If You Know, You Know

Today’s message is called “If You Know, You Know.” I get this question a lot: What does it actually mean to believe? How do I know if I believe? How do I know if I’m saved? And how am I supposed to pray for miracles? I hear I’m just supposed to believe God and pray, or pray and believe God. How does that work? Is God like Santa Claus, where you put in your miracle request and once a year He decides if you’ve been good or bad?

Or is it like the miracle-worker preachers you see on TV? They use emotion, they get you revved up, and they’re often really loud, as if God is hard of hearing and the louder you are, the more you mean it. They repeat phrases over and over like a mantra. Are they trying to convince God to listen, or worse, trying to twist His arm into giving a miracle? Is that how it’s supposed to work?

Let me set the stage. Last week Jesus met the woman at the well, and the Samaritans believed. They truly believed in Jesus because of His own word. They said, “We heard the woman, but now we believe because we’ve heard You ourselves.” These were the last people the Jews would have expected to receive God’s grace. Today we’ll see them contrasted with the Galileans, Jesus’ own neighbors, the people He grew up with, and with another believer you might not expect. John is going to teach us what it means to really believe.

I’ll give you the lesson right up front, so if you want to check out now, you can: the word that gives life. We’ll see what that means as we go.

John 4:43: “Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor 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.”

It sounds like they received Him, but we’ll see that they only received Him on the surface, not with their hearts. Real believing is deeper than that, and surface-level belief turns out to be connected to just wanting to see miracles, because that’s what they had seen in Jerusalem.

Jesus leaves Samaria, where people believed through His word alone. He did no miracles in Samaria. He just talked to them and they believed. Then He goes up to Galilee, His hometown, where everyone knew Him as the awkward teen, the carpenter who maybe made some suspect chairs, the kid with brothers and sisters. They didn’t believe that the kid they watched grow up was the Messiah. That was just too hard to believe.

But Jesus was getting famous all over the country. He was their claim to fame, like the hometown hero everybody brags about. They had even seen Him do miracles at the feast. John 2:23 says, “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.” Many believed, but what kind of belief was it? These Galileans still didn’t think He was the life-giving Messiah. Maybe He was a cool wizard, but He was their cool wizard. Everyone was talking about Jesus, and they were enjoying the fact that people were finally talking about them.

Like most people, they were looking for a spectacular deliverer. Smoke and lasers. Power. They wanted to crush Rome and get out from under its tyranny. And this Jesus kept talking about pesky internal character issues, and love, and even loving your enemies. That was nowhere close to what they pictured. They were looking for flash and missed who Jesus actually was. They wanted blessings without relationship. They wanted the miracles only He could do, but what they needed was the life only He could give.

Let’s see how the other three Gospels describe this same situation, because they give us more context. Matthew 13:54: “When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, ‘Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?’ So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.’ Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”

When you only want Jesus for what He can do for you, He can’t do very much for you. He wants to bless you, provide for you, and care for you. That’s His intention. But all of it is found in relationship, specifically a relationship of grace. He loves to provide for His children, and the way grace works is through faith. If we don’t truly trust Him, we won’t see the gracious works He wants to do in our lives.

Everything God wants to give you is received by trust. Everything God has already given you is accessed by faith. It’s never based on your performance, how religious you are, or what you give up. You can’t twist God’s arm by yelling and screaming. He sees every heart. It’s never about earning miracles or checking boxes. Miracles do happen, and they’re a byproduct of a deep, patient, tested, exclusive trust in Jesus. When we have a need, our only option is to bring it straight to Jesus and ask for His help.

Here’s a story I heard ten minutes before the service started today. A brother in our church, who lives with a serious disability, has been dealing with major pain in his eyes. Debilitating pain. We’ve been spending time together in the Word, connecting him with Jesus and learning about God’s grace, and he’s invested in that relationship. He’s learned that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, and he trusts the Lord. So he decided to start asking Jesus to take the pain. He lay on his bed and prayed for hours, and he felt the pain go away as an answer to his prayer. Praise the Lord. He was flabbergasted, but he was also confident that Jesus loved him and had never been trying to hurt him, and that this was Jesus revealing His power in his life.

Now Mark 6: “Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, ‘Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?’ So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.’ Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief.”

He marveled at their unbelief. “You grew up with Me. How can you not know who I am? Did I ever steal your baseball? Did I ever sin against you?” They knew Him as a teenager, which is mind-blowing. That should have been the greatest testimony in the world. He literally never sinned. He was God in human form, even as a young man.

