Faith in Jesus Christ

Thank you for joining us this morning. After Thanksgiving, many of you guys have been away, got back.

I think some of us are still away, not here. It looks like most of you made it back in one piece.

I feel like I've been sick for the last two weeks, and so I might get a coughing fit here and there as I preach,

so please bear with me as we go.

If you've ever seen a spy film or read a spy novel, then you're familiar with that moment

when the protagonist discovers that his friend who had befriended him or his lover who had loved him

actually did not have any genuine friendship or affection for them,

but were merely using them to cook secrets out of them to serve his enemy.

And there's that sense of disappointment and betrayal.

Or maybe you've seen reality TV or just people, just public figures around you of women marrying men with power and money

and later abandoning them when there's no more power and money to be gained.

Or men marrying beautiful young women, much more beautiful and younger than they,

and then later when they get older, discarding them as if they were things to be discarded.

And there's pain in the realization that when people whom you thought loved you or were devoted to you

really were actually not after you at all, but were seeking something else.

And frequently that's how many people relate to God.

We don't come to God for who he is.

We don't love him.

We don't seek to worship him, but rather we seek to use him for our purposes.

And God will not stand to be used as a convenience.

And that's why Jesus here in this passage teaches us that we must believe in him on his terms

as the giver of eternal life.

And this passage teaches us that in two sections.

First, it tells us about the belief in signs, what it means to believe in signs.

And then secondly, it tells us what it means to believe in Jesus.

And read with me verse 43.

It tells us,

After the two days, Jesus departed for Galilee.

Now this is after two days, meaning the two days he spent among the Samaritans,

preaching the gospel, the good news that he came to proclaim,

that he's the Messiah, the Savior of the world.

He spent two days with them, and then he departed for Galilee,

where his hometown Nazareth is.

And Jesus is heading to his hometown, and usually with homecomings, you expect a warm welcome.

You expect to get some rest.

You expect to let your burdens down for a week or for a weekend,

however long you're going to be home for.

And many of us did that this past week.

Hannah and I were home in New York for a couple days to visit Hannah's side of our family.

And one day when Hannah was resting in her grandmother's place,

at the end of the day she told me,

Oh man, that was like the most restful day I've had in months,

just because she felt all the burdens were just laid aside,

nothing to worry about,

just in the home of her grandparents who loved her and raised her.

And that's what we expect.

That's what we think of when we think of homecoming.

But here with Jesus' homecoming, we are prepared to expect that Jesus is not going to have such a warm welcome.

Because in verse 44, John gives us a parenthetical remark.

It says,

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

So this kind of foreshadows the kind of welcome he will receive in his hometown.

And then so verse 45 continues.

So when he came to Galilee, that's his hometown,

the Galileans, his townspeople, welcomed him,

having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast,

for they too had gone to the feast.

So if you're following closely at this point,

you might be a little confused by this verse.

Because you say,

well, he says that his hometown of people, Galilee,

they welcomed him, right?

Well, that's good.

They're welcoming him.

They are giving him a warm welcome.

So what do you mean that Jesus said that there would be no prophet,

has no honor in his own hometown?

See, that's not the whole story.

Because you have to examine the nature of their welcome.

And that's given in the following clause.

It says,

Having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast,

for they too had gone to the feast.

So basically,

the people of Jesus' hometown had heard of the miraculous works he had done.

And they wanted to see the show too,

basically is what's going on.

And Jesus is critical of this kind of interest,

because it's an unhealthy interest.

Because the dependence on signs for your faith

often leads to a spurious faith,

not an authentic faith,

a faith that teeters when it's tested,

when it's challenged.

And so see the contrast.

In order to really get that contrast,

look at verse 42,

which we talked about two weeks ago,

the Samaritan's response.

Because in verse 42,

the Samaritans,

the people that are not even Jesus' own people,

they say this in verse 42,

We know that this,

Jesus,

is indeed the Savior of the world.

They come to Jesus as a Savior of the world.

