Testify.

I was honored to preach at MERCYhouse on 8/16/09 on I John 5:6-12. Here is the manuscript of that sermon. I hope it is used to glorify Christ.

I John 5:6-12

It seems as if we have spent a lot of time hearing from this dude, the Apostle John. We studied his account of the life, death and glorious resurrection of his best friend Jesus. We saw as he told stories that no other account told and really gave insights that were very unique about the God/Man, Jesus.

All summer, we have been tracking as this same John has been writing and telling of how this love of Jesus practically plays out in our lives. I think now would be a good time to reassess what we know of John.

Remember, John and his brother James were apostles, disciples and followers of Jesus. It is believed that this same John wrote the Gospel of John, I, II & III John as well as the book of Revelations. However, to really know what happened to John as a person as he followed Christ, we have to look at a story about John that he conveniently left out of his Gospel account (and I think you will see why).

In Matthew 20:20-28 we see James and John accompany their mom to see Jesus. The purpose of this visit is to ask Jesus a very important question. John’s whole family, it appears, is very interested in being seen as so important that one day, John and James will be able to sit one at the right hand and one at the left hand of Jesus. Being able to follow Jesus gave John the opportunity to see what power and ability there would be in the future if they continued to follow Jesus. This opportunity was very inviting and worth the chance to approach Jesus to see if they qualified. So the question really has to be what does John hope to be defined as by doing this? It seems that early on, John wanted to be defined or known as important and needed. He had his Mom ask for him to sit at Jesus right hand. This signified a place of power, honor and trust.

However, as John wrote his Gospel, which is dated later than all the other Gospels, we see that he defined himself in a totally different way. In John 21:7 we see John describe himself this way, “That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter…” (Emphasis added) Do you see it? When John wrote his account of his best friend Jesus and he mentioned himself here, John refers to himself, defines himself and calls himself nothing more than the “disciple whom Jesus loved”. Something happened from the beginning of Jesus ministry to the end of his life that John witnessed which moved John to desire to be defined in a wholly different way.

I think we will get a glimpse into what John witnessed to change his stripes when we look at what he wrote in I John 5:6-12.

This is he who came by water and blood – Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify, the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.

John continues in verse 6 building on the trustworthiness of Christ for our faith. In verses 4&5, he reminds us that faith in Jesus Christ can only overcome the world. Beginning here in verse 6, we see John begin to lay what I call the “rebar” portion of I John.

Rebar or reinforcing bar, is a common steel bar, and is commonly used in reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry structures. It is usually formed from carbon steel, and is given ridges for better mechanical anchoring into the concrete. It can also be described as reinforcement or reinforcing steel.

Here, we see John reinforce this whole chapter in which he has over and over again encouraged us to love one another, know that we are children of God, walk in the light and overcome the world. In verse 6, he lays out that there is a message, a testimony in which God, Himself, is communicating a foundational truth. John lays out that truth by first reminding us that Jesus came by both water and blood.

We understand the blood part pretty well. Jesus came as a human, full of breath and blood and poured out that blood as a literal sacrifice for the propitiation of our sin. He had to come by blood in order to shed it for us.

So what does the water mean? Some commentary study on these verses brings you to see that what is probably referred to here, is the baptism of Jesus. So what made that such a big deal? Well, look at Matthew3:13-17.

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Jesus presents Himself to John the Baptist to go through a public act that was being used to show the cleansing that was to come. By offering himself to be baptized, Jesus is endorsing John’s ministry and identifying with sinful people he came to save through his substitutionary life and death.

(Kierkegaard’s Parable Video).

This event was one of the events in scripture where we see each member of the Trinity together. Jesus is lowering Himself to serve and be served, therein glorifying the Father by this act of submission. God the Father peaks down from heaven and yells, “That’s my Boy!” and sends the Spirit, which John says is the Truth, to rest on Jesus to affirm Who He truly Is.

Do you see it there? Do you see the testimony that is given in this event? If you don’t, John is about to spell it out for you.

If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has born concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has born concerning his Son.

John makes the point that if we receive the testimony of man, then how much more should we receive the testimony of God. We often accept the accounts and testimonies of people and weight them against their character. John, rightly, says that sense it is in our nature to trust according to character, then how trustworthy is the testimony of God and His Spirit about Jesus?

What are the consequences of not believing this testimony? Unbelief is actually a question of God’s character. It is offensive and provoking to God directly to His face when we do not believe Him. It is the original sin of the garden. Adam and Eve both questioned the character of God and went against how He was loving them.

MERCYhouse, it is beyond simply saying or thinking that we believe God. It is living in that love. James rightly says that faith without the works to back up that faith is futile. Faith in the testimony and character of God, without the life lived out to show His love isn’t really faith. You see, when we live knowing and trusting God, we become part of the testimony. John says that here. He says we have the “testimony within himself.” So MERCYhouse, do we believe the testimony of God more than we believe the testimony of men? Do we have the testimony within us? Do you individually believe God’s testimony above the testimony of man or woman or even yourself? What about beyond what we see, sense, fear, feel or want?

And this is the testimony that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

So here is the payoff. This is the big picture, the main point, what it is all about. This is God’s testimony – He gave us eternal life in His Son Jesus. Whoever accepts Christ, His grace and mercy, which are capable of forgiving us of all unrighteousness, we begin to live. We then are given life.

A few years back, I was watching one of the many disaster movies that came out and found myself enjoying it more than most. Toward the end of this movie, Armageddon, there was this scene that I want to show you now that I think communicates a bit of what John is talking about here.

Armageddon Clip

(I couldn't get this clip to load. But it is the clip at the end where they draw straws and Affleck draws the short straw and Bruce Willis pulls his oxygen hose and throws him back in the elevator.)

I love this clip because it shows an amazing picture of sacrifice. In one of his few movies roles that actually doesn’t make me want to vomit into my hat, Ben Affleck shows what true worship actually looks like. After Bruce Willis pulls Affleck’s oxygen hose and shoves him into the elevator and Affleck realizes the sacrifice that has been made, he responds to this love that is shown by crying out to Willis that he loved him.

This clip, however, is really flawed when we measure it against the love and sacrifice that Christ showed for us. To be more accurate, the movie would have to depict these men somehow creating a giant asteroid, launching it from space toward earth willfully and then coming back to earth to deal with the consequences of the collision, which they have no ability, desire or capacity to deal with. (Somehow, I can’t see that being a Hollywood Summer Blockbuster.) However, the picture of someone who did not draw the short straw taking our place and paying the price we could not pay is accurate and does echo the great sacrifice of Christ.

We have no capacity for life. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We are dead in our trespasses and sin. Paul calls us still born. We are in need of rescue and John points out clearly here that Jesus is our Rescuer. Life does not exist outside of Jesus Christ.

So what is standing between you and Him today? No matter what it is, He is bigger. He has paid for you when you couldn’t. So what is your response today? What is your heart bursting to do, sing, or cry out today? Live authentically today in the light of Our King.