Greetings to all of you who are watching or listening today.
We are still in the midst of this pandemic,
but I hope and I've been praying that God has been working for your good through all of this.
I know many of you are eager for us to be able to come together as a church
and fellowship and worship in person, but the day for that has not come yet.
We are currently awaiting, at least here in Saskatchewan,
for Phase 3 to start in about a week's time.
And we're also waiting on the government to give some additional guidance and instruction
specifically for places of worship.
And I hope you know that I and the elders will be listening closely to those things that they say
and prayerfully looking at how we can resume in some measure, when, how,
and we'll do our best to communicate that to you.
And we do look forward to the day when we can be together again in person.
Until that day comes, I just want to encourage you to be patient
and to continue to fix your eyes on Jesus.
He's the one who will continue to lead us through all of this one day at a time.
Well, we want to do that today as we open our Bibles again
and listen to what God has said about His Son, Jesus.
We've been working our way as a church through the Gospel of John.
And we are in the middle of Jesus giving a bit of an answer.
It's kind of a long answer to the religious leaders.
We're in John chapter 5.
If you have a Bible with you, please open it up to John chapter 5 and follow along.
So Jesus is in Jerusalem and He has healed the man who has been unable to walk for 38 years
at the pool of Bethesda.
He did that on the Sabbath and the religious leaders, the Jewish leaders, came after Him.
They are trying to have Him killed.
This is part of the larger story of what's going on between Jesus and the religious leaders,
which John and the other Gospel writers tell us about.
And things get even more intense when Jesus says a certain thing to Him,
which we looked at a couple weeks back, basically referring to God as His own Father.
And the focus on Sabbath breaking kind of goes away.
And in its place comes this focus on Jesus and His relationship with God.
And Jesus gives an answer to them to explain just what His relationship is with God, His Father.
And so we saw a little bit of that last Sunday about how Jesus is one with His Father.
And they work together in unison, two distinct persons and one God working in any given moment
with these miracles and these things that Jesus is doing.
Well, today we want to see a little more of what Jesus has to say about this relationship that He has with His Father.
And we pick up the story and we'll start it in verse 19, but we'll be looking at the verses which follow.
John chapter 5, verse 19.
Jesus gave them this answer.
Yes, and He will show Him even greater works than these,
so that you will be amazed.
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life,
even so the Son gives life to whom He is pleased to give it.
Moreover, the Father judges no one,
but has entrusted 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.
So there's a lot in here about this relationship between Jesus and His Father.
And the first thing that we see, at least in the section we're looking at today,
comes in verse 20.
For the Father loves the Son.
We've already heard John say this very thing back in John 3, verse 35.
The Father loves the Son.
Now, John didn't say this in his gospel,
but we know from the other gospels,
these words have been used before about Jesus as well.
At Jesus' baptism,
as Jesus was coming up out of the water,
we saw or we heard there that a voice came from heaven.
God spoke from heaven and said,
this is my beloved Son,
with whom I am well pleased.
And we will see the Father speak
basically the same words
at a later time
as Jesus is transfigured
in the presence of a few of His disciples.
This is my beloved Son,
with whom I am well pleased.
The Father loves the Son.
We see from all these places
and these moments
that the Father loves the Son.
Theirs is a relationship
that's not just characterized
by unity and oneness.
It's a relationship
that is also characterized by love.
One for the other.
And in this case,
the Father loves the Son.
And here in verse 20,
we see a little bit of what
the Father's love for the Son
leads Him to do.
Or we might say
the result of the Father's love.
In verse 20,
for the Father loves the Son
and shows Him all He does.
The Father loves the Son
and shows Him all He does.
And the emphasis in this statement
is on the word all
in the original language.
Like everything.
He loves Him
and shows Him
all.
Everything that He does.
That He is doing.
Now I have to admit,
this is not what I expected
to read
as I came to this point.
For the Father loves the Son
and shows Him
all He does
or all He is doing.
What does that mean?
I was expecting perhaps
something more familiar.
The Father loves the Son
and tells Him that every day.
Or the Father loves the Son
and watches over Him
and protects Him
from all threats.
