Please open your Bibles to 1 John chapter 5. Our study today is verses 9 to 12. Using the Pew Bible, you'll find it on page 1304. Listen now to God's holy, inerrant, and life-giving word, beginning at verse 9 of 1 John 5. The apostle writes, 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. Whoever believes in the Son of God has a 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. 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. May God be praised through the reading and hearing of his holy word, amen. Father, we pray your sovereign blessing on your own testimony in the scriptures. Indeed, we pray that the spirit would press to our heart all that you have to teach us about your son, the Lord Jesus, the savior that he is and the eternal life that you would give. We pray for this in Jesus' name, amen. The power of God's word was experienced by a Chinese man named Zhao Hu Huang who was living in Germany with his wife Kirsten. Now Zhao was a Buddhist and his wife was an unbeliever and she wanted to buy a special birthday gift for her husband and she thought she would get a book written in Chinese. But the only one she could find was actually a Chinese translation of the Bible. Well, she went ahead and got it. She presented that gift to her husband. He was actually very displeased by it. And yet, as she suspected, his longing to read in his native tongue overcame it. And he began reading the Bible. It's just what he had in Chinese. And as he read, he began to be struck by the truth that was revealed in the pages of God's word. Before long he was persuaded and he believed. Now that in turn displeased his wife. She was a Westerner who had rejected Christianity. That's why she married a Buddhist in the first place. If she wanted to be a Christian, she would have married a Christian. But she said, well, I'm going to argue with him. And she also read Chinese. So she goes, I'm gonna read in that book and I'm gonna show him how wrong it is. And you know what happened? As she read, she began to be persuaded. And then she joined her husband as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, as they studied their Chinese Bible together, they learned that they need Christian fellowship. They need to be part of the church. So they found a Bible-believing church that was faithfully teaching God's word. They were baptized as the followers of Christ. They continued to grow in their faith. Now, Zao and Kirsten experience the persuasion to which the Apostle John, of which he's writing in our passage. Now John has defended in this letter and he's applied the gospel truth that Jesus is God's Son. He is the Christ. But now in these verses he presses on us the reasons that we should believe. Here's what we should believe. Here's what it will do in our lives. Here are the reasons we should believe it. He writes in verse 9. of God's external witness to his son. There's three points today. This is the first one. God has given an objective, external witness to his son. And John says the testimony of God is greater than the testimony of men. But then secondly, he points out that God gives the internal, subjective witness of the Holy Spirit to believers. And then thirdly, as if these testimonies from God himself were not enough, he reminds us that our response to the message that Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus is the Savior, that is not merely an academic matter. The issue of eternal life hangs upon that issue. That's his third argument. This is why we must believe. For when those who've lived in the darkness of unbelief receive the witness of God to his son, like Zhao and Kirsten Wong, what they receive is God's gift of eternal life, which John insists is in his son. Verse 11. Now before John sets forth the objective external witness of God to his son, he makes a note of comparison. Look at verse 9. He begins, if we receive the testimony of when. Now that if means since. We do receive the testimony of men, he's pointing out. The standards of jurisprudence accept the valid testimony of men and women. Now this is true in our modern courts, where do juries deliberate? They deliberate the testimony that is given by men and women. If an eyewitness points at the accused and says, I saw him do it, he's probably getting convicted. Why? Because we receive the testimony of men. The Old Testament likewise set forth that on the evidence of two witnesses or three witnesses a charge shall be established. Deuteronomy 19.15 we accept, we receive the testimony of men. Now by the way what is true in the long course is also true when it comes to literary witnesses. For example I was recently discussing with one of my sons the campaigns of Julius Caesar in his conquest of Gaul. Surely you have conversations about the Gallic campaigns of Caesar at your dinner table. You should, otherwise. And during that conversation, it came up that, do we realize that our only access to that historical event, the only way we know that Caesar actually went there, he actually said, vini, vidi, vici. All my Latin scholars are saying, I came, I saw, I conquered. It's because of his own writing. Our whole access to those, to the battle of Elysia is Caesar's commentaries, which he wrote. Actually, everybody admits they were propaganda pieces. He's got political things going on in Rome. And so he's celebrating and he's trumpeting his achievements. And this is how we know. And yet no one, to my knowledge, no historian says, you know, he probably never went to Gaul. Maybe there wasn't even a Julius Caesar. How do we know whether he said vini, vini, vici? No, no, we accept his testimony, even though everybody admits it's probably largely, at least somewhat, propaganda. Moreover, if you say, how