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Friday, November 08, 2013

Jesus Heals an Official’s Son

John 4:43-54:

Introduction: Today we would like to examine the faith of the nobleman mentioned in our text. The nobleman came to Jesus on behalf of his son who was grievously ill in hopes that Jesus would come and heal him. This man’s faith was initiated by a crisis in his life, as so often is the case with us. Many times we only put our faith in Christ as a last ditch effort when we should have our faith in him always. This seems to be the way that this nobleman’s faith was initiated, but that is not how it ended.

Notice with me four things about this man and his faith:

I. Notice the Resolve of his faith. (4:46-47)
At this point he had reached the end of his rope; his son was about to die. He had probably tried everything imaginable up to this point to try to restore his son but to no avail, nothing seemed to work. He had almost given up hope when he heard of Jesus being close by. He was roughly only twenty miles away from this man’s home. He had heard of the many miracles that Jesus had preformed so he resolves in his heart seek him out and implore him of his help. This is the first hint of any true faith in God abiding in this man’s heart. Like the woman with the issue of blood, he resolved that he must get to Jesus.
II. Notice the Request of his faith. (4:47-49)
This man sought Jesus out there in Cana of Galilee and upon finding Him he made a spectacular request. He asked Jesus if He would come down to his house, where his ailing son lay dying, and heal his son. His request would seem ridiculous to the most people because they would deem it impossible. However, true faith reaches beyond things thought impossible and grasp hold of God; for with him nothing is impossible. “Is anything to hard for the Lord”, was God’s reply to Sarah upon delivering the news that she would bare a son in her old age. That is a good question for us to ask ourselves today. Is anything to hard for the Lord? If we believe the answer is no, then we will begin to make spectacular requests of him, such as the nobleman did in our passage.
III. Notice the Response of his faith. (4:50)
True faith takes God at His word. When Jesus told this man to go his way, his son liveth, this man took Jesus at His word and believed Him. This man never squabbled with Jesus saying, “No Jesus, that’s not enough, you must come to my house!!” He simply believed the word that Jesus spoke to him. This is a mark of true, genuine faith. Are you taking God at His word today? If your not you do not possess true faith.

IV. Notice the Reward Of his faith. (4:51-53)
Trusting God to do what He says that He will do always has its rewards. What would have happened if this man had not believed Jesus? It is quite possible that his son would have died, but that is not what happened is it. This man took God at his word by faith, and was rewarded for his faith.
Many times we do not see our prayers answered because we do not have faith when we pray. The Bible teaches us to pray with absolute confidence in God if we want our prayers answered ( Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.).

Thursday, November 07, 2013

Water To Wine

Christians know Cana as the place where Jesus performed his first earthly miracle during a wedding by turning large jars of water into wine, according to John 2:1-11. In the story, Jesus attended a wedding along with his disciples and Mary, his mother. When the wine ran short at the feast, Mary told Jesus to do something about it. Jesus balked at her request, saying it wasn't yet time for him to perform miracles.

Undeterred, Mary went to the household servants and told them to do whatever Jesus instructed. Jesus then complied with Mary's request, asking the servants to bring six large jars estimated to hold 20 to 30 gallons each that were used to store water for Jewish purification rituals. Jesus had the servants fill the jars with water, and then told them to have the steward taste the contents. The steward was astonished at the quality of the wine, and commended the host for apparently saving the best wine for last.

The Bible calls this miracle the first sign that Jesus is the Messiah promised to the Jews.

  • This miracle, showing Jesus' supernatural control over physical elements like water, marked the beginning of his public ministry. Like his other miracles, it benefited people in need.
  • Not only did Jesus produce a large quantity of wine, but the quality of it astonished the banquet master. In the same way, Jesus pours his Spirit into us in abundance, giving us God's best.
  • While it may seem insignificant, there is crucial symbolism in this first miracle of Jesus. It was not a coincidence that the water Jesus transformed came from jars used for ceremonial washing. The water signified the Jewish system of purification, and Jesus replaced it with pure wine, representing his spotless blood that would wash away our sins.