1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:04,160 Go ahead and take out your Bibles and make your way to the 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:06,760 book of John. We're going to be in John 3 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:09,560 Chapter 4, finishing up John chapter 4 this morning. 4 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:15,480 If you did not bring a Bible with you, we've got some 5 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:16,880 underneath the seats in front of you. 6 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:19,760 If you're using that Bible, it's page 889. 7 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:27,840 We have any gardeners in here, Any green thumbs, anybody. 8 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:31,440 Very small handful. That's surprising. 9 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:36,360 I think one of the most satisfying things about 10 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:42,960 gardening is watching the progress from a small seed into 11 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:47,080 a mature flower or mature fruit tree or whatever it might be. 12 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:49,040 Right, Watching that progression. 13 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:52,720 I'm not much of A gardener, although I love growing basil. 14 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:56,680 I've, this is actually the first year that I've lived in Florida 15 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:59,400 in the last nine years that I've actually been able to grow 16 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:01,320 basil. I finally put it in a big pot 17 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:03,840 and it's out in the sun all the time, which is what it needs. 18 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:06,200 And so my basil is growing wonderfully. 19 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:10,240 But basil is amazing because it starts out as a dull, black, 20 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:15,120 tiny little seed, and then you put it in the soil and water it, 21 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:20,640 and over time it blossoms into something beautiful and vibrant 22 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:24,200 and alive. And for me, very, very delicious 23 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:26,400 because I make my pesto sauce with it. 24 00:01:27,320 --> 00:01:30,560 So I want you to keep that image in your minds, this image of a 25 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:35,600 seed growing and blossoming. We're doing a series through the 26 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:38,280 book of John. We've been in it for several 27 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:43,560 months now, and today we are looking at a story about a man 28 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:48,200 who starts with a seed of faith. And through the course of the 29 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:53,400 story we get to watch that seed of faith blossom into something 30 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:56,960 wonderful, which is for him, saving faith, for him and for 31 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:01,520 his family. So let me begin with just a 32 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:05,800 brief moment of quiet before we read God's Word. 33 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:11,320 I want to give you a chance to cast any cares or anxieties that 34 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:14,040 you have. Just give them over to God. 35 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:17,520 I want to give you a chance to quiet your heart and your soul. 36 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:20,920 As Gordon mentioned earlier, we often come in very distracted, 37 00:02:20,920 --> 00:02:25,440 very busy, very preoccupied with a lot of cares from life. 38 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:28,880 And so we like to take a moment before we hear from God, just to 39 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:31,120 pause and to release those things over to Him. 40 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:34,160 And so I want to encourage you to just take about 10 or 15 41 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:37,640 seconds and pray to Him, ask him to open your eyes and open your 42 00:02:37,640 --> 00:02:41,000 heart that we might hear from him this morning. 43 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,920 So let's go ahead and do that. Then I will read, read the text 44 00:02:43,920 --> 00:03:12,080 for us and pray. John chapter 4, starting in 45 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:18,520 verse 43. After the two days, he departed 46 00:03:18,920 --> 00:03:23,440 for Galilee. For Jesus himself had testified 47 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:26,760 that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown. 48 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:31,080 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having 49 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:34,760 seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they 50 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:38,760 too had gone to the feast. So he came again to Cana in 51 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:42,400 Galilee, where he had made the water wine. 52 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:46,200 And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 53 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:49,680 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, 54 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:53,200 he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for 55 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:57,880 he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, Unless you 56 00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:00,720 see signs and wonders, you will not believe. 57 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:06,160 The official said to him, Sir, come down before my child dies. 58 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:11,360 Jesus said to him, go, your son will live. 59 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:16,560 The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on 60 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:19,800 his way. As he was going down his 61 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:23,000 servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. 62 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:27,160 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better and they 63 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:30,520 said to him, yesterday at the 7th hour the fever left him. 64 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:33,520 The Father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, 65 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:38,480 Your Son will live and he himself believed and all his 66 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:41,440 household. This was now the second sign 67 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:45,760 that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee. 68 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:50,480 Let's pray. Father, I thank you for this 69 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:55,160 story and this Father and his faith. 70 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:58,480 I thank you for the gift of faith. 71 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:02,880 I pray that you would give us all a gift of faith, that we 72 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:06,440 would trust You at your word, Jesus, that we would trust you 73 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:09,560 for our eternal salvation, but also that we would trust you 74 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:15,080 every single step along the way. And so help us and bless us and 75 00:05:15,080 --> 00:05:19,560 strengthen us as a church in faith we pray in Jesus name, 76 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:26,160 Amen. OK, so Jesus here is returning 77 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:30,240 to Galilee from the town of Saikar, which we've have been 78 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:31,560 reading about the past couple weeks. 79 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:33,760 The story of the woman at the well. 80 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:37,520 Jesus encounters this woman, offers her living water that 81 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:41,440 will satisfy her soul forever. She believes, she trusts him. 82 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:45,200 She goes and she tells her fellow city members and they 83 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:49,000 come and they trust in Jesus. And now we pick up the story in 84 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:52,320 verse 43. It says after the two days he 85 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:55,760 departed for Galilee. Galilee is where his hometown 86 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:58,400 would have been. And this is this is interesting. 