Well, turn with me in your Bible to John chapter five.

As you are turning there and as we are considering the authority of the Son of God this morning from John chapter five, that is our sermon title, it causes us to stop and think, who is your ultimate authority? Who is it that determines what you do and how you do it? Who is it that you answer to? Is it your boss? The government? A friend? Your spouse? I know what the right answer is and that you would probably give to me, but what is your answer in reality? and the way that you live your life.

Some people believe that we ought to be autonomous. Autonomous is a word that means self-governed. Auto means self, and namos is the Greek word for law. So autonomous means that I rule myself. So to be autonomous is to say that I am my own highest authority. And a lot of people live this way. What I say goes, and the buck stops with me. Others may say that it is a human government that is our ultimate authority. Or it could be any other source of authority that we do have on this earth, and we do have authorities. But what is your ultimate authority? Who is it who has final say in your life? What rules over everything else for you? What or who is it that you entrust the most precious things in your life to?

And these sorts of questions begin to stir other questions in our mind, very existential questions. What about life itself? Who do you trust your life with? Who has authority? over life and death? Is this life all that there is? And is that how you live? These are, again, what they call existential questions. They have to do with our very existence. And the Bible often confronts us with questions like this. It even directly asks questions like this. For example, in Job, Job facing a very existential crisis.

In Job 14, chapter 14, verse 14, he says, if a man dies, will he live again? You think of Job’s life, the circumstances he was facing, everything taken from him. And it would cause you to ask that question. If a man dies, will he live again? Is this life all that there is? Will we live again after we die? But the Bible doesn’t just ask these questions. It answers them too. The Bible answers the question, if a man dies, will he live again? And it answers it with an emphatic yes. All people, believers and unbelievers, will one day be raised from the dead. Everyone will live forever consciously and individually. Yes, this life will end and we will die, but every person who ever lived will live again. Every person will be resurrected with a physical body and live eternally. The only question is, what will that eternity be?

Will your eternity be one of life? Or will it be an eternity in judgment? And for the believer, there are two aspects to the resurrection. spiritual and physical. Christians are spiritually made alive again, resurrected. When God gives life to their previously dead souls, we were dead in our trespasses and sins, but God. This is also called regeneration or being born again. This is what Jesus told Nicodemus must happen before he entered the kingdom of God. And while all of us were once dead in our sins, believers now enjoy life in Christ. But resurrection, as we read about in scripture, is not just a spiritual reality, although I think sometimes we may fall into that default thinking. That our salvation and the resurrection is just a spiritual reality that we gain when we become believers.

But resurrection is not just a spiritual reality. There will be a physical resurrection. And even though, again, our earthly bodies will wear out and die, we will one day receive resurrection bodies, and those bodies will last forever. They will not wear out, and they will not die. Believers will be given these new bodies when, as Philippians 3 tells us, the Lord Jesus Christ will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory. by his working through which he is able to subject all things to himself. We read about the same thing in 1 Corinthians 15. We read the end of it earlier in the service. But Christ subjects all things to himself, including death. And again, believers will enjoy this resurrection life when Christ raises us from the dead, and we enjoy eternity with him.

But don’t be mistaken. Resurrection is not just for believers. The Bible teaches us that unbelievers will also experience physical resurrection. But because they never experienced spiritual resurrection or regeneration, because they never believed and were never saved, Unbelievers will be raised to face judgment. The final sentencing where they stand before the great white throne of the Lord. And their resurrection bodies will be suited for their punishment in the lake of fire. We read about this in Revelation chapter 20.

It says in Revelation 20 verses 11 and following, I saw a great white throne, and him who sits upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. Then I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books according to their deeds. The sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them. That’s resurrection. And they were judged, every one of them, according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. And this is the second death, the lake of fire. But it is not just death. It is not just ceasing to exist. It is an eternity in the lake of fire where the Bible says the worm does not die. So to answer Job’s question, yes, man will live again after death.

