The Greatness of Christ: Part 1

I speak to you this morning about the greatness of Jesus Christ and you know as well as I do, we are about to embark on a journey together in this particular section in the

Gospel of John chapter 5. It's as if we are at the shoreline looking at the vastness of a great, great deep ocean.

Yet, I like to think of it like this, our ship is ready for the journey, but the question arises, is our ship seaworthy of such vastness?

Is our ship seaworthy? I like to think also what the Apostle Paul says, who is sufficient for these things?

Who is sufficient? That's a question that the answer would be none of us really are, if we are sincerely honest, but yet the

Lord Himself has given us His Word. He has given His revealed

Word, revealed in Scripture and as Brother Keith read this morning from Psalm 19, the

Word of God is sufficient, isn't it? It's sufficient for all things. It applies to us and His Word is sufficient and most important,

He has blessed us and given us His Holy Spirit. If you are a believer in Christ today, by faith to travel this appointed way in which the

Lord has given us. So we do come this appointed way and where the Lord leads us,

He guides us, He equips us. And He gives us His Word, He gives us His promises and as Paul says, it's yes and amen to all

His promises. So in saying that, I'd like for us to bow first of all in His presence and seek

His face as we ask of His help within this hour of worship as we do come before Him and to hear

His Word. Because we all need Him, don't we? We need the Spirit of God to help us and to show us

Christ as we give and bless the Lord. And this hour of worship, that's what blessing is, it comes from God, it goes through us and it comes back to God as we bless

Him. So it's God that's all in all and Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is the mediator, the great high priest that He has brought

God to us. He's God come to us, right? Emmanuel, God with us. So it's all in Christ, in Christ alone, but the

Spirit of God must reveal this. And how does He reveal it? Through His Word. But at the same time, even the

Word of God must have the Spirit of God apply and give it that power to illuminate us, to give us the light and the heat and to help us in every way to see

Jesus Christ and to glorify Him. So let's bow in His presence and let's pray.

Our Father in Heaven, we first of all, our great desire is to know more of You.

And in worship, Lord, we come because You have commanded it.

And Lord, it is our duty to obey it with delight. Thank You for this day that is set apart.

We call it the Lord's Day, Lord, and it comes right from Scripture. Or should I say

You call it? It's Your day. It's Your day, Lord. And we say, hallowed be

Thy name, hallowed be Thy name. We do come before You, Lord. And we come before You, Lord, in reverence, before Your throne of grace, with awe.

And we come, Lord, as Your Word has said, boldly, with confidence.

Not confidence in the flesh, because the arm of flesh will fail us, oh

God. But we come with confidence in Your Spirit. And Your Spirit that will give us and teach us

Your ways. And lead us and guide us with Your own eye.

Lord, Your Spirit that always glorifies Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And as it's been said this morning,

Lord, it's our desire to see Jesus. So Lord, as we come before Your throne, we come, as the

Scripture says, to obtain mercy. Lord, to find grace to help us in time of need.

And we are needy. Lord, I would pray that You would enlarge our hearts today.

That we may run the way of Your commandments. To obey Your Word. Just not to be hearers, but to be doers of Your Word.

And we ask this for Your honor and glory, in Jesus' name.

Amen. Amen. Well, there's a lot here, as we come to this portion, this section, from verse 16, all the way to the end of the chapter, to verse 47.

And what I'd like to do today is just do a primary overview and touch just a little bit about the quality that the

Lord Jesus Christ has with the Father. That in of itself is deep waters.

And that's actually the intro, in a sense, of everything else that follows and all that we will be seeing.

There's some works in which are lawful to do on the Sabbath. There are some works that are lawful to do on the

Sabbath. It is the fourth commandment. And in that fourth commandment, it is a transitional commandment in worship.

As God has ordained that. What I mean by that is that the first three commands is

God words. Of the ten commandments. Then you have the fourth commandment is to keep that day holy.

And there's a reason for it, because before the Jews, the ten commandments was given to God's people.

God was teaching them, this is a commandment of worship. And it is transitional from God word to man word.

And if you notice, beginning with the fifth commandment, it begins by standing horizontally.

Everything in God's word is by perfect order. So it's very important for us to understand a little bit what is going on here in the text about the

Sabbath day. The religious Jews, as you well know, we've been looking at, has found fault with the

Lord Jesus Christ as he healed this man that was afflicted for 38 years on the

Sabbath day. They accused him of breaking the fourth commandment.

And of course we know that Jesus upheld the commandment perfectly. He fulfilled the law perfectly.

Jesus has replied to them as if he is saying and paraphrase, though my father rested on the

Sabbath day from his work of creation, he has never rested for a moment from taking care of his world.

And to supplying the needs of his creatures. God continually works.

And it's works of mercy. But these Pharisees and these religious Jewish leaders looked at this and added to the law traditions.

And they literally broke the law. They were the ones that were breaking the law of God. So Jesus doesn't break the fourth commandment, we know that.

