John 4:46-54 Steps of Faith

“Steps of Faith”

John 4:46-54

The purpose of John is evangelistic

John 20:30-31

1 Peter 1:7

Introduction -

Charles Blondin, tightrope walker, middle of 1800’s, Blondin was the first person to ever tight rope walked over Niagra Falls. He used a 2 inch thick Hemp rope. Due to lack of tension on the rope it had a large bow in the belly because they could only get it so tight,. No steal cables were available in his day.

After one crossing, Charles Blondin upped the performance, took a wheelbarrow and pushing a wheelbarrow across while blindfolded.  

The crowds had watched and "Ooooohed" and "Aaaaahed!" 

  He then asked his audience, "Do you believe I can carry a person across in this wheelbarrow?"  Of course the crowd shouted that yes, they believed!

It was then that Blondin posed the question - "Who will get in the wheelbarrow?'

Crickets … none did.

None had faith.

What is faith?

Define faith = Full trust that effects your life.

-Biblical faith is not a faith of hope & it is not a faith of a dream.

-Biblical faith fully trusts.

-Saving faith fully trusts in Jesus as Savior (as Messiah).

Context -

In our passage today, ee are early in Jesus ministry.

-Jesus has cleared the Temple in Jerusalem,

-Then headed straight north in to Samaria.

-Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman.

- She and the town came to believe that Jesus was Messiah.

It appears to me that the Samaritans are the first group of people (the first town) that accepted and believed in Jesus?

-They were the rejected & despised because of their race.

-They were not even full Jews.

-They believed without having any outward miracles done among them.

Now Jesus is back in northern Israel in Galilee

-The people in Galilee have heard that during Passover Jesus cleared the Temple, and is a very special man. There would also be buzz in Galilee about miracles that Jesus did when he was in the southern state of Judea around Passover.

To the common person it would look like Jesus could be a mighty prophet …maybe like Samuel, Elijah & Elisha.

Transition - Because word is starting to get out about Him...

We encounter a desperate man. His son was ill - at the point of death.

-This man was a royal official. We believe he served Herod Antipas. Herod the Great was the ruler in Jerusalem who killed the babies in Jerusalem after Jesus was born,

Herod Antipas was Herod the Great’s son and ruled over the northern state of Galilee.

Being an official in a royal house, don’t you know he had access to great doctors.

The best medicine.

I would speculate that the best doctors tried to help him with his son and that doctors didn’t help.

Now - Look how desperate this father is.

-He left his son on his death bed and traveled 32 miles round trip (possibly on foot) to get help for his son.

-If you had a son who was on His death bed would you leave him?

-Would you walk that far away?

-If it may help him, you might take that risk.

This man sought out Jesus because he was in a crisis.

This man has a .... beginning faith

1. A beginning faith (v.46-47).

This isn’t a saving faith, just a beginning faith - a budding faith.

Isn’t it human nature to reach out in hope and trust in something when a crisis comes.

There are no Atheists in fox holes.

The Ukrainians right now are begging for as much help as anyone can give.

They are looking for someone to trust in. They are desperate because life is at stake.

This father is in a war to save his son’s life he is desperate. He is looking for someone to trust in.

AND - Even as Christ Followers it is during crisis that we grow closer to God.

We are forced to trust God more.

Illustration - I remember going through a very difficult crisis in my life and telling someone after the crisis was over. I grew so much spiritually during my crisis, but I don’t want to go back to that crisis.

This father’s faith is different than a maturing believer.

This Royal Official’s faith is in Jesus as a healer -not Jesus as Messiah Savior.

-Right now Jesus is viewed as just a prophet. A powerful man.

-The fathers faith WAS NOT a faith that was purposed to honor God.

It was a faith that looked for a physical need to be met.

-It seeks what God can give, but does not seek God.

-It seeks to honor God’s gifts and not Glorify God Himself.

PAUSE

I wonder if this is the kind of faith that you tend to have? ...

Do you have a faith that wants what God gives more than you want God?

Pause

-There is a false Gospel called the Prosperity Gospel. The Prosperity Gospel is completely unbiblical. It is no Gospel at all.

-It is a false teaching that says it is God’s desire for all Christ Followers to be wealthy.

-It is God’s desire for you to be miraculously healed of all disease.

-As you grow in faith your health and wealth will grow.

-If you don’t become rich and if you can’t overcome disease your faith is week.

The problem with this teaching is that it’s not in the Bible.

-Jesus and all of the disciples died poor and all but 1 were martyred.

-Jesus constantly taught that our treasure and our reward was in heaven and was Him.

-When we are saved, we gain Christ.

-Christ is who we seek. He is who satisfies. Christ is our reward.

-So, we reject Joel Olsteen, Hillsong worship, & Bethel worship. Because The Prosperity Gospel (this false gospel) is at the core of their ministries and music.

This false teaching is hurting people all over the world.

-Desperate impoverished people in South America and Asia are flocking to this false teaching.

-The US is exporting false teaching.

-When someone who lives in squaller in Haiti believes this false teaching & then can’t get out of poverty, they think that they have utterly failed got with an impotent faith.

-Or worse, they think the God of the Bible is no God at all.

-Friends, This world is not our home.

Your reward is an eternal reward that awaits you in heaven when you see Jesus face to face.

No one can take away your greatest reward who is Christ.

We do not focus on or worship what Jesus can give us, WE FOCUS AND WORSHIP JESUS.

Is your great desire for the creator? or Do you worship the created thing? Pause

Our father today who had a Beginning Faith was in a crisis. He needed a healer.

