John Pt. 21 | John 4:46-54

All right, if you will open your copy of the scriptures to the gospel of John chapter 4 Verses will be in verses 46 to 54 that and your pew Bibles. That's page 1076 1076. John chapter 4 Verses 46 through 54.

Please allow me to pray Father Lord and the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of your Spirit, please at this time not only speak through me, but work through your people Father please Cause them understanding on this subject.

I Pray this in Christ's name in the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. All right. So our theme for this Lord's Day is Belief and that might seem like a simple topic But but really it's it's not right.

I think this is something that we as people and we as the church Can and will get wrong. This in fact is the core in the goal of this gospel. The gospel of John is.

Belief.

The.

The main verse that that hovers over this book is John chapter 20 verse 31 Which states but these things speaking of this gospel. And I know we've read this several times and we're gonna read it a whole lot more over The next months and their years however long it takes to get through this gospel.

But these things were written so that listen you may.

Believe.

That's the key of this book. That's the theme. That you may believe. Well, what are we to believe. That Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God and that by Believing you may have life in His name.

John 3 16 through 18 says this.

Mm-hmm.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have Eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to judge the world But that the world might be saved through him.

Verse 18. He who believes in him is not judged he who does not believe has.

Been.

Judged. Already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God. And same chapter verse 36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life But he who does not obey the Son will not see life But the wrath of God abides on him.

And turn over to chapter 6 if you're following with me chapter 6 Verse 28 and 29. Therefore they said to him this is the crowd What should we do so that we may? work the works of God. Jesus answered and said to them This is the work of God that you believe in him whom he has sent.

Verse.

35 and Jesus said to them I am the bread of life he who comes to Me will never hunger and he who believes in me will never thirst. The call to obey Here in our gospel is to believe. It's the central theme around this whole book and it is our Paragraph theme for today.

The Greek word here for believe is pistou. Could also be translated as pistis depending on the context. Piss duo. The idea of believing is not just it's not just intellectually only right? But it is it entails the the matter of the heart.

Are are you truly involved? Are you truly in this though? Do you trust with everything that you are. Because to believe here is to trust and. And in this trust it takes a person from being Dead and their trespasses and sins to be in made alive Within in Christ and sit it with him in the heavenlies.

And as we walk through verse 36 of Chapter 2 I gave the analogy of a bus trolley and how in some Areas of the United States, they really don't travel much with cars and have buses that come and there's these buses they go real slow and you're able to put your foot on a bumper and grab a pole and just kind of Jump up on it, right?

So as it's coming by you just reach out and grab and you put your foot up and it doesn't stop. It's going slow enough for you to for you to do that without getting hurt. And that's what this belief is.

It's it's it's once you grab a hold of Jesus Christ. It takes you from where you stand to being positionally somewhere else. And where we are before belief is that we're dead in our trespasses in our sins.

But when we pustula when we believe when we touch when we trust Christ. We takes us from being in that position of being dead to being a life in him all throughout the scriptures church history and even today and what will always be is three groups of people that identify themselves with the church and They are unbelievers.

Intellectual believers and true believers we we looked at this instantly as we intensely as we walk through the book of Hebrews and Depending on where one is in their walk. It can be very difficult to tell the differences between One or the other or one over the other sometimes it can be hard to tell who is actually a believer.

Right because the church is filled with unbelievers people that believe only intellectually and true believers. Concerning unbelievers. Like I mentioned last week. I spoke about how unbelievers just don't walk through the church of Walk through the door of the church by themselves.

They usually are invited by somebody right that they are invited by a family or our friends or they become. They become a part of the group which is called the church whether it's through a Youth group or or through some kind of recovery group.

They become a part of a core group of people and they stay around for reasons unknown. Sometimes these are people that you might have have young children as Baptist. We might Have young children who we.

I can remember when I was eight years old I was baptized and added to the church of my uncle that my uncle preached at. I didn't believe. My dad just said you're getting baptized and I said, okay. So my uncle baptized me.

