Three Evidences That Jesus Is The Son Of God Series

Series: 1 John

Week: 22

Passage: 1 John 5:6-9

Title: Three Evidences that Jesus is the Son of God

Focus: Truth of Christ as Messiah

OPENING STORY: A young American engineer was sent to Ireland by his company to work in a new electronics plant. It was a two-year assignment that he had accepted because it would enable him to earn enough to marry his long-time girlfriend. She had a job near her home in Tennessee, and their plan was to pool their resources and put a down payment on a house when he returned. They corresponded often, but as the lonely weeks went by, she began expressing doubts that he was being true to her. The young man wrote to his sweetheart, declaring with some passion that he was paying absolutely no attention to the local girls. "I admit," he wrote, "that sometimes I'm tempted. But I fight it. I'm keeping myself for you."

In the next week’s mail, the engineer received a package. It contained a note from his girl and a harmonica. "I'm sending this to you," she wrote, "so you can learn to play it and have something to take your mind off those girls." The engineer replied, "Thanks for the harmonica. I'm practicing on it every night and thinking of you." At the end of his two-year stint, the engineer was transferred back to company headquarters. He took the first plane to Tennessee to be reunited with his girl. Her whole family was with her, but as he rushed forward to embrace her, she held up a restraining hand and said sternly, "Just hold on there a minute, Billy Bob. Before any serious kissin' and huggin' gets started here, let me hear you play that harmonica!"

INTRODUCTION: As Christians we also want hard evidence that affirms our faith. Much like the girl’s question we also ask Jesus for evidence that He is real when we meet Him face to face. In the closing chapter of John he writes to us giving evidence to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. This morning we will seek to uncover a few more pieces of evidence from God that Jesus is the Son of God.

SCRIPTURE: “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. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 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.” 1 John 5:6-9

TITLE: Three Evidences that Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 5:6-9)

Evidence #1: Jesus Earthly Ministry and Death (1 John 5:7a)

• Explanation: John says, “This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood.” (5:7) Jesus earthly ministry and death point us to the fact that He is the Son of God is we study those two elements correctly:

o The Issue of Water:

• Water Shows God’s Goodness: Water is symbolical of God’s blessing and of spiritual refreshment (Psalm 23:2; Isaiah 32:2; 35:6–7).

• Example: Rainfall is a sign of God’s favor and goodness.

• Water points out a Spiritual Need: Jesus is baptized in water to show us God’s goodness and provision for us in offering His Son. (Psalm 42:1)

• Water can lead one to repentance.

• OT: Priests were washed at their sanctification (Exodus 29:4) and the OT tabernacle was a constant reminder of the need for cleansing in the approach to God (Exodus 30:18–21).

• NT: John’s baptism in water was a sign of repentance and seen as a cleansing initiation into Christ while Jesus himself told the women at the well if she would have asked she would have received “living water” from Jesus (John 4:10).

• Water can either bring death or life.

• OT Examples: The Flood and the drowning of the Egyptians in the Red Sea. The general fear of the sea and deep waters expressed in Psalms (18:16; 32:6; 46:3) indicate that water could in God’s hands be an instrument of judgment.

• NT Examples: Acceptance of Jesus (baptism of the Holy Spirit – symbolized in water baptism) either leads us to heaven (Acts 16:30-31) or hell (Romans 10:10)

o The Issue of Blood: To parallel water bringing death or life, blood in the bible also pointed to either life or to death.

• OT - Blood is more often used in the sense of death by violence than in any other sense.

• NT – Blood is used in the same way. The “blood of Christ” is understood to John’s audience to be the atoning death (make amends) for the believer and can be used a defense when encountering heretics.