No sooner had our father Adam
sinned against God in the garden until the Lord God preached the
gospel to the fallen pair and promised a man. He promised a
man whom he would send to be the savior of men, a man whose
heel the serpent would crush, but who would crush the serpent's
head in the crushing of his heel. A man by whom God would undo
the mischief man had done. A man by whom God would regain
honor in his creation. A man who would restore that
which he took not away. The first gospel message is a
message preached by God himself in which he said, I will put
enmity between thee and the woman. between thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head, and
thou shalt bruise his heel. I don't know how much Adam understood
or didn't with regard to that man, but Abraham clearly believed
that this man whom God promised to Adam and Eve in the garden,
that this man was himself to be God incarnate. Abraham understood that this
man by whom salvation would come would be a man who is himself
God, who would come into the world through his loins, through
his seed. This man would be the seed coming
out of Abraham's multiplied seed, and this man would be God. I know that because Abraham spoke
to his son Isaac and said, the man who shall be sacrificed in
your stead, the man who shall die in your place, that one who
shall put away sin by the sacrifice of himself as the substitute
of his people, that one who is my seed in whom all the nations
of the earth shall be blessed is God himself, my son, God will
provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. Throughout the Old
Testament, all the way through the scriptures in the Old Testament
era, believing men and women looked for a man to come. A man who is sometimes referred
to as the Messiah. A man who is often spoken of
as the King. A man who is sometimes spoken
of as the Redeemer of Israel, the Holy One of Israel, the Anointed
One. He is sometimes called the Son
of Man. Often in Scripture he is. Turn,
if you will, to Daniel chapter 7. While you're turning, listen
to this. The psalmist in Psalm 80 cries, Return, we beseech
thee, O God of hosts. Look down from heaven and behold
and visit this vine. Let thy hand be upon the man
of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong
for thyself. So will not we go back from thee. Here in Daniel chapter 7, verse
13. Daniel speaks of this one called the son of man. I saw
in the night visions and behold one like the son of man came
with the clouds of heaven and Came to the ancient of days and
they brought him near before him and there was given him given
to this one like the son of man and that was given him who straws
near to the ancient of days dominion and glory and the kingdom that
all people nations and languages should serve him his dominion
is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and his kingdom
that which shall not be destroyed this one man of course, is Jesus
Christ, the God-man, our mediator. The title of my message this
morning, I take directly from our text in John chapter 5. In
the last verse of our text, we read, because he is the son of
man. Because he is the son of man. I'm going to tell you some things
here revealed that are revealed plainly because he is the son
of man. and that come to pass because
He is the Son of Man, and that could not otherwise be except
because He is the Son of Man. I want you to know, love, worship,
trust, and honor this One because He is the Son of Man. John chapter
5, verses 17 through 27. Hold your hands there, we'll
read this in just a moment. This is one of the deepest, most profound
portions of scripture in all the volume of inspiration. Here
the Lord Jesus asserts his divinity. Now there's no question that
this is the object of John in writing his gospel narrative.
