More Of His Holiness -- 6/25/06 (Eternal Realities)

Sunday, June 25, 2006

MORE OF HIS HOLINESS

Jesus is the sweetest name I know; Precious name… O how sweet;
And He’s just the same as His lovely name. Hope of earth and joy of heaven.
And that’s the reason why I love Him so; Precious name… O how sweet;
O Jesus is the sweetest name I know. Hope of earth and joy of heaven.

Surely there is no sweeter name in all of earth or heaven. Yes, the name of Jesus is precious. Praise God! But these are not just words we sing. The name speaks of the character of a person. What is behind the name? What makes it so precious? We can never know the answer to that question until we behold the Jesus who is revealed in the scriptures.

So where do we start? We start with the truth that Jesus is holy, set apart, unique, one of a kind, in a class by Himself. We have already begun to look at this truth. We saw it in the fact that Peter fell down at Jesus feet and said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." He recognized that Jesus was no ordinary man. We saw the holiness of Jesus, when He said to a lame man, "Your sins are forgiven." When Jesus demonstrated that He did indeed have the authority to forgive sins by healing the man of his paralysis, the people said, "We have never seen anything like this." And again we saw the holiness of Jesus when He was upon the mountain with Peter, James, and John. He was transfigured before them. His clothing was as white as the light and His face shone as the sun. Moses and Elijah appeared with Him, and the voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear Him."

Now this morning come with me to the gospel of John, that we may continue to see that Jesus of Nazareth, the One born in Bethlehem’s manger, is holy, set apart from all others.

John 8:36-59 [Don’t read yet. Read it as we walk through it]

Read 8:36-38. Listen again to Jesus’ words in verse 38, "I speak that which I have seen with my Father; and ye do that which ye have seen with your father." We know who Jesus’ Father was, but to whom was Jesus referring when He spoke of their father? They didn't want to leave any question, so they immediately said: "Abraham is our father." They were identifying Abraham as the father of the Hebrew nation. They were very proud of being His descendants.

By the way, can you remember back to the preaching of John the Baptist? Let’s refresh our memory by reading Luke 3:8-9, "Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 9. And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." John warned them about appealing to Abraham as their father, when their lives did not yield good fruit. And now Jesus says the same basic thing. "If you were the children of Abraham, you would do the works of Abraham. Instead, you go about trying to kill me."

Then again in verse 41, "Ye do the deeds of your father." Now listen to their response: "We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God." What a bold claim. Now they not only claim that Abraham is their father, but that God Himself is their father. This was highly unusual. We are very accustomed to referring to God as Father, but that was not the case in Jesus’ day. Even His own disciples did not call God their Father while Jesus walked on the earth with them. The great men of God—Abraham, Moses, David—did not call God their Father. And yet now we see these Jewish leaders making that claim.

In verses 42-44, Jesus clarifies His reference to their father. (42-44)
Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 43. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 44. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Now go back with me to chapter 5. You will recall that it was there that Jesus encountered a man who had been lame for 38 years. No problem for Jesus; He healed Him on the spot. But some of the Jews were not pleased that this man could finally walk. Why? Because Jesus had done it on the sabbath day. Now let’s pick it up in Jn. 5:16-19…
And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. 17. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. 18. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. 19. Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

They were already plotting to kill him because He healed on the sabbath, but now their desire was even stronger because He claimed that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. They understood the implications of His claim. Isn’t it interesting that a little bit later these same leading Jewish religious leaders claim that God is their Father.

Now hear me. Whatever they meant by the claim that God was their Father, they understood that Jesus’ claim went much deeper than that. They understood that He was claiming to be equal with God. That is plainly stated here in John 5:18.

Now come back to chapter 8. They accused Jesus of being a Samaritan and having a devil (demon). Listen to Jesus in verses 50-51, "And I seek not mine own glory; there is one that seeketh and judgeth. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death." That really excited them. 52, "Then said t he Jews unto him, Now we k now that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death." Their thinking is quite clear. Abraham was a godly man. If any man kept God’s commands, surely it was he. Yet he died. Now listen to 53, "Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead; whom makest thou thyself?"

Now let’s read Jesus’ response in 54-56…
If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55. Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 56. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

Now they had Him. In their eyes, Jesus had made a wild claim when He said, "Abraham rejoiced to see my day." So now comes the question of 57, "Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?" They were not ready for what Jesus said next. Verse 58, "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am."

Isn’t that amazing. I expect Jesus to say, "Before Abraham was, I was." And that would have been accurate. All we have to do is go back to chapter 1, where John begins his account with these words: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2. The same was in the beginning with God. 3. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made" (Jn. 1:1-3). Jesus was indeed before Abraham, because He has always been. But Jesus said more. "Before Abraham was, I am." There is a sense in which it is never correct to say that Jesus was.

