The Witnesses to Christ

Text: John 5:31-47

 

I.          Jesus has made several claims that are attributable only to God, yet he applied them to himself.

             A.         He claims to be the Son of God

             B.         He claims the right to honor equal to God

             C.         He claims the right to judge the world and that his judgment will determine where people will spend eternity

             D.         Why should people believe him. After all, crazy people through the years have claimed to be something they are not.

             E.         Even Jesus stated that if he expected them to believe on his word alone, his testimony would not be true.

II.         The witnesses

             A.         John

                          1.          John’s testified that he was the son of God - John 1:29

                          2.          John’s testimony is not important if he was just a man, but he is recognized as a prophet of God

                          3.          Still, such a testimony could be doubted

             B.         The deeds of Jesus

                          1.          Jesus has been doing miracles while making these claims.

                          2.          The miracles show his power.

                          3.          But the power to do miracles must come from God

             C.         God, the Father

                          1.          Hebrews 2:2-4 - The miracles was God bearing witness

                          2.          God also bore witness directly - John 1:32-34, L:uke 3:21-22

                          3.          There is another witness by God, and that is in his Word

             D.         The Scriptures

                          1.          There are over 300 prophecies concerning the Christ.

                          2.          The evidence was mounting rapidly that these were being fulfilled by Jesus and only Jesus.

                                       a.          Matthew 1:23 - born of a virgin

                                       b.          Matthew 2:6 - born in Bethlehem

                                       c.          Matthew 2:15 - coming from Egypt

                                       d.          Matthew 2:18 - the killing of children

                                       e.          Matthew 2:23 - called a Nazarene

                                       f.          John 2:16 - the throwing of money changers out of the temple

                          3.          Yet, despite the evidence, people would not believe it.

III.        Jesus did not need the acceptance of the people to affirm who he is.

             A.         The people did not love God and therefore would not accept him

             B.         They would rather believe a fraud than God’s own son.

             C.         They do not seek the acceptance of God but the acceptance of other men

                          1.          With this wrong mind set, how could they recognize the son of God?

             D.         Jesus does not have to testify against them, Moses will do that

                          1.          Moses prophesied the coming Messiah

                          2.          The people knew the words of Moses and placed their hopes in them

                          3.          Yet, they rejected Moses’s own words

                          4.          If they cannot accept Moses words, how can anyone expected them to accept Jesus’s words.