Pastor’s Pen Pulpit                                                                                                                                                          

February 5, 2006                                                                                                                                                             

 

SIGHT WALKING OR FAITH WALKING?

Conclusion

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. (vv. 46-50 NIV) 

 

In part one of “Sight Walking or Faith Walking” we considered The Crucible for Developing True Faith in verse 46.  We also looked at The Critical Issues Restricting True Faith in verses 47 and 48   In today’s pen pulpit we want to look at:

 

THE CHALLENGE THAT PROMOTES TRUE FAITH  (vv. 49, 50).  The royal official   said “Sir, come down before my child dies.”  Jesus replied, “You may go.  Your son lives.”

 

•     The Father’s Plea  (vs.  49) -  “Sir, come down before my child dies.”  The crisis of his son’s impending death is pressing this man to believe.

 

•     Jesus’ Command (vs. 50a) -   “You may go.  Your son lives.”   Jesus doesn’t say, “All right, I’ll come with you – show me the way.”  He tells the man to do something to demonstrate that he really believes - cf James 2:22.  Here we see that the father’s faith was working together with his works, and by works  his faith was made perfect.  Jesus asked for this same showing of faith at other times:

 

      To the lame man - “Take up your bed and walk.”

      To the man with a withered hand - “Stretch out your hand.”

      To the blind man -“Go wash your eyes.”

 

      Sometimes He asks us to venture out to demonstrate that we really believe.  We need to stand on the truth of God’s Word.  How is this done?  (James 1:22-25)  Faith is never a leap in the dark – but always a step in the light.  It means that when you step out, you step out on God’s Word – not on our own inclination.  It means that we may need to stop and consider how our stepping will affect others.

 

•     Jesus’ Promise (vs. 50b)   “Your son lives.”  There is a note of final authority about this promise.  Not “Your son is improving.”  or “there is hope for him.”  “HE LIVES!!”

 

•     The Father’s Faith (vs. 50c) – Note the order - he did not start off and believe a little stronger along the way – rather he believed the Word and started off!  He had faith in nothing but God’s Word.  I can picture along the way the words kept echoing in his mind.  “Your son lives!  Your son lives! Your son lives!”   FAITH IS THE ECHO OF THE WORD OF GOD IN THE SOUL OF MAN!  It is not really the amount of faith you have – it is what your faith is attached to.

 

 

THE CONFIRMATION THAT FOLLOWS TRUE FAITH

 

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 lives.”  So he and all of his household believed.  This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee (vv. 51-54).

 

Do you suppose the closer this man got to home the more pronounced became the enemy’s challenge to God’s promises?  Was he tempted to think, in light of his son’s condition, “How ridiculous this is?”

 

QUESTION -  Does the power of reason sometimes obscure the validity of the promises of God to you?  In the concluding verses the precision of this miraculous healing served to confirm this man’s faith in Jesus as Messiah – along with his entire family.

 

PRINCIPLE FOR LIFE -  My purpose in this message is to confirm to you that God’s Word is sufficient for all your needs - cf II Timothy 3:15-17.  Don’t be victimized by the spirit of doubt.  We need to develop an Abraham mentality -

 

“Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was good as dead – since he was about a hundred years old – and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding  the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised.”  (Romans 4:19-21 NIV) 

 

God bless and have a FAITHful week.