Will you trust Jesus even when things aren’t looking so good?
John 11:4 “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
In all our difficult circumstances, remember 3 things:
1) This does not end in death.
2) This will be for the glory of God.
3) This is an opportunity to make Jesus known.
Psalm 23
Luke 15:4-6
Ezekiel 34
John 10
When someone’s spiritual eyes are opened, they will be tuned in to the things of God. Who Jesus is will be obvious to them.
1 Corinthians 2:12-14
When you belong to Jesus, nothing can pull you away from him.
When Jesus opens our spiritual eyes, we need to keep them wide open.
The Pharisees opposed Jesus, trying to:
1 Discredit the Miracle
2 Discredit the Man
3 Discredit the Method
Three Messianic Signs:
1 Heal someone with leprosy
2 Cast out a “mute-demon”
3 Heal a person born blind
What does it look like to live with our spiritual eyes open?
We see those around us.
We step into their need.
We share Jesus with them.
We sing (worship) with our lives.
Are your living life with your spiritual eyes wide open?
John 8
Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it? Job 38:12-13
3 Belief Lessons Taught by Jesus
#1 Change from What Jesus is to Who Jesus is!
Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be…
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, If you hold on to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
#2: Trade your Status in for Relationship
He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.
My Identity in Christ: Because of Christ’s redemption, I am a new creation of great worth. I am deeply loved completely forgiven, fully pleasing, totally accepted by God and absolutely complete in Christ.
#3: Check Who gets the Glory
Isaiah 55:1, Isaiah 12:3: Come to the water all who are thirsty…with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation!
Our souls are thirsty, and Jesus is the source of living water.
Zechariah 14:8 On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea…
Jesus will give living water to anyone who believes and comes to him.
Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced…
The Holy Spirit is the living water Jesus will pour out on us.
Why is it you are thirsty this morning? What do you need from the Holy Spirit?
Mark 6:51-52 they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
Matthew 14:32-33 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Foreshadowing in the Old Testament was pointing to something or someone greater yet to come.
What are we missing out on because we are focused on earthly things instead of the spiritual?
Jesus’ hard words distinguish those who genuinely seek him from those who merely seek his blessings.
“…waiting for the moving of the water; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and stirred the water: whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had.”
John 5:18 ” This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. “
Jesus identifies himself as the Son of God.
Six things that bear witness:
Jesus himself (vs.31) John the Baptist (vs. 32-35) The Miracles (vs. 36) God the Father (vs. 37-38) The scriptures (vs. 39-40) Moses (vs.45-47)
Who are the hard-hearted and closed-minded people you know that need to know Jesus?
John 4:48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”
Believe (pisteuo) means to have confidence in, to affirm, or to entrust.
Will you believe by taking Jesus at his word, or do you require signs and wonders?
Believing in Jesus’ word is believing in Jesus himself.
The evidence of our belief is the way we respond.
John 20:30-31
John 4:1-42
All people need the truth of Jesus.
Don’t be distracted by earthly things.
Keep focused on the kingdom; stay on mission with Jesus.
Psalm 69:9 (text)
The signs of Jesus revealed who He was.
The signs of Jesus drew attention to His message.
The signs of Jesus showed something about the kingdom.
The signs of Jesus forced people to respond.
John 2:24-25
Jesus knows people’s hearts.
He didn’t just know them, then. He knows us, now.
