1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:02,620 Well please have your Bible open at John 5, 2 00:00:02,620 –> 00:00:06,000 these remarkable verses that have been read to us. 3 00:00:06,000 –> 00:00:08,840 We looked last week at the marvelous story 4 00:00:08,840 –> 00:00:12,320 of how Jesus healed a man who had languished 5 00:00:12,320 –> 00:00:17,160 beside the pool of Bethesda for 38 years. 6 00:00:17,160 –> 00:00:19,400 You remember he was without strength 7 00:00:19,400 –> 00:00:21,940 and he was without hope 8 00:00:21,940 –> 00:00:23,920 to the point that when Jesus asked him, 9 00:00:23,920 –> 00:00:25,260 do you want to be healed, 10 00:00:25,260 –> 00:00:26,340 the best he could do 11 00:00:26,340 –> 00:00:29,500 was explain why he was beyond hope, 12 00:00:29,500 –> 00:00:31,620 why nothing good had happened for him in the past 13 00:00:31,620 –> 00:00:33,900 and why he had no hope of anything good happening 14 00:00:33,900 –> 00:00:35,980 for him in the future either. 15 00:00:35,980 –> 00:00:39,139 And so far from securing this man’s cooperation 16 00:00:39,139 –> 00:00:41,560 in a healing, Jesus’ question made it clear 17 00:00:41,560 –> 00:00:42,779 that this was a man 18 00:00:42,779 –> 00:00:45,180 who had absolutely nothing to contribute. 19 00:00:45,180 –> 00:00:49,500 He had no strength and he had no hope 20 00:00:49,500 –> 00:00:53,639 and then Jesus spoke the word of command, 21 00:00:53,639 –> 00:00:57,220 get up, take up your bed and walk 22 00:00:57,220 –> 00:00:59,939 and when Jesus spoke the words of command, 23 00:00:59,939 –> 00:01:03,500 a new power, a new ability, a new capacity 24 00:01:03,500 –> 00:01:06,459 came to this man that he did not have before 25 00:01:06,459 –> 00:01:09,339 and we read in verse nine of John and chapter five 26 00:01:09,339 –> 00:01:12,540 that at once the man was healed 27 00:01:12,540 –> 00:01:16,660 and he took up his bed and walked. 28 00:01:16,660 –> 00:01:19,339 Now today we come to the sequel 29 00:01:19,339 –> 00:01:22,500 to this marvelous story. 30 00:01:22,500 –> 00:01:25,419 Bishop Ryle, who I often quote, 31 00:01:25,419 –> 00:01:29,900 says nowhere else in the Gospels 32 00:01:29,900 –> 00:01:32,940 do we find our Lord Jesus making 33 00:01:32,940 –> 00:01:37,120 such a formal, systematic, and orderly statement 34 00:01:37,120 –> 00:01:41,500 of his own unity with the father. 35 00:01:41,500 –> 00:01:45,059 If you want to help someone with regards 36 00:01:45,059 –> 00:01:48,300 to the deity of Christ, 37 00:01:48,300 –> 00:01:52,199 that Jesus Christ really is God with us, 38 00:01:52,239 –> 00:01:56,360 John five and the verses that are before us today 39 00:01:56,360 –> 00:01:57,980 are Where You Should Go. 40 00:01:57,980 –> 00:02:01,559 This is Jesus speaking about who he is, 41 00:02:01,559 –> 00:02:05,559 his own words about his own identity, 42 00:02:05,559 –> 00:02:08,240 and they are remarkable words, indeed. 43 00:02:08,240 –> 00:02:12,139 Our series is called Meet Jesus, 44 00:02:12,139 –> 00:02:16,320 and so before us today are these clearest words 45 00:02:16,320 –> 00:02:19,139 of our Lord himself, about who he is. 46 00:02:19,139 –> 00:02:21,199 We’re gonna spend most of our time today 47 00:02:21,199 –> 00:02:25,600 on who Jesus is, and then we will look also 48 00:02:25,600 –> 00:02:29,940 at the marvelous, marvelous gift that he offers 49 00:02:29,940 –> 00:02:33,860 to every one of us, what Jesus gives. 50 00:02:33,860 –> 00:02:36,419 So I do hope that you will have your Bible open 51 00:02:36,419 –> 00:02:40,240 in front of you, and that if it is not already the case 52 00:02:40,240 –> 00:02:43,539 that these verses are kinda marked out in your mind 53 00:02:43,539 –> 00:02:47,000 as of special significance for all who love 54 00:02:47,199 –> 00:02:51,279 and trust Jesus, that they will be after today. 55 00:02:51,279 –> 00:02:54,520 So who Jesus is then, and here we look particularly 56 00:02:54,520 –> 00:02:59,520 at verse 17 through 23, verse 18 tells us 57 00:02:59,899 –> 00:03:04,899 that he was even calling God his own Father, 58 00:03:07,160 –> 00:03:12,160 making himself equal with God. 59 00:03:13,559 –> 00:03:15,500 Now, the background to this, of course, 60 00:03:15,500 –> 00:03:17,500 is that the healing of the man 61 00:03:17,500 –> 00:03:22,220 by the pool of Bethesda took place on the Sabbath. 62 00:03:22,220 –> 00:03:25,539 And when the man who was healed did what Jesus told him, 63 00:03:25,539 –> 00:03:28,179 took up his bed and walked, and here he is, 64 00:03:28,179 –> 00:03:32,020 carrying his bed, he was immediately after that 65 00:03:32,020 –> 00:03:36,179 challenged by the religious leaders of the day 66 00:03:36,179 –> 00:03:38,339 who saw him carrying the sload. 67 00:03:38,339 –> 00:03:39,660 They saw him carrying the bed and said, 68 00:03:39,660 –> 00:03:42,539 well, you’re working, you’re breaking the Sabbath. 69 00:03:42,539 –> 00:03:45,179 And when the man reported that it was Jesus 70 00:03:45,199 –> 00:03:47,660 who had told him to take up his bed and walk, 71 00:03:47,660 –> 00:03:50,740 the religious authorities then went after Jesus, 72 00:03:50,740 –> 00:03:53,880 accusing him, of course, of breaking the Sabbath. 73 00:03:53,880 –> 00:03:57,460 And so you have in verse 16, if you just glance back there, 74 00:03:57,460 –> 00:04:01,279 that this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, 75 00:04:01,279 –> 00:04:06,279 because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 76 00:04:07,500 –> 00:04:09,039 Now the Sabbath day, of course, 77 00:04:09,039 –> 00:04:12,580 was instituted in the fourth commandment. 78 00:04:12,619 –> 00:04:17,100 Remember the Sabbath day, God says, and keep it holy. 79 00:04:17,100 –> 00:04:20,859 Six days you shall labor and you shall do all of your work, 80 00:04:20,859 –> 00:04:24,619 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God, 81 00:04:24,619 –> 00:04:28,059 and on it you shall not do any work. 82 00:04:28,059 –> 00:04:30,619 That’s the fourth commandment. 