One God (John 5:17-30)

Alright, we're gonna be in John chapter 5 this morning.

John 5 · chapter mention

If you don't have a Bible, we would love to bring one to you.

So just raise your hand and we will deliver that.

And if you don't own a Bible and you'd like to keep that one, please feel free.

That is a gift to you.

So we're picking up this week right after Jesus heals this paralytic man on the Sabbath, as we talked about two weeks ago.

The Jewish leaders miss that this man was healed after being paralyzed for 38 years, and they choose to focus on this taking place on the Sabbath.

As opposed to focusing on the miracle, they want to focus on this happening on the Sabbath.

And it says that they began to persecute Jesus.

And then we pick up on that.

It's this continuation of this narrative.

And we're going to pick up right here this morning in verse 17 from that story.

So, John chapter 5, starting in verse 17.

John 5 · chapter mention

If you're able, would you please stand for the reading of God's word?

John 5, 17.

Jesus responded to them, My Father is still working, and I am working also.

This is why the Jews began trying all the more to kill him.

Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own father and making himself equal to God.

Jesus replied, Truly I tell you, the Son is not able to do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing.

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

For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.

And just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to whom he wants.

The Father, in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all people may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father.

Any one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

Truly I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and will not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Truly I tell 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.

For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he has granted to the Son to have life in himself.

And he has granted him the right to pass judgment, because he is the Son of Man.

Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come out.

Those who have done good things to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked things to the resurrection of condemnation.

I can do nothing on my own.

I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me.

Let's pray.

Lord, we thank you for this passage that we're in here this morning.

We thank you for your word, Lord, and all that we gain from it.

Lord, I pray that you would use it as a shaping tool here this morning for each one of us, and that we would come before you with hearts that are malleable, Lord, that you can mold and that you can change and that you can make to be more and more like Jesus.

So would you do that work here this morning?

Would you use your word for that purpose?

And Lord, help us to be in awe of you.

As we read about this, we read about Jesus being your son, Jesus being God, equal in glory and honor and in all ways.

Lord, show us exactly what you want us to have from these verses here this morning.

We pray.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

You may be seated.

You know, it was interesting.

A lot of you were at DJ's memorial service yesterday, and she had chosen the verses that I taught on a long time ago, months and months and months ago.

And it just so happens that these verses are what we're covering here this morning as well.

Um, and she had no idea that's where we'd be.

I didn't even know where we're gonna be that long ago, but it was just it's really interesting that God worked it out that way.

So um we came from previously two weeks ago in the beginning of chapter five, Jesus healing the lame man on the Sabbath, and the Jewish leaders seeking to persecute him.

But today we'll see Jesus call God his father.

And now the Jewish leaders that he's talking to, they've really heightened things from persecution, and then as we see today, as wanting now to kill Jesus.

So this is really is a passage I see as a passage of heightening.

It just the tension in this conversation just continues to get higher and higher between Jesus and these Jewish leaders that he's talking to.

You know, Jesus really doesn't try to calm things down in this conversation, doesn't try to smooth things over.

He just starts getting more and more specific, and their outrage just keeps to growing and growing the more he specifies what's going on.

And this will lead to Jesus talking about his relationship with the Father.

And this passage in particular can lead to a lot of questions about the Trinity.

You know, and I think sometimes this passage can lead to us trying really hard to define the roles of the Trinity and who does what, you know, within the Trinity.

Things like, so who's doing the judging?

You know, because Jesus says here in this passage, all judgment has been given to him, but then he says, I judge only as I hear.

So who's really doing the judging there?

You know, it can lead to questions of why is the Holy Spirit not mentioned in this passage?

And questions like, who has the authority within the Godhead, within the Trinity?

You know, and is God the Father greater than Jesus?

Because Jesus doesn't do anything that he doesn't see the Father doing.

And then in John 3.16, which most of us probably have memorized, it says that Jesus was sent to the world.

So does he have to do everything that the Father says in submission to him?

You know, and wouldn't that make him lesser than God?

You know, and here today it may even seem as if this picture is being painted.

But what we need to understand, and we'll talk about all that as we as we go through this, but what we need to understand, and I think what John the author is trying to convey through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is that Jesus and God the Father are one.

