Bearing Witness to Jesus

Father, we ask that your Holy Spirit would come and touch our hearts to hear your written word

and your word proclaimed that we might trust you, walk with you more faithfully today and in the days ahead.

This we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

Yeah, George is right. We are a little bit of a moving target, but it's wonderful to be back in Canada for a season.

So by way of introduction, I would just simply say, first of all, thank you for many of you have prayed for me and Stella

as we've been gallivanting around lately in the last nine years or so in the Global South, Global South countries,

which has been wonderful for me as someone who tries to think about the faith in the global sense, local and global, obviously,

but also to learn about what God is doing around the world and something that we might try and learn here as well together.

The other point by way of introduction would just be, maybe I'll put it in the form of a question.

What is going on these days as a missionary comes back?

Because I'm a somewhat unconventional missionary as a spouse of a diplomat and everything,

but a missionary nevertheless, teaching here and there in different settings abroad.

What's going on when a missionary comes back?

Well, is it a sort of global crossing whereby the missionary leaves the mission frontier and comes back to headquarters, as it were?

Sort of, but not exactly.

Is it the reverse or the reverse so that we can say that the missionary has been sent from a place where Christianity is now thriving and blossoming and come back to a new mission frontier?

Well, yes, partly, but not precisely, not exactly.

I think part of the problem is that modern life and technology have virtually abolished that distance between places.

And that's an interesting thing in itself, which I won't try to explore here.

I'm sure some of you do better job of that than I would.

But if we assume that there are still boundaries to be crossed,

that I think it has to do with recognizing the layers that are there that exist in most places,

particularly in the world's urban spaces, the ones I know the best,

even though I'm living way out in the boondocks, which, by the way, is a word from Tagalog,

which I learned way back in the Philippines.

Modern Cairo, which we came from recently, has its cultural layers.

The fascinating ones that make life there rich and interesting.

There's the broad Islamic layer, which I'm sure you'd be aware of.

There's the Coptic layer, which claims an even more ancient past.

And there's the cosmopolitan layer that transcends those first two

and takes up a whole array of expats, expatriates, students, diplomats, entrepreneurs, refugees even.

And in the mix would be Egyptians who have a lot of international experience.

And that's that third layer, which we came to know the best.

As far as I can tell as an immigrant in Canada, you can probably tell from my accent I'm not exactly a local,

I think there are at least three layers here, too.

You can identify the largely Christian one, where you still hear echoes and catch glimpses of a landscape,

of a Canada that thought of the nation's identity and calling in pretty much biblical terms.

He shall have dominion, right, from sea to sea.

And then there's the layer that I encountered when I first came back in the 80s.

And that was the layer that promoted and celebrated multiculturalism

and that connects most immediately with that cosmopolitan Cairo that I described.

Faith there is largely privatized, right?

It's assumed that the important things in life lie somewhere really beyond our churches and synagogues and mosques.

And then there's that layer that we're trying to come to terms with today.

Let's call it a post-multicultural layer, if you like,

where individual preference appears to be sovereign, but really isn't anything like that at all.

In fact, there's a new public belief system that is emerging,

a new religion that seems to be in the making.

Bill C-4, which George referred to a couple of weeks back, I think,

a conversion therapy bill, which, as many of you know, passed unanimously

and which will take effect in a few days' time,

uses language that we'd be familiar with in our multicultural layer,

declaring that no particular sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression

is to be preferred over another.

It sounds multicultural.

It sounds multi-something.

In other words, we apparently celebrate our differences.

But then comes a massive shift that happened as we were sleeping, it seems,

or maybe as the ubiquitous cannabis.

We were inhaling that.

I don't know.

But we're apparently agreeing that if my aim is to explore a, quote,

integrated personal identity, then it can only happen in one direction,

because the law will criminalize anything or anyone that encourages me

to transition from any non-heterosexual identity or category to a heterosexual one.