do we know that he actually wrote it? How do we know he did it? Well, because he wrote it. How do we know he wrote it? Well, because we have manuscripts. Okay, what is the oldest manuscript evidence for the Gallic campaigns, the Caesar's Gallic Wars? It is two late ninth century AD manuscripts in Latin that are our oldest effort at record. Now that's a thousand year gap. between the actual conquest of Gaul, 58 to 52 BC, and the manuscript evidence, and yet, here's the point, even on that slim literary basis, what John says is true. We receive the testimony of men. Do a Google search on the Gallic Wars, you will not find any articles that say it probably never happened. Who knows if there even was a Julius Caesar? We receive the testimony of man. Here's where, John, even when it comes to the literary sources, the testimony of God is greater. First of all, he says, he says we have God's public witness to his son. Now back in verse six, John had worked out the public witness, the external witness is the water, the blood and the spirit. Now remember that was the way that God proclaimed, this is my son in whom I'm well pleased. at the water where Jesus was baptized, the beginning of His ministry. And then the blood is His death on the cross. So many prophecies showing He's the Son of God were fulfilled. The water, the blood, and the Spirit, primarily the written record, both Old Testament looking forward and New Testament looking back, God has made attestation towards his son. He has borne testimony that Jesus is the Son of God. Now let me just say, in contrast to Caesar's commentaries, the New Testament record of Jesus has many eyewitnesses, a great variety of people. It's not just one, not just the person whose events are being celebrated. It's as many eyewitnesses that you can compare Regarding the facts of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, it is attested by a wealth of manuscript evidence, the like of which is found for no ancient document. I'll share with you a pet peeve of mine. As you'll see in secular sources, they'll say, well, we can't trust the Bible. We need objective sources. I want to go, by any standard, there is no objective source on anything that compares to the New Testament record of Jesus Christ. The very nature, the eyewitnesses, the breadth of it, the manuscript evidence, there is nothing, no event, no document of the ancient world has anything like the quality and the quantity of the attestation. If we're going to believe that Julius Caesar conquered Gaul, here's John's argument, that by any standard of reason, we must believe that Jesus is the son of God. God has given a better testimony than any other ancient source. We must receive the biblical testimony that Jesus Christ is God's son. But moreover, John argues, no doubt, that God's testimony is greater because it is given by God. God is the one who makes it. He is omniscient in knowledge. His understanding is perfect. He is holy. And so he's entirely trustworthy. He is the God of truth. If anybody's witness is valid, the witness of God is valid. Moreover, dare I say, there is no one better qualified to identify God the Son than God the Father. It is the Father who knows the Son. And so John insists, if we receive the testimony of men, which we do, the testimony of God is greater, for this is a testimony of God, that he is born concerning his Son. 1 John 5, 9. Well, since God is the greatest of all witnesses, and since God has spoken in his scriptures, we see how important it is that Christians ascribe divine authority to the Bible. We must ourselves receive the scriptures as the word of God, bearing God's authority. We must treat it that way. We must publish it that way. Whether we're reading the Bible for ourselves or we're proclaiming it to others, we should always begin with the ancient words of the prophets, thus saith the Lord. There's not a single prophet who says, you know, I couldn't sleep last night. So I had some ideas. No, every one of them says, the Lord came to me. The Lord has spoken to me. It is God who speaks and it's his authority that we present in the Bible. Let me say, especially when the word is preached in the church, and you may know, this is not popular today. virile authoritative preaching is out. It's a much more oblique style that is in vogue. But what's the problem? We are losing the... even when the doctrines are true, we're losing the authority of scriptures. It needs to be set forth not as a source of interesting opinions, much less of speculations. The word should be preached as the voice of God bearing testimony to his gospel. Listen to Martyn Lloyd-Jones. He says, the Christian faith is not what I think or what anyone else thinks. It is what is plainly taught in the scriptures. The moment people begin to stand in judgment on it and say, this is not true. I accept this, but I don't accept that. What have they done but substituted their authority and what they think for the teaching of the Bible and the authority of God. Now, moreover, since God speaks with authority in the Bible when we're preaching and when we're witnessing, it's the Bible itself. You see, biblical preaching, I like to describe expository preaching as a display of that which is there. It's the lifting up of the text itself to be seen and understand. Very commonly today, a sermon will be a Bible verse and then it's completely about something else. You see rightly my duty is not to give my thoughts, it's for me faithfully and hopefully helpfully to present the message the Holy Spirit has given in the text of the scriptures and when we're witnessing to people. One valuable thing in witnessing is to use the Bible itself, use the words of scripture. Not that we can talk in