FBCWest 556 | A Sign to Those Who Don’t Believe
Recorded On: 05/21/2023
Bulletin
Hymn # 477 “Now I Belong to Jesus”
SCRIPTURE READING – Romans 5:6 - 8
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
OFFERTORY MUSIC – Pru Hungate
Praise and Worship
“Living Hope”
“Great Are You Lord”
“Only King, Forever”
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“A Sign to Those Who Don’t Believe”
PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
“House of the Lord”
Acknowledgements and Announcements
Benediction “There Is Freedom”
Sermon Notes
John 2:13 Jesus goes to Jerusalem during Passover as the law states
John 2:14 Jesus fids commerce happening in the temple
John 2:15 & 16 Jesus expels those and the activity who do not belong
John 2:17 His disciples remember the Scripture speaking of the Messiah
John 2:18 The religious leaders want to see a sign of Jesus’ authority
John 2:19 Jesus tells them of the sign they will see
John 2:20 They do not understand the sign
John 2:21 & 22 We are told the actual sign so we do not misunderstand
John 2:23 Jesus performs various sign that we are not told leading some to believe in Him
John 2:24 & 25 Jesus does not entrust Himself to them because He knows who we are
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
Audio file
FBCWest556.mp3
Transcript
Previously we took a look at science and how they're used to authenticate either the person or the message. By doing that, we have a temptation as we're looking for finding faith that perhaps we should be concentrating on finding signs and wonders and miracles. And that will be a shortcut to finding faith. The problem is that oftentimes seeking signs and finding them doesn't really come. To the fruition of finding faith. So take a look at this message today and we'll see how seeking signs is not what we're looking to do. We're seeking faith.
The situation where Jesus. Turn water into wine and. Although very few were aware of it, now we have him coming to a different situation where people are. Wanting or demanding the sign. And so after the wedding feast that Canaan, Jesus and his family and disciples went to Capernaum for for a few days, we don't know how long. And then we pick up on John Chapter 2, verse 13. It says, and the Passover of the Jews was near and Jesus. Up to Jerusalem. If you take a look geographically, it's always. Well, they're N why is it they go up to Jerusalem when we think in our maps you go. From South to. North it's because Jerusalem is higher than the other places. So you go up to Jerusalem and you go down from Jerusalem because of the. Of the change in altitude. So he goes up and says and he found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves and the money changers seated in the. Tape in their at their tables. He made a scourge of chords and drove them all out of the temple. With the sheep and the oxen, and he poured out the coins on the money changers and overturned their tables. And to those who are selling the doves, he said, take these things away. Stop making my father's house a place of business. And so this is. The first time that Jesus cleanses the temple, there will be a time that he will do so before his. But he arrives at Passover. Now, the reason that these things are taking place not at in the temple, but the reason for the purpose of them, is that. Jewish men from all over, whether it's in Israel or in Turkey or Greece or wherever they might be, they are, if at all possible required by the law to come to Jerusalem on Passover and to present sacrifice his sacrifice his both in the sense of. The Passover lamb, but also in the sense of. Sin offerings and grain offerings and those types of things. And so obviously it's difficult to travel. On your own, but when you're trying to pull an aux or a lamb or whatever, that makes it more difficult. Plus, you're supposed to offer unblemished animals, which in the travel the animal could get hurt and then disqualified. They set up the system was you could come. Then you could. Buy these sacrificial animals and present your offering. The problem was. They took this and instead of doing this in some appropriate area, they started doing it in the temple. The temple was supposed to be a place for Gentiles and for women who were Jewish, and men who were Jewish. And then the priests and the Levites and all of those, but they were occupying these spaces and making merchandise out of it. And they're also changing money because in order to present the temple tax.
You had to do it with temple money. Well, if you came like, for instance, we come to United. States and we go to the say the. Europe they use. The euro, they don't use dollars and so you have to go to a place to exchange the currency to get in. So that's what they're also doing. But again, they're doing it in the temple and we will see in other examples later. Is that not only were they exchange it, but they were making. Absorbent profits from it. And so Jesus has had it. When he goes and he decides to take a a whip, make it into his heart, and he drove the animals and the people out of the temple. He said stop making my father's house a place of business. Now we are told that his disciples remember. Now we're not necessarily known, or they remember right at this moment or later. After his resurrection. But then remember that it was written zeal for your house will consume me. And so Jesus takes his father's house personal. Because it's a place of prayer. It's a place where his. People are to come to. Offer prayers and to offer sacrifices that they might commune with God and instead of that business is taking place. The Jews usually that's when he talks about the Jews. He usually talks about the religious establishment. He's not talking about Jews in general, so he's not being. Anti-Semitic because John is a Jew. The Jews then said to him what sign do you show us as your authority for? Doing these things. Now I am not Jesus and I'm glad I'm not. And you're glad I'm not. My first date would have been said. I showed you a sign. What you were doing was wrong. What I did was right. The sign is. Me by myself. Gluteus maximus's. Out of the temple. I didn't need a bunch army. Need a bunch of people. Me and myself kicked you out of my father's house. That's a sign all that you need that you were doing wrong and I corrected it. And that I. Offered to prevent you from doing so, and I protected my father's house. That's a sign enough for you. Gives them a statement which you could call a Riddle or something that to say, OK, I'll give that to you. So Jesus answered them. Destroy this temple and in three days I will rise it up. And the Jews and said it took 46 years to build this temple. And will you raise it up in three days? The next verse is going to help those of us out. What Jesus is meaning, but let's just take the your language.