And of course the Holy Spirit as well.

One God, three persons.

But the point of this passage is to show that Jesus and God are equal.

They are one and they always work in unity together.

We're gonna see when we get there in John chapter 10, verse 30, Jesus will come right out and say, I and the Father are one.

John 10:30

And then the Jews will cry, blasphemy, and they'll try and stone him again.

But today I think this passage is Jesus simply letting them know that he is one with the Father.

So we need to read it from the approach of Jesus is God.

Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus is equal with God, he shares equal honor with God, and he is one with God.

And then at the end, we're gonna talk about how Jesus desires that same oneness with each one of us and what that looks like.

So let's pick up in verse 17 and read that again.

Jesus responded to them, My Father is still working, and I am working also.

So what are you not supposed to do on the Sabbath?

You can chat it out.

Work, right?

And Jesus said in chapter 4, My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

Jesus' attitude is if God's working, I'm working.

If God tells me to do something, I don't look at my calendar.

I do what he's telling me to do.

He told me to heal, so I did.

That's what Jesus is telling these guys.

You know, the people that Jesus is talking to, they knew the law.

But as we talked about in the beginning of chapter 5, they missed the spirit of the law.

They missed the reason why the law was given in the first place.

They wanted to cross every T and they wanted to adopt every I of the law so much so that they added to God's law, but they missed the heart behind it.

They missed things like, you know, God made the Sabbath for man, not man for the Sabbath.

God wanted his chosen people to know rest and to not overwork themselves.

He wanted them to take time to enjoy him, to enjoy each other, and to trust that he would provide for them even when they weren't working that day.

So he told them to rest.

He told them to keep the Sabbath holy.

And what could be more holy than God choosing to make someone whole that had been paralyzed for 38 years.

But as we see, all the Jewish leaders are seeing right now is that Jesus did work on the Sabbath, and he told the guy that he healed to pick up his mat, which they had deemed on their own to be work.

And then the real kicker in verse 17 is that Jesus calls God Father.

So they're getting all riled up at this point.

You know what?

And as a doctrinal side note from the end of verse 17 alone, we can see that the Father and Son are two distinct persons, can't we?

Jesus says, My Father is still working, and I am working also.

So two distinct persons that are still one God.

But claiming God is Father is what really gets these Jewish leaders riled up.

So things continue to heighten.

Look at verse 18.

This is why the Jews began trying all the more to kill him.

Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own father, making himself equal to God.

So in the Jewish mind, Jesus is committing blasphemy here.

He's violating the Sabbath, which is a capital offense.

It's a big deal, but he's committing blasphemy, and that is also a capital offense.

And according to the Mosaic law, according to Leviticus 24, 16, he should be stoned to death.

Except their claim is false because he is actually God.

Now, in John chapter 10, we'll see the Jews say this.

John 10 · chapter mention

They'll say, We aren't stoning you for a good work, the Jews answered, but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.

And Jesus never denies this.

He's actually confirming it.

And that's what he's doing in this passage that we're in this morning.

He's just confirming all the accusations that they're bringing against him because he actually is God.

So things continue to heighten.

Look at the response in verse 19.

Jesus replied, Truly I tell you, the Son is not able to do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing.

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

So he's still responding to their accusations here.

But now he's starting to support his statement that my father is still working, and I am working also.

You know, I saw what the Father wanted to do with this man, and I did it.

Because whatever the Father does, the Son likewise does these things.

So technically, the way Jesus is phrasing this, what these people are accusing him of is being obedient to God.

You know, that's a great accusation, isn't it?

I wouldn't mind that accusation myself.

You know, if you're going to be accused of something, let it be this that you're doing the will of God.

But this all goes back to oneness with the Father, that we get a good picture of in verse 20.

Look at the first part of verse 20.

It says, For the Father loves the Son.

Now in John chapter 3, verse 35, Jesus already said, The Father loves.

John 3:35

The Father agape the Son and has given all things into his hands.

That is agape, that's the sacrificial love that has more to do with our will than it has to do with our feelings or our emotions.

But right here in John 5.20, Jesus says, For the Father loves, Phileos the Son.

