We’re continuing in John Chapter 5…Jesus is still in the process of telling the Jews…specifically the Pharisees that He possess all the qualities of God Himself.
As we have previously seen, Jesus angered the religious leaders by violating their traditions…one was by healing a lame man on the Sabbath and the second by claiming to be equal with God (John 5:18).
Both were essential if Jesus was to establish His claim as the Son of God…Jewish law demanded for something to be declared a fact it required the testimony of at least two or three witnesses [Num. 35:30; Deut. 17:6] “A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any sin which he has committed…(but) on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.
FIRST…if you’re going to make a claim against someone you need to have multiple sources who are willing to testify to the validity of that claim.
SECONDLY…it’s not enough to make a claim about yourself… there must also be others who will be willing to testify to the truth of your claim as well…So, Jesus gives them four witnesses to His claim:
The Witness of God
The Witness of John the Baptist
The Witness of Works
The Witness of Scripture
This morning I want to talk about just one of those…The Witness of God …Jesus’ testimony concerning Himself would not stand up in a court of law…there would have to be collaborating witnesses…so Jesus says my claims do not arise from Myself, but from the Father who also bears witness to the truth of the claim.
In [v. 18-23] Jesus provides five statements that reveal His equality with God…that gives evidence of His deity:
Jesus is Equal to God in person-5:18
Jesus is Equal to God in works-5:19
Jesus is Equal to God in Power-5:21
Jesus is Equal to God in Judgment-5:22
Jesus Is Equal to God in Honor-5:23
These Jewish religious leaders were putting themselves in the position of judging Jesus as if they were the only ones that could speak for God.
In reality these men had never heard God’s voice or seen Him…they were not even present to hear God’s voice at Jesus’ baptism…but they were ready to speak on God’s behalf now…they couldn’t see God’s hand at work in the miracles Jesus performed or in the Scriptures that pointed to Him as the promised Messiah.
They were the self-professed keepers and teachers of God’s law…here’s the danger …what was true then is still true today…there are those that claim to speak for God and assure us that they have the truth of the Bible…yet as you listen to what they say it becomes evident that they have twisted the Scriptures in order to justify their own personal gain.
It’s actually very easy to make the Bible say whatever you want it to say… you can pull verses out of context and easily make the Bible say something that it doesn’t say…ignorant people…churches… denominations…preachers…and even theologians have all proven this to be true.
Accurate Bible interpretation is absolutely critical if you are to understand the Bible correctly…verses can be misconstrued and applied to situations that have no application to that verse at all…meaning you can’t take a single verse or a part of a verse out of context…even with good intentions and claim that’s what the Bible says.
People will cause you to believe ideas and concepts about the Bible based on nothing more than their poor interpretation of the Bible.
People attempt to seduce you into believing that a Bible story applies to you by using a verse out of context to support that claim…a couple week ago I shared with Elaine’s Sunday school class about the mis-representation regarding the three men Nebuchadnezzar tied up and threw into the fire…and Daniel in the lion’s den.
We tell this story to kids in children’s church and falsely give them the impression that God is going to save them from harm…that is not true…little kids die every day…God saving you from harm is not the intent of those stories.
So, at times people un-willingly and not with malice make claims about the Bible that are less than accurate…but with good intention…then there are some who with intent distort the Bible…making false claims for personal gain.
People promoting the idea that the abundant life is having lavish homes…expensive cars… and more money than you know what to do with…is distorted intent.
Wanting you to believe that that’s what God wants for you…and masking it under the heading of ‘The Favor of God’.
I want to share with you this morning what the favor of God is…it doesn’t mean having wealth…prestige…position…or power…God’s priorities for us do not consist in an abundance of material things for your benefit.
The witness of Jesus has a direct tie into the favor of God…it’s how God demonstrates Himself to us…and to the world…it is a witness of God in the world for those who experience it.
The witness of God was in Jesus in the form of the Holy Spirit…same Spirit that is on every person today…if you’re a Christian…it is through the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives that gives us the favor of God and verifies the witness of God to lost sinners.
Christ did not come to earth to please Himself or to demand His rights…in fact, He did just the opposite…while on earth He made it His passion to do the will of God, to finish the work which God had given him to do, and not to seek his own comfort and enjoyment. [John 6:38; John 5:30].
In His life He did not seek personal comfort…wealth…or honor…He was willing to endure whatever trials and pains the will of God might demand on Him… not seeking to avoid them or to shirk away from them [Luke 22:42].
