November 9, 2010
WHAT YOU BELIEVE IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THAT YOU BELIEVE.
John 5:19-29
Isaac Mann
Central Truth
Believing in Jesus Christ is the key.
Key Verse | John 5:24
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life . . . ." (John 5:24a)
John 5:19-29
The Authority of the Son
19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father 1 5:19 Greek he does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 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. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
25 Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
Dive Deeper | John 5:19-29
I have a very special skill that I have practiced for years—since I was a child, in fact. I think I am getting pretty good at it, too. You may not believe me when I tell you, but this skill is the ability to listen to people speak and not hear a single word they say. Impressive, I know.
Unfortunately, my wife is not so impressed. She hates it when she pours out her heart to me, and I have not heard a thing. Oh, I listen! I nod and “uh-huh” the whole time. But when it comes time to respond in a meaningful way, it is clear that I have heard without listening. I have heard and not understood.
I acknowledge that Kacie's mouth is making noise, yet I manage to completely miss the content of her speech. But it is the content that is key. If I do not grasp the content of her speech, she might as well not speak at all.
It is the same way with God. We like to say that we believe or that we have faith in Jesus. But what good is believing if we miss what we are supposed to believe? The content of our belief is extremely important to God.
In John 5:24 Jesus says that to have life, we must believe in what God has said. So what has God said? What is the content of God’s message to us?
The content of that message and our faith can be found in the surrounding verses (John 5:19-29). Jesus, the God-Man, was sent by the Father to bring life. He did this by dying and coming back to life. It is believing and trusting in this about Jesus that brings us into right relationship with God and secures our own hope for resurrection!
So, if we say that we believe in Jesus, but we do not believe anything specific about Jesus, what good is it? For believing to really happen there has to be content.
Discussion Questions
1. This passage says a lot about Jesus’ relationship to the Father. What specific things does it say about their relationship?
2. This speech by Jesus (John 5:19-29) was a response to the Jews' accusation (John 5:18) that He was making Himself out to be equal with God. How does Jesus' speech in verses 19-29 address the accusation in verse 18?
3. If the content of our belief and truth about God is so important, how does that affect our approach to Bible study?
4. Read verse 24 again. If someone is a spiritual person, but believes something different about Jesus, what difference does it make?
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. According to verse 24, how do you get eternal life? Note: Sin brings death (separation from God forever), but Jesus offers eternal life (being forgiven of our sins so that we can be with God forever).
2. Have you heard Jesus’ message of forgiveness for your sins and believed that He is God’s Son?