By believing, you may have LIFE
Series: Abundant Life
Speaker: John Lau
Date: 5th November 2023
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 If you find yourself in the middle of the ocean,
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 treading water to stay alive,
00:00:05 --> 00:00:08 and you are offered A, B, or C,
00:00:08 --> 00:00:11 at the same time, which one would you choose?
00:00:13 --> 00:00:17 I don't think there will be any hesitation for anyone in choosing C.
00:00:18 --> 00:00:22 The answer is so evident that it makes this question sound ridiculous.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:28 But who would reject an all-inclusive, safe and secure cruise liner
00:00:28 --> 00:00:31 to choose instead to rely on themselves,
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 to brace their elements without any provision,
00:00:35 --> 00:00:38 and keep treading water and working hard to save themselves?
00:00:40 --> 00:00:44 However, if you disagree that C is the most logical and reasonable choice,
00:00:44 --> 00:00:49 I would love to hear your reasoning behind your decision during a morning tea.
00:00:51 --> 00:00:52 Turning this question around,
00:00:53 --> 00:00:54 if you are a believer,
00:00:55 --> 00:00:57 if you are a person of religion,
00:00:58 --> 00:01:03 is your faith and belief in a God you are following and devoted to
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 more like A, B, or C?
00:01:06 --> 00:01:10 Which is a more accurate account of your relationship with God
00:01:10 --> 00:01:11 and your life right now?
00:01:12 --> 00:01:14 Are you living out an abundant life,
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 trusting and enjoying all that is provided for you
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 by the generous God,
00:01:19 --> 00:01:23 or is your life more like holding on to a life safer or life rough,
00:01:24 --> 00:01:29 keeping working hard until and waiting for your next rescue?
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 How do you feel about your life right now?
00:01:33 --> 00:01:37 It's a telltale sign of whether you have a life-giving faith
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 or invalid faith.
00:01:39 --> 00:01:44 It is a sign of whether you have a belief that leads to life
00:01:44 --> 00:01:49 or one that leads you to rejection of God or by God.
00:01:49 --> 00:01:54 If you have not decided whether you believe in God or have faith or not,
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 and you are here gathering with us today,
00:01:57 --> 00:02:01 may I take it as a sign that you want to find out more
00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 about what and who we are believing in.
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 And for that, I welcome you
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 and hope that what you are going to hear
00:02:08 --> 00:02:11 will be helpful in your journey of discovery.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:17 We have mentioned a few times since the beginning of our current series
00:02:17 --> 00:02:23 that John's Gospel has recorded some particular signs of Jesus
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 for definite intention.
00:02:25 --> 00:02:32 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples,
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 which are not recorded in this book,
00:02:34 --> 00:02:37 but these are written that you may believe
00:02:37 --> 00:02:39 that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God,
00:02:39 --> 00:02:43 and by believing, you may have life in his name.
00:02:44 --> 00:02:46 The signs are written that we may believe
00:02:46 --> 00:02:48 that Jesus is the Saviour, the Son of God,
00:02:49 --> 00:02:52 and by believing, you may have life in Jesus' name.
00:02:52 --> 00:02:56 There is faith that will lead to abundant life in Jesus.
00:02:57 --> 00:03:01 And by implication, there is faith that will not lead us there,
00:03:01 --> 00:03:05 but cause us to get further away from God.
00:03:06 --> 00:03:12 Jesus was in Canaan in Galilee back in chapter 2 at the wedding.
00:03:13 --> 00:03:17 John told us that Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding
00:03:17 --> 00:03:21 was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory,
00:03:22 --> 00:03:23 and his disciples believed him.
00:03:24 --> 00:03:26 Between chapter 2 to chapter 4,
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 Jesus traveled to Caponium,
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 then he went back down to Jerusalem,
00:03:31 --> 00:03:33 and then he came through Samaria,
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 and right now he's back in Canaan
00:03:35 --> 00:03:37 after a couple of chapters.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:40 The distance between Canaan and Caponium
00:03:40 --> 00:03:43 is about 26 kilometers,
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 a little bit more than a day's journey.
