Intimate Equals

Are you confident?  One person defines confidence as a self-trust in your skills, choices, and values.   It’s a feeling that bolsters your belief in your ability to succeed – to succeed in life, to succeed in relationships, to succeed in business, and yes to succeed in faith.  But self-confidence is a pretty fickle thing if it’s based only on you.  Because things can happen to you that can affect your confidence or undermine your faith.  You will make mistakes, you will say or do ungodly things, people will misunderstand you, they will make judgments about you and some may even criticize you or try to discredit you.  And when one or all those things happen to you, doubts about yourself, your skills, your choices or even your faith can begin to undermine your confidence.

But what if I was to tell you that you can have a confidence that will hold up when you fail, that will stay with you when you’re criticized, and will not falter when people misunderstand you, try to intimidate you or even attack you?  Would you like to know how you can keep your cool under pressure as a Christ follower?  How you can keep your courage when life goes off the rails?  How you can keep your confidence when everyone and everything around you questions who you are and what you believe?

Well, if you’ve ever struggled with doubts, ever felt inadequate in your faith; if you’ve ever felt like you’ve let God down; or if you’ve ever just lost your confidence, then let me encourage you to open your Bible to John 5:16-20, where Jesus reveals His source of confidence that sustained Him while He served among us.

For it’s in this passage, as Jesus defends his actions of healing on the Sabbath, that we’re going to see here that Jesus had such a keen awareness of who He was in relationship to His Father –that he had an unshakable confidence and passion to live the life He came to live.  And my hope is that as we dig into this relationship described by Jesus – THAT WE TOO can learn from Jesus how to live with THE SAME KIND of CONFIDENCE. So, if you’ve found John 5, let’s begin by looking at the source of Jesus’ confidence.

Let’s take up His story as he reveals His unique relationship with His Father.  And the first thing He reveals to us is this: Confidence Begins with an Intimate Relationship with the Father: Follow along as I read beginning in verse 16: So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making himself equal with God.  John 5:16-18

He’s the situation. Because Jesus healed the paralytic on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders are now looking for reasons to discredit him.  The text tells us their intent.  It says, “the Jews persecuted him.”  This is an interesting term that carries more of a legal idea of looking for ways to prosecute him.  These religious experts were now looking for ways to accuse him, trip him up, and discredit him because his ministry was challenging the legitimacy of their religious leadership.  In other words, Jesus had become a threat to their power and control over the people.  And now they were looking for any legal way to remove him from the picture.  So, in this scene Jesus is playing right into their hands.  They want him to defend his actions of working on the Sabbath.

Now, these religious leaders were all in agreement that God is the only one who can work on the Sabbath.  For example, God continues to work on the Sabbath sustaining the universe.  That work never ceases.  So when Jesus gives his defense: “My Father is always at work to this very day, and I, too, am working” they have all they need to prosecute Jesus.  For by calling God “My Father” Jesus declares that He himself is equal with God in nature.  He’s saying He is divine.  And by saying “I too, am working” Jesus declares Himself equal to God – because only God could do these works.

If true, then what Jesus has just said does mean He is equal with God.  If false, He has committed the crime of BLASPHEMY.  Now in reading this, the one sad note of this encounter, is that these Jewish leaders never gave any consideration that what Jesus was claiming could actually be true. Instead, they were livid.  Blasphemy was a sin carrying the death penalty.  So they immediately began making their plans to kill Jesus.

And yet Jesus knew this was exactly what would happen.  He knew that His claim to be equal with God would elicit this reaction.  He knew they would want to kill him. And yet he remained confident in the face of their hostility.  Which leads us to ask the question:

Where did Jesus’ confidence come from?  It came from knowing who He was in relationship to the Father. He knew He was the Son of God. He knew His Father was God.  He knew His Father as The Almighty, All-Powerful, All Knowing, Creator God.  He was simply living out of His identity formed in that relationship. For He knew God as His Father.  Had always known His Father as the One Isaiah revealed when He wrote these words in Isaiah 40:

Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?

He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.

