Is Your Faith Real?-John 4:46-54

John 4:46-54; Key Verse: Jn 4:50

“’Go,’ Jesus replied, ‘your son will live.’ The man took Jesus at his word and departed.”

This sermon can be summed up as such: “Man says, ‘Show me and I’ll trust you.’ God says, ‘Trust me and I’ll show you.'”

Generally, man wants “something” before trusting God, while God wants man to trust him so that God can bless him (Mt 6:33).

This passage may be thought of in 4 parts:

1. Man’s problem (Jn 4:46-47): he/she desperately needs God’s help to solve some impossible human problem (financial, emotional, spiritual, your love life, problem with self control, addiction, alcohol, porn). What do you do? Faith is needed.
2. God’s problem (Jn 4:48): God is sorry that man does not really want God, but to use God to get what he/she wants. If you had a billionaire dad, do you love your dad for who he is, or for what he can give you? Your faith needs to be tested.
3. Man’s response (Jn 4:49, 50b): Faith to accept God for who He is, and to believe that He is able to help us in the way God sees fit. Do you want to call the shots, or will you let God call the shots? Your faith needs to persevere and deepen.
4. God’s response (Jn 4:50a, 51-54): God blesses and rewards us according to our faith in God.

This sermon focuses on the faith of the official who came to Christ for help. From him there at least 5 aspects/components of faith:

1. Faith is needed (Jn 4:46-47): The necessity of faith.
2. Faith is tested (Jn 4:48): The testing of faith.
3. Faith perseveres (Jn 4:49): Overcoming faith.
4. Faith deepens (Jn 4:50): The deepening of faith.
5. Faith is rewarded (Jn 4:51-54): The reward of faith.

First, faith is needed (Jn 4:46-47). When you face an impossible problem, faith is needed. “Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death” (Jn 4:46-47). The healing of the official’s son is the 2nd of 7 miraculous signs in John’s Gospel. The 1st is Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana (Jn 2:1-11). Both of these miraculous signs needed faith, in keeping with a major theme of John’s Gospel (Jn 20:30-31). Jesus’ mother believed Jesus would solve the problem of the wine running out at a wedding by telling the servants, “Do whatever (Jesus) tells you” (Jn 2:5). When they did, Jesus performed the 1st miraculous sign of turning the water into wine (Jn 2:11).

In this 2nd sign, the official believed that Jesus could heal his son. He traveled 42 km/20 miles from Capernaum to Cana to beg Jesus to come and heal his son who was dying (Jn 4:47). He had consulted all the best physicians available, exhausted all of his own resources to cure his son, and yet his son was deteriorating and getting worse. He could have despaired and given up. But in his desperation and helplessness he sought Jesus out, perhaps as a last resort. The grief and agony of losing one’s beloved child is great. But when he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee, against all hope, faith kindled in his heart. So with a flicker of faith and hope he sought Jesus out. He did not send one of his assistants, but personally went himself. He came with desperation, urgency and faith.

• George Mueller (1805-1898) said, “Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s power ends.” “
• Jesus Christ demands the same unrestrained, adventurous spirit in those who have placed their trust in Him that the natural man exhibits. If a person is ever going to do anything worthwhile, there will be times when he must risk everything by his leap in the dark.” Oswald Chambers (1874-1917), My Utmost for his Highest.
• “Look, if you had 1 shot or 1 opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted in 1 moment, would you capture it or just let it slip?” Eminem, Loose Yourself.

Do you have faith that Jesus can help you with your seemingly impossible personal issues and problems? The Bible teaches that faith in God is what is always needed to resolve any difficult or impossible problem that we may have (Ps 37:4; Jer 29:11; Mt 6:33; Jn 20:30-31). One needs some degree of faith to accomplish anything. Unless you believe something is possible, you will not attempt it. Unless you believe that Jesus can help you, you will never consider coming to Jesus as an option.

Second, faith is tested (Jn 4:48). Your faith needs to be tested to show if your faith is genuine. “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe” (Jn 4:48). Jesus’ response seems like a rebuff–that people want to see a miracle before they believe. He seemed displeased that people want to see and experience miracles more than they want God. Though Jesus was speaking to the official, “you” is in the pleural; it refers to all the people of Israel. The official could have become discouraged and thought to himself, “Well, I guess Jesus does not want to heal my son,” and leave in despair and dejection.

