He Who Hears My Word

John 5:24 in Context

You'll take your Bibles, please and turn with me once again Excuse me to John chapter 5. John chapter 5 Before we look at a portion of this text. Let us ask the Lord's blessing upon our time Our grace Heavenly Father as we continue to work through this tremendous Revelation given to us in Scripture.

We ask that you would Help us to maintain our concentration to put aside the duties that Will be upon us even on the morrow and Lord that we might Hear what your word would have us to understand that your spirit would guide and direct us who pray in Christ's name.

Amen. I'm assuming that pretty much everyone here this evening was here this morning if you were not Apologize for that only in the sense that we are picking right up where we left off this morning in John chapter 5 and I want to specifically look At verse 24 this evening and it is one of those verses that as I mentioned this morning I would imagine many of us have memorized I remember very clearly as a young man.

I I think this would have been Somewhere around 1975 for some of you that that sounds like ancient history and For others of you you're like, oh, yes. I remember it. Well but we had just moved out here and I don't remember how we became involved with this, but we had a Vacation Bible school program I don't know how we ended up out in this little church in What would be I think Goodyear Avondale area in 1975?

There were four people and seven rattlesnakes out there, but It was a little church and I Don't know how we got involved with it. But I remember very clearly that one of the elements of this week-long Vacation Bible school was was memorizing passages of Scripture it was part of the I don't know if the the kids managed to memorize a certain number they You know got to a certain level and something I don't remember what what it was all about but I was one of the older children.

I mean, I was sort of helping with it I would be about 11 or about about 11 years 11 12 years of age somewhere around there anyway. Actually older than that 73 anyway, it's been a long time since moved out here and I just remember very clearly My first challenges to really memorize scripture and you'd you'd take these little cards and and you might have you know, like seven different cards or something like that and They'd be different verses and you'd sort of tie them together with a theme.

And I remember as I grew older I sort of started coming to the conclusion that a lot of times that theme Was not what the original authors were intending at all. That it was good to have memorized that text of Scripture but sometimes we memorize a text of Scripture out of its context and as a result We read a meaning into it in our memorizing it.

So that when we then like start reading that text in our daily Bible study or in It's that maybe the verse is cited in a book that we're reading and you start seeing the first few few words you go Oh, I know this and you associate the meaning that you attach to the memorization of the verse and you move on from there and The reality is I certainly have experienced the fact that Sometimes I have to go back and say ooh Remedial Bible reading 101.

I I need to correct how I've understood this verse for a very very long time and John 5 24 is a is a text that many of us have have memorized. But rarely do we memorize it within the flow of the argument that's being presented it's a B.

Eternal Life, Judgment, and the Meaning of Hearing Christ

It's beautiful. It is a tremendous promise. Jesus says 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 into life and I remember years ago at The church I was at before I came here in the youth group this would be a text for example that would often come up in a discussion of we'll see it says you have eternal life you possess it right now and You will not come into judgment.

And there were some that you know took one understanding of what that judgment meant and some another idea of what that judgment meant. But there there was something about having passed out of death into life and and but the main thing was see right there.

It says has eternal life and then you jump over to first John chapter 5. These things I've written to you might know that you that you have eternal life. We normally didn't spend a lot of time talking about what the these things were which was the rest of first John about loving your brother and things like that, but there were the texts and that's what you looked at and and The idea that you know, it'd be really good to see how this text fits into everything else.

That this wasn't the first thought in in mind and so often for many Christians verses sort of just exist on Pieces of cardboard or the the worst ones are those ones you'll find in the in the Christian bookstore.

We have the real pretty picture, you know, and and then you've got this verse and you know I know the plans I have for you. That's that's a real that's a real a real common one that you'll that you'll see and yet when you look up the actual reference.

It's about judgment on nations and stuff like that. And it has nothing to do with the really pretty picture that you have on your wall. But that's sort of how we treat scripture very very often. Well when we look at John 5 24, it says it has all of the promises that we've been told but I think it has more.

When we see it in its context because as we read it just now. When you see for example the word judgment. We think back to this morning. We think back to the preceding section and remember Jesus had said for the father loves the son and shows him all things that he himself is doing the father will show him greater works.

Than these you will marvel for just as the father raises the dead and gives them life. And so we have eternal life in verse 24. Where does it come from? Well, the father raises the dead and gives them life even so the son also gives life to whom he wishes and so there's that that that context of life and Then for not even the father judges anyone well Shall not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

Not even the father judges anyone. But has given all judgment to the son so that all will are the son even as they honor the father. He does not honor the son does not honor the father who sent him and so John 5 24 is a continuation.

