John 20:30 (NKJV) And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book;

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1 Introduction Chapter 20 of John s gospel brings us to the author s stated purpose in writing; to convince the reader that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; and that in believing the reader might have life. There are those who read the gospels as history, curiosity, biography, or as many modern classrooms promote; as literature. When we approach the gospels as history and biography, we approach them in the wrong spirit. We must read them, not primarily as historians seeking information, but as men and women seeking God (Barclay; Vol. 2 p.279). People read the Bible for any number of reasons. Why do you read the Bible? Is it because you want to know the truth about Jesus? Or are you looking for something a little more modest; you simply want to feel good or happy or secure or safe. Or are you looking for the truth? The truth about God and the truth about yourself. In John 5:24 Jesus said; Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. The Bible will sometimes make the reader feel convicted of sin; unhappy and insecure. When we come to the end of John s gospel we are confronted with John s motive, John s purpose, John wants you to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; a belief that results in life. The implication being those apart from Christ do not have life. One Absolute Fact: Signs (v.30) John 20:30 (NKJV) And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; When John wrote his gospel he was very advanced in age. He had plenty of time to live and relive the events surrounding the birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. John s gospel takes seven miracles; eight if you count the resurrection for the reader to consider. There are some thirty-six miracles recorded in the gospels. These include miracles of physical healing ( a leper, a paralytic, a fever, deafness and dumbness, blindness, a hemorrhage, Malchus severed ear); miracles in the natural realm (stilling the storm, supernatural catch of fish, money from a fish, fig tree withers); and the miracles of raising Jairus daughter, the Widow s son and Lazarus of Bethany). John calls these miracles signs for good reason. The Greek word translated signs is semeion (77 times in the New Testament). Depending on the context it could mean sign, or mark or token. When the sign is wrought or manifest by God as a token to the unbeliever; it s purpose is to communicate the power and presence of God; and to promote a spiritual end or direction. 1

2 Put simply--a sign was intended to point in the desired direction. The purpose of the sign was to authenticate the messenger as well as the message. The signs Jesus provided were not necessarily the ones the religious leaders valued. The religious leaders wanted signs of a great Messianic Kingdom and material greatness for the chosen people. John reminds the reader that the signs were done in the presence of his disciples. The enemies of Jesus did not dispute the fact that miracles took place. What the enemies of Jesus disputed was the source of that power. Some of the religious leaders went so far as to accuse Jesus of performing mighty miracles through the power and agency of Satan. In John s gospel a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews came to Jesus by night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him (John 3:1-2). When John the Baptist asks if Jesus is the Christ; Jesus replies; Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them (Luke 7:22). John makes it clear that much more evidence could be presented. But John asserts that what has been presented is sufficient evidence to convince anyone of Jesus divine nature (see Roy Laurin p.268). Theologian Bernard Ramm: Miracles are believed in non-christian religions because the religion is already believed, but in the Biblical religion, miracles are part of the means of establishing the true religion. This distinction is of immense importance. Israel was brought into existence by a series of miracles, the law was given by supernatural wonders, and many of the prophets were identified as God s spokesmen by their power to perform miracles. Jesus came not only preaching but performing miracles, and the apostles from time to time worked wonders. It was the miracle authenticating the religion at every point (See Evidence That Demands A Verdict where this is cited as 42/105 and p.122). Philip Schaff the noted historian writes; All His miracles are but natural manifestations of His person, and hence they were performed with the same ease with which we perform ordinary daily works. Islam even recognizes the ability of Issa (Jesus) to perform miracles; In the Koran (the table v110); it speaks of Issa healing the blind, the lepers and raising the dead (Surah Al Ma da). In the same Surah the enemies of Jesus declare that This is nothing but evident magic and the Koran condemns those who falsely accuse Jesus of miracles apart from the outworking of Allah. 2

3 In the Jewish law books and histories are many references; including an early statement made by one Rabbi Ben Hyrcanus of Lydda who speaks of Jesus magical arts. In the Sanhedrin 43a; around the same time ( AD); we encounter the ritual denunciation; Jesus practiced magic and led Israel astray. Around 110 AD a controversy arose among the Jews of Palestine that centered on the question of whether it was permissible to heal in the name of Jesus. I have a coin of Julian the Philosopher--also called Apostate by the early church; Emperor from ; who attempted to revive Roman paganism. In his work against Christianity he writes; Jesus...has now been celebrated about three hundred years; having done nothing in his lifetime worthy of fame, unless anyone thinks it a very great work to heal lame and blind people and exorcise demoniacs in the villages of Bethsaida and Bethany. In his criticism--he unwittingly charges Jesus with the ability and power to perform supernatural miracles. It was Mark Twain who said; The things that bother me in the Bible are not the things I do not understand, but the things I do understand. One Actual Purpose: Belief (v.31a) John 20:31 (NKJV) but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, John selects seven signs; to convince the reader of Jesus real identity. 1. Jesus turned water into wine at Cana (John 2:1-11). 2. Jesus heals the Nobleman s son (John 4:46-53). 3. Jesus heals the paralyzed man (John 5:1-9). 4. Jesus feeds the five thousand (John 6:1-14). 5. Jesus in the storm on the lake walks on the water (John 6:15-21). 6. Jesus heals the blind man (John 9:1-34). 7. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44). John 2:11 (NKJV) This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. What are the things in John s gospel we are asked to believe? You will remember Jesus told His disciples; As the Father has sent Me, I also send you (John 20:21b). The Father sent the Son to deal with the problem of sin. Jesus said, I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. We are asked to believe that the Father (God) sent the Son. We are asked to believe that Jesus is the Christ the Lord. We are asked to believe that Jesus performed miracles. 3

