Witnessing Jesus

Jason M. Dickinson

Come and See: John 1-12 • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

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Notes

Transcript

Introduction

Recap

Jesus has just healed a man who had been lame for 38 years

Jewish religious leaders do not approve

John 5:16–18 (ESV)

16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

18 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.

One implication: Jesus does not ask us to follow him in blind faith.

Two purposes for today:

Start faith

Encourage faith

All with the goal of helping us see Jesus more clearly.

The Need For Witnesses

John 5:30–47 (ESV)

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.

Jesus follows OT law by producing 2-3 (5) witnesses to support his claim to be God.

Deuteronomy 19:15 (ESV)

15 “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.

32 There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.

God the Father (we’ll reference later)

Five Witnesses:

John the Baptist (33-35)

33 You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.

Sent - to ask if he was the Christ

Truth - Jesus is the Christ

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.

has / was - past tense - probably in jail already.

They liked John - believed he was a prophet and spoke for God.

After Malachi there was 400 years of prophetic silence — then, John.

They rejoiced to hear from God again.

Jesus says John was a lamp — point the way to Jesus.

“lamp” not light

John 1:6–7 (ESV)

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.

Ministry of John was vital but it was not the point - Jesus was.

How is it that John is able to serve as a witness for Jesus as the Son of God?

John’s life and ministry bore the marks of God at work and then John, quite literally, points to Jesus.

Jesus says the reason you should believe in me is because of the man who spent his life speaking for God and pointing to me

John Macarthur:

This is the weakest witness theoretically.

Strongest witness practically.

If the world ever needed people to speak for God and point to Jesus it is NOW.

There are those who feel like God has been silent for a very long time.

Who led you to Jesus? Who are you leading to Jesus?

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.

Works of Jesus (36)

More than simply what someone says about me, you can see the things I do — the miracles.

You can’t do the things Jesus does and not be from God. He does the work of God.

He JUST healed a man who had been lame for 38-years (significant miracle).

They should have seen the connection to what Isaiah said the coming Messiah would do:

Isaiah 35:5–6 (ESV)

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,

and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

For waters break forth in the wilderness,

and streams in the desert;

This stops the ides that “If I could only see a miracle — if Jesus would only do THIS for me — I would believe.” — NOPE.

IOW - “God, if you do THIS for me, I will believe.”

(Maybe this is you — you feel you need to see a miracle of Jesus in your life for your faith to be strengthened or started.)

You DON’T for two reasons:

If that was truly the only thing necessary for you to have a true, full believing faith in Jesus, God would do it.

The religious leaders literally saw a miracle and still chose to not believe. They had asked for signs as well.

It is far greater to see the JESUS of miracles than it is to see the MIRACLES of Jesus.

This is why we have these witnesses.

God the Father (37-38)

32 There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.

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.

There would certainly be no higher authority.

What if God audibly spoke to us right here, right now?

I’m going to shut up and we’ll just listen to Him, right?

God did speak audibly to witness about Jesus. When?

Matthew 3:16–17 (ESV)

16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Sounded circular at first. (37-38)

Father bears witness about me, but you never heard him because you don’t believe me.

Romans 8:16 (ESV)

16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

God can speak audibly if He chose. He speaks through his people. He speaks through His Spirit. And He speaks through His Word.

Scriptures (39)

39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,

1st Century Jewish Rabbi Hillel:

“The more study of the Law the more life. . . If a man. . . has gained for himself words of the Law he has gained for himself life in the world to come.”

The Scriptures themselves don’t save — Jesus does.

This is in some ways the most relevant to us today

Knowing the Bible does not equal belief.

Religious leaders knew the Bible very well. They memorized huge portions of it in Hebrew. They memorized the Word of God but failed to meet the God of the Word.

ILLUST — “Lord is my shefferd”

ILLUST - Love letter - love letter itself does not constitute the relationship. It only points to the person of the relationship. It would be silly to know more about the letter than about the person.

What will you do with today’s message? What did you do with what God spoke to you about last week?

NOT Knowing the Bible equals a hindrance to belief.

Not only initial belief but ongoing strengthening of belief / life.

