Christ is Above All - John 3:31-36

There’s a real temptation among pastors that every time they preach they need to say something innovative or unique. To present an angle on a text that you maybe haven’t ever considered before.

I was recently talking about this with a pastor friend of mine and we were talking about how there are some texts that simply don’t allow that. And I think this is one of them.

There isn’t anything unique or special about John’s words. He presents the basic gospel to his disciples. “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”

That’s the essence of the message here.

But we need to be reminded of that glorious truth. Sometimes in our zeal to understand deeper Biblical truths we forget the basics. We forget that Jesus commends a child-like faith. Saving faith is a simple faith. Believe in Jesus Christ.

John gives us three reasons why you should believe in Jesus Christ: He is not of earthly origin (vv. 31-32), which means his testimony is trustworthy (vv. 33-34), and if you believe in Christ you’ll inherit eternal life (vv. 35-36).

We find ourselves this morning in the back half of John the Baptist’s speech to his disciples about Jesus Christ. If you were here last week, we looked at the text surrounding his famous words, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

In verses 22-30 we clearly saw the humility of John the Baptist and in verses 31-36 we see the source of his humility: His faith in Jesus Christ.

But it’s not a blind faith. He doesn’t say: I believe in Jesus because he’s cool. He has thoughtful reasons.

Jesus is not of earthly origin (vv. 31-32)

The first reason he gives for listening to Jesus Christ is because he’s not of earthly origin. Look at verses 31 with me.

“He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all.”

I was getting into this a little bit a second ago, but we deeply care about people’s background and origin because it either supports or undermines their authority.

And especially if they’re making high level decisions, we want to know that their origin and background lends credibility to their authority. It supports their ability to make important decisions.

It’s why we want the President, CEOs who have final hiring and firing authority, and doctors to have a background that supports their expertise.

Jesus’s expertise was in God, heaven, salvation - the spiritual realm. What gave him the right to speak on those subjects? The fact that he’d been there. “He who comes from heaven is above all.”

A few years ago, a friend of mine from South Carolina walked away from the faith. He said he didn’t believe in Christianity anymore. It came as a real shock to a lot of us.

One day I just happened to run into him and asked him, “What happened? Was there something in particular that made you question Christianity?”

And he told me that he had started watching Youtube videos that made him rethink and question everything.

What really upset me about that is he was giving random people sharing their opinions in front of a webcam more of a hearing than Jesus Christ. He was listening to people who didn’t know what they were talking about more than someone who did.

Look at verse 32. “[Jesus] bears witness to what he has seen and heard.” Jesus is communicating to you and me quite literally the words of God.

Again, this is a point that John the Baptist makes. He distinguishes between Jesus and himself. Look again at verse 31. “He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all.”

He distinguishes between the speech of a fallen human being with a sinless divine one. Why would you listen to some random Youtuber or anyone for that matter tear down spiritual realities without seriously interacting with the claims of Jesus Christ - someone who’s speaking from firsthand experience?

At the end of the day, don’t we all want to take advice from credible sources of authority?

Jesus’s authority comes from something much greater than his education, or title: his authority comes from heaven. He possesses divine authority.

The heavenly origins of Jesus Christ is why you should take what he says seriously.

The testimony of Jesus is trustworthy (vv. 33-34)

In the words of John the Baptist, you must “receive his testimony.”

It’s interesting because when you read the words of Jesus, you quickly realize that the content of his communication was different. He wasn’t concerned with earthly affairs.

He wasn’t worried about whether or not Main St. was going to be repaved, or whether or not minimum wage was a livable salary, or whether his house would have three or four bedrooms. Jesus wasn’t concerned with earthly things.

He was concerned with the salvation of men. He was looking at everything spiritually.

You know, sometimes folks have very impressive backgrounds, they have diplomas and degrees, they look amazing on paper. And then they start to talk.

It reminds me of the saying, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.” Sometimes people speak and expose themselves.

But that wasn’t the case for Jesus. The content of his communication bore witness to his divine origins.

And it’s for this reason we should receive his testimony. And if you receive his testimony, “ [you] set [your] seal that God is true.” Another translation says, “The one who has accepted His testimony has certified that God is true.”

By accepting the testimony of Jesus Christ, you’re accepting the testimony of God. The truth of Christ is the truth of God. You cannot separate one from the other. One commentator wrote: “the one who God has sent speaks the words of God (Carson, 213).”

The words of Christ are the words of God.

They’re the same. John the Baptist is really bringing together a Trinitarian theology because not only does Jesus speak the words of God, but the Spirit is upon him without measure or limit. Christ through his teaching and miracles demonstrates that the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit is upon him.

All of this to say, Jesus origins and words demonstrate that he is the Son of God, coequal with the Father and Spirit.

This is where the Bibles that highlight the words of Jesus in red go wrong. If Jesus has always been coequal with the Father and Spirit, then the entire Bible should be highlighted red! They’re all the words of Jesus. The Old Testament and the New Testament are all his words. Because God’s words are Jesus’ words and Jesus’ words are God’s words.

The words of Jesus Christ cannot be separated from the word of God. The two are synonymous. Periodically, you’ll hear someone try to do this. They’ll try to separate belief in God from belief in Jesus Christ.

Maybe they believe there is a God but don’t necessarily believe Jesus is the Son of God. Or they reject God altogether and embrace the socially acceptable or politically correct words of Jesus.

According to John the Baptist that distinction isn’t an option. If you believe in Jesus Christ, you trust in the one true God. And if you trust in the one true God, you must trust in Christ. To reject Christ is to reject the living God. There is no distinction.