He brings princes to naught

and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than He blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

“To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name.
Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

Jesus knows the answer to that question: “Who is my equal?”  IT IS HIM!  He is equal to His Father in every way.  So when these men ask him: “Who do you think you are for so blatantly disregarding Sabbath Law?”  Jesus knows who He is.  He is not threatened by them.  He is not intimidated by them.  He answers without blinking:  I am the Son of the Holy One who brings out the starry host and calls them by name.  I am the Son of the Majestic One who sits enthroned above the earth.  I am my Father’s Son, the One who reduces the rulers of this world to nothing!

Jesus was secure in His identity because He knew His Father. And here’s where I want us to learn something about Jesus’ understanding of His Identity.  Because Jesus lived out of His identity as The Son of God, He was not the least bit intimidated by those who opposed him.  Jesus was not afraid of them.  His confidence was not shaken by their power or influence.  He knew that these religious leaders were but wisps of wheat that could be swept away by the wind.  He was not afraid of their reaction to His words.

Now we are not Jesus, nor are we equal with God in power and authority.  But the Bible speaks clearly about our identity as His children. So then, It is our identity as God’s children where our confidence begins: In Romans 8:14 and following we are told, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with him.  Romans 8:14-17

In this world, we will have trouble.  We have an enemy, an adversary who wants to intimidate us, silence us, and make us look like fools in the eyes of the world.  And his greatest scheme is to play upon our fears.  He wants to intimidate you, discredit you, and stop you from doing the works God has prepared for you to do.  He wants you to go with the flow, to not rock the boat, to stay silent with your faith, and he uses fear to erode your confidence so you’ll stay on the sidelines and not engage this world with the works of Jesus.

But when you know who you are; when you know who your Father is; you will be free from fear. When you have the spirit of adoption – of sonship.  When you see yourself as God sees you – As His treasured possession – as His beloved child.  When you believe you are a co-heir with Christ, with all the blessings and privileges of a Son.  When you know you have access to the throne of grace; when you trust that God is always with you and always for you; and when you know He loved you at your worst and will never stop loving you – And when you can live in that love – His love – His perfect love will drive out all fear, and you will be free to live with the same kind of confidence as Jesus.  No one can stop you from living for God’s glory.  No one can stop you from doing the works of compassion, giving grace and mercy, and telling the truth about Jesus – because you belong to Him, and He has your back.

Now, here’s the question:  Do you see yourself as God’s child?  Is this your IDENTITY as a person today?  Is your identity built on how God sees you, on what God says about you?  Is your identity built on the truth that you are God’s beloved child, or are you still building your identity on something or someone else?

Let me ask this another way: Do you see yourself as an intimate equal with Jesus?  Do you see yourself as a co-heir with Christ?  Now we don’t normally see ourselves this way.  Most of the time our identity is defined by what we do or who we relate with.  In fact, we have all kinds of factors that shape our identity.  For men, what we do often defines our identity.  I asked my friend Chris, who invited me to play in his member guest last week, if he has any plans to retire soon.  He just turned 70 and is still doing taxes for his clients.  He told me that he likes what he does.  He said, “It’s my identity,” Now that’s not an entirely bad thing.  But when his career ends, where will his identity be found? For women, it’s somewhat similar.  Their identities are often shaped around relationships – around their roles as spouse, mother, or grandmother.  Nothing wrong with that either.  But when a relationship is damaged or you lose a loved one, if your identity is built on relationships, you can lose all confidence.

But if you are building your identity on who you are as God’s child; if you are building your relationship with the One who will never leave you nor forsake you; if you are building your identity as the child of the Almighty God who brings princes to naught, who reduces the rulers to nothing – then the next time someone tries to criticize you, intimidate you, or oppose you – you will not cower nor crumble, but you’ll stand confidently because you will know Him who is with you and for you.

That’s why Jesus’ words, “My Father is always working,” are such powerful words for us today.  For Jesus’ Father is our Father, and He IS always working.  And He’s working on the very person who may be trying to criticize you, discredit you or make fun of you.  If you have an intimate relationship with the Father, if you’re cultivating that relationship through being in His Word, talking with Him in prayer, then God will give you a confidence to face difficult people or trying circumstances. He’s the ground of our confidence.  He’s the source of our courage.  Confidence begins with an intimate relationship with the Father… but it doesn’t end there.