87 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:01,160 I want to pause here just for a brief moment because John is 88 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:04,280 very explicit to say after the two days. 89 00:06:04,840 --> 00:06:09,600 So that means this story that we read today happens on the third 90 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:11,760 day. If you were here when we were 91 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:15,160 preaching through John chapter 2, the story of Jesus turning 92 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:18,160 the water into wine. Do you remember which day that 93 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:23,480 miracle happened on? Remember, oh, you guys, I know 94 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:24,640 you were here. A lot of you were here. 95 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:28,280 It happened on the third day. So John's doing something. 96 00:06:28,280 --> 00:06:30,120 There's a story within the story. 97 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:35,720 What else happened that was very significant in history, very 98 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:40,160 significant in Christian history on the third day, Jesus's 99 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:42,760 resurrection. So even just in the way that 100 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:47,240 John is telling these stories, he is pointing us forward to 101 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:51,880 this coming reality of that. There's life on the third day, 102 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:54,000 there's abundance on the third day. 103 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:56,600 The wine of the Kingdom is poured out on the third day. 104 00:06:56,760 --> 00:06:58,520 There's resurrection on the third day. 105 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:01,520 John is telling a story within the story. 106 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:04,680 This child in this story is as good as dead. 107 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:09,080 But then on the third day, he's he's raised, he's resurrected. 108 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:12,520 So Jesus leaves Sidecar in Samaria. 109 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:16,120 He comes back to Galilee where his hometown of Nazareth is 110 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:19,640 located. In verse 44, John adds 111 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:22,840 parenthetically. He says, for Jesus himself had 112 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:28,280 testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown. 113 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:33,440 So the people in Jesus's hometown in Nazareth, in the 114 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:38,520 region of Galilee are not honoring him as Messiah. 115 00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:42,280 They don't see him as that yet. He's too familiar. 116 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:44,880 This is the Jesus that we grew up with. 117 00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:47,880 I saw him when he was in his diapers, and I saw him when he 118 00:07:47,880 --> 00:07:50,680 was just a teenager. And he's claiming to be the 119 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:53,160 Messiah. Not so sure about that. 120 00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:57,760 And so Jesus in this story is going to do another miracle to 121 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:01,680 show them who in fact he is, that he is God in the flesh, 122 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:06,520 that he is the Messiah come to save Verse 45 it says. 123 00:08:06,520 --> 00:08:10,360 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having 124 00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:13,440 seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they 125 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:16,640 too had gone to the feast. So they are welcoming him, but 126 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:18,440 they are not welcoming him as Messiah. 127 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:22,600 They're welcoming him as maybe just a zealous rabbi, you know, 128 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:26,640 this man who was cleansing the temple like we we heard about a 129 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:30,400 few weeks ago. They're even welcoming him as a 130 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:33,799 miracle worker, this man who does these mighty feats. 131 00:08:33,799 --> 00:08:38,360 He turned 120 to 150 gallons of water into fine wine. 132 00:08:38,799 --> 00:08:41,600 John tells us that he did other signs when he was with these 133 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:45,200 people. So they're welcoming him, but 134 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:49,320 not yet as Lord, not yet as Messiah. 135 00:08:49,680 --> 00:08:51,600 One of the commentators I read said this. 136 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:55,760 He said they have a faulty faith that is based on miracles. 137 00:08:56,320 --> 00:08:58,720 They have a faulty faith that is based on miracles. 138 00:08:58,720 --> 00:09:01,920 So they admire Him for the tricks that he can do. 139 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:04,800 They welcome him, but they don't worship him. 140 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:08,920 They like his miracles. That's cool, but we don't like 141 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:11,760 your message that you are God in the flesh. 142 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:18,040 Not so sure about that. I would say if I just look at 143 00:09:18,760 --> 00:09:23,680 the church in our day and in our culture, there are many people 144 00:09:23,680 --> 00:09:27,240 who have a faulty faith. Many people would say things 145 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:31,400 like I like Jesus, I like his teaching, but I don't believe 146 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:33,360 that he's God and I'm not going to worship him. 147 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:36,280 I mean, even the Dalai Lama, one of the most famous spiritual 148 00:09:36,280 --> 00:09:39,960 figures on the planet, likes Jesus, admires Jesus, 149 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:44,360 appreciates Jesus's teaching, but refuses to confess that 150 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:49,040 Jesus is Lord. So Jesus here is about to do 151 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:55,280 another powerful work to back up his words and further prove that 152 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:57,160 he is more than just a miracle worker. 153 00:09:57,640 --> 00:10:00,440 He is God in the flesh. So let's carry on. 154 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:04,000 In the story, verse 46, we meet a desperate man with a 155 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:07,760 devastating problem. This Father, so it says. 156 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:10,120 So he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had made the 157 00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:11,880 water into wine. That's Jesus, of course. 158 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:16,560 And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 159 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:21,120 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, 160 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:26,160 he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for 161 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:30,360 he was at the point of death. So we need another character in 162 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:33,160 the story. This official, the new English 163 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:36,760 NIV, translates it. He's a royal official. 164 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:40,520 The King James Version translated that he was a 165 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:42,880 nobleman. So we don't know a whole lot 166 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:46,440 about this man. Is he a Jew or is he a Gentile? 167 00:10:46,560 --> 00:10:50,080 There's not a lot of detail. It's likely that he was a member 168 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:53,480 of King Herod's court. And so he was probably because 169 00:10:53,480 --> 00:10:56,200 he's a mention as an official and a royal official. 170 00:10:56,600 --> 00:11:01,520 He is part of the ruling elite. So he's a man of importance. 