But what exactly does John the Baptist mean by “receive [Jesus’] testimony?”

After all, plenty of people receive things that Jesus said. Everyone loves the golden rule or ‘judge not lest you be judged.’ But clearly this isn’t what John is talking about.

John is referring to Jesus’ testimony that he is the Son of God sent from heaven to save the lost. That’s the testimony that John has in mind.

On a very fundamental level believing the gospel is believing what Jesus has said about himself. Trusting what he tells us.

There is depth and beauty to the gospel. You can spend a lifetime studying God’s word and barely scratch the surface.

And at the same time, there is a glorious simplicity to it as well. A child-like faith is all that’s required. Being a Christian doesn’t require seminary training. It doesn’t require a long list of works.

It simply requires faith in Jesus Christ. It’s simply receiving his testimony. It’s simply believing who he says he is.

You inherit eternal life through faith in Jesus (vv. 35-36)

Because if your faith and trust is in Jesus Christ - you will receive eternal life.

Look at verse 35 again with me. John the Baptist makes the point that “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.” It’s reminiscent of John 3:16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…”

In verse 35, you have the love of God and Jesus’ redemptive mission in view, but that’s not all that’s in view.

Because all the benefits that we receive from God come to us through Jesus Christ. Christ mediates them. They come from his hand. The love of God is bestowed upon us through Jesus Christ.

And the power of God to save the lost comes through Jesus Christ. What John says in verse 35 relates to God’s plan of redemption but it speaks more to the power and authority of Christ.

And verse 35 provides the perfect segue into verse 36.

Obviously, faith in Christ is the key to eternal life. John reminds us of this in 36. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life…”

Jesus has the power to grant eternal life. But what’s the caveat? You must believe in him. The caveat is faith in Christ.

Belief that Jesus Christ can cure your sin-sick soul. That through his sacrificial death on the cross he can take away your sins and cast them as far as the east is from the west.

Each week, here at Providence, we confess our sins to simply remind ourselves that we’re sinners. You’re not perfect and neither am I. We need that reminder to turn from our sins and trust in Jesus Christ.

I said earlier that in these verses you see the source of John the Baptist’s humility. The gospel requires a dose of humility. Repenting, recognizing, and acknowledging your sin and putting your trust in Christ requires humility.

But this is the beauty of the gospel. Recognizing that you're a great sinner but your faith is in an even greater Savior.

Notice what John says in the second part of verse 36: “whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

John makes an incredible connection between belief and obedience and disbelief and disobedience.

If your faith is in Jesus Christ, you’ll want to obey Him. If your faith is not in Jesus Christ, you won’t obey Him.

Obviously, John isn’t saying that perfect obedience is required for salvation. Trusting in Christ is required for salvation.

But obedience to Christ and his words demonstrates your faith in him.

And the opposite is also true. A total disregard for the words of Jesus demonstrates that you do not have faith.

Can you honestly say with the Psalmist, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Because obedience to the word of God is the clearest indication of faith in Christ. You cannot be a Christian and hate the commands of Christ.

We all sin. We all fall short of the glory of God. But how do you respond? Are you repentant and grieved over your sin? Or are you flippant and indifferent?

This is a serious issue within American Christianity. People profess Christianity but they don’t want to repent or turn from sin. They don’t want to change.

John's words in verse 36 should rattle all of us: “whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” Wrath and judgment await those that refuse to obey Jesus Christ. But grace, glory, and eternal life await those that do obey Christ.

You see, John argues from authority why you should believe in Jesus Christ. Jesus has heavenly origins, and thus speaks authoritative words, which contain eternal life.

His portrayal of Christ is powerful and authoritative. Authority is an interesting topic, because if you get into ‘authority,’ you have to discuss ‘submission.’

Parents are authoritative over their children. Children should submit to their parents. The boss has authority over his employees. And the employees submit to the boss. But it’s true in every sphere of life. Everywhere there is authority there must be submission.

You cannot have one without the other. There is no authority without submission and there is no submission without authority.

After describing Jesus’ authority and power he then goes on to mention obedience. He’s not really asking his disciples to “please follow Jesus.” Rather he’s telling them that they need to follow Jesus.

It’s more reminiscent of Philippians 2, “every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess.” Or Psalm 2, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

You and I must obey Christ, but not in a slavish thoughtless sense. In the same way, a child trusts, obeys, and submits to their parents because they love them and know what’s best for them. And to disobey would lead to their own harm.

Real faith in Jesus Christ isn’t just assenting to his death on the cross. Faith in Jesus Christ isn’t simply saying, “yeah. I think that happened.”

I want to see baptisms and conversions here at Providence, just like the rest of us do. But there’s actually something that I want to see more than that. I want to see a community of believers that share an abiding faith in Christ over a lifetime together.

At the end of the day it doesn’t matter if or when you prayed the “sinner's prayer” or were even baptized if you’re not walking with God. If there’s no abiding faith, loving obedience, and humble submission to the Lord Jesus Christ you're not a Christian. To use the words of John, the wrath of God remains on [you].”

But if you believe in the Son and submit to him in loving obedience you will enter into that glorious eternal rest. You will find yourself at the end of this life in the very presence of the living God.

This is what John says about Jesus and it’s what Jesus says about himself.

Sometimes we clutter the gospel to the point where we lose it. Or in the busyness of our lives forget it. And we need that gloriously simple reminder: “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved!”

May we not only reflect on the gospel this morning, but may we spend a lifetime reflecting on this glorious truth. Let’s pray together.