This evening we'll be looking at John chapter 4, verse 43 to 54. And our theme tonight is true and false belief. John chapter 4, verse 43 to 54. The word of God says, Now after the two days he departed from there and went to Galilee. For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honour in his own country. So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the things he did in Jerusalem at the feast, for they also had gone to the feast. So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 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. Then Jesus said to him, unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe. The nobleman said to him, sir, come down before my child dies. Jesus said to him, go your way, your son lives. So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. And as he was going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, Your son lives. Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, Your son lives. and he himself believed and his whole household. This again is the second sign Jesus did when he had come out of Judea into Galilee. This is God's word. Let's pray. Oh, our God and our Father, as we come now to a time of studying your word, we do pray that you would give us ears to hear what your spirit would say, that, Lord, you would speak to us from the pages of scripture, that we would hear your voice clearly, and that we would grow in grace and love for our Saviour. Lord, please assist me to preach your word. May I be faithful and may your name be glorified. We pray these things for Jesus' sake. Amen. When I was training for the ministry each week at the Bible College where I attended, we would have to go to chapel. Well, we were supposed to go to chapel, sometimes you would sneak off to the library and do other studies, but when you went to chapel, what often happened is that they would have a visiting speaker come along. They would find a Baptist minister from a different church and they would come along and they would share a word and perhaps talk about their ministry and what they do in their church. And in one particular chapel service, I went along and they had a speaker from the largest Baptist church in Queensland, the largest Baptist union church. And he shared with the students his method of ministry. As he spoke about what their church did, he told us that entertainment actually plays a key role in their ministry programs. Now, as a good Reformed Baptist, I was shocked at that statement. So I put my hand up and I asked him a question about the entertainment-driven model. And in his reply to me, he said he would rather have people at church being entertained than at home being entertained. So as a church, they view their ministry as entertainment. Well, since that time, that large Baptist church has gone on to host many, many entertaining events, including a clown nativity, putting on circus displays because they think that people should come to Jesus for a good time of fun and entertainment. Yet as we look at the scripture, we see that Jesus is no one's performer. Jesus is not an entertainer. He doesn't exist to put on a show that will make us marvel. No, what we see in Scripture is that Jesus Christ is Lord and as such we must approach Him with humility. And as we come to tonight's passage, as we look at this next section in John chapter 4, we meet a group of people who would have fitted in very well in that large Baptist Union church. They are coming to Jesus with the wrong motives. They are coming to Jesus with false beliefs. They are coming to Christ looking for a show. These people had heard of the miracles that Jesus had performed, so they grabbed some popcorn and they were waiting excitedly for Jesus to perform for them. But as we see in our text, Christ will not tolerate any such attitudes. Our passage this evening begins by setting the scene for us. We are told that the Lord Jesus is concluding his two days of ministry amongst the Samaritans. For two days he has been preaching and teaching to them and many of them have believed because of his word. Now that that ministry has finished, Christ moves on. Those in Samaria were truly converted. They came to Jesus with right motives, they had true faith, and they were saved. But as Jesus moves out of Samaria and comes again to Galilee, he encounters a bunch of Galileans who do not have true faith. Rather, they are coming to Christ for all the wrong reasons. I want you to note the Galileans in verse 43 to 45. Picture the scene, the Lord Jesus is entering into Galilee. He has been travelling on foot for some time and as he enters into Galilee there would have been a sense of him being familiar with that environment because this is now his home region. Jesus grew up and lived in the area of Galilee. He grew up there, he learned a trade there, he went to school there, he studied in the synagogue. He knew this region very, very well, which means that the people who lived in Galilee knew of Jesus also. Moreover, it was in Cana of Galilee where Jesus performed his first sign, of where he took water and he turned it into wine. As a result, the community in that region would have known all about Jesus. They would have known what he