In the sermon 'The Testimony of Truth' by Jason Dohm, the focus is on John 15:26-27, where Jesus promises the coming of the Holy Spirit, referred to as the 'Helper' or 'Paraclete', to testify of Him. The sermon emphasizes that the world's hatred of Jesus extends to His disciples because they embody His presence. Despite this animosity, believers are comforted by the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence, which testifies to the truth of Jesus and empowers them to bear witness to the world. The sermon also touches on the historical theological debate regarding whether the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone or from both the Father and the Son, a point of division between Eastern and Western Christianity. The sermon highlights the importance of the Spirit's role in reaffirming the truth of Jesus to believers, encouraging them to rely on this internal testimony for comfort and boldness in their witness. Moreover, it underscores that the disciples' testimony, rooted in their firsthand experiences with Jesus, forms a critical foundation for the Christian faith. The sermon concludes by urging believers to focus their testimony on Christ rather than moralizing, ensuring that their witness remains centered on the transformative truth of Jesus.

Our sermon text for today is John chapter 15 verses 26 and 27. I'm going to start reading in verse 18. Let's follow along. If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own.

Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.

If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin. But now they have seen and also hated both me and my father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law.

They hated me without a cause. But when the helper comes whom I shall send to you from the Father, the spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning." And the Lord blessed the teaching of His Word. Title this morning is the Testimony of truth. This is two verses, only two verses, and it's about the testimony of truth by the Holy Spirit and by the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Very related verses. Two weeks ago in our text we were given by Jesus his disposition towards his disciples. He loves them and they are his friends. If you ever thought that Jesus just wanted servants to do his dirty work, this would strip us away from that thought. He actually befriends his disciples.

His fundamental disposition towards believers is love and friendship, believe it or not. The God of heaven, Jesus Christ the Son of God, his fundamental disposition towards you if you are in the faith is love and friendship. He has befriended you. Last week the text was very different. It was about the world's disposition towards the disciples of Jesus Christ.

They hate Christ in them. So it's not hatred of them per se, it's hatred of something very specific about them, that Christ is theirs and that they are Christ's. Jesus ends by saying they are without excuse. He came and said exactly, explicitly, clearly who He was and what He had come to do. And He backed it up by performing the marks of the Messiah.

The marks of the Messiah is just a phrase I've been using to talk about all the things that God said through the prophets in the Old Testament that the promised Savior would do to prove He's the promised Savior and then we've just been checking them off one by another by another by another week by week Jesus said who he was and what he came to do and then he backed it up by Performing all the marks of the Messiah so that unbelievers actually unbelief is irrational Belief isn't irrational at all Unbelief is irrational is what Jesus says in last week's text. This week we finish off chapter 15 with two verses. They are words of comfort and instruction. Comfort in that Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit. That's comforting.

And instruction in that he says his disciples will bear witness. It is actually prophetic instruction. He says what they are going to do. But implied in that is you should do what I am saying you are going to do. So we come to the text.

Let's ask for the Lord's help. God, we've experienced it at least in part, the truth of your Word that The world hates your disciples. The world hates Christ in your people. But it's also true, we've experienced it, that the Spirit, The promised Spirit, that promise has been fulfilled and is now in us overcoming any influences and any power of the world. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.

So I thank you for this great encouragement on the heels of truth about reality that the world hates you and hates your people because it hates you, but that that is diminished and made into really nothing by the truth that your spirit dwells within your people to help us. Pray that you would fill us with that comfort and encouragement today through the preaching of your word in Jesus' name, amen. Well Two verses, let's take them one by one. Hopefully your thumb is still in. John chapter 15, follow along as I reread verse 26.

Jesus says, But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of me." In this verse, the Spirit testifies of the Son. So, if you are taking notes on the handout and filling in blanks, the Son fills in the blank. The Spirit testifies of the Son. The main point of this verse is simple and it is in the contrast. If you are Jesus' disciple, the world hates Christ in you.

That was last week's text. But the Holy Spirit has been sent by the Son from the Father to testify of Jesus. So, what do you have to worry about in this world? The world hates you. And what comfort overcomes that?

