The Weight of Evidence

Pastor Mike will be talking about The Weight of Evidence. He will be in John 5:30-47

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 disease. He has authority over death. Jesus Christ, His works demonstrated that. You’re listening to Hope Worth Having with Pastor Mike Sanders. I’m so thankful today that you’re with us and that you’ve tuned in.

It’s going to be a great day as we study the Word of God together. And the message today is entitled, The Weight of Evidence. In John chapter 5, verse 30 through 47, Jesus gives infallible proofs that he is God.

He gives heavy evidence that he truly was sent from the Father. Not just his words, which that certainly would be enough, not just the words of others who have testified to who he is, as John the Baptist did, but through the works that he performed, the miracles that vindicated and validated that he was truly a messenger from God, that he truly came from the Father and that he came to bring eternal life.

Jesus not only healed the body, but he heals hearts and everyone who believes in him will have their heart healed. And so today I want you to join me in the Gospel of John and let’s study together. Thank you.

If you have your Bible this morning, we’re going to be back in the Gospel of John, chapter five. We’ve taken a little bit of a break from the Gospel of John for a few weeks, but now I want to get back at it, and we’re going to be covering verse 30 through verse 47.

And I don’t know if you’ve ever, surely some of you have traveled, and you’ve had to travel on an airplane, and if you’ve ever noticed that when you come up to the ticket agent at the airport, they do not trust you who you claim to be.

As a matter of fact, they don’t trust you to board the airplane unless you’re willing to show a photo ID. They do this for security reasons. The airline does not just take your word that you are who you claim to be.

They want proof of who you are. And so it is our responsibility that we have to provide all of this information for them so that we can board this plane and that we can fly. I remember when I flew to Israel and when I was coming back.

Dr. Padrone was coaching us now. These people are very serious and they’re always looking for a terrorist. So don’t look like a terrorist. And I’m like, what does a terrorist look like? Okay. And make sure you look them in the eye and just tell them answers and don’t tell them anything more because they’ll start speculating.

And so I looked the guy in the eye and he started asking me questions. And I had my back then we used to carry around these big laptops. You ever heard of a laptop? Do they still have laptops? Yes. And but anyways, I had this big laptop and he’s like, what’s in there?

And I said, a laptop? He said, what do you have on that laptop? And I said, I have sermons on that laptop. He said, sermons, what’s a sermon? And I said, that’s what I preach and I teach. And they said, well, what are you preaching and teaching about?

And I said, Jesus. And they said, Oh, we want to talk to you. And so they took me off to a security room and Dr. Padrone was like, Oh, and so I ended up for an hour in this security room and they kept, they went through all my sermons and I hoped that maybe some of them would get saved.

I don’t know, but it was certainly something and they just didn’t take my word for it. They wanted evidence. Now, when we come to John chapter five, that’s exactly what is taking place here is that Christ has already claimed to be equal with the father.

He is already claimed that he is the Messiah. And many people that were hearing him did not trust just his words. His critics were demanding proof of his identity. And so in a real way, in this passage, verse 30 through 47, we are seeing Jesus present to us his photo ID.

He is defending that he truly is God, and that he is the Messiah. Remember that Jesus finds himself in this situation because he healed on the Sabbath day. If you study verse 1 through 16, Jesus Christ healed this man and the religious elite were upset with him because he healed on the Sabbath and when he was confronted by the religious crowd as to why he would heal on the Sabbath, he did not give them the answer that most of us would think would be legitimate and sufficient.

He did not say to them, hey I want you to know that there are exceptions in the law that provide for acts of mercy and acts of helping others in time of need that make it plausible and possible for me to heal on the Sabbath, which was all true.

But Jesus said no, I’m God and God never rests and I am equal with the Father. and that the Sabbath was not created for God, it was created for man. And if you remember that that is exactly the response Jesus gives in John chapter 5, and this is so stunning.

It is so amazing to the religious elite that they begin to demand that if you are claiming to be God Himself, we want proof. So pick up with me in verse 30, because that’s exactly what Jesus is doing.

