Walking in the Light – Part 12

Life in the Son – 1 John 5:5-12

Crosspoint – Dave Spooner – Nov. 24th, 2024

Intro:

• As John’s letter comes to a close, he focuses yet again on Jesus, who is the author and perfector of our faith, who is the cornerstone and capstone, who is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, the Lord and Savior, the bright and morning star. Christianity is all about Jesus, centered in, built from, and completed by Him.
• In our passage for this morning, 1 John 5:5-12 (page 1056), John makes two absolute and exclusive statements: only those who believe in Jesus overcome the world, and only those who have the Son have life, no exceptions. In between these two truth claims, John provides four witnesses—the water, the blood, the Spirit, and the Father—that testify to the truth of the identity of Jesus. He wants us to believe that He is indeed the Son of God so we can overcome the world and have eternal life in the Son.
• My ask and my plead with you this morning is that you would believe in the Son, that you would believe the testimony about Him, that you would treasure Him, honor Him, know Him, follow Him, worship Him, and love Him with all your mind, soul, heart and strength. I pray that you would be one of those who overcome the world and have life in the Son.
• So, let’s now take a close look at our passage so that we will understand what it says and what it means. John’s first statement is this, only those who believe in Jesus overcome the world.

Only those who believe in Jesus overcome the world

1 John 5:5 NIV

Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

• This is an exclusive truth claim that states that the only people who will overcome the world are those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. So we have to ask what is meant by “overcomes the world” and “believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
• John, in chapter two of this letter, has already defined what the world is; it is the “desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). The world is our sinful nature and all that it creates, desires, and encompasses. It is the gravity of our depravity that is continually pulling us down and caging us in. The world is the gravitational pull that we cannot break free of on our own. This world and these things are destined for destruction and are passing away along with all those who are contained in and connected to it (1 John 2:17, 1 Cor. 7:31).
• The only way to disconnect, break free, and overcome the world is to be in the “ark” of Jesus Christ by believing that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is the only way out, the only way to break free, the only way to overcome the world and its desires and its destruction.
• Believing that Jesus is the Son of God is way more than believing He is a moral teacher, or a miracle worker, or the great example, or even a profound prophet. Believing that Jesus is the Son of God means that you believe that He is Emmanual, God with us. He is the word that became flesh and the exact representation of God the Father. It means that you believe that He is the creator and the lamb of God who was slain before the creation of the world, the only one who is worthy to open the scroll, the only one who lived a sinless life, the only one who could atone for the sins of the world, the only one who was resurrected to life and ascended to the right hand of the Father, the only Savior of the world and the King that is above all Kings, the one to whom every knee will bow and give glory to God the Father. The only one who is the resurrection and the life, the only one who grants eternal life.
• Believing that Jesus is the Son of God is believing that “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 NIV). Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God will overcome the world. The most important question ever asked was asked by Jesus, “Who do you say that I am?” We must all answer that question for ourselves; your life and your eternity hang in the balance.
• After making this profound statement—that only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God overcome the world—John then presents evidence by way of testimony that bears witness to Jesus’s true identity as the Son of God.

Believe the testimony of the water and the blood

1 John 5:6a NIV

This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood.

• Jesus came by water and blood. The word “by” is literally “by means of” or “through.” The water and blood are to be seen as the means by which Jesus came into the world to accomplish His mission of salvation. Jesus entered His ministry through the waters of baptism. It was at this inauguration into ministry that the Father called Jesus His “beloved Son” (Mark 1:9). That water gives testimony that this same Jesus is the Son of God and came through it into His ministry, which the Father had entrusted to Him.
• The blood of Jesus gives testimony that Jesus is the Lamb of God who was slain from the creation of the world and who came to take away the sin of the world (Rev. 13:8, John 1:29). Jesus came through the water into His ministry and came through the blood to finish His ministry. Jesus, through His blood, established the New Covenant for the forgiveness of sins so that we may receive our promised eternal inheritance from Jesus, the Son of God, who is our great high priest (see Heb. 9:11-28, Matt. 26:28).
• Jesus, the Son of God, entered His ministry through the water and completed His ministry through the blood. He did not just start His ministry, but He finished it as both the water and the blood testify.
• John then turns to his third witness to the identity of Jesus as the Son of God by putting forth the testimony of the Spirit.

Believe the testimony of the Spirit

1 John 5:6b-8 NIV

And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.

