Believe The Word of God

So we're in John chapter 4, verse 41.

John 4:41

We're going to read all the way through John chapter 5, verse 18.

John 5:18

Well, as you hear the word of God read, beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

remember that this is his inspired, inerrant, infallible, clear, and sufficient word.

When I'm done reading our sermon text for today, I'll say the word of God, and you'll respond, thanks be to God.

Hear the word of our Lord, John 4, verse 41.

John 4:41

And many more in Samaria believed because of his word.

They said to the woman, it is no longer because of what you said that we believe,

for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.

The first time Jesus is called that, it's from the lips of the Samaritans.

Now, verse 43, our sermon text.

After the two days, this is Jesus spending two days with the Samaritans, he departed for Galilee.

For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.

So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast.

For they too had gone to the feast.

Verse 46.

So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made water to wine.

And at Capernaum, there was an official whose son was ill.

When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee,

he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.

So Jesus said to him,

Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.

The official said to him,

Sir, come down before my child dies.

Jesus said to him,

Go, your son will live.

The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.

As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering.

So he asked them the hour when he began to get better.

And they said to him,

Yesterday at the seventh hour, the fever left him.

The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him,

Your son will live.

And he was, and he himself believed in all his household.

This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

John chapter 5.

John 5 · chapter mention

After this, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Now there in Jerusalem, by the sheep gate, a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades.

In these lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, and paralyzed.

One man was there who had been an invalid for 38 years.

When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him,

Do you want to be healed?

The sick man answered him,

Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up,

and while I am going, another steps down before me.

Jesus said to him,

Get up.

Take up your bed and walk.

Now that day was Sabbath.

So the Jews said to the man who has been healed,

It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.

But he answered them,

The man who healed me, that man said to me,

Take up your bed and walk.

They asked him,

Who is the man who said to you,

Take up your bed and walk?

Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was,

for Jesus had withdrawn,

as there was a crowd in the place.

Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple and said to him,

See, you are well.

Sin no more,

that nothing worse may happen to you.

The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.

And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus,

because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.

But Jesus answered them,

My father is working until now, and I am working.

Verse 18,

This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him,

because not only was he breaking the Sabbath,

but he was even calling God his own father,

making himself equal with God.

This is the word of God.

Thanks be to God.

You may be seated.

Let's pray.

Oh Lord, your word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

Give us grace to receive your truth in faith and in love.

And give us strength to follow on the path that you set before us.

Through Jesus Christ we ask.

Amen.

There are three differences between sheep and goats.

Sheep feed on green pastures.

Goats feed on trash.

A goat can eat an entire metal spoon and digest it.

No problem.

That's number one.

Number two,

Sheep,

they live together.

They stay as a herd,

as a flock.

But goats,

they're loners.

They survive all alone in the mountains,

in the wilderness.

But the most important difference is number three.

Sheep follow their shepherd's voice.

A shepherd could start walking and call them,

and one by one,

all those that know the shepherd's voice will follow him.

And if you have goats,

you can try to call out and let their nose be as nice as you want to them.

They will ignore you,

and goats will do their own thing.

And that's what Jesus is bringing to attention in John chapter 10, verse 27.

John 10:27

He says,

My sheep hear my voice,

and I know them,

and they follow me.

In this passage that we read today,

what we have is the kingdom of heaven,

God himself,

breaking into earth,

a boy on his deathbed,

and a dad who's not even a Jew,

he's an official,

having faith in the word Jesus gives him,

and the giver of life,

healing that boy off of his deathbed.

And we have a lame man,

stinky,

all alone,

38 years,

in misery,

helpless,

hopeless,

and the word of Jesus to that man brings life,

and it creates faith in him.

When is it that the lame will walk,

and the dead will be rised again?

It's when Christ returns.

When Christ returns,

that's what will happen.

The new heavens and the new earth will be ushered in.

That's what the Bible teaches.

And now the king himself is walking the earth,

and he's showing now,

the kingdom of heaven is breaking in.

And what I want to point out to you,

is how he does this.

Christ advances his kingdom,

by his almighty word.

And those who are sick are healed by faith.

So my message to you is very simple,

but it's the most important message I can give you.

Believe in the word of Jesus Christ,

and be saved.

That's what's in focus.

15 times in the gospel of Mark,

the word of God is elevated.

24 times in the gospel of Matthew,

the word of God.

