At some point I was afraid because I’m Canadian, that you would silence me. But we’re friends, right? We’re friends. So do you believe that we can still lead people to Christ today? Even in such an age where people tend to resist evangelization, do you still believe we can lead people to Jesus?
Yeah. Yeah, yeah. How confident are you that you can lead someone to Jesus?
Yeah, about seven of you.
Good. I want to be very practical this morning and I want to show you a very simple, very effective way to tell about Jesus to your friend, to your non yet Christian friend. This is something that I learned from one of my colleague Neal Cole. It is called the Seven signs of John. Why the seven signs of John?
Because in the Gospel of John there are seven miracles that have been recorded by the author John. And he says at the end of his Gospel that those signs were written so that those who read them may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And by believing, they may have life, his name. And I love the seven signs of John. Why number one, because there are great stories, but also because in such an age as this, before introducing the what of salvation, which is the cross, you need to introduce the who of salvation, which is Jesus.
Yes, Jesus died on a cross for your sin. But repeating a prayer to someone you don’t know, I’m not sure Paul finished his life writing. I am confident because I know in whom I believe, not just in what I believe the what is important, but the who is even more important because the who qualifies the what. And so I love the seven signs of John because it’s a very effective way to introduce people about who Jesus is.
I have a friend of mine and I do not recommend that who is an evangelist in the United Kingdom. And so he loves to walk around the campus of Oxford and Cambridge and ask students, do you know who Jesus is? And nine out of ten they say, no, we don’t. And he said, well, you’re an idiot.
You have to live in the UK to do that kind of thing. And then it would be offended. Why am I an idiot? I’m an Oxford student. It’s like, well, you just missed on the most amazing philosopher, thinker, wise man who ever lived.
And you claim to be intelligent.
Again, I do not recommend that.
But he’s super effective, actually. And those Oxford Cambridge grads are so aggravated.
And then he reads the seven signs of John and lo and behold, they become Christians and even more intelligent, they’re becoming wise.
Right? Anyway, so you choose the way you want to introduce your people about this thing.
But I want to be very practical again. So let’s pull out your copy of Scripture. If you have a paper version, then you take a pen. If you have Moses electronic tablets, you’ll highlight stuff. We start first miracle, John chapter two.
So just write the number one on the margin of your Bible. John chapter two. It’s the wedding at Cana. It’s the first miracle, which is great to lead French people to Christ because it’s all about wine.
Starting verse one. On the third day, there was a wedding at Canaan, Galilee. And the mother of Jesus was there. And Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, they have no wine.
Jesus said to her, woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come. And his mother said to the servants, pay attention under light highlight, do whatever he tells you. Do you see that in the text? Underline, do whatever he tells you.
Now, there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding 20 or 30 gallons. And Jesus said to the servants, fill the jars with water and he’ll fill them up to the brim. Then he said to them, now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.
So they took it.
Foolishness.
Look, you’re an employee, okay? You’re actually working at a wedding. And the number one problem is that they’re normal wine.
And then you hear somebody who says, well, whatever he tells you to do, you do it. And that very person comes to you and says, I think we’ll try water.
And I’m like, I don’t think this is going to fix it. And then he turns to you and says, now you bring the water to your employer.
Imagine the thing like the guy is picking up water and he’s going to this employer and said, I believe this is going to solve the problem. And yes, this is my last day. Having a paycheck.
And you walk in is like, unless something happens, I’m done.
Whenever the master of the feast tested, the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. The master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, everyone serves the good wine first. And when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now. This is the first of his signs that Jesus did at Cana in Galilee.
And he manifested his glory. And underline. His disciples believed in him, you see that believed in him underlined, well, what does it mean for your friend?
You’re offering to read the seven signs in seven weeks with him. Start with this one, okay? You give him a copy of that sign and say you read it and then we’ll talk about it. Then you sit down with him and said, okay, what does this passage tell you? And if he says to you, praise the Lord, I can still be drunk.
Don’t freak out because he’s reading scriptures. He’s engaging with the word of God, and that’s good news.
