Christ Identity and Authority verses Our identity and insecurity.

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

Introduction:

Christ Identity is central to this Gospel, this text, our hope, our freedom , our joy, and ultimately our salvation. It is our identity issues and needs that can so often keep us from seeing Jesus. Stopping us form seeing His true Identity as God incarnate. Christ is on the witness stand here defending His identity and makes the argument for the reason he has to defend himself is the approval seeking, Glory vacuuming nature of man.

English Standard Version Chapter 5

The Authority of the Son

19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Witnesses to Jesus

30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. 31 If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. 33 You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 36 But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, 38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. 39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. 41 I do not receive glory from people. 42 But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

6 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Jesus Walks on Water

16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

I Am the Bread of Life

22 On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

The Words of Eternal Life

60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of

The Key verse that explains why Jesus has to clarify His Identity and authority is

The NIV Application Commentary: John Bridging Contexts

A time of trial and conflict. John 5 is a story about trial and conflict.

John 5:44 ESV

How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

The critical reason we do not glorify God and see His Glory is that we are seeking our own Glory often from one another.

The Questions fall like dominos for me after this statement by Christ.

The critical reason we do not glorify God is we are seeking Glory from one another.

Why do we seek glory from one another?

How do we seek Glory for ourselves?

How does this stop us from seeing the Glory of God in the face of Christ?

Outline:

Jesus is God

1.1.Jesus makes His case

in His Person v.17-18

Work v. 19-20

In His Power and Authority v. 21

In His Judgement v.22

In His Honor v.23-24

In the resurrection v. 25-29

1.2. THE WITNESSES REVEAL IT

JOHN THE BAPTIST ()

THE FINISHED WORKS ()

THE FATHERS WORD ()

THE FAITHFUL WRITINGS ( )

2. We are not God, but we wish we were!

Jesus is God

Here Jesus begins to explain to the Jews how they can know He is indeed God in the flesh. He gives them 10 reasons to believe. No less than 10 ways they can see that He is indeed the Messiah. We will look at the first 6 reasons in our text then loo to the reason He gives as to why they are unable to see Him even with the 10 reasons. It is like a lawyer making an air tight case with evidence upon evidence.

a. Explained in His Person v.17-18

John 5:17–18 ESV

But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

b. Seen in His Work v. 19-20

2. We’re Not God, but we wish we were

John 5:19–20 ESV

Greater works than healing the man at the pool will be seen by them that they may marvel. Marvel is be astonished.

What would these greater works be? Look at the following verse.

c. In His Power and Authority v. 21

John 5:21 ESV

For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.

2. We’re Not God, but we wish we were

Greater works is raising the dead and giving life spiritually. Notice the wording here. The son gives life to whom He will.

John 6:37 ESV

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

John 6:44 ESV

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

john 6.44

d. In His Judgement v.22

John 5:22 ESV

For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,

2. We’re Not God, but we wish we were

claim to Deity. Only God can judge a mans soul

E. In His Honor v.23-24

John 5:23–24 ESV

that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

john 5

Honor the son as the Father. This is a powder keg of dynamite to the world religions that do not honor Jesus as God.

John 14:6 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

john

f. In the resurrection v. 25-29

John 5:25–29 ESV

“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

2. We’re Not God, but we wish we were!

Why is it necessary for Christ to testify to His deity?

Why is it not clear that Jesus is God incarnate to the world of the Jews back then and our world today?

I think the answer is given here by Christ in john 5.44

John 5:44 ESV

How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

john 5.44

The Message Chapter 5

“I’m not interested in crowd approval. And do you know why? Because I know you and your crowds. I know that love, especially God’s love, is not on your working agenda. I came with the authority of my Father, and you either dismiss me or avoid me. If another came, acting self-important, you would welcome him with open arms. How do you expect to get anywhere with God when you spend all your time jockeying for position with each other, ranking your rivals and ignoring God?

why would they/we spend time and energy comparing ourselves and jockeying for position?

Our identity was lost in the Fall. Even though we are followers of Christ it is impossible to not seek our own Glory without a supernatural work of God’s Holy Spirit due to our feelings of self doubt, insecurity, pride, envy, jealousy.