I was a part of this this church function this church group, right? Or it can be that you made a false profession. You were added to the church through baptism. And now you you think you're among the church or it can be that you were baptized as an infant whatever the the cost of the Situation may be you can be a part of the church and not really be a believer.

Not really have this personal faith in Jesus Christ concerning intellectual believers. These are those who have a head knowledge of who Jesus is like they they really believe the stories. They may have even had a personal Experience or they've witnessed something in their lives and they've seen Jesus moving in different ways.

And they have this belief in him. But not one that will stand the test of time because it's it's only a matter of intellect right it's this it's an intellectual belief. They don't truly if you press them.

They don't truly believe that that Jesus Christ died and that he was Buried and in three days later He actually came out the grave and and in 40 days after that his his his bodily Resurrection like he was actually came out the grave in his body and that that body Ascended like the disciples were actually able to see him rise from the ground and fly and Disappear into the clouds and that he's actually right here now with that body at the right hand of the throne of God.

Make it intercessory for for those that draw near to him like like they don't actually believe that but they believe. The some of the stories like they have this they believe that there was a man named Jesus who actually lived and and it was Probably a great teacher, right?

But they don't actually trust that that really happened they know the stories they don't trust that. Concerning true believers true believers are those who? Not only believe intellectually like what look like we we know the stories.

We we believe the stories, but we actually trust that what Jesus Christ did. By raising by what God did by raising Jesus from the dead like we trust that that was done for us. Now the reason why it can be hard to tell Who's who sometimes depending on their walk as you can have an unbeliever?

That is a part of the church or an intellectual believer. That is a part of the church.

And they can.

Excuse me, and they can seem like they're Christians from the outside right there. They're moral they got good values. You know from the outside looking in they can appear to be Christians, and then you can have someone Who is a true believer who was just born again, and he's rough around the edges or she's rough around the edges.

Right he's coming to church. He still wears his gang colors right he's really a believer but he's rough around the edges or she's coming to church and You know she still has that that strut about her right?

That the world has we still have we still have that world on her back. But God actually truly did transform them like what like in my case I can remember after I was born again still coming listen. I still truck like if you have conversation With me, there's still a lot of streets in me.

Right the way that I talk sometimes. Right I still have a limp when I walk right I cannot take the limp away. I don't know why I Tell people it could be cuz my left knee, but I don't know why I still got some streets in me.

But man, I truly believe what Jesus Christ has done. I Truly believe it and there's people in this room. Or there's people in other and in other churches who you might look at and say men. They are more more moral than he is and they can be unbelievers or just believe in intellectually.

All right, it can be hard to tell depending on where their walk is and how long they've been faking it. Or how long they really been in it? Who is a true Christian? The only way to truly know is when trials and tribulations come.

When the cares of this world lay their traps. True believers in these times times of sorrows times of grief and also in times of happiness. When things are going good, they are not budged. They believe and they will continue to believe.

But as for the non-believer and the intellectual believer when things Don't go their way. They will fall away providing proving excuse me proving. Their belief was false. So my proposition is this. Someone can believe and not be a believer.

You can believe and not be a believer. And I believe that's where our our Text has been teaching us so far as we've walked through this and we're gonna see that a lot more, too. And what we have in our text to examine is the royal official whether or not His belief in Jesus is an intellectual head knowledge or is it an actual change of the heart and mind?

So if you would look at our text Chapter 4 verses 46 to 54 and he came again to Cana of Galilee where he had made the water into wine and there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum and When he heard that Jesus Had come out of Judah into Galilee.

He went to him and was Asking him to come down and heal his son. For he was about to die and Jesus said to him unless you people see signs and wonders. You will never believe. The royal official said to him sir come down before my child dies.

Jesus said to him go your son lives. The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and Started on his way and while he was still going down his slave met him saying that his son was alive so he acquired of Them the hour when he began to get better.

Then he said to him yesterday. At the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that that was the very hour in which Jesus said to him your son lives and he himself believed and his whole household.

This is the second sign That Jesus did when he had come out.

Of.

Judah and to Galilee the Gospel of John doesn't record every sign that Jesus.

Did.

