“God’s Generous Gifts Concerning Jesus”
(1 John 5:5-13)
Series: A Word for the Church [on screen]
Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD
First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida
October 31, 2021
The Passage
1 John 5:5-13
5 Who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 Jesus Christ—he is the one who came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water and by blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three are in agreement. 9 If we accept human testimony, God’s testimony is greater, because it is God’s testimony that he has given about his Son. 10 The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself. The one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Introductory Comments:
A couple of years ago, my extended family went to the beach for vacation. My brother, my dad, and I decided to go on a fishing trip. We hired a guide to take us fishing for red drum, or redfish or reds, as we Floridians call them. That was one of the most successful fishing trips of my life. The reds were running in schools and you couldn’t help but catch them. In fact, the guide challenged me to throw the bait out and reel it back in without catching a fish. It was hard to do. We caught so many fish that I couldn’t even count how many we landed. Here’s a picture of one that I caught that day. [show picture on screen] The reds were too much to count that day!
So also, the blessings that God has given this world by sending Jesus to the earth are innumerable; they are too much to count! The world has been changed forever because of the work of Jesus.
Also, there are great blessings given by God specifically to the follower of Jesus.
John will speak about those blessings in today’s passage. I’ve entitled today’s sermon, “God’s Generous Gifts Concerning Jesus.” [on screen]
John got into these blessings a bit last week. This is how John completed last week’s passage: “ . . . because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.” [on screen]
John continues today’s passage by also speaking about how followers of Jesus conquer the world. Indeed, the victory that we have in this world is just one of several different gifts given to us by God.
Today, we’re going to see three gifts that God gives to us through the work of Jesus.
Before we dive into this passage, let’s pray together and ask God to speak to us.
(prayer)
As we journey through this passage, let us discover three generous gifts given to us by God.
First, . . .
I. God gives victory through Jesus (verse 5)[on screen]
As we discussed last week, and as I read just a moment ago in verse 4, John is continuing this message of victory found in Jesus.
Look at verse 5:
5 Who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Notice that John equates conquering the world with believing that Jesus is the Son of God. There is power in Jesus! That is why we can sing, “O Victory in Jesus, my Savior forever!”
Well, why is there victory in Jesus? Why do we conquer the world when we believe that Jesus is the Son of God?
We must remember that Jesus is the only escape from the troubles of this world. None of us are immune from the effect of sin on us and the effect of sin on the world. However, any of us can find hope in Jesus!
Jesus said in John 16:33, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” [on screen]
As I said last week, as Jesus has said, as the apostles said and experienced; this world is full of all kinds of evil, all kinds of trouble, and all kinds of hardship. However, in Jesus, we have something that is better than all that the world has to offer!
Sometimes we may get upset about something insignificant and then we realize that there is something much greater waiting just around the corner for us. Perhaps you didn’t get that 10 cents an hour raise but then you realize that you’re getting a significant promotion that comes with a huge raise. Perhaps you broke your old cell phone and then you realize that you can get that brand new smartphone. Perhaps that person said no to dating you in high school, but then the person of your dreams walked into your life shortly thereafter. Sometimes we may be disappointed by something that we’re experiencing at the time, but there’s something so much greater that is about to come our way.
So also, what we have in Jesus is so much better than what this world has to offer and what we have in Jesus brings us supreme comfort when we experience the hurts and hardships of this world.
By the way, we’re not talking about stuff here either. We’re not talking about material gain. We’re talking about the supernatural blessings and all the promises of God that find their fulfillment in Jesus! These true blessings belong to us when we are in Jesus.
The apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:20, “For every one of God’s promises is “Yes” in him. Therefore, through him we also say “Amen” to the glory of God.” [on screen]
In Jesus, we are the ones who conquer the world.
Next, . . .
II. God gives testimony about Jesus (verses 6-10)[on screen]
John now spends just a few moments where he speaks about evidence that Jesus is the Son of God.
Remember, there were false teachers in John’s day who spoke against the truth of Jesus.
So, John wants to give some proof about who Jesus is. In fact, John will point out that it is God Himself who gives proof to who Jesus is.
Let’s listen to what John says. Look at verses 6-10.
6 Jesus Christ—he is the one who came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water and by blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three are in agreement. 9 If we accept human testimony, God’s testimony is greater, because it is God’s testimony that he has given about his Son. 10 The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself. The one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about his Son.
Now, this is a bit confusing here, so let’s talk about this a little bit.
Let’s kind of work backward to begin. John mentions three factors that give testimony to who Jesus is: the Spirit, the water, and the blood.
John is sort of setting this up like a court case. [show image on screen] John is speaking of a testimony as a statement of evidence in order to prove something.
For example, if I told someone that I was preaching this morning and they said, “Prove it!” I could say, “Well, listen to the podcast, watch the YouTube video, or ask the 125-150 people who were there (they may not remember what I preached about, but they will probably remember that I preached).” These things would give testimony to the fact that I preached today; they would be proof to demonstrate that what I said was true.
So also, John says that these three things: the Spirit, the water, and the blood testify that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world.
Well, who is the one testifying? It’s God!
John said in verse 9, “If we accept human testimony, God’s testimony is greater, because it is God’s testimony that he has given about his Son.”
Again, he says in verse 10, “The one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given . . .”
So, God is testifying about His Son, Jesus. God is giving proof that Jesus is His Son and is the Savior of the world.
Again, God testifies by giving evidence in three ways: the Spirit, the water, and the blood.
