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THAT YOU MIGHT BELIEVE John 20:30-31 Who Is Jesus In Relation To God?Introduction 1. In our last study we recognized that Jesus is:
2. Tonight we want to consider the relation that Jesus has with God. 3. We want to examine the claims of Christ from the gospel of John to show that Jesus truly is who He said He was. 4. Remember, God has made it possible for us to learn of His will, by revealing by the Holy Spirit, through inspired men, His holy word which we will view this night. 5. John said in his gospel, that by reading or hearing the things that are written, we ought to be able to know and believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that through our faith in Him we may have eternal life. ( John 20:31-32)--- Let us begin this lesson by noticing… I. JESUS CAME FROM GOD John 3:1-13) vs. 3-8) -Nicodemus did not understand His teaching on the “new birth” ( vs. 9-10)-Jesus informs Nicodemus of heavenly things and tells him that He came from heaven. ( vs. 10-13)-Since Jesus had come from heaven, He was able to reveal first- hand information about heavenly things. 2. Jesus also reveals that He is from God after feeding the 5,000 ( John 6)“For the bread of God is that which cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life to the world” (6:33) -What or who is the bread from heaven? -Jesus then reveals that He is the bread of life ( 6:35)-Jesus said ( vs. 38), “For I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”-What was the will of the Father in sending Christ? -Again in vs. 51, Jesus said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”-To conclude then, Jesus challenged them by asking, “What then if ye should behold the Son of man ascending where He was before?”. (6:62)-Many could not handle this fact and left the Lord ( 6:66)-The twelve continued with Him understanding who it was that they should follow ( 6:67-69)3. Jesus continued this teaching at the feast of tabernacles ( John 7)7:10-14) -The Jews marveled at His teaching because He had never learned Jewish letters. -Jesus again in His response tells where He is from, “My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent Me.” (7:16)-The people reasoned of what they thought, “Howbeit we know this man whence He is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is.” (7:27)-Another man even referred to the scriptures about the Christ, “Hath not the scripture said, ‘That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?’” (7:42)-Jesus has a simple explanation… “Ye both know Me, and you know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but He that sent Me is true, whom ye know not. But I know Him: for I am from Him, and He hath sent Me.” (John 7:28-29)-Although Jesus knew where He was from, He knew it would require more than just His witness alone to convince others ( John 5:31). But even at that, His witness is truth (John 8:14).-Only Jesus who was not from this world could make these bold statements of heavenly things ( John 8:23).John 8:24, “Unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins…” -All would know the truth when He was crucified ( John 8:28).-Finally Jesus gave them a thought to consider ( John 8:42)John 13:3). ---Jesus prayed that the world might believe that God sent Him ( John 17:21)---Jesus stated that
---The second relationship that we want to address tonight is that of … II. JESUS ALONE HAS SEEN GOD John 6:46 Jesus said, “Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he that is from God, he hath seen the Father…” -John seemed to think this was important and in the prologue of his gospel wrote, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared Him…” (John 1:18).-The apostle Paul also made mention of this in I Timothy 6:16 when he penned, “Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see…”2. There are questions asked of this claim on the Old Testament. Genesis 3:8ff). *“Jehovah appeared to Abram” ( Genesis 12:7; 17:1; 18:1-2)*Jehovah is also said to have appeared to Isaac and Jacob ( Exodus 6:3).*Jehovah is even spoken of as speaking mouth to mouth with Moses that he might behold His “form” (Numbers 12:8)*Those who accompanied Moses to Sinai, “saw the God of Israel …and they beheld God…” (Exodus 24:9-11)*But, God told Moses at Sinai that, “Thou canst not see my face; for man shall not see me and live.” (Exodus 33:20).-Although some disputes have been made concerning the passages found under the Old Covenant that mention some seeing God, it is clear that those same passages say that they could not see God…and live. - What men saw were representations of God in various forms Acts 7:53; Galatians 3:19) *Also in what is referred to as the “angel of His presence” ( Exodus 23:20-23; Isaiah 63:9)B. Jesus is then making a true claim when He says that He alone has seen God. “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.” (John 14:9) 2. Jesus was, and is Deity in its fullest form, the express image of God. ---After noticing that Jesus alone has seen God, we add to this the fact that… III. JESUS KNOWS GOD
