Oct. 13, 2024
“The Claims of The Christ”
John 5:25-47
October 13, 2024 Dr. Don Bazal
Ten times in ten verses John uses some form of the verb martureo, commonly translated by the English words testify or witness. This chapter contains almost one-third of all uses in this Gospel: John uses the word a total of forty-seven times in his writings, and it appears twenty-nine more times in the New Testament. To put that another way, John uses the word witness almost twice as often as the rest of the New Testament writers combined. Throughout John 5, Jesus witnesses to who He is by His works and His words. All of His teachings are evidence of His claim to be equal to God in power, purpose and Person.
THE THREE ACTS OF THE CHRIST
1. Jesus gives spiritual life to the spiritually dead.
2. Jesus is given all judgment.
3. Jesus raises the physically dead.
ALL LIFE IS IN THE HANDS OF JESUS: 5:25-26.
Colossians 1:16 – For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities —all things have been created through Him and for Him.
● The Spiritually Dead
Ephesians 2:1,5 – And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,. . . 5 even when
we were dead in our transgressions, [God]made us alive together with Christ
(by grace you have been saved),
John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 17:8 – for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they
received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they
believed that You sent Me.
● The Physical Resurrection of the Body of The Christian
Romans 8:11 – But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in
you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal
bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
I Corinthians 15:42-44 – So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a
perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is
raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown
a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is
also a spiritual body.
● The Physical Resurrection of those who died without Jesus
Revelation 20:11-15 – Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon
it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found
for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the
throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the
book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in
the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were
in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were
judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades
were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was
thrown into the lake of fire.
I Corinthians 15:42-44 – So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a
perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is
raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural
body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a
spiritual body.
ALL JUDGMENT IS IN THE HANDS OF JESUS: 5:27
Hebrews 10:5,10 – Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,
“Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but a body You have prepared for
Me;. . . 10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body
of Jesus Christ once for all.
I Peter 2:24a – and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that
we might die to sin and live to righteousness;
ALL RESURRECTION IS IN JESUS’ HANDS: 5:28-29
Resurrection to Life: Revelation 20:4 – Then I saw thrones, and they sat on
them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had
been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of
God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not
received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life
and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Resurrection to Death: Revelation 20:5 – The rest of the dead did not come to
life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.
THE FIVE WITNESSES TO CHRIST: 5:31-47
John 8:16 – But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me.
Deuteronomy 19:15 – “A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.
Witness#1 – John the Baptist: John 1:6 – There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.
Witness#2 – Jesus’ Miracles
- John 14:11 – Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.
2. John 20:30-31 –Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the
presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and
that believing you may have life in His name.
Witness#3 – The Father
Matthew 3:17 – behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
Matthew 17:5 – While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”
John 12:28 – Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
Note 4 negatives as to why the Father’s witness is discounted
● willful deafness: Exodus 20:19; Numbers 7:89
Exodus 20:19 – Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.”
Numbers 7:89 – Now when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim, so He spoke to him.
● blindness
Exodus 33:20 – But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!”
I Timothy 6:15b-16 – He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
John 1:14,18 – And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . . 18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
● spiritually dead: I Corinthians 2:14 – But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
● willful unbelief: Hebrews 11:6 – And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Witness#4 – The Scriptures: Luke 24:44-45; I John 2:15
Luke 24:44-45 – Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
I John 2:15 – Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Witness#5 – Moses: Deuteronomy 18:18; Luke 24:27
Deuteronomy 18:18 – I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.
Luke 24:27 – Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.
Live Steaming
Groups
