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Does Jesus See himself as God?

Intro:

1. If you’ve been coming since Christmas, you know that we are doing a
series of message about interviewing the Apostle John about what he
knew about Jesus. Now of course we don’t have him right here with us.
But we have the next best thing. We have his account of the life and
ministry of Jesus. We have John’s Gospel.

Remember that John was possibly Jesus’ closest friend because he

described himself at the “beloved disciple.” So John is the ideal person
with whom we can play Larry King.

We’ve already had answers about…

Why Did you believe he was God in human form?

What did his followers see in him?
What as the meaning of water into wine?
Why did Jesus get so uptight about selling things in the temple?
What did Jesus mean by being born again?
How did Jesus treat messed up people?
Why did Jesus call miracles signs?

Tonight we ask John the question

Did Jesus see himself as God?

2. Down through history this has been the intriguing question.

Did Jesus believe he was God?

Based on how they read the Bible …

Some people accept that he was a great morale teacher.

Some people accept that he did some amazing things.
Some people appreciate his personal concern and service to people.

But when is comes to Jesus being God, well, this is another matter.

Early in the history of the church, his divinity was debated. A man
named Arius held that Jesus was more than human but less than God.
This view came to called Arianism and was rejected as heresy. The
church read the scriptures and saw the Jesus was divine.
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Adoptionism, held that Jesus was not God but became God, and is not
equal with the father. That is common among people are hold a New
Age view. Jesus was a man but he achieved a type of what they call,
“Christic consciousness.” This works well for those would like to see
Jesus as a kind of Buddha.

Even today it would be difficult for us accept a real person who

claimed to be God. We all know what we think of people who say
they’re God. We either think that they are the head of large cults, like
the Moonies, or we ignore them and hope they’ll go away or we sent
them off the place with the rubber rooms.

But the stories of Jesus, still confront us with the question, was he
God?

So that is what we’re asking John tonight.

3. John, did Jesus see himself as God?

Our passage for tonight goes a long way toward answering that
question.

Now if John were here, he might say, “didn’t you already read the
beginning of my account when I said, “In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was
with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made;
without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life,
and that life was the light of men.”

Doesn’t that answer your question?

But we come back and say, yes, but you don’t say anything about
Jesus. Is this Jesus?

And he might say, didn’t you keep reading my account and all the
amazing things he did?

Well yes, we say, Jesus has been doing some amazing things.

In Chapter 4 we saw that he healed a royal official’s son.

Then in Chapter 5 we see that Jesus healed a man who had waiting 38
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years to be healed of being an invalid.

But does that mean he was God?

John would say, well, you’re not alone in continuing ask. Even then
they as disciples, had a hard time believing it.

People were genuinely amazed at these wonderful acts. They were

truly amazing. And he was liked for them. But…

…for those in power, he was seen as a threat. A person who could do

miracles and teach about God the way he did would draw followers
away from the religious leaders of the time. They also thought he was
dangerous because his ideas of how to follow God and there’s was
different.

There is always a perceived threat from rising stars.

4. When the Jewish leaders of the time found that Jesus healed on the
Sabbath, they persecuted him. After all, God’s laws about the Sabbath
were timeless and unchangeable.

5. But Jesus saw himself as having the authority to clarify what the
Sabbath was all about. In Luke and Matthew’s Gospels he said that he
was “the Lord of the Sabbath.”

He said “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
The Sabbath wasn’t made for man to serve laws about the Sabbath,
but rather the Sabbath was made as a way for God to serve man’s
needs. After all he said it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.

6. But not only did Jesus show that he was Lord of the Sabbath, but he
took this opportunity to actually affirm what the Jewish leaders were
accusing him of…that he was indeed equal with God. When he
addresses those who are persecuting him his whole point that we see
in verses 16-47 is to affirm that he and God are indeed equal. There
are three ways he supported this.

So we say, Okay, John, what are these three ways?

Firstly,

I. Jesus does the work of God.

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John recounts how Jesus said in verse 17. “My Father is always at
work to this very day, and I too, and working.”

Jesus claims to do the work of God. Instead of calming the fears of

the Jews, it riles them more because John tells us that “they try harder
to kill him.”

But Jesus keeps on.

“I tell you the truth, the son can do nothing by himself, he can only do
what he sees the father doing, because whatever the Father does, the
son also does.”

A. Jesus only does what he sees the Father doing. And what the
Father does, so the Son Does.

1. Jesus uses a common idea in history. The son often does the
work of the Father. In that way the son has the same place in
society as the father.