But they didn't know it because they're blinded in their darkness. And when he healed the sick man, and he heals the sick, many more examples throughout the gospel, is that any more than God the

Father breaks it when he causes the sun to rise and the grass to grow on the

Sabbath. Jesus is not throwing out the fourth commandment by no means because why?

He is the Lord of the Sabbath. He is the Lord of the Sabbath. What he's doing is he's showing and demonstrated us that there are works of necessity and there's works of mercy that are permitted.

And these are good works. And to say that Jesus healed this man that was lame for 38 years and many, many other healings and miracles that he did on the

Sabbath day, it was all because of the goodness and kindness and the mercy of God. But these religious people didn't look at it like that.

As we embark on this section also, Jesus teaches about his deity and his greatness.

His deity and his greatness. This is huge. He makes the most startling claim ever made, as John MacArthur puts it.

I like that. It's the most startling claim ever made. And he claims that he is one with God the

Father in action, in knowledge, in heart, in will. The Father and the

Son are one. Jesus even said this many, many times throughout the gospel. What I see the Father commands and what

I see the Father do, I do. He's one with the Father. One with God.

Two persons but one God. And as we know, there's the Holy Spirit as well. So three persons and three in one.

One in unity. Never divided, never separated. All working together. They worked together in creation.

They worked together in redemption. Never set apart. So how could he make such an astounding claim?

How can he make such a claim that he is equal with God? Well, first of all, they answer that question because he proclaimed that he possessed equality with God and then he proceeded to give full proof.

That full proof which is verified. It verified his claim in every way.

Beloved, the great truths like these are beyond our power to even explain fully.

And as I come to this text, all I can think of is I would think of Thomas bowing before him as Jesus showed him his scars and he fell down at his feet.

My Lord and my God. Just to worship. This is the attitude of worship.

We must come before His Word and to even tremble at His Word. But the attitude is worship because of how great

Christ is. These are beyond our power to explain.

And my words, I'm going to probably stumble all over myself but please forgive me. It is so high.

It is so great. The depth is so deep. And deep calls unto the deep. And all we do is plunge into the greatness of God and seeing in His Word and say,

Lord, change me as we come to worship in who He is and His greatness and His glory and His majesty.

Well, you see, we believe that and we rest upon that. Jesus claims as well that He can give life.

He gives life, doesn't He? We'll be seeing that in this section.

Life is precisely the thing that puny little man with all his cleverness can neither create or restore when taken away.

You know, you have people trying to play God today trying to create life, to clone life.

As you well know, playing God, but no one can do such a thing but God. But as Scripture clarifies it, life and death is in the hands of the

Lord Jesus Christ. I assure you of that by the authority of God's Word.

He is Lord over all because He is Lord of all. Dead bodies, dead souls are under His dominion.

Think of that. No one can go to a graveyard and pull people out of the dead, out of the grave, can they?

But Jesus can by the power of His Word. And when He comes back one day, He's going to do that.

And that's actually in this chapter because He has the power to do that because in verse 29 in chapter...

Let me back up, verse 28. Do not marvel at this for the hour is coming in which all...

Think of that. All, every dead, all souls who are in the graves will hear

His voice and come forth. Those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation.

Only Christ has that kind of power. It's the kind of power with the Word of God that created the entire universe.

You know, doesn't this stagger our imagination? It does. So as we come and embark on this, we need to be in an attitude of worship of who

God is and His greatness and His glory and His majesty. Revelation, the book of Revelation is a book of worship.

I love, that's the favorite part personally to me about Revelation is just not the prophecies in which the prophecies...

A lot of them I don't understand but I ask God as I study it, Lord help me understand a lot of it.

But more than that, I would rather be just lost in worship as we come in the book of Revelation and just not get caught up in the winds and the whys and the hows but into who and Jesus and who

He is. And John the Apostle in Revelation 1 verse 17 and verse 18 said this, as this man was one that leaned on the breast of Jesus when

Jesus was here in His earthly ministry, the Apostle John on the Isle of Patmos, and by the way, he's in the

Spirit on the Lord's Day when he makes this claim. And he testifies.

He says, and when I saw Him, talking about the Lord Jesus Christ, now He's glorified. When he saw

Him on the Lord's Day, he had a vision and he sees the Lord and he says, I fell at His feet as dead.

That's the Apostle John. I'm thinking, what's going to happen to us when we see Him? If the

Apostle John, the holy Apostle that loved Him with a deep love and obeyed

Him, and He was the only Apostle, by the way, that was not martyred. They tried to kill Him. According to the traditions back then of the record, when

He was at old age, they tried to kill Him by dumping Him in hot boiling oil. But it didn't kill

Him. But he says here, I saw Christ, and I fell at His feet as dead, like paralyzed.

But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me in a word of comfort, even though He was trembling, and He knew that this was

His beloved Apostle whom Jesus loved. And then He says, do not be afraid.