Phileo is speaking of an affectionate love, being fond of.

It's a more relational love that Jesus is using here.

Again, speaking to the relationship that he has with God, a unity, a oneness with him.

Look at verse 20.

Again, we'll we'll take the whole thing this time.

For the father loves the son and shows him everything he is doing, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.

You know, in marriage, when I'm doing premarital counseling or marriage counseling, whatever it is, a lot of the times we end up talking about the ultimate goal of marriage.

And that should be for any couple to become one with each other as they become one with Christ.

But Jesus and the Father, they're not becoming one like a husband and wife are called to.

So they don't ever operate out of unison with each other.

You know, Jesus is explaining here that he and the Father are operating in unison as they always have from eternity past.

They're literally unable to operate in any other way because they are one.

And think of what a tough pill to swallow this would be for people that already don't think Jesus is the Messiah.

Things keep heightening here.

You know, for good measure, Jesus also mentions in this verse that he isn't done with the signs and miracles yet.

He lets them in on the fact that they're gonna witness many more miracles from him.

Really, as many as the father desires to perform.

Look at verse 21.

Jesus continues.

And just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to whom he wants.

So here's a question for you.

Can you think of any greater show of power than raising the dead?

The Jews in this time believed, and rightfully so, that only God has the power to raise the dead.

So, really, what this is, it's another claim from Jesus of being God.

These Jewish leaders have been ignoring the fact that Jesus has healed this paralytic man that was paralyzed for 38 years, and Jesus says, I actually have more power than that.

I have power to raise the dead.

And more importantly, to raise those that are dead in sin to eternal life.

Again, can you see how things keep heightening as Jesus keeps talking?

And it doesn't stop.

Look at verse 22.

The Father, in fact, judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all people may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.

You might be thinking, wait, wait, wait, didn't Jesus just say in chapter 3, verse 17 that he wasn't sent to judge or condemn the world, but to save it?

You see, these verses don't conflict because Jesus wasn't sent the first time to condemn and judge.

He was sent in his first coming to save.

But it doesn't say that he won't or that he doesn't judge.

It just wasn't the purpose behind why he was sent.

It was not the purpose of his first coming.

It will be a part of his second coming, a big part of his second coming, but it wasn't the purpose of his first coming.

And here it says, God has given all judgment to the Son.

So that, what does it say right there?

All people may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.

You know, this verse should confirm, I think, to anybody that reads it, that Jesus is not lesser than God the Father.

The Father has given all judgment to the Son, so they will be honored equally.

Because look at the end of verse 23.

It says, Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

So Jesus is giving them some heavy news here.

He's saying, if you don't honor me as God, if you don't honor me as one with God, as his son, as equal in honor, then you don't honor God either.

I think Jesus is saying, we're a package deal here.

Jesus will say in John 14, 9, the one who has seen me has seen the Father.

And these people are ready to stone him.

They're ready to reject him, which means they are rejecting who?

God the Father as well.

And if they're rejecting God, then who is really blaspheming in this sea?

You see how Jesus kind of turns this whole thing back on them?

And think about this.

What does this mean for anybody today that believes in God but not in Jesus?

That's a lot of people.

That's anyone currently practicing the traditional Jewish faith as well.

You know, Jesus lays it out as clear as can be here.

You accept both or you reject both.

And I fully believe Israel is still God's chosen people and that he wants to reveal himself through them, and that God has a plan for them in end-time events.

But they say they're worshiping the God of the Old Testament.

The same God.

They claim they're worshiping the same God as us.

But Jesus says you can't honor God without honoring him.

Jesus says that he is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through him.

They're a packaged deal.

You can't have God a la carte from the rest of the Trinity.

You know, a lot of people are deceived right now.

So many believe in God or a God, but not in Jesus Christ.

They will say, you know, many roads lead to heaven, or many roads lead to God, but Jesus says no.

In Matthew chapter 17, verses 13 through 14, he says, Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it.

Matthew 17:13–14

How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

There is no way to the Father that doesn't include Jesus.

Which is what verse 24 is about.

He says, Jesus goes on, Truly I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Anyone that believes my words, what have his words been?

