In Jason Dohm's sermon titled 'You Follow Me,' the speaker delves into the final chapter of the Gospel of John, focusing on Jesus' interaction with Peter and John. The sermon emphasizes Jesus' directive to Peter to 'follow me,' both literally and metaphorically, as a call to discipleship that involves self-denial and sacrificial love for others. The relationship between Peter and John is explored, highlighting their close friendship and how it underpins Peter's inquiry about John's future. Jesus' response underscores that the futures of His disciples are His concern alone, and believers should focus on their own duty to follow Him. The sermon also warns against misusing and miscommunicating Jesus' words, as illustrated by the misunderstanding of Jesus' statement about John's fate. The speaker stresses the importance of handling scripture with care and reverence, urging believers to avoid idle curiosity about unrevealed matters and to concentrate on the revealed truths in scripture. Ultimately, the sermon calls for a heartfelt response to the eyewitness testimony of Jesus' life and works, encouraging both belief and action based on the Gospel's message.

Well it is hard to believe that we are in the last section of John. We'll be starting in verse 15. The sermon text will be from verses 20 to 25 but for context we'll be starting 15. So when they had eaten breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon son of Jonah do you love me more than these? He said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you.

He said to him, feed my lambs. He said to him again a second time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? He said to him, yes Lord, you know that I love you. He said to him, tend my sheep. He said to him the third time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?

Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, do you love me? And he said to him, Lord, you know all things, You know that I love you. Jesus said to him, feed my sheep. Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished. But When you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.

This he spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he said to him, Follow me. Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following who also had leaned on his breast at the supper and said, Lord who is the one who portrays you? Peter seeing him said to Jesus, but Lord, what about this man? Jesus said to him if I will that he remained till I come what is that to you you follow me Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die.

Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, if I will, that he remain till I come, what is that to you? This is the disciple who testifies to these things and wrote these things. And we know that his testimony is true and there are also many other things that Jesus did which if they were written one by one I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written amen let's pray be written. Amen. Let's pray.

Holy, gracious, and mighty Father, we, Lord God, we do thank you for this time that you've given our little body, Father, to go through this book of John, to read the declarations of Christ about Himself, who He is, His divinity, to read of the miracles, to read of the commands to us to follow him To love him and to keep his commandments and so many other things His crucifixion his resurrection from the dead Or God even as we as we leave this book and pray, Lord God, that the teachings of it will continue to be on our hearts, I pray, Lord God, as we go through this section that those in this room, Father, that aren't saved, oh Lord God, that you would save them today. Give those that know you ears to hear your word father help us to hear it may the Holy Spirit convict our hearts of the sin that's still continues to be our life I give us repentance from it. And those that don't know you, Father, open their eyes. Let them see. Let them see your truth, Father.

May they turn away. Turn away from their sin and turn to you the one true living God. Give Mr. Dome wisdom as he preaches. Give him grace.

It's your son's name we pray. Amen. The title of the sermon today is, You Follow Me. The title is the central thrust of Jesus' final exhortation in the Gospel of John. You follow me.

Our first sermon, the introduction to John, was on July 16th, 2017. It was about two and a half years ago, about 110 sermons ago, give or take. So if you've been here during the course of that time, you've made a big investment in the Gospel of John. But I'll say this, we can never spend too much time studying the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. What a privilege it is to week by week just look at Him and how He acts, what he says, how he preaches, his compassion, his mighty works, what a privilege it is.

In last week's text, Jesus addressed Peter. Peter had denied the Lord three times, and So now Jesus asks Peter the same question three times. Peter, do you love me? And Peter says that he does. And so Jesus tells Peter to demonstrate his love.

He doesn't want a big talking love, kind of a boastful verbal love. He actually wants a love that works its way out in life, a genuine love. So he asks Peter to feed his lambs, to tend his sheep, to feed his sheep. In other words, if you really love me, show it by loving my people sacrificially. That's how God wants us to demonstrate the love that we have in our hearts for Him is to sacrifice for His people, to love His people like He loves His people.

As we come to our final text in John, let's pray. God, I want to offer today a prayer of thanksgiving. Thank you for bringing us to this glorious gospel of your glorious Son. Good news, because Jesus laid beside his rightful place of eternal glory in heaven to humble himself and allow himself to be humiliated and to die the death of a criminal so that sinners like me could go free, could stand before you with confidence, as if my life had been Jesus' life. Thank you God for the glory of the good news that we have before us in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.