It even tells us the verse right above the one I read earlier that the the The main verse that is overarching verses this book that if we were to record everything that he's done There would be enough books in the world to to hold them, but the signs that he does point out He numbers them and he tells us that this is the second sign.

Our outline for this week is very simple. It's intellectual belief versus true belief and as we transition being a Christian and I want to watch how I say this because I don't want you to think that I'm Promoting pietism because I'm not I Think pietism is bad piety good pietism bad, but being a Christian is not going along with the crowd.

Right, it's not following.

Everyone.

Who might be looking like they're following Christ. It's careful examination. It's not following the crowd, but it is a life lived of Dedication to God a life of repentance and faith in striving for holiness.

It's a life of knowing that when you die True life begins. That's what it's knowing when you die that true life begins. It's a life of knowing that at any time you could be put to death for your faith.

I Know we're in America and it doesn't seem like that could happen, but it can happen at any Time you could be put to death for your faith as a Christian. These are things that you have to have in mind.

It's you being ready and willing to be put to death for at any time for your faith. This is why it can't be intellectual. Intellectuals are not going to be put to death. Unbelievers are not going to be put to death for something.

They don't really hope to for true believers. It's a life. It's living a life. Looking to Christ. He is our goal. He is where we're walking this journey, too. We're in him and all and then already not yet.

We will be with him. And live in a Christian life. It's it's it's it's going towards him. It's looking to him. It's that dog race that I keep mentioning. It's focusing our attention on him. It's believing that that God entered into time became a man lived a perfect life.

Died as if he was a criminal and him being put to death and being raised on the third day was so that you and I could die and so that you and I could live and.

It's.

Believing that no matter what? So that's what separates intellectuals unbelievers with true believers. No matter what? At any time I could be put to death for this but at no matter what this is what I believe and nothing can change My mind it's challenging everything that we hear and see right when the Bible talks about someone being a Berean.

It wasn't an individual with his Bible. It was the church collective that got that group of people. Collective gathered together and searched the scriptures to see if these things be true. That's what we have to do as a body.

Collectively gathering together studying the Word of God to see if these things be true. This group is saying this this group is saying this. Well, what does this say? Can we exit the echo chamber? Focus on scripture our confession and church history.

This is what we have to do. That's what we're called to do as individual churches is to be Bereans. But personal at any minute you can be put to death. That's what you have to understand and that no matter what this gospel message.

You're ready to die for. There's it's non-negotiable. It's knowing the Christian life. It's knowing that this is not our home. Right, that's what Abrahams. Saying this is not my home. Peter says that we are pilgrims passing through when we die true life begins.

Our text begins with Jesus making it to Galilee. If you remember he was on his way to Galilee from Judea. When he stopped at Samaria to us at the city called Shatkar. Our text has him making it to his destination at Cana of Galilee.

And the author John. The the Apostle John the author reminds us that that we know where he's headed where he's headed say we know.

This.

Land because he reminds us by pointing out that this is where Jesus turned the water into wine. The same place where Jesus turned the water in the wine. That's where Jesus is going back to. We saw him leaving there after the wedding.

Remember he left now he's returning back. The text tells us that there's a was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum. This royal official was most likely a Gentile ceterion in the service of Herod.

Herod here would have been the king of Judah and this would have been the Herod who had John the Baptist Put to death remember we had John the Baptist confronts Herod in his sexual sin. Herod has him arrested.

Herod's Herod's girlfriend who was his wife's. I Mean Herod's girlfriend who was his brother's wife. Which would make his brother's daughter has him to kill John the Baptist. I know it sounds very trail apart, but that's just how this story is right a lot of ancestral things going on.

So this is that Herod and the royal official this guy who works for Herod his son was sick to the point of death and. Out of desperation this man comes to Jesus crying for help. This man would have have to have known that Jesus was some kind of miracle worker.

Right he would have to have known that Jesus could perform miracles. Without this knowledge without this man having some knowledge of who Jesus is and how this Jesus can perform Miraculous these this man would have not Come to Jesus expecting a miracle.

