INTRODUCTION
A man went into a drug store and asked the pharmacist if he could give him something for the hiccups. The pharmacist promptly reached across the counter and slapped the man’s face. The man said, "What in the world did you do that for? The pharmacist said, "See, you don’t have the hiccups anymore!" And the man replied, "No, but my wife in the car still does!"
A man went to a lawyer he knew and said, "I need some legal advice. How much would it cost me to ask you three questions?" The lawyer said, "$1,000." The man asked, "Isn’t that kind of high?" The lawyer replied, "It sure is. What’s your third question?"
How many times in our lives have we needed to be rescued only to be thrown anchor to help drown us.
How many people do you know who need something more out of life?
Many people are drowning in their own sorrows and successes. Sometimes the very things in life that we think will keep us afloat and happy are the very things that drag us down.
Today as we continue on our Journey with Jesus, we are going to look at a man who knew that he needed something from Jesus. Through this experience, this man and his whole household will be impacted for eternity.
Today we are going to see a man who by all accounts would be a man with a lot of pride because of his position.
This man needed to be rescued by Jesus and it was going to take something very drastic to bring him to place where he would allow Jesus to rescue him.
SERMON
If you want Jesus to come to the rescue
I. YOU NEED TO BE AWARE OF THE NEED 46-49
1. Introduction
Jesus had just finished His visit with the woman at the well and with the Samaritans. He was traveling back into Galilee. Verse 45 tells us that the Galileans received Him because of the things He had done at the feast in Jerusalem (cleansing of the temple and the miracles that He performed John 2:23).
Jesus comes into Galilee and He is addressing the crowd when something interesting was about to happen.
Let’s read John 4:46-49
2. The man
Jesus has a man come and interrupt while He is teaching.
This man is described in John as a man who was a Royal official. This could mean that he is a part of the royal court, that he is of royal blood or that he is a commanding officer of the military attached to the royal court.
Which ever one he was, this was a man that commanded respect.
If you think out political officials get out of hand with pride and perks and out of touch with the people, what we deal with is nothing like was going on in Jesus day.
Here is a man who when people spoke, they did what he told them.
This is a man who “had it all together”. Many people when they saw this man probably envied him because of his wealth and position. IF this man was a military officer, he was a mans man that by his uniform would command the respect and fear of those around him.
Up until this time this royal official was a man who probably did not know what it meant to be in need.
How many of us are just that way. We had a good job, we are respected and on the outside we seem to have it all together.
3. The problem
Look at verse 46. This mans world is about to come crashing down around him.
Verse 46 says that this man’s son was sick back in Capernaum. This boy must have been terribly sick for this royal official to make the 22-mile trip to through the mountains to Cana of Galilee.
Here is a man who seems to have it all, wealth, respect and all that goes with it, coming to Jesus a carpenter for help.
What is it that brought this man to come to a carpenter to do something to stop the death of his son? Verse 47 says that he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee. He either had witnessed Jesus perform some signs (According to Matthew 4:13 Jesus was at Capernaum before he went to Cana) or heard of what Jesus had been doing.
This man is facing something that his money, power or respect could do nothing about. This man probably sat next to his son and was watching him die. What a helpless feeling.
Can you understand what is going through the mind of this royal official as he taking this 20-25 mile journey on foot to come to Jesus?
This man was going to go to Jesus so that he could rescue his son. This man finally faced something that he could do nothing about so he comes to Jesus. Isn’t it sad that for many people it takes something drastic to get them to see the need in their lives for Jesus to rescue them.
I have been around people who have lost children, at the time of it happening, the parents would have done ANYTHING to prevent the tragedy from happening.
4. The broken man before Jesus.
Power, pride, position. These are worthless right about now to this man because he is about to lose his son to death.
Verse 47 tells us that this man is literally begging Jesus in plain view of the people to come and heal his son. Can you feel the emotion of the moment? A man with it all going for him reduced to begging this carpenter in plain view of all the people Jesus is preaching to. Where is the mans’ pride now?
We know that Jesus was preaching to the people because in verse 48 Jesus says unless “YOU” people..
The word for “you” is plural. In verse 48 at a glance it seems like Jesus is rebuking this man and his request, but He is really talking over the man to the crowd who no doubt is getting excited about seeing a miracle from Jesus.
This man is persistently begging Jesus in the presence of the people to come heal his boy.
In verse 49, the man interrupts Jesus again with a plea to help him.
In each one of us is like that royal official. We will not come to Jesus until we realize that we have a need. Then when we realize that without Jesus as our Lord and savior, we will die and go to hell, our pride will not keep us from coming to Jesus for salvation. We will not worry what other people will think as we walk down the aisle to accept Jesus. We will not worry what anyone thinks of us when we truly understand that we have a need for Jesus.
