Moscow Christian Church
Title: Jesus is Life
Bruce Pierce
Scripture: John 5:24-30
Date: 3/6/2022
Introduction:
The story is told that one morning Albert Einstein got on a train in Munich. He was to be the keynote speaker at a conference later that afternoon. He had all of his notes and books to review while he was on the trip. But – when the train conductor went to check Dr Einstein’s ticket, there was a problem.
The absent-minded professor had forgotten his tickets.
The train conductor told the famous scientist – “Don’t worry sir, I know who you are. You are welcome to stay aboard.”
Einstein replied, “Thank you sir, I too know who I am, but I don’t know where I am going.”
In Jesus’ day – a man knew exactly where he was going… sadly, for him it was nowhere.
The early verses of John 5 tell of us of this man – He had been ill for nearly 40 years. He was lying near a pool surrounded by crowds of others. Many were sick, some were blind, some were limping, and some were paralyzed. Everyone had come to this spot to be healed.
The local legend said that an angel would stir the water – and whoever got in first – would be blessed and healed.
Jesus saw the man – He understood the man’s condition – and that it had afflicted him for years. So, He asked the man, “Do you want to get well?”
SLIDE In verse 7 we read:
“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
All of us can at some level feel this man’s pain and emotion. All of us know what it is like to see others blessed – and the nagging desire to see our own blessings.
All of us know that feeling of frustration and jealousy that can pop up when someone else gets “our blessing.” We know the heartache of being stuck in a situation that we cannot get out of on our own – and the loneliness that eats at us as we cry out for help with no answer.
With a glance in the man’s eyes – Jesus saw all of this – and much more.
SLIDE: Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”
SLIDE: At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath,
As Jesus blended into the crowd –the Jewish leaders asked the man who had healed him.
They said to him – “It is the Sabbath – you can’t walk around with your mat! The law forbids it!”
The man told them – “The man who healed me – He told me to pick up my mat and walk.”
A short time later Jesus found the man at the temple and said to him.
SLIDE v14 “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”
The man went away – and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.
John tells us – that because of this – the Jewish leaders began to hate Jesus and look for a way to kill Him.
For them – it was ok for Jesus to heal someone – but there was no way that could be of God – if it was done on a Sabbath –
The day of rest – Saturday was to be fully devoted to God – and the work of healing – that could be done any other day of the week.
Yet by healing on the Sabbath – Jesus was making a statement. By His actions – He was saying God works on the Sabbath.
And He said it with His lips. By His statements – Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. In other words – He claimed to be God.
There are a lot of misconceptions in our culture about who Jesus is.
Some say he is a great teacher, a philosopher. Others say He was a good man. Some say He was a prophet. Over the next 8 weeks – we are going to look at the question – Who is Jesus?
Many, like Einstein – have no idea where they are going. Others like the man at the pool are stuck going nowhere.
But Jesus shows us – we are all heading somewhere – and we need to be Obedient to Him.
The Pharisees, Scribes, Priests and Levites that were gathered around Jesus would not accept the work He was doing and they would not accept Jesus as He is.
So in John 5:19 through the rest of the chapter – Jesus tells them who He is – and what they need to do.
This morning we are going to look at a portion of what he told them, as recorded in John 5:24-30.
These verses show that Jesus is life. They show what we must do to have everlasting life – and they show the consequences of rejecting Jesus.
Jesus is life – and if we want the life He offers – we must obey.
SLIDES
“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come 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 judge because he is the Son of Man. “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
Prayer
Reintroduction /Illustration
The Bible tells in the book of Numbers “Be sure your sins will find you out” – but in the case of this story we could say Your Cheetos will Find you out
Back in 2013 – a man got a hankering for a late-night snack. He broke into a convenience store in South Carolina.
About 2:30 in the morning the burglar kicked in the front door, he knocked out the beer cooler, and stole beer, cigarettes, Slim Jims, and in his haste, he busted two or three bags of Cheetos.
Those Cheetos were strewn all over the store's floor and in the doorway and the parking lot. In a story reminiscent of Hansel and Gretel, police were able to follow the young man’s Cheeto trail all the way to the house he was staying in, where they promptly arrested him.
I guess that young man learned that just like a preacher’s jokes… SLIDE
Cheetos are “dangerously cheesy.”
https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/01/trail-of-cheetos-leads-to-store-robber - Shane Capps - Sermons on 1,2,3 John
Nearly everyone in our society would agree that it is wrong to knock off a convenience store at 2 in the morning. But what society should do about it – that is a different question.
Some would say – well, we should look at the young man’s life. Is this his first offense – or is he a regular troublemaker? If this is his first offense – let him off easy, if not, he should do some time.
Others might say – eh, kids will be kids. Have him pay for the damages, have him do some community service hours and put him on probation.
Still another viewpoint might be – “We need to look to what the law says.” They would look up the specific codes for all of the crimes he committed, and the punishment for each crime would be decided by whatever is in the statutes of the legal codes of the state.
This last viewpoint would rightly understand that the government has legal authority that must be followed so that we do not live in a lawless and chaotic society.
But they may miss that this authority is actually issued directly by God. Paul tells us this very clearly in Romans 13:1 (SLIDE)
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
Here precisely is the problem that the Jewish leaders found themselves in that day. God had placed them in authority, and they knew that… but they didn’t want to acknowledge that they were exceeding the authority that God had entrusted them with.
They had moved beyond the authority of God’s word – and they were instead relying on the authority of man’s traditions.
Jesus because He is God – knew that it is God’s intention for the sick to be healed every day of the week – including the Sabbath. So He healed primarily on the Sabbath to make that point.
In Israel’s past – many times when a prophet made a claim – God would equip that prophet with miracles and signs so that the people would believe the claim and obey God’s word.