our own language, but it is the word of God that has the authority of God and the power of God that holds the conscience captive before the authority of God himself. Let us set forth the word. Now when we do that, those who hear, they're not responding to the preacher. not responding to the witnessing Christian. They find themselves where they need to be, standing before God. I well remember my first sermon I heard as a new Christian. I was converted at age 30 on a Sunday night. I knew I was converted because he told me, he explained what it meant to be born again. I was born again. I surrendered my life to Jesus. I believed in his blood. I was pretty excited to go to church next Sunday. Dressed very nicely, got a new big whopping Bible, King James, had a Bible cover with a cross on it. You can tell it was the early 90s, 1990. and I got at the Christian bookstore and I go to church and he's doing an expository series. He's doing it on the book of Romans. Why? I'm starting in Romans 9. If you don't know Romans 9, the first sermon that I hear as a believer is not on predestination. Oh no, he just passed that. It's on reprobation. And my humanism is just being assaulted on all levels. But he had this very pesky habit of saying these words. I hope you hear me say these words. Look at the text. And he was preaching the text of God's word. And my quarrel was not with him. I was facing the authority of God. This is what God has said. And that changed the dynamic. It's not the, it wasn't the eloquence of the preacher. It wasn't the passion of the witness. No, it's God. I was standing before. That's what we want to do. We want to bring people before the word of God. Now listen to what John says, then verse 10, whoever does not believe God then has made him a liar because he has not believed in the testimony that God has born concerning his son. You see, it's not only a blasphemous thing to quarrel with God's testimony towards his son, it is an act of enormous arrogance and presumption. On what basis will we say we know better who is and is not God's son than God the Father knows? Or how will we have a more valid opinion than that of the all-knowing sovereign God? You see, for this reason, Joel Beakey makes this comment. He says, unbelief is not a misfortune to be pitied. It is a sin to be deplored. Nothing could be more offensive to God than to refuse his witness to his son, nor could any other sin merit greater judgment. David Jackman writes, there is ample evidence for faith. Mankind's problem is not ignorance, so much as rebellion. Not that we cannot believe, but rather that we will not believe. I'm going to point out in just a few minutes that the Bible says we cannot believe, but the point is the way that we cannot believe, it's not that we lack the faculties, it is in the will. It's that we cannot be willing, we cannot be humble enough, we cannot submit ourselves to God's word because of the rebellion of our sin. Now on the other hand, this also says that when Christians receive God's testimony, His external witness, His objective witness to His Son, when we receive that from the Scripture, Well, we can be utterly confident in committing our souls to the Lord Jesus Christ. We are relying on the greatest of all witnesses in God's word. If we bank on anything in our lives, if we accept any counsel, if we act with confidence on anything, this above all we should be confident in. It is a testimony of God to his son. And so when doubts assail us, when worldly pressure makes us perhaps question our faith, what we need to do is return to the sacred book. We need to hear and see again that objective, trustworthy testimony of which God, of which John declares in verse nine, this is the testimony of God that he has born concerning his son. Well, the objective witness, the external witness of God's Word is sufficient to compel our faith in Jesus. In fact, on the basis of the objective message of the Bible, we are under a moral obligation to believe. But John adds a second reason to believe, and he names the internal and subjective witness that God gives. Verse 10, whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Now this refers to the supernatural witness of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of believers, confirming that they were right to believe that Jesus is God's Son. They were right to trust Him as the Savior of their souls. And so as John sees it, if someone says to you, explain to me the reasons you believe. Why are you a Christian? John says there's two great reasons. Because of the Word of God, there is no greater attestation. There's no greater book, there's no greater witness than that of God himself. God has objectively, publicly made testimony to his son. I am obliged to believe it. Oh, and I also have the internal witness of the Holy Spirit. Beaky writes, I am a Christian because what the Bible tells me is true, but also because the Holy Spirit has opened my eyes to see Jesus as a son of God, to believe it, love it, and build my life upon it. The external witness and the internal witness. Now, this internal witness of the Holy Spirit was greatly emphasized in the writings of the apostles. This is not some minor speculative theory. No, the apostles often spoke about the witness of the Spirit to our souls. Paul wrote that while the object of witness compels us to believe, we are not able to do so until the Holy Spirit has witnessed within us. Why? Because we are spiritually dead before we're born again. Listen to 1 Corinthians 2.14. He says, the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God because they are folly to him. Now we experience this, you witness the gospel to someone, they don't wanna hear it, it's not what they're