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John 4:43-54 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Our text for today, as we continue our study of John's gospel, is John chapter 4, verses 43 through 54, there to the end of the chapter.
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In today's text, we will observe the second sign or miracle performed by Jesus in Cana and recorded by John.
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This is the second of eight major miracles that John records for us.
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Certainly not the only miracles. There's mention of others, and we'll reference that later in chapter 2, but the second of the eight major ones that he puts down.
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This passage bookends the chiastic literary structure of chapters 2 through 4.
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If you have no idea what I'm talking about when I say chiastic literary structure, I'm not going to explain it today, but I would love for you to come ask me about it.
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I will nerd with you if you'd like to know what I mean by this.
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An incredible thing happening here and in many other texts.
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These two miracles, though, right, were always meant.
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The intention of them is to point people to the miracle worker.
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Jesus is going about and doing signs. He is teaching.
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And all of this is meant to draw people to him.
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They were meant to lead people to the one who works in the greatest of all miracles in the hearts of men.
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The birth of belief.
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The bringing of spiritually dead people to spiritual life.
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We live in an age where people are constantly looking for miracles.
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And I'm not one that would suggest to you that they have entirely ceased.
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But the biggest miracle, the most important thing that we ought to be setting our sights on is people placing believing faith in Christ.
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John's gospel deals with this very thought thematically all throughout.
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You'll see rejection and accepting of Jesus.
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In John chapter 20, verse 30 and following, he says,
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Now Jesus did many other signs, or think miracles, in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book.
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But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
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And that by believing, you may have life in his name.
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We hold to a doctrine called justification by faith alone.
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And for most of you, this is probably a fairly obvious thing.
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And perhaps maybe even in some measure assumed.
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But you need to know that we are unique in the world.
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To believe that we, to be restored to God, to be justified, declared righteous.
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Having the penalty of our sin put away, and the perfect keeping of the law given to us.
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This is what it means to be righteous.
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That this is achieved by faith alone.
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The object of that faith is the person and work of Jesus Christ.
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To believe that he is who he said that he is.
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And to recognize that it's his perfect keeping of the law, and his sacrificial death on our behalf.
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His third day raising.
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His now seating at the right hand of the Father of God.
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All of this grants to us restored relationship with God.
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We ought not to believe.
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We ought not to grow tired of thinking about this doctrine.
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Justification by faith alone.
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And we should think about what does it mean to believe so that we can have life in Jesus' name.
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This text deals with that very issue.
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Before I read it for us, let me lead us in a prayer.
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Father, we would ask that you would help us as we take up your word together this morning.
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Put our noses in this text for these few moments that we have.
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That we would be transformed by it.
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From one degree of glory to another.
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We want to rightly understand your word this morning.
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We want it carefully applied to our hearts.
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We humbly recognize that every one of us needs to hear what it has to say today.
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We know that it was written for your glory.
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Firstly, for your glory that you would be known.
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And as it follows, our good.
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So help us, I pray, that we would believe its promises and obey its commands.
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And that we would have affection for you, its author.
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And we pray this in Christ's name.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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John chapter 4, beginning in verse 43 and to the end of the chapter.
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After the two days, he departed from Galilee.
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For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.
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So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast.
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For they too had gone to the feast.
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So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine.
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And at Capernaum, there was an official whose son was ill.
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When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.
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So Jesus said to him,
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So he asked them the hour when he began to get better.
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And they said to him, yesterday at the seventh hour, the fever left him.
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The father knew that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, your son will live.
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And he himself believed and all his household.
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This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.
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I have a very simple outline for this morning.
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And I think, although I'm often wrong when I think this, but I think brief comments.
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So the outline will be as following.
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Number one, unbelief observed.
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Number two, unbelief confronted.
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And number three, unbelief overcome.
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First, unbelief observed.
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Notice in verse 43, John says,
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After the two days he departed for Galilee.
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He had been in Samaria previously to this and had an encounter with a Samaritan woman at the well.
