Category: Jesus Christ

Who are the witnesses who back up Christ’s claim to be equal with God? Part 5

“For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.” John 5:46

Now Jesus calls upon His fifth and final witness to back up His claim to be equal with God. This final witness is THE PROPHET, MOSES (John 5:45-47). Jesus said to the Jewish religious leaders, “Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust.” (John 5:45). It is amazing that the very one they are using as their excuse to persecute Jesus, will instead become their accuser. Moses will finally tell them they have ignored his words about Christ.

Many are in the same situation as the Pharisees today. People say, “When I stand before God I will have a lot of things to say to Him. I don’t think He has treated me very fairly. I have had a bad deal in life and I’m going to tell Him so.” But on that day, they will stand absolutely silent before God, their own memories will testify that He is right and they are wrong. Listen to these words: “46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (John 5:46-47). If the Jews believed Moses (and they didn’t), they would believe Jesus because Moses wrote about Him.

After His death and resurrection, Jesus met two disciples traveling to a village called Emmaus who doubted that He was alive. Jesus said to them, “25 O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” (Luke 24:25-26). Luke adds, “And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” (Luke 24:27).

Christ began with Moses’s teachings about His sufferings and death. The first reference to Jesus’s death on the cross from Moses is seen in Genesis 3:15, when God pronounced a curse on the serpent who represents Satan (cf. Revelation 12:9), “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” According to this verse, there would be antagonism (“enmity”) between the serpent and Eve (3:15a), and ultimately between Satan/his followers (“your seed”) and the Messiah (“her Seed” – Galatians 3:16, 19) Who would defeat (“bruise your head”) the Devil through His death on the cross (“you shall bruise His heel,” 3:15b; cf. Colossians 2:13-15; Hebrews 2:14; I John 3:8)).

Moses also foreshadows the death of Christ when he records God having to slay an innocent animal to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve after they sinned (Genesis 3:7, 21). By providing a covering with animal skins, God provided forgiveness through the “shedding of blood” (Hebrews 9:22) through that innocent animal. God later provided forgiveness through the Old Testament sacrificial system which also was a foreshadowing of Christ’s death (cf. Hebrews 10:1-18).

Those animals were shadows of the Babe who was born on that first Christmas morning. He would be called “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29). Like that first animal that was sacrificed for Adam and Eve, Jesus Christ would also be innocent and without sin because He was and is God (John 1:1, 14, 17; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; 4:15; I Peter 3:18; I John 5:20). And like that first sacrificial animal, Jesus was born to die for the sins of others (John 1:29; Romans 5:8; I John 4:9), that “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Moses was the final witness called up by Jesus to support His claim to be equal with God. Moses was highly respected by the Jewish nation and Jesus was saying Moses would condemn them because they rejected the Person he wrote about. Most people think that if someone does not believe something, what he needs is more light on it. If a little information does not persuade him, we want to give more information. But Jesus says that won’t work. If a person does not believe the truth he knows now, he won’t believe when he hears even more truth. This is what Jesus is saying to His audience, including us.

Where does that leave us? You may say “How can I believe Jesus is God?” You have the witness of God the Father (John 5:31-32, 37-38; cf. Matthew 3:17); of John the Baptist (John 5:33-35); twenty centuries of testimony about the power of Jesus to heal people, to turn them around and make them whole (John 5:36); the witness of the Bible (John 5:39-44); and the witness of Moses (John 5:45-47). Five witnesses were sufficient to condemn the Jews for their unbelief. The Jews were claiming a legal ground for unbelief (John 5:31) and Jesus shows them there is no legal basis.

Where does that leave you, if you continue to pursue the empty voices of the world and other religions, and seek for positions of power and influence apart from the will and the glory of God? Your future has no hope if Christ is not a part of it.

These are tough words to swallow. I cannot make them easy words because Jesus did not make them easy. But they are words that force us to face ourselves in the light of reality. Where are you going in life? What are you doing with it? This is a critical hour in history. No more critical hour has ever come. Let’s face the choice which Jesus demands. If you are a Christian, will you submit to Jesus Christ as God and let Him direct your life even if it means being led up onto a hill to be crucified or serving Him in another part of the world? Are you willing to live for Him and not yourself?

If you are not a Christian, is there anything keeping you from trusting Christ alone right now to get you to heaven? Because He is God, He is the only One who can give you eternal life. Take Him at His Word when He says, “He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” (John 5:24).      

Prayer: Father God, because Your Son is as much God as You are, He deserves our very best in thought, word and action. He deserves our total obedience. He deserves our worship. Forgive us for giving Him our leftovers. Renew in us a desire to live for Jesus Christ and not ourselves. Give each of us a desire to invest our lives in what lasts – people and the Word of God. For those who do not believe in Jesus yet for His gift of everlasting life, please use these five witnesses to persuade him or her that Jesus is God. Show them how dearly He loves them and wants to save them from their sins and give them everlasting life if they would believe in Him alone as their only hope of heaven. In Jesus’s eternal name I pray. Amen.

