This Testimony is True

[Read John 21:24-25]

A couple years ago, I came across something I didn’t realize was becoming trendy, but ever since then I have noticed the trend increasing. I had a weird interaction with another pastor that raised a bunch of red flags. So, I wanted to look into him a little further through a little social media stalking. As I looked at his social media page, I came across a post that said something like, “I heard a very powerful sermon today reminding me that the opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty.” To be honest, I was caught off guard by such a brazen comment. Then, I noticed comments like this popping up all over the place. I even came across this statement from Philip Yancey: "Where there is certainty there is no room for faith.” Is that really true?

The more I’ve thought about this, I’ve realized that I’ve seen this trend happening in much subtler forms. I remember talking to another ministry leader who was voicing frustrations about how us “Reformed” people always think we’re right. He suggested that we needed to be much more humble and realize that it was prideful for us to think that we’re right about anything. I not so subtly pointed out that he thought he was right in thinking that we shouldn’t think we’re right AND that of course we always think we’re right, because if we thought we were wrong, we wouldn’t believe what we believe. 

The problems with these ways of thinking are manifold. On the one hand, they promote this idea that we should always be in doubt, always floating around without any strong opinion. You never have any footing or foundation, and end up being tossed around by every wind and wave of doctrine. Or, as Jesus would say, it’s like building your house upon the sand—and that’s not going to work out well for you. 

The second problem is the biggest problem: it’s an unbiblical way to understand faith. Listen to one of the clearest descriptions of faith in the bible: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1, ESV). What is faith? It’s assurance and conviction. I think you could even say CERTAINTY about things we haven’t seen and things we hope for. This is the opposite of living in a fog of doubt and uncertainty.

Now, I should clarify something here before we dive into this morning’s passage, because I’ve been indirectly slandered about things like this before. Because of my role at Synod and some of my public views regarding the decisions of Synod, people have said that people like me refuse to allow people to question things, or wrestle with truth, or have any level of doubt. For those of you who know me, I would hope that you know that to be a completely false claim. I’ve often told people that if you were to look at my study notes in preparation for my sermon, you may even wonder if I’m a Christian because I QUESTION EVERYTHING and I WRESTLE with everything! I don’t believe anything easily and I have a ton of patience for those who do too. But here’s my point, the goal of questioning everything and wrestling with everything is not to remain in that state forever. The goal is to question and wrestle to the point where you can stand on a firm foundation and have certainty that what you believe is absolutely true. 

Now, I start this way, because this is actually John’s goal in writing this Gospel—and we hear him say it again as he wraps it up. He begins by saying,  “This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things…” (John 21:24, ESV). We’ve talked about this a little bit throughout the Gospel. We’re never actually told directly that it is John who wrote this gospel. We’re only told that the disciple who wrote this gospel is the one whom Jesus loved, the one who was at Jesus' right side at the last supper. And to the best of our understanding, this is John. He’s finally revealing that he is the one who wrote this gospel. 

But notice that he doesn’t call it a gospel. What does he call it? He calls it a witness. Once again we come back to this theme that’s been traced throughout this entire book. John says that this entire thing has been his witness to Jesus Christ. And much of the authority that comes from John revealing this is that he was an eye-witness to these events. He was there and saw it with his own eyes and is telling other people about what he saw and heard. Really, this is what Jesus told the disciples to do: “And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.” (John 15:27, ESV). So, this is John’s way of fulfilling what Jesus told him to do. 

Maybe you’re tired of me talking about this by now, but I feel the need to bring it up again as we wrap up this long series. Not only is John writing this witness in obedience to Jesus Christ, but he also wrote it so that we would have a clear picture of what it looks like to be a witness in the world. 