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If you're unfamiliar with the story, it's such a picture of Christ's mercy for great sinners.
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All of us need to be reminded of his surpassing great mercy over our great sin.
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And this woman goes and shares the Christ.
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I think I found him.
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He's at the well.
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And many Samaritans profess faith in Jesus.
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And they ask him to stay with them.
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And he remains there for two days.
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So it's after those two days that he departs for Galilee.
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This is the region that we're going to see him doing most of his ministry in, in John's gospel.
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And then John adds,
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Now there's a lot of debate I've discovered over the Greek word hometown and exactly what they meant by this.
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It's most likely referring to just generically the place that he's from.
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And so I think that John's referring to Galilee itself.
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Right?
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So he's going back to a place where we're going to see again and again and again rejection of Jesus.
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Now to show you an example of this, I'd like for you to join me in Luke chapter 4.
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Don't lose your spot here, but go with me to Luke chapter 4.
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Another time Jesus uses this same phrase.
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A prophet having no honor in his hometown.
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Here we see him actually go to Nazareth in the way that we would think of hometown.
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Luke chapter 4 beginning in verse 14.
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Here Luke records,
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And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee.
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And a report about him went out through all the surrounding country.
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And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
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And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up.
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And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day.
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And he stood up to read.
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And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him.
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And he unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written.
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And this is Isaiah chapter 61, which was read earlier this morning.
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Jesus reads, verse 18,
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The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
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because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
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He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives,
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and recovering of sight to the blind,
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to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
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to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
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And he rolled up a scroll and gave it back to the attendant,
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and sat down.
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And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.
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And he began to say to them,
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Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.
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It's an astounding thing.
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He's the fulfillment of Isaiah 61.
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The Spirit of the Lord on him,
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coming to breed the good news of the kingdom.
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Verse 22 says,
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And all spoke well of him,
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and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth.
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And they said,
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Is not this Joseph's son?
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And he said to them,
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Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb,
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Position, heal yourself,
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what we have heard you did at Capernaum,
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do here in your hometown as well.
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So they ask of him to do signs.
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They're looking for miracles.
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It seems to make a bit of sense that they would,
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because if you go back up to that,
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Isaiah 61, verse 18,
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He's been anointed to proclaim good news to the poor,
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to set at liberty captives,
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to give sight to the blind,
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to set free those who are oppressed.
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They're looking for some visible sign that this is actually true.
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It seems to be what they're asking for,
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but Jesus knows their heart.
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As he says in verse 24,
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Truly I say to you,
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no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.
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That should sound familiar.
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He goes on.
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Remember, they're finding great favor with him.
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They're speaking well of him.
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They know it's Joseph's son.
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They speak well of him.
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Surely you'll say to me,
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show us signs,
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is what they're asking for.
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And Jesus says this,
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verse 25,
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But in truth I tell you,
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there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah,
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when the heavens were shut up three years and six months,
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and a great famine came over all the land.
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And Elijah was sent to none of them,
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but only to Zarephath in the land of Sidon,
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to a woman who was a widow.
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So who Elijah was sent to,
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to help,
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is significant here.
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He goes on.
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And there were many lepers in Israel
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in the time of the prophet Elisha.
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And none of them was cleansed,
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but only Naaman the Syrian.
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That's significant.
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Who is it?
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The leper that was cleansed
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was Naaman the Syrian,
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and the widow that Elijah was sent to
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was Zarephath the Sidon,
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both of whom were not Jewish.
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That's the significant thing that's happening here.
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Both of them are not Jewish.
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And watch the response of those in Nazareth.
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When they heard these things,
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all in the synagogue were filled with wrath.
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And they rose up and drove him out of the town
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and brought him to the brow of the hill
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on which their town was built
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so that they could throw him down the cliff.
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But passing through their midst,
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he went away.
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They turn on a dime on Jesus.
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They're marveling at him.
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They want something from him.
