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Positionally through the gospel 
of John, we're in chapter 5, and our focus this morning will 
be verses 31 to 40. But I'll begin reading in chapter 
5 at verse 16. By way of reminder, chapter 5 
verses 1 to 15 is an account where Jesus healed a man that 
was paralyzed. And as a result of his healing 
him, he told him to rise up, take his mat, and walk. Well, 
the Jews saw that and they thought that this was a vile offense 
on the Sabbath day. So they then questioned our Lord 
Jesus and that's the section we're in now. So notice in chapter 
5 at verse 16. For this reason the Jews persecuted 
and sought to kill him because he had done these things on the 
Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, my father has been working until 
now, and I have been working. Therefore, the Jews sought all 
the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath, 
but also said that God was his father, making himself equal 
with God. Then Jesus answered and said 
to them, most assuredly, I say to you, the son can do nothing 
of himself, but what he sees the father do. For whatever he 
does, the son also does in like manner. For the Father loves 
the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does. And He 
will show Him greater works than these that you may marvel. For 
as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even 
so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges 
no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all 
should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who 
does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. 
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes 
in him who sent me has everlasting life, and shall not come into 
judgment, but is passed from death into life. Most assuredly, 
I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, 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 to have life in Himself, 
and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because 
He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for the 
hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His 
voice, and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection 
of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of 
condemnation. I can of myself do nothing. As 
I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous, because I do not 
seek my own, but the will of the Father who sent me. If I 
bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There is another 
who bears witness of me, and I know that the witness which 
he witnesses of me is true. You have sent to John, and he 
has borne witness to the truth. Yet I do not receive testimony 
from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. He was 
the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time 
to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness 
than John's. For the works which the Father 
has given me to finish, the very works that I do, bear witness 
of me, that the Father has sent me. And the Father himself who 
sent me has testified of me. You have neither heard his voice 
at any time, nor seen his form. But you do not have his word 
abiding in you, because whom he sent, him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for 
in them you think you have eternal life. And these are they which 
testify of me. But you are not willing to come 
to me that you may have life. I do not receive honor from men, 
but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. 
I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If 
another comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can 
you believe who receive honor from one another and do not seek 
the honor that comes from the only God? Do not think that I 
shall accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you, 
Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you 
would believe me, for he wrote about me. But if you do not believe 
his writings, how will you believe my words? Amen. Well, let us 
pray. Our Father, we thank you for 
the written word of the living and true God. We pray now for 
the ministry of the Holy Spirit who gave us that word. We ask 
that you would guide and lead our hearts, that you would give 
us illumination in our minds, that we would behold the glory 
of Jesus Christ as it's set forth so clearly in John's Gospel. Again, forgive us for all of 
our sin. Open any dead hearts to receive 
the truth as it is in Jesus. such that sinners may come to 
Him that they have everlasting life. And we pray this in Jesus' 
name, amen. Well, as I said, the particular 
context is a display of Christ's glory in the ministry of healing 
that particular paralyzed man. And so initially they thought 
that Jesus was just a Sabbath breaker, but then Jesus gave 
us the rationale for his works on the Sabbath day, the rationale 
of his father who worked ever since the creation of the world 
in Providence. Now that really outraged them, 
that really incensed them. Notice in verse 18, it says, 
Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because 
he not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was his 
father, making himself equal with God. Now, the theological 
word, making himself equal with God, is consubstantial. That 
means one substance with. We already see this in John's 
Gospel at chapter 1. If you notice in chapter 1, verse 
1, it tells us, in the beginning was the Word. That's Jesus Christ. So in the beginning was the Word, 
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. One in substance 
with the Father. And so the Jews understand his 
claim in chapter 5, and as I said, it makes them very unhappy. Now 
they not only want to kill him for what they perceive to be 
Sabbath-breaking, but they want to kill him for blasphemy. Blasphemy, 
according to Leviticus 24, was punishable by death. And as far 
as they were concerned, a man equating himself with, a man 
asserting consubstantiality with the father, was a likely candidate 
to be stoned to death for having committed the sin of blasphemy. 
So it's very curious as to how Jesus responds. What will he 
do? How is he going to navigate? 
How is he going to avoid this particular implication? Well, 
he meets it head on and confirms it. He tells them, you're absolutely 
positively right. I am equal with my father. I 
am consubstantial with the father. And he first indicates that by 
his relation to the father in verses 19 to 23. And then secondly, 
by two God befitting tasks that are his. giving of life, and 
then judgment. And so he does assert that they 
have charged him, or the charge that they have leveled against 
him, what they've said is actually true. And now in this section 
that we're considering this morning, verses 31 to 40, he calls in 
witnesses for the defense. Remember, a capital offense has 
been alleged. Jesus gives his own testimony 
concerning his relation to the Father, and now he points to 
witnesses with reference to the defense. So we'll look first 
at the assurance of multiple witnesses in verses 31 and 32, 
and then the appeal to multiple witnesses in verses 33 to 40. 
Notice in the first place the insufficiency of one witness. 
Look at verse 31, which is a curious statement from one who describes 
himself later as the way, the truth, and the life. Notice, 
he says, if I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. Now I think the margin in the 
New King James is better here, and it reads, valid as testimony. John Gill says, for true here 
is not opposed to that which is false, but to that which is 
not valid in law. Turn over to John chapter 8, 
where we see a similar confrontation. between Jesus and the religious 
leaders of his day. Jesus asserts in verse 12, I 
am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk 
in darkness, but have the light of life. Verse 13, the Pharisees 
therefore said to him, you bear witness of yourself. Your witness 
is not true. Your witness is not valid as 
testimony. Jesus answered in verse 14 and 
said to them, even if I bear witness of myself, my witness 
is true factually, for I know where I come from and where I 
am going. But you do not know where I come from and where I 
am going. In other words, in your confusion, my testimony 
means nothing to you. But back to John chapter 5, remember 
the context. They have alleged that he is 
guilty of two capital offenses. In Deuteronomy 17 and Deuteronomy 
19, the Law of Witnesses demands two or three witnesses in a capital 
offense. So for Jesus to say my testimony 
is not valid in a courtroom is absolutely positively legitimate. 
