That You May Believe
Notes
Transcript
text:
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book.
31 But these 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.
PRAY
How do you know what to believe?
Introduction: Not knowing what or whom to believe
Sadly, in our broken world, we don’t always know whom or what to believe. Many of us have the experience of believing something that we heard, only to find out later it wasn’t true.
If you turn on the news on TV or read a newspaper or article online, before long you’ll hear or read something that isn’t true. People aren’t always honest, and even honest people are sometimes mistaken about the facts.
This makes it hard for us to know what to believe, and that’s very frustrating. If you’re like me, you care about the truth, and you want to know the truth.
We need a certain amount of evidence to believe someone or something that we read or hear.
We either need to hear it from someone we already know and trust, or else we need sufficient evidence - facts, details, records, statements - that confirm the reality of what we’re reading or hearing.
Would you believe me if I told you...
That I lived in Mexico for 4 years?
That is a historical event from my past that is easily verifiable.
You can ask Sarah or our boys and they would confirm that we lived in Mexico.
You could ask our parents or other friends of ours or even other missionaries or people who are still there.
I could produce airline ticket records that show when and where we traveled, passports and other documents that show when we were in Mexico.
I could print out files from all the classes I taught in Mexico as well as hundreds or thousands of pictures of our time there.
The point of all this is that my claim is easy to verify if you will take an honest look at the evidence. Anyone willing to examine the evidence will confirm that what I said is true.
But...
What about if I told you…
That I’ve traveled to the moon?
You might think well, he did travel 2,000 miles or so to Mexico, so what’s another 236,000 miles to the moon?
I would not be able to produce any convincing evidence to prove this claim. I might find a way to forge some documents or maybe Photoshop a picture of me on the moon, but it’s just not going to convince anyone, because it’s a claim that’s easy to disprove.
Three Kinds of Claims we Hear
Sometimes the things that we hear are false, and we know it right away, and they’re easy to disprove. (Did anyone really believe that I’ve been to the moon?)
Other times claims sound true, but as we look for evidence it shows that they’re not true.
Other things we hear sound true, and as we examine the evidence it convinces us that the claims are true.
That’s what John wants us to do with his Gospel - examine the facts and see if what He says is true - and if it is, believe it and live your life based on the truth.
The claims that John makes in his Gospel are backed up by other Scriptures, and they’re the kind of claims that would be relatively easy to disprove if they weren’t true.
Consider again as we review the Gospel of John and see what John tells us about Jesus - and if it’s true (and it is!) - how should you respond?
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book.
Jesus performed many other signs
37 distinct miracles recorded in the 4 Gospels
Many others alluded to - may have been 1000s - Matthew says that “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness.” (9:35)
in the presence of His disciples,
Eyewitnesses of Jesus’s ministry and miracles
which are not written in this book.
Why did John not include more?
-other Gospels already written
-7 is enough; if you don’t believe with these 7, then 700 wouldn’t convince you.
31 But these 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.
31 But these are written
written and preserved for our learning
Seven “I AM” Statements
-Reveal the character and work of Jesus (mention each of these but don’t go into detail)
The Bread of Life (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51)
35 Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.
The Light of the World (John 8:12, 9:5)
12 Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
The Gate for the Sheep (John 10:7, 9)
7 So He said to them again, “Truly, truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.
The Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14)
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
The Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.
The Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6)
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
The True Vine (John 15:1, 5)
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard.
Near the middle of the Gospel, Jesus says that if we struggle to believe His words, we should examine His works and see that they confirm the reality of what He says:
37 If I am not doing the works of My Father, then do not believe Me.
38 But if I am doing them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works themselves, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father.”
The Seven Signs:
Water to Wine at Cana (John 2:1-11)
1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,
2 and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding.
3 When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to Him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Woman, why does this concern us?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”
6 Now six stone water jars had been set there for the Jewish rites of purification. Each could hold from twenty to thirty gallons.
7 Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim.
8 “Now draw some out,” He said, “and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so,
9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not know where it was from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside
10 and said, “Everyone serves the fine wine first, and then the cheap wine after the guests are drunk. But you have saved the fine wine until now!”
11 Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
Healing an Official’s Sick Son (John 4:46-54)
46 So once again He came to Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.
47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Him to come down and heal his son, who was about to die.
48 Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.”
49 “Sir,” the official said, “come down before my child dies.”
50 “Go,” said Jesus. “Your son will live.” The man took Jesus at His word and departed.
51 And while he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was alive.
52 So he inquired as to the hour when his son had recovered, and they told him, “The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.”
53 Then the father realized that this was the very hour in which Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” And he and all his household believed.
54 This was now the second sign that Jesus performed after coming from Judea into Galilee.
Healing a Lame Man (John 5:1-9)
1 Some time later there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool with five covered colonnades, which in Hebrew is called Bethesda.
3 On these walkways lay a great number of the sick, the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed.
5 One man there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lying there and realized that he had spent a long time in this condition, He asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am on my way, someone else goes in before me.”
