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by Sandy Shaw
Having given just a brief introduction to the Gospel of John we still have one or two issues to look at before we go to the text.
Why was this book written? Does it have any specific and particular purpose?
In Chapter 20 verses 30,31, we read, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through His name.
Not even John could write everything down. No-one could do that. John had to select. John had to pick and choose, but note his motive, “that you might believe”.
Around 100 times John says “believe”. That is important and it is equally important what we believe, and how we obey what we believe, and how we allow what we believe to influence and shape our lives and our discipleship.
If you believe little, you will do little. If you hardly believe, you’ll hardly be seen.
If you pick and choose what to believe, it is likely that you will also pick and choose when to serve and obey and worship, and that is disaster.
If a man decides not to believe certain truths, he will probably also decide not to obey certain commands.
John is writing that we may “believe and live”. That is what he says.
God has John write this book so that we may go on believing and so that we may go on living.
John is teaching the Church. Do not finish when you are converted and born again. That is only the start. It is then that you must go on believing, and it is then that you can go on living, in Christ, and close to Christ, and loving Christ, and obeying Jesus Christ.
John is saying to us here, “After 60 years, I still believe the same things which I believed at the start, and I still enjoy the same life – the life that the risen and living Jesus gives.
Some people change. We see it all the time. Some make quite an impressive beginning, but then they fall away. They give in. They give up. John was seeing this happen in the Church at that time.
They begin to disappear. To begin with, they looked as though they were going to be faithful disciples of Jesus, and then, you look for them, and they are not present at the time of worship. John was seeing this happen. This is one of the reasons why he writes this book to help keep disciples of Jesus Christ, faithful.
This book is written to keep us.
The place where this book was written is significant too – Ephesus.
There were believers there who held too high a view of John the Baptist and too low a view of Jesus. In Acts Chapter 19, the Christians at Ephesus almost regarded John the Baptist as being the founder of their faith, and perhaps this is one reason why John writes of John the Baptist, “I am just a voice”. Who are you? Just a voice! I am not the Christ.
In Chapter 3 verse 30, we read, “He must increase, but I must decrease”.
If there is anything in your life, or anything in the Church, that is more important than Jesus Christ, it has to go, and it is always best to deal with that and get rid of these things right away. Anything that is more important to you than Jesus, then, deal with it immediately. That is what we are being taught here.
In that church fellowship in Ephesus, some were so influenced by the thinking and philosophy of the day, that some said, that Jesus was Divine, so He could not be fully human. Jesus Christ was God, so he could not have been man. Now, others were saying, “If Jesus was a man then he could not have been God”.
John cries out with strong words – No – No – No – Jesus was God and Jesus was God become man!
Jesus was the Word of God and the Word of God became flesh.
Jesus wept as we weep, and like us, Jesus got tired, became hungry, and angry, but never sinned.
Jesus was God and He was man. He is our Saviour and He is our King, and to those who truly repent and believe in Him, to them he gives life and power.
He is God clothed in flesh. We remember that when we gather around the table – how He gave His life – his flesh was crucified – His blood was shed to wash us from our sins.
Nothing else in the whole world can wash away sin. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can do that.
This book is written, that we might believe and have life, and that we might know who Jesus is, and that we may come to love Him and serve Him, and obey Him, more and more.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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