29 times in the gospel of Luke,

upholding the word.

But now we have the biggest concentration of this data,

right here in the gospel of John,

44 times,

and especially in the passage we just read.

The word of God,

going forth with power.

And what this should point out to us,

is that the foundation for life in Christ,

when Christ is ministering and ruling,

it's his word.

That's the foundation for life in Christ.

And in Acts,

59 times the word of God is upheld.

So not only is the word of God foundational

for you to have life in Christ,

the word of God is foundational for our life as a church.

That's what the book of Acts shows us.

But yet,

for the same reason,

the word of God has been attacked

and undermined with every generation.

And the church has had to wrestle with that.

The goats

that come to dominate congregations and pulpits,

they want to squelch God's word.

They don't want God's people to hear it,

the voice of the shepherd clearly from his word.

That's why thesis number 54,

one of Martin Luther's 95 thesis,

says this,

injury is done to the word of God

when, in the same sermon,

an equal or larger amount of time

is devoted to indulgences

rather than to the word of God.

And if the Roman Catholic Church

was taking the money from people

in order to tickle their ears

and give them a false assurance,

well, we have a very different

but the same kind of indulgence

going on still today, don't we?

It's a transaction

where you're not coming to hear

the word of the shepherd.

Instead, it's a transaction

to appease your conscience.

But the sheep will know

the voice of the shepherd

and they will follow him.

In John 6, 36,

we read that the words,

Jesus says,

the words I have spoken to you

are spirit and life.

And that's the power

we see them having in this text.

Now, I want you to put your eyes

on a verse from our passage today.

John 4, 41.

Look at John 4, 41.

Many more believed

because of his word.

It's Jesus spending time

with the Samaritans,

preaching to them

how he is the savior of the world.

And that's what they believe

and confess.

And now look,

a little bit later,

we're going to see this next time,

John 5, 24.

Look at what Jesus says

in 5, 24.

Truly, truly, I say to you,

whoever hears my word

and believes him who sent me

has eternal life.

So we see this travel of Jesus

from Jerusalem,

where he talked to Nicodemus,

up to Galilee,

where he was baptizing

on the way in the Israeli land,

we'll call it.

Then he slips over into Samaria

and then back into Israel land

and Cana of Galilee.

So the first miracle

takes place there

in that region

for the official son.

Then he travels

all the way back down

to Jerusalem

and that's where he goes

into the temple

and he heals the lame man.

So that pattern is

from Jerusalem

to Israel land,

slip into Samaria,

and then back into Israel land

and then back down

to Jerusalem

as he ministers.

Every time he gets closer

to Jerusalem

where the established church

is going to try to kill him,

it's more concealed.

Not yet.

My time is not yet

to be crucified.

And then he backs away

and goes back

and every time he pushes back in,

it's that power struggle

because they know

the king of heaven and earth

will rule over all

one way or the other.

So now look at John 4, verse 50.

John 4:50

Jesus said to that man,

Go, your son will live.

And look at the response

of this official

who's not even an Israelite.

The man believed

the word that Jesus spoke to him

and went on his way.

So what I want to show you

in these two miracles,

these two signs,

is that number one,

you must hear God's word

in order to believe

and number two,

you must respond to his word

in order to be saved.

So first,

you must come to know

that you need a savior.

That's what the Samaritans realized.

That's why he preached

the gospel to them.

They were not trying

to save themselves

by self-righteousness.

Look at verse 41 again.

The Samaritans heard Christ's word

and believed that they needed him

to be their savior.

Verse 41,

many more believed

because of his word.

Verse 42,

they said,

we have heard for ourselves

and we know that this is indeed

the savior of the world.

They knew they were sinners.

They knew they could not have a hope

of being right with God

unless they would be saved.

You too must know

that you need a savior.

Now John is developing the theme

that he already hinted at

at the very beginning

of this gospel.

Remember John chapter one,

verse one,

in the beginning was the word

and the word was with God

and the word was God.

All things were made through him.

Verse 14,

and the word became flesh

and dwelt among us

and we have seen his glory.

Glory as the only son

from the father,

full of grace and truth.

So every time the word of Christ

is proclaimed,

when Christ gives his word

in these stories,

it's a word of grace

and a word of truth.

And all those that the father

will bring to life,

they will believe,

they will respond,

and they will obey him.

So Christ advances his kingdom

on earth by his clear word.

