John, pt. 26 | John 5:37-47

The Means of Scripture in John 5

If you look in your copy of the scriptures, to the Gospel of John, can y 'all hear me okay? The Gospel of John, chapter 5, we will consider verses 30, 37 through 47. The Gospel of John, chapter 5, 37 through 47.

This will be on page 1077 in your pew Bibles.

Let's pray.

Oh God, Yahweh, in Jesus' name, please, in this moment, as your people gather to feast on your word, please, please, Lord, feed your sheep. Help me to articulate well this message, in Jesus' name, amen.

So this is our 26th message in the Gospel of John. I hope that y 'all have been enjoying this wonderful, wonderful, God-honoring, Jesus-glorifying book as I have. Just going through it in my time of preparation and study, it's like chapter 1, right?

The whole book is chapter 1 explained, right? So if you see that I'm always going back, grabbing the goods from chapter 1, this is what the Gospel of John is. It's glorifying Jesus Christ. There's nothing else like it.

Our theme for this Lord's Day is the means of scripture. But before I go any further, I want to read this portion of text. So John chapter 5, beginning in verse 37, Jesus says, and the Father who sent me, he has bore witness about me.

You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his form, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe him whom he sent. You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life.

It is these that bear witness about me, and you are unwilling to come to me so that you may have life. I do not receive glory from men, but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves.

I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that is from the only God?

Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would have believed me. You would believe me, for he wrote about me.

But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words? Again, our theme for this Lord's Day is the means of scripture. And my proposition is this, if you do not believe that Jesus and the Father are equal, then you do not believe the scriptures.

Last week, we saw the witness of Jesus given to us by God the Father in three different means. We saw the means of a human being, the means of works, and the means of scripture. And I gave an understanding of what means are.

I gave one from my life, and then another from scripture to help you understand how God brings about means. And I'm going to use the one from my life again for the understanding. If you're a parent in here, you understand this means by which things are done, right?

So if God, again, pick on Trinity, who has a messy room all the time. If God has preordained for Trinity to clean her room, a way in which a means for her to clean her room is Daddy opens the door and sees the messy room.

And when I see, my eyes see the messy room, me as Daddy says, Trinity, clean your room. So it's not that God comes in and possesses Trinity in such a way that he's operating her arms for her to clean her room, right?

That's not how sovereignty works. What he does is he causes things to happen, and he preordains for that to happen. He says, let's Daddy see the messy room. And then I say, Trinity, clean your room. The means by which God gives witness to who Jesus is, is what we looked at last week.

Again, the means of a human being, speaking of John the Baptist, the means of works, speaking of the works that Jesus has performed and the means of scripture. And by that, when we looked at it, it was the Old Testament scriptures.

And in our outline this week, we're going to expound on that third point from last week, the means of scripture, and we will do so in four subheadings. Now we're only going to look at two of them this week, so don't, you know, 30 minutes into it and you think, oh, he's still on that first subheading.

Don't panic. We're only going to look at two. Subheading number one, God has spoken in scripture. Subheading number two, carnal men do not accept the scriptures. Subheading number three, the scriptures accuse you to the Father.

And subheading number four, the scriptures bear witness of the Son. And as we transition, scripture is the primary source for hearing God speak. It's been said, if you want to hear God speak, read your Bible.

And if you want to hear him audibly, read out loud. And I would also add, scripture interprets scripture. Scripture interpreting scripture is the means by which we understand what God has for us. If scripture interprets scripture, then there is no need for any private interpretations.

So when it comes to interpreting scripture, when you sit down, you have the scriptures in front of you and you plan to interpret scripture, what should you ask? Does scripture speak to this? And if it does, that's the interpretation.

Does scripture speak to this position, to this point, to this subject? And when you find that it does and it does, that's the interpretation. We use scripture to interpret scripture. First subheading, God has spoken in scripture.

We see this from verses 37 to 40, but let's first read verse 37, section A and B. Jesus speaking, and the Father, notice, who sent me has bore witness about me. So let's raise the question, and I've already given the answer.

How has the Father bore witness about Jesus? And that's what last week was about, right? He does so in three ways. First, through a human agent, John the Baptist sees Jesus coming, and he says, behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

That's what he said post seeing Jesus. Before he saw Jesus, he spoke about one was coming, and he was unworthy to hold or to untie the sandal from his shoe. He's unable to untie his shoes, basically, and he said that when he comes, he's going to baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire, that some people through this Jesus are going to be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

They're going to go on to have spiritual life, and when they die, they're going to be with him in heaven, and that some are going to be baptized in fire, that they're going to refuse to believe in him, and when they die, they're going to die and go to hell, that they're not going to have spiritual life.

