What we Believe Series – Part 5
Who is this Jesus (con’t)? John 20:30-31
We have been in a series called ‘What we believe.’
o Were continuing our focus on God the Son, Jesus Christ. What do Christians believe about Jesus? What was his purpose for coming to earth? What difference can he make in my life?
o The story is told of a missionary nurse who was traveling down a dusty road in the Middle East
o Her jeep ran out of gas
o She looked in her jeep in desperation for something that would hold gas
o All she found was a bedpan
o So she walked the mile or so to the local gas station
o There she filled up the bedpan with gas and walked back to the jeep
o Just before she was ready to pour the gas from the bedpan into the jeep a large limousine pulled up
o The limousine windows rolled down and she noticed it was full of wealthy male sheiks
o One of them said ‘lady we don’t share your religion but we do greatly admire your faith’
o As we look at the evidence that Jesus is the Son of God, I wonder where your faith is this morning.
o Last week we looked at evidence that Jesus is 100% God
o We will continue on that vein today
o We said that most people today don’t have a problem believing Jesus was human; the evidence is conclusive
o But many have difficulty believing Jesus is God’ even though the evidence is also conclusive
o What about you?
o What do you believe about Jesus?
o Do you believe Jesus is God who became man?
o Do you believe he lived a sinless life?
o Do you believe he died on the cross for your sins?
o Do you believe he rose from the dead?
o Do you believe he did the miracles recorded in the Bible?
o I’m sure you already know there are a lot of ideas about who Jesus is and what he came to do
o Some people think God is like Yoni Miagwa, who at 114 years old is the oldest living person
o Just kind of gives a grandmotherly wink at your lifestyle
o There is a growing segment of our population who believes that God will just wink at you and say ‘close enough Harry
o You did your best
o Your in
o But if that were true and it isn’t, why would Jesus have to die on the cross for my sins
o It makes God’s plan for me, the cross of Jesus null and void in my life
o Now I am sure that many of you are better than me
o But the problem is God is not judging you against my standard
o He will judge you against the sinless perfection of his Son Jesus Christ
o And you will never meet that standard without Jesus in your heart
o God sent Jesus to get the world back on track
o I am so thankful for that
o Are you?
o Others say God is like Santa Claus, you name it, you claim it
o Some get their idea of God from the movie ‘Star wars’ – the Force be with you
o Others think that God is a big judge in the sky that is going to hit you if you step out of line
o So we all have skewed thinking
o Were all marred by our thinking about God because of sin
o That is why we need to look at the Bible to discover who Jesus is
o God’s written word tells us all that we need to know about God
o Maybe not all we would like to know, but all we need to know about Jesus and who he is and how to live this life to the maximum
o In the fullness of time God chose to accomplish is purposes and reveal Himself through Jesus and ultimately the church
o If you want to know what God is like look to Jesus
o If you want to know how to relate to your wife, children, co-workers, and church attendees look to Jesus
o If you want to know how to have your sins forgiven and receive peace in your heart look to Jesus
o This morning were going to look at the gospel of John so see what God is really like (John 1:18)
o Because Jesus came so we can now know God intimately and relate to Him in a very personal way
o John wants us to know and experience his eyewitness evidence of Jesus the Messiah
o Why did John write this gospel?
o What was his purpose?
o In order to find out the purpose of the Gospel of John we need to go all the way to the back of the book
o “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 20:30-31 NIV).”
o Suppose your traveling to Winnipeg by car
o Would you say the signs are important?
o Do you keep your eyes entirely on the signs?
o No, if you do you will drive off the road
o What is the significance of signs, then? Are they important in and of themselves? Are we to pay a lot of attention to the signs themselves? Or are we to be more concerned with where they are pointing us?
o The dictionary defines a sign as something that conveys information about something else.
o And while that is helpful John uses the words signs as miracles
o That is what John means when he writes ‘these things are written’
o John carefully chooses seven miracles
o The number seven in the Bible symbolizes divine completeness
o The number seven is used 287 times in the Bible
o Here are a few examples
o First from the First Testament, the seven fold blessing to the nation of Israel
o I will bring you out from Egypt.
o I will rid you of your bondage.
o I will redeem you.
o I will take you to myself for a people.
o I will be to you a God.
o I will bring you into the land.
o I will give you the land
o There are seven appearances of angels during the life of Jesus on earth
o Then there are the seven miracles of Jesus in the gospel of John
o John is saying this is a complete picture of Jesus; that is all you need
o John wants to reveal Jesus identity, who he was and is
o He tells us these are written so that we will believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God
o He tells us that believing directly results in eternal life, or heaven
o Were going to do a sweep of some of these miracles today
1) He turned the water into wine (2:1-11)
o Jesus is at a wedding of a close relative or friend
o Often they do not believe the message we bring
o Are they not the hardest ones to reach
o It is likely Mary had some organizational responsibility for the wedding
o Book that told how to do weddings and the author says don’t worry too much, the bride or the brides mother will tell you what to do. It seems like Mary had that role.
