A Relationship That Will Change Your Life

In today's world of Smart Phones, tablets and instant Internet access, there are many things that we can "know." If someone asks the questions, "how long is the Verrazano Bridge," a nimble person with a 4 G connection and an Iphone can ask Siri, "How long is the Verrazano Bridge," and they will get an almost instantaneous response. But if we had sitting here an 85 year old retired construction worker that spent 2 years of his life building the Verrazano bridge in his 20s we would get the right information, but we would also get it with great passion.

That's what it means to know Christ Jesus and the power of His resurrection. It involves much more than repeating facts concerning Christ Jesus or the Bible. Knowing Christ Jesus is an intimate relationship with Him that changes your life.

In verses 19-29 of chapter 5 of John's Gospel, Christ Jesus tells us who He is. In these verses Christ Jesus seeks to qualify the religious leader's understanding of His relationship to God the Father. Our Lord, Christ Jesus while affirming His dependence on the Father ('the Son can do nothing of Himself,' v. 19), and that God the Father who has life, gave Christ Jesus the power of life(v. 26); yet declares that He exercises the Father's whole power and authority (v. 20);—the power to quicken those dead in sins (v. 25), the power to raise men from literal death at the Last Day (v. 28), and the power to judge the world (v. 22). He accordingly demands 'that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father.'

If you look again at verse 18 you see that the Jews were ready to kill Christ Jesus, first because He healed a man on the Sabbath. And as if that were not enough Christ Jesus called God His Father, to these Jews making Himself equal to God. To the religious leaders this was blasphemy and worthy of death. But was Christ Jesus seeking to make Himself equal to God? Lets take a look at verses 19 and 20.

John 5:19-30
19 Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. 25 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

28 "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out-those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.

1. The Son Can Do Nothing (vs. 19-20)

Christ Jesus set out to qualify the Jews' understanding of what He had just said. He did this by applying another analogy. 

Christ Jesus spoke of the way a son imitates his father. This analogy would have been well known to the men accusing Christ Jesus. In their day the elder son almost always followed in his father's vocation. 

Christ Jesus was not seeking to make Himself equal with God. Instead Christ Jesus, who stood before these angry Jews, had been sent by God. He had come in loving obedience to do the works of Him who sent Him. Just like with any other Father/Son business the works of the Son and the Father are the same, but in this case the Son and the Father are One!

There was a Father who was playing in a tennis tournament. Usually he played in Doubles tournaments but this time he was playing in a Singles tournament. His son, who was usually his doubles partner was also playing in the tournament and it came time to play each other. The son should have had a distinct advantage, he was taller, stronger, and faster. However the father and son turned out to be evenly matched, why? Because even though the son had a physical advantage the father had played with him so much that when they played he was able to sense where his son would move and hit. By doing this he was able to make up for the son's physical advantages. 

That is what Christ Jesus was talking about here. He thinks the Father's thoughts after Him and the Father has already shown the Son all He does, and continues to show Him. 

All the verbs in verse 20 are in the present tense, indicating that this relationship is ongoing. Christ Jesus is still doing the work of the Father, and that work is seeking out those lost and dieing in sin and restoring them.

The Father loves the Son; He declared, This is my beloved Son (Matt. 3:17). The Father had not only a love for the ministry of Christ Jesus, but also an infinite love for Christ Jesus.

Christ Jesus was now hated by these men, one whom the nation abhorred (Isa 49:7); but He comforted Himself with this, that His Father loves him. The Son will continue to do even greater works throughout His earthly ministry. In other words the best is yet to come. What is the best? Christ Jesus offering Himself up to cover all your sins. You have a free gift just waiting you and all you have to do is ask for it. Why not ask Christ Jesus for it this morning?

In the Old Testament raising and judging the dead was a divine prerogative reserved for God alone. But Christ Jesus is about to make a startling statement concerning this belief.

2. The Father Has Given His power of Life to the Son. (vs. 21-23)

The work of the Father is revealed in the works of the Son as He freely shares life with whomever He chooses. 

