November 3, 2016

'I AM THE SON OF GOD. LISTEN TO MY WORDS AND BELIEVE THEM!'

John 5:19–47

Freddie Gonzalez
Thursday's Devo

November 3, 2016

Thursday's Devo

November 3, 2016

Central Truth

Jesus claims He is the Son of God, and He and the Father are one. We should not only HEAR Jesus’ words but truly BELIEVE them because the Father sent Him to be the Son of Man so that, in sharing our human condition, He related with all our trials.

Key Verse | John 5:24

"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." (John 5:24)

John 5:19–47

The Authority of the Son

19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father 1 5:19 Greek he does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

25 Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Witnesses to Jesus

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. 32 There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. 33 You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 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. 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. 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. 39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. 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? 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?”

Footnotes

[1] 5:19 Greek he

Dive Deeper | John 5:19–47

Faith plays a very important role in a Christian’s life. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines faith as "something that is believed especially with strong conviction." The word faith appears over 250 times in the Bible and, by definition, includes a component of "believing."

In this passage, Jesus is saying He is the Son of God and that all who believe this statement will acknowledge His Father who sent Him. The Father sent Jesus to redeem the human race from the Fall—when Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17, 3:1-6).

God loved us so much that He still wanted relationship with us. But in our sinful state, we needed redemption in order to relate to this perfect God. Enter Jesus—the perfect sacrifice to reconcile us to the Father. He willingly went to the cross, took our sins and brokenness upon Himself, and died on our behalf, rising from the dead three days later.

What an amazing love! God loved us so much that He sent His Son to be our Savior. Jesus loved us so much that He died in our place to redeem us for the Father. Then Jesus sent us His Holy Spirit, who helps us in our unbelief and through the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, indwells us to guarantee our salvation.

So in these passages, Jesus is imploring us to believe that He is the Son of God and that He and the Father are one. If we have faith in Him and what He is saying, then we believe in His Father who sent Him. And in this belief and the acceptance of Jesus as the Son of God and our Lord and Savior, we find eternal salvation. So these are the keys to be with Him in heaven for eternity.

If we have faith and believe, it leads to life transformation, and we strive to be more and more like Jesus. Whatever you decide to do, it will have ETERNAL implications. SO BELIEVE!

Discussion Questions

1. Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Why or why not?

2. If you do believe, what Bible verses did you rely on to reach this conclusion?

3. What changes can you make in your life right now to better show others what you believe?

4. If you do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God, what questions are standing in your way?

5. Who can you turn to among your family, friends, or community group to walk you through what Jesus is saying in this portion of the Bible?