So he points to the witness testimony. He points to those who can confirm 
that what he is saying is in fact true, that he is in fact 
equal with God. that he is, in fact, consubstantial 
with the Father. That's the emphasis that he undertakes, 
and it shows us, just practically, in a Western civilization that 
is abandoning the principle, Jesus' regard for due process. In other words, there are laws, 
there are stipulations, there are regulations governing justice 
in the civil polity. There are laws that must be respected 
in terms of witnesses and evidences and argument and examination. It really should concern us, 
brethren, that there is a disregard for that due process that is 
going on today in the Western world. I know it's going on in 
not the Western world, but we happen to live in the Western 
world. And this should alarm us when witnesses and examination 
and evidences and all of that are subjugated. They're kept 
at bay instead of bringing them out so that persons can sufficiently 
be informed concerning a particular matter. So Christ is not saying 
he's telling falsehoods. He's not saying he's lying. He's 
only saying that his testimony as a singular individual is not 
valid in terms of testimony relative to the law of witnesses. Now 
notice he assures them that there are multiple witnesses in verse 
32. He says, there is another who 
bears witness of me. and I know that the witness which 
he witnesses of me is true." That either refers to John the 
Baptist, about who he's going to presently speak, or the father 
who he's going to speak of later. Either way, doesn't matter, so 
let's now move to the appeal to multiple witnesses. There 
are four. You have the testimony of John 
the Baptist in verses 33 to 35. You have the testimony of Jesus' 
own works in verse 36. The testimony of the Father in 
verses 37 and 38. And then the testimony of Scripture 
in verses 39 to 40. All of these corroborate that 
Christ is consubstantial with the Father, that he really is 
equal with the Father. They do that work of two or three 
witnesses. Notice in the first place the 
testimony of John the Baptist. Notice the nature of it in verses 
33 and 34. He says, you have sent to John 
and he has borne witness to the truth. Go back to John chapter 
1. John chapter 1, in what we call the prologue, John the Apostle 
sets forth the role of John the Baptist. He does that in chapter 
1, verses 6 to 8. Notice, there was a man sent 
from God whose name was John. This man came for a witness to 
bear witness of the light that all through him might believe. 
He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that 
light. He then mentions John the Baptist in verse 15, John 
bore witness of him and cried out saying, this was he of whom 
I said, he who comes after me is preferred before me for he 
was before me. Now, most likely what Jesus is 
referring to in verse 33, you have sent to John is what we 
find here in chapter one at verse 19. Notice, now this is the testimony 
of John. When the Jews sent priests and 
Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, That is language that should 
cause us to reflect. Who are these Jews that happen 
to be in Jerusalem that send these priests and Levites to 
sort of vet the testimony of John the Baptist? It's the Sanhedrin. It's the highest body of religious 
and political leadership in the nation at that particular time. 
And so this Sanhedrin, this formal council hears about John the 
Baptist in the wilderness of Judea, testifying concerning 
Jesus Christ, and they wonder, who is this man? What kind of 
a fellow is he? So they dispatch a delegation 
to go and figure out who John the Baptist is. So that is what 
Jesus refers to. Now notice the witness that John 
bore with reference to their investigation. They first ask 
him, Who are you? And then he confesses and does 
not deny. He says, I'm not the Christ. I'm not Elijah. I'm not 
the prophet. And they of course say, well, 
who then are you? He says, I'm the man prophesied in Isaiah 
chapter 40 at verse three. I'm the forerunner of the Messiah. I'm the forerunner of the Christ. 
I am the one that was sent to announce his presence. So this 
is what Jesus is affirming or alluding to in the witness testimony 
of John the Baptist. They already knew something concerning 
Jesus because they had talked previously with John the Baptist. Now in terms of the witness that 
John bore to the truth, is what Jesus says in 33b, the witness 
that John bore to the truth as it is in Jesus is threefold. 
Now, there are a lot of other things that John the Baptist 
said, but there are three main emphases that I think Jesus is 
alluding to in this witness testimony. In the first place, John declared 
that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin 
of the world. So John 1.29, John the Baptist, when he lays eyes 
upon Jesus Christ, says, behold, pay attention, look and see, 
this is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Now, 
if you're not familiar with the Old Testament, this probably 
doesn't strike you as a very significant statement. But in 
the Old Testament, the way that Israel came to their God was 
through sacrifice. They would, on a Friday afternoon 
or on a Saturday morning, grab an animal out of their flock. 
It was a stipulation that they pick the best animal out of their 
flock. not the lame one, not the mangy 
one, not the loser in the barnyard brawl, but rather they were to 
pick the best of the flock because that's what sacrifice implies. 
So they would take that particular animal, they would take it to 
the priest at the tabernacle or temple. The priest would then 
cut its throat, lay its hands upon it, and then cut it up and 
offer it up to the living. Well, actually, the worshiper 
would cut its throat and then hand it over to the priest in 
order to make atonement. This was typical. This prefigured 
the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle tells us 
in Hebrews 10 that the blood of bulls and goats could never 
take away sin, but the Lamb of God takes away the sin of the 
world. All those things that pointed 
forward, every lamb, every goat, every pigeon, every animal, that 
was sacrificed in that system spoke concerning this event. 
