The Weight of Evidence part 2

Pastor Mike Sanders speaking on The Weight of Evidence John 5:30-47

But if you choose to stay neutral and demand even more evidence after all that we’ve given you, you in a sense are making a decision. For you are not believing, because to me and to all that see, the weight of the evidence is overwhelming.

And I hope today that if you are not a believer, that you will walk away today believing that Jesus truly is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Hello this is Pastor Mike Sanders from the Open Door Church and this is Hope Worth Having.

We are delighted to have you be a part of our program. Thank you for tuning in and we want to encourage you to get your Bible and turn to John chapter 5. We are going to continue our study on the weight of evidence.

We are going to be in verses 30 -47. In this passage of scripture, Jesus is giving out the weighty evidence, the immense evidence of Him being the true Messiah that the prophets had declared would soon come.

And so Jesus is making the point to the religious elite that He is truly the one who brings the message of God and is God Himself. So let’s get our Bible and let’s start learning about the weight of this evidence.

Healing is ultimately of God. And the testimony of the finished works of Christ stand out as a superior testimony that He truly is God. What I want you to get is this. The finished works of Christ have demonstrated that He has authority over demons.

He has authority over demons. authority over disease He has authority over death Jesus Christ his works demonstrated that But let me just show you in the gospel of John again Just some of the works that Jesus did that validated that he was truly God go back to chapter 2 and verse 11 John chapter 2 and verse 11 in the gospel of John John will identify seven miracles as we go through the gospel of John there will be seven miracles that will be featured by John and We will see those miracles and remember at the end of the gospel of John Jesus or John says that there were many other things that Jesus did but there isn’t enough books in the world to contain all that Jesus did So,

let’s just highlight a few of what we’ve already seen as we’ve studied the gospel of John. Look at verse 11 of chapter 2, this beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee. And many disciples, many, I’m sorry, and manifested forth His glory and His disciples believed on Him.

What was this miracle? You remember Jesus showed up to a wedding. You’d love to have Jesus show up to your wedding. And as I went through it all in detail, and I’m not going to rehash it because we don’t have time, but in a Jewish wedding they drank wine.

And this wine was important and they ran out and Jesus miraculously from water turned it into wine. And so that was the first of His miracles. And then we go to chapter 2 verse 23. It says, now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover in the feast day, many believed in His name when they saw the miracles which He did.

You see the miracles being unique, the miracles being unusual, the miracles being beyond what anybody had ever seen validated His message and validated that He truly was God. We go over to chapter 3 verse 2, I present to you this witness, this rabbi named Nicodemus who came to Jesus.

Verse 2 says of chapter 3 that the same came to Jesus by night and said unto Him, Rabbi, why we know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man, hear this, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest.

God be with him. So even the religious elite, the intellectuals of the day said there’s something unique about the miracles of Jesus and they stand out from all the charlatans of the day. Chapter 4 verse 53, again we see the power of God.

We see the power of the miracles of God. Chapter 4 verse 53, you remember the story of how the father whose son was sick unto death and how he came to Jesus, he pleaded, he begged. He was not a believer at the time.

That’s why when you have a miracle worker claiming that the reason the miracle didn’t work is because you did not have enough faith, then my friend I want you to know that they are not from God. Thank you.

Yes, there were times that Jesus asks, do you have faith? But not every time that Jesus asks, do you have faith? This man came, and he was not a believer, but he sought out Jesus. He was helpless, he was desperate, he was a wealthy man, he was a man of authority.

He was in the government of Rome, and he had 100 or so soldiers underneath him that he was responsible for. But out of humility and desperation, he came to Jesus and he said, help my son, he is dying, I don’t know what to do.

The doctors can’t do anything for him, I am pleading with you to do something. And Jesus was getting ready to go to his house, and he said, you don’t even have to go to my house, I’m a man of authority.

I understand, all you gotta do is give orders, and it happens. So we come to verse 53. So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said unto him, thy son liveth, and himself what? And his whole house.

