Episode Transcript
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Jacqui (00:12):
Greetings listeners!
Have you ever noticed that some
moments in life change youforever?
The moment you say yes tosomething, the moment you
believe.
The Gospel of John is full ofthose moments.
A fisherman leaves his nets.
A blind man opens his eyes.
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A grieving sister finds hopeagain.
Each one begins with belief.
Not belief as an idea, but as apersonal trust in Jesus.
In this final part of ourseries, we step into the very
heart of John's gospel, thereason it was written.
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These are written, John says,so that you may believe that
Jesus is the Messiah, the Son ofGod, and that by believing you
may have life in his name.
Today we'll explore what thatkind of belief really means and
how the signs, the cross, andthe resurrection all point us to
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the same truth.
That life, real life, is foundin knowing and believing in Him.
Well, welcome everyone.
I'm your host, Jacqui Adewole,and this is the Bible Basics
Podcast, where every two weekswe break down the basics of the
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Bible into understandablebite-sized chunks.
Last time we listened to Jesusdescribe himself through his own
words.
I am the bread of life, thelight of the world, the good
shepherd, the true vine, andmore.
Each one of those I amstatements revealed who he is:
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God made known, the one whobrings life, guidance, and hope.
Now, in this final part, wemove to the heart of John's
gospel, believing.
John tells us exactly why hewrote this book.
Quote, these are written sothat you may believe that Jesus
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is the Messiah, the Son of God,and by believing you may have
life in his name.
That's chapter 20, verse 31.
For John, belief isn't justknowing facts about Jesus, it's
personal trust, resting yourwhole life in who Jesus is and
what he's done.
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Belief is more than a moment,it's a relationship that keeps
growing.
Throughout his gospel, Johnweaves together two kinds of
stories, those who see Jesus'signs and believe, and those who
see the same signs but turnaway.
Through both, he invites us tolook at Jesus and decide for
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ourselves.
Will we only admire what hedoes, or will we trust who he
is?
In this episode, we'll look atwhat it really means to believe
and then explore the seven signsthat John records, each one
pointing to Jesus' identity andinviting us to faith.
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Early in John's Gospel, we meetNicodemus, a Pharisee and a
member of the Jewish rulingcouncil, the Sanhedrin.
In other words, a Bible expertand community leader.
That's chapter 3, verse 1.
He came to Jesus one night.
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And why?
Not just curiosity.
He'd seen or heard about thesigns Jesus was doing in
Jerusalem during Passover, andmany were starting to believe
because of these signs.
He also knew Jesus taught withreal authority, yet he likely
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feared public pushback.
So he came under the cover ofdarkness.
He opens with respect.
He answers the question beneathNicodemus's words.
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How can I be a part of God'skingdom?
Jesus says, No one can see thekingdom of God unless they are
born again or born from above byGod's Spirit.
That must have stunnedNicodemus.
He thought Jesus was talkingabout physical birth, starting
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life all over again.
But Jesus was speaking aboutsomething deeper, a spiritual
rebirth, a brand new kind oflife that begins when we trust
Him.
He went on to say, no one canenter the kingdom of God unless
they are born of water and theSpirit.
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Just as physical life beginswith birth, spiritual life
begins through the work of theHoly Spirit.
It's not something we can earnor make happen ourselves.
It's a gift God gives when webelieve.
And then comes one of the mostbeloved verses in all of
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Scripture, a single sentencethat sums up the entire Gospel
of John.
For God so loved the world thathe gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in himshall not perish, but have
eternal life.
That's chapter 3, verse 16.
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For John, believing isn't aboutagreeing with a set of ideas,
it's trusting a person, Jesus,leaning your full weight on him
as the one who gives forgivenessand life.
That trust isn't a one-timeact, it's a relationship that
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grows day by day as we keepwalking with him.
Now let's get to those sevensigns.
Throughout John's gospel, Jesusperforms miracles, but John
doesn't just call them miracles,he calls them signs.
And that word matters because asign isn't meant to draw
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attention to itself.
It points beyond itself tosomething greater, to who Jesus
truly is.
These weren't meant to bespectacles that impress the
crowd.
In fact, at one point, Jesussaid to the people of Galilee,
Unless you people see signs andwonders, you'll never believe.
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That's chapter 4, verse 48.
Each of these seven signsreveals a part of his identity,
showing that he has power notonly over creation, but over
every kind of need we faced.
The first sign happens at awedding in Cana, where Jesus
turns water into wine.
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That's chapter 2, verses 1through 11.
It's not a flashy publicmiracle.
It happens quietly behind thescenes, but it shows something
beautiful about God's heart.
Jesus takes something ordinaryand fills it with joy.
It's a picture of new creation,God transforming what is plain
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into something overflowing withlife and celebration.
The second sign comes whenJesus heals the royal official's
son from miles away.
This is in chapter 4, verses 46through 54.
The man begs Jesus to come tohis house, but Jesus simply
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says, Your son will live.
And at that very moment, theboy is healed.
This shows Jesus' authority isnot limited by distance.
His word alone has power togive life.
By the pool of Bethesda, therewas a man who had been unable to
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walk for 38 years.
That's chapter 5, verses 1through 9.
This was the setting for thethird sign.
Jesus asked him a simplequestion.
Then he tells him, Get up, pickup your mat and walk.
The man obeys and strengthfloods his legs.
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Jesus restores what was brokenand shows that true healing
doesn't come from rituals orrules, but from relationship
with him.
The fourth sign is one manypeople know, the feeding of the
5,000, found in chapter 6,verses 1 through 14.
