Every once in a while, God does it to me. I can’t anticipate it. That would ruin the whole effect. No, it’s not in my planner for the day. It has to come out of the blue. But, just the same, I can count on it to happen.
Has He done it to you? You know, have something happen that wakes you up, gets your attention?
A farmer loaned his mule to a neighbor to help with some plow work. After an hour or so, he came back for help. “That mule won’t do a thing. I can’t even get him to move over to the plow.” The farmer said, “Let’s go have a look at him.” He picked up a 2 x 4 and followed his neighbor out to the field where the mule was standing motionless and indifferent to the world. “Mule, let’s go!” He didn’t budge. So, the farmer took the board and WACK!, smacked him across the nose. Suddenly looked up. “OK, mule, let’s go!” And the mule started walking straight to the harness. The neighbor just stood there wide-eyed. The farmer said, “See. He’s a pretty good mule, you just have to get his attention first.”
Has God ever had to get your attention first?
11 years ago, I was at a mall in OH with my family. It was time to get going. Carrie was occupied looking at things, my 7 and 2 year old were being kids, and I was trying to keep them up with us, keep them from running off, keep them from fighting, getting pretty tired of it myself. Being in a mall is torture enough for me. Trying to herd 2 antsy trolls just multiplied it by 10. Now, my wife was in her element and completely oblivious to the suffering going on a few paces behind her. My fun meter had pegged, and I was feeling sorry for myself. Then, from the other direction, another mother came walking, pushing a wheelchair. Her little daughter was probably 4 or so. The little girl had turned-in limbs and other telltale signs of cerebral palsy. As that mother cast a glance at our family, it was an indictment on me, without her even knowing it. WACK. God had my attention. Suddenly, my attitude got an adjustment. I’d take kids bouncing off the wall over children not being able to any day. So, right there I thanked the Lord for my healthy kids, and any parent who has a healthy child at home ought to do the same.
When you’re a parent of a sick child, it hurts you. You wish so much you could bear that load for that little boy or girl who doesn’t even understand what’s going on or why they have to hurt. That’s the situation for the man we look at today.
Put yourself in this father’s sandals. He’s an important government man, working for King Herod Antipas, but being important doesn’t keep your kids from being sick. His little boy has a fever - not just a “take two children’s Tylenol and call me in the morning fever,” but a fever so vicious that the hour the boy is healed it’s obvious. The kind of disease that, if something doesn’t happen real soon, will kill him. In fact, in v51, the servants meet the father with the news that the boy is living - that was nothing new - but it leads us to believe that he wasn’t going to be living unless something changed.
What does a father do? Everything humanly possible. What parent wouldn’t do whatever it took, whatever could be done for the sake of your child?
Jesus is in the area. People are flocking around Him to see Him do something spectacular. His first miracle had been at a wedding feast in this town, and He had just returned from Jerusalem where a lot of these people had seen Him.
This father’s belief that Jesus might be able to do something prompts him to make the 20 mile journey in a last ditch effort to save his little boy’s life. While others are just wanting to rub elbows with this interesting teacher, this father is begging (vb tense suggests it’s a continual begging) Jesus to come heal his son. Can’t you see him, finally finding Jesus, pushing people aside, and abruptly begging Jesus for help? “Come and heal my son. Please, come and heal my son!”
Jesus seems a little abrupt Himself. He looks around and says to him, “You people just won’t believe unless you see miraculous signs and wonders.”
It’s not a game. It’s a process. It’s a divine process of stretching faith. This isn’t the only time someone comes to Jesus in need and He stretches them because of it. Jesus is after a belief that’s characterized by dedication, not by amazement. He says it’s a wicked and adulterous generation that seeks a sign. He wants people who are going to love Him and believe in Him, not just follow Him around for a thrill.
How I wish that people who think that God has harsh way of dealing with them would realize: Jesus is after your faith!!! At first glance this seems to be a story about disease and healing, but it’s not. It’s a story about faith in Jesus and what causes that faith to grow. If this were made into a movie, the sick boy would never be named, and there’d never be a scene with him in it. What you would see is a dad, who has faith, and whose faith is put to the test.
Remember in Jn 20 when doubting Thomas saw Jesus and finally quit doubting that Jesus really had risen? Jesus said to him, “Do you believe because you have seen me? How happy are the ones who didn’t see yet believed.” There’s something to be said for trust that takes God at His word even when you can’t see Him working. There’s a great deal of joy for the person who’s able to say, “I don’t see what God promised, but I still believe it!”
