1/28/2013. John 5:16-30, CROSSING FROM DEATH TO LIFE- my devotional

Key Verse: 5:24                                                                                                                                                                   Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF

““Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”

    Dear Lord heavenly Father, thank you for a wonderful youth retreat. Thank you for the helping me to be a part of this and serving the young people and helping me to get to know the people of the church. I pray that the good work you did in the hearts of the youth, you may continue and bear much fruit. Please help me to accept your word though this passage. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Part 1: The Claims Of Christ (16-23).

The Jewish leaders were upset about Jesus referring to God as “Father”. Instead of backing down, Jesus went on to reveal more about his relationship with the Father and his authority as the Son of Man. Look at verses 16-23, “So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. ¹⁷ In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” ¹⁸ For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. ¹⁹ Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. ²¹ For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. ²² Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, ²³ that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.” (NIV 2011)

Jesus was declaring a wonderful truth about himself. These truths are saying that Jesus is the same as the Father. These are truths that would get Jesus killed. But he said them because he loved the religious leaders and wanted them to repent and find eternal life. He also said these things because this unchanging truth expressed in this passage is the basis of our hope and faith. Jesus, the Son of God, works in perfect harmony with the Father in love and obedience. He has the power to give life and will judge all of humanity. In addition, we cannot honor God without honoring his Son. We hold to these great truths with a profound reverence. Jesus is the Lord of Life.

Jesus is who we need to worship. He is the one who must commit our lives and our hearts to. He is the one we should serve and honor and glorify. There is no other that can bring us to the Father. There is no other who can lead us to salvation. Only Christ. May the young people of our nation know this.

I am totally amazed at Jesus; shepherding of those whom are so hard to shepherd. It is hard to shepherd the proud people who hate you and want to silence you and even wish your end. These are the hardest. But Jesus did not shy away. He faced them and loved them and tried to help them. I pray that I may have this kind of capacity to embrace those who hate me with the love of God. Jesus loved me even when I was the most unlovable. I was never really angry at Jesus, nor rejected the gospel with evil intent. But I ignored Jesus. I ignored his truths. I turned my back on him so many times. But yet Jesus faced me and embraced me and helped me to accept the Gospel and live by gospel faith. I must always remember his great love and I need to embrace others in my life.

Part 2: The Promise of Life (24-30).

Jesus make a very special promise to all who believe in verses 24-30, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. ²⁵ Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. ²⁷ And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. ²⁸ “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice ²⁹ and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. ³⁰ By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”

Jesus has the authority to make such a promise: “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” His words have a life-giving power, as seen in his description of the great resurrection to come. The dead will hear his voice and rise! There are two parts to this promise. There is the crossing over from life to death and there is the hope in the resurrection. These two things are linked.

First, the crossing over from death to life. Look at verses 24-30. There was a time when we dead in our sins and our transgressions. We had no life of God in us. We were biologically alive, but we were spiritually dead. When the Spirit of God tried to interact with us we made no response like a dead person makes no response when they are touched. Our hearts were cold. But then Jesus came to us. By his grace we were born again. At that incredible moment when we first believed, we crossed over from death to life. The breath of God blew new life in our hearts and souls. We came alive with new hope and new power. We crossed over from death to life. That life of God stays with us all the way unto eternity. Without a doubt, there is no such thing as a partial crossing! Before we believed, we were dead in every sense of the word. Now, we are alive. Completely and eternally alive!

There are times in our spiritual lives that we fall into sin and get stuck and elements of death try to wrap its tentacles around our hearts. I was getting this way with my depression and fatalism and angry spirit. I was still alive spiritually, but my heart was weighed down with the elements of death. It happened recently that Jesus came to me with his resurrection power and pulled me out of two year bout of depression and anger. Jesus gave me new hope and new joy and new desire to give my heat to seek and serve him in creative ways. He worked in such a miraculous way, in a way that I could never get out of on my own. It was long journey but Jesus accomplished it. I had crossed over from death to life, newly by his grace.

There will be a time when Jesus will come again and call all believers to be with him. We will meet the Lord in the air. At that time we will really cross over from death to life. This is the great hope that God will accomplish. No matter what we are going through in this life, we can overcome with resurrection faith. The hope brings us through. It is not just a nice thought. It is the truth.

Prayer: Father, we  accept your promise. Increase our faith and help us to walk in faith.

One Word: You have crossed from death to life!