The Son of God
Book of John Chapter
5
We as Christians
sometimes forget why Jesus did all the things that He did.
We sometimes make
Him small when He is Great.
We sometimes forget
the reason that Jesus Christ was upon this earth.
Jesus Christ was led
to do all the things He did because of the love of our Father in
Heaven!
Joh 3:16 For God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
This is why Jesus
did all the things He did when He was upon this place called Earth.
There was this great
pool of water called Bethesda and at certain times of the year an
Angel would stir up the waters and the first one who entered the
water after seeing this would be healed of their infirmities or we
would say disease.
This sounds like a
wonderful place and a great thing for those who were sick or lame,
but it was not a fair place!
Those who were truly
in need could not get to the water because of those with stumped toes
or more simple things that maybe would have healed on their own would
step over them to be the first to get in the water.
We can doubt that
such a pool existed but then we would be rejecting the written Word
of God.
Even today
Christians are much the same. Those who truly have need of our Pastor
sometimes do not get the attention they need because someone with a
minor problem had taken the time of our Pastor and he could not get
to where he needed to be.
Jesus knew what was
going on and there was this one man who had been trying to get in the
waters of Bethesda for 38 years and he would have never made it even
if he lived to be 100 years old.
His chances
decreased with every passing year, but God sent His Son into this
world to make some changes to this world.
One of the many
things that Jesus does every day is that He provides opportunities
for a changed life!
If we understand the
Words of Christ, it seems that this man was in the condition, he was
in, because of the sin in his life.
You want to know the
truth, all those that doubt the truth of Jesus Christ and deny His
Deity are taking a stand with those who were His murderers.
When we doubt the
Word of God we are calling God a liar, so do it to His face and quit
hiding behind social issues.
*****Joh 5:14
Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold,
thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
We should realize
that many of the ailments we have late in our life are due to the sin
in our life or that was in our earlier life before we invited the
Lord Jesus Christ into our hearts.
By this time this
man who was healed by the hand of the Lord had taken his bed home and
in doing so was confronted by certain Jews who were probably
Pharisees scolding him for doing this work on the Sabbath.
What was the law of
God?
Exo 20:8 Remember
the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days
shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exo 20:10 But the
seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not
do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor
thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy
gates:
Exo 20:11 For in
six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in
them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the
sabbath day, and hallowed it.
The truth is, what
we must observe is that our Righteous God has holy and righteous
standards and we should try our best to observe those standards every
day!
We begin to
understand these things when we allow the Holy Ghost free will in our
lives!
The very same God
that gave us these wonderful commandments was the very same God who
healed this man who had suffered for 38 years and the very same God
who told him to pick up his bed and walk.
Which command are we
to follow? Both.
It was sin that had
brought this bad health to this man. This man was healed, and that
sin was forgiven.
It was not sin for
him to pick up his bed and take it home because it was not work by
which he would be paid to do. He was taking care of a piece of
personal property but more than that he was obeying the Word of Jesus
Christ.
Jesus says it is
lawful to do good on the Sabbath!
Luk 6:9 Then said
Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the
sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy
it?
Since the Lord Jesus
Christ went about doing good 7 days each week, we should know that it
is lawful to do good on the Sabbath, on Sunday and on every other day
of the week.
By this same line of
thought, it is not lawful to do bad things on the Sabbath or any
other day of the week and certainly never lawful to destroy a life on
the Sabbath.
Which means animals
had to be fed and watered.
Which means animals
had to be milked.
Which means the sick
had to be cared for.
Which means children
had to be cared for.
Which means the
people had to be fed even though fasting was also encouraged.
To the Jew, this
Sabbath would begin Friday at 6 PM and last through Saturday until 6
PM.
The seventh day of
the week to the Christian is Sunday, which is the Lord's Day to be
observed by the Church and it should be obvious that we are to take
note of what God has said here.
2Ti 3:16 All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the
man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
These are not things
open for discussion, they are settled by the Word of God.
In fact the Word of
God is not open for discussion or for a vote, the Word of God is
settled in Heaven and this is all we need to know!
God rested on the
seventh day showing us that our own bodies need physical rest and
Spiritual fulfillment(Worship) at least one day of the week and as
time passes and we see this world getting worse then we are to gather
more often to worship the Lord and not less often.
Heb_10:25 Not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some
is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the
day approaching.
Many modern
so-called places of worship have abandoned the Wednesday night
service and also the Sunday evening service ignoring Hebrews 10:25.
There may be some
real reasons in some nations but not in America.
