Well, good morning, it's good to see all of you this morning. You can take out your Bibles and turn to the Gospel of John, and we're gonna be looking at John chapter five. If you're a guest here with us this morning, we're so glad that you're here. We wanna welcome you and we look forward to having you here in service, obviously, but hopefully we'll have a few minutes afterwards to fellowship with you, so please don't run out the door and give us a chance to greet you as well. So we're so thankful that you're here. John chapter five, our title of our message this morning is Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath. Let's read the first nine verses this morning before we get into the text, and then we wanna pray as well. John chapter five, verse one. John writes, after these things, there was a feast of the Jews. And Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now, there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porticos. In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, waiting for the removing of the waters. For the angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons in the pool and stirred up the water. Whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted. A man was there who had been ill for 38 years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, he said to him, do you wish to get well? The sick man answered him, sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me. And Jesus said to him, get up and pick up your pallet and walk. Immediately the man became well and picked up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was Sabbath on that day. Let's take a minute, bow our heads and hearts in a word of prayer. Father, we thank you for this time of worship this morning. And we thank you for the opportunity to look at this wonderful text of the healing of this man and the wonderful and powerful truths that are gonna come out of it, Lord, as Jesus is gonna reveal his full identity and declare his full identity to those around him, especially those who were in opposition to him. And Lord, we pray this morning that as we are reminded of and maybe confronted with the reality of Jesus' identity, that we would take it into our hearts afresh, Lord, and be renewed in our minds and our spirits and our devotion to you, our worship of you, and our obedience and our walk with you, Lord. May it revive us afresh and renew in our walks, and for some, maybe be a confrontation that leads to the true saving faith that leads to eternal life. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. Well, this morning, obviously, we're considering John chapter five. And in the media context of John chapter five, we don't have the time to go look at all of it. I do want to give you some reminders of John's gospel. In chapter two, in Galilee, we know that Jesus had performed his first sign to the multitudes as he changed the water to wine. In chapter three, Jesus is now in Jerusalem again. And we know of the entire discourse with Nicodemus in John three about the need to be born again, to be saved and gain eternal life. In chapter four, Jesus is headed once again to Galilee and he's traveling through Samaria. and he pronounces or really reveals his divine omniscience to the woman at the well and we know that how that story goes and at the end of that story she goes in and tells the Samaritan townsfolk of what has happened and they come out to meet Jesus and he teaches them and they declare that they believe upon him not because of what he told the woman but because of the word he had spoken to them. And then at the end of John chapter 4 and verses 46 to 54, which is right there probably on the page that you're on, Jesus is now back in Galilee and he is healing once again and he declares to the Jews, look at it there in verse So Jesus, as he has performed this healing once again, or about to, Jesus said to him, unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe. Jesus goes on here to heal. the sick child that was some distance away. And John declares in verse 54 at the end, this is again a second sign that Jesus performed. We had come into the Judea of Galilee. At this point, Jesus has performed two of the seven signs as recorded by John as he reveals his true identity and calling for true belief in him. As we know, belief is the major theme and the major purpose of the gospel of John. In chapter 20, verse 31, he says this, these things have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and believing you may have eternal life in his name. So we are thankful to John because he tells us exactly what the whole point of his book is, and we can tie everything back to that very point. And as John unpacks this throughout his gospel, I believe it's my contention this morning as we look at this passage. He ultimately answers the question, what does it mean to possess true saving faith? Yes, he calls us to believe it, but if we use that word belief, probably in the context of Jesus' day, certainly in the context of today, that could mean a whole host of things when we say, do you believe in Jesus? But I think in John's gospel, it's deeper than that. I