Who are the witnesses who back up Christ’s claim to be equal with God? Part 4

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” John 5:39

The fourth witness Jesus called upon to back up His claim to be equal with God is THE SCRIPTURES themselves (John 5:39-44). Jesus said to the Jewish religious leaders who surrounded Him, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” (John 5:39). These men devoted their whole lives studying and memorizing the Old Testament because they thought the knowledge of Scripture would give them eternal life.

There are people like this today, students and scholars who search the Bible, but never find Jesus. Yet Jesus Himself declares, “They… [the Scriptures] testify of Me.” Jesus is the main subject of the Old Testament! You will find Him on every page appearing as a type or shadow of things to come. For example, the animal sacrifices pictured Jesus’ death. What an amazing claim this is, “They… testify of Me.”

What if I said to you, “I have been reading through the Old Testament and I find that the whole book is talking about me. I am the subject of the Old Testament!”? I’m sure most of you would think this guy is insane! Some of you would probably phone for the men in white coats to come and get me! We would call anybody who made that claim, crazy. Mohammed, the prophet of Islam, who studied the Old Testament, never claimed that it witnessed to him. Buddha knew some of the Old Testament, yet he never claimed it was a witness to him. Gandhi, a modern-day Buddha, never claimed that Scripture talked about him. But when Jesus makes that claim no one calls Him crazy. There is an acknowledgment of the justice of His claim, there is evidence in support of it.

It is possible to study the Bible, to even give your whole life to it, and never see Jesus. Like many people today, these religious leaders thought that knowledge is power, education is life, and if you get knowledge of what God does you will have eternal life. What is the problem? How can people hear and see the truth, study the truth all their lives, yet never come to Christ?

Jesus explains when He says to them, “But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” (John 5:40). The problem is the will. The reason they don’t find Christ in their study of the Bible is because they choose not to do so. He goes on to tell us why. “41 I do not receive honor from men. 42 But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. 43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. 44 How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” (John 5:41-44).Why would someone read the truth, know it to be truth, know that it speaks of Jesus, know Him to be who He claims to be, and still refuse to come to Him in faith? Jesus says the answer is because you are looking for your own advancement. You are out to please yourself and to please other people, but you are not willing to please God.

This philosophy is a denial that you have a Father who loves you, that Someone else is ready to work on your behalf if you will trust in Him. When you are committed to such a philosophy, how can you trust in Jesus? These religious leaders were willing to receive other men, but not Christ because Jesus confronted them with their own sin. God the Son put them in their place and they were too proud to admit their need for Him.

There are two ways to study the Bible: (like the Pharisees) you can study it with your mind made up or (like Jesus’s disciples) you can study it to let it make up your mind. The choice is yours. You may know the Bible but do you know the Author of the Bible?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the testimony of the Scripture which reveals so much about You. All the Old Testament animal sacrifices point to You as the innocent Lamb of God who took our place when You died for our sins on a cross. Thank You for opening my eyes and heart to see You throughout the Bible the moment I believed in You. Yet my heart is deeply burdened by the many people who fail to see You in the testimony of the Bible because they are not willing to come to You on Your terms. They are not willing to humble themselves before You and admit their own sinfulness and need for Your saving grace. I pray the Holy Spirit will remove the blinders that keep them from seeing You as You truly are – the true God and eternal life Who longs to save those who are on the path to eternal destruction. Thank You for hearing my prayer, my Lord and my God. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

Who are the witnesses who back Christ’s claim to be equal with God? Part 3

“But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.” John 5:36

After calling upon the witness of God the Father (John 5:31-32, 37-38) and John the Baptist (John 5:33-35) to back up His claim to be equal with God, Jesus now calls upon the witness of HIS WORKS. “But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.” (John 5:36). Jesus is referring to the miracles He had performed – changing water into wine (John 2:1-11), healing both the nobleman’s son in Capernaum (John 4:46-54) and now the lame man at the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem (John 5:1-15). In fact, the people listening to Jesus saw this lame man rise out of paralysis into strength and walking again. He was standing before them so that they could not deny the miracle.

Christ’s works were superior to John’s words. Only a supernatural Person could perform supernatural works. “But,” you say, “that was 2,000 years ago. If God would only witness like that again today I could believe in Him.” Well, God does witness like that today. Jesus still performs miracles today. He heals people of cancer, blindness, deafness, and broken relationships. We have watched Christ liberate people from various addictions. With Christ, all things are possible (Philippians 4:13). Christ uses miracles in our lives to help people realize He is more than a mere man – He is God. Yet, some people still miss the point.

This reminds me of a man and his dog who were walking along the beach when they came upon another visitor to the beach. The owner of the dog was proud of his dog’s newly mastered feat, so he said to the visitor, “Watch this!” whereupon he tossed a piece of driftwood far out into the sea and the dog immediately ran on top of the ocean, fetched the wood, and ran back. The visitor just shook his head in disbelief. Whereupon the owner repeated the procedure twice. Finally, he asked the visitor, “Did you notice anything unusual?” The visitor responded, “Your dog can’t swim, can he?”

Isn’t it amazing that some people miss the obvious? That’s how it can be with the miracles of Jesus. Some people see Jesus’s power to do great miracles in our lives, but they miss the point. The miracles identify Jesus as the Son of God, the Savior of the world, the promised Christ or Messiah-God. John recorded Jesus’s miracles to persuade his readers to “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31). But many refuse to come to this conclusion.

