Series: That You May Believe: Jesus and His Resurrection
April 14, 2024 | Dr. Wes George
That You May Believe
John 20:30-31
Dr. Wes George
April 14, 2024
Prayer
Introduction: Our text today is one of the clearest purpose statements in all of Scripture. It gives us with clarity the very reason that this gospel was written. It contains and connects the major themes of the Gospel of John. The miracles recorded not all the miracles performed were written for the purpose of personal belief in Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God and that belief would result in life that is now and eternal, that is abundant and everlasting.
Signs or miracles are not to be disparaged or dismissed, but rather they are to be seen as proof of something more important than the miracle. Notice it does not say that the signs were written so that you may believe in the signs. It is understood that a certain belief in the sign is necessary. But the sign is not the endgame. The sign is not greatest truth. The sign is not even a transformational truth. The sign is an attention getter. It is validation. It is proof. It is pointing toward a greater truth.
As I have mentioned numerous times before, Adrian Rogers captured this idea with the title of his book, “Believe in Miracles, but Trust in Jesus.” While we believe in miracles, it is altogether possible to believe in miracles and even experience miracles and not trust in Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God. You can believe in miracles and not surrender and follow Christ as Savior and Lord. You can believe in miracles and miss Heaven and go to Hell.
READ TEXT
30 Therefore many other bsigns Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
The Bible proclaims miracles as a reality.
30 Therefore many other bsigns Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written. . .
Let’s begin with the last phrase read and the first phrase in verse 31, but these have been written. . . On January 8, 2023, we launched our study in John’s Gospel. In that message, we stated that “Belief begins with valuing the Word of God.” We emphasized the importance of Scripture and the impact of Scripture. We then looked ahead in an overview of John’s Gospel. We are now looking back on what we have studied. But it always begins with the reliability, infallibility, inerrancy, and inspiration of Scripture.
If you read and believe the Bible, then you will believe in miracles. The Bible records a multitude of miracles from Creation to the Flood to turning a river into blood to parting the Red Sea to making an axe head float and the list goes on and on. If you read the Gospel of John, you read about seven miracles recorded in this Gospel. These are not the only miracles recorded in the Bible as we look into the Synoptics. Our text goes on to say that there are many other signs or miracles not written in this book.
There are a group of people who identify themselves as cessationists from the term cease. Cessationist have varying degrees cessationalism. Most are not pure cessationists. Some believe that all miracles ceased at the close of the first century, the death of the last apostle, or the completion of the canon of Scripture. At some point, miracles ceased. More cessationists believe that the charismatic spiritual gifts of speaking in tongues, prophecy, and gifts of healings ceased at some time. Many cessationists do believe that God still performs miracles and healings today out of His sovereign will not a result of a spiritual giftedness.
I am not a cessationists although I have high regard for some who are and have learned from some of those who call themselves cessationists. As I mentioned, many of my cessationists colleagues still believe that God still performs miracles and healings as a result of His sovereign will and prayer as pastoral ministry.
I love what Dr. R. G. Lee said years ago,
God is not a bewildered bellhop running up and down the corridors of the hotel He created trying to find the right key.” In other words, God is not bound by the laws of nature that He created and ordained.
I have often said that if you believe in Genesis 1:1, then the rest of the Bible will not be difficult to believe. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. If you do not believe in a biblical creation that God spoke the world into being, that in the beginning God; then you must believe that nobody times nothing equals everything. The big bang theory is more outrageous than believing that if a bomb hit a salvage junkyard at Fred Sanford’s house that after the dust settled you would find a state of art high tech 747 aircraft or space shuttle appear as a result of the bomb. We believe in the miracle of creation, so we believe in miracles.
The Bible proclaims miracles with a message.
One NT commentator stated that every parable is a miracle of instruction, and every miracle is a parable of instruction.
One of my professors and colleagues in New Testament wrote his dissertation on Miracles as Enacted Parables.
John tells us that he only selected some of the miracles to be written down in this book.
30 Therefore many other bsigns Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
We know and we have discussed each of these seven miracles selected for John’s Gospel.
