Adventures in Missing The Point
May 15, 2022
Most of us assume we are going the right way. But what if you were wrong? Ten years ago this Spring, Courtney and I went to check out a college campus in Irvine, California. She loved the campus and we had a great visit. But when it was time for us to leave I had her program the GPS in our rental car. She looked up the Hertz location where we needed to drop the car, entered the address, and selected “most use of freeways.” Immediately, Melissa (what I named our GPS) told us where to turn and we were soon heading north on I-5. Things were going smoothly but then traffic came to a standstill. That’s when I asked Courtney where the next freeway headed west was located. She pointed out the Imperial Highway and so when we came to that exit we got off and headed west. Now the GPS was recalculating and we were making good time. I was feeling a bit relieved, that is, until Courtney said, “Oh no!” I asked, “what?” and she told me she’d programmed the wrong Hertz address. The one she’d put in was taking us downtown LA, not the airport. So quickly, she put in the correct address and as soon as she did, the GPS told us our turn was coming in one minute. Whew! We thought we were going the right way, but if she had not checked the GPS, we would have gone the wrong way and would’ve missed our flight.
Now, imagine going down the road of life thinking you were headed in the right direction with God only to discover that you were headed the wrong way the whole time? That everything you believed about your religion, was actually leading you astray? Wouldn’t you like to know if you had the wrong directions? Wouldn’t you like a chance to recalculate and start heading the right way?
As we return to the story of Jesus today, this is what was going on with the Jews who were opposing Jesus. They were so entrenched in their religious practices, that they thought that THEIR WAY was the right way – only to hear from Jesus that you can do a lot of religious things and completely miss the point. In fact, this can happen to anyone. Today there are many who believe that if you are doing all the right things: going to Church, reading your Bible, singing songs of praise, even doing good works – that you must be on the right track with God. And as good as doing all these things can be, just doing them can actually deceive you into thinking you’re in good shape with God. But Jesus doesn’t want you to be deceived. That’ why in today’s passage he points out how filling our lives with a lot of religious activities can actually cause us to miss the point of His coming. So, if you brought your Bible with you today, I want to encourage you to open it to John 5:31-47. For it’s in this conclusion of Jesus’ encounter with these religious leaders that he reveals FIVE WAYS you can DECEIVE yourself into believing you’re on the right track with God, but COMPLETELY miss the point. So, if you’ve found John 5, we’re going to begin at verses 31-35 where Jesus reveals the first religious practice that may seem right but can cause us to miss the point. And that is this:
You can enjoy great preachers and completely miss the point! “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true. You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. John 5:31-35 John the Baptist was not just a great prophet of God, but he was a great preacher. Jesus describes John here as a lamp. A lamp must be lit. And John was lit. You could even translate that word “burned” as “ignited.” He preached as a man on fire! And all those hearing him believed “the light” that came through John’s preaching was from God. Their reaction to John was one of “enthusiastic happiness!” It had been 400 years since they had heard from God. Now God was speaking to them through John. But they totally missed the point of his preaching. In other words, they were more excited at the prospect that God was speaking to them, then they were about the message he proclaimed. So they never came to grips with his message – which was all about Jesus, the Lamb of God, the Messiah. They LOVED that God was speaking to them through John, but they missed the point of his message.
We can do the same thing. We can listen to great preaching. There are all kinds of great preachers today. You can tune in on Sunday mornings and get the latest message from some of God’s best contemporary preachers. You can go to websites and hear all kinds of great preaching. And you can rejoice in what you are hearing from God through these men and women. But you can also do the very same thing these Jews did. You can miss the point, believing that since you’re listening to messages from God, that you’re good with God. But just hearing God’s message does nothing for you – unless you RESPOND to His message. So don’t be deceived. Just because you hear a powerful message about Jesus, doesn’t make you right with God anymore than it made these Jewish leaders right.