He would have not come to Jesus expecting help. So he comes to Jesus and some kind of a belief. He comes to Jesus out of desperation out of a desperate faith. Believing that Jesus can heal his son and we see this in verse 40.

Verse 47. I said when he heard that Jesus came out of Galilee into Yeah out of Judah into Galilee. He went to him and asked him To come down and heal his son for he was about to die. Verse 48. Jesus said to him unless you people See signs and wonders you will never Believe now this brings us to our first point intellectual belief.

This royal official has heard rumors, right? The only way that he can know that Jesus was able to perform miracles is that he had to have heard rumors. He has heard rumors. He he knows people who knows Jesus or he knows people who have seen Jesus perform miracles.

His belief can be categorized as a simple head knowledge so far in our text. So far we can say that his belief is categorized as a simple head knowledge of who Jesus is and rumors of what he has done.

In his head knowledge that he has it isn't a full revelation of who Jesus is, right? He doesn't know that Jesus is the Messiah. He doesn't have this full revelation of who Jesus is. He just knows that this Jesus is able to perform miracles.

So he goes to him in desperation. He doesn't have a full comprehension of who Jesus is. He doesn't know that he's God incarnated there's a second person of the Trinity that he took on flesh that he's going to live a life that he couldn't live was Die a death that he should die be buried and rose again on the third day.

He doesn't have this knowledge such as Unbelievers in our church today or Right people that are in this church are people that's if you're in this church and you're not a believer or if you're among other churches and you're not a believer like you have more knowledge than this this guy has.

And he definitely has more faith than an unbeliever. He knows that Jesus can heal all this man seems to know. Is that there's a man named Jesus who can perform miracles and I would I would say to this point.

He's probably hasn't been in a crowd and witnessed it and he's just going off of what he's heard. It's simple right. It's a simple head knowledge of who Jesus is and then we come to Jesus response again I want you to listen to Jesus's response again verse 48.

Unless you people see signs and wonders you will never believe. Meaning that this faith is not true faith. This this belief is not a true belief. The belief that Jesus and I'm gonna remind you why I say that the belief that Jesus is dreadful.

For this.

Sartorian to have seems to be the type of belief that Nicodemus Approached Jesus with if you remember the conversation when Nicodemus in chapter 3. Chapter 3 verse 1 there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus a ruler of the Jews.

This man came to Jesus by night and said to him rabbi. We listen, we know that you have come from God as a teacher for no one can do these signs. That you do unless God is with him. This is the kind of belief.

This is the kind of faith that Jesus would not entrust himself with. If you only believe because of miracles Jesus does not entrust himself to that kind of people. You so how do you know that? Look at verse 23 of chapter 2 23 and 24.

Now when he remember this book is about people. He they want people to he wants people to believe in him. If you believe in him you have life. First chapter 2 verse 23 and when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover during the feast listen many people Believed in his name.

When they saw His signs which he was doing so they believe when they saw the signs verse 24 but Jesus on his part was not entrusting himself to them for he knew all men. If you're only believing because of the signs Jesus does not entrust himself to them.

And so that's the kind of belief that Jesus does not want this Satyrian to have for him he says unless you people see signs you're never going to believe. Now concerning our this this conversation we see with Jesus in this royal official.

Listen ladies and gentlemen all we have is the text.

Right.

All we have is what the text says. And I had to ask myself could more have been said that the text doesn't record. Could Jesus had explained to him who he was. But the text doesn't record that right. All we have is the text.

The answer is yes. He could have Explained more to him there could have been more said than what's revealed in our text, but all we have is the text as the text so more could have happened but for us to To say that it happened for for me to get up here and say that I'm pretty sure that Jesus Walked through the whole Point of the gospel with him.

It would be pure pure speculation. It would be pure speculation. There's no way that I can come up here with confidence and say that. It's pure speculation. And this brings us to our second point true belief or we could say true faith.

True belief or true faith is something that you get is something that. True belief or true faith is not something that you get from hearing rumors or seeing miracles. True faith is given to you by God through the gospel.