171 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:05,960 He's a man of financial means. He's a successful man. 172 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:10,840 He's a powerful man. He would have had access to good 173 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:15,560 food and the best Roman doctors, the healthcare system, medicine. 174 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:19,520 We find out later in the story he has servants, so he has a lot 175 00:11:19,520 --> 00:11:23,640 of resources here. But the story tells us that his 176 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:26,240 son was ill to the point of death. 177 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:33,840 There are few things that will bring a man to his knees faster 178 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:38,880 than having a sick child. Several years back when one of 179 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:42,360 my daughter's was very ill, she was right around 1 year old and 180 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:44,680 she had a terrible stomach bug. So she had basically been 181 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:47,840 throwing up everything that we tried to feed her for like 2 182 00:11:47,840 --> 00:11:53,560 solid days, severely dehydrated. And I remember one night it was 183 00:11:53,560 --> 00:11:56,200 like two or three in the morning and I remember she'd been crying 184 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:58,160 and she had thrown up again where I was holding her. 185 00:11:58,320 --> 00:12:01,040 She was so weak, she could not even hold her head up. 186 00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:05,000 And as a father, I was just terrified in this moment. 187 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:07,160 What do we do? Do we take her to the ER? 188 00:12:07,360 --> 00:12:09,120 Is there some other kind of medicine? 189 00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:13,160 And I'm thinking, I wish I could absorb this sickness into myself 190 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:15,040 so that she could be healed. All right. 191 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:19,480 There's great compassion and mercy for your children when 192 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:23,520 they are sick. And so here is this man, here is 193 00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:27,760 this father, and his son is ill to the point of death. 194 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:32,840 This is a terrifying situation, and it says that he had heard 195 00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:36,640 that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee. 196 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:41,560 He hears about Jesus, the miracle worker, the man who 197 00:12:41,560 --> 00:12:46,000 turned water into wine. He's here, he's close. 198 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:49,040 He's in Cana. Cana's about 20 miles up the 199 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:53,840 road, up the hill from Capernaum where this man lives. 200 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:55,960 And so he says, I'm going to take the, I'm going to make the 201 00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:57,080 trek and I'm going to head up there. 202 00:12:57,080 --> 00:13:03,440 So 20 mile trek, it's all uphill because Capernaum is 700 feet 203 00:13:03,440 --> 00:13:06,000 below sea level at the next to the Sea of Galilee. 204 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,640 Cana is up in the hills. So this guy literally goes up 205 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:12,160 the mountain to meet Jesus. He is desperate. 206 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:15,040 He has exhausted all of his other options. 207 00:13:15,280 --> 00:13:19,440 The best doctors can't help him. He can't just fix this by 208 00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:21,240 himself. He does not have the power to 209 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:26,600 solve it. And so he asks Jesus to come and 210 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:31,560 heal his son. He believes that Jesus can help 211 00:13:31,560 --> 00:13:34,520 him. He believes that Jesus can help 212 00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:37,600 him. And so we see in this man seeds 213 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:40,120 of faith. Remember that little tiny black 214 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:43,760 basil seed? We see seeds of faith in this 215 00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:46,240 man. Before I go on, though, I want 216 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:49,200 to, I want to just try to make a kind of a bigger application and 217 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:53,600 point that I think John is showing us as we read through 218 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:58,040 the gospel of John. He's showing us as he crafts his 219 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:03,520 gospel and he tells these stories that all kinds of people 220 00:14:03,520 --> 00:14:10,120 need Jesus, and Jesus is willing to help all kinds of people. 221 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:16,520 In John 3, we see a religious, educated Jewish man who comes to 222 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:20,640 Jesus, Nicodemus, right? And Jesus is revealing himself. 223 00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:22,800 He's calling him to believe. He's helping him. 224 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:28,720 In John chapter 4, we see an outcast Samaritan woman who 225 00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:31,720 comes to Jesus. Jesus offers himself to her. 226 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:33,960 He tells her the truth. She comes to him. 227 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:39,520 Now we see a powerful, successful official coming to 228 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:43,320 Jesus requesting help, and we're going to see Jesus helps him. 229 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:49,080 Jesus helps all kinds of people. He helps the down and outers. 230 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:51,120 And usually when we think of Christianity, we think of the 231 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:53,320 down and outers, people who have had a hard life. 232 00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:57,400 But I like to also say Jesus loves to help the up and outers 233 00:14:57,400 --> 00:14:59,720 too, right? People who are very successful 234 00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:02,920 in the eyes of the world, very educated, wealthy, powerful, 235 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:07,080 looked highly upon, but are very empty inside, spiritually 236 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:09,680 destitute. Jesus helps them too. 237 00:15:10,240 --> 00:15:13,920 Jesus loves to help people who can quote a lot of Bible verses, 238 00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:17,280 and he loves to help people who have never even cracked open 239 00:15:17,280 --> 00:15:20,640 their Bible and they could not recite one verse to you from 240 00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:22,120 memory. He's come for both. 241 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:25,760 He loves to help pH DS, and he loves to help high school 242 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:29,120 dropouts, men and women, powerful and weak, from every 243 00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:32,880 corner of the globe. Jesus loves to help people. 244 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:36,160 He's for people. He loves people. 245 00:15:39,040 --> 00:15:42,880 And so here is a man who has a desperate need and Jesus is 246 00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:46,960 going to step in and help him. And next we see Jesus do 247 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:50,880 something a bit unexpected. Look at verse 48. 248 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:57,320 So this man has made this journey to come find some help 249 00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:00,800 from Jesus the healer. He's desperate. 250 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:04,760 Verse 48. So Jesus said to him, unless you 251 00:16:04,760 --> 00:16:07,120 see signs and wonders, you will not believe. 