Often when we are journeying with our non Christian friends, we want to fix their moral compass. You shouldn’t be drinking, you shouldn’t be smoking. Well, if you do that, and they’re not born from above, it’s not the gospel, it’s called Christian moralism. And you actually lead them to change their behavior without being born from above.
Wait till they’re born from above and then they can start changing their behavior. And don’t put moralism between them and the cross, because when you came to Christ, I bet there were certain things you were doing that were not allowed. And still Jesus saved you, right?
What does that mean for your friend? It tells him that Jesus is calling him to a life of obedience. A life of obedience. The best is yet to come in his life. But if he wants to see the miracle, he needs to start walking in obedience.
Even if it feels crazy. For whatever he tells you to do, do it. I meet a lot of people who want to experience God. They are sitting on their sofa in their living room and they say to God, impress me.
And Jesus said, what about you? Start walking. If you want to see the miracle in your life, start walking. And whatever I tell you to do, do it. If you want to see a miracle in your life happening, start walking.
A life of obedience. And listen to what he says, even if it sounds crazy.
Second miracle. We’re now at John chapter four, verse 46, so you can put in the margin the number two. This is the second miracle. Jesus heals an official’s son. So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water of wine.
And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and. And he urged him to come down and heal his Son, for his Son was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.
Underline this. Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe. And the official said to him, sir, please come down before my child dies. And Jesus said to him, go, your son will live. Underline the man believed the word.
Underline this. The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and he went on his way.
Now think about it. He just walked three days from Capernaum to get to where Jesus is with this sense of urgency that his son is dying and urging Jesus to come down and do something about it, right?
And Jesus looks at him and he’s addressing the overall crowd and he says, unless you see a sign, I meet a lot of people who would gladly convert to Jesus if only Jesus was more obvious, If only he would get a sign.
But Jesus tells us that the faith that saves is not this faith that requires necessarily a sign. The faith that saves is trusting that the one who says go is faithful. You see, in Scriptures, faith and faithfulness is the same word. Having faith in Jesus is believing that he is faithful and that even though you can’t see the sign, you still trust. And that’s why he goes.
And yes, for the younger ones with us. May I remind you that at that time there was no cell phone, so he couldn’t know. There was no indication. He had to trust the word of Jesus. And he started walking.
The man believed the word. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked him the hour when he began to get. And they said to him, yesterday, at the seventh hour, the fever left him. And so the Father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, your son will live, underline the next thing.
And he himself believed and all of his household. That’s the second miracle that Jesus did. What does it mean for your friend? This is the second week that you’re reading scriptures with him. It means that Jesus can be trusted, that he’s faithful, and that’s why he can put his faith in him.
And whatever he said to do, do it.
And the beautiful thing is that Jesus not only wants to save him, but also all of his family. Do you believe that?
We’re now moving to the third miracle, John, chapter five. So you can put in the margin of your Bible number three, John, chapter five, 1:17. The healing at the pool on the Sabbath, chapter one, chapter five, verse one. After this, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem, by the ship gate, at a pool in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonels.
And actually you can still visit the place today if you go to Jerusalem. In these lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for 38 years. Highlight, underline, 38 years. And when Jesus saw him lying there, he knew he had already been there for a long time.
He said to him, underline and highlight. Do you want to be healed? Do you want to be healed? A very simple question, and look for the very, very complicated answer. Well, the sick man answered him, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up.
And while I’m going another steps down before me. Jesus said to him, well, get up, Take up your bed and walk. And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now, that day was the Sabbath. And so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, it is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.
But he answered them, well, the man who healed me, that man said to me, take up your bed and walk. I’m just following orders. They asked him, who is the man who said to you? Take up your bed? Now, the man who had been healed did not know who it was.
For Jesus had withdrawn as there was a crowd in the place. Now, afterward, Jesus found him in the temple, and he said to him, see your well. Underline, sin no more. Sin no more. That nothing worse may happen to you.
What could be worse?