00:03:46 --> 00:03:48 And at the end of chapter 2, it says,
00:03:49 --> 00:03:51 Now while Jesus was standing in Jerusalem
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 at the Passover festival,
00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 many people saw the signs he was performing
00:03:56 --> 00:03:57 and believed in his name,
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 but Jesus would not entrust himself to them,
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 for he knew all people.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 Here is a group of people
00:04:04 --> 00:04:07 who have a faith that distanced themselves from God.
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 Jesus knew their faith was forged
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 with a hidden agenda and wrong motive.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:14 Even though they trusted in Jesus' name,
00:04:15 --> 00:04:17 Jesus did not entrust himself to them.
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 So what is a life-changing faith?
00:04:22 --> 00:04:26 In chapter 4, what we read out to us in verse 46,
00:04:26 --> 00:04:30 there is a royal government official from Caponium
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 whose son was very sick.
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 And in verse 52,
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 indicate that he has a fever.
00:04:37 --> 00:04:39 Very different to today,
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 where we have ready access to medicine,
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 fever is a life-threatening sickness
00:04:44 --> 00:04:48 that often leads to death around Jesus' time.
00:04:49 --> 00:04:50 We can sense the urgency
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 and how desperate the father is
00:04:53 --> 00:04:54 regarding his children,
00:04:54 --> 00:04:55 his child,
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 by how John described the situation.
00:04:57 --> 00:05:02 The son lay sick at Caponium in verse 46
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 and was close to death in the next verse.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 And then in verse 49,
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 the father begged Jesus to come down
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 before his child died.
00:05:12 --> 00:05:14 He went to Jesus and begged him to come
00:05:14 --> 00:05:15 and heal his son.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:19 It was in this royal official coming to Jesus
00:05:19 --> 00:05:21 as a desperate father
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 that we see life-changing,
00:05:23 --> 00:05:24 life-giving faith.
00:05:24 --> 00:05:28 John told us at the end of chapter 4
00:05:28 --> 00:05:30 that the healing of this official son
00:05:30 --> 00:05:33 and the consequence belief of him
00:05:33 --> 00:05:36 and his whole family in Jesus
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 was the second of those particular signs
00:05:38 --> 00:05:41 with definite purpose
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 that Jesus performed in this gospel.
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 This official demonstrated a belief
00:05:46 --> 00:05:48 that leads to life.
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 He heard the report
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 of the miraculous things
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 Jesus was doing in Jerusalem and Canaan.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:56 He got him thinking,
00:05:57 --> 00:05:58 maybe, perhaps,
00:05:59 --> 00:06:01 Jesus can save my son
00:06:01 --> 00:06:04 like how he performed those signs in Jerusalem.
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 Jesus is the last resource
00:06:06 --> 00:06:07 to stop him from dying.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 Can I really trust Jesus
00:06:10 --> 00:06:11 to keep my son from dying?
00:06:12 --> 00:06:14 He is using his head
00:06:14 --> 00:06:15 as he begins his journey
00:06:15 --> 00:06:17 while feeling heavy on his heart.
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 He came to Jesus with an agenda
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 to save his child,
00:06:21 --> 00:06:22 his little boy.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:24 He is not looking at Jesus
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 and his works as a spectator.
00:06:27 --> 00:06:29 He is like being in the ocean
00:06:29 --> 00:06:30 with his little boy in his arms,
00:06:31 --> 00:06:32 threatening water desperately.
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 His little boy is drifting asleep,
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 falling, can't stay afloat,
00:06:37 --> 00:06:38 choking on water and drowning,
00:06:39 --> 00:06:40 and he looks to Jesus
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 at his last and final hope.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 And he in the man's request,
00:06:45 --> 00:06:46 what did Jesus do?
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 He says,
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 unless you people see signs and wonders,
00:06:51 --> 00:06:52 you will never believe.
00:06:53 --> 00:06:54 What?
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 What kind of a fight is that
00:06:56 --> 00:06:57 to a desperate father?
00:06:57 --> 00:06:58 Come on, Jesus,
00:06:58 --> 00:06:59 don't you see this man
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 is suffering right now?
00:07:02 --> 00:07:04 Jesus seems to want to engage this man
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 in a theological discussion
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 about relationship between signs and wonders.
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 But in fact,
00:07:11 --> 00:07:12 Jesus is helping him
00:07:12 --> 00:07:15 to make his need for Jesus personal.