Isn't that wonderful? Do not be afraid. I am the first and I am the last. I am

He who lives and was dead, and behold, I'm alive forevermore. Amen.

Amen. And I have, Jesus says, and I have the keys of Hades and of death.

So what is He saying? In Him is life. In Him is life. John, we've already traveled this appointed way, but let me backtrack a little bit.

John 1, 1 through 5. In the beginning was the Word, the Logos, and the

Word was with God, and the

Word was God. And all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

In Him was life. That word life is in the

Greek, zoe, the life of God. He is that very life. Jesus says, I am the way, I'm the truth,

I'm the life. The life was the light of men. And then it says, and the light shines in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

A better translation I'd like to say is probably closer to the Greek, and the darkness did not overpower it.

The darkness did not overpower it. So here in chapter 5,

Christ claims that He has all authority. The authority has been given to Him by God the

Father to be the judge of the entire world.

You know, that's given also in Acts 17. Great, great evangelistic verse,

I believe, that we could give people today that He is the one that will be judging the entire world.

But in Acts 17 on Mars Hill, after Paul gave that great sermon there, what is he saying?

He says, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness.

Jesus Christ will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom

He has ordained. That's Christ. He has given assurance. Listen to that.

He's given assurance of this to all by the resurrection, by raising Him from the dead.

You could guarantee it because Jesus Christ is raised from the dead. He's resurrected. That means there is a judgment.

Now, if Jesus did not raise from the dead, our faith would be in vain, our preaching would be in vain, everything that we believe would be vanity, there would be no worth to go on.

But Jesus is risen from the dead and that means He is going to judge millions and probably

I would say billions of souls that's ever lived on this entire earth, every single soul. And like He said, it's going to be to the resurrection of life and to those who have done evil or to the resurrection of condemnation.

That's a great statement. So Christ has this authority and we're going to be looking at it in the near future.

Verse 26 and 27 says this, for as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the

Son to have life in Himself. He has given Him authority to execute judgment also because He is the

Son of Man. This is Jesus' own words of that. John 17, 2,

Jesus is praying to the Father and He says this, as you have given,

He's praying to the Father, as you have given Him authority over all flesh, think of that, all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as you have given

Him. There's election, the Father has chosen before the foundation of the world to those that will come to Him and Jesus basically said, and to those who come to Him, He will no wise cast out.

But before He said that, what did He say? It's the Father who draws them and they come to Christ.

So all power, all authority is given to the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is the King and He is the Judge of all mankind. Before Him every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is

Lord to the glory of God the Father. So it says in Philippians, let me read it, chapter 2, verse 7 to 11, because this is talking about, this whole text that we're coming to is talking about the greatness of Jesus Christ.

And the Apostle Paul knew this. He says, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond slave.

That right there in itself shows His condescension. He comes downward into the depth and the darkness.

Just Him being born is enough that God Himself would become flesh. He became in the form of a bond slave and coming in the likeness of man, being found in the appearance as a man.

And then it says this, and He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

I was talking about perfect obedience, folks. You know, we desire to obey

God and we are to obey God and following Him and taking up our own cross, denying ourselves all the way to the end.

And that is our love to Him is our obedience to His commandments. But Jesus shows His great love,

His obedient, perfect love to the Father as He obeys the Father and does the will of the Father all the way to the death of the cross.

He lowers, He comes to the lowest of the low, He humbles Himself as a bond slave,

Christ, God, all the way to the point of death on a criminal's cross for your sin, for my sin, for a man's depravity.

Become sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Isn't that great?

And it stops there and then it's like there's, that is the lowest point of Christ's humiliation that He humbles

Himself to that point. And then it says, therefore God also has highly exalted

Him. He's highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and those in heaven and those on earth and those under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is

Lord to the glory of God the Father. That is going to be a reality and will happen because He is risen from the dead.

The greatness of Jesus Christ. So I said all that here so it's with that kind of attitude, with that kind of awe, with that kind of wonder, that kind of amazement as we approach this text that we worship the

Lord Jesus Christ in verses 16 to 47 as we travel this appointed way.

Well let's pick up at looking at the Lord's claims in verse 16.

Verse 16. It says this, the text says, for this reason the

Jews persecuted Jesus sought to kill Him. The Jews persecuted Jesus sought to kill

Him because He had done these things on the Sabbath. He healed on the Sabbath. Remarkably the healing of the lame man seemed to make no difference to those religious

Jews and those who persecuted Jesus. The verb tense of the word persecuted here means that the

Jews, it's in repeated form. It means they continued to persecute

Him. They were hostile toward Him constantly. So all that they could see in their darkened minded blinded eyes is that their religious rule was broken.

Their tradition has been broken. He has broken their rule but thinking that it was the law of God.

They added to the law of God but it became of no effect because of their tradition.

You know why? Because they went beyond the command of Holy Scripture. They added to it.