8 Then Jesus told him, “Get up, pick up your mat, and walk.”
9 Immediately the man was made well, and he picked up his mat and began to walk. Now this happened on the Sabbath day,
Feeding of the 5000 (John 6:1-14)
1 After this, Jesus crossed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias).
2 A large crowd followed Him because they saw the signs He was performing on the sick.
3 Then Jesus went up on the mountain and sat down with His disciples.
4 Now the Jewish Feast of the Passover was near.
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?”
6 But He was asking this to test him, for He knew what He was about to do.
7 Philip answered, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to have a small piece.”
8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him,
9 “Here is a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish. But what difference will these make among so many?”
10 “Have the people sit down,” Jesus said. Now there was plenty of grass in that place, so the men sat down, about five thousand of them.
11 Then Jesus took the loaves and the fish, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted.
12 And when everyone was full, He said to His disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over, so that nothing will be wasted.”
13 So they collected them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
14 When the people saw the sign that Jesus had performed, they began to say, “Truly this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
Walking on Water (John 6:16-21)
16 When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea,
17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was already dark, and Jesus had not yet gone out to them.
18 A strong wind was blowing, and the sea grew agitated.
19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the sea—and they were terrified.
20 But Jesus spoke up: “It is I; do not be afraid.”
21 Then they were willing to take Him into the boat, and at once the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
Healing a Man Born Blind (John 9:1-7, 32-33)
1 Now as Jesus was passing by, He saw a man blind from birth,
2 and His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God would be displayed in him.
4 While it is daytime, we must do the works of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 When Jesus had said this, He spit on the ground, made some mud, and applied it to the man’s eyes.
7 Then He told him, “Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came back seeing.
And the blind man’s conclusion…
32 Never before has anyone heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind.
33 If this man were not from God, He could do no such thing.”
Raising Lazarus from the Dead (John 11:38-45)
38 Jesus, once again deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
39 “Take away the stone,” Jesus said. “Lord, by now he stinks,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man. “It has already been four days.”
40 Jesus replied, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus lifted His eyes upward and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
42 I knew that You always hear Me, but I say this for the benefit of the people standing here, so they may believe that You sent Me.”
43 After Jesus had said this, He called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
44 The man who had been dead came out with his hands and feet bound in strips of linen, and his face wrapped in a cloth. “Unwrap him and let him go,” Jesus told them.
45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in Him.
31 But these 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.
so that you may believe
“believe” - 97 times in John’s Gospel
true faith vs. false
persevering faith (present tense of believe)
31 So He said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples.
Faith is receiving Jesus Christ
for all that He is
with all that you are.
Faith is receiving Jesus Christ for all that He is (Savior, King, Treasure) with all that you are (mind, will, emotions); it means:
You believe that He is the only Savior from Sin - that He died in your place to take away your sin and then rose again from the dead.
You submit to Him as your Lord and King - you bow the knee and worship Him and serve Him. Your life belongs to Him.
You come to enjoy Him as your All-Satisfying Treasure - you truly love Christ and enjoy spending time with Him and others who love Him.
In simpler terms:
Trust Him,
Love Him,
Obey Him
- that’s what real faith looks like.
Do you have that kind of faith?
31 But these 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.
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
Besides the I AM statements and signs, consider some other evidence in John that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God
Jesus claimed to be the Messiah (Christ) / King
Talking to the Samaritan Woman (4:25-26)
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.”
26 Jesus answered, “I who speak to you am He.”
Talking to Pilate (18:33-37) - Skip this is time is short or only briefly mention
33 Pilate went back into the Praetorium, summoned Jesus, and asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
34 “Are you saying this on your own,” Jesus asked, “or did others tell you about Me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed You over to me. What have You done?”
36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.”
37 “Then You are a king!” Pilate said. “You say that I am a king,” Jesus answered. “For this reason I was born and have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My voice.”
Jesus claimed to be the Son of God
John 5:16-18, following (9 times refers to Himself as “Son” in v. 19-26)
16 Now because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews began to persecute Him.
17 But Jesus answered them, “To this very day My Father is at His work, and I too am working.”
18 Because of this, the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.
John 8:58.
58 “Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
John 10:30, 36.
30 I and the Father are one.”
36 then what about the One whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world? How then can you accuse Me of blasphemy for stating that I am the Son of God?
31 But these 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.
and that by believing you may have life in His name.
True persevering faith in Jesus guarantees eternal life with Him.
John connects believing with life at least 8 times.
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”
24 Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life.
40 For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
47 Truly, truly, I tell you, he who believes has eternal life.
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.
If you will trust Jesus with true, saving, persevering faith, you have eternal life.
Conclusion/Application
Do you believe that Jesus is who He says He is?
Have you received Him with all that you are for all that He is?
Do you believe that He is the only Savior from Sin?
Have you submitted to Him as your Lord and King?
Have you come to enjoy Him as your All-Satisfying Treasure?
If you are not sure about this, I’d love to talk with you after the service and help you make sure you are trusting Jesus and have eternal life.