That's what their profession of faith.

But here in Galilee,

Jesus' own hometown,

there's no such profession of faith.

Instead,

we see people absorbed in their own needs,

in their own problems,

seeking to take advantage of Jesus for their purposes.

And that's the meaning of the statement,

a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.

And you can hear that bitter irony

in the verses 43 to 45,

because there's a threefold repetition of the word Galilee.

So Galilee is his hometown.

So he came to depart it for Galilee.

And when he came to Galilee,

the Galileans welcomed him,

having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem.

The Galileans,

his home people,

the family and friends he grew up with,

they, quote unquote,

welcomed him.

And for what reason?

Not because they truly knew him,

or loved him,

but because of the miracles he had performed

in Jerusalem.

It's as if,

you know,

Ben Affleck,

who grew up in Central Square in Cambridge,

comes to town,

to hang out with his old friends and family.

And instead of taking any genuine interest

in who he is,

or the work that he is doing,

they simply want to take some selfies with him

and score free movie tickets.

That's the kind of welcome Jesus is getting

in his hometown.

It's a sad fulfillment of what John had told us

in the prologue of chapter one,

verses 10 to 11,

that Jesus was in the world

and the world was made through him,

yet the world did not know him.

He came to his own

and his own people did not receive him.

Jesus had no honor in his hometown.

The Galileans flocked to him to see a show,

not to meet their savior.

And so this is the context

that you have to have in your background

as you look at Jesus' interaction

with this official,

because that's the spirit

in which this government official comes.

And he approaches Jesus,

but he also has a very pressing personal need.

In verse 47, it tells us,

he went to Jesus and asked him

to come down and heal his son,

for he was at the point of death.

The man had a dire need.

I mean, his son's dying.

And his son, it's a serious illness,

but he's desperate.

And at this point,

he's probably despaired of any kind of medical help.

So this is his last hope,

last chance,

Jesus, the wonder worker.

So he comes to Jesus.

Please come down and heal my son.

But that was the extent of the official's faith.

He didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah,

the son of God.

He did not believe that Jesus was the savior of the world.

He merely believed that Jesus just might be able

to heal his son.

And Jesus, seeing right through this,

admonishes him in verse 48,

unless you see signs and wonders,

you will not believe.

But the official is so preoccupied with his own need

that Jesus' word just, you know,

bounced right off of him,

go run right past him,

and he goes right back to believe.

Believe in what?

My son is dying.

So the official reiterates in verse 49,

sir, just come down before my child dies, please.

And so notwithstanding the ignorance of the official

and his deficient faith,

Jesus has compassion on him

because he is coming with the dire pressing need.

And even though the official apparently thinks

that Jesus has to be physically present

in order to heal his son

because that's why he keeps saying,

come down, please come down.

Jesus' power far exceeds the official's imagination.

And he simply tells him in verse 50,

Go, your son will live.

And John notes that the man believed the word

that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.

The man believed the word that Jesus spoke,

meaning the man believed that his son would be healed.

So he believed the healing.

He believed, in other words, the signs.

That's what it looks like to believe in the signs.

And sometimes people, and some of us,

we come to Christ out of self-serving purposes in this way.

We seek to believe the sign,

but not necessarily in Jesus.

For some, it's a sign of respectability, right?

Maybe not so much in New England anymore,

but some parts of the country,

being a Christian still comes with a badge of respectability.

So that's what they come to become,

come to Christ for.

They're going to say, well, I'm a Christian.

I'm a good Christian man or a good Christian woman.

I go to church every week or at least twice a week on Easter and Christmas.

That's the badge.

And that becomes then for us,

for those people, a part of maintaining a social identity

rather than coming to Christ for who he is on his terms.

For others, it's a sign of support.

Church becomes a sign of support.

They want to overcome some kind of personal problem.

Maybe they want to get sober.

Maybe they want to overcome depression.

Maybe they just want to find some people,

some friends to be around.

