“The Testimony of God” (1 John 5:9-12) May '15 Series B

1.                   In the name of Jesus.  Amen.  In the past few weeks we’ve been looking at the Apostle John’s first letter to the Christian church.  We’ve learned a lot along the way about the importance of knowing what we believe and why we believe it.  And about the importance of loving our neighbors, because Christ first loved us and gave up His life for us through His death on the cross.  But, now we wrap up studying John’s epistle by looking to 1 John 5:9-12.  What’s the testimony of God that John speaks of here?  We’ll find out.  The message is entitled, “The Testimony of God.” Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                  People of all cultures are used to hearing human testimony in court and assigning great weight to it.  How much more impact then does the Christian message have since God is talking.  The Spirit, the water and the blood of Christ guarantee that a bridge has been built to reconnect God and man and Jesus is that bridge.  In fact, we have two things that make us aware that we’re saved.  First, we have the objective works of Christ and the Words and promises of God from Scripture.  Second, we have our faith, the subjective testimony within us.  God’s Word and Sacraments build and nurture our faith.  We hear the words of God and say “I believe.”

3.                  1 John 5:9-12 says, “⁹If 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. ¹⁰Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. ¹¹And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹²Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

4.                    To be sure, whenever we look into ourselves, there’s the danger of self deception.  Satan has warped this witness in many people today so that inner feelings have become their only source of truth.  Some people today evaluate truth and morality by how they feel about it.  Objective standards fade away and everything becomes relative, “What’s true for me isn’t necessarily what is true for you.”  Some try to find truth about Jesus or messages from Him through prayer or meditation.  They’ll say things such as, “The Lord told me, or the Lord spoke to me last night, or I really feel his presence now.”  And sometimes what comes out of their mouths next departs from Scripture and becomes part of the lie.

5.                  But, even though the concept of listening to our inner witness can be abused, it can be used in the right way.  A healthy faith is always grounded in the objective revelation of God’s Word and is guided by the Holy Spirit himself.  As St. Paul says in Romans 8:16, “The Spirit himself testified with our spirit that we are God’s children.” And in Galatians 4:6, “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls our Abba, Father.”  The inner comfort we experience as believers comes not from us but from the Holy Spirit, with His words and truths. 

6.                  There’s only one truth and that’s God’s truth.  This is what students at our Christ Lutheran Day School and Confirmation classes have learned.  God has provided His message for all the world.  And this message is all or nothing.  Christianity isn’t one of the many philosophies that you can select interesting views and ideas from as though we were in a cafeteria.  John says in 1 John 5:10, “Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar.” August Pieper, a Lutheran pastor and theologian wrote over 100 years ago, “God has infinite patience with people who sin against his commandments, but he will not allow his grace to be mocked.” God’s words are clear enough.  The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:18, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.”

7.                  1 John 5:11 & 12 are the grand finale, the whole point to human history, and the very essence of Christianity.  John summarizes it all in two statements that a child could understand.  First, God has given us eternal life.  Second, He who has the Son has life.  When I read 1 John 5:12 to you did you see the significance of the last part of the verse?  It’s a simple little phrase, so simple that you may not notice it when you are reading this chapter.  But, that phrase describes the serious threat that hangs over many people.  Read those words carefully, “He who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

8.                  What we make of Jesus Christ will determine the quality of the rest of our lives and will determine whether we spend eternity in heaven or hell.  Jesus isn’t just one of many interesting philosophers like Confucius or Lao Tzu, and he’s not just another religious revolutionary like Mohammed or Gandhi.  What you make of Jesus will be your life or your death.

9.                  The apostle John has written at some length describing how good it is to be in Christ.  But, consider what happens if people reject the message of the gospel and choose not believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior from sin, death and the devil.  John simply says, “They do not have life.” What do you call a body without any life in it?  A corpse.  The Father didn’t sacrifice His Son “just for the fun of it.”  Jesus made the supreme sacrifice through His death on the cross in order to spare us and all the world from the torment that the Devil is going to suffer.  The Apostle Paul says that we’re by nature children of God’s wrath because of our sinful human nature.  Unless people are reborn in Christ, they stay children of wrath.  And unless people are reborn in Christ, they stay that way forever.

10.              Praise God that our students who are graduating from Christ Lutheran School and all those who have graduated in the past have heard and been taught that, to have Jesus is to have eternal life.  This is why our Lutheran School exists, not just to teach our children the basics of reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic.  But, most importantly to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior from sin, death, and the power of the devil.  We want our students to know that Christianity isn’t one religion among many, but that it’s the only religion that can save, because only Jesus can save us from hell.  Jesus tells us in John 14 that He alone is the way, the truth, and the life.   It’s my prayer, the prayer of our Christ Lutheran School teachers, our staff, and the members of our congregation that our students will take Jesus with them wherever they go, that they won’t lose this Christian faith they’ve been taught and that they will tell others of the glorious salvation we have through our Lord Jesus.  

11.              This is why John writes so passionately to the Christian church.  This is why we need to listen to him.  This is why the ministries in our congregation here at Christ and Calvary Lutheran Churches are so important.  This is why Christ Lutheran School here in West Bloomfield is so important.  So that everyone who hears this message and believes that Jesus Christ has died on the cross for the forgiveness of their sins may be saved and have eternal life.  This is also why your family’s spiritual well-being is worth your greatest energy.  This is a life or death issue for every person on the planet.  Thanks be to God that through His Word and Sacraments we have life through His Son Jesus Christ.  Amen.