The Person, Posture, and Patience of Jesus.

John writes his gospel with the purpose of proving that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, so that we might believe, and in believing, that we might have life through His name. John places a discourse of teaching before or after each of the miracles he writes about. John 6:16-21 includes two of four miracles that occur in this account. Other details, including the other two miracles, are found in the parallel accounts in Matthew 14 and Mark 6. In both the feeding of the 5,000 and this passage of John 6:16-21, we see that God is Provider, providing food and safety to His people. Jesus is Jehovah-Jireh in the flesh (John 6:35).

The Great Compassion of Jesus.

John writes more than thirty years after the other gospel writers with the purpose of revealing Jesus Christ as the Son of God so that all would believe in Him and have life through His name. The feeding of the 5000 is considered the last miracle of Jesus’s Galilean ministry. About a year has passed between John chapters 5 and 6, and Jesus is about a year from His death on the cross at the beginning of chapter 6. Jesus has already been rejected in Judea, while others plot to take His life. The religious unbelief of Jerusalem has formally rejected the very purpose for which Jesus has come. With great compassion, Jesus continues to perform miracles so that people will believe that He is God and have life through His name. By the end of chapter 6, He is fully rejected by Galilee.

The Third Witness of Who Jesus Is.

John 5 is a robust chapter recounting Jesus’ time spent in Jerusalem telling religious unbelievers that He is God. This is where threats upon Jesus’ life begin. For the next 3 years, He lives under these threats because of His works and His words, which proclaim that He is God.

The Second Witness of Who Jesus Is.

We are continuing the discussion of 3 witnesses or testimonies from God the Father that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.The first verified witness was John the Baptist. Some who heard his message saw the fruit, but the majority rejected the message of John the Baptist.

John, the Gospel writer, details the next two witnesses beginning in John 5:36:“But the testimony I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.”

Here we see that beyond John the Baptist, the works which the Father has given to Jesus will testify about who Jesus is and that He has come from the Father. The grammar tells us that this was an appointment from eternity past.Jesus’ works are the second testimony from the Father, and the direct testimony of the Father is taken as a second form of this second witness of who Jesus is.

John outlines in verses 37 and 38 three particular indictments. These indictments will allow us to understand the depth of Christ and His works. The indictments are against the religious unbelief, those who were the religious leaders and who had studied the Scriptures and yet did not believe Jesus’ signs.

Indictment #1

The first indictment is “You have neither heard His voice at any time” (John 5:37).Immediately, the religious leaders who heard this would have recalled Exodus 33:11, where Moses recorded that God had spoken to him. Jesus is telling them, and they understood, that Jesus has been calling. They heard but weren’t truly listening.

Jesus is saying that if you don’t hear my voice, then you haven’t been listening to the voice of Moses himself. The meaning is that no matter how much they say they have studied and listen to Moses, they haven’t. Moses listened and obeyed Jesus, but those religious leaders didn’t.

Indictment #2

The second indictment is “nor seen His form” (John 5:37).This statement would’ve cut even deeper than the first indictment. In Genesis 32, Moses said there was one person who had seen the form of God. In this chapter, Jacob had wrestled with God the whole night, not knowing who it was. Then he asked him His name, but God said, "why is it you ask my name?" Jacob concluded that he had seen God face to face, yet his life was preserved.

Those who heard Jesus’ words would have recalled this chapter. They easily accept Jacob’s testimony as written by Moses that he had seen the form of God, but Jesus is here now. He is the one that wrestled with Jacob and dislocated his hip. However, they would have realized this if they really believed Moses’ words; they would have known Jesus was God.

Indictment #3

The third indictment is “you do not have His Word abiding in you” (John 5:38).The nature and purpose of the inspired Word of God is to discern the actual thoughts and intents of our hearts. The religious leaders would have known this and immediately thought of other Old Testament people. They would have known He was saying that they did not have God’s Word abiding in themselves like it did in those in the Scriptures.

The Word of God is the greatest possession of the person of faith. But for religious unbelievers, the Book of the Law was only an intellectual pursuit, instead of a schoolmaster unto Christ (Hebrews 1:1-13).

Application Points

Haven't the first 4 chapters of John done enough to verify that Jesus is the Son of God? How much more does the author have to do and say to prove that Jesus is who He says He is? Yet God gives us more layers of proof so that everyone can stand before the throne of Heaven on Judgment Day without excuse. These indictments are another layer that verifies that Jesus the Son is Divine.

• Do you receive the testimony of the works of Jesus that display Jesus as God’s Son?
• In John 5:39-47, Jesus explains that although the religious unbelievers were trusting in Moses and the Scriptures, they missed the point. These Scriptures were written to point our hearts to Jesus Christ, God the Son. Are you believing in the Old Testament or Moses as God’s Prophet, but missing that they were only a guide to seeing Jesus for who He is?

The First Witness to Seeing Jesus For Who He is.

