How to Be the Witnesses God Wants Us to Be
The Gospel of John
John 5:30-35
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - September 14, 2016
(Revised August 2, 2019)
BACKGROUND:
*Please open your Bibles to John 5. Before we read our Scripture, remember that that this chapter begins with one of the Lord's amazing healing miracles. It happened in Jerusalem by the pool called Bethesda. Jesus instantly healed a man who had not been able to walk for 38 years!
*Jesus performed this healing on the Sabbath Day, and that was not a crime against God's Law. But it was a crime punishable by death under the man-made laws of the Jewish scribes and Pharisees.
*As soon as Jesus began to respond to their charge, He committed another crime punishable by death. This new charge against the Lord was blasphemy, because when Jesus called God "My Father," He made Himself equal with God.
*We see these charges in vs. 15-18, where the Bible says:
15. The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
16. For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.
17. But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.''
18. 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.
*Then in vs. 19-23, Jesus pleaded guilty to the charge of making Himself equal to God and rightly so, because Jesus IS the one and only eternal Son of God.
*Next in vs. 24-30, we saw three of the great spiritual miracles Jesus works in the life of every Christian.
[1] FIRST, JESUS GIVES US THE MIRACLE OF REGENERATION.
*That's the new spiritual birth we receive when we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. It's the new birth that gives us God's everlasting life. And it comes by hearing and believing in God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.
*So in vs. 24-26, Jesus said:
24. "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.
25. 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.
26. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself."
[2] JESUS GIVES US THE MIRACLE OF REGENERATION. HE ALSO GIVES US THE MIRACLE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
*True righteousness before God is a miracle from God! We must see this miracle in vs. 28-30, where Jesus said:
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.
30. 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."
*If we take verse 29 out of context, it seems as if good works can get you to Heaven, but that is surely not the case. Christians: We are righteous in God's eyes, but it never comes from our own goodness. God considers us to be righteous, because our sins are covered by the blood of the Lamb of God who died on the cross for us.
*Paul made it this truth very clear in Romans 4:1-8, where he wrote these words:
1. What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?
2. For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something of which to boast, but not before God.
3. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.''
4. Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
5. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
6. just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
7. "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;
8. blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.''
*Christians: God considers us to be good, because our sins are covered by the Lord's sacrificial blood. That’s imputed righteousness. Jesus’ goodness is put in our account, and we are saved by His grace! God also considers us to be righteous, because our lives have been changed. This is what we sometimes call imparted righteousness. God has given a new nature to us, and He is still working in us to desire and do His good pleasure.
*This is all truly a spiritual miracle! So we are never saved by our good works. We are saved for the good works that God wants us to do. That's why Ephesians 2:8-10 says this to all Christians:
8. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9. not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
[3] JESUS GIVES US THE MIRACLE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. AND HE WILL ALSO GIVE US THE MIRACLE OF THE RESURRECTION OF LIFE.
*We saw this truth in vs. 25-30, where Jesus said:
25. "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.
26. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself,
27. and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.
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.
30. 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."
*Paul talked about the miracle of our resurrection in a several places. For example, in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 Paul said:
13. . . I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
16. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
*Regeneration -- being born again, righteousness, and the resurrection of life forever with the Lord: All three of these spiritual miracles belongs to us, IF we belong to Jesus Christ!
*And you may think, "Well, I've never seen a real miracle." But if you have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then every time you look in the mirror, you are looking at three miracles that are infinitely greater than the miracle of walking. And the man who was healed 2,000 years ago would surely tell you that today.
*Christians, we’ve got something to shout about! We’ve got something to tell the world! And that’s what the Lord wants us to do.
*In tonight's Scripture, Jesus continued His defense against the unbelieving Jews. And He began to tell them about four sure witnesses for our Lord. One of these witnesses was John the Baptist, and John is our example tonight, because he shows us how to be the witnesses God wants us to be. Please think about that as we read vs. 30-35.
MESSAGE:
*How can we be the witnesses God wants us to be?
