Sermon Tone Analysis

The Claim

Assurance, the book has hopefully by now given you some great assurance of what we have in Christ Jesus, eternal life.

John also gives warnings and a defense against the false claims, false teachers trying to take away the Christians assurance.

John’s claims

Jesus came in the flesh (1Jn4:2)

Those who believe the first claim are born of God (1Jn4:2, 5:1)

So you have that verse showing the claim and actually both claims, but further evidenced in:

1jn5:1

John’s offered witnesses are what are looking at tonight, witnesses to support the claim.

Witness: The water and the blood

Witness: The Spirit

Witness: God

Resulting witness: The believer

The Text

Gleaning from the text is always good, so let’s do it together.

Anything stick out to you in this text?

Gleaning from the scripture

Scan the passage, how many times do you see the word “witness?”

I count 7 in the NKJV

Witness in the Greek is the word “martureo” and it means

to be a witness, to attest to, to testify

To give evidence for, to bear record

Who is the “One” seen in (v.6)?

It is Jesus Christ

Who are the witnesses who testify (vv.7-8)?

The Spirit, the water and the blood .

Reason this out, why is the testimony of God greater (v.9)?

Because we receive the testimony of men.

God testifies of His Son.

Whose testimony is in you according to (v.10), and why?

It is the testimony of God that is in you because you believe in the Son of God.

(Transition) now it is time to look at the witnesses and the strength of the witnesses to give the Christian assurance against the false claims

Witness: The Water and the Blood

Remember the claim (1Jn4:2) that Jesus came in the flesh.

So here come’s our first witness, the water and the blood.

Demographics to set the stage (1Jn4:1-3, 2Jn7)

and add in

There was a doctrine that was in early stages of what was called Gnosticism.

This doctrine was that Jesus did not come in the flesh, since all flesh is bad, so He only came in the Spirit and indwelt Jesus at baptism and left before he died on the cross.

FYI from World History Encyclopedia regarding gnosticism: Gnosticism is the belief that human beings contain a piece of God (the highest good or a divine spark) within themselves, which has fallen from the immaterial world into the bodies of humans.

All physical matter is subject to decay, rotting, and death.

The doctrine is still around today, it became prevalent in the 3rd Century but the roots were in the 1st century.

Today many come under the umbrella of New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) where one is a little god given the same abilities that Jesus had to do the the same things if you have the right faith and revealed special knowledge.

Witness of water and blood, the significance.

(1Jn5:6)

The witness of water, His baptism (Mt3:13-17)

And the blood, representing His death (Jn19:34-37)

So, when we look at our verse that the Christ came in both water and blood, the Christ was present at baptism and at death.

He suffered on the cross in the flesh so to fulfill the scripture (Jn19:35-37)

So the witness of water and blood is emphasized to show the Christ present at both.

This kind of witness was also seen in (Gen31:43ff) of stones set up as a reminder for the covenant between Laban and Jacob, that they could look up.

Man looks today to the cross, to the One, the Christ, whom was pierced and we can come by faith, obedient faith to the Father through the water of baptism and the blood of Jesus as our death, burial and resurrection.

(Transition) These “witnesses,” water and blood are not alone, they are joined with another.

Witness of the Spirit

The Spirit not only bears witness but agrees with the other witnesses (water and blood).

First the witness, than the agreement.

Spirit’s involvement in life of Jesus here on earth

The conception of Jesus (Mt1:20)

The baptism of Jesus (Mt3:16)

The temptation of Jesus (Lk4:1)

The ministry of Jesus (Lk4:18)

The testimony about Jesus (Jn15:26)

The inspiration of the Spirit regarding Jesus (Jn16:13-14; Heb2:3-4)

and the other passage

Spirit agrees with the witness of water and blood (Deu19:15)

Maybe better put verse up here again.

They agree as one, the water, blood and Spirit.

That He came in the flesh.

In the O.T. it was required for 2-3 witnesses to establish a truth.

(Transition) So we have three witnesses so far of Jesus, but more to follow, the greatest witness:

Witness of God

God cannot lie (Heb6:18; Tit1:2) so His witness is faithful and true (Jer42:5).

So, His testimony carries a greater weight.

Should give you a couple of those scriptures at least.

heb6:18

Now the verse we are considering

Testimony of men accepted, God’s testimony is greater (1Jn5:9)

In our court system we accept the testimony of man, and God is greater than man, he is the creator of man so His testimony would be greater and as stated He cannot lie so what He says is faithful and true.

God’s testimony is concerning the Son (1Jn5:9; Mt3:17; Mt17:5)

You see in 1Jn5:9 that God has testified, so what did He testify?

Consider these scriptures.

What did God testify according to (Mt3:17)?

That this is His beloved Son (speaking of Jesus at His baptism)

What did God testify and instruct (Mt17:5)?

This is my beloved Son, listen to Him.

So what we have is at His baptism and at His transfiguration God spoke up.

You may look at this and what John said as the three point to the forth to God and culminate the forth, the greatest witness (God).

and the words to the people were to remind them that if their faith, their belief of the witnesses they are born of God

(Transition) this leads us to one more witness

Witness of the believer

The born again, born of water and spirit believer (Jn3:5) by baptism (Rom6:3-4) into Christ for remission of sins (Act2:38) has faith as a witness, obedient faith (Act6:7) within them.

He who believes has witness in himself (Jn7:16-17)

To the one who believes in the Son of God knows that the words of Jesus is witness of God and from God and that is in you when you do the will of God.

Transformation is indication of witness within (Rom12:1-2; 1Jn3:14; Jn17:20-23)

As we are transformed it is proof of our change from death to life.

Our love for one another, and then there is the unity as spoken to the apostles and those who would believe because of their word

Our matter at hand again is overcoming the false teachers, false gospel that people were preaching that Jesus did not come in the flesh, and tonight we offered up witnesses to those who believe.

The witnesses of water, blood, Spirit, God and YOU who believe and walk in that belief.

So, got forth today be a witness not of Jesus but of the faith that dwells in you, for it can be a great witness of God and the power of God that made you a child of God.

(Prayer) (Exit)