Series: Signs & Glory
Title: "Is Jesus really the Messiah?"
Scripture: John 5:31-47
Deuteronomy 18:15-17, 1,500 years before Jesus
Psalm 110:1, 1,000 years before Jesus
Daniel 7:13-14, 500 years before
Jesus or 2,500 years ago
Luke 16:31
John 1:1-12
Bottom line: What you believe about Jesus dramatically impacts your life: your identity and your purpose.
INTRODUCTION
CONTEXT
SERMON OUTLINE
CONCLUSION
NOTES
OUTLINES
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
MAIN REFERENCES USED
Opening prayer: Lord God, help us grow to be and do like Jesus, while abiding in him and leading others to do the same.
INTRODUCTION
What are the biggest questions people are asking today?
Who am I?
Why do I exist? What's my purpose in life?
Bottom line: What you believe about Jesus dramatically impacts your life: your identity and your purpose.
We look to messiahs for the answers to those questions. We're not the only ones.
Messiahs
I asked ChatGPT the following in preparation for today.
Me: "I am preaching through John 5:31-47 this week. I’m thinking of opening up with a story about someone in recent history who claimed to be the messiah like David Koresh or Jim Jones. Who do you think is the best fit?"
ChatGPT:
David Koresh or Jim Jones would both work, but Koresh might be the better fit because he explicitly claimed to be the Lamb of God and a new messianic figure, which ties into Jesus’ discussion about testimony in John 5.
Another option is Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church, who claimed to be the second coming of Christ. His followers believed his testimony without external validation, which contrasts with Jesus appealing to multiple witnesses—John the Baptist, His works, the Father, and Scripture.
ChatGPT continued, “Throughout history, people have claimed to be the Messiah, the chosen one sent by God to save the world.
One of the most infamous in recent history was David Koresh, leader of the Branch Davidians. In the early 1990s, Koresh convinced his followers that he was the Lamb of God and that his words carried divine authority. Many believed him, not because of verified testimony or undeniable miracles, but because he was persuasive and charismatic. His movement ended in tragedy, a stark reminder of the danger of trusting the wrong witness.”
“In John 5, Jesus makes a radical claim about Himself—that He is the Son of God, the one who brings life and judgment. But unlike false messiahs, Jesus doesn’t expect people to believe Him based on His own testimony alone. He appeals to multiple credible witnesses: John the Baptist, His miraculous works, the testimony of the Father, and the Scriptures. Today, we’ll see how Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah is different from every false claim before or since—and why rejecting His testimony has eternal consequences.”
Why were they looking for a Messiah? For the same reason that you and I look for Messiahs.
Because we're looking for an identity bigger than any we already have.
Because we're looking for a purpose bigger than any we already have.
The late pastor and theologian RC Sproul said this about our faith in God:
"Our problem is not that we don’t know that God exists. Our problem is that we refuse to acknowledge the God whom we know to be true.” -RC Sproul
CONTEXT
John moves forward in chapters 5-10 highlighting the escalating conflict between Jesus and the Jewish leadership. John will use Jesus' encounters with others to escalate and teach/reveal who he is leading the Jewish leaders to grow more insistent on his execution for blasphemy. They are convinced that he is claiming to be another god equal to God the Father and they cannot rest until he is dealt with. For they think that he is leading the people astray.
“Earlier I made the point that at the time Jesus uttered these words, John the Baptist was more famous than Jesus” -RC Sproul
SERMON
Bottom line: What you believe about Jesus dramatically impacts your life: your identity and your purpose.
I. Trust the Evidence God Has Given You (5:31–40)
• “I recently had to sign some documents for the bank. There was a place for me to write my name at the bottom of one official document, and then there was a line for the signature of someone who was a witness to my signature. Now suppose I had written my name on the left, and then I also signed my name on the line that was reserved for a witness. That wouldn’t have worked; I couldn’t legally bear witness to my own action. I needed someone else to confirm that I was the one who had signed on the first line. It was impossible for me to prove by signing on the second line that I had actually signed on the first line.”
--R.C. Sproul
Jesus provides multiple trustworthy witnesses to confirm His identity:
1. John the Baptist (5:32–35) – A faithful prophet pointed to Jesus.
2. Jesus’ Works (5:36) – His miracles reveal His divine power.
3. The Father’s Testimony (5:37–38) – God Himself affirms Jesus.
4. The Scriptures (5:39–40) – The Bible consistently points to Jesus.
• Application: God has given us clear evidence—are we willing to receive it?
