Title: How to Expand Your Faith
Text: John 4:46-53
One man said that faith is: Forward Action Inspired Through Him
Forward is the direction of faith
Action is the proof of our faith
Inspired is the motivation of faith
Through is the power of faith. Through God not our self.
Him is the object of our faith
Doubt puts our circumstances between God and us and faith puts God between our circumstances and us.
Doubt removes the power for present living and faith releases the power for present living.
Where there is no faith in the future there is no power in the present.
Yet we don’t have to be stuck with the faith that we have.
Rom 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. (17) For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Or as one translation reads vs. 17 “the way of faith that leads to greater faith”
The Bible teaches two kinds of faith. The way of faith and the powerful faith. The way of faith is our primary faith. It is what saves us. Yet powerful faith is what sustains us. It is what helps us for our daily life. It helps us to live from day to day.
Primary faith is our identity and powerful faith gives us boldness, know what we can become. Do you see the difference? We need to know who we are “redeemed by the blood and secure in him”. Yet we need to be powerful in this.
So how do we expand this faith. I think we can see this in John 4:46-53
1. Faith is built in crisis
John 4: 46 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.
This nobleman was in turmoil. No doubt he had turned to the best doctors of the land. Yet to no avail. He had no where to turn he needed a miracle. He was in a crisis.
2. Faith is expanded in persistence
47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe." 49 The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"
This was almost a rebuke. Yet this man was persistence. Faith is built upon persistence. It is not just believing when we need him but it built when we don’t.
3. With persistence faith comes confidence and boldness
50 Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives." So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.
This was true amazing faith. He left and believed.
4. With confidence comes confirmation and assurance
51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!" 52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."
5. Growing faith becomes contagious
53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." And he himself believed, and his whole household.
Conclusion
Don’t see your crisis as a problem but as a step toward greater faith.