John 10:14,15, “I am the good shepherd; and I know mine own and mine own know me, even as the Father knoweth Me, and I know (ginosko) the Father.” -In His prayer to the Father Jesus said, “O righteous Father, the world knew thee not, but I knew (ginosko) Thee” (John 17:25).-Jesus would come to know God by experience as a man on the earth. 3. Jesus also knew (oida) God through absolute knowledge. “I know (oida) Him; because I am from Him, and He sent Me” (John 7:29) -This knowledge is something that others cannot have, based on the fact that it comes from being with God. -Jesus knows God thoroughly, and in Him we have the fullness of knowledge. -Jesus made claim to this same knowledge concerning the dwelling place of God. It is written, “Even if I bear witness of myself, my witness is true; for I know (oida) whence I came, and whither I go; but ye know not whence I come, or whither I go” (John 8:14).- Notice how Jesus knows absolute facts and states that man does not know. -Not that man cannot know, but that they will have to listen to the witness of the one with the knowledge. -Jesus knew (oida) God and kept His words…what about us? ( John 8:55; I John 2:3-4)B. Peter was one to use both words in application to Jesus
John 21:17 Peter was expressing his response to the question of Jesus, “Lovest thou Me?”, and His response was, “Lord thou knowest (oidas) all things; thou knowest (ginoskeis) that I love thee” 2. Jesus knew God in a very close and intimate way, and he came to reveal God to us all. ---Through Christ and the knowledge that He has, we are led to understand our next point… IV. JESUS REVEALS GOD 1:18) John 12:44, 45, “He that believeth on Me, believeth not on Me, but on Him that sent Me. And he that beholds Me beholds Him that sent Me.” -Jesus was not only here to reveal His Father but also His will. In John 12:49-50, Jesus said, “For I spake not from myself; but the Father that sent Me, he hath given me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak…The things therefore which I speak, even as the Father hath said unto Me, so I speak.”-To see Him was to see the Father, to hear Him was to hear the Father’s will. 2. To know Jesus is to know God “If ye had known Me, ye would have known my Father also: from henceforth ye know him, and have seen Him” (John 14:7). -Philip in the very next verse ( 14:8) expresses some misunderstanding. He exclaimed “Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.”-Jesus responded with a question, “Have I been so long time with you, and dost thou not know me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; how sayest thou, Show us the Father?” (John 14:9)-In Jesus is the final revelation of God; His words were the words of His Father; His actions were the actions of the Father. B. If one rejects the message of Christ, he rejects the Father ( John 15:22-24).John 12:48-50) 2. It is up to each and every one of us to heed the revelation of God. ---In order for Jesus to reveal God, he had to be the exact representation of His image, and in so doing be equal with God. ---Which we now examine… V. JESUS IS EQUAL WITH GOD
John 5:1, Jesus was in Jerusalem for a festival when He healed a man on the Sabbath. -When they charged Him with this act of breaking the Sabbath, He responded, “My Father worketh even until now, and I work” (5:17)-John (in the next verse) guided by the Holy Spirit wrote, “For this cause therefore the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because He not only brake the Sabbath, but also called God His own Father, making Himself equal with God” (5:18)2. Another demonstration of this equality with God is seen at the feast of dedication in John 10:22.“If thou art the Christ, tell us plainly.” (10:24) -Jesus tried to make this point through the testimony He gave and the works that He did but they would not believe. ( 10:25)-After spending the first 16 verses of John 10 claiming to be the good shepherd (Messianic hope), Jesus then explains the relationship between He and the Father. (John 10:26-29)-To this He adds the point “I and the Father are one” (10:30)B. Some ask “Why then does Jesus say, ‘ the Father is greater than I…’?” (John 14:28).John 4:34) - Paul made this point very clear ( Philippians 2:6-8)2. Jesus, when He had finished His work was ready to be restored to that home in heaven with the Father ( John 17:4)C. Jesus also made this claim through accepting worship. “Lord, I believe. And He worshipped Him…” (John 9:38) “the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:23, 24) -If the Father should receive the worship and it was paid to Jesus, why didn’t the Lord rebuke the man who bowed before Him? -Matthew’s account seems to record many instances of worship to Jesus ( Matthew 2:11; 8:2; 9:18; 14:33; 15:25; 18:26; 28: 9, 17).-Even the writer of Hebrews makes mention of the angels of God worshipping Jesus ( Hebrews 1:6).