After the miracle, he believed, after the miracle, he believed. All I’m trying to say to you is that this is how Christ works and his miracles were amazing and they were phenomenal. Now we jump over to chapter five, our chapter for today, and we’re in verse nine.

And this is the man that we just were talking about that’s caused this whole mess of everybody being upset at Jesus. And verse nine says, immediately the man was made whole and took up his bed and he walked and on the same day was the Sabbath.

Jesus’s miracles were always immediate. They were never progressive. And so again, time and time again, and I’m just giving you chapter one through chapter five, I’ve already taken you church through the Gospel of Luke.

which I call the apologetic gospel, and I believe over and over that Luke is trying to show us that Jesus has authority over disease and demons and death. But the greatest work, the greatest work of Christ is the transformation.

It is the redemption of souls that once were in sin and now have been pulled out of that miry clay and set their feet on a solid rock and has given them new life. And now, my friends, there are throngs of people across this world and throughout the generations that give testimony to the power of God that has transformed them from a sinner into a saint.

Now you go figure. Even the best rehab centers only claim 70% success. The world thinks if they get 40 or 50, that’s awesome. But Jesus has 100% success that when he truly touches a heart and he truly saves the soul, there is my friend’s immediate transformation and God changes the heart and the redemptive work of Christ stands as a burning testimony before all that he truly is God himself.

All my friends, I want you to catch this in chapter five. In verse 36 again, he says, I have a greater witness, a greater witness than John the bastard. It’s the works which the father has given me. The father gave me to finish him, meaning the finishing works of Christ were given to him by the father and the same works that I do bear witness of me that the father has sent me.

Verse 37, the father himself which has sent me has borne witness of me. You have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his shape. And here’s the point, he is saying to them, my works stand out as a testimony.

And if you try to discredit me and my works, you are discrediting the father because I am doing nothing more than what the father sent me to do. And I am doing nothing more than what the father wants me to do.

Now this put the Pharisees into a pretzel because they were in great difficulty trying to explain away the works of Jesus because in doing so, they were explaining away God the father who they claim to follow.

The third evidence of the validity of Christ. is the Father’s Word. The Father’s Word. I read to you verse 37, Jesus said you haven’t seen God. And verse 38, you have not his word abiding in you for whom he has sent him you believe not.

Jesus was a direct witness of the Father. To see will learn that the disciples said that they wanted to see the Father and Jesus said if you’ve seen me you’ve seen the Father. Because he is a witness of the Father.

He is an ambassador of the Father. He is equal with the Father and he is God himself. 1st John 5 9 helps us understand this. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. For this is the witness of God, which He has testified of His Son.” God’s witness to us, God’s witness, His word to us, is not audible.

It is not visible. It’s not something that you are going to see the Father, or you’re going to hear this audible voice from the Father, but rather it is internal in your heart that you know that Jesus Christ is truly God, and He is God Himself, and the Father has spoken to you in your heart internally, and He has validated to you with His peace, and His Spirit, and His truth, and His word that truly Jesus is the Son of God.

Go back to John, Chapter 1. I’m sorry to have you look the Bible up so much, but there’s so much information here that I cannot let you just walk away and not know this. Verse 18 of Chapter 1, No man has seen God at any time.

The only begotten Son, which is the bosom of the Father, has declared Him. So what He’s simply saying is that you and I have not seen the Father, but we have seen the Father, we’ve seen His witness, and we have seen Him through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Jesus has declared Him to us. He has declared Him to us, and the apostles and the prophets have recorded the words of the Father which point us to Christ. And we have heard the words of the Father, and His witness, and His testimony is superior to any man’s witness.

And if you would believe the witness of John, and if you would believe the witness of the works of the Son, why would you… you not believe the words of the Father that have spoken to you in your heart and told you that Jesus truly is the Son of God.

The fourth thing I want you to see is the faithful writings of God which we’ve already referenced to you about. But jump down to verse 39. Again Jesus says, search the Scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life and they are they and they are they which testify of me.

So Jesus now is calling them to the witness of the Scriptures and He is reminding them that as they search the Scriptures and that word search has the idea of intensive investigation. The Jews did not just You know, they weren’t just interested in a little devotion or a little sermonette.

