Life or death is a matter of what you believe about Jesus.
Springfield Baptist Church
August 11th 2024 - Pastor James Tyler - 1 John 5:6-12 - "You Must Decide Now"
We're almost done with First John, the more present reality, the one that I'm more mindful of than the imminence of our departure from First John is the fact that one of the blessings we've enjoyed for the last three years is going to depart next week. So we won't have Sam after today playing bass or saxophone or e-we or whatever. He's been playing for us and then is it this week you go to Lincoln or is it next week? So we got you for one more Sunday. So Tim leaves next Sunday so we'll be down some help and that expression of the kindness of God in our church will be at least veiled for a little while so we pray for one of those kids when they go off into the wide world. Pray that whoever Sam meets or daddy has a ranch that's all I would ask and then for Tim just that he keeps singing praises to God and about God and not himself because when you're young and handsome and you've got a great voice you end up losing your hair and your voice. Alright enough of that. First John chapter five verse six we're very grateful for both of you. This is he who came by water and blood Jesus Christ not by the water only but by the water and the blood and the spirit is the one who testifies because the spirit is the truth for there are three that testify. The spirit, the water and the blood and these three agree if we receive testimony sorry if we receive the testimony of men the testimony of God is greater for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his son. Whoever believes in the son of God has the testimony in himself whoever does not believe God has made him alive because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his son and this is the testimony that God gave us eternal life and this life is in his son whoever has the son has life whoever does not have the son of God does not have life. I want to begin I have to begin rather there's not one cell in my body that wants to begin this way I have to begin with a relatively unknown textual variance here you might not have verses seven and eight in your Bible depending on what translation you have it might be bracketed or it might just be there and it doesn't say anything and what I'm about to say is going to be a surprise to you but the reality is verses seven and eight and first John five are what's known in the Latin as the the comma jo-hanein which is the jo-hanein clause is a translation oh somebody fell or God is warning you that what I'm about to say is not true it is true the fact is that that part of this passage does not appear in any ancient Greek resources first John bear in mind first John liked the rest of the New Testament was written primarily in Greek in fact I think entirely in Greek we have other translations but we have the whole thing in Greek the earliest Greek version of first John with the the jo-hanein clause verses seven and eight was found in fifteen sixteen so pretty recently showed up the extra line was added to some Latin manuscripts between the third and fourth century and was I mean it was written in Latin people then John didn't write in Latin the people that copied his letters didn't write in Latin it's not found in any of the ancient Syriac or Coptic texts add to this the fact that there are only I think there's 10 there may be fewer relatively obscure Latin texts that included and in half of those it's written in the margin not in with the rest of the text in the other half it's included in the text so it's doubtful that these two verses were in John's original letter all right I just like to be honest about that stuff I don't it doesn't make me fearful or uncomfortable or nor do I feel that I'm arming the opposition with more reason to say the Bible's been translated so many times we don't have any idea what it used to say that's not true at all in fact I would say the more honest we are about textual variants the more ground we have to stand on concerning the authenticity of Scripture so with that in mind everything that I just told you what is meant by the water and the blood verse six this is he in in fact I think it's really helpful if you read six and nine together it it removes some of the confusion right away so just for the sake of my message this morning that's what we'll do we'll read six and nine this is he who came by water and blood Jesus Christ not by the water only but by the water and the blood and the Spirit is the one who testifies because the Spirit is the truth if we receive the testimony of men the testimony of God is greater for this is the testimony of God that he has born concerning his son now if you were able to pay attention the whole time I was reading those 40 or so words then you already noticed and I know that's like a fraction of us you already noticed how much more sense this text makes if you take seven and eight out seven and eight was obviously added by you know well-meaning Trinitarian Latin speakers to you know add a little to the doctrine of the Trinity and I don't find that to be necessary because there are multiple texts in the New Testament that identify that God is trying all right so anyway what's meant by the water and the blood there's three possible interpretations the first possible interpretation is it's symbolic language referencing baptism and the Lord's Supper water being baptism Lord's Supper including the element of the cup which is representative of the blood of Christ I think probably not I disagree a tiny tiny fractional minority of commentators take this view or suggest this interpretation James Montgomery boys who a lot of you are familiar with yes just kidding no you're not some of you are says that this view is primarily supported by Calvin John Calvin so of course being a dutiful recovering from Baptist I went and read Calvin's commentary and that is not the sense that I got at all from from