this morning i want to go back and conclude one of my favorite chapters is john 4 i love john 4 and i've got one section left to finish it and we've done this kind of here and there and so i would like to preach to you this morning um verses 46 through 54 of john 4 and you'll remember if you're visiting this is connected with uh the section on the woman at the well and then of course the samaritans how the gospel had had they had received the gospel and now we look at a different kind of contrast that's being made this morning that's very important in light of what came before so john chapter 4 beginning at verse 43 43 after the two days he departed for galilee for jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown so when he came to galilee the galileans welcomed him having seen all that he had done in jerusalem at the feast for they too had gone to the feast so he came again to cana in galilee where he had made the water wine and at capernaum there was an official whose son was ill when this man heard that jesus had come down from Judea to Galilee he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son for he was at the point of death so Jesus said to him unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe the official said to him sir come down before my child dies Jesus said to him go your son will live the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way and as he was going down his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering so he asked them the hour when he began to get better and they said to him yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him the father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him your son will live and he himself believed and all his household this was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from judea to galilee may the lord bless the hearing of his word one of the things that i have been principally opposed to in sermons is when the pastor uses movies to explain things so i'm going to do it once and i won't do it again okay when i was a child my father and i loved the movie hoosiers and i don't know how many of you have seen that movie with gene hackman he was a basketball coach who was brought into a traditional old farm town in indiana to be the basketball coach and basketball was the local god in the town in the early scene he was brought into the barber shop it was late at night and all the old timers were sitting there smoking and the first introduction was one of these old timers put out his hand and he said he said to him something interesting. He said, this town doesn't like change much. So we thought we'd get together tonight and tell you how we do things around here. Tell me, do you like a man-to-man or a zone defense? Zone defense is all that's worked in the past and it's all that'll work in the future. And of course he played man. That movie has so many parallels to ministry It's kind of scary, to be honest with you. If you understand that scene, it kind of captures very, I think in a helpful way, how deep-rooted traditions, when at the core of what drives those deep-rooted traditions is pride, how dangerous those traditions can be. If you understand this, you get an idea of what Jesus was dealing with as he was going through the regions a lot of barbershop mentality let me back up just for a second and remind you of the purpose of john's gospel the purpose of john's gospel and very simply this is the gospel of belief that you would believe and john said at the very end of his gospel here to sum it all up that all these things are written that you would believe that jesus is the christ the son of god and believing that you would have life in his name purpose john is showing he's been showing us uh this need for sinners to have life and that's why we studied the woman at the well but there's this great barrier that jesus keeps running that these needy people were unable to see their own hearts and how desperately they were in need for the new birth to be born again i haven't got to that one sometime we will the need to be born again the need to have living water that when you receive this water it's satisfying it springs forth out of your hearts to everlasting life now what has shocked me about john's gospel is this in my study over the years of john is that the most difficult group for jesus to reach with this need is the barbershop boys the most difficult group for jesus to reach was his own and i want you to think about that this morning and the challenges the unwillingness of the home crowd to believe him and i want to be open and honest as we study this asking ourselves what challenges do the hometown crowds face the lord this morning is teaching us here how he desires that we just like everyone else come to him with childlike faith in his word and i hope that when we're done with this sermon you see really how easily and how how easily we depart from them how quickly we depart from them there's a very important contrast the text is showing us today and i want everyone to look i mean we'll go back to this but by the end of chapter three they're ready to kill him they have turned their hearts away from john the baptist who was about this time beheaded by herod and now they have turned their rage the religious leaders on the christ their messiah and so in chapter four he turned where to samaria which was israel's enemies they hated the samaritans and the amazing thing about chapter four is this ministry was hugely successful successful everything about it was shocking he saved this adulterous woman a woman in that day remember how they treated women in that day and not only did he save her but through her witness as she goes out remember what happened she left her water pot she's been filled with living water she goes out and she tells the men of the city they come back to jesus and pretty much the city has been