83 00:04:30,619 –> 00:04:32,540 But of course, the principle of the Sabbath 84 00:04:32,540 –> 00:04:36,299 goes all the way back to the creation itself, 85 00:04:36,299 –> 00:04:41,299 where God rested on the seventh day. 86 00:04:41,299 –> 00:04:44,339 Of course, God’s people understood very clearly 87 00:04:44,339 –> 00:04:48,140 that what God rested from on the seventh day 88 00:04:48,140 –> 00:04:51,660 was his work of creation, it was complete, 89 00:04:51,660 –> 00:04:55,540 and therefore he rested on the seventh day. 90 00:04:55,540 –> 00:05:00,540 That did not mean, of course, that God ceased all activity. 91 00:05:00,559 –> 00:05:01,859 How could he? 92 00:05:01,859 –> 00:05:06,859 The universe is upheld by the word of his power. 93 00:05:07,420 –> 00:05:10,700 And so it was generally understood amongst God’s people 94 00:05:10,700 –> 00:05:13,700 that while the work of creation was completed 95 00:05:13,700 –> 00:05:16,799 after six days and God rested on the seventh, 96 00:05:16,799 –> 00:05:20,440 that that did not mean that God was totally inactive. 97 00:05:20,440 –> 00:05:24,179 God must be doing some work on the seventh day. 98 00:05:24,179 –> 00:05:26,019 How else could the universe continue? 99 00:05:26,019 –> 00:05:28,079 I mean, the sun doesn’t come up on its own, 100 00:05:28,079 –> 00:05:30,100 it comes up by the word of his power. 101 00:05:30,100 –> 00:05:31,359 There wouldn’t be a sabbath 102 00:05:31,359 –> 00:05:33,700 if God wasn’t working in some way. 103 00:05:33,700 –> 00:05:35,779 The rain doesn’t fall by its own power, 104 00:05:35,779 –> 00:05:37,839 it falls by his command, 105 00:05:38,480 –> 00:05:41,880 and so there is no day in which God is not active 106 00:05:41,880 –> 00:05:43,920 and in which he is not working. 107 00:05:43,920 –> 00:05:47,440 So it was understood that this was a commandment 108 00:05:47,440 –> 00:05:49,019 that was given for us, 109 00:05:49,019 –> 00:05:54,019 that God was working while everyone else rested, 110 00:05:54,920 –> 00:05:58,959 but it was God alone who was the exception to this rule. 111 00:05:58,959 –> 00:06:01,519 We all rest on the sabbath, 112 00:06:01,519 –> 00:06:06,420 only God works on the sabbath, 113 00:06:08,640 –> 00:06:11,440 Now notice against that background what Jesus says 114 00:06:11,440 –> 00:06:14,160 on the sabbath day in verse 17, 115 00:06:14,160 –> 00:06:15,579 Jesus answered them, 116 00:06:17,459 –> 00:06:22,459 my father is working until now 117 00:06:24,660 –> 00:06:28,959 and I am working. 118 00:06:30,600 –> 00:06:32,959 Now you see the force of what Jesus is saying here, 119 00:06:32,959 –> 00:06:35,959 there’s no doubt, there’s no ambiguity about it whatsoever. 120 00:06:36,899 –> 00:06:40,660 Only God works on the Sabbath. 121 00:06:42,100 –> 00:06:45,160 I am working on the Sabbath. 122 00:06:45,160 –> 00:06:46,839 Go figure. 123 00:06:46,839 –> 00:06:48,959 That’s what he’s saying, that’s what he’s saying. 124 00:06:48,959 –> 00:06:51,980 And that of course is exactly what they did. 125 00:06:51,980 –> 00:06:53,160 They went and they figured 126 00:06:53,160 –> 00:06:55,000 and that’s where you get to verse 18. 127 00:06:55,000 –> 00:06:58,000 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him 128 00:06:58,000 –> 00:07:01,239 because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, 129 00:07:01,239 –> 00:07:04,019 but he was even calling God his own father, 130 00:07:04,359 –> 00:07:06,380 and making himself equal with God. 131 00:07:06,380 –> 00:07:10,320 That is how they understood what Jesus said in verse 17. 132 00:07:10,320 –> 00:07:11,679 Notice the words, 133 00:07:12,660 –> 00:07:15,600 making himself 134 00:07:15,600 –> 00:07:17,320 equal 135 00:07:17,320 –> 00:07:18,279 with God. 136 00:07:19,519 –> 00:07:21,820 See, it is not the case, 137 00:07:21,820 –> 00:07:24,420 and this is a myth that is often perpetrated. 138 00:07:25,399 –> 00:07:28,140 It is not the case 139 00:07:28,140 –> 00:07:30,739 that Jesus, the historical Jesus, 140 00:07:30,739 –> 00:07:32,600 was a remarkable person, 141 00:07:33,519 –> 00:07:35,679 and then after his lifetime, 142 00:07:35,679 –> 00:07:37,579 the church came along and sort of 143 00:07:37,579 –> 00:07:40,200 overlaid who he really was 144 00:07:40,200 –> 00:07:42,059 with all this stuff about divinity 145 00:07:42,059 –> 00:07:44,660 and an incarnation and being the Son of God. 146 00:07:46,420 –> 00:07:47,679 But you often get that kind of line, 147 00:07:47,679 –> 00:07:51,140 you know, how we got from Jesus to Christ 148 00:07:52,000 –> 00:07:54,440 and the suggestions made repeatedly 149 00:07:54,440 –> 00:07:58,640 that this was a sort of overlaying by the church 150 00:07:58,640 –> 00:08:01,079 of all of these doctrines of the deity 151 00:08:01,519 –> 00:08:03,579 that were placed later on Jesus, 152 00:08:03,579 –> 00:08:04,640 but it was never something that 153 00:08:04,640 –> 00:08:06,079 was in his own mind himself. 154 00:08:06,079 –> 00:08:09,140 No, not in the light of this verse. 155 00:08:09,140 –> 00:08:11,540 This was his own claim. 156 00:08:11,540 –> 00:08:14,119 It was clearly articulated, 157 00:08:14,119 –> 00:08:16,880 so clearly articulated that his enemies 158 00:08:16,880 –> 00:08:19,200 understanding exactly what he was saying 159 00:08:19,200 –> 00:08:21,559 determined all the more to kill him. 160 00:08:21,559 –> 00:08:24,440 This is why he was crucified. 161 00:08:25,359 –> 00:08:29,899 Because he was, in his own words, 162 00:08:29,899 –> 00:08:32,700 making himself equal with God. 163 00:08:32,700 –> 00:08:35,400 Now, notice, too, that Jesus 164 00:08:35,400 –> 00:08:36,940 does not correct them. 165 00:08:37,799 –> 00:08:40,900 He does not say to them at this point, 166 00:08:40,900 –> 00:08:42,460 oh, oh, now, wait a minute, 167 00:08:42,460 –> 00:08:44,080 you misunderstood me. 168 00:08:44,080 –> 00:08:46,020 He doesn’t say, I’m not saying 169 00:08:46,020 –> 00:08:46,979 that I’m equal with God, 170 00:08:46,979 –> 00:08:47,820 I’m merely saying that 171 00:08:47,820 –> 00:08:49,260 I’m here to work alongside him 172 00:08:49,260 –> 00:08:50,619 like you work alongside him. 173 00:08:50,619 –> 00:08:51,460 No. 174 00:08:52,280 –> 00:08:55,700 He does precisely the opposite. 