And so the Baptist sees him and he says, this is the Lamb of 
God who takes away the sin of the world. He is God's provision. He is God's remedy. He is God's 
answer to man's sin problem. The second aspect of John's testimony 
is in John 1.34. John 1.34, John the Baptist describes 
Jesus this way, and I have seen and testified that this is the 
Son of God. So when Jesus is disputing with 
these Jews in John 5, and he invokes the witness testimony 
of John the Baptist, these are things they were already familiar 
with. Not only is He the Lamb of God, 
but He's also the Son of God. And Son of God there in the mind 
of John, Son of God in the mind of John the Apostle, Son of God 
in the language of the Lord Jesus Christ, is not Son by creation, 
it's not Son by adoption, it's Son by nature. Christ is very 
God of very God. That's the whole debate. That's 
the whole dispute. That's the whole point. And that's 
what is unique about Christianity. In every other religion, man 
tries to get to God. In Christianity, God comes down 
to man. The second person of the Trinity 
takes on our humanity with all the essential properties of that 
humanity and all of the likenesses or the infirmities associated 
with it. and yet without sin, and Christ 
comes to save us from our sins as the champion, as the Messiah, 
as the victor, as the triumphant Lamb. But the last thing that 
John testifies is in John 3 at verse 30. Again, the testimony 
of the Baptist. We've got two Johns here, John 
the Apostle who wrote John, and then we have John the Baptist, 
of whom John the Apostle is writing. So hopefully you keep that clear 
after I've made it unclear in your heads. Notice in John 3.30, 
he must increase, but I must decrease. John the Baptist is 
a deferring man. John the Baptist understands 
the preeminence of our Lord Jesus, and John the Baptist is most 
happy to simply be the friend of the bridegroom, who announces 
the coming of the bridegroom. So back to John 5, when Jesus 
says, you have sent to John and he has borne witness to the truth, 
this is what Jesus means. John is a corroborating witness. John's testimony is most blessed. It is consistent with not only 
what Jesus has said, but also to repudiate the charge of blasphemy 
in the case of Jesus. Now notice, with reference to 
our Savior, what he says in verse 34. He says, Yet I do not receive 
testimony from man. Again, a curious statement. Well 
then, why did you offer up the testimony from man? Jesus, as 
the Son of God, is not dependent upon the creature. He doesn't 
need our affirmation. He doesn't need our confirmation. 
He doesn't need us to validate his claim to being consubstantial 
with the Father. The creature does. These Jews 
do. Others of us do. But Christ is 
not dependent upon the testimony of a John the Baptist to confirm 
that he is, in fact, consubstantial with the Father. That's what 
he means in verse 34. But then notice what he says 
in verse 34, yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say 
these things that you may be saved. In other words, he confirms 
John's witness. He validates John's witness and 
he sees the effect of receiving John's witness. So look at just 
for a moment. These men are outraged with our 
Lord. In fact, look again at verse 
16 and get the import of this. For this reason the Jews persecuted 
Jesus and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things 
on the Sabbath. Verse 18, therefore the Jews 
sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the 
Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself 
equal with God. Brethren, I have an admission 
or a confession to make. Somebody wants to kill me, I 
don't know that the first order of business in my heart is to 
see them saved. I'd like to think it's there. 
I'd like to think it would be there. I'd like to think it would 
be something I would want or ponder or desire, but I'm not 
sure I would be this robust in my assertion. Jesus says, John's 
testimony is such that if you believe it by the grace of God, 
He'll be saved. He wants his persecutors to be 
saved. He wants his oppressors to be 
saved. He wants his would-be murderers 
to be saved. This is a very instructive passage, 
and it's consistent with Paul's exhortation in 1 Timothy 2. We 
pray for kings and all who are in authority so that we may lead 
peaceable and quiet lives in all godliness. Well, if we ask 
the question in context there, what do we pray for? We pray 
for their salvation. We pray that God opens the heart 
of Justin Trudeau and brings him out of darkness into marvelous 
light. We pray that for the several premiers in Canada. We pray that 
for the Biden administration. We pray that for the Chinese 
communists. We pray that God saves them. Now, as you know, 
there are other prayers that we can legitimately offer up. 
But in this particular context, Jesus is underscoring the validity 
and legitimacy of praying even for those who persecute you. 
Praying even for those who want to destroy you. Praying for those 
who want to murder you. who are falsely alleging things 
that are not true and want to see you dead as a result of their 
wickedness and of their unrighteousness. Paul the Apostle summarizes John's 
ministry. He says, John indeed baptized 
with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they 
should believe on him who would come after him, that is on Christ 
Jesus. That's in Acts 19 in Ephesus. That's a great summary statement 
of John's ministry. John's a bit of a peculiar character 
at times for some of the people of God in the church. I mean, 
he eats funny things and he dresses in funny clothes. Well, he looks 
like Elijah the prophet in a New Covenant setting. But his testimony 
or his preaching or his declaration or his ministry is gospel ministry. He wants you to believe on the 
Lord Jesus. He wants you to repent from your 
sins. And so Jesus invokes the testimony of John, not only to 
corroborate what he has said in terms of his equality with 
the father, but he wants them to be saved. You should have 
listened to John. You should receive what he has 
to say, because then by grace you pass from death unto life. Now notice he doesn't stop there, 
he describes John's ministry in more detail. Verse 35, he 
was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time 
to rejoice in his light. The Baptist preached the truth. That's what I think, or at least 
the Reformed commentary for the most part, has seen light as 
truth and heat as earnestness. In other words, if this truth 
is in your heart, it has to get out. If this truth is in your 
heart, you will proclaim it. If this truth is in the place 
where it ought to be, you're not going to leave it there. 