converted. It's a glorious story. But here's what's really powerful about it. Not one miracle was done there. Not one. Now, the greatest success so far in his earthly ministry came from the enemies of Israel without a sign. Look at verse 41. and many more believed because of his own word. Then they said to the woman, now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard him, and we know that this is indeed, think of this confession here, this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world. This is the Messiah. He's come. Savior of the world through a five times over divorced woman what a success in gospel ministry they believed not because of the signs but because of the word that was spoken well now verse 43 is transitional and there are real challenges here and as i tried to sit through the challenges i realized that that they're precisely the challenges the holy spirit wants us to see because everything that jesus does and we'll consider this tonight everything that jesusly does jesus does in the gospels is contrary to anything that we would expect notice what it says in verse 43 now after two days he departed from there and went to galilee galilee is the home region nazareth is there here's the problem verse 44 for jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown now what uh what stands out or what should stand out to you there is the little word four it's a very interesting statement um you know many translators that didn't make sense so the niv uh translates it and puts it in brackets and says now it's giving the sense you know that Now Jesus said this. So it's just kind of an open statement that really is loosely connected from the text. And that's wrong. This statement is telling us why. This statement is telling you cause. Read it like this. Now after the two days he departed from there and went to Galilee because Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own home country. And you stop and you say, what in the world is he doing? That doesn't make any sense. Huh? Ideas are numerous on this. But I believe John has already told us exactly why Jesus is doing this. In chapter 1, a tragic statement was made. In chapter 1 of John's Gospel regarding the Jews, He said that Jesus came to his own and his own did not receive him. But then it says on the positive end, but as many as received him, he gave them the right to be called children of God. So that has always been a troubling statement on the front end of that, but then we're encouraged. Some did receive him of his own and he gave them the right to be called sons of God. I believe this section is John's unfolding of this. Showing us this. In the course of Jesus' ministry that he kept coming over and over and over to his own. Why? He knew he wouldn't be honored. He knew he was fulfilling this. That the gospel would go out as it already had to the Samaritans. That it would be here today to you. But then comes this statement in verse 45. So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans received him. They received him. I want you to stop. In the last section, the Samaritans believed him because of what? The word. In the last section, that's the great highlight that comes out of that. It was a receiving of his word. It sounds like here, Jesus now comes back to the hometown, and this is another great success. Great, they received him. They acknowledged him. Until you read a little bit further. Having seen all the things that he did, that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they too had gone to the feast. Now, who are these people? Well, all of these people were those who had gone up to the feast of the Passover and they had witnessed all of these miracles that Jesus was doing. And remember at the end of chapter two, John said something that was remarkable. These same people who Jesus now bumps into again of the home region says this at the end of John two. Now, when he was at Jerusalem at the Passover, many believed in his name when they saw the signs, which he did. but Jesus, on his part, did not commit himself to them because he knew what was in man. It's a really interesting play there on words. Many believed in him, the Greek word belief, faith, trust. They believed in him, but Jesus did not, same word in the Greek, believe in them. He didn't believe in their belief. So this is a really interesting statement. Why is this happening? What has happened in Galilee? Jesus had become famous. Jesus had become famous. And in Jerusalem, they're all talking. They've heard all these things. And now he's come back to his area. You think about the region and everyone's talking. The people of Jerusalem, the Pharisees are angry. But the people are really taken up by all this. The people are really moved by all this. And now he comes back to the hometown. Their boy has come back. He's come back. And they've taken pride in that. You have to kind of get into the mindset of the people. In my hometown, we've had some amazing athletes come out of there. Tommy Smith in the 68 Olympics, he was the one that held up the black glove. He ran at Leymour High School. Not something the town was proud of, by the way. One you might know a little more is Lorenzo Neal. Played for the Chargers. I used to run with Lorenzo, and I want to tell you about that for some reason. Why do I want to tell you about that today? Because I know Lorenzo, and you don't. Steve Perry. Some of the old 80s guys here will know about him. These guys weren't anything in high school. They were good. But then they went out in the outside and wow, they made something of themselves. They were, I mean, they don't put sports rallies up for Chris Gordon. They put them up for them. And when they come back, there are parades for these guys. They came out of L'Amour. They drank our water. We know their parents. We know his folks. You know what happened to Christ in Galilee? He was there