But here’s the problem: Jesus never drew attention to Himself. He never tooted His own horn or said, “Look how amazing I am.” He was truly humble, and that’s just not normal for humans. He’s the picture of humility, and that’s why people didn’t recognize Him. They were looking for authority expressed through pride: “I’m the boss, I’m going to deliver you, I’m going to kick out the Romans.” Jesus refused to do anything that lifted Himself up, so they didn’t recognize Him.

Luke 4 tells the same story. Jesus comes to Nazareth, goes into the synagogue on the Sabbath, and is handed the scroll of Isaiah. He reads, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” He closes the book, sits down, and with every eye on Him says, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

They marvel at His gracious words and say, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” And Jesus says, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'” They were jealous that He was doing things everywhere else. Then He says, “No prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah… but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” And everyone in the synagogue was filled with wrath. They drove Him out of town to the edge of a cliff to throw Him off, but He passed through the middle of them and went His way.

Jesus’ home church tried to murder Him. Why? Because He insisted, “I am the Messiah. I’m going to heal broken hearts. I care about everybody, even those Gentiles. I’ve come to heal everyone. I am the only source of life.” His own people couldn’t receive that message because they were stuck looking for a miracle. They weren’t hearing His words. They preferred smoke and lightning, not a humble man who loves the whole world. That guy didn’t check their boxes.

He had already revealed Himself to them, and they still wouldn’t believe without another miracle, even though they’d already seen miracles. Why do they need just one more? Because they already don’t believe. And honestly, another miracle wouldn’t help. They’d just say, “Show me another one, and another one.” Miracles don’t make people believe in their hearts. They can affect the mind, but belief comes from the heart.

But when someone else hears about Jesus, his actions prove he already believes. Back to John, verse 46: “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.”

This is the second sign in the Gospel of John. John records seven specific signs that show us seven things. Capernaum was about thirty miles from Cana. What’s thirty miles from here? Brownsville. Remember that.

Verse 47: “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.” “He went to Him” is just a few words in English, but picture this man walking from Brownsville to here. That’s a full day’s walk, maybe more.

Verse 48: “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.'” Who’s He really talking to? Not this man. He’s talking to the Galileans watching all this happen. “You people have a belief problem.”

Verse 49: “The nobleman said to Him, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies!'” Remember, they’re back in Cana, where Jesus did His first miracle, turning water into wine. That miracle symbolized transforming the whole religious system based on rules and laws, with its stone pots of purification water and all the things you had to do to be clean, into life-giving wine. “I’m changing the dead system of religion into a new system of grace.” It was the new grace order, the new covenant of new life. And now the life-giver is back in Cana, and this nobleman has a crisis. He needs life. Not for himself, for his son. So he walks thirty miles to ask Jesus for it. That’s faith.

This man already believes, because you don’t walk thirty miles for nothing. Have you ever walked thirty miles? If you added up all your walking for the last year, would it be thirty miles? My dad is addicted to walking. He walks seven to ten miles a day, so last year he walked about sixteen hundred miles, roughly from Hobbiton to Mordor.

I promise you, you don’t take one step on that journey unless you believe there’s something there, unless you believe Jesus is who He said He is. Because every step toward Jesus is a step away from your son. If you stay home, the only help your son has is you, and you don’t have the power to give life. So taking a step toward Jesus immediately severs self-trust. It says, “I can’t fix this. I can’t bring life. I can’t deliver what’s needed.” This man had thirty miles of steps to keep saying, “Jesus can help. Jesus will help. I believe.” And any time he doubted, he probably thought, “I’ve got to go back.” Does that remind you of your life?

That’s why Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” We have to step away from trusting in ourselves. Sometimes we have to walk thirty miles. Sometimes our self-trust is so dominant that God says, “Keep coming. Keep coming. All the way over here.” Why does He take us so far, to where we’re uncomfortable, where we’re not in control, where all we have is Him? Because we have to let go of our self-sufficiency. That’s the door of His grace.

Saying “I can’t fix this problem” is humility, and humility is always linked to faith. That’s what it means to be a Christian: faith and humility. “I cannot save myself, but I’ve come to You because I believe You can.”

How many miracle teachers, by their preaching, actually make you think about yourself more than you did before? Test your teachers. Is this message drawing me into Jesus’ presence to trust Him exclusively? Or is it making me focus on my life, my difficulties, and everything I need God to prove to me?

