John 5:19-24 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. {20} For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth: and he will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. {21} For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. {22} For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: {23} That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him. {24} Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

I have heard atheists make the remark that they cannot believe in something they cannot see. This is a foolish statement. Most people have never actually see the atom, but we know it exists. We have not seen gravity, but I for one am thankful it exists. You do not actually see the wind, nor can you see the air provide lift for an aircraft because of the laws of aerodynamics. We have never seen living dinosaurs though we know they existed, and have trusted paleontologists to tell us what they were like. I can go on and on. Though we have not seen God, and have not seen Heaven nor Hell, we believe in these things. Why? Because of Creation. The world around us is clearly not an accident, but something with architecture and design. This is why the Bible says:

Romans 1:19-20 (ESV) For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Creation itself proves the existence of a Creator. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 19:1 (ESV) The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.

There is clear evidence of God in the stars, the planets, the grass, the trees. The idea that something like our creation could just “happen” is ridiculous, and the thought itself a sign of mental illness.

But there is another reason we have faith in God. We believe because of the Scripture. We believe because of Jesus. The Bible tells us that

Colossians 2:9 (CSB) For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ ..

Colossians 1:9 For it pleased the Father that in {Christ} should all fullness {of God} dwell;

Jesus said of Himself, “I am in the Father, and the Father in me” (John 14:10), and “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9). He also said “I and My Father are One” (John 10:30). Jesus prayed for the Church in John 17:21, “That {the Church} 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.” The Scripture says in 2 Corinthians 5:19, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself”. And in John 1:18 (ESV), “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known”. Jesus Christ is the Manifest Member of the Godhead.

Jesus is not a lesser god than God the Father and God the Spirit. Jesus Christ is God’s Son, co-eternal and co-equal to both Father and Spirit.

Jesus Is The Sent Member Of The Trinity:
Modalism Does Not Compute!

The Bible teaches that there is only One God, but this One God is in Three Distinct and Separate Persons. Within the Godhead there is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Father sent the Son to procure for us the Plan of Salvation. The Son came to this earth, incarnated through the power of the Holy Spirit, and partnered with both Father and Spirit. We see the Trinity clearly represented at the baptism of Christ:

Mark 1:9-11 (ESV) In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Luke 3:21-22 (ESV) Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.”

The Oneness Pentecostal teach that there is no Trinity, but that there is only Jesus Who presents Himself in three “modes” or characters: Father, Son, and Spirit. However you can clearly see while God the Son is being baptized, God the Holy Spirit descends to Jesus to rest on Him, while God the Father

commends Jesus to the multitudes. Modalism cannot stand up to the plain reading of the text. Jesus – God the Son – is being baptized. Then God the Father speaks from Heaven, declaring Jesus to be His Only Begotten Son. Finally God the Holy Spirit descends onto Jesus.

These three are One. They are equal in substance and in power as well as purpose. This is the Godhead.

Though the Trinity is not named in the Old Testament, we can see evidence of the Trinity at the Creation of humanity. We read:

Genesis 1:25-27 KJV And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. {26} And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. {27} So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

You don’t have to be a Hebrew scholar to see that God (singular) said, let us (plural) make man in our (plural) image, after our (plural) likeness (singular) shows that there is a plurality of Person in the Godhead. To Whom was God speaking to if He was not speaking within the Godhead? To the Angels? The Angels have no creative power. In fact, our Lord Jesus said:

Mark 12:25 (ESV) {in the resurrection} … they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.

The Angels do not procreate, so they certainly don’t create. Yet God said, “Let US”. In order for there to be an us or an our in the Godhead, there must be at least two Persons else the statement makes no sense at all. Though not called “The Trinity”, the concept of the Trinity of God is introduced in the Book of Creation without any explanation. But Beloved, God is like that. If we could explain God, God would be like us.

As humans, we have an inbuilt PRIDE and ARROGANCE that makes us seek for POWER. This is at the heart of the LGBTQ2S+ movement. This is at the heart of the Transgender movement. This is at the heart of the Klu Klux Klan and the Black Lives Matter movements. We want to be the BOSS. As that old song (the group “Tears For Fears”) said years ago,

Everybody wants to rule the world
All for freedom and for pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world

That is a malady of humanity – but it’s not true of God. Nor is it normal. It is abnormal to have everyone in charge of a group when all are equal in power. That’s what we believe. We want to be the boss. We want to rule. This is no more than the manifestation of the Old Sin Nature of Adam. Adam was given rulership of the world by God, but commanded to not eat of one thing. But Adam decided what God gave him was not enough – he wanted the forbidden, too.

But not God.

Though Equal To Father and Spirit,
Jesus’ Ministry Submits To The Father

John 5:19 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.

“Then answered Jesus and said unto them”. What caused Jesus to speak and teach here? He has healed a crippled man at Bethesda, and told him to “rise, take up your bed, and walk”. The Pharisees want to kill Jesus for telling the man to “take up your bed”. But taking up the bed is necessary to salvation. Submission to Christ is necessary – not optional – to salvation. Jesus said:

Matthew 16:24 … If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

This what Jesus told the man at Bethesda. “Deny yourself”. Quit trying to do it your way. Quit trying to follow the crowd. Rise! “Reach up to Me”, said Jesus. “Take up your Cross – your Bed”. Whereas it carried YOU, now YOU carry IT. And “Follow Me” – walk with Jesus. Do not stay bound to bed or burden. Follow Him Who loves you and commands you.

The Pharisees are upset with Jesus because He told the man to carry his bed on the Sabbath. They claim that Jesus is a law breaker.