And when you preach it, you're not going to do it as some chatty 
pastor today with his hand in his pocket and his latte in the 
other hand and his holy jeans and his cool hip sort of Jesus 
talk. No, John the Baptist was a burning 
and shining lamp. He proclaimed the truth as it 
is in Jesus. And again, look at what Jesus 
says concerning their reception of it. Verse 35, he was the burning 
and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice 
in his light. You were willing for a time. 
There was a curiosity about him. There was something about him 
that drew you. There was something about him 
that intrigued you or interested you. It was likely when he started 
saying things like, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the 
sin of the world, or Jesus is the Son of God, or He must increase 
and I must decrease. It's probably at that particular 
time they said, oh this, he's a madman, we don't want anything 
to do with him. The Jesus that he preaches, they had an ax to 
grind with. So Christ invokes the witness 
testimony of John the Baptist in the first place. Now notice 
secondly, the testimony of Jesus works in verse 36. But I have 
a greater witness than John's. For the works which the Father 
has given me to finish, the very works that I do bear witness 
of me that the Father has sent me. Now the works of Jesus are 
a greater witness, a greater testimony to the person of Jesus 
than even is the testimony of John the Baptist. And the works 
were given him by the Father in order that he might accomplish 
them. In other words, the father sends the son into the world, 
and one of the things he does in terms of his earthly ministry 
is heal paralyzed men like he did in chapter 5 at verses 1 
to 15. Those are the mighty works that 
Jesus was about. Now, if we ask the question, 
didn't other people do mighty works? I mean, think back in 
the Old Testament when Moses appears before Pharaoh. What 
happens? They throw down the rod and it 
turns into a serpent. Moses tells Pharaoh to put his 
hand into his garment and he takes it out and it's leprous. 
Moses was a man of God, a prophet of God, and as a result he did 
the works of God. You had Elijah, the prophet, 
who did miracles. You had Elisha, the prophet, 
who in many ways is one of the most significant types of our 
Lord Jesus in the Old Testament. You had the prophets do miracles 
of God. And then after the ministry of 
our Lord Jesus, the apostles did the works of God. So persons 
might say, well, what's the difference? Jesus' works are consistent with 
one sent from God. Well, I would offer up two reasons 
why they're different. In the first place, Moses, and 
Elisha and the apostles never claimed equality with God. They 
didn't do these things and say, therefore, I am the son of God 
and therefore consubstantial with him. They didn't do that. 
That is a significant difference. Jesus did that. And those men 
were in fact, again, by adoption, by creation, sons of God, but 
they weren't sons of God by nature. That's the difference in terms 
of the works of the Lord Jesus. When we see those works, They 
confirm, yes, the glory of Christ as mediator, but it confirms 
as well the glory of Christ as consubstantial with the Father. 
And so Jesus makes that emphasis in verse 36, I have a greater 
witness than John's for the works which the Father has given me 
to finish, the very works that I do, notice, bear witness of 
me that the Father has sent me. That's a big issue in this section. That's a big issue in all of 
John's gospel. This having been sent from the 
Father reflects something concerning theology. It's the Father who 
sends the Son. The Father is the one who eternally 
generates the Son. The Son is sent by the Father, 
and these works confirm that particular relation. These works 
confirm that Jesus is Son of God by nature, in a way that 
Moses and Elisha and Elijah were not. The function of Christ's 
work were to confirm His eternal generation from the Father, and 
hence the works confirm that He is equal with the Father. 
Now notice thirdly, the testimony of the Father. You see what Jesus 
is doing? Sometimes I think we read the 
Bible and we kind of wonder, what is he doing here? Well, he's answering 
the charges. He is answering the specific 
allegations that he is guilty of two capital offenses. Brethren, 
he's not only very God of very God, he is very man of very man. And as man, again, he respects 
due process. And as man, he uses those legitimate 
means that God has given to redress sinful accusations and things 
that could land us in hot water. So he gives the testimony now 
of the father in verses 37 to 38. Notice in the first place, 
the testimony of the father to the son. Now it would be wrong 
to limit this to Matthew 3, Matthew 17, but it's not wrong to illustrate 
with Matthew 3 and Matthew 17. Matthew 3, at the baptism of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, when the Spirit descends upon the Savior 
and the voice of the Father, the voice of approbation comes, 
this is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased. He has testified 
of his Son. At the Mount of Transfiguration, 
in Matthew 17, verse 5, Jesus, as it were, displays his divinity, 
and then the voice of the Father comes and says, this is my beloved 
Son in whom I am well-pleased, hear him. John the Apostle, the 
author of John's Gospel, says in his first epistle, So he confirms 
that. Verse 37, Do you think they're 
getting happier as he answers? Do you think they're getting 
more won over as he proceeds? We're upset, we wanna kill you 
because you're making yourself equal with God. Absolutely, positively, 
I am equal with God. Not only in my own relation to 
the father, not only in my own God befitting functions as sovereign 
over life and judgment, but with reference to the various testimonies, 
not only from John the Baptist, not only from the works that 
I do, but from the father, the very father that you say you 
serve, the very father that you say you worship, the very father 
you say or claim to glorify. And now notice in verse 37, he 
says, you have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen 
his form. Perhaps there's an allusion to 
Deuteronomy 4.12. Deuteronomy 4.12, and Yahweh 
spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound 
of the words, but saw no form. You only heard a voice. So that 
is a very biblical and a very acute observation. God is spirit 
and does not have a body like men. This is one of the reasons 
for the prohibition against idolatry. We're not supposed to fashion 
something, even according to the true and living God, that 
is creature. Because God is not creature, 
and to try to contain him in golden calves simply cannot do. But what Jesus is saying, not 
only have you not seen his form, but you've not heard his voice. 