That he's the Son of God, that he's one with God, and he only does what the Father is doing.

Those will have eternal life.

Really, anyone who believes the gospel message, the good news of Jesus Christ, will have eternal life.

They will not come under judgment.

You know, remember we've talked about the judgment seats in the past.

We've talked about the Bima seat, the great white throne judgment as well.

We as followers of Christ don't have to worry about being judged for our sins.

We'll be judged for the good we've done.

We'll be rewarded for the good we've done, but not for our sins.

That's gone.

We'll be judged and rewarded for good works.

We'll be given eternal life in Jesus.

We will pass, as it says in verse 24, from death to To life.

This should be so encouraging to us.

We have an eternal future in Jesus Christ.

But those that do not have Christ as their Savior, who do not respond to Christ's word, as it says in this verse, will be judged for their sins.

He's letting these Jewish leaders know that they may be religious, but they are headed to judgment if they don't accept him.

You know, I don't know how anyone could read this section of scripture and say that Jesus is not God or is not equal with God.

So Jesus keeps talking and the tension keeps heightening.

Jesus goes on in verse 25.

Truly I tell 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.

Ephesians 2 1 tells us that we were dead in our trespasses.

We were dead in our sin before surrendering to Jesus.

And I think verse 25 here is actually fulfilled in a lot of ways.

You know, I think as Jesus is telling him this, I think it speaks to the spiritually dead at this time that will believe in him while he's still on the earth.

I think it speaks to what they're going to see when he physically resurrects Lazarus from the dead in chapter 11, Jairus' daughter, the widow of Nain's son.

Jesus says, the hour is now here.

But I think it also speaks to Jesus' second coming, when there is the resurrection from the dead.

When all of those that hear the voice of Jesus and respond to it will live.

And we'll get to that in verse 28.

But this should remind us as we read this passage of John chapter 1, verse 4.

John 1:4

In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

He is life.

He is the creator of life and has the power to bring life and resurrect life as well, physically and spiritually.

You know, if we believe in him, this message he is preaching, and in God the Father, then we will live.

He continues in verse 26.

For just as the Father has life in him, so also he has granted to the Son to have life in himself.

Back to John 1 again.

The word was with God, and the Word was God, and in him was life.

Verse 27.

And he has granted him the right to pass judgment, because he is the Son of Man.

So question for you.

And they probably even had it memorized.

But Daniel 7, 13 says, And suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven.

He approached the ancient of days and was escorted before him.

He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.

Jesus was granted to pass judgment because he's this guy, in Daniel, right here.

And here's the judgment, verse 28.

Do not be amazed at this, because the time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good things and the resurrection of life to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked things to the resurrection of condemnation.

You know, we see pictures of this in 1 Thessalonians 4.16, also in Revelation 20 as well.

The resurrection of the saints who have accepted Jesus, resurrected to eternal glory and eternal life, that can only come from Christ.

But the resurrection of those that have rejected Christ into eternal misery and condemnation into the lake of fire.

There's only one way to eternal life, and that's through Jesus.

And if you don't believe that, then according to this passage here, you're calling Jesus a liar.

It couldn't be more clear, I don't think, in this passage.

He goes on, verse 30.

I can do nothing on my own.

I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just.

Because I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me.

We would need to make sure we don't read this as I can only do what my dad lets me do.

That is not what Jesus is saying here.

He only does what the Father wills because they are one.

Because they are always moving in unison, and they exist in unity together.

And they're in agreement on everything to begin with.

It's not really taking orders when you're in agreement with an equal, is it?

You know, this is admittedly a completely oversimplified analogy.

But say you are with a friend and it's lunchtime, and you tell your friend, you know what I could really go for?

A carne asada burrito.

One of those big ones, like as big as your head, you know.

And your friend says, Me too.

I've actually been thinking about a carne asada burrito all morning long.

Let's go, right now.

Let's go get some burritos.

And you're like, huh, I thought you would never ask.

And then I look at you after having that conversation with your friend, and I can't, and I say, I can't believe that you let your friend boss you around like that.

They said, Let's go, and you just went right along with them.

How could you allow them to have that kind of authority over you in that way?

