[The following is a full manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 24th of June, 2018. Look for the video of the service on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
Today I’ll be continuing our little series based on statements our Lord Jesus made during His ministry. These statements are fairly simple, yet very important. We know they are important because Jesus prefaced each one by saying, “I tell you the solemn truth”. He wanted to make sure that we understand what He is about to say is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Please listen and follow along as I read from the 5th chapter of the Gospel account of the Apostle John, verses 16 through 23, from the New English Translation of our Holy Bible…
Please listen and follow along as I read from the 5th chapter of the Gospel account of the Apostle John, verses 16 through 23, from the New English Translation of our Holy Bible…
16 Now because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began persecuting Him. 17 So He told them, “My Father is working until now, and I too am working.” 18 For this reason the Jewish leaders were trying even harder to kill Him, because not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was also calling God His own Father, thus making Himself equal with God.
19 So Jesus answered them, “I tell you the solemn truth, the Son can do nothing on His own initiative, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He does, and will show Him greater deeds than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever He wishes. 22 Furthermore, the Father does not judge anyone, but has assigned all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him."
--John 5:16-23 (NET)
Let us pray… Father God, You showed Your Son Jesus exactly what He was to do during His time on earth. You were explicit in Your instructions to Him because our eternal lives were at stake. And Father, Jesus did exactly as You told Him. Help us, please Father, to be more like Jesus and willing to do exactly as You show us. Help us to understand that it is for our own good to obey You. Speak to us now with the message we need to hear this morning. Help us to understand the truth of Jesus and of what He said. In the blessed name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
In 1978, during the fireman's strike in England, the British army took over emergency firefighting. On January 14 they were called out by an elderly lady in South London to retrieve her cat. They arrived with impressive haste, very cleverly and carefully rescued the cat, and started to drive away. But the lady was so grateful she invited the squad of heroes in for tea. Driving off later with fond farewells and warm waving of arms… they ran over the cat and killed it.
I think this little story illustrates the inescapable fact that even when our intentions are the very best, we can still mess things up pretty badly. These soldiers managed to save the cat, right before killing it accidently.
I don’t know of anyone who hasn’t made a mistake in their life. Some of us seem incapable of not goofing up. We’re human – we’re going to make mistakes. And the biggest mistake of all, perhaps, is thinking that we can do anything on our own.
The Apostle John tells us of yet another time when the Jewish leadership was giving Jesus a hard time, trying to trap Him in some mistake or misstep. In this particular instance they accused Him and His disciples of doing some form of labor on the Sabbath. Jesus replied that since His Father was working, so was He also working. And then He shares what to us should be a remarkable truth. Jesus says He can do nothing on His own initiative, but only follows the lead of His Father.
Like Father, like Son – what the Father does, the Son does likewise. Now remember that Jesus is one with God, one of the three persons of God, Jesus the Son of God the Father. If Jesus can do nothing on His own, what makes us think we can?!?
The Jewish hierarchy really didn’t like Jesus. He patiently tried to explain to them who He was and why He was here among us mortals, but they refused to listen. I like the response He gave them once, in John’s chapter 10, verses 25 through 33…
“My sheep hear My voice and they follow Me. You are not My sheep.” That should have been bad news for them, had they understood the truth. Instead, they accused Jesus of making Himself out to be God, when in fact He indeed is God.
Now this also shows that Jesus did not shy away from telling everyone the truth that He is the Son of God, and that the Jews knew this. But Jesus never really made Himself out to be God, nor to put Himself on the same level of authority or even capability of God, of God the Father. He always acknowledged God the Father as the absolute authority under whom He worked. He clearly stated time after time that He only did what His Father God told Him or showed Him to do. Such as in John’s chapter 5 verse 30…
Or chapter 6 verse 38…
John even captured a moment when Jesus told the Jews that when they finally succeed in having Him put to death, only then will they realize the truth of what He had been telling them. Listen to what Jesus said in John’s chapter 8, verse 28…
Jesus told us the solemn truth: “I can do nothing on My own initiative”. “I do all works in My Father’s name.” “I can of Myself do nothing.” “I came not to do My will but the will of Him who sent Me.” “I do nothing of Myself.”