Here’s what I want to remind us of as we wrap up this series, on the one hand every single Christian is called to be a witness in the world. That’s what John is telling us over and over again in this gospel. Yet, I also want to remind us that being a witness in the world isn’t as hard and complicated as we’ve made it. You don’t have to memorize a bunch of stuff. You don’t have to craft the perfect sales pitch. You don’t have to do all of the things that people tell you to do. What does a witness do? They simply tell people what they’ve seen and heard from Jesus. That’s how simple it is. As you go into the world, you are called to tell other people what you’ve seen and heard from Jesus. You can witness to things you’ve seen and heard from Jesus through his Word or about how he’s worked in your life. 

Let me give you a few examples on different ends of the spectrum. Imagine that you’re talking to someone who is walking down a path that is no good—it’s going to lead them into trouble and eventually destruction. How do you witness to them? You can witness to them directly from God’s Word regarding what they’re doing OR you can witness to them from your own life and say, “I was in a similar situation like that, but I’m so thankful that Jesus showed me that I was on a path toward death and destruction and saved me. My life has never been the same.” That’s witnessing. On the other end of the spectrum, you’re talking to someone who is really struggling in a difficult situation, feeling weak and weary and worn out. In that moment, you can witness to them from God’s Word—come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest—or you can say something like, “There was a time in my life where I wasn't sure I could go on, but somehow I made it through. Looking back now, I can see that it was Jesus who gave me strength and peace—gave me everything I needed to make it through that time.” That’s a witness. You’re simply telling them about what you’ve seen and heard from Jesus. 

John also says, “This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things…” (John 21:24, ESV). On one level, this is an obvious statement for us, as we’ve spent the last two years in this book. Yet, I wanted to briefly talk about something here. Most of the commentators pointed out that John wrote down his witness so that it would no longer be dependent on his presence. That’s just another way of saying that John wrote this down so that it would outlast his lifetime—so that two thousand years later we could still be reading his witness and it could still be impacting the church and the rest of the world. 

That got me thinking about how powerful it could be if we started writing down our witness more often. Obviously, the most common way we will witness to the world is through general conversations we have with people. But think about how cool it would be for you to write your witness down so that you grand-children and your great-grandchildren could read about the ways you saw and heard from Jesus in your life. Isn’t that a powerful idea? It’s a way for your own witness to outlast your lifetime. Just something to think about. 

And John tells us that it shouldn’t be hard to find things to talk about. He ends by saying, “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25, ESV). He’s only scratching the surface in this book. It wasn’t hard for him to fill it full of stories and teachings from Jesus. In reality, it was hard to narrow it down to these stories. There was plenty of material. There’s plenty of material in our lives as well. Trust me. 

I remember in my early twenties when someone asked me to write a seven minute life story, talking about all of the ways God has been working in my life. My first reaction was, “There’s no way I can fill seven minutes. God hasn’t done anything in my life.” That’s insane. The reality was that the moment I sat down and started going through some of the most influential moments of my life asking the question, “Where was God in this moment?” all of a sudden I saw how He had always been there—and how blind I was to that reality. Once the floodgates opened, I had a hard time narrowing it down to seven minutes. The same is true for every one of us. 

Now, here’s where the rubber meets the road. What’s the goal of our witness? Why are we telling people about what we’ve seen and heard from Jesus? I think the goal is this last statement from John: “This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.” (John 21:24, ESV). We want people to KNOW that our witness is true. That’s the goal. 

I don’t want to get too distracted here, but I do think it’s important to answer one important question. That last statement kinda catches you off guard, doesn’t it? I thought John said he was writing this. Who is the WE that is talking? Some people have tried to answer that question by saying that someone came in later and added this little detail to confirm that what was written in this book was true—someone like John’s disciples. Yet, I don’t think that’s the case. Even though this is weird for us—and the wording seems a little awkward—I think John is writing this. There have been other times in this gospel when he has confirmed that what he is saying is true. And, when you look at the other letters he wrote, he has a habit of saying “We” when he is speaking—it’s a way to draw the readers into the statement. So, I think this is John’s way of saying something like, “I’m the one who wrote this witness, and I know that it is true, and I want you to KNOW that it is true as well.”