was about. They would have been talking about how one of their own sons had become this person who can perform wonderful signs and miracles. Yet as Jesus enters into Galilee, as he comes back into the region, he makes an interesting statement. John, in his gospel, records what Jesus has testified and he says, Jesus said, a prophet has no honour in his own country. A prophet has no honour in his own country. Now, instantly, the question we must ask as we read a parable like that, sorry, a proverb like that, is to say, what does Jesus mean by that? What does it mean that a prophet has no honour in his own country. Well we know from the text it certainly doesn't mean that the Galileans hated him. It doesn't mean that. We know that the Galileans didn't hate Jesus because in the next part of this text we see the crowds coming to him. The people received him. The people liked him. They weren't spitting on him. They weren't attacking him. They weren't cursing him. They really did like Jesus. The problem is They didn't like him for the right reasons. They didn't honour Christ for who he truly was. They didn't see the Lord Jesus as the Messiah. They didn't see Christ as the rescuer. They didn't see him as the Son of God who should be worshipped. Rather, they viewed Jesus as just a good teacher who could perform a few signs. They viewed him as someone who could entertain them. Now Christ knew all of this. That is why he says a prophet does not have honour in his own country. Christ knows that these people don't have true faith in him. He knows that the excitement that the people have when they rush out and receive him is only because they know of the signs and they want to see it. See, Jesus didn't need someone to say, these Galileans aren't believing in you for the right reasons, because we've already seen in John chapter 2, verse 23 to 25, that Christ knows what's in people. He knows if belief is genuine or not. He knows if someone is coming to him for the right reasons. And these Galileans that we meet in this passage, they had a false faith. They wanted Jesus to be their entertainment. So in verse 45 it says, so when he came to Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the things he did in Jerusalem at the feast, for they also had gone to the feast. Notice what the text is saying here. They've received Jesus because they have seen what Jesus has done. That's why they're receiving him. They know of the signs, they know of the miracles, they know of what Christ has done. And because they've seen those signs, they want to receive Jesus. Now normally when someone says, I want to receive Christ, that is a good thing. Many an evangelist has called on people to receive the Lord Jesus Christ. But the receiving being spoken of here is not the receiving under salvation. In John chapter 1 verse 12, we are told that all those who wish to be saved must receive Christ. And if they receive Christ, they are made sons of God. But that isn't what is occurring here. To receive Christ under salvation means to receive him for who he truly is. It means to receive him as Lord. But that's not what the Galileans are doing. Rather, we are told the Galileans are receiving Jesus because of the signs, because of what he has done. So what we need to picture when we read this text is that all these Galileans are rushing out to see Jesus, they are putting out the red carpet for him, they are laying down the welcome mat because Christ has become a bit of a local celebrity. In their mind, he has performed in Jerusalem. He has also performed at a wedding. He is the entertainment. And now that he has returned to Galilee, they wonder what sign is going to follow. They wonder how Jesus is going to amuse them. But they are not interested in Jesus saving them. We see no reference in the text to them having a saving faith. Yet they receive him. But they receive him for the wrong reasons. They had a false faith. You see, these Galileans had no interest. They couldn't care less about what Jesus taught. They didn't want to be his disciples. Rather, they remembered the signs and they thought, let's see if he does it again. I have a friend of mine who is actually quite good at sleight of hand and magic tricks and all those sort of things. And he was telling me once that one of his biggest frustrations is that everyone wants to be nice to him and be his friend, not because they like him, but because they think it would be cool to have a magician as a friend, that he could show them some tricks and they would never be bored again. And that, in essence, is what is happening here in John 4. These people do not want to be the friends of Christ. Rather, they want to see if Jesus can pull a rabbit out of his hat. See, the heart of these Galileans were far from Jesus. There's no love for Christ in them. In fact, they are still spiritually dead. They are still cut off from God. They are far from the truth. At this point of time, the Holy Spirit has not moved upon their hearts. He hasn't caused them to be born again to the point where they can seek the Saviour, rather they are dead in sin. They're cut off from God. But they like Jesus, but just not for who he is or what he says. Now this attitude