John concludes
his Gospel by writing, “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.” (21:25)
I do not
believe this is an exaggeration. John
has summarized and interpreted the life and the teachings of Jesus. If everything were given in detail, there is
no place this side of heaven that could hold all details, explanations and interpretations
of the teachings and events. Space will
not allow all to be said and stored. DA Carson says, “The Jesus to whom he bears witness is not only the obedient Son of God
and the risen Lord, he is the incarnate Word, the one through whom the universe
was created. If all his deeds were
described, the world would be a very small and inadequate library indeed.” (Gospel of John, p. 686)
So what
we have from John is only a brief summary.
But it is enough. It is more than
enough.
AW Pink
wrote, “Our Bibles are thus the same, and quite manageable by any. On the other hand, are we burning to know
more? We may go on without any limit,
except that which our little faith or heart may impose.” Pink is saying that God in
His infinite wisdom has given us a manageable written revelation that can be
read and understood. God has also given
us His Holy Spirit to help us understand this revelation. (Jn 14:26) So for the ones who seek to go deeper there
are always depths to explore. For the
ones who want to be taught more there is more to learn. For the ones who will stay thirsty there is
always more to drink. For the ones who
will hunger for living bread there is always plenty.
May
God awaken our hearts to test for themselves the expansive power of Scripture,
and whether we can find a limit anywhere! Like the inconceivable immensity of the
heavens, ever increasing as the power of vision is lengthened, we go on to find
that the further we go only the more does the thought of infinity rise upon us;
but this infinity is filled with an Infinite Presence”. (AW Pink, Exposition of the
Gospel of John)
As we
come to the end of our study in the Gospel of John let’s recall the One we have
encountered.
He is The
Word He
is God He is the true light
He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world
He
is Teacher He is the Messiah He
is Jesus of Nazareth
He is Rabbi He is Son of God He is the
Christ
He is King of Israel He is Son of Man He is the Son
He is the only Begotten Son He is the Bread of Life
He is the Bread that came down
from heaven
He is the
Light of the World He is I AM
He is the Door He Is the Good Shepherd
He is the Resurrection He is
Lord
He
is the Way He is the Truth
He is the Life He is the Vine
He is King of the Jews
He is My Lord
He is My God
He is Jesus
What
better preparation for worship could there be than taking the time to
prayerfully consider each of these names and titles of Jesus!
But I
will tell you that……..
You will
not have enough time between now and Sunday to properly do that.
You will
not have enough time in your earthly lifetime to properly do that.
You don’t
have enough brain cells, at least not this side of heaven, to properly do that.
When we
get to heaven we will see clearly, understand fully and live in the reality of
the perfect knowledge of God.
Until we
get to heaven we have been given the gift of gathering together as a local
church family for worship. When we gather for worship we are in the presence of a God,
engaging in gospel dialogue with Him. We are hearing from Him, being taught by
Him. As we sing and pray and speak and
listen we are being reminded once again of His love and faithfulness to
us. Our expectation is that each of us
who gathers together, as we worship, will be confronted with truth of the
gospel throughout the entire service, experiencing the gospel in our minds,
hearts and wills. As this happens we grow in our knowledge of this God
and in our love for him.
I look forward to worshipping with
you this Sunday.
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