And it is the revelation of who Jesus Christ is. It's the revelation of who Jesus is. Is Jesus the the long-awaited Messiah. Do you believe that if you do if if if man did not reveal this to you? But his father who is in heaven reveals to you that Jesus is the Messiah guess what you have true faith and unless this man had that We cannot say for sure that he has true faith because this gospel is Evangelistic that's what this gospel is.

It's Evangelistic a lot of a lot of preachers a lot of evangelists. They say if you begin to read the Bible read the book of John read the gospel of John. It's gonna tell you who Jesus is. Again that the overarching message the overarching verse of this whole gospel it says but these things were written.

So that you may believe it wants people to believe. Jesus wants people to believe. The author wants people to believe. That Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in his name.

But it points out false belief if you only believe because of rumors if you only believe because of miracles. You do not have life life in his name. You have to believe that he is the Christ life and salvation.

Life and salvation is believing that Jesus is the Christ meaning that we looked at this last week. What does the Christ mean the anointed one who was anointed the King the anointed King? Speaking of him being the king and unless this royal official believes that Jesus Christ is the king.

Guess what the Bible says it's gonna happen to him. He will die in his sins. Because there's true faith and there's a false faith the span of Jesus's ministry. Jesus healed many many people and many people many many people saw his miracles like they Were eyewitnesses to his miracles, but very few actually Believed and followed Jesus very few at the time when Jesus was alive performing these miracles very few people Entrusted themselves to Jesus put their faith in him trusted him now.

Let's read verses 49 and 50 the royal official said to him sir. Come down before my child dies. Jesus said to him go. Your son lives the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and Started on his way.

I want you to notice the transition that took place here. I Think we can read through this and over this and not notice the transition. The man's belief has gone from rumors of Jesus. To believe in the word Jesus spoke to him.

Right.

His belief started out with knowing that he could heal and Then Jesus tells him go your son as well to trusting that Jesus healed his son so there's a Transition there's a growth in his faith. First he went from believing what others were saying about Jesus.

This was the rumors To believe in the word Jesus spoke to him himself. So the question is is that true faith? Is that true faith? I would say it's not first 51 and while he was still going down His slave met him and saying that his son Was alive.

So he inquired of them the hour When his son began to get better. Then they said to him yesterday at the seventh hour his fever left him so the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him your son lives and He himself believed and his whole household this again a second sign that Jesus did When he had came out of Judah And Galilee and I want to be honest here that there's not really much to break down exegetically.

The writer here is is giving us his narrative story of what has happened. And what we see from this story is that the royal officials son? Was healed the moment? Jesus said go your son lives and the story of the Samaritan woman.

We saw that the the sixth hour was 12 noon. So this would have been at the seventh hour. So One o 'clock in the afternoon is when Jesus spoke to him and his son that told him that his son go your son lives and after the royal official Found out that his son was healed.

Remember he had his Servant his slave came and told him that his son was healed. It states again that he believed. He started out believing a rumor about Jesus. Then he believed the words spoken by Jesus.

And then after that he believed because of a miracle done by Jesus you see the growth in his faith. This is quite different than what took place earlier in this chapter earlier in this chapter in chapter 4 when Jesus was that In Samaria in Samaria Jesus did no miracles.

Right. We saw him ask a woman for water. Jesus could have made water fly about the well into his mouth, right?

Right.

That's probably something that I would have done right. I mean if we're honest not Jesus he's better than I am. He didn't use his miraculous powers to to solve his own problems. Right. He didn't go there and start healing.

The text doesn't tell us that he was in Samaria healing. What it does tell us is that his omniscience was on display. His omniscience him knowing the state of everything. The woman believed because he told her all things about her.

And then he stayed in that area for two days and for two days. He was speaking to the people in that town the town Shekhar. In many many many people believed in him not because of a miracle. But because of his omniscience and because of the words that he was speaking to them.

In our text this man believes a rumor believes the word of Jesus Spoken about his son and then believes because of the miracle Jesus performed. But not only him it says he believes as well as his whole household.