These studies of the person of your son and the work of your son. We are so grateful. We pray to you in his name. Amen. Let's begin.

Hopefully your finger is still in John chapter 21. Let's begin by looking at verses 20 through 22 together. Follow along as I read. John 21, 20 through 22. Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on his breast at the supper and said, Lord, who is the one who betrays you?

Peter seeing him said to Jesus, But Lord, what about this man? Jesus said to him, If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow me. In these verses, Peter tries to mind Jesus' business. So if you're taking notes by filling in blanks on the handout, mind and business fills in the blank.

Peter tries to mind Jesus' business. Essentially, Jesus is saying here, none of your business. My disciple, my business. D.A. Carson calls Jesus' response, Tart.

I'm not sure if Tart is exactly the right word for Jesus' response, but it is certainly an abrupt one. It is an abbreviated response. And clearly a rebuke, though a somewhat general rebuke. The exact sequence here is hard to discern. Jesus has just said, follow me.

Look at the end of verse 19, which was the last verse from last week. Those are the last words that Jesus spoke in last week's text. Follow me. It is difficult to know whether that was meant in a literal sense. Peter, walk with me.

That makes sense, actually. The literal sense makes sense. Or whether it was meant in the figurative sense. Follow me as a disciple of mine your lifelong including into a martyr's death. That makes sense.

Both the literal and the figurative make sense in the context. Knowing that it is Jesus who is speaking, it is very possible that it is a double meaning that you or I couldn't pull off, but that Jesus can. In any event, now Jesus and Peter are at a distance from the rest who had enjoyed breakfast together and John is following. Peter turns and sees John and Peter asks Jesus, but Lord what about this man? What is Peter asking?

Jesus just told Peter about his future. He called him to shepherd his people, to feed and tend his people, but He also told him that when he was old he would stretch out his hands, surely speaking of crucifixion. I think a person in Jesus' day would have instantly recognized that as crucifixion language. He would spread out his hands and be taken where he did not wish to go. He would die a martyr's death.

So Jesus has just told Peter about his future. Now Peter is asking about John's future. You told me about my future, What about this man's future? Now, I think it gives us insight to observe how John identifies himself at this place. Look at the text.

How does John identify himself at this place in the Gospel that he is writing. Yes, as the disciple whom Jesus loved. But John adds to it here. Look at the second half of verse 20. This is John the Gospel writer writing about himself, who also had leaned on the breast at the supper and said, Lord, who is the one who betrays you?" He does identify himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved, but he adds this about something that had happened earlier and that he recorded in his Gospel earlier.

Why would John do that? John has referred to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved in chapter 20, the last chapter. And again, earlier in chapter 21, he has already said he is the disciple whom Jesus loved, but without any of this added material. So why does he do it here? He is referring to John 13.

So let's go look at John 13. John 13 and what he alludes to here as he identifies himself. John 13, I'll be reading verses 21 through 25. When Jesus had said these things, he was troubled in spirit and testified and said, Most assuredly I say to you, one of you will betray me. This is the Last Supper and Jesus says, someone is going to betray me.

Then the disciples looked at one another perplexed about whom he spoke. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom he spoke. Then leaning back on Jesus' breast he said to him, Lord who is it? Jesus is hosting the Last Supper.

He tells his disciples that one will betray him. They're puzzled. They don't know who he's speaking about. John's in a position where he can ask, but Peter's not, but Peter's the one forward enough to actually push for an answer to this question. So since John's in position, John's actually leaning back on Jesus as they recline at this supper, Peter, ask him to John.

Now, what comes through when you read this text? Peter has a close relationship with John. It is a special relationship. It's one such that if he's in position to ask the question, you could say to him, ask him. And John has a close special relationship with Jesus.

Now all of that matters in today's text. It throws light on the text that Peter and John have a close, special relationship. When you look across the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you see a Peter and a John who are essentially inseparable. They're together almost everywhere in the gospels. In Acts chapter 3, who is going to the temple to pray?

