Jesus Son of God

Greetings, all of you who are watching or listening today, and if you're just listening,

tuning in for the first time, I'm glad that you are.

We've been working through the Gospel of John, the story of Jesus as a church together,

and we're going to continue on in that story today.

If you have a Bible, I encourage you to grab it and to open it up to the Gospel of John.

We're in chapter 5 of the Gospel of John.

And as we continue on through this, we're about to get into a section here that is really a goldmine.

It's a place where, I mean, we've seen all kinds of glorious truth about Jesus revealed up until this point

through the narrative sections that we've looked at.

But in these verses, Jesus, all the way from verse 19 to 47, it's all Jesus' words.

And so this section is just loaded with rich statements from Jesus,

which reveal all kinds of wonderful truths, which we're looking forward to seeing.

Jesus is going to tell us a little bit more about this mysterious and wonderful relationship that he has with his Father.

He's going to talk to us about the extent of his authority and power and where it comes from.

He's going to talk to us about the gift of eternal life and what we need to do to receive it.

He's going to talk to us about the gift of Jesus.

He's going to talk to us about the gift of Jesus.

He's going to talk about various testimonies which confirm just who he is.

He's going to talk about how the religious leaders have missed the mark and why, a little bit of why.

And he's also going to reveal just what he knows is going on in their hearts.

So this is a loaded section.

It's a gold mine.

We could just set up shop here.

We could read and study and meditate and memorize and then go back and do it all again

and still not get to the end of all that's here.

So I'm hoping that as we begin to dig into these words today that we'll see something of the riches that are here for us

and really we'll just be scratching the surface.

But I hope that as you start to see all of these deposits of glorious truth here

that you'll kind of be aware of them so that you can begin to dig into those on your own.

At home.

So let's go to the word.

But before we do, let's pray.

Father in heaven, we thank you that you have given us these precious words which your son Jesus spoke.

And now as we read and listen to them, Lord, would you help us to see and understand what you want us to see and understand here.

Would you allow our hearts to feel the weight of these words and press them into our spirit and our souls.

Help us to see the glory of Jesus and the glory that you have.

We ask this in his name.

Amen.

All right.

So verse 19 is where we are at today.

And it says this.

Jesus gave them this answer.

Now, this comes in the context of a larger story.

We should probably just remember where we're at.

Jesus is in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem.

And he has just recently healed a man who couldn't walk for 38 years at the pool of Bethesda.

And he did that on the Sabbath day.

He told him to pick up his mat and carry it.

The man was healed and he was carrying it.

And when the religious leaders heard that Jesus was the one who had done this and told him to carry his mat on the Sabbath, they began to go after Jesus.

And John tells us to persecute him.

There's a larger story going on here.

The religious leaders were already going after Jesus.

They wanted him dead.

And John tells us that this charge of breaking the Sabbath was the way that they were trying to get at him and to secure that outcome.

So we saw last Sunday how they went after him back in verse 16, 17, 18 and charged him with breaking the Sabbath.

What are you doing working on the Sabbath?

And Jesus gave this wonderful defense.

My father is always at his work to this very day.

And I too am working.

So he didn't deny that he was working.

He admitted to working on the Sabbath.

And kind of got himself off the hook in a sense by saying, well, God isn't guilty for working on the Sabbath.

My father and neither am I.

And this response really got to the religious leaders.

John told us back there in verse 18 that because he said this, they tried all the more to kill him.

Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, at least in their view, but he was even calling God his own father, making himself equal with God.

So this is the thoughts that are going on in their hearts and minds.

Like, who does this guy think he is doing these things, working on the Sabbath and then claiming God as his own father?

And that's why he can do these things on the Sabbath.

And we had a bit of a look at what Jesus really was, I think, saying here.

God isn't guilty for working on the Sabbath because that law doesn't apply to him or his work.

And Jesus says, neither am I.

And the reason that we pulled out there, drew out, was because the work that Jesus does is God's work.

It is the Father's work.

And so the law of the Sabbath doesn't apply.

And this comes through even more clearly in another passage in John, John 14, verse 10.

John 14:10

Jesus says this,

So he's not guilty for breaking the Sabbath.

Why?

Because it's the Father living in him who is working.

This is God at work here.

And so the Sabbath laws don't apply.

Well, the religious leaders are upset by this.

They hear in this a claim from Jesus to be divine, to be on the same level as God, to be equal with God.