He writes by divine inspiration to show us that the man Jesus
Christ is himself God the Son. That's the basic purpose of John's
gospel. He uses language that can only
be used with reference to one who is himself God. Showing us
that the man we worship who died in our stead at Calvary is himself
God. And in this passage, our Lord
Jesus asserts his divinity with such distinct clarity that the
unbelieving religious Jews around him understood exactly what he
said. They understood exactly what
he said. Now that's It makes me think with regard to the religious
infidels of our day, men and women who claim to believe the
Bible and claim to worship God and claim to be God's servants
and some who claim to preach the gospel, who deny that Jesus
Christ is himself God, do so by willful rebellion against
God. These Jews who heard our Lord
speak, understood his language so plainly, they sought to kill
him because he, being a man, made himself God. Yet, in this
portion of Scripture, all about our Lord Jesus Christ, who is
himself God, our Savior speaks most plainly about himself as
the man. That man whom all Israel looked
for, who believed God, who is the son of man. He says that
this one who is God, speaking of himself, is himself the man,
the man Christ Jesus, the son of man, the man who is Jehovah's
righteous servant. So everything spoken of here
is spoken by our Savior, about our Savior, not just as God,
and not just as man, but as the man God, the God man, by whom
alone sinners can be saved. All right, let's begin reading
in verse 27. But Jesus answered them. Apparently,
when our Lord Jesus found this impotent man he had healed at
the pool of Bethesda, found him in the temple And this man came
and frankly and boldly confessed, knowing that he might be put
out of the synagogue by these Pharisees. Knowing that these
fellows were seeking occasion against the Lord Jesus to murder
him, they said, this is he who made me whole. And apparently,
the Jews raised some questions. And now Jesus answers them. My
father worketh. hitherto and I work. Therefore
the Jews sought the Moor to kill him, because not only had he
broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his father,
making himself equal with God." They presumed, this man's declaring
that he's God. Then answered Jesus and said
unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you. Oh, I didn't mean for
you to understand it that way. No, no. Amen, amen, I say to
you. That's what the word verily means.
Amen. Amen, I say to you. Of a truth,
of a truth, I say to you. The son of man can do nothing
of himself, but what he seeth the father do. For what things
soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father
loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth. And he will show him greater
works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raiseth
up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom
he will. For the Father judgeth no man,
but hath committed all judgment unto the Son. And he did it for
this reason, that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor
the Father. He that honoreth not the Son
honoreth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily,
I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him
that sent me, hath everlasting life. and shall not come into
condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily,
I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall
hear the voice of the Son of God. O God, make it so today. And they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in
himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself,
and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because
he is the Son of Man." Here are seven glaring declarations of
our Savior's eternal Godhead And yet these seven glaring declarations
of His divinity are declarations of Him as the Son of Man. Things that are said to be true
of Him because He is the Son of Man. Let's look at them together. First, our Lord Jesus declares
that He is one with the Father. One with the Father in His wondrous
redemptive works. Redemptive works are those works
by which He accomplishes the eternal salvation of His people.
Look at verse 17. Jesus answered them, My Father
worketh hitherto, and I work. Now, all God's redemptive works,
we're told in Hebrews chapter 4, verse 3, were finished before
the foundation of the world. They were finished from the foundation
of the world. From the time that God said,
let there be light and there was light, the works were finished. Before ever God created the heavens
and the earth, these works were finished. I mean absolutely done. I hope you don't mind me reminding
you of these glorious two texts of scripture. Turn to Romans
chapter 8. Romans the 8th chapter and verse 28. Here the Apostle
Paul, writing by divine inspiration, explains to us what God is doing
in time. We know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are thee
called according to his purpose. Then in verse 29, he tells us
what God shall do. This is the purpose of him who
works all things after the counsel of his own will. For whom he
did foreknow, I'm sorry, what God has done, for whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. God, before the world began,
purposed to make the people he loves to be exactly as his son,
that his son may have all preeminence, honor, and glory. And then in
verse 30, he tells us that this work is fully accomplished. Moreover,
whom he did predestinate, those people he loved with an everlasting
love, those people he approved of in Christ from eternity, he
also called. The word called here is not the
word that we use when we say go call the dog or go call the
children. It's the word that we use when
we say, what are you going to name your baby? Them he also named. He named
us the sons of God from eternity. And whom he named, them he also
justified. Not is going to justify, has
justified. And whom he justified, all of
them he also glorified. So that from eternity this work
was done. Look at Ephesians chapter 1,
Ephesians 1. Brother Dunn, it looks to me
like, as we read that, this work of salvation for somebody is
already wrapped up. It does look that way, doesn't
it? I just, you read the scriptures, wow. I never heard anybody read
it like that before. That's because you never heard
anybody read it before. This is exactly what it says. Look
at verse 3 of Ephesians 1. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ four times, he speaks here, of that
which God hath done, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. How did he do that? according as he hath chosen us
in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him. In love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according
to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of
his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. Oh, sweet, blessed word of grace. That which God intends for us,
He has already done for us. He did it before the world began.