Peter and John went to pray. It's Peter and John. And that's just indicative of what you find across the Gospel. These are two men who are not genealogically brothers, but they're brothers. They're inseparable in the Gospels.

They have a close, special relationship. And John has a close, special relationship with Jesus. So it throws light on Peter asking about John's future that these men have not an ordinary relationship. They have a deep friendship and it throws light on later in our text, verse 24, that John and Jesus have a close special relationship because John is going to call you to rely on his testimony, his true testimony. I'm no average Joe when it comes to the testimony I have about Jesus.

I'm the one who leans back on him at the supper. Peter's question could represent inappropriate curiosity. Jesus' response sort of makes it sound like that. Or it could represent concern for a close special friend. What about this man's future?

What about my close special friend's future? You can tell me about my future but I also am concerned about this man who I love. What about his future? My guess is it is a mixture of both. But most of our motivations aren't 100% one thing.

We often have mixed motivations. My guess is it's part inappropriate curiosity and part concern for a man who he's really close to. In any event, Jesus lets Peter know in no uncertain terms that John's future is in his hands, it's in Jesus' hands. It's in my hands is what Jesus is saying. And he isn't about to explain himself.

That is my disciple. His future is my business. It is for me to know and control. By the way, think of all that's wrapped up in Jesus making the claim that John's future is in his hands just as Peter is. It's one of a long, long string of claims to being God in the Gospel of John.

Here's just another one. Consider Deuteronomy 29 verse 29. This is a verse we should all really know. Deuteronomy 29 verse 29, the secret things belong to the Lord our God. But those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." There are secret things.

Who do they belong to? Not us, God. What belongs to us? Revealed things. God has actually given us a big fat book.

Maybe we're starting a new year, maybe you started a read the Bible in a year plan. You're going to have your hands full. It's no small thing to read the Bible through in a year. It's a big book and if you read it with any care at all, it'll take you a year of attention because it's a dense book. These are revealed things.

They belong to me, they belong to my children and their children forever. Why? Why did God give us the revealed things? So we can follow Him, so we can obey him. The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." And in our text we hear the reverberations, you follow me.

You have all these revealed things so that you can follow me, so that you can do the words of this law. In Matthew chapter 8 verse 22, Jesus says to a disciple who wanted to go bury his father, follow me and let the dead bury their own dead." Now think about that. A man who is a disciple of Jesus, as I read that text it doesn't sound like one of the twelve to me But the word disciple in the New Testament is often used more broadly than just the twelve It's someone who's been following Jesus his father dies He wants to go bury his father and Jesus says no you follow me. Let the dead bury their own dead. Let the spiritually dead bury your physically dead father.

We're in a time in redemptive history where it's more important that you follow me now than you go bury your father. In Matthew 16 verse 24, Jesus says, If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. If you want to come after me, if you want to be a disciple of mine, deny yourself. You have inclinations and desires, set them aside and die to yourself and follow me. That's what taking up the cross is.

Taking up the cross is not kind of slogging it through tough relationships. Taking up your cross is dying to yourself. The cross is an instrument of death. It's not just gritting your teeth through whatever difficult circumstances God happens to have brought in your life. That could be a small part of taking up your cross.

The cross is an instrument of death. It is dying to self. It is denying self. Don't, I said this last week, I say it again this week, do not dumb down discipleship to just, I subscribe to a few facts that you can find in the New Testament and that is it. Jesus has nothing to do with that.

He says, follow me. Don't bury your dead dad, follow me. Deny yourself, take up your cross, follow me. That's what Jesus has said to Peter. You die to self when you follow Jesus.

If you have any concept of following Jesus that does not have at its center dying to self, you differ from the Master. The Master thinks following Him is something completely different than you think it is. Listen to what Matthew Henry says, It is the will of Christ that His disciples should mind their own present duty, and not be curious in their inquiries about future events concerning either themselves or others. Now listen to this, this is the punch line. If we will closely attend to the duty of following Christ, we shall find neither heart nor time to meddle with that which does not belong to us.

Amen. If We give ourselves wholeheartedly to following Jesus, to giving ourselves to the revealed things. We won't have heart or time to meddle in stuff that's not our business. Peter, it's not your business. John's future is my business.

He is my disciple. Moving on to verse 23. Back in John 21, follow along as I read 23. Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die.

