Please remain standing and turn to John chapter 5. Last week, we didn't really get as far as we wanted to, or as far as I wanted to. Essentially, we covered the first 15 verses fairly thoroughly. This morning, what I'd like to do is backtrack a little bit and start with verse 16 in John chapter 5, and we'll go all the way to verse 30. So please hear the word of God as I read verses 16 through 30 in John chapter 5. For this reason, the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to kill him because he had done these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, my father has been working until now and I have been working. Therefore, the Jews sought all the more to kill him because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was his father making himself equal with God. Then Jesus answered and said to them, most assuredly I say to you, the son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the father do. And whatever he, the father does, the son does also in like manner. For the father loves the son and shows him all things that he himself does. And he, the father will show him greater works than these that you may marvel. For as the father raises the dead and gives life to them, Even so, the son gives life to whom he will. For the father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the son, that all should honor the son just as they honor the father. He who does not honor the son does not honor the father who sent him. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly I say to you, the 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 as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted to the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for the hour is coming, which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation. I can of myself do nothing, as I hear I judge, and my judgment is righteous, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the Father who sent me. This is the word of God, and may God, by his spirit, teach us and convict us according to his will. You may be seated. As I said last week, We were in John chapter 5. We return to John chapter 5 as we thought we might do in our Lord's Supper sermons this year of 2024. And our focus last week was on the man who is lame for 38 years. He's at the pool and Christ healed him simply by his word. And you might remember that Jesus had asked him, do you want to be made well? That seems like that was the point of the sermon last week. Do you want to be made well, a 38-year lame man? And he later said, rise, take up your bed, and walk. And the Scripture says immediately the man was made well by Christ. And he took up his bed, and he walked. And this was the third of seven specific signs that John has recorded in his Gospel of Christ Jesus. You might remember a theme of the book of John is found at the end of John Chapter 20, where John writes, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these signs are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name. So John in particular accounts for seven particular signs, specific signs, miracles of Christ throughout the book of John. The healing of the lame man is the third one. The first one was turning the water into wine, which is the idea of Jesus now comes with the new covenant and his salvation. He brings joy and he brings life. And then in chapter four, right before the healing of the lame man at the end of chapter four, He heals the nobleman's son. You might remember the nobleman says, my son is dying. He says, return to him. He will be well. And it says the nobleman believed. And the son was healed. And it was, again, a sign to show that Jesus has power over life and death. And he comes to give life. And the nobleman believed. And he had spiritual life. And then in Chapter 5, last week we read of the lame man who was healed in the first few verses of Chapter 5. And Jesus says, rise and walk. And later he says, and sin no more. This is an example of the life and salvation that he brings as the Son of God, which is what John 20 is saying. Yet a lame man who had no ability in himself to heal himself, he needed to know completely his own dependency and helplessness before God. And Jesus took the initiative to point out his inability and to command him to come, which might seem like a contradiction, but that's how it works. And Christ made him well and enabled him to rise and to walk in obedience. And then Jesus sought him out again to warn him to sin no more now that he's in this healed state. This is an example of man's sinful inability, but God's sovereign grace and mercy to save and raise the dead sinner to life. while commanding the sinner to his responsibility to see his own sin and to respond in repentance and faith. But you might remember last week in verse 9, the very end of verse 9, it says, and that day was the Sabbath. So it kind of changes the direction of what's going on here. And you might remember the religious leaders. He calls them the Jews, but we think that's speaking of the Pharisees and the religious leaders. Rather than glorifying in Christ's divine power over creation of what he just did, and recognizing this indeed was the prophesied divine Messiah who would come, these fulfilling prophecies of the Messiah that the Old Testament spoke of. Instead, they were blinded by their legalistic zeal and their spiritual deadness. So all they do is complain that Jesus was breaking their own perversion of God's law on the Sabbath, and they accuse Jesus not only of working on the Sabbath, but of commanding others to do work as well. It's a double whammy there. And we ran out of time last week, really, to give that point on through what we were going to look at justice. I'd like to pick up the text in verse 16 to say a few quick words, just