They are:
Miracle at Cana Wedding turning dirty dishwater into wine. 2:1-12
The Nobleman’s Son Healed 4:45-54
The Healing at the Pool of Bethesda 5:1-17
Feeding the 5000 6:1-15
Walking on Water/ Calming the Storm 6:15-25
Opening Blind Eyes 9:1-34
Raising Lazarus 11:1-46
Bible-believing Jesus followers believe that these miracles are literally true, but we are listening for and looking for the message behind the miracle. The sign seeker views the miracle like a circus or carnival act to entertain. The genuine Christ follower understands the life transforming message in the miracle. The genuine Christ follower seeks the Savior above the sign. The genuine Christ follower recognizes that the sign points to Jesus more than Jesus pointing to a sign. The sign reflects the message, but the Savior is the substance of the message.
Let’s consider Lazarus being raised from the dead. First, Jesus waited until Lazarus died before He came. Mary and Martha suggested that if Jesus would have come sooner their brother would not have died. Because everyone knows that it is easier for God to heal a sick person than it is to raise the dead? (not really)
Second, Jesus wept before raising Lazarus from the dead which seems unusual knowing that everyone would be filled with joy in just a few minutes.
Third, while Lazarus was raised from the dead, it is understood that he would die again one day, and they would be going through this grief all over again.
So, what is the message? Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in Me will live even if he dies and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Lazarus’ resurrection was an illustration and foreshadowing of Jesus’ resurrection. It pointed to a greater event that was coming. It also pointed to a greater truth than Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Jesus personified with this “I am” statement. Jesus is resurrection and life. Life is one of the major themes of John which we will talk about more in a minute.
So, the Bible proclaims miracles with a message.
The Bible proclaims miracles with a purpose.
31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
There are two purpose clauses in verse 31 indicated by “so that” and “that”.
These seven miracles (signs) have been written for a very clear purpose. “Have been written” is a Perfect Tense, Passive Voice verb capturing the finished and ongoing nature of the written word of Scripture that is eternal which is not written by the private intentions of humankind but written for the eternal purposes of God.
The first purpose of the miracles recorded, and everything written by John under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is so that you may believe. This is so obvious and important that we adopted those exact words as the title of this sermon series. So, for the 54th week this week out of 57 sermons in John, you have seen “That You May Believe”. With the hope, that you will know by second nature what the purpose of the Gospel of John is all about.
“You” is plural. John had a point in mind. He had a desired response to the content of the message. The message was not for information, but it was for transformation. These recorded miracles were performed to compel belief or faith in you and all you who read and hear these words. The purpose was action on the part of the hearer, the reader, and observer of what has been written in Scripture.
The object of your belief is Jesus Christ. It is not believing in anything or a number of things. The focus of our belief is in Jesus Christ. The unbelieving religious Jew and the unbelieving pagan Gentile both have to believe. Both have to believe the same thing. They come from different worlds, perspectives, and backgrounds. They must come to the same place and same person by believing in Jesus.
The specifics of what to believe about Jesus is first that He is the Christ or the Messiah. He is the One long-awaited for that would come to save His people. The title “Christ” connects to the Old Testament prophecy of a coming Messiah. The religious had created a Messiah in their own image and ideas of what they wanted. So, self-righteous religious missed Jesus as the Messiah.
They were also to believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Where Gentiles may not be looking for a Jewish Messiah, they would be looking for God. This is a claim of deity, that is, Jesus is God.
Carson correctly observes:
John’s purpose is not academic. He writes in order that men and women may believe certain propositional truth, the truth that the Christ, the Son of God, is Jesus, the Jesus whose portrait is drawn in this Gospel. But such faith is not an end in itself. It is directed toward the goal of personal, eschatological salvation: that by believing you may have life in his name. That is still the purpose of this book today, and at the heart of the Christian mission (v. 21).[1]
There is another result or purpose of these recorded miracles.
- . .and that believing you may have life in His name.
A common theme throughout John’s gospel is “life.” Jesus is life. In Jesus is life. Believing in Jesus gives eternal life. Jesus promises abundant life. Thirty-six times John records “life” in this gospel.
John wrote with a purpose in mind. That purpose was that you might believe. What you must believe is that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And that by believing you obtain life that is eternal and abundant. This life is in His Name.
Conclusion:
God’s plan is that you would value the importance and impact of Scripture, what has been written in the Bible.
God’s purpose is that you believe in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God.
God’s purpose is that by believing in Jesus, you would have life in His Name.
[1] Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel according to John (p. 663). Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans.
Series Information
