When the two days were over, he went from that place to Galilee (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in the prophet¡¦s own country). When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival; for they too had gone to the festival.
Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, ¡§Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.¡¨ The official said to him, ¡§Sir, come down before my little boy dies.¡¨ Jesus said to him, ¡§Go; your son will live.¡¨ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, ¡§Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.¡¨ The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, ¡§Your son will live.¡¨ So he himself believed, along with his whole household. Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee. John 4:43-54 (NRSV)
To believe is to place or entrust something you have in someone else¡¦s care. To say ¡§I believe in believing¡¨ however, places me dangerously close to some who place their belief or faith at the center of Christianity. It also then places me in the center of my belief system, and not Christ. It is as if the amount of my faith is the determining factor.
Rather, my statement I believe in believing says I hold it as a good thing to place myself entirely at God¡¦s disposal¡Kmy faith is IN Christ. I am not counting on my faith to do something; it is my Lord who acts according to his will. I am simply trusting that his response, seen as good or bad by others, or even me, is good! I believe that it is good to believe in Christ.
Faith is a part of everyday life. If I told you there¡¦s a city called Paris and it has this thing called the Eiffel Tower would you believe me? Why? Because you believe the testimony of those who have been there, 5.5 million of whom have posted pictures of themselves in front of the thing on their personal web sites. Some people even doctor their wedding photos to make it look like they were married there.
Now, what if someone told you there was a place in Wurzburg that¡¦s identical to an Outback Steakhouse? It would depend who told you and how much you trust their authority. Whether or not you made the trip would depend not only on how much you believed but also upon how much you wanted a "Bloomin¡¦ Onion."
C.S. Lewis wrote "I have to believe that Jesus was (and is) God. And it seems plain as a matter of history that He taught His followers that the new life was communicated in this way. In other words, I believe it on His authority. Ninety-nine percent of the things you believe are believed on authority... The ordinary person believes in the solar system, atoms, and the circulation of the blood on authority--because the scientists say so. Every historical statement is believed on authority. None of us has seen the Norman Conquest or the defeat of the Spanish Armada. But we believe them simply because people who did see them have left writings that tell us about them." (C.S. Lewis "A Grief Observed"). (1)
This morning¡¦s text follows the encounter Jesus had with the woman of Samaria, the woman at the well. Those ¡§two days¡¨ were that which Jesus stayed in the community to teach people about God after the woman¡¦s telling the townspeople about Jesus got them all stirred with interest. Jesus had said to the woman that there wouldn¡¦t be so many questions in the future about how, where or Whom to worship ¡V but people would just worship in spirit and truth.
In our text which follows, the arrival of a Gentile official who doesn¡¦t worry about appearances, but simply recognizes Jesus as the one who could do something about his dying child. He places his entire faith in Christ to heal his son. He worships in spirit and truth. And THAT is exactly what the Father seeks in our hearts this day!
And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6 (NRSVA)
Our text is the story of a man who acted in faith. And he received a blessing! Real faith has that kind of result. In our own personal lives there have been times when the snow of unbelief, circumstances and defeatism have covered the fields of God’s vineyard. But faith, real God-honoring Kingdom-seeking, self-denying faith will always bring about the miracle of spring. The walk of the believer is to be a walk of faith.
Each day it is fitting that we seek God’s showers of blessing for faith to do the impossible. I want to share with you, as we look at this text this morning, the two CHARACTERISTICS of faith that will keep you on solid ground even when the rest of the world has turned upside down. First, there is:
Faith to Commit
There are always obstacles to acting on your faith. For the man in the story we read, it was no simple thing for him to come to Jesus. It took a commitment of some magnitude. We see that he was a very influential Roman citizen (v.46 the term "royal official" could be referring to one of three rulers who served directly under King Herod). There was also the matter of distance. The ruler came from Capernaum, a distance of nearly 20 miles; and all uphill. But the man did what ALL people have to do when coming to Jesus:
He swallowed his influential ego (pride), and came in obedience. He wasn’t going to let convention, or the attitudes of contemporaries keep him from coming to the Lord. He was COMMITTING himself. It took a good deal of humility to come to a lowly Jewish carpenter, when you are the Roman ruler. It would be just like the Governor asking a sanitation worker from Randleman to come help him solve his budget problems. Why would this Roman official do such a thing? It is explained in the understanding that the man’s SON was sick, and probably at the point of death. The man was motivated. He loved his son, and was willing to try anything to save his life.
