By believing, you may have LIFE

If you find yourself in the middle of the ocean,

treading water to stay alive,

and you are offered A, B, or C,

at the same time, which one would you choose?

I don't think there will be any hesitation for anyone in choosing C.

The answer is so evident that it makes this question sound ridiculous.

But who would reject an all-inclusive, safe and secure cruise liner

to choose instead to rely on themselves,

to brace their elements without any provision,

and keep treading water and working hard to save themselves?

However, if you disagree that C is the most logical and reasonable choice,

I would love to hear your reasoning behind your decision during a morning tea.

Turning this question around,

if you are a believer,

if you are a person of religion,

is your faith and belief in a God you are following and devoted to

more like A, B, or C?

Which is a more accurate account of your relationship with God

and your life right now?

Are you living out an abundant life,

trusting and enjoying all that is provided for you

by the generous God,

or is your life more like holding on to a life safer or life rough,

keeping working hard until and waiting for your next rescue?

How do you feel about your life right now?

It's a telltale sign of whether you have a life-giving faith

or invalid faith.

It is a sign of whether you have a belief that leads to life

or one that leads you to rejection of God or by God.

If you have not decided whether you believe in God or have faith or not,

and you are here gathering with us today,

may I take it as a sign that you want to find out more

about what and who we are believing in.

And for that, I welcome you

and hope that what you are going to hear

will be helpful in your journey of discovery.

We have mentioned a few times since the beginning of our current series

that John's Gospel has recorded some particular signs of Jesus

for definite intention.

Jesus performed many other 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 Messiah, the Son of God,

and by believing, you may have life in his name.

The signs are written that we may believe

that Jesus is the Saviour, the Son of God,

and by believing, you may have life in Jesus' name.

There is faith that will lead to abundant life in Jesus.

And by implication, there is faith that will not lead us there,

but cause us to get further away from God.

Jesus was in Canaan in Galilee back in chapter 2 at the wedding.

John told us that Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding

was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory,

and his disciples believed him.

Between chapter 2 to chapter 4,

Jesus traveled to Caponium,

then he went back down to Jerusalem,

and then he came through Samaria,

and right now he's back in Canaan

after a couple of chapters.

The distance between Canaan and Caponium

is about 26 kilometers,

a little bit more than a day's journey.

And at the end of chapter 2, it says,

Now while Jesus was standing in Jerusalem

at the Passover festival,

many people saw the signs he was performing

and believed in his name,

but Jesus would not entrust himself to them,

for he knew all people.

Here is a group of people

who have a faith that distanced themselves from God.

Jesus knew their faith was forged

with a hidden agenda and wrong motive.

Even though they trusted in Jesus' name,

Jesus did not entrust himself to them.

So what is a life-changing faith?

In chapter 4, what we read out to us in verse 46,

there is a royal government official from Caponium

whose son was very sick.

And in verse 52,

indicate that he has a fever.

Very different to today,

where we have ready access to medicine,

fever is a life-threatening sickness

that often leads to death around Jesus' time.

We can sense the urgency

and how desperate the father is

regarding his children,

his child,

by how John described the situation.

The son lay sick at Caponium in verse 46

and was close to death in the next verse.

And then in verse 49,

the father begged Jesus to come down

before his child died.

He went to Jesus and begged him to come

and heal his son.

It was in this royal official coming to Jesus

as a desperate father

that we see life-changing,

life-giving faith.

John told us at the end of chapter 4

that the healing of this official son

and the consequence belief of him

and his whole family in Jesus

was the second of those particular signs

with definite purpose

that Jesus performed in this gospel.

This official demonstrated a belief

that leads to life.

He heard the report

of the miraculous things

Jesus was doing in Jerusalem and Canaan.

He got him thinking,

maybe, perhaps,

Jesus can save my son

like how he performed those signs in Jerusalem.

Jesus is the last resource

to stop him from dying.

Can I really trust Jesus

to keep my son from dying?

He is using his head

as he begins his journey

while feeling heavy on his heart.

