Equal with the Father — John 4-5

0:00 Now this, ladies and gentlemen, it's gonna be a whole new experience because this can be a multimedia extravaganza today. I have I have taken a lot of abuse about the overhead projector, and I still... I can't give it up cold turkey, but I do have a PowerPoint today. So, yeah. Yeah.

0:16 Very exciting. Very exciting. Watch. It's going to mess everything up because I'm so used to having the other way but anyways, let's let's open in prayer. Heavenly father, we thank you so much for the opportunity.

0:31 As always, open your word and to learn more about you. That is our goal. That is our desire and lord, today as we we talk about your son, lord Jesus, and what he accomplished on this Earth and how he was one with you. We pray that we would glorify his name and bring honor and glory to you both. We pray these things in your name.

0:54 Amen. Amen. Okay. I'm kind of excited. About speaking today because the last time I spoke, Tammy and I were in a bit of a tiff.

1:11 And so every time I looked out at her, you know, you're looking out for these adoring eyes of support and affirmation and it was like daggers shooting at me the whole time. Was very distracted. I was just I was afraid to look over in that direction. So, I was hoping that today, I'll be able to focus a little better. You guys, am I the only one that goes through these things or no?

1:32 Come on, I'm not. Somebody else has been through that. I might be, yeah. Now I'm gonna get daggers, right? Yeah.

1:39 No, I I warned her that was coming, so I'm getting smarter in my old age. We're going to be looking at we're going to be looking at John five today and we're going be talking about, I'm going to use the word story right now but I'm going to try to change that pattern. I want to change my thought process and the way that I say that, I'm done saying stories. I don't want to tell Bible stories in Sunday school. I don't want to use the word story anymore.

2:12 I want to talk about in terms of historical account. Would that be a great habit for us to get into instead of saying stories? Stories somehow seems fictional where historical account is really what it is. This is what happened and the lord Jesus in his what's considered in John, his third miracle and the healing of the man at the Pool Of Bethsaida or Bethesda, I'm sorry. So, if we could, wait, oh, I guess I'm controlling that.

2:38 Alright. It's ready to go? Oh, that's right. I have to I have to aim at the right angle. So, John chapter five, before we start that, I want to bring us back to what Ray Gonzales brought us to in the very beginning which was the purpose of John and I think that's real significant here because in John chapter five, we have the first very public, not discounting the Samaritans.

3:07 They were public as well but public in terms of the Jews. The first public declaration of Jesus power, his authority, his might, and his godhead, okay? So, I think that it's important to remember that this is this is why John was writing the book, right? But these things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of god, and that believing, you may have life in his name and so as we open up the story to John chapter five, Jesus is back in Jerusalem. There's a feast going on.

3:40 We don't know that it's a Passover or what it is. If it is a Passover, it's a year after the last time he was in Jerusalem but he's back in Jerusalem for this feast and he is with some of his disciples and they're walking through and they're they're by the Shepherd's Gate and by these pools called Bethesda and there he comes upon a man who is crippled and the way these pools work evidently is that every once in a while and the Bible doesn't indicate because John chapter five is the only time that they're mentioned that every once in a while, an angel came down, stirred up the water, and then people could go in and be healed but only the first one in was healed and we don't know how frequently the waters were stirred, if it was a daily event, if it was a monthly event, if it was only during the Passover, a different feast. When it happened but it did happen for a long time, people thought this is what the kind of interesting stuff that I like to look back on and you know, look at the archaeology and all that kind of stuff a little bit but I'm not going to go into it, don't worry but you know, they went back and for a while they said that this place didn't really exist and it was just, it was supposed to be, you know, signify something but it didn't really exist but then, in the nineteenth century, they did some archaeology finding and and they found it.

4:51 They found the pool. It wasn't still a pool but they found the remains of exactly where the Bible said it was which we're not surprised by that, are we? Right? Because that's what always happens. They always look for something except for Sodom and Gomorrah.

5:02 They couldn't find any remains of that and so that proves it what didn't exist, right? You know, we know that that's the opposite is true there too. So, anyways, archaeology has consistently supported the Bible and I thought that was interesting that that that archaeology once again supported what the Bible said even though everybody said, oh, that never existed. So, so anyways, he goes, Jesus goes to this pool and he sees this man who's crippled and he says to him, you know, would you like to be made well? He asked him, would you like to be made well?

5:52 So, Jesus then says, tells him, okay, I want you to take up your bed and I want you to walk and so the guy does it. He takes up his bed and he walks and so, he's, I'm sure, pretty overjoyed. I don't think he's even considered who did it. Who was that guy? Because he immediately gets lost.