Jesus is sending the Spirit to be mightier than anything that the world can throw at you. The point of the verse is in the contrast, being made between The hatred of the world will not and cannot quench the testimony about the Lord Jesus. If a hating world were to kill all the preachers on the face of the earth today, what would they do about the Spirit who still indwells the Lord's people and testifies of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who hate believers in the world can wipe out all the other human testimony. I can never ever touch the Spirit of God who dwells in the hearts of believers testifying of Jesus.

Jesus says, when the helper comes, when not if. He is coming at the time when Jesus said this and he has come. It's a promise made in the text, but it's a promise already kept so that now all we have to do is be encouraged by it and enjoy it. The Spirit is coming and has come. Who is coming?

The helper, according to the translation of the New King James Version, or the comforter, according to the translation of the King James Version, or the advocate, according to the translation of the NIV. You might have heard this term associated with the Holy Spirit. Periclete. Now, what in the world is a periclete? Well, it's not an English word at all.

It's a transliteration of the Greek word that is being translated. What does that mean? That means if you don't bring it over into an equivalent word but you just bring it over letter by letter from one alphabet to the other, what do you get? You get paraclete. So it's not a word that has meaning in English but it's what you would see If you looked at the Greek word brought over just letter from letter from the Greek alphabet into the English alphabet, you get Pericleat.

The Greek lexicon says this, one called alongside to help. So all those are wonderful translations. The helper is probably the best. I really like the New King James. But comforter, there's nothing wrong with that rendering.

Advocate, there's nothing wrong with that rendering. He is one who is called alongside to help. Who calls him alongside? Jesus calls him alongside his disciples to help them. In a sense, the Paraclete, or the Holy Spirit, is the replacement for Jesus.

Jesus came, he lived on the earth, he walked with these eleven men, he was physically present with them to teach them and to help them in a hundred different ways, but he didn't stay physically on earth forever. He was dead, buried, raised from the dead, ascended into heaven, and then he sent his spirit to continue his ministry on earth. So Jesus isn't physically present continuing his ministry on earth, but he sent the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, to replace him and to continue his ministry in the lives of these eleven men, but way beyond just these eleven men, in the lives of all believers. Now we are in chapters rich with teaching on the Holy Spirit. In fact, I would say chapter 14, 15, and 16 are indispensable chapters on the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

You should start here before you go anywhere else to learn about the Holy Spirit. It would be ok to start with what the Old Testament says, but then come here to John 14, 15 and 16. Please don't start with spiritual gifts. Ground yourself in what Jesus teaches about the Spirit that He is sending and His role in the lives of disciples and then consider spiritual gifts. You are a lot more likely to get it right.

So Let's review what Jesus has already said, backing up to chapter 14. Flip back to chapter 14. We've already seen Jesus say these things about the Holy Spirit so far. By the way, there will be more after this week, considerably more. Chapter 14, verses 15 through 18.

Follow along as I read these. Jesus said, if you love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, probably better to render that I will ask the Father, I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans.

I will come to you." So Jesus has already said probably minutes earlier, maybe an hour earlier, remember this is all part of one continuous discourse, Jesus has just said these words that He will ask and the Father will give the helper. This is the first occurrence of what we have in our text. Jesus calling the Holy Spirit the helper. He first called the Holy Spirit the helper here in John 14 verses 15 through 18. In our text, Jesus says, I shall send from the Father, in this text that we've already encountered in chapter 14, He said, I will ask and the Father will give.

What I draw from that is this, For Jesus to ask is to send. In other words, we ask for things unwisely and God wisely withholds what we ask for. That never happens with Jesus. For Jesus to ask His Father is to have it done. They are of one mind, one purpose, one will.

When Jesus asks His Father, He always does. For Jesus to ask is to send the Holy Spirit. He's called here in John 14 the Spirit of Truth. That's exactly what he calls him in our text this week. He says that the Spirit dwells with and will dwell in us as believers.

Now look further down in chapter 14 to verses 25 and 26. Jesus continues teaching about the Holy Spirit. These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to remembrance all things that I said to you." Here again the Holy Spirit is called the Helper for the second time, but Jesus makes sure that we make the connection between the Holy Spirit and the Helper. If you wondered, is the Helper really the Holy Spirit?