He came to Jesus with an agenda

to save his child,

his little boy.

He is not looking at Jesus

and his works as a spectator.

He is like being in the ocean

with his little boy in his arms,

threatening water desperately.

His little boy is drifting asleep,

falling, can't stay afloat,

choking on water and drowning,

and he looks to Jesus

at his last and final hope.

And he in the man's request,

what did Jesus do?

He says,

unless you people see signs and wonders,

you will never believe.

What?

What kind of a fight is that

to a desperate father?

Come on, Jesus,

don't you see this man

is suffering right now?

Jesus seems to want to engage this man

in a theological discussion

about relationship between signs and wonders.

But in fact,

Jesus is helping him

to make his need for Jesus personal.

To ensure his trust in him

is sure and certain and intimate.

Jesus engaged with him

to make sure his knowledge

of who Jesus really is

does not stay in the head only,

but is one that comes from the heart.

Jesus is making sure

their interaction

engages both the head and heart.

When the royal official says,

Sir, come down before my child dies,

the whole treasure of his life,

this little boy's life,

is on the line.

His heart would have

tossed and thrown within him

like raging seas.

This father may be thinking

if only Jesus would come to his home.

May he be to wave his hand

or to touch a boy and pray,

there may be a chance

that this boy will not die.

But on him, Jesus said,

Go, your son will live.

He did not insist on his way.

He took Jesus at his word

and headed home.

Up to this point in the Bible,

miraculous healing

over a long distance

was so rare and rarely heard of.

Something has to have happened

within this desperate father

to make him ruling

to take Jesus at his word

and start heading home.

Something in Jesus' words

and the interaction

caused hope to grow

within this man.

Something supernatural

has been given to him.

I cannot imagine

what is going through his head

as he walked those 26 kilometers

down towards home.

What he got to hold on to

is only those four words

spoken by Jesus.

Your son will live.

Would he be repeating those

to himself,

My son will live,

my son will live,

to reassure himself?

Or would it be a quiet expectation?

It would last at least

12 hours

before beginning to the journey

that his servant

bring him the news

about his sons

because his servant

referred to yesterday

at one in the afternoon

when he asked about

when exactly

his son was restored.

It's at this moment

of inquiry

that genuine faith

come about in this man

when he realized

that his boy

came alive

and got well

at precisely

the time Jesus told him,

Your son will live.

This royal government official

from Caponean

Caponean

come to Jesus

to beg him

to keep his little boy alive

and ended up

with life-giving faith

because this faith

was granted to him.

Jesus helped him

to see what he needed

was not a miracle worker

who did wonders

for his son.

Jesus helped him

to become fully aware

of his incompetence

in this situation.

Jesus engaged

with this man

intellectually

and emotionally

through his head

and his heart.

And by doing so,

Jesus showed the man

that Jesus himself

has the power

to heal over a distance

because he is

the source of life.

Jesus did not just

perform a healing

miracle here.

He gave the desperate

father a chance

to see who he was.

The royal official

received life-giving faith

by taking Jesus

at his word.

And after hearing

the official son

remotely,

Jesus returned

to Jerusalem,

a place where

he did not

entrust himself

to the people before.

It was a place

full of invalid faith.

And he came

to a place

where a lot

of disabled people,

the blind,

the lame,

and the paralyzed,

usually.

He came across

a man who had been sick

and had a disability

for 38 years,

an invalid.

And he asked him,

do you want

to get well?

And the invalid replied,

sir,

I have no one

to help me

into the pool

when the water

is stirred.

While I'm trying

to get in,

someone else

goes down

ahead of me.

Have you noticed

the difference

between Jesus'

previous interaction

with the official

father

and now?

It was Jesus

who instigated

the interaction

on that particular day.

And John will tell us

the reason

and purpose

very soon.

What about the way

the invalid replied?

The official father

and the invalid

both seemed to know

what needed to be done,

but there was no urgency

or desperation

with the disabled man.