Now, Egyptian society and Canadian society are, in this regard, at opposite ends.

The distance is palpable.

But in at least one way, they come together.

And I was discussing this with George the other day.

You face trouble in one way or another if you attempt to convert in the wrong direction.

What does all of this have to do with Jesus?

The word made flesh.

Well, I think it has to do with the question of how we get our bearings,

how we think of history, even.

Let me ask you, do you think that history has a center?

Given the layers that I've spoken about,

some people today might say that this sort of question can't really get us anywhere.

They might say if there's any kind of center at all,

well, it's behind it.

It wouldn't be in history, but it's behind it.

For all we know, history is one constant flow, they would say,

going nowhere in particular.

And what you see really is an illusion.

What's real is in the mind.

What's real is what you and I imagine to be real.

Others might say, no, there's a center to history,

and it's the place where we can feel that steady march of progress.

We might still have some folks around who think along these lines.

It's the place where we know we're making progress

as we make the world a better place.

And then others would say, no, there is a center in history,

but it's not there.

The real center is where you find people trying,

through natural abilities,

to submit to the way of a religious leader

who was given a final and decisive word from God

that supersedes all earlier words which have been corrupted.

Well, the problem with these three views is that they leave us stranded in the end,

turned in on ourselves and our own devices.

In the first, if history is an illusion,

and I'm going to try to make sense of my own life,

I'm left to put myself at the center of everything.

So the center of history is in my mind,

and I'm left to make up what is true and right for myself as I go along,

at least until it clashes with what someone else thinks is true and right.

In the second case, if the center of history is a steady but impersonal march of progress,

I'm left struggling to make it into a footnote of history.

I'm left secretly but desperately hoping that the book I'm writing

or the institution I founded or the children I raised

will really leave their mark

so that someone somewhere down the road will remember me.

So that it can be said,

in 2022, Jones had one million followers on Twitter.

In the third case,

if the center of history is in submission to God's latest revelation,

then I'm left to rely on my own will and wisdom

as I try to make myself worthy of acceptance.

I'm left with just one more system of self-salvation.

So either way, we're turned in on ourselves.

And here I remember what C.S. Lewis said about that.

Look for yourself, he said,

and you'll find in the long run only hatred and loneliness,

despair, rage, ruin, and decay.

But look for Christ and you will find him

and with him everything else thrown in.

As followers of Jesus,

we know that the center of history is found in Christ Jesus,

born of a virgin,

crucified under Pontius Pilate,

risen, ascended, and coming again.

And all this points to the fact

that the Bible reveals marvelous truths about history.

The world of space and time had a real beginning,

one that we didn't invent.

From Genesis, we know that God made the world

and that it was good.

From Romans 8,

we know that history has a real end,

not one that we've come up with,

but one that God is himself working out

through his loving, providential care.

Creation's wiring, if you like,

makes it lean into the future

when God's people will be revealed for who they are.

Just as we who are his children by grace

long for that full adoption

and resurrection by the Holy Spirit's power

at work in us already.

And at the center between creation

and the new creation

is the firstborn of all creation.

as Colossians 1.15 puts it.

We're talking, of course,

about the one who became flesh

and dwelt among us in John 1.14.

We're talking about Jesus.

Who is this Jesus?

Well, as we reflect on John 1,

1 to 14 together,

one thing needs to be clear.

The question, who is Jesus,

is not an academic question only.

In fact, it's not even that primarily.

It's a question that's very personal.

That's not to say that every person

makes up whatever they like

about the question in answer to it.

It's that as soon as we look into the question,

we find ourselves,

our whole identity and our whole purpose

bound up with the question.

That is, we're brought to a place of decision.

We're brought to a place

where we have to engage individually

the testimony of eyewitnesses

to his life, death, resurrection, and ascension.

We're brought to a place

where we must say either,

yes, I will follow Jesus,

or no, I can't go to that banquet right now.

