Chapter BY Chapter

Now first, it is important to establish that Jesus is who he says he is.  False prophets have come into the world and have made proclamations that were not confirmed by prior scriptures or another prophet.  Neither were they confirmed by miracles or the voice of God.  In fact, some of these prophets have directly contradicted the scripture and even the 10 commandments.  This is why Jesus said, “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true.”  If the only testimony that someone gives is of himself, then that testimony is not valid.  Jesus lists for us the testimonies that others give of him. 

 

The first testimony that Jesus refers to is John the Baptist.  John the Baptist referred to Jesus as:

1. The Lamb of God.

2. One that he is not worthy to untie the straps of his sandals.

3. One that is greater than himself because he existed before him.

4. The one that was to be revealed to Israel.

5. The Lord that he came to make the paths straight before him.

6. The one that the Spirit of God came down from heaven and rested upon.

7. The one that will baptize with the Holy Spirit.

8. God’s chosen one.

9. The one that will judge with an unquenchable fire.

10. The Messiah.

The next testimony that Jesus refers to is the works that he was doing.  At least 37 specific miracles of Jesus are recorded in the gospels (https://www.godisreal.today/miracles-of-jesus/).  Many times it just says that Jesus performed many signs, or that he healed all the sick people that were brought to him.  Previously, we mentioned that no one disputed the miracles of Jesus, but rather confirmed them.  Even the Jews, his enemies confirmed his miracles.  These miracles show his power over not just illness, but nature.  He turned water into wine, walked on the water, and commanded the wind to stop.  He healed people from afar, and he knew people before he met them.  Jesus proved he was omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. 

 

The third testimony that Jesus refers to is directly from God.  At his baptism, God spoke from heaven and said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”  (Matthew 3:17).  And God said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”  (Matthew 17:5). 

 

The fourth testimony that Jesus refers to is the Scriptures.  353 prophesies in the Old Testament were fulfilled in Jesus.  (http://www.accordingtothescriptures.org/prophecy/353prophecies.html).  Some of the most notable ones are:

1. The Messiah to be the Son of God in 2 Samuel 7:14, “I will be his father, and he will be my son.”

2. The Messiah to be resurrected in Psalm 16:10, “

3. Psalm 22 predicts many aspects of the crucifixion.

   • Psa. 22:1 Forsaken because of sins of others 2 Corinthians 5:21

   • Psa. 22:1 "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Matthew 27:46

   • Psa. 22:2 Darkness upon Calvary for three hours Matthew 27:45

   • Psa. 22:7 They shoot out the lip and shake the head Matthew 27:39-44

   • Psa. 22:8 "He trusted in God, let Him deliver Him" Matthew 27:43

   • Psa. 22:9-10 Born the Savior Luke 2:7

   • Psa. 22:12-13 They seek His death John 19:6

   • Psa. 22:14 His blood poured out when they pierced His side John 19:34

   • Psa. 22:14, 15 Suffered agony on Calvary Mark 15:34-37

   • Psa. 22:15 He thirsted John 19:28

   • Psa. 22:16 They pierced His hands and His feet John 19:34, 37; 20:27

   • Psa. 22:17, 18 Stripped Him before the stares of men Luke 23:34, 35

   • Psa. 22:18 They parted His garments John 19:23, 24

   • Psa. 22:20, 21 He committed Himself to God Luke 23:46

   • Psa. 22:20, 21 Satanic power bruising the Redeemer's heel Hebrews 2:14

   • Psa. 22:22 His Resurrection declared John 20:17

   • Psa. 22:27-28 He shall be the governor of the nations Colossians 1:16

   • Psa. 22:31 "It is finished" John 19:30, Heb. 10:10, 12, 14, 18

4. Psalm 30:3 predicts the resurrection of the Messiah. “You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit.”

5. Isaiah 42:6 says he will be a light for the gentiles, “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand.I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles."

6. Isaiah 53 also predicts the Messiah’s crucifixion and resurrection, as well as the significance of his death and resurrection.