of the Galileans is actually quite a common attitude we see even to this day. What the Galileans display here in relation to Christ is still very common in our society. In fact, there are many people who are impressed with Jesus. There are many atheists who say they like Jesus. There are many secularists that say, I like Jesus. People from other religions say they like Jesus. They say he was a wise teacher. He said some wonderful things. He taught as no other man ever taught. He was a man who preached love. And they say, isn't that wonderful? We like love. But they're not interested in Jesus for who he is. They're not interested in Jesus and what he demands of them. Now like the Galileans, there are many people in our world today who say they like Jesus, but they won't come to him in repentance and faith. They will not submit themselves to the Lordship of Christ. Rather, all they want is a few pithy statements that they can put on Twitter. That's all they're thinking about. They're not interested in Christ for who he is. They're much like the Galileans. You see, the Galileans wanted Jesus to give them something. Jesus, you exist for me. Jesus, you are here to amuse me. Jesus, entertain me. Dance for me. Amuse me. I want to show. And there are still people in today that approach Jesus in the exact same manner. There are still people, even in the name of Christianity, who approach Jesus with that same motivation. In fact, there are many people in our country tonight, and indeed throughout the world, who would say they are Christians and who would go to church solely because they want to be entertained. solely because they want to be amazed. Perhaps you have seen those churches that promise that if you come to our church, you will have a great night because you'll see signs and wonders and miracles and healing. Come to Jesus and be amazed. In fact, I've seen a church invite from Brisbane of a large Pentecostal church that said, if you come to our services, you will see signs and wonders. Prepare to be amazed. And it was almost like you were getting an invite to the circus. But that's how they advertise the church. And all these people go to these churches hoping to be entertained. They hope to see the power. They hope to see the miracles. They want to see Jesus perform for them so they can go home and say, did you see that? Why would you watch the Sunday night movie on television when you can go see that? They want entertainment. And there's a whole movement today called the New Apostolic Reformation that majors in this. They're not new, it's an ancient heresy. They're not apostolic, they have nothing to do with the doctrines of the apostles and it's certainly not a reformation. But there's a whole movement, an extreme charismatic movement which is growing in strength who have devoted their whole time, their whole ministry, everything they do to miracles, signs and wonders. In fact, you can go on YouTube and you can look up things from different churches, such as Bethel Church or Bill Johnson's teaching and preaching, and you'll see that they major on the entertainment. All of a sudden, during a sermon, feathers will blow out of the air conditioning. Well, that means the angels are here. Their feathers are blowing out. Isn't that amazing? Gold dust blowing out of the air conditioning circuit. Well, that means the Holy Spirit's here. I think it means they need to clean their air conditioning. But that's what they do. And all these people get themselves whipped into a frenzy. Why have you come to Jesus? Because I want to see the feathers. Why have you come to Christ? Because I want gold dust. Why do you believe in Jesus? Because I want to see miracles, signs and wonders and power. I want to be amazed. They make Jesus into a performer. And they're just like these Galileans. They come to Christ with wrong motives. They want Jesus to amuse them. But they're still dead in their sin. They are the ones who on the day of judgment, according to Matthew chapter 7, will stand before Christ and say, Lord, Lord, did we not do all these wonderful things in your name? Didn't we cast out devils? Didn't we do miracles? Didn't we prophesy? And Jesus will say, depart from me. I never knew you. So we see the spirit of the Galileans is still very much alive in the life of the church today. Yet there's also a more subtle way that this coming to Jesus for entertainment can creep into church life. Now, we might not say, I want to follow Jesus for signs and wonders. But a more subtle way that we can turn Jesus into one who exists for our entertainment and amusement often comes when we choose to go to a church because we might like their style of music. I come to a church and it sings this style of music and that makes me happy. Well, the music in the church, the singing of the songs in the church isn't for you. It's for Jesus. So your feelings are irrelevant when it comes to the worship of God. Other people say, well, I'll go to a church where the preacher is never going to talk about sin. Rather, he'll talk about things that make me happy, that elevate me, that speaks to my felt need. And they demand that Jesus tailors everything to them and their existence. Jesus, you exist