The Power of Jesus

There is a power struggle taking place today between good and evil.  It’s pretty obvious to anyone who’s been observing the current events taking place in our world. We have witnessed evil in the war in Ukraine.  Never would we have every imagined that a major world power in our day would intentionally try to eradicate an entire race of people.  But we’ve seen it in the atrocities happening in the Ukraine.  We’re witnessing this power struggle right now in the battle over Roe Vs Wade.  Never before would I have imagined that those who are trying to protect the lives of unborn children would be demonized by abortion rights activists as “being on the wrong side of history.”  We’re witnessing it in the abuse of power by those who want to tell us what’s true and not true when it comes to freedom of speech.  And this power struggle is not just tearing our country apart, but it’s destroying families and lives every single day.  It’s creating a climate of fear and uncertainty that effects almost every one of us this morning.  We are living in a day where evil is called good and good is called evil, and sometimes it leaves us feeling powerless to do anything about it.

However, there is hope.  For we know the God of all power. There is no greater power for good today than our Lord Jesus Christ.  He is the reason we have hope.  He is the reason we have life.  And He is the reason we can live confidently in this present evil age.  But the sad reality is that not everyone understands the power we have in Jesus.  That’s why as we return to the story of Jesus in the Gospel of John, what He has to say should not only encourage you, but give you hope in the uncertainties of our day.  So, if you need some encouragement today, if you need a boast of assurance that God’s in control then I want to invite you to open your Bible with me to John 5:21-29, where we’re going to see how Jesus has the power to not only change your life but has the power to change our world today.

Now, before we dig into this passage, let me remind you that these claims of Jesus come in the midst of his defense before the religious leaders about his authority to heal the lame man on the Sabbath.  A few weeks ago, we actually walked through Jesus’ healing this man who had been lame for 38 years.  And we learned a few things about Jesus through this healing.  First, we learned that Jesus was always led by mercy.  Jesus naturally identifies with the helpless and takes up their cause.  And it led him to risk healing this man on the Sabbath, which started a firestorm of persecution from the religious leaders who were threatened by Jesus use of power.

Then last week as Jesus confronted these religious leaders, we saw that he equated His working on the Sabbath with His Father’s work.  When He did this, He declared that He was equal in nature with His Father, and on equal footing with His Father in doing works that only God could do.  But all that the religious leaders heard was Jesus committing the sin of blasphemy – a sin punishable by death.  But now Jesus is not finished. Jesus wants these leaders to know that He’s not just equal with God in nature and works, but He is equal with God in power and authority.  And so as we come to this passage today, we have one of the clearest descriptions of just who Jesus claims to be, with three startling claims. And the first of these claims comes before us verse 21, where we clearly see that Jesus Has Power Over Life:   In verse 21 Jesus makes this startling claim: “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.” John 5:21   And in verse 21, he tells us where He gets his authority to make this claim, saying:  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.  John 5:26

What is Jesus saying here?  Jesus claims to be the giver of life. He gives life to whoever He is pleased to give it.  And He is the source of life Himself.  He is the source of eternal life, physical life, abundant life! He puts himself on par with God as the Creator and giver of life.  He wants these religious leaders to know in no uncertain terms that He is equal in power with God.  Jesus is making a shockingly clear statement of His divine nature.  But He’s also saying something quite wonderful.  He is saying in the midst of this claim, that spiritual life is a gift from Him.

Now why is that so important?  Here’s why: The Bible makes it very clear that every person who’s ever come into existence has been born with a sin nature, has been born separated from life with God, and their sin has alienated them from relationship with God.  Their sin makes them dead to God.  And because of their sin, people who are born alienated from God, naturally want to resist God.  For when your sin nature controls you – you will not want to submit to God’s control. You rebel.  You will refuse to submit to His will or His ways. You’d rather live life your own way. Make up your own morality. Live by your own rules.  Be your own God.  And we are seeing the fruit of man going His own way apart from God today:  Hatred, racism, gun violence, human trafficking, gender confusion, war – over 63 million babies aborted since the inception of Row vs Wade.  All because people are born spiritually dead.  All because sin has separated us from the life God wants us to enjoy with Him.