You know, can you imagine the perfect Holy God when He says a command and He says a word like at the

Ten Commandments especially the Ten Commandments and it was at that time graven in stone and when

He gave it to Moses and here are these religious people down through the years and they perverted it and they add to His word to the words of Almighty God.

Well, as they added to the God's law it made it of no effect. The absolute devotion to these traditions of man surrounding the

Sabbath cannot be underestimated. For example, Deuteronomy 23 verse 12 to 14 read it in your devotional time but I'll paraphrase it.

It basically tells Israel to practice good sanitation when the armies are camped and ancient rabbis applied the same principle to the city of Jerusalem when they regarded regarded as the camp of the

Lord. It even went to the point when this was combined with the

Sabbath travel restrictions it resulted in a prohibition against going to the bathroom on the

Sabbath day. How ridiculous! Man's little traditions and God set the law there for the good of man to keep because of the worship of God.

It's the Lord's day because it's about what? The Lord. It's about God.

It's about that's what the Lord's day is about. We know

Jesus did not break God's law since there was no prohibition of doing good on the

Sabbath day and that's exactly what Jesus did. He did nothing but good. It was acts of mercy. Healing a man that was crippled for 38 years and even after that the man goes to the

Jews and tells them who did this and he takes up his mattress and then he actually sides up with the

Jewish people these religious Pharisees in the temple. It's sad, isn't it?

Deception. Well, however, Jesus disregarded the oral law of the

Jews that had been developed and the traditions of men so most likely

I would say it like this when we see Jesus healing on the Sabbath Jesus is on purposely doing this.

He's deliberately healing on the Sabbath day. He picks that day for a reason.

He on purpose practiced such healing on the Sabbath and doing these miracles because to provoke a confrontation with these religious hypocrites and to deal with the hypocrisy in their lives that blinded them to the true worship of God.

You know, I like to think of it Brother Ben's been preaching a series on holy violence.

This is holy violence in its perfect and best form. It's holy aggression.

It's righteousness. Do you notice in the gospel that Jesus is never on the defense? Nobody. Nobody could set him back and prove him wrong.

He was always on the offense. Always. Notice when he's always constantly asking them questions based upon the scriptures and the law of God and the prophets it always sets them back because they're so steeped in their damnable religion.

You know, Jesus is this is holy aggression, folks. This is holy violence. Jesus was always on the offense.

Always. Especially against these self -righteous Jews that accused him of breaking the

Sabbath. Now, as we as I say that look with me to verse 17.

I don't want to read it all the way to the end. Verse 47. By the way, this this reveals the ultimate reason that Jesus confronted the

Jewish religious the hypocrites, the hypocrisy and this gives us our

Lord the opportunity to declare what he was. I'm not going to use this as an outline but MacArthur outlines it like this and let me just give it to you.

I think it's great. MacArthur says this section is

Christ's own personal statement of his deity. His own personal statement of his deity.

As such, it is one of the greatest Christological discourses in Scripture.

Herein Jesus makes five claims to equality with God. Listen to this very carefully. Number one, he is equal with God in his person.

In verse 17 and 18. That's all we're going to go to today. But he is equal with God in his person in verse 17 and 18.

Second, he is equal with God in his works in his person and in his works in verse 19 and 20.

Third, he is equal with God in his power in his sovereignty in verse 21.

And fourth, he is equal with God in his judgment in verse 22. And fifth, he is equal with God in his honor in verse 23.

That's MacArthur's outline and I love it. It's really good because it compacts everything together but oh how deep this is.

This is Jesus' own personal testimony of himself. He is equal with God in his person.

He's equal with God in his works. He's equal with God in his power. He's equal with God in his sovereignty.

He's equal with God in his judgment. He's equal with God in his honor. Christ, the perfect son of God.

The perfect son of man. Now, verse 17 and 18 gives us the background and I can tell you this, this is as far as we're going to go today because there's so much here.

But this would be a good introduction to everything else that's going to be following God willing.

Verse 17 and 18 gives us the background. It gives us the background. Jesus claimed equality with God.

He claims equality with God and believe me, this is the reason why the

Jews wanted to kill him. Not only did he break the Sabbath according to their rules,

Jesus claims his equality with God the Father. Verse 17 says, but Jesus answered them, talking about the religious

Jews, so he's speaking all this, everything from this point from verse 17 to the end of the chapter, verse 41,

I'm sorry, verse 47, is speaking to these religious Jews, these hypocrites.

And what does Jesus say in verse 17? Great statement. Jesus answered them, verse 17, he answered them, my

Father has been working until now and I have been working.

Notice, he uses the word working. You see that? On the

Sabbath, it's works of mercy, it's works of necessity, it's works because it's on the

Sabbath and they're thinking, he has broken the Sabbath, he's working. The man that he healed got up and oh, he broke the law by taking his mattress and he walked so many steps.

