window look, how clear it is.

Let's research the chemical composition of the glass, study

the design and how it's fixated into the frame of the wall.

Well, we say they'd be missing the point completely, missing

the purpose of that window and missing the wonderful view there

were meant to see that that glass, that window is showing.

Well, that's what was happening with the Jews.

They were missing the whole point because quite honestly,

they were scholars. They were excellent students of

God's Word, but they missed the point completely at what God's

Word pointed, the one God's Word pointed to.

So it brings us to the final witness, the Scriptures.

Verse 39. He says you search the

scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal

life and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse

to come to me that you may have life.

All the studying, all the memorizing of the Old Testament

scriptures, no matter they how much they pointed to a coming

Messiah, to the Son of Man who will be unlike any other man who

would be crucified, who who would die in the place of

sinners, pierced for their transgressions, rejected by many

instead of putting the pieces together.

The very thing that was meant to help them look to Jesus was a

very thing that they were stuck on and they refuse to come to

Jesus that they may have life for Christians.

It is possible that we can still miss the point today.

I mean, I think Sunday school teachers especially know this

and parents as well. Just how the children over time

become too common and it's too everything that we want to teach

them becomes too predictable because every time we ask them a

question, the answer is the same, right?

Every good Sunday school student knows this.

The answer is Jesus. Whatever the whatever the

teacher says, the answer's just going to be Jesus.

I saw that. I realized that I'm my children,

and so I tried to throw some other questions in there.

Who deserves to die for our sin? Jesus.

Nope. Jesus is a Sinner.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no. We, we are sinners.

Jesus is our Savior, but I think that kind of attitude and

posture toward God's word, I think still remains even in us.

As older, mature believers, it is possible for us to become so

familiar with the things that are meant to point to Christ,

yet we get stuck on them and we begin to think, oh, I'm right

with God. Not because of Jesus, everything

that points to, but because I attend Sunday services

religiously. I don't miss them compared to

others who take vacations. I never, I don't know.

I don't know whatever kind of thought you may have, how

comparing yourself to others, perhaps even the very word of

God, We, we memorize, we study, but we for some reason in our

sinful hearts, we take pride in how much we know compared to

others. And we treat the Bible as if

it's just a bunch of religious trivia.

We miss the whole point that it's meant to humble us before

God, before people, so that we can love God with all our

hearts, soul, mind and strength. And so we could love one another

as we as our neighbors, as we love ourselves.

We could miss the whole point how humbling it is that in even

in these good things we can refuse to come to Jesus.

But what stands true still is that the scriptures written by

the power, the the the guidance of the Holy Spirit preserved for

us. The central theme and topic is

of the Son Jesus Christ and how he saves sinners like you and

me. We cannot miss the point,

especially today. I want, we want to make it clear

to not miss that point. Jesus continues on in verse 41.

I do not receive glory from people, but I know that you do

not have the love of God within you.

I've come in my Father's name and you do not receive me.

If another comes in his own name, you will receive Him.

How Can you believe when you receive glory from one another

and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

Jesus continues to humble those who would miss the point and

reject Jesus, showing us how we as people, we desire glory from

other people. And when somebody with a greater

measure of glory and reputation comes and says things, they

sound quite believable, whatever they say, and so Jesus rebukes

them. How Can you believe them when

Jesus himself has come in his Father's name?

We desire glory from people. It's a temptation for for any,

any person, and it's still for Christians, even as church

leaders and pastors, small group facilitators, ministry pics.

If we're honest with ourselves in our flesh, yeah, we want to

be seen more spiritual, more charming, more serving, more

loving, more knowing, knowledgeable.

Even as a pastor in my flesh, when I hear of other pastors

doing well, other churches doing well, in my flesh, there's

something that's not. I just don't like it.

I don't like the sound of that. I don't like when glory doesn't

come to me, comes to others. Though in my redeemed

perspective, in the new heart that got out to me, I really do

rejoice that there are other faithful, healthy churches doing

great things for the Lord. But this desire, our wrong view

of glory and reputation, is also what hinders us.

Because Jesus came humbly as a servant, not to be served, but

to give his life as a ransom for many to the natural eye.

