Let’s turn in our Bibles to John chapter 5. We’ve been in this chapter now for a full month as we work our way through the gospel of John.
Let’s pray together: Father in Heaven, we have come here today hoping to meet with You, longing to be in Your presence, desiring to hear from You. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Will You come and meet with us oh God? Will You come to us as a stream of Living Water and quench our thirsty souls? Will You give us a view of Your Son that is so panoramic, that is so glorious that we will become changed by seeing Him? Speak oh God, for we are listening to You. In Jesus’ Name amen.”
Last week I asked you the question to start off with, “what is Christianity?” Is it a religion, an organization, set of rules, a scam to get my money? And we saw from Scripture that Christianity really is a resurrection. It is life from the dead. It is new life.
This week I want to ask you a different question: what is the main theme of Christianity? What is the main subject of the Bible, its key teaching, it’s most important topic? I mean there is one Author of this Book, just one. God breathed out His Word. Oh He used 40 different people to convey His truth, but He is the Author of His Word. So with one Author the message ought to be consistent.
Well the main message of the Bible, it’s most important subject is the gospel of Jesus Christ. But there has come a very dangerous teaching into the church, a destructive teaching in the past century, a teaching that basically says this: “the gospel is ‘the salvation message.’ It is for unbelievers to ‘get saved, and then we move on to deeper teachings.’” As if to say that the gospel is just some spiritual kindergarten through which we pass, tipping our hats to the cross, on our way to the deeper teachings of the Bible. This is destructive because it implies that once we know the gospel, we’re good to go, we can move beyond that now, we’re saved.
But you see this is a half-truth. It is true that the gospel is a salvation message, it is “the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16). But it is also a sanctification message, in other words, that which sets believers apart from our sins and changes us little by little into the image of Jesus Christ. In Galatians 3 Paul is talking to believers who were trying to set themselves apart from sin by their own efforts at keeping the Law, and what he says to them in verse 1 is amazing. He says, “you foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? Who has hypnotized you? Before your very eyes, Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.” In other words, the cross is the message that separates believers from our sins and perfects us in Christ. The gospel is not merely a salvation message, it is also a sanctification message. It’s for believers.
But, it is not only a salvation message, it is not only a sanctification message, it is also a stabilization message. You know, an airplane has what’s called a “horizontal stabilizer”, it’s on the back of the plane, its basically the tail of the airplane. Now what would happen if that stabilizer was gone? Well let’s just say you wouldn’t want to be in the airplane. Listen, what would happen if the gospel was gone from the church? Let’s just say, you wouldn’t want to be in it. Paul writes in Romans 16:25:
25 Now to him who is able to establish you (strengthen, confirm, stabilize you) by my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past.
Do we want to know how to be stabilized in life, to not be a “wall banger”, back and forth, how to have a firm foundation, how to become rooted and grounded, how to be constant and steady and firmly planted, unshakeable? Paul says it is “by my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ.” So we can see that the message of the cross is not merely “the salvation message” for unbelievers to “get saved.” No, it goes far beyond that, it is much fuller than that.
And I have not even mentioned the most important part of the gospel. I mean the gospel is great for what it does for us, but that’s not the most important part. It is not only a salvation, sanctification, and stabilization message, it is also a glorification message. This is the most important part. The gospel glorifies God. After Paul explains the gospel in all its fullness to the Romans in chapter 15 he tells them why God gave His only Son to the Gentiles:
“9 so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name.” Romans 15:9
The gospel is that which glorifies God, brings out praise and rejoicing in our hearts to God. In other words it exalts God to be Christ-centered. It glorifies Him. Wow, what a full message we have to minister to others.
Now this morning, we are going to see just how Christ-centered Christ is. We’re going to see how Christ interprets the Bible. We will listen as He tells us what the main message of the Old Testament is, what the central teaching in the entire Bible is. And in so doing, we will learn exactly how to read our Bibles and finally, we are going to be given the key that opens up the entire Bible this morning, so that we can understand every single passage we ever read. This is the key to the vault, the key to the Treasure chest.
Now in this chapter Jesus healed a man who was sick for 38 years and he did so on the Sabbath, and so the Jews were persecuting Him and wanting
to kill Him.
And by the way, I want to mention to you that these people claimed to hold to the law, the law was their standard, the law was their rule for faith and practice. You know what I have seen over the years? People who place themselves under the Law also place themselves over other people as their judge. Typically you will find in life that those who are all wrapped up in Law instead of in Jesus, are not able to really love people, because they are always interested in whether or not others are measuring up. The 2 greatest commandments are to love God with all my heart mind and strength, and to love others as myself. These Pharisees did not love Jesus and they did not care one iota for the sick man. In response Jesus gives 7 proofs of His Lordship, of His right to rule and do as He pleases because He is Lord. We studied those 7 proofs the last few weeks together.
And in the passage we have before us this morning Jesus is anticipating an objection from the Jews. The objection is that “your testimony is not valid, it is not accompanied by two or three witnesses. You’re just speaking on your own behalf.” And you can see that in verse 31 where Jesus says, “if I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid.” He is anticipating their objection. See the Jews knew the Law, they were experts in the Law, and as Jesus marshaled His 7 statements of His Lordship, He knew that they were probably about to marshal the Law against Him which required more than just a man’s own testimony about himself. Maybe they were about to quote Deuteronomy 19:15 which says, “A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”
Now Jesus knew this law, He wrote the Law. When He was giving instructions for church discipline in Matthew 18 He said to go to one who has sinned and confront him, “16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ’every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’” He is just quoting from Deuteronomy 19:15 here.