00:07:17 --> 00:07:20 To ensure his trust in him
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 is sure and certain and intimate.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 Jesus engaged with him
00:07:26 --> 00:07:27 to make sure his knowledge
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 of who Jesus really is
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 does not stay in the head only,
00:07:32 --> 00:07:34 but is one that comes from the heart.
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 Jesus is making sure
00:07:36 --> 00:07:37 their interaction
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 engages both the head and heart.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 When the royal official says,
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 Sir, come down before my child dies,
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 the whole treasure of his life,
00:07:47 --> 00:07:48 this little boy's life,
00:07:48 --> 00:07:49 is on the line.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:51 His heart would have
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 tossed and thrown within him
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 like raging seas.
00:07:55 --> 00:07:56 This father may be thinking
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 if only Jesus would come to his home.
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 May he be to wave his hand
00:08:01 --> 00:08:02 or to touch a boy and pray,
00:08:03 --> 00:08:04 there may be a chance
00:08:04 --> 00:08:06 that this boy will not die.
00:08:07 --> 00:08:08 But on him, Jesus said,
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 Go, your son will live.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 He did not insist on his way.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:14 He took Jesus at his word
00:08:14 --> 00:08:15 and headed home.
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 Up to this point in the Bible,
00:08:19 --> 00:08:20 miraculous healing
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 over a long distance
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 was so rare and rarely heard of.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 Something has to have happened
00:08:28 --> 00:08:29 within this desperate father
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 to make him ruling
00:08:31 --> 00:08:33 to take Jesus at his word
00:08:33 --> 00:08:34 and start heading home.
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 Something in Jesus' words
00:08:37 --> 00:08:38 and the interaction
00:08:38 --> 00:08:40 caused hope to grow
00:08:40 --> 00:08:41 within this man.
00:08:41 --> 00:08:42 Something supernatural
00:08:42 --> 00:08:45 has been given to him.
00:08:46 --> 00:08:47 I cannot imagine
00:08:47 --> 00:08:50 what is going through his head
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 as he walked those 26 kilometers
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 down towards home.
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 What he got to hold on to
00:08:57 --> 00:08:58 is only those four words
00:08:58 --> 00:09:00 spoken by Jesus.
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 Your son will live.
00:09:03 --> 00:09:04 Would he be repeating those
00:09:04 --> 00:09:05 to himself,
00:09:05 --> 00:09:06 My son will live,
00:09:06 --> 00:09:07 my son will live,
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 to reassure himself?
00:09:10 --> 00:09:12 Or would it be a quiet expectation?
00:09:14 --> 00:09:15 It would last at least
00:09:15 --> 00:09:18 12 hours
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 before beginning to the journey
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 that his servant
00:09:22 --> 00:09:22 bring him the news
00:09:22 --> 00:09:23 about his sons
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 because his servant
00:09:25 --> 00:09:26 referred to yesterday
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 at one in the afternoon
00:09:28 --> 00:09:29 when he asked about
00:09:29 --> 00:09:30 when exactly
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 his son was restored.
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 It's at this moment
00:09:34 --> 00:09:35 of inquiry
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 that genuine faith
00:09:37 --> 00:09:38 come about in this man
00:09:38 --> 00:09:39 when he realized
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 that his boy
00:09:41 --> 00:09:42 came alive
00:09:42 --> 00:09:42 and got well
00:09:42 --> 00:09:43 at precisely
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 the time Jesus told him,
00:09:45 --> 00:09:46 Your son will live.
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 This royal government official
00:09:49 --> 00:09:50 from Caponean
00:09:50 --> 00:09:51 Caponean
00:09:51 --> 00:09:52 come to Jesus
00:09:52 --> 00:09:52 to beg him
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 to keep his little boy alive
00:09:54 --> 00:09:55 and ended up
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 with life-giving faith
00:09:57 --> 00:10:00 because this faith
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 was granted to him.
00:10:03 --> 00:10:04 Jesus helped him
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 to see what he needed
00:10:06 --> 00:10:09 was not a miracle worker
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 who did wonders
00:10:11 --> 00:10:11 for his son.