Many of you are aware of the impact of those words "I am." When God sent Moses down to Egypt to deliver His people, Moses said, "But they will ask me who sent me. What shall I tell them?" And the Lord said to Moses: "Tell them that I am sent you." This is the very name of God. Yet Jesus takes that name to Himself. This is no accident; it is deliberate. Jesus is stating in no uncertain terms that He is indeed God in the flesh.

If you question that, just look at the next verse: "Then they took up stones to cast at him." Why? Because He was guilty of blasplemy. He, a man, claimed to be God. That was worthy of death by stoning. Jesus’ enemies knew full well what He was claiming. May we know it as well as they did. Jesus is God. Jesus is holy. As God the Father is set apart, so Jesus is set apart.

John 10:19-42

Now we come to chapter 10. In the first 18 verses of this chapter, we see Jesus identifying Himself as the Good Shepherd and the Door of the sheep. And as the Good Shepherd of the sheep, He lays down His life for the sheep, having received such authority from His Father. Now we pick it up in 10:19-24…
There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings. 20. And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him? 21. Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind? 22. And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. 23. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. 24. Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.

Now listen to His response in 25-29…
Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. 26. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. 27. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

By the way, some of you are familiar with these words as a proof text for the belief that a person cannot lose his salvation. The thinking goes like this: Once a person is saved, he can never be lost, because no one can pluck him from the hand of Jesus and the Father. That is not what Jesus said. Jesus does not speak of the person who claims to be saved, or even specifically of the person who is saved. Rather, He speaks of the sheep who hear His voice and follow Him. This promise is only for those hear His voice and follow Him. It is in the present tense, not the past tense. I can claim this promise only if I am hearing Jesus’ voice and following Him today.

You will notice that Jesus says that no one can pluck them out of His hand nor out of the Father’s hand. It is the Father who gave these sheep to Jesus. And now Jesus concludes with these simple words in verse 30, "I and my Father are one."

I recall an incident from many years ago. I was a junior in high school and we had a nine-week class in "Comparative Religion." Yes, this was in a public school. The teacher who sponsored the class was a seeker. Rather than try to teach what various groups believed, he invited various leaders to come and speak to us. Then we were allowed to ask them questions. I remember when the Jehovah’s Witnesses came. They do not believe or teach that Jesus is God, equal with the Father. We asked them about this verse, where Jesus plainly says, "I and my Father are one." And they had a ready answer. They took us over to John 17, where Jesus prayed "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me" (John 17:20-21). Their thinking was clear: "Jesus prayed that we also might be one with Him, but we obviously aren’t equal with God."
There is one problem with that line of thinking. Remember that we must always look at the context of scripture. What comes before and after the verses we are considering? Notice how the Jewish leaders responded to Jesus’ statement in verse 31, "Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him." Jesus was having a conversation with them, but now they suddenly begin the stoning process. Understand that they were not just going to throw rocks at Him; they were going to cast large stones on Him until He was dead. It was a form of execution.

Now vss. 32-33, "Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? 33. The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God." They understood perfectly what Jesus was saying. By speaking those simple words, "I and my Father are one," He was claiming to be God.

Now let’s be absolutely clear about how radical this claim was. Go back to Deut. 6:4, "Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord." Every Jew grew up on those words. The Lord Himself told them to post these words on their doorposts and to wear them before their eyes and on their hands. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day still took these words very literally. They wore their phylacteries on their wrists and foreheads, and these little boxes contained scriptures, including Dt. 6:4. The most blasphemous thing any man could do was to claim to be God. There was to dispute the very foundation of everything they believed. Now Jesus walks into that context and says, "I and my Father are one." No wonder they took up stones to kill Him. Unless He was indeed God, then He was a blasphemer of the first degree.

The Jesus of the Bible is not an ordinary man. Nor is He just an extraordinary man. He is God. Jesus is just as holy, just as set apart, as Almighty God Himself. In these passages, we see the practical implications of what is stated so directly in Jn. 1:1-2, "In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God."

John 12:30-50

Now please turn to John 12. Please glance at verses 23-29. We have looked at this passage many, many times. Because Jesus was coming close to His death, He spoke of the necessity of the seed falling into the ground and dying, that it might bring forth much fruit. Jesus was first of all referring to Himself. And then in verse 27 He says, "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say, ‘Save me from this hour’? But for this cause came I to this hour. ‘Father, glorify thy name.’ That was His prayer. Then the voice from heaven came. Now let’s pick it up in Jn. 12:30-36…
Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. 31. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. 32. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. 33. This he said, signifying what death he should die. 34. The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man? 35. Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. 36. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.