So Jesus knows that the minimum number of witnesses to establish a matter, in this case, His Lordship, is two. That’s the minimum. Guess what? Jesus is going to double that number. He is now going to bring forth four witnesses, thereby unquestionably establishing the matter of His Lordship.
We mentioned these witnesses briefly, but let’s look at them again just now as we read John 5:31-47:
31 "If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid. 32 There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is valid. 33 "You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. 36 "I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life. 41 "I do not accept praise from men, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God? 45 "But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?" John 5:31-47
1st witness Jesus brings: John the Baptist (verses 32-35), 2nd witness is the miracles Jesus is doing (verse 36). He changed water into wine, He healed a man who was sick for 38 years, these are strong witnesses that God sent Him and that He is Lord. 3rd witness is the Father Himself (verse 37), and finally the 4th witness is the Old Testament Scriptures which were about Jesus (verses 38-47).
So Jesus brings forth 4 witnesses that testify to His Deity, to testify that He was sent by His Father, to testify of His Lordship. The Jews should have believed Jesus, they were literally surrounded on all 4 sides by witnesses. Man and God witnessed to them about Jesus. So there were the seven statements and there were the four witnesses to corroborate Him.
But its this last witness, the Old Testament Scriptures that I want us to focus on today. Look at Jesus’ statement in verse 39: “these are the Scriptures that testify about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life” and look at verse 46 “If you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for He wrote about Me.” Ah, now we have the key to the Treasure, the key to understanding the entire Old Testament. Now we know how to read our Bibles, looking for Jesus, because “these are the Scriptures that testify about Me.” So for the rest of today and next week we want to look at how the Scriptures really do testify of Jesus.
So turn with me in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 3. Genesis of course was written by Moses. I’ve chosen to start here, because this is the first officially recognized picture of Jesus Christ. Now in this chapter we have the sin of Adam and Eve. God told them not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but Satan came to them in the form of a serpent and tempted them and they disobeyed God and ate. And now God was going to give out their punishment, and He starts with the devil. He speaks to the devil who tempted them to sin as He talks to the serpent and in verse 15 He says:
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Genesis 3:15
Here is a promise made about One who would come and deliver them from the power of Satan. One Who would crush his head. Well that would be good news to Adam and Eve, someone’s coming who will be victorious where we failed, Who will win where we lost. Here Adam and Eve saw a door of hope opened up to them, that somebody would come and destroy this infernal beast, this devil. This was the dawning of gospel hope. They began looking forward to this Seed.
Notice three things this passage says about Christ:—
(1.) His incarnation and virgin birth. He would be the seed of the woman. He would be born of a woman. And notice, of the woman only, not the man; in other words born of a virgin.
(2.) His sufferings and death. Satan would strike or bruise His heel, that is, his human nature. His humanity would be struck and bruised, by Satan. It was Satan that tempted Christ in the wilderness, Satan put it into the heart of Judas to betray Christ, of Peter to deny him, of the chief priests to prosecute him, of the false witnesses to accuse him, and of Pilate to condemn him, trying to destroy the Savior. But specifically Christ’s heel was bruised when his feet were pierced and nailed to the cross. His heel was bruised when His back was striped, when His beard was plucked, when His heart was pierced.
(3.) His victory and triumph over Satan. Satan had now trampled upon the woman, and hurt her and insulted her; but the seed of the woman would rise up to avenge her, and to trample all over the devil, expose him to ridicule, and to triumph over him through the cross. Col. 2:15. Jesus would bruise his head, that is, destroy all his power, and overthrow his kingdom. And so all who believe are forgiven of all their sins, have all their guilt and shame removed, and so they are rescued from the kingdom of Satan.
And so by his death, he gave a fatal and incurable blow to the devil’s kingdom, a wound to the head of this beast, that can never be healed. And as his gospel grows and spreads, Satan falls (Lu. 10:18) and Jesus treads Satan under his feet (Rom. 16:20). And the devil’s overthrow will be the complete and everlasting joy and glory of all who believe.
Did Moses write about Jesus? Only about His incarnation and virgin birth, His sufferings and death, and His victory and triumph over Satan on behalf of His people. And we are only in the 3rd chapter of the Bible.
Let’s make some applications today:
First, if you are an unbeliever, here is your condition today. It is stated in John chapter 5:40: Jesus says “you refuse to come to me to have life.” See there is an active opposition in the life of an unbeliever where he or she refuses to come to Christ. Amishman! That’s what the life of an unbeliever is, refusing to come to Christ. Today’s the day to come to Jesus and live.
But if you’re a believer here today I have 2 applications of this text for you:
1. Understand that you have not come to a religion, you have not come to an organization, and you have not come to a system of theology. You have come to a Person. A Living, breathing, loving, feeling caring Person. We are not religionists, we are worshipers.
2. It is not just a one-time coming to Jesus. Guard your heart so that you aren’t swept up in things of the world that would prevent you from coming to Jesus today and tomorrow. Watch your time, see if you are coming to Jesus every day.
3. Read and use the Bible properly. See Jesus in it, and communicate the gospel of God’s grace to others. Don’t you dare read it and use it like the Jews did, that is, as a standard by which all people must measure up to, and totally miss Jesus.
“Oh Lord Jesus, here we are longing for You. Wanting You so badly that it hurts. One day, Jesus, one day we will be together, the Lover and the loved, the Purchaser and the purchased, the Redeemer and the redeemed. Together forever. Amen”
