An Evangelistic Tract

(John 20:30-31)

I. Introduction.
A. Orientation.
Last time, John had just finished
Showing us his account of the essential elements of the Gospel:
As Paul also writes in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5:
That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures
Our sins were laid on Him
And He died in our place
That He might carry them away forever

And that He was buried

The Prince of Life
Was under the power of death for three days
Certainly to fulfill the Scriptures,
But perhaps also further to prove that He was dead

And that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures
Because He had paid for our sins
The sins that required His death,
The sins that held Him in its power
Death could no longer hold Him.
He rose on the third day

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That God might show the world
Jesus was who He claimed to be,
And that Jesus did what He said He would do;
And that we might know our debt was paid,
And that Jesus conquered death for us.

B. Preview.
As John now begins to wind down
His inspired historical account
To its conclusion
Of the person and work of Jesus Christ,
He tells us two more things:
1. First, that Jesus further prepared His disciples to be the witnesses of His
resurrection by showing them many more signs.
2. And second, why he wrote down what he did of Jesus work that we might
know Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing in Him, we might
have eternal life. His Gospel was meant to be an evangelistic tract.
II. Sermon.
A. First, John tells us that Jesus further prepared His disciples to be the witnesses of
His resurrection by giving them more proof.
He writes in verse 30, Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the
presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book.
A sign is a pointer
Something that points away from itself
To something or someone one else.

We often speak about the Lords Supper being a sign

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Just as a street sign points to a particular street,
Or road signs point beyond themselves to particular cities,
The bread and the wine point beyond themselves
To the reality: Jesus Christ.

In this case,
John is speaking of the things Jesus did
Further to prove to His disciples
To point them to the fact
Not only that He was alive,
But that He was who He claimed to be:
The Christ, the Son of God.

Perhaps He showed them more

About how His death, burial and resurrection
Fulfilled the Scriptures.

Maybe He performed more miracles.

Undoubtedly, John had in mind

Jesus continuing appearances
Seeing someone alive
Who was formerly dead
Certainly qualifies as a miraculous sign.

John appears here to be pointing

To the things Jesus did

After His resurrection,
Rather than before it.

Notice he writes, Many other signs Jesus also performed . . .

We might ask, Other than what?
He might mean other than those
He had already recorded in his Gospel
Perhaps those the other Gospel writers record

Or he may be speaking of the signs Jesus did

Other than the appearances
John had just told us about
To His disciples and Thomas.

Notice also to whom Jesus showed these things: Therefore many other signs Jesus
also performed in the presence of the disciples . . .
These were not His public signs/miracles,
But those He did privately
Purely for the benefit of His disciples
And not just for the eleven,
But also for many who had followed Him.
Paul writes that after Jesus revealed Himself to His intimate circle, He appeared to
more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now,
but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles;
and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also (1 Cor. 15:6-8).

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He did this over a period of forty days (Acts 1:3).

Why did Jesus reserve these signs only for them?

He did it to confirm their faith,
To prove to them
That He had risen from the dead.

Why did He do many signs for them?

He didnt want them to have a little evidence, but a lot.
They were going to be His witnesses
Those that would preach His resurrection.
They had to be fully convinced
That what they were about to risk their lives for
Was absolutely true.

Would you lay down your life

For something you didnt believe?
Would you be able to speak confidently
Of something you werent full convinced was true?
You will only go as far as your convictions will take you.

This is perhaps one of the things

That weakens our desire to serve the Lord
And to share His message
More than anything else:

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We lack the conviction that its true.
Were not willing to throw ourselves wholly into it
Because were not fully convinced its real.

If we are to be effective, we must be!

When you are convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt
Not only of the truth,
But of the importance of something,
It will enable you to speak
With confidence and power.
Thats the kind of witness we need to bring to this world,
If we are to point them to Jesus.

Jesus wanted them to have a strong conviction,

And so He gave them abundant proof
That they might speak confidently for Him.
We see one example of how it strengthened Peter.
Speaking to Cornelius and his household in Acts 10:38-43,
He said, You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy
Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who
were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. We are witnesses of all the
things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to
death by hanging Him on a cross. God raised Him up on the third day and granted
that He become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen
beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from
the dead. And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that
this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.
Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes
in Him receives forgiveness of sins (Acts 10:38-43).