Prayer: Lord God, Your supernatural works point to You as the Christ, the Son of God, so people may transfer all their trust on to You for Your gift of everlasting life. Thank You for Your gift of salvation which I believe is the greatest of all Your miracles whereby You transform a filthy sinner into a forgiven saint the moment he or she believes in You. Please draw the unsaved to Yourself through Your miraculous works in the lives of ordinary people like me. In Jesus’s name. Amen.  

Who are the witnesses who back up Christ’s claim to be equal with God? Part 2

The second witness that Jesus calls upon to back up His claim to be equal with God is JOHN THE BAPTIST. Christ said to the Jews who gathered around him, “You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.” (John 5:33).  When John the Baptist was preaching in the wilderness, the religious leaders sent a delegation to listen to Him. John the Baptist said three specific things about Jesus: First, John announced to his own disciples, “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Jesus is the Lamb of God, the innocent Substitute who would take our place and punishment upon Himself so God could give us eternal life.

Second, John announced Jesus to be “He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” (John 1:33). He is the One who will permanently quench the thirst of peoples’ hearts for eternal life. His Holy Spirit transforms lives from the inside out.

Third, John declared Jesus to be “the Son of God.” (John 1:34). He is God Himself, Lord of heaven and earth who became man. Here in 5:33, Jesus declares that all that John said about Him is true! Jesus then goes on to say something that sounds a little strange to us. “Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.” (John 5:34). Although Jesus doesn’t need human testimony to confirm what He already knows from God, He speaks of John’s witness so they could be saved.

We often see this in our own culture where men and women will not pay attention to the Bible directly, but they will often listen closely to someone who tells what his experience with God has been.

The Bible, of course, is the Word of God. It is the most widely distributed book ever – having been translated into more languages than any other book. Yet I find it strange how few people ever open the Bible to see what God has said. But they will listen instead to what some man or woman says about what God has said! That’s what Jesus is talking about here: “For your sake I call attention to the witness of John, in order that you might be saved.” Do you see how compassionate Jesus is? He is willing to use different approaches as long as people will listen to what God is saying. This is one reason why I love to incorporate testimonies or faith stories into sermons. People will remember your stories about God’s work in your life far longer than any sermon they hear.

Jesus says of John the Baptist, “He was the burning and shining lamp.” (John 5:35a). John was the lamp, Jesus is the Light. John was the container, Jesus was the Content. The Jews were attracted to John like moths to a candle. They were attracted to his brightness, not his warmth.

Would you like to be a shining lamp? Let me tell you how to do it. Burn! Let the truth of God fuel your heart until it begins to burn brightly for Christ. When you understand and experience the life-giving Word of God, your heart will begin to burn, and then you will start to shine. We often sing, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” Here is how to do it: Burn! Let Jesus help you understand the Bible and apply it to your life so you can burn brightly for Him in our declining society.

Jesus continues. “And you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.” (John 5:35b).People were attracted to this light for a while but then they grew tired of John. They listened for a while and then they went on to other things – jogging, dieting, video games – whatever. John was just a passing fad. That is what truth about Christ is to many people today – something that comes and goes, and when it has gone something else takes its place. Don’t take this personally if you have people lose interest in learning about Christ. Focus on those who are receptive and want to grow in their relationship with the Lord.

Prayer: Precious Lord Jesus, thank You for pointing me to the witness of John the Baptist concerning Your Person and Work. John knew that You were God and that You had come to pay the penalty for the sins of the world in full. He proclaimed this to a lost world even though it would cost him his life. His heart burned passionately for You, Lord Jesus, and I long for my own heart to do this. Please remove anything in my life that keeps You from lighting a fire in my heart that will burn brightly for You. Open the eyes of my heart to discover the transforming truths of Your Word. Like John, I want to be a burning lamp for You so that people will be drawn to the light of Your salvation. By Your grace, help me to keep burning for You, Jesus, even though our society is sinking to deeper levels of darkness. Please lead me to those Whom You have prepared to hear and believe in You. Thank You my Lord and my God. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

Who are the witnesses who back up Christ’s claim to be equal with God? Part 1

“There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.” John 5:32

In the first part of John chapter 5, Jesus had healed a man on the Sabbath and the Jews sought to kill Him all the more because He not only broke their Sabbath traditions, but He also claimed to be equal with God (John 5:1-18). When people heard Jesus’ claims, many of them asked, “How do we know He is telling the truth? What evidence does He give?” Knowing their hearts and minds, Jesus proceeds to call upon five witnesses to back up His claim to be equal with God.

Jesus said, “If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.” (John 5:31). It is not Christ’s testimony which is false, it is the demand for more than one witness which is the issue. According to Jewish law, self-testimony was not accepted in the court of law (Deuteronomy 19:15). There must be witnesses who will confirm another’s testimony. After all, we live in a fallen age, so when people claim many things for themselves, we don’t know whether to believe them or not, because we cannot trust everybody – it would be naive to do so.

One of the things I have observed over the years in ministry is that people can hear the truth right out of the Scriptures for years and years and never seem to get it, until they hear it from another voice. That is why it is a good thing to have other speakers come to a church at times. Having said that, let’s look at the first witness that Jesus calls upon to back up His claim to be God.

