John 4: 49-53

(John 4: 49-53)

 

『The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. 』

The son of the Roman general was ill. The general came to know the power of Jesus. So he went to Jesus to save his son. And he pleads with Jesus to save his son. He was told by Jesus that his son was sick.

Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law's fever. The disease disappeared immediately. People watched this scene and came to believe in the power of Jesus. But this faith is not a saved faith.『 Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. 』(John 13: 36-37)

Peter had great faith. Peter walked on the water and witnessed Jesus' conversation with Moses and Elijah. This faith is not a saved faith. Jesus foretold Peter three times to deny him.

『Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice. 』(John 13: 38)

Jesus told his disciples the death of his cross, but the disciples did not respond. Today, people know all this, but people do not want to be united with the cross of Jesus. If people really believe this, they won't be greedy and won't have more money than they need. All of us must be Jesus of the cross. Believing in Jesus is not saved, and is not saved by experiencing the Holy Spirit. Unless we are united with Jesus on the cross, we are not saved.

『Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.』 (John 14: 1) This sermon continues through chapters 15-16.

『Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God. 』 (John 16:30) But Jesus responded differently to his disciples in 16: 31-32. 『Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.』 The words of the disciples and the response of Jesus are the opposite.

What does faith mean? Faith is manifested in action. However, it is a placebo that believes only in thought, and the cause that prevents action is the self. Even if one's soul doesn't act, he can believe something by thought. But this belief is not a changed faith. Changed faith is manifested in action.

Change is not the same as chemical change; it is like a physical being transformed into something completely different. The soul must die and the spirit rise. It is not salvation that one (soul) believes in Jesus. The soul must die with Jesus to be saved. 『It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing』(John 6:63) Repentance is to deny yourself.

Once upon a time, the Hebrew people who were slaves of Egypt, freed from the death of the firstborn, were painted with the blood of the Lamb at the gate. And they fled Egypt and became free men. And they witnessed an amazing view of the Red Sea breaking up. But in the desert of the wilderness they blamed God for the lack of water. And they mourned that if they entered the land of Canaan, they would be killed by the Anaxenson. God was angry with the appearance of the Hebrew people, causing them to die, except for the new life born in the wilderness. This means that old people must die. So salvation is faith entering Canaan.

The Hebrew people feared not the God, but the Anak in Canaan. They had their eyes closed, and they looked upon the world with their fleshly eyes. So God leaves the person whose spirit eyes are closed.

『Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them』. (John 12: 39-40)

Those who do not fear God will be judged by God for fire.『 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. 』 (Hebrews 4: 1-2) God swore to the people of Israel: `` All the people who came out of Egypt, except Joshua and Caleb, would not enter the promised land. ''God reminds us that "all the old men who resent God must die in the wilderness."

『 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. 』(Romans 6: 6-7) The old man is called the soul, which originated in the flesh. The old man must die on the cross with Jesus to be justified by God. Forgiveness of sins occurs after the old man dies. Repentance is not forgiveness, but death for sin. You must be dead to sin every day to be saved. Salvation is a narrow path. The Bible says that few find a way.