So the question is is this true faith, and I'm afraid that the text doesn't tell us. The Bible. Jesus warns listen he warns we just read that warning he warns. He does not want this man to believe because a sign Jesus warns about people only believe in because of miracles.

And in the case of the royal official we see three instances of how his believing of how his belief Has grown and how it has developed. Some theologians here offer hope for the faith of this man by pointing to the book of Acts.

And how there's instances in the book of Acts where whole households are believing so if you turn your attention to The book of Acts we're gonna. Let me see the time okay good on time. The story actually begins and verse 16.

But the main part that we'll look at is verse 25, but let's look at for some context sake of the context. Let's look at chapter 16 beginning in 16. Let's come up Paul and Silas there. They're going out there witnessing.

And it says now it happened that as we were going To the place of prayer a servant girl having a spirit of divination met us. And was bringing. It was bringing her matters much. Her her man, excuse me and was bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling.

Following after Paul and and us she kept crying out saying these men are slaves of the Most High God. Who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation now? We would say well, what's wrong with that? That's true, right?

She's definitely speaking truth and she continued doing this for many days. So apparently she was doing this but in a mocking way. So she was saying the truth, but it was in a mocking way but being Greatly annoyed Paul turned and said to said to the spirit notice.

He didn't say to her. He said to the spirit that she was possessed by I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to leave her and it left her at that very moment and when her master saw That their hope for profit had left they seized Paul and Silas and dragged Them into the marketplace before the authorities and when they had brought them into the to the chief Magistrates they said these men are throwing our city into confusion being Jews and our proclaiming customs That are not lawful for us to accept or to observe being Romans at this time they didn't know that Paul was a Roman citizen and the crowd joined together and attacked them and the chief magistrates Tearing their garments off of them Proceeding to order them to be beaten with rods.

Now it's gonna pick up on the story of what's taking place here and when they Had inflicted them with many wounds they threw them into prison. Commanding listen the jailer remember that commanding the jailer to guard them securely.

Who haven't received such a command Threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet With shackles. Now it comes to what I wanted to point out but about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God.

They were just beaten to turn into prison now. They're singing hymns, and they're praising God and the prisoners were listening to them and suddenly there came a great earthquake that the Foundations of the jailhouse was shaken and immediately all the doors were open and every one's chains Unfastened.

And when the jailer awoke he saw that the prison doors were open. And he drew his sword and was about to kill himself. Supposing that the prisoners had escaped so he was just warned to Throw these man's in prisons and to make sure they weren't able to escape.

He wakes up from from the commotion this earthquake the doors are open. He thinks they escaped and he knows that he's gonna be put to death and punished so he's about to take his own life. And some of us will say well, let's let him take his life so we can escape.

Look what Paul does. Paul cries out with a loud voice saying do not harm yourself. For we are all here, and he called for the lights and rushed in and Trembling this man is this jailer trembling with fear.

He falls down before Paul and Silas. And after and after he brought him out after he brought them out. He said sirs What must I do?

To be saved. And they said.

Believe in the Lord Jesus and You will be saved you and your house. And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together With all who were in his household.

So right here.

It tells us that Paul and Silas were in his household and they were able to preach and minister to him as well as his household. So those in his household were able to listen to the message and understand and he took them that very hour of the night and he washed their wounds and immediately he speaking of the jailer was baptized he and his household and He brought them into his house, and he set them he set food before them and rejoiced greatly With his whole household because he had believed in God.

So theologians would point to this and said well since it speaks about households believing as well as him then we can have hope. That this man truly believed. But all we have is the text. If we add anything to it as pure speculation, we're only assuming.

In the case of the Philippian jailer I Mean right here we hear Paul ministering to him and his family the gospel message and God through that message causes this man in his household to believe. In the case of the royal official again all we know.

As far as we know Jesus did not give himself over to him. All right, if we're just going what we have as far as we know. This is what we have and listen ladies and gentlemen. I'm not up here trying to make a judgment call.

I'm just saying from what we have in the text those that believe according to Miracles Jesus does not entrust himself to them. And that's all we have. So I'm not going. I'm not trying to put this man in hell nor am I trying to put him in heaven.