o Jewish weddings were not like our weddings
o Could last up to a week
o Groom was financially responsible for the wedding
o The groom could have been sued by the brides relatives
o This was highly embarrassing
o Have you ever been to a wedding where something was embarrassing?
o So they come to Mary and say there is little wine left
o Mary says do what Jesus tells you
o Great advice for us
o So picture 6 stone water pots full of wine
o They are empty and the party is only half over
o They fill the water pots with water – about 600 liters
o At Jesus command instantly they become wine
o The disciples saw what happened
o The Bible says they tasted the new wine and it was superior
o Theme, the old Jewish system of rules and regulations are gone; the new has come (2nd Co. 5:17)
o Some of you are just beginning on this spiritual journey
o Your finding out that your life is changed
o One man who was an alcoholic became a Christian and gave up drinking
o They asked him, ‘you don’t really believe the story about Jesus changing the water into wine, do you?’
o He said absolutely
o In my house He changed the whisky into furniture
o Friend you will never be the same once you trust in Jesus
o The disciples saw this first hand and they believed in Jesus
2) Healing of the Official’s Son (4:43-54)
o Here we have a senior government official who is in desperation
o The man is likely a Jew but he is not here to discuss theology
o His son is dying
o It’s amazing how simple life is when your in desperation
o He is a popular man in an esteemed position
o But he has his focus on one thing
o His focus is on Jesus
o Jesus is his only hope
o He has heard of the miracles Jesus did
o So he is heading straight for Jesus
o His position could not solve his problem
o No amount of money could solve his problem
o That is what drove him from Capernaum to the village of Cana, 20 to 25 miles away, hoping that the Healer would save his son from death
o The official was in no position emotionally to argue his case theologically. All he could plead for was mercy, for his child was at the point of death.
o I mean really, when my son was dying I was not interested in a theological discussion about whether God heals today
o I was only interested in those who would pray with me
o I was interested in the power of God
o That is where this man was at
o Jesus said ‘you may go. Your son will live
o The Bible says he took Jesus at his word and left
o The man was on his way back to his country
o While on his way home he met his servants
o They are ecstatic and running to meet him
o They have good news
o Master your son is well
o The official wonders when he was healed
o He was up and about yesterday at the seventh hour
o The official knew right away
o That was the exact hour when Jesus said ‘go home, I have healed your son.’
o Now I want to stop and clarify something
o Some look at passages like these and wonder why they are not healed
o Is there something wrong with my faith?
o God still heals today but not everyone gets healed
o In some Christian circles it is taught that it is always God’s will for the Christian to enjoy wholeness.
o Take Charles and Frances Hunter as an example. They teach that healing and wholeness are a guaranteed part of the Christian life. Yet consider that they both wear glasses. That is not perfect health. Both of them are balding. (She wears a wig.) That is not wholeness.
o While conducting a healing crusade in the Philippines, Frances Hunter ended up in the doctor’s office after contracting "pink eye." She testified, "I could not get rid of it in spite of all the healing teams over there." So she went to a medical clinic for help.
o "I nearly fainted when I walked in because the first thing I saw was a copy of the book How to Heal the Sick, and I thought, ‘what am I doing in a doctor’s office when Charles and I wrote that book.’ With embarrassment, Frances told the nurse about her sickness" (Charisma, May 1988).
o On another international healing crusade trip, Mrs. Hunter had to be brought back to the States in a wheelchair!
o The faith healer is conducting a healing crusade and seminar, and is teaching that every Christian can lay hands on the sick and expect them to be healed. Yet the faith healer gets sick and no one can heal her. She goes to a doctor!
o Recently, both Hunters have had their own bouts with illness. Charles Hunter, 84, had six major spinal operations between May and December 2003.
o Frances Hunter had a bout with breast cancer, which eventually led to a mastectomy.
o But Jesus does heal and he alone can heal
o It is just that in his sovereignty he does not heal all
o He resurrected the son of the government official
o Only Jesus the Son of God could do that miracle from a distance
3) Healing at the pool of Bethesda (5:1-9)
o Here we have the story of Jesus at one of the Jewish feasts
o The pool of Bethesda was a place where many disabled people used to lay
o The spring may have been thought to be medicinal
o In any event the Jews believed that God stirred up the waters
o They believed that if someone could get into the water while it was stirred they could be healed
o But how do you get there when you’re disabled?
o This guy has been disabled for 38 years
o Jesus has supernatural knowledge
o He knows about all the people that are disabled
o Unlike the paralytic who was lowered through the roof this one man is picked out by Jesus for healing
o Jesus is sovereign over who gets healed
o As we said God is not obligated to treat us all equally
o He is God and were not
o Jesus asked an interesting question
o Do you want to get well?
