Outline
I. “Show Me a Sign and I’ll Believe” — The Lie Behind the Demand
The skeptic who says God need only reveal Himself is not honest but hardened; God has already spoken through creation, His Word, and His Son, and the heart that wants a sign has already suppressed the truth it was given.
II. The Light Shines, the Darkness Refuses It
John’s whole Gospel warns that Jesus, the fullest revelation of God, would be rejected even by His own. The temple confrontation becomes the first explicit case study in seeing the glory of God and turning away.
III. They Sensed the Messiah — and Asked for Proof Anyway
No one stopped Jesus, no one defended the market, and they knew the prophets pointed here; the messianic fingerprints were all over the cleansing. Their demand for a sign was not a search for truth but a mask for unbelief.
IV. Wounded Pride Dressed Up as Authority
Beneath the hard hearts lay something harder still: an elitist self-righteousness insulted that the Messiah did not come through them. “By what authority?” was never about evidence — it was about who gets to confer it.
V. The Sign of Signs They Would Still Reject
“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Jesus points past brick and mortar to His own crucified and risen body — the resurrection, the sign of Jonah — and yet He knows even an empty tomb will not crack a heart set against the truth.
VI. Two Kinds of Belief — and Only One Saves
The crowds “believed” in the miracle worker; the disciples believed in the Word made flesh. Jesus would not entrust Himself to admirers of His power, for He knew what was in their hearts.
VII. Not a Sign, But a New Heart — You Must Be Born Again
The missing piece is not better evidence but a transformed heart. Faith that secures eternal life is not amazement at signs but surrender to Jesus as crucified Savior and risen Lord — and that faith is the Spirit’s gift, a heart of stone made flesh.
Bottom line:No sign can open a blind eye — only the new birth can; the demand for proof is not the absence of evidence but the evidence of a heart that must be made new.
Scripture Reading
John chapter 2, and this morning we’re going to be looking especially at verses 18 through verse 25. But I want to begin reading at verse 13 and read through verse 25, the end of the chapter. So once again, listen now to the reading of God’s holy word. John chapter 2 at verse 13.
Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And he found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When he had made a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And he said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away. Do not make my Father’s house a house of merchandise.” Then his disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house has eaten me up.”
So the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign do you show to us, since you do these things?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken 46 years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body. Therefore, when he had risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this to them, and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.
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. But Jesus did not commit himself to them, because he knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for he knew what was in man.
Opening Prayer
Let’s read the Lord’s blessing on this, his word.
O gracious God in heaven, we do praise you and thank you, Lord, for your word. We know that your word is truth, that it is our only infallible rule for faith and life. And as we come to this passage this morning, we pray for your Spirit to give us understanding and insight, to see the truth that is here, to be able to apply it to our hearts. And we do pray that as your word goes forth in the power of the Spirit, that it would truly find in each and every one of our hearts that rich and fertile soil that brings about great and abundant fruit for your glory. We ask now for your blessing upon your word. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Introduction: “Show Me a Sign and I’ll Believe”
If God truly exists, why doesn’t He just reveal Himself so that everyone can then believe? Why doesn’t God just give us a sign that He’s truly there? In fact, if God gave us a sign, if He just revealed Himself in some mighty way, I would then believe.
These are the common challenges that self-proclaimed atheists and skeptics set forth in public debate and dialogue. They think that if God exists, why doesn’t he just show himself, and then they would believe if he showed himself.
Now I’m going to tell you though, if you ever hear someone say that, do not be fooled. Straight up, without sugarcoating it, they’re lying. They’re lying. They will not believe whether God reveals Himself or not. They will not believe, you see, because they haven’t believed already. Because God has already revealed Himself.
He’s revealed Himself through:
- the created world
- His Word
- and most especially, His Son, Jesus
He’s made these revelations, but they’ve actively suppressed the truth of that revelation. And they’ve exchanged it for a lie, choosing rather to worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator.
And of course, remember that this is what the Apostle Paul addresses so clearly in Romans chapter one, that God has revealed himself, and yet man in his sinful state rejects and suppresses the truth of that revelation. In fact, the more that’s revealed to someone, the more they’re held accountable for what’s been shown to them and what they’ve rejected. Thus, as Paul says, God will then give them over to corruption and to a debased mind.