His confidence came from the Spirit,

But from the Spirits bearing witness
To the truth that Jesus had shown them:
That He was raised again from the dead.

Now John said

That Jesus had done these things in the presence of His disciples
So that they might have the confidence they needed
To be His witnesses.

What has He given to us

That we might also have this same kind of confidence?
He has given us his Gospel.

B. We see, second, that John wrote down what Jesus did, that we might know that He
is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing in Him, we might have eternal life.
He has left us this evangelistic tract
Not only that we might be saved by it,
But that we might have
The eyewitness testimony we need to convince others.
John writes in verse 31, But these have been written so that you may believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His
name.

Jesus said earlier to Thomas, Because you have seen Me, have you believed?
Blessed are those who have not seen, but believe (John 20:29).

There were those who saw Him after His resurrection that believed
The disciples did, as we just saw.
But there would be many more who would not see,
But who would believe because of their testimony
We see this in the book of Acts.

But the disciples have finished their work

And have gone to heaven.
How will anyone hear their message now?

Jesus ordained that before they left,

They make a record of His life
John is one of His four witnesses
That has done so
So that we could know Jesus is the Christ,
The Son of God,
And that believing in Him,
We might be saved.

This is Johns purpose behind writing this Gospel.

This is why he recorded the particular signs he did:

Such as Jesus turning of the water into wine

At the wedding at Cana of Galilee (John 2:1-11);

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His healing of the sick man
At the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem (5:1-17);

His feeding of the 5000

With the five small loaves and two fish at Bethsaida (John 6:1-14);

His walking on the water

From Bethsaida to Capernaum (vv. 15-21);

His healing of the man

Who had been born blind at Jerusalem (9:1-41);

His raising of Lazarus

The brother of Martha and Mary,
From the dead at Bethany (11:1-45);

And His betrayal, death, burial and resurrection

At Jerusalem (18-20).

Only the Christ could do these things.

This is also why John recorded

The particular words of Jesus that he did:

Such as His conversation with Nicodemus at Jerusalem

Regarding the necessity of the new birth
If we are to enter heaven (3:1-21);

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His conversation with the woman at the well in Samaria

About the water of life He gives to all who ask Him (John 4:1-45);

His teaching about the two resurrections

The spiritual resurrection He offers to all who believe in His name,
And the physical resurrection He will bring about before the final judgment (5:2529);

His discourse on the Bread of life

That all who feed spiritually on Him through faith
Will have eternal life (6:26-58);

His teaching again at the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem

Regarding the life-giving Spirit He will give
To everyone who is thirsty and comes to Him in faith (7:37-39);

The Parable of the Good Shepherd

Where Jesus tells us
That all who hear His voice and follow Him
Have eternal life and will never perish (10:1-30);

His declaration
That He is the resurrection and the life,
That everyone who believes in Him
Will never die (11:25-26).

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And His many declarations that He is God in our nature.

John recorded the evidence that was necessary

To prove that Jesus is the Christ God promised
The Messiah,
The One He anointed and sent into the world
To be the only Savior of mankind

To prove that He is in fact

The eternal Son of God
The Creator of the world
Who became man
And who lived among us
That He might show us
What God is really like
His resurrection proves that all He said is true.

So that, believing this is true,

We might trust Him
And receive eternal life.
Jesus said to Nicodemus, For God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world
might be saved through Him (John 3:16-17).

Jesus gave His disciples

What they needed to carry out their work

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As the witnesses of His resurrection:

Many more signs to confirm their faith.

He has given us what we need to be saved:

Johns eyewitness testimony
Of what Jesus did and said;
And His Holy Spirit
To bring these things home savingly to our hearts.

Do you believe His witness?

Has He given you His Spirit?
If not, ask Him to grant you this blessing.
Jesus didnt come to condemn
He came to save.

For those of us who know Him, remember

Jesus has given us what we need
So that we can confidently continue His witness to others:

His Holy Spirit

Both to transform our lives into His image,
And to give us the power and courage
To tell others about Him

And His Word

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We have not only Johns account,
But three other Gospels,
As well as the other testimonies
From the NT letters.

He has made the same abundant provision for us

That He made for His disciples.

He has also laid a table for us this morning

To give us further strength and power by His Spirit
To be His witnesses to this world.

Lets prepare now to come to His Supper

To remember what He has done for us,
And to receive His help.

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