4 43-54 God Still Has The Power To Heal
liberty bible church 3/9/08 a.M.
By Tom Zobrist
“god still has the power to heal”
John 4:43-54
introduction
Illus. of false faith healer. There are countless examples of these types of “healers.” God does still heal people, sometimes miraculously, but He doesn’t use people that make these types of outlandish claims. Most of these, at worst, are demon possessed and at best, are charlatans. How can we tell if healers are from God? If God still has the power to heal, what does God’s healing look like?
OPEN to the passage.
Prop. In these passages today, we see examples of healing that we can still see today.
Open in PRAYER.
PREVIEW the passage. As we go through the Gospels, we see many examples of miracle healings of all sorts. These are in the realms of both physical healing and spiritual healing. What does Jesus want us to learn from these? What can we apply today in the church and in our lives? Today, we see three principles of healing that we need to understand to answer these questions. First…
i. physical healing can happen to people that don’t believe in God vs. 43-45
Illus. of everyday people are healed in various ways from various maladies. Some, you might say, even boarder on the miraculous. But, you’ll notice that not all of these have the same type of faith in the same God. As we examine the healings of Jesus, you’ll notice that many that received His healing, though believing that He could do miracles, did not necessarily believe that He was the Messiah.
a. Not everyone believes in Jesus the same way
V 43 1. After Jesus spends two days in Samaria, he now heads north into His home area. I’m sure that this would have been a much comfortable place for the disciples to be. What’s interesting is that Jesus now makes a statement to the contrary.
V 44 2. Similar statements are recorded in both Matthew and Mark. In both of those places, it is clear what He is talking about. Cf. Matt. 13:53-58 He was preparing His disciples for the fact that not everyone would be warm and fuzzy to them, even though He was from this region. They knew Him and His family all too well, but they were not ready to receive Him yet as King.
b. Not everyone relates to jesus the same way
Illus. of many use Him for needs emergencies. Healings, finances, tragedies, etc. But they have no use for Him in the daily activities of life and have no problem living in sin. Here, we see the people of Galilee initially receive Him, but not the way they should.
V 45a 1. “received Him” does not mean that they were saved. It simply means that the people of the region welcomed Him. He had a reputation.
V 45b 2. Many had witnessed His ministry in Jerusalem. He had cleansed the Temple and had healed many. The people were enthused about this man. But, He was not received as Messiah. They were excited for what He could do for them, but had no interest in trusting Him beyond their immediate needs. Jesus healed many that didn’t believe in Him as Messiah. Many still today are healed even though Jesus is not their Savior and Lord.
Trans. PHYSICAL HEALING CAN HAPPEN TO PEOPLE THAT DON’T BELIEVE IN GOD. Second…
ii. spiritual healing is more important than physical healing vs. 46-50
Illus. of although physical healing is important when you are sick, God may want you sick for a purpose. It’s not always His will that you be healed physically. But, He does want us healed spiritually. Jesus’ healing ministry was intended to turn people to God spiritually. Cf. Luke 5:21-24 Here we see some that may be genuine converts.
a. an appeal for healing
V 46a 1. This was a fairly private miracle that only the disciples and some servants saw this miracle, but it was intended to show that that Jesus was the Messiah.
V 46b 2. This man was a royal official. We don’t have his name, so he could have been a Jew or a Gentile. It’s very possible that he was Jewish since Jesus included him as desiring a sign. This was a trait of the Jews. We’ll look at this in verse 48. His son was sick at Capernaum.
V 47 3. This man’s son was sick to “the point of death.” No doubt he had exhausted every way he knew possible for him to be healed. All his authority and all his money and influence could not save his son. So, he traveled the 25 miles to Cana to try and get Jesus to come and save his son’s life; to heal him. He was desperate. This sets the stage for…
b. a demonstration of genuine faith
V 48 1. This appears kind of harsh, but he wanted everyone to realize that a belief built on miraculous signs was not a genuine faith. Cf. John 2:23-25 As I already said, many Jews wanted to see signs and wonders or they would not believe. Cf. 1 Cor. 1:22 We must have faith to be saved, but most will believe without ever seeing a miraculous healing. Cf. Matt. 16:1-4 Jesus told Thomas that Blessed are those that believe and have not seen Him physically resurrected. Faith is believing in what we cannot see. This man needed to do that.
V 49 2. He begs for mercy. Jesus is his only hope. Does he believe or not? Is his faith genuine?
V 50a 3. Jesus said that he was healed. Go home. It is done. Now, what’s he to do? He’s 25 miles from home. Jesus is not going to come with him.
V 50b 4. He believes Him and demonstrates his belief by going home. He doesn’t argue; he makes no further appeals; he simply believes and leaves. He obeys. True belief results in obedience to Jesus and His Word. Illus. of those that say believe and live in rebellion against God are fooling themselves.
Trans. PHYSICAL HEALING CAN HAPPEN TO PEOPLE THAT DON’T BELIEVE IN GOD. Second, SPIRITUAL HEALING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN PHYSICAL HEALING. Here, we saw a man spiritually healed as his son is physically healed 25 miles away, even without a prayer cloth. Last…
iii. spiritual healing is contagious vs. 51-54
Illus. of dreaded diseases that are contagious. So is spiritual healing. We see that here.
A. a miracle physical healing
V 51 1. As this man certainly must have thought of what had happened and the sate of his son, he was met by some of his servants who said that his son was healed!
V 52 2. He inquired as to when this happened. They told him it was the seventh hour the day before. By Roman time, it was 7:00 in the evening.
V 53a 3. The father knew that it was no accident. It was at the exact time that Jesus had told him that his son would live. This healing just confirmed his faith. That’s where we see…
b. a miracle spiritual healing
V 53b 1. His faith was solidified and he led the rest of his household to faith in Jesus as well. The real miracle is the saving of the souls of these people. Jesus could heal the man’s son from a distance and He could heal these souls from a distance as well, when they exercised faith in Him. His Word is effective at a distance, we simply believe.
V 54 2. Once again, the first sign was the changing of water into wine. Now this healing. Both were fairly private miracles, but they had a profound effect on those few that did witness them.
conclusion
PHYSICAL HEALING CAN HAPPEN TO PEOPLE THAT DON’T BELIEVE IN GOD. Second, SPIRITUAL HEALING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN PHYSICAL HEALING and finally here, SPIRITUAL HEALING IS CONTAGIOUS. We can be an active part in God’s healing. What can we do?
1. Make sure you know the great Physician. GOSPEL
2. Pray for those needing both kinds of healing.
3. Share with others the process of spiritual healing.
4. Allow God to heal your broken life. Confession, forgiveness, and restoration are key. To God and to one another.
Ilus. of Jehovah-Rophi poem.
I pray none of us leave here unhealed today. I pray that all lives, relationships, and marriages will be healed. God still does heal today, when we live lives of faith in His Son, Jesus, who is the great Physician. Let Him heal you now.
pRAY
“god still has the power to heal”
John 4:43-54
introduction
If God still has the power to heal, what does God’s healing look like?
i. physical healing can happen to people that
vs. 43-45
A. Not everyone ________ in Jesus the same way
Cf. Matt. 13:53-58
b. Not everyone ________ to jesus the same way
ii. healing is more important than physical healing vs. 46-50
Cf. Luke 5:21-24
a. an appeal for healing
b. a demonstration of ____________________ faith
Cf. John 2:23-25; 1 Cor. 1:22; Matt. 16:1-4
iii. spiritual healing is vs. 51-54
A. a miracle _________________________ healing
b. a miracle ___________________________ healing
conclusion
We can be an active part in God’s healing. What can we do?
1.
2.
3.
4.