And so when you see the atheist or the skeptic on social media or elsewhere setting forth these challenges, it’s nothing new. They’re simply revealing the hardness of their hearts.
The Light Shines, the Darkness Refuses It
Now the Apostle John in his gospel account has already indicated the reality of this rejection of truth, even though it’s been plainly revealed. We think back to his prologue in chapter 1, where John, speaking of Jesus, says, the Word of God and the light that comes into the world. In verse 5, he says,
And the light shines in the darkness.
But what? The darkness did not comprehend it. It did not receive it, did not understand it. And then later in chapter 10, he says — or verse 10, he says,
He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own did not receive him.
Jesus, the fullest of God’s revelation, would be rejected even though his power and glory were revealed, even to his own people.
Well, in our passage this morning, in John chapter 2, we come to the first explicit example of this rejection, as the religious leaders approach Jesus after He has cleansed the temple. And they demand that He provide a sign, or that He provide proof that He has the authority to do these things. But Jesus refuses to play their game, because He knows what’s in the heart of man. He knows that their request for a sign is simply evidence of their unbelief and their spiritual blindness.
And so this then becomes a warning, even for us today and for those around us, that true faith isn’t based on the revelation of signs, but true faith comes forth from a heart that’s been truly changed and transformed by the Spirit of the living God.
They Sensed the Messiah — and Asked for Proof Anyway
So in verse 18, you see, the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign do you show to us, since you do these things?”
Now, as the religious leaders contemplated Jesus’ actions in cleansing the temple, ironically, there’s one thing that seems to be clear. There seems to be at least some acknowledgement that this action they just witnessed was messianic. That is, at the very least, they seriously considered that this actually might be a sign of the arrival of the Messiah.
Now, as we considered last time, they easily could make this connection to Malachi chapter 3, which again foretells the coming of the Messiah. In verses 1 and 2,
And the Lord, whom ye will seek, will suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, in whom ye delight. Behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts, but who can endure the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears?
Malachi goes on to declare that this sudden appearance of the Messiah will come forcefully, as a refiner’s fire, to purge of uncleanliness, even to purify the sons of Levi, that is the priesthood. And so when Jesus — who, again, likely the religious leaders had never met or interacted with before — when he comes in and he starts flipping tables and chasing merchants and animals outside of the temple courts, this all likely rang a little bell in their head.
But how do we know that they made this connection?
First: No One Intervened
Well, first, it’s interesting that Jesus does this and no one intervened. No one tried to stop him. No one tried to stop Jesus from doing what he was doing. Now, and if you think about it, this is just one man. And there’s, you know, there’s crowds, there’s hundreds of people filling these courts in the temple, because they’re all there for the Passover celebration. But here’s just this one man. We know that the disciples weren’t involved. It was just Jesus and his whip against all these others.
But the merchants, the money changers, they didn’t resist. The religious leaders didn’t resist. The temple police, who had the duty to maintain peace in the temple, they’re nowhere to be found. No one stopped Jesus. Why? Well, given the reaction of the religious leaders, it seems that though it was just Jesus, it was Jesus equipped with a clear demonstration of the power of God.
And we see this on a few other occasions. For example, in Luke chapter 4, Jesus is rejected in his hometown of Nazareth. And remember that the crowd got so enraged at him that they drive him and they push him to the edge of a cliff as if they’re going to throw him off. But then suddenly, Jesus just passes right through the crowd unharmed. It was the power of God that prevented them from harming Jesus and pushing Him over that cliff.
Later in John 18, we have the soldiers come to the Garden of Gethsemane in the middle of the night, and Jesus declares — they say, you know, “We’re looking for Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus says, “I am He.” He just speaks, “I am He.” And what happens? The soldiers are compelled to step back, and they fall on the ground. Jesus just spoke, and they fell on the ground.
See, these are demonstrations of God’s power present with Jesus. And it’s likely that this is the power at work that was with him when he’s there cleansing the temple. And it kept people from stopping him.
