Faith in Jesus’ Words & His Power

Faith in Jesus’ Words and His Power

John 4:43-54

Opening Illustration – Hospital Waiting Room

In my role here at Richland Creek I have been in all of the major hospitals here in the Triangle. I have sat in waiting rooms with families while loved ones are having a major surgery. I know many of you in this room have been in that exact situation, some of you even recently.

In that moment as you wait for a loved one to come out of the procedure, you can’t see what’s happening back in the OR. You are trusting that the medical team caring for your loved one is doing everything they can to fix the problem, without any complications. You’re trusting the surgeon, anticipating a desired outcome, all while not being able to control the situation yourself.

It is in those moments that our faith is challenged. Do we really trust that God is sovereign even when we cannot see the outcome?

Today in our text we are going to unpack the idea of biblical faith and how that played out in the life of a royal officer in Cana as he interacts with Jesus in John 4.

Ask: What are some things that you and I put our faith in every day? (Practical examples)

Physical Safety & Systems (cars staying in their own lane, traffic lights operating appropriately, Engineering of a bridge, currently sitting in a chair now – didn’t inspect it before sitting down)

Finances & Provision(trusting money in a bank will still be accessible to you tomorrow, trusting your employer will pay you for work you’ve done, saving for retirement trusting you can withdraw it later)

The truth is all of us live by faith. We trust in things we cannot see or control and yet when it comes to our walk with God, if we are honest with ourselves, we struggle to truly trust Him consistently without hesitation.

As we pick up in John 4 that is exactly what a father is asked to do, to trust Jesus’ words even before he sees the results.

*Read John 4:43-54

Main Idea: Walking by faith means trusting Jesus’ words even before you see the results

(v. 43-45) Jesus spent 2 days in Samaria, after being asked to stay, resulting in many believing in Him

Jesus was received in Galilee not because they believed he was the Messiah, but at this point in his ministry (early stages) popularity had spread regarding his signs and wonders.

Point 1: The words of Christ are powerful

And able to heal (v. 46-50)

(v.46) Jesus departs from Sychar to head to Galilee and ultimately ends up in Cana, where he performed his first miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding feast. This would have been about a 2-3 day journey.

In Capernaum (16 miles from Cana) Jesus encounters a royal official, a nobleman whose son was ill. The text tells us that this man’s son was at the point of death.

His son needed more than what a physician could offer.

Ask: What is the difference between needing something and being desperate for something?

“Desperation implies having an extreme and urgent need and that need may drive someone to risky or reckless behavior in order to find answers”

We see here that illness and affliction know no prejudice. It affects the rich and the poor.

We would assume here that as a loving father who socioeconomically had means to seek out the best help he could for his son, he had tried everything to help his boy before coming to Jesus.

One commentator points out that we see a pattern here in John’s gospel of Jesus interacting with people from every rank, class and condition.

First, we see fishermen converted (John 1), we see Jesus interact with a self-righteous Pharisee in the 3rd chapter, and like we looked at last week, we see Jesus lovingly open the eyes of a Samaritan woman.

And here we see Jesus with a man of great means, a nobleman, an official who likely was in the service of Herod Antipas.

Ask: What was the expectation of this official as he approached Jesus?

He wanted Jesus to make the day’s journey back to his home with him to heal his son

I believe this man’s sense of urgency and expectation is one that any parent can identify with. I know many of us here in this room would do anything we could to help our kids if they were in a similar situation.

However, I think if we observe rightly here in the text we will see that we are often guilty of coming to Jesus in the same way this man did.

Sometimes we have the tendency to pray with preconceived expectations. We plead with God in detail with the things we think we desperately need, while forgetting that His ways are not our ways and His sovereignty doesn’t operate under our guidelines.

So how do we trust God when things seem desperate in our lives? We run to Jesus, just like this royal official does here in the text.

Regardless of the amount of faith this man had prior to his son getting ill, one thing is certain, in this moment he has nothing else to offer to remedy the situation and in desperation makes the days journey down to Cana to make his request of Jesus.

Ask: Is Jesus’ response what you expected in v. 48?

Ryle points out that Jesus appears to refer to the common desire the Jews had to see miracles and signs as proof of Messiahship. He no doubt knew the heart of the man before him.

So why does he respond in this way?

· He wished to test his faith and to draw out from him more earnest desires after the mercy he wanted.

Notice the response of the nobleman here in v. 49

Almost like, Jesus you don’t understand, time is of the essence here, you need to come with me before my child dies.

There was not a quick uber ride to get to his man’s home. It was a 16-mile journey to get from Cana back to Capernaum. This would have been roughly a 7-9 hour walk in difficult terrain.