He says, I can of mine own self do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just because I seek not my own will but the will of the Father which has set me. Now let me just stop there that in verse 30 He is reminding them of His equality with the Father, that He as the Son is in step with the Father, and that they are one and they are equal, and that they are that He is fulfilling the purpose of what the Father has sent Him.

Now to the Jewish mind, this would not be confusing in the sense that they knew that Jesus was claiming to be equal with the Father. He was claiming to be the sent Messiah from the Father. So that’s what verse 30 is all about.

But verse 31 says, if I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. And here again, I don’t mean to keep explaining everything, but I got to help you understand this. He is saying that if I only give you my word, it would not be sufficient for you.

If I only tell you that I am equal with the Father, it would not be enough for you. You would demand more proof. So that’s what verse 32 is all about. There is another that beareth witness of me and I know that the witness which he witnessed of me is true you said unto John referring to John the Baptist and he bear witness unto the truth but I’ve received not testimony from man but these things I say that you might be saved he referring to John the Baptist was a burning and a shining light and you were willing for a season to rejoice in his light but I have a greater witness than that of John for the works which the father hath given me to finish the same works that I do bear witness of me that the father has sent me and 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 you have not his word abiding in you for whom he has sent Him you believe not.

Search the scriptures, for in them you think that you have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me. You will not come to me that you might have life. I receive not honor from men, but 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, you will receive. How can you believe which you receive honor, one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh 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, for he wrote of me, but if you believe not his writings, how shall you believe my words?

Jesus Christ understood how the Jewish law, the Greek laws, and the Roman laws required that one person’s word is not sufficient to validate the truth. So he understood that testimonies of a witness or many witnesses would be required.

As a matter of fact, when we study the Old Testament, we are reminded in Deuteronomy 19 .15 that one witness shall not rise up against a man for iniquity or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth, at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.

If you’ve ever had to go to court. If you understand the system of law, you know that witnesses are an important part of making sure that the truth is brought forth to the jury as well as to the judge.

And in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, it is always taught to us that we are not to believe anything just because of hearsay or just because one person claims something, but rather we are to validate that, we are to discern whether there are many claims, there are two or three witnesses that bring about the truth.

So it is, if you will, Jesus Christ in this public courtroom, as He is being confronted by the religious elite, brings before them… Many witnesses, which I call the weight of evidence, he brings to the public and to all that are listening, the weight of evidence that he truly is God.

He truly is the savior. He is the Messiah that we have been waiting for. And so this morning I want us to take a little bit of time to examine and interview these witnesses for the validation that our savior, Jesus Christ, truly is equal with the Father.

The first witness that Jesus brings to us is what I call the forerunner witness. The forerunner’s witness, meaning John the Baptist. In verse 33 through 35, John records for us the words of Jesus as he introduces us to John the Baptist.

And what is interesting is that the Jews already recognized John’s ministry and they valued his ministry. They not only acknowledged it, but they considered him to be a great prophet. If you’re a student of the Bible, you know that when John the Baptist showed up, there had not been a prophet on the scene for over 400 years to the Jewish people.

So after 400 years, God finally sends this great prophet that would be a forerunner to the Messiah, meaning he would be the one that would prepare the way of the coming of the Messiah. Whenever we have a politician, maybe a governor or even a president or an ambassador that is going to show up into a community, there is a forerunner.

There are many forerunners who come to prepare. I was telling you earlier that I went to Israel and I remember that when we were to sit down to meet with the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. that over and over again many people came into the room that we were to be to meet the Prime Minister and they kept checking the closets and they kept talking to us and they kept looking at us and they kept observing preparing the way for the Prime Minister making sure that he’s safe making sure that everything is secure and over and over again they did this they said we were gonna meet the Prime Minister at this time but it ended up being an hour later because they were preparing the way for the arrival of the Prime Minister John the Baptist did that for our Messiah he prepared the way but when he came after 400 years of silence if you will from God he came and there was a great spiritual awakening listen how Mark records the ministry of John the Baptist in Mark 1 verse 5 he says there went out unto him all the land of Judea and they of Jerusalem and they were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan confessing their sins.

