The written Word is designed to lead us to the living Word. Dr. Tony Evans says if the Bible is no more than words on a page, we aren't connecting with its true power. One of the reasons why the Bible does not work in so many of our lives is that we stay with the Bible only, and we do not let the Bible lead us to the person of Jesus Christ. This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans.
Just as the promise of a harvest is contained in a single seed, one accepted truth has the ability to transform the course of a life. Dr. Evans is exploring the life and ministry of Jesus in the Gospel of John, and today he reminds us that understanding Scripture is not just about learning, it's about embracing the life it offers. Let's join him in the fifth chapter of John. Jesus now enters into a testimony time, that is, validation of who He is. He starts in verses 33 to 35 with John the Baptist. He was the lamp, verse 35, that was burning and was shining, and you were willing to rejoice a while in the light. He says, but that's one testimony. Let me tell you the next stage of testimony of why I am who I say I am, the Messiah, the Son of God. Verse 36, but the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John. So John was one level. Here's why you should believe me.
Here's a whole other level. For the works which the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I do testify about me, that the Father has sent me. He says, not only is John's word validation, my work is validation. Now if we look back and see all the miracles Jesus performed, you could say, well how could you see that and not believe?
But that's exactly what happened. I mean, He's healing people, He's performing miracles, He's turning water into wine, He's raising people from the dead, He's doing all these things, and many refuse to believe, which means unbelief, once God has revealed Jesus, is a matter of the will. In other words, you choose to reject or accept, because Jesus did this right in front of their eyes. So there's the witness of John, there's the witness of his works, and then there is the big daddy witness, okay? Verse 37, and the Father who sent me, He has testified of me. You have neither heard His voice at any time or have seen its form.
So you haven't seen the Father. You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him who sent me. Verse 39, because you search the Scriptures, because you think in them you have eternal life, it is these that testify about me, and you are unwilling to come to me that you might have life. They search the Scriptures, and they miss Jesus.
That's what He's saying. So you can study the Bible and miss Jesus. You can be a Bible scholar, a seminary graduate, highly degreed in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic, and not meet Jesus.
You search the Scriptures. The reason I'm bringing this up to me and to us is that the written word is designed to lead us to the living word. The written word is not an end in itself. So if you go to church, you go to Bible study, you go to a small group, you study the word, great, critical, foundational.
But it's not enough. If it does not lead you to the author, and in this case to Jesus Christ, if you're not looking for Him, then you are missing the goal of the word. The goal of the written word is to lead you to the living word. So they were studying, they were Bible scholars. You search the Scriptures, they would turn their Bibles, but you wouldn't come to me.
One of the reasons why the Bible does not work in so many of our lives is that we stay with the Bible only, and we do not let the Bible lead us to the person of Jesus Christ. Chapter 6, verses 1 to 14 is a very famous story found in all four Gospels, and that is the feeding of the 5,000. Verse 4, now the Passover, the Feast of the Jews, was near.
So this is a gathering time, a remembrance time, a worship time, a eating time. So a lot of people are coming because it's Passover. Therefore, verse 5, Jesus lifting up His eyes and seeing a large crowd was coming to Him, said, Philip, where are we to buy bread so that these may eat? This was saying to test Him. Philip is from this area.
He's like born and raised in this area where Jesus is right now. So Jesus tests Philip. Now this introduces the concept of testing.
The concept of testing is always designed to give you the opportunity to apply spiritual truth. Philip does not test to help you help him decide what he should do. He already knows what he plans to do. He just wants to see, can he do it through you at this time?
Can he do it through you at this time? So he puts him to the test. Philip answered, and he answers quite accurately and logically, 200 denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little. This focus was on what you ask and what they need, we can't afford.
But please notice something. Jesus did not ask him how much it cost. That was not the question.
The question is, where can we get it? That's a different question. Well, another disciple, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, well, there's a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish.
That's like saying, well, there's a kid over here with some sardines and crackers. The only reason Andrew is answering this is because he heard the question, because the question is not repeated to Andrew. Andrew just happened to hear the question, and he jumps in and answers the where question.
When Andrew answers the where question, Andrew gets an answer, not Philip. Jesus said, have the people sit down. Verse 10, so the men sat down in number about 5,000, which means the women and children are still standing. Then Jesus, see, I love this, took the loaves, the poor people's bread, and having given thanks.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hello. Jesus is giving thanks for what would be considered junk, given 20,000 people and sardines and crackers. How are you going to thank God for your insufficiency?
Don't let your lack of thanksgiving block your miracle. Jesus gives thanks for what is not nearly enough. He distributed to those who were seated, which are the men, because it was the men who was supposed to take care of the family. He only made the men sit down, and he distributed to the men. They were supposed to make sure that wife and children ate.
