Sermon nuggets Friday April 4, 2008
Theme- Evidence for Truth
Verses- John 5:41-47
"I do not accept praise from men, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts.
I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.
How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?
"But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?" (NIV)
THE TESTIMONY OF MOSES vs. 45-47
This week we looked at Jesus pointing to the Divine witness and testimony of who He is. God raised up the Prophet John the Baptist to point people to the Messiah. That is how the early group became followers. There was the evidence of miracles, the testimony by the Father Himself, the teachings of the Scriptures and prophets of the Old Testament. But He adds to that the testimony of Moses.
Moses was the authority for the Jews. He became the figure for the law as God gave it to Moses. Yet, Jesus is saying Moses points to Christ and if you follow Moses and not the one who he is pointing to, Moses’ testimony rejects you.
I read of this old carnival headliner nicknamed Cannonball. In his younger days he was blasted out of a cannon 1200 times. When asked why he did this, he replied, “Do you know what it’s like to feel the applause of 60,000 people? That’s why I did it.”
Many leaders, then and now, risk their lives because they love the approval of the crowd. Many are influenced by the crowds. The only approval that is important is God's approval. He provided a way in coming to earth to reveal truth and bring salvation. In refusing to believe on Him, they faced eternal condemnation, something far more serious than the death.
Moses is compared to Christ in many ways. As the deliverer of people from bondage into the Promised Land, so is Jesus into the eternal Promised Land. Moses was rescued as a baby into Egypt, so Jesus was rescued and went to Egypt as a baby. Moses instituted the Passover as directed by God pointing to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and whose blood was shed to give us salvation. Moses struck the rock giving living water. He lifted up the snake on the pole to which those dying people must look to be spared. The pictures and types comparing Moses to Jesus are remarkable, but Moses also was pointing to another deliverer to come to his people.
Jews accepted Moses completely but did not see how they pointed to Christ and they had an advantage over the rest of the world. I feel that today we have such an advantage over the rest of the world that there is no excuse to reject Jesus.
If some reject Jesus it is not so because of the lack of evidence, but refusal to receive the overwhelming evidence that the life and ministry of Christ presents.
As believers we reflect over these facts and worship and thank God for so great a salvation.
Pastor Dale