Second: No Objection
But not only did the religious leaders not resist Jesus’ action, they also, interestingly enough, don’t raise any objections to what he did. That is, they didn’t complain about it, as we might have expected. They could have even said, “Well, how dare you do this? This was for the people. It was a convenience that we set up, because it helped the people who were traveling.”
But there’s no justification or argument that they make for the lawful presence of the markets, of the merchandisers, and of the money changers. There’s no justification for their lawful presence, because there was no justification. It wasn’t lawful.
In fact, their silence on this may indicate their own culpability in the defilement of the temple. You see, they knew it wasn’t the proper use of God’s house. They knew it was just the type of thing that the Messiah would purge. And yet, they allowed it. But then they don’t defend it, because it was really indefensible.
Third: They Knew the Prophets
And thirdly, in connection with what we’ve already mentioned, they knew the prophets. And especially given the messianic fervor of the time, they should have expected this, and they should have been prepared for it, by purging and cleansing themselves. And again, this was the whole message of John the Baptist, which they — especially, they went out to investigate John. They heard his message. They heard what he was saying. So they knew these things.
And yet their hearts were already hardened and set in unbelief. They were blinded to the truth. And so when the reality was set there right before them, they didn’t see it. Now, the proper response would have been for them to come clean, to humble themselves, to confess their sin and repent of corrupting God’s house. But instead, they foolishly ask for a sign — a sign that even if it was given, they would refuse to believe.
Wounded Pride Dressed Up as Authority
Now, it may be challenging for us to understand. How could they see the messianic hands all over this temple cleansing and yet not accept Jesus as the Messiah? Well, you see, this reveals not only were their hearts hardened in unbelief, but those hard hearts were cemented by an intense pride and self-righteousness.
As with the rejection of John the Baptist, it seems as though they were insulted. You see, because if Jesus was truly Messiah, well then he should have been revealed to them first. He should have gone to them and revealed himself. Because you see, they were the appointed religious leaders. They were the appointed teachers of Israel. They were entrusted with spiritual oversight over the worship and all things related to the temple and the religion. And at this point, they don’t even know where Jesus had come from. But they know one thing for certain. He was not one of them.
Now we know this pride and arrogance of the scribes and Pharisees persist, not only with Jesus, but also the disciples and the apostles, as they continuously mock them for being uneducated men — which basically meant they weren’t educated by us. They didn’t go to our schools. What gives them the right and the authority to go and to be teaching in the temple? That’s the real insult for them. It’s an assault on their pride and their self-righteousness.
And this is why they now raise the question that they do about the signs. They want a sign to prove — for Jesus to prove — that He has the authority to do what He did. Again, they don’t question what Jesus did, but they essentially want to know: By what authority do you do these things? Because it’s not from us. And we think we’re the only ones that can give authority.
They want Jesus to believe that if he would just show them a sign, well, then they would go ahead and — okay, you show us a sign. Well, we can now, as the elitists, we can confirm your authority. And we can believe you and accept you as the Messiah. That’s what they wanted Jesus to think.
But we know this is a farce. They won’t believe even if Jesus shows them a sign, because he just showed them a sign. And they didn’t believe.
Now, this will continue to be an ongoing issue between Jesus and the religious leaders throughout His public ministry. They repeatedly will ask Him for a sign. And at one point, they even directly ask, “By what authority do you do these things?” That’s getting to the heart of the matter. But Jesus refuses to play along. Because whenever He does a miracle, it’s a sign. And there were many of these miracles that Jesus did. And it was right before the very eyes of these religious leaders. So they can’t deny it. And there were times when they said, “Well, this man was healed. We can’t deny that he’s been healed. Something has happened.” But they still rejected Jesus.
The Sign Seekers of Today
And so it is with the many sign seekers today. Think about it. Even if God bowed himself to their demands and gave them a sign, or clearly revealed himself in some way, they still wouldn’t believe.
- They wouldn’t believe because they refused to acknowledge the evidence of God’s self-revelation in the created world. Instead, they drum up theories about big explosions and life evolving from non-life through a series of random chance accidents over billions of years.