Family, I think this points out two very important lessons for us. The first I have already mentioned: if Jesus could do nothing on His own, what makes us think we can? That’s nothing but pride, isn’t it, to think that we can actually accomplish anything on our own?
It’s human nature, though, that whenever we manage to do something, to make something happen, that we swell up and get all proud of ourselves and think we actually did it ourselves, without help. Or even if it’s a group effort, we still get proud of our role in the effort, of being in the group, and of the group as a whole. Even the simplest things, we tend to think we managed them on our own. We don’t acknowledge God’s role, we don’t give Him all the glory, all the thanks. Jesus, the Son of God, could do nothing on His own, nor can we.
And the second point is related to the first. Jesus did nothing on His own, but only what God the Father showed Him or told Him to do. Isn’t that kind of a strong indication that we too should only do what our Father God shows us or tells us to do?
Have you ever tried to do something and it just keeps crashing down at your feet, no matter how hard or often you try? While that might be Satan trying to trip you up and make you stumble, it might very well be God telling you, “This is not what I want you doing.”
There was a point during one of his missionary journeys when God’s Holy Spirit prevented Paul from going into Asia to preach the Gospel. God knew the time wasn’t right yet, so He instructed His Holy Spirit to stop Paul. What do you think might have happened had Paul gone on, thinking he could do it on his own? My guess is he would have failed miserably and the early church might have suffered for it. Later on, when the time was right, the Holy Spirit directed Paul’s steps into the very land He stopped him from entering earlier, and we know how that turned out. When Paul did what God showed him to do, he was wildly successful.
Jesus told us the solemn truth – the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. We can do nothing on our own. We should only do what God our Father tells us to do, what He shows us to do, what He guides us to do by His Holy Spirit. For even the simplest tasks, we should go to our Father in prayer and seek His guidance. Since we can do nothing on our own, we shouldn’t even try without first asking for His help. And this is especially true when our actions will have an effect and impact on others.
Let’s only do what God shows us, for we can do nothing on our own. In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You showed Jesus everything He needed to do to carry out Your great plan to reconcile mankind to Yourself. And even though You gave Him all authority in heaven and on earth, Jesus did everything You showed and told Him to do. Forgive us, please Father, when we are not as conscientious about serving our own role in Your plan, when we fail to do as You will. Forgive us for taking liberties with the grace and salvation You mercifully provide. Please help us to do as You would have us to do, to serve as You would have us serve, to do Your will and not our own. Help us to be more like Jesus.
Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, thanking You for Your many blessings, promising to turn from our sin, and asking for Your help as we do so…
Lord Jesus, even though You were still God while living among us in the flesh, You did exactly as our Father God told You to do. And it was all for our benefit. Help us to remember that we can really do nothing on our own, that without God we are nothing. Help us to be more like You and to do as God wills for us. Help us to set aside our own wishes and goals in better service to You and our Father God.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
In 1978, during the fireman's strike in England, the British army took over emergency firefighting. On January 14 they were called out by an elderly lady in South London to retrieve her cat. They arrived with impressive haste, very cleverly and carefully rescued the cat, and started to drive away. But the lady was so grateful she invited the squad of heroes in for tea. Driving off later with fond farewells and warm waving of arms… they ran over the cat and killed it.
I think this little story illustrates the inescapable fact that even when our intentions are the very best, we can still mess things up pretty badly. These soldiers managed to save the cat, right before killing it accidently.
I don’t know of anyone who hasn’t made a mistake in their life. Some of us seem incapable of not goofing up. We’re human – we’re going to make mistakes. And the biggest mistake of all, perhaps, is thinking that we can do anything on our own.
The Apostle John tells us of yet another time when the Jewish leadership was giving Jesus a hard time, trying to trap Him in some mistake or misstep. In this particular instance they accused Him and His disciples of doing some form of labor on the Sabbath. Jesus replied that since His Father was working, so was He also working. And then He shares what to us should be a remarkable truth. Jesus says He can do nothing on His own initiative, but only follows the lead of His Father.