   • Isa. 53:1 His people would not believe Him John 12:37-38

   • Isa. 53:2 Appearance of an ordinary man Philippians 2:6-8

   • Isa. 53:3 Despised Luke 4:28-29

   • Isa. 53:3 Rejected Matthew 27:21-23

   • Isa. 53:3 Great sorrow and grief Matthew 26:37-38, Luke 19:41, Heb. 4:15

   • Isa. 53:3 Men hide from being associated with Him Mark 14:50-52

   • Isa. 53:4 He would have a healing ministry Matthew 8:16-17

   • Isa. 53:4 Thought to be cursed by God Matthew 26:66; 27:41-43

   • Isa. 53:5 Bears penalty for mankind's iniquities 2Cor. 5:21, Heb. 2:9

   • Isa. 53:5 His sacrifice provides peace between man and God Colossians 1:20

   • Isa. 53:5 His sacrifice would heal man of sin 1Peter 2:24

   • Isa. 53:6 He would be the sin-bearer for all mankind 1John 2:2; 4:10

   • Isa. 53:6 God's will that He bear sin for all mankind Galatians 1:4

   • Isa. 53:7 Oppressed and afflicted Matthew 27:27-31

   • Isa. 53:7 Silent before his accusers Matthew 27:12-14

   • Isa. 53:7 Sacrificial lamb John 1:29, 1Peter 1:18-19

   • Isa. 53:8 Confined and persecuted Matthew 26:47-75; 27:1-31

   • Isa. 53:8 He would be judged John 18:13-22

   • Isa. 53:8 Killed Matthew 27:35

   • Isa. 53:8 Dies for the sins of the world 1John 2:2

   • Isa. 53:9 Buried in a rich man's grave Matthew 27:57

   • Isa. 53:9 Innocent and had done no violence Luke 23:41, John 18:38

   • Isa. 53:9 No deceit in his mouth 1Peter 2:22

   • Isa. 53:10 God's will that He die for mankind John 18:11

   • Isa. 53:10 An offering for sin Matthew 20:28, Galatians 3:13

   • Isa. 53:10 Resurrected and live forever Romans 6:9

   • Isa. 53:10 He would prosper John 17:1-5

   • Isa. 53:11 God fully satisfied with His suffering John 12:27

   • Isa. 53:11 God's servant would justify man Romans 5:8-9, 18-19

   • Isa. 53:11 The sin-bearer for all mankind Hebrews 9:28

   • Isa. 53:12 Exalted by God because of his sacrifice Matthew 28:18

   • Isa. 53:12 He would give up his life to save mankind Luke 23:46

   • Isa. 53:12 Numbered with the transgressors Mark 15:27-28; Luke 22:37

   • Isa. 53:12 Sin-bearer for all mankind 1Peter 2:24

   • Isa. 53:12 Intercede to God in behalf of mankind Luke 23:34, Rom. 8:34

7. Isaiah 60:3 says that the nations of the world will come to the light of the Messiah, “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”

8. Isaiah 61:1 says that the Messiah will be anointed to preach the gospel.“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.”

9. Jeremiah 31:31 says that the Messiah will start a new covenant, ““The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.”

10. Dan. 9:26 says the Anointed One will be killed before the destruction of the temple.

11. In Zechariah 12:10, the Lord says, “They will look on me, the one they have pierced.”

 

The fifth testimony that Jesus refers to is Moses. Several passages in the Pentateuch speak about the Messiah. 

1. Genesis 3:15 – The curse upon the snake. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”Jesus was born of a woman, but it was a virgin birth.Thus Jesus is the offspring of the woman.

2. Genesis 49:10, "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his."

3. Deuteronomy 18:15-19, "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”"The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. 19 I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name."

4. In Genesis 12:3, God tells Abraham that all nations will be blessed through his seed.

5. Genesis 14:18 says, “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High.”This is fulfilled in Hebrews 6:20, “where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

6. Exodus 12:1-13, "The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat.The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs.Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it.This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt."

 

John the Baptist called Jesus “The Lamb of God.”  He is the payment for the sins of the world, just as pictured in the Passover.  This is something that is attributed to Jesus from the start of his ministry.  The Pharisees should have known that John the Baptist said that Jesus was the Lamb of God. 

 

Yet, the Pharisees are so into themselves, that they miss all of God’s plan. 

 

Notice all the things that Jesus says about their unbelief.

1. Jesus mentions John’s testimony that they might be saved, but they ignore that.

2. They only enjoyed the light John the Baptist gave for a short while.

3. They ignore the works of Jesus.

4. They ignore the very testimony of God.

5. They fail to hear God’s voice, see his form, or let God’s word dwell in them because they do not believe in Jesus, the one that God has sent.

6. They study the Scriptures, but miss the whole point and refuse to come to Jesus to have life.

7. They do not have the love of God in their hearts.

8. They reject Jesus coming in the name of the Father, but accept others that come in their own name.

9. They accept glory from one another, but they do not seek the glory that comes from God.

10. They don’t even believe what Moses wrote.

 

The Pharisees prided themselves about being meticulous about keeping all the laws of Moses.  Yet, the Pharisees didn’t believe what Moses wrote because they did not believe the whole context of the law. 

 

Deuteronomy 31:16 “And the Lord said to Moses: “You are going to rest with your ancestors, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them.”

 

Deuteronomy 31:20 “When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their ancestors, and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods and worship them, rejecting me and breaking my covenant.”

 

Now the Mosaic Law is part of the covenant.  In Exodus 24:3, the Israelites confirmed the covenant where it says, “When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.” 

 

So, when the covenant was broken, the Law of Moses was no longer in effect. 

 

The absolution of the Old Covenant and the promise of the New Covenant is announced in Jeremiah 31, where Jeremiah prophesied that God will reinstate law differently after the restoration.

 

Jeremah 31:

 

“31 The days are coming,” declares the Lord,

    “when I will make a new covenant

with the people of Israel

    and with the people of Judah.

32 It will not be like the covenant

    I made with their ancestors

when I took them by the hand

    to lead them out of Egypt,

because they broke my covenant,

    though I was a husband to them,”

declares the Lord.

33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel

    after that time,” declares the Lord.

“I will put my law in their minds

    and write it on their hearts.