Number two,

you must want to hear Christ,

not just to see a sign.

Look at verse 48.

The Israelites in Cana of Galilee,

they still needed his word

in order to believe.

So we read in verse 48,

Jesus said to them,

unless you see signs and wonders,

you will not believe.

And he's talking about

these people who had heard

about his miracles

down in Jerusalem.

And Jesus is saying to them

what Paul says later,

that faith,

it comes not by seeing a sign

or a miracle.

You're saved by faith,

not by sight.

And he needs them now

to stop looking for a sign,

look instead to the one,

to Jesus Christ,

who the signs are pointing to,

and believe his word.

Now Jesus knew

what was in the heart of man,

we read,

and as he was in Jerusalem,

the crowds gathered

and he goes back to Cana.

They just knew him

from being the miracle worker.

And he knew what was

in their heart

and he would not give himself

to them

because he knew

they were after

more and more signs.

But now we have a contrast

with these Jews

that just wanted a sign

with this official.

The official, I think,

is to show us,

look, the gospel will go forth

and it will work with power,

not just for the self-righteous.

In fact,

it's for those who quickly know

they are sinners.

Look at verse 47.

When this man,

and this is referring

to the official,

most likely he worked

for King Herod,

non-religious,

non-Jew,

he lived down at Capernaum.

Capernaum was the city

down by the lake.

So picture a lakefront mansion.

This man works for the king,

for the official.

But now this man has a son

and his dear son gets a fever.

I mean,

we think of how much sickness

we've all had

in our families these days

and in ancient times

a fever is going to be deadly.

And this boy gets weaker

and weaker and weaker.

And the family,

all the servants,

the mother,

the dad,

everything stops.

He gives orders.

Everything gets paused with work.

It's all about his son's life now.

This could be their final moments

with their dear boy.

And someone mentions to him,

there is a man

who is doing miracles

down in Jerusalem.

And a father does

what any father would do.

He leaves everything.

He starts hiking up

away from the lake,

back up to where Jesus is

in Cana.

And let's see what he says

in verse 47.

This man heard

that Jesus had come

to Galilee

and he went to him

and asked him

to come down

and heal his son

for he was at the point of death.

Verse 48,

so Jesus said to him,

unless you see signs

and wonders,

you will not believe.

And that's exactly true

of the people of Cana.

They wanted to see more signs

and they wanted a miracle worker.

But let's see if this man

will have a faith

in Jesus at his word

without needing to see anything.

Because Christ advances

his kingdom on earth

by his soul-searching word.

And that word

put this man back

to evaluate,

do I need to see a sign

or will I have faith

and go trusting

this man's orders?

So we see in verse 49,

the official said to him,

sir, come down

before my child dies.

Come down

or going down

toward the lake again.

He says,

come down

and be with us.

Just like the Samaritans

had said,

stay with us

for a couple days.

We want you.

We want your presence with us.

We don't want just a sign

or a miracle.

We want you.

Your presence

is what could heal him.

But this also foreshadows

how Mary and Martha said,

Jesus,

if you had only been here,

then our brother Lazarus

would not have died.

None of them had the faith

that Jesus could also

let that person die

and then raise them

from the dead.

That's what he would do

with Lazarus.

And look in verse 50,

Jesus said to this man,

go,

your son

will

live.

And we read

that the man

believed

the word

that Jesus spoke

to him

and went

on his way.

The man believed

the word

that Jesus spoke

to him

and went

on his way.

The application

for us

is that you must

hear the word

of God

and then you must

believe

the word

of God.

Because Jesus

is still speaking

today

and he's still

speaking to you

through his word.

Verse 51,

as he was going

down,

his servants

met him

and told him

that his son

was recovering.

Now listen

to what comes next.

This man

was thinking

about it.

Okay,

I walk there,

it's about 20 miles

from Capernaum

to Cana.

20 miles,

about a two-day trip

and the whole way

back he's thinking,

I just left.

I did this whole

big trip,

I could have missed

the final moments

with my son.

Will this actually

be saving him

or not?

And as soon

as the servants

tell him the good

news,

he wants to now

try to see

if he can connect

the dots.

He says,

what hour was it?

It was the seventh

hour.

That is when

the Lord spoke

the word to me.

The very moment

he spoke the word.

I didn't have to

come back,

I didn't have to

do anything.

It was the word

of Christ

that healed my son

that very moment.