This nobleman doesn’t bring Jesus a polished religious performance. He comes with a real need. And Jesus doesn’t require him to become worthy first. He doesn’t make him promise to go to church more, give money, behave perfectly, or complete some ritual. Jesus never does that. He simply speaks life. And here’s our lesson: the words of Jesus don’t just talk about life. They actually deliver life when He speaks them, and life is exactly what’s needed.

Verse 50: “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.” Did he believe a miracle, or a word? He believed the word, and he went his way.

“And as he was now 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 what happens when the authoritative word of Jesus is spoken. He doesn’t need to touch the child, travel to Capernaum, or perform a ceremony. His word is enough. The Samaritans took Him at His word and received life. The Galileans focused on signs and miracles and got almost nothing; He could do no mighty work there. The nobleman believed His word and received the miracle he needed at the same time.

And I can prove he believed. The servants said the fever broke “yesterday at the seventh hour,” which means he was in no hurry getting home. If he’d been panicking he’d have been home already. But he was at peace. “It’s a long walk from Brownsville. I’ll take my time and grab a bite on the way.”

Some churches focus on getting the miracle. Other churches focus on teaching God’s Word. Choose wisely. I’m not saying miracles are wrong. Signs and miracles are supposed to follow faith, and we should absolutely pray with faith and ask God to move. But we have to seek Him in His Word first.

In John 20, John tells us why he wrote his Gospel this way: “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” I always wish he’d written down all the other miracles, because they’re cool. But he chose seven, so that you may believe, not on the surface but from the heart, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And notice the shift: “believe” happens at a point, and “believing” continues in the present tense, so that you may have life in His name.

This is the second of John’s seven signs, written so you can believe Jesus is the source of life. If anyone believes in Him, they get life. That’s how it works. And the life is delivered through His word, not through your actions, your deeds, or your commitment. When you say in your heart, “Jesus, I believe You are the source of life, and I believe in Your sacrifice for me,” He delivers His life to you by His word.

And that’s life in all its forms. Joy is a description of the life Jesus gives. Purpose is a description of the life Jesus gives. Being fulfilled and satisfied, serving the people around you and your family, having a family in the body of Christ, finding pleasure in what you do: those are all descriptions of the life Jesus gives. Every expression of real life you can think of is yours in and through Jesus alone, because He is the life and He is the Word.

If you know, you know. If you know Him as your life, you know His Word. And if you know His Word, you can know Him as your life. It sounds like circular reasoning, but that’s how to think about it. 1 John 5:10: “He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”

If you believe it, you have it. If you know, you know. And notice that important word: continue. “Yeah, I made a decision to believe in Jesus back in 1995.” Great. But you’re a jerk now. Why? Because there’s a continue part. God is not going to abandon you, and we’re not talking about losing your salvation. We’re talking about your life producing the fruit it’s meant to produce.

What does it mean to continue believing? Where do you find your delight? If you delight in the presence of Jesus, you’re choosing to walk those thirty miles to seek life at His feet. Believing is present tense. It’s not that Christians must keep producing stronger faith to persuade Jesus to act. It’s that Jesus is trustworthy, and His word gives life.

You believed His word when you first became a Christian. But when was the last time you went back to Him for His word and said, “I’m going to believe what I read here”? Those continual decisions are the gym where we work out our faith muscle. God wants your faith to grow strong, and it always happens through His Word. Not reading it like a chore, but asking, “What does it say, and will I choose to believe it today?” It says, “Do not worry.” “Well, that’s for other people. I’ll keep worrying.” No. Take Him at His word.

His Word gives life to everyone who believes it. If you want to see God’s blessings and His miracles in your life, read the Bible, hear it, believe it, and the blessings will flow. We always obtain what God has given by faith. Salvation itself is received by believing, not earning, and every other blessing comes the same way, as His Word gives us life. So you don’t have to chase miracles. Seek to believe His Word with your whole heart, and watch what the Word of God does to deliver His grace into your life. It will be miraculous. If you know, you know.

Father, we give our attention to You and to Your Word. Not because it’s our religious duty, and not because we just need something from You. We need everything from You. We need our whole life to flow from You. You are the source of every good and perfect gift. You are the source of life, and Your Word delivers that life to us. Thank You for every person here who has taken time to hear Your words. Let Your Spirit test us. Have we become like Your hometown, so familiar with Jesus that He’s just the guy we visit on Sundays? Jesus, You are the source of life. Keep us from being too familiar with You. Help us come and throw ourselves before You like the nobleman did and say, “Give me life.” Help us truly know who You are and believe it. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.