Saving Faith

SAVING FAITH

John 4:46-54

Here in this passage we are told that Jesus “came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.”

And we are going to see how the people responded when He did.

But for just a minute, how do you think people would respond if He came here to Brady?

Would people be excited to see Him? Would the people surround Him like they often did when He entered a city in Israel?
Would people shout “Hosanna” and mean it? Or would some, like this story in John 4, just want to see a miracle? Would they bring the blind, sick and lame to be healed?
Would people be interested in what He has to say? Would they even care?
Would some run and try to hide? Would some run home and get rid of some things in case, like Zacchaeus, He decided to “come to their house today?”
Would some just ignore Him like they do now? Or would some who ignore Him now act like they have been His loyal friend?
How do you think people would respond if He came here to Brady? How would you/I respond?

And you may be thinking, “That is a dumb question!” Is it? Because just like Jesus “came again to Cana” He will come back again, and 1 Thess. 5 says that He will “come like a thief in the night”; no one knows when He will come.

And people will be saying, “Peace and safety!”, “Where is the promise of His coming?” and then destruction will come on them suddenly like birth pangs on a woman with child; and no one will escape.
If Jesus were to come today would people be ready? Are you and I ready?

So, in John 4:46 Jesus “comes again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water to wine.”

And there was a certain royal official, whose son was sick at Capernaum. (Capernaum was about 12-15 miles away.)

And in vs. 47 when this official heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Jesus, and was requesting Jesus to come down (to Capernaum: Cana was in the hill country; Capernaum was by the sea) and heal his son; for his son was at the point of death.

This was a man who was an official of the king. At the time there was only one king or ruler in that region and that was Herod Antipas the Tetrarch, the man who was involved in the death of John the Baptist; so this man may have been running quite a risk here when he comes to Jesus.
But, the thing is, he didn’t come to Jesus to acknowledge that Jesus was king over Herod.
When this man comes to Jesus he is apparently like most of the people in Galilee.

In vs. 45 John says that the Galileans received Jesus, “having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast.” They received Jesus because of the miracles He had performed!

So, this royal official didn’t come to Jesus because He believed in who Jesus was.
He didn’t come because he believed that Jesus was the Son of God.
He didn’t come to Jesus to be saved from His sin; this man came in desperation because his son was at the point of death and he came to Jesus simply because he saw Jesus as a miracle worker; as someone who could heal his son.

And that is what motivates a lot of people today to come to Christ: desperation; and it is often the only thing that will cause them to seek Christ.

Would this royal official have come to Christ if his son wasn’t near death? No way to know.

But today desperation often causes people to seek after Christ: they are in a desperate situation because of their health; because of their finances (we often see this with benevolence); desperate because of their marriage; because of their family; or because a loved one is near death.

They have little to do with Christ before but now they are desperate; so now they come to Christ; and often they come to Him because they have already tried everything else and He is their last resort.

But, if desperation is what causes them to seek after Christ, that is good; it may be that sometimes God allows people to go through desperate situations to get them to seek after Christ.

So, they come to Christ. But, what do they do when their desperate situation improves and they are no longer desperate? Have they only come to Christ because they too see Him as nothing more than a “miracle worker?”

And what do they do if Jesus doesn’t do what they want Him to do: the “son dies” anyway; their health only gets worse; their financial situation doesn’t get any better; their marriage doesn’t improve and falls apart; their family troubles persist?

Do they get mad? Abandon Christ? (“I don’t believe in Jesus! He didn’t answer my prayer!”)
Or do they stay faithful?

You see, this story isn’t about Jesus performing miracles. This story is about faith and the difference between a superficial, shallow, conditional faith that sees Jesus as nothing more than a miracle worker; and a real, unconditional, saving faith; a faith that sees Him as the Son of God and is steadfast no matter what happens.

So this royal official desperately comes to Jesus and asks Jesus to heal his son. Now look at vs. 48: Jesus therefore said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.”

Sounds kind of harsh doesn’t it? But most of the people that Jesus has encountered in Galilee only sought after Jesus because of His miraculous powers and what Jesus seems to be saying here is, “Are you like everyone else? Are you only here for the miracle?”
And that is a question for people today, perhaps even some of us, “Are you only here for the miracle? Are you here only for what Jesus can do for you?”

Do you remember what John said in chapter 20:30-31:

Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

Jesus did not come to be a miracle worker. Jesus came to “save that which is lost” and He used His miraculous powers to confirm who He was and to confirm His message and He did so, so that people might believe in Him and obtain eternal life.

And we should pray for our loved ones and ask God to heal them, and comfort them, strengthen their faith as they go through their struggles.
And if they die, don’t get angry and abandon Christ because you didn’t get your miracle.
Just like everyone else, those who are in Christ are going to die; so instead of getting angry and abandoning Christ, rejoice that your loved one has obtain life eternal because of their steadfast faith.

Let me ask you this: If Jesus actually performed miracles for people today, if He made the lame walk, the blind to see, removed the diseases, and raised the dead, would people be faithful to Him?

Perhaps some would. But, John says in chapter 21:25 that Jesus performed so many miracles that “if they were written down in detail not even the world itself would contain the books in which they were written” and still, in spite of all the miracles, people rejected Him and crucified Him; and they still do today.

Does Jesus still work miracles today?

Ask yourself that the next time you hold a new born baby in your arms?
What about when the sun comes up, moves across the sky, and sets in the west? Col. 1:17 says that doesn’t happen by accident.
A miracle happens every time someone is baptized: dead made alive.
When a man breaks his neck and can still walk?
When the word of God transforms a reprobate’s life?

People may reject these kinds of things as miracles but, I Thess. 4:16-18 tells us that there is one great miracle that will take place and everyone will see it.

1 Thess 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.

I do not believe that men have the ability to perform miracles. That time has come to an end; Acts 8:14-18; 1 Cor. 13:8.

But, I do believe that Jesus still has miraculous powers and it is His divine prerogative how He uses them.

So, Jesus says to this royal official, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” “Are you only wanting a miracle like everyone else?”

Vs. 49: The royal official said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.”

Now, look at the second half of the verse: The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he started off.

Without knowing for sure if his son was still alive, he starts off. That is real faith!
At first He believed that Jesus was a simply a miracle worker; but now He believes Jesus’ word.
This man moved from believing in the power of Jesus to believing in the truth of Jesus, the trustworthiness of what Jesus says.
And that is essential it is the word that brings an individual to salvation.

51 And as he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was living. 52 So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. They said therefore to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives”; and he himself believed, and his whole household.

Why did John tell us this story?

“So that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”

Are you or I only looking for a miracle worker? Or are we looking for eternal life?

One only requires superficial, shallow conditional faith; the other requires a real, unconditional, saving faith; a faith that sees Him as the Christ, the Son of God, and remains steadfast no matter what might happen.
If you sincerely believe that Jesus is the Son of God and through Him you can have life eternal; if that is what you sincerely believe won’t you come, confess Him as Lord, repent of sins, be baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of your sin?