It's explicitly said here that He is. They are used in conjunction with one another. He says that the Father sends the Holy Spirit in Jesus' name, on Jesus' account. And the Holy Spirit teaches all the things that we need to know, and that he brings to remembrance all the things that Jesus taught. So he is an indwelling presence in the life of the believer to teach us the things that we need to know and to bring to our memories all the things that we've forgotten but the things that Jesus taught.

Under normal circumstances, it would be confusing and maybe even contradictory to speak of the same thing in these somewhat different ways. Have you noticed that? Jesus is speaking of the same thing, which is the Holy Spirit being sent from heaven by somebody, father, son, or somebody, and the Holy Spirit coming to indwell His people. So he is speaking of the same thing in these different places, but he is speaking of this in somewhat different ways. We would say normally, we would say you are being confusing and maybe even being contradictory.

But these aren't normal circumstances. Why? Because we are talking about the Trinity. We are talking about the three in one God who is. And Father and Son are one, and so they act in perfect concert.

So as long as you have that as the backdrop, the Father and the Son are one, then the somewhat different ways in speaking of the sending of the Spirit from heaven into the lives of believers to indwell believers is not disconcerting at all. Listen to what Jesus says in Luke 24, 49. Luke 24, 49, Jesus says, Behold, I send the promise of my Father. He is speaking of the Holy Spirit there. He is speaking of the same thing again in a somewhat different way.

Same event, sending of the Spirit into the lives of believers in a somewhat different way. I send what the Father promised. He actually gives the Holy Spirit a sort of title. The promise of my Father. That's who the Holy Spirit is.

The Father promising, Jesus sending. D.A. Carson says this, the elements of a full-blown doctrine of the Trinity crop up repeatedly in the fourth Gospel. The elements of not a hidden doctrine of the Trinity or an implied doctrine of the Trinity, the elements of a full on explicit doctrine of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All God, all one is in the Gospel of John is what D.

A. Carson is saying. That's important Because there is a crowd of theologians that states, always in a very academic voice, that the doctrine of the Trinity was formulated during the early centuries following the death of Jesus. It is no such thing. The doctrine of the Trinity was taught explicitly by Jesus Christ and by His disciples and yes the early church wrestled with how to take what was taught and hold them together without one truth Overstepping into the grounds of another truth.

They definitely did that. There's no denying that but the doctrine of the Trinity was not Formulated in the hundreds of years following the death of Jesus Christ. Jesus taught the doctrine of the Trinity with clarity, and so did His disciples. The fact that the church had to wrestle with what was taught a couple of hundred years afterwards to be very precise in the formulation of the Trinity, just goes to the truth that God is trying to express a truth that transcends the human mind. He didn't make human minds big enough to get all the way around the truth of who God really is.

The problem is our capacity, not the precision of Jesus' teaching. Know that. I would like to say two more things about this verse. First, the helper is given another title and a specific function of his is described. What is that title?

The Spirit of Truth. And what is that specific function to testify of Jesus? So it's fine and wonderful to call the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit. Or to call the Holy Spirit the Helper, because Jesus called him the Helper. Or to call the Holy Spirit the Helper, because Jesus called him the Helper, or to call the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Truth.

He is given that title by the Lord Jesus here. And it's said that he has a very specific function, one of more than one. I don't think Jesus is saying this is his exclusive function here, but this is a specific function of the Holy Spirit to testify of Jesus. And you can see How tightly the title and the function are, can't you? Jesus is the truth of truths.

Let that sink in for a second. In other words, You have a title, Spirit of Truth, and you have a specific function that is given to us by Jesus. He testifies of Jesus. You have to bring these together. Jesus wants these together.

Jesus is the truth of truth. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. The truth about Jesus is what makes every other truth have value. Have you ever thought about that? Do you think that's true?

The truth about Jesus is the truth that makes every other truth that exists in all the universe have value. I'm saying those other truths have no value without the truth of Jesus. Without the truth of Jesus, you have no idea who God is or how to be reconciled to Him. What value is any other truth if there is a creator God but you don't know who He is and you don't know how to be reconciled to him, you might not even know that you're at war with him. Now, tell me what value the other truths have if you don't know that truth, or those truths, about Jesus.

