[2026. 1. 18.] Why Should We Believe in Jesus? | John 5:19-29

[2026. 1. 18.] Why Should We Believe in Jesus? | John 5:19-29

Sermon by Rev. Jinkook (Danny) Sohn (Hope of Heaven Baptist Chuch) 

 

2026. 1. 18. 주일예배 설교- 요한복음 강해 16
본문: 요한복음 5:19-29
제목: 예수를 왜 믿어야 하는가

설교자: 손진국 목사 (하늘소망교회)

 

Before I came to believe in Jesus, people around me often encouraged me to faith. Back then, I used to challenge them by asking, "Why do I have to believe in Jesus? What’s so good about it?" Let me ask you: what has improved in your life since believing in Jesus? Is there anything better now than before you knew Him?

Living a life of faith is not merely about receiving emotional comfort; it means experiencing tangible blessings in our actual lives. In today’s passage, Jesus personally explains why people must believe in Him and describes the clear blessings that believers enjoy both now and in the future. Through this message, I hope we can understand why we must believe in Jesus and what blessings are given to us, so that our faith may stand even firmer.

 

1. Those who believe in Jesus receive life.

[John 5:24] “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life."

Jesus tells us that something amazing happens to those who hear His word and believe in God, who sent Him. They receive eternal life and come into possession of "life." Here, to "hear" His word does not just mean the physical act of listening; it means to accept it in one’s heart. To "believe him who sent me" means believing that God sent Jesus to this world as our Savior. Do you accept Jesus’ words in your heart and believe that He came as the Savior of the world and as your personal Savior?

What is the blessing Jesus gives to such people? He gives them life. According to Christian doctrine, the moment you believe in Jesus, life is given to you. Have you received this life, and are you living by it? Some might think, "What are you talking about? I never died. I’m living right now because I have life, aren't I? Why do I need to receive life again?" Before I believed, I thought the same way and felt that Christian doctrine made no sense.

However, after I met Jesus, I realized it wasn't that the doctrine was nonsensical, but rather that I didn't truly understand what human life is. We think we are "living," but where is every human being heading? Toward death.

Last Monday, the mother of one of my high school friends passed away. That same friend, whom I was very close with, was murdered by a robber in broad daylight shortly after opening his dental clinic. My wife and I lost our first child to a miscarriage at 13 weeks. We say we are alive, but we are all moving toward death. We are like flowers in a vase. A beautiful flower in a vase looks alive, but the moment it was cut from the tree, it was already dead. Some flowers in a vase wither in a day, others in a week or a month. No flower in a vase lives forever; eventually, they all wither and die. Our lives are just like that. When we were separated from God, the Source of Life, death already entered us. How long a person lives varies, but the unchanging fact is that every human being, without exception, dies. Why? Because we were separated from God due to sin.

To such human beings comes the grace of being grafted back into God—the Source of Life—and receiving true life. When does this happen? When we believe in Jesus.

Look at verse 24 again. [John 5:24] “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." What are the tenses of the verbs "has" and "has crossed over"? As I mentioned in a sermon a few weeks ago, what tense is used for an action that happened in the past but continues to have an effect in the present? The present perfect (or its functional equivalent in Greek/English context here). When you believed and accepted Jesus, eternal life was given and you were moved from death to life—and what about now? Even now, you possess eternal life and are living that life.

Historically, the Bible is the best-selling book in the world. But among Christian books excluding the Bible, one of the most printed and read is The Pilgrim’s Progress by the Puritan pastor John Bunyan. He wrote it while in prison. Although he lacked physical freedom because of his faith, he explained how he could write such a masterpiece: "Today I enjoy the joy and freedom of eternal life given by the Lord." The reformer John Calvin also said, "Faith in Christ is not just a future hope, but a present life."

Remember, we who believe in Jesus are no longer living toward death, but living to enjoy life. I pray that everyone here will possess eternal life today, enjoy it, and share Jesus Christ, who is Life itself.

[Application] Am I thinking of eternal life only as something that happens in the future? Is the joy and freedom of life manifesting in my daily life through my faith in Jesus?

 

2. Those who believe in Jesus fulfill God’s will.

Jesus did amazing things while on this earth. He came in the form of a perfect human just like us, yet He performed deeds that surpassed human limits. In the Gospel of John, we see Him turn water into wine, heal a royal official’s dying son, and—as we saw last week—heal a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years at the Pool of Bethesda. In the chapters to come, He feeds five thousand with five loaves and two fish, walks on water, heals the blind, and even raises Lazarus from the dead. People call these "miracles," but the Gospel of John specifically uses the word semeion, meaning "signs." All these acts serve as signs to make us believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the Christ.

Verse 19 tells us where the power to perform these acts comes from. [John 5:19] Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." Jesus’ power comes from God the Father. Verse 20 says the Father will show Him even greater works than these. [John 5:20] “For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed."