What Jesus said Jesus and say. Destroy the temple. And I will rebuild it in three days. But let me let. Me say something. If Jesus said destroy the temple. And I will build it up and rise it up in three days. The God who turned water into wine. The God who spoke, who created all that, wasn't to all that we see and experience that God could do it in a few moments, let alone 3 days. So even if he was talking about the temple and it took 46 years. Not to just. Give up, but to make better and more beautiful, because that's what Harry was doing. Harry was trying to make it a more impressive building and it took a long time to do these things. And so they took so long to build this how are? You going to do this in three days? Because I'm God and I can. But his disciples, John helps us out and says. But he was Speaking of the temple of his body as he said this temple. Say the temple. Now this is not a stretch because the scriptures tell us that our body. Is a temple of God. So it's not some really strange terrible that you can't understand. It is common for us to understand that our bodies are the temples of God. To make sure no one misunderstands. Jesus was talking about his body. You want to know you want to see a sign. And the sign. You take my lines. And I will live again in three days. When he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he said this, and they believed the scriptures and the word which Jesus had spoken. Now I want you to understand something. This is not the first time that Jesus tells them to destroy this temple. In three days, I will raise it up, he tells them, then and then while he's teaching and ministering, the Pharisees will come to him and and again they'll say, you know what sign? You give to show who you are. And Jesus says it's a wicked and unbelieving generation, an evil generation. It requires a sign. And no sign will be given to you except the sign of Jonah. Which was Jonah in the belly of a fish for three days and three nights. And came back. He says that's the sign I'm going to give you. And Jesus did so. And he will again, like I said before, his passion, he will make the same statement destroy this temple in three days. I will rise it up. And he did. And he fulfilled that sign. Religious leaders did not believe. As a matter of fact, when the guards themselves, who were employed to guard the tomb under their penalty of death, they said. There will pay you. To tell people that his disciples came and stole the body. And we'll make sure you don't get in trouble. When presented the truth, they've decided to lie. And pay for the lie. Rather than accepting. So often people keep wanting to see miracles and miracles in order to believe. Jesus presented the greatest miracle of all time. He came back from the dead according. To the scriptures. These disciples believed in him because he rose from the dead according to the scriptures. There's going to be somebody who's going to have a mortal head wound and he will come back to life. That's called the Antichrist. Just because you raised from the dead may not. Make you the Messiah. Make you the anti Messiah. But Jesus did what he said presented the sign that he said he would present, and he did so according to. The word of God. And yet, people still don't believe. To this day, there is an empty tomb.
There is witnesses from the Scriptures to others who say that tomb is empty and that he is living and not only that, he's living inside of me. If I still don't believe. Well, God, if only you did this. If only you did that. If only you cured my cancer. God can do all those things. God can cure cancer. But life faith has not rested on whether he does or he doesn't. My faith is rested on him. He may decide to cure me, or he may decide to Take Me Home. Either way, I'm blessed. But if you say safe is developed in in Ghana. Because of your. Experiencing the miracles. Let me give you an example. God spoke to Moses in a burning Bush. He told Moses. And I want you to present 10 signs and wonders. My people and the world that I am, who I am. And then after you do those 10 signs and wonders. Pharaoh will let my people go. So both his women did as God had ordered him to do, and he presented signs and wonders like turning the Nile into blood into. Frogs that only. He came out after Moses said not to the Nats. The flies, the boils and the death and the darkness and the death of the first born. All these signs and wonders Israel saw and were never afflicted by them. And then they were released. With gold and objects of value, and they left Egypt. And while they were leaving Egypt and the Egyptian army pursued them, God prevented them from getting to them by a cloud of fire. And then he opened the Red Sea and they walked across the Red Sea on dry land. And they were led by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. God closed the Red Sea on the Egyptian army, and then he fed them with manna from heaven. And he gave them water from Iraq. And all of these things that God did. And as soon as Moses went up on a mountain for a few days to talk to God. They decided that they didn't appreciate God and they decided to make a golden calf. They experienced miracle after Miracle after Miracle and yet never came to faith. Don't expect a miracle will bring you to faith. A miracle might reaffirm your faith. A miracle might. Say thank God. You came and rescued me when you did, but a miracle will not produce faith. Because if it did, the children of God would have been one awesome people. But instead, they're like you and me. We think we can get and find faith. On a shortcut of having God or demanding God give us miracle. That's not the shortcut to fail. And on top of that? I find what's interesting. They wandered around for 40 years. And finally, crossed over the Jordan to take Jericho. There was a woman in Jericho. The Nice word would be a woman of ill repute. She decided to join God's. Because she had heard. What God had done in Egypt? And what God had done throughout their time. So here's a woman who didn't see it but heard about it, came to faith while people who saw it did nothing. And so the the Jews and religious leaders demand to sign. Jesus gives them the sign that is still valid even to this day. And yet people still don't come to believe. Jesus even says when he talks about the rich man and Lazarus and the rich man says go let me go back to my my brothers, that I might tell them so they won't come to this place. And Jesus goes, even if someone from the dead goes back, they won't believe. And Jesus came back from the dead and people still don't believe. So now after this, when Jesus was continuing to be in Jerusalem on Passover, says now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover and the feast, many believed in his name, observing his signs which he was doing. So Jesus doesn't stop doing signs. Jesus does signs. In an appropriate way to show he is who he says he is, that he is the Messiah.