And for these people,

then being a Christian and part of a church

becomes a way to find affirmation and support

so that they can accomplish their personal goals.

And for still others, it's the sign of prosperity.

They believe that by coming to Christ,

by becoming a Christian

and trying to live a Christian life,

they believe they can fulfill their part of the bargain

in their relationship with God.

And so now they could expect God to do good things for them,

whether they give them a good job,

a good spouse,

a children,

health,

wealth.

But believing in the signs

apart from believing in Jesus

is tenuous,

as this passage teaches us.

Because when being a Christian

is no longer

a badge of respectability,

but of shame

and persecution.

When being a Christian

doesn't provide the support

that you are looking for

to achieve your personal goals.

When being a Christian

doesn't lead to health,

wealth,

and prosperity.

Those who come to Christ

only because of the signs

will fall away.

And this is the sure test

of whether or not

we have believed

merely in the signs

or in Jesus himself

on his terms.

Ask this question,

is the strength of your faith in God,

the ardor of your love for God,

are they contingent

on how well things are going for you?

Hmm.

If so,

that's an indicator

that our faith

is not in Christ himself,

but in the signs.

And Jesus calls us

to a faith

that is deeper

and more secure

and exhilarating than that.

So that even when we are mocked

and ridiculed

for our faith in Christ,

even in the midst

of abject failure,

loneliness,

sickness,

and poverty,

we could stand firm

and cling to Christ.

Because Jesus calls us

to believe

not just in the signs,

but in him

as our Savior,

as our Lord.

So what does it mean

then to believe

in Jesus?

Read verses 51 to 54 with me.

It says,

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 himself believed

and all his household.

This was now

the second sign

that Jesus did

when he had come

from Judea

to Galilee.

So as the official

is going back

down to his house

after Jesus assured him,

Your son will live.

His servants come up

to meet him

and they're so excited

to share the news

that his son

is actually recovering.

The fever broke.

He's finally on the mend.

And the official

asks some questions

and then ascertains

that the very hour

when Jesus said,

Your son will live

was a time

when his son

started to heal.

And because of that

it says in verse 53,

The official himself

believed

and all his household.

Now this is a,

it might be a little

unusual for you

to hear the last phrase,

all his household,

because we live

in such an individual

as the culture.

We make decisions

for ourselves.

But this is a culture

where the fiber

of community

and family

run much thicker

and deeper

than it does

in our society.

So often

when the head

of the household,

for example,

here like the official

made a decision,

it became a collective

decision that the family

owned together.

And so they came

to faith together

as a family.

And here,

note the contrast.

In verse 50,

it says the man

believed the word

that Jesus had spoke.

So he at that time

believed in the son,

but now he says

he simply believes

in verse 53.

The implication

is that he came

from his faith

in the signs

and has progressed

rightly and appropriately

to faith in Jesus himself

as the promised Messiah,

the Savior of the world.

Before he believed

in the signs only,

but now he believes

in Jesus.

And what exactly

does it mean

to believe in Jesus?

And in order

to determine that,

we need to figure out

what this sign is

that John is talking about.

Because a sign

points to something.

So let's say

we were taking

a road trip to California

and you come across

the first highway sign

that says California

maybe says 300 miles away.

And then you go,

oh great, California.

And you take a picture

in front of it

and then you drive back home.

No, of course

you wouldn't do that.

That's not California.

That's just a sign.

But the sign always points

to a reality beyond itself.

So in the same way,

so what is the sign?

The sign is the healing

of the son, official son.

What does the sign point to?

And it's the second sign

John tells us.

The first sign was

the turning of water

into wine at Cana,

at the wedding feast.

And by filling

the purification jars,

the jars for purification

with wine,

Jesus indicated

that he's the promised Messiah

who fulfills the laws

and the requirements

of purification and atonement.

And now with the second sign,

Jesus heals a dying son.

And through that sign

indicates that he is

the promised Messiah

who imparts eternal life.