interested in, it's folly to them. But he goes on and he says, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2.14, here is the need for the internal witness. Because apart from the Holy Spirit and his regenerating work and then that internal witness, We are spiritually dead, we cannot believe. But then Paul says of believers, these things God has revealed to us through his spirit. Through the spirit, 1 Corinthians 2.10, God has revealed Jesus to us. Now let me say that what is true of our faith in Jesus as God's Son is also true of our entire belief that the Bible is God's Word. The Westminster Confession of Faith very helpfully notes that there's a lot of really excellent, objective reasons why we should believe the Bible is God's Word. Let me mention some of its sites. The testimony of the church, the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the full discovery it makes of the only way of man's salvation. I might add to that the way that the prophecies are fulfilled. It's an objective proof of the Bible that that couldn't be possible unless God sovereignly wrote it, the unity of the Bible. There's all kinds of excellent reasons, objective reasons why we should believe the Bible is God's Word. But then the confession helpfully and insightfully says, Our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority of the Bible is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts. It's by the Word that the Spirit reveals to us that it's God's Word. It's through the Word, it's by its own teaching, but then the internal witness of the Spirit that as Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice and they know me. We know we receive it as the Word of God through the witness of the Holy Spirit. Now, for this reason, while it is worthwhile, I think, and we should be doing the kind of apologetics that defends the Bible. We need to counter the arguments of unbelievers. We need to set forth the objective defenses of the Bible. Nonetheless, our best strategy is always to read it. to read it and then to have them read it for themselves. The greatest thing we always want is for them to take a Bible and read it. We should always be saying, well, why don't you take a Bible? Here, I've got one for you. And why don't you read it and ask God to reveal himself to your heart? I think of the witty words of Charles Spurgeon. It was so true. And he was talking about defending the Bible, and Spurgeon defended the Bible, but he compares the Bible to a lion. And he says, I do not defend the lion. No, sir. I open its cage. I let it out. Now, we defend the Bible. Well, let's open the cage. Oh, the Holy Spirit can defend the truth of God's Word. Let's get it out. Well, let's notice a couple of things here. That the internal and subjective witness of God to His Son relies on and follows the external objective witness to the Son. It is the external, the objective, the biblical testimony that is believed, and then that is confirmed by the internal witness of the Holy Spirit. Now, countless heretics, undoubtedly the very false teachers John was dealing with, but it goes on all the time today. It is the claim of the heretics, of the cults, to say, I have a special revelation from God. The Spirit has given me a revelation. And what should you say when someone comes to you with that? Well, you should say chapter and verse, please. You do not have a revelation from God. John said in chapter four, test the spirits to see whether they're from God. And my friends, the mere fact that it has the label of a Christian publishing company on the edge does not mean you don't need to test the spirits. One of the most dangerous places in America today is the Christian bookstore. I love Christian bookstores, but as a rule, they have no doctrinal discernment. They got to make money. If it says it's Christian, they sell it. And some of the worst, most antichrist teachings are taught, are sold by evangelical ish book of booksellers. No, no, chapter and verse. If it is the Holy Spirit, we'll be able to confirm it by the objective teaching of the written Word of God. Let me put it this way. The internal witness of the Spirit always confirms the external witness that is found in the Bible. The subjective confirms the objective. The internal witness does not concoct new doctrines that are alien to the Bible. Now likewise, the objective witness of scripture confirms whether or not our spiritual impressions are true. It actually works both ways. We have the external objective witness. We are compelled to believe. You have a duty to believe it. But then that's confirmed by the inward witness of the spirit. But then we know that that was the inward witness of the spirit because that is what was taught in the external witness of the word. Well, what a blessed thing it is, nonetheless, that we would have the internal witness of the Holy Spirit. John says in verse 10, whoever believes in the Son has the testimony in himself. Notice again, we believe the external word, and then comes the Spirit's blessing of the internal confirmation. David Jackman writes, it is not our subjective experience that saves us, but our believing in Him, which then is confirmed and deepened by the inner witness of the Spirit. And what a wonderful thing it is as we experience that, as we become more and more persuaded, supernaturally even, as we walk in faith with Jesus. Beaky says this, the person who believes God's witness of His Son experiences more and more how true that witness is. Christ exceeds our greatest expectations. He offers and delivers more than we could have expected as we grow in understanding, as we experience repentance, faith, justification, sanctification, adoption, perseverance, assurance. The believer