- They wouldn’t believe any signs because they reject the revelation of God’s Word. They ascribe God’s Word to being just the mere words of men who basically were out to lie and deceive. And they find contradictions where there are no contradictions. And they criticize long-held biblical interpretive presuppositions about the text of Scripture, while very hypocritically using their own corrupt interpretive presuppositions to do so. They talk about, “Well, this is — you’re imposing the dogma.” Well, they’re imposing their own dogma of unbelief onto the Scriptures.
- And so they wouldn’t believe any signs because they don’t even acknowledge the clear evidence of the power of the gospel that works to transform the lives of the people around them.
They’ve closed themselves off from all these witnesses. They’ve hardened their hearts against truth, so they won’t believe a sign even if they saw it with their own eyes.
The Sign of Signs They Would Still Reject
Now Jesus, knowing these things, doesn’t meet their demand. Indeed, Jesus doesn’t do signs on demand at all. He certainly won’t do it for the hard-hearted ones who won’t believe anyway. But Jesus does respond. And He responds with what appears as a simple statement. But it’s actually profound revelation, pointing to a coming sign that will in fact be the sign of signs. And yet, even this we know, they will soundly reject. Verse 19, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
Now the response of the scribes and Pharisees is to focus on the building of the temple. And certainly as we first read this, we might make the same connection. And if so, think about that for a moment. What a great sign that would be, right? An undeniable one. If they went and they tore down the temple and they say, “Okay, Jesus, build it, raise it up in three days” — that would have been an incredible sign.
And yet we don’t see those who’ve asked for the sign running to tear down the temple to see if Jesus would actually raise it up in three days. They were the ones who asked for a sign. Jesus is here giving them an opportunity, but they don’t take it. It’s too risky. They assert it took 46 years to build this temple, and you think you can raise it up in three days? That’s preposterous.
You see, their hard hearts are already beginning to shine through. They’re not really interested in seeking the truth, because if they really wanted to know, they could have put Jesus to the test.
How They Twisted His Words
Well, as we’ll see, they not only misunderstand what it was that Jesus was talking about, but they actually will go on to take great offense about this and what he said. In fact, Jesus’ words here and his challenge to them seem to really burn in their hearts for a long time after this. Eventually, they’re going to twist his words and what he says here, and they’re going to take them as a thread of an attack on the temple. And of course, we know an attack on the temple was seen as an attack on God himself, since the temple was God’s dwelling place. And they would bring this up as a charge against Jesus three years later at his trial. But again, they’re going to twist His words to do so.
Note carefully that Jesus says here, “Destroy this temple” — or literally, it’s you, plural, “y’all, destroy this temple. And in three days, I will raise it up.” But what do they say at His trial? The charge becomes, in Matthew 26,
This fellow said, “I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.”
That’s not what Jesus said. They claim that Jesus said He would destroy the temple, and yet this distortion of Jesus’ words persists. Even as Jesus is hanging on the cross, people passing by mocking Him and blaspheming Him, as they ascribe this claim to Him. But it doesn’t disappear when Jesus dies. Several years later, after Jesus’ death, it was repeated at the trial of Stephen before the Sanhedrin. In Acts chapter six,
For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, and change the customs which Moses allowed us — or delivered to us.
They couldn’t just — they couldn’t let it go. Even though they distort it, Jesus’ words seemed to plague them and kind of live rent free in their heads for many, many years. But so hardened in their hearts were they, that they were focused on the wrong thing.
The Temple of His Body
Jesus wasn’t speaking about the temple building, the brick and mortar building. He was speaking about himself — verse 21, but he was speaking of the temple of his body.