Jesus says, “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do”. Jesus can only do what God can do. Why? Because God is bound to righteousness. God cannot sin, nor can He tempt to sin. We are told in Scripture:

James 1:13 (ESV) Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

It is not in God’s nature to tempt to sin. Jesus Christ is God among us, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Jesus can only do what He sees the Father do. The Father heals on the Sabbath, else the hospitals would all shut down. While Jesus was on this earth He willingly lowered Himself so that He could fulfill the Plan of God for our salvation. Jesus told His disciples:

John 14:28 (ESV) You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.

Jesus submitted Himself so that we could be saved. But is Jesus a lesser god, lesser in quality or quantity to God the Father? No! For just before this statement our Lord told the Apostle Philip:

John 14:9-11 (ESV) “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

Jesus Christ came as the Father’s Representative from Heaven for us. You see, the Godhead TOGETHER made a decision from eternity past to save mankind. Within the Godhead the Son of God agreed to come to earth, to take on humanity, and to die for our sins. There is no dominance within the Godhead, no bucking for power, no “Me Ahead of You” mentality such as is common in our world today. There is a unity in the Godhead. Unity of Power. Unity of Plan. Unity of Purpose. The Son agreed to come and walk among us, then to die for us. Everything that Jesus did, He did in perfect agreement with the Father. Praise God for this!

John 5:20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that Himself doeth: and He will shew Him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.

God the Father is Creator. The Prophet said:

Isaiah 64:8 But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.

God the Holy Spirit is Creator: Job 33:4 (ESV) The SPIRIT OF GOD has made me, and the BREATH of the Almighty gives me life.

But JESUS is Creator God also! The Scripture declares of Jesus:

John 1:3 (ESV) All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Colossians 1:15-17 (ESV) {Jesus} is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

If Jesus were mere mortal man, then the Pharisees might have reason to attack Him as blasphemer. But Jesus is more than mortal man. He is IMMORTAL GOD in Human perfection.

John 5:21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom He will.

It is God the Father Who resurrects the dead (1 Thessalonians 1:10; Romans 8:11), for God is the Source of life. But now Jesus tells us that “the Son quickeneth whom He will”. God the Father is the Source of life, and can give life – but so can God the Son. But here’s something very interesting:

John 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son

The Pharisees are sitting here, judging Jesus and this not uncrippled man for carrying a bed on the Sabbath. But Jesus tells the Pharisees that it is them that are mistaken. God gave them no license to judge. But the Father has “committed all judgment unto the Son”. Why?

Because Jesus is the “Lamb Of God that takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Because Jesus is willingly “laying down His life for His Sheep” (John 10:15, 17-18). The Father sent the Son, but it is the Son Who is making the payment, Who is suffering the cost. We are told in:

John 5:26-27 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; 27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

Because Jesus took upon Himself humanity – becoming the Son of Man, the Messiah, Jesus has the only authority to execute Judgment. In the Book of Revelation we read of a Great White Throne:

Revelation 20:11-12 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

The works of the lost will be placed before the Judgment Seat. Who is this Judge Who sits at the Great White Throne, such a terrifying place that “From his presence earth and sky fled away”? It is not Buddha, nor Confucius. It is not Gandhi, nor the Dalai Lama. It is not Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormons, nor is it Charles Taze Russell the founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. It will not be Mary Baker Eddy the founder of the Christian Scientists, nor will it be L. Ron Hubbard the founder of Scientology. It will not be the Pope, nor some decked out Cardinal or “Father” of Catholicism. It will not be the Apostle Peter holding the key of Heaven. Nor will it be Billy Graham, or Joel Osteen, nor even that nobody called David Buffaloe (thank God).

The One sitting on the Throne of God is Jesus Christ.
It is Jesus Christ.

Why is this? Jesus said:

John 5:23 That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him.

Jesus Christ is the Manifest Member of the Godhead. Jesus Christ is the ONLY MEANS by which a person can be saved. The Scripture says:

1 Timothy 2:3-6 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; (4) Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (5) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (6) Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

God will save whosoever will. God wants all to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. But the truth is “there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”.

What a horrible thing it will be for many, who leave this life, and stand before Jesus. How horrible if He says,

“I NEVER KNEW YOU – DEPART FROM ME, YOU WORKER OF INIQUITY INTO EVERLASTING FIRE, PREPARED FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS.”

The Pharisees knew the Law of God, and added to the Law with their human traditions. Yet they would not know Jesus. They rejected Jesus outright because they thought themselves worthy to stand before God based on their own works. Jesus told them:

John 5:44-47 How can ye believe, which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only? (45) Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. (46) For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. (47) But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?

The Pharisees were busy congratulating one another for being so holy. Yet the One and Only Person Who could save them, they had no time for Him. Jesus told them that Moses himself spoke of the coming Messiah. As Moses prepared to die he told Israel:

Acts 3:22-23 … A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. (23) And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.

To reject Christ as Savior is a damning prospect! Oh Beloved, do not be like the Pharisee. Hear the Word of Christ.

If I Rise Up To Jesus, Take Up My Bed, My Cross, And Follow Him, I Will Follow Him Into Glory!

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Salvation comes when we HEAR JESUS’ WORD, and BELIEVE ON THE GOD WHO SENT HIM. Those of you who have done this HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE. It is not something you are moving toward, but something you have right now. Under the Old Covenant God asked Israel:

Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, and then answered that question when He said: but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

What does God expect of the Christian? Nothing less. We are told walk with Jesus. You are to “fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul”. You are not to do this to BE saved, but are to do this BECAUSE you are saved. You belong to Christian, if you are a Christian.

Follow Him. Honor Jesus with your life. For YOUR sake. Amen and Amen!