A few chapters later in Job, Job answers this question himself with one of the earliest dated gospel proclamations in the whole Bible. In Job 19, verses 25 through 27. As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives. And at the last he will rise up over the dust of this world, even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall behold God, whom I myself shall behold and whom my eyes will see and not another. My heart faints within me.” Yes, man will live after he dies. Every person will be resurrected, either to life or to judgment. And so, to go back to the question I began with, who is your ultimate authority? It ought to be the one who has authority over life and death. It ought to be the one who raises the dead and determines whether they are raised to life or raised to judgment. It ought to be the one before whom you will stand one day. Your ultimate authority, whether you realize it or not, whether you realize it in this life or not, it is the Son of God. He has been given that authority. That’s exactly what we see in our text this morning.

As we continue our Son of God series, we come to the aspect of the authority. of the Son. Last week, we covered His equality with the Father. He does the very things God does. And in this following passage of Scripture, we’re going to continue in the very next verse this week in chapter 5. We see that because He has the equality with the Father, He has been given authority. Again, last week we saw that the immediate context for this passage is Jesus’ defense to the Pharisees, who charge him with blasphemy. First it was because he was working on the Sabbath, but we see in verse 18, the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him because he was not only breaking the Sabbath, but he was calling God his own father, making himself equal with God. In this defense before the Pharisees, Jesus affirms both his divine equality, which we saw last week, and as we’ll see today, his divine authority.

These verses reveal essential truths for understanding who Jesus is. The person and work of Christ are founded on the truth we find in John chapter 5. And what we’ll see in our text this morning, verses 25 through 32, are three evidences for the authority of the Son. Three evidences of His authority. First we see the source of His authority. Where does He get His authority from? Who says He has this authority? The source of His authority in verses 25 to 27. Then we see Secondly, the exercise of his authority. This authority is not just in title, but in what he does. So the exercise of his authority in verses 26 to 29, and then lastly, the witness to his authority, verses 30 to 32.

So allow me to read this morning for us our passage. We will be studying John 5, verses 25 through 32. John 5, verses 25 through 32. This is the word of the Lord. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For just as the father has life in himself, even so he gave to the son also to have life in himself. And he gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is the son of man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice, and will come forth, those who did the good deeds, to a resurrection of life. and those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. I can do nothing from myself. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of Him who sent me. If I alone bear witness about myself, my witness is not true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know the witness which he gives about me is true.

Again, we begin with the first evidence we see of the authority given to the Son of God in the source of His authority. Verse 25 begins with another appearance of that familiar formulation, truly, truly, I say to you. Again, this is Jesus’ way of claiming divine authority for what He has to say. In the Old Testament, you see, thus says the Lord. And then what follows is the very words of God. Here, Jesus basically says, thus says me, truly, truly, I say to you. And he says, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. This expression An hour is coming, and now is. This refers to what many call the already and the not yet. Salvation is an already and not yet reality. We are already saved if we believe, and we have eternal life now. We’ve seen this several times in John already.

John 3.36, he who believes in the Son has eternal life. You have it. It’s yours now. It’s not just a future hope. It is your possession as a believer. But its fullness awaits a complete fulfillment. When we do see that bodily resurrection, And we do experience the fullness of eternal life. This is what’s described in Romans chapter eight, verse 23. Not only this, but we ourselves having the first fruits of the Spirit. That’s the already. We have it. We have salvation. We have eternal life now. The first fruits of the Spirit. Even we, ourselves grown within ourselves. eagerly awaiting for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. We have the first fruits. We wait for the redemption of our bodies. The fullness of that life is what we groan for. An hour is coming and now is. Jesus goes on to say that the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. Now there’s an interesting dynamic going on in these verses where Jesus is speaking both of the spiritual and the physical.

And by the dead here in verse 25, he’s primarily speaking of the spiritually dead. And we know that because he says, those who hear will live. As John Calvin comments, Jesus’ word is heard by those elect whose ears God pierces and opens. Those who hear will live. But later in verses 28 and 29, he speaks of physical death and resurrection. Again, this dual meaning is very common in John’s explanation and in Jesus’ words. He speaks of the spiritual and the physical. And unlike the prophets of the Old Testament who simply served as messengers bringing the word of God, Jesus himself is the word of God. He is the living word. And when he speaks, the spiritually dead come alive.