Now we all know that sometimes sons do not or should not take
on the work of their father. They sometimes have different
competencies and different gifts.

But Jesus leaves no doubt that this is not the case with him. He
does whatever the father does. He is up to the task. And
why… because he is equal to God.

2. What is more, the Father actually gives away his work to the
Son because he loves him.

v. 20 says “For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he
does. Yes to your amazement, he will show him even greater
things than these.”

Jesus is not a usurper. He is not like some of the prince we see

in the OT history of Israel or other places in history where the
son takes over uninvited. No, God is pleased that Jesus does his
work.

3. So then Jesus gives us two examples of what he means.

a. Just as the Father gives life, so the Son gives life.

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Jesus says, “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives
them life, even so the Son give life to whom he is pleased to
give it.

1). The Jews of the time would see the magnitude of what
Jesus is saying. If you wanted to really rile the Jews of
the time, you would claim to be able to give life.

2) In Genesis, God gives life to all the creatures, plants and

mankind. Life is the domain of God. Only God can give
life.
3) As well, God used Elijah and Elisha to raise the dead.

4) Jesus is affirming that he and God are equal, and like

God, Jesus can give life to who he wishes.

b. Another way that Jesus is equal to God is that God had

entrusted all judgment to Jesus.

1) Verse 22 says “The Father judges no one, but has

entrusted all judgment to the Son.

verse 27, says “he has given him authority because he is

the Son of Man.

2) God is the only and supreme judge of mankind. Ps 9:8

say that is it God that will judge the world in
righteousness. So for God himself to give this right to
the Son, a right that only God has, makes Jesus equal to
God.

3) And why does God give this work to Jesus? He does it

so that, as verse 23 says, “that all may honor the Son just
as they honor the Father.”

4) God himself wants his son to be honored just as he is.

5) In fact, says Jesus in v 23, that “he who does not honor
the Son does not honor the Father.”

So, Jesus firstly says he that does the work of God and that
makes him equal to God. Part of that work is to give life to
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whom he wishes and he that he will ultimately judge

mankind.

Next Jesus claims another thing that makes him equal to God

II. Jesus is the Arbiter of Destiny

Not only does Jesus do the work of God, but it is through his work and
message that people are given eternal life.

He says in v. 24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and

believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned.
I tell you the truth, a time in coming and has now come when the dead
will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. ”

A. Those who hear and believe the Words of Jesus have eternal life.

1. Not only does Jesus do the work of God, but he is charged with
bringing the message of eternal life.

2. Once again for the Jewish leaders, this would have been one
more reason to want to do away with Jesus. Even though he is
giving them reasons why is it legitimate for him to claim
equality with God, they would have had a rough time with this.

After all, only God is truly eternal. Only through God can man
ever expect to live forever. So for Jesus to claim that it is his
message that brings eternal life, they would all the more want to
stone him for blasphemy.

But on he goes. “whoever hears my word and believes him who

sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned: he has
crossed over from death to life.”

This is astounding!

For you and me, this is not just another brick in the foundation
of our faith in Christ as being God, it also means that because of
our faith, we can count on not being judged for our sins.

As the Apostle Paul said in Romans “There is now no

condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
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The fact that Jesus is God, gives him the right and ability to
grant eternal life to those who hear him and follow him. This
brings us assurance and comfort… that… when we follow
Jesus, we cross over from death to life. We leave the land of
the dead and enter the land of the living. And this life is
forever.

So Jesus claims that is he who is the arbiter of our final destiny.

Thirdly and finally Jesus turns from explaining that it is not just
that he does the work of God and that it is his message and power
to judge that delivers us to eternal life…

… to now speaking of how there is testimony greater than his own

that he is God.

III.Jesus cites many witnesses to his authority

If you were accused of something, how would you try to clear your
name. Or if you invented a great new product or device and wanted to
patent it, how would you prove it to the world?

A. Jesus admits that his own testimony is not conclusive.

We all know that just giving testimony about own’s self is not
conclusive. We can all says thing about ourselves that may not be
true.

Giving ones own testimony is a little like being your own lawyer in
a court of law. And you know what is said about someone who
defends himself. “ A man who represents himself has a fool for a
lawyer.”

So bearing your own testimony has always been seen as weak.

This was no exception for the Jews of the times.

In the Jewish courts of the times, ones own testimony was not
accepted.