for my pleasure. There's a comedy skit on YouTube which is quite fascinating called Me Church. And in this skit, it talks about how churches have fallen into this trap of trying to make everything about the people. And you have this person saying, well, I'm only going to come to church if I can get a car park right at the front door. And the narrator says, done. Well, I'm only going to come to church if the pastor agrees to preach for 25 minutes. The narrator, done. And as the skit goes on, it gets more and more absurd. I'm only going to come to the church if I can get tickets to the football game. Done. And the little child says, I'll come to church if I want a pony. If I can get a pony. And the narrator says, look in your backyard. And what this comedy skit is trying to show is that people are trying to find churches that exist for them. In essence, they are doing what the Galileans are doing. Hey Jesus, you exist for my pleasure. Hey Jesus, amuse me. Jesus, make me happy. Give me pleasure. Entertain me. You exist for me. But they have the whole thing around the wrong way. Jesus does not exist for our entertainment. Jesus does not exist for our pleasure and amusement. We exist for the pleasure and joy of God. We exist for His pleasure. We exist for His glory. We exist to serve Him. We come to church for Him. Not for me. Not for my desires. Not for my wants. We come to Jesus for Jesus. That is how it should be. It is idolatry to make Jesus exist for our whims and our desires. Yet that is what much of the modern church does tonight. And that is what the Galileans were doing. And Jesus says, I have no honor among them. I have no honor among the Galileans. And I am concerned that if the Lord Jesus Christ was to return to judge the church tonight, he would say, I have no honour among them. Why do we come to Jesus? Why do we serve him? Let's move away for a moment from the extreme Pentecostals and let's move away from churches in general, but let's move it closer to home. Let's make it personal for a moment. Are you and I like the Galileans? Why do we come to Jesus? Is it so that we can get something out of him? Or do we come to Jesus for the sake of Jesus? Do we come to Jesus simply to get Jesus? Or do we come to Jesus because we want him to perform for us? We don't come to Jesus making deals. Lord, I will come to you if you agree to do X, Y and Z. No, we come to Jesus saying you are God and I bow before you. I come to you for you. Now, there's nothing wrong with asking Jesus for something and we'll see that in the coming verses. But our belief in Christ must be grounded upon trusting in Christ and his word, not based on what we see or what we experience. or want to experience. And that's where the Galileans went wrong. But there's another man in our text tonight, and that's a nobleman. And we see that in verse 46 to 54. You see, the Galileans are a great example of how we shouldn't come to Jesus, but now we come to a good example. We come to a right example of how we should respond to Christ. We are told that as Jesus comes again to Cana that in the town there he meets a nobleman, a man from Capernaum who has a sick son. Now we don't know much about this nobleman, we don't even know his name. We know very little about him but what we do know is this, he was an important man and he was a man who had a great need, he had a sick son on the point of death. Now this nobleman in the Greek indicates that he was actually a royal official. He most likely worked for King Herod, the Tetrarch of Galilee. Today he would be like someone who directly works for the Queen. He works closely with royalty. He has royal connections. He has wealth. He has power. He is a man who no doubt when his son got sick whistled for the best doctors in the land to come and they came running. But all that meant nothing. They could do nothing to save the boy. His wealth, his power, his position meant nothing. His son was at the point of death. So this nobleman, when he hears that Jesus has come again into Galilee, rushes from Capernaum to Cana. Now that's a 16 mile journey uphill. He rushes to Jesus and when he finds Jesus, our new King James says, he implored him. A very literal translation would be, he begged him. This nobleman with royal connections. This nobleman who, when he walked down the street, people would get out of his way. This royal official who would have people coming to him, asking for favours, finds Jesus and he falls down at the feet of Christ and he begs him. He assumes the position of a beggar. He implores Christ and says, will you not come to Capernaum to heal my son? And notice the difference in how this man approaches Jesus compared to the Galileans. The Galileans come along saying, I want attainment. This man says, Lord, I need you to act. The Galileans want to see signs. They want to be amused. But this man comes to Jesus desperately seeking Christ because he knows that Jesus is his only hope. He has a right attitude in the way he approaches Christ. He approaches Christ with humility and he begs Jesus to intervene for the sake of his son. I would dare say that this attitude that this nobleman displays physically is the same attitude that we should display