Without truth about Jesus you can memorize the library and have nothing. You can go to the library, memorize the contents of all those books, and without the truth about Jesus, if you have all that other knowledge, but you don't know about God, that you are at odds with this God, but that He has sent Jesus, His Son from heaven to reconcile sinners with man, if they would only repent and believe you have nothing, though you have all this other knowledge, it is meaningless, it is worthless, it will gain you nothing with eternity as the backdrop. It will be worth nothing to you. Remember, this is spoken to the faithful 11 disciples. Judas has already excused himself to go betray Jesus.

They are believers. Jesus is speaking to believers. I draw from that, that we need the Spirit's testimony of Jesus every day of our Christian lives. Let that sink in for a minute. He's already talking to the born again.

I'm going to send the Holy Spirit from my Father in Heaven. He's the Spirit of Truth and the core truth that He'll be testifying within you is of me, believer. I already got that truth. Let them give me some other truth. Oh, you're done needing good news.

You're done. On the day you were saved, you're done needing good news. You're past all that now. I'm not past that. I need good news every day.

I need to know that there's hope for me every day. I need to know that the Son of God was sent from heaven for sinners to atone for my sins every day and till the day that I die. I need the testimony of that in my heart and you do too. Christians need that. That's why God did that.

There is the Holy Spirit indwelling you, speaking to your spirit. Jesus is God. Jesus is the Savior that God promised to send for sinners. He made the promises and He has kept them all in His Son. All the promises are yes and amen in this Jesus.

His atoning work is a complete work. It is finished. There is nothing you can add to it. You can rest in this Son of God. Sound like you need the Holy Spirit in you saying those things, whispering that to your heart every day.

I need that. You need that. You know that we need this. So he is the Spirit of Truth. He teaches all kinds of truth, yes.

He brings to remembrance the things that Jesus taught, yes. But more than anything, the truth that He imparts to us is testimony about Jesus. I'm not trying to preach this sermon in advance, but listen to what Jesus is going to say in John 16, when we get to the next chapter. John 16 verse 14, of the Holy Spirit Jesus will say, He will glorify me, the Holy Spirit will glorify Jesus, for He will take of what is mine and declare it to you. The Holy Spirit will be pulling from my treasures and imparting them to you.

So that is first. The helper is given another title, the Spirit of Truth, and a specific function to testify of Jesus. Second, I was unaware of this, completely unaware of this because church history is my weak point, admittedly. But this verse is surrounded by tremendous controversy. Did you know that?

This verse represents a fracture point between the Eastern tradition of the Church and the Western theological tradition of the Church. In 1054, the year 1054, There was a fracture between Eastern and Western churches over whether the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father only or proceeds from Father and Son together. We stand in the Western tradition so firmly, I'm finding, that I take it for granted that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both Father and Son, because I'm a son of the Western theological tradition. All of our creeds reflect that. Our confession reflects the creeds that reflect this.

That the Holy Spirit proceeds from both Father and Son. The Eastern Church, which today would be Eastern Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, kind of a strain of theology, They looked at this verse and said, No, the Holy Spirit only proceeds from the Father. Here's what J.C. Ryle says about that. Ryle says, These are deep sayings, no doubt.

So deep that we have no line to fathom them. The mere fact that for centuries the Eastern and Western churches of Christendom have been divided about their meaning should teach us to handle them with modesty and reverence." Then a little further on, Ryle says, let us take care that we ourselves have the Holy Spirit in our hearts, and when we die we shall know all about the point in dispute." What is he saying? He is saying two things. First, this is a deep well, Be careful. When you come to the doctrine of the Trinity, there are pitfalls everywhere, and so these are texts that should be handled with modesty and reverence.

You come to verses like this that have been a point of contention from tributaries of theological thought for a thousand years. You come to that with humility. You don't come to that proud. You come to that with humility. And secondly, what really matters is from whoever the Holy Spirit proceeds, Father only or Father and Son, does He indwell you?

If He indwells you, you'll know what you need to know in time. You'll know perfectly in time. The thing that matters is he proceeds and he indwells the believer. Verse 27. Just two cents from the peanut gallery.

As for me, I'm with the Western Church. He proceeds. I think there are good reasons to say that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both Father and Son. But I don't understand the issues enough to teach it intelligently, so I'll stop there. I will now handle it with modesty and reverence.