1. FIRST: WE HAVE TO TRUST IN THE STRENGTH OF OUR SAVIOR.
*In vs. 30, Jesus said this to His accusers: "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."
*Jesus began by saying, "I can of Myself do nothing." It sounds like He was saying, "I can't do anything without My Father." On the surface, this Scripture seems to be saying the kind of thing we say sometimes, like: "I can't see anything without my glasses," or "I can't go anywhere without gas in my car."
*But that's not at all what Jesus was saying here. Remember the context. Jesus has claimed to be equal with God. By calling God his Father, that's what Jesus was doing. And that's fine because Jesus is God, one with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.
*William MacDonald explained: "The thought is that Jesus is so closely united with God the Father that He could not act by Himself. He could not do anything on His own authority. There was no trace of willfulness in the Savior. He acted in perfect obedience to His Father and always in fullest fellowship and harmony with Him. . . Because of who He was, the Lord Jesus could not act outside the will of God. It was not a physical impossibility, but a moral impossibility. He had the physical power to do all things, but He could not do anything that was wrong. He could not do anything that was not the will of God the Father. This truth sets the Lord Jesus apart from every other man who ever lived. (1)
*It's as if Jesus was saying something like this: "I, the Son of God, am equal to God. I am always so close to my heavenly Father that I can truthfully say I am with Him always, and He is with me. He and I are one. What He sees, I see. What he thinks, I think. What He wants, I want, and what He does, I do. It is impossible for me to do things without him, because He and I are one God."
*The great news for Christians is that we can get all the strength we will ever need from the only man who ever had infinite strength: Jesus Christ!
*We can and we must trust the Lord to supply us with His strength. Jesus stressed this truth in John 15:4-5, where He told His disciples:
4. "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; FOR WITHOUT ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING."
*We can surely trust in the Lord to supply us with His strength. That's why in Philippians 4:13, Paul was able to say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
*How can we be the witnesses God wants us to be?
1. WE HAVE TO TRUST IN THE STRENGTH OF OUR SAVIOR. WE ALSO HAVE TO TELL GOD'S TRUTH.
*That's what John the Baptist did in vs. 32-34. He told God's truth. And Jesus said:
32. There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.
33. You have sent to John, and he has bore witness to the truth.
34. Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.
*Verses 32-33 tell us that John the Baptist was brave enough to speak God's truth to people. And vs. 34 tells us that people have to hear the truth about Jesus in order to be saved.
*Tragically though, many people will reject the truth. John's truth-telling eventually cost him his life because a godless ruler named Herod was completely closed to the truth. The hard-hearted, Jewish leaders accusing Jesus were also closed to the truth, and we live in a day like that. I doubt there has ever been a generation in American history when so many people were closed to God's truth.
*But there are also many people around us who are open to the truth of God's Word: The good news, the Gospel truth about our sins and salvation.
*The truth that we must be saved, or we are lost forever. We must be born again spiritually. Our sins need to be forgiven and washed away. And our sins can be forgiven, because God loves us in spite of our sins!
*In fact, God loves us so much that He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. But Jesus triumphantly rose again from the dead after three days! And we will be saved by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ! On top of that, when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, His Father becomes our Father, we become part of the family of God, and we will live forever in Heaven!
*There are many people around us who are open to the wonderful truth of God's Word. And we must be brave enough to speak the truth in love, whether people are open to it or not. May God help us!
3. WE CAN BE THE WITNESSES GOD WANTS US TO BE, IF WE TELL GOD'S TRUTH. BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO LIVE AS LIGHT.
*In vs. 34-35, Jesus said this about John the Baptist:
34. "Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.
35. He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light."
[1] IN VS. 35, JOHN THE BAPTIST WAS A BURNING LIGHT FOR THE LORD.
*And that's the kind of witness God wants us to be. God help us not to be lukewarm believers!
*Remember the Lord's message for the church of the Laodiceans. In Revelation 3:14-19, Jesus said:
14. "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:
15. I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.
16. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth.
17. Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked
18. I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent."
*May God help us not to be lukewarm believers! And we’ve got a whole lot more reason to be on-fire for Jesus than John the Baptist. We live on the resurrection side of the cross!
*And we have the fire of the Holy Spirit living in our hearts. We just need to stir it up! That’s what Paul told his young friend Timothy. In 2 Timothy 1:6-7, Paul said:
6. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
7. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
*Paul wanted Timothy to be a burning light, and that's what God wants us to be.
[2] JOHN THE BAPTIST WAS A BURNING LIGHT FOR THE LORD. BUT HE WAS ALSO A SHINING LIGHT.
*In vs. 35, Jesus said John was a "shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light." Now, God wants us to shine the light of His goodness, wisdom and love. This is what Jesus tells His followers in Matthew 5:14-16:
14. "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
*Church: We get to shine for Jesus! But what does that mean? Rodney Fry gave us some possibilities:
1-First, light is to be seen. In vs. 15, Jesus said you don't light a lamp and then put it under a basket. You put it up on a stand to give light to everyone in the house. Our faith ought to be visible to everyone who knows us. They ought to be able to see Jesus Christ living in us.
2-Light is to be seen. But it is also to help guide. When an airplane approaches a landing strip at night, the pilot sees a line of lights that marks the right way. Our lives should help other people see that Jesus Christ is the right way in life.
3-Light is to guide. But it is also to warn. The light from lighthouses kept many ships from crashing into dangerous rocks. And it can be hard for us to warn someone that they are heading the wrong way. But we must be the warning light to help save them from danger. (2)
*Christians: We are the light of the world! And what a difference it makes when we shine for the Lord! In World War II, Admiral Marc Mitscher made a life-saving decision during the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
*Late in the afternoon of June 20, 1944, Mitscher had dispatched a bombing mission against the retreating Japanese fleet. It was pitch-dark when the first of the flyers began returning to their carriers, but the fleet was under strict blackout regulations. The pilots' fuel supplies were running dangerously low. And many would never be able to find their way back to their carriers.
*Admiral Mitscher took a calculated risk. He turned on the lights. One returning pilot described the scene as a "Hollywood premier, Chinese New Year and the Fourth of July all rolled into one." The planes landed for two hours. Eighty more pilots out of gas had to ditch in the sea, but they were close enough to the carriers that few were lost. (3)
*All of those lives were saved because someone was bold enough to turn on the lights. But greater salvation, eternal salvation takes place when we let our light shine for Jesus Christ. So let the Savior shine through you. God wants us to shine for Jesus Christ in all of the things we do and say! There are good things that God wants us to do.
*And we've always got something good to say about Jesus! We've always got something good to say, because Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead. We've also got good things to say about Jesus because He's always been good to us!
*We can shine the light of God everywhere we go. As Paul said in Philippians 2:14-15:
14. Do all things without murmuring and disputing,
15. that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.
CONCLUSION:
*Are you shining for Jesus? That's what God wants us to do. We can be the witnesses God wants us to be, if we trust in the strength of our Savior, tell God's truth, and live as God's Light.
*And if you have never trusted in Jesus, do it right now! Jesus Christ is the ultimate Light of the world. And He will give you the miracle of His everlasting life, if you will put your trust in Him.
(1) Sources:
-BELIEVER'S BIBLE COMMENTARY by William MacDonald - Edited by Arthur Farstad - Thomas Nelson Publishers - Nashville - Copyright 1995 - "Four Witnesses to Jesus as the Son of God" - John 5:30-47
-JOHN GILL'S EXPOSITION OF THE BIBLE by Dr. John Gill, D.D. (1697-1771) - Published in 1746-1766, 1816 - John 5:30
-EXPLORING THE GOSPELS: JOHN by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "The Impenitent Men Challenged - John 5:16-47
(2) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "Pass the Salt and Turn on the Light" by Rodney Fry - Matthew 5:13-16
(3) Sermons.com sermon "Turn on the Lights" by Bill Bouknight - Matthew 5:14-16
