John, Pt. 23 | John 5:19-32

The Equality of Jesus With the Father in John 5

All right, if you will join me Take your copy of the scriptures. We'll be in John chapter 5 verses 19 through 32. John chapter 5 Verses 19 through 32. This is the 23rd message in the book of John. If you're looking in your pew Bibles that is page 1076.

Let me pray our Father in God Lord. We come to you in the name of your beloved Son Jesus. He is the Christ the Son of the Living God and Lord we ask by his name and by his faithfulness That you will at this time use me To speak forth your word and by which you feed your people.

Or they have not come here to listen to me. They come here to feast At the foot of Jesus at Mount Zion Lord in his name. Bless us. Amen, I'm going to begin reading the text and I'll say up front we will not get through All my points today.

So this is a lot of scripture so beginning in verse 19 therefore Jesus answered and Was saying to them that them. Here's the religious Jews truly truly I say to you The Son can do nothing from himself.

Unless.

It is something he sees the Father doing. For who. For whatever the Father does these things the Son also does in the same manner for the Father loves the Son and shows him all things that he himself is doing and the Father will show him greater works than these So that you will marvel.

For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life even so the Son also gives life to whom he wishes. For not even the Father judges anyone but He has given all judgment to the Son. So that all will honor the Son even as they honor.

The Father.

He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly Truly I say to you He who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and Does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death in to life.

Truly truly I say to you an hour is coming and now is when This dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself even so he gives life Gives to the Son also to have life in himself.

And he gave him authority to execute judgment because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this for an hour is coming in which all Who are in the tombs will hear his voice.

And.

Will come forth those who did good deeds to the resurrection of life and Those who committed evil deeds to the resurrection of judgment. I can do nothing for myself as I hear. I judge and my judgment is righteous because I do not seek my own will but the will of him who sent me if I alone bear witness about myself.

My witness is not true. There is another who bears witness about me and I know that the witness which he gives about me is.

True.

Jesus Is Either a Liar, a Lunatic, or Lord

Our theme for this Lord's Day is the equality of Jesus with the Father. The equality of Jesus with the Father. My proposition is something that we have spoken about many times. Which is in every way that the Father is God Jesus Also is God.

The Father is not out Godding Jesus, right. You know like this this term in the streets where if you hang out with someone and you have this this male Dominance where people guys try to out man other men, right?

We try to outdo one another. The Father does not out God Jesus. In Every way that the Father is God Jesus also is God. Also Holy Spirit is God. Particularly with our text the equality here is speaking about works.

The.

Equality from our text is speaking about works and the works here done by God the Father are the same kind of works done by God the Son. The same question our text raises is the question that we have to ask ourselves today that is Who is? Jesus.

C .s. Lewis one of the great authors of All time in my opinion says this quote. I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying The real if the really foolish thing that people often say about him. I I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God.

This is the one thing we must not say. A Man who is merely a man and says the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic on the level of a man who says he is a poached egg or Else, he would be the devil of hell.

You must make a choice. Either this man was and is the Son of God. Or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool. You can spit at him and kill him as a demon. Or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God.

But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to do so in quotes. Jesus is either a liar a lunatic or Lord, right?

That's just what it comes down to. If if he was not God and knew he was not God. Then he is a liar right. If he was not God, but believed himself to be God. He is a lunatic if our only two options were these two.

Our gathering here together is for nothing right we echo what Paul says we are to be among most people pitied and you should never call someone who claimed to be God and knew he wasn't or Claimed to be God and wasn't but believed himself to be a good moral teacher.

Her other option is that he is Lord. He is who he says he is. And if that is true, you still cannot say that he was only a good teacher. The option is not there. Jesus being only a good teacher that option is not there.

If he is Lord, we are to receive him as such and we are to honor him as.

Such.

