Pastor Tullian Tchividjian talks about losing his car keys at least twice a year. He’s late for a meeting or an appointment and can’t find his car keys.
Does that ever happen to you? I know it happens to me far more times than I care to admit.
He’s certain that either his wife or one of his children had misplaced them, so he frantically runs from room to room assigning blame. “Who was playing with my keys? I put them right here on the counter and now they're gone. They didn't just vanish into thin air! Who picked them up? Where are they? I'm late.”
And right when he’s about ready to order mass executions, he walks into his bedroom one last time to look (huffing and puffing, moaning and groaning), puts his hand in his pocket, and finds his keys. They'd been there the whole time.
Now, who frantically looks for car keys that are in their pocket? Me. That's who and maybe you, too.
Pastor Tchividjian says, “The truth is, we all typically live this way: frantically and frustratingly searching for something we already have. The gospel is God's good news announcement that everything we need we already possess in Christ. Because of Jesus' finished work, Christians already have all of the justification, approval, significance, security, freedom, validation, love, righteousness, and rescue that we desperately long for, and look for in a thousand things infinitely smaller than Jesus… [Unfortunately], we allow our internal voice, one that constantly says, “Do this and live,” to drown out the external voice that shouts, “It is finished!” (Tullian Tchividjian, “God's Word in Two Words,” Christianity Today, 8-29-13; www.PreachingToday.com).
Jesus is God! The Bible says, “In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9). So, in Him, you have everything you need. All you have to do is recognize who He is and believe in Him.
If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to John 5, John 5, where Jesus demonstrates who He is and declares His equality with God, the Father.
John 5:1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem (ESV).
This is probably the Passover feast. A year before this, Jesus created quite a stir by driving the merchants and money changers out of the Temple. Now, He is going to stir things up again.
John 5:2-3 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed, [waiting for the moving of the water] (ESV).
At least that’s what many of the early manuscripts include. Notice, verse 4 is missing in some of your Bibles. That’s because it’s missing from some of the earliest manuscripts, but many manuscripts include it, which explains the moving of the water.
John 5:4-6 [For an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and stirred the water: whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had]. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” (ESV)
Now, that’s a strange question to ask. Of course, he wants to be healed, but does he? Some people get comfortable in their situation, especially after 38 years.
John 5:7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me” (ESV).
He wanted to be healed. He just couldn't get to the pool fast enough.
John 5:8-9 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath (ESV).
Jesus is stirring things up again! The Mosaic Law prohibited most work on the Sabbath. It was a day of rest, but the Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day took it to the extreme. They taught that if anyone carried anything from a public place to a private place on the Sabbath, he or she violated the law and deserved death by stoning. Well, Jesus told this man to carry his bed from a public place. It was a clear violation NOT of the Mosaic Law, but of the rules the Jewish leaders added to keep people from breaking the Mosaic law.
John 5:10-16 So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’ ” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath (ESV).
The Jewish leaders were so wrapped up in their rules and rituals they missed the miracle! A man who was too weak to do anything for 38 years was now walking and carrying his bed! It was a sign that God had come into their midst.
Isaiah had prophesied this 700 years previously. He said, “Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God [toward your enemies, but] He will come and save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy” (Isaiah 35:4-6).
Around this pool, “lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed” verse 3 says. And Jesus had just healed one of them—a clear sign that God had come to them; and yet, they fail to recognize Him.
Don’t you do the same. Don’t get so wrapped up in your own rules and rituals that you miss the miracle of God with you. Instead…
RECOGNIZE JESUS FOR WHO HE IS.
Understand that He is God with us! Acknowledge that Jesus is indeed the Lord God Himself, less you miss out on all He has for you.
Several years ago, in a small-town church in upstate New York, a well-loved pastor who had been there for 35 years retired. He was replaced by a young pastor just starting out in ministry. The young man had a great desire to do well, but after just a few weeks he began to perceive that the people were upset at him.