He sounded like

he's looking at Jesus

and saying to himself,

you seem to be

able to help me

to get whatever

I need.

I will partner

with you

so you can help me.

I will do you

a favor

and let you

get some merit

or maybe

gain some popularity

for helping me.

Jesus ignored

his excuse

and commanded him

in verse 8,

get up,

pick up your mat

and walk.

And the man

was cured immediately

and picked up his mat

and began to walk.

John told us

that the day

on which this sign

took place

was a Sabbath,

which means

there is going

to be some controversy.

Jewish leaders

were agitated

that the man

was doing something

forbidden

by the law

on the Sabbath

and they questioned

the man

who had been healed.

I must highlight

an actual

but disheartening fact

that a lot

of religious leaders

are more concerned

about people

obeying the law

they have laid down

than celebrating

life-changing events.

Equally disheartening

is that a lot

of religious followers

are busy getting

approval

of their leaders

and concerning

themselves

with the approval

of man

more than God.

When the invalid

was challenged

about his non-compliance

with the Sabbath law,

he was stripped

to defense

and stripped

to blame.

He replied,

The man

who made me

well

say to me,

pick up your mat

and walk.

If you have

heard some

Bible stories,

especially those

from the Old Testament,

does this remind

you of someone?

It sounds

so similar

to the way

Adam and Eve

answered God

in Genesis 3

after they disobeyed

and ate

from the tree

that God

commanded them

not to eat from.

Their disobedience

marked the fall

of humans

and the breaking

of relationship

between the creation

and their creator.

The creation's

relationship with God,

the creator

from this point on,

is in turmoil.

It becomes

something good,

sometimes good,

sometimes bad,

ups and downs

like tossing about

in a raging sea.

When Jesus

found this man

later at the temple,

he said to him,

see you are well again,

stop sinning,

or something worse

may happen to you.

Jesus is not saying

that all worse things

are the consequence

of sin,

but it's very apparent

that the infinite

needs to repent.

He needs to repent

at least of

his ingratitude

towards Jesus.

There's no record

of him thanking Jesus

for healing him.

There are other sins

that he needs

to repent of

for him to have life,

such as

having other things

above God

or loving himself

more than God

and others.

It seems that

he wants to please

those religious leaders

at any cost,

even if it means

to getting

the person Jesus

into trouble

who has just

killed him.

He has no interest

in who Jesus is

or what it means

to have a relationship

with him.

Jesus is only

someone who helped him

to get his physical help,

but his life

is more about

whether he's accepted

by his people or not,

especially the leaders

and the social elites.

The infinite

has an invalid faith

that does not

lead to life.

He has no idea

who healed him,

and when Jesus

presented himself

to him later,

instead of seizing

that moment

to get to know Jesus,

he went away

and told the Jewish leaders

that it was Jesus

who made me well.

He wants Jesus

to take the blame

for his violation

of the Sabbath law

so he can stay

in favor

with the religious leaders.

His belief

did not lead to life

because he has

no interest

in the only one

who can give life.

He does not see

Jesus as who he is,

the Savior,

the Son of God.

Jesus was just

another person

who could partner

with him

to get what he wanted.

One, he is healed,

he has no interest

in getting a new life.

He wants to fit

right back

into the day-to-day

Jewish life

that the Jewish leader

monitors.

He has no interest

in what Jesus

has to offer.

Jesus restored

this infinite,

and he cannot walk,

but Jesus to him

is like a life saver

or a life raft.

The man is busy

keeping afloat

among the social elites

of his time,

but he is missing out

on the extraordinary life

and the adventure

that living in Jesus

would bring.

Jesus offered life

to the full,

an abundant life

that makes

this illustration

seem very insufficient.

Imagine you're living

on an all-inclusive,

lustrous cruise liner,

already paid for

for the rest of your life.

It would take you

to visit all the wonders

of God's creation

around the world,

and while doing that,

keep on rescuing people

from the raging sea

and picking up more people

at each port.