His claim to deity does not allow for any of us to have that option of good teacher. He is either a liar a lunatic. Or he is Lord. So who is Jesus in our context? We have Jesus traveling to Jerusalem and one of the three major feast days and at Jerusalem He spots a lame man lying by the pool of Bethesda Hoping to get healed right two weeks ago.

We walked through this. This story that took place so I won't revisit that. If he wasn't here. It should be on YouTube soon. You know on the Facebook page. You can go on the Facebook page and you can see it there.

But I've been in that we spoke about how Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath day and told him to pick up his map. We saw that from the book of Jeremiah that that that they were not supposed to carry any kind of a load on The Sabbath day and we also saw that Sabbath day keeping was the sign of the Mosaic Covenant.

In our outline today, we were going to see the equality of Jesus. The equality that Jesus shares with his father He does whatever the father is doing. He raises the dead and gives life. He has been given all judgment and he receives honor just as the father.

So point number one He does whatever the father is doing. Point number two He raises the dead and gives life. Point number three he has been given all judgment and point number four He receives honor just as the father.

So we'll only go through two of the points today. So if you will join me back in our text we'll read verses 19 and 20 19 and 20 there for Jesus answered and Was saying to them remember the them here is the Jews who were coming against him Claiming that he broke the Sabbath and making himself equal with God.

He said to them truly truly I say to you religious Jews the son Can do nothing from himself unless it is something he sees the father doing. For whatever the father does these things the son also does.

Listen in the same manner for the father loves the son and shows him all things that he himself is doing and the father will Show him greater works than these so that you religious Jews.

Will.

Marvel. So this right here is coming in the context Of that we see taking place in verses 16 through 18.

Verse.

16 we have that Speaking about the reason speaking about the reason they were persecuting Jesus. It says. And for this reason him making a lame man. Well, and that lame man walking carrying his man on the Sabbath the Jews were Persecuting Jesus because he was doing these things that these things would be making a lame man.

Well.

On.

The Sabbath.

But he answered them my father is Working until now and I myself am working. For this reason the breaking of the Sabbath doing the miracles calling him father calling the father. Calling God his father for this reason therefore The Jews were seeking all the more to kill him because he was not only breaking the Sabbath.

But he was also calling God his own father making himself equal with God so we're not gonna really touch Sabbath here just the the fact that Jesus has been accused of Blaspheming really by calling God his father, right?

He didn't say our father, right if you go back two weeks ago. I mentioned this in there. Also, he didn't say our father including himself with the Jews. He said my father. We remember in the Lord's Prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray and we pray that every Lord's Day we pray our Father we say our father.

We're including that all of us are his children in in one way by saying Jesus saying my father. He is excluding himself from the group. Claiming that he himself is the Son of God and so By that the Jews were saying that he was making himself Equal with God.

Jesus seems to be telling these religious Jews that he is able to heal on the Sabbath. The reason why is because that is the work of God. Jesus coming and Doing these mighty works on the Sabbath is a part of the work of God.

We also saw two weeks ago that Jesus was the Lord of the Sabbath. We saw that the Sabbath was not made for man. I Was made we saw that the Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath. Meaning like if you were to to take the principle that we use in general equity.

Meaning that it was a way to make sure That there was a day of rest. So if you at this time Was a master you had slaves. The Sabbath meant that you can't work your slaves seven days a week. You have to give them a day off if you are a business owner.

You cannot work your employees seven days a week. You must give them a day off. Well, this is something that we can extract from that and say yes, absolutely. This is something that we need, right? We don't need people Working seven days a week or you know, you might be someone what we call a workaholic, right?

And you're just trying to work your life away. So a principle that we can take from Sabbath is that you You need rest. You don't need to work your life away, right? So this is what's called general equity of course, it's a moral law there was a Just penalty for people that did not obey Sabbath and that just penalty was death.

And so I would say we're not Including death for a workaholic, but please Take a day off. Don't work your life away. So that's a general equity. That's something that we can look at and say yes, this is something that we can apply to our own lives today because it was We was made for us in that way.