a few, about Christ and the Sabbath. And then we'll continue to verse 30. What we'll see in these verses from verses 16 to 30, we'll see the emphasis is on Jesus teaching of his equality with the father as the divine son. And he is sovereign over resurrection. He's sovereign over life. He's sovereign over judgment as the divine son who's equal to the father. And we'll see how that results in the glorious salvation that Christ and Christ alone gives to those who believe. So there's a brief outline in your bulletin. We'll see quickly, we'll look at the Sabbath in verses 16 through 18. But the emphasis will be on the son's equality with the father in his essence, which is key. Then we'll look at verses 19 through 23, and we'll see the divine sonship of the son. Now it goes from his essence, now his equality with the father in his works. specifically his works of resurrection and life and judgment. And then lastly, in verses 24 through 30, we'll see the emphasis on his divine salvation, the application of his sovereignty, his authority over resurrection, life, and judgment, how that's applied to the sinner who turns to Christ. So first, verses 16 through 18, let me read this again. For this reason, the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to kill him because he had done these things on the Sabbath. And Jesus answered, this is key because it really sets the stage for the whole rest of the chapter. My father has been working until now, and I have been working. And therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill him because he not only broke the Sabbath but also said that God was his father making himself equal with God. And we spoke somewhat on the Sabbath last week. And soon in our confession readings, we'll be looking again at what the confession teaches, how it summarizes the scriptures teaching on the Sabbath. And it's always wise when you do that to spend some time to talk about it. I think the Sabbath is one of the most misunderstood topics in Christianity today, even in reform circles. And so it's wise to talk about these things. So we will be talking about these things in a few days. So it doesn't make sense to go into a bunch of detail at this point in time. But there's a couple of brief points I'd like to make about the Sabbath in relationship to Christ in these three verses before we move on. Notice that Jesus' answer in verse 17 was in part saying that not all work is forbidden on the Sabbath. He says, my father has been working until now, and I have been working. So what? The Father works on the Sabbath. Why can't I? There's a lot of things pregnant in that line, I think. And I think he's hitting at this, that not all work is forbidden on the Sabbath, because foundational to the Sabbath itself would be works of necessity and mercy. We see that from the scripture, that was God's intention. Yes, there's rest and there's idleness, but it's also an opportunity for works of necessity and mercy on the part of the Sabbath. These are not exceptions, it's part of it. That's part of the delight and the gift of the Sabbath. And so the Father himself works in many ways. Though he rested from his works of creation, he continues to work, including works of necessity, by holding all things together and preserving the world from flying apart. If God would rest on the Sabbath, we'd be spinning off into space, I suppose, but also the Father's works of mercy on the Sabbath. Have you noticed that he still cares for his people through providence and acts of kindness to his people on the Sabbath as well? This is God himself who does this with works of necessity and mercy. And so in verse 17, Jesus the son is saying, As the Father works on the Sabbath, so am I. I'm merely doing what mine, that word my is really important, I'm merely doing what my Father is doing. And that includes works of mercy. He just healed a 38-year-old lame man on the Sabbath, restoring God's creation in this man. That was a work of mercy. And also works of necessity. He told us men, carry your bed. He had to carry his bed. It was a work of necessity. He had a little flimsy light mat. You can now walk and you can carry your bed. And he's found in the temple. We don't know if it's the same day or not, but it may have been the first time he's been able to walk into the temple area for years to maybe give thanks and worship to God. And he had his bed with him. It's okay. And so Jesus is just saying the same thing. I'm showing works of mercy and necessity just as my father. I'm mimicking what my father in heaven does himself. I think that's one point. It helps us understand better this Sabbath. I think though the main point of what Jesus is saying, and the Jews understood this by their reaction, his main point is he's claiming to be equal with his father. and thus he is divine and he's equal with the father in essence. Two persons, but same nature, same essence. The son is claiming that what the father does, so does he. They are inseparable in their external operations. Only those who are God can do this. He claimed that God was his father, my father, and he's said in such a way to claim equality in essence with his father. They are both God, fully, in essence and glory. The Father and the Son and the Spirit are distinct, but they are not different. That's a key thing. They're distinct. They are persons, but they are not different. They are the same in essence. And if the Son is of the same essence as the Father, then he's fully God. He's the begotten and eternally generated son of the Father, in full essence God, and equal with the Father in his essence. And so the Jews rightly accused Jesus of making himself equal with God. They got it. Sometimes we don't, but they got it. And if he wasn't who he was, they would have every right to