175 00:08:55,700 –> 00:08:57,340 Piling up in the verses 176 00:08:57,340 –> 00:08:59,539 that we’re going to look at today 177 00:09:00,059 –> 00:09:01,460 is a statement after statement 178 00:09:01,460 –> 00:09:03,780 that lays out to an audience of people 179 00:09:03,780 –> 00:09:05,299 who want to kill him 180 00:09:05,299 –> 00:09:07,340 exactly what it means 181 00:09:07,340 –> 00:09:10,799 for him to be equal with God. 182 00:09:11,919 –> 00:09:15,359 And so what follows now in these verses 183 00:09:15,359 –> 00:09:18,020 is the most remarkable statement 184 00:09:18,020 –> 00:09:22,260 of the union of the Father and the Son. 185 00:09:22,260 –> 00:09:23,979 What it means for the Father, 186 00:09:23,979 –> 00:09:24,859 God the Father, 187 00:09:24,859 –> 00:09:25,940 and God the Son 188 00:09:25,940 –> 00:09:27,780 to be one. 189 00:09:28,739 –> 00:09:31,099 These are truly remarkable verses. 190 00:09:31,099 –> 00:09:36,099 What does a perfect union look like? 191 00:09:38,340 –> 00:09:41,140 That phrase, of course, perfect union, 192 00:09:41,140 –> 00:09:43,219 you know that’s in the preamble of the constitution 193 00:09:43,219 –> 00:09:44,820 of the United States of America. 194 00:09:46,099 –> 00:09:50,239 Laying out the very purpose of our constitution, 195 00:09:51,299 –> 00:09:53,739 a number of goals are listed, 196 00:09:53,739 –> 00:09:55,119 and the first 197 00:09:56,080 –> 00:10:00,739 is the pursuit of a more perfect union. 198 00:10:01,700 –> 00:10:04,580 We, the people of the United States, 199 00:10:04,580 –> 00:10:08,580 in order to form a more perfect union, 200 00:10:09,840 –> 00:10:12,400 do ordain and establish this constitution 201 00:10:12,400 –> 00:10:15,099 for the United States of America. 202 00:10:15,099 –> 00:10:16,580 Now, here’s a question. 203 00:10:17,940 –> 00:10:22,799 What does a more perfect union look like? 204 00:10:23,619 –> 00:10:27,020 Well, if you want to know 205 00:10:27,020 –> 00:10:29,539 what a more perfect union looks like, 206 00:10:29,539 –> 00:10:34,380 you look at the union of the Father and of the Son. 207 00:10:35,239 –> 00:10:37,059 And there’s no better place to look 208 00:10:37,059 –> 00:10:40,640 than right here in John and Chapter 5. 209 00:10:41,900 –> 00:10:44,559 Now, by the way, just in terms of thinking of application 210 00:10:44,559 –> 00:10:46,299 of this wonderful, wonderful truth, 211 00:10:46,299 –> 00:10:48,080 there’s all kinds of application, 212 00:10:48,080 –> 00:10:49,460 and I want you to pick them up 213 00:10:49,460 –> 00:10:51,440 as we’re going through these wonderful words 214 00:10:51,440 –> 00:10:52,500 that Jesus says here. 215 00:10:53,039 –> 00:10:58,039 For example, there is a marvelous application 216 00:10:58,119 –> 00:11:01,659 of these words about the union of the Father and the Son, 217 00:11:01,659 –> 00:11:04,219 the oneness of the Father and the Son. 218 00:11:04,219 –> 00:11:08,340 There’s a marvelous application of these words to marriage. 219 00:11:08,340 –> 00:11:09,619 Remember what God says, 220 00:11:09,619 –> 00:11:12,380 a man shall leave his father and his mother 221 00:11:12,380 –> 00:11:13,979 and shall cleave to his wife 222 00:11:13,979 –> 00:11:15,859 and the two shall become one flesh. 223 00:11:15,859 –> 00:11:18,739 They shall no longer be two but they shall be one. 224 00:11:18,739 –> 00:11:20,260 There’s to be a union. 225 00:11:20,260 –> 00:11:21,299 Now, here’s a question, 226 00:11:21,500 –> 00:11:25,260 what would a more perfect union in marriage 227 00:11:25,260 –> 00:11:26,900 actually look like? 228 00:11:27,780 –> 00:11:29,859 Well, you couldn’t get a better place to lay that out 229 00:11:29,859 –> 00:11:32,739 than the union of the Father and the Son, could you? 230 00:11:32,739 –> 00:11:35,580 You couldn’t get a better place to look 231 00:11:35,580 –> 00:11:39,140 in regards to what God ordained marriage to be 232 00:11:39,140 –> 00:11:41,280 than John chapter five. 233 00:11:42,200 –> 00:11:45,820 What does a more perfect union look like in a church? 234 00:11:45,820 –> 00:11:49,900 What does a more perfect union look like in an institution? 235 00:11:49,940 –> 00:11:52,440 What does a more perfect union look like 236 00:11:52,440 –> 00:11:54,799 in a business or in a ministry? 237 00:11:54,799 –> 00:11:57,820 The applications here are multiple, 238 00:11:57,820 –> 00:12:00,580 and we derive them all from looking 239 00:12:00,580 –> 00:12:05,580 at the perfect union of the Father and the Son 240 00:12:05,940 –> 00:12:10,619 that is laid out here for us by the Lord Jesus Christ 241 00:12:10,619 –> 00:12:13,539 in no less than seven ways. 242 00:12:13,539 –> 00:12:14,619 So brace yourself. 243 00:12:14,619 –> 00:12:16,219 We didn’t have seatbelts on these chairs, 244 00:12:16,219 –> 00:12:18,260 but you’re gonna have to brace yourself today. 245 00:12:18,280 –> 00:12:20,900 This is gonna be a mini marriage seminar 246 00:12:20,900 –> 00:12:22,359 along with a lot else. 247 00:12:22,359 –> 00:12:23,739 You didn’t expect that this morning, 248 00:12:23,739 –> 00:12:24,979 but that’s one application 249 00:12:24,979 –> 00:12:27,059 that you can make of this marvelous truth. 250 00:12:28,000 –> 00:12:30,539 Let’s look at the union of the Father and the Son, 251 00:12:30,539 –> 00:12:33,380 who Jesus is. 252 00:12:33,380 –> 00:12:37,940 Number one, He is one with the Father in work. 253 00:12:37,940 –> 00:12:40,080 That is verse 17. 254 00:12:40,080 –> 00:12:41,159 And Jesus answered them, 255 00:12:41,159 –> 00:12:46,159 My Father is working until now, and I am working. 256 00:12:47,099 –> 00:12:52,099 Now, the Father and the Son share the same glorious work. 257 00:12:55,140 –> 00:12:59,479 They have different parts within that glorious work. 258 00:12:59,479 –> 00:13:02,320 The Son did not send himself into the world, 259 00:13:02,320 –> 00:13:04,260 the Father did. 260 00:13:04,260 –> 00:13:07,039 The Father did not die on the cross, 261 00:13:07,039 –> 00:13:09,140 the Son did. 262 00:13:09,140 –> 00:13:14,140 There were different roles in regards to this great work, 263 00:13:14,739 –> 00:13:19,739 but there is one great work that the Father and the Son 264 00:13:19,739 –> 00:13:23,500 are one in together, and that great work, of course, 265 00:13:23,500 –> 00:13:25,440 is to redeem the world. 266 00:13:26,780 –> 00:13:29,460 Now, let’s just relate that to marriage for a moment here. 267 00:13:29,460 –> 00:13:32,780 Here is a great conversation for a date night, by the way. 268 00:13:32,780 –> 00:13:34,000 Really, I’m serious. 269 00:13:34,000 –> 00:13:36,580 A great conversation for a date night. 