Christ’s voice irresistibly raises the spiritually dead to life. Those who hear will live. It is a certainty. It is an obedient, faithful hearing. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. The Son’s word creates the faith by which it is received. That’s the process of salvation. And here we do see the name that we’ve been tracing throughout John, that name, the Son of God. And unlike previous uses of it, here Jesus uses it himself. This is only one of three places in John where he uses the name himself. The other two being in chapter 10, verse 36, and chapter 11, verse 4. But Jesus much preferred the title that we’ll see in a few verses, the Son of Man. And so the fact that he uses the name the Son of God is significant here.

And what he’s doing is he’s giving dual authority for why he has been given judgment. And we’ll see that in a moment when we get to Son of Man. But first of all, being the Son of God is why they hear and live. He has authority over life because He’s the Son of God. The dead live because of who He is. And the next verse further explains the significance of His voice. Because verse 26 says, The dead hear his voice and live for just as the father has life in himself, even so he gave to the son to have life in himself. Here we see this authority given to the son. This is the source of his authority. God is the fountain of life.

We see in Psalm 36, for with you is the fountain of life. And here Jesus reveals that the Son also possesses life in Himself. But this description here, that the Father has life in Himself and the Son has life in Himself, He’s not suggesting that there’s two different beings who are self-existent and give life. Instead He’s saying He shares this. with the Father. He and the Father both give life because the Son is equally God. This is something that’s always been true. He is the eternal Son, and because of His relationship with the Father, He is equally God. We’ve seen this already in studying this name. But this verse is essential in understanding why Christ has authority in even our salvation.

Only someone who has life himself can give it to others. Unlike every other human being, as 1 Corinthians 15 verse 45 tells us, the first man, Adam, became a living soul. He was given life. He had to be given life. He doesn’t have life in himself. But that verse continues, the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. Jesus isn’t just living, he’s life-giving. He doesn’t just have authority to give life. Verse 27 says, and he gave him authority to execute judgment. He has authority to resurrect, to give life, and the authority to execute judgment once that happens. We saw earlier in verse 22, the father has given all judgment to the son. And here the focus first begins with giving life and now back to this judicial authority that he has.

This judgment that he’s been given, this word authority here in verse 27, it has the meaning of absolute power or warrant to do as he desires. That’s been given to him. It’s more than just permission. It is a divine commission to execute judgment. This is what the Father has given him to do. And he says, not only has the father given him judgment, but he’s given it because he is the son of man. So here we see another name for Jesus. He is the son of man. But again, Jesus uses both titles here to signify different things. He has authority to give life because who gives life? God does. And he is the son of God. He has authority to give life because he is the son of God. He has the authority to judge man because he’s also a man. He’s the son of man.

This title is a favorite of Jesus, and it’s taken from the passage of scripture we opened the service with in Daniel chapter 7. Daniel 7 verses 13 and 14, where it says, I kept looking in the night visions. This is Daniel’s visions. And behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man was coming. This is this one who is coming to execute judgment on the world. He came to the ancient of days and came before him and to him was given. This is what Jesus is explaining here to us. Because he is the son of man, it was given to him dominion and glory and a kingdom that all people’s nations and men of every tongue might serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not be taken away and his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. Jesus has authority to judge because he’s the one Daniel was talking about. He is the Son of Man to whom it’s been given.