And that which God has done can never be undone. We were accepted
of God, blessed of God, justified by God, glorified by God in Christ
before Adam sinned in the garden and Adam sinning in the garden
could never undo what God did in eternity. It's finished from
the foundation of the world. Well, you mean God's elect never
were the objects of His anger and wrath and hatred? Well, of
course not. Of course not! Never! God doesn't change! God doesn't
change! We were born under a sense of
wrath and condemnation because we were rebels and children of
wrath, even as others. We went astray from the womb,
speaking lies as rebels born with a depraved, corrupt heart,
dead in trespasses and incense. But our standing in Christ was
not altered by what Adam did in the garden. Rather, our standing
in Christ assures us that something shall come to pass in the sweet
experience of grace in time called redemption and salvation. And
now, in the process of time, the Lord Jesus Christ is performing
the works He and the Father did before the world began. He's
performing these things now in time because as our surety before
the world began, he engaged himself and promised to do so. Look at
2 Timothy chapter 1, one more text in this regard. And this
means I'm going to have to really hurry through the next six, but
this first point lays the foundation of all. Though this work was
fully accomplished in the decree and purpose of God in eternity,
Our Lord engaged himself to perform it in time all these wondrous
works of redemption He promised he would do for us and do in
us by his grace 2nd Timothy 1 9 God hath saved us and called
us. There's that word again and named
us with an holy naming not according to our works our works our Our works have nothing to do
with what God does for us. Our works have nothing to do
with God's purpose of grace or God's performance of grace. Our
works have nothing to do with our acceptance of God or our
being blessed of God with all spiritual blessings. Our works
good cannot cause God to be gracious and our works bad will never
keep God from being gracious. Understand that? Not according
to our works. Well how did he do this then?
According to his own purpose and grace which was given us
in Christ Jesus before the world began. But now is made Manifest. Made manifest. Somebody said, well, that's hard-shelled
doctrine. That's all right. I don't care if it's Buddhist
doctrine. It's what the book says. But now it's made manifest. How? By the appearing of our
Savior, Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death and brought life
and immortality, what does the book say there? To light. Watch this. Now y'all, this is
profound now. Now hang on. You see that book? Does anybody
see that book? Anybody? Watch. There's a book. I didn't just now print that.
I didn't just now do that. No, I just made it manifest. I just brought it to light. What's that mean? It means, David,
I showed it to you. What God did in eternity and Christ accomplished
at Calvary, He showed you when He revealed Christ in you by
the gospel. He brought it to light by the
gospel. Now, in all His wondrous works
then, These works of redemption and grace and salvation. The
triune God is one in his purpose, in his purchase, and in his performance
of salvation. He is one in redemption, one
in regeneration, and one in resurrection glory when salvation is finally
complete. The works of the Father are the
works of the Son. And the works of the Son are
the works of the Father. Neither does anything without
the other. Look at the next line. Verse
18. John 5, 18. Therefore, because of what the
Lord had just said, because of His doctrine plainly declared,
therefore the Jews sought the Moor to kill him. Now remember, These are the same
fellas who were enraged because he had healed a man on the Sabbath
day. And it's still the Sabbath day. And these fellas who were enraged
because the Lord had shown mercy on the Sabbath day, because an
impotent man was made to walk on the Sabbath day, because a
man who had been laying on a dirty mat for 38 years picked up the
dirty mat and counted it on the Sabbath day. And they were angry
in their righteous indignation, angry. Oh, I hate to hear somebody
say righteous indignation. That means I'm in trouble. In
their righteous indignation, they were angry, upset, because
he healed a man on the Sabbath. So we'll murder him on the Sabbath
day. Typical legalist. Just what I would expect from
them. Would to God I could get the ear of every child of God
in this world, whom religious legalists seek to bind in shackles
of law and chains of religious tradition. whose soul they would
murder with low works if they could, I would declare to everybody
who would hear, all healing is in the Sabbath, and Christ is
our Sabbath. We rest in him. Yesterday, I
got Brother John Chapman's bulletin, and he made this tremendous statement. is that natural men will do anything
and everything except rest in Christ. And the believer has
to labor to do it. The believer has to labor to
rest in Christ because of remaining sin. Let us therefore labor that
we may enter into his rest. Oh God, break the shackles and
let us rest. break the chains of bondage and
let us rest but I stray back in John 518 therefore the Jews
sought the Moor to kill him because he not only had broken the Sabbath
but said also that God was his father making himself equal with
God now I know folks will say well that doesn't say he said
he was God The Jews understood it that way. How do you know?