Or the Father loves the Son
and gives Him amazing gifts,
power, authority.
Something like that.
This is a little unexpected,
at least to me.
The Father loves the Son
and shows Him
all He does.
What does that mean?
Shows Him all He does
or all He is doing.
I think to really get the sense of that
we have to go back to
kind of the counterpart to this
which we saw
last Sunday
in verse 19.
There Jesus told us
that the Son
can do nothing
of Himself
unless,
He said,
it is something
He sees
the Father doing.
And what we took
from that
is that
in some sense
that we just
don't understand
as mere human beings,
Jesus,
the Divine Son of God
is continuously
watching His Father.
He is continuously
seeing
what His Father
is doing.
And the counterpart
to that
that we see
here
is that the Father
is continuously
showing
the Son
all
that He is doing.
The Son
sees
what the Father
is doing
and the Father
shows
the Son
what He is doing.
There's kind of
both.
The Son
sees,
the Father shows.
The Father shows,
the Son sees.
We get this
sense of
that there's a communion,
there's a relationship
going on here,
there's an intimacy
happening
here.
And what's so
interesting
to me
in all of this
is that
the showing
of the Father
is the Father
shows the Son
all He does
that seems to sprout
out of His
love
for the Son.
How is that?
Why is that?
I think we see here
a little bit
of a principle
if we're looking
closely
that we can draw
out about
what love
is
and what love
does.
We might say
it like this.
God's kind
of love
or true
love
opens up
to others.
It shows
oneself
to others
and allows
them to see
what's really
going on
with you,
what you are
up to,
what you are
doing.
There's
an intimacy
here.
He allows
the Son
to see,
He shows
the Son
and the Son
sees
and knows
just what
the Father
is up to.
We get a little
bit of confirmation
of this
principle
of love
from Jesus'
words
to His disciples
on the night
of His betrayal.
John 15,
verse 13.
Jesus is speaking
to His disciples.
He says,
Greater love
has no one
than this,
that a man
lay down
his life
for his
friends.
And then a couple
verses down
in verse 15,
He says,
I no longer
call you
servants
because a servant
does not know
his master's
business.
instead,
I have
called you
friends
for everything
that I
heard
from my
Father,
I have
made known
to you.
And so
Jesus is
talking about
love and
relationship
again
to His
disciples,
saying,
you are
my friends,
I love
you,
and I'm
about to
show you
just how
much
I love
you,
but laying
down my
life
for you,
the greatest
demonstration
of love
possible.
My
relationship
with you
is not
like that
of a
master
with his
servants.
It's
like that
of a
person
with his
friend.
A
master,
he doesn't
make his
business,
what he
is doing,
what he
is up
to known
to his
servants.
They don't
need to
know,
he makes
his business,
what he's
up to
known to
his
friends,
whom he
loves.
The
evidence
that you
are
friends,
that I
have called
you friends
and not
just
servants,
is that I
have made
known to
you everything
that I
have heard
from my
father.
So again,
we see here
kind of this
principle that
in a
loving
relationship,
there is
intimacy,
there is
a making
known
to the
other,
rather than
keeping
things from
the other
and hiding
things from
them and
keeping
secrets.
And this
is what we
see in
Jesus'
relationship
with his
father,
the father's
relationship
with the
son.
He shows
him all
he does,
everything.
There's an
intimacy there.
And I
think we
can draw a
bit of a
principle here
for human
level
relationships
as well.
I mean,
this is about
Jesus and
his father,
but I
think the
same applies
to human
relationships
too.
We are
to imitate
God's
love
toward one
another,
toward other
people.
And so to
do that,
we must
open ourselves
up to
them.
We must
let them
see what
is really
going on
with us,
what we
are up
to.
Now,
of course,
as we
apply this
to human
relationships,
there are
appropriate
boundaries
here.
It would
not be
right to
show all
things to
someone who
is not your
husband or
your wife.
It would
not be
wise to
show all
things to
a stranger
or to
an enemy.
Showing
all things
to someone,
that's
something that
you do in
only the
deepest of
relationships,
that you
show everything.
And I
think that's
precisely the
point Jesus
is making
here.
This is the
kind of
relationship
I have
with God
the Father.