Calvin's writing so I'm thinking boys must be referencing some other maybe Calvin's institutes or something like that I'm sure that was helpful to all of you I'm not aware of any other place in scripture where the Lord's Supper is referred to by only the drink element so that's why I disagree with this meaning with like water and blood meaning baptism and Lord's Supper second Jesus pierced after death that this is this is a reference to that and again here I'll say probably not although I'm not I won't argue with anybody that takes that view because one of my idols in scriptural interpretation R.C. Sproul takes that view so if you have the Reformation study bible and you go look at his notes on 1 John 5 6 he cites John 1934 as a reference where when Jesus was speared after his death blood and water flowed out and that was you know from Sproul's perspective this was an effort on John's part to oppose the docetic heresy that Christ was not flesh and blood so he makes reference to the fact that when Christ was pierced water and blood flowed out in in support of the idea that doceticism is a heresy what doceticism teaches is that the spirit of God inhabited Christ from the moment of his baptism until the moment of his crucifixion that in fact God could not inhabit the body of a man in death that's heretical and wrong my entire salvation hinges on the fact that the son of God really lived and really died however and because of that I find Sproul's interpretation to be reasonable and frankly I'm not convinced that it isn't correct because it's kind of the simplest interpretation that's usually the correct one but in the context of John's argument I find the next interpretation to be the most satisfactory important note would you consider this a primary issue or a secondary issue now your interpretation of this is it's okay if we disagree it's all right you're just wrong that joke never gets old here's what I think baptism crucifixion and the accompanying testimony water and the blood is a figurative reference to Jesus's baptism his crucifixion and the accompanying testimony let me explain look at mark chapter 1 verse 10 if you are kind of like why are we spending so much time on this what difference does it make you're probably not a Christian lighten up everybody geez mark 110 in those days wait and nine sorry in those days Jesus came up from Nazareth and Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan immediately coming up out of the water which suggests that he was plunged beneath the water and not sprinkled just for sake of discussion we're Baptists right immediately coming up out of the water he saw the heavens opening and the spirit like a dove descending upon him and a voice came out of the heavens you are my beloved son and you I am well pleased immediately the spirit impaled him to go out into the wilderness in Luke 3 it says it a little bit differently it says now when all the people were baptized Jesus was also baptized and while he was praying heaven was opened the Holy Spirit descended upon him and bodily form like a dove and a voice came out of heaven you are my beloved son and you I am well pleased so what I'm saying is when John in verse John 5 references in verse 6 the water and the blood that is in part a reference to Jesus's baptism and the accompanying testimony of the Holy Spirit in every passage describing Jesus's baptism you have a voice coming from heaven saying this is my son right then at the crucifixion in Matthew 27 verse 50 it says Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit and behold the veil of the temple was torn into this is Matthew 27 51 the veil of the temple was torn into from top to bottom and the earth shook and the rocks were split the tombs were open and many bodies of saints who had fallen asleep were raised and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many now the centurion and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening became very frightened and said truly this was the son of God all of the supernatural events that accompanied the immediate moments after Jesus's crucifixion aside what would compel the centurion and those who were with him and I believe these to be the same ones who had cast lots to divide his garments what would compel them to testify surely this was the son of God or truly this was the son of God and Luke 23 44 it says it a little bit differently about the sixth hour darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour because the sun was obscured the veil of the temple was torn into and Jesus crying out with a loud voice said father into your hands I commit my spirit having said this he breathed his last now when the centurion saw what had happened he began praising God saying certainly this man was innocent all of these examples demonstrate that God's spirit was consistently adding it's his amen to the incarnation we see the only other example of this on the mount of transfiguration when Jesus goes up and is transfigured into his the brilliance of his glory and Elijah and Moses appear and are visiting with him and Peter is like this is great that we're here let's build some tabernacles one for each of you and a voice booms from heaven saying this is my beloved son listen to him establishing Jesus's superiority over Moses and Elijah the law and the prophets in in uh first john five six when he writes this is he who came by water and blood she uses Christ not by the water only but by the water and the blood and the spirit is the one who testifies because the spirit is true I don't know how to get this thing to quit doing that I'll work on it this week I promise I think interpreting water and blood as references to Jesus's baptism and crucifixion is right because john is appealing to in a broader sense the concept of multiple witnesses supporting any assertion these events were decorated by the dramatic presence of the holy spirit agreed his baptism and his crucifixion rock split dead people got up and