The abundant life

that Jesus offered

is way better than that.

The abundant life

that Jesus offered

outweighs any illustration

a human can think of.

It's a life

resting in God,

a life with sure hope

and certainty,

in perfect relationship

with God

and his creation,

a life rested in God.

Jesus picked the Sabbath

to heal the influence,

to point out

the invalid faith of people

around the religious center

at the time.

It also speaks

to those who treat

a relationship with God,

a genuine belief

in the living God,

as a religious,

spiritual practice.

Many people,

inside and outside the church,

falsely imagined

that the primary purpose

and message of Christianity

is to get people

to behave in such a way

that they can get to heaven.

That is a gross distortion

of God's message

to us in the Bible.

Jesus came to bring salvation

as a gift

for guilty sinners,

not as a reward

for the righteous,

as there are no person

who fits that description.

God created the world

in six days,

and on the seventh day

he rested.

Genesis 1 says that

God looks at every day

of his creation

and concludes each day

as good.

Then,

on the sixth day,

it says,

God saw all that he had made

and it was very good.

And there was evening

and there was morning,

the sixth day.

Then,

by the seventh day,

God had finished

the work he had been doing.

So,

on the seventh day,

he rested from all his work.

Then,

God blessed the seventh day

and made it holy

because on it,

he rested from all the work

of creating

that he had done.

God stipulated the Sabbath,

a day of rest,

in all the work of creating.

Sabbath is what God set aside

for him

to enjoy his creation

with his creatures.

It was there

before the fall of humans

and no fallen human mind,

nor the religious elite,

would be able

to restore the Sabbath

to its original meaning.

No amount of laws

or regulations

would be able

to get humans

back to that original design

and relationship

that God intended,

except for Jesus,

who is the Son of God,

who was there

when the world was created,

and when the Sabbath

was installed.

Jesus is the only person

who can restore us

to God the Father.

And healing the influence

on Sabbath

is a way Jesus showed

the religious leader

and any religious person

that whatever

they are doing

to get back to God

without him

is invalid

and in vain.

what Jesus has done

infuriated those

with invalid faith.

In verse 16 to 18,

it says,

so,

because Jesus was doing

these things

on the Sabbath,

the Jewish leaders

began to persecute him.

In his defense,

Jesus said to them,

my father was always

at his work

to this very day,

and I too am working.

For this reason,

they tried all the more

to kill him.

Not only was he

breaking the Sabbath,

but he was even

calling God

his own father,

making himself

equal with God.

Jesus has been

working alongside

the Father

from the time

the world was created.

And soon after

this interaction,

he will perform

the most significant

work of all

to restore

relationship

between human

and the creator.

Jesus,

the Messiah,

was crucified,

buried,

physically resurrected,

and sinned

by hundreds.

Life-giving faith

comes about

because the resurrected

Son of God

lives today.

As Jesus told

the royal official,

your son will live,

and keeping the son alive

to spare the father

and son

from going through

the suffering

of death

and separation,

he knows that

he will go through

death and separation

from his heavenly father.

It was the necessary

step

that only he could take

to give life

to all those

who believe in him.

The foundation

of our life-giving faith

was an actual,

complex,

historical event

that took place

in the life of Jesus.

And Christianity

is not a merely

philosophy

of behavioral

modification.

As the sun rises,

change the sky

from darkness

to light,

believing in Jesus

should change

your world

from striving

and trying

to please others

to a state

of rest

that is enjoying

the presence

of God

in his creation.

You will definitely

experience

some behavioral changes

as you believe

in Jesus

as the Messiah,

the Son of God,

and start

a new life.

But I hope

that is not

the only reason

you have become

a Christian

or are interested

or wanted

to become a Christian.

What kind of faith

do you have?

Are you still

restless,

kicking and treading

water,

struggling to stay

at fault in life?

Consider the report

you heard about Jesus.

Look to Jesus

and take him

as his word.

Realize

what he has done

for you

and this world

and believe in him.

And by believing

you may have life.

you