Don't trouble me now,

as we sang in youth group,

eons, or not ages ago.

I think 40 years ago,

we sang that in a youth group in Mexico City.

You might ask,

well, why do we need eyewitnesses?

Ever pondered that question?

Why do we need those eyewitnesses?

Can't God just tell us directly

without having to use human beings?

Seem a lot more convenient in many places.

Presumably God could tell us directly

without human eyewitnesses,

but is that what he's chosen to do?

As Christians,

we take as our starting point,

we take our starting point

what God has actually done,

not what he might have done

or what he should have done,

you know,

if you're thinking like us.

What God has seen fit to do

is to come among us in Jesus,

in history,

and have certain people

bear witness to that.

That's why John declared in verse 14,

as we read,

the word became flesh

and dwelt among us,

and we have seen his glory.

Glory as the only son from the Father,

full of grace and truth.

Now, as much as we might be tempted

to brush aside

the whole question

of reliable human witnesses

on the assumption

that human witnesses

inevitably garble things

and mislead us,

whenever we do dismiss them,

we make a huge mistake.

That's because the Bible

has human witnesses

on full display,

front and center,

if you like,

so that to discredit them

is to miss something

that's at the heart

of God's self-disclosure.

It's this bearing witness.

If I gave this talk a title,

it would be

bearing witness to Jesus.

Remember how Jesus himself

raised the matter

of bearing witness

to his identity.

In Matthew 16,

13 to 14,

we read,

when Jesus came

to the region

of Caesarea Philippi,

the Roman capital

of Judea at the time,

he asked his disciples,

who do people say

the Son of Man is?

They answered,

some say John the Baptist,

others say Elijah,

and others Jeremiah,

or one of the prophets.

Having heard of Jesus,

of his miracles,

and his teachings,

people would have naturally

come up with some answers.

They were bound to do that.

And Jesus isn't here

simply being curious.

What he wants,

in the first place,

is for the disciples

to make a report.

And what is their report?

Well, Jesus,

what they're saying about you

is this.

You're either John the Baptist,

because you're announcing

the coming kingdom,

or maybe you're Elijah,

because Malachi said

that he would come back again.

Or maybe you're Jeremiah,

because you talk about

a new covenant,

as he did.

And what does Jesus do

at this point?

Does he say,

well,

let me set it straight then,

and let me tell you

who I am.

No, he doesn't.

He says then,

so who do you say

that I am?

And Peter answers,

you're the Christ,

the Son of the living God.

And Jesus is delighted

to hear this,

because he says,

blessed are you,

Simon Barjona.

His delight is striking.

Have you wondered why

he was so pleased

to hear Peter's confession?

Is it because he's impressed

with Peter?

Evidently not.

I think he's pleased

because he has the opportunity,

Jesus here,

has the opportunity

to bear witness

to what the Father is doing.

That's why he goes on

to tell his disciples

that Peter didn't

come to know this

through any natural means,

but that the Father

revealed it to him.

So Jesus here

is bearing witness.

Let's appreciate

the way God

makes himself known here,

starting from the human side,

because in John 1

it's going to be

the inverse.

starting from the human side,

from below,

among the people,

there's a kind of knowing

that only gets us so far.

Having heard of Jesus,

of his miracles,

of his teaching,

people were naturally

going to come up

with answers.

They were bound

to do that

because under Roman rule

and eager for their liberation,

they were naturally

going to take an interest

in this man

who spoke

of God's kingdom.

Now,

and then among

the disciples,

Peter comes to know

that Jesus is the Christ

as the Father

reveals it to him.

And not just Peter,

evidently,

because Jesus

tells all the disciples

not to tell anyone

that he is the Christ.

What's important

is that

when Peter declares

this truth,

Jesus reveals

that it's the Father's

work in him.

And then,

as I said,

in John 1,

we start from God.

The pattern

of witness-bearing

begins there,

from God's side,

from above.

