An Introduction to The Person and Work of Christ

Temple Baptist Church - 11-30-2022

John 5:17-29

 

A.  In our context, we find the religionists questioning the Lord Jesus Christ concerning one of His miracles.  He came to the Pool of Bethesda and healed an impotent man who was lame and could not walk.

 

B.  Because of the human impossibility of this man’s situation, he remained in the same impotent state while living in the public’s eye for 38 years.

 

C.  That a miracle had been performed could not be questioned.  This lame man was walking and publicly talking of his healing.  Not able to perform such a miracle themselves, the accusers of Christ did what most would do.  They found fault!  Not with the man who was healed, but with the One who healed him.

 

D.  Verse 16.  The first thing that the world tried to do was to persecute and or kill the Son of God!

 

E.  Verse 17.  “But Jesus answered them.”  Our Lord neither knew nor showed fear as he addresses these religious zealots.  The Lord took this opportunity to introduce Himself and the work that He came to accomplish.  His work was a spiritual healing, not just a physical one.

 

F.  The Lord could have destroyed those for whom He would die but did not.  The Lord could have been just to scold those who did not know Him, but He did not.  He would have been just in both cases.

 

G.  The Lord chose this opportunity to introduce Himself to them.  In His discourse, H told them who He was and told them what He was about.  In doing so, the Lord told them of 3 appointments that were essential to life eternal that was to follow.

 

H.  Our Lord explained three appointments.  Two that they would not escape and one that would make the other two an eternal joy:

 

1.  The Appointment of Salvation.  Verses 24-25.

 

a.  The Unhearing Ear.  But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?  (These hear but they do not listen!)

 

Ezekiel 12:2  Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.

 

Zechariah 7:11  But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.

 

Acts 7:57  Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

 

b.  The Hearing Ear.  Romans 10:17  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

 

Matthew 11:15  He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

 

2 Corinthians 6:2  (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

 

John 6:44  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

 

2.  The Appointment of Death.  Verse 28.  “All that are in the graves”

 

Job 7:1  Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?

 

Job 14:5  Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;

 

Job 30:23  For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.

 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2  To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:  (2)  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

 

Hebrews 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

 

3.  The Appointment of Judgment.  Verse 28-29.  “All … hear His voice … come forth”

 

(Here we find one of the “gaps” found in the Bible.  These two resurrections are 1000 years apart.  The Judgment of the Just [those who have done good – heard the gospel and accepted it] will take place at the Rapture of the Church just prior to the Tribulation Period also called Jacob’s Trouble.  The Judgment of the Unjust [those who have rejected] will take place in Revelation 20:11-15 at the end of the 1000 year Millennial Reign of Christ.)

 

a.  The Judgment of the Just – The Judgment Seat of Christ. 

 

2 Corinthians 5:10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

 

1 Corinthians 3:10-11  According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.  (11)  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

 

b.  The Judgment of the Unjust – The Great White Throne Judgment. 

 

Romans 2:4-6  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?  (5)  But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;  (6)  Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

 

Revelation 20:11-15  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.  (12)  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.  (13)  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.  (14)  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.  (15)  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.