God does not want us to live our life. Working he wants us to take a day of rest and also pointed out that we You be far and it would be hard for you to try to prove from the text that this was Generally speaking about a day of worship because in Jewish custom every day was a day of worship.

Right every day. There was something to do in temples and synagogues. So it wasn't so much of gathering together to worship God it was not working Don't work your life away and Jesus came and he was performing miracles on the Sabbath.

And so because of that Including himself with the father that the he is the father's son. They accused him of Blaspheming which also carried a just penalty of death. Jesus doing whatever the father does seems to be What it what is driving this discourse, right?

So if you if you just read over this discourse, you see that it's Jesus Identifying himself with God concerning works Jesus here.

Has.

Jesus begins his argument by by Why he is able to do these works so Jesus if you as we walk through this We're going to see the reason why he's he is saying that he is able to do the works of God do these very works that he's doing such as Healing people on the Sabbath and it's because the father loves him.

So he is able to do what the father does. Because the father loves him. That's what he's proclaiming. I am able to do this because I am loved by my father. In John chapter 3 verse 35 it says the father.

Jesus speaking the father loves the son and Has given him all things until his hands so everything that the father does Jesus is able to do Verse 17. He calls God father my father, but in verse 20 Speaking of God the father he see he declared he calls himself the father.

So he says the father loves the son. So two ways that he's supposedly in the eyes of the Jews are is blaspheming first. He doesn't include them in his he doesn't say our father. He says my father. But then he says that the father loves the son.

He didn't he doesn't say that the father loves his sons. Right. He's excluding himself from the religious Jewish group. He doesn't say the father loves the sons the Jews. He says but the father loves the son and he's pointing to himself so again, if you're a religious Jew at this time if you hold to the The law of God in a strict form you would have to say he is blaspheming and he deserves to die.

So Jesus here is making himself equal with God. So Jesus being the son of God calling himself God. He is making himself equal with God. Now what we need to understand here is that the equality here is being Being remember if we're gonna walk through the doctrine of God.

There is only one God right being one being the the one what the three who's one the one. What is the one being the three who's are the father son and the Holy Spirit? So his equality with God is in the being right the one being.

He is not saying that him and the father Are the same person? He's not saying that he is the father. Right. That's not what Jesus is saying. He is saying that he is equal with God. Speaking of the being speaking of the name Yahweh.

Yahweh represents the being of God so the equality in Referent to the being not the person. He begins to speak in a way. I Think that we're all gonna be able to appreciate this he speaks in a way That would be familiar to the Jews by story, but not by experience.

Meaning a prophetic word, right? So he is speaking in such a way that he's able to see the father and the father is showing him works so this would been familiar to them in a and. By story only right the these stories of the prophets were passed down to the Jewish people.

So by story only they were able to understand in a way of what he was saying. They had never experienced prophets in their time. Remember before John the Baptist it had been 400 years. Since God has spoken by way of prophets.

Jesus is saying he does what he sees the father doing. Right. So so Jesus is saying he does that the works that he is doing he is able to see the father doing these works. Jesus here is saying that he is able to experience the father in a way.

That way you and I understand theologically. But we don't understand in practice. We don't understand what he's. Experiencing in practice because we you and I we don't see the father right with our eyes.

We don't see the father. We don't have an inner eyesight of what the father is doing in heaven. We understand it theologically, but we don't understand it in practice. The same with the Jews. They understood it by stories being passed down to them, but they didn't understand it in experience.

We understand it. This experience that he's having. Theologically, but we don't understand it in practice. The Jews would have probably understood this experience by way of visions or dreams. So this is how the prophets were spoke to by way of visions or dreams or even God coming in an angelic being the angel of the Lord.

We would probably understand this more dealing with his omniscience the omniscience of Jesus Christ if you turn in your Bible to John chapter 3 verse 13 and I'm going to add some words at the end that I believe should be in the text because I hold to the majority text view so verse 13 says and No one has ascended into heaven.