I’m not saying we should come to Jesus to heal our emotional needs(that’s the therapeutic gospel), but rather it is in our fallen nature and affections that we seek to be our own Gods by vacuuming any left over glory for ourselves to fill our empty hearts with some sort of value and significance. It is these deep pangs of the soul that are meant to make us feel our need for a savior. The cry of the soul for glory and our insecurities reveal our brokenness and the alienating power of sin on the human soul.

Our deadness to our Creator and rebellion to His call on our lives. Our tastlessness for spiritual food. Our blindness to the glory of God in the face of Christ.

In the face of Christ? It is into my Childs face that I find some of the glory of God and the wonder of His ways. In the face of Christ we should see the Glory of God.

What is keeping the Jewish High minded from seeing Jesus for who He is is their own Pride, ego, desire to be right and have the approval of men. They are blinded by their need for approval, glory from men, so they build their own religion based on rules.

John 5:44 ESV

How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

John 5:40 ESV

yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

john 5. Deeply / Experientially / affectionally settling the ID of Christ allows us to begin settling our own ID / worth / value / insecurities but our ID issues keep us from seeing Him in HIs real ID.

Where do we go for our insecurity or identity fix?

Resurrection to life and to death

Approval of God and Not man!

The ESV Study Bible Chapter 5

The statement that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father in effect establishes Jesus’ right to be worshiped and also amounts to a claim to deity. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him shows that religions such as Judaism and Islam that consider Jesus merely a great prophet do not represent the truth about God, because they fail to worship and honor Jesus.

5:24 Has eternal life is one of the most striking statements in John regarding the present possession of eternal life. Eternal life begins immediately, in a partially realized but significant way, when one believes in Jesus. Those who believe can face the last judgment with confidence (cf. 1 John 5:11–13).

Jesus’ pensive question, “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?” offers a crucial reason for their rejection of Him. Jesus said in effect, “How can I be glorified as your Lord, when you are seeking glory?” The question is a rhetorical one; obviously, those engaged in seeking glory from one another do not humble themselves in order to believe in the glorious Lord Jesus—which is the only way to seek the glory that is from the one and only God. Paul further explained this in his words to the Corinthians:

Where do we go for our insecurity or identity fix?

Deep Idols / Alternative Saviors

Power = Do not mind being unpopular in order to gain influence and perhaps respect. INTJ, ENTJ

Approval = Gladly lose power and control as long as everyone thinks well of them. ENFP

Comfort = Some want emotional and physical comfort more than anything else.

Control = Security, control the environment. If i can be in control I will have peace. ISTJ

Success or Achievement = Personal Success leads to a sense that we ourselves are God. Our security and value rest in our ability to perform at a winning level.

Unfortunately, we usually go through life with our functional saviors or idols intact. We do not realize they are our hope until they are removed. When we lose power, approval, comfort, control, or success. In the loss we sense that we have misplaced our hope or we simply feel insecure, insignificant, anchor-less.

Illustration: Take Money. A married couple may fight over how they spend or save their money. The wife wants to save everything possible to provide a sense of security while her husband spends to appear successful.

This is the invitation to come home to Christ. To see Him as the treasure He is. The Pearl of great price. The anchor for our weary souls. The well of living water springing up.

We were never meant to scratch out an identity for ourselves in this life, but rather to simply surrender and embrace our identity in Christ.

“Christian selfhood is not defined in terms of who we are in and of ourselves. It’s defined in terms of what God does to us and the relationship he creates with us and the destiny he appoints for us. God made us who we are so we could make known who he is. Our identity is for the sake of making known his identity.” Jonathon Parnell, DG Article “Where is your Identity”

Colossians 3:4 ESV

When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

May God make your body and soul his theater to display his infinite worth. If you desire this be sure He will remove the prideful self glory seeking inclination s and purge you for His glory, your good and the salvation of the nations.

Our Condition Without Christ

Power = Do not mind being unpopular in order to gain influence and perhaps respect. INTJ, ENTJ

Approval = Gladly lose power and control as long as everyone thinks well of them. ENFP

Comfort = Some want emotional and physical comfort more than anything else.

Control = Security, control the environment. If i can be in control I will have peace. ISTJ

Our Condition Without Christ

2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

The glory that is from God shines in the face of Jesus Christ. This is the “gospel of the glory of Christ.”