Jesus was completely aware of this and addresses it to his

detractors.
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“If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid.” v. 31

And so, Jesus says, that he has more testimony that just himself.
He reminds us that John the Baptist was a witness to him being the
messiah.

B. John the Baptist confirmed that Jesus is messiah.

John the Beloved disciple would again remind us that once when
John the Baptist spied Jesus he said, “Behold the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the World.”

John the Baptist was fully aware of who Jesus was. In the OT only
a spotless lamb would be a sacrifice good enough to take away the
sins of the world. It would take a perfect man to be so spotless.
Only God in the form of man fits the bill.

But even more than that, John was willing to be imprisoned and die
for his conviction that he was paving the way the savior of the
world.

But there is even greater testimony than John. Jesus says that
that…

C. God the Father himself testifies.

Jesus then says, “It is the very work of the Father” that testifies that
he is God. Already his teaching and healing work has been seen.
Already he is claiming the Sabbath as his domain. And as the
disciples and the Jewish leaders will continue to follow Jesus’
work, up to his crucifixion and resurrection, they will continue to
see the his work is the work of God. It this way God himself
testifies to Jesus divinity.

Some of his disciples might also have thought the Jesus had the
testimony of God when they recalled his baptism.

When Jesus was baptized, all three of the Gospel writers and the
second letter of Peter describe how a voice came from the skies
that said “This is my son whom I love, with him I am well-
pleased.”

Jesus might have also had this in mind, because his disciples surely
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would have thought of it. Many were there at his baptism.

Jesus does not shrink from saying that the Father himself testifies
that he is God.

D. The Scriptures testify about Jesus

Jesus final to testimony about himself is the OT. He says that even
the word of God testifies to him.
V. 39 and 40 say, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you
think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures
that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”

No doubt the when he says that the scriptures testify to him he

could have thinking about, among others, the prophet Isaiah. The
great prophet spoke amazing things about the one God would
choose to be Messiah.

He describes the Messiah as “Wonderful counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of peace.” No more startling words are
ever spoken in the OT. Imagine, Isaiah saying that a mere man
will be called Mighty God, Everlasting Father.

Be even earlier in the OT, Jesus knows that Moses, spoke of a

greater prophet than himself.

He says in vs. 46-47 “If you believed Moses, you would believe
me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what
he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

All Jewish leaders know that the words of Moses, speaking about
this prophet greater than he, spoke of the Messiah that they were
waiting for. Jesus takes the words of the great prophet and applies
them to himself. Moses spoke of him.

Jesus says that he has the testimony of the prophetic words of the
ancient scriptures.

And all of this John preserves for us.

Conclusion:

So, how would John answer the question, Did Jesus see himself as God?
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When accused making himself equal to God he…

…didn’t back down from the charge that the Jewish leaders of the time
brought against him. They said that he makes himself equal to God. He
could easily have said no, no that is not the case. But instead, he stands
toe to toe with them and give three reasons that support his claim to that
he and father are equal.

1. Jesus does the work of God.

2. Jesus is the arbiter of the destiny of all mankind.
3. Jesus’ deity is well testified to:
His own testimony
John the Baptist’s testimony
God’s testimony
and the testimony of Scripture.

All affirm that Jesus is God.

These three affirmations by Jesus are not the only places in John where
affirms Jesus’s deity. Later John quotes Jesus as taking the very name of
God.

YHWH… the name of God in the OT can mean “I AM.”

Jesus once told the people around him that, “Truly, Truly I say to you,
before Abraham was born, I AM.”

A strange saying, but very to the point . And the Jews that were against
him got that point and picked up stones to kill him because he claimed
the name of God for himself.

Later in chapter 20:31 we find whole reason John wrote this account is so
that so those coming after him would belief as he believed. He said,

“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John would unreservedly say, Yes. The Jesus I knew while he was on
Earth, was the Son of God and very God himself.

And we who are listening, have the key reason to continue in our faith in
Christ. We have only one reason to believe in Jesus and that is because
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he is God.

C.S. Lewis said it like this.

...I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing
that people often say about Him, "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great
moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one
thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort
of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would
either be a lunatic - on the level with the man who says he is a
poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell.

You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of
God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for
a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at
His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any
patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has
not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

Those of you are still looking, you have one more reason to stop simply
looking, but start following Jesus for yourselves.

When we ask John the Apostle, “did Jesus see himself as God? He
says…Yes! and so can we.

Let’s pray.