Who Is Jesus? The Son Revealed As God

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus: More Than a Good Man

Many people view Jesus as merely a historical figure, a good man, a miracle worker, or a moral teacher. While He was all of these, the scriptures reveal that such a limited view is insufficient. Jesus' own claims about Himself force us to confront a profound truth: He is either a lunatic, a liar, or He is Lord. To designate Him as simply a good teacher is not an option, as good, sensible, wise men do not make such outrageous claims about being God. It is of utmost importance that we know who Jesus truly is, beyond our small-minded concepts. [46:43]

John 5:16-18 (NASB)
For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

Reflection: In what areas of your life have you been tempted to define Jesus in a way that makes Him less challenging or more comfortable for your understanding?

Day 2: Jesus' Unique Equality with the Father

Jesus' declaration, "My Father is working until now, and I myself am working," was a profound claim to deity. He was not merely stating that He was doing God's work, but that His relationship to the law was the same as God the Father's, not as a man. By calling God "My Father," Jesus announced a unique relationship, signifying His divine sonship and equality in essence with God. This statement infuriated the religious leaders, who understood that He was claiming equality with God, escalating their persecution to a desire to kill Him. [57:43]

John 5:19-20 (NASB)
Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you struggle to fully acknowledge Jesus' divine authority and unique relationship with the Father, perhaps by trying to do things in your own strength?

Day 3: Equal in Divine Work: Life and Judgment

The Father and the Son share an equal work, particularly in the divine prerogatives of giving life and exercising judgment. Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so too does the Son give life to whom He wishes, restoring what was broken by sin and death. Furthermore, the Father has committed all judgment to the Son, appointing Him as the righteous judge of the world. This demonstrates Jesus' ultimate power and authority, reminding us that He is not only our Savior but also our sovereign Lord. [01:12:14]

John 5:21-22 (NASB)
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son,

Reflection: Considering Jesus' authority to give life and to judge, how does this understanding deepen your reverence for Him and influence your daily choices?

Day 4: Honoring the Son, Honoring the Father

Jesus explicitly states that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father, and that "He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him." This truth challenges the common belief that one can believe in God without believing in Jesus as God. To deny the honor due to Jesus by diminishing His divine essence is to deny showing honor to God at all. Our understanding of Jesus' deity is foundational to true worship and a right relationship with God. [01:15:33]

John 5:23 (NASB)
so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

Reflection: In what ways might you be tempted to compromise or soften the truth of Jesus' unique deity in conversations with others, and how can you grow in honoring Him fully?

Day 5: Eternal Life Through Believing the Son

Jesus offers a profound promise: "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." This means that those who believe in Jesus, taking Him at His word as God Himself, are regenerated and brought from spiritual death to life. This promise assures us that we will not face judgment in fear, but will be welcomed home by the Judge who sees His own righteousness in us. [01:19:31]

John 5:24 (NASB)
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

Reflection: What specific aspect of Jesus' promise of eternal life and freedom from judgment brings you the most comfort or hope today, and how does that hope shape your perspective on the future?

Sermon Summary

John 5 is presented as a decisive disclosure of Jesus’ identity: not merely a moral teacher or miracle worker, but God in the flesh. The narrative begins with a healing on the Sabbath that provokes the religious leaders and prompts Jesus to clarify his relationship to the Father. Jesus insists that his actions are the Father’s actions — the Son does nothing independently but does everything in perfect unity with the Father. That unity means equality in work and knowledge: the Father shows the Son all that he is doing, and the Son carries out the Father’s deeds so that people might marvel. Jesus claims authority to give life, to raise the dead, and to execute judgment — prerogatives understood in Jewish thought to belong to God alone — and so he announces his divine status plainly and publicly.