6:10 Jesus is lost in the crowd in the multitude and so, he doesn't even know who did it but he's prancing around healed and probably overjoyed and and priests see him and he's carrying his mat. Now, that wouldn't be a big deal normally but it happened to be the Sabbath. Okay, we're going to talk about a little bit about that today, the Sabbath and and so, because he's carrying his mat, the the priest and the Pharisees are, it doesn't really say that. It's just the Jews but but we can kind of assume that with some of those guys involved. They questioned him about that.

6:44 Why are you carrying your mat on the Sabbath? That's work. You can't do work on the Sabbath. You know, he's labeled a sinner. Well, he said, well, you know, the guy who told me because I was crippled, you remember?

6:55 The guy who told me to take up my mat and walk, you know, he told me to do it. So, I did it. That's pretty simple. They said, well, who was it? Who told you to do this?

7:05 Not not you were healed? You were miraculously healed? That's awesome. I can't believe that. No, not you were miraculously healed.

7:15 Who told you? Who told you to do that? Who told you to carry your mat? And therein, I wanna kinda look today at the mindset of these guys because I think there's things for us to learn from that about ourselves and and things that we need to be careful about. So we're gonna look at that a little bit too.

7:33 But he says, you know, who told you to do that? Who told you to pick up your mat? He said, well, I don't even know who the guy was. So, later, the cripple guy or the former cripple sees Jesus in the temple and runs to him and says, hey, you know, who are you? Finds out who he is, right?

7:53 And Jesus having spoken to the man says, says, hey, be careful that you sin no more. He tells him, make be careful that you sin no more. Something worse might happen to you and so we're we're led to believe that that potentially this man had this original infirmity because of some sin that was in his life. We don't know. He had it for thirty eight years.

8:14 So, that that is not necessarily clear but Jesus said, something worse could happen to him but we're going to look at that statement that he says, sin no more too. The fact that he said that to the man because what a challenge that guy had in front of him, right? Sin no more. So, anyways, we're going to start by looking at a couple of verse. If you could go to the next one, Joel.

8:40 I told him I'd just point. So, there's kind of the map and where they found the pools. They actually were able to break down, you know, what those pools looked like based on the archaeology. Once they dug it up, they were able to find that. So, you have the the Pool Of Bethesda right next there and so, it was actually, you know, this gives this little map I like because it gave you a little idea of where things were located but that not that important but that verse there from chapter four is and I want to just take a moment to talk about that.

9:11 Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe. This is Jesus in chapter four saying, you know, I wish someone could just have faith in who I am because of who I am but you need to see signs and wonders and the sad thing is that even with signs and wonders, people didn't believe, right? And I thought about my own situation, my own life, and that verse really stuck to me from chapter four and so I thought, you know, how does that apply as we go into chapter five? Well, now, Jesus is performing this miracle and this is in front of others. This isn't, you know, you know, a kind of a private situation like with the with the the the guy that came to see him before about his son and it's not that.

9:51 This is now in public public place and people are going to find out about it but those signs and wonders, Jesus was performing, he was demonstrating who he was, who he was. This was proof. This is proof of who I am and who I claim to be and and that claim is going to come out in chapter five because it it's time. It's time for him to make that claim. So, as we look at this, I think about like how does it apply and if you look back through the time through the Old Testament leading up to whatever, god has demonstrated his power and authority time after time after time and people don't believe.

10:57 You know, like, the mentality to witness those things and then immediately reject and forget god but that's not just once. That's constant, constant. The the Israelites consistently did that all the way through, right? The whole time they're in the wilderness, they deny god over and over and over again. No matter what he did to prove they have a pillar of fire and and cloud that to lead them through.

11:19 He's they've seen miracle after miracle. There's manna falling from heaven every morning to go gather up and eat, right? And yet, every day, they doubt him and then they complain about that and they complain about this. It's just amazing and then, we look at it and we go, they're so stupid. They're so dumb because they're not like us.

11:37 They're not really smart like we are and then, the more I think that and I think about my own challenges and my lack of faith and I think of this all the time. You know, there's certain things and I think about my mom's situation when she had cancer. She had total faith that god was in control of her life, her very life, but worried about the finances. I'm the same way. I do the same thing.

12:01 I'm totally, yeah, it's fine. God's in control of my life and and whether I live or die, that's up to him and all that kind of stuff but when we're short on money, when there's bills coming in or they raise our flood insurance to $200 a month, these guys, stupid FEMA. But when they do that kind of stuff, I get into a panic mode. I'm like, how, what am I going to do now? I I got to get another job.

