Life in His Name: Jesus is Lord
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Good Morning Gateway! If you have your Bible open it up to John 5! Last week Pastor Dan walked us through the end of John 4 and the beginning of John 5 where we saw two healings. Jesus healed the officer’s son and Jesus healed the man at the pool on the Sabbath. Jesus has the power to heal. Physical and spiritual needs. And Dan brought up some of the people Jesus has interacted with so far and how they have responded.
I want to bring up for just a moment what we call the Discipleship Pathway (connecting people to Jesus) here at Gateway. I want to bring this up because I think it will help us 1) understand the groups of people that Jesus is encountering in John and 2) help us connect it to where we are in our faith.
Unbeliever (do not believe or are opposed to Jesus): Pharisees-Jesus is just a man, just another Jew. rejected and persecuted.
Curious: Samartin Woman/Invalid-received and proclaimed
Believer: Roman Centurion asked and believed.
Disciple: Jesus calling the first disciples (Andrew, Peter, Philip, Nathanial)
Disciple Maker: John the baptist, Jesus
The context of our passage today is the unbelievers. Pastor Dan ended with John 5:18
John 5:18 “This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” (ESV)
The Jews wanted to kill him because He was calling God his own Father and making himself equal with God. As Pastor Dan said last week, when the Jews/Pharisees heard this they knew, He was claiming to be GOD. Last point last week: Jesus the son has the same authority as God the Father. Most of us know Jesus is God, and believe Jesus is God. Moving us into the next section. We are looking at the “The Authority of Jesus.”
The whole premise for today’s message: We are going to see that not only is Jesus claiming to be God, That Jesus has the authority to be Lord. and do we believe Jesus is Lord? and are we submitting to his Lordship in our lives?
What is unique about today’s message is it is all Jesus’ words. 5 words of narrative at the beginning “So Jesus said to them,” and then all narrative. Which I have divided into 4 sections and 4 questions for us today. So let’s dive in.
John 5:19-23 “So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.”
Do you believe Jesus is Lord?
Do you believe Jesus is Lord?
The Pharisees saw Jesus as just a man. If Jesus had been merely a man (as his Jewish opponents thought), then this claim would have been blasphemy on Jesus’ part. We learn from this section that Jesus is...
Jesus is equal to God (v17-18)
Jesus has different functions and roles given by the Father. As we see.(v19) By the way all point got him being God-He gives life and judgment and has the power to raise the dead..
Jesus is subject to the Father.
But this does not deny that Jesus and God are fundamental equality. “Only what he sees the Father doing” may imply that Jesus had a unique ability to see the Father’s providential activities in the events of everyday life, activities that are ordinarily invisible to human beings.
“The greater works” are initially the raising of the dead. Jesus’ statement that the Son also gives life to whom he will is another claim to being God, showing that Jesus does what only God can do, for the OT makes clear that raising the dead and giving life are the sole prerogatives of God.
So I ask you...Who is Jesus to you?
In the mid-nineteenth century the Scottish Christian preacher “Rabbi” John Duncan (1796-1870) formulated what he called a “trilemma.” He said...
Christ either [1] deceived mankind by conscious fraud, or [2] He was Himself deluded and self-deceived, or [3] He was Divine. There is no getting out of this trilemma. It is inexorable.
Later CS Lewis would popularize the argument to say that you have to choose whether Jesus is either a liar, lord, or lunatic.
First, if he claims to be God and yet in fact is not, he has to be a madman or a lunatic.
Second, if he is neither God nor a lunatic, he has to be a liar, deceiving others by his lie.
Third, if he is neither of these, he must be God.
You can only choose one of the three possibilities.
If you do not believe that he is God, you have to consider him a madman.
If you cannot take him for either of the two, you have to take him for a liar. You cannot say Jesus is just a good teacher. I am a teacher but I would not be a good one if I was a lunatic or lying all the time. Especially trying to convince my studuents that I was God.
There is no need for us to prove if Jesus of Nazareth is God or not. All we have to do is find out if He is a lunatic or a liar. If He is neither, He must be the Son of God.
If we believe Jesus when he says He is God and Lord (that makes him not a lunatic or liar) and what is our response if Jesus is God and Lord.
Our response: Worship Jesus
Our response: Worship Jesus
If Jesus is God and Lord then He should be worshipped.
John 5:24-29 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.”
ETERNAL LIFE
IS NOW HERE
DEAD-SPIRITUALLY DEAD who hear Jesus message and believe.
Life in himself-John 1 All things were made through Him.
Done good? is evidence of true faith. Emphasis on believe (24).
Do you need to experience life in His name?
Do you need to experience life in His name?
This “life” is both the new “life” now given to believers and the resurrection of the body at Christ’s second coming
As Lord,
Jesus gives life to whom he will. (v21) claim as God/Lord
Jesus gives judgment. (v22) claim as God/Lord
Maybe you believe Jesus is God, Jesus is Lord. You hear the word, you believe. But you are just spiritually dead right now….(you feel distant from God, you are dealing with some really tough life situations, sick family members, friends or loved ones who have passed, maybe its you who are sick and you need healing). There are so many reasons to feel spiritually dead... Jesus has life. He is the living water. Maybe you need to hear that the one who made all things through Him (He has life inside himself), the one who healed the centurion's son, the invalid of 38 years, who met the Samaritan woman where she was, is waiting to give you life in your situation. Do you believe He is Lord over all? Are you willing to go to Him?
Eternal life begins immediately!
Eternal life begins immediately!
Life in his name is for now and always. No fear of judgment. No fear of death. Eternal life has already begun.
What evidence do we have that Jesus is Lord?
What evidence do we have that Jesus is Lord?