Start with the condition people are in without Christ. Verse 4: “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” People who don’t believe in Christ are blind. They can’t see Christ as supremely valuable, and so they won’t receive him as their Treasure and so they are not saved. A work of God is needed in their lives to open their eyes and give them life so they can see and receive Christ as Savior and Lord and Treasure of their lives. That work of God is called new birth.

Then look at the solution to this condition of blindness and perishing. Verse 6: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” This is a description of the new birth, even though that term is not used. The God who created light in the beginning does the same thing in the human heart. Only the light this time is not physical light, but “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” Or as verse 4 calls it “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God.”

I said that there were two implications for us from the fact that the Son stays in perfect step with the Father, and the Father acts in perfect step with the Son. One of them we just saw. In the twenty-first century world of teeming pluralism, with religions and worldviews and cultures and lifestyles competing for our allegiance, verse 23 lands like a bombshell: “Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.”

In other words, if you want to know if someone in another religion, or no religion, honors God (has a true worshipful relationship with God), the test that you use to know this is: Do they honor Jesus for who he really is—as the divine Son of God, the Messiah, the crucified and risen Savior of the world, the Lord of the universe and Judge of all human beings? If they don’t, then they don’t honor God. That’s the first implication.

1) We not only will have eternal life, but we already have it, and 2) we not only will not come into the judgment of condemnation, but have already passed through judgment and are safe on the other side. Jesus has become that judgment for us. When we are united to him by faith, his death becomes our death, and his crucifixion our crucifixion, and his curse on the cross our curse on the cross, and his resurrection our resurrection. We have already “passed from death to life”! This is glorious news beyond all words. Exult in this. Know this about yourself as a believer. Be made radically courageous by this.

So the first main issue in this text is the man’s healing and its purpose to lead the man to holiness. And the second main issue in this text is the way the Father and the Son are equal so that when one is acting the other is acting—with the two implications that if we don’t honor the Son, we don’t honor the Father, and if we believe on the Father through the word of Jesus, we have already passed from death to life and are on the other side of condemnation.

john 5.40 you refuse to believe.

John 5:40 ESV

yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

Surface Idols

John 5:37 ESV

And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen,

1. John the Baptist

5:32–36; cf. 1:7–8, 15, 19, 32–34; 3:26

1. John the Baptist

2. Jesus’ own works

5:32–36; cf. 1:7–8, 15, 19, 32–34; 3:26

5:36; cf. 10:25, 32, 37–38; 15:24

3. God the Father

5:37–38; 8:18

2. Jesus’ own works

4. The Scriptures, esp. by Moses

5:36; cf. 10:25, 32, 37–38; 15:24

5:39, 45–47

5. Jesus himself

3. God the Father

3:11, 32; 8:14, 18; 18:37

6. The Spirit

14:26; 15:26; 16:8–11, 13–14

5:37–38; 8:18

7. The disciples, esp. John

4. The Scriptures, esp. by Moses

15:27; 19:35; 21:24

Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2032). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

5:39, 45–47

It doesn’t do me any good or give me any peace to think that my kids salvation is up to them. The sovereignty of God in their salvation gives me more hope because I can pray and ask God to turn the light on, open their eyes, give them a new heart. This brings rest in the goodness of God and His power and authority to change hearts and lives.

To be an unbeliever means that you cannot believe, unless God in His sovereign grace and mercy does something extraordinary and powerful to change our hearts and to change the way we think, and to change our wills to enable us in the day of His power to believe and respond. To the broken who have come to the end of themselves, Jesus is gentle and full of grace. But to those who are high-minded, Jesus is nothing but a stumbling block. The great question in this chapter, “How is Jesus?” Is He the one at whose feet you bow and exclaim, “He is my Lord.”

5. Jesus himself

Who are the dead verse 25?

Ephesians 2:1 ESV

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins

1. YOU HAVE PLACES YOU GO TO FOR A “FIX.”

The ESV Study Bible Chapter 5

One reason people fail to believe is that they long for the approval and favor of others instead of seeking the approval and favor of God.

