Hear Him

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

HEAR HIM

John 5:24-27

24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. 25 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

NIV

It comes down to a simply fact that we all, at one time in our lives, lived within the city of sin, the city of darkness. Some are still living in that city of darkness and sin and have not yet crossed over to the city of light and life. But for us who believe in Jesus Christ, who believe in God the Almighty, creator of all things, have indeed made that journey from the city of sin and darkness into the city of light and life. This is the truth Jesus is telling us about here in this portion of his dissertation. Jesus also answers the age old question which is asked by so many unbelievers. They question about all the people who lived and died before Jesus and how did they get a chance at eternal life. Jesus tells us that all those who have died will have an opportunity to hear his voice, that is, really hear what he is saying, about him being the Son of God about the power of his name, the eternal life he has to offer, and if they accept what he has to say they will live, they will inherit eternal life. It is a bit of a mystery how that will all work, but it is what Jesus is saying and we believe him, for he speaks only the truth. It is also true that many people are dead in their sins, a different type of death, they are not dead in the grave, but dead spiritually, separated from God because they live in that city of sin and darkness. Jesus is speaking to that kind of death as well here, a spiritually death which is more deadly than physical death. But some who are dead in their sins, as we once were, will hear the voice of Jesus and make that journey over the great divide on the cross of Jesus to the city of life and light. Some will hear, as we did and he will give eternal life to them as he has done for us. This is the twofold truth as much of scripture has a meaning for the present as well as a meaning for the future. The simple truth is whoever hears the voice of Jesus will not be condemned but has crossed over from eternal death to eternal life. Just as a judge must condemn a criminal who refuses to comply with the laws of man, Jesus must pass judgment on those who refuse to comply with the words of God. We see this picture in the story of the goats and the sheep being separated at the judgment seat of Christ, those who crossed over are the sheep and will enter into his rest, the goats are those who heard his voice but refused it, will be condemned by their own choosing to the lake of burning sulfur, and they will perish, they will experience the second death. Jesus is telling us the simple truth; if we want to live, hear him.