think in John's gospel, he presents not only the need to believe, presents to us what true saving faith or what true saving belief actually is. And in chapter five, we're confronted with that truth, that true belief in Jesus that is saving, meaning that we have a saving faith that is granted to us eternal life, we've been born again, that true saving belief must accept and embrace Jesus as fully divine, as fully God equal with the Father. And Jesus is going to confront the Jews with that truth as we walk through this text in chapter 5. That is the exact message and theme as taught by Jesus and recorded in John chapter 5 and we tie these things together we don't have time to get all the way to verse 24 today but look at verse 24 chapter 5 he ties the two together he says truly truly I say to you he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and does not come into judgment but has passed out of death into life. So what's the point here? Well, see the connection. Belief is what? Hearing my word and acting upon it, which will lead to eternal life. The question becomes, what is his word? He says, hearing my word. What is his word? Hearing here is not meant to be a passive, but an active reality that leads us into action, and his word is that which is found in John chapter five. The things he is about to say, the things he is about to teach, the things he is about to confront them with. So in this chapter, the key teaching is this, I am God. I am fully divine, co-equal with the Father. We have already seen where Jesus makes this declaration to the Samaritans, and now we're gonna see him make it to the Jews. In John 5, in case you missed it, Jesus makes this declaration of his identity, equal with the Father, really in a unique and profound way because he's gonna do what? He's gonna reveal it on the backside of a miraculous healing of this man at the pool of Bethesda. So in John 5, verses 1 to 18, The Apostle John now records for us another miracle performed by Jesus that sets the stage for him to reveal his true identity to the Jews, that he is fully divine, that he is God. And why is this so important? Well, first of all, it brings glory to God, it brings glory to Christ, it elevates him to his true place where he is and where he should be in our minds and in our hearts. But second, beloved, listen, there is no true belief that saves that brings eternal life apart from this reality of who Jesus truly is. So this morning, let me give you the outline of where we're going. Let me give you our goal. So this morning, we're gonna see three elements. Three elements of Jesus' declaration that he is equal with the Father so that you and I can possess true and saving faith. Three elements. of Jesus' declaration that he is equal with the Father so that you will possess true saving belief. Let me give you the first element if you're keeping score and taking notes. The first element is this, it's the demonstration of divine power. It's the demonstration of divine power. And this unfolds here in the first few verses of chapter five. Look back at verse one with me again. John writes, after these things, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called, in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porticoes. In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, waiting for the moving of the waters. Now notice here in verse one, John writes after these things. We're really unsure of the time interval when Jesus has returned back to Jerusalem. There was a feast of the Jews taking place. We don't know what feast this was. John doesn't describe it. The only feast mentioned by John, this is the only feast mentioned by John with no description. Possibly it is the Feast of Tabernacles. Possibly it's the time of September, October. during this year. And Jesus, it says, went up to Jerusalem. This is the location of the scene as these events unfold. And in verse two, we're in Jerusalem, but John gives us a real specific place where Jesus goes. He approaches a pool called Bethesda, and he tells us where it is in relationship to Jerusalem. It is near the Sheep Gate. The Sheep Gate was nothing more than a small hole in the north wall of the city. And this pool was located inside that wall. Now what was the purpose of this pool and why was it there? Bethesda, this pool, was named this because in Aramaic it may mean house of outpouring or house of divine mercy. Okay? House of Divine Outpouring or House of Divine Mercy. And it's an appropriate name given to this pool near the Sheep Gate because the people there were in need of great mercy. They were in need of great mercy. The pool, so what was the purpose of the pool? It was primarily there for the washing of sheep. So in preparation to go to the sanctuary, so when it was time to offer sacrifices, the sheep would come. They would come in through the sheep gate. The pools were there to wash the sheep of defilement in these pools as they moved to the temple to be offered as sacrifices. So, By most people, by most accounts, the place was seen as a place of defilement. It's where sheep were washed of their defilement. And then, of course, we have all the lame