270 00:13:36,580 –> 00:13:37,659 It goes like this. 271 00:13:37,659 –> 00:13:41,539 I look, you’re doing this work, and I’m doing that work. 272 00:13:42,419 –> 00:13:46,299 What is the great work to which we, 273 00:13:46,299 –> 00:13:49,080 that we are pursuing together? 274 00:13:49,080 –> 00:13:50,979 And how does the work that you are doing 275 00:13:50,979 –> 00:13:52,580 and the work that I am doing contribute 276 00:13:52,580 –> 00:13:56,580 to the great work in which we are called together 277 00:13:56,580 –> 00:14:00,239 to be one, the great work of our lives? 278 00:14:00,239 –> 00:14:04,580 That’s a huge conversation and a necessary one 279 00:14:04,580 –> 00:14:06,619 to keep fresh and clear and strong. 280 00:14:06,619 –> 00:14:09,979 The Father and the Son are one in work. 281 00:14:09,979 –> 00:14:13,140 Second, they are one in will. 282 00:14:13,140 –> 00:14:15,700 Verse 19, so Jesus said to them, 283 00:14:15,700 –> 00:14:17,280 truly, truly, I say to you, 284 00:14:17,280 –> 00:14:20,419 the Son can do nothing of His own accord, 285 00:14:20,419 –> 00:14:24,359 but only what He sees the Father doing 286 00:14:24,359 –> 00:14:29,359 for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. 287 00:14:30,500 –> 00:14:31,960 In other words, Jesus is saying, 288 00:14:31,960 –> 00:14:36,960 now, the Son does not work independently of the Father. 289 00:14:37,919 –> 00:14:41,520 He has not come into the world to do His own thing 290 00:14:41,520 –> 00:14:43,239 and to plow His own furrow. 291 00:14:44,260 –> 00:14:46,239 Here’s how it works. 292 00:14:46,239 –> 00:14:49,080 He sees, notice that word, 293 00:14:49,080 –> 00:14:52,640 He sees what the Father is doing. 294 00:14:52,640 –> 00:14:56,700 In other words, there is a paying attention here 295 00:14:56,700 –> 00:15:01,700 that is at the heart of this wonderful, perfect union. 296 00:15:02,479 –> 00:15:04,080 There’s something beautiful 297 00:15:05,039 –> 00:15:10,039 about two dancers moving together. 298 00:15:10,599 –> 00:15:13,080 They have their eyes on each other 299 00:15:14,359 –> 00:15:18,280 and intuitively moving together as one. 300 00:15:18,280 –> 00:15:20,479 It is not a beautiful thing with people 301 00:15:20,479 –> 00:15:22,280 who do not know what they are doing. 302 00:15:23,320 –> 00:15:25,739 But it is a beautiful thing 303 00:15:25,739 –> 00:15:28,219 with people who do know what they’re doing. 304 00:15:28,219 –> 00:15:33,219 Watching, moving across that floor as one. 305 00:15:35,080 –> 00:15:40,080 As if one will were uniting the two of them together 306 00:15:41,359 –> 00:15:44,239 and in their movement. 307 00:15:44,239 –> 00:15:45,320 Beautiful, beautiful. 308 00:15:46,640 –> 00:15:51,640 The father and the son, one in work and one in will. 309 00:15:52,280 –> 00:15:54,440 Paying attention, seize. 310 00:15:56,099 –> 00:16:01,099 Number three, the son is one with the father in love. 311 00:16:01,979 –> 00:16:05,780 Verse 20, for the father loves the son 312 00:16:05,780 –> 00:16:10,260 and shows him all that he himself is doing. 313 00:16:10,260 –> 00:16:13,140 Shows him all that he is doing. 314 00:16:13,140 –> 00:16:16,960 In other words, love means that there are no secrets, 315 00:16:16,960 –> 00:16:20,179 no secrets between the father and the son. 316 00:16:20,179 –> 00:16:23,619 The father shows the son all that he is doing. 317 00:16:23,619 –> 00:16:26,539 There’s nothing that’s hidden as a corner 318 00:16:26,780 –> 00:16:30,960 that’s kept from the father and hidden from the son. 319 00:16:31,900 –> 00:16:36,820 So true oneness involves a continuing communication 320 00:16:38,299 –> 00:16:42,119 in which all that is going on in one life 321 00:16:42,119 –> 00:16:47,119 is opened up and laid before the other. 322 00:16:48,000 –> 00:16:53,000 In other words, a more perfect union in marriage 323 00:16:53,700 –> 00:16:57,440 would mean that a husband would never say to his wife, 324 00:16:57,440 –> 00:17:00,739 I had no idea that that was going on in your life, 325 00:17:00,739 –> 00:17:02,840 and why did you not tell me? 326 00:17:03,840 –> 00:17:06,359 And a wife would never say to her husband 327 00:17:06,359 –> 00:17:07,680 in a more perfect union, 328 00:17:07,680 –> 00:17:10,319 I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think 329 00:17:10,319 –> 00:17:12,599 you would want to know. 330 00:17:12,599 –> 00:17:15,000 And I didn’t think you would understand. 331 00:17:17,219 –> 00:17:22,219 He is one with the father in love and love has no secrets. 332 00:17:23,359 –> 00:17:27,359 There’s this open communication between the father 333 00:17:27,359 –> 00:17:29,699 and the son that is of the very essence 334 00:17:29,699 –> 00:17:32,359 of their oneness together. 335 00:17:32,359 –> 00:17:33,640 Number four, 336 00:17:33,640 –> 00:17:37,380 the son is one with the father in authority. 337 00:17:37,380 –> 00:17:39,500 And here we look at verse 21, 338 00:17:39,500 –> 00:17:43,000 as the father raises the dead and gives them life, 339 00:17:43,000 –> 00:17:47,099 so also the son gives life to whom he will. 340 00:17:48,000 –> 00:17:49,839 Now clearly, 341 00:17:49,859 –> 00:17:52,199 the raising of the dead 342 00:17:52,199 –> 00:17:56,979 is an authoritative exercise of sovereign power, 343 00:17:56,979 –> 00:17:59,020 that’s what it is. 344 00:17:59,020 –> 00:18:00,719 And so what we are being told here 345 00:18:00,719 –> 00:18:04,339 is that the father and the son are one 346 00:18:04,339 –> 00:18:07,260 in the exercise of authority. 347 00:18:07,260 –> 00:18:09,660 What the father does in this regard, 348 00:18:09,660 –> 00:18:12,540 the son also does. 349 00:18:12,540 –> 00:18:15,939 The authority of father and son 350 00:18:15,939 –> 00:18:18,140 are aligned perfectly, 351 00:18:18,180 –> 00:18:22,099 and their authority never pulls in different directions. 352 00:18:22,099 –> 00:18:24,579 The application of course is very obvious isn’t it? 353 00:18:25,459 –> 00:18:28,579 A more perfect union is one 354 00:18:28,579 –> 00:18:31,300 in which a father and a mother are one 355 00:18:31,300 –> 00:18:34,660 in exercising the authority given to them. 356 00:18:34,660 –> 00:18:36,699 They do not issue conflicting demands 357 00:18:36,699 –> 00:18:39,099 that would be a recipe for chaos. 