o Not everyone wants to get well
o Being in crisis counseling you find that out very quickly
o People come and ask you for help
o But some have already made up their mind what they want to do
o So they don’t want to hear what God has to say
o So they travel from counselor to counselor until they find one that tells them what they want
o That is why I always say ‘how can I help you?’
o Jesus asked the man the same thing
o Do you want to get well?
o Jesus powerful word heals the man
o Get up!
o Pick up your mat and walk
o Then they are all mad
o Jesus you healed this guy on the Sabbath
o Doesn’t fit my theology
o That is the problem with theology
o God is not confined to a theologian
o Theologians write what they believe God does
o We need some of that
o The problem I have is when someone declares that is the only way God works
o The Jews had 39 categories of work on the Sabbath
o You cannot put God in a box
o He will heal whomever he chooses
o Jesus tells the man to stop sinning or something worse may happen
o Jesus never teaches that all sickness is the result of sin
o But the most natural reading of this verse infers that Jesus is saying his illness was the result of some sin in his life
o Jesus says stop sinning or you will get something worse
o Likely the something worse that he will experience is the final judgment
o Hebrews also gives us warnings about that (Hebrews 6:4-6 (NIV)
o Is it possible to experience a healing and still be on the outside looking in at judgment day?
o I think so
o Only Jesus the Son of God could say pick up your mat and walk
o And only Jesus can set you free at judgment day
4) Feeding of the five thousand (6:1-5)
o Miracles always draw a crowd
o John tells us that a great crowd came to the other side of the lake because of the miracles Jesus performed
o No doubt many were disappointed
o They were placing their faith in the miracles instead of the miracle worker
o Often Jesus miracles would only impact a few
o But this one was different
o This is the only miracle other than the resurrection that is recorded in all four gospels
o It is spectacular
o But we read after the miracle that many no longer followed Jesus
o The wanted him to set the nation free from Rome, not to give them bread
o Philip asks Jesus where they could get enough food to feed this massive crowd
o Philip was from the nearby town of Bethesda so he knows it’s humanly impossible to feed them all this late in the day
o But Jesus already had a plan for their lives
o Who do you turn to when it is humanly impossible?
o John mentions there is a boy with a few barley loaves and small pieces of fish
o It is ludicrous that such a small amount could feed all those people
o Unless of course you place it in God’s hands
o There is no need to panic about anything in our church
o Give it to Jesus in prayer and let him multiply it (Mark 6:41)
o How many did it feed?
o DENVERS STORY
5) Walking on the water (6:16-25)
o According to Mark Jesus told his disciples to get into a boat to go to the other side of the lake
o He remained behind and dismissed the crowd that were fed with the miracle
o Now Mark also tells us something interesting
o While the disciples were in the boat the wind whipped up
o They were straining at the oars
o They were going nowhere
o Have you ever felt you were going nowhere?
o Mark says that Jesus went to pray
o He would have been on a hill overlooking the lake
o Is it comforting for you to know that the Spirit of God prayer for you in your struggles (Romans 8:26?)
o They had rowed about 3 miles and were in the middle of the lake
o The Bible says they saw a figure walking on the lake and they were terrified
o Jesus told them it is I, do not be afraid
o When they saw it was the Lord they invited Him into their boat
o Then the winds died down and they reached the other side
o What are you afraid of?
o Is there a storm in your little boat?
o Jesus is there for you
o He knows about your storm
o Will you let him into your boat
o Trust in Jesus, He will calm the storms in your life
The greatest miracle here is not the turning of water into wine. No, the greatest miracle is the belief of the disciples. The act of putting our faith in Jesus Christ is more amazing than all the miracles and signs put together.
Conclusion
During the 2007-2008 NFL regular seasons, New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady set the record for most touchdown passes in a regular season, paving the way for his winning the MVP award. At the age of 30, he has already won three Super Bowls—an accomplishment that sets him apart as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. Tom Brady sat down for a 2007 television interview with 60 Minutes journalist Steve Kroft. Despite the fame and career accomplishments, Brady told Kroft that it felt like something was still lacking in his life: Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there’s something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, ’Hey man, this is what [it’s all about].’ I reached my goal, my dream, and my life. Me? I think, ’It’s got to be more than this.’ I mean this isn’t—this can’t be—all it’s cracked up to be."
Kroft pressed Brady as to what the right answer was, and Brady added: What’s the answer? I wish I knew… I love playing football, and I love being quarterback for this team. But at the same time, I think there are a lot of other parts about me that I’m trying to find.
There is no need for you to keep looking. He is the Messiah:
o He turned the water into wine
o He healed the officials son
o He fed the five thousand
o He walked on water
o Will you accept him? He is not just the most influential person of history?
o He is not just the most influential person in our lives?
o He is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God
o Will you trust him?