and the sick who were there, who on a societal basis were considered defiled as well, certainly by the religious leaders. It was covered by this pool, five colonnades, five columns that bordered possibly two long pools lying north to south. These colonnades or rows of columns gave a little bit of a cover and protection, and many of the lame and ill found protection there. So not only were they going there, hopefully, to maybe find some type of healing in this pool, it was sort of a place of protection where they could get out of the weather and stay. there under these colonnades and roof. Look back at verse 3, the verse part again. It said, in these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered. Many types of people there with many infirmities, blind, lame, withered, maybe some who were paralyzed, couldn't move on their own power. They did not stay solely for protection. They were hoping to be there to be divinely healed, to find some kind of healing in these waters. Now, you're going to notice probably in your Bible, whether you have NASB or ESV or Legacy Standard Bible, there's a bracket here on verses 3b to 4. In fact, if you have an ESV, I think those verses may not even be there at all. It may just go from verse 3 to verse 5. Why is that? Well, this part of the verses were not included by John in his original manuscript. They were not in his original gospel. They were most likely added off to the side by some scribe. They were probably a marginal note added by scribes at some time, and then over time, as the Gospel of John got copied more and more, it was just inserted into the text and we understand all that through textual criticism you can go look at all that but I always wanted to make mention of that as you see it there in your notes. So this is an explanatory piece by a scribe at some point because if you look over at verse six, verse seven actually, it says this, the sick man answered him Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me. If you have that verse without verse 3b to 4 kind of explaining what's going on there, it would be a temptation for a scribe to write a note out to the side explaining the superstition about this pool. So that's why it's there. It was probably inserted into copies over time, but it would not be part of John's original gospel. However, it does help us a bit, doesn't it? This marginal note, it helps us to confirm the ancient superstition around this pool. It was believed to be an ancient fountain of youth of sorts. And when the waters, as the superstition goes, were divinely stirred up, the first one in the water would find healing and be healed of their infirmity. The fact of the matter was the pools were fed by springs from below that flowed intermittently, and at times it sort of stirred the water up. So maybe there was some rains and the springs activated and came up from and bubbled up through the water. That was what was stirring the water, but it became this superstition that it could provide healing. The water was also somewhat red in color, but due to the color, it was also further believed to be good for healing. So what's the point of all that? Well, belief surrounding the pool attracted those who were lame and ill, hoping to jump in at the right time and find this divine fountain of youth to heal them of their infirmities. Now look at verse five. A man was there who had been ill for 38 years. A certain man, unnamed in the text, His disease is not specifically identified. He was lame and had been that way for 38 years. Now notice, don't forget back over in verse three, in these lay a multitude. those who were lame. There was a large number there and Jesus makes a specific point to go to this specific man who had been lame for 38 years. Look at verse 6, when Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, he said to him, do you wish to get well? Do you wish to get well? Jesus sees the man. In fact, Jesus is, in his divine sovereignty, headed to this man. In his omniscience, he already knows the man's condition and how long he has actually been there. He comes to him with a simple question. Do you wish to get well? It's simple and a literal offer to the man. Now obviously in the text, the man does not know who he's talking to. He does not know who Jesus is. and refers to his belief about the water, which is the popular belief, the superstitious belief about the water and his inability to get into the water before somebody else does. He literally says in verse seven, the sick man answered him, sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up. And so maybe in his mind, he's even hoping, well, maybe this man is gonna be the one who will actually help me get this accomplished before somebody else jumps into the pool. at the stirring. He needs help. He needs someone to put him actually into the pool before someone else jumps in. Maybe the man is certainly lame. He may even be a paralytic of some type. We just certainly don't know from the text. And so having claimed his inability to get into the water, not knowing who Jesus is, You know, it's different than the story of the paralytic, because when they lowered the