12:22 I got to find this. I got to find some. You know what mean? I panic and I worry, you know? And and and and it just shows, I'm just as stupid as those guys.

12:32 I would have been probably going, yeah, Golden Calf. Yeah, that sounds, yeah, that sounds about right. You know what mean? Like, how would I have been any different? And and and because I see in myself that same lack of faith and and and all the great things that god has done in my life and yet there are times when I go, you know, I I can't trust in you.

12:48 I have to, I'm going have

12:49 to work harder. I'm going to have to do this. I'm going to have to, you know what I mean? And so I find that to be a challenge for me. I find that to be a challenge for me.

12:56 I can't, I don't think I'm alone there either. But I think that that's one of the challenges we face and things that we learned from this, okay? All right, if you could go, next one. Alright, so what do we learn through this miracle? We're going open up to John chapter five.

13:09 You have it in there. But what I did was instead of having to flip around to some of the other sources that we're going to go to, I'm going to I have an overhead for that. That's why it's a multimedia extravaganza. So we're going to have that up here so we don't have to flip around as much and we can stay in John chapter five, okay? So, what do we learn through this this this miracle and go ahead that first of all, by helping this crippled man, it demonstrated the power of god.

13:33 He has the power over, well, all things, right? But he had the power over. This man was crippled for thirty eight years and like that, instantly, he's up. So, it definitely demonstrated his power. But healing on the Sabbath, that's another thing because this is what's going get him in trouble with the with the Pharisees and when I say trouble, he's not in trouble with anybody, is it?

13:55 We know that but it's where the Pharisees get upset with them is because he's or the Jews, I should say to be more accurate. The Jews get upset with him because he heals on the Sabbath but really, that demonstrates his authority and we're going to look back at how he is lord of the Sabbath. So, he's not limited by these things and then, and telling that man to sin no more, what that meant about god, What it meant about Jesus and this was one that I, you know, as I was looking through these other things, it kind of stood out to me but this one, this one I I William McDonald helped me out here because it demonstrated Jesus' holiness. What if I I thought about, what if Jesus had said to him, try not to sin so much. You're healed.

14:39 Rise up and walk. Try not to sin so much or try to try to live a little better than you are now. Is there a realization? Of course, Jesus knew that impossible for that man to sin no more but I thought it was kind of cool point that as as god, he couldn't tell him to do anything less than not sin. He can't condone sin of any kind.

14:59 So, he can't tell us to not to just sin a little bit or to not sin quite as much that that was impossible but I thought that was kind of a a cool point that that he was in in it was impossible. So, it demonstrates holiness, his power, and his authority. We're gonna take a look right now at verses seventeen and thirty six in John. So, let's turn there, please. I'm not reading through the whole chapter.

15:27 We're gonna kinda focus from 17 on in terms of our reading. This also helps to have these overheads. It means I don't have to find all these things as quickly too. Okay. So John chapter five verse 17, and Jesus says to...

16:11 What does that mean? You know, because I had to think about that for a minute. What does that mean that that he says, my father's been working till now and and I've been working and because the response of the Pharisees after this, the response of the Jews said, therefore, the Jews sought all the more to kill him. Why? Because not only it broke in the Sabbath but he had said that god was his father making him equal with god.

16:36 Now, how did he say that there? He said, my father has been working until now and I have been working. Well, he said, my father but didn't don't we all, we say that, right? God is my father but he says, my father has been working until now and I have been working. Well, this goes back to our understanding of the Sabbath in the first place and we're going look at how the the Pharisees looked at the Sabbath because they looked at it from a legalistic standpoint only, only and not fully understand because Jesus dealt with this in a couple other places, okay?

17:06 So, let's first, before we go on there, let's look at Matthew chapter 12 and we're just going to look at 10 to 13. Think you're familiar with the story. The see, have these up here. I don't have to turn to it. See, I've already messed up my own system.

17:29 It seemed like a good idea last night. Can we, oh yeah, I have the mute too. It's just like school. I have to think everything. There it is.

17:45 We see that okay? So, Jesus' disciples are walking through a field and they pick some of the heads of grain as they're going and the Pharisees look at that and they say, your disciples are working on the Sabbath, right? And this Jesus response, behold, there was a man who had withered hand and they asked him saying, is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath that they might accuse him? So, they were trying to trap him as they always did. Then, he said, what man among you who has one sheep if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, would not lay hold of it and lift it out.