They're going to live the rest of their life dead in their trespasses and sins, die, and go to hell, and then John sees Jesus, and he says, that's him, that's him. He's the one we've been speaking about.

He's the one that we've been doing and performing this act of the Pascal Lamb over and over.

And over.

We've been performing this act, and I recognize this shadow, and it's led me to the feet of this man, and then Jesus comes, and he starts performing these works. He starts healing people, even on the Sabbath.

He starts speaking that him and him, that he, him, God, the Father, are one. He says that the only thing, the only reason why I can do what I do is because I see the Father doing it, and I can do whatever the Father does.

So he's healing the sick. He's doing things that no one is able to do. People are seeing him do these things, and they're thinking, man, this guy has to be from God for no one. Remember the conversation in Nicodemus.

No one can perform these kind of miracles. He has to be from God. And that third witness was scripture. Jesus professed to himself that these things were written about me. And so when you read the Old Testament, you should see the shadows that lead us to the.

Feet of Christ. God has spoken.

That's his witness of his son. And we also saw, this was really cool, that each witness is greater than the previous witness. So this third witness, what it does, it encompasses the first two witnesses.

So this is only basically for those in hindsight, right? Because we have the New Testament. We have the ability to read the scriptures about the witness of John and about the works.

Of Jesus.

Now, remember what I said earlier about, it's been said, it's been said, if you want to hear God speak, what do you do? Read your Bible. If you want to hear him audibly, what do you do?

Read out loud.

Now let's look at verse 37 again. Verse 37 is going to bring up a question that will be answered later on. And the father who sent me, he has bore witness about me.

Right here.

You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his form. Now this is not saying that they haven't read their Bibles, but this is speaking about this generation of Jews. Outside of the first witness, John the Baptist, this generation had no prophets speaking for God to them, nor were anyone seeing visions concerning future events or concerning shadows that are a point to a substance.

God had ceased to speak to them for 400 years. And I would add to this generation that God had appeared to them. He had, well, he had not, excuse me, he had not appeared to them by way of a theophany.

So when I say theophany, when you read your Old Testament, you see theophanies and Christophanies out throughout the Bible. We see that God appeared to Moses in a burning bush that wasn't being consumed by the fire.

Right?

We see in Joshua, there's a Christophany of the angel of the Lord. And also in Genesis, we see that God appears to Abraham as in an angel. This is a theophany. We see that the covenant made with Abraham in chapter 15 of Genesis, God appears as a smoking pot and a flaming torch.

This is a theophany. God, during this time of silence, when no prophet was being sent to them, neither did he send prophets, but he did not appear to them in the theophany. And yet, like I was saying earlier, and yet the very words that were being spoken to this generation at this moment when Jesus is speaking is by God who had become flesh.

Right?

He's telling them, you have neither seen his form, speaking of the Father, nor you have heard his voice or seen his form. And yet God is saying this to them and he has taken on flesh. They were at this time hearing the voice and seeing the form of Jesus Christ, the son of God who came in flesh.

And this question will be further answered as we move through the text. What this is doing, this is pointing us back right here because of this generation. It's pointing us back to the prophecy given to us in Isaiah chapter 6.

Isaiah chapter 6 verses 9 through 10. This is Yahweh speaking to Isaiah. He said, go and tell this people. Speaking of the Jews, keep on hearing, but do not understand. Keep on seeing, but do not know.

Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull and their eyes dim, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and return and be healed. I look back at verse 38.

Jesus says to them, you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe him whom he sent. Their ears were dull. Their eyes were dim. Their hearts were hardened. God appearing in flesh, speaking to them and they cannot understand.

I think it's very clear from verse 38 that in order to have the word of God abiding in you, you must believe in him, Jesus, whom he, God the father sent. There's so many passages in scripture speaking about God sending his son.

We see in John 3, 16, for God so loved the world that he gave, speaking of his son, John 17, for God did not send his son into the world to judge. But over and over we see where God has sent to us Jesus Christ.

God the father sent his son. And what verse 38 does, this statement, it casts a great light over verses 39 and 40. So let's read beginning in 39 all the way to 40. Again, Jesus addresses them and you do not have his word abiding in you.