GOD THE FATHER (John 5:32, 37-38). “There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.” (John 5:32). The word “another” (allos) means “of the same kind as Myself.” Jesus is referring to God the Father Who has the same divine nature as Christ. The reason Jesus is so bold about His equality with God is because He is conscious of His Father’s continual confidence and support. I am reminded of a story about an eight-year-old boy who stands up to some teenage bullies on the playground because his 6’ 6” 300 lbs. dad is standing right behind him.

The Father’s testimony is explained further: “And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.” (John 5:37).  The verb “testified” (memartyrēken) is in the perfect tense which means that the Father’s testimony of His Son was completed in the past but continues to impact people in the present. This may be a reference to the Father’s witness when He spoke from heaven at Jesus’s baptism: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17). The Father’s testimony that Jesus is His Son validates Christ’s claim to be equal with God. Jesus has the same divine nature as His Father.

The religious leaders, like many today, had closed their ears to the Father’s testimony. Because of their unbelief, these Jews have never “heard His voice… nor seen His form.” (John 5:37b). The Father’s witness is only accessible to those who believe in His Son. “But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.” (John 5:38). These religious leaders are ignorant of God the Father’s testimony of Jesus because of their unbelief. So Jesus’s claim to be God is valid because there is no higher court of appeal than God the Father Himself.

Like Jesus, we can have more confidence in witnessing to others when we realize that God the Father is on our side. “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6). God watches our back when we are doing His work. Since no one is more powerful than God, we do not have to be afraid of what people think or do.

In between my second and third year of seminary, I had an evangelism internship in the inner city of Dallas, Texas. I would go house to house or apartment to apartment sharing the gospel with pimps, prostitutes, drug dealers, and addicts. Knowing that my heavenly Father was on my side and would not abandon me, emboldened me to go to some “shady” places. I praise God for His faithfulness to keep me safe during that time.

Prayer: Gracious heavenly Father, thank You for Your testimony which validates Jesus’s claim to be equal with You. Knowing that You are on my side emboldens me to proclaim that Jesus is God and He alone can give everlasting life as an absolutely free gift to those who believe in Him. Like the Jews of Jesus’s day, many people do not hear Your testimony about Christ because of their unbelief toward Him. In these coming days and weeks, I pray You will soften their hearts to believe that Jesus is God so they may hear Your voice concerning Him and receive His never-ending life. In Jesus’s name. Amen.   

Is Jesus Christ equal with God? Part 3

“28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” John 5:28-29

Jesus not only claims to be equal with God the Father because He is the Son and the Savior, but also because HE IS THE SEPARATOR (John 5:27-30). Jesus will separate believers from unbelievers, and execute judgment on those without eternal life and bless those with eternal life. “…And has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.” (John 5:27). Christ is qualified to judge humanity because as a human being, “the Son of Man,” He can understand the needs and viewpoints of people. Christ knows the pressures and the problems we face, therefore He knows clearly when we have reached the place where we are ready to give up depending on ourselves and are ready to depend on Him alone for eternal life.

“28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” (John 5:28-29). What a marvelous claim! Jesus says there is an hour coming in history when all the dead – the good and the bad – loving and unloving, murderers, rapists – all, shall come forth from the grave. He is going to empty the cemeteries of the world. Christ will ultimately determine the eternal destiny of all people.

What does “those who have done good” mean? Many people take this verse out of context and make up their own ideas about what it means to “have done good.” Some say if the good you have done in your life outweighs the bad, then God will let you into heaven. But that is not what this verse is saying. This is just a few verses removed from what Jesus said about the gift of eternal life in John 5:24. To“have done good,” of course, means to have heard Jesus’s Word and believed in Him who sent Christ. After a person trusts Christ for eternal life, God looks at their life and sees only the good things they have done, not the evil. How can this be? Because God has no charge against the believer (Romans 8:33). The believer is justified (“declared totally righteous”) of all things based on his or her faith in Christ (Romans 4:5). All our sin has been covered by the goodness of Jesus Christ. We are seen by God as completely holy and perfect because of His grace.

“Those who have done evil” – refers to the person who rejects Christ and remains in the sphere of “death.” This dark circle (see diagram 1) represents the non-Christian’s life filled with the darkness of sin. When God looks at the life of an unbeliever, all He sees are the evil things the unbeliever has done. There is no hint of righteousness in the non-Christian. All their good works, thoughts, and words are stained with sin (Isaiah 64:6). Their condemnation by God is total, just as the believer’s acceptance by God is total. So, when God looks at our lives before we believe in Jesus, all He sees are the bad things we have done.

But the Bible tells us that when a person hears God’s promise of eternal life and believes in Jesus, he is transferred into the sphere of “life” (see diagram 2).  When God looks at our life after we believe in Christ, what does He see? He sees only the blood of His Son and His goodness in our lives. That’s why God can let us into heaven when we die if we have believed in Christ as our Savior.