say this is blasphemy, we should stone you, but this indeed is the Son of God, the divine Son of God, who's equal in essence with the Father and the Spirit. So with that background then, with verses 19 through 23, we start moving then from the essence being equal to now the works of the Father and the Son being equal, which are related things. So in verses 19 through 23, then Jesus begins his third of seven discourses in the book of John, There's seven signs given. There's seven discourses. This is a really important discourse. It may be the hardest to understand. Some of Christ's discourses in the book of John we think this is great, but then we realize I'm not sure if I understand how this is working. He's not speaking linearly like I would like him to do. I think we get that from verses 19 on through the end of the chapter. We have the third discourse of the Son in the book of John. The first discourse was the discourse on the new birth in chapter three, that you must be born again. And there's new life given to those who believe, who look to the sun as Moses lifted up the serpent. And then in chapter four, you have the second discourse with the water of life, given because of the Samaritan woman at the well, and the idea of Christ gives water springing up into everlasting life in the soul of a sinner. And now in chapter five, you have the discourse of the divine son. The divine son is the source of all life. He gives everlasting life to all who believe. And the rest of the text that we'll cover today, we won't cover all of it, we'll go to verse 30, but it's interesting in verses 19 In verse 30, they're basically bookends that say the same thing. To speak how the son is equal with the father and works. Verse 19, then Jesus answered and said, the most assuredly, I say to you, the son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the father do for whatever he the father does, the son also does in like manner. What the son does, the father does what the father does, the son does. It goes back and forth. And you notice in verse 30, there's a book in there. He says, I can't have myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge and my judgment is righteous because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the father who sent me. And it emphasizes the equality. They do the same things. Not alone, not separately, but they do the same things, and they have the same will. In our triune God, there's three persons, but there's one will, and all three are fully God. That's the bookend of this. But we'll look at, from verses 19 to 30 though, we'll be looking at the equality of the Son and Father and their works. They're equal in essence, but now they're equal in works as well. It's interesting in verse 19, Jesus answered, answered what? Nobody asked him anything. So it seems to me like he's already displaying his deity without saying a word. He knows what's in a man. You think of the end of chapter two, that's already been said. And so he knows the wrong and sinful thoughts that they're thinking. So he answers them, even though they didn't even ask anything, and says, most assuredly, I say to you, the son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the father do. For whatever the father does, the son also does in like manner. And not to make it more confusing, I think this passage in John chapter five is the greatest passage of scripture that teaches the inseparable external operations of the Trinity. The doctrinal phrase is the inseparable external operations of the Trinity. Simply defined, the doctrine of inseparable operations affirms that the triune persons act as a single agent externally while internally their operations are divided. The idea of divine simplicity is that God is not a God of parts. He's one whole, he's one in essence, and that is true. But that leads to the inseparable operations of the Trinity, that God is not only just not in parts, his external acts are not in parts, as if there's a composite, like the Son does this, the Father does this, the Spirit does this, and then finally they get it all to work together. His external operations, his external acts, they're done as one agent, because he's God. He is simple, and he acts simply externally. Some examples of this, the scripture teaches very clearly that God is the creator of all things, but also the Spirit, the Son, and the Father are creator of God. How does that work? Well, you have three persons, but in external operations, it's a single agent working. Same thing with the resurrection of Christ. We can see in scripture that The Father, Son, and Spirit are all credited with the resurrection of Christ by their power. But it's God who does this. This is an external act, an external operation of the triune God, inseparable in the three persons. God does this. It's not just that each person does his part and somehow it's added together. And if this is enough, and I think it is, and you're somewhat interested, I think a really good help If you go to Credo Magazine, which is online, credomag.com, I think it is. And our own Kansas City's own Matthew Barrett is the owner of this. And if you type in inseparable operations, and if you type in some things on the Trinity, there's some really, really helpful teachings, even videos, that's even more fun than reading, to have those who have time to explain these things even more. We mention these things because these are important things for us to consider, even if we don't understand them fully, to guard our understanding of who God is. That's the center of our faith. So createomag.com is a good place to go, an online magazine. But here, if I can get your attention back again, here in verses 19 through 30, the emphasis is that the father and son do nothing alone in their external