spiritually when we come to Jesus. The attitude he shows physically in coming to Christ is how we spiritually should go to Jesus. When we see the depth of our depravity, when we see the depth of our sin, when we see that we rightly deserve death and judgement, then we should go to Christ as our only hope for salvation. We go to Jesus in a desperate state, pleading with him to save us. We cast ourselves at his feet and say, please, Lord, would you not come and rescue us? This is what the nobleman does physically, and this is what we must do spiritually if we are to be saved. We must throw ourselves down before Jesus in repentance and faith. We must seek grace from the Lord and praise God. We have a saviour who is so gracious towards people. We have a saviour who hears the cry of his people and he shows grace through his death and resurrection. The nobleman throws himself at the feet of Jesus and begs him. And we must throw ourselves at the feet of Jesus if we are to truly come to him. But how does Christ respond to the nobleman? Well, the way in which he responds at first seems a little bit harsh. It appears that Jesus is rebuking the nobleman. But that's not what's happening at all. You see, when Jesus responds to the nobleman, he's actually rebuking the Galileans. And no doubt the Galileans would have heard this nobleman coming along and making his request. So they begin to elbow each other. Hey, look, something's about to happen. Gather around. Here comes a sign. Here comes the miracle. Quick, start popping the popcorn. Here it comes. And Jesus responds and says, unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe. And now the new King James very helpfully here puts the word people in italics, in verse 8, to show us that Jesus is actually addressing the crowds and not the noblemen. In the authorised version it says, except ye. Ye is the you plural, so Jesus is not speaking directly to the noblemen, rather he is responding to the man's statement, but he is speaking to the crowds. He answers what the noblemen says and he rebukes the Galileans. and says you do not have true belief see these Galileans they wanted a sign and Jesus says you're not getting one the implication is that the nobleman has true faith because he has cast himself upon the mercy of Christ and even though there is no indication of a sign This nobleman comes to Jesus and desperately pleads with him for rescue. He doesn't want entertainment. He doesn't want to see Jesus perform a trick. He just needs Jesus to intervene. So he begs Christ and says, please come down. My son is about to die. And Jesus replies by saying, go your way. Your son lives. Jesus simply speaks. Your son is healed now. Off you go. Go your way. And as I read this passage, I tried to put myself into the shoes or the sandals of the nobleman. How would have I responded to that? My son is sick at the point of death. I come to Jesus and I beg him for help. And Jesus simply says, It's all right, he's now healed. Go your way. Now the question is, would I believe that? Or would I say, well, that's well and good, Lord, but how about you just come with me to Capernaum just so we can check it out? I mean, how would we respond to that? Well, the nobleman responds by showing that he has true faith in Christ. The text says, so the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. This nobleman is an example of what true faith looks like. True belief is a trust. He could not see what was happening to his son. He didn't know what was happening some 16 miles away. He simply believed the word of Jesus. This man's faith wasn't grounded upon any sign or wonder. Rather it was grounded upon the Lord Jesus Christ. He believes the word of Jesus. And because he believes the word of Jesus, he goes on his way. He has nothing to fear. He knows that Jesus has spoken the truth. So he builds his confidence upon Christ. And that is the kind of faith that we need to have. But do we have that kind of faith? Believer, do you have the kind of faith that says, I will believe in the word of Jesus no matter what? Is the word of Christ sufficient for you? Let me give you a common scenario where we actually end up doubting the word of Jesus. Let me give you a scenario that's quite common amongst believers. Think about your own conversion. Think about the time that you realised the depths of your sin and that you desperately needed the Saviour. So what you do is you cry out to Him in repentance and faith. You believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead and you are saved, you are rescued. Imagine that, remember that. But then as your life progresses, the cares of life begin to catch up with you and no doubt there has been times since you came to Jesus where you have been unfaithful to Christ and you have sinned against Him. Now what often happens at that time is this, the believer in a moment of unfaithfulness sins against God and it's as if a cloud descends upon their mind saying, you are now condemned. You were not saved. And as a result, the believer becomes concerned and depressed. Anxiety grips our heart and we wonder, am I truly saved? It's in those times that we need the same kind of faith the nobleman has. A faith that