So this passage emphasizes the deity of Christ as the Son of God and the humanity of Christ as the Son of Man. So the source of the Son’s authority is God Himself. It has been given to Him by the Father. That’s our first evidence in this text of the Son’s authority. It’s divine source. Next we see, number two, the exercise of His authority. It’s not an empty authority. It’s not an authority that’s given in name only, but he exercises this authority. Verses 28 and 29 say, do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come forth. Those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

Now earlier we saw the focus was on a spiritual resurrection because those who hear will live. But it changes here. Here this is a physical resurrection. This is an eschatological resurrection because it says all who are in the tombs will hear his voice. This leaves nobody out. The son’s voice will summon all of the dead, the righteous and the wicked. It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter how you died. Doesn’t matter where you died. We read in Revelation earlier, even the sea will give up the dead that’s in them. All will hear his voice and will be raised to stand before him for this judgment. Again, this verse emphasizes the absolute authority of the Son of God with one word. He will summon every human who has ever lived to stand before his judgment seat. And this resurrection is spoken of throughout scripture, Old Testament and new.

In Daniel, again, chapter 12 this time, verse two, those who sleep in the dust of the ground will wake. These to everlasting life, but others to reproach and everlasting contempt. Those who have turned back into the dust, whose bodies have decomposed and are gone, they’ll be raised. They’ll be raised to either life or judgment. Matthew 25, where Jesus speaks of the final judgment. He says, and these, the unrighteous, will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. And then in Acts chapter 24, it says, having a hope in God for which these men are waiting, that there shall certainly be, there will certainly be, have no doubt about it, there certainly will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. As Jesus says here in verse 29, those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, and those who committed evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. This is not talking about work salvation, as though if you do enough good deeds, then you’ll make it. Because the Bible also tells us there’s none who does good deeds. Without the regenerating work of the Spirit in us, making us new, allowing us to obey Christ, there are no good deeds.

So if you don’t have Christ, you’re on the second list of the ones who did evil deeds. And He makes that judgment. This is the authority the Son has been given. and it’s the authority that He executes. You can be certain about this. That’s the second evidence of the Son’s authority, that He actually exercises it. I mean, what more evidence do you need to fear and honor the Son than the fact that He is the one who has the authority to resurrect you and to determine where you end up for eternity?

As he said, as Jesus said in Matthew chapter 10 verse 28, do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul, but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Who is Him? Who is the one who destroys soul and body in hell? It’s the Son. So who is your ultimate authority? It better be Him, because He does execute judgment. He exercises the authority He’s been given. And the third evidence of the authority of the Son in our text, as if we needed any more evidence, but we have more, is the witness to His authority. Verse 30. He says, I can do nothing from myself. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of Him who sent me. Again, here, Jesus reveals His dependence on the Father, but not in a way that lessens His authority. He repeats what He said earlier in verse 19 in the passage we covered last week. that he can do nothing of himself.

And as we saw, again, it’s not because he doesn’t have the ability, but it’s because he’s not from himself. He’s from the Father. He shares the one divine being and essence of the Father, so his judgment is the Father’s judgment. He doesn’t act separately and independently but in perfect harmony with the Father’s will. This doesn’t undermine his authority, it strengthens it. And he says this guarantees the justice in his judgment. This guarantees that his judgment is just. As I hear I judge and my judgment is righteous because I don’t seek my own will. I don’t seek to fulfill the desires of my human will. But the will of Him who sent me, I judge according to God’s will, the will of God. His judgment is not contrary to the Father, but united with the Father.

And he says in verses 31 and 32, if I alone bear witness about myself, my witness is not true. There is another who bears witness about me and I know that the witness which he gives about me is true. Now these verses serve as a transition to the next passage, the remainder of chapter five speaks about the witnesses to Christ. And we’ll come back to that text when we finish this series. But these witnesses that are given, they further validate his authority. He says, if I alone bear witness about myself, my witness is not true.

Now, he’s not saying, I’m not trustworthy. He’s not saying, I’m a liar, so don’t trust me. He’s referring to the biblical authority of witnesses. In the Mosaic law, testimony required two or three witnesses in order for that testimony to be authoritative. In Deuteronomy 19 verse 15, a single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed, but at the mouth of two or three witnesses The matter shall be established. So Jesus is saying, if it was just my own witness, even though it’s true, it doesn’t have the biblical authority. It’s insufficient. But his authority is not of himself. It is validated by another who gives witness. And we’ll go on to explain who these witnesses are in verses 37 and 38. He references the Father as a witness. And then in verse 39, he says, the Scriptures bear witness.