How does Jesus respond to this?

That's what we read about in 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.

Now we want to slow it down and just look at these words.

We really want to understand this relationship between Jesus and his Father.

I mean, this is something that we've already seen glimpses of already up to this point through the gospel.

Let's remember a few of those.

Back in chapter 1, verse 14, John wrote this.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

We have seen his glory.

Glory of the one and only Son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

So, Jesus, the divine Word, the Word who was with God and was God at the beginning before anything was made,

he became flesh.

He took on human flesh and lived among us.

He is the one and only Son, John says in verse 14, who came from the Father.

There are other ways that Jesus coming from the Father is described.

Probably the most familiar is John 3, 16.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.

So, his coming from the Father into our world is described as being given by God to the world.

In the next verse, verse 17.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Not only has he come from the Father and has he been given by the Father, but he has been sent by the Father into the world.

We see the intentionality of God in this.

These all describe how Jesus, this man that we see walking among us, got here, where he is from.

But why has he come?

Well, we've seen a number of answers to that question so far in John's Gospel as well.

In John 3, 16.

He gave his one and only Son in order that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

So, God gave his Son to the world so that people of the world might believe in him and be spared what they deserve.

That is, to perish because of their sins against God and instead receive this good gift of eternal life.

We see this spelled out for us again in verse 17 of chapter 3.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

So, he has given and sent his Son into the world in order to save people of the world.

Jesus has come from the Father on a rescue mission.

He has come to rescue.

And not only has he come to rescue, but he has come to reveal to people who God is.

And we saw this back in John chapter 1, verse 18.

John 1:18

John wrote this,

No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God, and is in closest relationship with the Father.

He has made him, that is the Father, known.

So, the one and only Son has made the Father, God, whom no one has ever seen, known.

So, Jesus, not only has he come to rescue, but he has come to reveal just who God is.

And we hear in these words that the Son is in closest relationship with the Father, says John.

There's this closeness, this deep intimacy.

There's this relationship between Father and Son.

And we see glimpses of this relationship throughout the Gospel.

We've seen a few already.

We saw it when Jesus was in Jerusalem at the temple courts.

As he was flipping the tables and driving out the sellers and the money changers.

He said, Stop turning my Father's house into a market.

We saw this passion, this love, this fierce loyalty to his Father.

And to his Father's glory and honor.

We saw it again in, kind of from the other side of the relationship in John chapter 3, verse 35.

John 3:35

John writes there, The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.

And now, as we come to verse 19, we're going to see a lot more in these verses which follow.

A lot more about this relationship between the Father and the Son.

So 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 what the Father does, the Son also does.

Now I want to be careful with these words.

Let's listen to them again in another translation.

One that's a little more word for word.

The New American Standard Bible has it this way.

Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of himself.

Unless it is something he sees the Father doing.

For whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does.

In like manner or likewise.

Now what does that mean?

What does Jesus mean as he says this?

All kinds of questions arise.

What does Jesus mean when he says that the Son can do nothing of himself?

Unless it's something he sees the Father doing.

What does Jesus mean when he says, sees the Father doing?

In what sense does he see the Father doing the things that he's doing?

What does it mean that the Son likewise also does the things that the Father does?

We have all kinds of questions as we come to these words.

And I think the first place to go with these questions is to our knees.

And just humbly acknowledge.

We're talking about the mysterious relationship between the Divine Son of God and God the Father.

We don't know just how all this works.

How this relationship works.

This is on a whole other plane of understanding, realm of existence that is so foreign to us as creatures, as human beings.

And so we want to start with humility and realize that this is not something that is easy to understand.

I can guarantee you that the disciples are probably scratching their heads at this moment and wondering,

what does that mean, Jesus?

Probably having the same questions as we do.

And we know this because a little later in the story of John,

one of the disciples will have a conversation with Jesus and kind of give away that he still doesn't get it,

this relationship between Jesus and his Father.

And Jesus will kind of explain it again and try to help him see it.

And so we're not the only ones who come to these words and are wondering,

what does Jesus mean by this?

So we want to be careful with these words.

But what can we say from these words?

Well, I think at the very least we can say that Jesus seems to be saying that he,

as the Divine Son of God, does not act independently from the Father.

Jesus, as the Divine Son of God, does not act independently from the Father.

Now, where do we get this from?