Worse than being paralyzed for 38 years?
Oh, boy, is sin serious?
Yes. And it is even worse than being paralyzed for 38 years. That’s what Jesus says. And the man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this is why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.
Look, this is the third week you’re reading scriptures with your friend.
And Jesus is asking your friend the same question is asking this man, do you want to be healed?
Now, it’s interesting because out of the seven miracles is the only one that doesn’t work.
In the text, it says that the man is healed. Easy. You see, this man has a problem.
He has a problem facing his own sin.
And when Jesus is asking him if he wants to be healed, he says, I’m kind of a good person, but the people around me, they’re idiots. They’re the ones who are the problem because I want to be healed, but they’re selfish. And whenever there’s bubble in the water, they go and jump in the pool. Like I’m left alone. What’s wrong with them?
They need healing. I’m a good person.
And still Jesus heals him. Do you think this will change his heart? When actually the Jews comes to him and say, hey, what are you doing with your bed? It’s forbidden. So I didn’t do it.
Like, I’m just following orders. I mean, this Jesus said to me, you do it. I did it a little bit. Like, you know, the Nazis at the Nuremberg trial. Did you do this?
We were following orders.
And then Jesus sees him in the temple and says, sin no more. Stop it. And what is he doing?
He’s rattling him. He’s going to the Jews. He’s over there.
Three times he has an opportunity to repent. Three times he doesn’t get it. He is not wanting to be healed of his sin.
Friends, there is a very popular gospel out there which is called the Gospel of the World. And the Gospel of the world is promising you to be delivered from the consequences of your sin, that if you trust in this man, Jesus, who died on the cross for you, then all your sins will be forgiven. Now, tell me of someone who does not want to be delivered from the consequence of their sin. Everyone. Everyone wants to be delivered from the consequence of their sin, for instance, which never happens.
But let’s imagine that I would drive my car, and then for some reason, I go through a red light, which never happens. But imagine, think with me. Expand your imagination. And then there’s a guy who stops me with a hat, and then a sifl. And then he pulls me over and said, I think you just ran through a red light.
You know, the first thing that comes to my mind is like, oh, much how this is going to be expensive.
And then I’d like to start negotiating. I mean, depending if he’s a big guy, a small guy, you know, he’s a small guy. I negotiate. Big guy, little less. It’s like, how much?
$150 for a red light. That’s a bit. And then you start negotiating, right?
I want to be free from the consequence of my sin, But I’m still not crying on my sin.
Why is it that I’m not respecting the law?
And this is exactly the question that Jesus is asking. Do you want to be healed from this propensity that you have to always look the other way and blaming others for your own sin?
The gospel of Jesus is that he’s there to save you from your sin and not just a consequence of your sin.
Jesus is more concerned with healing you from your sin than in saving you from your problems.
This is what you need to communicate to your friend because sin is serious and sin often is. Blaming others for your own problems. You need to be healed.
We’re now moving to the fourth miracle. It’s John, chapter six, the feeding of the 5,000. We see Jesus who is on the mountain, verse three. And there he sits down with his disciple. Now, the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.
And lifting up his eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, one of his disciple, where are we to buy bread so that these people may eat? What is the question? The question is where? Underline, highlight where?
And he said this to test him. Underline, test him. For he himself knew already what he would do. Now Philip answered, well, 200 denarii worth of the bread would not be enough for each of them. Interestingly, Philip is not answering the question because the question is what where?
He’s answering how. But that was not the question. The question is where he’s answering how. Now, there’s another guy who is doing a little bit better. Andrew, Simon, Peter’s brother, said to him, here, where there’s a boy, but he has only five loaves and two fish.
What are they for so many? Again, he’s not answering the question. The question is where? He’s answering how? And you know the story that Jesus take those five bread and two fish and he’s multiplying so that at the end, verse 14, when the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, this is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.
What does this mean for your friend? It’s the fourth week that you’re reading the Bible with him. Started at Cana. The understanding that faith is obedience. If you want to see the miracle, starts walking.
