Check The Record - New

John 4:43–54 “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. 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.” 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. 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.”

CHECK THE RECORD

My brothers and sisters, before we go any further, we must first define faith.

The Amplified Translation teaches us this way:

“Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), being the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality—faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses.”

A title deed serves as proof of ownership. You may not be standing on the land yet, but if you possess the deed, the property is legally yours.

In other words, faith is my proof of ownership of what God has already divinely guaranteed to manifest in my life based upon how much I truly trust Him.

Faith is not belief without proof; faith is trust without reservation.

Faith is constant, unbroken trust and dependence upon God. It is unwavering belief without selfish or unethical motive. We do not put our faith in Jesus because it is a chore. We believe in Him because His Word is Truth.

The Apostle John bears witness to this truth when he writes:

“The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us… full of grace and truth.”

Jesus Himself declares in John 14:6:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

The fact of the matter is that Truth, who is the Christ, IS the Gospel we preach.

Truth wrapped Himself in flesh, stepped into human history, and gave us a gift—the gift of faith.

Now here’s the reality about faith.

You cannot smell faith. You cannot taste faith. You cannot touch faith. And you surely cannot see faith.

The only physical sense used to obtain faith is our hearing.

For the Bible says:

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

In other words, when we hear the Gospel, we are enabled to trust in Him.

The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8:

“For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”

SOMEBODY SHOUT CHECK THE RECORD!

Jesus did not save us because He had to. He saved us because He wanted to.

And sometimes we forget the magnitude of that sacrifice. When we forget what God has done, we begin to misplace our faith.

The things—the what, the when, and the where in which we place our faith—compared to WHO we place our faith in says a lot about our character.

It exposes our idols. It reveals our high places. It uncovers the things we have placed on pedestals.

The things we have made god in our lives.

And when we place our trust in those things instead of the true and living God, we demonstrate a lack of faith in Him.

But here is the Gospel truth:

God created us in His image. Sin corrupted us through the flesh. Jesus restores us by the Spirit. And our response ought to be worship through faith.

SOMEBODY SHOUT CHECK THE RECORD!

God does not reward arrogance. God does not reward us trying to rush Him.

But God does reward submission, obedience, and diligence in seeking Him.

Now the text for our learning today really begins in the second chapter of John’s Gospel.

Jesus performs His first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee, turning water into wine. This is the first of seven miraculous signs recorded in John’s Gospel. It is there that Jesus first reveals His glory, and the Bible says His disciples believed in Him.

After the wedding, Jesus goes down to Jerusalem for Passover.

While there, He enters the temple courtyard and begins to cleanse the temple. He drives out the oxen, the sheep, the doves, and He flips over the tables of the money changers.

In other words, He sets order in His Father’s house.

And isn’t it interesting how we want God to show up in our lives, but we haven’t cleaned up our own houses—let alone His house.

Jesus declared:

“My house shall be called a house of prayer.”

Many began to believe in Him because they saw His miracles. But they believed after seeing the signs, not before.

And how often do we find ourselves in the same position—basing our faith on what we can see?

The Jews did not have genuine saving faith in Jesus. Their belief was temporary and dependent upon what their eyes could observe.

But what happens when faith must be grounded in our ears and not our eyes?

The Bible reminds us:

“Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Nobody had to tell Jesus about human nature. He already knew what was in their hearts.

So the question becomes:

If God examined us today, would He find our faith to be genuine?

Would it be artificial?

Would He find us completely dependent on Him?

The scripture says:

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.”

And when you’ve truly trusted Him with all your heart, there is no room left for doubt.

Because when you examine God’s record, you discover that He has never failed. He Never Sleeps, He Never Slumbers, He Never Lies, He doesn’t hang me up for my mess ups, He doesn’t throw me out when I try to kick Him out of my life, He’s always trying to get a hold of my problems. I wish I had a witness today that could say, “When I think of the Goodness of Jesus!

Jesus leaves Judea and travels back toward Galilee. On His journey He passes through Samaria and arrives at a town called Sychar.

There He encounters a Samaritan woman at the well.

Jesus ministers to her, reveals His divine identity, and she runs back into the city declaring she may have encountered the Messiah.

Because of her testimony, many Samaritans came to see Jesus.

But watch what happens.

They ask Him to stay with them.

They wanted to remain in His presence.

And brothers and sisters, you would be surprised how much can change when you choose to remain in the presence of the Lord.

The whole town begins to believe in Jesus.

And after hearing Him for themselves, they say:

“Now we believe—not because of what the woman said—but because we have heard Him ourselves.”

There is something powerful about getting a Word from God for yourself.

His Word reminds me:

“No weapon formed against me shall prosper.”

His Word reminds me:

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.”

His Word reminds me:

“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, for His compassions fail not. They are new every morning—great is Thy faithfulness.”

SOMEBODY SHOUT CHECK THE RECORD!

Jesus leaves Samaria and returns to Galilee. And the Bible reminds us of something Jesus once said:

“A prophet is without honor in his own country.”

The Galileans welcomed Him, but not because they recognized Him as Lord. They welcomed Him because they had seen the miracles He performed in Jerusalem.

And here we arrive at the lesson for our learning today.

Jesus returns to Cana—the place where He turned water into wine.

And a government official from Capernaum comes to Him.

This man’s son is sick—so sick that death is knocking at his door.

Capernaum is roughly twenty miles from Cana. That’s a six-to-eight hour journey by foot.

But early in the morning, this father gets up and starts walking.

Twenty miles of dust. Twenty miles of desperation. Twenty miles of hope.

Because when you really need something from the Lord, you’ll go the distance.

Are we willing to be uncomfortable?

Are we willing to lace up our sandals and walk through the desert?

This man arrives around noon and begs Jesus to come back to Capernaum and heal his son.

And isn’t it interesting how we want God to show up in our lives—and then tell Him how to do it?

But Jesus responds:

“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”

The father ignores the rebuke and pleads again.

Because he realizes something:

What I need, only Jesus can provide.

“I’ve heard what you’ve done for others. I’ve heard testimonies of your power. And I’ve got nothing left to lose by trusting you.”

And suddenly his faith begins to shift.

He moves from:

“Lord, I want to see you move…”

to

“I know you’ve already moved.”

Jesus finally says to him:

“Go your way; your son lives.”

And the Bible says:

The man believed the word that Jesus had spoken.

No miracle in front of him. No proof in his hands. Just the Word of Jesus.

And that was enough.

At one o’clock in the afternoon, Jesus spoke the Word.

The man started walking back home.

The next day, his servants met him on the road and said:

“Your son lives.”

He asked them, “What time did he begin to recover?”

They said:

“Yesterday at the seventh hour.”

One o’clock.

The exact moment Jesus spoke the Word.

You ought to CHECK THE RECORD!

CLOSE

Some trust in chariots. Some trust in horses.

But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

If He said it—shall He not do it?

If He spoke it—shall He not bring it to pass?

I checked the record!

'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His Word, Just to rest upon His promise, Just to know, “Thus saith the Lord.”

My faith has found a resting place— Not in device nor creed.

I trust the ever-living One. His wounds for me shall plead.

I need no other argument. I need no other plea.

It is enough that Jesus died