finds Christ so altogether lovely that he can only respond, Christ is even better than what can be put into words. My conscience witnesses that he is mine and I am his. Indeed, it is this growing influence of the inward witness of the Holy Spirit that makes us truly effective witnesses ourselves. Our primary witness is to the written Word of God. Let's be using the language of Scripture. The objective, the external testimony forms the backbone of our witness, and yet as the Spirit's working in our lives. As it's becoming more, if it's more of a joy to us, as a transforming loveliness of Christ is magnified in our lives, that external witness becomes, that objective witness becomes subjectively compelling. Jesus said, the Spirit will bear witness about me and you also will bear witness. John 15, 26 and 27. Well, as John is moving towards the end of his letter and you see, we're almost through. It's kind of a sad thing to me. We're almost done with first John. He is determined that he will bear effective witness that Jesus is God's son. And he set forth the external witness, which is greater than the testimony of men. And he notes as well, the internal witness in the hearts of those who believe. But he concludes this passage by pointing out that this question about Jesus. is not a mere academic matter. It concerns nothing less, my friends, it concerns for you nothing less than the matter of eternal life. And this is the testimony, verse 11, that God has given us eternal life and this life is in his Son. Now John reminds us that the reason God sent his Son into the world and then the reason why God has borne this testimony to his Son is that he might grant to us as a free and unmerited gift given to sinners. He might grant to us eternal life. You see, this is why we should receive his testimony. The purpose of God is that we would have eternal life through the word. Eternal life is the life of God in the soul. We live biologically, but we're dead spiritually. But you see, eternal life, it starts now, it lasts forever, but we become spiritually alive. We know God, we know his truth. We have the light of God in our hearts. Jesus put it in John 17 three, now this is eternal life, that they would know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I think one of the best descriptions of eternal life was said of the Puritan Richard Sibbes. Isaac Walden wrote of Richard Sibbes, of this blessed man, let this praise be given. Heaven was in him before he was in heaven. Eternal life is to know that you are loved with an everlasting love, to know that you are now a child of God. You have been made an heir of the eternal glory that is to come. How we should honor and esteem the testimony of God to his son when it was offered to grant to us eternal life. Well, John continues in verse 11, and this life is in his son. You see, we should believe God's testimony concerning Jesus because it is through faith in Him that we receive this eternal life. And yet what John is saying is actually far more. What he's really saying is we should esteem Jesus and glorify Him as the Son of God, as the heaven-sent Savior. Because life is in him. Just because of who he is. Because of what he is. Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. The life is in him. I am, he said, the bread of life which came down from heaven that a man might eat of it and might live. Jesus said what no one else could say. He said, I am the way, the truth, the life. John 14, six, he is the possessor of true life in himself. He is the eternal son. He said, as the father has life in himself, so he has granted the son also to have life in himself. John 5, 26. And so we honor Jesus with our faith, not only for what we gain, but simply for who he is, for what he is. He is the life. And it of course follows verse 12 that whoever has the son has life. And Jesus promised that those who receive him in faith will have eternal life. He said, I'm the resurrection of the life, but he says in me, you will be raised. You will have the resurrection for this is the will of my father, John six 40, that everyone who looks on the sun and believes in him should have eternal life. What does that mean? I will raise him up on the last day. It's found in the sun through faith in him. We partake of his resurrection. The grave will be conquered in our resurrection. What a thing it is to have eternal life in Jesus. But it's not just the future. It's the present. It's also the life that is satisfaction through the sun. And he said in John 6 35, whoever comes to me shall not hunger. Whoever believes in me shall never thirst. We have the resurrection. We have spiritual satisfaction in the sun. Moreover, the result of eternal life, both now and forever is communion with God. The very fellowship with God. John began this letter writing about, he says, we proclaim to you the eternal life. What is that? that you may have fellowship with us. Our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. 