Signs done by Jesus enabling us to believe that Jesus is the Christ. Quality: Very good

[0:00] Looking to the Lord to be our help again this evening, we call your attention to a word you will find in the Gospel according to John, chapter 20 and verses 30 and 31. The 20th chapter of the Gospel according to John, verses 30 and 31. And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book, but these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his name.

[1:02] It is a right mercy that anything was ever written of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

[1:18] And this is the means whereby the Lord calls his people out of darkness into his light.

[1:32] Indeed, it is the foolishness of preaching which the Lord uses in engendering faith in the hearts of his people. For faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. And a most blessed gospel is the gospel according to John. This gospel was supposed to be the last that was written, which is contained in the canon of Scripture. John lived to be very aged. And there are those internal evidences and external evidences from history to make learned men believe that this is the last gospel that was written. And it is different in its way to the writings of the other so-called evangelists in that it speaks throughout of the divinity of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It reveals the

[3:13] Lord Jesus Christ to us as the Son of God. And throughout this gospel according to John, we have it recorded that Jesus Christ was indeed the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity.

[3:41] the Trinity. And also recorded secondly is that it is essential to salvation that we believe on the name of Jesus Christ. That we believe truly concerning him that he is the second person of the Trinity, the word co-equal with the Holy Spirit. And thirdly, it speaks much of life eternal. We find these three things throughout this blessed gospel according to John.

[4:34] And we are reminded of that which is written by the Apostle Paul that no man can say that Jesus is the Christ but by the Holy Ghost. And this is confirmed in the first chapter of John's Gospel.

[5:02] And this is essential. And this is essential. Or what think ye of Christ is the test to try both your state and your scheme.

[5:46] And this is essential. And this is essential. And so there is this believing that Jesus is the Son of God. Essential to life eternal.

[6:10] in the words of the Lord Jesus Christ himself in the end of chapter 3 he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth upon him.

[6:34] And we have a glorious, gracious purpose of God from all eternity set before us in that third chapter and in the words again of the Lord Jesus and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life.

[7:10] And that is twofold repeated for God so loved the world that is his in the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

[7:35] And so we find the Apostle speaking in the Epistle to the Romans that blessed word in the 10th chapter verse 9 and 10 that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

[8:21] Sweet harmony we find there and we are reminded of that question that the Lord Jesus Christ asked of his disciples who do men say that I am oh some Elias some John the Baptist some that prophet ah but he says who dost thou say that I am oh and Peter says thou art the Christ the Son of the living God blessed art thou Simon Bar-Jonah flesh and blood hath not revealed that unto thee but my Father which is in heaven upon this rock will I build my church.

[9:13] Do you know every one of his people are believers. They're all believers. Every one. And they are believers because the Lord Jesus Christ reveals himself to them with power and it is his work at first and last it is his power alone that bringeth them to believe.

[9:43] Faith is the gift of God the apostle says not of ourselves it is the gift of God and not of works lest any man should boast and so the Lord by his own way in his own way according to his several dealings with his people brings them in time to believe on him.

[10:13] They who were given to Christ by the Father from all eternity they whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life are brought in time to know him whom to know is life eternal.

[10:34] and the dear man of God John in the words of our text he says and many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book but these are written that ye might believe that is the purpose of the writing but these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the anointed of God the son of God and that believing ye might have life through his name.

[11:22] Now the preaching of the gospel in those early days of the church were accompanied by mighty signs and wonders and in the time of our Lord sojourn here upon the earth what wonderful things did the Lord effect in the hearts of sinners.

[11:52] We read of many cases throughout this blessed gospel where sinners were brought to believe in the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

[12:08] And you know when the Lord's people are brought upon by the Holy Spirit and are brought to believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ they are brought to that place where they say come and hear all ye that fear God and I will declare unto you what he hath done for my soul.

[12:41] And here is the blessed work of grace in the hearts of sinners. sinners. You know we are brought to believe by what Jesus does for us.

[13:02] You know real religion is more than notion something must be known and felt. And the Lord by the experiences of his children brings them to believe in his name.

[13:24] And it ever was so. It is by those wonderful things he does for them that they realise that flesh and blood could not affect these things.

[13:39] They have the finger of omnipotence and omniscience upon them. They are evidences they witness that Jesus is the Christ.

[13:56] You know flesh and blood could never do for the souls of his people what the Lord himself does. And those things which he teaches us and does for us those blessed things that we experience in our spiritual experience speak of him from whence they come.

[14:22] They are indeed supernatural works. The psalmist says the works of the Lord are great sought out of all them that take pleasure therein or have pleasure therein.

[14:39] And the psalmist in another place says the Lord hath done great things for us whereof we are glad. Can you say it?