works, but they do the same works and they have the same will. Therefore they are equal in essence. We already said that in verse 17, but they're also equal in their works because each is fully God. And so Jesus saying that is basically him saying, so it would be absurd for you to accuse me of breaking my father's Sabbath laws. That's impossible. We cannot do anything differently. We act in these ways completely together. And so in verse 19, I think the flow of this, because I have to admit, I think John's. accounts of Jesus discourse. Sometimes they're hard to follow, and I think John Chapter 5 is one of those. But if we break them down, I think it helps to understand verses 19 through 23. The idea is verse 19. The emphasis is on what the son and the father are doing their works. You'll mention the word. See the word do you can circle at your Bible do then versus 2122 and 20 or 2021 22. The word four is there, so we're saying because they're doing the same things as God. These things tells us what they're doing for this, for this, for this. And then verse 23, the result is that all would honor the son and the father equally. So let's see how this works. Verse 19, Jesus answered and said, most assuredly, verily, verily, I say to you, The son can do nothing of himself but what he sees the father do, and whatever he, the father, does, the son also does in like manner. I'm not only equal with the father in essence, but in what we do for, verse 20, for, it's almost like saying, well, let me give you an example, for the father loves the son, it talks about the relationship which is unique with the father and son, and shows him all things that he himself does. And the father will show him greater works than these that you may marvel. So still talking about this idea of doing works together. The father shows the son, the son does it. They're doing the same things. And it's wonderful. It says here, the father will show him, which means I will perform greater works than what you've just seen. What works? Well, greater than the water turned to wine, greater than the nobleman's son being healed, which you didn't see, but greater than the lame man who'd been lame for 38 years. You just saw. You think that was something? Hang on to your boots, something greater will be seen later. And you could say a lot of things, but essentially that the ultimate Lazarus will be raised from the dead after being dead for three days and he already smells. Christ himself will be raised from the dead to conquer sin, death, and hell. Greater works than these will be seen and you will marvel. It's in verse 21. For I think the question is then, well, what kind of works are you talking about? Because I just mentioned some, but he didn't. He just said, you're going to see some greater things in your marvel. Verse 20, let me tell you what some of these greater works. Here's a couple. Four, as the father raises the dead and gives life to them, the father has power over resurrection and life, and so does the son. Even so, the son gives life to whom he will. the same will as the Father. So that's why I've mentioned resurrection, life, and judgment. He's mentioning the specific works that they share in, that they do. And sharing in is not the way to put it, but I did anyway. I'm sorry. There's resurrection and life. And then verse 22, let me give you another one. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son. They're equal in resurrection, life, and judgment as God. And what should be the result of this? Verse 23, that all should honor the son just as they honor the father. He who does not honor the son does not honor the father. What he's saying is we're equal in essence, therefore we're equal in our works. And specifically, resurrection, life, and judgment. And what should result of that? You honor the Father and the Son equally. And you could add into that the Spirit as well as three persons in the triune Godhead. If the Father and Son are equal in essence and works, they must also be equal in honor. You must give them honor. And this in itself could be the rest of the sermon. Because there's so much that could flow out of this. I won't do that to you. But notice a couple things about honoring both the Father and the Son. Notice you cannot pretend to honor the Father if you do not honor the Son. You cannot say I love God if you do not love Christ. If you do not receive Christ as God and Savior, you cannot have Father. The Father is your God and trust in Him. You cannot know God without knowing the Son. Do you get this? A Jewish person, we have so much in common with Orthodox Judaism, if you will, if you think of the Old and New Testament, but a Jewish person who will not name the name of Christ, they do not know God. They're outside of God's salvation in relationship with Him. And even in our culture, it's easy for people to say, I really appreciate the man upstairs, whatever that means. Or I'm a servant of the Father. I love God, but it's much more rare for someone to say, I love Christ. I've given my life to Jesus. I think that's one reason, even in profanity and using God's name in vain. The utter worst thing is when the name of Jesus is used in profanity. I think that's part of why we understand this, but it's also a reason why people oftentimes don't want to use the name of Jesus because they're rejecting the honoring of the son as equal with the father and necessary to know the father and to know God himself. Likewise, it goes the other way. You cannot pretend to honor the son if you do not honor the father. You think, how does that fit into things? Well, I think in our culture, even in our Christian culture, even we can do this, even us. We love Christ so much, and we see that the salvation we have in Christ, and we're to honor Christ, we're to