Real Knowledge | Jerry Wagner

Devotional

Day 1: When Four Hands Claim One Ball

The collision of conflicting truths leaves us stuck – two people clutching the same reality, both convinced they’re right. Like the football player refusing to run laps, we cling to our version of events, deaf to opposing claims. But certainty alone doesn’t make truth. We need more than personal conviction when eternal realities hang in the balance. The Jordan River baptism and Golgotha’s cross become battlegrounds for competing claims about Christ’s identity. How do we settle what we didn’t witness firsthand? [32:05]

“A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.” (Deuteronomy 19:15, ESV)

Reflection: When have you clung to your version of truth like a disputed football? What would it look like to seek an objective witness beyond your own perspective?

Day 2: Three Witnesses Don’t Lie

Truth isn’t decided by volume or passion but by credible testimony. The Father’s voice at the Jordan, the soldier’s confession at the cross, and the Spirit’s ongoing witness form an unshakable triad. These aren’t opinions but firsthand accounts – the Father saw the Son’s baptism, the soldier saw the blood flow, the Spirit confirms Christ’s divinity. Like game film settling a sports dispute, God provides multiple angles to prove Jesus’ identity. Our feelings about truth matter less than the facts establishing it. [47:01]

“This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.” (1 John 5:6-8, ESV)

Reflection: Which of the three witnesses (water, blood, Spirit) most anchors your faith today? How might you share this evidence with someone doubting Christ’s reality?

Day 3: Empty Tombs Don’t Negotiate

The vacant burial cave stands as heaven’s exclamation point – no amount of theological debate changes the stone rolled away. Pagan soldiers, shaken earth, and torn temple curtains became involuntary witnesses to resurrection reality. Like the pastor refusing to enter a memorialized grave, we don’t worship relics but the living Christ. Golgotha’s blood-stained soil and the garden’s empty tomb form historical bedrock, not abstract philosophy. Eternal life begins where our arguments end. [54:19]

“But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.’” (Matthew 28:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: How does the empty tomb shift your faith from defense to declaration? What “grave” have you been peering into that Christ already emptied?

Day 4: Eternal Life Fits in Two Words

Salvation condenses to a person, not a process – “have Jesus.” The Son becomes both destination and proof, the living certificate of our inheritance. Like John touching the resurrected flesh, our assurance comes from tangible encounters with Christ’s word and work. This isn’t wishful thinking but documented reality: over 500 witnesses saw the walking Savior. When ideologies clash, we don’t argue abstractions but announce, “I know Him” – the ultimate evidence being His ongoing life in us. [01:00:51]

“And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:11-12, ESV)

Reflection: How does “having Jesus” simplify your spiritual uncertainties? When did you last feel eternal life’s reality as tangibly as a handshake?

Day 5: Bread Remembers What Minds Forget

The Lord’s Supper turns doctrine into taste and touch – broken crusts speaking louder than theological treatises. Just as the football team reviewed game film, we return to this meal to replay Christ’s sacrifice. The table isn’t ritual but reality check: real teeth tear real bread representing real flesh sacrificed. Every crumb whispers, “This happened” – a sensory anchor against drifting into spiritual speculation. Here, faith becomes flavor. [01:08:07]

“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’” (1 Corinthians 11:23-24, ESV)

Reflection: What truth about Christ’s sacrifice becomes clearer when you physically hold communion elements? How might you “chew slowly” on gospel truths this week?

Sermon Summary

John brings the Born Again journey to real knowledge: the believer can be assured of who Jesus Christ is because God has not left the church guessing. John says Jesus is the one who came by water and blood, “not by water only,” because a water-only Christ leaves Golgotha out of the gospel.

The football field image sets the problem on the table. Two sides can stand firm, both can claim the ball, and neither side has to feel wrong. The water-only side claimed the baptism, the Jordan, the Spirit coming down, and the power of the Christ. John answers that the Christ did not only step into the river, but also climbed the hill and bled.

The deadlock exposes the danger of making the self the tiebreaker. The Walmart parking lot picture makes it plain: two people can scream, “I was here first,” and both can see only from inside their own car. Self-certainty is not evidence. It is a mirror. Feelings, peace, conscience, and “would God really be against something that makes me feel alive?” cannot settle the truth about Jesus.

God enters as the true witness. John insists that three testify: the Spirit, the water, and the blood. The water points back to the Jordan, where the Father opened the sky and said, “This is my beloved Son.” The blood points to the cross, where a real body bled, the sky went black, the earth shook, the veil ripped, and even a pagan soldier said, “Truly, this man is the Son of God.” The Spirit testifies because the Spirit is the truth, the standard that never gets it wrong.

God’s testimony is greater, not merely louder, because God was there. The “eye in the sky” does not lie. God has already declared who the Son is, and all of Scripture has been telling the same story from Genesis to Revelation.

The testimony matters because this is life and death. Eternal life is not based on an event, but on a person. The Son is eternal life revealed, the one John saw, heard, and touched. John writes so that those who believe in the name of the Son of God may know that they have eternal life. Real knowledge says with certainty: Jesus is God, Jesus died, Jesus was buried, and Jesus got up with all power in his hand.

At the table, the bread and cup make that testimony tangible. The body was broken. The blood sealed the covenant. The finished work of the King gives assurance that life is in the Son.