his whole young adult life. We don't know much about it, but everyone knew this son of Mary and Joseph, he was different. He goes away, and all of a sudden he begins his ministry, and he is famous. And he returns to Nazareth one day. Comes back home. And he comes back to Nazareth one day, and he begins to teach them the Word of God. And it's an amazing account. Remember, this is Luke 4. He opens up the scroll. And it's amazing because it says right up front, he did this in Nazareth. This is hometown. These are all the people. And he opens up the scroll of Isaiah. And he looks at them and he says, today this is fulfilled in your hearing. What? And then he spoke to them about their need to be healed by him. And he confronted their need and looked at the Old Testament and said it's all about me and they say isn't this joseph's son who is this guy who does he think he's applying the old testament to him and then jesus begins i assuredly i say to you no prophet is accepted in his own home home country i assure you there were many widows in israel in elijah's time when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land yet elijah was not sent to any of them but to a widow in zarephath in the region of sidon and there were many in israel with leprosy in the time of elijah the prophet yet not one of them was cleansed think of the offense of this not one of them was cleansed only naming the syrian here's what you read all the people in the synagogue this is hometown were furious when they heard this they got up they drove him out of the town they took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built in order to throw him down the cliff they would receive the miracle worker but unlike the samaritans right they would not receive him according to his word and this is what grieves me about the text this morning this is what burdens my heart it's this this solemn contrast between pagans receiving the gospel of the kingdom and receiving living water and then he comes to his own and his own didn't receive it. And we tend to read this and we tend to say, well, you know, that just goes without saying, you know, Pastor Gordon shouldn't go back to Lemo and preach. Well, he probably shouldn't go back to Lemo and preach. But that really does miss the point of this, I think. This good old boy mentality is alive and well. This good old boy mentality is alive and well. What do I mean? Just think of me for a minute. We all have heard the word for a number of years, haven't we? We know the word. We've had so much exposure to the word. We've been here a while. All of this is really familiar to us, isn't it? Of course it's familiar to us. And there's so much familiarity with all of this. with Jesus and his word, does it penetrate us anymore? And what begins to happen? What's the danger in a people like this? You know when the Bible was first translated into English, I've always been amazed by this, that they used to have to bolt the Bibles to the pews. And you'd put big chains on the Bible because people would steal them. And most of us have our Bibles closed right now. I know that's convicting. But think about it. In the early services, especially when the Reformation broke out, they would just have readings because people had never heard this. And they weren't worried about the clock. They weren't worried about time. Can you imagine hearing these stories for the very first time ever? Nicodemus, the woman at the well, and the excitement over this. Think of these Samaritans who heard the word and received it. If you read through the Gospel of John, this problem with the hometown crowd has come out over and over and over. They would not receive him according to his word. This is chapter 5. They were contra the woman at the well. They were not satisfied with his water. And what did they come for? What were they there for? They were there for the thrill. And do you think we struggle with that? Do you think we struggle with the question of where is the glory in all of this? We want something more, don't we? Be honest for a minute. Just think about for a minute the honest problem that you've struggled with, maybe even in the Escondido URC. The hometown crowd, it's a real problem that a dissatisfaction can grow. There's got to be something more to this. We want something bigger and better. We want something a little more new. Maybe on the other side, there is something better. And I want you to see the contrast. The text is really setting up for you this morning. Among the Samaritans, where did the success come? They heard the word, period. And the Bible's highlighting that. And I'm going to challenge the Escondido URC to think about this danger. Are you after Christ or Christ and? I think anyone would say we're not after Christ this morning. Because there is a difference. And it's easy to become thrill seekers. It's easy to become spectators. I'm not talking about the wild stuff. I'm talking about a kind of dissatisfaction that grows, kind of like those who sit in the stands of the ball game and they're watching what they think is a losing team. And they're looking at the other team and they're saying, well, those jerseys are nice, you know. They serve better hot dogs. The fields, their fields look better. Their facilities. And we're just kind of stuck with our team. Got to endure it. This team really does need this, though, and this team really does need this. Israel wanted that. You know, Israel used to be, if you will, probably a bad analogy, the team on top. Hey, they had a long history of God giving signs. They had a long history of God giving a show on the nations of this world. Israel had a long history of seeing all the outward glory. And what was the problem? Anyone who came along because of, and think about it, because the Lord had constantly reoriented them back to the book because they were to be a people of the book, anytime some smooth