He shows
all things
that he is
doing to
me.
There's no
secrets.
Nothing is
being hidden.
I think we
can reflect
on our
various
relationships
with this
principle that
love opens
up to the
other and
lets them
in.
We might
reflect on
marriage
relationships.
A marriage
in which
one or
both
partners
are holding
each other
at arm's
length
and keeping
secrets and
hiding things
from each
other and
not opening
up to each
other is a
marriage that
is failing,
that is spiraling
downward.
The intimacy
is not there
and growing.
When your
spouse asks
you that
question with
longing and
sincerity,
how are you
doing?
how is
your day?
Don't hold
up the
arm and
say,
oh,
I'm good.
Make the
effort.
Open yourself
up.
Let them
see what's
really going
on with you,
what you
are up
to.
This is
the kind
of love
that makes
for intimate
relationships,
not just
with husband
and wife
relationship,
but with
parent and
child
relationship.
I'm aware
of this,
especially as
a father
of three
young children.
My kids
are always
asking me
the question,
why?
Why?
Sometimes,
I'll be
honest,
it feels
like a
little much.
I get
kind of
weary of
hearing that
question,
but as
I've been
reflecting on
this,
many times
underneath
that is
just a
simple
longing to
know you,
mom,
or to
know you,
dad,
to understand
what makes
you tick,
why you
say the
things you
do,
why you
make the
decisions you
do,
why you
responded
that way
to that
friend that
you were
talking to.
And it's
kind of a
sweet and
beautiful and
innocent thing.
a young
child just
longs to
know,
to receive
wisdom about
how to
navigate the
world from
you as a
parent.
And so,
I'm talking
to myself,
I'm confessing
my own sins
here.
When you
hold up
the hand
and kind of
keep them
at arm's
length and
give answers
like,
because I
said so,
because you
don't need
to know,
love opens
up to
the other.
You could
apply this
to your
relationships
with your
co-workers,
with your
neighbors,
of course,
in appropriate
ways.
On the
flip side of
things,
some of
you may
be just
anxious to
open yourself
up to
someone,
to share
what's going
on in your
life with
someone,
but maybe
they're not
asking how
you're doing.
That can be
a difficult
place to
be.
But we
can only go
so far in
answering
questions that
are not
being asked
of us.
So what can
we do in
those situations?
Well, I
would encourage
you just to
instead focus
on, not so
much on getting
the opportunity
to share what's
going on with
you, with
them, but
focus on
asking them
what's going
on in their
life.
Give them
the opportunity
to open up
to you.
Ask them
questions that
draw them
out and
go beneath
the surface
a little bit.
Sometimes people
just want to
know that
you care
before they
exchange
details and
information about
what's really
going on in
their life at
that level.
Finally, if
there's one
thing on this
topic of love
and intimacy
that really
is a barrier
to intimacy
that really
keeps us from
opening up to
others, it's
sin in our
lives.
It's sinful
attitudes, sinful
behaviors.
I know in my
own life, when I
am wrestling with
a sinful attitude
or behavior of
some kind or
have done
something that I
know is wrong,
the last thing I
want to do is
be close to
people.
I kind of
want to keep
my arm up
and keep a
distance.
I don't want
you to see my
sin up close.
I found from my
own personal
experience that
what I need to
do most in
that situation
is not to go
straight to other
people and just
fling wide the
doors open and
let them see,
but it's to go
to the Lord and
acknowledge my
sin and confess
it to him,
ask for his
forgiveness,
repent, and
come to that
place again where
I see just how
deeply he loves
me, the broken
sinner that I
am, and how
he has forgiven
me and made
me righteous in
his sight through
Jesus.
It's there at
the cross that I
find strength and
courage to open
up to people and
to let them see
what's really going
on with me.
me.
So those are
some of the
things that we
can maybe pull
as a bit of a
principle for our
human level
relationships with
one another from
this that we see
between father and
son.
But just think for
a moment what a
wonderful relationship
this must be between
Jesus and his
father.
There's no sin,
there's no barriers,
there's no guilt,
there's no shame,
there's no reason to
hide one from the
other.