Satisfied: Is Seeing Really Believing?

In today's world, with computer-generated images and photo editing applications, seeing is no longer believing. But in Jesus’ day there was no photoshopping. When we look back into the Old Testament, the children of Israel literally saw God take them out of Egypt through the use of 10 plagues, then they saw the parting of the Red Sea. They saw, witnessed, and participated in these events, and yet, there was unbelief. As we read the Gospel of John, remember that John was an eye-witness of what we are reading. The Jews also saw Jesus’ miraculous works, yet they didn’t believe it.

Merciful Jesus

John 5 demonstrates the attribute of God’s mercy in Jesus Christ. Jesus remains merciful to all those in unbelief, offering His hand of spiritual help as long as each person lives. We also see the enemies of the gospel in this passage, who they are, what they say, and how they act. Religious people who remain in unbelief are reminded by Moses in Exodus 34:6-7 and Deuteronomy 7:9-10 that the Lord God is both compassionate and just, extending lovingkindness to all and punishment to the guilty who reject Him. We learn from David that God will show Himself merciful to the merciful (2 Sam. 22:26), and all the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to those who keep His commandments (Psalm 25:10). Paul teaches us more about the rich mercy of God in Ephesians 2:4-5. We are made alive by Christ because of the great love by which God loved us even when dead in our transgressions.

Obedience with Divine Purpose

Jesus modeled for us perfectly how to trust and obey the Father with divine purpose. Philippians 2 explains how Jesus was obedient even unto death on the cross. Even the beginning of His public obedience had as its aim His duty on the cross of Calvary. This model of obedience unto gospel purpose is for each believer to follow from the moment of conversion until the point of heavenly transformation.

The Atonement of Jesus, Accomplished and Applied.

Old Testament and gospel narrative is the product of inspiration, revealing historic accounts inerrantly and infallibly. In these accounts, God is always the hero, and Jesus is the heroic representative of the Godhead in the Gospel of John. We are reminded in 1 Corinthians 10 that these accounts are given to us as examples. Jesus’s atonement, accomplished and applied, dramatically changes life for the coming new faith community, the church.

Preparing to Celebrate Our 75th Year as a Church – Part 2.

2 Timothy 4 gives reminders by way of command of how to nurture that which has been established at Grace Church of Mentor these past seventy-five years and how to maintain it for the next seventy-five years. Timothy is instructed by Paul to preach the Word (2 Tim. 4:2). Through the preaching of the Word, that which has been established for the gospel is nurtured, cared for, and maintained. The necessity of caring for each other is understood by Paul’s encouragement to Timothy to make every effort to come to him by winter (2 Tim. 4:9, 21). That which has been established is nurtured by the interdependent, mutual care of the flock. Galatians 6 teaches that we need to sow exceedingly in caring for one another so that we can reap what is eternal.

New Year's Morning Worship: Preparing to Celebrate Our 75th Year as a Church.

It is worth celebrating the tenure of someone or something good. The long-lasting nature of something good means it was established on virtue which has been nurtured. All this year, Grace Church will be celebrating that which is virtuous in a spiritual sense and how we nurture it going forward. Those things which endure have been established on core principles and carefully maintained, and this is also true of the church. Jesus said that upon this rock (Him) He would build His church; and the gates of hell would not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18). The church endures because Jesus ensures that it will.

The theme of John's gospel is that his readers would believe. The perspective of time and age lends wisdom to his writing as he conveys what's most important of his recollection of Jesus' ministry.

The Mission of God’s Love

Written to people who need to know Christ, the gospel of John is clear about God’s initiating love towards each of us. John desires for us to understand God’s amazing love so we would surrender our hearts to Him as Lord and Savior.

Jesus and Nicodemus: Situation, Discussion, and Recognition.

John introduces the reader to Nicodemus, a Pharisee, in John 3:1-2. The name Nicodemus is a common, proper Greek name in history, and during the time of Jesus, it was also a common, popular Jewish name. The Pharisees were a sect of the Sanhedrin, the highest-ranking Jewish school of the time.

John’s Good News: True Witnesses to Christ so You Will Believe.

Text: John 2:13-25; John 20:30-31

Jesus' First Miraculous Sign.

Belief in Jesus requires a personal relationship with Him.

One of the most fundamental questions a Christian must ask is "what constitutes true belief?" How do I know if my own or someone else's belief is genuine or sincere? Do I have enough faith?

Following Jesus

In John 1, Andrew and Simon Peter are introduced to Jesus, the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. Though both follow Jesus, they have not yet officially left their nets to follow him as seen in the other gospels. After spending time with Jesus, Andrew hurries to find his brother, Simon Peter.

John the Baptist.

John the Baptist was the first prophet to speak God's word for hundreds of years. This providential delay in revelation heightened anticipation among the Jews for the coming Messiah. John the Baptist broke the silence with a powerful, influential, successful voice, because God determined it to be so. He preached a message of repentance and led a simple life.