talker came along or anytime somebody with smooth words, lying signs and lying wonders, they bought into it hook, line, and sinker. They were attracted to this stuff. It was delightful. It was delightful stuff. And that's what happened in John 6. Moses gave us bread from heaven. hey, we saw the manna come down from heaven. Jesus, what kind of stuff are you going to give us? What sign? I think the longer you're in a deep-rooted tradition, good or bad, if you're not really committed to and growing in the riches of God's Word and it's not overtaking you, I believe the tendency is to have this kind of longing for something more. it makes sense if the word is not dwelling richly in our hearts what stops you from thinking this becomes about only how you feel but i want you to notice the contrast the holy spirit wants you to see this morning the enemies of israel are thrilled with the word they'd be packing out the parking lot jesus comes home what do they want look at verse 46 jesus came again to cana of galilee notice how the holy spirit said this where he had made the water wine wow he gave them the best tubs of merlot jesus returns what are they coming to see and there was a certain nobleman a royally royal kingly official we read his son was sick at Capernaum this is 15 miles away keep that in your heads when he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee he went to him and implored him to come down and heal his son for he was at the point of death now this is a son and obviously we have a lot of affection for a son and a daughter. But notice how real a circumstance this is. This father comes to Jesus and he begs Jesus, would you heal my son? How does Jesus respond? Is verse 48 good or bad? Unless you see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe. you say, why such a sharp reply? He knows they don't believe Him for His Word. He knows it's superficial. He knows it's hypocritical. And they have no interest in the Word. The multitudes were there. He knows they want a show. He knows they've come out to see a performer. This is our boy! Unlike the men from Sycard, this crowd is filled with sign seekers. why do people want that? Why do people want that? Why has there been such an obsession with that in the life of the church today? Why is this such a desire on the part of the religious? Why would his own want something more than his word, which all throughout the Psalms, as we've been considering, he's even said at times, I magnify my word over my name. The answer is easy in this context. john 7 jesus brothers remember this if you turn ahead and look to john 7 this is uh right at verse 2 now the feast of booths was at hand this is a great feast jerusalem that would have been swelling with people so his brothers said to him leave here and go to judea that your disciples may also see the works you're doing For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world. And then notice what it says in verse 5. For not even his brothers believed in him. Jesus said to them, my time has not yet come. Your time's always here. You see what they wanted from him, do you hear? Don't do this stuff in secret. Make yourself great. show yourself show yourself to the world let everyone see who you are and your power and your glory let them see it jesus show your greatness show your miracles but they didn't believe how could you say that how could you make that kind of contrast on the one hand they're saying show how much you can do and then the next breath they don't believe And I believe that this text is showing us a subtle idolatry that happens in us that wants Jesus to validate us. Isn't that the danger in the life of the church? That we measure worldly success and think that the more we can create the impression that something is happening in the Escondido URC, the more we're validated as a church. Don't you think? If we could create that, if we could have an environment where people would look at us and say, I really want to be there, then we're established. We want people to want to be here, but for the right reason, and that's what we're getting at. They didn't want him. they wanted him to validate them they wanted something more and something more exciting something beyond the word and i'm amazed what happens how does jesus handle this how does jesus deal with this problem he's so compassionate what a wonderful savior he says gives this sharp statement you will by no means believe unless you you see and i sat and pondered this he condemns the empty sign-seeking, and then he gives them one. Notice how he gave it, though. Look at verse 49. The nobleman said to him, Sir, come down here before my child dies. Jesus said to him, Go your way, your son lives. I think about our loving Christ, you know, how low he stoops here. He didn't have to do this. But notice that it's not that he doesn't desire to do it. He desires to do it. He desires to heal. he knows the crowd had come for all the wrong reasons though and he didn't notice how he did did he make a big grand display of this he did it in such a way that required faith apart from the sign how often has he done this for us many of you have had sick loved ones and for the sake of your weakness you know he heals psalm 103 says it he heals our diseases he delights to do that he cares for us we cry to him he loves to to give his mercies and to help us and he gives us whatever is best for us this is this is your the kind of savior we have and when you face things and your spouses face things and your children face things he knows you're weak and when you pray to him he hears and he answers and that's not an automatic he at times meaning that he doesn't automatically just say whiz bang boom heal you know that he does what's best he wants you to know that he has power over death that's what this passage is ultimately showing us too over sickness over the grave but he does it with