In fact in some ways it's and John does this a lot it it it brings Threads together and ties them together brings different streams together and and joins them together. Now we have the statement that we are to honor the son even as they honor the father and immediately upon making that statement Jesus gives this solemn statement whenever Jesus says Truly truly I say to you.

Amen. Amen. It is so it is so I say to you He says he who hears my word well, what word is that? Jesus speaks often of his word. He's going to speak often of it in In chapter 6 in chapter 8. He's gonna say why don't you hear my word?

It's because you do not belong to God. He's going to identify as Unbelievers those who rebel against his word. So this word very same word that's used in John 1 1 in the beginning was the word and the word is with God.

It's a very common term, obviously but there is a there are two words used here hearing and believing hearing and believing and if you're thinking ahead just a little bit, you know that we're only literally a matter of Sentences away from John chapter 6 and It's there in John chapter 6 We're gonna see those exact same two words being used in the exact same forms in other words the emphasis in these is in the Gospel of John upon this ongoing action over against False belief which is temporary.

This is something that has abiding reality to it. So hearing and believing the one hearing my word and Then what's the object of the faith? Believing the one who sent me now who can hear the word of Jesus well obviously in the sense of having physical hearing anyone would be able to simply hear the statement, I mean we could have the Phoenix Skeptic Society come in here and we could read John chapter 5 and I would imagine they would be able to Repeat back to us most of the things that were said in John chapter 5.

That's not hearing. The study of that particular word in John is very deep. And it's going to really come to fruition in John chapter 9. Remember we didn't really get to do you know, we did touch on John chapter 9 as a background of John chapter 10 but you have the The healing that takes place there and the play on the words that there are people who could hear but Couldn't hear and and people who've been given their hearing and and this idea of what hearing actually means very very Profound in the Gospel of John, but there is a hearing of Jesus's words.

He calls it my word my word. We need to hear my word and when you hear his word Believe in the one who sent me now when I first memorized this I just I Didn't think about the fact that there is a distinction between Jesus's word and then believing in the one who sent me it was it was just all here and believe and.

And you know as a young person, I suppose that's fine. But but you have to get past that eventually and start realizing What's being said here? Jesus is identifying a message his word and There has to be a hearing of it and though this is where Jesus really introduces this and That's now now going to be expanded upon all the way through chapter 6 and really in chapter 8 You're gonna have much more of a discussion of Why don't you hear what I'm saying is because you do not belong to God he who is of God.

Here's what God is saying. This hearing is Fruitful hearing in contrast to the Jewish leaders who are constantly in Opposition to Jesus who hear and hear and hear but all they're trying to do is find stuff to to pick on and use as a weapon.

They're not hearing his word. But to hear his word also involves Believing in the one who sent me. Now Some people would say well, how can you how can you have different? Different objects of faith. I mean some sometimes do you say believe me and then they'll say believe in the Father and you hear my word and and and and yet in John 6 that we're gonna.

Those who are the elector are those who hear from the father and and are learning from the father and if you don't if you don't have a Trinitarian understanding of the New Testament and especially the Gospel of John.

It is not going to make any sense. I feel sorry for my Unitarian friends of whatever stripe they end up being Watching them try to make heads or tails the Gospel of John is. It would be humorous if it wasn't so sad.

And what's interesting is you'll have you'll have secular skeptics Who don't believe anything the Bible has to say but they look at the Gospel of John and it's like well It is obvious to everyone that John is preaching the deity of Christ, right?

I mean, how can you avoid that? How can you not see that? Well, it's it is interesting when the atheists go that's really obvious. Why don't you guys get that but it's and it's true. You you cannot make heads or tails out of this but once you understand what has come before this once you understand What Jesus has already said making himself equal with God.

Well, the Son does nothing of himself, but he does these divine actions and there's perfect unity and there's perfect harmony. That gives you the matrix that gives you the foundation upon which then you can hear these words and instead of it being Confusing or distracting it Now you understand given the harmony of the father and the son when you hear the son's words.

Well, what is he telling you exactly what he's heard in the presence of the father? Exactly what the father has given him and so if you believe then you're believing the one who sent him because It's not like you have these competing deities.

You don't have well, do I need to believe in the father? Do I need to believe in the son or and and how do I divide my faith up? And no, it's not that at all once you recognize Yes, the differentiation.

It's the son who has been sent by the father. But when you hear his word and believe in the one who sent him. That is when a person has eternal life now. That phrase is a phrase that in Evangelical circles is thrown around a lot and I certainly have seen a lot of people Who have pronounced the possession of eternal life in the lives of individuals and I really really wondered With the ease with which they did so whether they had ever given serious thought To what happens when you hand somebody a get-into-heaven-free card Without truly exposing them to the fullness of the gospel.