There's is a
beautiful, complete,
total intimacy,
constant seeing,
constant showing.
Well, Jesus goes on
from there in verse
20.
He says this, the
father loves the
son and shows him
all he does.
Yes.
And he will show
him even greater
works than these so
that you will be
amazed.
I love these words.
It's almost as if
Jesus is saying,
you think that the
miracles that I've
done up to this
point are amazing?
Like all these
countless healings
and, and casting
out demons and
other signs and
miracles that I've
done.
You think those are
amazing?
You haven't seen
anything yet.
the father will
show me.
And as I see what
he shows me and
together do we do
works, you will see
greater things than
those.
And, and I love this
expression things that
when you see you will
be amazed.
Now that word amazed
may seem a little
flat to us.
Amazed.
I mean, we use that
very ordinarily like
that basketball shot
that we saw someone
make on their
Facebook page.
Oh, that was
amazing.
That's not what Jesus
means here.
When he says amazed
the original word
there, so that you
will be amazed means
so that you will be
extraordinarily impressed
impressed so that you
will be astonished
that so that you
will marvel be, be
filled with awe.
So what kind of
greater things or
greater works is
Jesus talking about?
Well, what, what do
you expect?
How do you feel about
some of the miracles
that, you know, Jesus
has done or will do
in, in this story?
I think of some of
the, some of the
things like Jesus
walking on water,
Jesus calming the
storm, Jesus multiplying
a couple loaves of
bread and fish to
feed thousands.
Those things, if I'm
honest, astonish me.
They amaze me.
But what I think is, is
truly wonderful is that
these, I mean, these
might be kinds of
things might be
included in what Jesus
says, but they're not
the things that he
gives.
They're not the
example that he
gives of greater
things.
What, what kinds of
things is Jesus
talking about?
Verse 21.
For just as the
father raises the
dead and gives
them life, even
so the son gives
life to whom he is
pleased to give it.
God, that is one of the
greater works that the
father will show the
son and the son will
do and we will be
amazed.
Only God can give
life.
And we're not talking
give life like, you
know, my mother gave me
life, like give birth or
reproduce.
No, we're talking
resurrection.
We're talking life from
the dead for just as
the father raises the
dead and gives them
life or makes them
alive.
Even so the son makes
alive or gives life to
whom he is pleased to
give it.
That, that unique
signature work of God's
power, giving life to
the dead.
You're going to see me
do that too.
And you'll be amazed.
You'll be astonished,
says Jesus.
We're going to talk a
little bit more about
that because Jesus has
more to say.
We'll talk about that
more next Sunday.
But let's move on.
What's another example
of a greater work or
greater thing that Jesus
will do?
Something that will
astonish them.
verse 22.
Moreover, the father
judges no one, says
Jesus, but has
entrusted all judgment
to the son.
What a statement.
What a thing to say.
I mean, think about
this.
The Lord God,
Yahweh, we know from
the Old Testament is
the judge.
He is the judge of
all the earth.
He's the one who
sees that all receive
what they are due,
whether good or bad,
reward or punishment.
That's his domain.
That's his sole
responsibility as creator
and God over everything
in the universe.
Jesus is saying.
That responsibility,
and I think he's mainly
pointing to the future,
final judgment,
that responsibility.
The father has passed
off to me.
He has delegated to me.
I will do it for all
people on his behalf.
I mean, can you
imagine, let's bring
into focus for a moment
the religious leaders.
Can you imagine what
they're thinking as they
hear this?
You're claiming that
you, we will see you
give life to the dead,
and that we will see you
judging all the world.
You can only imagine
the reaction that they had.
They were already
bent on killing him
for calling God
his own father.
Now he's very clearly
claiming to do
the very things
that are God's
alone to do.
How dare you?
They might be thinking.
Notice in verse
23, why the father
has entrusted all
judgment to the son.
Verse 23, the father
has entrusted all
judgment to the son
that all may honor
the son just as they
honor the father.
So the father desires
the son to be honored,
to be esteemed,
to be glorified,
just as he himself
is honored and esteemed
and glorified.
Again, the religious
leaders are probably
thinking,
how dare you say
such a thing?
