PART II OF John 5 - Sunday 11-21-21 - Pastor Gilman

 

PART II OF John 5

Lord we are gathered here this morning to honour you. It is a humbling experience to be in your presence..Yet we ask for your blessings upon our gathering this morning. Open our minds and hearts, we pray, to give us a greater understand of your Word and your love. We ask for your guidance every step of the way, everyday. Help us come away today with renewed faith and a burning desire to be the messenger of your truth.

We ask these things in Jesus’ name

Amen

Lets talk about The relationship between Jesus and the Father…

16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. 17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. 18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. 19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. Now we believe in the trinity.. that the Father, Son and Holy spirit are one… So how does this statement square up with what Jesus just said? The son can do nothing of himself but what he seeth the Father do..????

This sounds separate to me…The Son emulating the Father and working at the Father’s pleasure…

Lets continue………

20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. 21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. 22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: 23 that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 25

In as much as it seems, from John 5, that Jesus separates himself from the father, takes direction from the Father, and derives power from the Father this is no contradiction with Trinitarianism…

In John 14.8 through 10

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?

“The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.”

This is our answer. This is our explanation…. I am in the Father and the Father is in me….

They have shared a spirit..It is their spirit and the holy spirit that joins them as one.. the Father, Son and Holy Spirit… This is why Jesus was able to describe himself this way…

This union is something that Jesus wants also to share with us… Jesus said we are all baptized of one spirit.. that would be the holy spirit…

Jesus tells us that we must be born again .. and that until we receive the holy spirit within us so that he is a part of us and we a part of him we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven… It is the same Holy Spirit that Jesus shares with the Father. It is what makes them one. The Holy Spirit is the glue that binds us together in Christ.

Christ talks about another union. The Union of marriage.. He said that we should cleave to one another and become one. This is one in the flesh but God see this also as a spiritual union sayng what God hath joined together let no man put asunder… How much more emphasis should we give to our spiritual union. To receiving the Holy spirit… God said I will take your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh born of the Holy Spirit…. This is to be reborn..to be born again.. To become one with Jesus.

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?

When we were created we were created in His image.. We were created to be like God. How is this possible? It is not unless we share His spirit also. Jesus calls it being born again. It is a time when we cease to be just the image of God but to be like God in spirit. He will change our hearts and then we have a place in heaven..

When we really understand what Jesus meant, how his relationship with the Father is the same as He is offering us then oddly enough we also understand more clearly what we really want and what it is that we really need to be whole, complete. It is to become like a child and be born again. To be changed in such a profound way that Jesus is in us as we are also in him. We can know that it is this profound change that brings about the oneness that we crave as we may have been searching for peace in all the wrong places. Now we can get our minds around it, get our hearts right and embrace the Holy Spirit with gladness and joy. Our reward in this life will be great as we live in a state of completeness , live with an understanding that all in life, time and space is the will of God.

Our heavenly Father,

As we rest in the knowledge of who you are and what we need to become, have become, or those of us in the process of becoming one with you we need, more than ever, to feel your presence with us and your love around us. We are so grateful for John who has recorded the wisdom of Jesus in Chapter 5 .. Help us to apply these things to our lives so that they may become a reality and help us to be a light in this otherwise dreary world. We ask for help for those lost souls who are struggling to except your word ..Those who wrestle with Satan .. Extend your hand to them… Help us to reach out to them also and through you and bring them into the fold. We ask Lord for the virtues to carry your message forth for wisdom and understanding, for humility and for the love for all of your creation. Help is to forgive, to love our neighbour and to leave judgement to Lord Jesus. Grant us Lord peace in our minds and hearts..

We ask these things in Jesus’ name,

Amen