Overview:
Quick Overview: What is the Purpose of John’s Gospel?
In this final message of the series Exalting Christ . . . The Lamb of God, Pastor Chuck Swindoll explores the concluding verses of the Gospel of John. He highlights the author’s deliberate choice to leave out countless miracles and teachings in order to focus on a singular, life-transforming objective: that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. This message serves as an inspiring bookend to the story of the One who stepped into our broken world to bring grace and truth.
Key Facts for Many Other Signs
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Primary Scripture: John 20:30–31; 21:24–25
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Series: Exalting Christ . . . The Lamb of God
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Speaker: Pastor Chuck Swindoll
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Central Theme: The inexhaustible nature of Christ’s life and the intentionality of the biblical record to lead us to faith.
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Key Verse: “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.” (John 20:31)
Why Did John Leave So Much Out?
John admits that if every one of Jesus’ actions were recorded, “the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.” Pastor Chuck explains that the Bible is not an exhaustive biography, but a divine selection. John chose specific “signs”—miracles with a message—to act as a spiritual compass, pointing directly to the deity of Christ and the necessity of a personal response.
The Core Themes
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The Inexhaustible Christ: Recognizing that the earthly ministry of Jesus was so vast and profound that human language and record-keeping cannot fully capture it.
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The Intentionality of Scripture: Understanding that the Bible was written with a specific “why”—to facilitate belief and impart eternal life.
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Grace and Truth in Person: Reflecting on the impact of the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us.
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The Call to Decision: Moving beyond intellectual knowledge of Jesus’ signs to a place of personal trust in His name.
The Impact of Encountering the Lamb
| The Observation | The Biblical Evidence | The Personal Result |
| His Miraculous Signs | Selected miracles (turning water to wine, raising Lazarus). | Confidence in His power over nature, sin, and death. |
| His Unique Identity | His claim to be the Son of God and the “I Am.” | A shift from seeing Him as a “good teacher” to seeing Him as Lord. |
| His Intentional Record | A book written specifically to produce faith. | The discovery of “life in His name” rather than empty religion. |
| His Infinite Reach | More deeds than all the world’s books could hold. | A sense of awe and worship for our limitless Savior. |
A Conclusion That Never Ends
Pastor Chuck reminds us that while the series on John’s Gospel is ending, our journey with the Lamb of God is just beginning. The “many other things” Jesus did continue to impact lives today through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Once you truly encounter the Christ revealed in these pages, you will never be the same. The end of the book is simply an invitation to the beginning of a new life.
Message Summary:
In this forty-second and final message of the series on the Gospel of John, Chuck Swindoll likens the conclusion of this study to finishing a great biography—leaving the reader satisfied yet wishing the story would continue. Drawing from the final verses of John 20 and 21, the sermon highlights the unique nature of Jesus Christ, in whom undiminished deity and true humanity dwell side by side.
The message reviews the Gospel through “seven slides,” revisiting specific miracles (signs) from the first twelve chapters that prove Jesus is the Son of God. These signs demonstrate His mastery over quality, distance, time, quantity, natural law, misfortune, and death. Swindoll argues that these miracles teach a vital application for believers today: the best training for faith is human impossibility, and the only solution for such impossibility is divine intervention.
The sermon concludes by examining the “many other things” Jesus did—His acts of humility, friendship, and suffering that displayed His perfect humanity. Swindoll challenges listeners to realize that the biography of Jesus is unfinished; it continues to be written through the changed lives of His followers, from the original disciples to believers today.
Message Key Facts:
- The Dual Nature of Christ: The sermon links two specific phrases to illustrate Christ’s nature: “Many other signs” (John 20:30) points to His undiminished deity, while “Many other things” (John 21:25) points to His true humanity, including His friendship and humility.
- The Seven Masters: To prove Jesus’ deity, Swindoll reviews seven miracles where Jesus proved Himself to be:
- Master of Quality: Turning water into vintage wine (John 2).
- Master of Distance: Healing the official’s son from 20 miles away (John 4).
- Master of Time: Healing the invalid who had been sick for 38 years (John 5).
- Master of Quantity: Feeding the 5,000 with a small lunch (John 6).
- Master of Natural Law: Walking on water and calming the storm (John 6).
- Master of Misfortune: Healing the man born blind (John 9).
- Master of Death: Raising Lazarus after four days in the grave (John 11).
- The Purpose of the Gospel: John’s account is selective, not exhaustive (choosing only specific signs), and actual, not theoretical (witnessed by real men). Its purpose is clearly stated: to help readers believe that Jesus is the Messiah so they might have life in His name.
- The Tyranny of Study: Swindoll quotes Winston Churchill regarding writing books to describe the process of preaching through John: it begins as an adventure/amusement, becomes a mistress, then a master, and finally a “tyrant” before it is flung out to the public.
- The Legacy of the Disciples: The sermon details the martyrdom and service of the apostles to show how the “book” of Christ’s work continued through them:
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- Peter: Crucified upside down.
- Andrew: Crucified on an X-shaped cross, greeting it with joy.
- Thomas: Speared to death in India.
- Matthew: Burned with asphalt and oil.
- John: Survived boiling oil and died in exile on Patmos.
Message References:
- John 20:30–31: The purpose statement of the Gospel: that you may believe Jesus is the Christ and have life in His name.
- John 21:24–25: The statement that the world could not contain the books if everything Jesus did was written down.
- John 2:1–11: The first sign: Turning water into wine.
- John 4:46–54: The healing of the official’s son.
- John 5:1–9: The healing at the pool of Bethesda.
- John 6:1–13: The feeding of the multitude.
- John 6:16–21: Jesus walking on the water.
- John 9:1–7: The healing of the man born blind.
- John 11:39–44: The raising of Lazarus.
