The Testimony From Heaven
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[SLIDE 1] Introduction
If you have your Bible, then please turn to John 3:31-36 so that you can follow along in the exposition of God’s word.
Or, there is a new set of ESV Pew Bibles behind the pews, and a few at the back of the pews.
31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Illustration
I want to begin the message by setting up an environment for all of us.
I know we are in the sanctuary at Oakridge Baptist Church, but I want to transport you to a different location.
I’m not sure how many of you have ever been in a courtoom, but please imagine right now that you’re sitting in a courtroom.
The case before you is not just any case.
It is a matter of life or death situation.
The witness comes into the courtoom and gives his testimony.
You and I must decide whether to believe in this witness or not.
The weight of the decision is heavy, and the consequence is eternal.
But this witness isn't just anyone.
This is someone who claims to have firsthand knowledge.
This witness claims to have been sent by God and to speak directly for Him.
He claims to be God who came from heaven.
And the Apostle John is like the lawyer presenting the case, and giving you reasons for believing in the witness’ testimony.
In a courtroom, rejecting a credible witness could lead to a serious miscarriage of justice.
But in this case, rejecting His testimony has even greater consequences for your soul.
Eternal life is on the line.
Here’s the question you must ask:
Can I trust this witness?
How can I know if he’s credible?
Biblical Theology
Context
That is what the Apostle John wants to confront us this morning regarding who Christ is in John 3:31-36.
Before we get into the exposition of this text, I would want to note one particular difficulty.
Some commentators are split over who exactly is speaking in verses 31-36.
There are debates and disputes for centuries and millennia over the identity of the speaker.
Is it a continuation of John the Baptist’s speech?
Is it spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ since it has similar themes in His discussion with Nicodemus
Is it a commentary given by the author - the Apostle John?
I don’t intend to get too technical here, but it is something to pay attention to when you study and read God’s word.
Personally, I lean more towards John the Baptist’s speech or the Apostle John, but probably more so towards the Apostle John who gave a commentary about Jesus Christ and His testimony.
Regardless, the identity of the speaker doesn’t affect the meaning and the message of this passage.
These words are still the inspired word of God.
And the focus and the theme is on the divinity or deity of Christ and His testmony.
This section contains high Christology, which means the study of Christ.
It is laser focus on the doctrine of Christ.
Here, we are going to see the high and exalted Christ as the Apostle John elevates Christ even more in verses 31-36.
And why you and me must take the testimony of Jesus seriously.
[SLIDE 2] I’m going to give you the big idea for you to remember: Eternal life rests on believing in Jesus' heavenly testimony.
And I’m going to give you six qualities of Jesus’ testimony.
When you understand these qualities, my prayer and hope is that you’ll believe in His testimony.
Exposition
[SLIDE 3] First, we’ll consider The Source Of Jesus’ Testimony (v.31)
31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all.
This verse teaches us where Jesus came from.
Notice how verse 31 begins and ends almost in the same way.
He who comes from above is above all.
He who comes from heaven is above all.
The point of this repetition is that John wants to emphasize that Jesus came from heaven.
Have you ever met anyone who came from heaven?
There are certainly books written on it where folks went through near-death experience.
They claimed to have died, claimed to have been to heaven, resuscitated, and then revived, and then wrote a book about their experience.
Those types of books can sell thousands and even million of copies world wide.
Heaven is for Real.
90 minutes in heaven.
The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven.
Now, I’m not skeptical about heaven because Scripture teaches it, but I am skeptical about individuals who claim that they have gone to heaven and returned.
Those claims have since been disavowed and recognized as fabrications.
Additionally, some of those accounts have unbiblical teachings about heaven.
So, we should be discerning about those claims.
27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
However, our Lord Jesus Christ is very different.
He did not die, gone to heaven, and the come back from above.
No, the source of His testimony is from heaven.
Jesus claims that He is from heaven.
Let me encourage you to turn John 6, and I’ll read several verses to get a sampling of who Jesus claimed Himself to be.
33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
The bread means Jesus Christ Himself because He said, “I am the bread of life.”
50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
Based on the testimony of Jesus himself, and the eyewitness and record from the Apostle John, Jesus claims that His origin is from heaven.
Why does it matter that Jesus came from heaven? (PAUSE)
It matters that Jesus came from heaven because He is not just another teacher, prophet, or a historical figure, He is God the Son who came directly from heaven.