Alright, which is a good excuse to stop talking and move on to the next verse. Verse 27, Jesus says, And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning." In this verse, Spirit-filled disciples testify of the Son. So you can tell, I'm trying to make the connection between the two verses here. Spirit-filled disciples, and in the first verse he promises to send the Spirit to teach and encourage the disciples. And it is those disciples who have been indwelled by the Spirit who are giving the testimony in verse 7.

These things belong connected, should never be looked at in isolation. So if you're taking notes on the handout, disciples fills in the blank. Spirit-filled disciples testify of the Son. The first point to make is a translational point for us English speakers, such as we are. The Greek word rendered testify in verse 26, he will testify of me, the Holy Spirit will testify of Jesus, is the same Greek word that is rendered bear witness in verse 27.

You also will bear witness. So the translators for some reason that drives me crazy rendered it one way in verse 26 and another way in verse 27 so that an English speaker would never know that it is the same Greek word being used. Why is it important to know that it is the same word used by Jesus in His teaching, because Jesus is using it to develop a flow of thought, and here is the flow. The Holy Spirit will testify of Jesus to Jesus' disciples, and Jesus' disciples will also testify of Jesus. Interdependent things.

The Holy Spirit will bear witness of Jesus to Jesus' disciples, and Jesus' disciples will also bear witness of Jesus. So there is a flow of thought tied together by use of the same word in both verses to show an interdependence between the testimony of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer and the believers testimony to the world. Those are together hand in glove. We see these come together in Matthew chapter 10. You can turn there if you'd like.

Matthew chapter 10 verses 17 through 20. Matthew chapter 10 verses 17 through 20. Listen to what Jesus says. Jesus says, but beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. So far, he's saying just what he said in John, the world is going to hate you.

Beware of men. They are going to deliver you up to beatings and to councils. Now verse 18, you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak, For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you." Here's a comforting promise.

That when you get delivered up and you have to testify. You really shouldn't worry about how you are going to testify or what words you should use because there is the promise that the indwelling Spirit is going to bear witness of Christ through you in that time. It is the bringing together of these two same things. The Spirit testifying of Christ within the believer, and then that not just staying in the heart of the believer, but the believer actually bearing testimony of Christ according to the work of the Spirit in his heart or her heart. Jesus said this directly to his faithful eleven disciples which is apparent in the second half of the verse.

So we are back in John 15, 27, that second half, because you have been with me from the beginning. You will bear witness also, it won't just be the Holy Spirit bearing witness, you'll also be bearing witness because you were with me from the beginning. So there is a unique sense in which this was fulfilled in these eleven men. I wasn't with Jesus from the beginning. These eleven men were with Jesus, so it's clear that he's speaking directly to these eleven men.

So there is a unique sense in which this was fulfilled in his immediate audience. They turned the world upside down with their testimony. And there is another sense in which they are simply representative of all disciples of Jesus. The Great Commission, the duty to testify to a dying world of the good news of Jesus Christ is theirs, those eleven men who turned the world upside down, and ours. The Great Commission is for every inch of earth through all generations.

Those eleven men didn't cover every inch of earth and they couldn't live in all generations. They are all dead. They have been dead a long time. The Great Commission is ours. Every generation.

To conquer planet earth with the gospel is the mission of every generation of Christians. So yes, there is a unique sense in which what Jesus is saying in verse 27 is fulfilled in these eleven men. He was talking directly to them. They were with him from the beginning. They were eye witnesses to the things that they heard and saw.

But they are also representative of all disciples. The Great Commission makes that clear. Every inch of earth, all generations. That's more ground than they covered, and they died. So we take up the mantle, and Many have taken it up before us.

Listen to the record of these eleven. Acts chapter one verse eight is Jesus' last words. Acts one verse eight. Jesus says, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. And then Jesus ascended.

He never said another word to them after this. You'll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes, and you'll be my witnesses. In other words, the Holy Spirit is power for the witness. Acts 1, 21 and 22. In Acts 1, 21 and 22, Peter says, we should pick a replacement for Judas, and they picked Matthias.

Peter says this, therefore of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when he was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection." Peter is arguing that Judas should be replaced by a pool of men who had been with Jesus from the time he was baptized by John the Baptist through the resurrection. Evidently, there was a pool of men who fit that description and they picked Matthias. Then Acts 2 verse 32. This is Peter's preaching on the day of Pentecost. Acts 2, 32.