Some people may object to Jesus’s judgment of the unbeliever. After all, how can a loving God send people to an eternity separated from God? “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” (John 5:30). There will be no argument against Jesus’s judgment. No one will be able to complain that it is unfair, because it is the work of both the Father and the Son. Jesus does not judge others independently of the Father. He says, “As I hear, I judge.” Christ’s judgment is based upon what He hears His Father say so that His “judgment is righteous.”  Jesus would never make a judgment that is different from His righteous Father’s.

God the Son who came among us and knows how we feel, is both our Savior and Judge. We decide which He is going to be by the response we make to the truth.  It is Christ’s responsibility to determine a person’s eternal destiny. It is our responsibility to direct people to Christ. Hence, Jesus defends His equality with God the Father by making three claims:

He is the Son

He is the Savior

He is the Separator

Do you see Jesus as He is this moment? John is concerned that we have a correct understanding of who Jesus Christ is. From the very beginning of his gospel, he has told us that the Word (meaning Jesus) was God and that the Word became human flesh without ceasing to be God (John 1:1, 14). Jesus can never be put on a par with Mohammed, Buddha, Mahatma Gandhi, the virgin Mary, Moses or any other religious leader. But the truth is, much of the world has an image of Jesus as a good man with good teachings on how we are to get along with each other. If that were true though, He would never have gotten Himself in trouble, and He definitely would not have been crucified. You see, the facts don’t match up with that line of thinking.

What will you do with Jesus now? Perhaps your life is a mess. You have been trying to run your own life and it keeps getting messier. Are you prepared to meet Christ as a Judge or as your Savior? The only way you can face Him as your Savior is by coming to Him as a sinner, realizing He paid for all your sins on the cross and rose from the dead, and then trusting Him alone to save you. Have you done that? If not, is there anything keeping you from trusting Christ as your Savior right now? If not, simply take Him at His Word when He says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” (John 5:24).

The moment you hear Jesus’s promise of eternal life and believe in Him for it, you have eternal life. Would you do me a favor? The moment you are convinced you have eternal life after trusting in Jesus, would you let me know because I want to rejoice with you!!! Just send me a message under our “Contact Us” menu.

Prayer: Father, please make an eternal difference today by convincing those without Christ to trust in Him alone for the gift of eternal life. Thank You, Father… Please help those of us who know Christ to make Him known to others with our lips and our lives. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

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Is Jesus Christ equal with God? Part 2

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” John 5:24

After Jesus healed a man who had been lame for thirty-eight years (John 5:1-15), He established His equality with God before His enemies by claiming to be the Son of God (John 5:16-20). Now He establishes His equality with God the Father by claiming that HE IS THE SAVIOR (John 5:21-26). “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.” (John 5:21). The Jews understood that only God has the power to give life. But now Jesus is claiming to have the same power as God the Father. Christ gives both physical life and everlasting life (cf. John 1:3-4, 12).

The claim of Jesus is that life belongs to Him. He only loans it to us for a while. This cuts right across the philosophy and the propaganda of our day! Much of our culture tells you that your life belongs to you, and you can do with it whatever you want; it is up to you to make of yourself whatever you desire. That is what is fed to us all the time. But that’s a lie! Your life is not yours. You did not invent it, you were given it by God. One of these days you will have to give it back to the Lord.

If this claim of Jesus is real, it clearly makes Him the most important Person in anybody’s life. If your very physical existence has come from Him, and your spiritual destiny is in His hands, then He is the most important Person you will ever have to deal with. More than that, He is the most important Person in all the universe.

“For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son.” (John 5:22). The Jews thought it was God alone who would judge the world, but Jesus claims that the Father has given Him that privilege. Why? “…That all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” (John 5:23). The Jews believed that only God was to be honored and worshiped.

Jesus claims the same right to be worshiped and honored that the Father has. This emphasizes the unity of the Father and the Son. What is done to One, is also done to the other because they are equals. This is why other religions fall short. They cannot truly honor God or worship Him apart from Jesus Christ. This is why Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Mormonism, Jehovah Witnesses, etc., all fall short because they do not worship and honor God through Jesus Christ. They may say Jesus was a god or a prophet or a good moral teacher, but they do not believe He is the one true God (I John 5:20). And by rejecting Jesus Christ as God, they are rejecting His Father because Christ is the perfect reflection of the Father.

You will remember when Jesus healed the lame man, He chose him out of all the others that were by the pool. And this is a reminder that it is Jesus who graciously gives everlasting life. And this is how it happens…

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” (John 5:24). To whom does Jesus give eternal life? To the man or woman, boy or girl who “hears His word and believes in Him who sent Him.” When one hears His Word and believes what He says, Jesus says he “has everlasting life.” That means right now, not after you die. How long is everlasting life? 10… 100… 1,000… 1 million years? No! It is forever!

Next, He guarantees that you “shall not come into judgment.” That’s a promise and God does not break His promises. A believer in Jesus Christ will not be judged for his or her sins in the future because Christ was already judged for our sins when He died on the cross in our place. Such a one has “passed from death into life.”That means death is behind him, not before him. It is past, not present or future.

During a war, a soldier was critically wounded and the doctors were about to operate. Just before they did, one physician told the man, “It’s only fair to tell you that you have one chance in one hundred of coming through this operation.” The soldier replied, “Let’s get on with the operation. If I come out of it on this side, the doctors will welcome me. Should I come out of it on the other side, my Savior will welcome me.” Do you have that kind of assurance? If you don’t know for sure you will go to heaven when you die, ask yourself, “Am I TRUSTING Christ alone right now to get me to heaven?”