358 00:18:39,979 –> 00:18:42,780 Their authority moves us one, 359 00:18:42,780 –> 00:18:46,739 and it moves in the same direction. 360 00:18:47,000 –> 00:18:52,000 Number five, the son is one with the father in trust. 361 00:18:52,579 –> 00:18:53,739 In trust. 362 00:18:54,599 –> 00:18:59,640 Verse 22, the father judges no one 363 00:19:00,479 –> 00:19:05,479 but has given all judgment to the son. 364 00:19:07,819 –> 00:19:11,599 Now maybe you know what it is like 365 00:19:11,599 –> 00:19:14,160 to be given a task 366 00:19:14,199 –> 00:19:15,780 and then to find that the person 367 00:19:15,780 –> 00:19:17,619 who just gave you that task 368 00:19:17,619 –> 00:19:20,680 seems to end up doing the whole of it themselves. 369 00:19:20,680 –> 00:19:23,160 My sons used to tease me about this 370 00:19:23,160 –> 00:19:25,699 in earlier years growing up. 371 00:19:26,380 –> 00:19:28,140 Dad asks us to do something 372 00:19:28,140 –> 00:19:30,540 and then by the time he’s shown us how to do it 373 00:19:30,540 –> 00:19:31,819 half of it’s already done. 374 00:19:31,819 –> 00:19:34,040 Why not just leave us to do it? 375 00:19:34,040 –> 00:19:35,219 What’s the issue here? 376 00:19:36,599 –> 00:19:39,000 The issue is an issue of trust isn’t it? 377 00:19:39,000 –> 00:19:42,260 To hand something over 378 00:19:42,319 –> 00:19:44,000 and when it is given as a trust 379 00:19:44,000 –> 00:19:47,800 to actually let it go. 380 00:19:48,939 –> 00:19:52,140 Now there could hardly be a greater trust 381 00:19:52,140 –> 00:19:55,219 or an act of greater importance than, 382 00:19:55,219 –> 00:19:56,239 think about this, 383 00:19:56,239 –> 00:19:59,800 bringing justice to the world. 384 00:20:00,939 –> 00:20:05,140 How big a trust is that? 385 00:20:06,339 –> 00:20:09,979 And here we are told that the Father 386 00:20:10,020 –> 00:20:15,020 has given all judgment to the Son, 387 00:20:16,739 –> 00:20:19,020 which, by the way, think of what that means. 388 00:20:19,020 –> 00:20:22,900 That means that every person 389 00:20:22,900 –> 00:20:27,900 who has ever lived of any religion or of none 390 00:20:29,660 –> 00:20:34,660 will one day answer to Jesus Christ. 391 00:20:35,099 –> 00:20:36,660 That’s what this says, 392 00:20:36,680 –> 00:20:41,359 because the Father has given all judgment 393 00:20:42,880 –> 00:20:43,719 to the Son. 394 00:20:43,719 –> 00:20:47,640 It’s Jesus Christ who died and rose 395 00:20:47,640 –> 00:20:50,979 that every person ultimately has to face. 396 00:20:52,619 –> 00:20:55,560 Apply that great and glorious truth 397 00:20:55,560 –> 00:21:00,560 to the most ordinary level of our own marriages. 398 00:21:01,599 –> 00:21:05,739 A more perfect union means that you have full confidence 399 00:21:05,760 –> 00:21:08,380 in the one with whom God has made you one. 400 00:21:09,400 –> 00:21:11,459 That you communicate that confidence 401 00:21:11,459 –> 00:21:15,180 by trusting things of great importance to that person 402 00:21:15,180 –> 00:21:17,319 and that you do not take back 403 00:21:17,319 –> 00:21:22,319 to yourself what you have trusted to another. 404 00:21:22,739 –> 00:21:24,800 And then here’s number six. 405 00:21:24,800 –> 00:21:28,920 Jesus, the Son of God, is one with the Father in honor, 406 00:21:28,920 –> 00:21:32,719 verse 23, that all may honor the Son 407 00:21:32,719 –> 00:21:35,219 just as they honor the Father, 408 00:21:35,359 –> 00:21:37,020 whoever does not honor the Son 409 00:21:37,020 –> 00:21:41,280 does not honor the Father who sent him. 410 00:21:41,280 –> 00:21:43,579 Now here we’re being told again very simply 411 00:21:43,579 –> 00:21:46,260 that a perfect union, 412 00:21:46,260 –> 00:21:49,739 the perfect union of the Father and the Son 413 00:21:49,739 –> 00:21:52,839 is seen in the resolve of the Father 414 00:21:52,839 –> 00:21:56,800 that all may honor the Son. 415 00:21:57,660 –> 00:21:58,660 This is very important. 416 00:21:58,660 –> 00:22:02,199 What it means is that when we worship Jesus 417 00:22:02,199 –> 00:22:05,160 we honor the Father. 418 00:22:05,219 –> 00:22:08,699 If that was not the case our worship would be blasphemy. 419 00:22:08,699 –> 00:22:11,160 But we honor the Father 420 00:22:11,160 –> 00:22:13,219 by honoring the Son. 421 00:22:13,219 –> 00:22:14,880 The Father has given to Him 422 00:22:14,880 –> 00:22:17,260 the name that is above every name 423 00:22:17,260 –> 00:22:20,020 that at the name of Jesus 424 00:22:20,020 –> 00:22:21,359 every knee should bow 425 00:22:21,359 –> 00:22:22,699 and every tongue confess 426 00:22:22,699 –> 00:22:25,859 that Jesus Christ is Lord 427 00:22:25,859 –> 00:22:28,719 to the glory of God the Father. 428 00:22:28,719 –> 00:22:31,339 See you honor the Son. 429 00:22:31,339 –> 00:22:32,839 You honor the Father 430 00:22:32,839 –> 00:22:34,699 in honoring the Son. 431 00:22:34,699 –> 00:22:37,000 That is what is being said for us 432 00:22:37,000 –> 00:22:39,239 very clearly here. 433 00:22:39,239 –> 00:22:40,439 And it points of course 434 00:22:40,439 –> 00:22:42,599 to another dimension 435 00:22:42,599 –> 00:22:47,119 of what a more perfect union looks like. 436 00:22:47,119 –> 00:22:50,199 You speak and you think 437 00:22:50,199 –> 00:22:53,719 and you act in such a way 438 00:22:53,719 –> 00:22:55,959 that the One you love will know 439 00:22:55,959 –> 00:22:59,459 that He or She is held in high honor 440 00:22:59,459 –> 00:23:02,280 and in such a way that others 441 00:23:02,280 –> 00:23:05,979 will honor them also. 442 00:23:05,979 –> 00:23:07,260 And then number seven. 443 00:23:08,500 –> 00:23:09,479 The Son of God 444 00:23:09,479 –> 00:23:13,319 is one with the Father in life. 445 00:23:13,319 –> 00:23:15,459 Verse 26. 446 00:23:15,459 –> 00:23:19,880 For as the Father has life in himself 447 00:23:21,060 –> 00:23:25,780 so He has granted the Son also 448 00:23:25,780 –> 00:23:29,079 to have life in Himself. 449 00:23:29,959 –> 00:23:34,959 So this perfect union of the Father and of the Son 450 00:23:35,280 –> 00:23:38,380 is seen in a shared life. 451 00:23:40,119 –> 00:23:42,400 Now think about this. 452 00:23:42,400 –> 00:23:46,920 The Father has life in Himself 453 00:23:48,540 –> 00:23:50,839 and the Son has 454 00:23:50,839 –> 00:23:54,040 life in Himself. 455 00:23:54,040 –> 00:23:56,760 That’s so different from our life. 456 00:23:57,660 –> 00:24:01,199 We do not have life in ourselves. 