A.The Bible accounts of the life of Jesus are not just biographical histories.
1.They are the records that demonstrate that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ of God.
2.They give the evidence to prove that Jesus is indeed the Son of God and that He made atonement for sins.
3.As such, they are essential for our salvation.Without them, we would be ignorant of Christ and therefore ignorant of the Savior.
B.Two of the gospel writers (recorders of the life of Jesus) made explicit declarations of the purposes of their writings.
1.Luke stated his purpose in Luke 1:1-4.
a.His writings were chronological histories of the events surrounding Jesus and His church.
b.These writings remain for us so that we can know the events, the teachings, and the examples of Jesus and His disciples.
2.John also stated his purpose in John 20:30-31:
“Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”
C.It is John’s statement of purpose that we will consider now, for it reveals some amazing things about Jesus and about the word of God.
II.“MANY OTHER SIGNS...”
A.The term “sign” is a key element in the gospel of John.
1.“Semaino” is the Greek word translated “sign”, and it means that which indicates or signifies.
2.The signs that Jesus performed were miraculous acts.
a.A miracle is a feat that defies natural law.
i.It is something that cannot happen by the powers of nature.It can only happen by supernatural power, that is, the power of God.
ii.Many events today are falsely called miracles that are not.Natural events, however unlikely, are not miracles.
iii.The providence and intercession by God in natural events are not equivalent to miracles.Praying for a result and receiving a result is not the same as the performance of a miracle by God.
b.Many such miraculous acts were performed by Jesus.These acts were deliberate and willful.Jesus commanded, and these things were done.
c.These signs were undeniable.They were performed by Jesus in such a way that they were unquestionably done by His command, and they were unquestionably done by the power of God.
B.The signs that John records about Jesus are extensive and impressive.
1.Jesus changed the water to wine at Cana of Galilee (2:1).
2.He healed the royal officer’s son (4:46).
3.He healed a paralytic man (5:1).
4.He fed five thousand men with five loaves and two fish (6:1).
5.He walked on the sea (6:19).
6.He healed a blind man (9:1).
7.He raised Lazarus from the dead (11:43).
8.Jesus himself was raised from the dead (20:1).
9.He caused the disciples to catch a net full of fish (21:1).
10.Other signs are given reference without specifics (2:11,23; 4:45; 6:2; 11:47; 12:37).
C.Even with this impressive list of signs, John tells us that there were even more miracles that Jesus performed that are not recorded by John.
1.Some of them are recorded in the other gospel accounts.
2.No doubt, many of these signs are lost in history.
3.How great was Jesus! Read John 21:24-25.
a.All things considered, the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are quite short when compared with the biographies of men.
b.But these events were so important that it did not take many pages to declare that Jesus is the Son of God.
III.“…BUT THESE ARE WRITTEN THAT YOU MAY BELIEVE...”
A.Again, let us consider the meaning of the term “signs”: that which indicates or signifies.
1.The miracles that Jesus performed were significant about Him.They indicated who He was.
2.The multitudes perceived this about Him and His signs.
a.“When therefore the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, ‘This is of a truth the Prophet who is to come into the world.’” (John 6:14)
b.“But many of the multitude believed in Him; and they were saying, ‘When the Christ shall come, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?’” (John 7:31)
c.“Some of the multitude therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, ‘This certainly is the Prophet.’” (John 7:40)
3.Jesus declared it Himself.
a.“But the witness which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.” (John 5:36)
b.“If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” (John 10:37-38)
4.Therefore, the purpose of the signs was to indicate that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.Jesus successfully and powerfully demonstrated that He is the Christ.
B.Jesus performed these signs so that those who witnessed them would believe that He is the Christ.
1.However, only a few people (relative to all who have lived since) were present to witness the signs of Jesus.
2.Therefore, these things were written by John so that we who did not witness His works might believe in Jesus.
C.We know Jesus only through the Scriptures.
1.Without the written word of God, we would scarcely know who Jesus was.
2.There are a few secular references to Jesus, but they do not reveal the full truth about Him.
D.As important as the signs of Jesus are, let us realize that they are only a means of leading us to believe in Him.
1.They prove that He is the Christ, but we must believe in Him.
2.It is the person of Jesus and His sacrifice, not His miracles, that will save man from his sins.
IV.“…THAT BELIEVING YOU MAY HAVE LIFE IN HIS NAME”
A.Jesus stated His purpose for coming to the world in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
B.What is the belief that is required by God in order for us to have eternal life?
1.Certainly, we must believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
2.However, this belief is more than just a mental acknowledgment of who Jesus is.It is also an acceptance of the teachings of Jesus.Read John 12:37-50.
a.From this passage we see that in believing in Jesus it is necessary to confess Him.The rulers who believed in Him (v. 42) were still condemned because they failed to confess their belief (v. 43).Read Matthew 10:32-33.
b.We also see that it is necessary to come out of darkness (v. 46).With this, Jesus indicates the necessity of repenting from sins.See 1John 1:5-7.
c.Let us also notice that we must accept the word of Jesus for what it really is, the word of God (vv. 44,48-50).Read John 6:63.
C.If we do these things, we are given the assurance that we will have eternal life in His name, that is, by His authority.
1.God gave His only begotten Son for this purpose (John 3:16).
2.John recorded these things by inspiration so that we might believe and obtain eternal life.
