Pastor’s Pen Pulpit

January 29, 2006

SIGHT WALKING OR FAITH WALKING?

John 4:46-54

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. “Unless you people see miracleous signs and wonders, Jesus told him, you will never believe.” The royal official said “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son will live.” The man took Jesus at His word and departed. 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, “The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.” Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and all his house believed. This is the second miracleous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee. (NIV)

Paul wrote in II Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight” NKJV

A good way to begin the new year is to be challenged to walk by faith in a world in which everything is geared to a pragmatic approach to life (can it be explained In understandable terms). Therefore the next two pen pulpits will be dedicated to the topic of walking by faith and not by sight.

As we study the life of Jesus Christ, we discover that there is a basic philisophy that subtly undergirds His dealings with men. To be specific everything Jesus says and does is designed primarily to teach – character, obedience, but especially faith. It has been said that His miracles are parables in deeds and His parables are miracles in words. They were signposts to point us to the Father. In other words He never healed just for the sake of healing alone. Miracles were never an end within themselves They never dead ended in a cul-de-sac. They were a means to an end. In the passage before us we learn that the Lord Jesus is more concerned with developing faith in a man than in healing a sick body.

1. God has sovereign control over life and death. Healing can occur in a second of time and apart from the faith of anyone.

2. God does not choose to sovereignly bestow faith in the lives of His people; faith is developed in the circumstances of life

SUMMARY OF VERSES 43-45 – Jesus is returning from Judea To Galilee. The majority in Galilee were skeptical of Him. He was returning to a country where, by and large, He had little honor; but there were exceptions and He relished the challenge!

THE CRUCIBLE FOR DEVELOPING TRUE FAITH vs. 46 A young man was sick. A terminal disease in the son of a wealthy Jewish official, Note his request in verse 47, Crisis has a way of setting us up for much needed lessons in our life. A modern rationalistic society has a strong and subtle power to woo nominal Christians away from the simplicity of faith in God’s word and into a deadly complacency. Many times God injects a crisis into our world to drive us back to His Word – cf Psalm 119:71;

cf Matt 4:4. As sheep we have a tendency to stray.

THE CRITICAL ISSUE RESTRICTING TRUE FAITH vs. 47,48 (on the surface the request was valid) - Jesus detects a basic restriction that falls short of true Biblical faith. Notice His response in v.48. “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, you will never believe,” Sight was over-riding his faith at this point. Faith based upon seeing miracleous deeds is superfical and requires a succession of miracles to nourish it. The world says “seeing is believing”. Faith says “believing is seeing.” Rare is the individual who demands nothing from God in order to believe Him. A.W. Tozer says “To seek proof is to admit doubt and to obtain proof is to render faith superfluous.” The world says “show me and I’ll believe.” God says “Believe and I’ll show you.”

How did Jesus evaluate sign seekers? (Matthew 12:39) How did Paul view sign seekers? (I Corinthians 1:22) Those who had the greater light demanded the greater sight. What does this say to us? TO DEMAND PROOF BEFORE YOU WILL BELIEVE MEANS THAT YOU WILL NEVER BELIEVE BECAUSE YOU CAN NEVER GET ENOUGH PROOF. The ones who had the demonstration of God’s power revealed the most arrogant attitudes. A large segment of professing Christianity today is pulling away from the faith- the body of God’s revealed truth. Their faith is enemic. Sight walking characterizes too many professing Christians.

Beloved, God’s Word alone is sufficient to build a healthy faith in us. As someone once said, “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” Walking by faith is like flying on instruments. You have nothing around you to guide you – only the pure Word of God..

In our next pen pulpit we will see how this man demonstrated a true Biblical faith. God bless.