Now brethren, this would be a big challenge to these people, right? They were brought up in the synagogue. These are most likely leaders 
or some of them that were quite in tune with the scriptures. 
These were the kinds of guys that wore phylacteries. Those 
were little boxes that you wore on your arm or you put it around 
your head and in those boxes were scripture texts. So they 
knew the scripture. They understand the word of God. 
They understand the reality of Yahweh of Israel having created 
all things and having been the governor of all things. The God 
of Israel being covenant Lord. The God of Israel being the one 
who saves his people. But with reference to Jesus' 
condemnation here, he affirms you don't know him. You don't 
have him. What do you think he's saying? It's going back to chapter five, 
verses 23 and 24. Look at what he says in verse 
23. He who does not honor the son 
does not honor the father who sent him. Verse 24, most assuredly 
I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him who 
sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into judgment. 
So dropping down to verse 38 or verse 37, when he says, you 
have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his form, 
He goes on to elaborate or explain this, but you do not have his 
word abiding in you, because whom he sent, him you do not 
believe. See, for all the vague sort of 
spirituality that exists in our world, it's all a bunch of garbage 
if it is not rooted in the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, I have a relationship 
with God as I understand Him. You know what really doesn't 
matter in life is as you understand Him. What matters is the revelation 
of God from Genesis to the book of Revelation. the true and living 
God, the one from everlasting to everlasting, the God who made 
beautiful days like these, the God who governs all his creatures 
and all their actions, and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, who saves his people from their sins. That's the only 
God there is. So this vague notion that I have 
a relationship with God, but I'm not so interested in Jesus 
Christ, is just like empty, futile words. Look at what the Son of 
God says in verse 38. In other words, if you reject 
the Son of God, who is Son by nature, who is consubstantial 
with the Father, then you are, in effect, rejecting the Father. It's a pretty simple concept, 
really. Aquinas says consequently anyone 
who does not believe that he is the Son of God does not believe 
in the testimony of God. It's a very simple logical exercise. You reject the one whom the Father 
sent, therefore you've rejected the Father himself. And again, 
brethren, I do not think for a moment he is winning them over 
to his side. Because in verses, at the end 
of the chapter, in verses 41 to 47, he continues his indictment, 
he continues his rebuke, he continues his reproof of them, and says, 
Moses himself will bring the charge against you. Why? Because 
Moses wrote about me. Moses is that final testifier 
or witness, and when you say, oh, we love Moses and we love 
the prophets, but you have no regard for the Son of God, then 
you are saying, in essence, we have no regard for Moses and 
no regard for the prophets. I think it's pretty simple logic 
that Christ is employing with these particular men. Now notice, 
fourthly, and finally, in terms of the witness, the testimony 
of Scripture, verses 39 and 40. He speaks of their willingness 
to search the Scriptures, and then he speaks to their unwillingness 
to come to the Son. Again, it's a paradox. If the 
Scriptures exist to point us to Jesus, and we don't come to 
Jesus, then we really don't care about the Scriptures. I'm not 
trying to make this overly simple, but that's how simple it is in 
terms of his approach to these particular leaders or these particular 
Jews. Look at what he says in verse 
39. You search the scriptures. It's not a command here. It's 
not an imperative. It could go that either way, 
either an imperative or an indicative, but it's an indicative. He's 
not saying, I want you to search the scriptures. I want you to 
learn of me. I want you to find out what Moses 
and the prophets say. No, he's speaking to something 
that was their practice. You search the scriptures. You 
investigate them. You examine them. Again, they 
wore phylacteries. They went to the synagogue. They 
were about the Torah and about the prophets. They were about 
the writings. They were very curious about what Isaiah had 
to say. Very curious about Obadiah, about 
Jonah, about Micah. very curious about the Kings 
and Chronicles and 1st and 2nd Samuel. They weren't like us 
in many respects, because they actually searched the Bible far 
more than modern Christians do in the world in which we live. So he says, you search the Scriptures, 
and then he gives the reason why. You search them, why? Because 
in them you think you have eternal life. Again, that's a good thing, 
right? If I wanted to find out how to 
plumb, I would go get a book on plumbing. If I wanted to find 
out how to do something electrical, I'd call Lucas or Benjamin. If 
I wanted to learn how to fix a car, I'd go online or Google. 
If I want something about eternal life, I go to the Bible. This is a good thing, right? 
The Bible holds the words of everlasting life. It tells us 
of a holy God. It tells us of sinful man. And 
it tells us of God's provision in the person and in the work 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. So Jesus acknowledges this. You 
search the scriptures for in them, you think you have eternal 
life. But then notice the issue, notice 
the rub, notice the problem. You do all this searching, you're 
looking for eternal life, but you've missed this fundamental 
point. These are they which testify 
of me. Big problem, again, you guys 
have read Moses, you've read the prophets, you've read the 
writings, you've searched for eternal life, and all those things 
have converged at this very moment in redemptive history, in the 
coming of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 
You search those scriptures, you think in them, you have eternal 
life, but these are they which testify of me. That does a great 
deal with reference to those people. I am sure they did not 
like this one bit. We don't get sort of their response 
at the end of chapter 5. We get it at the end of chapter 
10, where there's a similar construct, where Jesus there is accused 
of making himself equal with God. I wonder why. Because in 
John 10 30, he says, I and the Father are one. How many times 
do we need to hear this, right? Jesus is God. This isn't made 
up. This wasn't Nicaea that put this 
together. Nicaea only confirms what the 
Bible teaches concerning our blessed triune God, Father, Son, 
and Holy Spirit. But in John 10, after he makes 
that assertion, what do they do? They get outraged again, 
because he made himself equal with God, and then they take 
up stones to throw at him. Same sort of thing in John chapter 
8. So probably here at the end of John 5, after giving them 
these sort of truth bombs, or red pills, or whatever we want 
to call them, they did not like this. And I'm sure they did not 
like verse 39. You search the scriptures, for 
in them you think you have eternal life. And these are they which 
testify of me. Now, that's an interesting statement. 
