Do Signs and Wonders Help us to Believe?

Tom:

Continuing where we left off last week we are in the gospel of John and we are going to pick up with verse 43, but first Dave, just to let some of our listeners know, we are going through the gospel of John, because we think it is a very important—all of the Word of God, is the Word of God, so it is all terrific. But going through the gospel of John really tells us about who Christ is, and what he did for us in one book. So that is our encouragement to our listeners, particularly those who have never read the Bible before.Get started; start with the gospel of John.Verse 43: “Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee.For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.”Now I’ve used that with regard to in my own life my younger sister, she and her husband and their children witnessed to me.But because this was my younger sister, I used to say well a prophet has no honor in their own family and especially if she is your younger sister and so on.But there’s a truth there.

Dave:

Well he certainly was rejected in Nazareth, his home town where he grew up.This is a well-known saying.I mean even the secular world talks about a prophet has no honor in his own city.Nothing breeds contempt like familiarity, in some cases, not in the case of Jesus, but it’s because those in your own family, in your own country better than others do and you can travel a great distance and come and stand in a pulpit and preach, and they don’t know what a failure you are in your family life perhaps, in your daily life, but you come as sort of an expert from afar with a brief case, and so there’s some reason why a prophet maybe doesn’t have honor in his own country like he has elsewhere because maybe he isn’t deserving of it.In his own family and in his own country they know him better.On the other hand there is some familiarity—who is this person they said to Jesus?I mean isn’t this the carpenter’s son?Isn’t this a guy from the carpenter shop?Who is he that we could pay attention to him?

Tom:

Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

Dave:

Yes, so this is something that is recognized the world over.Verse 45: “Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.”That’s the Passover I think it’s referring to—we just read it a few weeks ago, in John:2:23Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.
See All..., “Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast [day], many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.”So they were up there, they recognize him.Why this is the miracle worker!(Verses 46-48): So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.”That really takes us back to chapter two Tom, where—let’s go back to it just for a moment.

Tom:

Okay.

Dave:

It says, “Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast [day], many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all [men], And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.”He says elsewhere, “A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign.”Jesus warned that false prophets would come bring false signs and wonders that would be so convincing it would convince even the elect if possible.I think Jesus is warning us and he does not take favorably who all that they’re interested in is signs and wonders.They don’t want the truth and that is a big problem in the church today.People run everywhere after signs and wonders.

Tom:

But Dave, there’s some confusion there, because on the one hand we see the signs and wonders effective for demonstrating who this is.And certainly Jesus was the miracle worker, but is it their heart?Is it the individuals who—

Dave:

All they’re interested in is miracles, Tom.You get it in chapter 6.Remember these that pursue him cross the lake and he walked on water across the lake and they wondered how he got there.

Tom:

But then why didn’t Jesus just preach the Word?

Dave:

Well he did it because he was meeting a need, to show God’s love and that sickness is not of God.It’s our problem.We brought it upon ourselves through our sin and it gets worse and worse and worse.But those in chapter 6 pursue Jesus and they are going to make him a king, their king.They are going to take him by force to make him their king, if you can imagine. I mean I thought the king was supposed to be the ruler.How can you force a king?

Tom:

Well it just shows the heart of man.

Dave:

Right and all they are interested in is well they saw him feed 5000 people with a few loaves and fishes and heal multitudes.All they are interested in is in feeding their stomachs and being healed.And—

Tom:

He’s the chuck wagon, right.

Dave:

And Jesus, look, that’s not all he came to do, but it’s to heal the soul, to deliver us from self within and if they’re not interested in that, then he’s not interested in revealing himself to them.So it says Jesus did not commit himself….It says when they saw the miracles he did not commit himself to them.He knew all men, he knew what was in their hearts.But then we went through it weeks ago.Nicodemus—there was a man of the Pharisees, Nicodemus, he comes—chapter 3:1.He believes in the miracles.The miracles have caused him to believe.We know you’re the teacher come from God.Nobody could do the miracles you do, except they come from God.God is with you.Then Jesus is able to explain to this man, Nicodemus it is not enough to believe in miracles, but you must be born again and Nicodemus becomes a believer.So over here, this man is saying to Jesus, “Come and heal my son,” and Jesus said “Look all you are interested in is signs and wonders.”And the man says, “Please sir, come down before my child dies.”Well Jesus says, “Go thy way, thy son liveth.”Jesus took sympathy upon him.Now we don’t know whether this man’s heart was really right, or whether all he was interested in was signs and wonders, but Jesus took pity upon him and healed his son instantly, right then.Tom, it’s a problem today.There are people in the church—that’s all they preach about, prosperity and healing.There are others that’s all they want to hear and they will travel all around the world to find some new miracle center where signs and wonders are occurring and the indictment that Jesus gives in Matthew 7 of those who say to him, Lord, Lord didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name we cast out devils, in your name we did miracles.Jesus says I will say to them I never knew you.Depart from me you workers of iniquity.Now what was their problem?They put the emphasis on signs and wonders.That’s a big emphasis today and that’s all some people want to know, but the truth is what sets us free.The truth is what delivers us from self and sin and brings us into a relationship with the Lord.So this is what Jesus is saying here.He is reproving this man a bit, but he takes pity upon him and Jesus said go thy way, thy son liveth and the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him.And he went his way.That was something to believe in Jesus.Verse 51, “And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told [him], saying, Thy son liveth.Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.So the father knew that [it was] at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.This [is] again the second miracle [that] Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.”Well, this dear man it seems to me that he has become a real believer in Jesus, not just as a miracle worker, but his faith must have gone deeper than that.He must have heard Jesus preach and has come to believe in him.But as you say, it was through the healing.That’s what caused him to believe.And we’re not putting down healing that’s legitimate.

Tom:

No, believe the Lord the same yesterday, today and forever, but certainly we would encourage people out there who have a penchant for signs and wonders, check their own heart.See if you are seeking after him or what he does.

Dave:

Yes, do we seek the gifts or the Giver of the gifts? “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.”We’ve talked about that in the past, Hebrews:11:6But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
See All... and I shared that as a young Christian thinking wow, here’s the formula for success.I can get big house, and big car and big salary and so forth, because if I seek Him, he will reward me with these things.It doesn’t say that.He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek HIM.Well then if I am seeking him, then I want to be rewarded with him and it would be a bad bargain if instead of him I got the whole world and lost my soul.This is the problem.So this man, I think came to know Jesus in a new way.