paralytic in Matthew 2, through the roof, they knew who Jesus was, right? And they dug the roof out so they could get this man down to Jesus, because they knew he had the power, at least they hoped, to heal him. But this man seems to have no idea of what is about to come. And in verse eight, Jesus said to him, get up, pick up your pallet and walk. He needed no water. He needed no time. The man needed no faith. From the man, he merely spoke and the man was restored. He was healed. This is the power only held by God, to heal the man instantaneously and miraculously. This is a power held by God, the creative power, the restoring power, the preserving power, the power to recreate cells and limbs, arteries, everything in the twinkling of an eye. And by divine command, divine decree, the man was healed instantly by Jesus himself. And what was believed to stir the waters was dispensed by the very powerful voice of the Son of God. He had the power to rid disease in an instant, delivered by Christ as he spoke and commanded it to come to pass. And the voice that healed the man also directed him into action. Jesus said to him, what? Get up, pick up your pallet and walk. And look at verse nine, immediately. The man became well. In the twinkling of an eye, in an instant, he became well and did exactly what Jesus had commanded him to do. He was to pick up his straw mat, roll it up, and begin to walk. And John says, immediately, the man became well. One of your translations may say, at once, he was well, he stood up, and began to walk. I mentioned it earlier, but the scene is similar to the healing of the paralytic who was lowered through the roof to Jesus, and he says the same thing in Mark 2, verse 11. Get up, pick up your pallet, and go home. The man is restored. He is healed. And if the Jews needed a sign to believe on Jesus, here is a powerful demonstration. In the place of defilement, where all of the defiled go, where they lay there in hopes of one day of a stirring of the water to be healed, Jesus himself, being fully God, fully divine, goes into the place, picks the man who's been there 38 years, and heals him instantly. He picks up his pallet and walks, and if they needed a sign, there was one. for them to believe. It was power only possessed by God, and certainly they were not gonna make that connection. But it was true, and they had to suppress it in their minds and in their hearts. But Jesus knows their hearts. He knows where they are. He knows they are never going to fully believe the signs because to believe in a sign, to believe upon Jesus meant they had to believe in the true identity of the one performing the sign, that he was God and that he was fully divine. This is power only possessed by God, power that will validate and attest to Jesus' claim of equality with the Father. This is the first element of Jesus' declaration. It's the demonstration of divine power. Now look at verse nine. Look at the second part. Now it was Sabbath on the day, that was Sabbath on that day. Now keep that in mind, we'll come back to that. Let me give you the second element in our outline. The second element is this, the disclosure of a divine admonition. The disclosure of a divine admonition. The disclosure of a divine admonition. We're going to look down at verse 14, then we're going to come back and finish starting at verse 10. Now after the man was healed, He slipped away from Jesus, Jesus slipped away from him. So if you notice for a second there, verse 13, but the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. So it seems as if not only was there a multitude of those who were lame and sick and ill around there, but there was some kind of crowd around there and maybe some had followed Jesus because they knew who he was and they had kind of wandered in there. So Jesus performs the healing, there's a crowd around, and he slips away from the man. So they separate, and his full identity is not fully known by the man. However, in verse 14, Jesus goes and finds the man again. And he's gonna give him a very specific admonition, and a very specific warning. That is helpful for us to see. Very specific admonition, very specific warning. And the warning is all that's recorded, and we see no real true response from the man other than what he does afterward. So look at verse 14. The healing has happened, we're leaving verse nine, it's the Sabbath day, Jesus slips away. Verse 14, afterward Jesus found him in the temple. So the man had went straight to the temple. Maybe he went there to worship. Maybe he went there to give glory to God. We don't know, but he went straight to the temple on the Sabbath. But Jesus found him there. He sought him out. And he said to him, behold, listen to me. You have become well. Do not sin anymore so that nothing worse happens to you. He gives him a warning. He gives him an admonition. He starts out by saying, look, you're well, right? You're well. But he does that for a reason. And what is the purpose of this warning and this admonition? Well, the man needed more than just physical healing. What else did he need? He needed moral reformation. He needed a spiritual transformation. Jesus wasn't