252 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:11,520 Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe. 253 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:17,960 So Jesus resists him a bit. Jesus pushes back on his quote 254 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:22,800 UN quote faith of the official, but also you have to understand 255 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:25,440 in the original language, when Jesus says you, he's using the 256 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:28,680 plural form. So he's talking to the official, 257 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:32,240 but he's also talking to the people of Galilee and he's also 258 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:36,600 talking to us, right? He says you So. 259 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:39,000 And if he was from Florida, he'd probably say y'all. 260 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:44,280 OK, so, So y'all, unless y'all see signs and wonders, y'all 261 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:50,920 will not believe you are hungry for miracles and signs and 262 00:16:50,920 --> 00:16:53,000 wonders. You love the tricks that I can 263 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:55,160 do, right? You're, you're all for that. 264 00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:56,520 You. Oh, and you. 265 00:16:56,560 --> 00:17:00,200 Ah, when I do these miraculous things, you treat me kind of 266 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:03,520 like I'm a Las Vegas sideshow magician, right? 267 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:07,599 You think that's pretty cool? You welcome me because I do 268 00:17:07,599 --> 00:17:11,240 miracles, but the miracles are not the point. 269 00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:15,440 The miracles are not the point. You know what the point is? 270 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:20,200 The man behind the miracles is the point. 271 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:24,680 Don't forget that The man behind the miracles is the point. 272 00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:33,120 Miracles are signs that point to the fact that Jesus is Messiah, 273 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:38,000 Lord and Savior, worthy of worship, worthy of honor. 274 00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:40,040 That's the point of the miracles. 275 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:44,640 How many of you have driven to Crescent Beach before, right? 276 00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:48,560 You make the track, head out east on 39th and just keep 277 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:50,960 going, right? You got to turn somewhere in 278 00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:53,960 Palatka. You go north a little bit, but 279 00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:57,360 there's a sign there, right? There's a sign that points you 280 00:17:57,600 --> 00:18:02,720 to Crescent Beach. It would be ridiculous if you 281 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:07,120 got out of your car at that sign and said, there's the sign, here 282 00:18:07,120 --> 00:18:08,800 we are. And you've set up your little 283 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:12,160 beach chair and you put your umbrella in the ground and you 284 00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:14,800 put on your sunglasses and you start posing for selfies and 285 00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:17,640 sending them to your friends saying, I'm at the beach. 286 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:19,520 You're not at the beach. You. 287 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:23,520 That's just the sign. You've not made it yet, right? 288 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:28,600 The sign is pointing to the greater reality, the substance 289 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:32,720 of what you're looking for. The sign is pointing you toward 290 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:36,080 the beach in all of its glory, right? 291 00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:39,880 So the point is not the sign. The signs merely point to the 292 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:42,320 destination. The point is not the miracle. 293 00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:47,160 The miracle points to the man. The point is not the wonders. 294 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:52,720 The wonders give a little sample of how wonderful he is. 295 00:18:54,120 --> 00:18:56,800 So don't be so enamored with the signs. 296 00:18:57,240 --> 00:18:59,680 Don't be so in love with the miracles. 297 00:18:59,680 --> 00:19:04,360 They are great and they are helpful, but they are meant to 298 00:19:04,360 --> 00:19:11,800 lead us to the person of Jesus. Now, some of you come from faith 299 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:17,880 traditions that over emphasize the miracle, OK, the signs. 300 00:19:18,480 --> 00:19:20,040 And I think there's a danger in that. 301 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:23,920 I think, I think in those groups you're you're walking on thin 302 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:26,200 ice. And if, if you're unaware of 303 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:28,640 that, there are some groups where where Christianity can 304 00:19:28,640 --> 00:19:31,200 feel a little bit like an infomercial. 305 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:34,760 You know, it starts out in black and white because they all do. 306 00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:37,400 And your life is terrible, right? 307 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:39,760 Poor you, everything is going wrong. 308 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:45,280 But if you just come to Jesus, get your miracle and he will 309 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:49,880 offer you health and wealth and prosperity and healing for 1999. 310 00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:53,440 And if you do it in the next 30 minutes, then it's a 2 Fer. 311 00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:58,640 It's just this, it's, it's, it's all about what you can get. 312 00:19:58,640 --> 00:20:04,560 It's all about the miracle. If your faith is built on what 313 00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:07,880 Jesus can do for you and the miracles that He can do, what 314 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:11,880 happens if it doesn't happen? What happens if you don't get 315 00:20:11,880 --> 00:20:15,200 the miracle? If your faith is built on that, 316 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:21,720 then your faith collapses. Now, I want to be clear. 317 00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:25,800 I believe that God does miracles, and I believe that we 318 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:29,160 should pray for Him to do miraculous things among us. 319 00:20:29,160 --> 00:20:32,280 I believe in His power. I believe that the Holy Spirit 320 00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:36,080 works today through Christians who pray. 321 00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:39,360 He does signs and wonders that we should seek those things. 322 00:20:39,360 --> 00:20:42,520 We should pray, we should ask, but we should not build our 323 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:47,480 faith on the miracle. Build your faith on the 324 00:20:47,480 --> 00:20:51,760 foundation of Jesus and His finished work on the cross. 325 00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:55,960 That is solid ground. That is steady, that is stable, 326 00:20:55,960 --> 00:20:59,040 that is enduring. That Jesus came in the flesh. 327 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:01,960 He died on a cross for your sin and for my sin. 328 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:04,600 He rose again on the third day victorious. 329 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:08,320 And he rules and reigns forever and will rule and reign forever, 330 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:11,280 and all who trust in Him will rule and reign with him forever. 331 00:21:11,480 --> 00:21:13,280 That's solid ground. You could build your life on 332 00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:19,040 that, Paul says in First Corinthians chapter 3 verse 11, 333 00:21:19,040 --> 00:21:22,480 he says, for no one can lay a foundation other than that which 334 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:28,800 is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Job in the Bible is an 335 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:32,560 incredible example of this if you're familiar with the story 336 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:36,280 of Job. Wealthy man, big family, very 337 00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:39,680 successful and then everything goes wrong, right? 338 00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:42,640 I mean, everything like literally his life just implodes 339 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:46,240 and his children, I mean, it's just tragedy, right? 340 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:49,800 He loses, he loses everything. He loses his family, he loses 341 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:52,520 his own health. But you know what he says? 342 00:21:53,560 --> 00:21:59,760 He says though he slay me yet I will hope in him though he slay 343 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:02,400 me. Even if I don't get the miracle, 344 00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:05,720 that's OK. I'm going to continue to hope in 345 00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:09,360 him. That is faith in God, not faith 346 00:22:09,360 --> 00:22:16,560 in what God can do for you. The Father and these Galileans 347 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:19,680 had a faulty faith that was built on miracles. 