Who among us wouldn’t also go to great lengths to save a loved one? Yet, there is a far greater peril than dying, or having a member of your family die. It’s the catastrophe of dying outside of Christ. It’s dying without a Savior, so that when you face the Creator, you have to face Him alone. Yet, thousands, millions of people; perhaps billions, are lost, unmotivated to come to Christ.
If you saw the movie ¡§Cast Away¡¨ with Tom Hanks, you know who Wilson is. Wilson is a volleyball which floated ashore in a package after the FedEx plane, in which Hanks was riding, crashed into the sea during a bad storm. Hanks plays Chuck Noland, a fast-paced FedEx executive who gets stranded on a remote island in the South Pacific after his plane crashes, with little chance for survival. In trying to survive, he tries to start a fire with a sharp stick and cuts his hand severely. In anger, he takes the volleyball and throws it as hard as he can. When it lands he sees that his bloody hand has made an imprint which looks like a fiery head. With his finger he fashions a face in the blood; an idol, if you will. He talks to his new friend. You could even say he prays to Wilson as he attempts to make a fire. All through the film he communicates with this volleyball, asking his help and currying his friendship. The interesting thing is that nowhere in the film does Tom Hanks ever talk to God. (2)
To commit to God in Christ we must come to him. Too often we run to just about anywhere for help. We are like the woman whose pastor visited her when she was in deep distress over some family problems. The pastor said, ¡§I just came to pray with you.¡¨ Her response was, ¡§Oh my, has it come to that?¡¨
But this Roman ruler did exercise faith ¡V proactive faith! And it was a strong, vital faith. Jesus tested him, and the man "hung in there". Jesus told him to go home, and he did! This is incredible; there was no demand of guarantee on the man’s part. He simply did what Jesus said.
How we can learn from this single sentence, "...and he started on his way." The single most evident need we ever have is to take Jesus at His word. He says "ye must be born again", otherwise we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Can we take what He says as our motivation to accept Him as Savior and Lord?
Paul Tournier, a Christian psychologist, calls it a "leap of faith". He likens it to the trapeze artist who swings way out, as far as he can, and then, in total trust, he lets-go of the swing. For just an instant, he hangs there in breathless suspense. But then there is the other one, the "catcher"...and the arms and hands lock, and there he is, safe on the other side!
Coming to Christ is like that. We can go just so far, but without faith it is impossible to please God. We swing along in this life, doing our best....but there comes a time when we’ve come to the end....our swing can reach no higher, we just go back and forth, and there’s something more. We want to go to the place of fellowship on the other side. But we can’t go alone; it’s too far. And so, in a "leap of faith" we swing out towards that cross, and there is Jesus, hanging there. He says; "Let go, I’ll catch you. Come unto me...I’ll not leave you, I’ll not drop you! You can count on me."
What do you do? What should you do?
The "leap of faith" is a decision to commit. The Bible declares that to each man is given the measure of faith to believe...to commit to Christ. If you have never "let go", and trusted Jesus for salvation, use your faith....commit to Him now. There is no other way to get right with God. Secondly there is:
Faith to Continue
We know that the Roman ruler had made a good beginning. He had at least as much faith as it takes to commit to Jesus. But can you imagine the conversation that took place in his mind as he traveled the road to his home?
„Ã "What am I going to tell my wife? She won’t understand.
„Ã She didn’t see the look that man had in his eyes.
„Ã Even I really don’t know why I believed him."
