Whitehall Baptist Church
June 7th | John : Jesus is God | John 5:31-47

      • Hebrews 10:24–25KJV1900

      • Romans 15:13KJV1900

      • Psalm 113:1–2KJV1900

  • Blessed Be the Name

      • Psalm 148:1KJV1900

      • Psalm 148:13KJV1900

  • Praise His Name (Psalm 148)
  • In Christ Alone

      • Psalm 93:1–2KJV1900

  • Ancient Of Days

  • JOHN 5:31-47 | THE CASE IS CLOSED

    ILLUSTRATION: It was probably around 10 years ago now, I had received a summons for jury duty.
    I had never been on a jury before, so I was actually kind of looking forward to the event.
    I drove the hour plus drive all the way to Virginia City, and I got there a little early because I didn’t know what to expect.
    I was surprised when I walked into the courthouse.
    It was quieter than I expected.
    And there were less people there than I thought would be there.
    In fact, there was no one there except for a lady working a desk in an office shortly after the entrance.
    I made my way to her to let her know I was there for the trial that was set to begin in 20 minutes, and I just needed directions on where to go in the building
    The puzzled look on her face was followed by her telling me, there was no trial in that courthouse on that day.
    I knew she was clearly confused as I took out my summons and presented it to her clearly showing her the date as that day.
    It was then that she let me know I came to the wrong courthouse, and the summons was for a trial taking place in Boulder nearly 2 hours away.
    EXPLANATION: Jesus has been put on trial by the religious scribes and Pharisees throughout the second half of John 5
    He has presented the evidences that He had power to do things they had never seen before, and everything He did was in direct agreement with God the Father, because they were One.
    1 John 5:7 KJV 1900
    For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
    Jesus even went so far as to give them a glimpse of one day when everyone will be raised from the grave by His voice to spend eternity in heaven or in a lake of fire.
    And now, Jesus take things a step farther.
    He steps into their earthly courtroom setting they had created there in Jerusalem, and He agrees to play by their rules.
    You see these religious scholars held closely to the first five books of the OT called the Torah, and so Jesus begins to walk down the path that they would be very familiar with.
    He says in v.31, John 5:31
    John 5:31 KJV 1900
    If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
    He wasn’t saying that what He said wasn’t true, but rather, according to their standards and the standards of the OT, He couldn’t be the sole witness to validate what He was saying.
    Deuteronomy 17:6 KJV 1900
    At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
    And in this moment, they were accusing Jesus of Blasphemy, which was a crime whose sentence was death.
    So now Jesus enters their courtroom to play by their rules and give evidence of Who He is.
    APPLICATION: Friend, this morning, will you enter that courtroom with me.
    Let’s witness the evidence Jesus brings forth, find a twist no one saw coming, and discover the motive behind this entire trial.
    And maybe just maybe, you’ll find yourself seated somewhere in this courtroom along the way.