It troubled him, so he called aside one of the lay leaders of the church and said, “I don't know what's wrong, but I have a feeling that there's something wrong.”
The man said, “Well, Pastor, that's true. I hate to say it, but it's the way you do the Communion service.”
“The way I do the Communion service? What do you mean?”
“Well, it's not so much what you do as what you leave out.”
“I don't think I leave out anything from the Communion service.”
“Oh yes, you do. Just before our previous pastor administered the chalice and wine to the people, he'd always go over and touch the radiator. And, then, he would…”
“Touch the radiator?” the young pastor interrupted. I never heard of that being done before.”
So the younger man called the former pastor. He said, “I haven't even been here a month, and I'm in trouble.”
“In trouble? Why?”
“Well, it has something to do with touching the radiator. Could that be possible? Did you do that?”
“Oh yes, I did. Always before I administered the chalice to the people, I touched the radiator to discharge the static electricity so I wouldn't shock them.”
He had done it for so long; the people began to think that it was an important part of the communion service. Today, that church is called by some, “The Church of the Holy Radiator” (Terry Fullam, “Worship: What We're Doing, and Why,” Preaching Today, Tape No. 102; www.Preaching Today.com).
They had become so wrapped up in their traditions that they missed the significance of communing with Christ Himself.
It’s easy to do. People can get so comfortable in their routines, they groan and complain when God shows up and messes with their routine. Instead of enjoying His presence, they resent the interruption.
My dear friends, if you want all that Jesus has for you, let Him mess with your routine. When Jesus stirs things up in your life, recognize Him for who He is and welcome the interruption. Recognize that Jesus is God, and…
BELIEVE HIS CLAIM TO BE GOD.
Rely on His word when He tells you that He is equal with God. And so, trust Him with your life. Look at Jesus’ answer to the Jewish leaders who opposed Him.
John 5:17-18 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” 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 Jewish leaders would have accepted Jesus saying “our Father” or “your Father.” But by calling God “My Father,” He claimed a unique relationship with God, an equal relationship, and this stirred them up.
John 5:19-20 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 (ESV).
Believe Jesus’ claim to be God, because He does what the Father does. Like God, He gives eternal life to those who believe in Him.
John 5:21-24 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. 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 (ESV).
Jesus gives eternal life to all who hear His word and trust His Father. Now, that’s something only God can do!
Oh, there have been many over the years who have tried to extend their lives. They tried to avoid death by taking multiday fasts, dosing themselves with metformin, or drinking milk laced with high doses of vitamin B.
So how's it working out? So far, not so good. For example, in the 1930s a nutritionist named Clive McCay designed a low-calorie diet for his lab rats that gave them all the nutrients they needed but kept them as thin as supermodels. He claimed that his rats lived to the equivalent of 130 human years. Dr. McCay applied his theories to himself, nibbling on morsels from his own fields. But he didn't make it to 130. Though trim and athletic, he had two strokes and died at 69.
Later, researcher Roy Walford stuck to a 1,600-calorie-a-day diet. In the 1980s, he wrote “The 120 Year Diet” and then followed it up with “Beyond the 120 Year Diet.” He became a cult figure to thousands of CRONies ("calorie restriction with optimal nutrition" enthusiasts) who hoped to live past 100. He died at age 79.
Some of the biggest names in dieting, organic agriculture, and preventive medicine died at surprisingly young ages. The wild-foods enthusiast Euell Gibbons was far ahead of his time in his advocacy of a diverse plant diet—but he died at age 64 of an aortic aneurysm.
The nutritionist Adelle Davis helped to wake millions of people to the dangers of refined foods like white bread, but she died of cancer at 70.
Nathan Pritikin, one of the foremost champions of low-fat diets, died at 69, nearly the same age as Dr. Robert Atkins, who believed in the opposite regimen.