Now, friends, again, we know that the Apostle John has already been preparing us for this, declaring that Jesus was the Word of God that was God, and that became flesh and dwelt — or literally, tabernacled — among us. And since the temple was regarded as the dwelling place of God, well, how much so were so the Son of God? And Paul affirms this in Colossians 2,
For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
Christ was the true temple of the Lord, the true dwelling place of God. And we can see clues of this in what Jesus said. Again, he said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Jesus was clearly using figurative speech with a double meaning:
| Word | Of a building | Of a body |
|---|---|---|
| “destroy” | loosing key parts of a building, that if you loose those, everything will collapse | the destruction of a body |
| “I will raise it up” | the raising up of a building | resuscitating and raising up a person |
Now we shouldn’t be surprised by this, because Jesus does it all the time, especially in the Gospel of John. Jesus says:
- that he is the gate, or that he is the door
- that he is the bread of life
- that he is the good shepherd
- and he tells his people to eat his flesh and drink his blood
See, these are all figures of speech, and not to be taken literally. Indeed, all the parables that Jesus teaches are all built around this kind of word pictures, or spiritual representations and symbolization.
So what Jesus is truly saying is, if they, the religious leaders, would destroy this temple that is his body — which we know they will do when they crucify him — if they destroy his body, he will raise it up on the third day. And this he did. Jesus is speaking of his resurrection from the dead.
The Sign of Jonah
And it’s Jesus’ resurrection that truly is the sign of signs. The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 1 that Jesus was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. The resurrection is the critical sign that Jesus will give, revealing most fully who he is.
And he reaffirms this later, when the Jews again ask him for a sign, and he responds in Matthew 12,
An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
The sign of Jonah is the sign of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
And yet Jesus knows, even at this point, that when given this sign of signs, these hard-hearted ones still will not believe. And He even illustrates this in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke chapter 16. Remember how the rich man pleads to Abraham to let Lazarus go to his brothers, to warn his brothers of the coming judgment? Because he thinks, “Look, if someone rise from the dead and tells them and warns them, they’re going to believe.” But Abraham says no. Abraham replies,
If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded that one has risen from the dead.
As with the religious leaders here, God has already revealed the truth about the Messiah. And this latest action of cleansing the temple is a clear indication. But they refuse to listen, and they will not believe.
Two Kinds of Belief — and Only One Saves
And it’s this very truth that the Apostle John highlights as he closes out this episode.
The Disciples Believed the Word (Verse 22)
First, he comments on the impact of these things on the disciples. Verse 22:
Therefore, when he had risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this to them, and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.
Now, the disciples at this time didn’t understand what Jesus meant either. In fact, we know that later, as they continue to follow Jesus — and Jesus especially as he begins to talk about his coming death and resurrection — they don’t understand, and they can’t figure out why he keeps talking about this. They don’t understand it. But when it did happen, and they all were witnesses to the resurrection, they then remembered these words that Jesus spoke to the religious leaders here at the beginning of his ministry. They remembered and understood, and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus said.
Now, there’s two things that we should note about this.
First, what Scripture did they believe? Jesus hasn’t referred to any Scripture in relation to this. Well, it likely means that they understood and believed what the Old Testament Scriptures taught about the resurrection of the Messiah. Passages, for example, like Psalm 16, verse 10,
For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption.
It also meant that they believe things like the sign of the prophet Jonah, where Jonah’s experience in the belly of the fish pictures Christ’s death. And then when Jonah is spit out of the great fish, Jesus, in essence, would be spit out of the grave on the third day. And so that’s the Scripture that they believe. They believe the Scriptures, how they speak about the resurrection.
But the second thing to note here is that they believe the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said. So they believe both, thus putting both on the same level. Jesus’ word is equated with the Scripture. Again, there’s no surprise to us, as John has prepared us for this in declaring Jesus to be the Word who was with God, who was God, and who became flesh and dwelt among us. Believing the Word is believing the Scriptures, and vice versa.
But the faith of these disciples expressed here, we know, was true — except for Judas, of course. They believed. They saw the signs and miracles, and they believed and understood what Jesus had said, and they believed it was the Word of God. Their faith was true.
Many “Believed” — but Jesus Did Not Commit Himself (Verses 23–25)
But John begins now to make a transition in verse 23, really preparing us for what comes next.
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. But Jesus did not commit himself to them, because he knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for he knew what was in man.
Now, if we just read verse 23, we may think, “Wow, this is great.” Jesus goes as he’s there in Jerusalem for the feast, he’s performing lots of miracles. And look, many people are believing in his name. What a wonderful thing. That’s what we want to happen. They’re believing because of the signs that he does.