But if I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? In this verse we have a misuse of Jesus' words. If you're taking notes on the handout by filling in the blank, misuse fills in the blank. A misuse of Jesus' words. What exactly did Jesus say?

If I will that he John remain till I come, what is that to you? What happened to those words? Some brethren dropped if and the end and it became in circulation, meaning not just in one man's mind, one person's mind, but this began to be circulated among Christians, among the brethren, Jesus said that it was his will that John won't die until he returns. Jesus said that. It was his will.

John's not going to die until he returns. What did Jesus really mean? John's future is my business, not your business. And the point is actually that Jesus is unwilling to share John's future. Ironic.

The whole point of what Jesus says is I'm not telling you what this man's future is but it got out that He said what his future is going to be. He's not dying until I come back. It's exactly the opposite. It's not only not what Jesus said, it's totally opposite the point of what Jesus said. Someone in the chain was careless with Jesus' words.

Someone along the way in the chain of communication, you've all played telephone, you sit around in a circle and one person whispers into another ear, who whispers into another ear, who whispers into another ear, who whispers into another ear, and ten people later the last person in the line says what they heard and it's nothing like the first person. So somebody in the chain of communication was careless with Jesus' words. Turn to Isaiah 66. This is the last chapter of Isaiah. We hear directly from God in the last chapter of Isaiah.

Isaiah 66. I'll be reading verses 1 and 2. Thus says the LORD, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool. Where is the house that you will build me? And where is the place of my rest?

For all those things my hand has made, and all those things exist, says the Lord. But on this one will I look, on him who is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at my word." What is God saying? Don't worry about building me a house. I don't need a house. If you built me a house, you would actually build it out of all stuff that I made.

You wouldn't have added anything to me. You wouldn't have added comfort to me. You wouldn't have given me anything that I didn't already have or didn't already make with my own hands. Be humble, tremble at my word. Don't concentrate on favors you think you can do me, which are no favors to me at all.

Humble yourselves and tremble at my word. What does John write? John writes exactly what Jesus said. John combats this false view writing decades later with an accurate quotation of what Jesus actually said. Listen to how Paul says it in 2 Timothy 2, verse 15.

2 Timothy 2, verse 15. Paul writes to Timothy, this young man, his spiritual son who is pastoring, he says this to him, be diligent to present yourself approved to God, A worker who does not need to be ashamed rightly dividing the Word of Truth. Be diligent Timothy. Work carefully and hard Timothy to present yourself approved to God, that God will look upon what you are doing among His people and approve of it a worker who does not need to be ashamed. Do your work in such a careful, diligent way that when God evaluates it, you won't have to be ashamed of what you've done.

Rightly dividing the words, the word of truth. Let's think this through. Say you live then. You're not an unbeliever, you're a believer. You're part of the brethren.

This is what John says. This saying went out among the brethren, not among the unbelievers, but the brethren are circulating this. You've You've heard and believed this. John gets older. And older.

And older. And you've been told Jesus said I will, it is my will that this man will stay alive till I return. What are you thinking? As John gets older and older and older, Any day now, any day now, he's in his seventies, he's in his eighties. We don't know how old John was when he died.

Then John dies. What are you thinking? What are your brethren thinking? What are unbelievers saying? It matters how we handle God's Word.

We're in a different position than them in that we have a closed revelation, meaning don't expect to be adding books here behind revelation. It's done. We have what we're going to get in our Bibles. And we have it in writing, so we have advantages that they didn't have then. But we wouldn't receive today, we wouldn't receive a verbal tradition like this.

Like, you've got to show it to me in black and white or I'm not interested. You should have that attitude. And we should be so careful with the revelation that we have. Brothers and sisters, Brethren, don't circulate stuff that is a careless handling of the Word of God, or that's not in the Word of God at all. We should handle the Word of God with such care and with such reverence.

That's what Paul is calling Timothy to. Handle this revelation from heaven to man with such care. Don't let one word be out of place. Don't ever drop if from the start of a sentence in this book. Verses 24 and 25, back in John 21, verses 24 and 25.

This is the disciple who testifies of these things and wrote these things. And we know that his testimony is true. And There are also many other things that Jesus did which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen. These verses We have a final word from the Gospel writer.