says, I will believe the word of Jesus, not my circumstances. You see, this nobleman had a faith in the words of Jesus. So he was able to navigate through life's trial. He believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and that's what we should do. When our doubts and anxiety grips us, what we should do is hold fast to Jesus and his word, saying, I know my Lord cannot lie, so I lay whole of the promises. I believe your word. Think about it like this. Jesus gives you a solid foundation. He says, if you call upon me, you will be saved. Have you called upon Christ? Then believe in his word that he says you will be saved. Consider that Christ says that all those who come to him, he will by no means cast out. Have you come to Christ? Then believe his word that says he will not cast you out. The Lord Jesus says he will never leave us nor forsake us. Can Jesus lie? No. Then believe his word and then be like the nobleman and go on your way. Go on your way trusting in the word of Jesus. See this nobleman no doubt would have gone My son is sick. My son is about to die. I don't know what's going to happen to him. And Jesus says, your son is better. Go your way. The nobleman says, that's good enough for me. I'm going to believe the word of Jesus and I'm going to go my way. And when we come into situations where we do not understand what is happening, where we might have doubts and anxieties and concerns and depression and all the cares of life come upon us seeking to condemn us. What we need to do as believers is say this. I don't know what's going on, but I trust the word of Jesus. And now, like the nobleman, I'm going to go my way, holding fast to Jesus and trusting him. So the nobleman goes home in faith and as he heads home, his servants rush up to him and says, we've got some great news. The nobleman probably would have wanted to reply by saying, I know. They say, your son is better. He's well. So no one says, well, what time did this happen? That's an interesting statement. If someone said, your son who was about to die as well, most people would say, oh, that's so great to hear. But he doesn't do that. He simply says, what time did this happen? And they tell him. And that was at the very time Jesus said, go your way, your son lives. Jesus' word proved true. And this nobleman believed in Christ as did his whole household. For the words of Jesus can be trusted. The words of Jesus says no matter the scenario, the situation you're in, hold fast to Jesus and go your way. Have faith in Christ and his word. True faith says I'll come to Jesus in humility. I will seek Christ and I will trust only in him. I will trust in him alone. This is the difference between the Galileans and the noblemen. The Galileans said, hey, give us a sign, give us wonders, give us entertainment. The nobleman comes along and says, I'm just going to trust in you. I believe you. I'm going to hold fast to you. And John gives us these two groups in this passage as a striking contrast. He is driving home the nature of true and false faith. False faith of the Galileans say we want Jesus for our pleasure. The true faith of the noblemen says Jesus is enough. I trust in him. True faith says I need Jesus to save me. And Jesus is enough to save me. It's not about me. It's not about my desires. It's not about what I can get out of it. I trust in Jesus. And he is a sufficient saviour. And the challenge for us as we conclude this passage is, what kind of faith do we have? What kind of faith do we have? Do we have the faith of the nobleman that says I'm going to trust in Jesus no matter what? A faith that says I'll believe the word of Jesus no matter what. When the enemy tempts me to despair and says you're guilty, you've sinned, you're condemned, you're outside of the love and grace of God. At that moment would we have the faith that says I believe Jesus and his word? He promised that if I call upon Him, I will be saved. He promised that He will not cast me out. He promised to be with me forever. I believe Jesus and His Word. Do we have that kind of faith? Or do we have the faith that says, step up Jesus, you've got to entertain me, you exist for my pleasure, serve me now. Do we have a true faith or a false faith? May we all have the faith of the nobleman, and may we believe in the Lord Jesus and all that he has said and done. Let's pray. Oh, our God and our Father, we do thank you for the examples we see in scripture, the true example of a nobleman trusting in the word of Christ. I do pray, Lord, that we, your people, would trust in you like that, that we would trust in Jesus, that we would cling to him and believe his word, that we would come to Jesus for the sake of Jesus. Lord, for the times and the situations where we have trials and difficulties in our life and we feel condemnation and doubt and anxiety grip us. In those times, may we continue to have a true faith that says, I'll believe Jesus and his word. And may we hold fast to Christ. Oh Lord, please be of your people tonight and strengthen us. And may we glorify you by living lives of faith. and may the righteousness of Christ that has been given to us cause us to walk and live in faith. We pray these things for Jesus' sake. Amen.