[14:50] Has the Lord done great things for you? Or can you say that what the Lord did for me can only speak of his divinity?

[15:05] Man could not have done it. all those things that he has affected in my heart are so great. It was in the case of Nathaniel in thinking of these things these signs which Jesus did in the presence of his disciples one went in his thoughts to that which was wrought in the heart of Nathaniel.

[15:36] these things are left on record that we might believe in the Son of God. And in that first chapter we find first of all that John sets in the first part of that first chapter the fact that Jesus is the Christ.

[16:05] Christ. It is John who uses this title of the Lord Jesus Christ both here in his gospel and also in his epistles.

[16:18] He says in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God the same was in the beginning with God and those words contain all we need to know bespeak the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ and he goes on to speak of the Lord Jesus Christ as the God man and the word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory is of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth and then we come to this experience of Nathaniel you remember how Philip found Nathaniel and he said unto him we have found we have found him of all

[17:18] Moses in the law and the prophets did write Jesus of Nazareth the son of Joseph and Nathaniel questions it he says can there any good thing come out of Nazareth Philip says come and see and Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him and saith of him behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile and Nathaniel said unto him whence knowest thou me whence knowest thou me Jesus answered and said unto him before that Philip called thee when thou wast under the fig tree I saw thee and the effect of that word in the heart of Nathaniel was this Nathaniel answered and saith unto him Rabbi thou art the son of God thou art the king of Israel now you say well that's very very simple these words but how do you know what had gone on under the fig tree what was it that

[18:30] Jesus so affected in the heart of Nathaniel you know those words which he spoke to Nathaniel were such that caused Nathaniel to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ he knew that he had a perfect knowledge of him that none other man no son of Adam could know what were the thoughts of the heart of Nathaniel under the fig tree what was that prayer maybe he made to God what was that he uttered before the Lord God under the fig tree that so wrought in his heart or he says before that Philip called thee when thou wast under the fig tree I saw thee it was knowledge you know the Lord Jesus Christ had a perfect knowledge of

[19:31] Nathaniel and he revealed his perfect knowledge in those words he spoke and so it was with the woman on the well of whom we read such was her case you know when she came to the Lord Jesus Christ and as he sat weary upon that well wearied with his journey you know he appeared to her to be but a man and her language and conversation with the Lord Jesus Christ bespeak ignorance she was completely ignorant of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ he was but a man and what's more he was a Jew no doubt he was despised in the eyes of the woman but you know as the

[20:31] Lord began to deal with this woman of Samaria he in his conversation with her made her to realize that he knew all about her that this knowledge must be supernatural this knowledge he could not have according to mere nature or how he deals with her and now the Lord deals with his people you know his first work with the woman was to bring her sins to light to make her to realize that he had a perfect knowledge of her sin and you know that's how the Lord starts with his people or we in conviction of sin it's a work of the

[21:40] Holy Spirit it's a work they cannot command and it's a work they cannot resist you know the work of grace is an irresistible work an irresistible power none can resist it when the Lord Jesus Christ he says you must be born again he says the wind bloweth where it list thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell from whence it cometh and whither it goeth so is everyone that is born of the spirit it was with this woman she couldn't resist it as she came in her ordinary course of life to draw water at the well she saw this as she thought was a man upon the well but then when the Lord began to work he brought her sins to remembrance has the

[22:42] Lord ever brought your sins to remembrance has he come with almighty convicting power or has he caused you to realize that he knows you better than you know yourself it was so with this woman oh and this blessed experience which she had as the Lord Jesus Christ told her all about herself that was his first work to show her her sin and then his second work you know was to bring to reveal himself to her with power oh he says to the woman she says I know that Messiah cometh which is called Christ when he is come he will tell us all things Jesus said unto her I that speak unto thee am thee oh and that experience was so powerful that she had to leave a water pot and she went her way into the city come see a man which told me all things that ever

[24:01] I did is not this the Christ as the Lord dealt with you in an unmistakable way as man could not deal with you dealt you in such a way that reveals his perfect knowledge of your heart all the dealings of the Lord how mysterious how deep how irresistible is his grace all the powerful work of the spirit as he applies his precious word with power it proves to be to it sword all his arrows are sharp in the hearts of his enemies oh now that dear woman she believed in the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ well she had to confess his name and so the

[25:07] Lord wrought great salvation salvation in Samaria at that time others came forth and they believed on the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as he spoke to them his holy word and we find it you know you find it throughout John's gospel we haven't time to go through it this evening but you look at all the cases where the Lord deals with sinners in this blessed gospel and they're all brought to the belief of the truth through the blessed work of the Lord Jesus Christ in their hearts what he had done in their experience and answer to prayer you know that verse we quoted in our prayer that Christ is