II. Seek God’s Approval Above All Else (5:41–44)
• The religious leaders craved human praise, but Jesus calls us to live for God’s approval.
V. 43
"If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him." (5:43)
The judgment incurred by those who refused the Messiah who came with credentials was this: they would readily follow a false messiah who had no credentials but his own claim.
An outstanding fulfilment of this prediction came about in AD 132, when one Simeon ben Kosebah claimed to be the Messiah of David's line, and led a revolt against Rome. His claim was supported by Akiba, the most eminent rabbi of the day, who hailed Simeon as the 'star out of Jacob' foretold by Balaam in Num. 24:17. But Simeon's messianic pretensions involved himself, his supporters and the people of Judaea in the most fearful ruin. It is not necessary to suppose that he is particularly in view here - there were several similar pretenders in the period between AD 30 and 70 (cf. Mark 13:630 - but he provides the best known example. -FF Bruce
• Application: What voices are shaping your life—God’s or the world’s?
III. Let God’s Word Lead You to Jesus (5:45–47)
• Moses wrote about Jesus, showing that all of Scripture points to Him.
• Application: Read the Bible with an open heart—how is it leading you closer to Jesus?
This keeps the passage’s message intact while making the applications more inviting. Does this fit your approach?Great idea! Here’s a more positively framed outline with applications:
I. Trust the Evidence God Has Given You (5:31–40)
• Jesus provides multiple trustworthy witnesses to confirm His identity:
1. John the Baptist (5:32–35) – A faithful prophet pointed to Jesus.
2. Jesus’ Works (5:36) – His miracles reveal His divine power.
3. The Father’s Testimony (5:37–38) – God Himself affirms Jesus.
4. The Scriptures (5:39–40) – The Bible consistently points to Jesus.
V. 39 "Let me illustrate the religious leader's problem.
Imagine you're standing on the top floor of the MUSC ART high rise in downtown Charleston, SC. In Charleston, there's a maximum building height that keeps the skyline low. This building must have gotten an exception because it stands most others buildings giving you a beautiful view of downtown Charlesto and the Ashley River.
Imagine that you are drinking in that view and are caught up in what you are seeing when someone tugs on your cuff. You turn to see a little man standing next to you. He says, "My! Isn't this a wonderful window! Do you see how it is set in steel and how the glass is tinted?" Then he unfolds his pocket knife and begins to scrape at a corner of the window, saying, "I'm going to do a chemical analysis of this window, and if you will give me your name and phone number, I'll call you and let you know what this window is made out of."
Of course we would think the man was a little strange. He missed the whole purpose of the window. The window was created to show the great beauty of the city and the surrounding scenery, but all he saw was the frame.
The Bible is a wonderful window, but we must look through that window to see the beautiful realities of Christ and God.
While I am committed to the need for detailed study of the Word of God, it must not be done just for the sake of literary analysis, graphs, or statistics. The Bible is not an end in itself but is a window through which we can view and learn marvelous truths about God and Jesus Christ. Those studious Jews had not gotten beyond the study of the window.
• Application: God has given us clear evidence—are we willing to receive it?
II. Seek God’s Approval Above All Else (5:41–44)
• The religious leaders craved human praise, but Jesus calls us to live for God’s approval.
• Application: What voices are shaping your life—God’s or the world’s?
III. Let God’s Word Lead You to Jesus (5:45–47)
• Moses wrote about Jesus, showing that all of Scripture points to Him.
• Application: Read the Bible with an open heart—how is it leading you closer to Jesus?
CONCLUSION
The late pastor and theologian RC Sproul said this about our faith in God:
"Our problem is not that we don’t know that God exists. Our problem is that we refuse to acknowledge the God whom we know to be true.” -RC Sproul
Bottom line: What you believe about Jesus dramatically impacts your life: your identity and your purpose.
What about you?
Has God warned you?
Do you hear his warning?
Peter puts it all in perspective in his first sermon:
““Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”” Acts 2:36-39 NIV
Invitation
How do we respond? Answer 2 questions:
Take out a card or piece of paper right now. Write down the answer to these questions:
What is God saying to me right now?
What am I going to do about it? Write this down on a sheet of paper.
