“I Believe – Alive Forever!”

Scripture: John 5:19-30

We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Today we arrive at our 12th and final message regarding the core of Christian belief as outlined in the Nicene Creed. Interestingly, the creed begins with proclaiming the God of Creation, and concludes with the eternal life that only has a beginning in our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Eternal God, and eternal life! And everything that is stated between those two “eternals” points forward and back to both.

In John 11:25-26, while his friend Martha was hurting deeply over the death of her brother Lazarus, Jesus told her “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believe in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” The entire creed is given to us to remember this one and most important fact. We were created to know the depth of God’s passion; we were created to live an eternal and glorious life, even though we exist in brokenness; we were created to believe in all that the Son of God taught us and did for us; we were created to not only know God, but to know his will and call for our lives; we were created to trust in the guidance and sustenance of the Holy Spirit. The creed is given to remind us to stay connected to the Lord through the word and nudges and leading that is available to all who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

And the bottom line is that one day, the dead of the world will rise, and by faith in Christ and trust in his word, the faithful will live again and forever.

Read John 5:19-23

As chapter 5 begins, we find Jesus at the pool of Bethesda, which is located by one of the northern gates of the ancient city of Jerusalem. The pool was a place for ritual washing before entering the Temple Mount, and for many, it was also a place for healing. Jesus approaches a man who had been an invalid for 38 years, and asks him “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:1-9) Unfortunately, it was Sabbath, and improving the health situation of anyone was considered work – a sin if done on Sabbath.

Pharisees approached him and chastised him for disregarding the law of Sabbath, and the Lord makes the situation even worse when he replied that his Father and he are always at work, regardless of the day! It had been bad enough to heal the man on Sabbath, but to equate himself with God was just too much – it was blasphemy.

And Jesus’ response to these learned men is our text for today. He lets the Jews know that he has a unique relationship with his Father – that not only can he do nothing without his Father, he can also do all things that the Father does! It isn’t that he is learning from the Father, it isn’t that he is mimicking the Father – the Man Jesus is nothing more than an obedient and dependent Child of God. This relationship is not of Jesus’ own doing any more than the relationship that we have with our parents has anything to do with who or what we are. Jesus’ identity is one that has existed forever, for he is God in Triune existence.

And if you think that the man’s healing was especially powerful, Jesus tells them that even greater things are on the way! And what might these “greater things” be? The first is resurrection to new life, and the second is the right of judgment.

Resurrection to new life can take on two forms. The first is physical, and Jesus would raise several who had died into new breath and circulation, including his friend Lazarus. But the term “dead” can take on an even greater significance – that of being dead through sin. And as we all know, death must always precede new life. In Jesus’ case, resurrection to new life is always his prerogative, and not ours. Note that in the story of the man who was healed, it was Jesus who came to him and asked “Do you want to be healed?” – it was not the other way around,
And this leads to the second “greater thing” – judgment. Judgment is also upon the Lord, and has nothing to do with what we do. No amount of good works, no amount of righteous living, and not even the sinfulness that we have lived can have any impact on whether we pass through the judgment or fail in its absolute nature. It is all about what Jesus has done, and whether we acknowledge and accept his way or not.

These gifts – resurrection to life and judgment – have been given to Jesus, but even he has no authority over them without the Father’s involvement and purpose. And our relationship with the Father is, conversely, dependent on our relationship with the Son.

Read John 5:24-27

So it appears that salvation is not only dependent on hearing the word of God, but it also demands that we believe it. That makes judgment pretty simple – do we truly and fully believe in Christ, or not? Of course, this description also disqualifies every human being, in that our judgment is fallible – truth in us is actually opinion, and seldom reflects truth!

And on that day, when the dead in Christ arise, they will hear the voice of God, and in that hearing, eternal life will be conveyed in their believing. But until that day, it will all be about our faithful life. In Daniel 12:12-13, he offers a prophecy regarding the last days, that during those times of tribulation and trial, it’s crucial that believers never fail to believe. We read “Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of [those] days… [and] at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.”
Our life in Christ is just that - whether we live until the day of his return, or not, perseverance in faith is vital. This means that we don’t try to straddle the fence that exists between Christ and the world; it means that we can’t think that the word of God needs to be updated to come into line with societal standards; it means that we can’t believe that Jesus is only one of many ways to eternal life; it means that we can’t accept some of what Jesus stands for and deny the rest.

This life that the faithful will receive, comes from the life that both the Father and the Son already possess. This isn’t one shared life – it is identical but individual in nature. And just as the Son’s return to glorious life came through the Father, ours will come through faith in the Son. And it is Jesus who has both the identity as Judge as well as the authority to judge. And why has he and he alone received this identity and authority? Because the Father has declared it so. Period.

Read John 5:28-30

And the comparison of the relationship between Father and Son, as well as the one between Son and humanity, continues. The time when the voice of God will be heard by all – dead and living alike - is nearly here, but only some will be blessed, while the rest will continue in their condemnation. And the present is also linked with the future – our failure to believe in this life cannot be changed on the day of Christ’s return. And it all hinges on the fact that Jesus knows the truth of our life in the here and now.

Our present life and our eternal judgment will be perfectly related to each other. If we are living the life that Jesus has called us to live – not the one we want to live, not the one we demand that he bless within us, not the one that ignores all that he taught – but the one that reflects his way, the one that strives to bring glory to him, the one that comes from that perfect combination of our repentance and his forgiveness.

Everything is based on the voice of Jesus Christ. It echoed during those 7 days of creation. It echoed in the desert of Exodus. It echoed through the lives of the prophets. It echoed through the hearts of Israel, and it echoes in the lives of the Church. And on that day of resurrection, it will echo in the judgment.

And all that Jesus does within the truth of God, is to the glory and joy of the Father. And what a fitting way to complete this examination of our Creed. This life should never have anything to do with our desires. This life should never be lived to bring honor to ourselves. This life must never be lived to our benefit. This life is all about giving glory to Almighty God, by living in the way that Jesus modeled and taught.

And if anyone ever tells you that a Christ-like life is just too simple to be true, invite them to join you in trying to live and love as Jesus did. And all will soon know.