    V.31-38, 46-47, THE RECORD

    EXPLANATION: Jesus begins to walk call his various witnesses to the stand, who testify of Who He says He is.
    And Jesus doesn’t wait to bring in the big witness.
    He doesn’t wait until day two or three to shock the crowd with the One Who takes the stand.
    He begins with the most powerful witness of all!
    WITNESS 1 - THE FATHER
    John 5:32 KJV 1900
    There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.
    John 5:37 KJV 1900
    And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
    From the throne room of heaven, God the Father speaks out in testimony of Jesus Christ and His deity!
    Matthew 3:17 KJV 1900
    And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
    With a crowd looking on by the Jordan River, Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist and as He comes out of the water, the voice of God thunders from heaven, proving Christ’s deity to those on the shores.
    Matthew 17:5 KJV 1900
    While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
    This time, it’s Peter, James, and John on the mount of transfiguration that here the booming voice of God as He declares the position that Jesus holds!
    John 12:28 KJV 1900
    Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
    In a third public declaration during the final week of Christ’s earthly ministry, God the Father once again reigns out His testimony and approval of Christ!
    What further evidence is needed!
    Nothing more should be required.
    And yet Jesus calls another witness to the stand
    WITNESS 2 - JOHN THE BAPTIST
    John 5:33–35 KJV 1900
    Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.
    John was a light that pointed to the source of His power!
    John 1:29 KJV 1900
    The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
    John 1:34 KJV 1900
    And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
    John over and over again would point to Jesus and declare that Jesus is God in the flesh.
    He summarized his purpose in John 3:30
    John 3:30 KJV 1900
    He must increase, but I must decrease.
    John knew it wasn’t about Him… it was all about Jesus, because Jesus was God in flesh.
    Jesus has pulled in two heavy hitter witnesses so far… but He isn’t finished yet.
    WITNESS 3 - THE WORKS OF JESUS
    John 5:36 KJV 1900
    But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.
    Jesus says that He was sent of the Father to “finish” the works.
    The word “Finish” is the Greek word teleioso, and it is the same root word that Jesus would say when He hung on the cross and declared, “it is finished.”
    Jesus is just getting going in His earthly ministry and the miracles and works He has already done and will do, point to the truth of Who He is!
    Every miracle Jesus performed was a down payment on the greatest work of all — the finished work of the cross and the empty tomb.
    It points to the greatest work is the work that was finished with His death and resurrection!
    1 Corinthians 15:55–57 KJV 1900
    O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
    After Jesus death, resurrection, and ascension, Peter would stand at Pentecost and proclaim, Acts 2:22
    Acts 2:22 KJV 1900
    Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
    Jesus’s works and miracles are yet another witness of Who He is!
    WITNESS 4 - THE WORD OF GOD
    John 5:38–39 KJV 1900
    And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
    The phrase “search the scriptures” literally means, “you have searched and are still searching”
    Which is a good thing to study God’s Word.
    The problem is they had studied the commands but had missed the subject.
    They had the Word in their heads, but it had never taken root in their hearts.
    There is a difference between knowing what the Bible says and having it living in you.
    They were so focused on the details, which are important, but it was at the expense of the main point!
    But the Scriptures point to Who Jesus is!
    2 Timothy 3:15 KJV 1900
    And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
    John 20:31 KJV 1900
    But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
    John would state at the end of his writing that the point of his entire Gospel is to testify of who Christ is, and for them to believe on Christ!
    WITNESS 5 - MOSES
    John 5:46–47 KJV 1900
    For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?
    Jesus now pulls out a final jab that would have hit close to home.
    He says, “Had you believed Moses…”
    Moses’s books were what they built their whole lives upon.
    Moses’s books were what they had memorized and studied
    Moses was the final authority to them in all things spiritual or Scriptural
    And Jesus says to them… “You don’t even believe Moses.
    The blood would have been boiling!
    But what did Moses write?
    Genesis 3:15 KJV 1900
    And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
    The very first prophesy of the coming Messiah, Jesus, was written by Moses
    Deuteronomy 18:15 KJV 1900
    The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
    That Prophet he wrote about had arrived.
    “Moses becomes not merely a witness but an accuser. The very Scriptures they wielded as a badge of spiritual superiority are turned into instruments of condemnation against them.”
    Jesus had gone far beyond just calling 2-3 witnesses as required in Deuteronomy.
    Jesus had called the very witness of the accuser to the stand, and used his testimony to condemn them.
    APPLICATION: So surely after all of the evidence and witnesses, the crowd would have fallen down in worship and turned to Christ… Right?
    Surely, this morning, as you hear the clear evidence of Who Christ is, you are convinced to turn from your ways and live for Him?
    Unfortunately, so many today are just like those in Jesus day when He was right there standing before them.