00:10:12 --> 00:10:12 Jesus helped him
00:10:12 --> 00:10:14 to become fully aware
00:10:14 --> 00:10:16 of his incompetence
00:10:16 --> 00:10:16 in this situation.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:18 Jesus engaged
00:10:18 --> 00:10:19 with this man
00:10:19 --> 00:10:20 intellectually
00:10:20 --> 00:10:21 and emotionally
00:10:21 --> 00:10:22 through his head
00:10:22 --> 00:10:23 and his heart.
00:10:24 --> 00:10:25 And by doing so,
00:10:25 --> 00:10:26 Jesus showed the man
00:10:26 --> 00:10:28 that Jesus himself
00:10:28 --> 00:10:29 has the power
00:10:29 --> 00:10:32 to heal over a distance
00:10:32 --> 00:10:33 because he is
00:10:33 --> 00:10:34 the source of life.
00:10:35 --> 00:10:36 Jesus did not just
00:10:36 --> 00:10:37 perform a healing
00:10:37 --> 00:10:38 miracle here.
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 He gave the desperate
00:10:40 --> 00:10:41 father a chance
00:10:41 --> 00:10:42 to see who he was.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:44 The royal official
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 received life-giving faith
00:10:46 --> 00:10:47 by taking Jesus
00:10:47 --> 00:10:48 at his word.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:50 And after hearing
00:10:50 --> 00:10:51 the official son
00:10:51 --> 00:10:52 remotely,
00:10:52 --> 00:10:53 Jesus returned
00:10:53 --> 00:10:54 to Jerusalem,
00:10:55 --> 00:10:56 a place where
00:10:56 --> 00:10:57 he did not
00:10:57 --> 00:10:58 entrust himself
00:10:58 --> 00:10:59 to the people before.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:00 It was a place
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 full of invalid faith.
00:11:03 --> 00:11:03 And he came
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 to a place
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 where a lot
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 of disabled people,
00:11:06 --> 00:11:07 the blind,
00:11:07 --> 00:11:07 the lame,
00:11:07 --> 00:11:08 and the paralyzed,
00:11:09 --> 00:11:09 usually.
00:11:10 --> 00:11:11 He came across
00:11:11 --> 00:11:12 a man who had been sick
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 and had a disability
00:11:14 --> 00:11:16 for 38 years,
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 an invalid.
00:11:17 --> 00:11:18 And he asked him,
00:11:19 --> 00:11:20 do you want
00:11:20 --> 00:11:20 to get well?
00:11:21 --> 00:11:22 And the invalid replied,
00:11:23 --> 00:11:23 sir,
00:11:23 --> 00:11:24 I have no one
00:11:24 --> 00:11:25 to help me
00:11:25 --> 00:11:25 into the pool
00:11:25 --> 00:11:26 when the water
00:11:26 --> 00:11:27 is stirred.
00:11:27 --> 00:11:28 While I'm trying
00:11:28 --> 00:11:29 to get in,
00:11:29 --> 00:11:29 someone else
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 goes down
00:11:30 --> 00:11:31 ahead of me.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:33 Have you noticed
00:11:33 --> 00:11:34 the difference
00:11:34 --> 00:11:35 between Jesus'
00:11:35 --> 00:11:36 previous interaction
00:11:36 --> 00:11:37 with the official
00:11:37 --> 00:11:37 father
00:11:37 --> 00:11:38 and now?
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 It was Jesus
00:11:40 --> 00:11:41 who instigated
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 the interaction
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 on that particular day.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 And John will tell us
00:11:47 --> 00:11:48 the reason
00:11:48 --> 00:11:48 and purpose
00:11:48 --> 00:11:49 very soon.
00:11:50 --> 00:11:51 What about the way
00:11:51 --> 00:11:53 the invalid replied?
00:11:54 --> 00:11:55 The official father
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 and the invalid
00:11:56 --> 00:11:57 both seemed to know
00:11:57 --> 00:11:58 what needed to be done,
00:11:59 --> 00:12:00 but there was no urgency
00:12:00 --> 00:12:02 or desperation
00:12:02 --> 00:12:03 with the disabled man.