But he who descended from heaven. The Son of Man, that's a messianic claim. And so our Bibles also in my opinion should have who is in heaven. Who is in heaven? So if you take the manuscripts that we have the most of.

It says who is in heaven. So in some way we have Jesus on earth. But it's in heaven and I believe it's speaking of his omniscience. We understand that the hypo we understand through the hypostatic union.

Jesus has two natures two natures the divine nature and the human nature and Yet he was he is one Christ one Christ two natures. Jesus in his divine nature is Omniscience he can hold all things together by the word of his power, right?

He can be on earth present with his disciples. While at the same time experiencing his father in heaven. So that's his divine nature is able to do these things. He can he can be with his disciples. Hold all things together by the word of his power and experience his father in heaven.

The human nature of Jesus can only be in one place at one time. So he is able to experience the father in a way that we don't understand an experience. We're not omniscient. We don't hold all things together.

We cannot be here and there. Our understanding is merely theological. And as we transition the greater works than these. That will cause them to marvel will be the rest of what our verses are speaking about.

Regeneration and Spiritual Death in John 5

So point number two, he raises the dead. Look at verse 21. For as the father raises the dead and gives them life. Even so the son also Gives life to whom he wishes. Now what I want to do is a little different than what we normally do.

Because there's two sections as you see right here. There's two paragraphs you if you have the LSB the first paragraph is the Jesus Equality with the father and then the second paragraph would be the two resurrections.

Now.

If you walk through this and we're going to walk through it this way We're going to see that these two parallel each other that Jesus mentioned something in one paragraph. But the answer a fuller picture of it comes in the next paragraph and so what we're going to do is I want to.

We're going to look at today verse 21 and our second point along with verse 25 and 26. So I'm gonna read verse 21 again, then we'll read verse 25 and 26.

21.

For just as the father raises the dead and gives them life. Even so the son also gives life to whom he wishes. Verse 25 truly truly I say to you an hour is coming and now is When the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.

For just as the father has life in himself. Even so he gave to the son also to have life in himself. Now the first thing to notice here is. The raising of the dead unto life is not a future judgment. It's not a future raising of the dead.

We'll see that in verses 22 connected to 27 and 28. Verse 22 connected to 27 and 28. And we'll look at that next week. The raising of the dead in verses 21 25 and 26 is speaking about Regeneration. It's speaking about the new birth, which we clearly walk through in John chapter 3.

Right as Jesus as John is writing this gospel. And after he says something or makes a statement or makes a theological term He's not leaving it there right and as he's continuing to write. He's bringing it with him the whole way.

So we're gonna see this brought through the gospel all the way through this idea of the new birth. Remember Jesus speaking with Nicodemus. He tells him unless the man is born again. He cannot see he cannot enter the kingdom of God and This is speaking about what what we see taking place in Ezekiel 36.

It's the regeneration that that God himself is going to To sprinkle us with clean water. He's going to remove our heart of stone. Give us a heart of flesh and put his spirit in us. That will cause us to keep his law.

Now for our proof text I want us to look at Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2. And let's look at verse 1. Ephesians chapter 2. Verse 1 and You were dead.

In your.

Transgressions and sins. Stop right there, and you were dead and your transgressions and sins. The death here expressed in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1 is spiritual death. It's spiritual death. Every one of us were born.

When we were born we were born. Physically alive right we. We're physically alive every one of us. We're born. We're physically alive, but we are Spiritually dead this is what Scripture tells us. Think about what I just said a minute ago with that Ezekiel passage that God puts his spirit in us.

We're born without the Spirit of God in us. We're born spiritually dead. Spiritually dead means spiritually listen to this spiritually unable to live for God so. Spiritually dead means that you are born spiritually unable to live for God and spiritually unable to Respond to the call of God so not only can you not live for God remember?

He has to put his spirit in you that causes you to obey his law but you you are spiritually unable to Respond to the call of God and this right here would be the gospel so when someone's witnessing to you are if you hear a preacher preaching they're preaching the gospel or.

