Welcome to the defender bible study. A weekly encouragement to equip the body of Christ through the study of scripture and prayer to manifest the gospel to orphans and vulnerable children around the world. This podcast Okay. Good morning. We're gonna be in John chapter 5, continuing our study on the book of John.

And, we're gonna look at the second half of John's gospel chapter 5 last week. Blake was able to to bring in the first part of John's gospel chapter 5. So we see this transition this week from the first half of John 5, which is where Jesus performs the miraculous healing at the pool of Bethesda. It demonstrates his compassion and authority. However, we also saw that this miracle sparked controversy because it occurred on the Sabbath, and it challenged the religious leaders' interpretation of the law.

And so we know that that healing was not just a display of Jesus' power, but it was a revelation of who he was, his identity. And so when questioned, Jesus says in in John chapter 5 17 that he is aligned with the work of the father. And so John 5 19 through 29, which is what we're gonna look at this morning, builds upon what we saw last week at the pool of Bethesda. It builds upon this confrontation where Jesus explains even further the implications of what it means for him to have a relationship with the father. He's gonna reveal his true unity with the father, and he's gonna let us know that that unity with the father grants him ultimate authority in life and death and in judgment.

And so these truths don't just defend his actions, but they also invite us to see him as the divine son who fulfills the father's redemptive mission. And so even in that, remember that John is a great gospel to go to when you have first believed because it sets up these these foundational theological points of our faith. John isn't easy to remember to see how Jesus is the authority, how Jesus is God, how Jesus was in the beginning, the word, as we see in John chapter 1. And so we're gonna see this passage, a central understanding to the identity and mission of Christ as the divine son of God. Jesus is not just a teacher or a prophet.

He is a life giver. He is the judge, and he is the one who perfectly mirrors the will of the father. And so for ministries like ours rooted in gospel driven care, these truths about Christ identically shape our mission. Jesus, you see, reflects the heart of the father through his works, and we are called to reflect his love, his mercy, and his justice in our service to others. And so we're gonna see 4 central truths in this passage, but before we do, let's start with verse 19 of John chapter 5.

John chapter 5 starting in verse 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 does, that the son does likewise. 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. For as the father raises the dead and gives them life, so all this so the son gives life to whom he will.

The father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the son 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. 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. 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.

For as the father has life in himself, so he has granted the son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment because he is the son of man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice. And come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. And so quickly, 4 central truths from this passage that that not only drive our faith today and our hope and our assurance, but drive our ministry.

And the first is the son and the father have perfect unity. We see that over and over. We see in verse 19, I say to you, the son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the father doing. Verse 20, for the father loves the son and shows him all he himself is doing. So there's perfect unity between the father and the son.

Jesus emphasizes his complete unity with the father, both in purpose, but also in action, that the son does nothing independent of the Father's will. I love what RC Sproul says here. He says, the Son's actions are a mirror of the Father's will. The harmony is not a division of power, but a shared essence and purpose displaying the beauty of the Godhead. Further on in John chapter 10 verse 30, Jesus will say, I and the father am 1.

And this mystery is a profound mystery, but it's also beautiful of the trinity as the Son submits to the Father, not in inferiority, but in harmony. And so Jesus' works are a direct manifestation of the Father's will revealing his glory and his love. This is what Paul says to the church at Colossae in Colossians chapter 1 starting in verse 15. He says, he, Jesus, is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him, all things were created in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities.

All things were created through him and for him, and he is before all things, and in him, all things hold together. You see, Jesus reveals that he does nothing independent of the father. His works truly reflect the father's will displaying their true and profound unity, and this unity is foundational to the gospel, and it reminds us that Jesus came to accomplish the law and to accomplish the father's will. So for Lifeline for us, this unity challenges us to align our hearts with God's hearts. As we serve children and birth mothers and adopted families, we're not working in isolation.

Instead, we are part of God's redemptive plan, embodying his love and justice. Just as Jesus' actions revealed the father's compassion, our care and our ministry must reveal the heart of God to the hurting and to the lost. So last week, I was in Salt Lake City with a national working team for policy on child welfare, and it is a bipartisan multi religious, secular team. We were actually in Utah to meet with the first lady of Utah and some of the child welfare staff in Utah to learn from them, but also so they could learn from us. And and the thing that was lost in all of these discussions about policy is everyone wants better outcomes for children.

Everybody wants to see children helped and not hurt. But at the end of the day, at the end of every conversation, the only one that had an answer for how can we really help these children, how can we really see them be changed was a young lady who was 28 years old, grew up in foster care, was in 12 different homes, and she said it so apropos. She said, I would not be where I am if it were not for the gospel of Christ Jesus. You see, beloved, we have the hope and we reflect in perfect harmony the will of God. But that brings us to the second central truth, and that is that the Son has authority to give life.

We see in verse 21, as the Father raises the dead and also gives them life, the Son gives life to whom he will. The Son shares the authority to give life and execute judgment, affirming his divine identity. Again, later in John, John chapter 11, John will tell us that Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. This is Mary when Lazarus has passed away. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live.

And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. And he looks at Mary and he says, do you believe this? Jesus is not only the giver of eternal life, but he's also the one that determines the fate of every soul. You see, honoring the son is inseparable from honoring the father as both are equal of our worship and our submission. This last week had 2 peers that passed away.

One died last Monday morning and the other died last Friday. To book end of the week, I had 2 people my age pass away. And on Friday, I was able to go to one of the funerals of one of my friends. He and I went to school together. We actually started at Warren Averett together.

