SEVENTH-HOUR FAITH
John 4:46-53
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. Kids have a way of coming up with tall tales about what happened at school. Parents are told the wildest things.
2. One wise school teacher sent home a note to the parents of all her students that read, “If you promise not to believe everything your child says happened at school, I’ll promise not to believe everything he says happened at home!”
3. It’s good to consider the source! Join with me in reading John 4:46-53.
B. TEXT
46 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. 47 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. 48 “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” 49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 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.” 53 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.
C. THESIS
1. This account illustrates the rise and progress of a person’s faith. You may feel your faith is strong – yet still need more.
2. Some of you have situations that look impossible. Maybe You’ve even come to the end of all your efforts.
3. The Lord has direction for you through this passage:
a. What kind of Savior He is?
b. What He expects you to do now?
c. God’s purpose is to challenge and increase your faith by doing the impossible!
4. Title: “Seventh Hour Faith.”
I. THE SPARK OF FAITH (Small faith)
A. AT FIRST, HIS FAITH ONLY RESTED ON THE REPORT OF OTHERS
1. He’d never seen/ heard Jesus; he simply believed the reports of others. At this point in His ministry Jesus had:
a. Turned the water into wine at Cana;
b. At Jerusalem, done many wonderful works.
2. Faith often begins that way; like the Samaritans at Sychar, who believed because of the woman’s report. Later they believed because they experienced Christ themselves (Jn. 4:42).
B. CRISIS DROVE HIM TO CHRIST
1. Troubles are sometimes God’s means to get us closer to Him.
2. Thus troubles can be blessings in disguise.
C. LIMITED THE LORD’S POWER TO LOCAL PRESENCE
1. The Nobleman thought that if Jesus could enter his boy’s room, the fever would be healed. He had no idea that Jesus could work at a distance of 25-30 miles (or further). He limited Jesus, we shouldn’t.
2. The Centurion (Mt. 8:8) said, “Lord, I’m not worthy that You should come under my roof; speak the word only.” The Centurion believed Jesus didn’t have to be there, but could just speak and it would happen.
II. SMALL FAITH STRENGTHENED
A. FEEBLE FAITH DETECTED
1. The Nobleman requested Jesus actually come to his home. That’s all his faith could embrace. The Centurion’s faith was stronger.
B. FEEBLE FAITH CHALLENGED
1. By the Lord’s chiding, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”
2. WE WANT GOD TO WORK IN OUR WAY AND OUR TIME! Like Naaman the leper, who expected the Prophet to come out and “strike his hand over the place and recover the leprosy.”
3. We think we can only be healed if we receive:
a. Anointing with oil;
b. Have hands laid upon us by the elders of the church;
c. Have someone pray over us with fervent energy, declaring our healing. Some think they have to “fall under the power” in
order to get healed.
4. NO! LET GOD BE GOD!
5. The Prophet told Naaman, “Go wash in the river 7 times!” To many that DOESN’T seem very glamorous, very spiritual.
6. Naaman could have given up when rebuked. Many people, when facing difficulties, grow weary and give up. Maybe some of you are weary. Hold on for your miracle!
7. Naaman threw away his preconceived ideas of how HE THOUGHT God ought to do it and agreed to do it God’s way. And you know the rest of the story; IF YOU DO THINGS GOD’S WAY, YOU GET GOD’S RESULTS!
C. FAITH STRENGTHENED
The Lord Jesus told him, “Go! Your son will live.”
III. THE FLAME OF FAITH
A. HE BELIEVED THE WORD OF JESUS!
1. The Nobleman believed Jesus’ word even though Jesus hadn’t got to his house.
2. Does the Word of God touch on your situation? Does God have a promise about it?
3. Then I implore you to stand on the Word of God and contend for God’s best will for your life!
B. AT ONCE HE OBEYED JESUS
1. He didn’t wait for a sign.
2. He immediately started for home.
C. HE WASN’T FINISHED GROWING IN FAITH
1. He still expected a gradual healing.
2. He asked the servants the hour in which the son began to mend.
D. HE TRAVELED WITH THE LEISURE OF FAITH
1. The trip is estimated to take 15-16 hours to travel the road. If he had been anxious he could have walked the 25 miles in nine hours, walking 3 miles an hour.
2. But the fact that he met the servants the following day shows that he made a relaxed trip.
3. It’s written in Isaiah 28:16, “He that believes shall not make haste.” His pace demonstrated his trust. The Nobleman was at ease about his son; he believed he was alright!
4. Next we see how the spark of faith ignited to a flame and then into a blazing, raging fire.
IV. THE FULL-FIRE OF FAITH
A. THE MIRACLE COMPREHENDED
1. Supernatural utterance. It’s amazing that the first words of the Nobleman’s servants, upon meeting him on the road, were identical to those Jesus had uttered about the boy, “Your son lives!”
2. Often times I’ve preached on something and someone’s come up afterward and said, “Pastor, who told you about my situation? You described the details of my life in your sermon!”
3. If that’s ever happened to you, be assured that the only person who orchestrated it was the Holy Spirit! And His motive is to build you up in Christ.
4. Next, we see the Nobleman’s faith confirmed. “When did the boy get better?” “At the seventh hour!” That was the exact moment Jesus had spoken the previous day. At that moment, the boy was healed.
5. Doubters will question your faith, but when they run into a miracle of God, a sincere heart will acknowledge that “Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place!” (like Jacob in Gen. 28:16).
B. FULL TRUST IN CHRIST
1. He believed that Jesus was the Savior and trusted in Him.
2. The natural result of his newfound joy was that all his family also became believers (and probably the servants and the nurse too)!
3. It all happened because of faith manifested at the seventh hour. Tonight is your seventh hour! In a few moments we’re going to pray for your needed miracles and believe God for the impossible.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: RUN OVER BY 8 TON TRUCK, YET UNHURT! True story of Chen Guangmei, China
1. “I did not hear it coming. Suddenly a large delivery truck hit me. The wheels of the 8-tonne truck went right over my body. One wheel after the other went over me as I lay there. But to my surprise, I felt no pain!”
2. “It was a very dark night. The driver didn’t see me before his vehicle hit me. Now as I lay there, I wondered if I could
move my body. To my surprise, I found I could move my legs. Then I found I could move my whole body.”
3. “So slowly I began to move my body from under the truck. The driver of the truck appeared. He found it difficult to believe what his eyes saw; I was still alive! When I began to stand on my two feet, his mouth dropped open in surprise.”
4. I said to him, “I am not hurt!” But he pointed to the marks of the truck wheels on my shirt. Yes, he could see the truck wheel marks on my shirt. The marks ran from my lower back to my shoulder there on my shirt.
5. Now when we reached home, my friends examined me, but found I had suffered no harm. People began to come from far and near to see & hear my story. Whenever they did, I showed them the wheel marks on my shirt.
6. So I hung my shirt outside my house for everyone to see what God can do for us. I told everyone, “God wants to continue to use my life. You can also prove what the power of God can do for you.”
B. THE CALL
1. Maybe you feel like you have insufficient faith for a miracle. That’s ok. We see the Nobleman, at first, didn’t have but a spark of faith. He limited Jesus. But as he hung around Jesus, his faith increased. It will be the same for you.
2. Jesus is challenging you tonight to look past your own conception of how the miracle ought to happen and let God be God! He may want to ‘speak the word’ tonight. Will you let Him?
3. The Nobleman didn’t see the miracle occur when Jesus said it. He just had to take Jesus at His word, and proceed as if the miracle had happened. That’s what God wants you to do tonight.
4. How many need God to do something for you tonight? Why don’t you come forward and let’s believe together for your miracle. Prayer.