18:27 Who would do it? If your sheep falls in, would you just let it sit in there? Oh, I have to get you tomorrow. Sorry. No.

18:32 You go in and get it. Of how much more value than is a man than a sheep and therefore, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Then, he said to the man, stretch out your hand and he stretched it out and it was restored as whole as the other. So, what's the first answer here? It's okay to do good on the Sabbath, right?

18:52 It's okay to do good on the Sabbath and it doesn't matter what kind of good that is. It's okay to do good on the Sabbath. Then, we go over to Mark. Mark two twenty seven Same story, right? Just a little different quote from it and he says to them, the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.

19:16 Therefore, the son of man is also lord of the Sabbath. So, Jesus establishes his authority through this by saying, I'm lord of the Sabbath. I'm, remember, I made these rules. You know what I mean? I understand the intent of the rules and you don't obviously and let's we're going to look back at why.

19:34 See, I because it's easy for us to judge sometimes these Pharisees but if you look back at where it came from and once again, I have it on here. I don't want to turn. It was going start turning. By the next time, I'll have this straight. Promise.

19:48 We're going look back at Exodus. Well, the first thing we learned that this is one of the 10 commandments. This isn't just, you know, some sub law from, you know, subsection three of law. No, this isn't one of those. This is one of the 10 commandments, right?

20:04 You shall observe the Sabbath. Now, the Sabbath originally in Exodus 16, it's originally presented to the to the Jews, right? That this is what you're going to do. Then, it's brought up as a 10 commandment. This is, hey, this is something you must follow and then, later on, I believe in chapter I think it's chapter 32.

20:27 I have it in my notes.

20:28 I have to open em.

20:32 Yeah, as we get to chapter 31, it tells him, if you don't follow it, the penalty is death. So, it's a serious thing, right? Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days, you shall labor and do all your work but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the lord your god. In it, you shall do no work.

20:48 You nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger. I love how god knows that he has to be real specific with us. Isn't that great? Nor your stranger who is within your gates for in six days, the lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in in them and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

21:10 So, it wasn't a small thing. To do work on the Sabbath was not a small thing and as we learn in in chapter 31, I'm not I'm not going to go to it. As we learn in chapter 31, the penalty was death. If you didn't do, if you were working on the Sabbath, you were to die. So, this wasn't just a light thing.

21:29 So, I think, you know, so what is wrong? The Pharisees, they're doing the right thing. They see somebody working. He's carrying his mat on the Sabbath and this guy is healing people on the Sabbath. Well, first of all, I I the way I look at it just for a common sense point, is it really work for Jesus to heal somebody?

21:47 I mean, is it a thought? Really? Is that going to qualify his work? You know, so that one I wonder about but to them, it was work and you're you're doing work and so Jesus responses is, hey, no, no, no. First of all, Sabbath wasn't made or man wasn't made for the Sabbath.

22:06 Sabbath was made for man. This is supposed to be a blessing to you, right? Now, what I think the purpose of the death penalty for breaking the Sabbath was, if you are spending this day instead of remembering god's creation and where I've brought you, if you're using this day to profit personally, then that's a problem and that's the way I see that. I don't know, you know, someone could probably maybe give me some more historical insight on that. That'd be great but that's where I that's where I see that because you look at all the different examples to the Bible where somebody had did something on the Sabbath and if it wasn't for personal gain or something like that but it was for others, if it was for good, if it woulda, they're not rebuked or or or killed for it.

22:47 It doesn't happen and so, Jesus healing on the Sabbath, that's a good thing and that's why god made it. It wasn't to to restrict you, to imprison you but this is the mentality of the Jews and this is what gets them in trouble is that they took all these things and they turned it into a legalistic prison for their people and it's why they're rebuked throughout the Bible and throughout the Old Testament and we're going to look at some of that real quick too. It's why they're rebuked. Could you go to the next one for a second just like?

23:22 Oh, yeah, that's me again.

23:45 Why did they want to kill him over this this this reason? You know, and and I'm going to I'm going to throw that question out to you guys. Why? Why did they want to kill him? Because they hated him.

23:58 They barely even knew him. Now, there was, they had the experience in the temple in chapter two we read about when he clears out the temple, right? And so, I'm sure that didn't, they were getting kickbacks probably and they didn't like that some of their money is gone but but they were upset about that. Well, why else? Yeah.

24:14 They were undermining their authority. They were, it was going to knock them down a notch, right? If they, if they were to submit to who this guy was, they're giving up their place of authority in that culture, correct? What else? Yeah.