Thousands of people showed up to hear John the Baptist preach and when he preached it was not a you know really uh uh diplomatic message. If you study the scriptures, John the Baptist was bold. He was courageous.

He was blunt and he called people to repentance. When the religious crowd showed up, John the Baptist publicly called them snakes and vipers in front of everybody. His ministry was very much a convicting ministry.

He was a true prophet of God and many responded confessing their sins to God and they were being baptized of John the Baptist. His ministry, his job was to introduce the coming of the Messiah Jesus Christ and in so doing it led to a great spiritual awakening across the land and Mark describes it as all the land and all were baptized of him confessing their sin.

We see again in Luke chapter 1 in verse 76 a description of what John’s ministry would be even as a child it was he was brought to the temple and the priest said in you child will be called the prophet of the highest for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways.

So Jesus brings John into the courtroom and said here’s a man that you all respect. Here’s a man that you all have responded to. Here is a man who is boldly proclaimed and you know that he is a man of character He is a man who preaches the truth.

He does not double speak he is a man of great integrity and Jesus says Describing his ministry. I love this in verse 35 if you’ll just look at it in John chapter 5 he was he was a burning and a shining light and You were willing for a season to rejoice in his life This is the first witness What does this witness say about?

Jesus what is John’s testimony about? Jesus Christ back up to John chapter 1 if you will just a few pages in your Bible or on your device What did this great prophet say about Jesus Christ? In chapter 1, verse 7, look at what the text says.

John chapter 1, verse 7, the same came for a witness, referring to John the Baptist, to bear witness of the light that all men through him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light.

We jump down to verse 15. John bear witness of him, referring to Christ. Cried, saying, this was he of whom I spake. He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was before me. We then jump down to verse 29.

Again, I want you to know in verse 7 and 8, John understood his ministry, that he was to bear witness of Christ. And as he bore witness of Christ, he said, I told you there’s one coming, and I’m telling you that he is the one, and he is to be preferred before me.

And then in verse 29, look at this great testimony of Jesus Christ. The next day, John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saying, behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. Verse 34 of chapter 1.

You remember when we went through John chapter 1, that the disciples of John were a little bit nervous about the disciples of Jesus, and questioned whether these people should be baptizing, and whether they should be getting all the attention, after being a part of such an exciting ministry, like John the Baptist, where thousands of people were coming, and now those people being shifted over to Jesus Christ,

his disciples, John’s disciples, are a little bit envious. And John’s response to them in verse 34, and I saw and bear record that this is the Son of God. Verse 35, again the next day after John stood and two of his disciples, looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold, behold the Lamb of God.

We jump over to chapter 3 in verse 26. Again, I’m just kind of assembling the testimonies here. Chapter 3, verse 26. And they came unto John, this is John the Baptist, and said unto him, Rabbi, “‘He that was with thee beyond Jordan, “‘to whom thou bearest witness, “‘behold the same baptizes and all men come to him.’ “‘John answered and said, “‘A man can receive nothing “‘except it be given him from heaven.

“‘You yourselves bear me witness that I said, “‘I am not the Christ, “‘but that I am sent before him. “‘He that hath the bride is the bridegroom, “‘but the friend of the bridegroom, “‘which standeth and heareth him, “‘rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice, “‘this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

“‘He,’ referring to Christ, “‘must increase, but I must decrease. “‘That, my friends, is the testimony of John the Baptist. “‘That testimony would be very difficult “‘to discredit in the court of law.’ And so Jesus, in verse 33 through 35, says to them in verse 33, “‘You sent unto John, you went to go see him, “‘and you know that he bore witness unto the truth.'” And Jesus continues on.

His second testimony of the validity of him being God and being the Messiah is the finished works. It’s not just the forerunner’s witness, but it’s the finished works of Christ. Look at verse 36. But I have a greater witness than that of John.

A greater witness of John. For the works which the Father has given me to finish, the same works that I do bear witness of me that the Father has sent me. So what is Jesus talking about? He’s talking about the signs and wonders.

talking about the miracles that Jesus did while he was on this earth. What Jesus is saying is that as you are witnessing my life and my ministry, they speak of who I am. They are evidence that I am truly God and that I am the Messiah sent from the Father.