just healing him to live a few more years and die and go to hell. Jesus confronts him about sin. He needs a moral transformation, a physical, or I'm sorry, a spiritual transformation. And he says, sin no more. He's calling him to what? Repentance. That is the essence of repentance. Stop sinning. Stop sinning. Don Carson, who has a wonderful commentary on the Gospel of John, says this, connects his healing with an urgent need for moral reformation. Directing his attention to his well-being, Jesus says, stop sinning, so nothing worse happens to you. And what could be something worse that would happen to him? He would end up in hell, separated from God, being judged for a sin for all eternity. Whatever consequences his sin brought him in this natural life, in this temporal life, Jesus says there is a bigger consequence coming that you need healing for as well, that you need to repent from, that you need to be born again through, and that is your sinful state. So he says stop sinning so nothing worse happens to you. The warning is clear, it's direct. It's linked together in this case. It would seem the man's sickness possibly was the direct result of sin in his life. We know there are natural consequences to sin. And if he continues in this sin, he will suffer its result again. But Jesus is implying even more, something worse may happen to you. A connection that without repentance he will suffer eternal judgment in hell, separated from God forever. I think the admonition as we look at it here is both what we could say proverbial and theological. So let me give you those two things. Number one, proverbial, we suffer the consequences of our sin, do we not? Sin brings about consequences. It brings about natural consequences now here in this life, now. But it's also theological. We also suffer from the eternal damnation of sin without moral reform, without a spiritual new birth that comes from repenting of sin and believing upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I'm not saying here that the man was sick and lame in some spiritual way because of his sin, although the rabbis did believe that and they did teach that and this man probably thought that. Scripture does not make some wide-sweeping generalization in that sense. In fact, we know from John 9, verses 1 and 2, Jesus there approaches a man who was born blind from his birth, and the disciples ask him, who sinned? His parents or him? Because they were connecting what? Well, he was born blind because of somebody's sin. And so that was the consequence. That was the divine judgment upon it. The rabbis had taught that, that all disease was the result of sin. And in chapter nine, verse four, Jesus says it had nothing to do with sin, in the sense that it was a direct cause. We know it was the noetic effect of sin, but not the direct cause. So we must be careful to use this proverb, but we understand that sin has natural consequences, do we not? We don't necessarily believe some man's sin is why somebody born blind, but we know it has natural consequences, and certainly we know that it has eternal consequences. And ultimately we know that all sin falls under the noetic effect of sin. So this morning we must stop, and we must pause, and we must heed this warning. We must heed this admonition. Are we in Christ? Have we heeded the warning to stop sinning? Have we heeded the warning to repent of sin and trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins? If you're here this morning and you have not done that, I invite you to do that. I call you to do that. There is a greater judgment coming. There is a greater condemnation coming. There is a greater consequence coming that we do not want you to experience. So if you're here this morning and you're not sure if you're in Jesus, we wanna help you know that you're in Jesus, that you repent of sin and trust in Him. And if you wanna talk about that, please see someone that can talk about that, because we want you to be in Christ. We need to heed this warning. So far, we've seen two elements of Jesus' declaration that He is fully divine, the demonstration of divine power, the disclosure of a divine admonition, We'll come back to the lack of John recording the man's response in a minute, but let's look at the third element, and the third element's this. The declaration of his divine nature. The straight up declaration of his divine nature, and that's our third element. The third element is the declaration itself. Now we're gonna discover the unique way which Jesus declares his deity to the Jews. this equality with the Father. Look at verse 9b again. Now it was Sabbath on that day. So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, it is Sabbath and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet. So interesting, isn't it? We see John's insert here in verse nine, this healing takes place on the Sabbath. Jesus, by doing these things on the Sabbath, it was as if he was walking right into the lion's den, right into the trap. He knew what the argument was gonna be. The Jewish leaders were angered and incensed over Jesus' actions time and time again already. And in verse 10, we see this