John 5:24 affirms the equality of the Father and the Son. He who hears Jesus’s Word and believes in the Father who sent Christ, has everlasting life. To believe in the Father, you must hear and believe in Christ since the Father sent Jesus that people might believe in Him. To believe in the Father was to believe in Christ because Jesus is the perfect reflection of the Father. Believing in the Son is one way to honor Him (cf. John 5:23).

“Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.” (John 5:25). Already the “hour” of which Jesus speaks is nearly 2,000 years long. During that time those who are spiritually “dead” will possess everlasting life the moment they “hear the voice of the Son of God” and believe. Non-Christians are dead people walking around. They lack God’s life – eternal life.

But, Jesus also says, the hour “now is,” that is, it was already happening. By those words He is referring to His own giving to individuals of the gift of eternal life. We have already seen this in John’s gospel. Jesus had given the gift of eternal life to the troubled religious leader named Nicodemus (John 3) and to the dissatisfied Samaritan woman at the well along with the people of her village (John 4).

So, it was already happening, “the hour is coming, and now is,” when the spiritually dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and “those who hear will live” forever. “For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.” (John 5:26). As the Son of God, the One who is eternally with the Father, Jesus has always had this ability to give life to the spiritually dead. He has this life “in Himself.” He is the One who has always given eternal life, in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament. He is our Savior.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the most incredible Person in the universe. You are the perfect reflection of God the Father because You are equal with Him. Thank You for giving me physical life and life that never ends the moment I believed in You. I worship You my Lord and my God because You alone give life and You alone judge this world. Please forgive those who fail to worship You as God. I beg of You to send Your Holy Spirit to them to convict them of their sin since they do not believe in You. Convict them of their need for Your righteousness to enter the Kingdom of God. And convict them of the judgment that awaits them should they continue in unbelief toward You. In Jesus’s name. Amen. 

Is Jesus Christ equal with God? Part 1

“Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.” John 5:18

In John 5:1-15, we saw that the religious leaders (Pharisees) had watched Jesus heal a man who had been lame for 38 years. They were angered that Jesus had dared to violate the regulations that they had added to the Mosaic laws about the Sabbath. So if Jesus was going to smooth things over, now was the time to do it. But instead of avoiding controversy, Jesus claims to be equal with God the Father. Rather than compromise the truth, Jesus states who He is so that they could either receive Him or reject Him. Look with me now as we discover the first claim Jesus made to establish His equality with God the Father.

The first claim of Christ is that HE IS THE SON (John 5:16-20). “For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.” (John 5:16). If I had been Jesus at this point, I think I would have run to the hills for safety! But Jesus does not back down, does He? “But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.’ ” (John 5:17). Jesus claims to be imitating His Father’s work, which includes helping people and meeting their needs. So we find that Jesus acts like God and is talking as if He is God. Not only is God the Father, but God is “His Father.” The inference was very clear to the Jewish mind. Since Jesus claims that God is His Father, He is claiming an unprecedented equality with God. For the Jew, there was no more serious offense that could be made.

“Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.” (John 5:18). By saying that God was His Father, He was claiming to be equal with God in nature, privilege, and power. For example, if you say that someone is your father, you are claiming to possess the same human nature as him along with all the other qualities that describe your earthly dad. Likewise, when Jesus claims that God is His Father, He is claiming to possess the same divine nature as God Himself along with all of His other divine attributes. The Jews rightly understood Jesus was claiming to be equal with God. But instead of exercising caution, they were all the more determined to kill Jesus. Does Christ withdraw in order to protect Himself?

“19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.’ ” (John 5:19-20). Jesus expresses His dependence upon God the Father. He can only do what He sees His Father doing. Like a Son, He copies His Father. These two verses picture a son learning his father’s trade. He doesn’t act on His own initiative; instead He watches His Father at work and performs each task as His Father would have done.

So when Jesus healed the lame man, He was merely doing what His Father would have done in that situation. Now when Jesus says, “And He will show Him greater works than these” (John 5:20b), you may wonder what could be greater than the healing of this lame man? The “greater works” refer to what Jesus says in verses 21-30. Thus, Christ establishes His claim to be equal with God the Father by claiming to be God’s Son.

Jesus’ dependency upon His Father (John 5:19-20), does not mean He is less than God. Christ is describing His role to the Father, not His nature. There is a difference between one’s role and one’s nature. For example, in the biblical marriage relationship, a husband and a wife have different roles (Ephesians 5:22-33). Not only that, but a husband has a greater office than a wife. As a result, he is the head of the family (Ephesians 5:23). This might be controversial to secular society, but it shouldn’t be to a Christian.  

So, in one sense, the husband is greater than the wife because they have different roles. However, in another sense, husbands and wives are equal because they both have the same human nature (Genesis 1:27). They are equal in nature, but unequal in roles.