24:30 Told him to repent.

24:32 That's later but yeah, they didn't like, oh, you're saying the to the.

24:37 Early in his ministry is repent for the kingdom of god.

24:41 Right, right, right.

24:42 We're not quite there yet.

24:43 Right. And so, there's lots of things. There's lots of things that the Pharisees hate about him but I think the number one, you know, if you look at losing their authority, I think this is from a more I don't think it comes from a, you know, really a religious or faith based reason. You know what I mean? I don't think they had deeper, well, we must preserve and and you know, the the the word of god and the Torah, we must, you know, I don't think that's it.

25:08 I don't think that's it. I think it's their position of authority. It was one of them. You know, that's really what they didn't want to lose. So, that's what we're going to look at.

25:14 We're we're going look at how how god the the kind of animosity that already had for that and what we can learn from that as well. Can you go to the next one? Please. Alright. So, why?

25:26 They're legalistic because their authority, they're worried, concerned about their authority. They believe that their position within the community was going to be threatened by this person and then bottom line, they were self seeking and and that was demonstrated for centuries and centuries and centuries that that people who got in these positions did not seek god's will but sought their own will and then they put on this facade of of sacrificing and following the rules and judging other people and condemning and constantly condemning because people, you can't get it done and so you owe it to us. You better bring your sacrifices. You better bring these things to us and they became rich and powerful and people depended on them because they thought, it's the only way, it's the only salvation we have is through these guys, right? And and they corrupted the word of god.

26:12 They corrupted what the what god had given them was which was a beautiful situation that they were his people. They were his people. Instead of leading them in love and in truth, they led them astray. Let's look at Ezekiel. This is something I read a long time ago.

26:26 I studied through Ezekiel years ago and really grew an appreciation for Ezekiel. There's a lot of really good stuff in here. And we're going to read this whole thing. So it's going take just a second.

26:43 And of course, yes, I know.

26:48 We have to come up with a system. Jake Jake's good at this. Jake, we need to come up with a system where I can do that with my mind, where I can just take off, okay? Get to work on that. Okay, Ezekiel 34 and I brought so you don't have to turn to it necessarily and the word of the lord came to me saying, son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel.

27:09 Prophesy and say to them, thus says the lord god to the shepherds, woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves. That should sound familiar because doesn't that sound like Jesus later, right? In Matthew? Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves. Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

27:26 You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with wool. You slaughter the fatlings but you do not feed the flock. The weary, you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who are sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost, but with force and cruelty, you have ruled them, and that's what I think is the defining characteristic of the Jewish leadership throughout, you know, most of of time, most of their existence as a nation. And that was it. You have ruled them with force and cruelty.

28:04 So, they were scattered because there was no shepherd and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered and I love that how the lord thinks of us is my sheep. My sheep wandered through all the mountains and on every hill or high hill. Yes, my flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth and no one was seeking for them or searching. Therefore, you shepherds, here's the reaction.

28:29 Hear the word of the lord. As I live, says the lord god, surely because my flock became a prey and my flock became food for every beast of the field because there was no shepherd nor did my shepherd search for my flock but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed my flock. Therefore, oh shepherds, hear the word of the lord. Thus, says the lord god, behold, I am against the shepherds and I will require my flock at their hand. I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more.

28:59 For I will deliver my flock from their mouths that they may no longer be food for them. You guys know many sadducees? You know many Pharisees or sadducees? You ever met one? Good luck finding one.

29:20 So, what's the real answer? We know this one. What saved us? I will establish one shepherd over them and he shall feed them. My servant David and we know that refers to the to Christ from the line of David.

29:36 He shall feed them and be their shepherd and I, the lord, will be their god and my servant David, a prince among them. I, the lord, have spoken and this is a this is a prophecy of what was to come, not just the first coming but also the second coming of Christ, right? And I will make a covenant of peace with them and cause wild beasts to cease from the land and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing and I will cause showers to come down in their season and there shall be showers of blessing Then, the trees of the field shall yield their fruit and the earth shall yield her increase and they shall be safe in their land and they shall know that I am the lord and I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hands of those who enslaved them. They were slaves.

30:22 That's how god looked at what what those what the Jewish leadership had done. He they had enslaved their people. It was his law. It was his rules. It was it was his that he set up the guidelines, didn't he?