    V.39-42, THE REJECTION

    John 5:39–42 KJV 1900
    Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.
    EXPLANATION: Jesus challenges them, you think you know the rules… and therefore you have eternal life.
    You think that your religious is enough to get you to heaven.
    You think because you go to the synagogue and you say your ritual prayers, and you participate in the ceremonial cleansings with the pots of ceremonial water, that you have done enough.
    Their confidence was real… it was firm… but their conclusion… what they thought was painfully wrong!
    Matthew 7:21–23 KJV 1900
    Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
    You see religious activity, even in the name of Christ, is still no substitute for a real relationship with Christ.
    They knew the text, but they missed the Author.
    But John is clear, it wasn’t because God had hidden it from them, or that they couldn’t have had the truth, or they were unable to receive the truth.
    John 5:40 KJV 1900
    And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
    They didn’t have the truth, because they had chosen to reject the truth.
    It was a deliberate decision of unbelief.
    It wasn’t a matter of “Can I believe”, it was “Do I want to believe?”
    John talked about this back in John 3:19
    John 3:19 KJV 1900
    And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
    Men choose to reject the light because they love the darkness!
    Isaiah spoke of this same thing in Isaiah 1:18-20
    Isaiah 1:19–20 KJV 1900
    If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, Ye shall be devoured with the sword: For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
    Proverbs 1:24–25 KJV 1900
    Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, And would none of my reproof:
    And v.42, finally reaches the root of the reason behind that decision:
    John 5:42 KJV 1900
    But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.
    Now don’t miss what Jesus does so beautifully in this verse.
    Up to this point, Jesus has been the one on trial by the religious crowd.
    Jesus has brought his 5 witnesses before them as they sit in the judges chair.
    He has offered up the powerful burden of proof.
    But suddenly in v.42, it’s as if Jesus walks over to those who are acting as judge and have put him in the place as the defense.
    And Jesus looks them in the eye seated in the judges seat, and He says, “I know you”
    In three words, Jesus dismantles their entire defense.
    'I know you.'
    Not 'I know about you.'
    Not 'I have heard reports.'
    He knows them — completely, perfectly, permanently.
    And now Jesus has taken their seat on the judges stand
    And now the courtroom has been turned upside down and the ones who were once the judges are now on trial.
    But Jesus doesn’t have to call in witnesses to testify against them, because He is omniscient and knows them completely!
    Psalm 139:1–3 KJV 1900
    O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, Thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, And art acquainted with all my ways.
    And Jesus now, with piercing eyes stares deeply past their facial expressions and whatever religious coverings they have put on.
    Past their ritualistic religion
    Past their works they have deemed as spiritual
    Past their knowledge of the OT Torah
    And He sees into their souls
    And He points to a problem that is beyond intellect… He points to the root problem.
    They loved the ritual, but they didn’t love God.
    This goes back to the very foundation that should have stung and convicted the heart of every religious facade there that day.
    Matthew 22:37–38 KJV 1900
    Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.
    By their own standard… and by Christ’s as well… they had failed.
    It wasn’t a diminished love
    It wasn’t an imperfect love
    Their entire religious persona
    The Torah Study
    The Temple Attendance
    The fasting
    The tithing
    The public prayers
    None of it had produced a genuine love for God in their hearts.
    And the test was simple: John 5:23
    John 5:23 KJV 1900
    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.
    Because religious activity is not the same as a real relationship with Christ!
    APPLICATION: Friend, Knowing the Scriptures is not the same as knowing the Author of the Scriptures
    You can sit in a church pew for 40 years
    Know every Bible story better than the preacher
    Sing every hymn from memory
    You can talk about the “good ol days”
    And you can dress the dress and talk the talk,
    And still never enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
    The Scribes and the Pharisees are a warning to each person here this morning, don’t get confused by the two?
    Don’t allow your knowledge about God and the Bible, keep you from knowing the God of the Bible.
    We’ve established the evidence - Five witnesses with unshakable testimonies
    We have seen the rejection - religious people who knew the Scriptures and yet refused the Savior
    They knew about God but didn’t know God.
    Now we come to the deepest question of the message: Why?
    Why would someone stand before this mountain of evidence and look Jesus in the eyes and still refuse?
    Well, Jesus gives the answer in one verse… don’t miss it.

    V.44, THE REASON

    John 5:44 KJV 1900
    How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?
    EXPLANATION: Notice that Jesus does not ask "Why do you not believe?" … He asks "How can ye believe?"*
    Meaning the condition He is about to describe has produced an incapability.
    They were incapable of belief.
    Not because God had taken that ability from them… but because of something that had take priority over a belief in Christ,
    They were addicted to the approval of their fellow humans… and it didn’t just make it difficult to believe in God and love God.
    In their present state, it made it impossible to believe in and love God.
    1 John 2:15 KJV 1900
    Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
    The Pharisees had built everything on their positions, their reputations, their authority, and their social standing and it was all resting on the approval of their peers.
    They were more concerned with others thought than they were about what God thought of them.
    To publicly accept Jesus would have meant professional ruin
    It would have meant social excommunication
    It would have mean rejection from their fellow colleagues.
    John would later state the situation plainly in John 12:42-43
    John 12:42–43 KJV 1900
    Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
    You see they didn’t reject Jesus as Messiah because the evidence was weak.
    They rejected Him because they loved what men thought of them more than they cared what God thought of them.
    APPLICATION: Could it be that their are people in our church here today, who have heard the Gospel, who understand the Gospel from an intellectual position, who cannot genuinely argue against it… and yet have never responded to it and personally accepted Christ as Savior.
    And if we are being honest this morning, the reason is right here in v.44
    What will my family think?
    What will my friends say?
    I’ll be the only one and I don’t want to be embarrassed?
    My spouse isn’t saved
    My parents or grandparents aren’t saved
    People will think I’m a fanatic
    Proverbs 29:25 KJV 1900
    The fear of man bringeth a snare: But whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.
    There could be someone here this morning and you are in a prison
    Friend, the antidote to the fear of man is not trying harder to be brave.
    It is getting a bigger view of God.
    When the awe of God fills your soul — when you genuinely grasp His holiness, His majesty, His sovereignty — the opinion of people shrinks to its proper size.
    You cannot be simultaneously overwhelmed by the greatness of God and enslaved to what your neighbor thinks of you.
    Those two things cannot occupy the same heart at the same time.
    Don’t allow horizontal approval of others is ensnaring your from accepting the vertical call of God for your life.
    2 Peter 3:9 KJV 1900
    The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
    You sit in the service and you’ve heard the truth, you feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit, you feel God drawing you to accept Him as Savior, and yet, like a Pharisee you choose the honor of men over the honor of God!
    Friend, if you don’t know Christ as your Savior, don’t allow someone sitting by you to send you to an eternity in hell!
    Don’t allow what a family member or a friend might think, keep you from coming to Christ!
    The evidence is clear, Jesus is Who He said He is,
    And if He is Who He said He is, then this book is true which means the way to eternal life is only through what this book says:
    John 14:6 KJV 1900
    Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
    Romans 10:9–10 KJV 1900
    That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
    Romans 10:13 KJV 1900
    For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
    The fear of man will keep a lost person out of heaven, and it will keep a saved person from living like they belong to heaven.
    Because for so many, while you’ve received Christ as your Savior, you aren’t living like it.
    ILLUSTRATION: When Tressa and I got married some things changed
    I mean legally we were husband and wife… but it went deeper than that.
    The way I lived changed…
    I didn’t keep texting old girlfriends
    I didn’t keep living like I was single anymore.
    I mean, there were some things that took a little harder to adjust to than others, but I was willing and I wanted it…
    Because I was married to Tressa!
    The covenant I made with her changed everything!
    We both stopped living like we weren’t married, because we were married now!
    APPLICATION: When a person accepts Jesus Christ as Savior, the Bible says they become the bride of Christ.
    2 Corinthians 11:2 KJV 1900
    For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
    A covenant has been made and a relationship has been entered.
    And yet, how many Christians are still living as they they are not in that covenant.
    If you saw me walking down the sidewalk holding hands with someone that wasn’t Tressa, smooching as we walked, you would know there was a problem there.
    You’d be racing to tell Tressa about it!
    Because you know, she is my wife… I’m married to her… and that covenant changes how I live!
    Friend, if you are a Christian… you are in a covenant with Christ.
    Now let me ask you… are you keeping your end of that covenant? Because Jesus is!