Well, let's bring into focus the larger context of the conversation with the religious leaders.

They're upset with him.

Why?

Because he has claimed that God is his own Father,

and that just as his Father is not guilty for breaking the Sabbath,

so he, because he is the Son of the Father,

is not guilty for working on the Sabbath day.

So they understand him correctly.

He is claiming to be divine.

And if he wasn't, Jesus could very easily just say,

very truly,

I say to you,

I am not claiming to be equal with God.

I am not claiming to be the Divine Son of God,

but he doesn't say that.

You can imagine what the Jewish leaders are thinking in this moment.

They're thinking of perhaps some of those words from the Scriptures.

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God,

the Lord is one.

There is only one God,

and so who are you, a man,

standing in front of us,

claiming to be divine with your words?

There's only one God.

I think there's a bit of an answer to that

in what Jesus says here in verse 19.

Very truly, I say to you,

the Son can do nothing of himself

unless it is something he sees the Father doing.

I think,

and this is my paraphrase and take on it,

that there's a sense in which Jesus is saying,

I'm not claiming to be divine in the sense that there are two gods.

I'm not claiming to be another God

who the Sabbath law does not apply to.

No, there is one God.

I, as the Son of God,

am not someone who can just act independently from him.

There's a connection between us and our work.

Very truly, I say to you,

the Son can do nothing of himself

unless it is something he sees the Father doing.

So there's this connection,

there's this union

of my work

and his work.

And in some sense

that goes beyond our understanding,

Jesus seems to be saying that

he is watching what his Father is doing

in any given moment,

it seems as though he's saying.

And unless he sees his Father doing it,

he can't just go off

and do it on his own,

of himself.

Their work,

their action as Father and Son

are unified.

They're in harmony

and synchronized with each other.

And we see a little more of this

in the second half of verse 19.

Kind of confirmation,

almost a flip side of the coin way of saying it.

For whatever the Father does,

these things the Son also likewise

does.

That's quite the claim

when you think about it.

I mean, the first one,

okay, we can see that.

You're not

claiming to be a second God,

one who acts independently

from the one true God.

No,

you're kind of saying

that you are

in your work

tethered to his.

but now you're saying

it's as if Jesus is saying

whatever the Father might do,

decide to do

and do,

the Son also likewise

does that thing

or is doing that

as well.

There's,

again,

this is,

Jesus seems to be saying

there's this unity

unity

to his action

and the Father's action

and perhaps the place

you could just

conceive of this best

is in a miracle of healing.

In some sense,

since we don't understand,

it's as if

the Son is watching

what the Father is doing

and seeing what he is doing

and as he sees

the Father

stretch out his hand

toward a person

to heal them,

he too

at the same time

stretches out his hand

to heal.

The picture we get here

is that there are

two distinct persons

at work

and yet in this

one action

there is

one God

at work.

Now,

I'm not going to pretend

to have this all

figured out

or to fully understand

how this works,

what this is like

or feels like

to Jesus.

This

is

a mystery.

I honestly

have no idea

but this seems to be

what Jesus

is saying

here.

And this is really

the key truth

for today

that

Jesus

the Son of God

has this

wonderful,

special relationship

with God the Father

that there is a unity

to their work,

to their action

such that the Son

does not act

independently

from the Father.

In fact,

it's even stronger

than that.

Cannot act.

The Son

can

or is able

to do

nothing

of himself

unless

it is something

he sees

the Father

doing.

There's a

harmony,

a perfect

synchronization

of the Father

and Son

as they act.

Why?

Well,

we're going to see

this a little bit

today

because

there is

a union,

a deep

connectedness

between the

Father

and the Son

such as

is out of this

world,

something that

we just

goes beyond

what we can

even fathom.

So,

where do we

see this?

Well,

let's look through

a few other

scriptures

just to see

this truth

that we've

seen here

from Jesus'

words affirmed

again,

but also

some additional

details

that will

kind of,

I think,

bring this

into focus

for us.

So,

the first

place we

want to

look at

is

John

John 5:30

chapter 5

verse 30.

This is

just a little

ways down

the end

of this

section.

Jesus will

say a very

similar thing

here in

John 5

John 5:30

verse 30.

He says

this,

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.

So,

again,

very similar,

in fact,

almost identical

language,

of myself

I can,

I am able

to do

nothing.