They were really intense in their study of the scriptures. And so he says in verse 39, you’re searching intensively, you’re investigating the Bible. And you think that just because you’re this great investigator of the Bible, that that’s where your eternal life is.

But the truth is, the scriptures speak of Jesus. This is what you and I need to know. We need to know that you and I can miss the whole purpose of the Bible. We can miss it being a student of the Bible, being a researcher of the Bible.

You can miss the whole point of the Bible if you’re not careful. The whole point of the Bible, if you will, and no pun intended, is to point you to Jesus Christ that you might believe. Listen to the Gospel of Luke chapter 24, verse 27.

The Bible says, this is after Jesus resurrected, and the disciples were discouraged, they were defeated. You remember the Emmaus walk, you remember the two disciples that were with Jesus on the Emmaus walk, but they did not know Him.

They did not recognize Him for some reason. And the Bible says that beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures, the things concerning Him. When you read the Bible, you need to connect the dots because Jesus was helping the disciples to connect the dots and He wants them to understand that all of the Bible is about Jesus.

Everything is either a foreshadow, a prototype, it is a message of Christ. The true value of the scriptures is their witness of Jesus Christ. And so you may be. the smartest person in our church and you may understand Greek and Hebrew and you may be able to define words and you may have studied the Bible all your life but my friends if your focus is not on Christ in your study if your focus is not pointing you to Jesus and you’re going on all these tangents and you’re running down all these different roads that mean nothing and do not lead to Christ that I’m telling you you are missing the point of the Bible because the true value of the Bible is Jesus listen to Acts chapter 10 verse 43 when Peter was preaching he said to him referring to Christ all the prophets witnessed that meaning they witnessed to Christ through his name that whoever believes in him will receive remission or forgiveness of sins all the prophets speak of Jesus The Old Testament promises are fulfilled and they are kept in Jesus Christ Church.

I want you to know that church. I want you to believe that. I want you to know that the Bible stands as a witness to us that Jesus is God. Now again, I want to back you up. Just hang in there with me.

All right? Just hang in there with me. In chapter 1 of John, just want to show you this, how John keeps bringing the same thought to us that Jesus is sharing with the religious elite. John chapter 1 verse 45.

Go there. Verse 45, chapter 1, Philip findeth Nathaniel, and he saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Isn’t it interesting that the everyday guy, Philip, he got it.

But the elite intellectuals of the religious crowd, they missed it. They were educated beyond Nathaniel, and yet they could not see Jesus. They could not see that the prophets were pointing towards Jesus.

But here’s old Nathaniel, or Philip, he finds Nathaniel and he tells him, he says, We found him. This is who Moses was talking about. He is the Messiah. It’s Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Now why would he say all that?

Because he knew the genealogy. He knew what the prophets said about the Messiah. He knew that he would come from Nazareth. And he’s telling Nathaniel, Philip’s telling Nathaniel, He’s the guy, he fulfills everything that the prophets have told us.

Look at chapter two, verse 22. Chapter two, verse 22. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them, and they believed the scriptures and the word which Jesus had said.

Now, one thing you gotta get about the gospel of John, and I know this can mess you up, especially if you’re very, you know, perfectionist person, is that John does not always write in chronological order like the other gospels.

And so every once in a while, he throws us a curve ball like he does here, and here we’re in chapter two, and he’s already talking about after Jesus resurrected. We haven’t even gotten to the crucifixion yet, have we?

much less the resurrection now john what are you doing but the point is that john is he’s making an evangelistic appeal the gospel of john is an evangelistic appeal it’s not a chronological demonstration of the life of christ and so he says in verse 22 hey look the disciples figured it out that everything the scriptures were teaching about jesus is true now remember they don’t have the new testament at this time all they have is the old testament so again there is a epiphany there is a revelation there is a light bulb coming on as they recognize that jesus is fulfilling the old testament promises he is keeping the old testament promises as the bible said he would chapter 3 verse 10 chapter 3 verse 10 jesus asks nicodemus a question but the question gives us insight to the point that i want to make to you verse 10 jesus answered and said unto him are thou a master of israel and nois not these things what are you saying is nicodemus you’re such a highly educated man you have climbed the ladder of the religious hierarchy you’re at the top here and you don’t even know that i am the messiah and you don’t even know that the messiah would come and bring new life and new birth to those who would believe in him and what his point is simply the bible already reveals this you’re supposed to be this great educated man you’re supposed to know all these things about religion and the bible and yet you’ve missed it all because the Scriptures speak of Jesus.