There was no glory at the cross when Jesus hung in utter

embarrassment and shame, weak and broken and defeated.

Yet to us, to his people, what the world considered as weak and

foolish, we know. It is the power of God through

the cross, through Jesus sacrifice, through his humility,

through his service. We have been born again as we

come, as we have come to believe by faith in Him.

The proper response is to see how Jesus has come in his

Father's name and to receive him.

Jesus finishes his rebuke explanation as to why they do

not believe so that we as we read would come to believe.

He says in verse 45, Do not think that I will accuse you to

the Father. There's one who accuses you,

Moses, on whom you have set your hope.

For if you believe Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote

of me, but you do not believe his writings.

How will you believe my words? What does it mean here to

believe Moses? It means more specifically to to

believe that the law of God that was given through Moses, the law

that was meant to point to understanding who God is so that

when they saw Jesus coming in the name of God the Father with

all their best education in the Old Testament, they could come

and see and believe in Jesus, but it was not the case.

I think Jr. Packer summarizes this

particularly well when he says the simple Bible reader, the

simple sermon hearer full of the Holy Spirit would develop a far

deeper relationship with God than a more educated scholar

without without the Holy Spirit. And so by seeing their negative

example there is, it comes back to the decision that we should

make today. For as we close, the call still

stands. Will you believe in Jesus and

his words? Will you believe that all the

scripture points to Jesus Christ?

As today is Easter Sunday, remembering the resurrection of

Jesus Christ, there is one more witness provided for us and it

is the empty tomb of Jesus. He died on the cross as a

perfect sacrifice for sins. He was laid in a rich man's

tomb. His disciples thought it was

over, but on the third day the stone was rolled away, the linen

cloth that covered Jesus body was left behind and Jesus rose

from the dead and he walked out and that tomb still remains

empty, never to die again. Jesus rules and reigns in heaven

right now at the right hand of the Father, still in his

resurrected body, still with the scars on his side, still with

the scars on his hands and his feet.

So how fitting is it for the one who has life in himself, the one

who has authority to judge all, either to resurrection of life

or the resurrection to judgement?

How fitting is He? Is it for Him that He Himself

defeated sin and death once for all?

Jesus will come again, and when He does, He will judge sinners

who have no defence standing on their own.

May be true for all of us here today as we believe in His Word

that He would when He comes, bring us to eternal life.

Believe in the testimony that He gave, that He is the Son of God

who died for our sins and rose again.

Remember Jesus's words, truly, truly I say to you, whoever

hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.

He, he does not come into judgement, but has passed from

death to life. So do you believe the cross of

Jesus Christ and the empty tomb that remains?

It demands an answer from you, from each and every single one

of us today who has heard these words of Jesus.

Jesus has made his claims. Jesus has provided witnesses.

Will we dare tell God, the Son of God, that his evidence is not

enough? Or looking at all the evidence

Jesus has given, will you believe?

Let's pray. O Heavenly Father, we thank you

for sending the Son so that we as we look to the Son and hear

his words, we may come to know you, God, our Creator, our

Father. We've asked for your help now in

light of the truths that we have heard from your word, from Jesus

mouth that's recorded and preserved for us today.

Holy Spirit, help us to respond, to come to the right conclusion,

the reasonable conclusion after seeing the evidences and him and

seeing the witnesses laid before us, that Jesus truly is the Son

of God who has come to save sinners from sin and death.

Be at work in our hearts and may you give life to the dead here

among us. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Let's take a moment to personally reflect on the truth

of God that were preached from God's word.

Consider what you learn about yourself.

If you if you need a little bit more guidance, what you need to

process. Consider what you learn about

yourself, your approach, your attitude toward God.

Are you? Are you?

Are you missing the whole point? Caught up in religious duty and

activities, in your own judgement of yourself?

You see yourself as good. What do you learn about

yourself? And more importantly, what do

you learn about God? What do you learn about who he

is and what he has done and how Jesus is who he says He is?

The Son of God who came, the Lamb who came to take away the

sins of the world, The Judge who will stand at the end of every

one of our road and whom we will face.

Will we face Him then as Judge, or will we face him now as

Savior? Consider these truths and how it

matters to your life, and we'll continue in our corporate

response to God's Word afterwards.