Again, why? Because they reject Jesus. For you do not believe him whom he has sent. He says to them, you search the scriptures. That's a good thing, isn't it? Searching the scriptures. He says, you search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life.

It is these things that bear witness about me. And you are unwilling to come to me so that you may have life. Now, if you were here last week, we walked exegetically through verses 31 through 40. So I've already exegeted this.

I just want to quickly expound a little bit more on it. Jesus has just rendered his indictment against the Jews. The seriousness of this crime that he is speaking about cannot be overlooked. Paul tells us, well, Paul tells us, speaking of the Jews, he tells the Jews in Romans chapter 3 that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.

You are entrusted with this. These wonderful scriptures, you were entrusted with this. If you turn to Romans chapter 9, beginning in verse 1, Paul speaking concerning his brothers, the Jews. He says this, I am telling the truth in Christ.

I am not lying. My conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and separated from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kingsmen, according to the flesh, who are Israelites.

Stop there. Who's he speaking about? The Jews, his brothers. He says, I wish that I myself could be cut off. If I myself could be cut off for their sake and they receive Christ, if all of them could receive Christ and I myself perish, so be it.

So be it.

Now listen to what he says about them. To whom belongs, what he's about the name is everything that you get. To whom belongs the adoption as sons, the glory, the covenants and the giving of the law and the temple services and the promises.

Ladies and gentlemen, all these things are shadows that are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. We are adopted as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ. The glory has come down. The covenants have been partaken.

The old covenants have ceased. The new covenant begins and it's been given to those who are in Christ. And the law has been written in the hearts of those who are in Christ. And Jesus, our high priest, has fulfilled the temple services.

And all this that we read about shadows in the Old Testament, these promises, they're pointing toward a final seed that would come from the woman who would crush the head of the serpent. That is Jesus Christ.

And understanding that, it says, whose are the father, verse 5, and from whom the Christ, who is these promises that he's talking about, the Christ according to the flesh, who is, listen, God, who is God, who is God over all, blessed forever.

Amen. All these things that were named, belonged to Israel, are found, has found its fulfillment in Christ. And now if you're in Christ, they belong to you. They forsook the fountain of living water. And Paul said, man, if I myself could give what I have up for their sake and they receive him, so be it.

So be it. That's a witness that I shamefully stand before you today. I don't think I have. My whole family, outside of my immediate family, are lost. And I'm not sure I could say that. I'm not sure if I could say, God, if I would give up everything I have for you, for them, I shamefully say that.

Look at chapter 10, verse 1 through 4. Tell me, who's he talking about? Brothers, my heart, desire, and my prayer to God is for them.

Who?

For the Jews.

For their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For not knowing about the, for knowing about the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own.

It says that they know, they know the righteousness of God, but they seek to establish their own. They did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

For knowing the righteousness of God. How do they know? How do they know the righteousness of God? That's the question, right? It says that they knew the righteousness of God. How did they know?

The scriptures.

They read the scriptures. They had the scriptures. The oracles of God were given to them. They had the scriptures. And seeking to establish their own righteousness. That's what they did instead. They were seeking to establish their own righteousness.

How were they seeking to establish their own righteousness? And it's very clear. By trying to keep the commandments for righteousness. That was their plan. We're going to keep the commandments to establish our own righteousness.

By doing so, they did not subject. The subject word is hypotasso.

Right?

Hebrews 2 comes to mind. God did not send angels to subdue the world. To subject the world. To hypotasso. To take control of. They did not wield in subjection their will to God's will. To the righteousness of God.

Which is Christ. The indictment is the rejection of God's righteousness. Now notice they had the scriptures. They were looking to the scriptures for eternal life. Eternal life through the scriptures. And here I believe it's speaking specifically about the law.

Look again. Romans chapter 10 verse 5. And next week we'll pick up where Jesus speaks about Moses.

It says,.

Moses writes about a righteousness which is of the law. The man who does them, these things, shall live by them. The man who does these things shall live by him. That's the purpose of the law. Do these things and live.

Live where? Eternal life in heaven?

No.

Galatians chapter 2 verse 16 throws that away. On earth. The law promised earthly blessings. Keep these laws and you will live a full life on earth. Their righteousness that they was trying to establish was through the law.

Them trying to keep it for their own justification. And because of that, they were unwilling to come to Jesus Christ and live. They were unwilling to forsake the do this and live for belief in Christ and live.

That's all of Paul's writings, right? That's all of his writings. The law was only unto Christ. You do not have to keep that to prove yourself to God. God himself has sent a redeemer who has kept the law.