The marriage relationship is a dim reflection of the Persons in the Godhead. The co-equal, co-eternal Persons of the Trinity are one in divine nature. However, each divine Person has a distinct role in salvation (cf. Ephesians 1:3-14). There is a voluntary submission of roles in the work of redemption. The Son takes on human flesh and submits to the Father in giving His life on the cross.

Lest you doubt what I’m saying, listen to Paul’s words to the Corinthians, “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God” (1 Corinthians 11:3). Here Paul takes the same submission language of a wife to her husband and applies it to the Son and the Father.

If we want to truly understand who Jesus is, then we need to look at all of what Scripture says. Those who deny the deity of Christ read the Bible with one eye closed. They only look at isolated verses here and there and must ignore and distort clear passages that teach the deity of Christ. However, all of Scripture must be consulted if we are going to have an accurate portrait of Jesus. And when we read the Bible with both eyes open, we see the incarnate Christ as equal to the Father in His deity (John 1:1; 5:16-30; 10:30-33; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; I John 5:20), but also in submission to the Father in His role (John 5:19-20; I Corinthians 11:3; 15:27-28).

Like the Son, we can experience God’s POWER in our lives when we see where God is working and JOIN Him. Often, we make our own plans and then ask God to bless them. But we learn from Christ that we can do nothing of ourselves for God. We need to step back and see where God is working and adjust to Him.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I come to You now acknowledging that You are God’s only perfect Son, possessing the same divine nature as God the Father. Because You are God, I ask You to forgive me for the many times I have made my own plans and asked You to bless them. Today, I am asking You to reveal to me where You are working so I may adjust to You and join You in Your work. Thank You for hearing my prayer my Lord and my God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

How can we overcome spiritual paralysis? Part 4

The fourth way to overcome spiritual paralysis is RENDER ALL THE GLORY TO CHRIST (John 9-15). The Bible says, “9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, ‘It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.’ 11 He answered them, ‘He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’ ” 12 Then they asked him, ‘Who is the Man who said to you, “Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.” (John 5:9-13).

The religious leaders were more concerned about the infringement on their Sabbath rules than about Christ’s healing grace in this man’s life. Sadly, this is true of many churches today. They are more concerned about their man-made rules than they are about sinners encountering the healing grace of Jesus Christ. That’s legalism. Legalism will render a church spiritually paralyzed. The lame man did not know Christ. Jesus healed him regardless because of His GRACE. Grace is not restricted by rules and regulations. Grace expands in the context of loving relationships. Jesus was more concerned about this man’s need to be healed than He was about breaking the Sabbath rules of the religious leaders. Grace puts relationships ahead of rules. Legalism puts rules ahead of relationships.

Here is the dilemma. When Jesus wanted to do something new, the religious leaders were still caught up in the old. They were in a rut. Someone once said the difference between a rut and a grave is depth and length. And that is the dilemma for many of us today. We try to fit God into our safe set of rules. And like the legalists, we think that everyone else should also conform to our safe and comfortable box. But God is not contained in a box. The moment you think He is, He will do something new to burst that box you tried to contain Him in. God is looking to do something new in our lives and church. I wonder what may be in our lives and church that simply cannot co-exist with the new thing that God wants to do? God is looking for someone who will step out in faith and say, “I don’t know what’s going to happen – but I want to join God in the new thing He is doing.”

“Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, ‘See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.’” (John 5:14). Jesus came back to reveal Himself to this man. He wanted him to have more than just a healthy body. He wanted the former lame man to be healthy spiritually as well. “The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.” (John 5:15).This man gave all the credit to Jesus for his healing.

I’m reminded of a story about a woodpecker that was pecking away at a huge tree. Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck the tree and split it from top to bottom. The woodpecker flew off in a flash. Minutes later he returned with several other woodpeckers. Pointing to the tree, he said, “There it is. Look at what I did!”

Are we quick to take credit for what God is doing in our lives and in our church? Or when God works in another believer’s life, are we quick to give the glory to that Christian instead of giving all the glory to God? When we submit to Christ’s authority and give Him all the glory, He gives us special power to walk spiritually with Him.

Are you plagued by spiritual paralysis? Are you unable to live as God wants you to live? Are we as a church unable to reproduce disciples as God wants us to? Follow Christ’s prescription for godly living…

– Resolve to get well

– Refuse to blame others

– Rely on Christ alone for healing

– Render all the Glory To Him.

Do you as an individual want to be made well today? Perhaps you are a Christian and you have been unable to live the way God wants you to. You may be crippled by past hurts or a present habit or hang up or something else. Do you want to be made well and walk with the Lord? Say to God, “Lord, I want to get well. Right now, I take responsibility for my own actions and I trust You alone to heal me. Please give me the power to overcome the sin in my life that has crippled me. Help me burn the bridges that lead back to that sin so I can keep my eyes on You, walking with You the rest of my life. In Jesus’s name. Amen.”

As a church, we need to ask ourselves, “Do we want to be made well? Do we want to become more effective at making disciples of Christ? If so, pray to the Lord, “Father God, we want to get well. We want to take responsibility for our own actions and trust You to heal our church. Forgive us for blaming others and becoming paralyzed with fear. Give us the power to replace our fear or whatever holds us back, with a radical trust in You to do the impossible. Take us to new heights as a church so that You are most glorified. In Jesus’s name. Amen.”