This gives Him the credibility and unique authority to speak about divine and heavenly matters that earthly folks would be limited to understand.
His testimony is trustworthy because He is the One who came from heaven with firsthand knowledge of God's truth.
We recall in the 1st chapter of John’s gospel, the Apostle John claims that Jesus Christ - the Word - is God
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He is the eternal God who pre-existed before the creation of the world.
Because the source of Jesus’ testimony is from heaven, this gives His testmony more superiority, which is the 2nd quality of Jesus’ testimony.
[SLIDE 4] The Superiority Of Jesus’ Testimony (v.31-32)
31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony.
I want us to pay attention to the phrase, “above all.”
The original language - Greek - uses “above all” to communicate the concept of having a superior status.
So, John is saying that Jesus is superior because He’s from heaven.
This is in contrast to “He who is of the earth...” in the middle of verse 31.
Unlike Jesus who is from heaven, we are all of the earth.
That’s a contrast between Christ who must increase, and we must decrease.
That ought to be our humility because we are limited in our human and earthly perspective.
Jesus who is from heaven surpasses all earthly teachers.
He infinitely greater than John the Baptist, Nicodemus, and all of us combined.
So, in verse 32, He bears witness to what He has seen and heard.
And what would that be?
His relationship with the Father, right?
This goes back to John 1:18
18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
He came to bear witness about the truth.
As the heavenly man, Jesus Christ knew the truth firsthand.
He came to make known the Father’s message to people.
Whatever Jesus testifies is indeed from the Father.
The Revelation of the Father is through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Yet, as John says at the end of verse 32, no one receives His testimony.
Perhaps some of you have not received Christ’s testimony because you think there’s a lack of evidence.
Let me explain to you why eyewitness testimony is a valid evidence for a person’s claim.
[SLIDE 5] The Greek philosopher Aristotle - in the 4th century BC - used three criteria to determine historical reliability.
First of these is eyewitness testimony.
Second, outside independent sources that support the eyewitness testimony.
For example, there is the testimony of Josephus.
There’s Celsus - 2nd century AD - who was critical of Christianity, but affirmed the virgin birth, the visit of the Magi, flight into Egypt, Jesus’ miracles culminating in the Resurrection, and the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.
Third, reliability of the manuscript based its age and number of surviving fragments.
We have thousands and thousands of early manuscripts that support the reliability of the Bible.
The Bible has more early manuscripts than ancient writers like Homer, Aristotle, Plato.
Many skeptics would affirm the reliability of those ancient Greek philosophers and writers.
If they’re logically consistent, they should affirm the reliability of the Bible if they honestly examine the evidence we currently have.
Historically, eyewitness testimony has been viewed as one of the most reliable forms of evidence, especially when provided by responsible and honest witnesses.
This doesn’t mean eyewitness testimony is infallible.
That is why you try to have multiple eyewitnesses ensure that there is consistency in the story.
[SLIDE 6] The Apostle John was the first-hand eyewitness to the person and work of Jesus Christ.
He spent three years with our Lord.
Our Lord Jesus taught and trained John for ministry.
John was one of the three eyewitnesses to behold the glory of Christ at the transfiguration.
And you had other Apostles and hundreds of disciples who saw the resurrection of Christ.
The Apostle John agrees and testifies the credibility of Jesus’ divine and heavenly testimony.
After the Apostolic age, the Apostle John had disciples like Polycarp who affirmed the same message that Jesus is Lord and God.
Down throughout church history, God became flesh - the incarnation of Christ - is affirmed and defended against heresies.
If Jesus claimed to be the first-hand eyewitness of heaven who was sent from God with a message, should we not consider and examine His testimony with such seriousness?
Sadly, there will always be those who do not receive His testimony.
At the same time, there will also be those who do receive His testimony.
[SLIDE 7] We’ll consider the third quality of His testimony: The Sincerity Of Jesus’ Testimony (v.33). In other words, the truthfulness of Jesus’ testimony.
33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true.
This is a powerful statement about those who do receive Christ’s testimony.
They’re the ones who believe in the truth and validity of Jesus.
What does it mean to set his seal to this (cf. John 6:27)?
In the ancient world, setting his seal was meant to seal an important document.
Kind of like an important letter that you seal up with a wax seal.
So, John is using it a metaphorical manner.
It means to guarantee.
It is the validation of truth.