Now we come to the portion that I want us to examine. 37-38, "But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: 38. That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?" Keep your place in John 12, and turn back to Isaiah 53. We can see that in verse 38 John is quoting from Is. 53:1, "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?" As in the days of Isaiah, so in the days of Jesus. Though God had even given the testimony of the miracles He did, they still did not believe on Him.

But John isn’t through quoting from Isaiah. Jn. 12:39, "Therefore they could not believe, because that Esias said again…" I don’t claim to have perfect understanding of this passage, but my understanding is this. First, they would not believe (verse 37); then they could not believe (verse 39). And now Jn. 12:40, "He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them." Do you know where this quotation comes from? It is from chapter 6, that chapter we studied about three weeks ago. Let’s read it again to refresh our memory. Read Is. 6:1-8…
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 4. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 5. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. 6. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7. And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. 8. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

That is the part of Isaiah 6 that many of us know well. But after Isaiah volunteered to be the one sent by God, what would he say? The Lord then gives him the flavor of the message he will preach in 6:9-10…
And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

The Lord revealed to Isaiah that he would be preaching to a hard-hearted people. In the next verse God implies that the people will never respond favorably to his message. His words will only blind their eyes and harden their hearts. And now John applies that same message to how people were responding to Jesus. He sees Jesus’ life and message blinding their eyes and hardening their hearts.

How can this be? Just look around. You would think that when people hear the good news of how God sent His only Son to rescue them from destruction and make them whole, they would respond in repentance and faith, being ever grateful for God’s love. Look around. Nothing has changed. As it was in Jesus’ day, so it is in our day. And in general, the gospel message further hardens the hearts of those who hear it.

We’ll come back to this, but now look at verse 41, "These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him." Now John refers to the first part of Isaiah 6, when Isaiah saw the Lord’s glory and spoke of Him. But of whom did Isaiah speak? We would say immediately, "Of the Lord God Almighty, Jehovah, Yahweh, God the Father." But let’s take a closer look. Is that what John was saying?

You will notice that the focus of this whole passage is on Jesus and how people were responding to Him. Now read verse 42, "Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him…" On whom? Obviously, John intends us to understand that they believed on Jesus. So to whom does the "him" of verse 41 refer? In the context, it seems best to take it as referring to Jesus. And indeed that is the way most Bible students have always understood it. Some translations bring this out. The NIV reads in 41, "Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him." I don’t like the translation, because it isn’t translation; it is commentary, but the point is that many these and other translators understand this to refer to Jesus, rather than God the Father.

When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, He was seeing the Lord Jesus. But Isaiah specifically said, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory." Doesn’t that refer to God the Father? It would seem to, but now John indicates that Isaiah was seeing Jesus.

Here is the point – Jesus is so much God that He and the Father can hardly be separated. So are they the same? No, they are distinct. And yet they are One in the truest sense of the Word. Let’s read on in this passage and see that Jesus confirms this understanding… 12:42-50…
Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: 43. For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. 44. Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. 45. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. [Notice how closely Jesus ties Himself to the Father.] 46. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. 47. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. 49. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. 50. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.

There is another whole study in these last verses. Lord willing, we will take a look at the end of chapter 12, along with Jesus’ quotation of Psalm 82 in John 10 either next Sunday evening (July 2) or Sunday evening, July 16.

Conclusion

Last time we stressed the holiness of Jesus through the truth that He forgave sins, that He was transfigured on the mount, and that Peter sensed his unworthiness in Jesus’ presence. Today we have seen the holiness of Jesus in John’s strong testimony that Jesus is indeed God in the flesh. If Jehovah God is holy, then Jesus is just as holy, because they are One. Even Jesus’ enemies recognized that He claimed to be God. Nothing could be clearer.

Let’s conclude by looking at a verse from Hebrews. Come to chapter 7. In this context, the writer has been laboring to show that Jesus is a better high priest than the high priests of the old covenant. Now let’s read Heb. 7:24-27…
But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. 25. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. 26. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; 27. Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

Now when we think of Jesus being our high priest, we think of Heb. 4:15-16… "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Here the humanity of Jesus is emphasized. But in 7:26, notice the description of Jesus our High Priest. He is holy, harmless [blameless], undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. Oh yes, Jesus must be a man in order to be our high priest, but first He is holy, blameless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.

We will never see Jesus clearly until we see His holiness, until we see Him as set apart, unique, one of a kind, in a class all by Himself.