In the beginning,

says John,

echoing the first words

of Genesis,

in the beginning

was the Word

and the Word

was with God

and the Word

was God.

What do we learn

in these first

five verses

about this God?

Well,

first,

we learn

that there was

never a time

when God

was without Word.

The Word

of God

always was.

He was in the beginning

with God,

says verse 2.

Second,

we learn

that God

has made everything

through the Word.

Verse 3,

what this means

is that

creation

bears witness,

if you like,

to him.

Because David,

it will almost

echo David's

word in Psalm 19,

1,

for the heavens

declare

the glory

of God

and the sky

above

proclaims

his handiwork.

Third,

we learn

that our God

doesn't remain

aloof,

detached,

because it's

in his nature

to be a God

for us.

How do we know this?

Well,

we know it

because his Word

is life.

And this life

is the light

of men,

verse 4.

So the Father

is already

bearing witness

to himself

through creation

and through

the Word

that is

the light

that shines

in the darkness

of the world

and of our lives,

verse 5.

So up to this

point,

we haven't heard

about Jesus

yet,

right?

We've heard,

but we do

meet him

in verse 14

as we've read,

and the Word

became flesh

and dwelt among us.

To lead us

to this Jesus,

God raises up

whom?

A witness,

John the Baptist,

who bears witness

to the light

that according

to verse 9

was coming

into the world.

What kind

of ministry

must John the Baptist

have?

Well,

the kind,

first of all,

that simply

bears witness

to the light

since he himself

is not the light,

verse 8.

Otherwise,

John the Baptist

could have drawn

attention to himself,

said,

hey,

come follow me.

But instead,

he says,

prepare the way

of the Lord,

who is the Son

of God,

if you read

further down,

verse 34,

and Lamb of God

who takes away

the sin of the world,

verse 29.

In the second place,

John the Baptist's

ministry had to be

the kind that

convicted men

and women

of sin,

of rebellion.

The fact is,

God's work

in creation

is sufficient

to move us

to gratitude,

gratitude,

but in our

sinful nature,

we refuse

to do that,

to give thanks.

And so that

it can be said

of us

in verse 10,

the world

did not know him.

This is consistent

with what Paul

has to say

in Romans 1

about the human

heart becoming

darkened

through a refusal

to honor the God

who's made himself

known

right there

in creation.

So bearing

similar witness

to that of

John the Baptist,

are eyewitnesses

who can say,

and we beheld

his glory,

verse 14.

Who are these

who beheld

his glory?

Because after all,

not everyone

perceived

Jesus' glory.

Not everyone

received him

as one full

of grace

and truth.

How do we know

this?

Well, it's clear

from what Paul

says in

1 Corinthians 1

about the message

of the cross

being foolishness

to the Greeks

with their passion

for human wisdom

apart from grace

and a stumbling block

to the Jews

with passion

for signs

for their own sake.

So who perceived

Jesus' glory?

Verse 12

gives us

the answer.

Those who received

him,

those who believed

in his name.

And who were these?

Well,

verse 13

answers that.

It's the same ones

who were born

not of blood

nor of the will

of the flesh

nor of the will

of man

but of God.

So you and I

today,

wherever we are,

picking up

John's gospel

and turning

right to the end,

we can hear

God say to us

through these

early witnesses,

these things

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.

You see the,

you see how

we have the

God,

God-bearing witness

right through

his word,

creation

and then

John the Baptist

bearing witness,

the gospel writers

bearing witness

and we too

being invited

and called

to do the same.

So how can we

turn these truths,

how can these truths

comfort us

today

even as they

challenge us?

Let me just make

three brief points.

The first word

of comfort

for us today

is that by trusting

in Jesus

we come to know

the living God.

To receive the light

that has come

into the world

in Jesus

is to receive

the life of Jesus.

It's to become

by adoption

what he is

by nature.