348 00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:24,080 It was not enough. Their quote UN quote faith was 349 00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:28,200 not enough to save them from the biggest problem that they had 350 00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:30,080 and that we have the problem of sin. 351 00:22:31,360 --> 00:22:34,520 And the Bible's clear. The wages of sin is death. 352 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:41,000 It leads to separation from God, who is life, separation from His 353 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:45,000 presence, which is life and light and joy, and it results in 354 00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:48,240 eternal damnation and separation from Him in hell. 355 00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:51,880 That is their biggest problem. That's our biggest problem. 356 00:22:54,400 --> 00:23:00,120 Saving faith is a faith that personally trusts in the person 357 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:04,160 and work of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, not just a 358 00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:07,520 generic I believe in God and I believe God can do miracles. 359 00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:10,720 That's this kind of kitschy thing that is rampant in the 360 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:11,880 culture. I believe you believe. 361 00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:17,240 Of course I believe in God. You know who else believes in 362 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:21,040 God? James tells us that the demons 363 00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:26,800 do, and they tremble. So Jesus is going to mercifully 364 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:31,480 show this man and all of us that he is more than just a miracle 365 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:32,600 worker. OK? 366 00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:35,800 He's not just your Las Vegas magician sideshow dude. 367 00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:38,720 Excuse me. He has God in the flesh. 368 00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:41,920 So let's continue on the story. We start to see the faith of 369 00:23:41,920 --> 00:23:45,120 this man blossoming into full grown faith. 370 00:23:46,360 --> 00:23:52,560 Verse 49 says the official said to him, Sir, come down before my 371 00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:55,920 child dies. So this official is undeterred. 372 00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:59,480 He asks Jesus to travel with him, Come back with me, take 373 00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:03,000 this trip 20 miles down the mountain to Capernaum so you can 374 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:10,120 heal my son in person. Verse 50, Jesus said to him, go, 375 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:15,080 your son will live. Go, your son will live. 376 00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:20,200 So he says to the man, he says I'm not going to go with you, 377 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:27,160 but I will heal your son and I'm going to heal your son at a 378 00:24:27,160 --> 00:24:33,600 distance with a word. And you're going to have to 379 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:37,240 trust me. You're going to just have to 380 00:24:37,240 --> 00:24:42,560 believe me and trust me. Believe the words that I speak, 381 00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:46,280 not just the miracles that I do, not just the signs and wonders. 382 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:50,800 Don't just like me for that, but believe me based on the words 383 00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:53,960 that I speak, believe that I am God. 384 00:24:55,640 --> 00:25:00,600 God who spoke and creation came into existence. 385 00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:05,880 God who creates and heals and restores and saves by the power 386 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:07,960 of His Word. You know, this is one of the 387 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:10,560 themes of God. You read the Genesis chapter 1 388 00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:15,160 and 10 times it says, and God said and God said and God said 389 00:25:15,240 --> 00:25:21,640 and God said 10 times by his word, his word has power. 390 00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:27,800 And so Jesus is he's flexing here is what he's doing. 391 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:29,120 He say, I'm not, I'm going to heal him. 392 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:30,840 It's just going to be by my word. 393 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:34,680 So now this official has a choice, right? 394 00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:36,200 He's at a bit of a crossroads here. 395 00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:40,480 He can stay and keep begging. Come on, that's not enough. 396 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:43,240 I need you to know, come with me like you're my little, you know, 397 00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:46,000 my, my rabbit's foot. So I can kind of rub you and, 398 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:51,080 you know, do my good luck charm. Or he can go try to find 399 00:25:51,080 --> 00:25:53,480 somebody else to help him. Maybe there's another healer 400 00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:55,360 somewhere. Maybe there's a priest, maybe 401 00:25:55,360 --> 00:25:56,600 there's a prophet somewhere else. 402 00:25:56,600 --> 00:25:59,160 Maybe there's some other doctors that I've not tapped into yet, 403 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:04,040 Somebody else who can help me. Or he can believe and trust in 404 00:26:04,120 --> 00:26:08,920 Jesus's word and simply obey. What does he do? 405 00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:15,760 second-half of verse 50. The man believed the word that 406 00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:19,000 Jesus spoke to him and he went on his way. 407 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:23,760 The man believed the word that Jesus spoke, and he leaves. 408 00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:26,440 And so we see the seeds of faith growing, right? 409 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:29,920 The seeds of faith are growing. The only way that this Father 410 00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:33,760 could leave Jesus in peace is if he actually believes that Jesus 411 00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:35,040 can do what he said he's going to do. 412 00:26:38,360 --> 00:26:42,640 This has gone beyond now. This man just likes Jesus for 413 00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:45,640 his tricks. This official believes that 414 00:26:45,720 --> 00:26:48,280 Jesus is more. He believes that he has power. 415 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:52,120 Even his very words have power. And he believes to the point 416 00:26:52,120 --> 00:26:54,080 that he starts walking 20 miles home. 417 00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:56,720 And I was thinking about that journey this week. 418 00:26:58,120 --> 00:27:04,680 Think about that, every single step of the way he had to trust 419 00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:08,160 that Jesus was going to do what Jesus said he was going to do. 420 00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:11,120 Every single step of those 20 miles. 421 00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:13,000 I don't know how many steps that is. 422 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:19,440 I mean, I think, I think for a good day, 10 mile day, it's like 423 00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:23,080 20,000 steps or something like that, 23,000 steps. 424 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:28,840 So 50,000 steps. He has to trust Jesus. 425 00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:36,680 This is walking by faith, right? This is what it means to walk by 426 00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:39,840 faith. So this man is getting closer 427 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:44,520 and closer to what I would classify as genuine saving 428 00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:47,480 faith. Second Corinthians chapter 5, 429 00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:50,440 verse 7. For we walk by faith, not by 430 00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:53,160 sight. Hebrews 11/1. 431 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:57,720 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction 432 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:01,440 of things not seen. Hebrews 11/6. 