When Faith Becomes Sight

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Welcome to New Beginnings

Can we have a brief Finance Team Meeting after church today?

Dec 18th is our Caroling night and finger foods

INTRODUCTION

WHAT IS FAITH?

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Faith is a certainty that there are realities which we cannot see with our physical eyes

Faith is also the assurance that the things spoken to us will come to pass.

We have talked about faith quite a bit from the gospel of John and that is because this is the major theme of the book. And this certainly will not be the last time we see it.

There is no other doctrine more important for us than to understand what it means to believe. For if we fail to believe, nothing else really matters at all.

This story today is of a man who had insufficient faith, he comes to Jesus with a desperate need, Instead of giving him what he wants, Jesus gives him an opportunity to believe. The man does, goes his own way, and what he believes comes to pass and the man’s faith grows and consequently his entire household begins to trust in Jesus.

And just like it happened to that man, it happens today. Look with me in John 4:43

The kind of belief that falls short

John 4:43–45 NASB95

After the two days He went forth from there into Galilee. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves also went to the feast.

Explanation: Last time we were in the Gospel of John, Jesus was in Samaria with the woman at the well. He left from there and went back to Galilee where He is from.

Notice what Jesus said about his movement back to Galilee: “a prophet has no honor in his own country”

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but raised in Nazareth which a little town in the region of Galilee.

If we think back over the life of Jesus, He did not reveal His divine nature to the world until He was in His 30’s. Growing up, He was an ordinary boy just like everyone else with one exception: He never sinned.

So when this ordinary boy, whom the whole town has known and is familiar with their whole life begins this gospel ministry, they took offense that this little boy Jesus whom was nothing his entire life is now doing miracles claiming to be the Messiah.

And if you read the other three gospel accounts, that is what we see.

Matthew 13:57 “And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.””

But this verse says they welcomed Him. Why? Because they saw the miracles that He did in Jerusalem.

They witnessed Him turn water to wine. They believed that Jesus could do miraculous things, becuase they saw Him do miraculous things, and so they welcomed Him

But the point of all of this is to say that their reception of Jesus was not a genuine reception, but a welcome based upon His displays of power

John 2:23–24 “many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men…”

There Is a difference between receiving Jesus the miracle worker and receiving Jesus the Savior of the world

The Samaritans received Jesus as their Savior, the Galileans received Jesus as one who works wonders

To receive Jesus based upon His ability to do supernatural things in our life is a kind of faith or belief which is insufficient.

This kind of relationship is a transactional.

I pray and God you listen.

I ask you give.

I need you meet my need whether I need it or not.

Jesus here are my requests, here are my needs, meet my needs.

And if or when Jesus does not do what we expect, we become like the Galileans.

We believe only when miracles happen.

I once had a guy who came to me with a desire to follow Jesus (unnamed -Jeff Arena)

I had known this guy for many years, went ot church with him when I first became a Christian, he ended up falling away from the Lord and several years later contacted me wanting to follow the Lord again because he was having relationship problems.

I welcomed him, spent much time with him counseling, trying to disciple him, but it wasn’t hard to see that what he really wanted God to do was fix his relationship.

So this person came, played the religious game and when God did not fix his problems, he became bitter and eventually confessed that he no longer believed.

Now what was the problem? HE MERELY CAME FOR THE MIRACLE! He was only interested in what Jesus could do for him

That’s what I mean by transactional. One who is only interested in what Jesus can supernaturally do for them outside of forgiving their sins which is why Jesus came to earth!

We must be sure our relationship with Jesus or our view of Jesus is not about what He can do in our earthly lives.

Can the Lord give us a better life? Absolutely! And He often does

But seeing God this way is a kind of faith that falls short.

When God calls us to follow Him, it is a call to trust His plan for our lives, not get Him on board with our plans for our lives. The two are not the same

John 4:46–48 NASB95

Therefore He came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and was imploring Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.”

Explanation:

What we saw in the previous verses about the entire region of Galilee, we see here also in the example of one man: the royal official

A Royal Official was a person of royalty, probably from the court of King Herod. But tragedy came into his life through his son who was ill to the point of death.