But here's the

challenge,

isn't it?

And it has to do

with what the Bible

means by knowing

God.

We like to

trust the sight

that our physical

eyes give us.

We think that

it's pretty reliable

that to see

is to believe.

But what kind

of seeing

is appropriate

to knowledge

of God?

We have to reckon

with John 1.18

a little further down

which says

no man has seen

God.

We'd like to

think that it

makes no sense

to say this

any longer

this sight of

the word

made flesh.

But the problem

is many see

without seeing.

Many people

cross paths

with Jesus

but never had

the spiritual

eyes to see

that he was

sent from God.

And that's why

John Calvin

can say

no man has

seen God

means that

God dwells

in inaccessible

light

and therefore

cannot be known

except in Christ

who is his

lively image.

knowledge.

If we then

ask what it

means to

know Jesus

God's

lively image

today

the Bible

teaches that

this knowing

is a knowing

that's oriented

more to the

ear than to

the eye.

Where do we

see that?

Verse 18

tells us that

the only God

who's at the

Father's

side

he has

made him

known.

Where the

literal meaning

of to make

known is to

declare

to narrate.

So the glory

of Jesus

was perceived

by faith

in the beauty

of his whole

message

his whole life

and death

and resurrection

in what one

commentator

calls the

moral splendor

of his

whole ministry.

The moral

splendor of his

whole ministry.

The second

word of comfort

this morning

is that as we

find ourselves

in Christ

Jesus

we're not

stranded

in history.

We're not

left to turn

inward

looking for

meaning within

ourselves.

We're not

striving desperately

to leave

footprints that

others will

admire

after we

move on.

And we're

not left

trying to

save ourselves

either.

This is

because if

we find

ourselves in

Christ we're

already at

the only

center that

matters.

The center

where we

anticipate the

resurrection of

our bodies

and our

full adoption

as sons and

daughters as

God has

promised.

If

Colossians

115 calls

Jesus the

firstborn of

all creation

it's not

because he's

the first

created being

as some

imagine.

It's that

if that's the

case our

hope is no

hope at

all.

The verses

that follow

immediately

after tell

us exactly

what the

title first

born of

all creation

involves.

It means

all things

were created

in him

by him

and for

him.

That all

things hold

together.

That glorious

passage in

Colossians

hold together

in him.

That in him

all the

fullness of

God was

pleased to

dwell.

And that

all things

are to be

finally reconciled

in him

through his

sacrificial

death on

the cross.

A third

word of

comfort and

challenge for

us is that

we can

experience the

joy of

bearing witness.

Experience the

joy of

bearing witness.

Here we have

the privilege of

commending the

faith to

others of

trying as

Alistair

McGrath put

it nicely to

allow the

full wonder

and brilliance

of the

Christian faith

to be

understood and

appreciated.