00:12:04 --> 00:12:05 He sounded like
00:12:05 --> 00:12:06 he's looking at Jesus
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 and saying to himself,
00:12:07 --> 00:12:08 you seem to be
00:12:08 --> 00:12:09 able to help me
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 to get whatever
00:12:10 --> 00:12:11 I need.
00:12:12 --> 00:12:12 I will partner
00:12:12 --> 00:12:13 with you
00:12:13 --> 00:12:14 so you can help me.
00:12:15 --> 00:12:16 I will do you
00:12:16 --> 00:12:16 a favor
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 and let you
00:12:17 --> 00:12:17 get some merit
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 or maybe
00:12:18 --> 00:12:20 gain some popularity
00:12:20 --> 00:12:21 for helping me.
00:12:22 --> 00:12:23 Jesus ignored
00:12:23 --> 00:12:23 his excuse
00:12:23 --> 00:12:25 and commanded him
00:12:25 --> 00:12:25 in verse 8,
00:12:26 --> 00:12:26 get up,
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 pick up your mat
00:12:27 --> 00:12:28 and walk.
00:12:28 --> 00:12:29 And the man
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30 was cured immediately
00:12:30 --> 00:12:32 and picked up his mat
00:12:32 --> 00:12:32 and began to walk.
00:12:33 --> 00:12:34 John told us
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 that the day
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 on which this sign
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 took place
00:12:37 --> 00:12:38 was a Sabbath,
00:12:39 --> 00:12:40 which means
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 there is going
00:12:41 --> 00:12:43 to be some controversy.
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 Jewish leaders
00:12:45 --> 00:12:47 were agitated
00:12:47 --> 00:12:49 that the man
00:12:49 --> 00:12:49 was doing something
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 forbidden
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 by the law
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 on the Sabbath
00:12:52 --> 00:12:54 and they questioned
00:12:54 --> 00:12:54 the man
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 who had been healed.
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 I must highlight
00:12:58 --> 00:12:58 an actual
00:12:58 --> 00:13:00 but disheartening fact
00:13:00 --> 00:13:01 that a lot
00:13:01 --> 00:13:02 of religious leaders
00:13:02 --> 00:13:03 are more concerned
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 about people
00:13:04 --> 00:13:06 obeying the law
00:13:06 --> 00:13:07 they have laid down
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 than celebrating
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 life-changing events.
00:13:11 --> 00:13:12 Equally disheartening
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 is that a lot
00:13:13 --> 00:13:14 of religious followers
00:13:14 --> 00:13:16 are busy getting
00:13:16 --> 00:13:16 approval
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17 of their leaders
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 and concerning
00:13:18 --> 00:13:19 themselves
00:13:19 --> 00:13:19 with the approval
00:13:19 --> 00:13:20 of man
00:13:20 --> 00:13:22 more than God.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:24 When the invalid
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 was challenged
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 about his non-compliance
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 with the Sabbath law,
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 he was stripped
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 to defense
00:13:30 --> 00:13:31 and stripped
00:13:31 --> 00:13:31 to blame.
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 He replied,
00:13:35 --> 00:13:35 The man
00:13:35 --> 00:13:36 who made me
00:13:36 --> 00:13:36 well
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 say to me,
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 pick up your mat
00:13:38 --> 00:13:38 and walk.
00:13:39 --> 00:13:40 If you have
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 heard some
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 Bible stories,
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 especially those
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 from the Old Testament,
00:13:45 --> 00:13:46 does this remind
00:13:46 --> 00:13:47 you of someone?
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 It sounds
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 so similar
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 to the way
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 Adam and Eve
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53 answered God
00:13:53 --> 00:13:54 in Genesis 3
00:13:54 --> 00:13:55 after they disobeyed
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 and ate
00:13:56 --> 00:13:56 from the tree
00:13:56 --> 00:13:57 that God
00:13:57 --> 00:13:57 commanded them
00:13:57 --> 00:13:58 not to eat from.
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 Their disobedience
00:14:00 --> 00:14:02 marked the fall
00:14:02 --> 00:14:02 of humans
00:14:02 --> 00:14:04 and the breaking
00:14:04 --> 00:14:04 of relationship
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 between the creation
00:14:05 --> 00:14:07 and their creator.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 The creation's
00:14:09 --> 00:14:10 relationship with God,
00:14:10 --> 00:14:10 the creator
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 from this point on,
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 is in turmoil.