But this might cause us to think about — well, wait a minute. Maybe we were wrong. Maybe we were wrong earlier. Maybe sign seekers can believe after seeing a sign.
The key question that we need to ask is, what exactly were they believing? Were they truly believing in Jesus, in the Scripture and the word that he spoke, as the disciples did? Or were they believing in the miracles, and in Jesus merely as a miracle worker? For many, the latter would be the case. And Jesus will even call them out after the feeding of the 5,000. He says in John 6,
Most assuredly I say to you, you seek me not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life.
You see, they believed because of the material benefits that it brought them — being healed of sickness and disease, and being filled with bread. But they weren’t believing for everlasting life. Because of this, John says, Jesus didn’t commit himself to them. That is, he didn’t believe them. He didn’t trust them, because he knew them. That is, he knew their hearts, and the belief or the unbelief that they contained.
And so though we read here that many believe in his name, the reality was that many of those — and certainly there may have been some true believers, but many of those — didn’t believe in him as their Lord and Savior. They looked at Jesus as a miracle worker. What’s the difference? You may wonder. Isn’t faith, faith? Isn’t belief, belief?
No. Believing in Jesus because he can work miracles is not the same as believing in Jesus because he is the Son of God who came to save you from your sins:
| Believing in Jesus as… | The nature of that belief |
|---|---|
| A miracle worker | For the material benefits — healing, bread; the demons believe and tremble; not for everlasting life |
| The Son of God who came to save you from your sins | True, saving faith — believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior |
And James makes this point clear — the Apostle James, in James chapter two, he says,
You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe, and they tremble.
Friends, there are many who claim to believe in Jesus. Many who even cry out, “Lord, Lord.” Many who even do great works in his name. And yet he will declare on that last great day, “I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.”
Conclusion: Not a Sign, But a New Heart — You Must Be Born Again
So what’s the difference? If believing in the signs aren’t enough, what else is needed? Again, John is really setting us up here for what’s to come in chapter 3. Because in chapter 3, Jesus will reveal the key part of faith that’s missing here in chapter 2 with the crowds. Chapter 3, verse 3, Jesus declares,
Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Beloved of God, believing in signs and miracles isn’t enough to secure eternal life. You must be born again. You must have your heart changed and transformed by the Holy Spirit, changed from a cold dead heart of stone to a new living heart of flesh.
You must believe — not only in the name of Jesus, the miracle worker — but in the name of Jesus, the Son of God; in the name of Jesus, the Lord of your life; in the name of Jesus, who gave Himself up on the cross and endured the wrath and curse of God for your sins, dying in your place, so that you might be saved from eternal condemnation and given the gift of eternal life, to the glory of God alone.
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray.
O gracious God and heavenly Father, we do praise you and thank you for this important truth that we have seen before us. Because we know that there are many who make these kinds of statements, that if only God — if only you would reveal yourself, there was just a sign, and they would believe. And even there are many who call upon your name, who seek after signs, and yet their hearts are far from you. And we know that they may seek these signs, and even when the sign is given — as you have given, revealing yourself through creation, through your word, and through your Son, Jesus Christ — they still do not believe. They suppress the truth, and they exchange it for a lie.
And yet, Father, we know that your sovereign hand rules ultimately over the hearts of men. And certainly there have been some who’ve been sign seekers, who’ve been hardened in unbelief, and yet you have softened their hearts and drawn them to yourself. And they believe because they’ve been born again by the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through them.
And so, Father, we pray that you would pour out your Spirit in this way, in a mighty way, even in our midst, as we would strive to be faithful witnesses, as we would interact with these who are hardened in their unbelief and who demand signs. But we pray that as we give them and present to them the gospel truth, that they would see with the eyes of faith and not by sight, the true glory of your presence, the true glory of Christ and all that he has accomplished for us — the forgiveness of sins and the salvation that we have, and the sure and certain hope of eternal life secured for us — all to the praise of your glorious name.
And Father, we do pray that for each and every one of us here, that your Spirit would impress these truths upon each and every one of our hearts, drawing each of us close to you, that we are truly praised and glorify your name in spirit and truth. We ask for your blessing in these things. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.