And think about it, Jesus’s miracles were unique. They were different from all the charlatans of his day and those who claim to be miracle workers of even today. His miracles were unique in that when Jesus performed a miracle, it was always complete.

It was not halfway. When Jesus performed a miracle, there was never anybody who went before and kind of vetted that person and see what the possibilities are. There was no communication back to Jesus.

Hey, this would be a good candidate. When Jesus did miracles, the Bible says as we studied the gospel of Luke, that he healed everyone. Meaning the Bible doesn’t record every miracle, but it makes reference that everyone that came to Jesus, he healed them.

He did not just select people out of the crowd and say, I’ll take you or I’ll take this person. Jesus never rented out Colosseums. Many times when Jesus healed people, he said, don’t tell anybody. His miracles were unique and Jesus not only, and I want you to get this about the miracles of Jesus.

And this may stun you, but a thorough study of the gospels will help you to see this. That Jesus healed people many times who were not believers, who were not people of faith. But let me tell you else something about Jesus’s miracles.

They stand out, not just because of what I just told you. They stand out because no one has ever raised the dead. I know that people have claimed to raise the dead, but nobody has raised the dead like Jesus.

You see, my friends, I tell the healing people, the people of miracles they claim to be healers, which I really just call them charlatans, and I know that might upset you, but that’s what they are. They’re delivering false hope to people.

Now, I believe in miracles, and I believe God can do great things, and I believe God can heal, and I have seen it done many, many times within the church family, within the body of believers. But I believe it is through the power of prayer, and it is through the power of God Almighty, that it’s not anything to do with Mike Sanders, and I can slap you on the head as many times as I can try.

And as you would allow me, and if you want to slap on the head, I’ll do it. but just come see me, I’ll do some head slapping. I can throw you on the ground and you can have a convulsion and you can flop like a fish, all that you want, but none of those things will bring healing into your life like the power of God’s people praying and the power of Almighty God intervening and showing and doing his great work in the life of an individual.

So I want you to get that, amen. The other thing that I think about this is that Jesus, when he raised the dead, he interrupted funeral processions. When Jesus raised the dead, he waited four days. Mary and Martha thought Jesus was a little late, a coming, but see, Jesus wanted to make sure that he was dead and you said, why would Jesus do that?

To authenticate that he’s truly God because only God four days later after the smell of a body decaying can raise someone to life. But there isn’t any charlatans doing that. They don’t go to Hershey Hospital.

You can’t find them. You can’t find them at the Chambersburg Hospital. They’re not raising the dead. And I want you to know, I believe all who work in the medical field, all of our nurses and doctors and physician assistants and everybody, and I wish I knew every title that is involved, but I’m just telling you, all of you are an extension of the healing hand of God on this earth.

I believe that. And I pray for you and I support you 100%. But 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 disease. He has authority over death. Jesus Christ, His works demonstrated that. The Jews recognized John’s ministry.

The religious leaders acknowledged that John the Baptist was a great prophet. They realized that he was part of a spiritual awakening that existed in Israel. And when Jesus pointed to the fact that John the Baptist, being a credible preacher and witness, declared that Jesus was God, he was giving testimony to the truth, that Jesus Christ was sent from the Father.

These witnesses and works were infallible and they were hard to refute. but the religious elite would not have any desire to buy in to what Jesus was teaching them. But when you and I come to this passage and we see that Jesus Christ makes the strong case for His deity and the strong case for His mission and assignment from the Father, we cannot help but fall down on our knees and worship Him and believe in Him and receive Him as our Savior knowing that He gave His life for our life.

I hope you understand that the weight of evidence that God has provided for you because as Jesus takes us through these truths, He’s helping us to be more confirmed and assured in our faith. Now next week we’re going to finish this message, the weight of evidence.

So make sure you come back and let’s study it together. This is Pastor Mike Sanders reminding you that in Christ there is hope worth having. Thanks for watching!