Key Takeaways

1. Self-certainty is only a mirror Self-certainty feels strong because the self rarely tells the self, “wrong.” The inner question, “does this make me feel alive?” can sound spiritual while still keeping the self as judge, jury, and witness. Real discernment begins when the mirror stops pretending to be evidence and an outside witness is allowed to speak. [44:29]
2. God’s testimony settles the deadlock God’s testimony is greater because God was there. Human arguments can get loud, polished, and confident, but loudness is not the same as truth. The Father does not take sides in a debate, he tells what actually happened concerning the Son. [55:08]
3. Water and blood speak together The water testifies that Jesus is the beloved Son, marked publicly at the Jordan. The blood testifies that the same Jesus truly died in a real body on a real cross. A Christ with baptism but no blood cannot save, because the witness of God holds the river and the hill together. [49:14]
4. Eternal life is in the Son Eternal life is not a vague spiritual force or a reward floating somewhere apart from Christ. Eternal life is given because the eternal Son has been revealed, crucified, raised, and received by faith. The question is not whether life sounds desirable, but whether the Son himself is possessed. [58:11]
5. Assurance becomes faithful witness Assurance is not arrogance when it rests on God’s testimony rather than personal feeling. John writes so believers may know, not guess, that eternal life belongs to those who believe in the Son. That certainty gives a steady answer when other doctrines, ideologies, or religions offer a different Jesus. [62:43]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[30:42] - Born Again: Real Knowledge
[31:52] - The Football Deadlock
[34:36] - Water Only or Water and Blood
[40:20] - Deconstruction and Inner Proof
[41:05] - Walmart and the Need for a Witness
[46:10] - God and John Were There
[47:01] - Three Witnesses Testify
[49:14] - The Water, Blood, and Spirit
[55:08] - God’s Testimony Is Greater
[57:19] - Life and Death in the Son
[62:43] - Knowing with Assurance
[65:14] - Contemplation Questions
[67:53] - The Lord’s Supper

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

1 John 5:6-13
“This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has testified concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” [34:53]

Matthew 3:16-17
“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."” [49:33]

Matthew 27:50-54
“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!"” [50:18]

Deuteronomy 19:15
“A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.” [48:09]

Observation questions

In 1 John 5:6-8, what three witnesses are named, and what does John say about how they relate to one another? [49:01]
In Matthew 3:16-17, what happened at Jesus’ baptism that publicly identified him as the Son of God? [49:44]
In Matthew 27:50-54, what details show that Jesus’ death was a real, bodily death and not just a spiritual moment? [50:24]
What everyday deadlock pictures help show why two sides can both feel sure they are right, and why an outside witness is needed?

Interpretation questions

John says Jesus came “not by water only but by the water and the blood.” Why does leaving out the blood change who Jesus is and what the gospel means? [37:52]
Deuteronomy says a matter is established by two or three witnesses. How does that help explain why John emphasizes the Spirit, the water, and the blood together? [48:13]
“The testimony of God is greater.” In what sense is God’s testimony greater than human certainty, strong feelings, or confident arguments? [55:08]
John says, “Whoever has the Son has life.” What does that show about eternal life being found in a person rather than in a spiritual experience, religious event, or moral effort? [59:26]

Application questions

Self-certainty is only a mirror. Where is the strongest temptation right now to trust personal peace, feelings, or “this makes me feel alive” more than God’s testimony about his Son? [43:38]
Some people are drawn to a “water only” Jesus—someone inspiring, spiritual, and affirmed by God, but disconnected from the cross. What versions of Jesus are most common in this person’s world, and how can they be recognized? [38:15]
God’s testimony settles the deadlock. When confusion rises from competing voices, what would it look like this week to slow down and let Scripture, rather than the self, be the standard? [56:42]
Eternal life is in the Son. When this truth is made personal, what helps someone move from admiring Jesus to honestly asking, “Do I have him?” [01:01:06]
Assurance is meant to produce faithful witness. Where does someone need more courage to say with humility and clarity who Jesus is? [01:02:43]
The bread and the cup make Christ’s body and blood tangible to the church. How can remembering Jesus’ broken body and shed blood deepen assurance instead of leaving communion as a routine moment? [01:07:53]
If life is truly in the Son, what practical change might show up in the way someone faces fear, guilt, suffering, or even death this week? [57:19]

Sermon Clips

52s

“God didn't get up to win an argument. He got up to win souls. didn't get up so that we can be in a debate with somebody. He got up and is fighting for people and died for people so that we may have life and have it everlasting. And I love the grammar here. I love the language here because it says, given, which suggests already it's settled. It's done. It is a package by which you have received that no one can take away from you. It has been given. This is the hallelujah moment. Right? This is a praise and a celebration moment. Why? Because eternity is not based on an event. It's based on a person.”

75s

“Do you have him? There is someone listening to my voice, whether you're in here or whether you're online, you have to ask that question, and you need an answer. Because this is a this is the determining factor of life and death. Do you have him? Who, pastor? The one who came by water, baptized in the Jordan. Who, pastor? The the one the father crapped the sky open and said, this is my beloved son, the one who came by blood, who climbed the hill carrying his own cross, the one who hung there while the sky went black, the one who tore down the veil from the top down so that we might enter into the holy of holies, the one who said, you cannot do this without me. For what is impossible for man is possible for me. The one who is eternal eternal life. That blood that dropped is the blood that brought you and I into eternity. Thank you, Jesus.”

43s

“So why does this testimony matter? Why does this matter to you? Because it's a matter of life and death. If you get this thing wrong about who Christ is, it is a matter of life and death. That the path to destruction is brah because we continue to believe things that God has not said about his son. We continue to believe things not based on eyewitness account, but based on how we feel.”

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How are disputes about Jesus' identity settled?

What is the role of water and blood?

What guarantees eternal life for a Christian?