That faith is more than just waiting for a sign. That faith is trust. And the one who says, do it, he’s trustworthy. That the whole point, week three, is that Jesus wants to heal you from your sin and not just the consequences of your sin. Fourth week, that Jesus will test your faith.
Is that really necessary? I mean, like, give him a break. You know, he’s not even Christian and you want to already test his faith. That’s brutal. And yet every time I read the Bible with non Christians and I come to that and I tell him, I said, are you okay for Jesus to test your faith?
They say, oh yeah. I’m like, really? Oh yeah. Why is it I said, well, he needs to know who I am. I’m like, good for you.
I hate it.
Chuck Swindoll once said, we’re all faced with incredible opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations. I love it. I love it. When is the last time you found yourself in an impossible situation? Right.
What did you do? You start counting. You start counting. Your car breaks down, you check your bank account, and again, there’s not enough.
But the question is not how. The question is where.
So remember, next time you’re faced with an impossible situation, it’s not how, it’s where. It’s just a test.
We’re now moving to the fifth miracle, John, chapter six. So in the margin you put the number five.
Jesus walks on water. I love this one. When evening came, his disciple went down to the sea, got into a boat, started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark and Jesus had not yet come to them. And the sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing.
May I remind you that there are fishermen and they know the lake. It’s their lake. They grew up on the lake, and it’s their boat. They own the boat, they know the boat, they know the lake.
The strong wind come blowing. And then when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat. And they were frightened. But he said to them, it is I do not be afraid. Underline, it is I do not be afraid.
Then they were glad to take him into the boat and immediately. Underline immediately. The boat was at the land to which they were going. Poof. Arrived.
What does it mean for your friend, a future disciple of Jesus? Well, number one, that if you want to go somewhere, take Jesus with you. You’ll get there faster.
The second it is better to trust the one who built the lake than the one who built the boat.
Quipper reminds us that there’s not an inch square in the universe which is not under God’s sovereignty.
And if you think that you can give Jesus all of your life but your boat, he’s going to come after you and rock that boat. My friend, just to remind you that even that boat is his.
For you should better rely on the one who created the lake than on the one who made that boat.
We’re coming now to the sixth miracle. And the sixth and the seventh miracle are opportunities for your friend to make a decision again. You’ve been reading the seven signs with him. One sign a week to this point. He learned about obedience, about trust, about healing.
He learned about testing of the faith, and he learned about sovereignty. Six and seven opportunities for him to respond. He starts with this sixth Miracle. John, chapter nine. The story of a man who was blind from birth.
And all of what he heard since he was little is that he was. He was cursed for some reason, for this is what the people were saying. And even the disciples say, who sinned, Rabbi, verse 2. This man or his parents, that he was born blind. And for the very first time in his life, he’s hearing something he never heard before.
Not his fault, nor his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.
Having said this, he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva. The saliva. He anointed the man’s eyes with the mud, which I find really troublesome. I mean, can you imagine? The guys is begging, then he hears a spit, and then he gets something on his eyes.
He’s like, am I. Am I dreaming of. Is this thing that landed next to me is actually now on my eye? Like, is this really necessary for God’s work to be displayed? Like, can’t we do something, like, more natural?
And then he says, you know, go and wash yourself in the pool of Siloam. Beautiful. If you haven’t been to Jerusalem. The temple is all the way up to the city of David, and the pool of Siloam is all the way down. So he has to go down, all the way down the city of David to the pool of Siloam.
And he’s doing it, he’s obeying, he’s walking, gets there washed, and he came back, seen incredible. People look at this. Is this the guy who was begging? It’s like, no, that’s not him. That’s his brother.
And he said, no, no, I’m the guy. I’m the guy. And then people say, well, what happened? And he answered, verse 11, underline the man called Jesus. Underline the man.
The man called Jesus made mud, anointed my eyes, said to me, go to Salam Wash. I did. I see. Oh, this is. This is nuts.