Because in John chapter 10 and verse 33, they said, we're not
stoning you because you did a good work, but because you, being
a man, make yourself God. Pilate says, why have you brought
this man? There's no charge against him
that can be demonstrated. Why have you brought him here?
To have him crucified. Because he made himself the Son
of God. And that we consider blasphemy.
In this great work of redemption, God the Father and God the Son
are one. And our Lord is here declaring
himself God. The Jews understood that, yet
In this great work of redemption, he is declaring it is a work
that can be performed only by his obedience to the father as
Jehovah's righteous servant because he is the son of man. He said,
therefore, does my father love me because I laid down my life
for the sheep of the sheep? I have them also. I must break
and there should be one fold and one one foot fold and one
shepherd. This commandment have I received
of my father. All right, look at verse 19.
Here's the second thing. God the Father and God the Son
are one in will and purpose. Remember, our Savior is specifically
talking to these arrogant, self-righteous Jews, those religious legalists
and religious zealots who were trying to murder him. Then answered
Jesus and said unto them, Amen. Amen. You said exactly what I
mean. I'm a man. I make myself equal
with God. I'm a man who declares he is
God. I say unto you, the son, the
son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the father
do. And what thing soever he doeth, these also doeth the son
likewise. Now, when I was in college, supposed
to be studying theology, the wise acres who like to get everything
chopped up real good and cut up the word of God so we understand
it in segments and sections and make sure that this page doesn't
bleed through on the next page. They taught us that when the
Lord Jesus assumed humanity, when he took on himself our nature,
he placed limitations upon himself. And they would point to a passage
just like this. There are things he can't do
because he's man. Don't ever, ever, ever think
so blasphemously. Oh, no. He did not become a man
to place limitations on himself. He became a man, Larry, because
there wasn't any other way to save you. He is assuming our nature. does
not limit him in wisdom, power, knowledge, omniscience, or anything
else. His taking on himself, our nature,
simply allows him to do what God could not do except God become
a man. That's what we read in Hebrews
chapter 2. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like
unto his brethren. Here's what I'm saying. The Lord
Jesus could not establish righteousness except to take on himself our
nature and perform obedience to the law as a man. He could
not bear our sin in his own body on the tree and put away our
sin by the sacrifice of himself, except to become a man in human
flesh. He could not suffer all the horrid
wrath of God to the satisfaction of divine justice, except as
a man, he take on himself our nature. He could not die except
to become a man. Our Lord Jesus then speaks of
himself as being one with the father in will and purpose who
comes here to perform the work of redemption as a man because
this is what he and his father agreed to from eternity. In all
that our Savior did, in all that he experienced, in all that he
suffered, in all that he accomplished, he's one with the Father and
now it's performed because he is the Son of Man. Look at verse
20. Here's the third thing. This same thing is true with
regard to his knowledge. In knowledge, the Lord Jesus
is one with the Father. The Father loveth the Son and
showeth him all things, all things that himself doeth. And he will
show him greater works than these that you may marvel. all things. Did He say the Father shows Him
all things? Is He telling us here that He
knows all things? I think so. I think so. Well,
if He knows all things, He's God. But He speaks here, Merle,
of the Father showing Him things. How can that be? Because He is
the Son of Man. He's God capable of and knowing
all things by His own divine omniscience and He is the Son
of Man to whom the Father shows all things and by whom He will
show greater things than these that men may marvel. What greater
things? He will bring immortality to
light by the gospel. And by these things, men will
marvel, though they do not believe. How can this be said of him?