I once met

a pastor in

Peru who

in his

university years

had tried on

for size the

various philosophies

that are there

and religions

only to find

emptiness inside

and as we

went out

together doing

something I

don't get to do

often enough but

that we did

there in Peru

and that that

was to go out

in the parks

and town

squares just

preaching and

putting on

skits and

drawing others

to hear the

message as

we went out

together I

remember one

moment when he

turned to me and

he said really

really full of

joy and full of

full of conviction

apart from the

gospel what else

is there it was

as if he had

said like Peter

to whom shall we

go you have the

words of eternal

life and we

have believed and

have come to

know that you're

the holy one of

God John 6

68 to 69

so how can we

bear witness

within the layers

that we that we

come to know in

different places

well I'll just

mention three in

closing as we

hear of great

numbers of

Muslims coming

to Christ in

countries like

Iran I think we

can be confident

today that our

message of God's

love in Jesus

will be used by

him to move

some to put their

trust in him

we pray many

the Holy Spirit

may even be

preparing the

heart of someone

that you meet

this week so

that when you do

speak of Jesus

confidently

calmly just

bearing witness

your friend will

warm to the

message and it

won't be through

your eloquence it

won't be through

anything that you

had worked on

days on end to

prepare it'll just

be through your

quiet witness that

this person will

seriously consider

what you have to

say and it's a

remarkable thing to

see happen my

friend a tennis

buddy in Cairo he

has not yet trusted

in Jesus as far as

I know but he's

someone I was able

to talk to on

several occasions

he was actually

praying for my

conversion to

Islam right and

and very excited

you know to discuss

things with me and

so I took that as a

as a good thing he

took this stuff

seriously and

praying for my

conversion even as

he did that I was

I was able to

invite him to

consider how the

resurrection of

Jesus if true

changes everything

changes everything

and that Jesus

being raised for

our justification as

Paul says that you

and I wouldn't

don't have to try to

self-justify by our

own efforts perhaps

in another space or

realm God is drawing

someone from that

cosmopolitan world that

we know well in that

space where Cairo and

Toronto and Buenos

Aires meet where it

seems like the most

important things in

life revolve around

things that I've had to

cultivate a certain

amount of well let's

just say I need to be

ready for the the the

wine and cheeses and

and stuff around the

diplomatic life abroad

but where conversation

revolves around the

wines that you import

sports and leisure and

so on with a bit of

maybe philanthropy

thrown in but even

there we see signs of

longing don't we

longing for something

that only God can

satisfy and so

perhaps God is in the

present in the present

pandemic drawing people

through this sense that

this world after all has

an expiry date and

moving people to to be

aware of their own

need and that we too

can be be ready to

bear witness or

consider a modern

spiritual but not

religious pagan who

can make use of the

rights and ceremonies

of whichever religion is

most handy right without

taking any of the

teachings too

seriously it's common

enough this person

believes that God is a

great impersonal energy

that flows in and

through everything the

Christ and the cosmos

are basically the same

reality and that the

road of salvation that I

travel is made as I

walk it in other words

that I have the power

within me to make my

road a good one or a

bad one and to define

what is good and right

for me well consider

this this is the road

many of us tried to

walk on until we

realized that it leads

straight into the land

of self-worship and

emptiness we walked

along it until someone

through God's sheer

mercy bore witness that

Jesus Christ has done the

work of laying out the

road ahead of us so

that we don't have to

invent it so let me

challenge you with this

we've just celebrated

Christmas it's the one

time when people all

over the world Cairo

Manila everywhere even

many who wouldn't claim

to be Christians seeing

of the things that we've

looked at this morning

the incarnation the

coming of Emmanuel God

with us it's a story

that has become

routine and the

wonder of it has been

to some extent tamed

domesticated for some

who sing it it's a

message about

humanity's nobler

qualities perhaps even

about humans becoming

God or little gods

for others it's a nice

story but not to be

taken seriously as the

good news of God's

dealings with sinful

humanity in real time

and place and a real

place in history so to

hear the message what do

we need to do to hear

the message we have to

listen as it were on our

knees as if for the

first time we have to

consider the awesome

paradox that's there in

that remember that line

from Graham Kendrick some

years ago I'm telling you

my age again that the

hands that flung stars

into space to cruel

nails surrendered and

with our whole lives we

have to hold on to the

glorious hope that the

same one who came into

the world and who died

and rose again and

ascended into heaven is

the one who's coming

back for all those who

are waiting for his

appearing shall we

pray father would you

take these songs we've

sung and the words we've

heard and and burn your

truth into us that we

might find greater hope

greater joy greater

boldness to be salt and

light in the world that

you in the places you've

placed us in whichever

layers of society that

you call us to and give

us the opportunity to

interact with we thank

you for bringing us out

of darkness into the

marvelous light of your

son and we thank you

for the health that you

give us for the the

strength that you give

us from day to day this

we we ask and pray in

Jesus's name

amen

amen

amen

amen

Thank you.