The reason he came to Jesus was under the same pretense that the Galileans welcomed Jesus: they saw him do miraculous things.

So he does what any loving parent would do: he comes to the miracle worker and implores Him to come and heal his son.

And listen to the rebuke Jesus gives him: “unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe”

Now this seems harsh to us, but we must understand two things here:

Jesus knows this man’s heart. And He also knows this man’s faith is lacking what true faith is. He has merely come for the miracle, nothing more.

Jesus knows his greater need is to have his sins forgiven and that can only happen through a saving faith.

Jesus healed people, and did many miracles, but this was to fulfill Scripture and let the world know that He truly is the Son of God

But this rebuke also contains a principle for us: Seeing is not required to truly believe

Look again at what Jesus says, “unless you people see signs and wonders you simply will not believe”

In fact, seeing and believing are two different things (as we will see)

We may even be tempted to think if we could actually see the person of Jesus, the miracles of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus then we would have tremendous faith, but that’s not true.

The Pharisees saw Jesus heal the lame, the blind, raise Lazarus from the dead and never believed

Judas saw Jesus do many miracles and never truly believed.

Why is that?

Because believing is not a matter of the eyes, but a matter of the heart.

The belief that Jesus desires is not an intellectual belief that Jesus is real and Jesus is able. That is what the Galileans had, that is what this man had, and that is what miracle seekers have.

It is to believe God is able, to believe God exists, to believe God is real, works miracles, and so on.

But to believe with one’s heart is a matter of trust. It is to trust God with our entire lives, our future, our everything

Let’s think about something we see but do not trust.

This is not the best illustration but here it goes

My family goes to the fair every year. And Bailey always wants to ride those big rides. But not me. I didn’t like them when I was young, and I definitely do not like them now.

I saw Austin ride the cyclops one year, guy sat next to him flat passed out was unconscious for most of the ride. I ain’t riding anything bigger than the tugboat.

Anyways I see them big rides and people get on them and always come back off perfectly fine. I have never seen anyone get hurt or fall off ever! Yet I still am not not putting myself in that seat and entrusting myself to that ride.

That’s what it is like to see Jesus with our eyes, know He is real, yet not trust him with our lives. We’ve even seen others do it, yet we are not willing to go that far. And that is where this Royal Official was at this point.

And maybe that’s you. You are there, believing yes, but trusting no.

You are afraid to do what you know God wants you to do because you fear the outcome.

You’re afraid to go all in because it is a huge risk and what if God does not come through for you.

We will not have God any other way. If we do not trust Him when there are risks to the very life we possess then our faith is insufficient.

The faith that saves

John 4:49–50 NASB95

The royal official said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off.

Explanation: It’s very interesting to me that even though Jesus answered the man’s first request with a rebuke, after a second request, Jesus gave Him a command to obey.

And this is important for us to understand because this is an opportunity God gives to this man to believe and trust HIm!

He did not do what the man was asking. The man asked for Jesus to come down to heal the boy. Instead of doing what the man asked, he gave the man a command to believe and obey.

“The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off”

Now this doesn’t seem like a very big deal, but if we think about what is going on here it is:

This man’s son is going to die. Every miracle that Jesus has done up to this point has been in person. Jesus has touched, or been present to command miracles to take place. And that is certainly what this man expected here Which is why he was asking Jesus to come to the boy.

To simply leave Jesus and walk away took a great amount of trust that what he said would be true.

Truth: This is such a great example of how salvation happens

When a person comes to Jesus, whether seeking help or because of conviction of sin, receives a command from God, BELIEVES what He tells him and then obeys.

I want to make three points of application from these verses.

Application:

1) Every person that seeks Jesus receives this opportunity

God in His Sovereign grace reaches down into our lives and provides opportunities to take Jesus at His Word

It may be the proclamation of the gospel and we realize we are sinners in need of forgiveness.

Sometimes this is simply reading His Word and obeying it. This is one of the first times God ever spoke to me that I knew God was speaking to me.

Sometimes it is hearing a sermon and knowing that God is speaking through the preaching of His Word to us and calling us to obey it.

