John #16 Taking Jesus At His Word
That you may Believe and Have Life
John #16
John 4:46-5:14
Taking Jesus At His Word
Imagine if you will, you’re driving to work and you top the hill on in the glare you think you see something, you squint, “does that, is that” and as you get closer you see a Billboard with I LOVE YOU written in big letters and your name on it.
Imagine coming home and finding your favorite meal, or favorite flowers, other expressions of love.
Imagine you begin to talk to people who have known this person longer and they tell you, one after another, that this person is a person of love, sensitivity, integrity. They tell you that you can always believe this person and take them at their word.
Not only are they trustworthy, but you can’t find anyone who can think of one time when they weren’t loving, they weren’t compassionate.
Imagine though that you marry that person and over 10-15 and they are never without trust, they are never unloving, and yet, you still doubt them, you still question every move, you still fail to trust?
Last Sunday night during my concert, I asked you a question, I want to ask you again.
What more must Jesus do for you?
Does he need to tell you “I love you another way?
Did you see the sun come up?
Have you experienced his love?
Have you looked to the cross?
Has he ever broken trust with you?
I’m not asking if he has always given you what you want, but has he ever failed you or anyone you’ve ever talked to.
I’m not asking if you have always understood everything in your life … but has God let you down?
What MORE does Jesus have to do for you?
Would it be alright if he NEVER did another thing
Let’s begin in chapter 4 and move into Chapter 5
As we read, I want you to pay special attention to the words of Jesus.
Perhaps in your Bible hey are written in Red. If NOT … I want you to underline them as I read them and I want you to imagine Jesus speaking those words directly to you
READ 4:43-5:14
What is it in your life today that Jesus is trying to say to you?
Is there any area where you are trying to get direction or an answer from Christ?
Is Jesus trying to get you to follow him, obey him, trust him in a particular venue?
V 46 says “ONCE MORE he visited Cana in Galilee”
What did he do in Cana in Galilee?
He transformed ordinary water in the best wine they had ever tasted
Now, we have two situations here, one is life and death and the other is quality of life.
Please don’t read their circumstance into your circumstance. That is NOT the point of my thoughts today.
However, there are principles for whatever your circumstance.
Jesus is NOT required to do for you what he has done for someone else
Jesus is NOT required to always do what you think is best
But Jesus WILL always true, trustworthy, faithful, and Holy
3 things I want you to consider today
· A Question
· A Challenge and then
· A Principle
First a Question
1. Do You HAVE to See it to Believe it?
Could I say it this way, If you believe, you don’t have to see.
Jesus showed Thomas his hands and his feet, his side because Thomas said, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.”
In John 20:29 Jesus said “because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Maybe a more important question is does Jesus have to do something for you in order for you to believe him?
Is having your current circumstance go your way AS important as a deep intimate relationship with Jesus Christ?
Do you remember when the first miracle was performed I explained to you the purpose of the sign.
Remember that when referring to a supernatural move of Christ, something that we would call a miracle, John never uses the word “miracle”. The NIV translates it “miraculous sign”
The Greek is the word “semeion /say-mi-on/ sign, mark, token, that by which a person or a thing is distinguished from others and is known, miracles by which God authenticates the men sent by him or y which men can prove that the cause they are pleading is God’s
The purpose of the miracles that Jesus performed was to reveal him as the Christ so that people would believe
John wrote in John 20:31 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
The purpose of the miracles was to be the Scriptures Lived out
The reason the authors of the Old and New Testament were inspired to write were NOT so God could get the press.
God is great and doesn’t need his name in the paper to boost his ego
But we needed them written that we might know and believe and trust and walk with him
If God just gave you what you wanted, you might miss something even greater that he would rather do through you
Jesus said that we have to see “signs and wonders” …
I already told you that signs are for revelation … they are like a signal saying “this way, place your believe here, set it down right here”
God gave the signs, God gave the Word of God so we would know”
But “wonders” … Greek word teras /ter-as/ a prodigy, portent, miracle
You’ve heard the word prodigy but if you’re like me you may have heard portent, but might not know what it means
Portent – something that foreshadows a coming even, prophetic indication
Prodigy – a portentous event; omen
Omen – an occurrence believe to portend a future event
Jesus performed miracles as a sign to reveal him and as a wonder so you would know that GREATER things are to come …
We think of the Miracles as the amazing thing
We even look at those miracles enviously sometimes saying, “Jesus why don’t you do that for me.”
