“After the two days he left for Galilee. (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there. 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 signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” “Go,” Jesus replied, “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, “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.” John 4:43-54 NIV
Learning to Go Deeper in My Faith
Verses 43-45
The Royal Official: “One pertaining to the King”
- He was a man of great power, influence, and wealth
- He had a sick child, a problem that his money and power could not fix
Verses 46-47
Two Mistakes in His Thinking:
- He thought location was a problem for Jesus
- He assumed time was a problem for Jesus and his situation
Verses 48-49
Why was Jesus so Blunt and Stern?
- Jesus is challenging the “I’ll believe it when I see it” philosophy of the world
- Jesus’ main concern is to deepen people’s faith in Him
- There was a physical problem and a faith problem that Jesus wanted to take care of
Levels of Faith
The story forces us to evaluate the basis and object of our faith
- Demandingfaith
“Do a miracle Jesus”
Several Cautions Concerning Signs, Wonders, and Miracles
- Seeking signs and wonders can be a substitute for seeking God
- Signs and wonders can take prominence over God’s word
- Miracles do not guarantee that a person will come to Christ
- Signs and wonders are NOT necessarily a mark of spiritual maturity
- Signs and wonders can be counterfeited
- An overt desire for miracles can circumvent true spiritual growth
- Crisisfaith
The only difference is now we need Jesus to do a miracle for us
- Pain and affliction lead to desperation, which often leads people to God
“It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.” Psalm 119:71 NIV
Four things we can do with pain: Run from it, Deny it, Numb it, Embrace it
- Dependingfaith
He believed Jesus could meet his needs. This level moves from demanding to depending
Marked by:
Persistent prayer (Luke 18:2-5, Luke 11:7-8, Mark 7:25-30)
Consistent prayer (Luke 18:1, James 5:16, 1 Thessalonians 5:17)
Verse 50
- Actingfaith
We move to this level when we decide to obey
Verses 53-54
- Following faith
The man had moved from coming to Jesus with his problems to trusting Jesus with all of his life. He moved from needing the power of Jesus to faith in the promise of Jesus, to a faith that followed Jesus
“Because you say so I will.” Luke 5:5