How do you respond when your faith is tested? When you encounter discouragements, setbacks, adversities? Do you despair and give up? Conclude that faith does not work? That faith is just wishful thinking?

Third, faith that perseveres and overcomes (Jn 4:49, 50b). Like muscles that need exercise to have power, so must your faith persevere and overcome to demonstrate its veracity. “The royal official said, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies’” (Jn 4:49). The official was undaunted by Jesus’ seeming negative comment of those who come to him for their own benefits. He persevered in his faith. Initially he begged for Jesus to come and heal his son (Jn 4:47). Now he requests that Jesus comes before his child dies. Perhaps it is the same request. Perhaps there is a subtle difference. Surely, his desire is that Jesus heals his son. He asks Jesus to meet his child before he dies. He desires that his child meets Jesus whether he lives or dies. The testing of his faith strengthened his faith. He persevered in his faith and overcame himself.

Does your faith persevere and overcome in times of difficulty, dejection, disappointment and distress?

Fourth, faith digs deep (Jn 4:50). Like roots of trees that dig deep to stabilize the tree, so must your faith dig deep during the trials and temptations of life. “’Go,’ Jesus replied, ‘your son will live.’ The man took Jesus at his word and departed” (Jn 4:50). The official could have been disappointed with Jesus’ response. Jesus was not granting both his pleas: He was not going with him to heal his son; he was not going with him to meet his son before he dies. Instead, Jesus said, “Go,” which means “I’m not going with you.” The official could have taken this as Jesus’ rejection of his urgent plea and close his heart. However, Jesus also said, “Your son will live.” The original Greek says simply, “Your son lives!” It is a promise to him. It is also a declaration of power that it is already a certainly that his son is well. How did the official respond?

The NIV says, “The man took Jesus at his word.” The ESV and the RSV says, “The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him.” The HCSB says, “The man believed what Jesus said to him.” This verse from this less known story in the NT may be the clearest expression of faith in the NT. What is faith? It is to take Jesus at his word. It is to trust Jesus. Jesus said in Jn 14:1, “Trust/believe in God. Trust/believe also in me.” Prov 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”

Does your faith dig deep and persevere until you can simply trust God even when your beloved child is dying? A Christian friend was a father with 3 girls than 6 y/o. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer. But he wanted to pray that God would heal him. He expressed his desire to see his girls graduate from college and walk them down the aisle. But God did not heal him and he died about 4 months later. His faith needed to dig deeper to trust in God even if he was dying prematurely seemingly at the worst possible time for him as a father with 3 young children whom he adored.

As a Christian does your faith simply trust and believe what the word of God says?

Fifth, faith is rewarded (Jn 4:51-54). “While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, ‘Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.’ Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he and his whole household believed.This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee” (Jn 4:51-54).

We have discussed how faith is needed; how faith is tested; how faith must persevere and overcome, and how faith needs to dig deeper. When faith grows and develops and becomes authentic and real, faith is rewarded. Heb 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” When the official was on his way home, his servants met him and told him that his son was well. Apparently when his son got better they left to go to Cana to inform him. Perhaps they met half way of the 20 miles between Capernaum and Cana. That must have been one happy and excited meeting with exuberant joy and relief. When he inquired what time his son became well the servants told him, “At 1 in the afternoon (the 7th hour), the fever left him.” Then he realized that this was the exact time Jesus had said to him, “Your son lives.” 20 miles away in Cana, at the word of Chris, his son’s fever left and he became well.

How could Jesus’ word heal a dying boy? Jesus is the Creator (Jn 1:1-3). At a word from the Creator, the creation submits and obeys. At the word of the Creator, creation came into being. Ps 33:6 says, “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.” During a storm on the lake of Galilee where his disciples were convinced that they would drown, a word from Jesus, “‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm” (Mk 4:39).

Have you experienced the reward of faith? Do you take Jesus at his word?

References:

1. What is faith? (Jn 4:46-54). Preached at Church of the Beloved on June 2, 2013.
2. Another Sign (Jn 4:43-54). Derek Thomas.
3. Go, Your Son Will Live (Jn 4:43-54). John Piper