Absolutely nuts. So then they bring him to the Pharisees, okay? And the Pharisees, like, okay, what happened? And he tells them the story of what happened.
And there’s. There’s division among the Pharisees about. About what happened. Verse 17. They said again to the blind man, what do you say about him, since he was the one who opened your eyes?
And he said, he is a prophet, underline, prophet, you see, that started saying he’s a man to his friends. Now, after hearing the Pharisees talk about Jesus, he’s figuring out probably he’s a prophet prophet. The Jews did not believe.
They Wanted to have more proof. More proof. So they bring the parents and they ask the parents, is this your son? And the parents are like, now that you say it, it’s true that when he was playing soccer, every time he would miss the ball. I think now we have a clue.
Yeah, he was blind. That’s why he was such a poor goalie.
Of course, they don’t say anything because they fear the Jews. So then a second time. The Pharisees are, well, give glory to God. Verse 24.
They said, I don’t know. I was blind. Now I see. That’s my testimony. The Pharisees got so mad that they kick him out of the synagogue.
But Jesus sees him in his solitude, goes to Him. Verse 35, do you believe in the Son of Man? And he answered, who is he, sir, that I may believe in him? And Jesus said to him, you have seen him. That’s the first time he sees Jesus.
Never saw him before. Just heard him. He heard his voice and obeyed. And he saw the miracle.
Verse 38. And he said, lord, I believe, underline Lord. And he worshiped him. And Jesus said, for judgment. I came into this world that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.
Now, this is the fifth, sixth miracle. It’s been six weeks. And what I’m saying to my friend is this. Look, we’ve been reading the Bible together now six weeks, and the most important question you may ever ask yourself is this one. Who is Jesus for you?
And you have three choices. He’s a man, he’s a prophet, or he’s Lord and God. And that’s for me, the opportunity to ask him, who do you pick? What do you pick? But before I said, before you choose which of the three years, may I remind you that at that point, it might very well be a judgment upon you, because God has been revealing himself to you now for six weeks.
And you might be at a place to say, I want more proof. And if you do that, you might actually get blind. But it’s an opportunity for you now to answer about who Jesus is. And sometimes I prayed really hard and said, do you want to answer that question? And they said, oh, yeah, I’m ready.
I said, are you sure you’re ready? Said, I am ready. I’m like, you want to think twice about this? And he said, no, no, no, I’m ready. And hear them say, when we started reading the Bible for me, he was a man.
And then come to the healing, I thought, he’s a prophet. He sees in My heart. Now I’m convinced he’s actually God. And I said, well, then you’re selecting God. He said, yes.
I said, why then don’t you say now to this very God that you choose that Jesus is God and see him do a prayer often. He says, do I need to keep my eyes open or closed? I was like, whatever. It’s the first time you’re going to address God. And here he says, I choose Jesus to be God.
And boom, in front of your eyes, him being born again. I’ve done that so many times, my friend. It’s pure joy. And sometimes they will say, well, I need a bit more time. Which is okay, because the seventh miracle is again an opportunity for them to be led to Jesus.
It’s the miracle of Lazarus. We don’t have time to dig into this, but it’s this opportunity, this wonderful question that Jesus says, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet he shall live. Do you believe this? Verse 26.
Do you believe this? Yes, Lord. I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming to the world. Another last opportunity, seventh miracle for them to make a confession. I love the seven signs of John.
Why? Because as I’m leading people to Jesus, I’m reminded time and time again that I need to learn obedience in all what he says. That I need to trust him ever. If I can’t see the proof, that I need to receive healing from my sin, that I need to realize that when faced with impossible situation, it might very well be a test. That I need to abide in his complete sovereignty over my life, that I need to confess his lordship, which can very well lead me into more solitudes.
And that I need to wait for his deliverance, for I have life only in his name. Now, my son did the seven signs of John with his friend, who is 13 years old, and he had the privilege to lead him to Christ. 13 years old. I am convinced that if he can do it, you can do it too. And I beg you, pray for an opportunity to introduce Jesus to your friend.
May God bless you.