And so you see,

we're told next,

verse 53,

he himself

believed.

He believed

and all his

household.

Now you see,

that word that

Christ spoke to him,

it did two things

at the same time.

It made his son

on his deathbed

well.

Just like the word

of God brought

creation into being,

the word of Christ

20 miles away

made that boy well.

That's the first

thing it did.

The second thing

the word of Christ

did is it

regenerated

this official

Gentile.

Gave him a new

heart.

He believed

because the word

of God was

powerful.

Now I want to

pause.

We've all lost

loved ones

and

Jesus came

to proclaim

salvation

for your soul

for all eternity.

And I see

in this story

that even if

this man

would have

gotten back

and his son

was not

healed,

the word

of Christ

regenerated

him.

And the sign

confirmed the

faith that God

had already

put in him.

This man

encountered

Jesus.

And Jesus

said,

unless you see

a sign,

you won't

believe.

So this man

was believing

without even

seeing the sign.

And God

did heal him.

God did

bring life

to his son.

But remember,

salvation is by

faith through

the word of God,

not by sight.

And so the

encouragement to

you is that

you must

receive the

word of God

by faith.

And you must

believe without

seeing the

promised spiritual

realities,

the truth of

the Bible.

You must

believe in

Christ by

faith alone.

So Christ's

kingdom advances

on earth

through his

faith-giving

word.

Not only must

you believe the

word of God,

you must also

obey the

word that

the Lord

gives you.

Let's look,

not only did

this official

believe and

obey by going

back and

seeing it,

look at the

next story.

I think that's

what it shows

us.

Chapter 5,

verse 1.

You must

obey and

respond to

the word of

God as you

hear it.

Verse 1 of

chapter 5,

after this,

there was a

feast of the

Jews, and the

Jews went up

to Jerusalem.

Jerusalem.

Now, Jerusalem's

in the mountains,

and so every

time you're going

to Jerusalem,

it's called

going up or

ascending, like

the Psalms of

Ascent.

So Capernaum is

down by the

lake, we go

down, so it's

more geographic

than north and

south.

Verse 2,

there were in

Jerusalem by the

sheep gate a

pool, really two

pools.

In Aramaic,

they're called

Bethesda, which

has five roofed

colonnades.

So the book of

Nehemiah describes

the rebuilding of the

walls and the

gates, and this

would have been on

the northeast entrance

into the temple

area, into Jerusalem,

and it's a gate that

was smaller, and it's

where all the sheep

could have been

brought in, even

from Bethlehem and

from those pastures

surrounding the city,

they would be filing

in, bringing in

through the sheep

gate, and what

would they be brought

into the temple

for?

To be offered as

sacrifices for the

forgiveness of sins,

and these pools,

they're called

Bethesda.

Bethesda means

house, remember

Beth means house

of Bethlehem,

house of bread,

Bethesda means

house of grace,

and we're told

that there was

this scene here,

quite a scene.

Look at verse

three, there lay

a multitude, a

multitude of

invalids, blind,

lame, and

paralyzed.

You've been to

the Denver Public

Library, you've

been to Portland,

you've been to

other parts of the

world, you know

what that looks

like, a multitude

of destitute,

poor, stinky

invalids, the

blind, the lame.

I mean, it's a

picture of hell.

Picture the sounds,

the cries, the

agony, the

misery, helplessness,

and then yet here

there are Levites

and priests going,

taking these lambs,

serving all around

the temple.

And Jesus had been

taken to the temple

throughout his whole

life.

His parents were

taking him there

because he was

fulfilling all of

the law of Moses.

And we're told that

these invalids would

wait for the waters

to stir.

And so how these

pools were filled,

do you remember

last week we talked

about the living

waters that bubbled

up from that spring

under Jerusalem?

That same spring,

it would pass through

minerals that were

red and they would

pick up a red

color and they

would feed into

this pool.

And the springs

were not constant

so there would be

times where there

would be more

water spilling out,

bubbling up,

picking up more

minerals, sweeping

in this red color

and causing the

waters of these

pools to stir.

So there's some

wonderful imagery

here.

Can you picture it

in your mind?

The gate where the

sheep come in to be

offered as sacrifices,

these red waters

moving and bubbling

up, the living

waters filling

these pools in

the house of grace

and yet the multitude

of invalids and

sick.

And what is the

purpose of the

temple?