Peter says, this Jesus God has raised up of which we are all witnesses. So Jesus is standing shoulder to shoulder with the other faithful eleven disciples, and he says Jesus is risen from the dead and we are eye witnesses of it. Acts 3 verse 15, Peter preaching in the temple, Acts 3 verse 15, Peter says, And you killed the prince of life whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. So more of the same, the day of Pentecost, but then Peter is in the temple saying, Jesus has been raised from the dead, we are witnesses to it. Acts 4, verse 20 and 33.

This is Peter and John before the council. They have been dragged in to give an explanation of why they are preaching Jesus in the temple courts. Here is what they say, For We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. We can't help talking about what we saw and what we heard. Verse 33, And with great power The apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

This is all of what Peter and John and the rest of the faithful 11 disciples were doing in the early chapters of Acts. Bearing witness, bearing witness, bearing witness of Jesus Christ. Acts chapter 5 verse 32 it says, Of Peter and the other apostles they said this, And we are his witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him. That's almost exactly what we have in our text here. We're witnesses to these things.

We are with Him and we're testifying of Jesus, but so also is the Holy Spirit who's been sent into the hearts and lives of believers. Acts chapter 10 verse 39, Peter to Cornelius' household. Acts 10, 39, and we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem whom they killed and hanged on a tree. 1 Peter 5.1. Now we are moving out of Acts to hear what Peter says in his own letter.

1 Peter 5.1. The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ." 2 Peter 1.16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His Majesty." We didn't make it up, we saw it. We were eyewitnesses of His Majesty. Turn to 1 John 1. 1 John 1.

We'll move from John the Gospel writer to John the letter writer. They're the same guy at different times. 1 John 1. How does he begin 1 John? That's instructive.

John's first letter, how does he begin it? What does he think is an important introduction to his letter to the saints? We get it in 1 John chapter 1 verses 1 through 3. 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. 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.

And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. He just piles it up. We saw it, We heard it, we bear witness to it, we touched him with our own hands. John begins his letter by giving his credentials. Why should you listen to me?

I was with him. I heard him. I saw it with my own eyes! Friends, think what a gift this is. Peter tells you it wasn't cunningly devised fables.

We didn't concoct a scheme of fraud to perpetrate on mankind. We're talking about things that we saw with our own eyes. We're talking about teaching that we heard with our own ears. Account after account after account after account after account after account from eye witnesses who would have known if Jesus' claims to perfect righteousness were false. It depends.

If Jesus sinned one time, you cannot be saved by His blood. So, He claimed to be perfectly righteous, and none of his enemies could convict him of anything, but how about the men who lived with him day and night for three years? They went to their deaths with one exception, says church history. John died an old man. The rest went to their martyrdoms with the testimony that Jesus was the spotless, sinless, blameless Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

We are brothers and sisters. We are on such solid footing. You need more than eye witness accounts, then what could God give you? The Jews needed more than his perfectly clear teaching about his identity and his work proven backed up by the marks of the Messiah. And now you need more than eyewitness accounts.

Have great joy and confidence in the Jesus set forth by Scripture. It is given to us by people who heard it with their own ears and saw it with their own eyes. They touched Him. They handled Him. They put their hands in the side of the resurrected Jesus Christ.

Applications, I have three. Number one, believer. Thank the three-person God for inward testimony of the Holy Spirit about Jesus. Thank God for the indwelling Holy Spirit that speaks to you day after day after day after day after day about the reality of Jesus Christ and his finished work. I have this great little book.

I've had it for a long time. It's called 101 Hymn Stories. It talks about the background of 101 different hymns. In other words, the background for the hymn and the writer of the hymn. This is about, It is well with my soul.

Listen to this. This beloved hymn was written by a Presbyterian layman from Chicago named Horatio Spafford, who was born in North Troy, New York on October 20, 1828. Horatio Spafford. Along with his financial success, As a young man, Spafford had established a successful legal practice in Chicago. Along with his financial success, he always maintained a keen interest in Christian activities.