Then there is Jerome Rodale, founder of the publishing empire dedicated to health. In 1971, Dick Cavett invited Mr. Rodale onto his TV show because Rodale had been hailed as "the guru of the organic food cult." Mr. Rodale, 72, took his chair next to Mr. Cavett, proclaimed that he would live to be 100, and then made a snoring sound and died. The episode never aired (Pagan Kennedy, “The Secret to a Longer Life? Don't Ask These Dead Longevity Researchers,” The New York Times, 3-9-18; www.PreachingToday.com).
Many people have tried to extend their lives, but most have failed. And even if they did add a couple of years, they eventually died anyway.
Only God can give eternal life, and that’s exactly what Jesus claims to do. He says He gives eternal life to anyone who hears His word and trusts His Father who sent Him.
Dear friends, if you’re hearing Jesus’ words today, please, trust His Father with your life. Rely on the One who sent Jesus to die on a cross for your sins and rise again. Believe and so gain the assurance of eternal life, starting today.
Notice, in verse 24, Jesus says, “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me HAS eternal life,” not WILL HAVE eternal life, but HAS eternal life, present tense, starting today. This is not something you HOPE happens to you in the future. This is something you KNOW you have, starting today. Please, trust Christ with your life and start living forever today!
Professional golfer Paul Azinger was diagnosed with cancer at age 33. He had just won a PGA championship and had ten tournament victories to his credit.
He wrote, “A genuine feeling of fear came over me. I could die from cancer. Then another reality hit me even harder. I'm going to die eventually anyway, whether from cancer or something else. It's just a question of when. Everything I had accomplished in golf became meaningless to me. All I wanted to do was live.”
Then he remembered something that Larry Moody, who teaches a Bible study on the tour, had said to him. “Zinger, we're not in the land of the living going to the land of the dying. We're in the land of the dying trying to get to the land of the living.”
Eventually, Azinger recovered from chemotherapy and returned to the PGA tour, and he's done pretty well. However, his bout with cancer changed his perspective. He wrote, “I've made a lot of money since I've been on the tour, and I've won a lot of tournaments, but that happiness is always temporary. The only way you will ever have true contentment is in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I'm not saying that nothing ever bothers me and I don't have problems, but I feel like I've found the answer to the six-foot hole” (Robert Russell, “Resurrection Promises,” Preaching Today, Tape No. 151; www.PreachingToday.com).
You too can find the answer to the six-foot hole. Just listen to Jesus and trust His Father with your life. Then you will have the assurance of eternal life starting today! That’s because Jesus is God, who does what God does. He gives eternal life to those who believe in Him.
More than that, He judges the living and the dead.
John 5:25-29 “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 (ESV).
More literally, those who do worthless deeds will come out of their graves to a resurrection of judgment.
John 5:30 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.
Jesus will judge as God would judge—justly and fairly. You see, there is coming a day when Jesus will call all the dead people from their graves. He will raise them from the dead. And those who have trusted Him, the righteous, will live with Him forever. But those who have rejected Him, i.e., those who depend on their own worthless deeds, will be condemned for all eternity.
The Bible says “Our righteous acts are like filthy rags” in God’s sight (Isaiah 64:6). Our own good works are worthless to save us. That’s why we need a Savior. That’s why we need to depend on Christ. Those who depend on Him have eternal life. Those who depend on their own good works are condemned to hell for all eternity.
Several years ago, Clifton Williams headed to the courthouse in Joliet, Illinois to support his cousin, who was going to be sentenced. At the precise moment that Judge Daniel Rozak read the sentence, Clifton let out a loud yawn. Because of that ill-timed yawn, the judge cited Clifton for contempt of court and sentenced him to six months of jail time. Ironically, his cousin, who was scheduled to be sentenced, only got probation (Gordon Dabbs, Epic Fail, Leafwood Publishers, 2013, pp. 35-36; www. PreachingToday.com).