Or.

In the reformed circle we say this quite often you know no one just wakes up and decides to be a Christian. Right. So whether it's we're saying that no one wakes up and decides to be a Christian. But we're also saying even if you're hearing the gospel preach you can't respond to that call.

You're unable to respond. Because you're spiritually dead. We hear people debating the idea of free will all the time. This free will idea this Spiritual death that we're speaking about that is the dividing wall.

That your will cannot.

Climb over.

You cannot climb over the fact that you are spiritually dead. In order for anyone to not be spiritually dead they must be given life. And that is what our text is talking about so if you look back at our text again I'm gonna read again.

I'm gonna try to do it a little slower. John 5 21 25 and 26 and as I'm reading it think about Spiritual death not a physical resurrection, but a spiritual death that's being spirit spiritual with the spiritual resurrection.

Again next week. We'll see the physical death with physical resurrection. For just as the father Raises the dead so if you just look at verse 21 it seems to be talking about physical. That's why I'm saying like the next portion gives more light for just as the father Raises the dead and gives them life even so the son also gives life to whom he wishes.

Truly truly I say to you an hour is Coming right here and now is. So if this was future there wouldn't be no and now is When the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.

For just as the father has life in himself even so he gives To the son also to have life in himself. Now turn back to Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2 tells us what spiritual death looks like.

Ephesians 2 will read verses 1 through 3 and You were dead and the transgressions of your sins in which you Formally walked according to the course of this world according to the ruler of the power of the air the spirit That is now working in the sons of disobedient among whom We also Formerly conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh Doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind.

We were by nature Children of wrath even as the rest of mankind our spiritual death Was are by nature were by nature born Spiritually.

Dead.

The conduct of the spiritual death is fleshly. I Sounds weird right. The conduct of the spiritual death of spiritual death is fleshly because we're born physically alive. And the conduct that's been that that takes place in the spiritual dead is fleshly.

They conduct themselves it says in the lust of the flesh Doing the desires of the flesh and their mind the Greek word here for flesh as Actually speaking about bodies. Like when it says the flesh conducting yourself in the flesh.

It's this the Greek word for body. That's all it means is your body. The Greek word here for mind speaks about thoughts and imaginations. Thoughts and imaginations meaning not only are we living for our flesh or our Let me not put it on us.

Not only are they the spiritual dead living for their flesh? But that their flesh is what draw is what's been driven by their mind their flesh is only doing What their mind tells them to do right? They're only reacting on the thoughts the imaginations of their their mind their hearts the will of a person.

You talk about this the whole free will controversy the will of a person who is driven by their mind. Carrying out the desires of their flesh is not free right if if if if you are Living for the desires of your flesh and it's being driven by the imagination of your mind.

You're not free. You're enslaved. You cannot Live for God and you cannot respond to the call. You're unable to I hit this too many times. Okay, the only way for them to be made a Life spiritually and able to respond to the call of God.

Again, we go back to John 3 is regeneration. You must be born again. And as the father has the power to raise the dead and to give life Jesus has the power to raise the dead and give life. This is what's 21 is talking about.

So let's look back at 21. I want to point out something real quick.

21.

John chapter 5 verse 21. For just as the father Raises the dead and gives them life even so the son also gives life to him. Right here He wishes to whom he wishes on the great day of judgment. All people are going to get life and come out of their graves.

Right. Everyone that's that has died will come forth will receive some kind of life new bodies and will come out of their graves. Some will go to To be with God and some are going to go into destruction, but but every one of them come out the grave alive.

This resurrection this raising of the dead he says to whom he wishes. Meaning that's this this resurrection is not for everyone this raising of the dead is not for everyone. But it's for whom he wishes.

Right, and we could go back to the doctrine of election, which we're not going to do right now. We we walk through that previously in this in this gospel.

Notice.

