Quick Notes – Double Post

This morning I wanted to do a double post.  The first half of the post is focused on those who are not Christians yet, those who are searching and trying to decide whether Jesus Christ is truly God or not.  I encourage you to read this quick post and consider for yourself is there is truly enough evidence for Christ.  The second half of the post is more focused on those who are already Christians and disciples of Christ.  I encourage you to read this quick post and consider whether you are living the life expected out of you as a Christian.  I have clearly labeled each post with a title, so it doesn’t get confusing, but it wouldn’t hurt to read both. 

More than Enough Witnesses for Christ

John 5:31-32 – If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.  There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.

In the ancient Jewish court of law, one needed at least two or three witnesses to confirm that something wrong had occurred.  This likely held true for validating whether some event whether good or bad occurred, as well.  Jesus knew the importance of this principle and emphasized that there was more than one witness that declared to the world that He was the Messiah, the Chosen One of God.  For this reason, it was quite shocking that the Pharisees, the leaders of the Jewish people at the time, were adamantly against placing their faith in Christ. 

Between John 5:31-47, Jesus mentioned three important witnesses that declared He was the Christ.  First, he mentioned the witness of a man, John the Baptist, who declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).  Although Jesus did not want to emphasize the testimony/witness of man, He knew that mankind would need this witness in order to believe, since we have a tendency to trust in our fellow man. Because of this, He wanted to clearly state that John the Baptist, a man like you or I, was a witness to His deity (vs. 33-35).  Second, He emphasized the witness that came from God the Father (vs.36-38).  If the people were willing to trust in John the Baptist, then they should be even more willing to trust in God.  God showed His approval of who Jesus Christ was through the works and miracles that Jesus did.  When Christ healed the sick, made the lame to walk, caused the blind to see, raised the dead – these were all works of God through His Son to prove that Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God.  Just as our actions not our words declare to the world who we truly are, Christ’s actions and works proved that He was and is the Christ.  Third, Jesus emphasized the witness of the Scripture and the prophets (vs. 39-47).  The Jewish people held the Scriptures, the law of God, the witness of the prophets like Moses with high regard.  These Scriptures described the coming Messiah and what prophecies would need to be fulfilled in order to make it clear who He would be.  These same Scriptures that the Jewish people held to high regard described Jesus Christ.  Whether it was the prophecy about His birthplace in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2, Matthew 2:5-6) or the prophecy about His coming out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1, Mathew 2:13-15) or the prophecy about His ministry to heal the sick and free those who were prisoners to sin (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:17-20; Luke 4:38-41) or the prophecy about His growing up in Nazareth (Matthew 2:23), all were fulfilled in Christ.  If they believed the Scriptures, then they had to believe in Jesus. 

We are willing to place our faith and trust in the witness of man so easily, so why is it so hard for us to place our faith in Jesus Christ?  There is so much evidence that He is the one and only Son of God.  There was the witness of mankind, in that, many disciples were willing to die for their faith in Him.  They were either crazy people who were willing to die for a lie or truly saw the Resurrected Savior and Christ.  There was the witness of His works, in that, miracles immeasurable were performed during His time on this earth and continue to be performed this day.  We may not see Him walking on the water, but we can see God’s work in and through our daily lives.  I am sure there have been “close calls” that you have experienced that can only be explained by the grace of God.  There is the witness of the Bible, which describes who Jesus Christ is and how He fulfilled every prophecy declared about Him.  The probability of one person to fulfill even one or two prophecies was high, but to fulfill all of them is astronomical, yet Jesus Christ did.  What are you waiting for still?  Place your faith in Him today. 

Like Father, Like Son

John 5:19 – 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 does, that the Son does likewise.”

There is a common phrase that is spoken when a young boy acts just like his father – “Like father, like son.”  Children often act like their parents, and eventually when they grow up tend to be like carbon copies of the people who raised them.  They take up much of the good and the bad habits that they witness as they are growing up.  If their parents were hot-tempered, they will likely be quick to anger.  If their parents were talkative, they tend to be outgoing.  If their parents were kind-hearted, they likely becoming quite hospitable.  Children are like their parents. 

In the same way, Jesus Christ was like the Father.  He did everything according to His Father’s will.  More than that, He would only do what His Father willed (John 5:30).  Jesus Christ’s only focus was doing His Father’s will.  He showed the world who God was, because He was God.  He showed the Father’s love and compassion as He ministered to the people; He showed the Father’s righteousness and justice when He defended the downtrodden and rebuked the false teachers; He showed His Father’s grace and mercy when He willingly died on the cross for our sins; He showed His Father’s omnipotence when He rose from the dead.  Christ did everything God the Father would do and wanted done.  Like Father, Like Son.  This is why when Philip, a disciple of Jesus Christ, asked Him to show them the Father, Jesus pointed to Himself (John 14:8-11).  The question I have for you who are disciples of Jesus Christ, Christians, followers of God is “Are you living according to the Father’s will?  Are you living according to His character?  Like Father, like son?”  We as Christians are called the children of God, for when we receive Jesus Christ into our lives, we are adopted into His family.  But that means that we should also become reflections of Him to this world.  So are you doing that?  Are you acting like the One who saved you and raised you and accepted you into His family?  Can others see Jesus in you? Like Father, like son.