Now, some would say that the judge was unfair. But no one will be able to say that about Jesus. He is God! And as God He does what God does. He gives eternal life to anyone who believes in Him, and He judges the living and the dead. Please, believe it! Believe Jesus’ claim to be God. But if you cannot believe His word, at least…
BELIEVE THE WITNESSES TO HIS DEITY.
Rely on their testimony that Jesus is God. Depend on the evidence they bring of first-hand knowledge of His divine identity.
First, believe the witness of John the Baptist.
John 5:31-35 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 (ESV).
Many people respected John, so Jesus offers Him as the first witness.
However, if that witness is fails to convince you, then second, believe the witness of Jesus’ own works.
John 5:36 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 (ESV).
Jesus’ own works testify that He is God.
When a visitor was touring St. Paul’s Cathedral, he marveled at all the monuments, which portrayed some of the greatest people of the British empire. However, he missed a monument to the architect who dreamed up that place. Feeling like the architect had been forgotten, he asked a guide, “Where is the monument to the architect.”
The guide led him to a dimly lit crypt beside a slab in the floor and told the visitor that the body of the architect, Sir Christopher Wren, lay beneath that slab. On the wall of the crypt, a tablet bore this inscription: “If you would see his monument, look about you” (1989 Minister’s Manuel, Ed. James W. co., pp.61-62).
In the same way, if you would see the monument to Christ, just look about you. Look at His creation. Look at the changed lives. Look at the homes He has blessed. No one but God can do the marvelous things He does. He is indeed God Himself in the flesh.
Please, believe it! First, believe the witness of John the Baptist. Second, believe the witness of Jesus’ own works. And third, believe the witness of God, the Father Himself through His Word. Jesus says…
John 5:37-47 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, 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?” (ESV)
The entire Bible, starting with Moses’ writings, points to Jesus, but the religious leaders in Jesus’ day couldn’t see for looking. They searched the Scriptures daily, noticing the details, but they missed the big picture. They missed seeing Jesus, the subject of those Scriptures.
Jesus fulfilled 333 prophecies about the Messiah. He is the promised “seed of the woman” in Genesis 3:15. He is the promised “seed of Abraham,” who would bless the whole world. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He is the Passover Lamb, who protects His people from death. Jesus is the Son of David, who will rule on David’s throne forever. He is the One all the prophets talked about. Jesus is indeed the subject of the entire Bible!
Look at this picture of Jesus’ face made entirely of His own words:
https://figuresofspeech.us/products/jesus-christ-wall-art.
Now, if you focus on the words and miss His face, you’ve missed the whole point of this piece. In the same way, when people study the Bible and fail to see Jesus, they have missed the whole point of the Bible.
It’s like Sally Loyd-Jones put it in her introduction to The Jesus Storybook Bible. She writes:
There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them. It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story there is a baby. Every story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle—the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly, you can see a beautiful picture (Sally Lloyd-Jones, The Jesus Storybook Bible, Zondervankids, 200, p. 17; www. PreachingToday.com).
Don’t miss the beautiful picture of Jesus as you study the Bible. If you want all that Jesus has for you, recognize that He is God and trust Him with your life.
Years ago, A. W. Tozer said:
There is today an evangelical rationalism which says that the truth is in the Word and if you want to know truth, go learn the Word. If you get the Word, you have the truth. That is the evangelical rationalism that we have in fundamentalist circles: “If you learn the text you've got the truth.”
This evangelical rationalist wears our uniform… and says what the Pharisees… said: "Truth is truth and if you believe the truth you've got it.” Such see no beyond and no mystic depth, no mysterious or divine. They see only, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord.”
They have the text and the code and the creed, and to them that is the truth. So they pass it on to others. The result is we are dying spiritually. To know the Truth, we must “know” the Son (A. W. Tozer in Power for Living, Oct. 16, 1977; www.Preaching Today.com).
If you want to know the truth, which sets you free, get to know God, the Son; get to know the Subject of the entire Bible and enter into a relationship with Him.