I will be their God,

    and they will be my people.”

 

You see, the Pharisees were not looking forward to the New Covenant.  They were wrapped up in the Old Covenant and obsessed with the idea of Law.  They were not focused on the relationship with God and the New Covenant and the new promises. 

 

 Back in Deuteronomy 18, God promised continued revelations through prophets.  The Pharisees did not embrace these revelations or the continuing living relationship with their living God. 

 

Jesus had often condemned the Pharisees for their obsession with the idea of law so much that they used their own laws to disobey God’s laws.  For instance in Mark 7:8-13:

 

“You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”  And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!  For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’  But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God) -  then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother.   Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”

 

Now, the New Covenant was promised to be better than the Old Covenant. 

 

Hebrews 8:6 "But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises."

 

So, the New Testament teaches that the Old covenant has been taken away in Christ and that Jesus is the mediator of a New Covenant which is superior and better than the old one.

 

Jesus confirmed the New Covenant at the Last Supper.  In Luke 22:20, Jesus Said. "In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you."

 

1 Corinthians 11:25 says, "In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

 

2 Corinthians 3:6-11 says, "He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.  Now, if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?  If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!  For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.  And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!"

 

Hebrews 8:1-3 says, "Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.”

 

“Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer.  If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.  They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”  But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.”

 

“For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.  But God found fault with the people and said:

 

“The days are coming, declares the Lord,

    when I will make a new covenant

with the people of Israel

    and with the people of Judah.

It will not be like the covenant

    I made with their ancestors

when I took them by the hand

    to lead them out of Egypt,

because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,

    and I turned away from them,

declares the Lord.

This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel

    after that time, declares the Lord.

I will put my laws in their minds

    and write them on their hearts.

I will be their God,

    and they will be my people.

No longer will they teach their neighbor,

    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’

because they will all know me,

    from the least of them to the greatest.

For I will forgive their wickedness

    and will remember their sins no more.”

By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear."

 

Hebrews 9:15 says, "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant."

 

Hebrews 12:24 says, "to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel."

 

Now, I John Chapter 3, we learned that Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again.  Nicodemus should have known what Jesus meant because there were verses in the Old Testament where God said he would replace their hearts of stone with a heart of flesh.  Now here in chapter 5, Jesus is talking to the Pharisees.  Jesus is telling them that they do not have the love of God in their hearts.  John the Baptist has announced that Jesus was the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, and the Pharisees admitted that John the Baptist was a prophet.  The Pharisees should have understood that the Scriptures spoke about Jesus.  The Pharisees should have understood that the New Covenant was here. 

 

So, we find the following things about the New Covenant:

 

1) It was established by Jesus at the Last Supper.

 

2) Christians are ministers of the New Covenant, "not of the letter, but of the Spirit."

 

3) The Old Covenant brought condemnation, but the New Covenant brings righteousness.

 

4) There was something wrong with the Old Covenant, which is why a new one had to be established.

 

5) The Old Covenant is obsolete, outdated and will soon disappear.

 

 

 

Therefore, according to the New Testament, the Old Covenant, which contained the Mosaic Law, was not perfect. There was something wrong with it and a new Covenant had to be established. Jesus established the New Covenant based on his sacrifice on the cross. Christians do not minister a Covenant of the letter, but one of the Spirit.

 

 

 

Now, some may ask, how is it that the Old Covenant was not perfect, but Psalms 9:7 says that the law of the Lord is perfect?

 

"The law of the Lord is perfect,

    refreshing the soul.

The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,

    making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the Lord are right,

    giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant,

    giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the Lord is pure,

    enduring forever.

The decrees of the Lord are firm,

    and all of them are righteous."

 

Now, God’s Law is perfect.  But it is the Old Covenant that is flawed.  The Old Covenant is flawed in 3 ways:

1. It depended on people to always keep God’s Law.

Acts 7:52, 53 "Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”

1. It did not provide the way to righteousness.

Galatians 2:20-21, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

1. It did not provide justification from sin.

Acts 13:38, 39 “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.  Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the Law of Moses."

 

Therefore, Jesus provided the New Covenant with his blood.  Jesus writes God's law on our hearts and in our minds. In this way, we can be righteous.  We have Jesus available to us constantly as an everlasting mediator with God.

 

Some people have tried to reinstate the Laws of Moses including the dietary restrictions and the ceremonies and the penalties in the book written by Moses.  The book of Moses was written on parchment and was similar to other laws of that time and culture.  The Law of God was written on stone by the hand of God, and it did not have the dietary restrictions, ceremonies, and civil penalties.  Everyone is responsible directly to God for it.

 

Some people have tried to do better than God, namely Atheists by issuing their own 10 commandments.  They aren’t really any better, and we have to wonder when they say that you should not violate the body of another human being if they apply that to unborn babies. 

 

We have Jesus' commands which reinforces God’s 10 commandments and gives us guiding principles for life.  Jesus has proven his authority to give us this New Covenant with his new commands because he is God and that is proven. 

 

So, Moses wrote that the Old Covenant would be broken.  One must believe this to believe what Jesus says.

 

And, that is why the preacher said, “Jesus said…”