But the Lord says here, the Father's working and I'm working. One with God the

Father. That's equality. He's one with them in equality. He's equal with God the

Father. Jesus did not try to explain that he had not truly worked on the

Sabbath. Instead, what does he do? He boldly explained to them, these religious

Jews, that his Father worked on the Sabbath. This was just, to them, they're in such a religious mold.

They had no idea who God is and what he's like.

And therefore Jesus, being the Son of God, he also worked on the Sabbath. He healed on the Sabbath. I love what the

Psalm says, He that keeps Israel shall never slumber or sleep. He never sleeps. He's always working.

Well, let's talk about this. Here's a wonderful comment by commentator

Clark. He said this, quote, Though he rested from creating, he never ceased from preserving and governing that which he had formed.

In this respect, he could keep no Sabbaths. That's interesting.

Listen to what he says here, For nothing, for nothing to continue to exist or answer the end purpose proposed,

I'm sorry, by the divine wisdom and the goodness without the continual energy of God.

End quote. I think that's a great quote because think of it, God in his power, because he's all powerful and all in his attributes, he's ever present and he's omniscient, he's all wise.

It's consistent. And I like to think of it too, you know, after God created the worlds and did his works and creation in Genesis 1 and 2 there, that, and I got this from A .W.

Tozer when he was doing a series on the attributes of God, that that was not hard for God. He created it with ease.

To us it thinks, wow, we sit back, but he's God. You notice the one text there after he created the worlds and then it says, and he made the stars also.

It's like, wow, he just spoke them into existence with ease. And then scripture says he knows each star by name in his omniscience.

And Tozer said this, that all that God did in his creation and by the power of his word and his energy, he releases that energy, but it's like he is energy, he is life, he is power and he does not lose that.

We lose energy because we have limitations. God has no limitations.

God has no bounds. He is divine. He is without bounds.

It's like when it says all powerful, omniscient, all wise, omnipotent, that means all and he gives that energy away, but he does not lose it.

It's incredible. We really don't know the greatness of God, but you start reading this wonderful book, the scriptures, especially the book of Job and you dive into the

Old Testament and you see God's greatness and goodness and his power.

It's staggering. And Jesus Christ is the word.

I love Isaiah 40. Turn with me to Isaiah 40. Let's look at this. God does not need a day of rest because he never worries.

Isaiah 40. Don't you love this chapter? I wish I had time to read the whole thing, but I'm not going to read the whole chapter.

Read it in your devotional time, but let me just read you just a few verses of scripture and you're talking about coming to a place of worship of who

God is. Look at verse, beginning at verse 21.

Questions, questions. Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told to you from the beginning?

The prophet says. Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.

Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain. He spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

He brings the princes to nothing. He makes the judges of the earth useless. Who's in charge here?

Look at verse 24. Scarcely shall they be planted. Scarcely shall they be sown.

Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth. And when he will also blow up on them and they will wither and the whirlwind will take them away like a stubble.

Now listen very closely. To whom then will you liken me?

Or to whom shall I be equal? Says the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these things.

Who brings out their hosts by number. He calls them all by name and by the greatness of his might and the strength of his power not one is missing.

Now here's a word to Jacob. Listen to this. He speaks to them. Why do you say O Jacob and speak

O Israel my way is hidden from the Lord and my just claim is passed over by my

God? These are great questions. It's soul searching too.

Heart searching. Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting

God the Lord the creator of the ends of the earth neither faints nor is weary.

His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak and to those who have no might he increases strength.

Even the youth shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall.

But don't you love this great verse here? But those who wait on the

Lord shall renew their strength. There's a question about by the way if you look at that word wait it's equivalent to the word commune.

You can say it like this. To those who commune with the Lord or wait on the

Lord those who have fellowship with the Lord shall renew their strength.

That's where your strength is from folks. It's the joy of the Lord is your strength. God says

I am your strength. David said that. He says he is my strength my song. He's become that.

He shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles.

You ever seen an eagle fly over the mountaintops and all they do is they spread their wings and they soar with the wind.

There's no trying. There's no hardness to them. They just basically spread their wings and the wind takes them.

And such is God for us that become weary. They shall run and not be weary.

They shall walk and not faint. It's a great promise.

Those who wait on the Lord. So the first thing Jesus tells these religious

Jews is that he's equal with God the Father. Back to John 5.

Jesus is the only begotten son of God. We know that in John 3 .16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

He is the one. Another way to put it only begotten. Someone asked me one time. He said, what does that word begotten mean?

That basically means this is God's one unique son. He is unique.

There's no one like him. No one. First thing

Jesus tells them he's equal with God. He is the only begotten son of God. He's begotten.

He's unique. One and only. Here in verse 17 he claims not only a unique relationship with God the

Father but also equality with God in nature. In his nature. And since God continually does good works without him, without himself to stop on the

Sabbath the son does likewise since he's equal with God. Certainly the

Jewish leaders now if you look at the text very closely they understood the implications what

Jesus' claims was here. They understood that he was saying he's equal with God.