He doesn't say. Again, it's everyone. It's not to everyone but also notice that this life regeneration that's being spoken about it's talking about the first and between the first and second Advent. So first Advent Jesus Christ the the hypostatic Union God enters into creation.

Jesus becomes flesh. Right, that's first Advent. Jesus enters into time the infinite becomes finite the Creator enters creation. First Advent. Second Advent. Jesus comes back His feet touched down on earth second coming and at that moment He will judge the living and the dead.

So what takes place between first Advent and second Advent is Regeneration. This is what this raising of the dead is speaking about. It says an hour is coming and now.

Is.

This is speaking about the first Advent an hour is coming in verse 28. If you see verse 28, it says do not marvel at this for an hour is coming. It doesn't say and now is and an hour is coming. That's future tense.

It's not that our the hour is coming and now is. This is the one that's coming. That's future tense. This is speaking about the second Advent the return of Jesus Christ and when that happens that raising of the dead again.

We'll look at that next week from verse 28 will take place.

So.

Let's just read that for clarity. Verse 28. Do not marvel at this I want you to see if you notice the difference. An hour is coming in which all Not who he wishes right all Who are in the tombs will hear his voice.

And.

Will come forth and Those who did good deeds to the resurrection of life and those who committed evil deeds to the resurrection of judgment. So in verse 21 again verse 21 doesn't Doesn't separate the two.

So if you just read verse 21, it seems like it's speaking about what verse 28 is speaking about it doesn't seem to be speaking about a a Spiritual resurrection. That's why you have to look at 25 26 and then Again 27 through 29.

There's two Resurrections there so back to where we are, but the hour is coming and now is this life from the dead is regeneration and It takes place when a spiritual dead person hears the voice of the Son of God, so how does it take place a spiritually dead person Hears the voice of the Son of God, that's what it says verse 21.

No, excuse me verse 25 is Now coming is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God. So the a good question to ask is this How does a spiritually dead? Person hear the voice of the Son of God, right?

How does the spiritual dead hear the voice of the Son of God and I believe That it's through gospel preaching and gospel conversation through gospel preaching whether it be behind the pulpit on a street corner or You sitting around a table talking with family or talking with friends.

That that's how they hear the voice of the Son of God when ministering the gospel to the spiritually dead those who hear the voice of the Son of God are given life and Those who hear my voice or your voice remain dead in their trespasses and sins.

Right like something happens in the preaching of the gospel whether you're ministering By by speaking forth the truth and pulpits are on streets or just having conversation. To where it's not you speaking or or we can say that's not You who they are hearing?

So as I'm preaching if they do not hear the voice of Christ's calling them They will remain dead in their trespasses and sins. They must hear the voice of the Son of God the gospel is God's power for salvation.

So somehow as the gospel is being ministered the voice of God speaks forth. Whether it's like we see in John 11 when he calls for Lazarus Lazarus come forth. You know for me, you know, I can't tell you that I actually heard Jesus.

Jesus and Jeff come forth, but it's through that message of the gospel right that that I heard the voice of the Son of God. I was given life. I was given life. I was given faith to believe and You so so you and I when we call someone to repent.

So so this is the the gospel called the call of God when we call someone to repent and believe. We we can't call him to repent and believe without speaking forth. The message of reconciliation so after we preach to them the message of reconciliation we call them to repent and believe.

They cannot respond to gospel proclamation unless They hear the voice of God. Salvation is through the proclamation of the gospel. That is the message of reconciliation. So when you're witnessing to someone.

You know, you have to talk about God who is God you have to talk about man who is man and you have to talk About Jesus who is Jesus and then you have to call them to repentance. All right, this is the Steps, right?

We need to tell people that there's only one God and you are not him and that this one God has revealed himself to us in time through Jesus Christ who lived the life that we could not live and he took upon himself the death that we deserve because we Have broken God's law and because we have broken God's law.

We are condemned but reconciliation is given to us because God so loved the world. Red yellow black and white he sent his son to live the life. They could not live and to take their punishment and then we call them to faith and we call them to believe.