walked into the city that's pretty powerful the same ones who were dividing his garments are suddenly testifying that he was the son of god it seems that in these moments in Jesus's life in particular and in his death in particular god was emphasizing Jesus's status as son of god now recall how verse five attaches our victory to Christ's sonship first john five five who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the son of god what's the reason for that emphasis I don't know maybe might be better illustrated than explained in Deuteronomy 19 god gives instructions and he says very specifically listen if one person rolls up saying something about another person that is insufficient for them to be tried for a crime there has to be two or three witnesses the reason that i mean god is practical and he understands us right the reason for that is well i think it gives us some perspective on the veracity of the human witness we we can take it for granted that human a human witness like lacks value until they've been corroborated this is because people even like i'm not saying all people are liars even when we're being honest in the in our description of events that we were part of as we reflect back on it our own imagination colors whatever we think happened and so what we end up describing is not precisely robotically recording of what happened what it's always going to be like flavored a little bit by whatever you know maybe you're trying to paint yourself in the best light possible or you're trying to discount the value of something somebody else did even when we're being honest we were we were call events under the color of our own imagination so Old Testament Deuteronomy 19 numbers 35 same kind of stuff god's just very practical about the worth of a human witness and Proverbs it says the testimony of a man seems right until another comes to question him so when you hear a story and young people this is you know fortunately you're only going to learn this the hard way if you were like me but maybe some of you will benefit from hearing me just say it when you hear a story about somebody they did this that or the other thing and and look like it'll probably be your best friend talking about their significant other let's be real that's usually where this happens and they you know your best friend was just sitting there innocently loving Jesus and their significant other did horrible awful things for no reason just remember the testimony of a person seems right until another comes to question him or you get the other side of the story and it's not because we're all malicious hurtful hateful evil gossip it's just because human nature being what it is we misremember what happened okay so the question is why would God supply more than the the multitude of human witnesses to Jesus Christ's sonship you know I mean I think understanding the need for witnesses requires knowing what we're saying they are witnesses too so what's the question I bet I have 5% of you with me right now let's see if I can get to 10% here's the question is Jesus the son of God that's the question we see when he's baptized that he is and we see when he is crucified that he is at least according to the scriptures God himself spoke from heaven in both cases the spirit offers some kind of affirmation both events are used by God to supply testimony in that sense the events themselves are witnesses the fact that we have it recorded in scripture is a witness and testimony and the fact that it was the Holy Spirit who spoke this is my son in whom I'm well pleased is a witness again what do people generally deny about Christ think with me if you don't agree with this just think about what I usually claim people deny about Christ in my experience people don't deny the historical human existence of a person named Jesus in my experience people will deny things about Jesus that give him divinity that's what they deny I just think he was a really good teacher I think he was really moral I won't go so far as to say he didn't exist even Muslims would say Jesus was the great teacher on earth until what's his name Muhammad came along right what do they deny he was the son of God that's what they deny so in 1 John 5 verse 10 it says whoever believes in the son of God has the testimony in himself whoever does not believe God has made him a liar because he's not believed in the testimony that God has born concerning his son I said it last week and it was like a it was like a sneak peek it was like a preview of what was to come I said last week Nicodemus goes to Jesus in the cover of darkness and says I know that you're from God because nobody could do the things you do unless they were from God and Jesus responds you need to be born again because it's not enough to have an intellectually high view of Jesus Christ you have to understand that he is the son of God and the Savior of sinners so John says in verse 10 whoever believes in the son of God has the testimony in himself what's that a reference to the promise that all those who embrace Jesus Christ by faith have the same spirit who testified at his baptism and testified on the amount of transfiguration and testified at his crucifixion that he is the son of God you have the same spirit indwelling you interceding for you with groaning too deep for words the same spirit indwells you testifying to you that Jesus is the son of God here's what I mean this may not help I hope it does but here's what I would suppose if God did not give you the Holy Spirit the indwelling testimony you would constantly be going back and forth on Sundays you would believe that Jesus is the Christ son of the living God and on Mondays you would stop believing it again the minute you get away from the rest of the coals that keep you warm your faith would be evaporated so he gives you the same witness the same testimony within yourself to tell you on Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday that Jesus is the son of God