Jesus’s entire life was for six reasons:
…FIRST — to identify Himself as the Son of God;
…SECOND — to show compassion and meet human needs…He denied himself to promote the welfare of others;
…THIRD — to affirm God’s mercy…extending hope to those who deserve to be punished;
…FOURTH — He allowed Himself to be nailed to a Cross and die for an ungrateful world.
…FIFTH — by willingly dying on the Cross He secured Salvation for all who trust in Him;
…SIXTH — Jesus’ resurrection was a glimpse of what will occur…His resurrection was the evidence of life after death…a preview of that glorious day when we shall live forever with Him.
But that’s not what is being preached in many churches today…it’s not about the suffering Savior…it’s about what the favor of God is going to do for you in this life.
When you go to hear a minister…preacher…evangelist…televangelist and pay $20-25 dollars or more a seat you don’t want to hear what was preached here last week.
…that the whole human race is born spiritually dead;
…that as a result unbelievers are the enemies of God;
…that there will be a judgement by Jesus of every person who has ever lived;
…that some Christians will receive no heavenly rewards;
…that some people will be condemned and asked to leave heaven and be eternally separated from loved ones and God.
People aren’t going to pay to hear that…they want to know what God is going to do for them while on earth…and the Bible is clear what God wants to do for you while on earth…He does want you to be a part of and share in His favor but not in
the way they describe it.
FIRST…we should not think of the favor of God in material or worldly terms…if we are going to grasp what is applicable for us today from the Bible it’s knowing that God’s favor will be given in spiritual blessings more than in material blessings.
SECOND…favor follows after faithfulness…a Biblical principal seen throughout the Bible…this does not mean that everyone who is prosperous or healthy has found favor with God…nor does it mean that those whom the Lord favors will never suffer difficulties.
A lifestyle of faithfulness leads to a life full of favor from 1) God and 2) the favor from the right people around us…having the favor of God extends to people around you…God causes the favor of people to be on us…see this throughout Scripture… it’s a biblical principle.
In my own life I can testify to countless times when the favor of people has been extended to me for no rational reason…see the favor of God in three areas of life.
1) Favor on a universal level
Even before we became Christians God was giving us His favor…even while we were still rebelling against Him…while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).
The “favor of God” can be described as a divine kindness, or an act of true compassion on the part of God toward needy and undeserving human recipients …that’s us.
In Scripture the act of God toward unworthy humans is referred to as God’s “grace” – which means “the unmerited favor of God …God saved us because of His favor toward us…wanting that all should come to a saving knowledge of who He is… it’s God’s grace at work in every person’s life…on a universal level that enables them to be born again.
2) Favor on an individual level
Once we experience the favor of God on a universal level we move to the favor of God on an individual level.
From the moment you trusted Jesus as your Savior you stepped into a new life… people say; Oh, I can’t wait until I get to heaven, so I can experience the fullness of God’s favor…you don’t have to wait…God’s favor is happening right now.
God is pouring out His favor on us right here and now…God’s favor is working nonstop on your behalf…being born again was just the starting place for His favor. He will continue to pour out favor on you every moment of your life.
See this repeatedly noted in Scriptures…Abraham and Moses took their direction from God…they were faithfully obedient…as a result the favor of God was on them… God rewarded them as they did great and impossible things in their lives.
…David while just a boy was crowned the king of Israel…but he waited patiently for over 20 years of his life…so why David…he was passionate for the Lord…he was obedient to the Lord…he worshipped God…he was repentant when he sinned.
He never questioned God’s promise but all the while demonstrated a lifestyle of faithfulness towards God…until God’s favor became a reality.
…Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD [Gen. 6:8] …why? …the next verse explains why…Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God [Gen. 6:9].
We can’t assume that Noah never sinned because in reality…Noah was corrupt like everyone else…BUT…Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him [Genesis 6:22; 7:5,9] …he had the favor of God in his life…Noah and his family were saved by their righteousness…the rest of the world perished for the lack of righteousness.
3) Favor in the eyes of the right people around us.
Having the favor of God means having the favor of people without even realizing it…this is shown to be true throughout Scripture.
…Esther, a Jewish orphan girl raised by her cousin Mordecai (Esther 2:7) …she became a queen…what a fairytale story that is…that’s what’s known as the providence of God…one day without permission she goes before the king… something that was deserving of death…even for the queen …but she had been granted favor from God that resulted in her being favored by the King.
She was faithful in her calling…as a result she found favor in the eyes of the right people around her…God rewarded her faithfulness…she bravely revealed a diabolical plot to have the Jews exterminated…her faithfulness to God was rewarded.
…Ruth was the daughter-in-law of an Israelite family…she was not even Jewish… her husband died…in that day women without a man to take care of them were at great risk…but she found favor with God and with the right people around her…a man Boaz who she marries because:
All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband… how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth to help provide for her…then it says ‘may the Lord reward your work [2:12].