Christ was portraying to those who were in this public courtroom that his portrait, his portrait was on every page of the Old Testament. Where did Moses write of Jesus? We know in Genesis chapter 22 that he wrote about Jesus.

The young man Isaac is a remarkable prototype of Jesus Christ. Everything about Isaac in this passage points to him being an illustration or a type of Christ. Everything about Isaac reminds us of the Lord Jesus.

Yes, study Genesis chapter 22 and you will see the remarkable parallels between Isaac and Emmanuel, God, with us. Christ! has a picture of himself that he is portraying that he himself is drawn with remarkable accuracy in the old testament he is appealing to all who read and search the scriptures to see him for he has fulfilled every messianic prophecy that relates to his first coming he has demonstrated that because that he is the fulfillment of all the prophecies and promises of the old testament relating to the messiah that his claims are valid his photo id is real we jump over to the book of joshua and as we read the book of joshua we see glimpses of jesus and we continue to go through every old testament book and all we see is simply this that jesus is the theme of the bible he is a part of every book he is a part of every chapter he is a part of every verse he is the theme of the word of god but it was this theme that jesus tells us it was the theme of the scriptures that they opposed they opposed christ did you see that when i read that did you see that in verse 40 you will not come to me that you might have life i received not honor from men jesus didn’t go out seeking honor he was not some person who was in need of honor jesus shows them the contradiction i know you that you have not the love of god in you I am come in my father’s name and you receive me not if another shall come in his own name him you will receive how can you believe which receive honor one of another and seek not the honor that comes from God only do not think that I will accuse you to the father there is one that accuses you even Moses in whom you trust for had you believed Moses you would have believed me or he wrote of me but if you believe not his writings how shall you believe my words Jesus stood before a hostile jury and that hostile jury saw the weight of the evidence that he truly was God and yet they would not believe in face of all the evidence.

But you, you this morning must consider the claims of these testimonies. You must consider the weight of the evidence that I have presented to you that Jesus has presented to us through His Word. And each of you this morning must decide, am I a believer or will I refuse to believe?

And whether you decide or not does not give you an excuse before God. For if you choose to stay neutral and demand even more evidence after all we’ve given you, you in a sense are making a decision. For you are not believing because to me and to all that see the weight of the evidence is overwhelming.

And I hope today that if you are not a believer that you will walk away today believing that Jesus truly is the Son of God. And the Savior of the world. Jesus is the theme of the Bible. And over and over again, Jesus is showing them that in the Old Testament, that the Old Testament speaks of Him as the coming Messiah who will bring salvation to all who believe in Him.

Unfortunately, there is a hostile jury that is refusing to believe the weight of the evidence. They are refusing to believe that Christ is truly the Messiah. But today I hope you’ll consider Consider the claims of the testimonies that Jesus gives us in this passage of scripture that reaffirm who He is and His message of salvation to all who repent and believe.

I pray today that you are a believer and that this message has confirmed and affirmed in your heart that your faith is real and that you don’t have to be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We want to thank you for being a part of our ministry today.

We want to thank you for dialing in and tuning in and just being able to learn more about what God’s word says. That is the goal of Hope Worth Having. We want to encourage you to stay faithful for Jesus Christ, and if you are not plugged into a local Bible believing church, make sure you find a GOOD church where the Bible is taught verse by verse, chapter by chapter, and where Jesus Christ is glorified.

This is Pastor Mike Sanders reminding you that in Christ there is hope worth having.