Sermon Discussion John 5:30-47
Here’s a few sermon discussion questions to help our church love God by applying his word to our lives. Feel free to use these questions for personal reflection, alongside your family, within a smaller discipleship/journey group, or even within the context of your Life Group. If you missed Sunday’s sermon from John 5:30-47 you can view it online here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVkG_gqpMt0
TPQ: Pastor Aaron gave an example of serving on a jury. Have you ever served on a jury? What was the experience like or what do you think it’d be like? This passage shows Jesus using courtroom language and has Him presenting witnesses. He uses the legal process that the Jews understood.
Jesus’ First Witness- v31-32, 36-37
Jesus makes reference to the Father, God Himself. Elsewhere in scripture, we see the Father claiming Jesus as His Son. In Jesus’ baptism, the Father affirms the Son. In the Transfiguration, He confirms the glory the Son deserves.
Q: can you think of other examples of when the Father identifies Himself with Jesus (or vice versa)? Why are these instances important to know?
The Second Witness- v33-35
John the Baptist testified about who Jesus was and pointed people to Him. Jesus called him a lamp. John the baptizer recognized Jesus as the lamb of God.
Q: In the same way that John the Baptist was a witness to Jesus, do others see you as a lamp, shining light onto who Christ is? What might it look like for us to ‘be a lamp’ in our day & age?
The Third Witness- v36
Jesus calls on the very works that He did as how they point to Him. In the gospel of John, Jesus’ miracles are seen as “signs” whose very nature is to attest to who He is.
The Fourth witness- v39-40
The Bible itself speaks to Christ as the messiah, the one the Jews were waiting for. Aaron shared a number of facts & observations about the Bible and its testimony.
Q: how do you think people, in general, view the Bible today? How would a nonbeliever that you know react to hearing about the many ‘proofs’ for the Bible?
The Fifth Witness- v45-47
Jesus calls on Moses and the books of the Pentateuch that point to Himself as the coming messiah, the prophet who the Lord will send. Luke 24:25-27 (and the full story in context) tells of Jesus revealing to the men on the road to Emmaus, how “Moses & the prophets” speaks to who He is.
At the end of the day, most of the Jews, and most people today, didn’t accept who Jesus is because we look to each other for acceptance and affirmation rather than God (v41-44). We naturally look for human approval. Jeremiah 9:23-24 asks who or what we boast in.
Q: when we’re given a chance to ‘boast’, who/what do we boast about? (Cross Reference – Galatians 6:14)
Q: the Jews at that time set their hope in Moses, in following the Law, but where did this get them? How do you view religious activity? What’s your motivation to engage in these spiritual practices?
Q: finally, in what ways does your life “bear witness” to the truth of who Christ is and what He has done/is doing in your life?