So there’s his witnesses, himself, his Father, and Scripture. Case closed. He’s got the authority. So rather than undermining the authority that he has, this appeal to other witnesses strengthens it. It’s not just based on himself, but it’s verified. Now Christ is self-evidently true. We see in John 8, 14, even if I bear witness about myself, my witness is true. So there he’s explaining, I can bear a truthful witness, but trust me, there are others who bear witness about me. The Father and scriptures also provide this supporting testimony. Not as though he needed it, but he has witness to his authority. That’s the third evidence we see here. You see his divine source of authority, his exercise of authority, and the witness to his authority.

In this passage in John 5, both what we covered last week and what we covered this week, it’s one of the most glorious declarations and revelations about who Jesus is. It gets to the very nature of Jesus Christ. It emphasizes the supreme authority that he has. He is the Son of God who gives life. And he judges united with the Father. When he speaks, the dead come to life. And he has life in himself.

And this passage instructs us in how we ought to worship him. This passage demands that we approach Him with fear and reverence, in awe of who He is. We bow before the sovereign judge of the universe. And He’s also our life-giving Savior. And since Christ alone has this authority to give life and to judge, we must worship Him. Who else would we worship? And this worship of Him for these things is just a preview of eternity. So as we sing together, and as we hear His Word read and preached, and as we give back to Him from what He’s given to us, all of it is because of the authority that He’s been given. He is the Son of God, and so we worship Him.

And as we tell others about him in our evangelism, we declare his voice that raises the dead. When lost people hear his voice through us, those who hear will listen. And they will be raised to newness of life. And they will look forward to the resurrection awaiting all of us. and is heralding the voice of Christ to all people. Everyone everywhere must repent because all who are in the tombs will be raised to life, either to eternal life or eternal judgment. As it says in Acts 17 verse 30, therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now commanding that men everywhere repent. We bring his voice to everyone. And our evangelism doesn’t rely on our own skill or eloquence or power in debating. Our evangelism is grounded in the voice that we carry. The voice of the one who can raise the dead. And we bring it to everyone. It ought to be our goal that everyone hears the call of the gospel before all who are in the tombs are raised.

And lastly, we live in the already and not yet. We are those who have passed from death to life because of his word. And that means we live in the hope of the resurrection. All people will be raised to life, but not everyone should be looking forward to that. We are the people, believers, those who are in Christ. We can look forward to that day. Because we know Christ’s voice will call us to resurrection and eternal life. And because He is the judge of all people, He demands our obedience and our faithful living. We must live as those who have an authority, who will give an account, as those who seek righteousness rather than evil. And the obedience in this life reflects the judgment that is going to come.

The Son of God has life in Himself, and He gives life to others. Have you been given this life yet? Have you trusted in Christ as your Savior? He died so that you might live. You will stand before Him one day. And He may be calling you to life in Him today. And if you can hear Him calling you, come to Him and live. And if you have heard and believe, you already live. You have eternal life. And we can look forward to when He will raise us on the last day. He has been given all authority to judge, and He is a just judge. And we can say with Job, I know that my Redeemer lives. And at the last, he will rise up over the dust of this world, even after my skin is destroyed. Yet from my flesh, I will behold God, whom I myself shall behold and whom my eyes will see and not another. My heart faints within me.”

Let’s stand and close in a word of prayer. Our God in heaven, we are humbled by a passage like John 5. You alone are given authority over life and death and all people. Lord, help us to recognize that. Help us to live like that’s true. Help us to live each day reflecting on the truth of who you are. And remember that we will be raised to life, that we live already saved but not yet glorified. Lord, we look forward to that day. when we will see you face to face, and we will spend eternity beholding the face of God. Lord, we thank you, we praise you, we honor you, and we worship you. In Jesus’ name, amen.