Before we worry
about the Sabbath or the Sunday worship service, we should
concentrate on the more important things in the Scriptures.
The Jews choose the
Sabbath or Saturday and they are right. They follow the laws given
specifically to the Jews by Moses.
The Church chooses
Sunday, the first day of the week, the Lord's Day(Day of
Resurrection) and the Church is right.
Rev_1:10 I was in
the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as
of a trumpet.
When we have been
made whole by the Lord Jesus Christ then we should put forth the
effort to sin no more!
Before we go any
further let’s look at this word Jews.
1) There was the
Jews, the race of the people of Judah and then all of Israel.
2) There were Jews,
who were the hard line observers of the Law(legalism) and these same
Jews rejected all things of Jesus Christ the Son of God. These were
the same ones who in their customs and manners despised, persecuted,
and hated all those who did not follow the written and the
oral(tradition) laws of Moses.
*****Joh 5:15 The
man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him
whole.
Joh 5:16 And
therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him,
because he had done these things on the sabbath day.
We may not
understand it, but it was a very serious matter to break the laws of
the Sabbath and this man, having never met anyone like Jesus did not
realize the harm it would cause to tell these supposed men of God
about what Jesus had done and then point Him out to these hypocrites
dressed as the men of God.
In this day the
people could not travel but for a short distance, they could not cook
or even draw water and certainly not open their businesses on the
Sabbath.
Even a doctor could
not make any attempt to heal unless that life was at stake.
A person could not
even be caught thinking about his work for the next day!
Those that broke the
Sabbath Law could be put to death by stoning.
These things may
seem to be ridiculous to us today but after the return of the Jews
from Babylon it was the commands of God that had kept this nation
together.
Ezra had brought
them back to the Word of God from which they had strayed. This tiny
nation had been dominated by many nations over the years and at this
time they were under the tyranny of Rome and the Jewish leaders had
not followed in the lines of David or Solomon.
Herod was just as
much their enemy as was Rome. Herod was a descendant of Ishmael.
The High Priests
were selected by how much they could bribe Herod or the Roman rulers.
God had not spoken
to these people by a prophet for 400 years until John the Baptist.
It was now only
their God, Jehovah, that was the force that kept them together as a
nation of Jews.
They refused to be
swallowed up by the other nations and demanded that Jews marry other
Jews to keep their national structure in place.
They were beginning
to realize that Jesus had a whole new line of thought that included
not only Jews, not only sinners, not only Gentiles, but also mixed
marriages such as the Samaritans.
They had decided
that Jesus was just some evil man using sorcery to control the people
and work miracles by the power of Satan.
The religious
leaders other than those appointed by Herod, were very concerned
about this man named Jesus, claiming to be the Messiah.
They rejected God's
way of righteousness.
They rejected God's
Messiah.
They rejected the
Son of God because they rejected the Word of God!
They allowed
tradition and ritual, ceremony and rules, to become more important
than meeting the basic needs of human life.
The truth of Jesus
Christ was about to expose their error and they simply could not
allow God's Messiah to change any of these things!
After all they held
an office of prestige without God's involvement or so they thought.
The ordinary Jewish
man of God and Jewish patriot needed to be released from all these
things!
The Lord Jesus
Christ brought something new and they rejected it!
1Co 11:24 And when
he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my
body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
1Co 11:25 After the
same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This
cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink
it, in remembrance of me.
2Co_3:6 Who also
hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter,
but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth
life.
Just as what happens
to that "Born Again" child of God, we must be liberated
from the claws of Satan, so we can be saved.
These Jews needed
this same liberation from their own religion before they could be
saved but they refused to allow this to happen.
They were bound by
the laws they had written themselves and they could not keep
themselves and they just could not see it.
Joh 7:19 Did not
Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go
ye about to kill me?
Joh 7:20 The people
answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee?
Joh 7:21 Jesus
answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel.
Joh 7:22 Moses
therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses,
but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man.
Joh 7:23 If a man
on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should
not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every
whit whole on the sabbath day?
How did Jesus answer
these accusations?
*****Joh 5:17 But
Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
Joh 5:18 Therefore
the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken
the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself
equal with God.
There is little
doubt that Jesus was saying that He was the Son of God and the Jewish
Messiah!
We should all give
this same answer, when asked.
God our Father is
truly working every day to complete His plan of salvation, but we
must not forget that God uses humans to do those things for Him.
Therefore since our
Father is at work to complete the promises He has made to us, we
should be at work doing the things He has called upon us to do! It is
just that simple!