I've dealt with a lot of folks over the years who Walked an aisle shook a hand had an emotional experience and live very comfortably Out in the world today. Have no concern for Christ have no concern about their their soul because it's all taken care of.

I I got Got my ticket punched. I can I can show you missy. Here's here's what the pastor wrote. Here's the date right there see there and I've I've talked with Mothers, for example who had lost a child an adult child.

They're absolutely convinced. Oh, don't worry. Everything's fine he Walked down an aisle once that person was living in abject Depravity but I you know, I I Just want to believe that that's what happened.

This verse has been used that way. Hey just as long as it have you believed in the God if you believe in God. Well, you have eternal life won't come into judgment passed out of death into life. There you go but when you think in Context what is being said?

What does it mean to hear his word? What does it mean to believe in the one who sent him. I'm not trying to add complexity to those things I'm just simply pointing out That if you allow the gospel of John to be the gospel of John in just a couple chapters There's gonna be a whole group of folks Who are going to hear?

Jesus refuting some Jews John chapter 8 first 28 Verses or so. Well, actually it's if you have to take out the first 11 because of the big long text will vary. But that's another not the subject amount of time for right now, but there's been a whole discussion going on and Jesus has said some very important things about the necessity of believing that he is the I am and you get into the middle of John chapter 8 and There's a bunch of people that say that sounds good.

They've heard his word or at least they've heard him preaching and It says that they believe in him, but not this kind of belief. It's not an ongoing belief. It's a It's just a simple action and By the end of the chapter when Jesus turns to them He says if you continue in my word, then you're my disciples indeed.

And you know she'll know the truth and the truth shall set you free and as soon as that reality of being set free from sin is Brought to bear upon them. They rebel. You me you you think I need to be set free.

No, no. We've never been slaves to anyone. What are you suggesting and by the end of the chapter? These would-be believers are picking up stones to stone Jesus. They're picking up stones to stone Jesus.

So it is possible to hear Externally and even go sounds really good. But if that does not result in an understanding of what his message is Which includes your deadness in sin your need of a Savior or As he's going to express it in John chapter 6 the fact you have no life in yourselves unless you Eat the flesh the Son of Man and drink his blood look to him only as your source of salvation.

Those people in John chapter 8 they're not looking to Jesus their sort of salvation. They're sort of sitting back going. That's that's good religious argumentation. You know I'm in a position to Decide that I like that kind of religious argumentation.

That's not salvation. That's not truly trusting in Christ and so There is everything right in recognizing. Hearing his word and believing in him was sent me. That's all it takes. There's there's no I can't.

There's no goodness in me and being able to hear in some other way Than those false disciples did their false followers in John 8. Hearing that's that's something that's coming from outside of me. There's no value in my my being able to do that.

Believing again these aren't things where I'm doing works or I'm adding something to the work of Christ. No, but there is a certain nature to this hearing and believing that when you look at the rest of what the gospel of John says Those who belong to God do this.

It's those that the father gives to the son who are able to do this and they're the ones Who have yes present tense eternal life but it's dangerous when you are desirous so desirous of getting people to quote-unquote make a decision that you Disassociate these words from their context and say hey all you've got to do is just tip your hat.

Just just say I believe. You know the wise person is going to say Believe what exactly. Could could you explain to me what it is? I'm committing myself to here when you say believe has eternal life. You know the the big emphasis I remember in my youth was see you possess it right now and that is exactly right.

That is exactly right. We we must confess Eternal life is not simply an extension in time of life. It is a character a kind of life. There's no question about it. The the type of spiritual life that the believer in Jesus Christ possesses is Different than the person in the world it should be.

It should be we certainly have many examples of it down through the years of how people have lived that kind of life. In fact, I'd suggest to you That if as a believer you can you can look around and go my life is absolutely no different than anyone around me that that's a very dangerous thing.

How you respond to difficulty adversity how you think about the future how you think of and make plans should be fundamentally different than a person that does not bow the knee to Jesus Christ and Certainly when we see I've told the story many times and I could repeat it now, but when I saw believers Responding to death and disease when I was a hospital chaplain.

It was different from unbelievers. I saw The the the the different nature of life that is possessed by true believers. There's no question. We have Eternal life we possess it, but I'm not sure that the point is to emphasize present possession that's a truth as It is to describe That this is the natural Result of what it means to be hearing his word and believing on him who sent him in other words those who?