Jesus you made a lame man walk, why won’t you get rid of this limp I’ve got.
Jesus you made a blind man see, why do I have to wear these stinking glasses
Jesus healed a woman of pain in her stomach, why won’t you take away MY pain in my arm.
Jesus, you raised the dead …
Now, hear me clearly, there is nothing wrong with desiring Jesus to something wondrous in your life.
But does he HAVE to do what you want in order for you to believe in him?
Instead of requiring him to do for you what he has done for someone else, some sign, but miracles are just some portent, some omen as to a greater thing to come,
I’m asking for the greater thing
“Jesus, I would love for you to take care of this minor thing if you can, but Lord give me the greater thing. Lord take me into a deeper relationship with you, Lord use me in the process of working salvation in someone’s life. Jesus make me an instrument of thy peace.”
“Lord give me the ability to SEE without SIGHT, the ability to BELIEVE without further sign.”
Even after Jesus had healed, raised the dead, made the lame to walk, Thomas wanted more … Lord let me receive what you have already given.
So the question is: do you have to see it to believe it
If you can see it, it is not faith
Heb 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do NOT see
Verse 6 says WITHOUT faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him
Notice what we are to be earnestly seeking … NOT sight, not physical life, not mobility, not wealth, we are to be earnestly seeking HIM
Do you have to see it to believe it
Do you have to see it to believe in Him?
If you want to see the greater things, I believe we have to let go of the necessity to see
That’s the question
Now the challenge …
2. Take Jesus At His Word
Sometimes obedience is more frightening or confusing than not hearing.
Can you imagine the fear in leaving Egypt for the desert.
Can you imagine what it was like to walk across the bottom of the Red Sea with the water stood up on either side.
That was the same water that later destroyed the Egyptian army.
By the way, crossing the Jordan was easier after crossing the Red Sea.
Imagine David in obedience going into the valley to face Goliath …
You make a list of every person that has been faithful to follow Christ and it is not a list of the easy life, the life of perpetual health, perpetual good going.
Yes Jesus raised the dead, he made the lame to walk, he made the blind to see, but that is not the end to following him, it was the light to the doorway which is Christ, to follow God, giving him our life.
The end is a life of commitment to his ways, his thoughts, his purposes.
So, we have just read a story of revelation …
When you come to his word, God is trying to reveal his will you …
What is God showing you today?
1) we have learned that faith is not about sight
2) that God has more for you than just the sign more than wonders, those were just the portent to greater things
Jesus told the first man, “you may go, your sick son will not die he will live.”
Now remember God isn’t required to do this for you, but as I prayed and studied for this week, I became convinced that there are some here today that are NOT wondering what Christ has told you today, you KNOW what he has told you, but you won’t take him at his Word and move on.
Obedience has become more frightening that what you want
You are standing on the edge of the Red Sea, you have asked God for deliverance from the Egyptians and he has provided a way, but you don’t like that way.
I am here today to say
Take Him At His Word
When Christ gives you a word, an answer to a prayer or longing, as long as it doesn’t contradict with his Revealed Word we have from the Prophets and Apostles,
Take Him At His Word
GO, if he has said GO
Wait
Listen
Learn
Follow
Trust
Or are you waiting for another sign?
Take Him At His Word
The first and most important step of taking him at his word is receiving him as Lord and Savior.
It is presumptuous to expect him to move on your behalf if you are not his child, not in his family, not a sheep of his pasture.
Drink from his well of life
He will give you eternal life
Take Him At His Word
Or are you waiting for another
If he never performed another “miracle” for you, would you still Take Him At His Word?
If he never gave you another sign, would you Take Him At His Word?
Do you have to see it to believe it or
Will you
Take Him At His Word?
That is the question
That is the challenge
But I told you that I also have a principle for you today
3. The Purpose of Revelation is Transformation
There is no evidence of overt sin in the life of the but he didn’t know Christ, he need a Savior and Lord MORE than he needed his Son well.
