What Jesus Did

[Talking to Jewish leaders who opposed him, Jesus said,] "Yet it isn't I who will accuse you before the Father. Moses will accuse you! Yes, Moses, in whom you put your hopes. If you really believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me. But since you don't believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?"

—John 5:45-47 NLT

Key Thought


Jesus is that great prophet like Moses that God had promised would come. However, Jesus is greater than...

 

[Talking to Jewish leaders who opposed him, Jesus said,] "Your approval means nothing to me, because I know you don't have God's love within you. For I have come to you in my Father's name, and you have rejected me. Yet if others come in their own name, you gladly welcome them. No wonder you can't believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don't care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God."

—John 5:41-44 NLT

Key Thought


Whose approval are...

 

[Jesus said,] "You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life."

—John 5:39-40 NLT

Key Thought


As important as the Scriptures are, Jesus is very much more important. He is the message to whom Scripture points. He is the key to unlock the message of God in the Bible. He is the reason the "Amen" can be spoken when Scripture is read. Jesus is the crucial...

 

[Jesus said,] "And the Father who sent me has testified about me himself. You have never heard his voice or seen him face to face, and you do not have his message in your hearts, because you do not believe me — the one he sent to you."

—John 5:37-38 NLT

Key Thought


God sent Jesus to touch our hearts and call us back to himself. He sent him with a message of grace and with deeds of kindness. He sent him to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom and to call us to live...

 

[Jesus said,] "John was like a burning and shining lamp, and you were excited for a while about his message. But I have a greater witness than John — my teachings and my miracles. The Father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that he sent me."

—John 5:35-36 NLT

Key Thought


How do you decide about Jesus? Is he just a good guy? Is he anything more than a great teacher? Jesus asks us to make a decision based on the witnesses to him, including his words...

 

[Jesus said,] "In fact, you sent investigators to listen to John the [Baptizer], and his testimony about me was true. Of course, I have no need of human witnesses, but I say these things so you might be saved."

—John 5:33-34 NLT

Key Thought


John the Baptizer told the truth. John died telling the truth. John gave his life to prepare the way for the truth. We could search through all of history and not find a more credible and authentic witness to integrity and truth than...

 

[Jesus said,] "If I were to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid. But someone else is also testifying about me, and I assure you that everything he says about me is true."

—John 5:31-32 NLT

Key Thought


Jesus didn't claim his authority as Son of God just on his own. John the Baptist will give his life to testify that Jesus is from God. Using the principles of Jewish law, Jesus will also add other witnesses — his miracles and the testimony of...

 

[Jesus said,] "I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will."

—John 5:30 NLT

Key Thought


When businesses or key business leaders get in a bind or try to decide about strategic opportunities, they hire a consultant. They use a consultant to help them sort through the issues, avoid making careless mistakes, and make the best decisions. Jesus consistently used...

 

[Jesus said,] "Don't be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God's Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment."

—John 5:28-29 NLT

Key Thought


Do you remember the voice of your mother or father calling you home? I do. Of course, my perception of that voice was greatly influenced by what...

 

[Jesus said,] "And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice — the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live. The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son. And he has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man."

—John 5:25-27 NLT

Key Thought


I have a friend who has been deaf for most of his life. He has a great anticipation of the...