be proclaiming Christ, we're to preach Christ and him crucified, but we can be so Christ-centric as to ignore the Father and the Spirit to almost become Unitarians. And we're ignoring the nature of our God whom we love and we serve and how he's revealed himself to us. We must honor all three persons of the Godhood and seek to know God as he is and not somehow then fall into an idea that Jesus is God and that is it and it makes me feel good because he's also man and I can relate to him and we ignore the entirety of who God is. We're going to have eternity in heaven to contemplate, and to study, and to think of, and to try to understand who our glorious God is. Let's not cut him short here on earth. Let's pursue knowing who God is as he reveals himself in scripture. We honor the Father, and the Son, and the Spirits, and we come to know our glorious triune God. But obviously it's through the work of Christ and by the power of the Spirit. I said we could talk more, we won't. That's probably enough. I think the thing is from verses 19 through 23 is we move from equality in essence of the Father and the Son, to equality in works, and specifically the works of resurrection, life, and judgment. And we honor the Father and the Son. Then we get to verses 24 through 30, which is really where we left off last week, although we really just ran through what I just talked about. I couldn't just leave it there. So verses 24 through 30, now I think there's an application of the Divine Son, The lower understanding of the divine sonship of Christ to the divine salvation that he brings. We saw it last week. Salvation is of God. It's by his sovereign mercy and grace. You can't save yourself, but it's a glorious salvation. So you look at verses 24 through 30. Now we're actually applying this idea of the realms of resurrection and life and judgment to salvation. And I think in trying to understand verses 19 through 23, understanding the fours and the thus at the end, I think it's helpful to get verses 24 through 29 if you see these next six verses as three pairs of two, as three pairs of two. And what we see is in verses 24 and 25, we see how the Son performs these works of resurrection, life, and judgment now in the present. We're talking about spiritual resurrection and life. Then in verses 26 and 27, we see how the Son is able to do this, both what's happening now in resurrection life and judgment, but also what will happen in the end, in the future. And then in verses 28 and 29, now we shift to the future resurrection and the final judgment. Now we see how the Son accomplishes the works of resurrection, life, and judgment in the future in the physical realm at the final resurrection. And I wish maybe if I had written this, and it's probably a good thing I didn't, I would have put those in different orders. I'd put verses 26 and 27 maybe at the end to say, OK, now I'm talking about the present resurrection, and I'm going to talk about the future resurrection. Now let me tell you why Jesus can do this. But I'm going to assume that Jesus knew what he was doing when he talked about it in this way. So that's what we're going to try to look at. So first of all, verses 24 and 25, it's the idea, well, how does the sun perform these works of resurrection life and judgment now in the present and in the spiritual realm? So he says in verse 24, most assuredly a very famous verse that you should know. I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and catch this, and now is when the dead, the spiritually dead, will hear the voice of God, the Son of God, I should say, and those who hear will live with spiritual life. This is speaking about now, now that Christ has come. There's the first resurrection, is what scripture speaks of. The spiritual resurrection that everybody needs to have, but not everybody gets. The first resurrection is the spiritual resurrection from the dead that happens through Christ Jesus. So verses 24 and 25 then speak of the present. Jesus had told the lame man not to sin, but to rise up. That is symbolic of repenting and believing. And Jesus now is saying in verses 24 and 25 that we must hear his voice and believe. This is a command to hear His voice and believe. Do you get this? It's a command. It's also the means of salvation. And so therefore, again, as we said last week, if you're in the sanctuary today and you've not come to Christ, if you're being told this now that you need to repent and believe, you're hearing the words of Christ, which is a command, but it's also a means that He uses unto salvation when you hear it. And so in verse 24, It's interesting, we did finish our sermon last week with that, but he says a couple of things. He says, he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me, maybe that bothers you, but again, we said the Father and the Son are equal in essence and equal in works. So if you believe on the Father, you believed on the Son. In this context, it's the same thing. It's the Father who sends the Son as part of the internal operations of the Trinity. And since the Father and the Son are in one essence, to believe in one is to believe in the other. You can't separate them. And verse 24 shows us the wonderful benefits of this divine salvation provided by the divine son. You now it's now it's present. You now have passed from death to life. That's spiritual resurrection. The first resurrection, you now have everlasting life at spiritual life now by the power of the sun. And you shall not ever come into judgment, resurrection, life, and judgment given by the power of Christ to those who repent and believe. And you'll never face judgment because Christ has taken it. Why are these things true that you can now pass from death to life, you can now have everlasting life, and you'll never face