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 It becomes
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 something good,
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 sometimes good,
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17 sometimes bad,
00:14:17 --> 00:14:17 ups and downs
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 like tossing about
00:14:18 --> 00:14:19 in a raging sea.
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 When Jesus
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 found this man
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 later at the temple,
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 he said to him,
00:14:24 --> 00:14:26 see you are well again,
00:14:27 --> 00:14:27 stop sinning,
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 or something worse
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 may happen to you.
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 Jesus is not saying
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 that all worse things
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 are the consequence
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35 of sin,
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 but it's very apparent
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 that the infinite
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 needs to repent.
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 He needs to repent
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 at least of
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44 his ingratitude
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 towards Jesus.
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 There's no record
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 of him thanking Jesus
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 for healing him.
00:14:49 --> 00:14:50 There are other sins
00:14:50 --> 00:14:51 that he needs
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 to repent of
00:14:52 --> 00:14:54 for him to have life,
00:14:54 --> 00:14:54 such as
00:14:54 --> 00:14:56 having other things
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 above God
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 or loving himself
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 more than God
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 and others.
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 It seems that
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 he wants to please
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 those religious leaders
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 at any cost,
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 even if it means
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 to getting
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 the person Jesus
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 into trouble
00:15:10 --> 00:15:12 who has just
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 killed him.
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 He has no interest
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 in who Jesus is
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 or what it means
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 to have a relationship
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 with him.
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 Jesus is only
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 someone who helped him
00:15:21 --> 00:15:23 to get his physical help,
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 but his life
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 is more about
00:15:25 --> 00:15:27 whether he's accepted
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 by his people or not,
00:15:28 --> 00:15:30 especially the leaders
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 and the social elites.
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 The infinite
00:15:33 --> 00:15:35 has an invalid faith
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 that does not
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 lead to life.
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 He has no idea
00:15:39 --> 00:15:39 who healed him,
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 and when Jesus
00:15:41 --> 00:15:41 presented himself
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 to him later,
00:15:43 --> 00:15:43 instead of seizing
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 that moment
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 to get to know Jesus,
00:15:46 --> 00:15:46 he went away
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 and told the Jewish leaders
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 that it was Jesus
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 who made me well.
00:15:51 --> 00:15:51 He wants Jesus
00:15:51 --> 00:15:53 to take the blame
00:15:53 --> 00:15:54 for his violation
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 of the Sabbath law
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 so he can stay
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 in favor
00:15:57 --> 00:15:59 with the religious leaders.
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 His belief
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 did not lead to life
00:16:02 --> 00:16:04 because he has
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 no interest
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 in the only one
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 who can give life.
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 He does not see
00:16:09 --> 00:16:11 Jesus as who he is,
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 the Savior,
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 the Son of God.
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 Jesus was just
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 another person
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 who could partner
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 with him
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 to get what he wanted.
00:16:19 --> 00:16:21 One, he is healed,
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 he has no interest
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 in getting a new life.
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 He wants to fit
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 right back
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 into the day-to-day
00:16:26 --> 00:16:26 Jewish life
00:16:26 --> 00:16:28 that the Jewish leader
00:16:28 --> 00:16:28 monitors.
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 He has no interest
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 in what Jesus
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 has to offer.
00:16:33 --> 00:16:35 Jesus restored
00:16:35 --> 00:16:35 this infinite,
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 and he cannot walk,
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 but Jesus to him
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 is like a life saver
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 or a life raft.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 The man is busy
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 keeping afloat
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 among the social elites
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 of his time,
00:16:47 --> 00:16:49 but he is missing out
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 on the extraordinary life
00:16:50 --> 00:16:52 and the adventure
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 that living in Jesus
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 would bring.
00:16:55 --> 00:16:57 Jesus offered life
00:16:57 --> 00:16:57 to the full,
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 an abundant life
00:16:59 --> 00:16:59 that makes
00:16:59 --> 00:17:01 this illustration
00:17:01 --> 00:17:03 seem very insufficient.
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 Imagine you're living
00:17:05 --> 00:17:07 on an all-inclusive,
00:17:07 --> 00:17:09 lustrous cruise liner,
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 already paid for
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 for the rest of your life.