Now connect that statement to what he said a few weeks ago, in the other summary of this gospel. He said, “but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:31, ESV). See the connection. He wrote these things so that you would believe that Jesus is the Christ. He wrote these things so that you would KNOW that his witness is true, that Jesus is the Christ. Knowing and Believing are not at war with one another. In fact, they work together in a beautiful way. Remember what we read earlier in the service? What is true faith? “True faith is not only a sure knowledge by which I hold as true all that God has revealed to us in Scripture; it is also a wholehearted trust…” (HC21). True faith is KNOWING and TRUSTING. 

There’s a lot to the word “knowing” isn’t there? Biblically, it’s more than simply having knowledge in your brain—although it’s not less than that, either. Biblically, to truly know someone or something it involves both your head and your heart. Both have to be engaged. This kind of knowing is deeply connected to true faith—knowing and trusting. 

This is the goal of the biblical witness—and needs to be the goal of our witness as well. As we read the biblical witness, we should seek to know and trust—to receive it by faith. That means we should be seeking to have a level of certainty about what we’ve seen and heard from Jesus. We should not be satisfied to float around in doubt on whatever wind and current we end up in. That’s not Christian. That’s not faith. 

I also think this is why we’ve seen so many people walk away from the Christian faith. They weren’t rooted and grounded in a true faith that is certain about what Jesus has promised. As a result, they are easily carried away by any public opinion or distraction. The Bible talks about this being a wavering heart that is easily led astray. That’s not Christian, nor is it faith.

Rather, the goal is for us to KNOW that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and to be CERTAIN of that truth. We should wrestle and struggle until we have a level of certainty in this regard. We have to be certain enough of this truth that we’re willing to stake our life on it—willing to lose everything for it—willing to be mocked for it—willing to lay down our lives for this truth. That’s how certain we need to be. 

You don’t lay down your life for something you doubt. Can you imagine Paul bound, standing before King Agrippa saying, “I’m not certain of these things, but I’m pretty sure”? That’s now the way he spoke, is it? Can you imagine Peter being beheaded in Rome because he wasn’t certain this was true? He was doubtful about it? Can you imagine any of the disciples do any of the things they did because they were unsure—uncertain? No way. You don’t lay down your life for something unless you have certainty that it’s true—until you have assurance and conviction that it’s true. That’s what true faith is. 

This is what it means for us to be witnesses in this world. We are entering a world that has rejected its Creator. We’re entering a world that has hated the light and loved the darkness. We’re called to be witnesses in that situation. You don’t enter that situation saying, “We’ll maybe, kinda, sorta, possibly, the light is better than the darkness…” You don’t enter that situation unless you are certain that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that he took on flesh and dwelt among us, and that all who believe in him will be saved and will become children of God. If you’re not certain of that, you’ll keep quiet and keep to yourself and keep your head down. If you are certain of that, then you need to speak up and tell the world what you’ve seen and heard from Jesus. You have to be a witness in the world because you’re certain that it is true. You know it. We need that level of certainty and confidence if we’re ever going to have an effective and unashamed witness in the world. 

If you’re here this morning and you’re thinking, “Yeah, I don’t have that level of confidence and certainty,” I want you to hear two things. First, God doesn’t discard you or throw you to the side because of your doubts. He meets you where you are, if you look to him and seek him. So, don’t leave dejected and discouraged. But I also want you to know that the answer is not to settle into your doubt and walk away saying “Oh well…”. Rather, you need to leave this morning longing and desiring for that level of certainty. You need to be praying to God constantly that he would work that level of certainty deep within you by the power of the Holy Spirit. You need to be reading your bible and wrestling and struggling and questioning until you find yourself coming to a place of certainty and conviction that this is absolutely true. Because, until you come to that place, you will be easily tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. But once you come to that place, you will be solid, unmovable, unshakeable, and ready to lay your life down because you KNOW—deep down in the deepest parts of your heart—that this testimony is TRUE, and you know it with certainty. Don’t rest until you do.