    CONCLUSION

    Jesus asked, "How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?"
    The five witnesses have testified.
    The evidence is in.
    The case is as strong as it has ever been or will ever be.
    The only remaining question is the one Jesus has been building toward this entire passage — not "Is the testimony sufficient?"
    The testimony is overwhelming.
    The question is: "What will you do with it?"
    For the person who has never received Christ — is the fear of what someone thinks of you worth an eternity without God?
    Is the approval of a peer whose opinion will not matter in ten years worth rejecting the Savior whose opinion will matter forever?
    For the believer who has been living as though the covenant doesn't change anything — is it time to stop living like you are unmarried?
    Stop living with the fear of man, and instead be overcome by the awe of God!
    The witnesses have spoken.
    The case is closed.
    The only verdict that remains is yours.
    And now it is time for deliberation… What will you do with the evidence presented to you today?

      • John 5:31–47KJV1900

      • 1 John 5:7KJV1900

      • John 5:31KJV1900

      • Deuteronomy 17:6KJV1900

      • John 5:32KJV1900

      • John 5:37KJV1900

      • Matthew 3:17KJV1900

      • Matthew 17:5KJV1900

      • John 12:28KJV1900

      • John 5:33–35KJV1900

      • John 1:29KJV1900

      • John 1:34KJV1900

      • John 3:30KJV1900

      • John 5:36KJV1900

      • 1 Corinthians 15:55–57KJV1900

      • Acts 2:22KJV1900

      • John 5:38–39KJV1900

      • 2 Timothy 3:15KJV1900

      • John 20:31KJV1900

      • John 5:46–47KJV1900

      • Genesis 3:15KJV1900

      • Deuteronomy 18:15KJV1900

      • John 5:39–42KJV1900

      • Matthew 7:21–23KJV1900

      • John 5:40KJV1900

      • John 3:19KJV1900

      • Isaiah 1:19–20KJV1900

      • Proverbs 1:24–25KJV1900

      • John 5:42KJV1900

      • Psalm 139:1–3KJV1900

      • Matthew 22:37–38KJV1900

      • John 5:23KJV1900

      • John 5:44KJV1900

      • 1 John 2:15KJV1900

      • John 12:42–43KJV1900

      • Proverbs 29:25KJV1900

      • 2 Peter 3:9KJV1900

      • John 14:6KJV1900

      • Romans 10:9–10KJV1900

      • Romans 10:13KJV1900

      • 2 Corinthians 11:2KJV1900

Whitehall Baptist Church
whitehallbcmt@gmail.com
406.285.1003
http://wbcmt.org
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