00:17:12 --> 00:17:14 It would take you
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 to visit all the wonders
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 of God's creation
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 around the world,
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 and while doing that,
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 keep on rescuing people
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 from the raging sea
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 and picking up more people
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 at each port.
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 The abundant life
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 that Jesus offered
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 is way better than that.
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 The abundant life
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 that Jesus offered
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 outweighs any illustration
00:17:31 --> 00:17:33 a human can think of.
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 It's a life
00:17:34 --> 00:17:36 resting in God,
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 a life with sure hope
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 and certainty,
00:17:39 --> 00:17:41 in perfect relationship
00:17:41 --> 00:17:41 with God
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 and his creation,
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 a life rested in God.
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 Jesus picked the Sabbath
00:17:48 --> 00:17:50 to heal the influence,
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 to point out
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 the invalid faith of people
00:17:52 --> 00:17:54 around the religious center
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 at the time.
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 It also speaks
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 to those who treat
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 a relationship with God,
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 a genuine belief
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 in the living God,
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 as a religious,
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 spiritual practice.
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 Many people,
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 inside and outside the church,
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 falsely imagined
00:18:10 --> 00:18:12 that the primary purpose
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 and message of Christianity
00:18:13 --> 00:18:15 is to get people
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 to behave in such a way
00:18:16 --> 00:18:18 that they can get to heaven.
00:18:19 --> 00:18:21 That is a gross distortion
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 of God's message
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 to us in the Bible.
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 Jesus came to bring salvation
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 as a gift
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28 for guilty sinners,
00:18:28 --> 00:18:30 not as a reward
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 for the righteous,
00:18:31 --> 00:18:33 as there are no person
00:18:33 --> 00:18:35 who fits that description.
00:18:35 --> 00:18:38 God created the world
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 in six days,
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 and on the seventh day
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 he rested.
00:18:42 --> 00:18:44 Genesis 1 says that
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 God looks at every day
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 of his creation
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 and concludes each day
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 as good.
00:18:49 --> 00:18:49 Then,
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 on the sixth day,
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 it says,
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 God saw all that he had made
00:18:52 --> 00:18:54 and it was very good.
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 And there was evening
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 and there was morning,
00:18:57 --> 00:18:57 the sixth day.
00:18:58 --> 00:18:58 Then,
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 by the seventh day,
00:19:01 --> 00:19:01 God had finished
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 the work he had been doing.
00:19:04 --> 00:19:04 So,
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 on the seventh day,
00:19:05 --> 00:19:07 he rested from all his work.
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 Then,
00:19:08 --> 00:19:10 God blessed the seventh day
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 and made it holy
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 because on it,
00:19:12 --> 00:19:14 he rested from all the work
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 of creating
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 that he had done.
00:19:17 --> 00:19:19 God stipulated the Sabbath,
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 a day of rest,
00:19:21 --> 00:19:23 in all the work of creating.
00:19:23 --> 00:19:25 Sabbath is what God set aside
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 for him
00:19:26 --> 00:19:28 to enjoy his creation
00:19:28 --> 00:19:30 with his creatures.
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 It was there
00:19:31 --> 00:19:33 before the fall of humans
00:19:33 --> 00:19:36 and no fallen human mind,
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 nor the religious elite,
00:19:38 --> 00:19:38 would be able
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 to restore the Sabbath
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 to its original meaning.
00:19:43 --> 00:19:45 No amount of laws
00:19:45 --> 00:19:45 or regulations
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 would be able
00:19:46 --> 00:19:48 to get humans
00:19:48 --> 00:19:50 back to that original design
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 and relationship
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 that God intended,
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 except for Jesus,
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 who is the Son of God,
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 who was there
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 when the world was created,
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 and when the Sabbath
00:20:01 --> 00:20:01 was installed.
00:20:03 --> 00:20:05 Jesus is the only person
00:20:05 --> 00:20:07 who can restore us
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 to God the Father.
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 And healing the influence
00:20:11 --> 00:20:11 on Sabbath
00:20:11 --> 00:20:13 is a way Jesus showed
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 the religious leader
00:20:14 --> 00:20:16 and any religious person
00:20:16 --> 00:20:18 that whatever
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 they are doing
00:20:19 --> 00:20:21 to get back to God
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 without him
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 is invalid
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 and in vain.
