John 5.30-47
John 5:30-47
Jesus tells us to believe the evidence [draft sermon outline]
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Published July 7th, 2021
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John 5:30-47
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Witnesses to Jesus 30 d “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and e my judgment is just, because f I seek not my own will g but the will of him who sent me. 31 h If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is i another who bears witness about me, and j I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. 33 k You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 Not that l the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 He was a burning and m shining lamp, and n you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 36 But l the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For o the works that the Father has given me p to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, q bear witness about me that r the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me s has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, t his form you have never seen, 38 and u you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. 39 v You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and w it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet x you refuse to come to me that you may have life. 41 y I do not receive glory from people. 42 But z I know that you do not have a the love of God within you. 43 I have come b in my Father’s name, and c you do not receive me. d If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and e do not seek the glory that comes from f the only God? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, g on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for h he wrote of me. 47 But i if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
John 5:30-47
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30 Οὐ δύναμαι ἐγὼ ποιεῖν ἀπʼ ἐμαυτοῦ οὐδέν• καθὼς ἀκούω κρίνω, καὶ ἡ κρίσις ἡ ἐμὴ δικαία ἐστίν, * ὅτι οὐ ζητῶ τὸ θέλημα τὸ ἐμὸν ἀλλὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με. 31 Ἐὰν ἐγὼ μαρτυρῶ περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ, ἡ μαρτυρία μου οὐκ ἔστιν ἀληθής• 32 ἄλλος ἐστὶν ὁ μαρτυρῶν περὶ ἐμοῦ, καὶ οἶδα ὅτι ἀληθής ἐστιν ἡ μαρτυρία ἣν μαρτυρεῖ περὶ ἐμοῦ. 33 ὑμεῖς ἀπεστάλκατε πρὸς Ἰωάννην, καὶ μεμαρτύρηκεν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ• 34 ἐγὼ δὲ οὐ παρὰ ἀνθρώπου τὴν μαρτυρίαν λαμβάνω, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα λέγω ἵνα ὑμεῖς σωθῆτε. 35 ἐκεῖνος ἦν ὁ λύχνος ὁ καιόμενος καὶ φαίνων, ὑμεῖς δὲ ἠθελήσατε ἀγαλλιαθῆναι πρὸς ὥραν ἐν τῷ φωτὶ αὐτοῦ. 36 Ἐγὼ δὲ ἔχω τὴν μαρτυρίαν μείζω τοῦ Ἰωάννου• τὰ γὰρ ἔργα ἃ δέδωκέν μοι ὁ πατὴρ ἵνα τελειώσω αὐτά, αὐτὰ τὰ ἔργα ἃ ποιῶ μαρτυρεῖ περὶ ἐμοῦ ὅτι ὁ πατήρ με ἀπέσταλκεν. 37 καὶ ὁ πέμψας με πατὴρ ἐκεῖνος μεμαρτύρηκεν περὶ ἐμοῦ. οὔτε φωνὴν αὐτοῦ πώποτε ἀκηκόατε οὔτε εἶδος αὐτοῦ ἑωράκατε, 38 καὶ τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔχετε ἐν ὑμῖν μένοντα, ὅτι ὃν ἀπέστειλεν ἐκεῖνος, τούτῳ ὑμεῖς οὐ πιστεύετε. 39 ἐραυνᾶτε τὰς γραφάς, ὅτι ὑμεῖς δοκεῖτε ἐν αὐταῖς ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἔχειν• καὶ ἐκεῖναί εἰσιν αἱ μαρτυροῦσαι περὶ ἐμοῦ• 40 καὶ οὐ θέλετε ἐλθεῖν πρός με ἵνα ζωὴν ἔχητε. 41 Δόξαν παρὰ ἀνθρώπων οὐ λαμβάνω, 42 ἀλλʼ ἔγνωκα ὑμᾶς ὅτι τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ ἔχετε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς. 43 ἐγὼ ἐλήλυθα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ πατρός μου, καὶ οὐ λαμβάνετέ με• ἐὰν ἄλλος ἔλθῃ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τῷ ἰδίῳ, ἐκεῖνον λήμψεσθε. 44 πῶς δύνασθε ὑμεῖς πιστεῦσαι δόξαν παρὰ ἀλλήλων λαμβάνοντες, καὶ τὴν δόξαν τὴν παρὰ τοῦ μόνου θεοῦ οὐ ζητεῖτε; 45 Μὴ δοκεῖτε ὅτι ἐγὼ κατηγορήσω ὑμῶν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα• ἔστιν ὁ κατηγορῶν ὑμῶν Μωϋσῆς, εἰς ὃν ὑμεῖς ἠλπίκατε. 46 εἰ γὰρ ἐπιστεύετε Μωϋσεῖ, ἐπιστεύετε ἂν ἐμοί• περὶ γὰρ ἐμοῦ ἐκεῖνος ἔγραψεν. 47 εἰ δὲ τοῖς ἐκείνου γράμμασιν οὐ πιστεύετε, πῶς τοῖς ἐμοῖς ῥήμασιν πιστεύσετε;