the goal often that you would not believe him if but that you would believe him for the word that he has spoken that's why we don't often see whiz bang boom healed that's why Benny Hinn's a liar he draws you to him and he puts you through the trial to wean you off of these earthly desires so that you'll pray to Him, so that you'll talk to Him. And then you're tested to test you. Are you really committed to His Word? And what does your life say? Why did you come today? Notice what Jesus does here. Your son is well. Where's the son? Not there. He's 15 miles away. Who can validate that? See, Jesus came to a scene where he knew people wanted the wow factor and he wouldn't give it. And it's just like this today. We want to see life in us and our children. God gave us what? A command as pastors. He gave us a command. What is the command as pastors he gave us? Preach the word in season out of season. I don't see anything today. The Lord says, well, it's not by your own wisdom or your own might or your own power. But you know what I'm going to do? in the inner chamber of your heart as you're listening to this word, the Holy Spirit, whom you can't see, is going to circumcise a heart under this word as it's preached. And he's going to give life. But you know, it's like the wind. You really don't control that, do you? We want to control it. So we've put altar calls up here and we have people come to make sure we can control it and see it and manipulate it. But that's not how it works. We want more. Come on, we want more than this. And the Lord says to you today, Dear saints, I want you to trust me. Faith comes by hearing. And hearing by the word of God, Romans 10. And even when you don't see the results you want in you or your children, the Lord has said, I will attach power to this because I've said this is what I will bless. And the Holy Spirit we'll apply this to the heart sure I may have to wait on him for a child for a long time but I'm best to tend to what he said he will bless so Jesus says go your way your son lives ready what do you read right after this so the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken and he went his way what a word it was the boy 15 miles away jesus gives a thought a command and in his body there are chemical changes and immediately at that hour he's healed and in fact the man must have stayed with jesus that night just like the samaritans who jesus stayed there two days they begged him to stay and he stayed this man stays with jesus he believed jesus and so he goes home the next day and he meets his servants and he asks the questions well when did this happen and his servants said well at the seventh hour yesterday and the man knew that that's when jesus spoke the text is showing us the power of the king who with one word just a mere word 15 miles away the glory of Christ was put on display that he has the power to give life but how does he give life through this very foolish seemingly powerless means that you're sitting under right now and what's highlighted in this whole section is faith in the word that Christ had spoken. The man believed the word. I want to end with a couple important applications. I confess that, you know, we have this great privilege. I've had it all my life of being nurtured in the faith, trained in it, instructed, and I confess that I am a hometown boy. I'm a hometown boy. And I confess that there is a real danger in me of not being ultimately satisfied with the word. And my life often demonstrates it. And that I can sit here in church and I could have some level of dissatisfaction wanting something just a little bit more. And you can get it. You can get it. And yet I can be really encouraged today that Jesus put this man in front of us who's a lot like me. This is his problem, isn't it? This was exactly this man's problem. and yet faith is of a mustard seed moved a mountain, if you will. And the Lord is calling us to trust Him. So good is He that He would say at the very end of John's Gospel, and truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this book. Now notice what He says. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and believing that you may have life in His name. How did you get it? Notice He said, I gave you guys a whole inspired book of signs. Is that enough? Well, if that's not enough, I'll attach two more to my word. I'll give you baptism in the Lord's Supper. Is that enough? Don't fool yourself. Jesus said, if there were a church in town today who could actually raise the dead that wasn't really interested in his word. But let's just say hypothetically that there was a church in town who could raise the dead. Think it'd be full? Jesus said they still wouldn't believe even if they saw that. The signs attached to his word will only have meaning when you've come to his word every Lord's day in childlike faith ready to receive it, as it is in truth, the Word of God. And so I close with this question. How do you relate to verse 50? So the man believed the Word that Jesus had spoken to him, and he went his way. Let's pray. O Lord our God, we are so thankful for your Word. I'm thankful that you would give this great contrast to us and we ask for forgiveness that we have often tried to find satisfaction and in other things other than you and your word and that ultimately we do have a problem with being thrill seekers and we ourselves confess this and we pray in this place Lord that every Lord's Day we would gather and that there would be a real hunger just like the Samaritans that we would hear your word and believe and that you would give life to us and our children. We trust you only because of the grace you've given. And so we pray that you would bless this place full of people who are hungry and who desire to be filled every Sabbath with your words of life. Thank you for encouraging us this day. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.