II Co 5:7 says we live by faith, not by sight. In other words there are 2 approaches to life we can take: One is the road of sight, where we accept only what we can see and set our foot only where we feel the ground is solid; the other approach is faith, where God tells us where to step and we can’t see it. It’s counter-intuitive. It goes against our gut-level reaction. By its very definition, faith is being sure of what we cannot see.
F.B. Meyer said, “Unbelief puts our circumstance between us and God, but faith puts God between us and our circumstances.”
It’s as if Jesus were saying to this father, “Show Me and these people what makes you different from the thrill seekers.” Maybe the only difference was this father was in need. He wasn’t there to be amazed. He was there for help. “Sir, come down before my child dies.”
Usually, Jesus healed in person. But in this case He doesn’t make the trip. You see, He isn’t trying to get all these people to go and be wowed by a healing. Instead, they’re going to witness something else that’s wonderful to see: The result of real faith as it takes root and takes hold of a person. They’re all going to watch as a man who is desperately seeking help turns around and leaves with not one visible sign of receiving it.
So many people are searching around for some sensational experience. They don’t realize that one of the most sensational experiences in life is watching faith in action. Jesus said, “You may go. Go on home. He’ll be OK. Just go ahead.” “Oh, thanks! Thank You, Jesus… I think!”
Faith creates dilemmas. It is for some of you today. You want to say that you believe in Jesus, but you know that means responding to Him. If you don’t respond, it makes it seem like you’re not being honest. But still there’s something that holds you back -- You’re in a dilemma.
Try to imagine being this man. Here goes faith aerobics again. If he goes home, 20 miles away, with no Jesus and no visible help, it will seem He’s done nothing for his son. If he stays around Jesus, it will look like he doesn’t believe Him.
Imagine if the verse said, “he took Jesus at His word and... kept asking for help; was afraid to go home; looked for a 2nd opinion; collapsed and cried.
But “the man took Jesus at his word (believed) and departed.” Underline it! That’s the key to this story, and it’s where we need to do the application to ourselves.
That father left for home. His servants had left from home to tell him the good news of his son’s recovery. It has been overnight now. Jesus sent him home yesterday. They met somewhere in-between, and told him the hour the fever had left. It was too much to be coincidence. v53, when he realized Jesus was behind all of it, his faith was confirmed. Did you notice, “So he and all his household believed.” Belief is contagious.
If Jesus were to address us on this level this morning, there wouldn’t be many people here He would send home to see a healed child. What would He say to you? How do we look for this kind of faith in our own lives? How would the Master stretch us, and where would He send us?
Jesus is after your faith. Listen to the call - the call to believe - the challenge as He draws out your faith: Listen to Him say, “You may go...” Listen to where that faith should be taking you.
I’ve tried to place it into some phrases that Jesus might speak to us today…
I. Go Ahead - I’ll provide for you
He’d say it should take us somewhere in our giving.
Give to Me first. I’ll provide your needs.
It takes faith to give sacrificially. It takes trust that the Lord will provide what you need. It takes belief that He’s working through His Church and various ministries, to support them. Sometimes it takes faith to sit down with your paycheck and give first to God and see what’s left where everyday needs are concerned.
Jesus says, “Go Ahead...I’ll provide for you.”
How else might Jesus say this to us today?
II. Go Ahead - I’ll bless My Church
Step out; move ahead. I’ll bless you when you’re faithful. Head down the road. I’ll take care of your needs. Have we started down the road?
Our faith in Jesus is proven to other congregations, to the community, to the world, by what we do. So, what, as a congregation, is VHCC doing that requires us to act on faith in God?
I’ll tell you something. Conventional, human wisdom may say you don’t plan on exceeding your budget. You don’t add staff for the sake of growth when you’re not exactly sure how they’ll be provided for. It says you don’t try thinking ahead for more space when you already fit where you are. You don’t try using new means to reach people for Jesus when you’ve never tried them before. You don’t bite off more than it looks like you’re able to chew. That’s conventional human wisdom. If you want to hang out at the Human Wisdom Convention, fine. But faith in the character and power of Jesus should take us past human limitations. Is it?
Ill - When Igor Sikorsky was 12, his parents informed him competent authorities had already proved human flight was impossible. In his American helicopter plant, Sikorsky hung this sign: According to recognized aerotechnical tests, the bumblebee cannot fly because of the shape and weight of his body in relation to the total wing area. The bumblebee doesn’t know this, so he goes ahead and flies anyway.” (kind of “flies in the face” of conventional human wisdom, doesn’t it?)
Jesus wants faith that stretches. “Go Ahead. I’ll bless My Church.” Do we believe Him or not?
How else might Jesus say this to us today?