Hear those who believe. It's not those things that result in as in you know, we always want to we always want to turn salvation into a Do this do this do this then this it's a nice logical order thing.

We have something called the ordo salutis and Yeah, there is somewhat of an order to things but frequently that order is more logical than it is necessarily a time-based thing. Where you can go well first this happens and this happens and sometimes it's it's concurrent and and and sometimes it's simultaneous and sometimes there's Differences in time it depends on what you're talking about.

We want to try to really simplify things out. But I what I'm trying to communicate here is that the person who in an ongoing fashion is hearing the word of Jesus. You want to continuously hear the word of Jesus you are believing in the one who sent him.

You are believing in the father. That's descriptive of the person who has eternal life. That's descriptive the person who has eternal life if you possess it. Then it's descriptive that you're going to be hearing and you're going to be believing they go together.

I Think sometimes we miss it if we try to just simply make it as simple Do this do this it results in this type of a thing. There's a description here when you find someone who's hearing Believing. That's a person who is in possession of eternal life because it's the natural result of that eternal life.

To be constantly this is what we're gonna have and this is almost sort of a this is what John does he gives us a little Hint of what's coming and in John, you know, John chapter 6 is right down the road it's right around the corner and The the the one given by the father the son these are the things he does and he's hearing he's learning from the father.

These are descriptions of what happens when the Spirit of God is active in someone's life. So we possess eternal life. Yes. And Shall not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. Now There is an amazing statement.

Isn't everyone gonna stand in judgment. Well in the sense that there is going to be that day when God is going to judge the living in the dead and Everything is going to be made, right? Yes, but how do we face that?

When we face final judgment. The biblical teaching is we face that in Jesus Christ we have been united with him and So as we are united with him then his death is Our death his righteousness is our righteousness.

So in the that sense we do not come into judgment individually, but as individuals joined to Jesus Christ and So we do not come into that kind of judgment in the sense of well you have eternal life but Better keep your nose clean because you might lose it.

I Remember so clearly. My dearly departed mother went to Had well, she had a lot of seventh-day. I actually had a lot of seventh-day Adventists on both sides of my family come think of it. But she had a lot of seventh-day Adventists in her family and she went to a funeral of one of them.

And I this was before we moved out here. So I was maybe eight nine years old when I when I heard her talking about this and it it stuck in my mind. But she came back and she was really distraught. Which you understand if you go to a funeral I suppose but that's not why she was distraught was she was like It was so horrible, she says.

They we. After the funeral everyone's standing around and all they're talking about is well, I Hope they made it. I Hope they didn't have a a bad thought right before they right before they passed. I hope they didn't have some evil evil thoughts in their minds.

Because their their belief was that that eternal life was something you you held on to dearly but almost anything could cause you to to lose it and if you didn't have time to repent and make it right before you died then who knows and It just was so sad to to hear that kind of a of a mindset.

It's stuck it's stuck in my mind and there are a lot of people that have that that perspective so the idea of coming in a judgment, well, I may have eternal life now, but tomorrow the next day I Don't know Jesus's promises this one who has eternal life this one who's believing this one Who is who is hearing who in John chapter 6 could be described as having been given by the Father to the Son keep that in mind.

Has-been translated out of death into life. Now once again, we can connect this to all sorts of things this is the same phraseology that Paul uses when he talks about how having been translated out of the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of his beloved Son and and it Connects with all sorts of things along those lines and and it's gonna have a connection down to John chapter 8 in this like we Already said what do you mean?

We I I have to You know repent of my sins. What do you mean? I was I was in slavery or be set free. Here's the idea of death translated out of death into life. This is a statement that we have to ask the question we it's easy for us to look at this spiritually.

But in this context in light of the next verse it has led a lot of people To ask the question What's the time frame here? Because next verse says truly truly I say to you an hour is coming and now is when the dead Will hear the voice the Son of God and those who hear will live.

So what's that in reference to? You have the execution of judgment. You have verse 28 clearly do not marvel this for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice. It will come forth those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life those committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

Now that's that is plainly eschatological and that plainly has physical ramification so Why are we so comfortable to automatically Spiritualize. The context of verse 24. Well because it's present tense.

It's it's speaking of the now and that now has ramifications for what's going to come in the future an hour is coming and now is When the dead will hear the voice the Son of God and the ones hearing while will live hmm hearing live.

You've got hearing in verse 24. You've got eternal life and Then being translated out of death into life the dead translated out of death plainly. Verse 25 is meant to be a further Explication of what is being said in this final phrase in verse 24.

There is a reality In the life of the believer. That yes, not only do you possess eternal life and not only will you not come into judgment but you have passed out of the realm of death and you now dwell in the realm of life.