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They want Jesus.
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But they don't want Jesus on his terms.
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He was a prophet from God.
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He spoke from God.
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And he uses the example of two prophets
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sent by God to a people
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who were not the Jews.
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And it made them furious.
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I didn't want Jesus on his terms.
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And beloved, we must have Jesus on his terms.
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Not merely for what we can get from him,
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but for who he is.
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All over this nation this morning,
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there's a gospel being peddled
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that I call the soft prosperity gospel.
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You want your life to look a little better.
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You want things to be sorted out.
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Relationships and jobs.
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Children.
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If you want those things,
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you've got this guy named Jesus
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and you can sprinkle a little of him
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on anything going on in your life
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and it's going to sort out.
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Has God given us wisdom?
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We can take up and read and understand.
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If we follow that wisdom,
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do things tend to go well?
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They do.
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They can.
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But this is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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He's going to say astounding things
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about taking up your cross and following him.
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Dying.
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Giving of yourself every ounce of who you are.
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Eating of his flesh
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and drinking of his blood.
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In a few chapters,
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he's going to be abandoned
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by people who are professing disciples
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because they don't understand what he's saying
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and the things he's saying
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are way too hard for them.
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They want what they think he can offer,
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but they don't want him.
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And that's what we see going on here.
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Right?
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So verse 44,
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back in our text,
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John chapter 4,
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Jesus himself had testified
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that a prophet has no honor
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in his hometown,
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the place that he's from.
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And then verse 45 says,
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So.
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So ties the following information
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to the previous information.
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If you don't read this rightly,
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you'll be very confused.
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It says,
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So when he came to Galilee,
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the Galileans welcomed him,
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having seen all that he had done
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in Jerusalem at the feast,
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for they too had gone to the feast.
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You could read that and go,
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well, wait a minute.
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He's being welcomed.
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It seems that he's not being rejected
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in his hometown,
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but rather being welcomed.
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He was welcomed, to be sure,
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but why?
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They did not welcome the whole Christ.
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They didn't want all of him
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and everything that he was going to say,
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but they rather welcomed him
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for what he could accomplish for them.
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So I mentioned that we would reference
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this other miracles we've seen.
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John chapter 2, verse 23,
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when Jesus was in Jerusalem
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at the Passover feast,
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many believed in his name
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when they saw the signs
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that he was doing.
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So here we have another group.
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They've seen all that he had done
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in Jerusalem at the feast
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because they had also gone to the feast.
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That's referencing what's happening here
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in John chapter 2.
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Many believed in his name
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when they saw the signs
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that he was doing.
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It seems to be an expression,
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some measure of faith.
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But Jesus, on his part,
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verse 24 says,
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did not entrust himself to them
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because he knew all people
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and needed no one to bear witness about man,
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for he himself knew
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what was in man.
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The Greek word for believed
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in verse 23 of John 2
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and the Greek word for entrust
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in verse 24 of John 2
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is the exact same word.
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Jesus didn't have faith in their faith.
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He didn't believe in their believing.
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Not, John tells us,
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because he just doubted it,
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but because he knew
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what was in man.
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They were amazed
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by the miracles
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and they wanted more of that,
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but they didn't want Jesus himself.
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So, in this text,
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which, just as a side note,
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is also itself chiastic
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within chapters 2 and 4,
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verse 46 says,
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So he came again to Cana in Galilee,
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a city in Galilee,
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where he had made the water wine,
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where a miracle had been performed,
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a sign.
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And that's setting the stage
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for this next scene that happens.
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So there's unbelief that's observed.
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Then we see unbelief confronted.
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So, at Capernaum,
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there was an official
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whose son is ill.
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When this man heard
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that Jesus had come
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from Judea to Galilee,
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he went to him,
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so he's in Cana,
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about 16 miles.
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This was a journey
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that was southward,
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but uphill.
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So you're going to see him
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go back down to Capernaum.