4 Paul Little states the fact that science can only say miracles do not occur in the ordinary course of nature. Science cannot forbid miracles because natural laws do not cause, and therefore cannot forbid, anything. The noted theologian and scholar Bernard Ramm makes the following incredible statement; If the raising of Lazarus was actually witnessed by John and recorded faithfully by him when still in soundness of faculties and memories, for purposes of evidence, it is the same as if we were there and saw it. In reference to the raising of Lazarus from the dead it is significant that Christ s enemies did not deny the miracle; but rather sought to kill Lazarus and Jesus rather than have all men believe in Jesus (see John 11:48). One Amazing Result: Life (v.31b) and that believing you may have life in His name. What is this kind of believing? The word does not mean to simply acknowledge the statement or facts as described. The word means to trust, to rely, to commit. This is not simply a mental conviction, or a moral conviction, or an intellectual conviction. Saving faith is a commitment on the part of the person who believes; in the person believed! This is the kind of belief that results in life. There are three words translated life ; bios, psuche; and zoe. Here the word is zoe. The word zoology has made its way into our vocabulary to describe the study of life it all its various forms. In the New Testament it is the life principle, life in the absolute sense, life as God has it, that which the Father has in Himself, and which He gave to the Incarnate Son to have in Himself, John 5:26, and which the Son manifested in the world (see W.E. Vine s An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words; p.367). In Roman s chapter 3:23 Paul writes; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. In Roman s chapter 5:12 Paul writes; Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned ; the therefore relates back to chapter 3:19-23; and is in effect Paul s repeating the theme of the problem; the universal problem of sin. We are asked to believe that we are sinners in need of a savior. We are asked to believe that Jesus can save sinners and transform them into saints! 4

5 We are asked to believe that Jesus can take people who are dead in trespass and sin and make them alive! We might call this the ABC s of salvation; A- we must admit that we are sinners B-we must believe in Jesus C-we must confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. The means of salvation is faith and the object of faith is Jesus Christ. The effect of faith in Jesus Christ is life. What kind of life? Eternal life. Abundant life. Someone once said; I don t know what I want, and I won t be happy until I get it. One of my coaches once suggested that my whole purpose in life was to serve as a warning to others--of what not to do! Thomas Fuller wrote; We are born crying, live complaining, and die disappointed. Life is a foreign language; all men mispronounce it (Christopher Morley). The famous atheist and skeptic Bertrand Russell rejected God and embraced sex and religion; philosophy and math; once writing that only the wish to know more math kept him from suicide. He wrote; Life is nothing but a competition to be the criminal rather than the victim. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy, I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (NKJV John 10:10). And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (NKJV John 17:3). How different the Christian lives. J. Gresham Machen; The Lord Jesus came into this world not primarily to say something, not even to be something, but to do something; He cam not merely to lead men through his example out into a larger life, but to give life, through his death and resurrection, to those who were dead in trespasses and sin. Conclusion Roy Laurin writes; Any act of true faith involves three things: 1. It accepts the will of God. 2. It adjusts to the will of God. 3. It acts on the will of God. A Christian is a person: 5

6 1. who believes something 2. who does something 3. who says something These three things involve the whole person: intellect, emotion and will. The coordination of all three parts of personality will result in an experience of salvation. We are not left to decide for ourselves what such an act of faith is, but are to follow the clearly indicated revelation of Scripture (Roy Laurin; p.273). On my radio program a woman called; angry, hurt, desperate, and wanted to know if God could forgive her sins. I asked her a series of questions that I would like to ask you. 1. Are you a sinner? 2. Do you want forgiveness of sins? 3. Do you believe Jesus died on the cross for you and rose again? 4. Are you willing to surrender yourself to Christ? 5. Are you ready to invite Jesus into your heart and into your life? We prayed this simple prayer: Father, thank You for the free gift of eternal life. I know I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I am sorry for my past sins, and I ask You to forgive me. Jesus, I believe You died on the cross for my sins and arose from the dead. I now open the door of my heart and invite You to come into my life. I realize there is nothing I can do to earn my salvation, and I place my complete trust in You alone for eternal life. I choose to follow You as my Lord. Please make me the person You want me to be. * * These questions and this prayer was taken from my friend Bill Fay s book; How Can I Share My Faith Without an Argument? Published by RBC ministries; pp * Revised in Share Jesus Without Fear Used by permission 6