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Jesus tells us to believe the evidence Intro 'Testimony'. What it means, how it relates to 'evidence'. Examples. Belief and unbelief. We get more detail on the unbelief now. John spirals round, returning to themes and adding more detail to them. Recap context: the Son does what the Father does. Jesus' power to give life, and that is a present reality and a future one. 1. Believe the testimony of John the baptist (v30-35) v30 not 'on my own', but 'from myself'. v31 i.e., evidence to be established by 2 or 3 witnesses. But also, the very nature of Jesus' claims are such that, if there was not the witness of the prophets, the works, etc, the claims would be by their nature false. v32 There is 'another'; take that to be the Father honouring the Son through John, the Scriptures, and Jesus' works. v34 this is not merely something from man, but from above, which the prophets (including John) bore witness to. v35 and you wanted to enjoy his light for a while 2. Believe the testimony of the works God the Father gave Jesus to do (v36-38) v36 but I have a testimony greater than John. v36 the very works which I am doing bear witness that the Father has sent me. These 'works' we can take as the full package of his teaching, miracles/signs, and ultimately death and resurrection. All the works/actions of revealing the Father. v37 his voice, form, word all revealed in Jesus. So to reject Jesus is not to know the Father. v38 the proof of whether the Father's word abides in you is whether you believe in the One he sent. God's glory: he shows his glory in his Son and the works he gave him to do (which we take to mean, his miracles, teaching, and ultimately death and resurrection - the complete package). He bears witness to Jesus through the prophets, the last of whom was John the baptist. 3. Believe the testimony of the Scriptures (v39-47) If you believed Moses, you would believe me. Showing the self-righteousness of religion as a weapon, if you question the premise. There is a way of 'believing' which is not really believing, but actually unbelieving. cf their attitude to Moses. Missing the wood for the trees, and refusing any correction. Pride and brittleness rather than openness and humility. Crucial principle: the Bible shows us how to interpret itself. FCF : We don't believe the evidence, not because it's faulty, but because we are faulty. Not wanting to come to Jesus in order to have life. And the statement of v44, how can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? This ties together flesh, pride, fear of man, love of the world. Enjoying John the baptist's light' for a while'. H1. Wanting glory from others, therefore only appreciating 'religion' in its place, on the margins safely under control. H2. Wanting glory from others, therefore scripture becomes a tool and servant to that end. Bibliolatry and scholasticism. The moral law, in which we are so self-righteous, accuses us. Refusing to see the Bible primarily as a witness to Jesus. An uncovering of his glory. And therefore primarily something we first (before we think of others) need to respond to. Rather, picking our neuroses and hobby horses. Motivated by glory from others. E.g., if you really loved marriage, you'd love Jesus. If you really loved the value of life, you'd love Jesus. Don't have his word abiding, yet want to act like it. Form but not function. How the fear of man in v44 (which leads us not to honour Jesus) shows itself in churches, rather than the fear of God (which leads us to love Jesus). Person of Jesus . He is the One to whom all Scripture witnesses. He sounds the voice of the Father, shows and reveals the Father. Through knowing Jesus, God's word abides in our hearts. He lives for the audience of one; compare v34 and v41. Work of Jesus . In his death, his glory fully revealed. The greatest of his works. The great turning event which all Scripture testified to, and John too. The covering for sin and newness of life. He shows the Father's love. Union with Jesus. Invitation . v40 come to Jesus and have life! Look at the glorious evidence and believe. Confrontation . Stop using religion or Bible as an end in itself, something which keeps you from knowing God. Stop seeking glory from people. Consolation . Seek the glory which comes from God. To love, trust, honour the Son is to please the Father. To read the Scriptures and see Jesus on every page, glimpses of his glory everywhere, is to please the Father. Wrap up: Jesus tells us to believe the evidence. Believe the testimony of John the baptist. Believe the testimony of the works God the Father gave Jesus to do. Believe the testimony of the Scriptures.
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