And the sad reality of being born spiritually dead, is that no one, not one person, has the ability to respond to God, relate to God or love God in any way.  Apart from Jesus Christ not one person living today has the ability to choose spiritual life.  The bad news is this: Just like the lame man, we are UNABLE to heal ourselves. We need help.  We need to be awakened from OUR spiritual death.  And the only way that can happen is if the Voice of God awakens us.  And the only voice that has the power to awaken us to life with God is the voice of Jesus Christ.

The Old Testament says it this way: “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.”  Isaiah 59:2  And in the New Testament, “you were dead in your transgressions and sins.” Ephesians 2:1  So no matter how advanced mankind claims to be, God’s Word is clear.  Apart from Jesus Christ we have no hope.  We cannot make ourselves alive to God.  We need God to give us new life…  This is the work of Jesus.  He came to give us life. And this life comes from hearing His voice – hearing His message.  For He says so right here: a time has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.  John 5:25

That’s the good news: Jesus gives life to those who will hear His voice. The Bible is very clear on this. Paul says it this way: “How then can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”  But not all the Israelites accepted the good news.  For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”  Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”  Romans 10:14-17

The good news is that Jesus has come to give us life: eternal life, abundant life, spiritual life – a life where we can know God and He can know us.  And He wants to give every person this new life.  He wants to give you this life: a life filled with hope, joy, meaning and purpose – a life where you are reconciled to God and can rest in His love.  As Jesus said, a time has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.

Now that’s the kind of power that can change a life forever.  Jesus is able to change the life of anyone who is lost, rebellious, and searching for hope or meaning in a world that offers no real hope.  Jesus claims to have life in Himself so He can give you the life you were made for. And my question for each one of us today, is this: Have you heard His voice?  Have you received His gift?  Do you want the life Jesus gives?  The good news is that Jesus has power over life.  He is the way, the truth and the Life.  The Creator of life has come to give you life with God, if you are willing to receive it.

Now, those listening to Jesus make this claim would have had one of two responses.  First, those who had believed Jesus had committed blasphemy, would now be convinced He was a liar.  But others, those who were truly listening to His claim would be drawn to His truth.  And those two responses are the same one’s that people still make today.  There are those who reject his claim of having power to give life, and there are those who are hear his voice and want to accept his gift of life.  But what’s interesting, is at this point Jesus is just getting started.

He now follows us His claim to have power over life with another claim.  And that is this: Jesus Has Power Over Death: “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. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent Him.” John 5:22-23  

Here Jesus claims to be equal with God in authority.  This is incredible.  The authority of Almighty God has been entrusted to Him by His Father.  The language Jesus uses here indicates that this is a completed transaction.  It’s a done deal.  God has given Jesus the authority to judge the nations at the end of the age, because He is the Son of Man.  Here is the description of Son of Man from Daniel 7, and it reads like this:  In my vision at night I looked and there before me was one like a Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven.  He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence.  He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him.  His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. Daniel 7:13-14

Jesus is the Son of Man. He’s been given dominion, glory and kingdom.  He is to be served by all peoples, nations, and languages.  His dominion is everlasting and shall never pass away or be destroyed.  What a picture of authority!  Yet, at the very same time as Jesus holds this title as Son of Man, Jesus belongs to humanity and has walked where humans walk, is able to sympathize with our weaknesses, has been tempted in every way as we are, and yet has lived without sin.  And now, it is this combination of these features that make Jesus uniquely qualified to judge all mankind at the end of the age.

For it is at the end of the age when Jesus will judge all nations – every person. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells us:  “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.” Matthew 25:31-33

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. Matthew 25:34 “Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  Matthew 25:41

In other words, at this very moment, Jesus claims to have this authority and power over life and death before the religious leaders of Israel. The same leaders who have been questioning his authority to heal on the Sabbath.  To them Jesus claims to have the power to determine the ETERNAL DESTINY of every person who has ever lived.  Now, some hearing this would have rejected Jesus outright, saying this is a claim of a crazy man.  Only God can make such a claim.

