1 John 5:6-12 6 Witnesses of Jesus

Introduction

For some there will never be enough evidence that there is a God, and that God gave his Son to die on a cross so that we would be saved through believing the Gospel. God has given many witnesses that Jesus is the Messiah and here we are going to see John mention 6 of them.

The Key thought to this text is that God has given many witnesses to prove that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and in Him we have eternal life.

Witness #1; His Baptism

Remember when Jesus was beginning his ministry the first stop was the Jordan River where He was baptized by John.

This baptism wasn’t to wash away sins; but rather an act of obedience to the father.

Baptism is a picture of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We go in the water as the old man and come out the new man.

Everything that Jesus did in His earthly ministry was to please the father, and we know this pleased the Father because the voice of God boomed from heaven after the baptism “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased

Matthew 3:13–17 “Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

In John 1, John tells us how he knew that Jesus is the Son of God.

John 1:31–34 “And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.”

Through Jesus’ Baptism we see that He truly is the Messiah

Witness #2; His death

The blood mention in verse 6 is telling of His physical death on the cross.

Jesus’ Baptism kicked off His ministry and His death on the cross paid the sin debt of the world.

When Jesus cried it is finished from the cross, it meant that sins debt had finally been paid, all of the blood that was shed in the sacrifices of the old testament could never even come close to paying the debt that was owed, but here we find the shed blood of Jesus paying all of the debt, past, present and future.

His death provided many witnesses as well

Darkness in the middle of the day

The veil of the temple was rent in two

There was an earthquake

Many of the saints resurrected from the dead and went into the city.

His death made even the most hardened Roman centurions realize that Jesus really is God’s son

Matthew 27:54 “Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.” ]

I like what one commentator said “Jesus of Nazareth was not God’s special agent who was adopted at His baptism but abandoned at the cross. He was and is the Eternal Son of God who entered into this world in time and space and died as our propitiation. His death was not an accident. It was not an act of martyrdom. It was a divine, saving substitution for sinners with redeeming value and worth.”

Witness #3; The Holy Spirit

John here tells us that the Spirit beareth witness.

The Spirit is bearing of the testimony concerning the saving work of Christ.

Look what Jesus told us in John 15:26 “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:”

The Holy Spirit testifies that Jesus is indeed the Son of God

John 14:17 “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

John 16:13 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”

Acts 10:38 “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”

Jesus always did the will of the father in the power of the Spirit.

The spirit can bear witness because the Spirit is truth

Jesus is Truth

God is Truth

The Holy Spirit is Truth

We see in verse 9 that there are three that bear witness in heaven

The Father

The Word - John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

The Holy Ghost

And these three are one

Matthew 28:19 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”

2 Corinthians 13:14 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.”

In verse 10 there are three that bear witness in earth

The Spirit

The water

The blood

The Holy Spirit, the baptismal waters and the blood shed by Jesus agree in His great eternal purpose

Jame Merritt said this “The witness of the Spirit is God’s witness to us, in us, and through us. Just as the arrow of a compass always points towards the North, The Spirit of God always points to Jesus.

Jesus summarized the work of the Spirit in John 16:14 “He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

Witness #4; The Father

John’s statement in verse 9 “If we receive the witness of men” is referring to the old testament procedure that required 2-3 witnesses to confirm something was true

Deuteronomy 17:6 “At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.”

John reminds them that God had given them a three fold witness in heaven and in earth. If they could trust the testimony of men how much more should they believe the testimony of God

How can we not believe the testimony or witness God has given of his Son. We have three times in scripture where God authenticates Jesus

His Baptism Matthew 3:13-17.

The mount of transfiguration Matt. 17:5.

Right before his crucifixion John 12:27-33.

Look at verse 10

John tells us that believing that Jesus is the son of God is equivalent to accepting God the fathers testimony about his Son, but to reject Jesus as Gods Son is equivalent to charging God with perjury.

Spurgeon said this “God is to be believed if all men contradict him. “Let God be true and every man a liar.” One word of God ought to sweep away ten thousand words of men, whether the be philosophers of today or sages of antiquity.”

Jesus said this in John 5:37 “And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.”

Witness #5; Our conversion

A Changed life is a witness of Jesus as Messiah

Romans 10:9–10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Romans 8:16 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”

Aren’t you thankful that you can know you are saved through the Holy spirits indwelling at our conversion?

John 3:33 “He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.”

Witness #6; Eternal life

The gift we have received from God is eternal life and that life is gained through His Son Jesus Christ.

The eternal life we have in salvation is the eternal life that is Jesus Christ.

We could say it plainly like this to have the son is to have life and if you do not have the son you do not have life

This witness, the gift of eternal life, testifies to the eternal son, for only he who is eternal can give you what is eternal.

Conclusion

John has laid out all the evidence for us this evening, have you ever trusted Christ as your saviour?

If you have, you have life.

If you haven’t, you do not have life.

Choose Jesus tonight!