Sermon Notes

That You May Be Saved
John 5:17-47


This entire chapter, as it may affect us, rests on this question; “Do you believe verses 17 and 18? Do you believe that the works or signs that Jesus does are the works and signs of God? Do you believe that Jesus by calling God his father was claiming that he himself was equal with God?”

But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”
18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.


Notice that Jesus is not necessarily defending the sign that was performed, but that he is explaining who he is and why he has the authority and is able to do the sign. There are 3 truths to this and 6 witnesses or testimonies to the truths for one purpose.

I. The son can do nothing apart from the father.
a. “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord,

b. In the perfect union of God the Father and Christ the Son the Son does exactly what he has seen the Father do. And here is why Christ is dependant upon the Father; They are so perfectly united that it is impossible for Christ NOT to be dependant upon the Father.

Hebrews 1:3 (ESV)
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

John 17:4 (ESV)
I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.

Since the God the Father is working even now, the Son also must be working. The accusation of the Jews is true and correct. He was working on the Sabbath and by saying these things Christ is saying he is equal with God the Father. This truth is what allows the other truths we will look at today to be true also.
II. Those who hear and believe him have eternal life
a. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.

b. Belief/Faith comes through hearing

Romans 10:17 (ESV)
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

c. This truth is possibly speaking of the Jews. They were a nation that was called out from among all the nations to display the glory of God. They had the knowledge of the Most Holy One. They were supposed to know God. The covenant and promise was to their fathers and passed down to them. They only needed to hear and believe. Many scholars will put these two “Truly, truly” passages together as one truth. I believe however that when put to the rest of Scripture the promise is always presented first to the Jew, second to the Gentile. The Jews worship what they “know”. The Gentiles do not. The Jews would have considered spiritually, the Gentiles as dead. For Christ to use this language would have been offensive to the Jew who did not consider the promises to be for anyone other than the Jews. This would then let us consider that the dead who hear Christ and live would also be a reference to the Gentiles that would also believe on Him. This was also the first great debate in the Church after Pentecost. Were the Gentiles capable of not only receiving the Spirit but also not obligated to keep the law of circumcision?

III. The dead will hear Christ and live
a. “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.

Ephesians 2:4–5 (ESV)
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

Ezekiel 37:3 (ESV)
And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.”

The Witnesses

I. Jesus’ own testimony
a. But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John
i. Conversation with the Samaritan woman (John 4:26)
b. They would not accept Christ’s testimony here but were more than willing to use it against him to kill him.

II. John the Baptist
a. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. 33 You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth
i. John 1:23 (ESV)
He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”,

John 1:26–27 (ESV)
John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”

III. The works
a. the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.
i. Matthew 12:25–28 (ESV)
Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Likewise, our works do not bring us into right standing or favor with God the Father. They are proof and testify to who we belong to and who has sent us!

IV. The Father
a. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me.
i. Matthew 3:16–17 (ESV)
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Why does the Father testify? Because no one is able to come to Him except through Christ!


V. Scripture
a. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,

Luke 24:25–27 (ESV)
And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

2 Timothy 3:15 (ESV)
and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

VI. Moses
a. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me

Deuteronomy 18:18 (ESV)
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.

John 3:14–15 (ESV)
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

Numbers 21:9 (ESV)
So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

Your accuser will be what ever you set your hope on. Some set their hope on men, others on works, still others on knowledge. What do you set your hope on?

The purpose of Christ speaking these things to us in this passage is plain.

“I say these things that you may be saved.” v.34

This is the purpose of Christ; to save that which has been lost. Christ came to save you. Christ came to take your place and bear your punishment for your sin. In order that, as the serpent was lifted up and the people would be healed, if you would look to him on the cross and believe and follow, you too will be saved from your sin. You can ignore it and even deny it but it does not change the fact that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. This includes you and me. Notice Christ does not speak to their comfort or itching ears; he speaks in order to create discomfort so they may turn and seek him. Christ speaks to convict so that they may acknowledge and repent of their sins. Christ speaks so that they have no excuse and can not say “No one told me”. So why did they not turn and seek and believe Him? As Augustine says;

They saw the flesh, the God they knew not; they observed the habitation, of the inhabitant they were ignorant. That flesh was a temple, within it dwelt God.

There are three truths about ourselves that we must acknowledge and admit

I. We are completely and totally dependant upon the Father.
II. We hear because of the grace and mercy of the Father
III. We are dead apart from Christ but we are made alive in Christ.

Christ, and Christ only, makes salvation possible. Will you turn to him and believe?