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But he went up to
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where Jesus was in Cana,
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and asked him
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to come down
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and heal his son,
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for he was at the point
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of death.
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His official
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is coming to Jesus.
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He's perhaps witnessed
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the miracle at Cana
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some maybe months,
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weeks earlier.
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Or he's heard about it.
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This man seems to have
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the ability
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to heal my son.
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But we can note
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from this text
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that this official
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asks,
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and he asks it
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with a weak faith,
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for two reasons.
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First,
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he believed that Jesus
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had to be present
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to perform this miracle.
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You see that in verses 47
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and verse 49.
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He asked him to
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come down.
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And then he says
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in verse 49,
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Sir,
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come down.
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His power had to be
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present with his son
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in order to heal him.
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He hasn't fully
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comprehended the power
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of Jesus to heal.
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Second reason
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his faith is weak
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is that he didn't believe
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that Jesus could
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raise him from the dead.
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Verse 49 again,
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Sir,
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come down
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before my child
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dies.
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So it's a weak faith
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that he asks with,
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but it is
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a sufficient faith.
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If your faith,
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your belief
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ever falters,
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I know that mine
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does.
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And I'm so thankful
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for these stories
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that show us
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sufficient faith.
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A little clue
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to that end
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also found
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in verse 47.
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The phrase
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asked him,
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some translations
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say
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implored him,
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which I think
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is a better
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word there,
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because it's in
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the imperfect tense,
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which suggests
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that he asked
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him over
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and over
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and over again.
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It's probable
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that he didn't
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just come this
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one time
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and asked him,
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but that he had
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asked him
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and asked him
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and asked him.
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And then what
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we're observing
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is Jesus'
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response
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to him.
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So he's got
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a weak faith.
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It's a sufficient
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faith,
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because Jesus
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says to him,
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go,
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your son
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will
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live.
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But between
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him asking
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and Jesus
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offering to him
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the healing
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of his son,
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he says in
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verse 48,
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unless you
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see signs
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and wonders,
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you will
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not
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believe.
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You're looking
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for the wrong
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thing.
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It's not a bad
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thing to request
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the healing
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of your son.
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It's good
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that we would
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advocate
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for our
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children.
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Jesus is
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saying to him,
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you're missing
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the point.
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Unless you
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see signs
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and wonders,
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you will
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not
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believe.
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So,
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we see
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this official
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as an example.
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He's coming
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and looking
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for signs
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and wonders,
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but then he
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also gets
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juxtaposed
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against all
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of these
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others,
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all of the
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others that
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were trying
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to accept
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Jesus on
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the wrong
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terms because
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we see
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his unbelief
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overcome.
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This is the
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third point.
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So,
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he leaves.
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It says,
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as he was
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going down,
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again,
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he's descending
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from the
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hill town
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of Cana,
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his servants
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met him.
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They came
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to where he
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was to report
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news to him
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and they
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encountered
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each other
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on the road
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and they
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told him
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that his
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son was
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recovering.
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And he
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wonders,
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why?
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Why is my
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son recovering?
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That's why
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he asked
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this question.
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What was
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the hour
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when he
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began to
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get better?
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And they
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said to him,
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yesterday,
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at the
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seventh hour,
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the fever
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left him.
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This would
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have been
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about one
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o'clock
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in the
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afternoon.
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And so,
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this man,
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this is about
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a 16-mile
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journey,
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seems to have
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left the
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following
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days.
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They very
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rarely traveled
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on the roads
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at night.
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It was
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dangerous
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to do
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so.
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Perhaps,
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this man,
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we can
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observe,
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maybe,
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some measure
24:22
of faith.
24:23
He's believing
24:23
when Jesus
24:24
says,
24:24
go,
24:25
your son
24:25
will live.
24:26
Maybe he
24:27
tarries for
24:27
a little
24:28
while and
24:28
he learns
24:29
some more
24:30
from Jesus.
24:31
We don't
24:31
know to
24:32
be sure.