III. Go Ahead - I’ll take your efforts to share Me w/ others and use them for good
Faith is reckless, not ignorant. Some people think that faith means doing things without thinking or planning. That’s a mistake. It’s not a whim or a feeling that makes Christians act different from the world. It’s the word from Jesus that launches a person of faith. But it’s definitely not faith we’re exercising when we have more objections to sharing our faith than the world does!!!
It’s easy for us to think that our words can’t change people. That’s true. Our words don’t change people. God’s word changes people! If we believe in Him, it shouldn’t take anything more than a word from Jesus to send us walking.
Do we have it? Do we have that word? “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations...” We have our word! Let’s get walking it! Jesus says “Go. I’ll be with you.” Faith ought to send you on your way.
How else might Jesus say this to us today?
IV. Go Ahead - I’ll use you as a servant for Me
Randy Slocum wasn’t ever satisfied with the jobs he had. He felt called to the ministry. He wanted to do something significant for the Lord. He and his wife Julie didn’t have the details all worked out, but they had a conviction that the Lord was going to use them. So they packed up and moved to Colorado Springs, a city where Randy could get into a position of vocational Christian service. Crazy. That violates conventional human wisdom, but they believed in their Lord.
So many here this morning need to make themselves available to the Lord. He says to you “Go Ahead.” and because of that there are some who ought to be picking a Bible college to attend; some who ought to be joining ministries in this congregation; some who ought to be placing themselves in positions where God can use them. Those things take faith. Jesus says, Go Ahead.
V. Go Ahead - I’ll save you through faith
Here’s another test of faith that everyone needs. This one’s so important, it means the difference between eternity with Jesus and eternity in Hell. Now, do I have your attention?
Faith takes us beyond trying to save ourselves by our own good works.
This is contrary to our nature. Once we’re convinced we need Him, we try to find God, please God, appease God, entice God - all by our own efforts or definition of what’s good. But listen to what His word says: “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.”
It takes faith to give up our own personal efforts and trust the grace of God to be what forgives us. It takes faith to admit that this salvation thing is out of our hands when it comes to being good enough. We honor God with our faith when we turn and walk away from the “work your way into heaven” approach of world religions.
Listen, if you’ve reached a point in your life this morning where you feel responsible to God, but you’re counting on being good enough rather than submitting to His prescribed cure, you’re trusting in someone other than the Lord to save you. You’re trusting in you. Do you really want to do that?
Turn it around. Put your trust in Him. Believe Him when He says He’ll forgive you. Otherwise, you’re not only going to remain unforgiven, but you’re not going to follow through with the kind of life that pleases Him anyway. You see, the person who hears the truth and comes to faith in Jesus is going to follow through with meeting the other conditions of being saved - he’s going to repent, confess Him as Lord, be baptized, live a godly life. Those things are a result of faith. Without faith they’re meaningless. Trust Jesus to save you. Not yourself.
Conclusion:
I want to challenge us today to each take some kind of step to show Jesus that we take Him at His word. That’s a start, isn’t it? Even if it’s just a baby step. (Intro video clip from “What About Bob?” – baby steps out the door, baby steps down the hallway…)
Maybe that’s how you’ll feel. Maybe that’s even what you’ll sound like! So? What are you going to do? Find a step you can take – one that requires you to take Jesus at His word.
For instance,
• Maybe you have been needing to speak up to someone who’s waiting to hear about Jesus, but you’ve been too timid. Say something!
• Maybe you see a need that you can meet by giving – by your money, or your time, or your advice, you can really make a difference where it’s needed, but you’ve been holding back. Give.
• Try this – when you know there’s some need you can meet, but historically you haven’t met it, make a promise to someone that you’re going to meet that need. Commit yourself.
• Here’s one – tip cards. Do you ever eat out? If you do, your waiter or waitress is counting on your tip as a big part of his income. Here’s something to leave with that tip.
• Random acts of service – we can all do them. Out of the blue, with no strings attached, do something kind for someone in the community and tell them it’s a way to show God’s love in a practical way. Friday, I took a box of donuts to my mechanic. I said, “I figured, ‘How long has it been since someone just brought you guys some donuts?’” He said, “At least a couple of days.” They smiled real big and thanked me. I can’t tell you how great it was to walk in there for something besides having a car fixed!
The point is, any one of us can take a small step this week that shows we take Jesus at His word.
Someone here this morning needs to take a step that shows you believe Jesus is God’s Son right now.
It’s the whole reason John wrote this gospel: these things are written that you might believe, and that believing you may have life in His name. Will you take Jesus at His word this morning? Will you trust Him with your life? It’s time to make decisions for Him…