A lot has been written to explain what these three elements represent, but I believe it’s quite easy to discern what they mean:
The Spirit refers to God the Spirit. The Holy Spirit, who has come into the hearts of believers since Jesus left the earth, testifies about who Jesus is and about what Jesus taught.
Listen to what Jesus said about the role of the Holy Spirit. John 16:13-14 says, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.” [on screen]
So, the Spirit of God testifies about Jesus.
The water refers to the baptism of Jesus. The Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptizer was the launch of the ministry of Jesus and it was a visible sign, or a testimony, of God’s endorsement of the work of Jesus as the Son of God and Savior of the world.
Matthew describes this in Matthew 3:16-17, “When Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.’” [on screen]
So, the baptism of Jesus (the water) testifies about the ministry of Jesus as the Son of God, with whom God the Father is well pleased.
Finally, the blood refers to the work of Jesus on the cross. By shedding His blood on the cross, Jesus paid for the sins of all those who would trust in Him as Savior.
We see God’s holy reaction to the crucifixion of Jesus. For instance, in Matthew 27:45, we read, “From noon until three in the afternoon, darkness came over the whole land.” [on screen]
We also see in Matthew 27:51, “Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.” [on screen]
So God reacted to the spilled blood of His Son Jesus. God testified to who Jesus was by His reaction when His Son was crucified.
However, we also see God’s testimony in the work He does to save sinners in the shedding of the blood of Jesus on the cross.
The apostle Paul says in Ephesians 1:7, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” [on screen]
John said back in chapter 1, verse 7, “the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” [on screen]
John also says in the last book of the Bible, in the revelation about last things, in Revelation 1:5, “To him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by his blood.” [on screen]
So, God testifies about Jesus through His Holy Spirit, through His approval and support of Jesus at His baptism, and through His holy work through Jesus at the cross. God Himself proves that Jesus is the His Son and the Savior of the world through the Spirit, the water, and the blood.
This testimony that God gives is a gift to us, so that we might truly know who Jesus is.
God gives testimony about Jesus.
Finally, . . .
III. God gives life through Jesus (verses 11-13)[on screen]
John finally reveals to us the full testimony of what God has proven: there is life in Jesus!
Look at verses 11-13.
11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
As John has done so many times, he makes it very clear for us: if you have Jesus, you have life; if you don’t have Jesus, you don’t have life! Very simple, right?
When I was a teenager, my friends and I would go to Christian concerts, and Universal Studios, and places like that. We would often try to get backstage or in an area where we weren’t supposed to be. The way to do it was to find a security guard who wasn’t that good at his job. However, whenever we found a security guard who was good at his job [show image on screen], the situation became really simple: if we had a pass we could enter; if we didn’t, we couldn’t.
John is making this really simple for us to understand: it’s only in Jesus that we have life. God’s gift of new life is available to all, but it is not automatic to all: we must come through Jesus. “The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
The apostle Peter spoke these words in Acts 4:12, after Jesus left the earth and the Holy Spirit was about to be unleashed in the church: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.” [on screen] It’s only in Jesus that we have God’s gift of life.
The greatest gift that God has given us is life in Jesus Christ! That is why we can conquer the world: because Jesus gives us life! This is what God testifies about: Jesus gives us life!
Concluding Thoughts:
God’s generous gifts concerning Jesus include, among other things, victory through Jesus, testimony about Jesus, and life through Jesus.
In fact, all that we need to know and have a relationship with God is found in Jesus.
That takes us to our bottom line:
Bottom Line: God has givenus all that we need to know Him in Jesus. [on screen]
(repeat)
Remember, one of John’s main purposes in his letter is to remind us and reassure us that if we are in Jesus then we are in God’s family and God’s Spirit is in us. We must remember that we have life and all that we need in Jesus.
David Allen, a seminary professor in Texas, said in his commentary on this passage, “Eternal life is not about our being good but about Christ being God!” [on screen]
Indeed, because Jesus is God and Savior, we can receive life and all that we need in Him as a wonderful gift from God.
We cannot be good enough to earn God’s forgiveness, but Jesus has done all the work for us. We simply need to come through Him.
Challenge yourself this week to live out this passage in the following ways:
Weekly Challenge: [on screen]
1. Identify how you have conquered in Jesus. [on screen]
Listen, church: you shouldn’t try to one day hopefully gain victory. This is not a situation where you are trying to be tough enough or faithful enough to have victory. No! You already have victory in Jesus! You have already conquered in Jesus!
So, take some time this week and think about the way that you have conquered in Jesus. Perhaps you’ve been set free from addiction, selfishness, hatred, or racism. Perhaps you’ve been given hope, generosity, unity, forgiveness, or compassion.
How have you conquered in Jesus? Think about that this week.
2. Share the testimony about Jesus. [on screen]
God spoke a testimony about Jesus, His Son. He wants the world to know that Jesus is our Savior and He is God Himself.
Now, we have an opportunity to testify about who Jesus is. He is Savior, He is Messiah, and He is Lord!
3. Be sure that you have life. [on screen]
John said, “I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
Do you know that you have life in Jesus?
I love what the NIV Life Application Study Bible says regarding life in Jesus. It says,
“You don’t need to wait for eternal life, because it begins the moment you believe. You don’t need to work for it, because it is already yours. You don’t need to worry about it, because you have been given eternal life by God himself—and it is guaranteed.” [on screen]
So, do you have life in Jesus?
Closing:
Jesus is our living hope. He gives us all that we need to know God and to become the people He’s created to be.
If you have life in Jesus, live that life to the full. If you don’t have life in Jesus, come to Him today.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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