433 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:05,240 And without faith it is impossible to please him. 434 00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:09,000 For whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists, 435 00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:11,840 and that He rewards those who seek him. 436 00:28:12,280 --> 00:28:15,640 Romans 117, which is quoting Habakkuk 2 Four. 437 00:28:15,760 --> 00:28:18,040 The righteous shall live by faith. 438 00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:22,720 This man is zeroing in on saving faith. 439 00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:29,760 So let me just ask you, let me ask us, where do you struggle to 440 00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:34,600 believe what Jesus has spoken and just start walking? 441 00:28:36,360 --> 00:28:40,800 Where do you struggle to take him at His Word, to believe in 442 00:28:40,800 --> 00:28:44,240 His promises, and to just start walking? 443 00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:47,240 I'm sure you struggle somewhere. We all do. 444 00:28:48,440 --> 00:28:51,720 Maybe for some of you, it's in this whole notion of salvation, 445 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:56,200 right? That trusting in Jesus actually 446 00:28:56,200 --> 00:29:01,840 leads to eternal life. John 316 For God so loved the 447 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:05,640 world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him 448 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:09,320 should not perish but have eternal life. 449 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:11,400 You struggle to believe that one. 450 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:16,240 But when you humble yourself, when you turn from sin, when you 451 00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:19,760 trust in Him, you have to understand that is a promise. 452 00:29:19,920 --> 00:29:23,360 Whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 453 00:29:23,560 --> 00:29:25,880 It means He will catch you when you jump. 454 00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:29,360 He will save you when you put your trust in Him. 455 00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:33,040 He will forgive you of your sins, past, present and future 456 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:35,440 when you turn to Him and trust in Him. 457 00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:39,840 And as you trust Him, as you follow Him, what you will find 458 00:29:39,840 --> 00:29:42,200 is He will confirm His goodness to you. 459 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:46,520 He will confirm His love to you, and you will begin to experience 460 00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:49,920 the abundant life that Jesus offers to you in this life. 461 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:55,680 But it requires a step. It requires steps of faith. 462 00:29:57,000 --> 00:29:59,480 You know, a really good image of what salvation is like is the 463 00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:03,680 whole story of the apostle Peter when he's in the boat with the 464 00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:08,000 disciples during the storm and Jesus comes walking out onto the 465 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:12,280 water, the stormy water, and Peter sees Jesus, they think 466 00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:13,960 he's a ghost and what's going on? 467 00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:17,800 And Peter sees Jesus and Jesus says, come out, come, come to 468 00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:22,400 me, you know, come to me. And Peter's like, what? 469 00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:25,800 Come to you. Do you see where we are? 470 00:30:25,800 --> 00:30:28,680 We're in a boat in the middle of the water, like waves and like, 471 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:31,000 what do you mean come to you? This is water. 472 00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:33,520 Don't you don't understand physics and biology and how this 473 00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:35,640 stuff works? Like I step out there, I sink. 474 00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:41,640 No, come to me. Faith is putting that foot out 475 00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:46,920 on the water and trusting in Jesus's words that he will catch 476 00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:51,480 you. Some of you need to step out in 477 00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:54,320 faith today. Jesus has been calling you, 478 00:30:54,360 --> 00:30:57,800 you've been wrestling, you've been maybe counting the cost, 479 00:30:57,920 --> 00:31:01,440 wondering if it's worth it, wondering is it, is it a real 480 00:31:01,440 --> 00:31:02,760 thing? Is it actually going to work? 481 00:31:02,760 --> 00:31:05,640 And I would just call you today to be like Peter and put your 482 00:31:05,640 --> 00:31:07,560 foot out in the water and just take that step. 483 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:11,960 Be like this Father, take Jesus at his word and start the 484 00:31:11,960 --> 00:31:14,600 journey. It's one step at a time. 485 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:16,360 You trust him, one step at a time. 486 00:31:16,600 --> 00:31:19,920 Trust him today with your first step, turn away from your sin, 487 00:31:20,080 --> 00:31:22,720 put your trust in Jesus and the Bible says you'll be saved. 488 00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:29,440 Many of us trust him with provision, right? 489 00:31:29,440 --> 00:31:34,680 Provision, Matthew 644 says, but seek first the Kingdom of God 490 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:38,000 and his righteousness and all these things will be added to 491 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:40,040 you. And the all these things that 492 00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:43,560 Jesus is talking about is your material needs, right? 493 00:31:43,560 --> 00:31:45,120 Food, clothing, things like that. 494 00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:48,760 Not all your wants, right? Not the big screen TV and the 495 00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:51,040 house in the neighborhood, in the, you know, the car and all 496 00:31:51,040 --> 00:31:53,120 the stuff, But he says I'm going to take care of you. 497 00:31:53,120 --> 00:31:55,120 If you seek me first, you seek my Kingdom first. 498 00:31:55,320 --> 00:31:58,240 I will care for you. I will provide for you. 499 00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:05,760 Many of us are terrified that if you really live for Jesus, if 500 00:32:05,760 --> 00:32:09,520 you really trust him with your time, if you really trust him 501 00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:14,160 with your money, if you really trust him with your life, that 502 00:32:14,160 --> 00:32:16,880 you will have lack, that he's not actually going to come 503 00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:20,000 through, that we're going to end up suffering somehow because of 504 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:25,800 our sacrifice for him. Let me read a story for you. 505 00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:28,760 This is from a member of Vita Springs churches, so 506 00:32:28,760 --> 00:32:32,200 encouraging. It's a story of someone who was 507 00:32:32,200 --> 00:32:37,280 challenged to walk by faith and to trust God with a very basic 508 00:32:37,280 --> 00:32:39,800 kind of provision. Listen, he says, in the months 509 00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:42,840 leading up to my graduation from University of Florida, I began 510 00:32:42,840 --> 00:32:45,920 searching for a job. I applied for a few jobs in the 511 00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:49,200 Panhandle, closer to where I grew up, at a location I had 512 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:51,000 always desired to settle down in. 513 00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:55,000 I also applied for a few jobs in Gainesville, but up until this 514 00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:57,720 this point, I had always viewed Gainesville as nothing more than 515 00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:01,040 a temporary home. Shortly after, I received a job 516 00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:04,480 offer from an engineering firm in Panama City, and after a few 517 00:33:04,480 --> 00:33:07,160 days of praying and seeking counsel, I accepted it. 518 00:33:07,760 --> 00:33:10,320 The next few days were very difficult for me. 519 00:33:10,880 --> 00:33:13,920 It was a very emotional time, partly of mourning the 520 00:33:13,920 --> 00:33:16,480 friendships I had made in Gainesville that I would miss. 521 00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:21,000 But there was also more to it that I don't know how to explain 522 00:33:21,040 --> 00:33:24,680 other than to say it just felt wrong for me to leave. 