…In the life of Joseph…God’s favor towards him was so abundant that it spilled over into the life of a pagan Egyptian ruler…if you’re familiar with the story of Joseph you know that even during his darkest hours in prison…even during our most adverse times when we get the impression that God is not for us…that He is not with us…the opposite is true.
God showed Joseph exceptional favor…sometimes our inability to see the favor of God in our lives particularly during difficult times is because we are looking through the lens of circumstance, rather than through the lens of providence.
Favor is a divine force that God releases on behalf of his people that brings blessing into their lives…God wants to give favor to his people…however, he cannot do that if we are not the kind of people that deserve it.
God’s favor isn’t something given just because you go to church…being a “part-time” Christian isn’t going to get you there…being inspired by watching some TV preacher is not enough…just warming the seat of a pew a few times a year isn’t going to lead to a life in which you experience the favor God.
What can we do that will release that favor…look again at the lives of Abraham… Moses…Noah…Joseph…men who were obedient and faithful to God’s commands.
For us it’s being involved in a local congregation of believers…it includes studying …meditating…praying…it includes growing spiritually by participation in a personal group study like Sunday school.
It includes some form of personal ministry and outreach…this leads to a rewarding personal fellowship with God through His Spirit and causes the favor of God on your life.
God treats everyone alike but He puts His special favor on those who respond wholeheartedly to his calling and yield their lives entirely to Him…people who are sincere in growing in the knowledge of God…seeking to discover God’s will and purpose in their lives.
Ruth…Esther…Moses…Abraham…Noah…Joseph…were those kinds of people… their lives reveal the reason God had favor on them.
In every instance their lives demonstrated a lifestyle of faithfulness and obedience towards God which results in God granting favor in their lives.
There are things we can do to begin seeking the Lord’s favor…the favor of God occurs when we live out the life we know God expects us to live…faithfulness brings favor…obedience brings blessings.
The favor of God can be described as the tangible evidence that a person has the approval of the Lord…goes back to the beginning of this message…having the witness of God in our lives…God showing favor to the ones who delight in and give honor to Him.
[Isaiah 66:2] “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and who are contrite in spirit and who tremble at my word.” …contrite in spirit is feeling or showing sorrow and remorse for a sin.
A lifestyle of faithfulness eventually leads to a life of favor…favor from God and favor in the eyes of people around us…BUT…it’s conditional…favor requires faithfulness —- and blessings require obedience to God.
If we are to receive the favor of God it requires a decision to accept Jesus as Savior and live in obedience to His commands.
If our sole purpose in life is to attain favor in the eyes of people, we will inevitably compromise our fellowship with God because we are seeking Man’s favor at the expense of God’s favor.
Here’s the error in today’s understanding of what the favor of God means… thousands of people believe that the ‘favor of God’ on their lives means God providing for you everything you need to live comfortably in this life.
Let me share with you again…because I’ve said this before and I will say it again in the future…I had a Pastor tell me…you keep telling your church the same thing over and over until finally someone asks how long you are going to keep preaching the same thing…then you know you can move on.
So I’m going to say it again…the favor of God has nothing to do with material abundance…SO…then can I fully trust that God will take care of my physical needs…here’s why God generously provides you with all you need:
Paul gives the reason in [2 Cor. 9:8]
“Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others” …God does not only meet your needs…but He will also furnish you with the means to…WATCH THIS…help someone meet their needs.
By allowing you to do good for someone else…not so you can get rich…NO WHERE in the New Testament is there any reference to give so you can get back in return for your own personal gain.
When we willingly and freely give to others…God responds toward you in like manner…giving back to you because you are faithful with what He has given you.
He gives it back NOT so you can spend it on yourself…as those preachers on TBN…Daystar…and the Word network would have you believe…but so you can share with others.
The principles laid down in [2 Corinthians 9:8] is to encourage us to give an offering to the Lord…not out of necessity…not so I can get something in return… not a requirement to give 10% as some preachers would have you to believe so they can fund church projects.
Let me just say this about giving money to the Church…if you’re giving money to the church to get something in return…it won’t happen…it’s giving from the heart…faithfulness finds favor with God…obedience brings blessings.
The witness of God in our lives is evident in many ways…how we live…how we act…how we talk…how we dress…who our friends are…but one way that someone is known by is…is having God’s favor in our lives.
God guides and directs our lives by the people we meet and the occurrences that happen in our life…that all falls under the witness of God…when people see those things occurring in our life that is the work of God in our lives that comes as a result of faithfulness that brings favor…and blessings as we strive to be obedient to God.