John 5:37-47

³⁷ And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, ³⁸ nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. ³⁹ You study the Scriptures 

diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, ⁴⁰ yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

⁴¹ “I do not accept glory from human beings, ⁴² but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. ⁴³ 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. ⁴⁴ How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

⁴⁵ “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 

⁴⁶ If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. ⁴⁷ But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

There’s a story about a wealthy businessman who once disguised himself as a homeless man and walked the streets near his own company’s headquarters. He wanted to see how his employees and managers treated people whom society often overlooked.

Dressed in ragged clothes, with unkempt hair and a scruffy beard, he walked through the lobby, sat on the benches outside, and even entered the cafeteria. Many people avoided him, some gave him suspicious glances, and a few security guards even tried to escort him out. Hardly anyone stopped to show kindness.

The following week, that same man walked into the building in his sharp suit, polished shoes, and commanding presence. The very people who had ignored him before suddenly stood up straighter, smiled widely, and greeted him with respect. They only recognized him when he looked the part. But the truth is, his identity as their leader had not changed—whether he was in a suit or in rags. The problem was never who he was, but rather that they failed to recognize him.

This story reminds us of how easy it is for people to miss someone’s true identity when their eyes are clouded by assumptions, prejudice, or a lack of discernment. It’s not that the truth wasn’t there—it’s that people failed to see it.

In the same way, the religious leaders in Jesus’ time failed to recognize who He really was. They saw Him only as a carpenter’s son from Nazareth, or at best, a controversial teacher who challenged their traditions. They were blinded by their expectations of what the Messiah should look like and how He should act. Because Jesus didn’t fit their image, they dismissed Him. Yet, His true identity never changed.

Jesus Himself points this out in John chapter 5. He says that testimony about Him is not only found in the words of John the Baptist or in the works He performed, but most importantly, in the witness of God the Father.

In other words, the greatest testimony to Jesus’ identity doesn’t come from human recognition, but from God Himself. The Father affirms Jesus as His Son, as the One sent from heaven, as God in the flesh. Yet, many still missed Him.

And that is the sobering question for us today: are we recognizing Jesus for who He truly is? Or are we, like the employees in the story, only willing to see Him when He fits our expectations?

The truth is, whether the world acknowledges Him or not, Jesus remains who He is: the Son of God, the Savior, the One to whom the Father testifies. Our calling is to open our eyes, believe the testimony of God, and honor Jesus for who He truly is.

Last week we looked at how John the Baptist and the miracles of Jesus testified that Jesus is God. Another witness to Jesus is the Father.

3. The Testimony of God the Father

³⁷ And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, ³⁸ nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 

At Jesus’ water Baptism the Father spoke…

Matthew 3:17 ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

And in the Transfiguration in Matthew 17:5,

⁵ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

The Gospel of Matthew recorded two situations where God the Father spoke of Jesus His son.

God the Father said during the Transfiguration… “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

Only in Jesus did God say He is well pleased.

Only in Jesus does God approve one’s work.

And God said listen to him.

Multitasking

For some, multitasking is an ability they have confidence in executing. Many mothers can do more than two things at one time. While cooking a meal, a mother is sweeping the floor while watching a television show and listening to a gospel song.

A teenager can listen to music while studying for their exams all the while browsing memes to send to their friends all in the same minute, which makes you wonder if they really are studying at all.

A driver can answer a call from their phone, adjusting the heater or AC while driving at 60kph.

Just right now while you are listening to the sermon, you are also sending a text message through your smart phone or scrolling through your social media trying to stay awake.

When God said… “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” …We need to focus our attention on Jesus.

What would be your image before the Prime Minister Mark Carney if he is giving you instructions on a task and you are texting in front of him?

We reason out that God can understand us…

Does the Bible teach us that God can understand us even when we are not paying attention when He is speaking?