But in THIS case, his son’s restoration moved him along to what was more important
Wiersbe saw his transformation in Faith as going from
Crisis Faith to
Confident Faith to
Confirmed Faith
When Jesus Christ reveals himself to us through personal experience
Testimony of a Witness
From the Revelation in his Word
It is to Transform us unbelievers to believers
Remember New Life Baptist Church exists to see God “Transform
Lovers of Self into Lovers of God”
That’s why Jesus Came, to reconcile us to God
That is to change us from his creation to his children
The only way to experience transformation is to
Take Him At His Word
And GO as he commands, do as he says
Trust
Obey
There’s no other way …
So this man went from a Fox Hole Believer crying out for God because the world is falling apart
To one who says “hey, there might be something to this”
Jesus spoke with confidence that instilled the confidence in this man to walk in faith
Then when he saw it happen
“that’s it, this is truth and is worthy of my whole life” and he and his whole household believed. That is he, his family, and everyone that worked for or served him. And you can be sure that it touched a huge number of people in this nobleman’s realm of influence.
But what about this lame man.
He had been lame for 38 years
I have to believe that the reason this man was lame was a result of sin in his life.
Why do I think this?
Look at verse 14, Jesus said “see, you are well again, STOP SINNING or something WORSE may happen to you.”
I believe that this man had something happen to him as a result of sin and he refused to come to God for forgiveness
He laid beside this pool where it seemed that God sent an angel of mercy from time to time but he never received
Jesus stands before him and asks … “do you want to get well?”
And instead of saying “YEAH” … he begins to make excuses for why he is still in his predicament
I don’t know how many times I’ve talked with people who are NOT happy with their circumstance, they recognize that they need to make a change and get right with God and I ask “would you like to get well? Would you like to be right with God”
And they say “well, it’s not that easy …” and they begin to tell me all the reasons why they can’t give themselves to Christ. They tell me all the reasons why they are stuck where they are and will remain stuck there.
They tell why it’s too hard to receive Christ and the change and life he offers.
And I’ve often done what Jesus did and say “Get UP! Stop living the way you are living, WALK man. Give your heart to Jesus Christ.”
Have you ever experienced God’s Revelation in your life, and things seemed to get better for a time. But then you stopped walking in the truth and things God Worse than before?
Jesus gives the description of what happens when we try and clean up our act and get rid of the evil deception in our lives and clean up our act.
Luke 11:24-26 (NIV)
24 “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ 25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. 26 Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.”
Jesus didn’t heal this man to make him walk, he healed him to reveal himself to him so he would walk with him spiritually.
Notice he heals the man, and that man alone, by the way, then finds him later and says ‘STOP SINNING’ …
Though the man knew WHO healed him, there is NO indication that this man placed his spiritual faith in Jesus and that is the SADDEST thing in this story
Jesus reveals himself so we will be changed from death to life
So that we will walk in truth, not walk down the road
Jesus didn’t want this man to turn cartwheels he wanted him to turn his life over to him
Jesus didn’t so much want the man’s son to be well, but wanted his whole household to be spiritually alive
That’s what Jesus wants for you
What ELSE must he do for you? Spiritual Health
Walk Spiritual Paths
Know Spiritual Life
When The Angel of the Lord, Jesus Christ, revealed himself to Gideon, in Judges 6, he had never met the Lord
He had the words of the Law from Moses, but his revelation was limited, so he asked for more revelation and God was gracious and gave him the revelation.
When he doubted, God let him in on a dream of one of his foes revealing Gideon’s coming victory.
When David was a shepherd God delivered him from the attack of a Bear and a Lion, simply for deliverance? NO, so that he would have courage to stand against Goliath
Jesus turned water into wine, he made this sick boy well, he made this man walk …
He did these things to REVEAL himself as the Messiah, Jesus, which means “Jehovah is Salvation”
He will go on to make more blind see, more lame walk, he will raise dead, he will forgive sin, he will die for our sins. He will GET UP FROM THE GRAVE
And the greatest gift after the cross and the tomb that he gave us was THIS BOOK, the Word of God
After the Word of God we have the testimony of the Saints who have gone before us
Do we really need another Fleece?
Do we have to have another sign
Another wonder?
Another Revelation?
Another Portent?
Another Prodigy?
Do you have to see it to believe it?
You are missing his blessing
Blessed are those who have not seen and still believe
Won’t you
Take Him at His Word
Trust Him
Believe Him
Receive Him
Walk with Him
Embrace Him
Surrender to the Transformation
That’s the whole reason I come here every week and plead with you from the Word
That you might be changed, transformed, renewed, and yes
Healed
Do I believe in Physical Healing?
Yes
Do I believe it is the most important thing
No
I believe it is the most superficial need right now
I’m praying for the greater things
The Deeper things
Do you want to get well?
Stop making excuses
Go
Take him at his Word!