That's your responsibility. And they were seated under Jesus's command. Remember a kingdom man is a male that operates under divine authority? Now, you could have had Mr. Big Head up there and tell him, I ain't sitting down, I don't feel like sitting down.
I'm my own man, I'm going to stand up. Didn't give it to all the men. He gave it to the men who did what he said he was going to do, and then through that, he would provide for the women and children. So he tells them, and he distributes them as those who are seated, also of the fish as much as they wanted.
Ooh, we're talking about seconds. Okay, now, there are a lot of clips I want to see in heaven. This clip is one of them, because I don't know how this happened. You know, Jesus is praying, he gives thanks, he opens up his eyes, and Moby Dick is on the beach or something, or Orca the Killer Whale or something. It's just crazy how this happened. Kids multiplied, and they could eat till they were stuffed.
So watch this. Jesus took insufficiency and made it more than enough. More than enough. When we talk about grace, the greatest verse on grace is 2 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 8. It says, grace is more than enough.
More than enough. Yeah, I think it's Matthew 14, 21, it says the women and children were there. When they were filled, he said to his disciples, gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost. So they gathered them up and filled 12 baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, which were left over by those who had eaten.
Now why do you think we have 12 baskets? Because there are 12 disciples. So everybody gets a doggy bag as a reminder of what God can do. Don't let your lack of faith limit God.
Don't let your logic limit God. Dr. Evans will continue with the lessons we can learn from Jesus' interactions with those first followers when he returns shortly. First, though, I want to let you know that today's message is part of Dr. Evans' 14-lesson study of the Gospel of John. In this New Testament book, the divine nature of Jesus is highlighted, revealing him as the Word made flesh and the light of the world.
Through this study, you'll gain a deeper understanding of Christ's teachings, miracles, and love for humanity, uncovering timeless truths that will strengthen your faith and provide solid guidance for your life. We'd like to send you the complete series on CD or digital download as our gift when you make a donation to the ministry of the alternative. And as a special bonus, we'll also include a copy of Dr. Evans' encouraging book, Dry Bones Dancing. It's a study of Ezekiel's vision of brittle bones brought to life by the Spirit's breath, and it'll help you experience the same sort of dramatic transformation in your life or the life of your church. Just visit us today at toneyevans.org, or call us at 1-800-800-3222, make your contribution, and let us send you the Gospel of John audio series and Tony's book, Dry Bones Dancing. I'll have our contact information for you again after part two of today's lesson and this.
I urge you to take this course. Dr. Craig Evans, renowned expert on the New Testament, serves as the special guest lecturer for the Tony Evans Training Center course on the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible. It covers very important ground, what they are and what they're not. One of the most significant archaeological finds of the 20th century, the Dead Sea Scrolls provide unparalleled insights into the accuracy of the Bible. These ancient manuscripts offer a treasure trove of historical and spiritual significance. They preserve for us the Hebrew Bible and shed light on the teaching of Jesus and the major contributors to the New Testament. The scrolls open a vivid window into the life and beliefs of the Jewish people during the time of Jesus. You will understand the Bible and Jesus and Christian origins better than you ever have before.
Take your first step as an honorary amateur archaeologist. Dive into the Dead Sea Scrolls with special guest lecturer, Dr. Craig Evans. Discover this and other fascinating biblical studies at tonyevanstraining.org. Explore the kingdom anytime, anywhere. So when evening comes, the disciples go down to the sea, and they get into the boat, and they cross the Sea of Capernaum.
It's dark. Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea begins stirring up, strong wind was blowing, verse 18. They rode about three or four miles, which means they're halfway across, when they saw Jesus walking on the sea, drawing near to the boat, and they were frightened. But he says to them, it is I, do not be afraid.
So he calms their fear with his word, with his voice. So they were willing to receive him into the boat. After they heard the word, they received the person. That goes back to, you can hear the word and still not receive the person. But they received the person, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
Did you see that? When Jesus shows up, they're only halfway. They're three or four miles out. The sea is like eight miles across.
So they're only halfway. They see something that they don't understand. Jesus says, this is, it is me. They receive him into the boat. When they receive him, they look up and they're at the shore of where they were going.
Three or four miles across, only halfway, when they respond to the word, he says, and invite the person into the situation, they have saved time, because I think your Bible says immediately. You know, I love this word immediately or suddenly. That means out of nowhere. I can't explain that. Where did that come from?
Why is that possible? He blew my mind. When they responded to the person having heard the word, immediately they covered four miles with no more struggle. So they were willing to receive him, and they were there. The next day, the crowd, sort of the other side of the sea, saw that there were no other small boats there except one, and that Jesus had not entered with his disciples into the boat, but the disciples had gone alone. So they came to their boats, where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks, and when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves, they got in a small boat, and they came looking for Jesus. But when they found him on the other side, they said, and Rabbi, when did you get here?