How can we overcome spiritual paralysis? Part 3

“Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk.’” John 5:8

Another way to overcome spiritual paralysis is seen in verse 8. Jesus ignored the excuse of the lame man and gave him some strong medicine. “Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk.’” (John 5:8). First, He asks an impossible thing; secondly, He removes all possibility of a relapse; and thirdly, He expects continued success. All these are involved in the words: “Rise, take up your bed and walk.”

From these words, we discover the third way to overcome spiritual paralysis. RELY ON CHRIST ALONE FOR HEALING (John 5:8). Notice that the first thing Jesus says to do is what the man could not do for thirty-eight years – “Rise.” On what basis does Jesus say these words to him? It’s important to see this. Perhaps the lame man was thinking, “If this Man tells me to rise (and I cannot rise), it must mean that He intends to do something to make it possible.” Thus, his faith is transferred from his own efforts to Jesus: “He must do it. I can’t.” The man must also have reasoned somewhat along these lines, “If this Man is going to help me then I have got to decide to do what He tells me to do.”

Many people and churches miss this when they are looking for help from Christ. There is always something Jesus tells us to believe, and do. This is a word of action. Jesus does not say, “Try to build up faith in your mind. Pray for months first. Form a committee.” He tells them to do something: “Rise! Stand up!” Obviously, it was Jesus’ will that this man should do what He told him to do, and the moment the man’s will agreed with the Lord’s will, the power was there. I don’t know whether he felt anything or not. All I know is that strength came into his bones and into his muscles and he could stand. He knew he could stand, and he did.  

Jesus may ask us to do things as a Christian that we have never attempted before. It may not make sense to us. It may seem impossible to us. But instead of trying to figure everything out, we just need to do it! Over analysis leads to paralysis.

What does the Lord say next? The Lord did not merely say, “Rise,” He said, “take up your bed.” Why did He say that? I like the way G. Campbell Morgan has put it, “In order to make no provision for a relapse.  The man might have said to himself, “I’m healed, but I had better leave my bed here; I may need it tomorrow.” If he had said that he would have been back in it the next day. But he did not. Jesus said, “Take up your bed. Get rid of it; don’t leave it there. Don’t stay stuck.”

Christ is saying something very important to people and churches who need to be healed: do not make any provision to go back on what you have done. If you do go back, the consequences will be worse than the first time. That’s why Jesus says to the man – “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” (John 5:14).  This man’s paralysis was due to personal sin. This is not always the case with physical ailments, but sometimes it is. And when Jesus enables us to overcome that sin, He says not to make provision for a relapse. Many people fail right here. 

If Christ has enabled you to stop drinking, go home and pour out the alcohol! If you’re off drugs, go home and get rid of the drugs! If you have stopped looking at porn, stay offline or at the very least, get an internet filter. Burn your bridges behind you. Say “No” to the friends you used to drink with or do drugs with or had sex with. You will probably find that some of them will come with you. Burn your bridges. Cut off any possibility of going back. Let somebody know the new stand you have taken so that he or she will help hold you to it. Join an accountability group. Get involved with discipleship. Burn your bridges, is what Jesus is saying. If you have forgiven someone, don’t rehearse the hurtful things they did to you. Let go and move on – burn your bridges. If you have been paralyzed by fear, cling to the promises of God and don’t rehearse those fearful “what ifs.” This is so important. Our Lord knows what He is talking about –“take up your bed.” Remove all possibility of a relapse.

The third thing Jesus said is, “walk.” Don’t expect to be carried – walk. Many people want to be carried after they are healed. They expect everybody to gather around them and keep them going – a common area of failure. But if Jesus gives you the power to rise, Jesus is the One who can give you the power to walk every day, to keep going. That is an important thing to see – you and the Lord. Your eyes are not on your friends, your pastor or on yourself; your eyes are to be on Him now. “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2). That is how this man kept going. It is how you as a person can keep going in your Christian life.

It is important to see God’s part and our part in the healing process. Who healed the man at the pool? Jesus. Who had to walk? The man. Who saves us from our sins? Jesus. Who must believe? We must. Who makes us more like Christ and gives us the power to live above sin? Jesus. Who must decide day by day to follow Him and do what is right? We must. Who gives us the vision for our church and the power to carry it out? Jesus. Who must decide to follow that vision and implement changes necessary to complete that vision? We must.

If we are going to overcome spiritual paralysis, we must resolve to get well, refuse to blame others, and rely on Christ alone for healing. Then and only then, will we begin to walk closely with God.

Prayer: Precious Lord Jesus, thank You for this strong dose of medicine this morning. You are asking me to do something I have never done, and that is scary. But it also comforts me to know that You would never command me to do something without giving me the power to do it. I have been clinging to secrets far too long that have kept me from walking more closely with You. As I make this decision to rise up out of the mire of my own sin and shame, help me to make no provision for going back to my old thought patterns and behaviors that I used to medicate my pain, especially when I am stressed or lonely. Thank You for providing people in my life who love me and support my commitment to walk more closely with You and experience Your deeper healing in my life. My eyes are fixed on You, Lord Jesus, to bring deeper healing in my soul and lead me to new heights of victory and faithfulness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.