The Bible illustrates that further. Christ is the scope of Scripture. 
Christ is the telos. Christ is the purpose. Christ 
is the reason. There's a comment on Ruth chapter 
4, verses 17 to 22 that I want to read. It sort of summarizes 
this. You might go, why Ruth chapter 4? You know what the 
point of Ruth is? It's Ruth chapter 4, verses 17 
to 22. is not the love story. It's a beautiful love story. 
I mean, I could see it today, all the women reading those romance 
novels. Oh, Ruth, what a wonderful woman, 
what a virtuous woman. And a virtuous woman she was. 
She's mentioned that way twice in the book of Ruth. In the Jewish 
canon, you've got Ruth, then Proverbs, right? Proverbs 31 
is the virtuous woman. Well, with reference to Ruth, 
it's all about the genealogy. It's all about the end. It's 
all about the end game and how it connects us to the Lord Jesus 
Christ. John Gill says, with reference 
to this brief comment in Ruth 4, the principal design of it 
is to give the genealogy of David, whom Samuel had anointed to be 
king of Israel, and from whom the Messiah was to come, and 
who therefore may be said to be the aim and scope of it, as 
He is all of Scripture, and whereby it appears that He sprung from 
both Jews and Gentiles, and is Savior of both, and there is 
good foundation for both to hope in Him. And the call and conversion 
of Ruth the Moabitess may be considered as a shadow, emblem, 
and pledge of the conversion of the Gentiles." But you see 
Jesus' emphasis on Jesus being scope of the Scriptures in Luke's 
Gospel. You can turn there, it's very 
close, Luke 24. Luke chapter 24, notice what Jesus says in 
verse 25. Then he said to them, O foolish 
ones and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have 
spoken. Ought not the Christ who has suffered these things 
to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all 
the prophets, he expounded to them in all the scriptures the 
things concerning what? Concerning himself, verse 44, 
then he said to them, these are the words which I spoke to you 
while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled 
which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets and 
the Psalms concerning what? Concerning me. And he opened 
their understanding that they might comprehend the scriptures. 
Remember Peter preaching to the household of Cornelius in Acts 
chapter 10, verse 43, he says to him, Jesus Christ, do all 
the prophets testify or witness that whoever believes in his 
name will have everlasting life. Christ is scope of the scriptures, 
and that's what he says to these Jews. And then he ends on this 
note, at least in our sermon this morning, and probably happy 
to hear that, verse 40, but you are not willing. So they have 
this willingness to search the scriptures. They have this willingness 
to find eternal life. Unfortunately for them, it leads 
them to the one they presently want to murder. That kind of 
is a conundrum for them and a bit of an enigma. And then he highlights 
this reality in their setting. But you are not willing to come 
to me that you may have life. The unconverted Jews missed the 
point of the Bible. The unconverted Jews missed the 
point of Moses and the prophets. They missed it, not by a little 
bit, just kind of almost, they missed it by a mile. As well, 
the coming to the Son that he refers to. Notice, but you are 
not willing to come to me that you may have life. The coming 
to the Son is for eternal life. You hear about, you know, Christians 
talking about faith in Jesus, believe on Jesus. That's what 
it means to come to Jesus. Notice in the next chapter, in 
John chapter 6, several times he alludes to this. Verse 35, 
I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never 
hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. Again 
in verse 37, He says, all that the Father gives me will come 
to me, and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast 
out. Verse 44, no one can come to me unless the Father who sent 
me draws him, and I will raise him up the last day. John 6.45, 
it is written in the prophets, and they shall all be taught 
by God. Therefore, everyone who has heard 
and learned from the Father comes to me." And then again in verse 
65, same emphasis, for Jesus knew from the beginning who they 
were who did not believe and would betray him. And he said, 
therefore, I have said to you that no one can come to me unless 
it has been granted to him by the Father. So this idea of coming 
to Jesus, If you're not a believer here this morning, this is the 
point. Coming to Jesus doesn't mean 
you get in a rocket ship and fly to heaven and find Jesus. 
It means to believe the gospel. It means to stop looking at yourself. It means to stop looking at your 
so-called good works. It means to stop thinking, well, 
you know, I'm not that bad, so I'll probably make it into heaven. 