457 00:24:01,199 –> 00:24:04,719 We have received the gift of life. 458 00:24:05,719 –> 00:24:07,520 Your life began 459 00:24:07,520 –> 00:24:11,219 through the union of your father and your mother. 460 00:24:12,739 –> 00:24:15,619 You were conceived 461 00:24:15,619 –> 00:24:18,380 and before that you were not 462 00:24:18,380 –> 00:24:22,199 and without that you would not have been. 463 00:24:23,140 –> 00:24:27,300 But God has life in himself. 464 00:24:30,619 –> 00:24:33,180 And that is true of the father 465 00:24:33,180 –> 00:24:36,500 and it is true of the son. 466 00:24:37,920 –> 00:24:40,060 Now notice the words very carefully here. 467 00:24:40,060 –> 00:24:42,819 This is a statement of huge importance 468 00:24:42,819 –> 00:24:44,800 in the New Testament, 469 00:24:44,800 –> 00:24:49,239 he that is the father has granted the son 470 00:24:50,199 –> 00:24:55,199 to have life in himself. 471 00:24:56,739 –> 00:25:01,739 He has granted the son to have life in himself. 472 00:25:03,060 –> 00:25:04,300 It doesn’t say simply 473 00:25:04,300 –> 00:25:06,540 he has granted the son life in himself. 474 00:25:06,540 –> 00:25:08,979 It says he has granted the son 475 00:25:08,979 –> 00:25:12,079 to have life in himself. 476 00:25:12,079 –> 00:25:14,079 Surely indicating this, 477 00:25:15,020 –> 00:25:18,300 that because he has it, 478 00:25:19,579 –> 00:25:23,880 he is the one who is able to give it. 479 00:25:23,880 –> 00:25:25,500 That is surely the significance 480 00:25:25,500 –> 00:25:28,719 of the word have right here. 481 00:25:28,719 –> 00:25:29,560 In other words, 482 00:25:29,560 –> 00:25:33,160 here is the great plan and purpose of Almighty God. 483 00:25:33,160 –> 00:25:36,640 The Father has granted 484 00:25:36,640 –> 00:25:40,800 that the son is the one 485 00:25:40,800 –> 00:25:43,000 who having life in himself 486 00:25:43,000 –> 00:25:45,520 holds that life in his own hands 487 00:25:45,520 –> 00:25:47,959 and therefore is the one uniquely 488 00:25:47,959 –> 00:25:50,239 who is able to give it to others. 489 00:25:50,239 –> 00:25:51,920 Which is why it says in verse 21 490 00:25:51,920 –> 00:25:53,479 that it’s the son of God 491 00:25:53,479 –> 00:25:58,479 who gives life to whomever he will. 492 00:25:59,699 –> 00:26:03,719 So try and take in this glimpse 493 00:26:03,719 –> 00:26:06,920 of the glory of Jesus Christ, 494 00:26:06,920 –> 00:26:08,760 our Savior and our Lord. 495 00:26:08,760 –> 00:26:10,760 He is one with the father. 496 00:26:11,680 –> 00:26:16,640 He is one with the father in work and will and love. 497 00:26:16,640 –> 00:26:19,239 He is one with the father in authority 498 00:26:19,239 –> 00:26:21,599 and in trust and in honor. 499 00:26:21,599 –> 00:26:22,959 He is one with the father 500 00:26:22,959 –> 00:26:26,239 in sharing the same self-sustaining life 501 00:26:26,239 –> 00:26:28,839 and the father has granted to him 502 00:26:28,839 –> 00:26:30,560 that he should be the one 503 00:26:30,560 –> 00:26:33,560 who has the joy of sharing it with others. 504 00:26:33,560 –> 00:26:36,000 The son gives life to whoever he will. 505 00:26:36,920 –> 00:26:37,920 That’s our Jesus. 506 00:26:39,239 –> 00:26:40,119 That’s who he is. 507 00:26:40,239 –> 00:26:42,599 He is God with us, 508 00:26:42,599 –> 00:26:45,280 he’s God for us. 509 00:26:45,280 –> 00:26:48,119 He is God laying claim to our lives 510 00:26:48,119 –> 00:26:50,319 and our obedience and our worship 511 00:26:50,319 –> 00:26:52,640 and our faith and trust. 512 00:26:54,520 –> 00:26:57,680 It’s our Jesus and we love him 513 00:26:58,920 –> 00:27:02,079 and we trust him and we worship him 514 00:27:03,520 –> 00:27:04,359 and we adore him. 515 00:27:04,719 –> 00:27:05,540 Right? 516 00:27:06,839 –> 00:27:10,040 Now, more briefly, there’s something else here 517 00:27:10,040 –> 00:27:12,719 very, very wonderful that I want us to see today. 518 00:27:13,920 –> 00:27:16,079 We’ve looked at who Jesus is 519 00:27:17,140 –> 00:27:21,540 and in the light of the glorious truth of who he is, 520 00:27:22,780 –> 00:27:24,459 I want you to look at verse 24 521 00:27:24,459 –> 00:27:29,000 and to see what this marvelous savior and Lord gives. 522 00:27:29,900 –> 00:27:32,099 What a wonderful verse this is, verse 24. 523 00:27:32,459 –> 00:27:35,099 But truly, truly, and Jesus used that phrase, 524 00:27:35,099 –> 00:27:37,400 I think about 25 times in John’s Gospel, 525 00:27:37,400 –> 00:27:39,119 he does it to double underline 526 00:27:39,119 –> 00:27:41,380 something that we must not miss. 527 00:27:41,380 –> 00:27:44,020 Truly, truly, I say to you, here it is. 528 00:27:45,339 –> 00:27:47,359 Whoever hears my word 529 00:27:48,579 –> 00:27:51,020 and believes him who sent me 530 00:27:52,140 –> 00:27:55,500 has eternal life. 531 00:27:57,040 –> 00:28:01,640 He does not come into judgment. 532 00:28:02,959 –> 00:28:05,900 But has passed, not will pass, 533 00:28:06,739 –> 00:28:11,739 has passed from death to life. 534 00:28:14,699 –> 00:28:18,420 Friends, these are the most amazing and marvelous words. 535 00:28:18,420 –> 00:28:19,819 I mean, here is the son of God, 536 00:28:19,819 –> 00:28:23,380 we just seen he has life in himself. 537 00:28:23,380 –> 00:28:25,699 He is the one who has been granted 538 00:28:25,699 –> 00:28:28,819 that he should give that life to whomever he chooses. 539 00:28:30,060 –> 00:28:32,060 And this life that he is able to give, 540 00:28:32,060 –> 00:28:34,400 that he has in himself is eternal. 541 00:28:34,400 –> 00:28:39,400 And here he speaks about how this eternal life can be ours. 542 00:28:41,979 –> 00:28:44,020 Could there be anything greater than this? 543 00:28:45,500 –> 00:28:46,900 It’s staggering just to think of this, 544 00:28:46,900 –> 00:28:51,180 that Jesus spoke these words not to his disciples, 545 00:28:52,760 –> 00:28:55,420 not like the Beatitudes spoken to a crowd 546 00:28:55,420 –> 00:28:57,900 of sympathetic people on a beautiful hillside. 547 00:28:59,660 –> 00:29:01,500 Who did Jesus speak these words to? 548 00:29:01,640 –> 00:29:02,520 Well, if you look at verse 19, 549 00:29:02,520 –> 00:29:04,439 just look back up for a moment. 