Look back at chapter 20 verses 30 and 31. The last chapter we were in, John chapter 20 verses 30 and 31, and truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." There, John was talking about all the signs that Jesus did that didn't make it into his gospel. Here, John expands it beyond signs and says this in verse 24. In verse 25, there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written One by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

John sets himself forward not as a lone eye witness, but as one witness of a body of eyewitnesses, he says we know that his testimony is true. I want you to understand that John has done this since the very beginning of the Gospel. It is amazing to me the number of commentators who treat these last two verses as a postscript written by someone else because John says we here. John actually starts using we in John chapter 1 verse 14. Listen to John 1 verse 14.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. The Word, Jesus, came down from heaven, he became flesh and he dwelt among us, not dwelt in my presence but dwelt among us. John doesn't set himself as a lone witness, but as one among a body of eyewitnesses. Indirectly And in the third person, and as a member of a body of eyewitnesses, is exactly how John has referred to himself all along through the Gospel. Let's go a final time to the beginning of 1 John.

Turn to 1 John 1. We've been here a couple of times in the last month, we'll come here one more time. 1 John, not John's Gospel, but John's first letter. Here's how he begins his first letter. 1 John 1 verses 1 through 4.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled concerning the word of life, the life was manifested and we have seen and bear witness and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us. That which we have seen and heard we declare to you that you also may have fellowship with us. Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. We, we, We, we, we, we, we, we, we, we, we, all the way through 1 John 1 verses 1 through 4.

He is writing the letters, not a group effort to write this letter. But again, he's setting himself forward, not as a lone witness, but as one in a body of eyewitnesses who all saw the same thing at the same time and have the same testimony. We saw it with our own eyes. We heard it with our own ears, we handled Him with our own hands. Many eyewitnesses, one testimony of what they saw and heard and handled.

Friends, what more do you need in a gospel? Friends, what more do you even want in a gospel? As we've now in our church history been through Matthew and John over the last eight and a half years, I don't want any more in a gospel. I'm not sure, what could you add to it that you don't find in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Not only do I not need more, I'm not sure I would be able to do anything profitable with more.

I've got my hands full, don't you? I've got my hands full with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We have not one eyewitness who comes forward alone to bear testimony, but we have a body of eyewitnesses who, many eyewitnesses, won testimony. We all saw this, we agree. We all heard this, we agree.

We all handled this man, we agree. Oh, John could have given us more, so much more. Here's what Matthew Henry says. Matthew Henry won the quote war this week. I don't know why.

No rile to be quoted this week. He was great. Just Matthew Henry was more quotable. Matthew Henry says, He, Jesus, never spoke an idle word, nor did an idle thing. Have you ever thought about that?

The perfect man never spoke an idle word, or did an idle thing. He never spoke nor did anything little or trifling, which is more than can be said of the wisest or best of men. His miracles were many, very many, of many kinds, and the same, oft repeated, as occasion offered. Though one true miracle might perhaps suffice to prove a divine commission, yet the repetition of the miracles upon a great variety of persons in a great variety of cases and before a great variety of witnesses helped very much to prove them true miracles. Every new miracle rendered the report of the former the more credible, and the multitude of them renders the whole report incontestable.

Amen. The multitude of his miracles renders the whole report about what he said and what he did from this body of eye witnesses who saw it with their own eyes, heard it with their own ears, they handled this man, many witnesses, one testimony, it renders the whole report incontestable. What more do you need or want in a gospel? John, our gospel writer, lets us know again how incredibly selective he has been. If John had written out all that Jesus did one by one, he supposes that the whole world wouldn't be able to contain all the books.

Now Bible-loving believers take one of two views about this. One, This is literal because Jesus is God eternal. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were made through him.

Now go start writing books about that from eternity past. And you'd find that the world really literally couldn't contain all the books you could have written about God and all his doings through the eons of time, whatever they've been. Or that this is figurative, that it's hyperbole. What is hyperbole? It means tremendous exaggeration to make a point.

Tremendous exaggeration to the point that it couldn't possibly be true, so that you know that it's language being used to drive home a point. It really has to be tremendous exaggeration, or it's not hyperbole. The whole point of hyperbole is so that you know that it's exaggeration and not literal and that it's being used to drive home a point. I think it's hyperbole. It is easy to prove that God, including Jesus as God, uses hyperbole as a forceful, memorable way to communicate an important point.