No, you are that bad. You're a whole lot worse than 
you can even imagine. The Bible will tell you about 
that if you give it a time, give it some time to do so. It is 
faith in our Lord. It is belief in the gospel of 
our Lord. People here that are going to 
heaven are not going to heaven because they're good. They're 
not going to heaven because they're righteous. They're not going 
to heaven because they keep God's law every jot and diddle. They're 
going to heaven because Jesus is good. Because Jesus is righteous. Because Jesus kept the law every 
jot and tittle. And by grace, the people here 
going to heaven have believed in Him. And when you believe 
in Him, you're both cleansed in His blood and clothed in His 
righteousness. It is most glorious and most 
wonderful. And when Jesus says, you are 
not willing to come to me that you may have life. He is not 
celebrating man's free will. He is condemning that will. He is indicting that will. Now, it's a common fallacy that 
the Reformed reject the notion of free will. We don't reject 
the notion of free will at all. But we see that there are differences 
in terms of the state of man. Man in his original integrity 
before he fell, his free will was such that he could do both 
good and bad. Man in a state of sin only can 
do that which is bad. Man in a state of grace, again, 
has been restored to a place where he's able to do that which 
is good, and he still struggles doing that which is bad. And 
then the state of man in glory. His will is confirmed only to 
do the good. So it's not a negation of free 
will among the Reformed, It's a qualification of free will 
among the reformed that is most crucial. But in this passage, 
he is not saying to them that it's your free will alone unaided 
by the power of the Holy Spirit that will bring you out of darkness 
into life. No, he's simply making the observation. Man's will is 
bound by his wicked heart. And their wicked heart was on 
full display in the fact that they wanted to destroy him, who 
was in fact the son of God by nature, testified to by, the 
Baptist, his own works, the Father, and the scriptures that they 
themselves said they had allegiance unto. John Gill speaks to this 
issue in terms of free will. He says, in such the depravity, 
perverseness, and stubbornness of their wills, that they had 
no inclination, desire, and will to come to Christ any more than 
power, which is an argument against and not for the free will of 
man, unless it be that which is evil. He says, yeah, it's 
an argument for free will, if you understand. Unto evil, man's 
heart is affected, or man's will, rather, is affected by his heart. 
And if the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately 
wicked, and no one can understand it, that argues what John teaches 
us in John 3, or Jesus teaches us in John 3, you must be born 
again. So Christ ends the dispute, not 
here, but he will, God willing, in our study next week, with 
rebuke, with indictment, and with reproof. Well, just a couple 
of observations and then we'll go. First, the wretched state 
of these unbelieving Jews. What a bad place to be, right? 
You've lived your life, you've gone to synagogue, you've gone 
to rabbi school, you've learned, you've studied Torah, you've 
studied the prophets, you've studied the rabbis, and you've 
missed everything they had to say. You've missed it by a million 
miles. the searching of scripture for 
eternal life and completely missing the point. See, if that's you 
and you're not saved and you're sort of reading the scriptures, 
ponder this passage, ponder that Jesus is in the Old Testament. 
It's a bad thing today that we're only giving people New Testaments. 
We need the Old Testament too. The Old Testament is as much 
full of Christ as is the New Testament. And if we are short-changing 
them with information concerning Christ, that's not good. Perhaps 
you've read recently where the CDC hid data with reference to 
COVID-19. That's atrocious. That's horrifying. But do we do that in the church 
with persons concerning Jesus? Give them whole Bibles. Brethren, 
we're rich enough, wealthy enough to buy both Testaments to give 
to our unconverted friends. Search the Scriptures with this 
mindset. They tell me and they lead me 
to Jesus. It's about Christ. If you don't 
have Christ, you don't have life. And that's the horrible state 
these Jews find themselves in. Secondly, and I want to camp 
on this just for a moment, because I don't ever want to leave without 
holding up the Baptist as a good example. Not in terms of his 
ecclesiology, but in terms of his ministry. Kind of goes along 
with what we read in 2 Timothy chapter 1. Timothy was to be 
the kind of man that was bold and courageous in the midst of 
suffering and persecution and oppression. John the Baptist 
was that kind of man. When Jesus is asked, or when 
John sends a delegation, John's in prison, the Baptist, and he 
asks Jesus, are you the Christ? Are you the coming one? Or do 
we wait for another? He's not actually wondering concerning 
the identity of Jesus. He knows the identity of Jesus, 
but he knows the prophet Isaiah. And the prophet Isaiah says that 
consistent with the coming of the Messiah, there will be healing, 
there will be blessing, there will be liberty, there will be 
joy. Well, John the Baptist is in a prison, probably thinking 
to himself, if this is the time of Messiah, then what is a good 
guy like me sitting in a prison cell? So Jesus then praises the 
ministry of John the Baptist. In fact, turn to Matthew chapter 
11. This is the kind of guy you should pray for in terms of eldership, 
in terms of missions, in terms of pastoring, in terms of preaching. The world has enough effeminate 
Nancy boys standing in pulpits with their hands in their pockets. 
We need John the Baptists. We need Timothys. We need Pauls. 
Notice in verse four, Jesus answered and said to them, go, tell John 
the things which you hear and see, the blind see, the lame 
walk, The lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear. The dead are 
raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 
And blessed is he who is not offended because of me." So go 
answer John. Go answer John the Baptist. Tell 
him this is what Isaiah spoke of. Because these things are 
consistent with the ministry of Messiah. Now notice in verse 
7. As they departed, Jesus began 
to say to the multitudes concerning John, What did you go out in 
the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? Did 
you go out to see a Nancy? Did you go out to see an effeminate 
man? Did you go out to see somebody who was easily knocked off his 
game by the prevailing winds of doctrine? No, you didn't go 
out to see a reed shaken by the wind. You went out to see a man 
who is going to tell you 16 ounces to the pound biblical truth every 
time he opens his mouth. And then notice in verse eight, 
but what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? 
Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in king's houses. Probably 
a reference to court prophets. Remember the kings would hire 
men that would tell them what they wanted them to hear. That 
instance in 1 Samuel chapter 22 with Ahab and with Moses. Ahab and Jehoshaphat. And Ahab 
wants an alliance with Jehoshaphat. And Jehoshaphat says, well, going 
against Syria in war. So Jehoshaphat says, are there 
any prophets to sort of confirm this decision? And so they trot 
out all the court prophets. And all the court prophets say, 
oh yeah, go into battle. Certainly you're going to win. 
