John Series Sermon 28 The Rejection Of Jesus' Claim John 5:40-47 Series

(5:40–47) Introduction: men reject Jesus’ claim to be “equal with God” (Jn. 5:18). Jesus gave six reasons for their rejection.

1. People refuse to come to Christ (vv.40–41).

2. People do not love God (v.42).

3. People accept false messiahs (v.43).

4. People seek the approval and honor of mere men (v.44).

5. People do not believe prophecy—do not believe Moses’ writings (vv.45–46).

6. People do not believe the words of the true Messiah (v.47).

1 (5:40–41) Will: men do not “will” to come to Christ. The will is stressed. Men deliberately choose to reject Jesus Christ. They actually exercise the will not to come to Him for salvation. There is an obstinacy and a hardness within man, a rebellion against God (see Jn. 1:11; Mt. 23:37).

“Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye” (Ac. 7:51).

“Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the Lord; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear” (2 Chr. 24:19).

“And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction” (Je. 32:33).

“As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee” (Je. 44:16).

a. Jesus claimed that life was in Him

“In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (Jn. 1:4).

“For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself” (Jn. 5:26).

“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (Jn. 10:10).

“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (Jn. 11:25).

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (Jn. 14:6).

b. Men receive life by coming to Jesus Christ. They keep from dying by coming to Jesus Christ (see notes—Jn. 5:21; 5:24–25; DEEPER STUDY # 1—He. 9:27).

“For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will” (Jn. 5:21).

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (Jn. 5:24–25).

c. Jesus was not claiming to be the Son of God in order to receive the praise and glory of men (v.41). He was proclaiming the truth because He loved them, and the fact of His deity is the truth. Men must face up to the truth if they wish to be saved. Man’s rejection cuts the heart of Christ, and the hurt is seen in the tenderness and appeal of this verse. There is a pleading in His words: “Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.”

“For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them” (Ac. 28:27).

“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him” (He. 2:3).

“See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven” (He. 12:25).

2 (5:42) Rejection—Profession, False: men will to reject Christ, to reject the claim of Christ because they do not love God. The love of God is not in their hearts.

a. The people to whom Jesus was speaking professed to love God deeply. They …

• worshipped faithfully

• knew the Scriptures

• were always praying

• were unashamed to talk about Him

However, the love of God was not in them, not really. It was not shed abroad in their hearts, not the kind of love that honors and praises God, giving all that one is and has to love and help people.

“And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Ro. 5:5).

“Beloved, let us love one other: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love” (1 Jn. 4:7–8)