because without it I don't think we would really believe it because you get out there in the world and maybe maybe not maybe you're retired and you just sit and read your Bible all day God bless you but you can remember what this was like you get out there into the world and you meet a bunch of people some of whom are pretty smart pretty successful pretty powerful and they do not believe what you believe in fact if they knew the extent of what you believe they would probably not want to work with you anymore and that's not me going to a little poor us that's just reality they'd be like you are whacked out of your mind you actually believe this stuff yeah I don't think climate change is real I really don't I don't think mankind is warming the earth up you're a whacked job okay but part of the reason I don't I don't think it's real is I have the indwelling holy spirit reminding me that God's the one that controls the weather not us and we can you know I'm sure we can make it rain and stuff like that in small localized areas but we come on you have to have an overblown view of the the the power and pomp of humanity to think that we're going to control the weather or you just don't understand how big the planet is do you know you could fit eight billion people in like between Philadelphia and New York City in a box but our cars and cows are heating the earth up I don't buy it right so if you go to work and you and I don't I don't do that and I'll go to work and go well why are we scammed like by the door as people are coming in because I don't think it's that important but if they knew the things that I believed as a result of the indwelling spirit in me they probably wouldn't want to work with me anymore so on Monday afternoon I need that spirit within me testifying that Jesus is the son of God because otherwise I'll start feeling like a victim and lashing out at people because I'm insecure about what I believe instead I have the indwelling spirit so I'm able to not feel like a victim and love people and try to draw them with the same cords of love Jesus drew me to himself with that's why you have the indwelling spirit now that was nice all the Christians like that for the rest of you you must decide what you believe whoever believes in the son of God has the testimony in himself whoever does not believe God has made him a liar because he's not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his son you don't want listen to me don't imagine that it's going to go well to show up in front of God on judgment day having spent your life on earth saying that what God said about Jesus isn't true don't imagine that that's going to go well for you you spend your life calling God a liar because God said this is my son in whom I'm well pleased and you spend your life going no it's not that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard and then suddenly maybe tomorrow maybe in 40 years I don't know when it's going to happen for you suddenly you are snatched from this life right into judgment standing before God and he he's so big you can't even see all of them at once and you hear a voice booming around you as the angels are singing holy holy holy you hear a voice say what did you believe about my son and then you get a flashback of your whole life saying God's a liar Jesus is not his son I don't need Jesus what well like what happens next in your mind you have to decide and you're deciding by not believing every day you get up and don't believe that Jesus is the Christ son of the living God you've made a decision to say God is a liar his word is a liar and you have to make that decision I'll prove it to you this is like a repeated theme in scripture Joshua 24 15 that's evil in your eyes to serve the Lord choose this day whom you will serve whether the gods your father served in the region beyond the river the gods of the amorites and whose land you dwell but as for me in my house will serve the Lord Deuteronomy 30 19 and 20 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death blessing a curse therefore choose life that you enter your offspring may live loving the Lord your god obeying his voice and holding fast to him for he is your life and length of days that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to Abraham to Isaac to Jacob to give them I I'm I'm not into this I don't like you guys hopefully know by now I I am much more like oh let's just all get along when it comes to the proclamation of the gospel I'm not sure there's anything to be gained from like berating or strong arming somebody or or frightening somebody into believing in Jesus I don't buy that but the Bible says I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death blessing and curse and I agree I have done that and some of you hate me for it right now but I've stood up here and I've said you are calling god a liar every day you do not embrace Jesus Christ as his son that's what the Bible says you're doing I'm not better than you that I'm not doing that but I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I've set before you life and death first Kings 18 21 I like this one Elijah came near to all the people and said how long will you go limping between two different opinions if the Lord is God follow him but if Baal then follow him make a decision what's it going to be oh I'm not sure I'm not sure yet I'll decide later how long will you go limping back and forth maybe God is really probably not how long are you going to do that here's the thing it's not like an inquiry this is not a poll how long do you think you'll wait right like God's not certain how long you have he knows exactly how long you have the warning is today if you hear his voice don't harden your heart because you don't know that you have tomorrow Matthew 7 13 Jesus says enter by the narrow gate for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction I mean might seem like a cheap shot but let's be real to find oneself in the majority is to stop