Why? John spoke the truth about Jesus, but they didn’t respond to his message. Jesus didn’t fit their image of who the Messiah would be. He didn’t come in riding a white horse ready to overthrow the Roman oppression. Instead, he overthrew the money tables in the temple and exposed their hypocrisy. That’s when they stopped listening to John – not because his message changed but because their comfort level changed. So don’t be deceived. Just because you hear God speak powerfully through a preacher doesn’t mean you’re on the right track with God – you have to respond to what you hear. Just listening to God’s message doesn’t get you into the kingdom, it doesn’t make you a follower of Jesus, nor does it secure a place in heaven for you. You can deceive yourself into thinking that just because the message is good, you’re good. No, you’ve got to respond. You’ve got to believe, obey, put into practice what you are hearing. You can sit here week in and week out hearing God’s Word. But it’s not the hearing that matters, it’s what you do with what you are hearing. That’s what Jesus is saying here. So don’t be deceived. If the message you are hearing isn’t changing you, isn’t helping you believe in Jesus or follow Jesus, then you’re missing the point. That’s the first deception Jesus wants us to grasp today. Here now is the second one:
You can experience works of God and completely miss the point! “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. John 5:36 This weightier testimony is the witness of the Father, which takes several forms. The works which the Father has given Jesus to finish, and which He is in process of completing, these all testify that the Father has sent him. These works include all of Jesus’ ministry: His healing the lame man on the Sabbath, his turning water to wine, the feeding of the 5000, calming the stormy seas, giving sight to the blind, raising the dead. Over and over again Jesus cast out demons and healed the lame, the diseased and the blind. And only God could do a works that Jesus was doing. His works were done to testify, to show us that Jesus was the Messiah, that Jesus had come from God. Even Nicodemus acknowledged this. Remember what he said? “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with Him.” John 3:2
But notice, not one of these Jewish leaders believed Jesus was from God. They were looking for ways to prosecute him, not worship him – to discredit him, not give him credit. And so they witnessed the very works of God and they missed the point. His works verified that He had come from God. And they couldn’t see it.
Again, we can do the same thing. We can witness God change lives. We can go to Ocean Beach and hand out blankets and water bottles to bless street people. We can help feed the hungry through giving to the Food Bank and we can do even greater things then these. But just experiencing good works or doing them in Christ’s name, doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re on the right track with God. Jesus himself said it this way, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.” Matthew 7:22-23 What Jesus is saying here is that doing good works are great, but if all you ever do is good works and fail to believe in Jesus as God’s Son, then you’ve missed the point. Thirdly,
You can study the Bible and completely miss the point! “And the Father who sent me has Himself testified concerning me. You have never heard His voice nor seen His form, nor does His word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one He sent. You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” John 5:37-40 These religious leaders whom Jesus was addressing were diligent students of God’s Word. They knew God’s Word inside-out! For the Jewish scribes devoted their lives to study of God’s Word, not so much as to search out the truth, but to analyze the minutia of the law. But Jesus states emphatically that they’ve missed the whole purpose of the Scriptures. He says, You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. John 5:39-40 Here’s the point Jesus is making: You can be part of an in-depth, verse by verse study of the Bible, you can have all the Bible study tools and dig into all the truths of Scripture and then, because you’re such a student of the Bible, you can begin to believe that with all your study, that you’re on the right track with God. But there’s no guarantee of that. For Jesus says here, even the most committed students of God’s Word can miss the point. Why?
The whole point of the Word of God is to point us to Jesus. God gave us His Word so that we might come to Jesus Christ. I love how Sally Jones explains this in “The Jesus Storybook Bible,” She writes: Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should do and shouldn’t do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn’t mainly about you and what you should be doing. It’s about God and what He has done. Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but… most of the people in the Bible aren’t heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose). They get afraid and run away. At times they are downright mean. No, the Bible isn’t a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a story. It’s an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back His lost treasure. It’s a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne, everything – to rescue the one he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life. You see, the best thing about the Story is – it’s true. There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one big story: The story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them. It takes the whole Bible to tell this story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every Story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle – the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture.
The Bible is about Jesus Christ. Every story whispers His name. The Law, the poets, Old Testament history and all the prophets work together to point us to Jesus. The reason we read this book is to see Him. If we miss Him, we miss the point. So don’t be deceived. Bible study is great, but unless it leads you to Jesus, you’re missing the point. That’s the third way we can deceive ourselves to think we’re on the right track. Now, the fourth:
You can live a righteous life and completely miss the point! “I do not accept glory from human beings, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God? John 5:41-44 What’s going on here? Well, not only are the Scriptures given to point us to Jesus, but they were also given to help us love God. Once again, Jesus tells how they’ve missed the point: They have no love in their heart for God because they love the praise of men.