And we see that

in the repetition

of the word live,

it's mentioned three times

in this passage.

In verse 50,

Jesus says to the official,

your son will live.

Verse 51,

the servants tell the official

his son was recovering.

It's actually the exact same word,

even the same tense.

And it's,

it's,

it's,

you could really translate it,

your son is now living.

So it's the same word.

And then again,

in verse 53,

the word is used again

as the official recalls

what Jesus said,

your son will live.

Again,

live life.

That's the sign,

that the sign is pointing

to Jesus' ability

to give life.

And not just physical life,

but eternal life.

Because he has said earlier

to the Samaritans

in verse 14,

that the water

that I will give

will become

a spring of water

welling up

to eternal life.

The main concern

of this passage

is not the healing

of the official son,

the physical healing,

but the reality

that it points to,

namely that Jesus

revives,

who revives the sick,

can also impart

eternal life,

bring dead souls

to life again.

And that's why

it's not enough

to believe in just the signs.

We have to believe

in Jesus on his terms

as the giver

of eternal life.

And this might

seem a little

harsh at first

for Jesus to interact

with this official

in this way,

but we have to

recognize

that,

you know,

even though physical

physical death

is significant,

all men and women

are appointed

to die once.

eternal death,

however,

God intends

for us to avoid.

He wants us

to seek eternal life.

It's not

an inevitable reality.

And yet,

so many of us

spend a lifetime

denying or delaying

the inevitable certainty

of physical death

while doing nothing

to avert

the fearful prospect

of eternal death.

And so this,

Jesus is rightly

bringing this rebuke

to bring attention

to what is most important.

And in his brilliant book,

School Tape Letters,

C.S. Lewis imagines

this series of letter exchanges,

dialogues between

School Tape,

Uncle School Tape,

and his nephew,

Wormwood.

And School Tape's

a senior devil

who is advising

through these letters

this junior devil,

Wormwood,

about how to inspire

his human subject,

which they call patient,

to help,

successfully to help.

And in one revealing

interchange,

the senior devil,

Scruite,

rebukes Wormwood

for his,

what he calls

his novice

preoccupation

with physical death.

And this is what he says.

It's slightly lengthy,

but follow along with me.

It's very intriguing.

When I told you

not to fill your letters

with rubbish

about the war,

I meant, of course,

that I did not want

to have your rather

infantile rhapsodies

about the death of men

and the destruction

of cities.

Insofar as the war

really concerns

the spiritual state

of the patient,

I naturally want

full reports.

And on this aspect,

you seem singularly obtuse.

Thus, you tell me

with glee

that there is reason

to expect heavy air raids

on the town

where the creature lives.

This is a crying example

of something

I have complained

about already,

your readiness

to forget the main point

in your immediate

enjoyment of human suffering.

Do you not know

that bombs kill men?

Or do you not realize

that the patient's death

at this moment

is precisely

what we want to avoid?

He has escaped

the worldly friends

with whom you try

to entangle him.

He has fallen in love

with the very Christian woman

and is temporarily immune

from your attacks

on his chastity.

And the various methods

of corrupting

his spiritual life,

which we have been trying,

are so far unsuccessful.

At the present moment,

as the full impact

of the war draws nearer

and his worldly hopes

take a proportionally

lower place in his mind,

full of his defense work,

full of the girl,

forced to attend

to his neighbors

more than he has

ever done before

and liken it

more than he expected,

taken out of himself,

as the humans say,

and daily increasing

in conscious dependence

on the enemy,

that's God,

he will almost certainly

be lost to us

if he is killed tonight.

This is so obvious

that I'm ashamed to write it.

I sometimes wonder

if you young fiends

are not kept out

on temptation duty

too long at a time,

if you are not

in some danger

of becoming infected

by the sentiments

and values of the humans

among whom you work.

They, of course,

do tend to regard death

as the prime evil

and survival

as the greatest good,

but that is because

we have taught them

to do so.

Do not let us

be infected

by our own propaganda.