The Father shows the Son everything He does, which expresses the deep intimacy between them. But the amazing thing is that the Lord allows those who believe in Him to do those same great works.

[John 14:12] “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."

This is a staggering statement. Why? Because He says we will do even greater things than He did. How is that possible? Is it actually happening among us today?

Jesus first gives the reason why this is possible at the end of John 14:12: "because I am going to the Father." Our ability to do the Lord’s work—and even greater things—is linked to Him going to the Father. What is the connection? When Jesus went to the Father, something incredible happened: the Holy Spirit came to us.

[John 16:7] “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."

Jesus says it is better for us that He leaves in the flesh so that He can send the Holy Spirit. In other words, though the physical Jesus departs, He comes to us in Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. Therefore, those who believe in Jesus have received the Holy Spirit. Such people perform the works Jesus did and the "greater things" He desires to accomplish through them.

Are you suddenly worried? Wondering how this can happen? Jesus gave us the secret. [John 14:13-14] “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."

The secret for believers to do the works of Jesus is to ask in His name. It is prayer. When we pray, Jesus says He will do it. Do you believe this? A person who believes in Jesus is a person who prays. Prayer is the breath of the spirit, a conversation with God, and the way to know and fulfill His will. When a believer prays, the Holy Spirit within us works to connect us with God.

[1 Corinthians 2:10] “these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God."

I pray that you will be saints who know the deep heart and will of God through prayer and live the life He desires.

[Application] Am I a person of prayer? Do I know God’s will and plan for my life? Is God’s will being fulfilled in my life?

 

3. Believers participate in the resurrection of life.

How is an Olympic athlete evaluated? (1) How they became a national representative, (2) how they trained, or (3) what medal they ultimately won? In the end, they are judged by the result—the medal. This doesn't mean the process isn't important; it is. But the final result includes the beginning and the entire journey.

Our lives are the same. Whether we truly lived well will be revealed at the very end. That end is the total sum of our entire existence. Today's passage contains a word about the ultimate end of our lives—an end that no one has seen or experienced yet, but which Jesus reveals to us.

[John 5:29] “and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned."

Jesus tells us what lies at the final end: resurrection. This resurrection happened only once in human history—2,000 years ago when Jesus rose three days after His death. While Jesus raised Lazarus or the widow’s son at Nain, and prophets like Elijah also raised the dead, those were "resuscitations," not "resurrection."

What is the difference? The body is different. In [Luke 24:30-31], the two disciples on the road to Emmaus didn't recognize the resurrected Jesus until He broke bread, and then He suddenly vanished. In [John 20:19], the disciples were behind locked doors for fear of the Jews, yet Jesus suddenly stood among them. This means the resurrected body of Jesus transcends time and space. Resuscitated people returned to the same body limited by time and space, but the Lord of Resurrection transitioned to a "resurrection body"—a different dimension of life.

People often talk about "one life", but through the Bible, we learn that life is actually "three lives".

The First Life: Begins at conception and lasts about 40 weeks. We live in water, in a very limited space. We breathe and eat through an umbilical cord, not our lungs or mouths.

The Second Life: Begins at birth. We move from water to air. We breathe with lungs and eat with our mouths. Our world expands immensely, and we live up to 120 years. However, this body is still limited by time and space.

The Third Life: Begins after the second life ends—personally at death and collectively at the end of the age. C.S. Lewis said, "A Christian’s hope lies beyond the grave."

Through death, our soul leaves the body of the "second life" and goes to a world without limitations. Then, at the end of the age when Jesus returns, we will receive a third, new body. This is the resurrection body, suited for eternity and transcending time and space. The "third life" is an eternal life without end.

The first life is a preparation for the second; the second is a preparation for the third. Success in the first life is being born healthy into the second. Success in the second life is being with the Lord forever in the third.

At the end of the world, everyone will be resurrected into a body suited for the eternal realm. However, Jesus reveals that this resurrection is split into two types.

[John 5:29] “and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned."

The "resurrection of life" is to be with Jesus, who is Life, forever. The "resurrection of condemnation" is to be judged by Jesus and cast into the eternal lake of fire.

[Revelation 20:15] “Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire."

Dear saints, the greatest privilege of a believer is that their name is written in the Book of Life. This is the authority of being a child of God. [John 1:12] “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."

Children of God are those freed from the death and judgment that result from sin. Success in this "second life" is escaping judgment and participating in the "resurrection of life" to enjoy eternity with the Lord. I pray in the name of the Lord that all of you will conclude this life by participating in that glorious resurrection.

[Application] How is the hope of resurrection influencing my attitudes and choices in life today?

 

 

하늘소망교회(담임 손진국 목사)는 뉴질랜드 오클랜드 북부 실버데일에 세워진 한인교회로 '하나님의 마음으로 사람을 살리는 교회'입니다.

Hope of Heaven Baptist Church (Senior Pastor: Rev. Jinkook Sohn) is a Korean church established in Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a church that saves people with the heart of God.