Because you ain't leave with them. How you get over here? Of course, he walked over there, at least halfway, and then he got in the boat. They were immediately there.
How you do that? No. How you get from there to here when you didn't go with them in a boat? Jesus said to them, truly, truly, show enough, show enough, for real, for real, I say to you, you seek me not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. You didn't pursue me for me. You pursued me for food, for stuff, for your blessing.
Don't misunderstand me. God is not against blessing. He is against being used for only blessing. One of the great tests that we will all have in life at various points of life is God will often test, do we only want what He can do, or do we want Him?
And we'll have to choose. Remember what He told Moses when they went into the Promised Land? They were going to the Promised Land and He said, Moses, you take them in there, but I'm not coming.
I'm not coming. Moses said, if you don't go, I'm not going, meaning I'd rather be in the wilderness with you than be in the place of blessing without you. I want you more than I want from you.
When you want Him more than you want from Him, you get Him and whatever He plans to give. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life. In other words, make the spiritual more important than the physical.
That's the point. Which the Son of Man will give to you, because that's a gift. Grace is a gift. For on Him, the Father God has set His seal, and I have been the one authorized to give you eternal life. Therefore, He said to them, what shall we do that we may work the works of God?
What do you want us to do? Jesus says in verse 29, the work of God, He takes the S off, because there's only one work you have to do to get life. The work of God is that you believe in Him who sent you, believe in Him who He has sent. So the work of God is the acceptance of Jesus Christ. So they said to Him, what then do we do for a sign so that we may see and believe You?
What work do You perform? Okay, wait a minute. Give us something.
Now, He's been doing a lot of somethings already. Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness, verse 31. As it was written, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat. In the Old Testament, cornflakes from above came down, and that's what we ate. Jesus said, truly, truly, sure enough, sure enough, I say to you, it is not Moses who was giving you the bread out of heaven, it's My Father who was giving you bread out of heaven.
You remember my big thesis? You only have one source. Everything else is a resource. So I know Moses called it down, but God is the one who gave it. God was your source, not Moses. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world. They said to Him, Lord, always give us this bread. Okay, they still think about food.
They think about manna. That's what they brought up, the cornflakes from above, that was food from heaven. Okay, we want to eat. Give us this food.
You know, we hungry. Jesus said to them, here it is, I am the bread of life. I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not hunger. He who believes in me will never thirst.
That's another way of expressing the gift of eternal life. I say unto you that you have seen me and yet you do not believe. I have shown you I am. You saw what I just did.
You folks didn't follow me over here after getting full from sardines and crackers, and you still want me to do something else, because all you want is the physical. All the Father has given to me comes to me, and the one who comes to me, I will certainly not cast out. Who are the ones God gives to the Son? The one God gives to the Son are those who believe in the Son. Whoever believes in the Son is a gift from the Father to the Son. This is not saying only God only wants some to come. It's saying those who come are a gift, and I will certainly not cast him out.
I will not reject anyone who comes to me. For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me. This is the will of Him who sent me, that all He has given me, which are those who believe in Him, I lose nothing.
Okay? Eternal security. Once you come to Christ, you can't ever be lost again. If He was to lose one person who got saved, then He would be lying, because He says, I'll lose none.
But raise it up on the last day, a guarantee of eternal security. But this is the will of my Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I myself will raise Him up on the last day. I hope you are gaining a greater glimpse of the Savior and a greater motivation to relate to Him, through the Word, but to Him, so that we can experience more of Him. And experiencing more of Jesus requires having a relationship with Him.
Here's Dr. Evans to explain how that starts. If what you just heard has impacted your heart, if what you just heard has quickened something within you to want to enter into a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, then I want to invite you to respond right now to the invitation to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. So right now, why don't you go to God and let Him know that you now receive Jesus Christ into your life for the forgiveness of your sins, for the gift of eternal life, because you believe He died on the cross for you. If you will do that right now, God is ready and waiting to receive you and to give you the greatest gift that anyone could ever be given.
Dr. Evans would love to tell you more about that gift. Just visit tonyevans.org and follow the link that says Jesus. We have a helpful video there that will answer your questions, along with some great downloadable resources to get your new life started off right. And while you're there, you'll also want to take advantage of the resource package I mentioned earlier, all 14 messages from both volumes of Tony's current sermon series on the Gospel of John, along with his encouraging Dry Bones Dancing book. They're yours with our thanks when you make a donation to help keep this listener-supported program coming your way. Just visit tonyevans.org to make the arrangements, or call our resource center at 1-800-800-3220. Where team members are standing by to assist with your request. Again, that's 1-800-800-3222 or online at tonyevans.org. We've all heard it said that timing is everything. Well, tomorrow Dr. Evans looks at Jesus' perfect timing and details how God's plan will unfold exactly when it's needed. Be sure to join us for that.