And then Jehoshaphat, probably a little bit suspicious by this 
consistent testimony, he says, is there no one else? Ahab solemnly 
says, well, yeah, there is this one. He never tells me what I 
want to hear. He doesn't tell me what I want. 
And then Jehoshaphat thankfully says, well, let's probably hear 
what he has to say. So Micaiah comes and tells him, 
you're going to die on the battlefield, Ahab. You know what that got 
him? Did it get him a promotion? Did it get him a new car? Did 
it get him a wife with big hair? No, it got him jail time and 
bread and water. So the Baptist was not a court 
prophet. Verse nine, but what did you 
go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, 
and more than a prophet. Now, when we pray for pastors, 
we pray for missionaries, we pray for elders to be raised 
up in our churches, they're not gonna be the same as the Baptist 
in terms of his role or function and redemptive history. He's 
not, that's just not. But in terms of the spirit and 
the power of John the Baptist, that burning and shining lamp 
Brethren, we have the word of God. We have the theological 
goods. We have the truth as it is in 
Jesus. What do we do with that? We preach 
it. We proclaim it. We herald it. We thunder it. The voice of Yahweh 
crushes the cedars of Lebanon according to Psalm 29. The voice 
of Yahweh in the scriptures of the Old and New Testament crushes 
the hardened hearts of men and women and boys and girls. So 
what do we do? We proclaim it. We pray for God 
to raise up men to proclaim it. Of course, we see thirdly the 
glory of the only begotten Son. The consistent testimony of John 
the Apostle from the very beginning to the very end of his gospel 
record is that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. And 
that testimony is upheld, not just in the prologue and not 
just in John's sort of ending statement, John 20, 30, and 31, 
but it's in the life and ministry of Jesus. So what you see in 
the prologue in chapter 1 is what you see in the ministry 
in chapter 5. The economy reveals to us something 
concerning the theology. The economy underscores what 
is true in the theology. And it underscores this fact 
that Christ is the second person of the Trinity. That Christ came 
and dwelt among us. that Christ lived in obedience 
to the Father's law, that He died as a substitute and as a 
sacrifice to function as the Lamb of God. And then Christ 
was raised the third day such that all who believe in Him will 
have everlasting life. Now, brethren, don't make the 
mistake, or friend, don't make the mistake of these Jews. Don't 
make the mistake of just, you know, discounting this, just 
rejecting this. We had an interesting thing happen 
over the weekend. Some of the little grandkids came and stayed 
with us, and one of the little grandkids, she's the cute blonde 
you see bouncing around in here, she wears glasses. And my beloved 
said, she's pretty protective of those glasses. I said, what 
do you mean? She says, well, whenever she takes them off, 
she uses two hands. Kids, three and a half. I mean, 
I still, you know, bend them or whatever, take them off. And 
when she takes them off, she carefully lays them on the table. 
Three and a half. And I was thinking about this 
this morning. I thought, there's probably one of three reasons why she 
does that. First, parental pressure. If I bought my children things 
that cost lots of money, I threatened them. I said, don't break these 
because they cost me a lot of money. Second is intellectual. My wife and I are convinced she's 
a genius, so I think that, you know, bright people don't break 
things. But the third I thought was probably more appropriate. 
It's practical. She knows the value of the remedy 
because she understands the gravity of the problem. See, without 
those glasses, she doesn't see very well. They said when she 
got those glasses and put them on, it was like, wow, right? This is great. Well, when something 
helps you like that, you guard it. You see the value of the 
remedy. And therefore, you understand, 
or because of that value of the remedy, it's closely connected 
to the gravity of the situation. I suspect that many here have 
a concept of sin. Sin is what those guys out there 
do. Sin is a little bit of what I 
do, because I'm not perfect. I do try, and if all things being 
equal and God grades on a curve, I'll probably make it, and I've 
never murdered, I've never committed adultery. You don't understand 
the gravity of the problem. You don't understand what Westminster 
Catechism says. What does every sin deserve? 
Every sin deserves God's curse and wrath, both in this life 
and that which is to come. When you understand the sin problem, 
Jesus is then altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. When 
you understand that you have transgressed God's law, not just 
a little bit, but every jot and tittle, When you understand that 
you lack that conformity that God calls you to, then Jesus 
comes as that blessed Savior, as that blessed Redeemer, as 
that blessed Lord and Son of God, as the Lamb of God who takes 
away the sin of the world. You've got big problems today 
if you're not a Christian, and those big problems are going 
to land you in hell. And the only escape is through 
the one that is testifying in the scripture here, that he is 
equal with his father and that he has come to seek and to save 
that which is lost. Look to him in faith, use the 
idea that we see here in verse 40, come to him by grace through 
faith and you will have everlasting life. Let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for your word, we thank you for your grace, we 
thank you for the gospel of our salvation. God, we do pray that 
you would undertake on behalf of sinners bring conviction for 
sin and set before them the blessed Christ, the one who is able to 
save to the uttermost all who draw nigh unto you through faith 
in him. We ask that you would look with 
favor upon this world, that you would send forth your glorious 
gospel, conquering and to conquer, and we pray in the name of our 
Lord Jesus, amen. Well, let's stand and sing 568 
in praise to our great and triune God. is Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ 
and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you 
all. Amen. Father, we pray that these things 
would be true for each of us, that we would know this experientially 
by your grace and for your glory. God, we pray that all over the 
earth as the gospel goes forth, you'd open hearts to the grim 
reality of sin and its consequences. and set forth the glory of Jesus 
Christ and his power and ability to save sinners. And in this, 
God, we pray that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit would be glorified, 
would be exalted, and would be praised. And we ask in Jesus' 
name, amen. Please be seated for a brief 
time of meditation.