But I’d love to insert here what C.S. Lewis once wrote about the claims of Jesus: “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish things that people often say about Him; “I am ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.”  That is the one thing we must not say.  A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things that Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.  He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell.  You must make your choice.  Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse.  You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.  But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher.” C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

So let me ask you:  Do you hear what Jesus is claiming here?  Do you hear that He claims to have authority over not just life but death?  Do you hear that one day there will be a day of judgment, and every person will be judged by Jesus?  You see, what Jesus is claiming here has eternal implications for your life and the life of every person living today:  What you believe about Jesus will determine your eternal destiny.

 Do you see what Jesus is doing here?  He is setting himself apart from every religious leader or religious system that’s ever been promoted.  He is either who He says He is, God in the Flesh who has come to save us, or He is a liar or a lunatic on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg.  We must either honor Jesus as God in the flesh, or reject him fully.

We are not left with the idea that Jesus is just one of many ways to get to heaven.  He does not leave us that option.   In fact, Jesus is crystal clear that He is the way to receive eternal life.  He is the central figure in the salvation of all mankind.  For not only does Jesus have the power to give life, but He has the power to determine your eternal destiny…   And so we see his final claim.  And in this claim He offers hope to anyone who will hear:

Jesus Has the Power to Save:  Listen now to his words.  Hear what He is saying to you in the words of this text: “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; He has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself. And He has given Him authority to judge because He is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”  John 5:24-29

Here’s the point Jesus is making:  He has been sent by God.  He is equal with God.  He’s been given authority over life and death.  Now, it all comes down to what you believe about this relationship between the Father and the Son.  Believe the Father sent me and you will receive life not death.  Let me break it down for us now.  Because this is not just a proclamation of truth – it is an INVITATION for anyone listening today:

Whoever – anyone who hears the message of Jesus, anyone who is spiritually dead, anyone who knows they are a sinner and separated from life with God, anyone who wants the gift of life that Jesus now offers:  whoever – whoever hears the voice of Jesus

and believes Him who sent me.  Hearing the invitation is not what grants you life.  You’ve got to do something with what you have heard.  You’ve got to respond to His  invitation. And Jesus is clear about what your response must be.  It is to believe.  It is to put your trust in the message of Christ.  It is to put your trust in Jesus, the Son of God, whom the Father sent to bring you back to God.  Are you willing to put your trust in Jesus?  Do you believe He can forgive your sins and reconcile you with God?  Do you believe God sent Him to do for you what you could not do for yourself?

God’s Word says, For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16This is the promise of Jesus Christ to those who believe: whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; John 5:24

Hear the voice of Jesus, believe the Father sent Him to die for you and this is what you get: eternal life now!  This is a present possession.   A present reality.  Not eternal life when you die, but you get to experience eternal life with God right now: You get to experience reconciliation with God right now. You get the full flood of God’s mercy and grace to cover your sins, and the freedom to live in the confidence that He is always with you and always for you.   You get the full approval of God, the complete acceptance of the Father.  You get access to His presence.  You get a peace that surpasses understanding and a joy unspeakable.  You get eternal life now and forever. For Jesus adds this promise: “and will not be condemned.”

Why will you not be condemned?  Because at the moment you believe in Jesus a transfer takes place: When you hear the voice of Christ and believe, you leave this realm of death and cross over to the realm of life. This is a permanent transition. And to seal the deal, Jesus uses the perfect tense verb for crossing over.  It means you’ve crossed over from the realm of death to the realm of life, once and for all and forever.  It’s a done deal, based not on your feelings, not on your behavior, but on the perfect word of God.  Jesus has come to the dark dungeon where you’ve been enslaved to sin and he’s blown open the door, picked you up and has carried you into the very presence of the Father, who promises to never let you go.  You will no longer be condemned.  For you have left the realm of death behind – with Jesus. That’s the power Jesus has to save you today.  The power He has to save the world.

A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine asked a very critical question.  She asked me, “Why doesn’t God do something to stop the evil in this world?”  That’s a great question.  And as I lie in bed that night, God gave me the answer.  He’s already done something.  He sent Jesus into the world to die for our sins, so we might have new life with Him.

You see, politicians will never solve the evil in the world.  Man doesn’t have the power to change lives, but God does.  That’s why He sent Jesus.  Jesus has the power to give life.  Jesus has power over death.  And Jesus has the power to save. So let me ask you:  Do you hear the voice of Jesus today?  a time has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.