And folks this is the very reason why they wanted to crucify him. And the reason why they did crucify him.

The Jews sought all the more to kill him. Verse 18 Because he not only broke the

Sabbath but also said that God was his father making himself equal with God. So they understood what the implications there of his claims.

And that's why they said we're going after him. He has committed blasphemy. How dare this man to say such claims.

He claims to be equal with God. And not realizing that it was

God himself in the flesh. Note that astounding claim.

Jesus called God my father. My father not our father.

We say our father. Our relationship with God is different. It's sons of the living God. But sons of the living

God or children of God you can say sons of God is a small s. With Jesus it's a capital.

His relationship with God the father is unique. Son in union with God the father.

And again verse 18 basically makes it very clear that they understood what he was saying and what

Jesus was claiming. The religious leaders did not miss that fact that Jesus claimed equal equality with God.

They knew clearly that when Jesus said that that God was his father in this unique way he declared himself equal with God and again they wanted to kill him.

Well so this verse confirms that, doesn't it? That the Jews instantly grasped the implications in his claims that he was

God and for this very reason they sought the more to kill him. They sought the more to kill him. Leon Morris says this quote

He was claiming that God was his father in a special sense. And he was claiming that he partook of the same nature as his father and this involved equality.

Equality. Equal with God. Well there is an application for us here and I'm just going to try to keep this simple in this introduction as we embark on this is the

Sabbath observance was at the heart of the Jewish worship in Jesus' day even though their traditions made a lot of it void and vain of what they were doing but to the devout

Jew the Sabbath meant something. Definitely not a problem or should

I say you see the pendulum swing is that they observed the Jewish people observed it so much it was something so serious but today people don't take it too serious do they?

Now the Jewish Sabbath has transisted, right? The Jewish Sabbath is not for the

Christian. Actually the Sabbath day at Venice observes this in a legalistic way because they look at the

Jewish Sabbath but it's become the Lord's day now for us because of Jesus' resurrection. That has changed everything and you see this transition take place in the book of Acts.

It takes place. They still met in the synagogues they still worship but they went house to house they worshiped

God but all this they were doing is because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on that day of the week because of Christ's resurrection there was that transition.

So if you hear people especially the Sabbath day at Venice friends talk about keeping the Sabbath day we don't keep the

Jewish Sabbath. We observe and keep the Lord's day because it's

God's day and it's focused on the Lord Jesus Christ. The believers the

New Testament believers and the New Testament and that's where it comes because Christ fulfills the

Old Testament. He is all in all and it's all about the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not about trying to observe keep the

Old Testament. You know you've seen people put these bumper stickers keep the Ten Commandments. Folks, no one can keep the

Ten Commandments. Good grief. I almost want to get out of my car and just rip that off and go talk to these people.

Don't you realize folks what you're trying to say? Only Jesus Christ can keep those Ten Commandments?

But yes, you know people need to see them because it's the law it's the schoolmaster but what's that schoolmaster do?

It leads us to Christ. We need to hear the preaching of the law. I wouldn't dare say throw out the law.

Amen? Because the Apostle Paul says the law is holy it's good, it's right. We need to hear the law of God.

It is God's holiness. To show us our sinfulness.

And by that showing our sinfulness it leads us and says I am sinful now what am

I going to do with my sin? How am I going to be freed from the guilt of my sin? That the law of God shines on me that I've broken this command

I've not kept this command but Jesus kept those commands and now it is a schoolmaster it's like a schoolteacher it teaches us you go to Christ He's the one

He kept it He fulfilled it. Isn't it great?

Aren't you glad for the Lord Jesus Christ? The law was given by Moses but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

That would be our application there. And these people wanted to persecute

Jesus for so called not keeping the

Sabbath. The Lord actually replies to them those who persecuted

Him and He says My father was working until now and I myself was working.

This implies that the Sabbath was not instituted for God's benefit. Why is the

Sabbath given? It is for man's benefit. It's for our benefit.

Each and every one of you today has chosen to come here to worship the Lord Jesus Christ to worship God the

Father by the power of the Holy Spirit to triune God to come together and I don't know about you it's a means of grace

I need all the means of grace I could get I need a word from God and the minister opens up the word and says thus saith the

Lord and you should be encouraged and joy and say Hey, I've got a means of grace and God is benefiting me it's benefiting us.

You see I love the way the Puritans put this they say it's the market day of our souls

You know, we go to the market and we want to we've got a smorgasbord you know, we go into the grocery stores and now we've got everything that's been provided for us of course you've got to pay a lot for it now but anyway

Jesus has paid the price in full with His precious blood and all has come through the blood of Christ has been bought and paid for all the riches and the benefits are ours through Jesus Christ Why aren't we turning the world upside down?