I think that's what John is doing here. Here's an example of this. Matthew 11, 23, and you Capernaum who are exalted to heaven, Jesus said that, will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. Was Capernaum filled with unbelievers literally exalted to heaven?

No they were not. They had nothing to do with heaven, but Jesus is using tremendous exaggeration to drive home the point that they had been given privileges that no one else in the history of the world had been given. Jesus did so many of His miracles in their streets and yet they didn't believe. You take the other view of that, it doesn't bother me at all. It really is true.

You go back to the beginning and before the beginning, into eternity past and start writing down the things that Jesus has done as God from the beginning. This world wouldn't contain the book, so I'm fine with that. Finally, John ends his Gospel, one word. What word is it? Amen.

Literally means firm, faithful. So he writes this book about Jesus' life and he ends by saying, you can trust my testimony. It's eyewitness testimony, not lone eyewitness testimony, but I'm one witness in a body of eyewitnesses. We all saw it with our own eyes, heard it with our own ears. And then he says, firm, faithful.

So it is. That is the final word in all four gospels. Did you know that? I didn't know that before this week. I didn't consciously know it.

Amen. Assuming your translation isn't based on a new Greek text that is still changing, every Gospel ends with Amen. By the way, some people have translations that are based on a new Greek text that is still changing and you don't have Amen here. I'll just leave that there. Applications.

Let's leave that there. Applications 3. My job is to follow Jesus. If you've repented and believe the gospel, your job is to follow Jesus. There's all sorts of secret things I'm curious about.

They don't belong to me, they belong to God. There's a whole long, hard to read through book of revealed things that keeps me with my hands full. They've been given to me, to my children, my grandchildren that we might obey. We might follow Him. Friends, brethren, get focused on following Jesus.

Here's a word to young believers and new believers. Often they're the same thing, but not always. Young believers and new believers, do I have your attention? One of the weaknesses of being a young believer and a new believer is giving all sorts of attention to things that don't belong to you. Mysteries that are secret things.

You want to know about them. You want to know about things future. Get focused on following Jesus. Stop wasting your time wondering about things that God has reserved Himself because you have your hands full with revealed things. Number two.

Do you think carefulness with the words of Scripture is only for Bible teachers? Do you think that? Application number two is a question for you. Who needs to be careful with the words of Scripture? Believers need to be careful with the words of scripture.

Anyone who professes Christ, when we open our Bibles, this is holy ground. Figuratively we take off our shoes. The God who made everything and who sent His Son to purchase us with His own blood is speaking. We can't drop one word out of a sentence that He has said. We should have such reverence for His Word.

Carefulness with words of Scripture is not only for Bible teachers. It's for Bible lovers. You better love your Bible. If you've repented and believed the Gospel, you better love your Bible. Number three, finally, do something with this eyewitness testimony.

John, he's been pressing it on us. Don't Escape the pressure. John's trying to put pressure on all his readers across all the centuries. Twenty centuries have transpired since John wrote this. And he's trying to put pressure on you twenty years, twenty centuries, not twenty years, twenty centuries downstream.

Don't you duck the pressure. Do something with this eyewitness testimony. Don't allow the study of these things to be academics to you. What do I mean by that? This is no math book that we're working through the technical things in.

This is a love letter. This is a love letter. Don't you dare treat this like a math book. Sorry, Janet. Janet actually treats math books like love letters, but most of us are not like you.

This is reading a love letter. He loves you. He isn't willing that anyone would perish, but that all would come to repentance would come to life in Jesus Christ. He sent his son from heaven so that sinners could be free and clean. Do something with this eyewitness testimony.

The application for unbelievers that doesn't need explanation or expansion upon, repent and believe the gospel, this eyewitness testimony is here so that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life in His name. But for believers, let these up close and personal studies of the person and work of Jesus Christ move you. Don't let this be math book study to you or to me. This is a letter of love. He laid down His life for us.

Be moved by this. Oh God, thank you for this beautiful, wonderful account. Thank you for John, a man that you raised up at the right time, to be a follower of your son and then to write a faithful account, a firm account of all that he saw with his own eyes and heard with his own ears. May we be moved by it, I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.