It's so that the

sick and the

broken can be

made whole,

they can be healed

and been brought

into fellowship and

communion with the

Lord.

Now I want to

point out to you

how you can trust

the word that Jesus

speaks to you

because he sees

the very least of

these.

Now even though

there was a

multitude in verse

three we're told

there were blind,

lame, and

paralyzed.

And then verse

five, one man

was there who

had been an

invalid for 38

years.

And out of all

that multitude,

look at verse

six, when Jesus

saw him.

Jesus sees him

as one individual,

one person, a

paralyzed man amid

the multitude.

multitude.

And Jesus knew

that he had

already been there

a long time.

Now one person,

Jesus Christ, he

could have known

this according to

his divine nature,

omniscient God.

He could have also

known that this man

had been there a

long time according

to his human nature.

Maybe as a boy, as

a teenager, this

scene broke his

heart.

And the compassion

of the Father,

knowing what the

temple was for,

his heart toward

this man.

Maybe he'd even

talked to this man

when he was

growing up.

That was a man

he knew, had been

there in misery

for so long.

And Jesus spoke

to that man.

You can trust

the word of

Jesus when he

speaks to you

because he speaks

to the heart.

Notice what it

is that Jesus

says, verse six.

Jesus said to

him, do you

want to be

healed?

Do you want

to be healed?

Doesn't that seem

like an obvious

question?

Don't you want

to be healed?

But think about

how soul-searching

this is.

This man, for

38 years, this

is life.

This is all he

knows of life as

I lay here.

This man does

not have a name.

His name is the

sick man.

That's his entire

identity.

And he says,

there's no one to

put me in the

waters.

And in fact,

people cut me

off when I

think I have a

chance.

This man is

helpless.

And this man

is hopeless.

And Jesus

asked the

hopeless,

helpless man,

do you want

to be healed?

Jesus asks you

today, is the

life that you

have now, is

that really what

you love?

Or do you want

to be healed?

Because the

kingdom of God

comes to heal

you, not to

leave you as

you are.

Jonathan Edwards

in the 1700s

pointed out how

a human being,

according to

their free agency,

will always do

what they want

most.

So for example,

a man would

not go rob a

bank because he

wants his

freedom more

than the high

risk wealth.

So you do what

you want most.

And that's why

the will needs

to be converted.

Your will needs

to change.

You will always

want what is

for you.

You will always

want that sin.

That's why every

single drug addict

has not an

addiction to a

bunch of

different drugs.

They have a

drug of choice

because that's

what they want.

They believe that

drug will give

them the greatest

happiness.

So they do what

they want.

And then they

become, it's

your chemical

addiction to it.

It's an identity.

This is who I am

now.

And Jesus comes

to reverse that.

Do you want to

be healed?

So Christ, he

advances his

kingdom through

his personal

word.

Only he knows

man's heart.

He knows my

heart.

He knew this

man's heart.

And he knows

your heart.

Do you want to

be healed by

Jesus?

Now, the next

thing I want to

point out is the

order in which

this happens, the

sequence.

Jesus first has to

heal the man.

then the man has

to obey.

It's not the

other way around.

The man doesn't

obey God and he's

healed by obeying.

First, God has to

heal you.

And then you will

obey.

If you are truly

healed, you will

obey.

Look at verse

seven.

The sick man

answered him,

Sir, I have no

one to put me in

the pool.

When the water is

stirred up, I am

going and another

steps in down

before me.

He doesn't say,

yes, I want to be

healed.

He makes more

excuses.

He needs to be

healed to even

know that this is

what he needs, what

he wants.

So Christ's word is

humbling.

And look at verse

eight.

Jesus said to him,

get up, take up

your bed and walk.

So he commands

him on what is the

thing he needs to

do.

But the man still

does not have the

power to do it

until God heals

him.

Look at verse

nine.

At once, look at

the order, the man

was healed, but it

doesn't stop there.

And he took up

his bed and

walked.

So the word of

Christ is

authoritative.

His kingdom is

coming.

And he commands

you, you must

believe.

You must repent.

You must turn to

the Lord Jesus.

And his word is

humbling.

Unless I heal

you, you will

never turn.

You will always

want the sin or

the idol more than

to be with me,

your creator.

So if you are

walking with

Christ, praise the

Lord that he turned

your heart.

And praise the

Lord that he's

making Christ more

and more of your

desire, the healing

of God more and

more the thing you

do want most in

life by his grace.