We can know something of God through creation, but everything we know fo Jesus is from the Bible.

ILLUST - having a long distance relationship and never reading the love letter / texts.

“It is they that bear witness to me”

Jesus is specifically referring to OT but all Scripture is a witness to Jesus:

Prophecy points to Jesus

Stories and events foreshadow Jesus

Religion found in the OT finds its fulfillment in Jesus

Prophets

At least 65 direct prophecies in OT concerning Jesus:

Genesis 3:15 (ESV)

15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring;

he shall bruise your head,

and you shall bruise his heel.”

First, it was predicted that Messiah would be born of a virgin (Isa 7:14; cf. Mt 1:33).

His birthplace would be Bethlehem (Mic 5:2; cf. Mt 2:1, 6), and

John the Baptist would be his forerunner (Isa 40:3-5; Mal 3:1; cf. Mt 3:3, Mk 1:3; Lk 3:4-6).

It was further announced ahead of time that Messiah would enter Jerusalem [what turned out to be Palm Sunday] in Triumph as the crowd shouted “Hosanna” (Zech 9:9-10; Ps 118:25-26; cf. Mt 21:9; Mk 11:9; Lk 19:38; Jh 12:13).

But in less than a week, he would be betrayed [by one of his own disciples, Judas, as it turned out] (Ps 69:25; cf. Acts 1:20).

Messiah’s side would be pierced (Zech 12:10; cf. Jh 19:37), and he would suffer vicariously for the sins of the world (Isa 53:6, 9, 12; cf. I Pt 2:21-25; Rom 4:25).

Even more dramatically accurate was the fact that Jesus would be killed with the “wicked” ones

Isaiah 53:9 (ESV)

9 And they made his grave with the wicked

and with a rich man in his death,

although he had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth.

(Isa 53:9a, note the plural noun in Hebrew) [as he hung between two thieves],

yet he would be buried with the rich one (Isa 53:9b, note its singular form in the Hebrew).

Stories and events

Prophets, priests, and kings play out events and fulfill roles to mediate God’s work on earth.

Jesus fulfills all three roles

Adam - first Adam sinned, initiated shame brought the curse

Jesus - last Adam - never sinned, bore shame, lifted the curse.

Noah — one man obeyed God and the world was saved through him

Through Jesus the world is saved by him.

Isaac, the promised son, through whom God’s people will come (Jews) is called to carry wood up a hill and is expected to become a sacrifice

Jesus, the promised Son, through whom God’s new people will come (the Church) carries a large piece of wood up a hill so that he might become a sacrifice.

Religion

All of the OT items and practices of religion hinted and pointed to Jesus

Tabernacle — Jesus is the presence

sacrificial system to represent the taking away of sin — Jesus becomes the sacrifice to actually take away the sin.

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

ILLUST - What will it take for you to believe?

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?

2 Dangers:

You can be in the word but not have the word in you

Hearers not doers

Live by the words of men rather than the word of God

Many of us do this

Avoid confrontation

Refuse to trust

Unwilling to forgive

Fear of God removes the fear of man

You can live to please men and find you are not pleasing God

(problem of religious leaders)

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

(reason they won’t believe)

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

Real issue - not a problem of the EARS, EYES, or MIND. It’s a problem of the heart.

(purpose for Jesus giving witnesses)

34 Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved.

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?”

Moses (45-47)

Moses was their hope - the Law was their ticket to heaven.

Moses was their hope but Jesus says he is actually their accuser!

In the same way that the Scriptures speak of Jesus, Moses, through the Scriptures both foreshadowed and pointed to Jesus:

Moses was a prophet

Moses performed miracles

Moses fed the people

Moses gave the people

Moses:

identified both with the Jews and was royalty

Spent 40 years in desert preparing for ministry (Jesus 40 days)

Came to free the people from slavery (Jesus - Isaiah - came to set the captives free)

led the people from slavery to the Promised Land

Represented the people before God (Jesus our high priest)

It’s all about Jesus!

Conclusion

Only two responses:

Deliberate refusal to believe

Humble worship to receive.

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