Jesus Speaks Into Your Story
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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. 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. So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. 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.” 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. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Sub-truth: Belief in Jesus brings peace
Sub-truth: What Jesus says over us in any situation causes us to keep going.
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
After-the-fact VS During-the-fact
During the fact - Moments when we think that God isn’t doing anything or cares what’s going on.
After the fact - God was there all along.
ME
ME
July 2011 worries
I asked myself - “God, what are you doing?”
Where are we going to live?
How am I going to make money?
How are we going to survive?
Are we really going to be okay?
I was getting ahead of God’s story for my life. Everything was going to work out - enough time hadn’t past yet for the plans to unfold.
WE
WE
Q - has that ever happened to you before? Gotten ahead of God?
Am I really going to be okay?
Q - has that ever happened to you before? Gotten ahead of God?
In these moments, we aren’t in the wrong. It’s not an element of doubt but an effort to take something to God. What we do is exactly what a person in did - bring our story to Jesus.
Am I really going to be okay?
Is this worrying really going to change?
Is my situation really going to get better?
Am I really going to overcome this sin in my life?
Q - What happens when we bring our story to Jesus?
GOD’S WORD
GOD’S WORD
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.
John 4:46-
PRAY
This man with no name (to be believed to be one of Herod’s officials) made the journey of 25 miles on the basis of Jesus’ reputation. He took his story to Jesus. Literally.
TRUTH: JESUS SPEAKS INTO OUR STORY WHEN WE BRING IT TO HIM
This man with no name (to be believed to be one of Herod’s officials) made the journey of 25 miles on the basis of Jesus’ reputation. He took his story to Jesus. Literally.
With a desperate need for Jesus, the man also brought all of himself to Jesus (sin, failures, mistakes, concerns, worries, etc.). He took it all.
This man with no name (to be believed to be one of Herod’s officials) made the journey of 25 miles on the basis of Jesus’ reputation. He took his story to Jesus. Literally. Part of his story was an urgent situation.
Desperate faith drove him to Jesus and also drove him to his knees. AND what would Jesus do?
“Go. Your son will live.”
Jesus declared over this man’s story: “Go. I’ve got this.”
JESUS SPEAKS INTO YOUR STORY. Jesus speaks into our story when we bring ours to Him.
Jesus did not physically go with him to heal his sick son. According to his way of thinking, if he left, he would leave behind his one chance for help.
Commanded (imperative “go”) by the Savior of the world with a promise of life for his son. Jesus demanded that his faith be desperate enough to trust his word, not just his visible works.
>> Faith built only on the spectacular is not biblical faith.
Faith built only on the spectacular is not biblical faith.
Samaritans in Sychar - believed because of the message
Jews in Cana - only interested in physical miracles.
WONDERS MAY PRODUCE AWE, BUT WORDS PRODUCE FAITH
This man wasn’t persuaded to faith in Jesus by what Jesus had done or was going to do, but by what Jesus said to him.
FOR SOME OF YOU, JESUS KEEPS SPEAKING AND DECLARING PROMISES OVER AND INTO YOUR LIVE.
This desperate faith shown in this story resulted in Jesus declaring a promise over him, “Go, your son will live.” And at the words of Jesus, the man believed and went on his way.
The official demonstrated total trust - actually doing what Jesus says to do - to Jesus without seeing the answer. The hardest moments in our story is when we have to come to terms with our story. Am I right?
Silent Trust - moving forward by trusting God in uncertainty.
The official trusted the words of Jesus even though he hadn’t seen proof of the promise.
>> Most of the time we dwell in the pit of uncertainty and not move forward
Q - What do you think was on his mind as he walked back to his son?
Does Jesus really care?
Is Jesus doing to do anything for me?
Was it better for me to stay with Jesus a little longer?
If Jesus doesn’t work this out, I have no other options
This chapter of the official’s life was a significant part of his story. Every chapter in a story makes the story.
Every chapter in a story makes the story.
Silent trust involves uncertainty to us, but certainty to God.
What we believe about Jesus will determine how we react to Jesus.
The official believed (internal) and went/obeyed (external)
What we believe about Jesus will determine how we react to Jesus.
In belief, answers that we want from God aren’t the big deal - the trustworthiness of God is. Jesus said “Go” and that was enough for the official to believe and go “on his way.”
Imagine what it was like for them in their home remembering what Jesus did for them.
“I remember Jesus looking me in the eye and demonstrating his authority over time & space. I was with Jesus, but you were with my son. We all are witnesses. I don’t know why I spent all those days and hours worrying.”
YOU
YOU
Q - What does this mean for you?
Jesus says to you, “Go; your _______________”
Q - How would you fill in your blank?
>>“Go; you have My victory over sin.”
>>“Go; My peace surpasses your worry.”
>>“Go; I’ve got this.”
During the fact - Moments when we think that God isn’t doing anything or cares what’s going on.
After the fact - God was there all along.
Samaritans in Sychar - believed because of the message
Jews in Cana - only interested in physical miracles.
.
The official demonstrated total trust - actually doing what Jesus says to do - to Jesus without seeing the answer. >> The hardest moments in our story is when we have to come to terms with our story.
Silent Trust - moving forward by trusting God in uncertainty.
The official trusted the words of Jesus and walked.
>> Most of the time we dwell in the pit of uncertainty and not move forward
Q - What do you think was on his mind as he walked back to his son?
Does Jesus really care?
Is Jesus doing to do anything for me?
Was it better for me to stay with Jesus a little longer?
If Jesus doesn’t work this out, I have no other options.
Every chapter in a story makes the story.
Silent trust involves uncertainty to us, but certainty to God.
Jesus commanded, “Go.”
The official believed (internal) and went/obeyed (external)
What we believe about Jesus will determine how we react to Jesus.
(ESV)
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.
① to consider someth. to be true and therefore worthy of one’s trust, believe1
1 William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 816.
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