This Father got much more than someone who could heal the body. Pause

Transition - There is a second kind of faith that we see in our passage

2. A persistent faith (v.48-49).

Story tell - We see in verse 48 that Jesus turns to the crowd and says, “Unless you see outward miracles happen, you will not believe.”

-The Jews were always wanting evidence [signs] that Jesus was God

I Corinthians 1:22-24 “For Jews demand signs [miracles] and Greeks seek wisdom [intellect], 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly [foolishness] to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

The strange thing is that Jesus gives to the Jews many miracles, while a few did believe, most rejected Him.

In our focal passage today, Do you know what is so frustrating about Jesus response to this desperate father?

Jesus did not even answer him. Jesus spoke to the crowd. It’s almost like Jesus ignored Him all together.

Jesus made this situation a lesson to the crowd.

Being a man who loved his son and was desperate He didn’t let this deter Him.

The father comes back at Jesus. Not with a request, but with a command.

vs 49, … “Sir. come down before my child dies.”

The official was not only insisting that Jesus heal his son, but that Jesus walk 16 miles one way to be present to heal the child.

This man was persistent. He had a kind of faith. A Persistent Faith.

-While this is not a saving faith. This is the kind of faith we must bring into our prayer life.

-A persistent faith, that begs God to spiritually heal the broken people around us.

But this is not the kind of faith that Jesus was leading this man toward.

Jesus desire for this man was to take steps into greater faith, into true faith, into Saving Faith.

Transition - Finally in verse 50, we get to this Faith.

3. A trusting, obedient, and working faith (v.50).

Starting in verse vs. 49 … Read vs 49-50

There was a change of faith. This was no longer a faith of desperation or of hope.

The father believed Jesus Word. He believed without seeing.

He trusted Jesus because of who Jesus was.

Jesus is Messiah, Savior, and His Words can be trusted.

-There was no hocus pocus, Jesus didn’t clap his hands, make lighting appear and purple smoke rise up.

-This wasn’t any kind of show.

-In fact with the noise of the crowd - many outside of 10 feet may not have heard what Jesus said.

-How did that man’s faith change from a desperate faith to trust?

-God gave the official the grace to believe.

-God gave the father the gift of faith.

-God gave the father the ability and desire to exercise this faith.

-Faith is all of God.

Do you remember the words to the Hymn “I know not why God’s wondrous grace”?

I know not why God’s wondrous grace   To me He hath made known, Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love   Redeemed me for His own.

I know not how this saving faith   To me He did impart, Nor how believing in His word   Wrought peace within my heart.

-God gave this Desperate Father faith in the Messiah.

-We know that the man believed The Word of Jesus, because He obeyed The Word of Jesus.

-Jesus said, “GO” The man went.

Question - Do you trust Jesus so much that in a life and death situation He can give you just a sentence and you will fully obey him?

Transition - God not only blessed this man with saving faith, but Jesus confirmed his faith.

4. A confirmed faith (v.51-53).

Storytell - On the Father’s way back …Servants news that the son was recovering … The Father asks what hour … It was the same hour Jesus spoke words of life to his precious son.

vs. 51-53

What does this tell us of the power and person of Jesus?

16 miles away, Jesus knew exactly where and on who to place his power of healing.

-With pin point accuracy (greater than any GPS) - Jesus placed his loving power exactly on the right person at right time that the boy needed it.

One commentator tells us this about this father.

-In Bible times, The act of power/healing was linked to the healer being physically present, but here [Jesus in this passage] … refused to be present.

Jesus was making a statement with this distant healing.

I am no ordinary doctor or some Shaman healer that wants your money and has to be present to heal your boy … I am like no one you have ever met before.

Jesus is God and He is the Savior.

-Jesus knew all the intimate details of this boys life.

Jesus knows each and every detail of your life, because His love for you is great.

Jesus confirmed the faith of this Father.

Transition - This Royal Official had a lot he thought about on His return home with his servants. He was deeply impacted by Jesus.

His faith started out as a desperate faith.

It became a Saving faith. A faith is Messiah/Savior Jesus.

We see his last step of faith. As his faith is maturing it becomes ...

5. A witnessing faith (v.53)

Read verse 53.

This man went man went home and shared with his family about Jesus Messiah, Jesus Savior. And they believed as well.

He witnessed to his family about the greatness of Jesus.

Closing

At the start of our sermon today I told a story of a man Charles Blondin who tight roped over Niagra Falls, no one would get in that Wheel Barrow and take that risk.

But Spiritually the story flips on its head.

Those who have NOT trusted in Christ are not standing on the safety of the land, away from the falls. Those who have NOT trusted in Christ are already out on a perilous tight rope.

Their eternal life is desperately in danger. One false move, one unexpected burst of wind would place this person in eternal destruction.

At death, there are no second chances to trust in Jesus.

Many don’t realize that they are very close to being in a Christless eternity.

They don’t know that they can call on Jesus to walk out on that rope. Take them in His arms and save them.

Will you be that person that tells them that if they call out to Jesus, He will save them?

This official in our story shared his trust in Messiah Jesus with His family.

Christ Follower - Who in your family do you need to tell about how Jesus changed your life?

If you are NOT a Christ Follower. If you have never trusted Jesus to forgive all of your sins, then today can be the day you are saved.

-You are spiritually stuck, out on a rope, and there is only one person who can come get you, & save you. His name is Jesus.

-Will you today say, “Yes” to Jesus?

-Bow your heads.

-In full trust will you say to Jesus, I need you. I trust you forgive my sins. I am following you as the Lord of my life?

Christ Follower - Who is Spiritually sick in your life? Who is lost?

-Will you pray right now, “Jesus some and spiritually heal my lost friend?”

Pray