What I hear you saying, Lord, is ___________________.
[my name] is going to believe/do __________________________________________________ as a result.
Finally, share this with your Home or Mission group this week when you gather as a testimony about what God is doing in your life. You don’t have to get too specific to give him praise.
Lord's Supper, 1 Cor 11:23-26 is good passage.
Also, say something like, "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again." (past, present, and future)
Pray
NOTES
"David Koresh and his followers, the Branch Davidians, met a tragic end in 1993 after a 51-day standoff with federal agents at their compound in Waco, Texas. The siege began when the ATF attempted to serve a warrant for weapons violations, leading to a deadly shootout. The FBI later launched a tear gas assault to force the group’s surrender, but a fire broke out, engulfing the compound. In the end, Koresh and 75 of his followers, including women and children, perished in the flames. The exact cause of the fire remains disputed, but the event became a cautionary tale of extreme religious control, government intervention, and tragic loss.David Koresh and his followers, the Branch Davidians, met a tragic end in 1993 after a 51-day standoff with federal agents at their compound in Waco, Texas. The siege began when the ATF attempted to serve a warrant for weapons violations, leading to a deadly shootout. The FBI later launched a tear gas assault to force the group’s surrender, but a fire broke out, engulfing the compound. In the end, Koresh and 75 of his followers, including women and children, perished in the flames. The exact cause of the fire remains disputed, but the event became a cautionary tale of extreme religious control, government intervention, and tragic loss."
"Dr. HA Ironside, who ministered so mightily at Moody Church for many years, did not study formally beyond high school. He did, however, read everything in sight. One of the keys to his great power, I think, is found in this quotation from a short biographical sketch: Under his mother's guidance Harry began to memorize Scripture when he was three. By age 14 he had read through the Bible 14 times, once for each year. During the rest of his life he read the Bible through at least once each year.
The biographer continued by recounting the story a pastor friend had told him about a Bible conference at which he and Ironside were two of the speakears. During the conference the speakers began to discuss their devotional life.
The pastor told Dr. Ironside about what he had read for his devotions that morning and then asked the venerable preacher what he had read. Ironside hesitated, then humbly said, "I read the book of Isaiah." He was saturated with the Word of God, and it showed!
This is the source of great power. Ironside literally, according to the account, read himself blind, and most of his reading was in the Word of God.
Once when Dr. Stephen Olford was talking about great preachers of this century, he noted that many of them have a Plymouth Brethren background.
I asked why. Dr. Olford replied that they immerse themselves in the Bible.
They know their Bibles. Regrettably, it is possible to go all the way through seminary and not have an exhaustive knowledge of the Word of God." --Kent Hughes, John, p. 175-176
OUTLINES
See above.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
What do I want them to know?
Why do I want them to know it?
What do I want them to do?
Why do I want them to do it?
How do they do this?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Discovery Bible Study process: https://www.dbsguide.org/
Read the passage together.
Retell the story in your own words.
Discovery the story
What does this story tell me about God?
What does this story tell me about people?
If this is really true, what should I do?
What is God saying to you right now? (Write this down)
What are you going to do about it? (Write this down)
Who am I going to tell about this?
Find our sermons, podcasts, discussion questions and notes at https://www.gracetoday.net/podcast
Alternate Discussion Questions (by Jeff Vanderstelt): Based on this passage:
Who is God?
What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?
Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)
What do I do? (In light of who I am)
How do I do it?
Final Questions (Write this down)
What is God saying to you right now?
What are you going to do about it?
MAIN REFERENCES USED
“John,” by R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word Commentary, Edited by Kent Hughes
Exalting Jesus in John, by Matt Carter & Josh Wredberg
The Gospels & Epistles of John, FF Bruce
John, RC Sproul
John, Köstenberger
The Gospel According to John, DA Carson
The Light Has Come, Leslie Newbigin
The Visual Word, Patrick Schreiner
“Look at the Book” by John Piper (LATB)
“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)
“The Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)
Outline Bible, D Willmington (OB)
NIV Study Bible (NIVSB) https://www.biblica.com/resources/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/
Chronological Life Application Study Bible (NLT)
ESV Study Bible (ESVSB) https://www.esv.org
The Bible Project https://bibleproject.com
Nicky Gumbel bible reading plan app or via YouVersion
ChatGPT
Google Gemini
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