In his

action,

which is

specifically

related to

judgment,

that the

Father has

entrusted

to him,

which we'll

talk about

another

message,

in his

action,

he doesn't

do it

of himself.

Why?

Verse 30,

For I

seek not

to please

myself,

literally,

I seek

not to

do my

will,

but the

will of

him who

sent me.

So,

here we

see again,

the son

cannot act

independently

from the

Father.

Even though

he has

been entrusted

judgment

from the

Father,

he does

not do

it of

himself.

He does

it in

unison,

in

synchronization

with the

Father,

what he

hears from

the Father.

And we

see another

added detail

here,

this added

detail of

how the

son is

voluntarily

submitting

himself

to the

Father.

He's not

living to

do his

own will,

but to

do the

will of

the one

who sent

him,

to please

him.

And we'll

see this

in more

places than

just this

as we go

on.

Let's fast

forward to

John chapter

John 8 · chapter mention

8.

John chapter

John 8:28

8,

verse 28

and 29.

Again,

Jesus is

having

conversation

with people

and he

says this,

when you

have lifted

up the

Son of

Man,

then you

will know

that I

am he

and that

I do

nothing

on my

own,

but speak

just what

the Father

has taught

me.

The one

who sent

me is

with me.

He has

not left

me alone,

for I

always do

what pleases

him.

Here again,

you see this

idea again

that the

Son does

not act

independently

from the

Father.

I do

nothing on

my own.

In fact,

he doesn't

even speak

independently

from the

Father,

but I

speak just

what the

Father has

taught me.

What he

says to

me,

I say

to you.

There's a

unity,

a harmony,

not just

to the

work that

the Father

and Son

do,

but to

the words

that the

Son speaks.

They are

the words

that he

has received

from the

Father to

say.

And again,

we see this

idea of

submission,

voluntary

submission,

for I

always do

what pleases

him.

There's this

commitment

not to

do his

own will,

but to

do what

pleases

the Father,

to do

the will

of his

Father,

the work

of his

Father,

to say

the words

of his

Father.

Let's

fast forward

again to

John

John 12:49

chapter 12

verse 49.

Again,

Jesus

referring to

his previous

words says

this,

for I

did not

speak on

my own

or of

myself,

but the

Father who

sent me

commanded me

to say

all that

I have

spoken.

Last

half of

verse 50.

So,

whatever I

say is

just what

the Father

has told

me to

say.

Again,

we see

the Son

does not

act

independently

from the

Father.

He does

not speak

independently

from the

Father.

They are

one in

their work.

They are

one in

their

words.

The Son

says what

the Father

has commanded

him to

say,

what the

Father has

told him

to say.

And again,

this idea

of the

Son

submitting

himself to

the Father's

commands

and obeying

the Father.

And probably

the thing

that will

bring this

most clearly

into focus

is what

Jesus

says in

John

John 10:30

chapter 10

verse 30

because he

says it's

so directly

there.

We're going

to get

there later

in this

series,

but this

is what

Jesus

says in

John 10

30.

He says,

I and

the Father

are one.

I and

the Father

are one.

This is

what is

at the

heart

of this

unity

in their

work

and in

their

speaking.

being.

It's

this

deeper

reality

that in

their

very

beings,

being,

singular,

Jesus

and his

Father

are one.

Two

persons,

one

God.

Jesus

will explain

it like

this in

verse 36

of chapter

10.

why then

do you

accuse me

of

blasphemy

because

I said

I am

God's

son.

Do not

believe me

unless I

do the

works of

my

Father.

But if

I do

them,

even though

you do

not believe

me,

believe the

works that

you may

know and

understand

that the

Father is

in me

and I

in the

Father.

Couldn't

be said

more

clearly,

I don't

think,

than this.

There is

a oneness,

a unity,

not just

of their

works,

not just

of the

words,

but of

who they

are.

Father

and son

together,

one

God.

So

truly

does

the

son

make

known

who

the

Father

is

and

is

united

with

the

Father

that

Jesus

will

say

this

in

conversation

with

Philip.

Philip

will

ask

Jesus,

he'll

say,

show us

the

Father.

And this

is

Jesus'

answer.

John

14,

9,

don't

you

know

me,

Philip,

even

after

I've

been

among

you

such

a

long

time?

Anyone

who

has

seen

me

has

seen

the

Father.

How can

you say,

show us

the

Father?