30:35 But but these guys, these Jewish, the Jewish leaders used it to enslave the people by they they were bound to that law and so therefore, they were to be rebuked And so what did that bring to my mind? Well, first of all, the first thing I thought when that when that happened is that we need to be careful in in a lot of ways and one is that that if we're in position of authority that we better be careful how we do things and the mindset that we do it because if we're not doing things out of love and if we're not doing things to glorify Christ, then then we have a problem and and we're going be held accountable for it. Now, I'm saved. I'm going to heaven. I don't have to worry about that judgment.

32:26 Yes. We are to have order. God is a god of order and I believe that as strongly as anybody that that god is a god of order and and there's a the Bible dictates that there's certain ways that we should do things and what, you know, there's no question about that but we have to be careful that that we don't become judgmental, that we don't become and I don't mean not discerning. We should discern, okay? So, don't get me wrong here and even discipline when someone does something wrong, we have to have discernment, we have to we have to, in that case, we are to judge one another within the church but but even those things are to be done in love, are they not?

33:02 They're to be done with Christ, the love of Christ and I say that we can't be Christ like without his the the Christ like love and I I you know, we're going be looking in chapter eight at the at how he approached the prostitute. What a beautiful, I mean, did did Jesus condone prostitution? Not in any way, shape, or form but did he demonstrate incredible love to that to that prostitute? I think that's that's pretty good example of what our hard attitude should be. We can we can say that things are wrong.

33:28 We can say that things are wrong but and and and make that judgment, that discernment that things are wrong. We can judge one another. If someone here is doing something wrong, it needs to be dealt with. The guy, the Bible has put together guidelines for us to follow that we that we rebuke one another in love and then and there's a way to do it though, right? But there's a way to do it but but my fear is that when people that aren't saved, think of Christians, if you gave em two words, you said, judgmental or loving, which one would you put on it, right?

33:58 And to the world, I don't think, I don't think the world would say Christians are loving. Right? Would they pick that word? Do you think? Do think that they would pick loving?

34:07 Really? Some? You know a lot of good people out there in the world. I'm telling you right now, maybe I watch too much Fox News and CNN or something, but that's not the impression I get. The impression I get is that people's impressions of us, and I don't mean us, but I mean Christians in general is that we're judgmental that we come across as judgmental and we we we have all these rigid rules and guidelines.

34:30 It's one of the things that people they they don't want to come to Christianity because like, man, I have to give up this and I have to give up that and I have to give up this and I'm not going to be able to do that and what they don't realize is that really those things Christ frees you from those things. You know what I mean? That that's the approach that once you're saved and you come to know him as savior, that he frees you from those things. You don't give him up. You want to you you let him go.

34:53 You don't want him anymore. That's the miracle of having the holy spirit. Now, it doesn't happen with everything. Sometimes, you gotta work through things but I'm just saying that a lot of those things, they're taken away from you but but I really think that we have to be careful about and I know that I do because I watch, when I watch TV, went, oh, I'm like, what a what a dirtbag that guy is. I can't believe it.

35:14 You know what I mean? Like, and and but do I pray for him? Do I, is that my first response? And and I I I just want to be careful about those things myself that that I'm doing it with Christ like love. So, I think we have to be aware that we're going be accountable and that and that we want to be loving first.

35:29 Let's take a look at. Wait, I I do want to look at this one real quick and that's Matthew. Matthew nine. We won't look at all of them. I love...

35:48 See where I am on my Deuteronomy says, therefore, circumcise the foreskin of your heart and be stiff stiff necked low longer. This is god time. I'm just pulled up a few examples of where god's talking about our hard attitude more than just the legalism or just the following the rules. That's that's not completely what it's about and of course, I didn't. Seemed like, seemed like such a great idea at the time.

36:19 It really did. We live and learn, right? So, Deuteronomy, god tells or well, this is Moses talking to the people before they enter the promised land saying, hey, you know, you really want to show that you, you know, you're following lord. Circumcise the foreskin of your heart, you know, and we see that throughout Romans and Colossians, right? One, again and again, where it's about real circumcision is not what happens physically, it's what where your heart is, right?

36:47 And and and to me, the Sabbath and circumcision are almost the same things, right? There are pictures in Hebrews. We learn that they're pictures, right? Of of their shadows, pictures of things that it was, you know, the Sabbath was a day of rest and now, in Christ, we're we don't have to follow the Sabbath anymore, do we? Right?

37:03 Paul just tells we don't have to follow it anymore but we don't have to follow anymore because we're in god's rest now. You know what mean? We're already there. In Christ, we're there and the same thing with the circumcision. The circumcision is, you know, now you have a choice whether you want to do that or not.