But you and I

never get to put it

back on God.

Well, I don't have

to believe because

I'm not healed.

No.

His word is

authoritative.

You must obey him

if you are to be

saved.

You don't get to

just hear his word

and ignore his

word because then

you've made your

decision.

You have chosen to

reject your God,

the King of kings.

So how do you

obey the word that

Jesus speaks to you?

Well, I want to

show you in verse

14.

Afterward, Jesus

found the same man

in the temple and

Jesus had to remind

him, see, you are

well.

The man for 38

years lies on the

ground in his filth

with no one to help

him.

Now the man's walking

around and Jesus has

to point out the

obvious thing to him.

Man, look at

yourself.

You're not the same

as you were.

You have been healed.

And why is that so

important?

And why does Jesus,

the good shepherd,

whose voice they will

always know, why does

he care to tell this

man that?

Look at what Jesus

commands him next.

What are those three

words?

Sin no more.

So how do you know if

the word of God is

working powerfully in

you?

It's that you continue

walking with him.

You do not live in

sin.

And Jesus says, make

sure that nothing

worse may happen to

you.

And you might be

thinking, what's worse

than laying in a

multitude of invalids

for 38 years?

How could it

possibly get worse

on this earth?

Jesus is declaring

to live an unrepentant

life is worse than

being broken in the

body.

You will have to face

your creator one day.

And he is most pure,

most loving,

most righteous.

And the blood of

Jesus Christ is the

only thing that can

heal your soul.

And just like the

springs of living

water bubble up,

it's the blood of

Christ that he will

shed from the cross

for the forgiveness

of your sins.

By his blood we are

healed.

Go and sin no more.

Christ's kingdom

advances on earth

by his life-changing

word.

word.

It changed that

man's life the

moment he was

healed.

He picked up his

mat and walked and

obeyed.

That initial step of

conversion.

But it's life-changing

for the rest of your

life.

Go and sin no more.

It's the same power,

the same authoritative

word that converts a

sinner.

It's the same

authoritative word that

sustains that

Christian, that saint

in sanctification,

becoming more and more

like Christ.

Christ.

Now, if you're like

me, one of the

scariest thoughts you

have is that I know

God saved me.

I know it's the power

of Christ that holds

me.

Yet not I, but Christ in

me is all that carries

me.

And one of the scariest

thoughts is that what

if I relapse or

backslide or I fall

into egregious sin?

I know by my flesh I

would still fall back

into sin.

I need Christ to

sustain me every hour.

And that's such a

terrifying thought.

Samuel Rutherford was

a pastor in the 1500s

in Scotland.

Tiny little church in

the countryside.

And he felt that.

He said, it feels like

I'm like a spider.

And the only thing

holding me up from,

you know, from hell is

this one thread of a

web.

But the hand that

holds that thread is

the hand of Jesus

Christ.

He ransomed me.

And we have the

confidence that the

same God who saves

will sustain you by

that same power every

day because Jesus

says, look at verse

17, God is working.

God is working and he

will keep you.

Verse 17 says,

Jesus answered this

man, my father is

working until now and

I am working.

That's your promise

that God who saved

you will sustain you.

I want to give a

couple words of

caution and reflection

here on the Pharisees

are right mixed into

the same story.

And as I said at the

beginning, what's

happening here is the

promise of heaven, the

promise of a new

creation, the dead will

rise, the lame will

walk, and Christ is

breaking in the kingdom

of heaven everywhere he

steps his foot.

life and these tastes

because he just brings

the power of God.

It's happening.

And the caution is that

you could miss it just

like these Pharisees

missed it.

Thomas Watson said,

none will find it more

difficult to repent than

hypocrites.

They have juggled in

religion so much that

their treacherous hearts

know not how to repent

any longer.

And when you hear the

word of God go forth,

you must believe.

How do you know you

believe?

You repent.

You turn to Christ once

again as your only hope

in life and in death.

Watson said, hypocrisy

is this.

It's counterfeiting

sanctity.

The hypocrite pretends

to a form of godliness

like the Pharisees but

denies the power of God.

2 Timothy 3.5,

the hypocrite is a saint

in jest, like an ape

clothed in purple.

Under his mask, a

profession that he hides

his plague sores.

Isn't that an image?

An ape in a purple robe?

That's what hypocrisy is.