Don't

you believe

that I

am in

the

Father

and that

the

Father

is

in

me?

Here it

is again,

the words

I say

to you,

I do

not speak

on my

own

authority,

me.

Rather,

it is

the

Father

living

in

me

who

is

doing

his

work.

If

you've

seen

me,

says

Jesus,

you

have

seen

the

Father.

That's

how

one

they

are.

So,

yes,

we do

see

this

truth

all

through

the

Gospel

of

John,

that

Jesus

as

the

Son

of

God

has

this

wonderful

relationship

with

his

Father

in

which

they

are

two

persons

distinct

from

one

another

and

yet

one

God

acting

together,

working

together,

speaking

together

in

perfect

harmony,

in

perfect

unison

and

at the

same

time

there's

this

element

of

it's

the

Father's

will

that

governs

and

that

directs

and

he's

the

one

who

commands

and

the

son

is

the

one

who

submits

and

watches

and

acts

in

perfect

harmony

with

the

Father.

These

are lofty

truths

about

Jesus

and

the

Father.

Where

do

these

truths

hit

us

today?

Well,

they hit

us in

a couple

of

places.

And

I think,

now,

I've

said this

before in

this

series,

but I

want to

say it

again.

If

Jesus

is

just a

mere

man,

then it

matters

very little

if we

listen to

him or

take his

words

seriously.

If

Jesus

is a

prophet,

then it

matters

much

if we

listen to

him or

take his

words

seriously.

But if

Jesus

is,

as we've

seen,

the very

Son

of

God,

who

when he

speaks,

it is

God who

speaks

through

him,

then it

matters

massively

whether we

listen to

his words

or take

them

seriously.

If we

choose to

ignore the

words of

Jesus or

reject the

words of

Jesus or

disregard the

words of

Jesus,

we are

choosing to

reject and

ignore and

disregard the

words of

God, the

Father himself,

the creator

of the

universe.

And that's

not a place

that we want

to be.

But the

flip side of

this is

also true.

If Jesus

speaks the

very words of

the Father,

of God

himself,

then this

means that

it is not

just Jesus

who offers

living water

and eternal

life and

resurrection from

the dead to

people, but

it is God

himself,

the Father,

the creator,

who is offering

these good

gifts.

And if it's

God who

offers them,

we can be

certain that

he will

deliver because

only God can

do these

kinds of

things, can

give these

kinds of

gifts to

people.

Finally, we

read earlier

in John

John 1:18

chapter 1

verse 18,

these words,

no one has

ever seen

God, but

the one and

only Son

has made

him known.

Do we

realize

just how

wonderful this

is?

That

Jesus, as

the Son of

God, has

come into

our world

so that we

could have

the gracious

opportunity to

know the

unseeable

one, the

God who

has never

been seen.

If they

have this

kind of a

oneness, like

has been

talked about

here, then

truly by

looking at

Jesus, the

one who

walked among

us, we

can know

God.

What a

wonderful

thing.

Are we

taking

advantage of

this

opportunity

and looking

at him

and listening

to his

words?

He does

not just

speak on

God's

behalf, he

speaks God's

words.

He does

God's

works.

And this

is a

wonderful and

gracious gift.

We've been

talking all

through this

series about

how Jesus

is full of

grace and

truth.

God's

grace and

truth.

He's not

gracious and

truthful in

his speech.

He is the

very embodiment

of God's

grace and

God's truth

given and

spoken to

us.

What an

amazing gift.

God's

God's

God's

God's

love and

God's

love and

God's

love and

God's

love and

spoke among

us.

I hope and

I pray that

we do.

I want to

close with

these words

of Jesus

from John

John 5:24

chapter 5

verse 24.

This is back

in John 5

and we

didn't get to

that yet but

this is what

Jesus says.

Hear these

words.

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.

do you

hear the

word of

Jesus?

Do you

believe the

one who

sent him?

I hope and

I pray that

you do.

Let's pray.

Father in

heaven thank

you for

sending your

son.

Thank you

for the

words he

has spoken.

We pray and

ask that you

would

continue to

help us see

more of

the truth

in his

words and

understand them

better so

that we

might know

you God

deeper,

more than

we ever have

before.

We ask that

you'd seal

these words in

our hearts

in the weeks

ahead.

In Jesus

name.

Amen.

we're

going to

next

week.

in

the

bye.