Every devout Jews knew that God was the Source of all life—not only in the act of creation, but even in raising the dead. They accepted the accounts of life being given to the dead in the Old Testament records, but for this itinerant preacher to claim that gift of life, was an affront to their rigid orthodoxy.Yet, specific proof that the life of God was in Him was before them in the once lame man who had been healed. 

By claiming that the Father “gave” Him authority, Christ Jesus claims to exercise delegated authority as the Father's agent and Judaism accepted the legal principle of agency. John uses this idea of the Son as the Father's agent throughout this section. That Christ Jesus is the agent of the Father disarms the Jews' objection seen in verse 18. 

We also get a glimpse of the trinitarian relationship of Christ Jesus and God the Father. Christ Jesus is equally deity with the Father but distinct in person and submits to the Father in role. Because Christ Jesus is the agent of the Father and is God Himself, He can say that whoever does not honor Him does not honor the Father. The Son, Christ Jesus is worthy of the same degree of honor as the Father because they are truly One. Will you honor Christ Jesus by asking Him to have an active role your life?

Eternal life, the life of the world to come, was supposed to be available only when the dead would be raised. But again Christ Jesus was about to set this line of thought on it's ear.

3. Eternal Life Now (vs. 24-27)

There is both life and judgment in the challenging invitation Christ Jesus issues to the very antagonists Jews He faced. 

If they hear His Word—His whole message—and through that Word come to believe in the One who sent Him, they have eternal life at this moment. But there is judgment for those who refuse to hear. They remain in death. This same invitation and challenge comes to each of us. Hearing and believing are synonymous for John. So those who hear, truly hear the message of Christ will believe.  

While He addressed the Jews, Christ Jesus' invitation is addressed to everyone! At His bidding you can either take up your bed and walk or linger in death among the lame and blind. Christ Jesus is able to offer you eternal life here and now because He is God. 

Not only is He a self-existent Being, who does not derive from, nor depend upon, any other (Ex 3:14), but He is a sovereign giver of life. Christ Jesus has the disposal of life in Himself; and of all that is good; and it is all derived from Him, and dependent on Him and nothing else. He is to all creation the fountain of life, and all good; author of it's being and well-being; the living God, and the God of all living.

Christ Jesus is the Son of Man, He is the Messiah promised. In Danial's vision of Christ Jesus' kingdom and glory, (Dan 7:13-14), Christ Jesus is called the Son of Man. 13 "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

“Christ Jesus is the heavenly figure to whom is given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed” (Morris, p. 320) 

Christ Jesus is the Messiah! He is your Saviour, High Priest, who suffered and died for you so that you could have your sins washed clean. Won't you call on Him this morning?

Up to this point Christ Jesus has been talking about His relation to and with the Father. He has in so many words stated that He and the Father are One, that He must do the Father's work, and that all His authority comes from the Father. Now Christ Jesus changes the subject to the resurrection.

4. Resurrection of the Good and Wicked (vs. 28-29)

The Old Testament and much of ancient Judaism taught a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous, which would take place at the last day. 

Christ Jesus now switched His discourse to that physical resurrection and identified a major doctrine of the New Testament – the concept of two resurrections. There will be a resurrection for the righteous and for the wicked. Here Christ Jesus lays to rest the false doctrine that death ends all life and essentially serves as cessation of existence.

Not only will there be a resurrection, but there will also be a judgment. Those who are righteous will be resurrected to life. A life eternal with the God Head. On the other hand the wicked will be resurrected to judgment, they shall live again, to be for ever dying. 

The resurrection will be to evil doers, who did not by repentance undo what they had done amiss, a resurrection of damnation. They shall come forth to be publicly convicted of rebellion against God, and publicly condemned to everlasting punishment; to be sentenced to it, and immediately sent to it without reprieve. Such will the resurrection be. (Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition,)

Conclusion: In verses 19-29 you have seen that Christ Jesus is the agent for God the Father. He could do nothing on His own, but was sent as the Son of Man to do the will of Him who sent Him, that is God the Father. Christ Jesus, who was in the beginning became a servant so that all mankind might live. And live you shall if you have invited Christ Jesus into your life to be your Lord and Saviour. If you have not you are condemned to judgment and everlasting punishment. Personally I would pray that you choose life with Christ Jesus, but it is your choice.