He is seemingly good so

that he may be really bad.

The hypocrite seems to

have his eyes nailed to

heaven, but his heart is

full of impure lustings.

He lives in secret sin

against his conscience.

Be careful to not be like

the Pharisee.

See, Jesus came to be

the Lamb of God.

He became the gate

through which his sheep

would enter now to have

fellowship with the Holy

God.

He spilled his blood.

He brings healing by his

word.

What is repentance and why

is there so much freedom

for us to live in

continual repentance?

Well, Charles Spurgeon in

the 1800s quoted a

children's hymn that was

known at the time and it

goes like this.

Repentance is to leave the

sins we loved before and

show that we in earnest

grieve by doing so no more.

Christ's kingdom advances on

earth by his living and

active word.

I want to make a

connection here for you.

The living word of God, it

still goes forth today.

Salvation is still by faith,

not by sight today.

In Ephesians 121, we're

told that Christ rules over

all the earth now and he

rules from above, from

heaven above, over all

authority and power and

dominion, above every name

that is named, not only in

this age, but also in the

age to come.

And the kingdom of heaven is

breaking in still by his

word as is proclaimed through

the church, through his

people.

So the ear, the body,

receives the word of God.

The soul believes and obeys

and trusts in Christ for

forgiveness.

And then from the soul, that

life in Christ of the age to

come works its way out in the

body.

So how do you know if you've

been converted, if you have a

new heart?

It's like the drunk man that

again with Charles Spurgeon, he

was on the streets drunk again

and Charles Spurgeon was walking

by on his way to work.

And this man said, hey, Pastor

Spurgeon, I'm one of your

converts.

Converts.

And then Spurgeon turned around

and said, yeah, you must be one

of my converts because if you

were one of God's converts, you

wouldn't be living like this.

Beware of the hypocrisy of the

Pharisees.

So we pray now that like the

hymn, Lord, haste the day when

our faith will be made sight.

The clouds will one day be

rolled back as the scroll.

The trump shall resound and the

Lord shall descend.

And if you're in Christ, you can

say, it is well with my soul.

You must respond to God's word

if you are his, if you belong to

him.

To reject his word is to be a goat.

And Jesus said in Matthew 25,

Jesus will gather all nations and

he will separate people, one from

another, as a shepherd separates the

sheep from the goats.

One will go away into eternal

punishment and the other, the

righteous in Christ to eternal

life.

Be sure that you believe now and

obey Christ, that you can have

life in him.

His kingdom is coming.

It advances on earth by his word.

So don't ignore the word of God.

Confess that it is, it is

everything that we've seen it to

be in this passage.

His word is mighty.

It works with power.

It is clear.

You can't say, I didn't understand

that I need to have faith in

Christ.

His word will search your soul.

Put yourself under his word.

His word is faith giving.

You come to the Lord weak and ask

him to work mightily in your heart

to increase your faith by his

word.

You'll see over and over in the

word of God, God is merciful toward

those who repent.

So you can come to him just as you

are.

Don't try to clean yourself up first.

And his word is personal.

He knows your heart.

He knows where you need healing

even today.

Yes, his word is humbling and

authoritative.

But let's bow the knee to our Lord

Jesus today because one day every

knee will bow in heaven and on

earth and confess that Jesus is

Lord.

Let's pray.

Amen.

Amen.

from Isaiah 35.

Lord, we read how the wilderness

and the dry land will one day be

glad.

We still walk in the desert and we

feel the shadows deepen all around

us.

But we thank you, Lord, that

spiritually you've inaugurated the

kingdom of the age to come.

We pray, Lord, that you will blossom

in our hearts and our souls and our

families your abundant life, that we

can rejoice with joy and singing.

We pray that the glory and majesty of

the new creation will be breaking in,

that you will strengthen the feeble

name.

Lord, those with an anxious heart even

today, may we be strong in Christ.

May we not fear your judgment because

we know our sins are covered by your

blood.

We behold you, our God.

You will come with a vengeance to

judge the living and the dead.

But those who are united to you will

leap like a deer.

The lame will be healed and the tongue

of the mute will sing for joy.

You promise that the waters will break

forth in the wilderness and the streams

in the desert and the burning sand

shall become a pool and the thirsty

ground springs of water.

We praise you, Lord, that we can taste

that now in Christ when we taste Christ and

we can believe in you now through your

powerful word.

Amen.