Like Father, like Son – what the Father does, the Son does likewise. Now remember that Jesus is one with God, one of the three persons of God, Jesus the Son of God the Father. If Jesus can do nothing on His own, what makes us think we can?!?
The Jewish hierarchy really didn’t like Jesus. He patiently tried to explain to them who He was and why He was here among us mortals, but they refused to listen. I like the response He gave them once, in John’s chapter 10, verses 25 through 33…
25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”
31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”
33 The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”
--John 10:25-33 (NKJV)
Now this also shows that Jesus did not shy away from telling everyone the truth that He is the Son of God, and that the Jews knew this. But Jesus never really made Himself out to be God, nor to put Himself on the same level of authority or even capability of God, of God the Father. He always acknowledged God the Father as the absolute authority under whom He worked. He clearly stated time after time that He only did what His Father God told Him or showed Him to do. Such as in John’s chapter 5 verse 30…
30 "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me."
--John 5:30 (NKJV)
38 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me."
--John 6:38 (NKJV)
28 Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things."
--John 8:28 (NKJV)
Family, I think this points out two very important lessons for us. The first I have already mentioned: if Jesus could do nothing on His own, what makes us think we can? That’s nothing but pride, isn’t it, to think that we can actually accomplish anything on our own?
It’s human nature, though, that whenever we manage to do something, to make something happen, that we swell up and get all proud of ourselves and think we actually did it ourselves, without help. Or even if it’s a group effort, we still get proud of our role in the effort, of being in the group, and of the group as a whole. Even the simplest things, we tend to think we managed them on our own. We don’t acknowledge God’s role, we don’t give Him all the glory, all the thanks. Jesus, the Son of God, could do nothing on His own, nor can we.
And the second point is related to the first. Jesus did nothing on His own, but only what God the Father showed Him or told Him to do. Isn’t that kind of a strong indication that we too should only do what our Father God shows us or tells us to do?
Have you ever tried to do something and it just keeps crashing down at your feet, no matter how hard or often you try? While that might be Satan trying to trip you up and make you stumble, it might very well be God telling you, “This is not what I want you doing.”
There was a point during one of his missionary journeys when God’s Holy Spirit prevented Paul from going into Asia to preach the Gospel. God knew the time wasn’t right yet, so He instructed His Holy Spirit to stop Paul. What do you think might have happened had Paul gone on, thinking he could do it on his own? My guess is he would have failed miserably and the early church might have suffered for it. Later on, when the time was right, the Holy Spirit directed Paul’s steps into the very land He stopped him from entering earlier, and we know how that turned out. When Paul did what God showed him to do, he was wildly successful.
Jesus told us the solemn truth – the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. We can do nothing on our own. We should only do what God our Father tells us to do, what He shows us to do, what He guides us to do by His Holy Spirit. For even the simplest tasks, we should go to our Father in prayer and seek His guidance. Since we can do nothing on our own, we shouldn’t even try without first asking for His help. And this is especially true when our actions will have an effect and impact on others.
Let’s only do what God shows us, for we can do nothing on our own. In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You showed Jesus everything He needed to do to carry out Your great plan to reconcile mankind to Yourself. And even though You gave Him all authority in heaven and on earth, Jesus did everything You showed and told Him to do. Forgive us, please Father, when we are not as conscientious about serving our own role in Your plan, when we fail to do as You will. Forgive us for taking liberties with the grace and salvation You mercifully provide. Please help us to do as You would have us to do, to serve as You would have us serve, to do Your will and not our own. Help us to be more like Jesus.
Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, thanking You for Your many blessings, promising to turn from our sin, and asking for Your help as we do so…
Lord Jesus, even though You were still God while living among us in the flesh, You did exactly as our Father God told You to do. And it was all for our benefit. Help us to remember that we can really do nothing on our own, that without God we are nothing. Help us to be more like You and to do as God wills for us. Help us to set aside our own wishes and goals in better service to You and our Father God.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
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