judgment? Well, it's because Christ Jesus, though he is the Son of God, he took on flesh and became fully man. As the Trinity has one will. The Son has two, has a divine will and a human will, has two natures in one person, whereas the Trinity is one God, one nature with three persons. That's confusing, but this is what happens. Christ took on flesh, and he took our judgment of our sin that we deserved, so we don't have to face judgment. And he did this through his sacrificial death, and then he rose in his resurrection victoriously to new life, never to die again. And therefore, those who come to him have their judgment taken in him and they are dead and raised in him to new life and that everlasting. So verse 25, which is an important verse, most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming. But he says, and now is he doesn't say that in a few verses later and now is. It means now with me here. In the first coming, it now is, the hour is coming now is when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God. He's speaking of the spiritually dead. When you step out of the womb, you're born spiritually dead. You have no relationship to God. You're born in sin, and you continue to sin. And you're spiritually dead. You need new life. Ephesians chapter 2, verses 1 through 10 speaks of this, that we're spiritually dead in the sin that you live in. You're not physically dead, and you're living in sin, but you're spiritually dead, and you need Christ to raise you from the spiritual death, the spiritual life, unto faith and repentance and a new life. And so that's what's being said here in verse 25. It now is when the spiritually dead will hear the voice of the Son, this irresistible grace, and those who hear will live. They will have this spiritual life that he just mentioned in verse 24. He's speaking of regeneration, of being born again now. The Son calls out to his chosen by name, and the dead in sin hear, just like Lazarus heard Lazarus come forth. And he was dead, but he came forth because he was given life, and he walked forth. That's what happens when you come to Christ. This is a work of God that's behind the scenes. It's necessary to raise the helpless, depraved sinner to repentance and faith and new life and have no condemnation. So verses 24 and 25 speak of the first resurrection, the spiritual resurrection that's necessary. Then in verses 26 through 27, it's then, well, how is the son able to do this? Both what I just said and what I'm going to say in the next two verses. So verses 26 and 27, how can the son do this? How can the son raise dead sinners to spiritual life? For as the son has life in himself, it's intrinsic to him. So he has granted the son to have life in himself. It's intrinsic to him as well. And has given him authority to execute judgment also because he is the son of man. Life, resurrection, and judgment is in the Son, in the works of God. That's why He can do this. So as the Father does, so does the Son. So that leads us to verses 28 and 29. Then how can the Son accomplish this in the works, in the future, in the physical realm? The resurrection to come, the second resurrection. There's two resurrections. The first resurrection is spiritual. When you come to Christ, That's the spiritual resurrection. That's the first resurrection. You need that. But there's going to be a second resurrection at the end when Christ returns on Judgment Day. And all are raised from the dead, both Christians and non-Christians, and there's facing of judgment. That's the second resurrection. Everybody will go through that. What you don't want to face is the second death. Everybody will die once. physically, but there's a second death after the second resurrection. And we're going to learn about that in verses 28 and 29. Do not marvel, verse 28, for the hour is coming. It sounds just like what he said, but notice he doesn't say it now is. So that means it's not here. It is actually coming, there is a day, the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves, you're not just dead spiritually, you're in the grave, the physical grave, you are dead physically waiting for the second resurrection. Hope I'm not belaboring these points, but this is wonderful stuff. And those who are in the graves, like Lazarus, will hear his voice and come forth, all the dead will be raised. 1 Corinthians 15. And those who have done good to the resurrection of life, by the way, don't get haughty. If you're a believer, you've done good because you're saved by the works of Christ, and then because Christ has saved you, even your pitiful works that you do in his name are accepted by him, by the Spirit, and by the works of Christ. Those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, and they're not covered by the works of Christ, to the resurrection of condemnation. So the second resurrection, there's judgment. There's those who enter into glory with a glorified body and soul in the presence of Christ forever, but those who are cast in the lake of fire in condemnation. That's the second resurrection. And that resurrection of condemnation is a second death. That those who have the first resurrection Second death has no power over them and we rejoice in that as Christians. So this is Christ who accomplishes the first resurrection and then the second resurrection because he is equal in essence and works with the Father in particular with the authority over life and resurrection and judgment. So a summary, I think, is helpful for this. What Jesus is describing here is that all will be born at least once. All of you here have been born once. Some of you have been born twice. That would be spiritually. And all will die at least once. Unless you're Elijah and maybe Enoch. Or unless you're here when Christ comes. And all will