He is the son of God, he is deity. And it tells us. That many believe in his name. But Jesus, on his part, was not entrusting himself to them, for he knew Amen. Basically what this says is many people believe Jesus, but Jesus didn't believe them. And let's face it. If you've been around in church for any length of time, you will see people who will claim to be really excited about coming to faith and they're excited and they're one and all of a sudden. Then they're here for a while and then they just kind of drift off. Kind of what they call the seed that's placed on rocky or ground or whatever they they grow quick, but there's no root and they go away. Jesus says simply because you say you believe. Doesn't make you make the commitment to believe. There was a a story that I read. And those of you who remember him, Scott Baxter, also read this during we talked about there was a. It has fair going on in in Russia. And Christians had assembled the prey and to and to worship God and whatever, and two or three Russian soldiers broke into the house and go. If you are not able, if you are a believer, state all else, leave. And there were some who left. Because they those who. Stay knew what was going to happen. They were going to be shot and killed. But the true believers state. And the soldier said. We're believers too, but we wanted to make sure you were actual believers so that no one would reveal our faith. To our commander. See, there are those who claim to be believers, but if it costs them something, I tail it. But those who believe, say, though they slay me, I will still trust. Jesus knew the difference because, as it says, and because he did not need anyone to testify concerning man, or he himself knew what meant was in man. He doesn't need anybody to tell him. What we're like. He knows exactly what we're like. As a matter of fact, he's observed this since. Added with anything else. And has seen us be consistently inconsistent. Be seen as faithfully be unfaithful. As I say, often times I've been faithful to him several times. But he has been faithful to me continually. He doesn't need anybody to tell. Me, who Joe Davis is. The miracle is he loves me anyway. There's a song that says even on my worst day he loves me. I can't believe he loves me. On my best day. But he still ministers to us anyway. And so the point of this message is to show not. As we look for faith, as we look to strengthen our faith, as we look to increase our faith is not to take. Shortcuts that will lead us in dead ends. Don't say God. I need a miracle. May God I need you. New owners online. I will trust in you. Now what you do when you?
These people were probably trusting his signs and wonders. And when signs and wonders might stop. Their faith will probably stop. And there are a lot of denominations. As long as you have that feeling and everything is wonderful. But when that feeling goes away, ohh he must have abandoned me. That's not our box. But I want to conclude with this. Jesus came to the feast of Passover. And he found the temple. Not as God had. Intended to be. We oftentimes thinking correctly. So when we come to church and we come within these four walls and we are in the House of. The Lord and we are. As we have set it aside to be his house. And we don't. We don't play football around here. We don't believe basketball, although I like those things. It's not that this is a sanctuary set apart for the. Worship of God. But guess what? Just as I said, Jesus. His body, as he said, destroyed this temple. We are also the temple of the Living God. And one of the amazing things that that that I learned when I was able to go to to Greece. And I went to Athens. And I saw the Parthenon and it's on the highest mount. And everywhere you go in Athens. You can see it. Because that was the city where God was dedicated. Now there were. Other temples and when I went to Corinth. Was has been in Athens at least continues to thrive. 4th is a deserted but up on the hill was a temple to their God that was dedicated to the city. Now on certain streets as I walked there were other temples. But the temple? That was dedicated was so that everybody might know. Who? The city. Was dedicated to. We should be that. Simple on a hill. That tells everybody we are the temple of. The living God. And we make that declaration. That he was in US. Is the House of the Lord. So we're going to sing in a moment. The House of the Lord. And I want you to understand that it is both collective. This is the House of the Lord.
We are the House of the Lord. That's why I'm so grateful. It's him and not me. Agreed to do. If I'd never. That if I were God. I might have picked and choose a little better. But his grace is sufficient for all. On our worst day, as there is a sauna, says remember. God dwells in you. You don't need any other sign than that.
All God's people said.