Proverbs chapter eight, turn there for just a moment. Proverbs
chapter eight. Verse 22. Several of you have asked me
in the last six months about preaching through the book of
Proverbs. Soon, the Lord willing, but I'll give you a hint. This
book of wisdom is written by divine inspiration, not to teach
you how to become a good citizen in the United States of America,
but to teach you how to live as a citizen in the new Jerusalem,
in the kingdom of God. This book is not a book of moralisms. It is a book of spiritual instruction. It's all about Christ and walking
with Christ, believing Christ and following Christ. Proverbs
8, 22. The Lord Jesus Christ speaks
of himself here as wisdom. He is the personification of
wisdom. Whenever you read wisdom here
in the book of Proverbs, In your mind, read the same word that
John uses. In the beginning was the word.
Wisdom is the communication of God to me. The Lord possessed
me. Verse 22, in the beginning of
his way, before his works of old, I was set up from everlasting
from the beginning or ever. The earth was when there were
no depths. I was brought forth when there
were no fountains abounding with water. Behold, the mountains
were settled. or before the mountains were
settled, before the hills was I brought forth, while as yet
he had not made the earth nor the fields nor the highest part
of the dust of the world. When he prepared the heavens,
I was there. When he set a compass upon the face of the depth, when
he established the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains
of the deep, when he gave to the sea his decree that the water
should not pass his commandment, when he appointed the foundations
of the earth, Then was I by him, as one brought up with him, and
I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him, rejoicing
in the habitable part of his earth. And my delights were with
the sons of men. How come? Because the father
loves the son, and he showeth him all things that himself doeth. It is by his knowledge, by his
perfect knowledge, of all God has done and shall do in the
sacrifice and acceptance of his Son. It is by His knowledge of
all that He has accomplished as our Redeemer, by His knowledge
of all that the Father gave Him from eternity and shall give
to Him in time, by His knowledge shall my righteous servant justify
many, for He shall bear their sins. Verse 21. John chapter
5, verse 21. Here's the fourth thing. The Father and the Son are one. In all the works of redemption,
in all the will and purpose of God in eternity, one in all knowledge
and one in glorious sovereignty. For as the Father raiseth up
the dead and quickeneth them, Even so the Son quickeneth whom
he will. I wonder what that means. It means exactly what you think
it means. God the Son gives eternal life to whomsoever he will. To whom he will. Moses said in
Exodus 32, Lord show me your glory. And the Lord said, I'll
be gracious to whom I will be gracious. And this is how the
Spirit of God interprets that for us. As it is written, Jacob
have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? How many times you heard somebody,
you talk to him about God's election. Well, that's not right. That's
not fair. God's fair. He'll give everybody
a chance. Is there unrighteousness with
God? How dare you set God in your judgment? How dare you set
in judgment over the Almighty? God forbid. He saith to Moses,
when Moses said, show me your glory. He said, I'll have mercy
on whom I will have mercy. And I will have compassion on
whom I will have compassion. So then, It is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Brother Don, the way you talk,
I'm shut up to God. Unless God saves me, I'm going
to be lost forever. Unless God gives me life, I'm
going to go on dead to hell. Unless God steps in my way and
stops me, eternal damnation is my portion forever. Is that right? You never, never, never thought
better. That's exactly right. That's
exactly right. Salvation is God's work. It's
God's to give to whom He will. God's to perform where He will.