We were actually going to even start at Warren Averett, a financial services program together, and yet the Lord called me here, and Josh continued to do the financial services. And it was a sobering reality because this family obviously had prayed that the Lord would bring life to Josh, but it was also a worship service to realize the Lord had brought life, just not in the way that maybe we were looking for him to bring life. He brought life and life eternal, and that is Christ's authority in life and death. John Piper says this. He says Christ's authority to give life is the centerpiece of his divinity and it caused us to awe and trust him knowing that eternal life flows from him alone.

Daniel chapter 7 verse 13 and 14, Daniel says, I saw in the night visions, and behold the clouds of heaven, and there came one like a son of man. And he came to the ancient of days and was presented before him, and to him was given a dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom, one that shall be destroyed. You know the reminder of every miracle that Jesus did, healing the man at the pool in Bethesda, raising Lazarus from the dead? You know what happened to all of the people, blind Bartimaeus who was able to have sight, the little girl where where Jesus raises her from the dead?

They ultimately died. They're not walking around anymore. They're not here to give live testimony. They ultimately died a physical death, but that physical death did not have dominion over them because of the father. Jesus has dominion over life and death.

Jesus declares that his authority to give life both personal and eternally is inseparable from his divine identity. And beloved, this truth is central to our work because the ultimate source of healing and restoration and reconciliation and hope is Jesus Christ. So may we provide physical, emotional, and practical care, but the deeper need of every child, mother, family is to have spiritual life in Christ Jesus. You see, the work that we do physically to help one day will pass away, but the work that we do to introduce them to the life giver, Jesus Christ, will never pass away. This brings us to the 3rd central truth, and that is Jesus does the greater work.

Jesus does the greater work. Verse 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. You see, Jesus' greater works reveal the fullness of his power, bringing spiritual life to the dead and granting eternal life to believers. Paul tells the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 2:4-5, but god being rich in mercy.

Right? Because of his great love in which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. It is by grace that you have been saved. The greater works of Jesus include the resurrection of the spiritually dead through the gospel and the future bodily resurrection at the end of the age, and these works point to the glory of Christ, our savior and our judge. Romans chapter 8 verse 11, the spirit of them who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Jesus Christ from the dead also gives life to our mortal bodies, though his spirit dwells in you.

You see, this truth is profoundly relevant for us here at Lifeline. Every acts, whether counseling an expectant mother, walking with a family through adoption, or mentoring a child aging out of foster care, is ultimately about pointing people to the greater work of Christ, the transformation of hearts and lives in the gospel. You see, Jesus' power to grant eternal life changes us to see beyond the immediate needs and helps us focus on eternal outcomes. We hear the words ROI, return on investment, and even at the end of the year as donors are giving more money in the Q4 than any other time and especially in December, they wanna know what's the return on ministry investment. The truth of the matter is they're investing in something that's eternal.

From preaching the hope of the gospel, that is an investment that will not be reaped until eternity. When men, women, boys, and girls, women who have gone through unexpected pregnancies, children who have have been orphaned around the world, or families who have been reconciled. There will be a day that the eternal ROI will be reaped, and that will be a day of great glory. So be encouraged that the greater works of Jesus are ongoing, and we are part of that mission. Every life touched, every child placed, every birth mother counseled is an opportunity to show the greater works of Christ Jesus.

But then the 4th and final central truth from this passage, the one that gives hope on a week where you lose 2 friends, the final resurrection is certain. Look again at the words of verse 28 and 29. Jesus says, do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and they will come out. Those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. The final judgment, the final resurrection is universal and it is decisive.

It's a reminder of the eternal stakes of belief in Jesus. His authority as a judge is a demonstration of his righteousness and his sovereignty. John Stott says the doctrine of the resurrection is the hinge on which the story of Jesus turns. Without it, the cross is a tragedy. With it, it is ultimate victory.

Revelation chapter 20 verse 12 through 5, John the revelator says, I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and the books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged by what was written in the books according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.

This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. You see, beloved, our work is to have more names written in the lamb's book of life because judgment is real. Resurrection is real, and it is final. And so rather providing trauma informed care or advocating for vulnerable children or walking alongside families, we do so with confidence that Christ's power and authority will one day bring complete resolution.

So let us serve with hope and perseverance, knowing that our work is not in vain. So we see through this passage that Jesus reveals his unparalleled authority and power, calling us to marvel at the unity that he has with the father, to trust in his life giving power, and to prepare for righteous judgment. So three things of application that I want us to leave us with. 1st, as we read these verses, let's worship Jesus as the son who perfectly reveals his father. May we worship Jesus.

But second, may we align our will with the father's will by mirroring Jesus' obedience. May we mirror the obedience of Jesus in what we do. And then 3rd and and most importantly, may we live with eternity in view, sharing the gospel urgently with others who are perishing. Father god, thank you for your word. It is living and active and sharper than any double edged sword.

We're thankful that after this miraculous healing at the pool of Bethesda, that you didn't leave anyone wondering, but that you gave this great sermon that we just have read, to remind us that you and the father of are 1, that that you have the power of life and death, that you are doing greater things, have called us to do greater things as we mirror you. But, lord, help us to also have the hope of the truth that is found in verses 28 and 29, that there one day will be a resurrection, and we will live with you eternally. May that fuel and put into flame the work of Lifeline as we take the gospel to those who are perishing, as we take gospel hope to those that are hurting and broken, as we take gospel hope to the woman, to the child, and the vulnerable family. Lord god, give us great grace and give us great wisdom and power and the resources. It's in your great name that we pray in the name of Jesus.

Amen. Thanks again for joining us for the defender bible study. If you enjoy making this podcast a part of your weekly routine, we'd love for you to take a moment to subscribe, rate, and review the defender bible study to make it easier for more people to find. For more resources and information on how you and your church can partner with Lifeline, please visit us at lifeline child dot org. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter by searching for Lifeline Child.

You can email us directly at info at lifeline child dotorg. We look forward to seeing you again next week for the defender bible study.