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A huge crowd had gathered, andall they have is a boy's small
lunch, five loaves and two fish.
Jesus blesses the food, breaksit, and everyone eats until
they're full, with plenty leftover.
The sign connects directly toone of his I am statements.
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I am the bread of life.
Later that night, when thedisciples are caught in the
storm on the Sea of Galilee inchapter 6, verses 6-21, there
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Jesus displayed the fifth sign.
They're terrified, straining atthe oars when they look up and
see Jesus walking toward them onthe water.
The same God who parted the RedSea in the Old Testament now
walks on it.
This sign reminds us that Jesusis Lord over creation itself
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and that he meets us right inthe middle of our storms.
Then Jesus encounters and healsa man born blind in chapter 9,
verses 1 through 7.
No one had ever heard ofsomeone blind from birth
receiving sight.
Jesus makes mud, places it onthe man's eyes, and tells him to
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wash.
When he does, he could see forthe first time in his life.
It's another echo of creation.
The God who formed humanityfrom dust now brings light and
sight to someone living indarkness.
Before the resurrection, onefinal sign.
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It's perhaps the most powerful,the raising of Lazarus in
chapter 11, verses 1 through 44.
Standing before the tomb, Jesussays, Lazarus, come out.
And a man who had been dead forfour days walks out alive.
Through this sign, Jesus showsthat he truly is the
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resurrection and the life.
Now each of these signs pointsto a greater truth.
Jesus has power over nature,sickness, need, and even death.
But John includes them not justto impress us, but to invite us
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to trust him, to invite us tobelieve.
Some people saw the signs andbelieved.
Others saw the same signs andturned away.
John's question for us issimple.
When we see who Jesus is, howwill we respond?
Let's get to the ultimate sign,the cross and resurrection, in
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John chapters 18 through 20.
After the seven signs thatreveal Jesus' power and
compassion, John leads us to thegreatest sign of all, the cross
and the resurrection.
Everything in his gospel hadbeen moving towards this moment.
From the very beginning, Jesusreferred to his hour.
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He said, My hour has not yetcome.
Again and again until chapter12, after raising Lazarus from
the dead.
Then he says, The hour has comefor the Son of Man to be
glorified.
That word might catch us offguard.
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Glorified?
Most people don't think of thecross as glory, but for Jesus,
this was the moment when God'slove and plan would be seen most
clearly.
At the cross, the good shepherdlays down his life for his
sheep.
The bread of life is broken sothat we might live.
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The light of the world stepsinto the darkness of sin and
death and conquers it.
When Jesus says, It isfinished.
The debt of sin has been paid,and the way to the Father is now
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open to everyone who believes.
But the story doesn't endthere.
Early on the third day, thetomb is empty.
Mary Magdalene stands outsidethe tomb weeping, thinking
someone has taken his body.
Then she hears a familiar voicesay her name, Mary.
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She turns and sees Jesus alive.
That simple moment changeseverything.
The teacher she loved is nolonger dead.
Death itself has lost itspower.
Later, one of the disciples,Thomas, says, He won't believe
unless he sees the scars forhimself.
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Jesus appears to him and says,Put your fingers here.
See my hands.
Thomas falls to his knees andsays, My Lord and my God.
That confession right there isthe high point of the entire
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Gospel of John.
A doubting heart becomes abelieving heart.
Through the cross andresurrection, all the signs and
all the I am statements cometogether.
The Creator who turned waterinto wine now makes all things
new.
The shepherd who gave his lifenow calls his sheep by name.
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The resurrection in the lifenow stands victorious over the
grave.
John wants us to see this asthe ultimate sign, proof that
Jesus is who he said he is, andthat through him life and hope
are possible for every personwho believes.
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After the cross and theresurrection, John shows us what
it truly means to believe, notjust in words, but in
relationship.
For John, belief and life areinseparable.
In chapter 17, as Jesus praysbefore his arrest, he defines
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eternal life in one simplesentence.
This is eternal life, that theyknow you, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom you havesent.
That's such an important versebecause it changes how we think
about eternal life.
It isn't just about livingforever after death, it's about
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knowing God personally, rightnow.
It's about walking inrelationship with Him every day
through Jesus.
Pastor Tony Evans puts itbeautifully.
Eternal life isn't just aboutduration, it's about
relationship.
It's entering into intimatefriendship with God through
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Jesus.
A friendship that begins nowand grows through eternity.
That's what John means when hetalks about believing.
It's not simply agreeing thatJesus exists or that his story
is true, it's trusting himcompletely, placing the full
weight of your life in hishands.
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That kind of faith leads toreal change.
In John's gospel, we see peoplemove from curiosity to
conviction.
Nicodemus begins by visitingJesus at night, but later stands
up for him publicly.
The man born blind not onlyreceives sight, but declares,
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Lord, I believe.
And Mary Magdalene, who oncestood outside the tomb in tears,
becomes the first to proclaim,I have seen the Lord.
Each story is different, butthey all point to the same
truth.
Believing in Jesus is more thanseeing a sign or hearing a
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message.
It's meeting a living Saviorwho calls you by name and offers
you life that begins now andnever ends.
This is what John has beenshowing us all along, the
purpose he declared at the startof his gospel, that by
believing in Jesus we may trulylive.
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So as we finish this series onthe Gospel of John, ask
yourself, what would it looklike to trust him and believe
more fully today?
The same voice that spokecreation into being still speaks
now, inviting you to life inhis name.
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Thank you very much forlistening.
If this series helped you seeJesus more clearly, share it
with someone who might need thatsame clarity.
Until next time, keep reading,keep seeking, and keep growing
in your faith.