24:33
But it's
24:34
the following
24:34
day that
24:36
he meets
24:36
with his
24:37
servants on
24:38
the road
24:38
and finds
24:39
out this,
24:40
verse 53
24:41
says,
24:41
he knew
24:42
that was
24:42
the hour
24:43
when Jesus
24:43
had said
24:44
to him,
24:45
your son
24:46
will live.
24:48
And he
24:49
himself
24:50
believed.
24:53
I don't
24:53
think we
24:53
should read
24:54
this any
24:54
other way
24:55
than to
24:56
know that
24:57
he placed
24:57
his faith
24:58
in Christ.
25:00
The way
25:01
this story
25:01
is being
25:01
told,
25:02
this is
25:02
the clear,
25:04
obvious
25:04
assumption
25:05
to be
25:06
made.
25:06
He
25:06
himself
25:07
believed
25:09
and
25:09
all
25:10
his
25:11
household.
25:14
A faith
25:15
that is
25:15
weak,
25:16
that is
25:16
overcome
25:17
as he
25:18
recognizes
25:19
who
25:20
Jesus
25:21
is.
25:24
Then we
25:24
have a
25:25
footnote
25:25
in verse
25:26
54.
25:27
This was
25:27
now the
25:28
second sign
25:29
that Jesus
25:29
did when
25:30
he had
25:30
come from
25:31
Judea
25:31
to Galilee.
25:33
back to
25:34
the same
25:34
spot.
25:35
It's a
25:35
clue to
25:36
archaism
25:37
there in
25:37
that last
25:38
verse.
25:41
Now,
25:42
let's think
25:42
a bit
25:43
about the
25:43
application
25:44
of this
25:45
short
25:46
story.
25:48
Number
25:48
one,
25:50
belief
25:50
must
25:51
move
25:52
from
25:53
signs
25:54
to the
25:56
Savior.
25:56
It must
25:57
move
25:57
from signs
25:59
to the
25:59
Savior.
26:00
We must
26:00
place our
26:01
faith in
26:02
Christ
26:02
himself
26:04
person
26:05
and work
26:06
on our
26:07
behalf.
26:09
It's
26:10
opportunity
26:10
here to
26:11
examine our
26:11
own hearts.
26:13
Whether you've
26:13
ever believed
26:14
in Christ
26:15
or you
26:15
have
26:16
to think
26:17
do we
26:18
follow
26:18
Jesus
26:19
for what
26:20
he gives
26:21
or for
26:22
who
26:22
he is?
26:24
He's
26:25
going to
26:25
tell us
26:25
later in
26:25
John.
26:26
He's
26:26
going to
26:26
define
26:27
eternal
26:27
life for
26:28
us.
26:29
John has
26:29
said the
26:30
purpose of
26:30
this book
26:30
is that
26:31
we believe
26:31
so that
26:31
we can
26:31
have
26:32
eternal
26:32
life.
26:32
And Jesus
26:33
defines
26:34
eternal
26:34
life for
26:34
us and
26:35
it is
26:36
knowing
26:37
God.
26:40
Do we
26:41
place our
26:41
faith in
26:42
Jesus because
26:43
we want
26:44
him or
26:46
just what he
26:46
can really
26:47
offer to
26:48
us?
26:50
Saving
26:50
faith
26:52
rests in
26:55
God's
26:55
word,
26:57
not in
26:58
our
26:58
sight.
27:00
faith in
27:00
faith in
27:01
faith in
27:02
faith in
27:04
faith in
27:06
what he
27:07
has said
27:09
is true.
27:11
Belief
27:11
must move
27:12
from signs
27:13
to the
27:14
Savior.
27:16
Secondly,
27:18
trials are
27:19
God's means
27:21
of maturing
27:21
our belief.
27:22
This runs a
27:23
little bit
27:23
adjacent to
27:23
the text,
27:24
but I
27:24
think it's
27:24
worth noting.