37:17 You can physically, who cares? But ninth but but in terms of our heart attitude, our heart should be circumcised to god. It's about our heart. It always has been. Even with all these rules and regulations that god put on the Israelites, it was really about their heart.

37:39 Don't you wish I he could say it about all of us, right? For you do not desire sacrifice or else I would give it. You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of god are broken spirit, a broken, contrite heart. These, oh god, you will not despise.

37:54 That's what he wants. That doesn't change. To the immutable god. Matthew nine verse 10 to 13. Now, what happened is Jesus sat at the table in the house that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples and when the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?

38:20 When Jesus heard that, he said to them, those who are well have no need of a position but those who are sick but go and learn what this means and I love how he tells him. Why don't you go and figure out what that means? Because that's your biggest problem. I desire mercy and not sacrifice and of course, that's a quote from from Hosea six six. For I desire mercy and not sacrifice.

38:44 It's what I want. It's what god wants from you, right? Go figure that out. For I do not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. And so that's where that gripe between the Jews and the Jewish leadership and Jesus, it's deep seated.

39:03 You think Ezekiel was six, seven hundred years before, right? Before the time of Christ? And they've gone on long before that too. Here's how he thought of some of em Matthew 23. Jesus spoke to multitudes and to his disciples saying, the scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.

39:23 Therefore, whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do but do not do according to their works for they say and do not do for they bind heavy burdens hard to bear and lay them on men's shoulders but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers but all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their their I I had this practice, flatories. Flatories, broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feast and the best seats in the synagogue. Greetings in the marketplace and to be called by men rabbi, rabbi, but you do not be called rabbi, for one is your teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.

40:07 Do not call anyone on earth your father. For one is your father, he who is in heaven, and do not be called teachers, for one is your teacher, the Christ, but he who is the greatest among you, shall be your servant, and whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. So, later in that, as he's going through the woes to them, he calls them hypocrites and blind guides and fools, serpents, serpents, a brood of vipers. How can they escape hell? How can they do it?

40:40 We get an idea of the mindset that Jesus had towards the Pharisees. It's no question why they weren't huge fan of his, right? So, what do we learn about this? We got from the lord of the Sabbath. Let's look now at John five and verse 17.

41:01 We're going to read through a little bit more of John. Now, this is where we kind of focus on And I know I'm running short of time, and I warned Ray that I might not get as far as I hoped to. Verse 17, but Jesus answered them, my father has been working till now and I have been working and the thought there is that Jesus doesn't take a break on the Sabbath neither god. God rested on the seventh day after creation. He hadn't rested since.

41:40 He didn't stop listening to prayers. He didn't stop doing the work that he does and Jesus was no different and so why the Jews want to kill him. That's why he said, that's where the comparison to god was. Oh, you're doing the same thing as god and so Jesus answered the question, okay, now it's time. You're about to hear it.

41:58 Yeah. Yeah, I am. Therefore, the Jews sought all the more to kill him because he not only broke the Sabbath but also said that god was his father making himself equal with god. Then, Jesus answered and said to them, most assuredly, I say to you, the son could do nothing of himself but what he sees the father do. For whatever he does, the son also does in like manner.

42:20 For the father loves the son, shows him all things that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel. In that, we see Jesus is making the claim. Now, why is this so important? I just got finished with a little while ago with the book my dad. I have stacks of books from my dad and I'm sure that when I'm retired and I have lots of time to read, I'm probably going to give my kids stacks of books to read, right?

42:44 But I get stacks of books from my dad that I'm supposed to read and one of them was Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, if anybody's read it, it's a phenomenal book and and it's very interesting. You you learn so much about both Islam and and about you know, our our background too but but why is this so important? Well, there are lots of religions, a lot of people in the world that claim that Jesus was a good guy. Historically, okay. He was, he exist.

43:08 Everybody knows he existed but but but he was just, he was a good guy. He was a prophet. He was a great teacher. He was a wonderful man but he wasn't perfect. He wasn't holy.

43:17 He wasn't righteous. He wasn't the son of god and he didn't die for sins and he didn't resurrect. Well, everything we believe is based on that, right? Our whole lives are based on that. Everything that we are and hope to be is based on that and so it's fundamental that that you know, John and one of the things that, you know, in Islam, they they rebuke John.

43:36 They say, well, that was written much later than the other gospels so it doesn't count, right? It is not, it's not accurate or they'll come up with all kinds of different reasons why why, you know, this isn't true. They say because they say that Jesus really never claimed. If you look at the other gospels, he never really claimed to be the son of god. Not true.