550 00:29:04,439 –> 00:29:08,400 Jesus said to them, who’s the them? 551 00:29:09,319 –> 00:29:10,959 Well, you look back at verse 18, 552 00:29:12,000 –> 00:29:14,400 it’s an organized movement of people 553 00:29:14,400 –> 00:29:15,859 who wanted to kill him. 554 00:29:17,359 –> 00:29:19,359 And Jesus speaks the words of verse 24 555 00:29:19,359 –> 00:29:21,359 to those who hate him. 556 00:29:22,359 –> 00:29:23,459 Those who hate him. 557 00:29:24,520 –> 00:29:26,760 Those who would have killed him on the spot. 558 00:29:28,699 –> 00:29:30,239 If they could. 559 00:29:30,280 –> 00:29:32,300 And there may well be a number 560 00:29:32,300 –> 00:29:34,140 within this congregation this morning 561 00:29:34,140 –> 00:29:36,560 and you’ve been wrestling with God. 562 00:29:36,560 –> 00:29:38,160 You would say if you were honest, 563 00:29:38,160 –> 00:29:39,500 you’re angry with God. 564 00:29:40,459 –> 00:29:42,579 You’ve got your issues. 565 00:29:42,579 –> 00:2945,140 You’d get away from him as far as you could 566 00:29:45,140 –> 00:29:49,300 in so many ways if you could and I want you 567 00:29:49,300 –> 00:29:52,760 to hear him speak these words to you today. 568 00:29:54,359 –> 00:29:59,140 He speaks about death and he speaks about life. 569 00:30:00,880 –> 00:30:03,099 When Jesus speaks about death and life, 570 00:30:03,099 –> 00:30:04,979 he is speaking about something 571 00:30:04,979 –> 00:30:07,500 in which we are all involved. 572 00:30:09,180 –> 00:30:12,579 Life and death are the experience of every person 573 00:30:12,579 –> 00:30:16,640 in every generation and in every culture. 574 00:30:16,640 –> 00:30:19,140 The experience of life and death may be quite different 575 00:30:19,140 –> 00:30:23,339 but these are the two great realities 576 00:30:23,339 –> 00:30:25,859 of every person on the planet. 577 00:30:25,859 –> 00:30:28,020 They are the two great realities 578 00:30:28,020 –> 00:30:30,219 that no person on the planet can avoid. 579 00:30:31,040 –> 00:30:34,199 Now what is death? 580 00:30:35,800 –> 00:30:38,880 By the way, it’s only when you know what death is 581 00:30:38,880 –> 00:30:41,079 that you can work out what life is. 582 00:30:42,680 –> 00:30:44,079 What is death? 583 00:30:45,920 –> 00:30:47,839 Now we normally think about death 584 00:30:47,839 –> 00:30:51,339 as something that is pronounced by a doctor 585 00:30:51,339 –> 00:30:54,660 when the vital signs of life have ceased. 586 00:30:55,839 –> 00:30:58,839 So when the heart stops beating 587 00:30:59,560 –> 00:31:02,339 and the lungs stop breathing 588 00:31:02,339 –> 00:31:05,760 and the brain no longer sends its animating signals 589 00:31:05,760 –> 00:31:06,959 to the rest of the body, 590 00:31:06,959 –> 00:31:10,560 then a person is pronounced to be dead. 591 00:31:12,520 –> 00:31:16,239 But the Bible speaks about death in another way. 592 00:31:17,520 –> 00:31:19,400 Remember the very first time 593 00:31:19,400 –> 00:31:22,239 that the Bible ever refers to death 594 00:31:22,239 –> 00:31:25,160 is in Genesis chapter two in verse 17 595 00:31:25,160 –> 00:31:27,920 where God says in the Garden of Eden 596 00:31:27,939 –> 00:31:29,180 to Eve and to Adam, 597 00:31:30,040 –> 00:31:32,119 in the day that you eat of it, 598 00:31:32,119 –> 00:31:33,619 that’s the fruit of the tree 599 00:31:33,619 –> 00:31:35,680 of the knowledge of good and evil. 600 00:31:35,680 –> 00:31:37,479 In the day that you eat of it, 601 00:31:37,479 –> 00:31:40,199 you shall surely die. 602 00:31:40,199 –> 00:31:42,819 That’s the first reference to death 603 00:31:43,640 –> 00:31:44,859 in all of the Bible. 604 00:31:46,000 –> 00:31:48,119 Now you remember the story 605 00:31:48,119 –> 00:31:50,280 of how Adam and Eve sinned 606 00:31:50,280 –> 00:31:53,780 when they disobeyed the single command of God. 607 00:31:55,079 –> 00:31:57,719 And at the end of the day, 608 00:31:57,719 –> 00:32:00,319 Adam’s heart was still beating 609 00:32:01,260 –> 00:32:03,479 and his lungs were still breathing 610 00:32:03,479 –> 00:32:07,020 and his brain was still sending animating signals 611 00:32:07,020 –> 00:32:08,699 throughout the rest of his body. 612 00:32:08,699 –> 00:32:11,359 So he didn’t die, did he? 613 00:32:11,359 –> 00:32:12,640 Or did he? 614 00:32:13,599 –> 00:32:15,699 Yes he did. 615 00:32:15,699 –> 00:32:19,719 If you understand what the Bible means by death, 616 00:32:19,719 –> 00:32:23,579 if you understand what death really is. 617 00:32:24,560 –> 00:32:29,280 What happened on that day 618 00:32:29,280 –> 00:32:30,760 to Adam and to Eve? 619 00:32:30,760 –> 00:32:34,099 That will tell you what death really is. 620 00:32:35,239 –> 00:32:36,099 Answer? 621 00:32:36,939 –> 00:32:38,439 They came under the judgment 622 00:32:38,439 –> 00:32:39,979 and the condemnation of God. 623 00:32:40,979 –> 00:32:42,339 They’re excluded from the Garden. 624 00:32:42,339 –> 00:32:45,180 They’re alienated from God, sin is in them. 625 00:32:47,380 –> 00:32:49,579 That’s what death is in the Bible. 626 00:32:49,579 –> 00:32:53,719 It is to come under the judgment 627 00:32:53,719 –> 00:32:56,339 and the condemnation of God. 628 00:32:57,739 –> 00:32:59,060 Now you can see very clearly, 629 00:32:59,060 –> 00:33:02,920 coming back to John, chapter five in verse 24, 630 00:33:02,920 –> 00:33:07,339 that that is exactly what is being laid before us here 631 00:33:07,339 –> 00:33:08,739 in the second part of the verse. 632 00:33:08,739 –> 00:33:11,180 It begins, whoever hears my word, Jesus says, 633 00:33:11,180 –> 00:33:14,199 and believes Him who sent me has eternal life. 634 00:33:14,199 –> 00:33:16,939 He does not come into judgment. 635 00:33:17,380 –> 00:33:20,040 And why does Jesus speak of judgment here? 636 00:33:20,040 –> 00:33:24,000 Because that’s what death, biblically speaking, is. 637 00:33:24,000 –> 00:33:27,939 He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death. 638 00:33:27,939 –> 00:33:29,219 If you don’t come into adjustment, 639 00:33:29,219 –> 00:33:33,180 then you’ve passed from death into life. 640 00:33:35,300 –> 00:33:39,260 Now Jesus is describing something very, very wonderful here. 641 00:33:39,260 –> 00:33:42,859 You see, we live with death ahead of us. 642 00:33:44,199 –> 00:33:45,140 We all understand this. 643 00:33:45,140 –> 00:33:48,239 We live until we die. 644 00:33:49,239 –> 00:33:52,160 The Bible says it is appointed for a man, 645 00:33:53,060 –> 00:33:58,060 once to die and after that comes judgment. 