27:26
worth mentioning.
27:28
We should,
27:30
beloved,
27:31
see our
27:31
trials as
27:32
opportunities
27:34
to lean on
27:36
Christ's
27:37
sufficiency.
27:38
Again and
27:39
again and
27:39
again,
27:40
God allows,
27:41
our sovereign
27:42
God,
27:43
our providential
27:44
God,
27:44
allows things in
27:45
our life that
27:46
press at us
27:47
because he loves
27:48
us enough
27:50
to say to
27:51
us,
27:52
I am
27:52
enough.
27:56
Opportunities,
27:56
take them
27:57
up.
27:58
I don't want
27:59
to suffer.
28:00
I don't want
28:00
to go through
28:01
difficult things
28:03
on at least
28:04
five different
28:05
issues.
28:06
This past
28:07
week has
28:07
been a
28:08
difficult
28:08
week.
28:09
It has
28:09
been harder
28:11
than I
28:11
feel like I
28:12
deserve.
28:13
It's been
28:13
hard.
28:16
I should
28:16
take them
28:16
up as
28:17
opportunities.
28:18
God,
28:19
what are
28:19
you,
28:20
working
28:20
into me
28:22
through
28:22
difficult
28:23
circumstances?
28:26
Christ's
28:26
efficiency.
28:28
Jesus is
28:29
enough,
28:30
more than
28:31
enough,
28:31
abundantly
28:32
enough,
28:34
and God
28:35
cares about
28:35
us enough
28:35
to teach
28:36
us this
28:37
good truth.
28:39
Trials are
28:39
not signs
28:40
of God's
28:41
absence,
28:42
but they're
28:43
an invitation
28:43
from him
28:44
to trust
28:45
him
28:45
deeper.
28:49
Thirdly,
28:49
belief
28:51
rests on
28:53
the word
28:53
of Christ
28:54
alone.
28:55
I said a
28:56
little bit
28:56
to that
28:56
a moment
28:57
ago.
28:59
Jesus
28:59
said simply,
29:00
go,
29:01
your son
29:02
will live.
29:05
And the
29:05
man believed
29:06
the word
29:07
that Jesus
29:07
spoke to
29:08
him.
29:10
He's at a
29:11
distance from
29:11
him.
29:12
This is
29:12
something to
29:12
marvel at,
29:13
even though
29:14
it's
29:14
imperfect
29:15
faith.
29:17
This
29:17
official
29:18
believed
29:19
when Jesus
29:19
said,
29:20
go,
29:20
your son
29:21
will live.
29:24
The essence
29:25
of following
29:26
Jesus,
29:26
to just
29:27
take him
29:27
at his
29:27
word,
29:28
be true,
29:29
to take
29:30
it up
29:31
and to
29:31
read it
29:31
and say,
29:32
it must
29:32
be true,
29:33
it's God's
29:33
word.
29:34
I should
29:35
merely
29:36
obey and
29:38
trust that
29:39
it's going
29:39
to work
29:39
the way
29:40
God has
29:40
said it
29:40
would
29:40
work.
29:41
Fourth,
29:45
belief
29:45
grows
29:46
and
29:47
multiplies.
29:50
The man
29:51
believed
29:51
and then
29:52
all of
29:54
his
29:54
household
29:54
believed.
29:56
A
29:57
seed of
29:57
trust
29:58
became a
29:59
tree of
30:00
salvation
30:01
for his
30:02
family.
30:04
This man
30:04
must have
30:05
said,
30:06
listen to
30:07
this man
30:09
that I
30:09
met.
30:10
look at
30:11
what he's
30:12
accomplished.
30:13
Let me
30:13
tell you
30:14
more.
30:15
This is
30:15
why I
30:17
hope my
30:17
sanctified
30:18
imagination
30:18
thinks that
30:19
he lingered
30:20
on and
30:20
learned a
30:21
bit more
30:21
from Jesus
30:23
or from
30:23
his
30:24
disciples
30:25
to see
30:25
his family
30:26
also place
30:27
their faith
30:28
in Christ.