Trust him. Believe in him. Look to him and live. And the whole time these Jews as they're trying to do that, the law was pulling them by their collar. They forsook the fountain of living water, unwilling to subject themselves to God's righteousness.

Carnal Men Do Not Accept the Scriptures

Second subhead and carnal man do not accept the scriptures. We see this in verses 41 through 44. But the first thing to notice here is Christ does not receive glory for man. Verse 41 of our text. It's like you're like, Jeff, how'd you get this from this passage?

Look at it.

41, I do not receive glory for man. Again, like I said last week, that's exegesis, right? Christ does not receive glory for man. This is that age old argument from the lesser to the greater or the greater to the lesser.

Listen, we, you and I, we have not approached God offering glory. We have not approached God offering glory. It is God the greater who comes to the lesser and condescending to us in glory. Jesus did not come seeking fame and honor from other people.

His motivations was selfless and not self-seeking. His ministry, as you read the scriptures, was one that pointed to the Father. Look at verse 19. Therefore, Jesus answering, speaking, he's answering the religious Jews who are trying to put him under an indictment.

He answers them and said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing from himself unless it is something that he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in the same manner.

John chapter 1, verse 18 tells us that Jesus came to explain the Father. And remember, verse 37, I quoted it. We walked through it earlier. Verse 37, and the Father, Jesus says, and the Father who sent me, he has bore witness about me.

And this part right here, he tells them, You have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his form. Remember that. And in John chapter 14, verse 9, Jesus speaking to Philip says this, Have I been with you so long, and you have not come to know me, Philip?

Speaking to his disciples, have I been with you so long, you have not come to know me, Philip? He who has seen me, Jesus pointing to himself, has seen the Father. How can you say, show us the Father? Jesus is the second person of the Godhead, the Godhead, the Trinity.

All three members of the Godhead are the one true God, Yahweh. And if you have seen Jesus, you have seen the Father. He's speaking to these men who are rejecting them, and he's saying, You, even though they're looking at his form and hearing his voice, their ears are dull and their eyes are blind.

They cannot see the Father.

They cannot hear his words.

It is not abiding in them. And Jesus, Jesus and the Father have the same glory. Chapter 17, verse 5. The Gospel of John, chapter 17, verse 5. Jesus speaking in his high priestly prayer says this, Now, Father, glorify me together with yourself, with the glory which I had with you before the world was.

He did not come seeking honor. He came in honor. Condescending comes in honor. Now, verses 41 through 44. I'll try to pick this up. Remember, he says, I do not receive glory from man. Verse 42. But I know you.

He said, I know him. Remember chapter 2. He knows all men. He knows what's in man. But I know you and you do not have the love of God in yourselves. I have come in my Father's name and you do not receive me.

If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe? Notice that. How can you believe when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

Ladies and gentlemen, having the love of God in oneself is receiving that glory that comes from God. Having the love of God in oneself is receiving the love, receiving the glory that comes from God. And that glory is Jesus Christ.

Again, we pull from chapter 1, verse 11. The gospel writer says, speaking of Jesus, he came to what was his own. And those who were his own did not receive him. But as many as received him to them, he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name.

The glory of God came and his own people did not receive him. That's the indictment. Those religious Jews that he is speaking to who were trying to bring a charge up on him, those religious Jews having an outward appearance of holiness to them, that meant more than what Jesus was saying to them, that inside you are a rotten corpse.

And that's what Jesus came to expose. You can have all these righteous duties that you think you're performing, right? You can keep the whole wall to the tee. But inside, you are a rotten corpse if you don't know Jesus Christ.

He tells them that they are full of dead man's bones. The religious leaders were spiritually dead, and the only way for them to be made spiritually alive is by receiving the glory which comes from God.

But their ears were deafened and their eyes were blind. Real quick, chapter 12 of this gospel. Chapter 12, beginning in verse 36, listen to this. Jesus speaks to him and he says, while you have the light, question who is the light?

Chapter 1, verse 5, who is the light? Jesus Christ. 3 through 5, excuse me. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light. These things Jesus spoke, and he went away and hid himself from them.

But though he had done so many signs before them, they still were not believing in him. So that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, Lord, who has believed our reports? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

This is taken from Isaiah 53, chapter 1, speaking of the suffering servant. We'll go on, verse 39. For this reason, remember who has believed, for who has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Revealed is key here.