and reconsider I think that was Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain that said that well everybody else agrees with me well then pump the brakes because you're probably not any like the masses are generally headed the wrong direction look at history enter by the narrow gate that gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction if I believe in Jesus people are going to make fun of me yeah yeah what do you want I want it to be easy well it's not going to be the easy way is wide but it leads to destruction the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life and those who find it are few now we don't we don't we don't love that for us do we the way is narrow and hard hard narrow language it does not grow churches full of people it just doesn't pastor why don't you lighten up can you ease up a little bit seems like you might be hurting people's feelings that's the bible the way is narrow and hard that leads to life why is it hard because everybody going the easy route looks at you and they can't leave you alone because you go in the hard way just just the existence of you going the hard way convicts them of going the easy way so they can't just allow that so they have to persecute or mock or shame or call you unenlightened I can't believe there's around 80 people that I get to see every sunday that potentially agree with me about the way that we've chosen to go it could be just you by yourself except you would have that indwelling holy spirit testimony you got to decide john 6 66 after this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him oh they decided so Jesus said to the 12 do you want to go away as well and Peter answered him lord where you have the words of eternal life and we have believed and have come to know you are the holy one of god decide for yourself okay but consider what god has said first john 5 11 first john 5 11 this is the testimony that god gave us eternal life and this life is in his son here's what god has said listen to the testimony of god concerning jesus john 6 40 this is the will of my father that everyone who looks on the son and believes in him should have eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day did anybody listen what's the will of god that everyone who looks on the son jesus and believes in him should have eternal life and I god the father will raise that person up on the last day john 11 25 jesus said i'm the resurrection in the life whoever believes in me though he died yet he shall live and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die do you believe this he asked do you believe this john 14 6 jesus said to them i'm the way the truth and the life no one comes to the father but by me x 4 12 there is salvation and no one else and there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved and then first john 5 11 and 12 this is the testimony that god gave us eternal life and this life is in his son and whoever has the son has life whoever does not have the son of god does not have life here are the consequences you must decide what you will believe but you don't get to decide the consequences the creator of all the universe has decided and he has said the only way to life is through my son my beloved in whom i'm well pleased listen to him the consequences of not listening to what god has said concerning his son the consequences are death and i hate to do this but i have to do it i want you to cringe as hard as i do when i hear somebody that has given absolutely no credit to god for creation for redemption or for sending his son to be the redeemer when i hear somebody that that has denied all of christianity tell somebody else who has suffered the loss of a loved one well they're in a better place now i want you to cringe as hard as i do because no they aren't unless they believed in jesus christ what will happen to you when you die is you will be equipped with a body capable of suffering forever because you don't get to reject the son of god and have god go that's no big deal i don't love him that much anyway that's not how it works you reject this redeemer you sign up and consign yourself to an eternity of suffering i don't know if it's a literal lake of fire frankly i don't want a freaking find out but that's how jesus describes it when he tells the parable of lazarus and the rich man the rich man dies and goes to hell and he cries out to god and he says can you just have lazarus dip his finger in the water and and let and touch it to my tongue for i am in agony in this flame and he's not dead he's dying forever you must decide you have to decide well i just can't believe god would do something you know god's a loving god i don't think he would send somebody to hell there's a part of me that wishes that were true but remember it is the love of god it is the love of god that makes our sin that much more heinous said this two or three weeks ago it is the fact that we sin against such love and such light that makes it so evil and if god were indifferent to it that wouldn't be very loving yeah think about the horrendous things that wicked men and women have done on this earth through history if god just goes it's all right come on in i assure you if you're the victim of something truly horrific and then you get to heaven and you see the perpetrator and god says you know i was just i wanted to go easy on him you'll be all right you'd be like where's justice oh well god god wouldn't send anybody to hell i assure you he will yourself included unless you embrace by faith jesus christ now that's the other side there is no desire on the part of god to send anybody to hell to prove it he killed his own son that you might have a redeemer you must decide and you're deciding every moment of every day when you put it off you're deciding here are the consequences life eternal for those who believe and death eternal for those who do not there will be no changing your mind once you see what hell is like. Let's pray.