John 5:30–39 (ESV)
“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,
Jesus’ statement is in keeping with OT teaching regarding the need for multiple witnesses. Trial theme. Court. Hearsay. Your word vs theirs.
The Pharisees have put Jesus on trial. What witnesses does he reference?
“The study of Scripture does not by itself impart life. The Scriptures rather bear witness to the One who gives life, namely, Jesus. Consequently, the study of the Bible ought to result in genuine faith in Jesus, followed by obedient action and transformed lives, not merely acquisition of Bible knowledge?”
What evidence do we have that Jesus is Lord?
What evidence do we have that Jesus is Lord?
Man testifies to Jesus
Miracles testify to Jesus
God himself testifies to Jesus
The scriptures testify to Jesus
What names has Jesus been given so far in John? How has John described Jesus:
Jesus is the Word, Jesus is God, Jesus is life, light, lamb of God, Son of God, Rabbi or teacher, Messiah, Christ, King of Israel, Son of Man, Bridegroom, a prophet, a jew, a man, a sir. WHO IS JESUS TO YOU? Where are you on the pathway?
Unbeliever (opposed): Pharisees-Jesus is just a man, just another Jew. rejected and persecuted.
Curious: sir, rabbi, teacher, Samartin Woman/Invalid-recieved and proclaimed
Believer: Roman Centurion-asked and believed.
Disciple:
Disciple Maker:
Its ironic, we have put Jesus on trial, but He is God. He is Lord. He gives life and judgment. Man does not put God on trial. God puts man on trial. And so we see Jesus turn from defense to offense in this last section.
What is keeping you from making Jesus Lord?
What is keeping you from making Jesus Lord?
John 5:40-47 “yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
Jesus predicts false prophets-many of who religious leaders and Jews believed. What is keeping you from making Jesus Lord? To honor Dan being away we will end with some alliterated notes. But I want to pray through these that the Holy Spirit would reveal these attitudes in our hearts and break us free.
Stubborn
Skeptic
Seeking elsewhere
Selective
Sin
Stubborn
Refuse to come to me that you may have life. Some of us are just stubborn. Maybe you have heard the gospel many many times and you know all about the Bible but you are refusing to come to Jesus so that you may have life. Holy Spirit break downs those walls and reveal yourself to anyone in this room who is stubborn or closed off or has a hard heart toward you. Show them you are real. That you are Lord of all!
Skeptic
I have come in my father’s name-God has sent me! Maybe you either do not believe in God or you have doubts about who Jesus is. Just a man in history, a myth, a legend, a liar, or a lunatic. I pray that the evidence from man (the testimonies from friends or loved ones), miracles, God, and scripture, especially from John would be so convicting and overwhelming that it would cause you to believe and have faith in Jesus.
Seeking elsewhere
If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Maybe something else is Lord of your life. Maybe you care more about the approval of others than the approval of God. What does Jesus ask John’s disciples who start following him in chapter 1? He says What are you seeking?
Selective
There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” The Pharisees believed the OT but they did not believe Jesus. Maybe Jesus is not Lord in your life because you have trouble believing everything in the Bible or you do not want to follow everything in the Bible. I pray that we would trust that God knows what He is doing. That we would trust his Word. That we would give him control and follow him completely instead of just choosing what we want to believe.
Sin
I want to add one more. Maybe Jesus is not Lord in your life because there is a sin you are holding on to. Something that either has you in bondage or something that you enjoy so much that you don’t want to lay down to Him. I pray that we would be able to cut sin out of our life. It says in James that our desires entice us and lead us to sin and eventually lead to death. I pray we would lay down any sin in our lives today preventing us from making you Lord king Jesus. May you be the King in our life!
What is keeping you from making Jesus Lord?
What is keeping you from making Jesus Lord?
I am going to ask the worship team to come up and as they do I want you to pray to Jesus. Earlier you circled where you are on the pathway. I want you to ask Jesus to show you what He wants you to do to move you (unbeliever, curious, believe, disciple, disciple maker). During the song I am going to have some youth come up and share cardboard testimonies of what it looks like when they let Jesus be the Lord of their life.
Jesus is Savior’ emphasizes sins forgiven. ‘Jesus is Lord’ emphasizes a reorientation in life. I’m no longer the king of my domain, Jesus is. This reorientation changes everything.
‘Jesus is Savior’ impacts me. ‘Jesus is Lord’ impacts me and everyone around me.
‘Jesus is Savior’ is often deeply personalistic and privatized. ‘Jesus is Lord’ is mission oriented (as sent ones) and seeks to reflect Jesus to others.
‘Jesus is Savior’ affects only the so-called spiritual aspects in life. ‘Jesus is Lord’ affects all of life; it is holistic and all-encompassing. It isn’t limited to Sunday, or more generally to the religious side of life. Instead, it lays at the center of life and thereby orients, shapes, and informs everything else.
My concern, and I’m not alone in this, is that many people have decided to make Jesus their personal Savior, but have yet to truly embrace him as Lord. The first asks people to seek forgiveness of sins, the second summons people to a lifetime of devoted discipleship to Jesus, while inviting others to follow along in the pursuit of the Kingdom.
The first centers on self, the second on Christ and his Kingdom.
Discipleship is not optional and is not directed toward the few who choose to take Jesus seriously. With Christ, it is all or nothing or nothing at all.
‘Jesus is Lord’ demands our everything. ‘Jesus is Savior’ does not. The first focuses on a lifetime. The second on a one-time decision.
Benediction:
Romans 10:9-13 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
We were not here last week. Every October we go down to Youngstown for the beruit bombing memorial honoring the 241 peacekeeping marines that were killed by a terrorist attack in Lebanon 39 years ago on this day-October 23, 1983- one of which was Rachel’s uncle. Many mark it the beginning of the war on terror and since we have 2 world trade center attacks and the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.