In this text, when someone accepts Christ’s testimony, they are essentially certifying or acknowledging that God’s word is true
How does accepting Jesus’ testimony show that God is truthful?
It is because Jesus was sent by the Father to testify and speak the words of God.
Whoever receives Jesus’ witness also receives God’s words.
Whoever rejects Jesus’ witness also rejects God’s words, which is in essence saying that God is untruthful.
It is blasphemy to say that God is not true.
Let God be true though every one were a liar.
In the next verse, John gives a reason why accepting Jesus confirms the truth of God.
.. that is because our Lord Jesus speaks the words of God.
Jesus confirms the truth of God because He spoke the words of God by the power of the Spirit of God.
[SLIDE 8] We’ll consider the 4th quality: “The Spirit-Empowerment Of Jesus’ Testimony (v.34).”
34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.
Our Lord Jesus Christ came from heaven to earth because He’s sent from the Father.
The Father sent His Son to utter the words of God.
Whatever Jesus spoke, it was indeed the living and breathing word of God.
Precisely because the Father empowered His Son with the Holy Spirit without measure.
…or without limit...
…or complete fulfillment...
Scripture teaches us that the Holy Spirit was involved in Jesus’ life from conception until His ascension.
Additionally, the relationship between Jesus and the Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophesies, such as Isaiah.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
Just as our Lord was filled with the Holy Spirit and depended on the Spirit in His earthly life, how much more should Christians be filled with the Spirit in their daily lives?
Why is it important for us to know that the Father gave His Son the Spirit WITHOUT measure?
There were no other people in the Scriptures who could be said that they’re filled with the Spirit without measure.
What makes Jesus unique with the Holy Spirit is that He is set apart from other prophets and messengers who were filled with the Spirit, such as Elisha, John the Baptist, and so forth.
Not only that, Jesus is the Christ.
Christ means the Messiah.
The Anointed One or the Chosen One.
An “anointed one” was someone with a special, God-ordained purpose.
The means by which we know that Jesus is indeed the Anointed One is the giving of the Holy Spirit after His baptism.
Ultimately, Jesus went to the cross, died there, and was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit.
In John 20:30-31, John’s purpose and intent of writing this gospel is to convince us to believe that Jesus is the Christ so that we would have eternal life.
[SLIDE 9] Here is the fifth quality of Jesus’ testimony: The Supremacy Of Jesus’ Testimony (v.35)
35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.
As the Incarnate Word, Jesus has supremacy and superiority because of His unique relationship with His Father.
There should be no doubt and no greater truth than the fact that the Father loves His Son.
We know that God loves the world, but how much more does He love His Son?
The nature of the Father’s love is not a result of the world’s creation.
God did not start loving after He created the world.
He didn’t create the world because He felt bored and had no one to love.
To suggest that God is love because we exist is to impugn God’s attribute or characteristic.
God’s love - particularly the Trinitarian love between the Father, Son, and Spirit - exists independently of creation.
God’s love is instrinsic to His being.
That is because the nature of the Father’s love is eternal and unchanging.
The Father loves His Son from eternity past
Jesus prayed this prayer to His Father in John 17:24
24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Yet, the love that the Son has from His Father is also meant to be shared with His creation.
Jesus’ testimony is also stemmed from His relationship with His Father.
Jesus acts and speaks in accordance to the will of His Father.
And the Father has spoken to us through His Son.
This makes His testimony all the more supreme and authoritative.
Because the Father loves the Son, He has given all things into His hand.
In other words, it’s a delegated authority.
The Father has given the Son the authority to judge (John 5:27).
The Son has been given authority over heaven and earth.
The Son is over all things and is the head of the church.
Because all things have been given to the Son, all things must be in subjection under the Son.
Because Jesus’ testimony is supreme, you are to submit to Him.
You are to believe in and obey Him as Lord and Saviour.
You are to die to your selves and follow Jesus.
[SLIDE 10] Lastly, we’ll consider the final quality of Jesus’ testimony: The Significance Of Jesus’ Testimony (v.36).
Whatever Jesus claimed about who He is carries greater weight regarding a person’s eternal destiny.
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Because Jesus is the Son of God...
Who came from heaven...
Who testifies God’s truth about Himself...
...our eternal life pivots on believing in His heavenly and truthful message of salvation.
So, let me remind you that we’re in the courtroom situation.
What is your verdict about Jesus’ testimony?