[26:08] God I can avouch and for his people cares since I have prayed to him as such and he has heard my prayers you know it engenders faith in the hearts of his people answered prayer answered prayer you know I believe that was one of the first things in my own experience I think I could speak of it was when the Lord brought me to weep before him in prayer when he brought me to truly pray to humble myself at his feet and you know he answered my prayer and ever since you know I have never forgotten that touch oh it was a touch oh it was a blessed experience and although in common with the Lord's living family there are those times when I have to say oh could I but believe then all would easy be

[27:11] I would but cannot Lord relieve my health must come from thee and yet in my heart you know as I look through these experiences I can say truly thou art the Christ the son of the living God all the blessed experience we have the noble man he came did he not he came to the Lord Jesus Christ he heard that Jesus was come out of Judea into Galilee and he went unto him and besought him he prayed to him did he not he besought him that he would come down and heal his son for he was at the point of death he was in a great extremity a great need and you know that's when true prayer is brought from our hearts that's when we humble ourselves before him and how the

[28:12] Lord Jesus said to him except ye see signs and wonders ye will not believe ye will not believe you know the Lord Jesus Christ didn't tell lies but you know he caused him to see signs and wonders oh he did in his experience he says thy son live thy son live and you know he engendered faith in thee no man ever spake like the Lord Jesus Christ he spake with authority and power he says thy son live and you know the precious faith engendered in the heart of this noble man we read and the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him and he went his way and so he had to prove that the word of the Lord was true and as he was going down his servants met him and told him saying thy son liveth and he inquired of them the hour when he began to amend and they told him the hour and he realised that it was in the same hour in which

[29:29] Jesus said unto him thy son liveth and himself believed and his whole house oh how true all these blessed experiences and we might go on through here there was that one who was born blind what could he say what could he bring oh they questioned whether indeed the Lord Jesus was from heaven and he when they questioned regarding his eyes being opened he had to say this that whereas I was blind now I see oh that was a testimony he knew that there had been a blessed change wrought in his heart oh and the

[30:36] Lord Jesus Christ he works in the hearts of all his own dear people oh but those Pharisees although they saw with the natural eye those signs and wonders yet they could not believe that the Lord Jesus Christ was indeed the Son of God oh but hear this poor sinner oh this one and that worked in his heart by the Lord Jesus Christ and when they said that they knew the Lord Jesus Christ was a sinner he answered and said whether he be a sinner or no I know not one thing I know that whereas I was blind now

[31:38] I see oh now the Lord he went further and this poor man being cast out of the synagogue the Lord Jesus Christ found him and said unto him dost thou believe on the son of God he had to confess his ignorance he answered and said oh is he Lord that I might believe on him and Jesus said unto him thou hast both seen him and it is he that talk it with thee and he said Lord I believe and worshipped him now what about you and what about me have we that testimony in our hearts we can bear to something wonderful which the Lord has wrought in our hearts has the Lord so made us to realise by his dealings with us that he is indeed the

[32:43] Christ the son of the living God or have we been brought to that place with the heart a man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation what a blessed thing if the Lord so blessed us with such an experience and many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book or could write the things that Jesus has done and there are also many other things which Jesus did which if they should be written every one I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written you know some of the dear people of

[33:52] God they have written books haven't they only a few or how many books there would be as we consider we spend our days as a tale that is told and is it a tale of mercy or can you speak of those things the Lord have done for your soul some dear men have been enabled to write books which have been blessed their testimony has been blessed to the Lord's living family and we love do we not at times reading those biographies of the Lord's people as they can speak of these blessed things wrought in their experience as strengthening to faith are the works of the Lord those blessed spiritual experiences they speak that the

[34:54] Lord Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God but these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing ye might have life through his name now in thinking of this word I thought that well there are many doubts and fears the Lord's people they very often are the subjects of many temptations many doubts many fears many days of darkness and there are those times when we look within our hearts and all seems to be dead all seems to be dark we look for those evidences of life within us and sometimes we seem to plumb the very depth in our experience but here the word of

[36:12] God says this that these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing ye might have life through his name now this believing is that which takes place in time all his people are brought to believe in him and they that believe in the Lord Jesus Christ they have that life now within their hearts the Lord Jesus Christ in speaking to Martha he says this Jesus said unto her I am the resurrection and the life he that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die believeth thou this whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die are you a living soul are you a living soul have you that life within your heart do you sometimes seek for it you know the word of

[37:57] God it comes very low my mind was directed to the 15th chapter of Paul's epistle to the Romans for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope might have hope or do you say well I oh I can enter in here I can enter in here oh I'm so tossed about and doubts and fears and unbelief oh but oh I do have a sweet hope oh I do believe I know what you speak of I do believe I know that blessed experience whereby the Lord revealed himself to me oh I know something of sorrow for sin