immediately, although they don't approach Jesus initially, they approach who? The man. Because they see him in the temple, and he's carrying his pallet, which was considered work. He is healed, he is confronted by the leaders in the temple. It was Sabbath, he was walking, carrying his pallet, and so we have issue of working on the Sabbath. The Old Testament had forbidden work on the Sabbath. The primary meaning was one's employment, okay? Maybe a small oversimplification, but that was the primary meaning. It never meant to exclude acts of compassion or acts of saving life, as Jesus had just done with this man. But the rabbis had codified 39 different classes of work in the Mishnah, the Jewish oral tradition, carrying a pallet violated one's Sabbath law. But how does the man respond? Verse 10 and verse 11, he said, but he answered them, well, he who made me well was the one who said to me, pick up your pallet and walk. So how does the man answer? Well, he kind of shifts the blame, does he not? He says, well, this guy who healed me over here, he was the one who told me to break the law. He was the one who told me to pick up my pallet and walk. And instantly they know who it is. They know who this man is because someone telling others to break the law is even a bigger problem. Well, they want to know who it is, but essentially they do know who it is. And now they know they have a bigger problem. But look at verse 13, the man doesn't know his identity, but the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. So remember the man slipped away, Jesus slipped away after the healing, the man never found out his true identity, he goes off into the temple, so he can't tell them who he is. But then we come back to verse 14, and we have this interaction with Jesus, with a man where he confronts him about sinning and to stop sinning and it's as if the light bulb comes on. Now he knows who it is. Although we don't know his ultimate response. We don't know how, it's not recorded for us how he responds to the admonition. But he does do something, look at verse 15. The man went away. after this warning by Jesus and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. So the confrontation, the admonition, the call to stop sinning creates something in his mind that now he knows who this man was that healed him and called him to stop sinning, and that was Jesus himself. We're not sure why he went directly back to the leaders at this point, Dr. Carson once again says, seems only an act of dullness and naivety to go back to the leaders. Didn't seem like he was trying to get Jesus in trouble. Maybe he was just simply going back to answer their question. Oh, by the way, now I know who it is. It's this guy that walking around, they call Jesus. Or maybe he goes to fully relieve himself of his guilt for carrying this pallet. He's like, oh, by the way, I know who it is now, it's Jesus. So shift the blame over there, right? Jesus. He's the one who told me to break the law. Look at verse 16. For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus because now they know who it was. because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. Here, John tells us that the leaders now know who it is. They know it's Jesus. John refers to their anger over other things that Jesus was doing on the Sabbath. He doesn't list them out here. Maybe John, there were others not recorded, and this one incident is a part of a larger picture, just other random things Jesus had been doing on the Sabbath. But we learn that the Jewish leaders persecuting Jesus, coming against him for these perceived, those violations. Look at verse 17. But how does he answer them? This is where Jesus reveals his true identity, but he answered them. This is really not a specific conversation. Really, Jesus is just offering responding by offering a defense of his actions. He answered them, verse 17, and says, my father is working until now, and I myself am working. Wow, so powerful. So powerful. I myself am working. This is massive, this is huge, this is earth shattering for the Jews and should be for us as well. Jesus is essentially appealing to the Father's own Sabbath observance. So where's he going to defend his actions? He's going to the Father. And let's look at how the Father observes the Sabbath. We consider Genesis 2, verses 2 and 3, God rested on the seventh day, but the question is, does God, the Father, observe the Sabbath in the same way that He calls us to? If He continuously works, the Father that is, is He then breaking the Sabbath? The fact is, God continuously works. He's never not working. for all of us and all of His sovereign divine things. He's always preserving creation, every second, holding all things together, Colossians chapter one, unfolding the plan of redemption, the big picture, and then applying it to everybody who He is calling to be saved, providentially moving everything on earth and in this world for His sovereign purposes that never stops. Even the rabbis had concluded God continually works, but could not be in violation of the Sabbath because He stands above everything. He is Lord of the Sabbath. He's Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is