He enjoyed a close and active relationship with D.L. Moody and other evangelical leaders of that era. We don't talk a lot about D.L. Moody, but he was the George Whitfield of the 1800s, probably the most famous evangelist on the planet in the 1800s. Some months prior to the Chicago fire of 1871, Spafford had invested heavily in real estate on the shore of Lake Michigan and his holdings were wiped out by this disaster.

Desiring a rest for his wife and four daughters, as well as wishing to assist Moody in one of his campaigns in Great Britain, Spafford planned a European trip for his family in November of 1873. This would have been less than 10 years after our Civil War. Due to an unexpected last minute business development, he had to remain in Chicago, but he sent his wife and four daughters on ahead as scheduled. He expected to follow in a few days. On November 22, the ship was struck by the Loch Urn, an English vessel, and sank in 12 minutes.

Several days later the survivors were finally landed at Cardiff, Wales, and Mrs. Spafford cabled her husband, saved alone. Shortly afterward, Spafford left by ship to join his bereaved wife. It is thought that on the sea near the area where his four daughters had drowned, Spafford penned this text, whose words so significantly describe his own personal grief, when sorrows like sea billows roll." This is how the hymn begins. When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot thou hast taught me to say, it is well, It is well with my soul.

It is noteworthy, however, that Spafford's hymn does not dwell on the theme of life, sorrows, and trials, but focuses attention in the third stanza on the redemptive work of Christ and in the fourth stanza anticipates his glorious second coming. Humanly speaking, it is amazing that one could experience such personal tragedies and sorrows as Horatio Spafford did and still be able to say with such convincing clarity, it is well with my soul. This is a man drowning in the sorrows of life. He wrote this on the boat ride over to be with his grieving wife. On the way over he wrote this.

He only indirectly mentions his sorrows. When sorrows like see billows roll, when the sorrows of life are rolling over the top of you. But it's not a hymn about the sorrows of life, it's the hymn about Christ and His ability to save sinners and that He's going to come one day and we'll be with Him together in glory. The dead saints and the alive saints will be brought together to live with Him forever. This is the testimony of the Holy Spirit in the heart of believing men and women.

It sustains you through everything. When you have four dead daughters, it can be well with your soul. It's the testimony of the Spirit of Jesus and His sufficient work that sustains believers through life. So believer, thank the three-person God for the inward testimony of the Holy Spirit about Jesus. The day is coming when you are going to need it.

We all have days when we need it. It's promised to us, we will have it. Number two, believer, don't ever say I don't have what it takes to bear witness of Christ. Every believer has what it takes to bear witness of Christ because you have an indwelling Spirit that testifies of Christ. If all you have is a knowledge of what He has done for you, you have enough to testify of the power of Jesus Christ to break and cancel the penalty of sin in the life of the sinner.

What did Jesus say to his disciples? Don't worry how or what words you should say. You can be confident that the Holy Spirit will bring the words to you in the moment. We should go forth into the world with that confidence, knowing that we actually do have within us a Spirit that testifies of our Savior, and He will give us those words. Number three, brothers and sisters, our witness must always be fundamentally about the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is the witness of the Spirit of Truth in the heart of the believer? It is fundamentally more than anything else. He has all sorts of truths to share with us. But more than anything else, The overriding truth communicated to us by the Spirit of God is the testimony of Jesus. Truth about Jesus.

Our testimony to the world has to always be fundamentally about the Lord Jesus Christ. We are not moralizers. We are not moralizers. We have to talk about moral failures in our own lives, in the lives of the people that we're with, in our nation. So I'm not saying don't ever talk about morality.

There's a difference between being a moralizer and using the failures of morality to get to the Savior. We talk about morality and put a comma because we are getting to Christ. We don't talk about morality and punctuate it with the period and rest there. Our testimony must be the testimony of the Holy Spirit, of Christ, fundamentally of Christ. This is so hard to remember because the people that we are talking to, the unbelievers that we are talking to, are always trying to derail us.

The issue isn't the issue, but they want to talk about this, that, and the other, and we need to get them to Christ. God thank you for Another week of beautiful truth from the lips of your Son. Thank you for the Gospel of John. I pray that you would help us to internalize these truths, to relish the truth of the sending of your Spirit to be a help to us in so many different ways and to testify the good news of your Son to us day after day. Make us bold witnesses in this world for our Savior.

We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.