For this reason, they could not believe. The arm of the Lord was not revealed to them. They could not believe. For Isaiah said again, he has blinded their eyes, he has hardened their hearts, lest they see with their eyes and understand with their hearts and turn and be healed.

Quoting Isaiah chapter 6, verses 9 through 10. These things Isaiah said because he saw his glory and spoke about him. Go back to Isaiah. Beginning in verse 1, it says, Isaiah chapter 6. In the year of King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on the throne high and lifted up.

And with the train of his robe filled the temple. In the Greek Septuagint, it says his glory filled the temple. The seraphim stood above him, each with six wings, and they covered their face, and they, and they, with six wings, with two they covered their face, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.

And one would call to another and say, holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh a host? The whole earth is full of his glory. And the foundation of the threshold shook at the voice of him who called while the house of God was filled with smoke.

And then I said, proper response right here, woe is me for I am ruined. This means I am dead. For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of hosts.

And one of the seraphims flew to me having a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it and said, behold, this has touched your lips. Your iniquity is taken away and your sin is atoned for.

Then I heard a voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send and who will go for us? Then I said, here am I, send me. And now to the quotation, and he said, go and tell this people to keep on hearing but do not understand.

Keep on seeing but do not know. Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull and their hearts dim, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and return and be healed.

Ladies and gentlemen, John is quoting from Isaiah chapter 6. These things he said when he saw His glory and spoke about Him. The only His or Him in the context of John chapter 12 is Jesus Christ. And when did Isaiah see Jesus Christ?

I just read it to you. Isaiah chapter 6. He said, I saw the Lord high on the throne in the train of His robe, the glory filled the temple. And there was seraphim standing above Him with six wings and with two of them they would hide their face and two of them they hid their feet and the other two they were flying, but basically saying they were peeking out the way, looking at one another, talking about how holy this God is who is on the throne.

And Isaiah said, they're talking about Jesus. They're talking about Jesus. Go back real quick to 12, two verses, 42 and 43. It says, nevertheless, many of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for they feared that they would be put out of the synagogues, for they loved the glory of man rather than the glory of God.

The glory of God had come down. The glory that filled the temple, the glory that fills the earth was in front of them encapsulated in a body. And they reject Him. The God-man had appeared before His own people and instead of saying, woe is me, for I am ruined, meaning I'm dead, for we are men of unclean lips, meaning we are people who've seen things and done things and we hang out with people who see things and do things.

We have unclean lips for our eyes have seen the King Yahweh of hosts. Instead of saying these words, they reject Him, they persecute Him and plot His death. Now remember in closing, my proposition was this.

If you do not believe that Jesus and the Father are equal, you do not believe the Scriptures. Those who were looking to the Scriptures for life did not believe the Scriptures. God has spoken in Scripture to them and to us.

But carnal men do not accept the Scripture. Their ears are dull and their eyes are dimmed. We are all born in Adam under his curse, spiritually dead, in need of one thing and that is the voice of Jesus Christ through the Gospel.

And the good news is this, ladies and gentlemen. God did not send us a seraphim with a burning coal in His hand that He had taken with tongs from an altar to touch our lips for the iniquity to be taken away and our sin to be atoned for.

But instead, He Himself, the God that Isaiah saw on the throne, He Himself steps down from the throne and He enters into time by becoming a man who lived a life that we could not live and who took our punishment in His death.

And then three days later, He rose again victorious from the grave. And listen, it's by believing that is what touches your lips to remove your iniquity and atones for your sins. God didn't send an angel with a burning coal that He took with tongs from the altar.

He Himself steps down from the throne and it's by believing that that our iniquity is removed and our sins are atoned for. The question is this, do you believe the Scriptures or are you carnal?

It's one or the other.

Do you believe the Scriptures or are you carnal? Are you refusing to believe the God who has come into the flesh so that you can live in your flesh?

Let's pray.

Our Father in God, Lord, we thank You for Your condescension. Lord, You condescending, You leaving Your throne to live the life we could not live and to take our punishment in death. And that redemption is believing, trusting, looking to the only salvation given to man.

For there is no other name under heaven that salvation may be given outside of the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, I pray if anyone does not believe in You today, whether under my voice or the voice of other men proclaiming victory, that You give them faith to believe today.

That You will not be hardening hearts, deafening ears and blinding eyes no longer. But Lord, that You give us faith to believe. And now Lord, I just pray over Your supper. I pray that You will use this very thing to conform those that are Christians to the image of Your Son.

Amen.