Jun 23rdDevotion John 5.16-29 Can’t Handle The Truth Part 2

John 5:16-29 – For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on a Sabbath. 17 But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”  18 For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.  19 Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in the same way. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. 22 For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. 24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.  25 Truly, truly, I say to you, a time is coming and even now has arrived, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in Himself, so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; 27 and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. 28 Do not be amazed at this; for a time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come out: those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the bad deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

“Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in the same way. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.” If someone had ever come up to me and said I heard you had a heated argument with your Mom so I want to tell you that killing her is against the law and a grave sin.  I would have responded in wonder why that would be said to me.  It matters not to me whether it is against the law or a grave sin, harming my Mom in any way was not in my heart, or my mind.  It would not enter my mind to harm her.  It would have been against all that I am to do so.  To do that would not only betray the Lord, break the law, harm her, but would be against the essence of who I am.

Jesus loves the Father.  He did not come to disobey the Father but to do the will of Him.  If He had not then He would have sinned  having broken the fifth commandment and thereby would have sinned.  (Exodus 20:12)  We know that Jesus never sinned (Hebrews 4:15, 1 Peter 2:22), if He had sinned then He would not have been the spotless lamb to die for our sins.  (Hebrews 9:14, 1 Peter 1:19) Even more so than I not having the thought to harm my mother, Jesus never had the thought to not do the will of the Father.  Disobeying the Father was not, in any way, part of who He was.  With a pure love Jesus loved the Father.  Where the Spirit is there is pure love and against the fruits of pure love there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)  I am not stating that Jesus could not be tempted to sin, but that sinning against the Father was not something that Jesus would or could do.  Temptation is not sin. Jesus never entertained not doing the Father’s will even from an early age. (Luke 2:41-49) Jesus would do the Father’s will for Him. (John 6:38)

Father God showed Jesus what Jesus was to do.  Jesus was here saying, in our vernacular, you haven’t seen anything yet.   Praise God!

Jesus said that if we love Him we will obey Him. (John 14:15)  Family and Friends, this is not at odds with the fact that we sometimes (often?) don’t obey Him.  It’s a statement of how completely and purely we love Him.  Our love for God continues to mature and to be purified as the Holy Spirit sanctifies us.  Though we profess great love to our Savior and Lord, none of us have arrived at the desired goal, just as the Apostle Paul confessed in Philippians 3:12 “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”  So the truth is we need to grow in the pure love of God that we so richly receive and benefit from.  His pure love purifies us and changes us so that who we are and what we are changes to become a new creation that glorifies Him. (2 Corinthians 5:17)  The hard to hear truth is that we sin because we can love ourselves more than God.  Yet, though we need to repent, we need not despair. (1 John 1:9)  Because though we may sometimes be unfaithful, Jesus never is.  (2 Timothy 2:13)  Since Jesus is faithful then we know, no, we are convinced (!) that He will complete His work in us.  (2 Timothy 1:12)  How wonderful and true the salvation we have freely received through Jesus our Savior and Lord!  That is worth celebrating every day!  So fellow saints “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.” Be joyful, God has great things planned for us!  Praise God!

Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord!

Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.

Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.