30:30
Husbands,
30:32
fathers,
30:33
mothers,
30:34
we ought
30:35
to let
30:36
our belief
30:37
be visible
30:38
and contagious.
30:40
in our
30:41
homes.
30:42
We ought
30:42
to talk
30:43
often
30:44
and we
30:45
ought to
30:46
talk with
30:46
great
30:46
affection
30:47
for our
30:48
Savior.
30:50
It's
30:50
lunacy
30:51
to believe
30:52
that we
30:53
were utterly
30:54
cut off
30:55
from God,
30:56
separated
30:57
forever,
30:58
that our
30:59
final place
31:00
would be a
31:00
place of
31:01
torment,
31:02
and that
31:02
we've been
31:03
saved by
31:04
Christ.
31:05
It's
31:05
crazy for
31:07
us not to
31:07
want to
31:07
talk about
31:08
that.
31:08
to share
31:10
it regularly
31:11
and with
31:12
great zeal.
31:14
Church
31:14
members,
31:15
let your
31:16
trust in
31:17
Christ
31:18
encourage the
31:19
body of
31:20
Christ.
31:20
We all
31:21
need our
31:22
belief
31:23
bolstered.
31:25
I need it
31:26
every time I'm
31:27
with you and
31:27
all the times
31:28
in between.
31:30
Let your
31:30
trust in
31:31
Christ press
31:32
one another
31:33
on.
31:34
Real belief
31:35
is fruitful.
31:36
people.
31:38
Fifth and
31:39
lastly,
31:41
Christ's
31:42
word
31:42
transcends
31:44
space,
31:45
time,
31:47
and
31:47
circumstance.
31:49
The healing
31:50
happened at
31:51
the very
31:51
hour that
31:52
Jesus spoke,
31:53
though he
31:53
was miles
31:55
away.
31:56
His
31:56
authority
31:57
is sovereign
31:58
and it
31:59
is
31:59
unlimited.
32:01
committed.
32:02
Therefore,
32:03
we can
32:03
trust that
32:04
Christ's
32:04
promises hold
32:06
true across
32:08
centuries,
32:11
across cultures,
32:12
across any
32:13
and every
32:15
circumstance.
32:17
His word
32:18
will not
32:20
fail.
32:21
a single
32:24
example of
32:25
this.
32:25
This has
32:26
been in my
32:27
mind much
32:27
this week.
32:30
Jesus says,
32:30
I will
32:31
never leave
32:32
you nor
32:33
forsake
32:34
you.
32:35
Hebrews
32:35
13,
32:36
5.
32:38
I will
32:39
never leave
32:40
you nor
32:41
forsake
32:42
you.
32:43
That is
32:44
true
32:44
regardless
32:46
of when
32:47
he said
32:47
it to
32:48
today
32:49
or whether
32:51
or not
32:51
we're
32:52
Jewish
32:52
or
32:52
otherwise
32:53
or what
32:53
circumstance
32:54
we find
32:55
ourselves
32:55
in the
32:56
middle of.
32:56
If we
32:57
belong to
32:57
him,
32:58
that is
32:59
a sure
33:00
promise
33:01
for us.
33:04
We need
33:04
things by
33:05
the word
33:06
of his
33:07
power.
33:09
And so
33:10
we have
33:10
opportunity
33:11
as we
33:11
look at
33:12
a short
33:13
little story
33:13
like this
33:14
to see
33:15
the rejection
33:16
of some
33:17
welcoming
33:18
Jesus
33:18
only for
33:19
what he
33:20
offers.
33:21
The
33:22
alternative,
33:24
the belief,
33:24
placing belief
33:25
in Christ
33:27
himself.
33:29
Let's pray
33:29
to the end
33:30
that would
33:30
be true
33:31
of all
33:31
of us
33:31
this
33:31
morning.