be resurrected at least once. There's at least the final resurrection. So everybody will go through one birth and one death and one resurrection, but you need the first resurrection, a spiritual resurrection, to avoid the second death. You need the second birth, the new birth, to avoid the second death. So for a Christian, he's born dead in sin, but he's raised spiritually in the first resurrection. He's given a second birth, and he will die physically. When a Christian dies, his soul goes be with the Lord, his body's in the grave. but he'll be raised physically at the second resurrection. It actually will be his second resurrection, but he'll be raised to the resurrection of life and not suffer the second death of eternal judgment. For the one who's not a Christian, he's born dead in sin, but he will not be raised spiritually because he's never repented and believed and come to Christ. He will not be raised spiritually in the first resurrection. Therefore, when he dies physically, his soul goes in the presence of hell as his body's in the grave, waiting to be raised physically at the second resurrection. But that will be his first. And he'll be raised in a resurrection of condemnation, Jesus says, and he will suffer the second death, which is eternal judgment. Again, verse 30 basically restates what verse 19 is, so I won't do that, it's a bookend. I think it'd be helpful to look at Revelation chapter 20, because John's the author of both books, and I think it's helpful seeing this to understand maybe an important, we're supposed to be studying Revelation, but I think in Revelation chapter 20 you see the same thing, but you see a thousand years between the first resurrection and the second resurrection, if you will. And 1,000 is not a specific 1,000 years. It's symbolic of an amount of time. It's symbolic of the amount of time between the first coming of Christ and the second coming of Christ. And here in Revelation 20, at the end of this book, he speaks of 1,000 years separating resurrections. Because in the first coming, Christ came to bring spiritual resurrection. In the second coming, he comes, and he brings physical resurrection, as we've talked about. And I think this will help put both Revelation and John together. This is going to be hard, because we're going to read this. But you can pay attention. Verse 1 in chapter 20, then I saw the angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil. And Satan, he bound him for 1,000 years. My understanding is that we're in the 1,000 years now. This is the millennium now. We're in the 1,000 years. Satan is bound. Why? Because when Christ died and was raised and ascended, then the gospel goes forth. Now Satan is bound, so he won't be deceiving the nations, so the gospel can go forth. to save souls. And so it says, he's bound for a thousand years and he cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal on him so he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. That's when Christ returns. And after these things he must be released for a little while. It appears there's some kind of an uptick of some bad things right before Christ comes. So that's talking about the thousand years, the millennium. representing the last days between the first and second coming of Christ. So then verse four, and I saw thrones. We spent a long time with Revelation four and five. Did you see thrones around the throne and those representing the believers, the church, the Christians reigning with Christ. So I saw thrones and they sat on them. These are Christians and judgment was committed to them. And then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and the word of God. that had not worshipped the beast or his image and not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. These are Christians, representing the Christians throughout the thousand years, throughout the millennium. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Even those who are martyred, they still live spiritually and they reign with Christ, waiting till his return. But the rest of the dead, speaking of those who are not Christians, did not live again until a thousand years are finished. So those who are outside of Christ, they don't have spiritual life. Their souls are in hell. They're waiting for the physical resurrection after the thousand years are finished. And he says, this is the first resurrection. The first resurrection represents the thousand years, the last days. when sinners are being saved and some are not. Blessed and holy is he who has a part in the first resurrection. Yes, because if you have the first resurrection, the spiritual resurrection, you're relieved from the second death that will come after the second. Over such, the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him 1,000 years. We are reigning, if you're a Christian, you're reigning with Christ even now spiritually in 1,000 years. Verse 7, now when the thousand years have expired, now the second resurrection will come. Satan will be released from his prison, will go out to deceive the nations again, which are the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle those whose number is of the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints in the beloved city and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil who deceived them was cast in a lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. They will be tormented day and night forever. So Satan's thrown into everlasting judgment. And now you see the second resurrection and the judgment and the second death and what remains. Then I saw a great white throne, verse 11, and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away, and there was found no place for them, I saw the dead, small and great, it means all who have ever lived, Christian