1. YOU HAVE PLACES YOU GO TO FOR A “FIX.”

EPH

Jesus concludes with a scathing exposure of the Jewish leaders for their refusal to come to him for the life he offered (42–47). Their fundamental failure lay in esteeming human praise above God’s praise (44). Theirs was a religion of human merit, one which seeks salvation through obeying the commandments (39). This explains their paranoic defence of the finer points of the written and oral law, and their conflict with Jesus (16) in the beginning. It was a thoroughly human religious system, permitting no real place for the living God (37) or for considerations of the awful predicament of the human spirit in his presence, engulfed by the destructive power of sin (40). Thus other messianic pretenders would be welcomed whose credentials were purely self-generated (43). They would be accepted because they spoke the same language and sought the same goals. Jesus alone pointed them beyond the merely human to the divine. I have come in my Father’s name (43). In his person they met the absolute demand of the Almighty, lifting them beyond the relativities of human merit and summoning them to cast themselves on his grace alone. But such concepts were beyond them.

Milne, B. (1993). The message of John: here is your king!: with study guide (p. 102). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

1. YOU HAVE PLACES YOU GO TO FOR A “FIX.”

Whether it’s Facebook, your peers or your parents, the first sign of trouble is having places you habitually return to for recognition. It’s important to call out that place for what it is.

Every journey toward freedom from others’ approval starts here—in the naming. Whose approval do you seek most? Where do you look for it? To let go of something, you have to first admit you’re holding on to it. The moment you’re willing to call the problem by its actual name, you’re one step closer to canceling its power over you. This is perhaps why lives change in rooms where these words are uttered quietly into a circle of understanding faces: “Hi, my name is [insert name here]. And I am a [insert addiction here].”

2. YOU HAVE A HARD TIME GOING A DAY WITHOUT VISITING THOSE PLACES.

It’s easy to excuse those places we go to for approval as being “not that big of a deal.” So here’s a test: how long could you go without it?

After you name the place you go to for approval, fast from it.

Some of us have been telling ourselves the same false narratives our whole lives. The lies make us feel pressured into working harder, faster and longer to reach some invisible standard that we think will give us the approval we need. Who are we working harder for? Paul says in , “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval.” Not so we can present ourselves to a spouse. Or to our coworkers. Or even to Bible study partners. But to God alone.

4. YOU HAVE A HARD TIME ACCEPTING GOD’S APPROVAL AS BEING ENOUGH.

All the approval we’ve ever wanted is actually and already ours. God says we’re already beautiful (see ). We’re already beloved (see ). We’re already known (see ). We were already loved, even when we were dead in our transgressions (see ).

God designed insecurity to be examined in order that we might escape danger. That’s why it’s a mercy. This kind of insecurity is a God-gauge in our soul. It’s reporting to us that something is wrong with what we hear God or some other god telling us about who we are. Either a true belief is being challenged and perhaps refined, or a false belief is finally being exposed.

Envy is at the root of much of our approval-seeking. We miss the beauty of our own lives if we’re holding up a mirror to someone else’s.

6. THE SUCCESS OF OTHERS MAKES YOU FEEL INADEQUATE.

We’re actually all on the same team, and it’s called the body of Christ. Author Lisa-Jo Baker says it like this: “It’s never a competition in the Kingdom. It’s always a co-op.” We would do well to start cheering one another on. In doing so, we can achieve what Timothy Keller calls “the freedom of self-forgetfulness.”

The motivation behind our acts of kindness can be a great barometer of just where we’re at in our own feelings of adequacy. The praise we get for doing good is like a drug. It’s a drug Jesus is asking us to go without in , where he says “When you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

Go ahead. Do what Jesus said. Be a charity ninja—so secretive that your left hand doesn’t have a clue what your right hand is doing. Then sit back and enjoy the freedom of your approval-free zone.

8. YOU DON’T WANT TO TRY SOMETHING UNLESS YOU KNOW YOU’LL SUCCEED.

Our need for approval often keeps us from taking risks that won’t necessarily result in that approval. It keeps us playing safe, doing only the things we know will work out in our favor.

Do something new that you’ve always wanted to try—running a 5K or taking a painting class, for instance—even if you believe you’ll perform with mediocrity, even if you believe you’ll fail. The moment we stop fussing over the opinions of others might be the moment when we start actually living.

9. YOU LOVE OTHERS IN ORDER TO GET THEIR APPROVAL.

When we’ve accepted our own approval from God, we’re more able to love others without needing anything in return. But the reverse is also true: a need for approval often results in conditional love from our own hearts.

When we are freed from unhealthy notions about love and approval, we are able to love others without expecting anything in return. “We love because he first loved us” (). Period.

