Sunday Sermon Outline: John 5:15-47

John 5:15-47

“Equal with God”

Introduction: John 1:1-13


I. Fighting Against the Truth vs. 15-18

      “The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. [16] For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. [17] But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” [18] For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.”

II. Learning the Truth vs. 19-23

      “[19] Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. [20] “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. [21] “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. [22] “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, [23] so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”

III. Judging the Truth vs. 24-30

      “[24] “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. [25] “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. [26] “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; [27] and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. [28] “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, [29] and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. [30] “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

IV. Telling the Truth vs. 31-46

      A. The Testimony of John vs. 31-35

      “[31] “If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true. [32] “There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true. [33] “You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. [34] “But the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. [35] “He was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.”

      B. The Testimony of Jesus v. 36

      “[36] “But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.”

      C. The Testimony of God vs. 37-47

      “[37] “And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. [38] “You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. [39] You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; [40] and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.

      [41] “I do not receive glory from men; [42] but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. [43] “I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. [44] “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?

      [45] “Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. [46] “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. [47] “But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?””

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Sunday Sermon Outline: John 3:22-36

John 3:22-36

John the Baptist's Greatest Message

Introduction: John 1:25-34

I.   Jesus is the One to follow vs. 22-26

      “After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing. [23] John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized— [24] for John had not yet been thrown into prison.”

“[25] Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purification. [26] And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.””

II.  Jesus is the Christ vs. 27-30

      “[27] John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. [28] You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ [29] He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. [30] He must increase, but I must decrease.”

III. Jesus is the Son of God vs. 31-36

      “[31] He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. [32] What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. [33] He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true. [34] For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. [35] The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. [36] He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

John 1:9-13, 32-34; Matthew 3:16-17; 17:5; 3:10-12; John 3:16-18; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8


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Sunday Sermon Outline: John 1:14-51

John 1:14-51

“Identifying the Word of God” (Part II)

I.   The Word of God vs. 14-18

      “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. [15] John *testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” [16] For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. [17] For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. [18] No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”

II.  The Voice of God vs. 19-28

      “[19]  This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” [20] And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” [21] They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he *said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” [22] Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” [23] He said, “I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

      [24]  Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. [25] They asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” [26] John answered them saying, “I baptize *in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. [27] “ It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” [28] These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.”

III. The Lamb of God vs. 29-34

      “[29]  The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! [30] “This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ [31] “I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing *in water.” [32] John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. [33] “I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize *in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ [34] “I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.””

IV. The Servants of God vs. 35-51

      “[35]  Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, [36] and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” [37] The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. [38] And Jesus turned and saw them following, and *said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” [39] He *said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the *tenth hour. [40] One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. [41] He *found first his own brother Simon and *said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ). [42] He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

      [43]  The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He *found Philip. And Jesus *said to him, “Follow Me.” [44] Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. [45] Philip *found Nathanael and *said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” [46] Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip *said to him, “Come and see.” [47] Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and *said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” [48] Nathanael *said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” [49] Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.” [50] Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” [51] And He *said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.””

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Wisdom is Vindicated by Her Children

Grow up, people! It's time to stop acting like children and start living like adults … spiritually speaking. Why is the way in which I live my life such an insult to you? If I'm doing the job the Lord gave me to do, then frankly I don't really care what you think of my personality, my preferences or my job performance.

In Luke 7:24-27, Jesus said of John the Baptist, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? [25] But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury are found in royal palaces! [26] But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one who is more than a prophet. [27] This is the one about whom it is written, ‘BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.’”

Notice the emphasis Jesus places upon spiritual recognition. For those who went out into the wilderness expecting to see a great charismatic speaker in a fancy suit, it was a wasted trip. But for those expecting to hear a prophet speaking the word of God … well, that's exactly what they heard!

Which begs the question: Why exactly are people attending church? What have they gone expecting to see and hear? If you go looking for entertainment, then it won't be hard to find. There are plenty of praise bands ready to get you on your feet, and drama teams working to extract a tear. If you travel out expecting social connections, you will find that in spades, too. Someone will be close at hand to offer you a handshake or a hug, along with a donut and some coffee.

But what if you are expecting to hear a word from the Lord? I'm afraid you may be disappointed. Chances are you'll have to sift through the jokes and the stories, the illustrations and the quotations to actually get to the Scriptures. Oh, I'm sure you will be able to say that the preacher was a swell guy, and perhaps that he was a dandy speaker … but will you be able to say without a doubt that he was a man sent by God to speak His word?

Where is the spiritual recognition today? Crowds of people traveled far out into the wilderness to hear John the Baptist … not because he was popular or trendy … not because he was culturally relevant … but because they believed that he spoke a message from God. Here was a man who was actually and truly in spiritual relationship to the Lord. Jesus says of him in Luke 7:28, “I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

So, in other words, the social relationships aren't nearly as important as the servant relationship. John did his work. He didn't care what people thought of him. He didn't dress for success … he simply did what the Lord sent him to do. He preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2). He taught people to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8).