Sometimes it is circumstances we find ourselves in when God says to us in that moment are you going to obey what you know to do and trust me or are you going to do what you think is best.

We cannot come to Jesus, until you have been given the right hand to Jesus. You cannot come to Christ until the Father who sent Him draws you!

And the way that He draws us is an opportunity to believe Him and trust Him!

2) Believing is the biblical prescription for becoming a Christian. This is how people are saved. It is God’s plan to salvation, always has been always will be.

In the OT, in the NT, God requires man to trust Him before He will have the righteousness of God.

Genesis 15:6 NASB95

Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

You do not need to know all the biblical doctrines in Scripture to be saved.

You don’t even have to be in a church, or at the alter to be saved.

Salvation happens when you believe God way deep down inside the heart in such a way that your direction in life changes.

Remember To believe means to trust. And trust always results in action!

“This man took him at His word, and started off”

There is not a soul in here that was not at one time living contrary to God’s will. And you may be right now. If you believe the words of God, then friend you turn from that life and begin to obey what God says!

Believing is obeying even if it goes against human understanding

The faith that saves is the faith that trusts God without any evidence of His action! True faith does not need results! It does not need evidence! It does not need an answered prayer to continue trusting God, it trusts God because it comes from God and that is enough!

And isn’t God trustworthy? Does God tell us that He can never lie? Has God written the Word from beginning to end and proven to the world that His prophecies concerning the future are trustworthy! Has God ever promised anyone anything that did not come to pass?!

This is what faith is. It is standing on the promises of God regardless of any evidence. And that is the only faith that saves.

And that is the only kind of faith that pleases God.

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

The Power of Believing

John 4:51–54 NASB95

As he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was living. So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives”; and he himself believed and his whole household. This is again a second sign that Jesus performed when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

Explanation:

The power of believing

Here the man comes to Jesus, seeking Jesus for help as so many do today. Instead of giving him what he asked for, he gave him a commandment o believe and obey. The believed and obeys and started off home having that conviction of things not seen.

On his ways home, his servants met him and reported that his son was ok and after digging a little deeper found out the boy was healed the moment Jesus said he would be healed.

“And he himself believed and his whole household”

Now this is not the man’s initial faith in Jesus. John will use the same word for the disciples throughout the gospel to demonstrate a deepening of their faith, not the initial belief.

What this man saw as a result of his trust and obedience was the power of believing: what Jesus said would happen, happened.

Faith often produces tangible results

What this man experienced is what we also experience when we trust God until the end.

That is what God says, we do and we do not look back regardless of the obstacles.

And I am telling you, when you believe God, and then your faith becomes sight.

People talk about when we die faith becomes sight, when you live by faith in this life, your faith become sight of you do not give up!

And once you have experienced this your faith will never be the same!

You will develop the kind of faith that moves mountains

You will be able to encourage others to stick it out because you know God will come through for them!

Your faith will become contagious and others will begin to follow suit

Because of this man’s faith, his whole household believed

What was it that caused them to believe?

It wasn’t so much that the boy was healed. But it was that the boy was healed at the exact time Jesus said, “go, your son lives”

It was this heard and then saw that caused his family to believe

There is no greater duty that parents have in this life than bringing the people in your own household to Jesus

They are the foremost and greatest discipleship responsibilities that we have, especially while they are living under our roof

If we do not walk by faith, should we really expect them to?

If we do not take Jesus at His word, should we really expect them to?

CONCLUSION

If you were to take your life and hold it up next to this man’s life, where would you be?

Are you here still seeking Jesus? Looking for a miracle? Begin to listen for word from God to trust and obey.

Have you heard a word from God but have yet to trust Him deeply in that? I promise you on the authority of the Word of God, He will do what He says He will do and He will work all things together for good for those that love Him.

Have you trusted but are still waiting for faith to become sight? Do not give up! If you give up, you will miss the great opportunity when you faith becomes sight.

Maybe you have heard, trusted, seen, and are influencing others to do the same

There is not much of a better example to point people to Jesus. People can have great gifts, people can have great courage, people can have great knowledge, but great faith is so rare. Stand as long as it depends upon you, continue to stand.

~PRAYER~