646 00:33:58,599 –> 00:34:00,699 What kind of life is that? 647 00:34:02,560 –> 00:34:07,560 To live until you die and then enter into judgment. 648 00:34:10,879 –> 00:34:14,000 But here, Jesus speaks not about a person 649 00:34:14,020 –> 00:34:17,659 who goes from life to death, 650 00:34:18,659 –> 00:34:21,699 but a person who goes from death to life. 651 00:34:22,800 –> 00:34:25,500 Not a person who goes from life to death 652 00:34:25,500 –> 00:34:26,959 and after that the judgment, 653 00:34:26,959 –> 00:34:30,139 but a person to whom judgment will not come 654 00:34:30,139 –> 00:34:32,459 and therefore moves from death to life. 655 00:34:34,040 –> 00:34:39,040 See, what we know and what the whole world experiences 656 00:34:39,879 –> 00:34:43,100 is a life in which death is ahead of us, 657 00:34:43,100 –> 00:34:45,659 but here Jesus wonderfully speaks about 658 00:34:45,659 –> 00:34:49,100 a life where death is actually behind us. 659 00:34:50,080 –> 00:34:53,280 A life where judgment and condemnation from God 660 00:34:53,280 –> 00:34:55,139 does not lie in the future, 661 00:34:55,139 –> 00:34:57,840 but it actually lies in the past. 662 00:34:59,219 –> 00:35:01,360 You say how in the world would that be possible? 663 00:35:01,360 –> 00:35:02,620 Here’s how it’s possible. 664 00:35:03,979 –> 00:35:06,320 When the Son of God went to the cross, 665 00:35:07,419 –> 00:35:12,419 the sins of all who would believe in him were laid on him. 666 00:35:13,719 –> 00:35:18,159 All the judgment and all of the condemnation 667 00:35:18,159 –> 00:35:21,600 that was due to us and we would have faced in the future 668 00:35:22,540 –> 00:35:27,540 was poured out, spent, exhausted 669 00:35:29,500 –> 00:35:33,399 on him right there, 2000 years ago at the cross 670 00:35:33,399 –> 00:35:37,860 so that if you’re in him with the bond of faith, 671 00:35:39,139 –> 00:35:42,379 you will not come into judgment. 672 00:35:42,419 –> 00:35:44,060 That’s what Jesus says here. 673 00:35:44,919 –> 00:35:46,459 How could you come into judgment 674 00:35:46,459 –> 00:35:49,080 where there is no judgment before you 675 00:35:49,080 –> 00:35:52,739 because by God’s grace, the judgment is behind you. 676 00:35:52,739 –> 00:35:57,060 It was poured out on him and now you are in him. 677 00:35:57,060 –> 00:35:59,699 What that would mean then is that you have passed 678 00:35:59,699 –> 00:36:02,419 from what the Bible means by death 679 00:36:02,419 –> 00:36:03,820 facing the judgment of God. 680 00:36:04,979 –> 00:36:08,919 You have passed from death into life. 681 00:36:09,360 –> 00:36:12,379 Brother, sister in Jesus Christ, 682 00:36:12,379 –> 00:36:14,419 isn’t this the most wonderful good news? 683 00:36:15,360 –> 00:36:18,159 There is no condemnation ahead of you 684 00:36:18,159 –> 00:36:20,560 because your condemnation is behind you 685 00:36:20,560 –> 00:36:22,360 and your condemnation is behind you 686 00:36:22,360 –> 00:36:24,780 because it was poured out on Jesus at the cross 687 00:36:24,780 –> 00:36:27,020 and you are in him. 688 00:36:27,020 –> 00:36:30,520 Therefore, you will not come into judgment 689 00:36:30,520 –> 00:36:35,520 because already you have passed from death into life. 690 00:36:35,520 –> 00:36:38,159 From death into life. 691 00:36:38,159 –> 00:36:40,860 So you say, well, so, pastor, what then happens 692 00:36:40,860 –> 00:36:45,580 when my heart stops beating and my lungs stop breathing 693 00:36:45,580 –> 00:36:48,620 and my brain stops sending its animating signals 694 00:36:48,620 –> 00:36:50,479 to all the other parts of my body, 695 00:36:50,479 –> 00:36:52,439 when that happens, brother, sister, 696 00:36:52,439 –> 00:36:54,300 you will be away from the body 697 00:36:54,300 –> 00:36:56,219 and you will be at home with the Lord. 698 00:36:57,500 –> 00:37:00,080 It will be better by far than anything you have known 699 00:37:00,080 –> 00:37:04,419 even in life, at its best, in this world. 700 00:37:04,419 –> 00:37:06,120 This is the good news of the gospel. 701 00:37:06,120 –> 00:37:08,000 This is ours in Jesus Christ 702 00:37:08,000 –> 00:37:12,639 and it is ours to take to the world, think of this. 703 00:37:13,840 –> 00:37:18,040 We live in a world where every day 704 00:37:19,080 –> 00:37:23,040 people pass by the thousands from life to death 705 00:37:24,879 –> 00:37:28,800 and Jesus speaks to us to tell us 706 00:37:28,800 –> 00:37:33,780 that through faith in him we may pass from death to life. 707 00:37:35,379 –> 00:37:36,959 That’s what happens when you hear 708 00:37:36,959 –> 00:37:41,379 and when you believe the word of Jesus 709 00:37:41,379 –> 00:37:44,919 and when you do, what lies ahead of you 710 00:37:46,179 –> 00:37:49,540 is life everlasting. 711 00:37:51,040 –> 00:37:52,040 Let’s pray together. 712 00:37:53,580 –> 00:37:57,300 Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me 713 00:37:57,300 –> 00:37:59,500 has eternal life. 714 00:38:00,959 –> 00:38:03,300 He does not come into judgment 715 00:38:04,300 –> 00:38:08,979 but has passed from death to life. 716 00:38:10,219 –> 00:38:12,739 Oh our Father, this is the gift 717 00:38:12,739 –> 00:38:16,020 that only you yourself could give 718 00:38:16,020 –> 00:38:18,739 and we bless you that it is ours 719 00:38:18,739 –> 00:38:20,719 in the one to whom you have granted 720 00:38:20,719 –> 00:38:23,580 to have life in himself so that he may give 721 00:38:23,580 –> 00:38:26,580 that life to all who believe in him. 722 00:38:27,760 –> 00:38:30,100 We bless you that that life is ours. 723 00:38:30,100 –> 00:38:32,159 We pray that we may live in the joy 724 00:38:32,360 –> 00:38:34,639 and the peace of it through faith 725 00:38:34,639 –> 00:38:36,399 in the Lord Jesus Christ, 726 00:38:36,399 –> 00:38:38,020 and that we may more boldly 727 00:38:38,020 –> 00:38:41,800 and more gladly take the news 728 00:38:41,800 –> 00:38:43,479 that is the greatest good news 729 00:38:43,479 –> 00:38:45,679 this world has ever heard or will hear 730 00:38:45,679 –> 00:38:49,239 to all with whom you will give us opportunity 731 00:38:49,239 –> 00:38:50,939 for your praise, glory and honor. 732 00:38:50,939 –> 00:38:53,280 And these things we ask in Jesus name 733 00:38:53,280 –> 00:38:55,520 and everyone said amen.