Do you believe it, especially who He claims to be?
The Apostle John gives us two ways to respond.
He doesn’t give us a third way or a middle option.
No one is allowed to be on the fence.
Either you choose life or you choose death.
Either you receive the testimony of the Son or you reject His testimony.
The testimony of who He claimed to be.
The testimony that He came from heaven.
Those who believe in Him have eternal life.
This is good news.
But, here’s the bad news.
Those who do not obey the Son shall not see life.
Jesus says in John 3:3
3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Not trusting in the Son is as much disobedience as unbelief because God commands us to trust in His Son.
Pay attention to the seriousness of what John says at the end of verse 36: the wrath of God remains on him.
These are not my words.
These are the words of the living God.
God’s wrath continually remains on disobedient sinners who refuse to place their faith in Jesus Christ.
God’s response to people’ unbelief is His wrath.
God’s wrath is not a random retribution.
It is not an uncontrolled outburst of anger like we read in Greek Mythology.
Rather, God’s wrath is God’s personal, just, and righteous response to wretched and rebellious sinners who reject His divine will.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
[SLIDE 11] C.S Lewis, who famously wrote the Chronicles of Narnia and Mere Christianity, made a famous argument known as the Trilemma.
Lewis argued that Jesus claimed to be God, and therefore, one must choose between three options as a response to Jesus’ claim:
First, Jesus was either a liar (knowingly making false claims)...
Second, a lunatic (sincerely believing false claims)...
Or, third, truly the Lord (God incarnate).
We cannot just believe in what Jesus can do for us.
We also have to place our faith in who He is.
Many people in the world, including different religions - such as Islam and Judaism - can at least affirm that Jesus was a historical figure.
He healed many people with diseases and sickness.
He taught many good morals and radical ideas.
Ghandi admired Jesus’ teachings on the Sermon of the Mount.
Islam acknowledges Jesus as a Prophet sent from God.
He exemplified love and compassion for the lowly.
Many people are inspired by what He did, and He’s a good example for us to follow.
But, that’s insufficient knowledge.
Not only are we to know and believe the work of Christ, such as His sacrificial death on the cross and resurrection, we are to believe the person of Christ.
We have to believe who He claimed to be.
He claimed to be the great “I Am,” which is God’s personal name revealed in the Old testament.
He claimed to have existed before Abraham was born.
He had the authority to forgive sins, which only God can do.
He received worship and praise.
He claimed that the Scriptures spoke directly about Him.
By the way, because of His claim to deity, the Jewish leaders were hostile towards Him and got Him killed.
C.S. Lewis argues that simply viewing Jesus as a "great moral teacher" while rejecting His claims to divinity is not a logically consistent position and it dismisses the full scope of His teachings.
That’s because our Lord did not intend to leave us with the option to only view His being as a great human teacher.
Walter Elwell once said: “To attempt to abstract from Jesus a “religion” that can operate independently of who he is, what he did, and what he taught would not be Christianity at all.”
So, what’s your verdict about the testimony of Jesus?
Will you believe in Him?
Will you believe in Him as your Lord and Saviour?
If not, then why not?
If you do not believe, then may God have mercy upon you.
And I pray and hope that you’ll escape the wrath of God and have eternal by receiving and believing in Jesus’ testimony.
Application
[SLIDE 12] So, in conclusion, Eternal life rests on believing in Jesus' heavenly testimony.
We have learned six qualities of His testimony that should persuade you to believe in Him.
The Source Of Jesus’ Testimony (v.31)
The Superiority Of Jesus’ Testimony (v.31-32)
The Sincerity Of Jesus’ Testimony (v.33)
The Spirit-Empowerment Of Jesus’ Testimony (v.34)
The Supremacy Of Jesus’ Testimony (v.35)
The Significance Of Jesus’ Testimony (v.36)
[SLIDE 13] Here are some homework questions for you to do and discuss:
Why do you think unbelievers reject Jesus’ testimony about Himself?
How would you answer the skeptics who claimed that the Apostles fabricated the report about the person and work of Jesus?
What has God taught you about the person of Jesus Christ? How can you continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ?
Conclusion
If you have received His testimony, may you continue to see and know Jesus for who He is.
- May you behold the glory of the Lord as you are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.
Benediction
May the heavenly testimony of Jesus Christ, sent from heaven and full of truth, dwell richly in your hearts. May His peace and grace be with you now and forevermore. Amen.