under His divine, sovereign domain. He is Lord over it. And so consider Jesus' statement. My Father, meaning His Father, His personal Father, is working until now, which they believed, and I myself am working. The Father is justified in working on the Sabbath, and so am I because I am equal with Him. The Son of God in the flesh, incarnate in the flesh, is none other than fully God, fully equal with the Father. That was his response to them. He is justified because he is Lord over the Sabbath. I am justified because I am Lord over the Sabbath. That's what Jesus is saying to them. In fact, in Matthew 12, verse eight, for the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. So he's equating himself in their minds as equal with the Father. He's over the Sabbath and so am I. He is working until now and I am working. It's a powerful declaration of his divine nature. And the healing of this man is a sign and proof of who he is and who he claims to be. A declaration made to the Jewish leaders concerning his true identity. And so what was their response? what was their response? Was it like the Samaritans? Look back over at chapter four, verse 40, actually 39, from that city, Many of the Samaritans believed in him because of the word the woman who testified. He told me all things that I have done. So some of the Samaritans believed because she came back and told the sign, right? He knew everything about me. I've never seen him before. So some believe because of that. Verse 40, so when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them, and He stayed there two days. Many more believe because of His word. And they were saying to the woman, it is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have hurt ourselves for ourselves. and know this one is indeed the savior of the world. So with the Samaritans, you have some who do believe in the sign and believe upon Jesus. You have some later that says, you know what? We're not worried about what he said to the woman. We simply believe because of the word he spoke to us. How did the Jews respond in chapter five, verse 18? For this reason, in verse 18, therefore, they believed in him all the more. No, the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him. because he not only was breaking the Sabbath, and the irony is he's Lord over the Sabbath, but also was calling God his own father, making himself equal with God. Love, this morning we have to face, we have to remind ourselves, be confronted with the reality that if we truly believe in Jesus, then we must truly believe in who he is. fully divine, fully equal with the Father, who has existed with Him in eternity past, now and to eternity present, the Son of God, the second member of the Trinity. You know, I was thinking about this yesterday, and trying to tie some practical application to this. But I wonder sometimes if we think of people who may have nominal belief, sort of nominal belief in Jesus, they say, well, yeah, I believe in Jesus, meaning they have some intellectual scent in some way about Jesus, but nothing in their life has really ever changed. Maybe it's part of the reason is because they're missing this element. Because if you truly believe in Jesus and who he is, it should be moving you to a transformation. repentance, renewal, being regenerate, being born again, and then moving you to follow Him in obedience and finding joy in Him. So maybe that's why. Maybe that's why. Or if we say, well, yes, I do believe in the identity of Jesus, but there's no fruit of faith. There's no fruit of belief in our life. Maybe it's just an intellectual sin and it's never taken root here in the heart of who He is and that He would consider us. You and I, sinners at best, to come and setting aside His glory, setting aside His divine prerogatives, taking on the form of a man, going to the cross, and His blood being shed for our sins. So this morning I ask you, does your belief in Jesus include and embrace Him as God? equal with the Father. It must, and it should, because that is who He is. Three elements this morning that Jesus declaring He is equal with the Father, the demonstration of divine power, the disclosure of the divine admonition, and the declaration of His divine nature. The men can prepare for the Lord's table. Let's take a minute and bow our heads and hearts in a word of prayer. Father, we thank you for this time this morning to consider your word. We thank you that a glorious Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, would consider us. And we thank you, Lord, that he came not only to heal those whom you had chosen in your divine sovereignty, but to bring about the reality that we can be healed for all eternity. through our sins being covered by his shed blood. And so this morning, Father, we, as we prepare for this table and remembering his death, burial, and resurrection on our behalf, we pray, Lord, that it would resonate in our hearts that the glorious divine Son of God would give his life for ours. and His blood be shed for ours. The perfect, sinless, spotless Lamb, our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray this in Jesus' name.