Have you not read
what Isaiah the prophet
said?
Isaiah 42, 8,
I am the Lord.
That is my name.
I will not yield my glory
to another.
How dare you claim
that God desires
to see you receive
the glory
that he himself
receives.
the religious leaders.
And Jesus will explain
this.
We heard this last Sunday.
He will explain how
this works.
He's not claiming to be
another God or a second
God, a rival God.
in Jesus' own words,
John 14, 10,
I am in the father
and the father
is in me.
John 10, verse 30,
I and the father
are one.
There is only
one God
and within
his being,
there is father,
there is son,
there is Holy Spirit
and there is love
between the persons
of this
one God.
There is honoring
and glorifying
of each other
going on in there.
There's relationship.
The religious leaders
refuse to believe that.
The final statement
that Jesus makes
in this section
comes in verse 23.
Whoever does not
honor the son
does not honor
the father
who sent him.
And again,
in these words,
we see this,
this connection
between the father
and the son.
We see,
we see this
oneness.
The way that you
treat the son
reflects on your
treatment of the
father himself.
Whoever does not
honor me
does not honor
the father
who sent me.
if you spit
in my face,
it's as though
you are spitting
in the face
of God himself.
He has sent me.
We see both
oneness
and we see
this idea
that the son
represents
the father.
He has come
from the father
on his behalf
and probably
the best
illustration,
the place that
we see this
most clearly
is in the
parable of the
tenants,
which Jesus
tells.
This is found
in Mark
chapter 12.
Jesus tells
a story of
a man who
built a vineyard
and then rented
it out to
some farmers
and then went
off to a
distant land.
And at harvest
time,
he sent servants
to collect
some of the
fruit that was
produced in the
vineyard.
And the tenants
treated the
servants
shamefully.
they beat
some of them
and others
they killed.
Finally,
it comes down
to that there
are no more
servants left
to send.
And the last
thing I'll do,
I'll send my
son.
Perhaps they
will respect
him.
And so he
sends his
son and they
see him coming
from afar and
they plot to
kill him.
Now there's
lots that we
could take from
that parable,
but we don't
have time for
that today.
The main
point that
we're looking
at is just
to see how
their treatment
of the son
is, if they
treat the son
shamefully,
they treat the
father who sent
him shamefully.
To spit in the
face of the son
is to spit in
the face of the
father.
Because of the
close relationship
between father
and son,
whatever they
do to the
son, to
harm him,
to shame
him,
to insult
him, the
father takes
personally.
For he has
sent the son
to collect.
It's the same
in this case
with Jesus
and his
father.
Whoever does
not honor the
son does not
honor the father
who sent him.
If we
dishonor
Jesus,
we dishonor
God the
father.
This is the
relationship
that we see
between
father and
son.
Well, there's a
lot of wonderful
truth that we
see in all of
this about
Jesus'
relationship with
his father.
We see how
the father
loves the
son.
We see how
he shows
him everything
he does.
we see how
he will show
him even
greater works
than the
ones he's
already done.
How it
has been
given to
him to
judge
all people
in the
final count.
And that
because the
father loves
the son and
desires to
see him
glorified and
honored.
well, what
should our
response to
all of this
wonderful truth
be?
Aside from
awe and
reverence and
wonder at
this special
relationship
between God
the father and
the divine
son of God,
if we're
listening carefully
to Jesus,
the only fitting
response comes
in verse 23,
that we honor
the son,
the one who
has been sent
from the
father, that
we honor him.
That's what
this is all
about.
Do we honor
the one he
has sent?
Now, what
does it mean
to honor the
son, to
honor Jesus?
Well, I
hesitate to
just give an
answer to
that.
I think this
is something
that we all
should really
think deeply
about.
What does it
mean?
What does it
look like for
me to honor
Jesus, the
son of God?
It means more
than to just
give him lip
service.
It means more
than to give
him token
worship, token
obedience.
It means more
than to like
his metaphorical
Facebook page
and say,
I'm for
Jesus.
I agree with
him.
It means more
than just
kind of liking
him.
At a very
minimum, it
means that we
acknowledge just
who he is.
at the very
minimum, it
means that we
welcome him
with open
arms.