00:20:24 --> 00:20:27 what Jesus has done
00:20:27 --> 00:20:29 infuriated those
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 with invalid faith.
00:20:31 --> 00:20:33 In verse 16 to 18,
00:20:33 --> 00:20:33 it says,
00:20:34 --> 00:20:34 so,
00:20:34 --> 00:20:36 because Jesus was doing
00:20:36 --> 00:20:36 these things
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 on the Sabbath,
00:20:38 --> 00:20:38 the Jewish leaders
00:20:38 --> 00:20:40 began to persecute him.
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 In his defense,
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 Jesus said to them,
00:20:43 --> 00:20:45 my father was always
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 at his work
00:20:46 --> 00:20:48 to this very day,
00:20:48 --> 00:20:50 and I too am working.
00:20:50 --> 00:20:52 For this reason,
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 they tried all the more
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 to kill him.
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 Not only was he
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 breaking the Sabbath,
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 but he was even
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 calling God
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 his own father,
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 making himself
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 equal with God.
00:21:03 --> 00:21:05 Jesus has been
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 working alongside
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 the Father
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 from the time
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 the world was created.
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 And soon after
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 this interaction,
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 he will perform
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 the most significant
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 work of all
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 to restore
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 relationship
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 between human
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 and the creator.
00:21:19 --> 00:21:21 Jesus,
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 the Messiah,
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 was crucified,
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 buried,
00:21:25 --> 00:21:27 physically resurrected,
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 and sinned
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 by hundreds.
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 Life-giving faith
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 comes about
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 because the resurrected
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 Son of God
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 lives today.
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 As Jesus told
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 the royal official,
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 your son will live,
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 and keeping the son alive
00:21:41 --> 00:21:43 to spare the father
00:21:43 --> 00:21:43 and son
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 from going through
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 the suffering
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 of death
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 and separation,
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 he knows that
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 he will go through
00:21:50 --> 00:21:52 death and separation
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 from his heavenly father.
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 It was the necessary
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 step
00:21:57 --> 00:21:59 that only he could take
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 to give life
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 to all those
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 who believe in him.
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 The foundation
00:22:04 --> 00:22:06 of our life-giving faith
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 was an actual,
00:22:08 --> 00:22:08 complex,
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 historical event
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 that took place
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 in the life of Jesus.
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 And Christianity
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 is not a merely
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 philosophy
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 of behavioral
00:22:16 --> 00:22:18 modification.
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 As the sun rises,
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 change the sky
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 from darkness
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 to light,
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 believing in Jesus
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 should change
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 your world
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 from striving
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 and trying
00:22:28 --> 00:22:30 to please others
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 to a state
00:22:31 --> 00:22:31 of rest
00:22:31 --> 00:22:33 that is enjoying
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 the presence
00:22:34 --> 00:22:34 of God
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 in his creation.
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 You will definitely
00:22:38 --> 00:22:38 experience
00:22:38 --> 00:22:40 some behavioral changes
00:22:40 --> 00:22:40 as you believe
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 in Jesus
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 as the Messiah,
00:22:43 --> 00:22:43 the Son of God,
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 and start
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 a new life.
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 But I hope
00:22:46 --> 00:22:48 that is not
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 the only reason
00:22:49 --> 00:22:49 you have become
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 a Christian
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 or are interested
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 or wanted
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 to become a Christian.
00:22:54 --> 00:22:56 What kind of faith
00:22:56 --> 00:22:56 do you have?
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 Are you still
00:22:58 --> 00:22:58 restless,
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 kicking and treading
00:23:00 --> 00:23:00 water,
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 struggling to stay
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 at fault in life?
00:23:03 --> 00:23:05 Consider the report
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 you heard about Jesus.
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 Look to Jesus
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 and take him
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 as his word.
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 Realize
00:23:10 --> 00:23:12 what he has done
00:23:12 --> 00:23:12 for you
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 and this world
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 and believe in him.
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 And by believing
00:23:16 --> 00:23:18 you may have life.
00:23:18 --> 00:23:20 you