1 John 1, 2-3. Well, let me ask you, do you know what it means to have eternal life? That's the question. Is the life of God in your soul? I know there's other things in your soul, but is the life of God in your soul? Do you know the power of the Holy Spirit to believe and to exalt in Him and then to have the benefits of it, peace? The peace with God, the peace from God that transcends understanding, an ability to anticipate the grave without terror to say, like Job, I know who my redeemer is. And in the end, he will stand upon the earth and in my flesh, I will see God. Are you able to say that? What about a power in the presence of trial and anxiety and fear and difficulty, all the things we face? Oh, do you know eternal life, the presence of Christ, the bread of life in your soul? Well, to know Christ as the Son and Savior is to receive this gift that God gave. It is in Christ, it's through faith in Him that you receive and experience eternal life. Jesus said, I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly. Ian Hamilton writes how true this is. The life every human heart aches for is found in union with the son of God, Jesus Christ. Oh, believe in the Lord Jesus and you'll be saved. Eternal life is in him. For those who believe, believe in him. Now, to this saying that life is in the Son, it has to be added, look at verse 12 again, that it is found only in the Son. John concludes, whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. And so those who refuse to believe in Jesus, they do not have Him as Savior. Therefore, they do not have access to the eternal life that only He gives. How could you have life apart from Jesus when God has sent His Son and Him alone to bear His gift of life? What an affront you give to God if you hear but refuse His testimony to His Son. That is an offense that can only bring the wrath of God unless you repent and believe. How great will be the fury of God on those who suffer eternal punishment for their sins because they rejected the Son. Indeed, how bitter will be that never-ending experience of death for those who know then what they refuse to acknowledge now. that the God they did not want, the God they were determined to shake their fist at, they would not accept his testimony. It's greater than the testimony of men. By any standard, we must accept it. It's accompanied by the Holy Spirit, but they would not accept it. And in hell, they are made more and more aware that he was a God of grace. And the very one they rejected, maybe the one that you're rejecting, is a God who sent his son that he might give life to you through him. Ah, but you object. I have led a good life. I do not need Jesus. Oh, really? Well, God will answer, what have you done with my son? What, how have you responded to the gift of my son? How can you stand before God claiming that he must accept you when you have rejected and despise and unbelief his son? I'll tell you what God will do when you don't have the sun. You don't have the blood of his cross. He will give you his law. And they'll say, okay, let's talk about that good life and the law you have violated, the self-will, the self-glory, despising my glory, the lying, the lusting, the hating. No, no, no, no, no. Do not stand before God and say, I do not need the son. No, he smashes every claim to righteousness apart from the gift of grace in Jesus. John Calvin summarizes, Christ alone is he who reconciles the Father to us. He has once for all pacified the wrath of God through the sacrifice of his Christ. It hence follows that God is propitious, that means favorable, to none but in Christ, nor is there any righteousness but in Him. Well, we began this morning with the story of Zao and Kirsten Huang. They discovered Jesus through the testimony of God's word. You know, they hadn't been looking for God. In fact, they've lived their whole lives, were trying to keep God out of their lives, but God had been looking for them. I wonder if God is seeking after you. You know the way to find out? Take up his word and read it. Take up his testimony to his son, his witness to Jesus, that witness given at his baptism, confirmed in his death on the cross, shed abroad by the written witness of the Holy Spirit. Is God seeking you for salvation? You can find out by reading his word. You can know that he has saved you by believing in his son. And then when that's true, surely this whole message says, let's be devoted to God's word. Let's be devoted to our Bibles. People say, oh, you are Bible worshipers. No, we are worshipers of the God of the Bible. But His Word is found there. It is the message of eternal life. Are we reminded by John's whole logic that we need to be reading our Bibles? Why would we be turning to something else? There's other things to read, but let's not neglect this testimony of God that gives life. Let's ensure that our churches faithfully preach and teach this Word. When God has placed people in our lives, let's do everything we can, praying for God's help, that we will be the ones who tell them the testimony of God to his son. Countless sinners have received the gospel message of Jesus because God has given it through his word. They were living in death, the death of sin and of the ignorance of God, the living death of life without God's Son. But the Word of God fell on their hearts like rain, this is the Bible metaphor, like rain falling on barren ground. And because of the power of God and the Word of God, the life of God is born in the hearts of men and women. How fervently we should echo the words of John Wesley when he realized the power of God's testimony in the scriptures. He said, Oh, give me that book at any price. Give me the book of God. and then let us glory above all other things in the witness God himself has given to Jesus. Let's receive it in joyful, humble faith. John says, God gave us eternal life and this life is in his son. Whoever has the son has life. Amen. Father, we thank you for this. teaching from your apostle. It's your teaching. It's your witness through the Holy Spirit using your human servant. Oh father would you now through that same spirit open our eyes to see to believe. Let those who have not believed in Jesus believe now. For your life is in him. Oh, with what grace you have sent your son. Oh, that we might believe in him. And then might we be the servants, the witnesses, so that others would know. They would believe and they would be saved. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.