The beginnings of doubt creep in just as soon as faith becomes a reality. It would have been easy to drop-out. The crowd wouldn’t have blamed him. They were probably disappointed. They were probably expecting another display of miracles, like when Jesus had turned the water into wine. But the man didn’t drop-out. He kept going, and his faith was rewarded. He not only exhibited and exercised faith to commit; he continued in his faith OBEDIENTLY. It means he had real faith, the kind that lasts.
You can also have that kind of faith. It’s available in Jesus Christ. It is bound up in the decision to be faithfully obedient.
Henry Jordan was a football player under Vince Lombardi, the legendary disciplinarian of the Green Bay Packers. He used to say about why he played pro football; "I play for the love of the game, the love of the money and the fear of Lombardi. When he says, ’sit down’, I don’t look for a chair."
Jordan had made up his mind beforehand that a word from his coach was sufficient, and would be obeyed instantly. The point is that the coach is the one who knows what is best for the whole team. It is like that in serving the Lord. If you make a decision to commit to Him, it makes sense to be obedient to His call in your everyday life.
It is so easy to take the easy way out. This church could continue the ritual of worship Sunday on mornings, Sunday School, Wednesday prayer, youth and missions classes, and never exercise faith, stepping-out with a rich heritage founded and grounded in the scripture, God’s Holy Word.
We could dwell on the past, holding on to old grudges and personal hurts, never giving God the place to make us new in spirit. But that would make us a passive, defensive relic. A thin fragment of what used to be ¡V only fit to gather dust on the shelf.
Faith to continue means we have taken Jesus at His word, and now we will act like it; we forget those things which are behind...We press forward for the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus.
The Roman ruler took a step towards Jesus. He committed to Jesus in faith, and the Lord gave him back his son. He continued with steps in that faith, and his whole household received new life.
The life of faith is committing and continuing. People are looking for the seas to part or thunderous claps of thunder to hear God¡¦s voice. They want signs and miracles or they just can¡¦t believe. The doubter says, I must see or I can¡¦t believe. This encounter with Jesus tells us that the life of faith is just the opposite, You will never see UNTIL you believe!
What step in faith will you make towards Jesus today?
Tightrope walker Jean Francois Gravelet, the great Blondin, was the first of many tightrope walkers to appear at Niagara Falls. He was a professional artist and showman trained in the great tradition of the European circus. At age 31 he came to America and made the announcement that he would cross the gorge of the Niagara River on a tightrope.
On June 30, 1859 the rope was in position¡KIncredulous watchers saw him lower a rope to the Maid of the Mist, pull up a bottle and sit down while he refreshed himself. He began his ascent toward the Canadian shore, paused, steadied the balancing pole and suddenly executed a back somersault. Never content merely to repeat his last performance, Blondin crossed his rope on a bicycle, walked blindfolded, pushed a wheelbarrow, cooked an omelet in the centre and made the trip with his hands and feet manacled.
Yet even these stunts failed to satisfy Blondin’s urge to test himself. He announced that on August 19 he would cross the gorge carrying his manager, Harry Colcord, on his back. It was to be the supreme test of Blondin’s skill and stamina.
According to Colcord, the trip was a nightmare. In the¡Kcentre section, the pair swayed violently. Blondin was fighting for his life¡K.Six times in all Colcord had to dismount while Blondin struggled to gather his strength. In the end Blondin had to charge the crowd on the brink to prevent the press of people forcing them back in the precipice. The Great Blondin had done it again, but this time he had only just made it. (3)
As great as Blondin was, the faith of his manager stands out to me. Harry Colcord had no skill in tightrope-walking; he was a manager, a dealmaker. He had to simply trust the one who carried him. It is that kind of believing that I believe in!
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ENDNOTES
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1. Seeing is Believing by Guy Caley on SermonCentral.com
2. The Official¡¦s Son, Rodney Buchanan on SermonCentral.com
3. http://www.niagara-info.com/historic.htm#Section1c