523 00:33:26,040 --> 00:33:28,600 I had grown tremendously in my faith during my time in 524 00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:30,200 Gainesville. As I was challenged and 525 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:33,760 encouraged constantly by the community around me, I continued 526 00:33:33,760 --> 00:33:36,760 to pray and seek counsel to navigate these feelings. 527 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:40,640 Ultimately, I felt as if God was reminding me of all that He had 528 00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:44,400 done in my heart and speaking to me that He wanted to do more in 529 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:49,280 me in Gainesville, swallowing my pride and going against worldly 530 00:33:49,280 --> 00:33:52,400 wisdom. With no other jobs lined up yet, 531 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:56,440 I decided to trust what I believe to be the voice of God. 532 00:33:56,960 --> 00:33:59,600 So I turned down the job offer that I had. 533 00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:02,400 Fast forward a few. And that's terrifying. 534 00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:07,080 By the way, there is the stepping out onto the water 535 00:34:07,080 --> 00:34:09,400 because he believed that God had spoken to Him. 536 00:34:10,719 --> 00:34:14,000 Fast forward a few months and I received a job offer from a 537 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:16,800 local engineering firm that was actually more in line with my 538 00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:20,000 interests and I started dating a lovely lady. 539 00:34:20,040 --> 00:34:23,080 Look at that. 2 for one to whom I am now married. 540 00:34:23,840 --> 00:34:26,520 I was very encouraged by God's faithfulness to me. 541 00:34:26,960 --> 00:34:31,440 But I believe, and this is very key, I believe even if things 542 00:34:31,440 --> 00:34:34,679 did not seem to work out this well in the end for me, it would 543 00:34:34,679 --> 00:34:36,440 have still been right for me to stay. 544 00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:45,719 That looks a whole lot to me like faith, trusting Jesus for 545 00:34:45,719 --> 00:34:48,960 provision. Where do you struggle to trust 546 00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:51,639 him that he's going to care for you, that he, he sees you and he 547 00:34:51,639 --> 00:34:54,080 knows your life and he knows your needs and he's actually 548 00:34:54,080 --> 00:34:58,160 with you and he actually has power to be able to like arrange 549 00:34:58,160 --> 00:35:03,000 things in different departments and companies and in the economy 550 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:06,680 so that you can be provided for as you seek to obey him. 551 00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:13,080 Some of us struggle to trust Jesus for wisdom, but there's 552 00:35:13,080 --> 00:35:15,960 promises in the Bible for wisdom. 553 00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:18,560 A great one is James chapter one, verse 5. 554 00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:22,480 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives 555 00:35:22,480 --> 00:35:26,880 generously to all without reproach, and it will be given 556 00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:29,280 him. So you're facing a situation, 557 00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:32,560 you don't know what to do. There's not a verse about it in 558 00:35:32,560 --> 00:35:35,000 the Bible that you can just turn to, right? 559 00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:38,000 And we face these kinds of situations a lot in our life. 560 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:41,120 It's just unclear. God, I don't know what to do. 561 00:35:41,640 --> 00:35:43,720 But, you know, you have all wisdom. 562 00:35:43,720 --> 00:35:46,520 You are all knowing. You know, all of my days, every 563 00:35:46,520 --> 00:35:48,080 one of my days is written in your book. 564 00:35:48,440 --> 00:35:52,040 And so, Lord, please lead me. Please give me wisdom. 565 00:35:52,320 --> 00:35:54,120 Do you do that? Do you pray to Him? 566 00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:58,400 And then just trust Him that He is going to provide the wisdom 567 00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:00,520 that you need in the moment that you need it. 568 00:36:00,800 --> 00:36:03,120 I had a really fun conversation with one of our members a couple 569 00:36:03,120 --> 00:36:05,200 weeks ago. He quoted that verse. 570 00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:08,880 We're talking about this topic, and he said whenever I need 571 00:36:08,880 --> 00:36:11,960 wisdom, I pray that God would give me wisdom. 572 00:36:11,960 --> 00:36:13,800 And he says he's going to give me wisdom. 573 00:36:14,040 --> 00:36:17,280 So then I just start acting like I have wisdom. 574 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:20,560 And I thought that's really smart. 575 00:36:21,120 --> 00:36:23,480 I think that's the right way to take that verse. 576 00:36:23,880 --> 00:36:26,360 You know, it's not naive. You're not being gullible 577 00:36:26,360 --> 00:36:29,320 because God has promised that to you and to me. 578 00:36:29,680 --> 00:36:33,240 He's going to give you wisdom when you need the wisdom He is 579 00:36:33,760 --> 00:36:41,840 faithful to provide. Where is God pressing you to 580 00:36:42,480 --> 00:36:47,360 believe and just walk? I'm sure there are a lot of 581 00:36:47,360 --> 00:36:50,480 situations in this room right now that you're in, you're in a 582 00:36:50,480 --> 00:36:53,440 spot, right? He's, he's calling you, he's 583 00:36:53,440 --> 00:36:56,360 pressing you. You're facing some situation 584 00:36:56,640 --> 00:36:59,760 and, and you're trying to path it out in your mind and figure 585 00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:02,440 out all the details and you just can't and it's driving you kind 586 00:37:02,440 --> 00:37:05,480 of nuts. It's stressing you out and God 587 00:37:05,480 --> 00:37:06,880 is just saying, hey, just take a step. 588 00:37:06,920 --> 00:37:09,920 Just come here, get out of the boat, come follow me. 589 00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:14,640 Trust me, the Father is doing this. 590 00:37:15,480 --> 00:37:20,160 He's he's going to trust in Jesus's word and step out and 591 00:37:20,160 --> 00:37:25,120 start walking home. Verse 51, it says as he was 592 00:37:25,120 --> 00:37:28,760 going down, so he's going literally down the hill back to 593 00:37:29,440 --> 00:37:34,040 Capernaum. His servants met him and told 594 00:37:34,040 --> 00:37:40,040 him that his son was recovering. So while dad is gone on this 595 00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:43,680 trip seeking help for the boy, the boy starts recovering. 596 00:37:44,440 --> 00:37:48,120 This is such good news and such unexpected news that the 597 00:37:48,120 --> 00:37:50,880 servants don't want to wait until the father gets back. 598 00:37:51,160 --> 00:37:54,640 So they start hiking 20 miles up the mountain too, to go find 599 00:37:54,640 --> 00:37:56,680 him. And they're going to tell him. 600 00:37:58,080 --> 00:38:01,560 And so verse 52 it says. And so he asked them, the the 601 00:38:01,560 --> 00:38:05,440 official asked the servants the hour when he began to get 602 00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:09,760 better. So when did this happen? 603 00:38:09,760 --> 00:38:12,520 When did this start? And I wonder what's going 604 00:38:12,520 --> 00:38:14,960 through the father's mind. He's like, wait a second, is 605 00:38:14,960 --> 00:38:17,080 this coincidence? Is this good fortune? 606 00:38:17,080 --> 00:38:24,680 Like how this is unexpected. And they said to him, 607 00:38:24,680 --> 00:38:29,120 second-half of verse 52. Yesterday at the 7th hour, the 608 00:38:29,120 --> 00:38:32,680 fever left him. The Father knew that was the 609 00:38:32,680 --> 00:38:36,120 hour when Jesus had said to him, Your Son will live. 610 00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:40,120 And he himself believed in all his household. 611 00:38:41,520 --> 00:38:49,320 So 3 observations from this last little passage #1 yesterday. 612 00:38:50,880 --> 00:38:56,440 Yesterday at the 7th hour, the official trusted in Jesus's word 613 00:38:56,440 --> 00:38:59,560 so much that he spent the night in Cana. 614 00:38:59,560 --> 00:39:05,200 Do you see that? Yesterday is when the boy was 615 00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:08,160 healed. Yesterday is when Jesus spoke 616 00:39:08,160 --> 00:39:10,760 that word. Now it's today and he's walking 617 00:39:10,760 --> 00:39:12,920 back home and he meets his servants. 618 00:39:14,440 --> 00:39:16,200 He trusted in Jesus to the degree. 619 00:39:16,200 --> 00:39:18,320 I mean, he could have made it home by nightfall after the 620 00:39:18,320 --> 00:39:21,160 conversation with Jesus. The 7th hour is around 1:00 PM 621 00:39:21,520 --> 00:39:24,560 OK, You get a horse, you get an Uber, and you end up back in 622 00:39:24,560 --> 00:39:27,760 Capernaum in, you know, a few hours and then you can see your 623 00:39:27,760 --> 00:39:30,000 child. But something happened in that 624 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:32,440 conversation, in that interaction with this man really 625 00:39:32,640 --> 00:39:35,440 trusted Jesus. He's like, you say, he's going 626 00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:39,080 to be healed, OK? And who knows what he did the 627 00:39:39,080 --> 00:39:41,280 rest of the day in Canaan. He found a restaurant, maybe he 628 00:39:41,280 --> 00:39:44,200 had some other friends there. He did some business, but he 629 00:39:44,200 --> 00:39:46,520 didn't rush home. He trusted. 