And the proof of this is their rejection of Jesus. Jesus says, “I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept Him.” These Jews had created their own kind of religious culture with their own rules and values. Their culture was all about living a righteous life. This meant keeping the letter of the law – especially keeping the Sabbath… So then if someone comes along who’s like them, who’s all about personal performance, looking good before others, making a name for themselves by their acts of righteousness – well, then they would readily accept them, they would welcome them with open arms.
But Jesus didn’t fit their mold… Jesus doesn’t focus on self-righteousness, but on loving God and bringing glory to God. Jesus comes ‘in the name’ of the Father, seeking to do the Father’s will – not the will of the Jews. And since Jesus isn’t playing their religious game, since Jesus isn’t like them, seeking the praise of men, they don’t want anything to do with Him. They REJECT Him!
Here’s the deal: We can do the same thing. We can embrace a lifestyle that looks good to those keeping score, we can focus on our religious acts, and seek the praises of man rather than the glory of God. And if you fall for this mentality, then your faith becomes all about what you do or don’t do. And the danger of this deception is that it can actually cause you to use God rather than love God. For when you make your faith all about your righteousness, you will begin to believe that God is obligated to bless you. And your life will become all about you: Bringing glory to your name and not bringing glory to God. That’s how these Jews thought, so they rejected Jesus because he was not like them. So don’t be deceived. If you say you love God, then you will live to bring glory to His name, not to your name. But when your Christian life becomes all about how righteous you are, and not about bringing praise to Jesus, then you’ve missed the point. That’s another way we can get off track with God, and now the last:
You can set your hopes on your religion and completely miss the point! “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” John 5:45-47 Now, how is this different from the previous deception? Well, the Jews had put their hope on their religion: they had put their hopes in Moses. Moses is synonymous with the first five books of the Bible. So the Jews had created an entire religion out of observing the Mosaic Law. Here’s where they missed the point: They built a whole system of religion based on making sure everyone would keep the laws of Moses. They were very strict about this. They wrote rules about the rules to make sure no one would mess-up, especially on the Sabbath. And they were so steeped in living according to the rules, they missed the very purpose of the law.
What was that purpose? Paul tells us in Galatians 3:24,“The law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.” Here’s the deception: The Jews had set their hopes in their religion to save them. They’d gotten so twisted in making adherence to their religion the hope of salvation, that when the person who actually brings salvation came along – they rejected Him.
So don’t miss the point! In spite of all their religious training, these men had misplaced their hope. Their hope was in studying the Scriptures. Their hope was in their own righteousness. And their hope was in their religion – in Moses – who wrote about Jesus. But they missed the point. For If they had really believedwhat Moses had said then they would have believed what Jesus said, too!
Moses’ writings were prophetic. They pointed forward to Jesus. Therefore, those who rejected Jesus did not really believe what Moses had written. And what did Moses write? Moses wrote that mankind is sinful and rebellious and needs a Savior. That’s what the Ten Commandments are all about. They show us what it means to obey God and why we need a Savior. Moses also wrote that a promised Deliverer wouldcome. The Son of God would come to redeem His people from their sin. And Moses wrote that one day God would raise up a prophet just like him, who would speak the very words of God, saying: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet from among you, from your brothers – it is to him you shall listen – I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.” Deuteronomy 18:15-18
And that Prophet is Jesus. So don’t be deceived. There are millions of people today who think they are on the right track with God simply because they have a religion – whether it’s Judaism, Catholicism, Buddism, Islam, or even Christianity. But putting your hope in a religion never saves anyone. It’s not about putting your hope in a religion – but putting your hope in a person. So don’t miss the point: You can do a lot of religious things and still miss the point about Jesus. You can enjoy powerful messages and still miss the point! You can experience great works of God and even do good works yourself and still miss the point! You can study the Bible all you want and completely miss the point! You can live an exemplary righteous life and totally miss the point! And you can set your hopes on a religion and miss the point altogether!
So what is the POINT? Jesus is the point!
The only message that matters is the message of Jesus
The only works that matter are the works of Jesus
The only studies that matter are those that reveal Jesus
The only lifestyle that matters is that which glorifies Jesus
The only religion that matters is the one that calls us to faith in Jesus
That’s the point Jesus is making here:
It’s not about the religious things you do it’s all about Jesus.
So don’t miss the point:
Look at what Jesus has done for you.
Listen to what Jesus offers you.
And put your trust in Jesus,
and He will give you life with God forever.
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