And the real measure of his ministry wasn't in rising attendance or offering figures … it wasn't in community support or in an increase of property holdings … but in the spiritual response of those to whom he spoke God's word. Luke 7:29-30 says, “When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they acknowledged God's justice, having been baptized with the baptism of John. [30] But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God's purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.” Those who believed repented, while those who disbelieved rejected his message. Despite his unique appearance and seemingly anti-social behavior, some people loved John for telling them the truth. The rest hated him. They spoke ill of him. They mocked him. And eventually – in rejection of the truth – such people killed him.

“Oh, but such a thing would NEVER happen today! We are much more civilized. We believe in tolerance and acceptance!”

Really? Then where exactly are the men of God today? I see those dressed in fine clothes and pleasing the masses. I hear those who are saying what people want to hear. But where are those who are speaking the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? Where are the men who may not be doing the job the elders want them to do … or the job the congregation wants them to do … but are doing exactly what the Lord wants them to do? I'll tell you where they are … alienated from society and unemployed by “the church.”

Jesus spoke of the religious climate in which He and John lived in Luke 7:31-35, “To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? [32] They are like children who sit in the market place and call to one another, and they say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’ [33] For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ [34] The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ [35] Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

Some believed that John the Baptist was demon possessed because he would not socialize like “normal people.” But who was really possessed of Satan? Wasn't it those who “rejected God's purpose for themselves” (v. 30)? So is the Lord with the elders who are “lording it over those allotted to [their] charge” (1 Peter 5:3), or with the congregations that blindly follow (Matthew 15:14), or with those men who have “suffered” and “been mistreated,” yet “had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition” (1 Thessalonians 2:2)?

Jesus' assessment of the religious world is still accurate. The modern church is full of those “like children who sit in the market place and call to one another.” They are upset when their “paid servants” don't dance when they play and cry when thy sing. Is it any wonder they “accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires” (2 Timothy 4:3)?

John didn't socialize … and they couldn't tolerate his message … so they called him names and killed him. Jesus did socialize … but they still couldn't tolerate His message … so they called Him names and killed Him. So it really doesn't matter whether you play the social games or not. If the message being preached is of God, it will offend the worldly enough to want you dead or gone. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you” (John 15:19).

Which seriously begs the question: Why are there so many popular preachers? Answer: Because they preach a social gospel that is compatible with this world. As soon as they drop the social conventions and start speaking the truth of God, the false smiles will be replaced with the “gnashing” of teeth (Acts 7:54). The facade of Christianity will be replaced by the truth of persecution. “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. [13] But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:12-13).

So why does my life annoy you so much? Oh, yeah! Because I'm saying things you don't want to hear. But according to Jesus, “wisdom is vindicated by all her children” (Luke 7:35). In other words, results are what count. So what if John the Baptist was anti-social? Did he preach the word of the Lord faithfully? So what if he ate locusts and wild honey? So what if he dressed funny? What's that to you?

So what if Jesus ate and drank with sinners? So what if He chose not to have a home? So what if He chose to spend most of His time with certain disciples? What business is it of yours?

In John 21:21-22, Peter – who had been told to go and shepherd the spiritual sheep – saw the apostle John sitting comfortably with Jesus, and asked, “Lord, and what about this man?” Jesus answer is forthright and direct, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” In other words, “Peter, what business is it of yours what John does? Go do what I told you to do!”

Does my lifestyle bother you? Deal with it. I'm not responsible for your contrived notions of how I should live, or what I should do. My job isn't to mold myself to your will, but to carry out the Lord's. And if the things I say offend you, then perhaps you might take a moment out of your busy life to determine exactly why it is so offensive.

If you believe me a liar, then ignore me and move on. Take Gamaliel's advice: “So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; [39] but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God” (Acts 5:38-39).

But what if I'm not a liar? What if I'm doing exactly what the Lord sent me to do? “Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand” (Romans 14:4).

What that means is that multiple firings and the loss of property cannot stop the word of the Lord. Slander and gossip won't stop it. Even the death of the servant can't stop it. “Wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” That doesn't mean Satan won't try. According to the Revelation, “the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 12:17).

The apostle John was banished to the isle of Patmos “because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 1:9). He saw underneath a heavenly altar “the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained” (Revelation 6:9). Such people overcame Satan – not because of their cultural relevance or societal impact – but because they acknowledged the authority of Christ as more important than acceptance by the world. “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death” (Revelation 12:11).

Therefore, if my preaching and teaching of the word of God offends you … if it makes you angry enough to fire me or spread lies about me … then I rejoice that I have “been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41). But I will not stop doing what the Lord sent me to do. “Every day” … in the churches or in homes … in Wal-Mart or in the woods … I will keep “right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (Acts 5:42).