• The Spirit of God tells the truth because it is impossible for God to lie (Heb. 6:18). And the Spirit’s testimony is that Jesus is the Son of God. The Spirit was at the baptism of Jesus and came down upon Him “like a dove” (Mark 1:9), and the Spirit remained upon Jesus. John records that God the Father told John the Baptist that the one on whom the Spirit comes down and remains is the Lamb of God, the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit, the one who is the Son of God (see John 1:29-33, John 20:22, Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit also declared Jesus to be the Son of God in power by His resurrection from the dead (Rom. 1:3-4).
• This same Spirit lives in us, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, and continues to testify to us and through us that Jesus is the Son of God (John 15:26-27).
• So, John says, these three testify, and their testimony is in agreement. The Spirit, the water, and the blood agree that Jesus is indeed the Son of God.
• Then John puts these all together with the testimony of the Father.

Believe the testimony of the Father

1 John 5:9-11 NIV

We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed 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.

• If you were on a jury in a court case and heard the testimony of four different people all saying the same thing, you would believe that their testimony was true, especially if these witnesses were true, tried, and tested. John says that He has these witnesses. They are all in agreement that Jesus is the Son of God. Not only does He have the testimony of the water and the blood, but he also has the testimony of the Holy Spirit, who cannot lie. Not only that, but he also has the testimony of God the Father Himself, and His testimony is greater than any human testimony. He said Himself, this is My beloved Son (Mark 1:9).
• Those who believe in the Son of God accept this testimony. Whoever does not believe the testimony of God, God has made that person out to be a liar because what God says is what is. And God’s testimony is that He has given us eternal life in His Son.
• Jesus said, “Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom He is pleased to give it” (John 5:21). And again, Jesus said, “As the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself” (John 5:21). Jesus also said, “for My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40). Jesus also prayed about Himself, “For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:2-3).
• These are the testimonies that John puts forward for us to believe that Jesus is the Son of God. John started this section with a claim that only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God overcome the world, and then He ends this section with another truth claim similar to the first.

Only those who have the Son have life

1 John 5:12 NIV

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

• He puts it down here plain and simple: we have the Son of God by believing that Jesus is the Son of God. If you believe this, you have life, and life eternal. The flip side of this is also true: if you do not have the Son of God, you do not have eternal life.
• This is why we proclaim the name of Jesus and the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no other way to the Father, but through Him (Acts 4:12). There is no one who made the claims of Jesus, did the works of Jesus, lived the life of Jesus, gave their life like Jesus, was resurrected like Jesus, ascended like Jesus, and will return like Jesus. No one. Period.
• The bad news is that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And the good news is that all who believe that Jesus is the Son of God will have life in His name (Rom. 3:21-26, John 1:12-13, 3:16, 20:31).

Conclusion

• I hope you have these truths treasured in your heart. They are a firm foundation on which your faith is built. They are the evidence given by God for us to believe. Your faith has reasons; it is not blind, but it can see, believe, hear, and commit. Will you commit your whole heart to Him today? Will you give your heart to Him today to acknowledge that He is the Son of God and give yourself to Him?
• Prayer People and Pray

Benediction

As you leave today, go in the strength of Christ, who alone has overcome the world, trusting fully in Him as the Son of God and the source of eternal life. Treasure His truth, walk in His victory, and live by the power of His Spirit, Amen.

Questions for Growth Groups

1. John states that only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God can overcome the world (1 John 5:5). What does it mean to "overcome the world"? How will your faith in Jesus help you to do this?

1. What does it mean to believe that Jesus is the Son of God? How is this belief more than just intellectual acknowledgment? How does this truth shape your daily life and relationship with God?

1. John mentions the testimony of the water, the blood, and the Spirit (1 John 5:6-8). How do these elements bear witness to Jesus's identity? Why do you think John emphasizes the agreement between these testimonies?

1. According to 1 John 5:9-11, God’s testimony about His Son is greater than human testimony. How has God's Word or the Spirit confirmed Jesus's identity in your own life? How do you respond to those who doubt or reject this testimony?

1. John writes that "whoever has the Son has life" (1 John 5:12). What does it mean to "have the Son"? How does this eternal life impact the way you live and view the world?

1. The passage highlighted the exclusive truth claims of Jesus. How can we communicate these claims lovingly and effectively in a world that values pluralism and relativism?

1. The message concludes with an invitation to treasure, follow, and commit to Jesus wholeheartedly. What steps can you take this week to deepen your love for Him and align your life more fully with His will?