That’s what we see next. Now in John 5:19-20 Jesus reminds us that Confidence Blooms in an Obedient Relationship with the Father:  Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.  For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement He will show Him even greater things than these.” John 5:19-20

You see a relationship with the Father is not a one way street.  We don’t just rest in the security of His strength.  And we don’t just bring our struggles and doubts to Him in prayer.  No, we come to Him so He can show us how to live.

That’s what we see here. Jesus speaks of His Father’s love for Him as one of CONTINOUS SELF-DISCLOSURE.  This is the nature of true intimacy. “The Father loves the Son and shows him all He does.”Jesus is telling us that love is revealed in self-disclosure.  In other words, being a good Father, He shows His Son what matters most to Him.  He shows His Son how His mercy works, how His patience with broken sinners works, how He draws near the broken hearted, and how a bruised reed He will not break. He shows Jesus the ins and outs of being a good and gracious friend.  He shows Him the secrets of His craft.  There is nothing He withholds.  It’s a full disclosure, an ongoing disclosure – a beautiful relationship of openness and trust.

This passage reminds me just a little bit about my relationship with my earthly Father.  Just last week was the five-year anniversary of my father’s passing.  Five years ago, when I spoke at my father’s memorial the things that stood out to me where the things my dad disclosed to me.  He’s the one who invited me to go to work with Him. He’s the one who gave me my first job of cleaning toilets, mopping floors and vacuuming the locker room.  He’s the one who showed me how to grip the golf club, make a proper swing.  He’s the one who taught me how to take the initiative to look for something to clean or organize or make better once my regular work was done.  And he’s the one who taught me patience time and time again as I watched him handle angry golfers with grace and his disarming smile.  I didn’t know it then, but I know it now:  My earthly father loved his son and showed him all he does.

And that’s what our heavenly Father did with Jesus.  And Jesus responded with a willing obedience. In fact, in this text, Jesus reveals his desire to obey all that His Father shows Him.  And so He says, “The Son can do nothing by Himself; He can only do what He sees His Father doing.”   This is not a complaint as though the Father was limiting what Jesus could do. Rather it’s quite the opposite.  It’s a statement of blessing: He gets to do everything and anything the Father has shown Him.  He’s glad to be His Father’s confidant, to be His Father’s disciple, so He can further His Father’s legacy. Here we see that Jesus embraces and relishes the privilege of showing the world what His Father is like.

This is why Jesus – when teaching his disciples to pray would say:  This then is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  Matthew 6:9-10  Jesus was all about bringing the Father glory!

This is why Jesus said things like “It’s not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  But go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”  For I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.”  Matthew 9:12-13  Jesus was all about doing works of mercy!

This is why he commanded love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.  And this is why Jesus touched lepers, raised the dead, was called a friend of sinners, and why He ultimately surrendered His life to be crucified on the cross, so He could make us friends of God.  And this is why He commanded us to go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit – so we could learn to obey all the Father taught Him as we learn to obey all that Jesus taught us.

He did all this and more because the Father loved Him.  And because He loved the Father, Jesus gladly obeyed. That’s why He said, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.  For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. Yes, to your amazement He will show Him even greater things than these.”

And the good news today is this: The same relationship Jesus had with His Father, you can experience today.  If you’ve put your trust in Jesus, then God’s Word says you’ve been adopted into His forever family.  You are His beloved child.  And now He’s made it possible for you to grow in an intimate relationship with Him.  A relationship where He can now show you the same things He revealed to Jesus.  So that you can obey His commands and do the very works Jesus did when he walked among us.

Just like Jesus, God wants you to be an intimate equal with Him – as His beloved child who’s learning from Him how to live and love like Jesus.  And when you and I cultivate an intimate relationship with Him and learn to put His commands into practice, we can experience the same unshakable confidence of Jesus.  We can stand firm in the face of opposition.  We can do the works Jesus did, because we will be free from fear.  And we will have courage to face whoever or whatever comes our way, because we’ll be living in the very love of God.  So may we walk in the confidence of Jesus today because he has made it possible to know God as our Father.