If your understanding of God is not supported by the Scripture, you are making an idol in the form of another god. If you think that since you believe that you are a Christian then you can do anything you want to do, think again. Does the Bible support your mindset?

Can you give a verse that supports your action?

If you cannot find a verse that will support your ideas or actions, you might be making your own idol.

Only in Jesus does God the Father openly declare He is well pleased.

We have John the Baptist, The Miraculous Works of Jesus, and God the Father testify about Jesus. The next is

4. The Testimony of the Scripture

³⁹ You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, ⁴⁰ yet you refuse to come to me to have life. ⁴¹ “I do not accept glory from human beings, ⁴² but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. ⁴³ 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. ⁴⁴ How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

⁴⁵ “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 

⁴⁶ If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. ⁴⁷ But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

There are a few things to point out here.

Jesus says in verse 41 “I do not accept glory from human beings”.

This is an outright statement that whatever we do, whatever we say, Jesus is not seeking praises from us.

Then why should we have a singing of praises and worship?

Listen carefully…

We sing praises as our expression of worship.

We sing hymns to express our gratitude to God.

Worship Leaders should be people who have an overflowing rejoicing in their hearts.

Worship leading should be the product of overwhelming gratitude to God’s goodness.

If a Worship Leader does not understand the meaning of true worship, the product of worshiping is just a performance before a congregation… that creates pride in the heart of the performer… thinking that he or she is the most talented of them all but in actuality a filthy rag before God.

Church… you have a responsibility to keep praying for our worship leaders so that they will truly in its true sense lead us in worshipping God and not just performing here in front.

Jesus says… ⁴¹ “I do not accept glory from human beings.” Good singers and good instrumentalists are helpful but God is looking at each individual’s heart.

Are you praising God or are you just singing praise songs written by other people like you sing any popular song?

Jesus says in verse 46-47 ⁴⁶ If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. ⁴⁷ But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

Listen carefully, especially those who are against the teaching of the Old Testament.

Those who are still half-gospel… listen attentively…

Jesus himself is saying that if we believed Moses, we would believe Jesus, for he wrote about Jesus.

If we do not believe what Moses wrote, (the Old Testament) we are not a Christian. We cannot say we believe in Jesus if we do not believe what Moses wrote.

For us to understand more about the grace of God through Jesus Christ… it is very useful to understand the teachings of the Old Testament.

Are you wondering or have you ever pondered on the thought why it is… that among the apostles of Jesus Christ… Paul the Pharisee who was also a son of a Pharisee(Acts 23:6) has written more or has more letters included in the New Testament than any other Apostles?

Paul was able to express more about the grace of God in Christ Jesus because he understood more about the Law—being a Pharisee himself.

 You might say… “The Law was written for the Israelites… therefore… the Law is not applicable to us Gentiles.”

Listen to this…

Romans 2:14-16 ¹⁴ (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵ They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) ¹⁶ This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

The Law was not originally written for us Gentiles but God has written the law in our hearts.

Our conscience bears witness to what is right or wrong.

Vietnam Traffic

Have you been to Vietnam or Cambodia? If you think drivers in the Philippines are crazy… you will be surprised that drivers in Vietnam are more daring than those in the Philippines.

Rush hour in Ho Chi Minh city is not for the faint of heart. Anybody can drive going to any direction. When you cross the road… you have to look at all directions because the different directions motorcycles come from. There are not many accidents because they understand in their hearts what they should do to avoid traffic. It still baffles me…but that’s their system.

Here in North America there was a time when there were no law enforcers. You heard the stories or watched movies about the early life of Americans.

Can you imagine Canada without a single law today?

The Old Testament has the same purpose in our Christian life.

The law serves as our guideline for Christian living.

In this church we also have our Leaders who serve as administrators of TMEC.

Authorities are established not by their own will but by the will of God.

We need to pray for our leaders.

Our lives as Christians testify that Jesus is God if we conduct ourselves in line with the Scriptures.