Sermon Tone Analysis

INTRO

Popular atheist philosopher, Bertrand Russell, wrote a book in 1927 called Why I Am Not A Christian.

On one occasion, Russell was asked what he would say to God if he found himself standing before God one day.

His answer: “I would probably ask, ‘Sir, why did you not give me better evidence?’”

Faith is not dependent upon evidence, but has God given us enough anyway that we might believe in Him?

Here’s the scene of our passage: it’s like you’re in a courtroom.

The claim has been made, the testimony given: God gave us eternal life, this life is in his Son, and you can know that you have eternal life (v.11-13).

This is in question, so John now is bringing witnesses forward to testify to this claim.

3 “witnesses” (v.7): water, blood, the Holy Spirit.

These witnesses share the testimony of God (v.9), which is contrasted with the testimony of men.

What is “on trial” here is the fact of the incarnation of God through His Son Jesus Christ.

How do we know it happened?

Let’s not skip over the fact of what John mentions in v.9, that there is man’s testimony.

Man’s Testimony

John is writing this.

He was one of 12 disciples who saw Jesus and experienced his public ministry.

He was an eyewitness.

Beyond that, tells us Jesus appeared for 40 days on the earth after his resurrection, speaking about the Kingdom of God.

tells us that Jesus appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time.

Paul also mentions that most of those witnesses were still alive.

It’s almost as if Paul is saying, you don’t believe me?

Go ask them.

But this evidence from man is challenged.

Many people don’t believe they were telling the truth; many challenge the 500 eyewitnesses.

So my point today is not to even focus on the validity of man’s testimony.

There is something more here that John is pointing out—God’s testimony is even greater.

The 3 witnesses all agree: the Spirit and the water and the blood.

We need to understand what these are.

I hope as we examine these testimonies that you will be made even more confident in the eternity that you have in Jesus Christ.

I hope as we examine these testimonies that you will be made even more confident in the eternity that you have in Jesus Christ because it is not a man-made story; it is a strong testimony from God himself.

The Holy Spirit Speaks Truth

John says that the Holy Spirit is the one who testifies.

It becomes harder to think how the water and blood testify, but we’ll get to those in a minute.

The Holy Spirit is called “The Spirit of Truth” in 4:6, and John makes the same reference several times in his gospel:

“even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him.

You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

(, ESV)

““But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” (, ESV)

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

(, ESV)

So, the HS will guide us into truth.

And he leads us to understand the significance of the water and the blood.

Several interpretations exist for the meanings of water and blood, but the strongest is that water refers to the baptism of Jesus, and blood refers to the crucifixion of Jesus.

Water refers to the baptism of Jesus

The baptism of Jesus was an important event.

All 4 gospels record it.

It was the inauguration of the public ministry of Jesus and God did something miraculous there.

records it this way: “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; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.””

(, ESV)

The testimony of God!

The way John writes makes it appear that he is referring to some false teaching that was present at the time.

He begins by saying this is he who came by water and blood…not by the water only but by the water and the blood.

He was probably writing about a gnostic group of people who had risen by that time.

They believed that Jesus was not the Messiah, but just a man whom the Messiah descended at the time of His baptism, but then the Messiah departed from him at the time of the crucifixion.

John says not by the water only… like saying we agree that Jesus was baptized.

But John is clarifying that Jesus is the Messiah, who was on earth not only in and through the baptism but in and through the crucifixion as well.

God incarnate.

This is his testimony.

Not a man-made story, but God coming to the earth, testifying through this event that the Kingdom had come and the Savior was carrying out the plan of redemption.

Blood refers to the crucifixion of Jesus

The baptism = the beginning of the earthly ministry.

The crucifixion= the end of the earthly ministry.

Jesus’ last words on the cross were “It is finished.”

The purpose was accomplished.

He died on the cross and would rise from the grave.

And unlike Gnostics or others would believe, the Savior died to atone for the sins of the world.

The baptism and the crucifixion are works of Christ, and Jesus even said that his works bear witness about him:

“But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John.

For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.” (, ESV)

“Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe.

The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me,” (, ESV)

At the crucifixion, we saw again God’s miraculous works (Matt 27:51-52):

curtain of the temple torn in two;

the earth shook, rocks were split;

tombs open and bodies of dead saints were raised;

even one of the Roman guards responded upon seeing all of this: “Truly this was the Son of God!” ()

God was at work then.

This is his testimony, that eternal life is found in Jesus Christ, His Son.

God marked this great truth with the bookends of Jesus’ baptism and crucifixion.

And you can know that you have eternal life by what you decide about Jesus Christ.

“Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

(, ESV)