That's the question We have the spirit of God abiding within us

We should be making an impact It's their force

It benefits man and Jesus said it in Mark 2 verse 27

I've got chapter and verse for you folks Don't take my word for it Listen to God's word and He said to them

Jesus said to them The Sabbath was made for man Jesus said that The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the

Sabbath Therefore the Son of Man is also the Lord of the Sabbath He's the

Lord of the Sabbath So the words of Jesus serves as really what we've been looking at in John 5 is a subtle rebuke to the

Jewish legalistic system under which He had been indicted for doing good and for showing mercy on the

Sabbath day and after all God Himself does good and show mercy doesn't

He? Even on the Sabbath Well Jesus therefore maintained that it is right it is good to do these things on the

Sabbath since God does since God does

How about some questions? Do you observe and not just not the

Jewish Sabbath then we're not talking about the Jewish Sabbath Do you observe the Lord's Sabbath the

Lord's Day distinctions in your own usual practice that day

Do you regard it as holy set apart as special because it is special isn't it

I'm so thankful today that I could come with you today and to be encouraged by you and to hear this word and I'm preaching to myself and to hear the word of God and to sing more about Jesus and amazing grace and all the hymns and songs of Zion and to hear it sung on the keys as Elizabeth sings it and you singing them in voices and praise to God it thrills my heart you know

I need it because Monday through Friday even though I take I'm out there trying of my utmost to be a witness and obeying

God but I get fueled up right here this is like the gas station that I fuel up my tank

I get charged up and it's not just a feeling

I'm talking about, I'm talking about my faith is encouraged I'm strengthened in God in the name of the

Lord and by hearing the praises and joining in and praising God with you and hearing

God's word and praying together and hearing the word of God spoken and coming to just fellowship and be encouraged in the

Lord what about the benefits there's a lot of benefits again it's a market day of our souls and it's a means of grace it's important and it's sad that so many people is just throwing this aside and now today you find people's minds on this is the day

I'm going to go boating I'm going to go do this and I'm going to do that and it's all these recreations I was interested

Ben and myself had these had this conversation with the interview we had yesterday with the two elders one in Florida was on Zoom meeting and the other one in California and you know there's there's a lot of controversy about what is considered on the

Lord's Day recreation that's a good question isn't it honestly it is do we go along with the heathen world that's out there today choosing the

Sunday or NASCAR and taking this day and everybody flocks and spends thousands and thousands of dollars to go see a race or go see a football game or see a baseball game go to the

World Series well I really truly believe that is breaking the Lord's Sabbath it really is because this is a nation that has forgotten

God but there are other recreations would it be sinful to you know if you got a little cool pool back yard maybe a small pool to just cool off there for the day or as children let them play that's controversial today

I think there's a big difference there you see what I'm saying but what's important is do we honor

God on this day do we really set this day aside for the honor and the glory of God not in a legalistic way that it's a duty but it should be a delight and every day somebody came to me one day said well it's just not the

Lord's Day I said absolutely amen but the day that the

Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it is a day that's special amen it is special because God sanctified it

God set it apart for our benefit for your benefit for my benefit well we need to have a healthy understanding of that amen of the

Lord's Day a proper understanding of the Lord's Day and how can we lead each other to a better stance on this day how can we how can you encourage others on this day well let me close with Hebrews 10 as I bring this to a close go with me to the book of Hebrews chapter 10 there's a lot said here

I like to just start with verse 5 and read it to the end listen very closely to the word of the

Lord in Hebrews Christ's death fulfills God's will therefore when he came into the world he said sacrifice an offering you did not desire but a body you have prepared for me in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you had no pleasure then

I said behold I have come in the volume of the book it is written of me to do your will oh

God previously saying sacrifice and offering burnt offerings and offerings for sin did not desire you did not desire nor had pleasure in them which are offered according to the law and then he said behold

I have come to do your will oh God he takes away the first that he may establish the second and by that we will have been sanctified that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all that's glorious and every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never take away sins but you know when you hear that there's a door hinge it's opening up revelation for us listen to this but this man notice in your translation the capital

M that's speaking of Jesus Christ but this man Jesus Christ after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever sat down at the right hand of God from that time waiting till his enemies are made his foots to us till the day he comes back as king of kings and lord of lords the consummation everything ends he comes back and destroys nations by the word of his power in verse 14 for by one offering he has perfected forever those who have been sanctified but the

Holy Spirit also witnesses to us for after that he had said before this is the covenant this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days says the lord

I will put my laws into their hearts and in their minds and I will write them and then he adds that's regeneration folks and then he adds if that's not enough he gives this their sins and their lawless deeds

I will remember no more it's blotted out glorious now where there is remission of these there is no longer an offering for sin you know what he's pointing to the sacrifice of the lord

Jesus Christ has fulfilled all that that's why the veil was written too you don't need to come this way no more

Jesus has fulfilled it and paid it in full now he talks about holding fast your confession