This was certainly the case with Jesus except His claim was greater. He did not claim just to speak for God – His claim to be the Son of God put Him as an equal to God.
The leaders had overstepped their authority and Jesus claimed it back. They did not like Jesus and His message – so He made it very clear what was at stake.
He told them in verse 24 – SLIDE
“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.
In other words – Jesus is calling them out for their unbelief. They can hear Him speaking – but they refuse to listen. They are dead in their sins – it is as if they are floating in water as dead men
And they are refusing the lifeboat that can bring them back to life.
In verse 24 – Jesus gives us only two conditions that we can find ourselves in spiritually.
We can be alive in Christ – or we can be outside of Him and be spiritually dead.
Those who hear His word and believe God – it is they who have eternal life – and they have no fear of judgment.
It is the believer who has crossed from death to life.
It is the believer who is free from condemnation.
But those that refuse to believe will be judged – and they are spiritually dead.
The spiritually dead will be judged.
As believers this passage should give us great hope and joy this morning.
We can have the assurance of our salvation. We can have everlasting life that begins in this current life. We have that assurance – that no matter what life throws at us – we have eternal life – because we have taken Jesus at His word. We have believed – and we have obeyed.
The things of this life are temporary – but the life of God is eternal. The struggles and trials of this life are but a fleeting thing – and Jesus Christ is the main thing. And we can hold on to the hope that He is Life.
Verse 25 gives us when these things are are taking place. Jesus says the time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.
The time is now! Today is the day when the dead hear the voice of Jesus and live.
A Christian doctor one day called to see an old man that he had frequently visited before.
Old John was suffering from an attack of bronchitis. Dr. S—— made the necessary inquiries, and, after promising to get some medicine ready when called for, he was about to say “good-bye” when John’s wife inquired: “When must John take the medicine, sir?”
“Let me see. You are not very ill. Suppose you begin to take it in a month.”
“A month, doctor?” cried both in astonishment.
“Yes, why not? Is that too soon?”
“Too soon! Why, sir, I may be dead then!” said John.
“That is true, but you must remember you really are not very bad yet. Still, perhaps you had better begin to take it in a week.”
“But, sir,” cried John in great perplexity, “begging your pardon, sir, I might not live a week.”
“Of course, you may not, John, but very likely you will, and the medicine will be in the house. It will keep, and if you find yourself getting worse, you could take some. I won’t charge anything for it. If you should feel worse tomorrow evening, you might begin then.”
“Sir, I may be dead tomorrow!”
“When would you propose to begin then, John?”
“Well, sir, I thought you would tell me to begin today.”
Many in this world – fear physical death – but have no fear of spiritual death.
“… I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2).
Our application from this passage this morning is obvious. Jesus is Life – Believe Him and live. – and we know that we should do that immediately. The time is now.
But the question is HOW?
Look again at the end of verse 26 - He (God the Father) has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And in verse 27 – God the Father has given Him the authority to judge.
In other words – Jesus Christ is Life – and He sets the terms on how we are to live and how we will be judged.
It is our responsibility to submit to His authority – and to the authority that He set.
Jesus is the source of all life – and He has the authority over all life –
He granted that authority to His apostles – so that we could follow the plan of salvation and have eternal life as they have given it to us through the Holy Spirit recorded in the New Testament
We know this from 2 verses.
Matthew 16:19
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”
And John 20:23
If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
If we hear and obey Jesus’ words this mornings – we will listen to the words of the ones He sent – and we will follow the plan of salvation that they lined out for us.
1 – we will have FAITH in Jesus – we will understand that He is the Son of God – He lived a perfect sinless life – He was crucified, buried and raised from the dead to fulfill the Scriptures and to bring us to new life
2 – We will Confess Him as Lord. Giving Him our life in service fully devoted to Him. We will profess Christ as Lord before the church and before outsiders.
3 – We will REPENT of our sin understanding that we were dead in our sin and we will turn away from those things that lead to death and we will instead turn to follow Christ with our entire being.
4 – We will be Baptized into Christ understanding that we are asking God for a clean conscience (1 Peter 3:21), washing away our sins (Acts 22:16), and being clothed with Christ (Galatians 3:27), joining Him in His death, burial, and being Raised with Him into New life – Romans 6:4..
We believe that when we do these things that the Lord has commanded us – He forgives us our sins – He gives us new life – and He empowers us to live that new life
by the indwelling gift of Himself – the Holy Spirit. Jesus is Life. Today is the day of Salvation – when we follow God’s plan of Salvation – each day we are to live a life of Faith.
5. We are to live by FAITH as we seek to do the will of God every day in our lives.
Today is the day of salvation – but a day is fast approaching when time will be no more.
A day when everyone will hear and listen to the voice of Christ. A day when the trump shall resound and everyone in their graves will hear His voice.
All of the dead will come out – everyone will at that point finally obey the voice of Christ…
But for many it will be too late. They will be raised to condemnation.
Hell is a very real place – and the consequences of disobedience are beyond dreadful. Beyond imagination. But that doesn’t have to be your story, mine, or our neighbor’s.
Let us share the good news of Christ so that others may live.
Let us lead Godly lives so that others may be curious about what is different with our lives. Let us lead others to Christ – one soul at a time.
Today is a day of salvation – a day is coming when it will be too late to tell others about Christ. We shall all see Him face to face.
We don’t know how much time we have left before He returns. But He is coming back one day to judge. He will judge by the standard of God’s word. His judgment will be just and right.
Let us seek to do the Father’s will.
You may not have not known where you were going this morning. You may have felt like you were stuck. If you have obeyed the gospel call – you are bound for glory. If you haven’t, it is not too late. Jesus is not leaving you without hope. Jesus is life – Choose life today. Follow the Gospel call.
Lets pray.