You're in God's hands. He's not in yours. All right? Here's the fifth thing. Verse
22. The Lord Jesus is one with the
Father in worship, praise, and honor, because He's the Son of
Man. For the Father judgeth no man,
but hath committed all judgment to the Son, that all men should
honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth
not the Son honoreth not the father which hath sent him. I'll come to the matter of judgment
in a minute and deal with it more tonight. For now, understand
this. No man honors God. who does not
worship and honor Jesus Christ, the man born in Bethlehem, the
man called the Nazarene, the man who died at Calvary. No man honors God, but rather
blasphemes God, who does not honor Jesus Christ as God. No man. Oh, everybody honors
Christ as God, Most everybody I know, oh no. Most everybody
you know blasphemes Christ and blasphemes God, pretending to
honor him. How so? They say he's a failure. They say he's weak. They say
he's mutable. They say he's changeable. They
say he can be coerced. They say he can be bought off.
They say that he can be blind. They say that men can twist his
arm and get him to do what he wouldn't otherwise do. They say
he tries to save folks that aren't saved. That he paid for folks
whose ransom has not been obtained. That he bought folks who shall
not be delivered. That he died for folks who shall
not be set free. That he bore the sins of people
that he did not bear away. That he suffered hell for some.
who will yet suffer hell themselves. You call that honoring the Son?
That's blaspheming the Son. No man honors God. No man knows
God. No man worships God who does
not honor and worship and trust the Son as God. That's what it is to believe
that Jesus Christ is coming to flesh. He who is the Son of Man
He came here on an errand. He came here for a purpose. What
did He come to do? He came to crush the serpent's
head. What did He come to do? He came to bring in everlasting
righteousness. What did He come to do? He came
to put away sin. What did He come to do? He came
to make an end of sin. He came to make an end of judgment.
He came to make an end of condemnation. Either He did it or He's not
God. He's God Almighty. Number six. The son is one with the father
in his saving power, snatching sinners from the jaws of death
and bringing them into the joys of life. That's what none can
perform except one who is God. And yet this is performed by
the man, Christ Jesus. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me Hath. What a word. Hath. Not shall
have. Not might have. Hath. He that presently hears my word
and presently believes on him that sent me already possesses
everlasting life. And he who possesses everlasting
life shall not come into condemnation, but his past He's already passed
from death unto life. We already have eternal life,
Bob. It's already ours because we heard his voice. We heard
his voice by his spirit as the gospels preached, heard his irresistible,
omnipotent, effectual, life giving call. We heard his voice and
hearing his voice, we believe. We find ourselves believing Him,
and we pass from death into life. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead, that's you, used to be me, the dead. Indeed, this old man
in me is still dead. Oh, bless his name of this dead
sinner living before God now a new life in Christ. Here's
his voice and hearing his voice. I have evidence that I have life
everlasting. The dead shall hear his voice
and they that hear shall live and live forever. For as the
father hath life in himself, what's this? So hath he given
to the Son, the God-man mediator, because he is the Son of Man,
to have life in himself. One last thing. Verse 27. The Son is one with the Father
in judicial power, in judicial authority, in the execution of
judgment. and hath given him authority,
the right and the power to execute judgment also, because he is
the son of man. Because he took on himself our
nature and became one of us, he subjected himself to be despised
and rejected of men. He subjected himself to be spat
upon mocked, derided, and at last crucified. But the story
ain't near about over yet. You're going to meet him again.
The father has committed all judgment to the son. And that man who shall set in
judgment over the world is the man who was crucified upon the
curse tree. whom the father raised from the
dead and sat down on his own right hand. All this honor and
glory, all this power and authority has been heaped upon the son
of God because he is the son of man. But it wasn't given to
him for his benefit. He had it from eternity. It was always His. It was always
His. Do you understand me? It was
always His. But it has been heaped upon Him
as the God, man, the man, God, our mediator, that He might heap
it all upon us, whom He has redeemed by His precious blood and saved
by His almighty grace. Amen.