Like a dumb eagle

fluttering about

among the chickens,

not knowing

that it can soar

into the sky

and fly,

often we are living

creatures made

for eternity

but living

as if this life

were all there is.

What are your daily

and weekly preoccupations?

What are you living for?

Let us not be so consumed

with finding our niche

here in this world,

finding our place

in this life

that we forget

the fact that this world

is not our home.

Are you suffering?

Are you disappointed

or depressed

with the way things

have turned out

in your life?

Then remember

that our suffering

here in this life

is light

and momentary

compared

to the eternal glory

that we will experience

in God.

Place your hope

there and not here.

Are you happy

with your lot

on earth?

You enjoy

a good reputation

in a wide

circle of friends

and admirers.

You have a meaningful

job that keeps you

useful

and productive.

don't forget

that this life

is short

and inconsequential

compared to the

eternal life

that awaits you.

Where does the weight

of your priorities

lie?

Are your thoughts,

words,

and actions

governed by

and constrained

by the concerns

for this life

or eternal life?

Brothers and sisters,

let's not cheapen

Christ to be

some wonder worker

and settle

for the trinkets

of this life

when we can

believe in Him

as a Savior

of the world

and a giver

of eternal life

and we can devote

all our heart,

soul, mind,

and strength

to Him.

And now,

if we're honest

with ourselves

at this point,

you admit

that this is

difficult to do.

Because most of the time

this life feels

so real

and eternal life

seems so hypothetical.

This life

is all too close

and eternal life

seems all too distant.

The material

seems more significant.

The immaterial

seems insignificant.

But the only way

we can come to grips

with the reality

and value

of eternal life

is by looking

at the costly

price

God the Father

paid

to be able

to offer

eternal life

to us.

You see,

Jesus here

can declare

to this official,

your son

will live.

Because,

ultimately,

God the Father

had decreed,

my son

will die.

All of us

have sinned

against the Holy God

and by doing so

we have become

separated from Him

alienated from Him

who is the source

of life

and that naturally

and appropriately

leads to death.

Eternal death.

Yet,

instead of

leaving us there

without any recourse,

God the Father

sends His

perfect,

sinless

Son

to die

in our stead

so that we

sinful men and women

can live.

eternal life.

That's

the price

God pays

for eternal life.

And if you have

not yet

believed in

Jesus Himself,

then I urge you

that Jesus

is the only one

who can grant

this eternal life

because He won it

for us by dying

and our stead.

And eternal life,

Jesus is not a means

to an end.

Eternal life

is union with Christ.

Eternal life

is fellowship

with God the Father.

Eternal life

is being filled

with the Spirit of God.

Eternal life

is that life

in the triune God.

It's union with Him.

So,

Jesus is not a means

to an end.

Jesus is the end.

He is the source

of eternal life.

So,

come to Him.

And if you already

believe in Jesus,

then I urge you

with us

together,

fight

every day

to believe

the good news

of Jesus Christ.

Every morning

when you wake up

and every night

when you go to bed

and throughout the day,

believe in Jesus

as the giver

of eternal life

on His terms.

Remember the price

He paid

because it's only

by remembering

how costly

eternal life was

we can know

how precious it is.

And then the weight

of our priorities

shifts,

reorients us,

and enables us

to live

in light

of eternal life,

in obedience.

Let me

read

a verse

out of my

one of my favorite

hymns

that captures

this

complete devotion

to God,

coming to Jesus

on His terms.

The song is called

Jesus,

I my cross have taken.

It goes,

verse,

verse,

Jesus,

I my cross

have taken

all to leave

and follow Thee.

Destitute,

despised,

forsaken,

thou from hence

my all

shall be.

Perish

every fond

ambition,

all I've sought

or hoped

or known,

yet how rich

is my condition.

God and heaven

are still

my own.

that's

the life,

the Christian life

that Jesus calls us to.

Give all

to follow Him,

come to Him

as the giver

of eternal life today.

Let's pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.