Jesus Heals - "That we may Believe"

Introduction

Our passage for today is in the Book of John, beginning in Chapter 4, Verse 43.

I’m going to ask you to open to that passage, Gospel of John 4.43-54. In your bible, or the pew bible that is in front of you or on your phone.

Let stand together as we read this passage

John 4:43–54 ESV

43 After the two days he departed for Galilee. 44 (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast. 46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. 51 As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. 54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

In order to understand this section, one must think in terms of John’s purpose for the Gospel, which is that, “We may Believe.”

John 20:31 ESV

31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

— This passage illustrates the principle that Christ taught both Nicodemus and the woman of Samaria, that He has the power to grant eternal life to those who believe and trust in Him.

— The passage has three major themes:

(1) the fact of Christ’s life giving power,

(2) the nature of that power, and

(3) the language and human sense which communicates the fact of Christ’s life-giving power.

— This is clearly established by, His giving of life to one obviously at the point of death.

— Jesus is God!! He has the power to heal, even heal in at a distance.

— He can and does NOT have to be physically present to heal.

— This power is OURS… Let me say it again… THIS POWER IS OURS!

— This power is communicated by Faith alone, Faith in the word, that is able to change the vilest sinner, Faith, that we believe… even though we have not seen.

John 20:29 ESV

29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

— Faith, Faith,Faith… That make some people uncomfortable. I can see that.

— We as a culture are very FACT, FACT, FACT driven. We want to see ALL of the evidence AND then “WE” will come to our own conclusions.

— It’s been that way sense Jesus came into the world...

— There has always be a group or groups that have thought that FAITH in anything is weak, feeble and allows faithful people to have a crutch.

— I pray that we begin to see the world differently. That at least in our heads, we begin to see Faith and our Faith in action.

— The purpose… To show others that FAITH is a great space to live in.

Christ’s Life Giving Power

— This is clearly established by the nature of the miracles that Jesus performs.

— Yes it was turning water into wine.

— Changing the various science and elements in the water to change it into wine

— The multiple healings that he has performed

— Yes, it is this healing at a distance

Miracles, Signs and Wonders

— I believe that “Miracles, Signs and Wonders” happen every day in physician offices, hospitals, operating rooms around our world.

— The surgeons and the staff may not have any connection to God… But He has a connection to them!

— As long as we are on this side Heaven we see things in our ways, colored with our glasses… Often neglecting the truths that stare us right in the eye.

Let’s get to the passage! John 4.43-54.

Vs. 43-45 are introductory material to the main passage.

John 4:43–45 ESV

43 After the two days he departed for Galilee. 44 (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.

— Jesus departed for Galilee… evidently He was not as received well along the way, reminding us that it’s difficult to be a prophet in our own hometown.

— The Galileans through a party when Jesus was coming to town… They had seen The Christs’ working, healing, delivering.

Question #1 - Do we see Christ’s work in our lives and in our world?

— It’s a difficult question… Your first reaction here today is…

— Of course we do, we hear about collisions that could have been fatal and were not.

— Police officers that nearly sacrificed it all but the gun pointed at them didn’t fire.

— We know of health diagnosis that should have been fatal but were not.

— But do they increase or help us believe?

So… Do we take the easy road when we see these things happen? Or do we rightly attribute those to a work of God?

— Well, that’s a matter of your perspective. If you are connected by Faith to God, you see signs and miracles that should drive us all to the cross.

— If you are not a person of Faith, these circumstances and many more simply become… LUCK and CHANCE.

— I’m not giving up on Faith in Jesus, I’m not giving up on answered prayer, I’m not giving up on miraculous healing, I’m not giving up on the Holy Spirit, leading guiding and directing our lives.

— I’m NOT giving up on FAITH!!!

Let’s look at Verse 48

John 4:48 (TPT)

48 So Jesus said to him, “You [WE] never believe unless you [WE] see signs and wonders.”

— Jesus turns the heat a bit on “The Official.”

— Jesus tests the man’s faith while at the same time speaking to the larger group that was not doubt near.

— SO… let’s make that our second question

Question #2 - Do you [we] need to see signs, wonders and miracles to believe?

— So is this a deal that we can make with Jesus?