and not, standing before God. They've been raised now physically in the second resurrection. And the books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works by the things which were written in the books. Again, this is not that you can earn your way into heaven. I hope you understand this. This will whet your appetite for like five years from now when we'll get to chapter 20 in Revelation, I guess. Then death in Hades. were cast in the lake of fire, this is the second death. After the final resurrection, the second resurrection, there's judgment, and those who are outside of Christ are cast into the second death, the lake of fire, and anyone who is not found written in the book of life was cast in the lake of fire. I think it helps us to understand the first and second resurrection, the second death, what John is speaking about in John chapter 5, and eventually we'll get here in the book of Revelation. That's a lot. I'd like to finish with the same way we finished last Sunday, with the same charge and invitation. In verse 24, the thought was in verse 24, Most assuredly I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me, Why was Jesus sent? So that you can have an everlasting life and shall not come into judgment, but can pass from death into life. Christ was sent as God who became man, so He can give life to those, resurrection life to those who do believe in His Word and in Him. And if you believe, you have eternal life. Eternal life in quality and quantity. You will not come into judgment, because the Son has power both over life and judgment, and you have passed from death into life. The Son of God, who's eternal God, who's equal to the Father of the same essence and equal in power and glory, he took on flesh to be a perfect man, to live a perfect life according to the law, and to die a perfect death to pay the penalty of his people breaking his law. And he rose to new life and he ascended to glory on the throne And now as the God-man, Christ has power over life and death and judgment, and he's equal to the Father, but he took the eternal judgment of his people, that those who'd believe he could give everlasting life. So if you're in Christ Jesus, I'd like to think that some of the stuff we just read would put fear into your heart. If you know Christ, if you've come to him in repentance and faith, been redeemed by him, and he's raised you with spiritual life, you have nothing to fear in the last day of judgment. You will be clothed with Jesus' blood and righteousness. By his blood, your sins are expiated. They're washed away. By his blood, the wrath you deserve is propitiated. He has taken it. And by his righteousness, you're justified before God. You're clothed in the beautiful righteousness of Christ before God. And you will know the first resurrection to spiritual life. And the second resurrection will be a resurrection to life and glorification. And you will not know the second death that awaits those who are outside of Christ. So as I said last week, Unlike the Pharisees, hear his word, hear Jesus word and believe in him. Do you want to be made well? From your hopeless paralyzed in sin state. Do you want to be healed from sin now and kept from something eternally worse later? Do you hear Jesus voice and believe in him who sent him to know life and to not know judgment? Then heed the words of Christ and go to the cross with your wrath deserving Acknowledge sin by repentance and faith and rise with Christ take up his cross and walk with him in newness of life in obedience Believe and have everlasting life and no judgment and pass now from death to life With the warnings don't allow your heart to be hardened like the Pharisees Or your pride to rise up like the Pharisees that you will not be able to acknowledge your sin and your utter need for Christ Jesus Let us pray Dear Holy Father, we do thank you for your word. We were in a lot of weeds today, maybe over our head trying to look at things that are more marvelous than we can understand, perhaps. Certainly in this life, we thank you for the richness and the depth and the breadth of your word and the teaching that gives us about who you are and what you have done. It whets our appetite for an eternity with you that will never run out of glory to learn about and to marvel in because of the infinite glory and worth of our God, who is triune as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Lord, we pray, Lord, that with all of the high thoughts so we would not miss the most important thing, that we are sinners and left to ourselves. We're dead in our sin. We have no desire to turn to you. So we ask you, Lord, to give new hearts to convictive sin, that those who are outside of Christ would turn to Christ even now to recognize him as God, but as the God-man mediator between God and man, and it's only through Him that one can lift up empty hands and have the blood that's shed on account of sinners to cover the mercy seat to be accounted to them, that they might have their sins removed and righteousness given. and be able to be raised up in faith and new life to follow Christ both now and forever and have all of the joys and the promises that we've read about in a whole lot of scripture this morning. But these are promises that are true and are wonderful for those who've been redeemed by Christ. We pray, Lord, those who are outside of Christ, today would be the day of salvation for them. Lord, we thank you for those who know Christ. Lord, we thank you for your mercy and your grace. We deserve none of it, but you've given us abundantly and infinitely and permanently. Lord, help our hearts to spring up with greater love and joy and gratitude and a desire to serve you, to know you, and to make you known. It's in Jesus' name we pray these things. Amen.