---Jesus is certainly equal with God, and the word testifies to that fact. ---Next we want to demonstrate Jesus’ relationship with God by noticing… VI. JESUS DOES THE WORKS OF GOD John 5:19-20) “For as the Father raiseth the dead and giveth them life, even so the Son also giveth life to whom He will…” (John 5:21) -This life that Jesus was giving was eternal ( John 5:24)-This life came by hearing the words of Christ ( John 5:25)-Jesus like the Father hath life in Himself ( John 5:26)2. Jesus would judge. John 5:22-23, “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.” -Even though this was not His primary mission ( John 3:17 primary mission was to save…), Jesus certainly had the same work to judge as does the Father (John 5:30).-Men judge themselves when they reject the light that God sent in Christ ( John 3:18-20; 12:46-48).-Jesus and the Father judge according to truth ( John 8:15-16).John 5:28-29, Jesus taught concerning the final judgment, “Marvel not at this : for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice (the Son vs. 27), And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation…” -All that are physically dead will one day be raised by the voice of the Son of God. -All that are spiritually dead can be raised to spiritual life only by heeding the words of the Son of God revealed to Him by the Father. B. Even though Jesus did the works of God many sought to destroy Him, and would not believe… What about us? ( John 10:32, 37-38)---There were certainly other works that Jesus shared with the Father, but these should suffice to establish this point. ---Finally, we conclude by noticing that… VII. JESUS POSSESSES THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD John 8) -In John 8:56, Jesus told the Jews, “your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad”-The Jews then attacked His age by saying, “Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?” (vs. 57)-To this question Jesus gave the shocking report, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was born, I AM” (vs. 58)-This phrase “I am” shows that Jesus has always existed.-One cannot hear the phrase “I am” without thinking of Jehovah God claiming that same title for Himself (Exodus 3:14).-God claimed to be the eternal, uncreated, and all-provident One. Jesus was claiming the same for Himself. -In John 17:5 Jesus said, “And now Father, glorify thou Me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was”- “before the world was” suggests that Christ had this glory in the beginning, but had emptied Himself of that glory (not Deity) to come and save sinful man through death on the cross.-Jesus looked beyond the shame of the cross to the joy set before Him…to be restored to the glory that He once had. 2. Jesus is omnipotent. John 11:4). -Jesus waited two days ( vs. 6), and then went to awake Lazarus out of sleep (vs. 11), but He was speaking of His death.-Jesus not only claimed Divine power, but demonstrated it by raising Lazarus who had been dead for 4 days. ( vs. 43-44)-Jesus made a claim here to have the qualities of God. John 2:25 records that Jesus, “…himself knew what was in man.” -He knew about the intimate life of the woman of Samaria ( John 4:16-18).-He knew about true worship ( John 4:23, 24)-He knew what He would do to feed 5,000 ( John 6:6)-He knew what the multitude had in mind as they came to Him the next day ( John 6:25, 26).-He knew that it was Judas who would betray Him ( John 6:70, 71)-He knew that the Jews sought to kill Him ( John 7:19)-He knew all about God ( John 7:29)-He knew when His hour had come ( John 12:23)-He knew what death He would die and what it would accomplish in the scheme of redemption ( John 12:32,33)-Jesus certainly had a quality here that shows His relation to God. 4. Jesus is Omnipresent. “Believe in God, believe also in Me…” (John 14:3) -The Lord comforted them with the knowledge that a place would be prepared for the faithful believers in heaven. ( John 14:2-4)-Jesus had promised to come again… -When Jesus said “I come again, and will receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also…”, what was He saying?-First, we can look forward to a home in heaven… -Jesus further explains, “I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth: whom the world cannot receive; for it beholds him not, neither knoweth Him: ye know Him; for He abideth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come unto you.” (John 14:16-18)-In other words, the Lord would fulfill His promise in sending one like Him and the Father ( i.e. The Holy Spirit) to comfort His disciples. -Jesus made a similar point in verse 28 of John 14, when He said, “Ye heard how I said to you, I go away, and I come unto you…”B. We have to be impressed with the fact that Jesus was in clear relation to God. Conclusion ---At the same time we also want to notice that He was a man as well… John 4:6) -He thirsted ( John 19:28)-He was tempted ( Matthew 4:1-11)-He died ( John 19:17-30)---Jesus gave His life in service to the Father, left an incredible example for us, was laughed at, scourged, spat upon, beaten, slapped, and mocked, then to die for the sins of the world...including everyone of us. ---Do you believe that Jesus is who He said He was? ( John 20:31-32)---Are you one who needs to give your life to God? |
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