— You show me what you’ve got and then based on that… I might possibly consider believing you are?

— Will He trust us and work through our unbelief to build faith, and trust and action into our lives

— THE ANSWER IS CLEAR… YES, YES, YES.

Lord, God we confess our unbelief

— in who you are and what you have done. Jesus, please forgive us for our lack of Faith and Trust in You.

— There is NOT a follower of Christ who has NOT had doubts

— There is not a person on earth that can really answer these questions for you.

— YES, we can talk to someone about Christ until we are blue in the face… But we cannot give them faith and belief.

Romans 10:17 (ESV)

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

— And I’ll add Faith comes by being a participant in the Christian life

— And NOT just a observer of the Christian life.

— GET AFTER IT PEOPLE… WHEREVER YOU ARE ON THAT SPECTRUM OF FAITH… THE TIME IS COMING WHEN OUR FAITH WILL BE ALL THAT WE HAVE!

— Let’s look at verse’s 49 and 50

John 4:49–50 (ESV)

49 The official said to him, “Sir, [LORD] come down before my child dies.”

50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man BELIEVED the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.

— So let’s look at the elements of this really short interaction.

— This “official” we don’t know what position he held, or what power he had in this Roman world

— This man was desperate! His son was dying.

— Those of us with children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews would stop at NOTHING for our loved one to be made whole.

— Sometimes that “wholeness” is only achieved in Heaven.

— But NOT this time...

Listen to Vs. 51-54

John 4:51–54 (TPT)

51 When he was still a distance from Capernaum, his servants met him on the road and told him the good news, “Your son is healed! He’s alive!”

52 Overjoyed, the father asked his servants, “When did my son begin to recover?” “Yesterday,” they said, “at one in the afternoon. All at once his fever broke—and now he’s well!”

53 Then the father realized that it was at that very same hour that Jesus spoke the words to him, “Your son will live and not die.” So from that day forward, the man and all his family and servants believed.

54 This was Jesus’ SECOND EXTRA ORDINARY miracle in Galilee after coming from Judea.

— If you have ever sat next to a premature baby struggling to live

— If you have ever just heard your best friend has died

— If you have ever gotten “that diagnosis” that you know will likely lead to your death

— If you have gotten that panic call in the middle of night, when there has been a serious injury or death.

Jesus was thinking of you in the same way that he considers this Official’s son...

— With authority, Jesus tells this official, that his son will live.

— It’s a statement that only Jesus could make. He holds the keys to Heaven and Earth.

Don’t be mistaken...

— As some of our fellow believers are

— It is NOT a sign that you don’t have faith when people are ill,

— It’s not a sign of your weakness when your mother, brother, sister become ill or die

— Even Christians who believe in faith healing do not all believe that one's faith presently brings about the desired healing.

— Your faith does not effect your healing now.

When and how you are healed rests entirely on what the sovereign purposes of the Healer are.

— God is still in control, keep saying that over and over

— Sometimes ultimate “healing” is in fact death.

We all want those around us to live with us forever… I hope they do!

— But all will NOT!

— What can we do..?

— Well, here’s some options

#1 - Explore, test, find, accept your own faith in Christ. You will join the others who have also made that choice.

#2 - Let your faith, which is like water, fill you up to overflowing. Showing the world you live by faith and trust in God.

#3 - Be a ready vessel for others to tap into. To have you hold them up when there faith is faltering or weak.

— I’m sure that there are many more options on building your faith

— There are many circumstances that can build faith… I’ve just represented a few here.

SO…Here is the final thing that I want, listen carefully.

HOW HAS YOUR FAITH… OR THE FAITH OF SOMEONE ELSE TOWARDS YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE?

— For the rest of this year or how long the book of John take us, I want to hear and share stories to faith.

— This would go along with the stories of the miracles, signs and wonders that we see in our lives each day.

Let’s answer our questions from earlier

Question #1 - Do we see Christ’s work in our lives and in our world?

— Clearly, if we see faith the way it is intended we will see Christ’s handiwork all around us.

— We will see his protection his guidance and His disciple

Question #2 - Do you [we] need to see signs, wonders and miracles to believe?

— I hope that your faith, or the faith of others that you see around you would not require this.

— I’m not sure about that...

Let’s Pray