This revelation has far-reaching implications. Rather than accommodating a domesticated or consumer-friendly Jesus, the text demands a response to the one who calls God “my Father” in a unique, ontological sense. C. S. Lewis’s famous trilemma is invoked: Jesus cannot be simply a great teacher if he claims deity; the alternatives are madness, deceit, or lordship. The text insists that honoring the Son is inseparable from honoring the Father; to deny the Son’s divine identity is ultimately to misrecognize God. Moreover, redemption is rooted in the mutual love of Father and Son — the Son’s work of giving life flows from that intimate union.

The practical thrust is sober: theology shapes action. Correctly knowing who Jesus is changes worship, obedience, and everyday choices. Those who hear Jesus’ words and believe the One who sent him pass from death into life and are exempt from final judgment. The passage calls for attentive reading, deepening of belief, and a life altered by the knowledge that Jesus is Lord, judge, giver of life, and the perfect revelation of the Father.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus is God incarnate Jesus does not merely speak with divine authority; he identifies himself as the Son who shares the Father’s essence and purpose. That claim collapses the option of treating him as merely admirable; it calls for an allegiance that recognizes his unique status and the finality of his words. [37:52]
2. Father and Son share equal work The Son performs nothing apart from the Father because their ministry is a shared, cooperative activity that discloses God’s nature to the world. This equality in work preserves both the unity of divine action and the ordered relationship within the Trinity — the Son’s obedience does not diminish his deity. [62:12]
3. Resurrection and life belong to him Jesus asserts the same prerogative as the Father to give life and raise the dead, indicating that spiritual and bodily restoration flow from his authority. This claim reframes conversion as a divine act of re-creation rather than human moral improvement. [68:25]
4. Belief moves one from death to life To hear Jesus’ word and trust the One who sent him is to enter eternal life and escape judgment; belief is not mere assent but participation in the Son’s regenerating work. The promise reframes certainty: salvation is grounded in the Son’s authority and the Father’s sending, not in human merit. [76:33]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[32:19] - Wedding anecdote and personal story
[35:40] - Turn to John 5: Who is Jesus?
[37:40] - Jesus’ clear claim to deity
[38:43] - Reading John 5:16–24
[42:13] - C.S. Lewis and the trilemma
[49:12] - Theology must inform life
[56:03] - Father and Son: equality explained
[68:25] - Resurrection, judgment, and life
[76:33] - Response: hear, believe, live
[80:10] - Closing prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading

John 5:16-24 (NASB)
"For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. But He answered them, 'My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.' For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.'"

Observation questions

According to the text, why did the religious leaders move from persecuting Jesus to seeking "all the more to kill Him" [39:02]?
In verse 19, how does Jesus describe the level of cooperation and unity between His work and the Father’s work [39:23]?
What specific authority does Jesus claim regarding the dead and the act of judgment in verses 21 and 22 [40:08]?
According to verse 24, what three specific things happen to the person who hears Jesus’ word and believes the One who sent Him [40:24]?

Interpretation questions

Jesus calling God His own Father was understood by His audience as a claim to be "equal with God" [39:02]. Why is it impossible to view Jesus as merely a "good teacher" or "moral man" in light of this specific claim?
The Father and Son enjoy a "perfect union because of their mutual love for one another" [01:06:23]. How does the fact that the Son only does what He sees the Father doing help us understand the nature of the Trinity?
Jesus asserts that it is His "divine prerogative" to give life to whomever He wishes [01:09:31]. What does this tell us about the difference between human moral effort and the spiritual resurrection required for salvation?
If "all judgment" has been given to the Son so that all will honor Him just as they honor the Father [40:08], what are the eternal consequences for those who try to honor God while rejecting the deity of Jesus?