630 00:39:46,520 --> 00:39:53,040 He waited #2 the fever left the boy the same time that Jesus 631 00:39:53,200 --> 00:39:58,280 spoke, right around 1:00 PM. So John is very clear here. 632 00:39:58,440 --> 00:40:02,440 The healing is a result of Jesus's word. 633 00:40:02,800 --> 00:40:07,200 Not coincidence, not natural factors, but because Jesus spoke 634 00:40:07,240 --> 00:40:10,440 and that boy was healed. And John confirms this in verse 635 00:40:10,440 --> 00:40:12,400 54. He says this is now the second 636 00:40:12,480 --> 00:40:17,200 sign that Jesus did when he came from Judea to Galilee. 637 00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:19,920 This is a work that Jesus has done. 638 00:40:21,120 --> 00:40:27,000 And 3rd, the sign, the miracle did what the sign was meant to 639 00:40:27,000 --> 00:40:31,960 do. It pointed the official and the 640 00:40:31,960 --> 00:40:35,440 whole family, the officials family and the servants. 641 00:40:36,280 --> 00:40:39,360 It pointed them to faith in Jesus. 642 00:40:39,840 --> 00:40:43,560 It pointed then not just to the miracle, but to the man behind 643 00:40:43,800 --> 00:40:49,080 the miracle. What started as a little seed in 644 00:40:49,080 --> 00:40:52,080 this Father. Just desperation, right? 645 00:40:52,080 --> 00:40:54,800 He's just desperate for some kind of solution and help. 646 00:40:55,720 --> 00:40:59,600 It has blossomed into fully grown saving faith. 647 00:41:00,400 --> 00:41:03,880 The Son is saved from physical death, but more importantly, the 648 00:41:03,880 --> 00:41:07,400 whole family is saved from spiritual death. 649 00:41:08,640 --> 00:41:11,280 Jesus wasn't just a magician to them. 650 00:41:11,280 --> 00:41:16,440 He became their savior. They became worshippers of Jesus 651 00:41:16,680 --> 00:41:22,080 the Messiah, the Savior King. So let me just close our time 652 00:41:22,080 --> 00:41:27,720 here with a kind of a really practical point here. 653 00:41:29,040 --> 00:41:32,440 How do you grow in faith? Anybody say I want to grow in 654 00:41:32,440 --> 00:41:35,000 faith? OK, great story, you know, I 655 00:41:35,000 --> 00:41:37,840 love it, inspiring, I believe it. 656 00:41:37,960 --> 00:41:40,680 How do you, how do I grow in faith? 657 00:41:41,080 --> 00:41:45,040 And I just have two very simple things to leave you with that 658 00:41:45,040 --> 00:41:48,000 hopefully will challenge you and that you can dig into a bit that 659 00:41:48,000 --> 00:41:51,840 you and I might grow in faith #1 How do you grow in faith? 660 00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:54,320 You must immerse yourself in the Bible. 661 00:41:55,120 --> 00:41:57,200 You've got to immerse yourself in the Bible. 662 00:41:57,200 --> 00:42:02,160 Romans 10/17 says so. Faith comes from hearing and 663 00:42:02,160 --> 00:42:04,720 hearing through the word of Christ. 664 00:42:05,280 --> 00:42:09,200 If you want to grow in faith, you have to hear the word of 665 00:42:09,200 --> 00:42:11,440 Christ. And that means more than one 666 00:42:11,440 --> 00:42:14,640 week on a Sunday, somebody on a stage reading it to you and 667 00:42:14,640 --> 00:42:19,040 talking to you about it, right? We've got to immerse ourself in 668 00:42:19,240 --> 00:42:23,960 the Bible. Reading the Bible regularly is 669 00:42:23,960 --> 00:42:30,080 hearing Jesus's words regularly. Reading the Bible regularly is 670 00:42:30,080 --> 00:42:33,560 like downloading a new operating system to your mind and into 671 00:42:33,560 --> 00:42:36,120 your heart. It changes your interface with 672 00:42:36,200 --> 00:42:38,760 Jesus. It changes how you think about 673 00:42:38,760 --> 00:42:40,320 Him. It changes how you relate to 674 00:42:40,320 --> 00:42:42,440 Him. It changes how you believe Him. 675 00:42:43,560 --> 00:42:49,080 You start to think like Jesus. As your mind is renewed, shaped 676 00:42:49,080 --> 00:42:52,280 into the image of Christ's mind, you start to think the thoughts 677 00:42:52,280 --> 00:42:56,520 that He has. Your instinct becomes faith. 678 00:42:58,560 --> 00:43:01,880 You know Him more, and when you know Him more, you believe Him 679 00:43:01,880 --> 00:43:07,320 more and you trust Him more. Faith becomes more instinctual. 680 00:43:07,960 --> 00:43:11,480 So as men and women, we have to immerse ourselves with the 681 00:43:11,480 --> 00:43:15,120 Scripture and for some of you that's a daunting thing and I 682 00:43:15,120 --> 00:43:17,520 would just encourage you, like I encourage anybody else, start 683 00:43:17,520 --> 00:43:20,600 small and grow it over time. If it's hard for you to get into 684 00:43:20,600 --> 00:43:24,400 your Bible every day, then don't set a goal of I'm going to sit 685 00:43:24,400 --> 00:43:26,360 down and I'm going to read through the whole Bible cover to 686 00:43:26,360 --> 00:43:28,680 cover in the next three months. OK? 687 00:43:28,800 --> 00:43:32,280 Some of you who have amazing willpower and self-control might 688 00:43:32,280 --> 00:43:36,720 accomplish that. 99.999% of us. Otherwise we'll just fail. 689 00:43:36,880 --> 00:43:39,200 We won't do it, and then we'll be discouraged, right? 690 00:43:39,200 --> 00:43:42,480 So start with a chapter a day. Start with 5 minutes in the 691 00:43:42,480 --> 00:43:45,160 morning while you're eating your cereal or your bagel or whatever 692 00:43:45,160 --> 00:43:48,040 you eat, and then grow it over time. 693 00:43:49,160 --> 00:43:51,640 But if you want to grow in faith, we must be immersing 694 00:43:51,640 --> 00:43:56,840 ourselves in the Bible #2 how do you grow in faith? 695 00:43:57,800 --> 00:44:02,680 Learn to slow down when you have situations that are challenging 696 00:44:02,680 --> 00:44:06,800 your faith. OK, learn to slow down. 697 00:44:08,960 --> 00:44:14,840 Our flesh wants us to go fast and be frantic and fix the 698 00:44:14,840 --> 00:44:19,040 situation right now, right? I have this annoying habit. 699 00:44:19,040 --> 00:44:21,800 My wife and I'll be talking about something and she'll bring 700 00:44:21,800 --> 00:44:24,520 up some issues, some problem. And I immediately pull out my 701 00:44:24,520 --> 00:44:26,200 phone and I start Googling the solution. 702 00:44:26,600 --> 00:44:29,400 It's like, put your phone away. Like, we don't need to do that 703 00:44:29,400 --> 00:44:30,600 right now. It's like, I want to fix it 704 00:44:30,600 --> 00:44:31,960 right now. OK, we got an issue. 705 00:44:31,960 --> 00:44:32,880 What's Google? What's the answer? 706 00:44:33,360 --> 00:44:35,000 You know what? Google's not God. 707 00:44:35,360 --> 00:44:38,400 OK, Seems like it. Lots of knowledge there. 708 00:44:38,440 --> 00:44:40,840 Omniscient. Google's not quite omniscient. 709 00:44:40,840 --> 00:44:46,000 God is, but Google's not God. We want to go fast in the flesh. 710 00:44:46,280 --> 00:44:48,280 But you know what the Spirit wants us to do? 711 00:44:49,400 --> 00:44:52,560 Slow down, right? Slow down. 712 00:44:53,440 --> 00:44:57,280 Seek Jesus. Gather yourself. 713 00:44:58,200 --> 00:45:06,320 Recall what the Bible says. Frantic and faith don't mix, OK? 714 00:45:06,320 --> 00:45:11,880 Frantic and faith don't mix. Remember that rather than be 715 00:45:11,880 --> 00:45:15,960 frantic, go slow, pray, turn to the Bible. 716 00:45:16,280 --> 00:45:19,960 Get counsel from a trusted friend who's mature in the faith 717 00:45:19,960 --> 00:45:22,520 and they can give you wise biblical counsel. 718 00:45:22,840 --> 00:45:27,640 Get with Jesus right you personally get with Jesus. 719 00:45:28,040 --> 00:45:30,640 Try to discern what he wants you to do. 720 00:45:30,640 --> 00:45:34,400 It's not always super clear and cut and dry in black and white 721 00:45:34,400 --> 00:45:38,000 in the text, right? Sometimes we need to seek God's 722 00:45:38,000 --> 00:45:46,400 wisdom, seek the Spirit who is our guide, and then trust Him 723 00:45:46,760 --> 00:45:52,240 and walk in faith. Immerse yourself in the Bible, 724 00:45:52,360 --> 00:45:55,560 learn to slow down. Those things will help you to 725 00:45:55,560 --> 00:46:00,240 grow in faith. Jesus was and is more than just 726 00:46:00,240 --> 00:46:02,720 a miracle worker. He's the Messiah. 727 00:46:02,840 --> 00:46:04,760 He was the Messiah. He is the Messiah. 728 00:46:04,760 --> 00:46:07,840 He's God in the flesh, come to save sinners. 729 00:46:08,880 --> 00:46:12,640 It's a shame. In verse 44, he says he had no 730 00:46:12,640 --> 00:46:16,680 honor in his hometown, even though he was who he said he 731 00:46:16,680 --> 00:46:19,440 was. He ought to have been honored in 732 00:46:19,440 --> 00:46:22,160 his hometown. And I was just thinking this 733 00:46:22,160 --> 00:46:25,640 week, let's not make the same mistake that they made, right? 734 00:46:25,640 --> 00:46:27,040 He wasn't honored in his hometown. 735 00:46:27,040 --> 00:46:30,160 Let's honor him in our town, OK? Trust in Him. 736 00:46:30,800 --> 00:46:31,840 So we're going to worship Him now. 737 00:46:31,840 --> 00:46:33,040 It's one of the ways we honor Him. 738 00:46:34,280 --> 00:46:37,360 Stand with me worship team, you can come forward.