Sermon Tone Analysis

Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?

Йоан 5:15-24

 

*Introduction*

* So far we have looked at five chapters in the Gospel of John, and we have seen Jesus interact with five people.

* John the Baptist – he knows who Jesus is and tells people to get ready for him.

* Nathaniel – a godly person who was skeptical about Jesus, but an honest skeptic

* Nicodemus – knew that Jesus was from God, but could not accept Him because He did not fit his expectations

* The Samaritan Woman – searching for something and knows that it can only be found in Jesus

* The Crippled Man – “Do you want to be made well?”

* John gives us five people in five chapters, but Jesus says very little.

Mostly its action, but now it is time to hear from Jesus Himself.

* Jesus acts and then speaks.

(An example for all of us.)

* So, what does Jesus say about Himself?

* What Jesus does *not *say about Himself

* He is not only a good teacher, philosopher, religious person.

* What Jesus *does* say about Himself.

* He is equal to God, he is God’s son

* He not only talks about his relationship with God, but he shows us how we should relate to God and to one another.

* Who is this Jesus?

Now we will hear from him.

*  

 

*His Relationship with God the Father */(John 5:15-20)/

* John 5:15-20  5 Човекът отиде и извести на юдеите, че Исус е, Който го изцели.

16 И затова юдеите гонеха Исуса, защото вършеше тия неща в събота.

17 А Исус им отговори: (1) Отец Ми работи до сега, и Аз работя.

18 Затова юдеите искаха още повече да го убият; защото не само нарушаваше съботата, но и правеше Бога Свой Отец, и /така /правеше Себе Си равен на Бога.

19 Затова Исус им рече: Истина, истина ви казвам, не може Синът да върши от само Себе Си нищо, освен това, което вижда да върши Отец; понеже (2) каквото върши Той, подобно и Синът го върши.

(3) 20 Защото Отец люби Сина, и Му показва все що върши сам; ще Му показва и от тия по-големи работи, за да се чудите вие.

* (i) He lays down his */identity/* with God.

The truth about Jesus is that in him we see God.

* Jesus says, “Отец Ми работи до сега, и Аз работя.”

* He is not saying that he simply is doing what God wants, like you and I.

* *No, he is saying that when you see me at work, you see God at work.*

* The lame walk, the blind see, the Samaritan woman found real meaning in life, God has sent His Messiah, God has not forgotten us, the Kingdom of God is at hand!

* Song:   “In Him” The hungry feast at the table, the blind frozen by the colors and the hues, the lame will dance, and the weary find rest.

*  Jesus is saying here that when we see Him we see God Himself.

* If we wish to see how God feels about men, if we wish to see how God reacts to sin, if we wish to see how God regards the human situation, we must look at Jesus.

The mind of Jesus is the mind of God; the words of Jesus are the words of God; the actions of Jesus are the actions of God.

*  (ii) This identity is not so much based on equality as on complete */obedience/*.

* “каквото върши Той, подобно и Синът го върши.”

* Jesus never did what he wanted to do but always what God wanted him to do.

It is because his will was completely submitted to God’s will that we see God in him.

* Here we see the Trinity of God as a model of submission to one another.

The Son is completely obedient to the Father – the Son points to the Father just as the Holy Spirit points to Jesus.

* Here is a model for the church.

We submit to one another.

This is the power of the church!

* Matthew 20:24-28  24 И десетимата като чуха това, възнегодуваха против двамата братя.

25 Но Исус ги повика и рече: Вие знаете, че управителите на народите господаруват над тях, и големците им властвуват над тях.  26 Но между вас не ще бъде така; но който иска да стане големец между вас, ще ви бъде служител;  27 и който иска да бъде пръв между вас, ще ви бъде слуга;  28 също както и Човешкият Син не дойде да Му служат, но да служи, и да даде живота Си откуп за мнозина.

* This is the power of the church!

We submit to one another.

Here should be a sanctuary – not like outside these walls.

The greatest person here is not the one standing up front.

The greatest here is the one who set up the chairs, who cares for our children, who makes the coffee.

* Never forget – the world is upside-down.

The church is a glimpse of the way the world should be.

A little taste of the Kingdom of God.

* Jesus modeled obedience to the Father as an example to the church.

“каквото върши Той, подобно и Синът го върши.”

* Jesus is to God as we must be to Jesus.

* (iii) This obedience is not based on submission to power; it is based on */love/*.

* There is also obedience in the workplace – outside these four walls, however there is a main difference.

* If you don’t do this you’ll be fired, disciplined, etc…

* Our obedience and submission to one another is not based on power or control, but on the love we have for God and one another.

* 20 Защото Отец люби Сина, и Му показва все що върши сам; ще Му показва и от тия по-големи работи, за да се чудите вие.

* The Bible is a very strange book.

Love is greater than anything else.

It says in Corinthians 13, “И тъй, остават тия трите: вяра, надежда и любов; но най-голяма от тях е любовта.”

More than faith or hope is love.

Why?

* “John 3:16  16 Защото Бог толкова възлюби света, че даде Своя Единороден Син, за да не погине ни един, който вярва в Него, но да има вечен живот.”

* This is a special kind of love – unconditional love.

* The world, “I love you, baby.

Let’s go to my place.”

* God, “I love you and sacrificed for you.”

No, if… then…

* God sacrificed His Son with no guarantee that we would accept His love.

* How many of us would do that?

Think how great is our God!

* Jesus’ obedience to the Father is based on the fact that he is 100% confident in the Father’s love toward Him.

* In Jesus we see his complete equality with God the Father, his obedience to the Father, and the incredible love of the Father.

* So, what does all this mean for us?

 

*Acceptance Means Life* /(John 5:21-24)/       

* John 5:21-24   Понеже както Отец възкресява мъртвите и ги съживява, така и Синът съживява, тия които иска.

22 Защото, нито Отец не съди никого, но е дал на Сина да съди всички,  23 за да почитат всички Сина, както почитат Отца.

Който не почита Сина, не почита Отца, Който Го е пратил.

24 Истина, истина ви казвам, който слуша Моето учение, и вярва в Този, Който Ме е пратил, има вечен живот, и няма да дойде на съд, но е преминал от смъртта в живота.

* Three things:

* (i) It means to believe that God is as Jesus says he is; that he is love; and so to enter into a new relationship with him in which fear is banished.

* (ii) It means to accept the way of life that Jesus offers us, however difficult it may be and whatever sacrifices it may involve, certain that to accept it is the ultimate way to peace and to happiness, and to refuse it the ultimate way to death and judgment.

* (iii) It means that real life is only found in Jesus.

* Why is it that we see so many people in this world that resemble the Samaritan woman?

They keep trying one thing after another, but at the end of the day are still dissatisfied?

* Because what we are all searching for, real life, can only be found in Jesus

* Accepting Jesus means that our real life can begin.

When Jesus talked about being born again this is what he meant.

Real life begins with Jesus.

*Conclusion*

* Liar, Lunatic, or Lord

* When we do that we enter into three new relationships.

* (i) We enter into a new relationship with God.

The judge becomes the father; the distant becomes the near; strangeness becomes intimacy and fear becomes love.

* (ii) We enter into a new relationship with our fellow men.

Hatred becomes love; selfishness becomes service; and bitterness becomes forgiveness.

* (iii) We enter into a new relationship with ourselves.

Weakness becomes strength; frustration becomes achievement; and tension becomes peace.