And why did you submit to them in that way when they said, Let's go get a burrito?

You'd be like, but that's what I wanted for lunch.

That's what we both wanted for lunch.

You know, so they said, let's go, and I went.

And don't forget that it was me in the first place that mentioned Carnias out of burritos.

It was actually my idea.

So what's the problem here?

You know, people can get so caught up in verses like John 3.16 or verse 30 here as we're going through this morning, because that verse says that God sent Jesus.

But Jesus also came on his own just as much as he was sent.

Because when you're one and when you're desiring the same thing, you act in unison, don't you?

There's never even a moment between God and Jesus where Jesus says, Fine, I'll do it.

It's always, that's exactly what I was thinking.

Of course we will do this because we're on the same page.

Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit always act in unison because they are always in agreement.

You see how that works?

And here's what I think our application is here this morning.

Jesus desires that same oneness that he has with the Father, with us.

I want you to please turn to John chapter 17.

John 17 · chapter mention

It's a couple pages to the right in your Bible.

John chapter 17 starting in verse 20.

John 17 · chapter mention

Because these words of Jesus tell us what he desires of us.

And it's just a bunch of oneness between God and Jesus, and Jesus and us, and me and you together as a church body.

That's what Jesus desires is oneness.

Like he already shares with the Father, with each one of us, and he desires that oneness as a body of believers to have with each other as well.

So read with me, John chapter 17, and we'll start in verse 20.

John 17 · chapter mention

I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word.

People that come to Christ through our testimony.

Verse 21.

May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I am in you.

May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me.

I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one.

I am in them, and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me, and have loved them as you have loved me.

Jesus' desire is oneness with us.

You know, in marriage, as we talked about, it's becoming one with each other as we become more like Christ.

In our relationship with Jesus, it's the same thing, except Jesus is perfect.

So he doesn't need to become more like us.

We need to become more like him.

We need to become more like our rabbi, as we've been talking about, as his disciples.

And what that looks like is acting more like him, talking more like him, looking more like him, seeing the world more like he sees the world.

And we can do that through a biblical worldview and love for all humanity as God loves all humanity.

We can do that being a light as he is a light, and allowing that light to shine through us.

We need to be one with Christ as Jesus is one with the Father.

That means in agreement on everything.

Not being able to move forward on anything without perfect unison with Jesus.

And we're never going to perfectly attain that this side of heaven.

But God has sent a helper to help us become more one, I guess we should say, with Jesus Christ.

You know, in John 14, 15 through 17, Jesus says, If you love me, you will keep my commands.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another counselor to be with you forever.

He is the Spirit of truth.

Now, becoming like Jesus, being obedient to Jesus, will not be through us just trying harder, with us just being better.

It's through loving Jesus more.

It's by the Holy Spirit living through us that allows us to surrender more deeply to the Father and to abide more closely with Jesus.

You know, Jesus' message, his word is the gospel of love.

And if we love him, we will obey him.

And if we obey him, we will become more like him.

And by becoming more like him, we're becoming one with him.

And that all happens by walking with the helper he sent, by walking with the Holy Spirit.

He's going to help us in every one of those ways.

You know, to the point, like Jesus and the and the Father, that we can't move forward out of agreement and out of unison with Jesus.

That's our goal in oneness with Jesus.

Would you please pray with me?

Lord, we recognize wholeheartedly that we cannot do this on our own.

Lord, you saved us from the pit.

You saved us from death and destruction, the death and destruction that we were heading right to.

But you desired us, you loved us, and you called us to become your bride.

And we thank you so much that you did that.

And now, Jesus, as you have washed us and you've cleansed us, would you help us through the power of your Holy Spirit to become more and more like you, to become more one with you.

Lord, we realize that we fail at this all the time.

But would you help us on a daily, moment-by-moment basis to become more and more like you, to abide in a deeper relationship and to realize that we can do nothing without you.

All we can do is mess things up and sin and rebel on our own.

But would you help us in this process of sanctification, of becoming more and more like you?

Lord, would you show us how to do that?

We desire that.

We want to be more and more like you.

So show us how to do that.

We pray.

In Jesus' name.