Well, it's my joy to share with you the final passage in John. I want to say, for myself, that God has really met me during this study. I have been both convicted and comforted and encouraged, seeing Jesus again and his inexhaustible grace and my inescapable need for that grace. It has just been a beautiful thing for me. If you haven't watched or listened to all of these, go back, start at the beginning and walk with me through these fifty-two devotionals on the Gospel of John. This is John 21:24 and 25.
This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know his testimony is true. Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
At the end of his account of the life of Jesus, John wants us to know that we have reasons to believe that his record of the identity, life, character, mission, grace of Jesus is true. John is saying, "You can trust my narrative. It's true!" And then he reminds us that what is recorded of the life and ministry of Jesus is not exhaustive. And you can say that of all of Scripture, the Bible is not exhaustive. The Bible is comprehensive. It means that it touches every area of your life without talking about everything. If your Bible was exhaustive, you would take it to church on Sunday morning in five eighteen-wheelers (semi-trucks). There's an intentionality and a selectivity in what God has recorded and preserved for us, the things that we need.
So, we have selected history, then, in the Gospel of John for the purpose of igniting faith in us. When John says that the world could not contain the books written about all Jesus did, he's not just talking about the situations, locations, teaching, and miracles that Jesus did. John is talking about the utter, expansive, mind-boggling magnitude of what it took for God to harness the forces of nature, control the events of human history, so that at a certain point, his Son would be born in Bethlehem, to do all that was needed to do to secure our forgiveness, our reconciliation to God, the transformation of our hearts, empowering in us new living, and finally, delivering us completely from sin.
There will be a day when we will look back on the magnitude of what God did to redeem us, and our minds will be blown! The narrative of redemption from before origin to beyond destiny is a well that has no bottom. You can dig and dig and dig, and you'll never reach its bottom. You and I will spend all of eternity unpacking the glorious wonder of the life, death, resurrection, and royal priestly reign of Jesus. It will never bore us! We will never get tired of trying to unpack it once again and grasp all that he did for us.
You see, John's final words are a welcome to you and to me to keep searching, keep studying, keep considering, keep meditating, to never stop being a student of God's redeeming grace. His final words are a warning to us to never stop losing our awe because whatever captures your awe will control the way you live your life. There is simply nothing that compares to the glory of the grace of God in Christ Jesus!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. What is John's purpose in only giving his readers a selected historical account of the life of Jesus? How does John's selected historical account of Jesus invite you to go deeper into your knowledge of and relationship with Christ?
2. Why is the story of redemption a well that has no bottom? When was a time that you thought you grasped everything there was to grasp about the gospel, but then God revealed to you another layer that you never knew existed? How did that discovery prompt you to respond?
3. What in your life currently captures your awe? How does the object of your awe currently control the way you live each day?
4. Why will Jesus always be the good and better object of your awe compared to anything else you currently marvel over? How might your awe of Jesus transform your entire life?
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
• What do you find to be boring about the story of Jesus? Why do you think it's boring in some places? Why does boredom with Jesus point to a problem with humans and not a problem with Jesus?
• What in your life makes you say, "Wow!"? How might Jesus be better than what makes you say, "Wow"?
For Older Children:
• What's the difference between comprehensive and exhaustive? Why does that difference matter when we're talking about the Bible?
• What in your life currently makes you say, "Wow!"? How might Jesus be better than what makes you say, "Wow"? If we don't think Jesus could be better, why is that a problem with us instead of a problem with Jesus?
You have permission to print, repost, share, distribute, and translate this resource as long as you credit Paul Tripp as the teacher, do not charge for this resource, and do not alter the content in any way. If you require an exception or special permission, please email Info@PaulTripp.com.