The Lord Jesus
Christ is certainly the same as God, but in His ways while He was
upon this earth, He is also our example of what we should be!
We cannot be
Christian and reject the ways of Jesus Christ!
We cannot be
Christian and reject any part of the Word of God!
We cannot be
Christian and reject the Will of the Holy Spirit who abides within
each Christian!
Jesus Christ speaks
with authority because He is the Author of the Word of God and the
Author of our salvation.
Heb_12:2 Looking
unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that
was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set
down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The truth is when we
are approached by Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, we must make
a choice. We either accept what Jesus says or we reject Him as just
some man.
Either way the
choice we make is a choice about life! This opportunity might never
come again!
And we must remember
that these things Jesus did on the Sabbath did not change the truth
of the Scriptures.
Jesus obeyed all the
Laws of Moses but Jewish traditions are not part of God's Law!
The Lord said we
needed one day each week to rest our bodies and worship the Lord.
The truth is, it is
OK to do good things on the day of worship but again we must not just
be trying to avoid Church!
Just because the
world runs 24/7 does not mean God's people are supposed to.
Some do, because it
means life or death. Others do it to make more money and miss the
worship service for the wrong reasons.
When we get on up in
years, we realize why the Lord said we need to rest one day each
week!
Let us not forget
Jesus, The Messiah is truly the God of the Bible!
We must also not
forget that the theme of this piece of Scripture is "Obedience".
*****Joh 5:19 Then
answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do:
for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
Jesus Christ cannot
do anything differently from the Father, because they are the same
person! We can say the same thing of the Holy Spirit(Ghost).
There is only one
time there was any separation at all and it was when the Lord Jesus
took on all the sin of the world, past, present and future.
Mar_15:34 And at
the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi,
lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me?
This onetime, Jesus
said "my God" and not "My Father"!
Jesus did this in
obedience to the Father and momentarily the human side of Jesus gave
up the Ghost and He had already said no one could take His life and
if He gave it up He would then take it back up again!
It could be said
that the Father shows, the Son sees, and the Father purposes, and the
Son executes.
Joh 8:28 Then said
Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye
know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father
hath taught me, I speak these things.
Joh 8:29 And he
that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do
always those things that please him.
This is the
relationship our Father in Heaven is seeking from each of us!
*****Joh 5:20 For
the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself
doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may
marvel.
Joh 5:21 For as the
Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son
quickeneth whom he will.
Joh 5:22 For the
Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
Joh 5:23 That all
men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that
honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
Our Holy Father in
Heaven is seeking those who will be obedient to Him, not out of fear
but out of Love!
There was never one
moment that the Father did not love the Son, the Father just cannot
look upon sin!
The Father has the
power to give life and so the Son will give life to all those that He
chooses to do so!
The Lord Jesus
cannot be constrained nor restrained from doing as He pleases!
Joh 3:17 For God
sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the
world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18 He that
believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the
only begotten Son of God.
No matter what the
world says it is the Lord Jesus Christ who will judge this world at a
time that He so chooses!
Jesus has already
given us an approximate time when we will return to begin all these
things and we are command to be watching for Him!
It is because we all
are commanded to honor the Lord Jesus Christ that He will be the
"Judge" of this world!
1Jn 2:21 I have not
written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know
it, and that no lie is of the truth.
1Jn 2:22 Who is a
liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist,
that denieth the Father and the Son.
1Jn 2:23 Whosoever
denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that
acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
1Jn 2:24 Let that
therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If
that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye
also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
The truth means
nothing if we do not abide in the truth!
*****Joh 5:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and
believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not
come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Again Jesus says
that it is very important that we understand these things just as it
was very important that those Jews understood all these things!
It is wondrous
knowledge to know that our soul will never see death!
We know that Jesus
came to save all those who are lost.
Salvation can only
come the hearing of His Word and applying those words to our life. It
takes commitment and obedience to do this thing!
People will tell you
that there are many ways to do this, but this cannot be true because
we must do exactly as Jesus says. There is no other way!
Those that think
there is another way to get to Heaven are worshiping a false god!
Joh 14:6 Jesus
saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had
known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye
know him, and have seen him.
Those that disagree
with what Jesus says here will never get to God's Heaven but those
that do have faith in what Jesus says, will live eternally in God's
Heaven or I should say in God's New Heaven!
Joh 6:47 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting
life.
It should be obvious
that this is a choice that we make for ourselves! God has already
made His choice and God has already told us what He is going to do!
We must believe that
God has sent His Son into this world to save those that truly believe
what God says!
Amen.
Let's Pray!