I think we need this as an exhortation therefore brethren he speaks to the brethren he speaks to the church having boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which he consecrated for us through the veil that is his flesh his body and having a priest a high priest over the house of God notice the exhortation let us as corporate let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled with an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water again verse 23 let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful and then he says this and let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some but exhorting one another that means encouraging one another and so much the more why as you see the day approaching the judgment day is coming folks no escaping it death and judgment is coming and there is no way to escape it and he said this is what you should be doing up until that point for if we sin willfully wow now look at that verse 25 to verse 26 is a drop off you could be if verse 25 is not taken seriously in obedience verse 26 is going to happen that's apostasy do you see what he is saying apostasy will take place because we forget

God we don't come and meet together to remember the Lord to read his word to honor him to worship him to remember

Christ and communion and all that and then if we fall away from that I'm telling you when people go out the back door of the church and meeting together that they are on the road to apostasy that is right here in scripture this is not my opinion folks this is a warning if we sin willfully there is a willful choice that people say

I don't want it no more I don't want to hear God's word no more he has offended me what about God's offense

God's offended if God wanted to he could destroy all of us but in his goodness he gives us

Jesus Christ grace if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins you hear that that is a warning folks and it really puts a fire behind me as well because I'm thinking

Lord you are so good to give me this warning let me take heed to do everything that I possibly can to take a hold of God and come together in a means of grace and hear the word

God has extended his grace through his word through his church but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries and then he says this anyone who has rejected

Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses and now listen what he says here of how much worse punishment do you suppose will he be thought worthy who has trampled the son of God underfoot and counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing and insulted the spirit of grace remember what

I said last week it is more sinful dreadfully more sinful to sin against grace than it is against law for much is given much will be required folks the light that is given to us through the preached word we are accountable to obey it and to do something about it and notice what he says verse 34 we know him who said vengeance is mine

I will repay says the Lord and again the Lord will judge his people wow look at verse 31 isn't that a seal it is a fearful thing a terrifying thing one translation says a terrifying thing a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living

God but notice what he says recall the former days in which after you were illuminated you endured a great struggle with sufferings partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated for you had compassion on me in my chains and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods knowing that you have a better and enduring possession of yourselves in heaven therefore do not cast away your confidence folks we got a choice on this we are not to cast away our confidence and notice what he says which has a great reward isn't that great it has a great reward that's a promise of God isn't it wonderful in the midst of all these warnings he comes back and gives an exhortation there's a great reward waiting for you but don't you draw back don't you there's no neutrality with God there's no neutrality on this path of the narrow way and there's no straddling the fence folks

Jesus said you're for me or against me and that replies to what

Joshua was saying to the children of Israel as for me and my house we will serve the Lord and he was basically said if you're going to serve

Baal then serve Baal but if you're going to serve God, serve God you can't straddle it well as brother

Keith said early in Sunday school, God doesn't draw circles does he, he draws lines and that's a line of demarcation and we will be accountable but God is good he's given us

Christ and he's given us all things through Christ and he's given us the Holy Spirit to help us so you're not orphans you're not alone, are we he's with us and he never changes that is a blessing and then he closes it with this and I close with this therefore do not cast away your competence which has great reward for you have need of endurance amen,

I have need of endurance Lord give me perseverance so that after you have done the will of God you've done it, you've obeyed it you may receive the promise, it doesn't come automatically and it sure doesn't come to people that draws back and disobeys and then he says in verse 37, for yet a little while he and he who is coming will come and will not tarry and then he gives that wonderful, wonderful statement now the just shall live by feelings, no sir by faith by faith and by the way, faith is always active faith is always pursuing, faith is not passive, it's not sitting back and saying okay

God, you do it all for me well he's done it for me, now God says you obey you obey, that's sanctification folks, now the just shall live by faith and listen to this warning here but if anyone draws back my soul has no pleasure in him

God has no pleasure in those or any of us that will draw back that's what

Ben's been talking about in his series holy violence, we pursue, we agonize we strive, we go we storm the gates of heaven folks by the means of grace what did he say in verse 39, but we are not of those who draw back to perdition to perdition another word for that is destruction but of those who believe to those who believe to the saving of the soul that's how we should look at the

Lord's day amen let's pray, Father we thank you for this time,

Lord much is said here of your greatness you're the one that we glorify, you're the one that is worthy of worship you're the one that is worthy of praise and glory,

Lord may this be an exhortation to us, yes we thank you for the warnings because we should we should receive the warnings just as much as we receive the exhortations you're so good to us, you're so gracious to us, you gave your all and given the

Lord Jesus Christ may we give all we have as you have given unto us for it is more blessed to give than to receive

Lord help us to give to one another help us to sacrifice and help us as we sacrifice to one another and encourage one another and the

Lord Jesus Christ help us to remember the one that sacrificed all of it up until death, to the point of death and Lord you have,

Father you have exalted your son, the Lord Jesus Christ above all, above all because one day all of creation is going to worship him and bow at his feet and confess him

Lord we thank you for this time together Lord, we thank you for this day you have set apart for us for our benefit and for your glory, in Jesus name