How often do we think about this? How often do we allow? What we experience in life? The daily pressures. The things you've got to get done tomorrow at work the things you've got to get done tomorrow at home.

The projects that are upcoming. Personal difficulties in your life with other people family members neighbors, whatever it might be to keep you from truly considering that the biblical promises. That you have passed out of death into life, I think for some who Have been given the idea that well, this was all something I did.

Anyways, I think When you don't see the the plain teaching of Scripture and the sovereignty of God I can see how it could somewhat dampen The meaning of this text and what I mean by that is you know if it's sort of just a Gateway to walk through and it's all up to me and I can just sort of do it at my own free will.

This idea of being translated out of death or being transferred out of death Into life passing out of the realm of death and life well it. Even though I was in the realm of death. I just sort of chose to go into the realm of life.

I guess if you have that idea you can see how it sort of weakens the eye it weakens the whole concept. We however see that and this is resurrection power. This is mercy. This is grace. This is undeserved.

This is this is beyond anything that we could do for ourselves. We didn't deserve it. We were we were dead corpses and to be honest with you. We liked that realm of death that was natural to us. It's it was it was comfortable.

We have passed out of death Into life, you know when you think about it when we Maybe first learned this and the emphasis is on possession of eternal life. How often was there then the commensurate? Emphasis toward the end of the verse on the reality of the fact that we should be able to look at our lives and They should not be marked by a love of dead things but a love of What is truly alive in God's sight.

The things of this world that lead to death? Should not have a place in our hearts of Love and desire. We should not be able to look into our hearts and go, you know. My thoughts are so often taken up with the gathering of this type of possession or that type of possession or this type of activity or these things that I know Biblically are going to pass away.

This should be something that gives us Direction as to what our priorities and our life is to be. This should be descriptive of what eternal life is. We often talk about. I need to know what the will of God for my life is.

That's not Difficult to find unless you're unless you're wanting the magic 8-ball type of idea. It's not difficult to find what the will of God for your life is. You've passed out of death in the life.

Love that which is Given to you by God. Love that which has eternal value. God's given you the capacities and gifts that he's given you pursue those things. But do so in such a way that you eschew those things that bring death and you love those things that bring life.

It's amazing how much light that's going to give you as to how you are to live your life and decisions you to make. But every single day every single day the world is going to try to convince you To love death and Love the things that can only bring you to death that can never give you satisfaction that can never give you fulfillment.

Every day I'm gonna lie to you. I'm gonna show you false views of how happy you could be and Unless you are in the word unless you are in Prayer and fellowship with others so easy to start listening to that siren call you've passed out of death in the life.

What? Can the world therefore do to you? The world has no has no grip on you not when you realize What has taken place? If you're a believer in Jesus Christ. If you've heard his word believe in him the scent had sent him have eternal life.

You possess it. It's a gift you have peace with God. What are you gonna do with that? Well first of all I suppose you should Immediately be thinking about all those around you that are still in the realm of death.

And say oh God use me As a means of bringing the message to them. That they too can pass out of death into life. They will mock you they will deride you. They like it there, but you see we can trust the Spirit of God Will work in the lives of his people to draw them to himself see there's so much more in John 5 24 than then maybe we first thought when we saw it on a on a Bible memorization card, I hope we do memorize.

I hope you have them. I hope you don't hear me saying there's something wrong, and you're memorizing it, but what I am saying is that sometimes We need to go back to some of those verses that we have so has so much familiarity with.

Stop and read them slowly and carefully and ask questions and Discover that there's so much more there is so much there and I know as we live in a Secularizing society that absolutely seems to be in love with death.

In love with every type of behavior that brings death to man. We of all people Should be those who rejoice that we have passed out of death. We live in the realm of light and truth and life. Because he is the way the truth and the life and we follow him.

Where else could you possibly be? Then alive truly alive Through him in God's sight what a glorious promise has been given to us. Let us close the word of prayer. Our gracious Heavenly Father we can hardly begin to consider what it truly means.

When your word says to us that we've passed out of death into life. We didn't deserve that it was an act of grace it was an act of mercy. And Lord, we will confess there are days When we are so distracted That At the end of the day we look back and we wonder.

Did we sell our birthright did we completely miss What you called us to that day? Let this coming week not be like that may each and every day we be reminded of who we are in Christ. What our calling is our need to follow after you.

May we Even as we feel the pressures of the world coming against us and all the things we need to get done. May we first and foremost Keep in mind the calling disciples of Jesus Christ. And our desire to honor and glorify you in all things.