To honor
him means
that we
take the
words that
he says
very
seriously.
That we
obey the
commands which
he has given
for he
speaks the
words and
gives the
commands of
God the
father.
that's the
bare minimum
of what
honoring the
son means.
It means that
we believe
him.
We accept
him.
We obey
him.
But I
want us to
think way
beyond that.
When it
comes to
honoring
someone,
one of the
questions I
think that we
should ask
is just who
is this
person?
And what
are they
worthy of?
What kind
of honor
are they
due?
We could
think of
this from
a human
relationships
perspective.
I mean,
if it's
just Joe
from down
the street
coming over
for the
fourth time
this week,
a co-op
pizza,
a big
slab,
is good
enough.
But if
it's a
dear friend
who we
haven't seen
in a long
time who
is traveling
all the
way,
halfway
across
Canada
just to
be with
us,
we honor
that person
by killing
the fattened
calf and
throwing a
feast that
costs us
a great
deal.
If we're
thinking of
honoring someone
very special,
someone who
we would
like to spend
the rest of
our life
with,
it could be
very costly.
We won't
just give
them a
little trinket
to demonstrate
our commitment
and love to
them.
No,
we will
spend
months of
our savings
to give
them a
symbol of
our love,
an engagement
ring that
communicates
the honor
that we
have for
them,
the love
that we
have for
them.
I know
of a
mother and
daughter back
in Edmonton
in the church
I used to
go to.
That young
gal honored
her mother
whose,
I think it
was kidney,
both kidneys
had failed.
She honored
her mother
with the
costly gift
of giving
her mother
one of
her own.
that's how
dear and
precious she
was.
And so this
question of
just who
is it that
we are
honoring and
how worthy
are they?
What are they
worthy of?
Is so
important.
Now think
of that,
not with
human level
relationships,
but with
Jesus,
the divine
son of
God.
We've
already seen
so many
wonderful
things about
who he
is.
He's the
lamb of
God who
takes away
the sins
of the
world.
He's the
Messiah,
God's
appointed
king.
He's the
one
whom God
has entrusted
all judgment
to.
He himself
is one
with the
father.
Through him
all things
were created
that have
been made.
He is
God.
How worthy
is he?
He is
worthy of
all blessing,
all honor,
all glory
that we
could possibly
give.
all of
everything
that we
have.
All of
us,
all of
our love,
all of
our
attention,
all of
our
devotion,
all of
our
strength
and
effort.
He's
worthy
not just
of those
things this
next week
or this
next month,
but of
those things
for the
rest of
our lives
forever.
That's
who Jesus
the son
is.
We barely
scratched the
tip of
the surface
of who
he is
in our
time in
John
here.
How will
you
honor
Jesus,
the son
of God,
not just
with this
week,
not just
with today,
but with
your life,
with what
God has
given you
to honor
him with.
I think
is the
question that
we all
need to
ask.
In
fact,
God
himself
tells us
just how
worthy
his son
is.
We get
a glimpse
of the
end of
the story
in
Revelation.
These
are the
kinds of
words that
the angels
say and
that someday
all creatures
and especially
those who
belong to
Jesus will
join in
proclaiming
and in
saying.
Revelation 5
verse 12
worthy is
the lamb
who was
slain to
receive power
and wealth
and wisdom
and strength
and honor
and glory
and praise.
And there
are many
exclamations
like this
in Revelation
which have
some other
things added
in and
these things
not just
for a period
of time
but forever.
that's how
worthy
he is.
How
will you
honor the
son
with your
life
with what
God has
given you
to honor
him with?
Let's pray.
Father in
heaven
thank you
that you
have sent
your
one and
only
precious
beloved
son
into our
world
and that
is a gift
of grace
and mercy
he has
laid down
his life
for us
that we
might be
saved
from what
we truly
deserve
for the
wrongs that
we have
done against
you.
That in
itself is
the greatest
gift
of all.
we love
your
son.
We
worship
him.
We give
him glory
and honor
and praise
and we
ask that
you would
lead us
in doing
that for
the rest
of our
lives
from now
on
until
forever
in his
name.
Amen.