[38:59] I know something of repentance I know something of looking to the Lord Jesus Christ oh I know that if ever my poor soul be saved then Christ must be the way oh I do believe the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God really in the very depth of my heart I ever hope or ever hope in his mercy or for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope oh we do need patience but I say have you any hope any hope just a little hope you know it's life hope is life the apostle goes on to say now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope through the power of the

[40:02] Holy Ghost we praise that or that we might abound in hope but have you a little hope oh dear child of God tried and tempted I was reminded of this on the past day you know as I looked around my greenhouse most of the plants it seems as though the snow and the ice and those things which we normally keep have gone they're dead and they show evidences that they are dead and other things in that greenhouse they appear to be dead and I was looking particularly at the fuchsias and you gardeners may know that in the winter time they look to be but dead sticks but you know in searching and looking to see looking for a sign of life I found that on one or two of them there were the tiniest little hint of a shoot you know that told me revealed told me that those plants are not dead as

[41:11] I feared now they are alive and in that little shoot there is a hope that as the summer goes on if we are spared we shall see the flowers brought forth we shall be able to admire the full beauty as it were or this blessed sign of life and that believing ye might have life through his name you know hope is like that hope may be but a small evidence so I have a hope what's your hope based on is it anything of your own is it your own goodness is it something you have done for the Lord Jesus Christ is that your hope if it is you know it's the hope of the hypocrite the hope of the hypocrite says the good man is like a spider's web you know it's a pretty thing but he brings it forth out of his own bowels it is an obnoxious thing in reality it's of his own making and one puff of wind and it's gone but where do you base your hope where do you base at is it on some sweet experience wherein the

[42:41] Lord spoke to you through his word where you were brought under the condemnation of the holy law of God or where you were brought to bow to it or to realize that you were a sinner or you have been killed to all hope in yourself oh and it's in Jesus Christ oh you have to flee to lay hold of that hope that is set before you in the gospel he says which hope we have as an anchor of the soul though sure and steadfast that entereth into that which is within the vile whither the forerunner is for us entered even Jesus a priest a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek is that where your hope is is it a precious Christ or you say yes this is my only hope is in the

[43:45] Lord and Savior Jesus Christ oh and you could not trust your soul to a man it must be a God man he must be the Christ he must be the eternal word you know there are some in our land today that deny the deity of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ you say I can't do that I mustn't do that oh no none but the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God could save my soul there is all my hope it's in him you you you you know if this is your hope child of God however you might be tossed about with fears and unbelief and the temptations of Satan it's life it's life it's an evidence of believing oh it is it's an evidence a sweet evidence oh the word of God you know it comes very very loud oh is there just a little shoot is there some good thing in your heart toward the

[44:50] Lord God of Israel but these are written that she might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing he might have life through his name oh that blessed life that is found alone in Jesus Christ I am the resurrection and the life oh yes who shall believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life oh our life is head with Christ in God wonderful security life eternal oh this precious life evidenced in the souls of his people in time living souls or do you have to pray that I might be a living soul in Jerusalem or that

[45:51] I might be a living stone lively stones lively stones says Peter unto you that believe therefore he is precious is he precious is the Lord Jesus precious to you I say is he precious you know you can answer that I can't but you can answer it dig deep sometimes we have to dig deep into our hearts or the Peter you know Peter was full of unbelief when challenged you know by the damsel in the high priest palace full of unbelief he denied the Lord with oaths and curses but you know he was a living stone he was a lively stone was Peter in the very very depths of his heart he believed in the Lord Jesus Christ or will ye also go away to whom else can we go for thou hast the words of eternal life can you find anything for your soul anywhere else but in

[46:59] God's blessed book or you say I do love his word I do love his word he has been made powerful to my heart he has been made food for my soul thy words were found and I did eat them and they were to the joy and rejoicing of my spirit can you say it there is a sign of life a sign of life and that blessed life is life eternal you know they may lay they will lay unless the Lord come before they will lay the body of sin in the grave but you know that life in the soul Jesus Christ in the heart the hope of glory that blessed life can never die never die that once engendered in the heart by the Holy Spirit is a living principle a sinless principle a believing principle oh yes and the

[48:08] Lord's people shall be brought to that fullness that fullness of joy in the presence of the Lord when faith will give place to sight and hope will lose itself in fruition oh yes or do you believe on the name of the Son of God that was the question asked the blind man do you or can you say whereas I was blind now I see I have a little experience a little hope that the Lord has spoken to me my sheep hear my voice I know them and they follow me here's an evidence of the powerful work of grace is the following of the Lord Jesus Christ he draws and we follow because that word is a powerful word and why do we follow because we believe what he has spoken may the

[49:14] Lord have his blessing amen