44:22 Skip down to 24. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him who has sent me is ever lasting life. Now, that's not just a guy saying that. You know, if if I said that or Bob said that or Don Moore said or said, believe in me and you'll have everlasting life. That's just fruitless nonsense, right?

44:43 That's garbage but but Jesus can say that. Why? Because he's equal with god. He's equal with father. He is god, right?

44:51 He's making that claim. He's making very clearly for them. And shall not come into judgement but is passed from death into life. Most surely, I say to you, the hour is coming and now is when the dead will hear the voice of the son of god and those who will hear live and as for the father and as the father has life in himself, so has so he has granted the son to have life in himself and has given him authority to execute judgement also because he is the son of man. So, he's given him power over life and death, resurrection, both the spiritual and the physical, we'll find out, right?

45:33 Spiritual and physical and he's given that power and judgement as we just read in 22 or as we go back and read in 22. For the father judges no one but has committed all judgment to the son. So, he's given him power to that and it also is reaffirmed in in 27. Okay? And then, he's given him, he has also equal to the father in honor and we see that in verse 23, that all should honor the son just as they honor the father.

46:02 He who does not honor the son does not honor the father who sent him. Now, it's the Pharisees that the Jewish leaders didn't believe that Jesus was who he claimed to be, then, they had reason to hate him. They had reason to hate him. This guy is claiming to be equal with god. He's a blasphemer and he needs to go down.

46:21 I could understand why he'd want to kill him. Not for healing a guy and for the Sabbath but now, he's given him a reason, right? Now, they have a reason to dislike him. Unfortunately, he's exactly who he claims to be. Joel.

46:37 So, that's where we're going to get in it this last part. The witness to the truth, okay? What what does Jesus use as his proof that he is who he says he is, okay? And that's what he's going to come with up with the end of chapter five but let's keep reading through 30. We'll read through it.

46:58 Verse 30, I cannot myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous because I do not seek my own but the will of the father who sent me. If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There's another who bears witness of me and I know that the witness which he witnesses of me is true and of course, that's a reference to verse 37 when it refers to his father. So, you have sent, here's his first proof, right?

47:27 John the Baptist, you have sent to John and he has born witness to the truth. He said who I was. Yet, I do not receive testimony from man but I say these things that you may be saved. He was the burning and shining lamp and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. So, there's my first witness.

47:46 My first witness is this John the Baptist that you semi accepted even though me, you reject and regardless of the signs and wonders, you reject me but you kind of accepted him, right? So, there's your first witness. Your second witness that I am who I say I am But I have greater witnesses than John's. For the works which the father has given me to finish, the very works that I do bear witness of me and the father has that the father has sent me. You know, they made the claim that that his healings and whatnot were of the devil, right?

48:18 They made that claim. No, he's not divided against himself. Yes, I know. Thank you. I just looked.

48:26 I know. I'm almost done. And then, and then the last, the last witness that he gives. I'm sorry, the second last witness that he gives and the father himself who has sent me, verse 37, has testified of me. You have never heard his voice at any time or seen his form but you do not have his word abiding in you because whom he sent, you do not believe.

48:50 So, even my father testifies that I am who I say I am. Verse 39, our last witness of that Jesus was who he said he was. You search the scriptures for in them, you think you have eternal life and these are they which testify of me. So, it's the scriptures that you research, that you study all the time. They they already tell you who I am and that I was coming, right?

49:19 But you are not willing to come to me that you may have life. I do not receive honor from men but I know you that you do not have the love of god in you. I have come in my father's name and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, him, you will receive. How can you believe who receive honor from another and do not seek the honor that comes from the only god?

49:45 Do not think that I shall accuse you to the father. There is one who accuses you. Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believe Moses, you believe me, for he wrote about me. But if you do not believe his writings, how you believe my words?

50:02 So he brings up the four proofs. John the Baptist, the signs and wonders. His his own father and then the scripture that these were the reason that they should accept him as who he is and this is his claim and this is the beginning if you will, beginning of the end or the beginning of their their plotting to destroy Jesus because he said he he was equal with god but it's real important. It's fundamental for us, isn't it? That that that's who Jesus is.

51:12 We thank you that that we have such a savior and we pray that you'll bless it. Afternoon that we have as we prepare for Awana and all the other things that we do that that you would give us a heart of love and compassion that that that emanates from from you and that that just that that love just is demonstrated in all the things that we do. That the world will see that. That will demonstrate it to each other. That we would be the loving examples that you want us to be.

51:45 We pray these things in your name. Amen.