Application questions

We often want a "safe Jesus" who doesn't challenge our perceptions or biases, or a "consumer-friendly" Jesus who simply caters to our needs [47:16]. In what areas of your life have you tried to keep Jesus in a "small box" rather than submitting to Him as the Lord of the universe?
Our "theology should inform our actions," meaning we live out what we truly believe to be true about God [49:35]. If someone looked at your daily choices and reactions this week, what would they say you believe about Jesus’ authority over your life?
Jesus is either a "lunatic," a "liar," or He is "Lord" [45:35]. When you talk to friends or coworkers about Jesus, do you ever find yourself settling for the "patronizing nonsense" that He was just a good teacher? How can you more clearly represent His claim to be God?
The promise is that the believer "has eternal life" and has already "passed out of death into life" [01:16:52]. How should the certainty of this present reality change the way you face fear, anxiety, or the "final judgment"?
The Son does nothing independently but acts in "perfect unity with the Father" [39:23]. How can you model your own obedience after this relationship? What is one area of your life where you are currently trying to act "independently" rather than seeking the Father’s will?
The goal of knowing who Jesus is should be a "greater view of His grandeur" that transforms us into His image [51:43]. What is one specific attribute of Jesus mentioned in this passage—His power to give life, His role as judge, or His unity with the Father—that you need to meditate on this week to deepen your worship?

Sermon Clips

``And it's in this passage that Jesus articulates with great clarity who he is. And as we will see, Jesus declares that he is more than a man, and Jesus announces to the religious leaders that he is God. He's not just a good man. He's not just a good teacher. He's God. God in flesh. Who is Jesus? God. [00:37:37] (37 seconds) #JesusIsGod

We want a Jesus that will take care and cater to our needs. We want a Jesus to help us out when we're in a jam. Yes. We want a Jesus that forgives our sins endlessly, but we also want a Jesus who will judge those who harm us. We want a safe Jesus that doesn't challenge our thinking, our perceptions, or even our biases. We want a king that permits his subjects to inform him, to give counsel to him, to sway him to our needs and wants. [00:47:16] (39 seconds) #NotYourSafeJesus

But that is not the Jesus that we have in the scriptures, and that is not the Jesus that he himself presented him as. Jesus is God in flesh. All honor, all glory, all obedience, all worship is due him. [00:47:55] (23 seconds) #JesusRevealsGod

It's one God and three persons, and Jesus communicates that he relates to God as father, and he is the son. And so in that way, the son subordinates himself to the father. The son only does the will of the father, all the while as they both share in the same essence as being God himself. And notice this, Jesus is a son, not a slave. Jesus is the perfect agent of divine purpose and the complete revelation of the divine nature. He came to Earth to express what God is like. [01:04:23] (47 seconds) #FatherAndSonEqual

The reality of the common work that the father and son do is giving life to the dead. They restore what is broken. Everything that fell apart in the garden, as the fellowship that God desired to have with his creation came apart due to the disobedience of Adam and Eve, is restored through the son. They bring life to the dead. The Jews commonly believe that God could raise the dead. Resurrection involves overcoming sin and death. [01:08:48] (31 seconds) #FatherSonLove

But at the heart of God's redeeming work is not God's love for you, not God's love for me, not God's love for the world, not God's love for sinners. At the heart of redemption is God's love, but it's the father's love for the son and the son's love for the father. When we read that Jesus died because he loved us, that is absolutely true. But it's in a secondary sense. [01:07:06] (35 seconds) #AuthorityGivenToTheSon

So while the father and son both give life, the implication here is that the father commits all judgment to the son. The father says to the son, I give this to you to do on our behalf. [01:10:39] (18 seconds) #HonorFatherHonorSon

That Jesus is given authority to judge from the father allows for the son to share in equal honor. Notice those that are gonna face judgment will give equal honor to the judge as they will to the father. The son is not just a special ambassador. The son is equal to the father and shares the same honor. To show honor to the father is to show it to the son. [01:12:38] (36 seconds) #JesusLawLikeGod

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Who Is Jesus? The Son Revealed As God

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus: More Than a Good Man

Day 2: Jesus' Unique Equality with the Father

Day 3: Equal in Divine Work: Life and Judgment

Day 4: Honoring the Son, Honoring the Father

Day 5: Eternal Life Through Believing the Son

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Who Is Jesus? The Son Revealed As God

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