10. YOUR PERSPECTIVE IS TEMPORARY.

Sometimes, a need for approval comes from something as simple as a failure to remember that what’s to come is so much better and brighter than what we currently have.

Maybe you’ve wanted a few accolades this side of heaven. That’s in our nature. Don’t forget that the divine accolade—as C. S. Lewis calls it—is coming. And that’s the accolade you were created to hear: “Well done, good and faithful servant!” ().

3:11, 32; 8:14, 18; 18:37

Our identity is who we understand ourselves to be at the core. It’s our essential self. Or it’s what we want to believe (and want others to believe) is our essential self, even if it’s not who we really are.

Where does our sense of identity come from? This is the crucial question, the pinnacle of the problem. How we answer it decides whether or not we will ever be free from being insecure.

6. The Spirit

And it’s not primarily an intellectual answer. We all know that we can “know” the right answer, but not know the right answer. We answer this question from our heart, because our identity is tied into what we really love, what we really want, what we really believe offers us hope. In other words, we always find our identity in our god.

Our god may or may not be the god of our creed. We may say our god is the Lord, but that may not really be true (; ). Our god is the person or thing we believe has the greatest power to determine who we are, why we’re here, what we should do, and what we’re worth. Our god is what we can’t help but seek and follow, because we believe our god’s promises will bring us the greatest happiness.

14:26; 15:26; 16:8–11, 13–14

What Does Insecurity Say?

So when we feel insecure because something threatens our sense of identity, it is telling us something about our god. This makes insecurity a mercy, though it almost never feels like a mercy. It feels like inadequacy or failure or condemnation. It weighs us down and makes us feel vulnerable and uncertain.

7. The disciples, esp. John

“Who do you believe has the greatest power to determine who you are and what you are worth? That is your god.”TweetShare on Facebook

That’s why our response to this kind of insecurity is often avoidance. We try to reduce our exposure to people or situations that stir it up, or we try to assuage it by seeking various forms of self-affirmation from others, or we try to escape into other things — often habit-forming or addictive things — that dull or distract or fantasize away our identity-fear, at least temporarily. Or all of the above.

15:27; 19:35; 21:24

Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2032). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Fleeing insecurity is the right idea, but these kinds of avoidance are almost always fleeing in the wrong directions. Or to say it another way, they are almost always pain-killers, not cures. They do nothing to address our identity-related fear.

God designed insecurity to be examined in order that we might escape danger. That’s why it’s a mercy. This kind of insecurity is a God-gauge in our soul. It’s reporting to us that something is wrong with what we hear God or some other god telling us about who we are. Either a true belief is being challenged and perhaps refined, or a false belief is finally being exposed.

The Invitation in Insecurity

Exposure. We hate exposure, which is why we tend to avoid rather than examine our insecurity. We fear taking a good look at our identity because we’re afraid the gauge is going to confirm our worst fears about ourselves: inadequate, insignificant, failure, condemned.

But, believe it or not, insecurity is not only a warning; it’s also an invitation. When we feel insecure, God is inviting us to escape the danger of false beliefs about who we are, why we’re here, what we should do, and what we’re worth, and to find peaceful refuge in what he says about all those things.

The more we understand the gospel of Jesus Christ, the more we find it is the end of insecurity — not the perfect end in this age, but the increasing and ultimate end. DG by Jon Bloom Laying aside the weight of insecurity

The Gospel gives us our Identiy and secuirty. By trusting Christ as our Lord and savior we escape not just the penalty of sin which is etermity in Hell but also the begining of heaven todayas we are being freed from the slavery to sin and insudurity.

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1. YOU HAVE PLACES YOU GO TO FOR A “FIX.”

1. YOU HAVE PLACES YOU GO TO FOR A “FIX.”

2. YOU HAVE A HARD TIME GOING A DAY WITHOUT VISITING THOSE PLACES.

​

4. YOU HAVE A HARD TIME ACCEPTING GOD’S APPROVAL AS BEING ENOUGH.

6. THE SUCCESS OF OTHERS MAKES YOU FEEL INADEQUATE.

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8. YOU DON’T WANT TO TRY SOMETHING UNLESS YOU KNOW YOU’LL SUCCEED.

9. YOU LOVE OTHERS IN ORDER TO GET THEIR APPROVAL.

10. YOUR PERSPECTIVE IS TEMPORARY.

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What Does Insecurity Say?

The Invitation in Insecurity