Ask: What can we assume about the kind of faith this man had in Jesus based on what we have read so far?

Jesus was able to heal, Jesus’ presence with the sick & dying resulted in healing, Jesus’ touch associated with the miraculous.

Instead, we see Jesus reveal that true faith is complete trust in him without the signs and the wonders.

Notice the compassion of our Lord here. Out of compassion Jesus demonstrates his power and his authority graciously to this father who is no doubt in great distress.

Ask: Have you ever waited a few days on God to show you an answer to a request you’ve taken to him in desperation by way of prayer? What were you feeling in that moment?

Brothers and sisters, let us remember that biblical prayer is bringing our request to the Lord, believing that he is our Sovereign Savior, trusting that His ways are not our ways and His will is always perfect.

John Calvin said, “It often happens while our Heavenly Father may not grant our desires in every particular, he nevertheless helps us in unexpected ways, so that we may not learn to dictate to him in anything.”

Philippians 4:6-7 reminds us that the purpose of bringing these desperate things to him in prayer is not to change his mind and have him bend to our will, but rather that we would surrender these things to him and walk away with perfect peace knowing He loves us and He works all things together for His glory and for our good.

Analogy – My Lasik Eye Surgery

· I remember when I got Lasik eye surgery about 8 years ago. The doctor told me after the surgery I’d be seeing almost perfectly. So, I showed up to the procedure, nervous about what was about to happen and after it was over, I could see more clearly than before but not 100%. They told me it would take a few days for things to adjust.

· As you can imagine, the first couple of days were a little uncomfortable both physically and mentally. I really hoped this was going to work, but I had to trust the doctor’s office was right.

(v.50) Notice here was Jesus does, he brings to the forefront of the story both his own divine power, and the leveling up of faith this official had to step into

Ryle points out 3 things we learn about Jesus

· Our Lord’s marvelous kindness & compassion

o Jesus takes notice of the man’s weak faith and slowness of understanding

o He freely grants his request and gives his son life and health without delay

· Our Lord’s mighty power

o Jesus spoke and it was done at once

· The unhesitating confidence the nobleman reposed in our Lord’s power

o The father asks no additional questions

o At once he believes that all would be well and went on his way

Point 2: Experiencing the Power & Authority

of Jesus Leads to Faith (v.51-54)

*Read v. 51-54

Ask: What is the most interesting part of these verses to you?

I would imagine that the father’s joy when his servants met him on the road to let him know his son was healed was huge.

But notice in v. 52 he asked at what time precisely did he get better.

When they tell him it was at the exact hour he was in the conversation with Jesus and Jesus said go, your boy lives… the father’s curiosity leads to faith.

There were no coincidences here. The compassion of our Lord Jesus had been proved faithful for this royal official.

Application: You and I may not initially see God at work in the midst of our circumstances when He does prove himself faithful. But his faithfulness to us should always deepen our faith and our trust in Him.

At times you and I will naturally struggle to truly trust God and we will struggle with weak faith. Most of the time that is because of our own expectations, but God’s grace is sufficient and in His perfect timing he reminds us of why we can trust Him completely.

Today we have looked specifically at the faith of a non-Jew in the words of Christ and the power that they held. But there are many examples of people in the bible who trusted God to do something they could not.

Hebrews 11 – By Faith…

· We understand the universe was made by the word of God. What is seen is not made of things visible

· Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain. And through his faith, though he died, yet he lives

· Noah, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household

· Abraham followed God’s calling to leave his home and go to a place he was to receive as an inheritance. He also offered up his own son on the altar trusting God would provide a replacement

· Sarah received power to conceive even though she was barren

· Moses chose to be mistreated with the people of God than to receive all the wealth and treasures of Egypt

· The Israelites crossed the Red Sea on dry land

Today, may we remember that we share the same faith as these saints of old and of this noble official and his household.

Although we have not seen Jesus or witnessed his miracles, we place our trust in His Word.

When you and I read the Scriptures and we see the divine authority of Jesus, it always demands a response of faith.

The question we have to ask ourselves is: Will we choose to trust Jesus alone or will we try to control the outcomes of our lives in our own strength and power?

"God is too good to be unkind and He is too wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart." — Charles H. Spurgeon

Application

In what area or situation in your life is Jesus asking you to trust Him today before seeing the result?

In what ways are you struggling to trust God’s Word?

What things other than God are you turning to for hope amid a desperate situation?

Who do you know right now that is in a crisis of faith who you can minister to with the lesson you’ve learned here today?