This man understood his need for Jesus to help him and he did not care what anyone thought of him. He did not care if begging Jesus in front of people would not make him look “cool” to the other people. He could care less what the people thought because he knew that without Jesus, his son was going to die.
Too many of us will not give our lives over to Jesus because we are afraid that we will not be popular or we are afraid that people might think we are weak because we need Jesus. We are afraid that people will think we are not as “enlightened” about things as they are.
When you realize that you have a need, then you will…..
If you want Jesus to come to the rescue
II. YOU NEED TO PUT YOUR HAND OUT AND OBEY 50
1. Jesus response to the plea.
Let’s read verse 50.
After all the travel time to Cana, after dropping his pride on the ground, after publicly begging Jesus for help, Jesus tenderly looks to the man and tells him, “Go; your son lives”
I want you to think about the dilemma that Jesus puts this man in.
This man has left the side of his dying son to come 20-25 miles through the mountains to come to get Jesus.
This royal official asks Jesus to come back with him so that He can heal his son. This man thinks that the only way that Jesus could heal this boy is to be at his side and not only that, he believes that Jesus must get there before the boy dies or it will be too late.
After this exhausting trip after begging Jesus to come, Jesus tells the man to go home because his son is healed.
2. The dilemma
If this royal official refuses to return to Capernaum without taking Jesus with him, he would show that he did not believe Jesus’ word and most likely would not receive the benefit of Jesus healing because of his lack of faith.
This royal official had his preconceived ideas about what Jesus needed to do to heal this boy. Now the dilemma, was this man going to reach out his hand grab the ring of life Jesus was giving him and leave or because Jesus did not do it the way he though he should, stay until Jesus comes.
Following Jesus in faith would require this man to return to his son another day’s journey back through the mountains with NO outward assurance that the boy would recover.
He had to choose between insisting on evidence because of a lack of faith and exercising faith without any tangible proof to encourage him.
Where would you be? Jesus had scolded the Galileans because they were more interested in Jesus’ miracles that what He taught in contrast with the Samaritans who were interested in what Jesus had to teach.
3. Our dilemma
We face the some problem that this royal official faced. I know many people who are Christians who are always seeking signs and wonders from God and in the mean time their relationship with Jesus is weak because it is based solely on God performing for them.
There are other people who because of their own pride or preconceived ideas about Jesus will reject Jesus trying to rescue them because He does not do it the way they want Him to.
Too many of us even in the church want Jesus to rescue us with little to no strings attached.
If you were this man in his situation, would you just walk away and trust Jesus?
Guess what, you are this man, are you going to life by faith for Jesus or are you waiting for some concrete sign or appearance from Jesus?
This man chose the faith route!
The great thing about God is that when we chose the faith route God many times gives us something.
After Jesus has come to the rescue
III. YOU NEED TO BE READY FOR THE GOD SHOT! 51-54
1. Let’s look at verses 51-54.
As this man was heading home God had prepared a God shot for him.
What is a God shot? Ask some of our ladies. Actually, it when God does some seemingly small thing to boost our faith or confirm our faith decisions. These God shots are not usually something spectacular, but they are just little bits of encouragement that God rewards us with when we act on faith.
Let’s look at the God shot this man is about to receive. Let’s read verses 51-54.
As this man was making his way home I am sure he had a lot of things on his mind. “Did I do the right thing?” Should I have stayed until Jesus came with me? Is my son still alive? I bet his was one anxious trip for this man.
As this man was making his way home, some of his slaves met him at some point in the trip to give him the good news. You son is living!
What a relief. But here is another part of the God shot. This man asked his slaves when the boy got better. They told him at the 7th hour, which would be 7 p.m. Roman time or 1 p.m. Jewish time.
Why do you think he asked the question? He wanted to make sure that the boy did not just get better by coincidence.
How many times has God done something for someone only for them to say it was a coincidence? (MR. WALTON STORY)
This royal official was convinced that Jesus did indeed heal the boy then we find that this royal official then saw his true need in life was Jesus.
The healing of his son brought him to the point of being broken.
Verse 53 says that he believed along with his whole household. This includes his slaves and children old enough to believe.
I cannot tell you how many times I have received these God shots in my life. All of us get them, we just need to open our eyes and see them.
CONCLUSION
Here is a man of wealth, power, prestige and pride who was willing to throw all that away so that Jesus would rescue his son.
Later when this man walked the streets and people would point him out and whisper how they saw or heard this man of royalty begging Jesus, I bet he could care less because to him being rescued by Jesus was more important that his pride.
What is holding you back from giving you life to Jesus. I am not just talking to people who have not accepted Jesus as their lord and savior, but I am also talking to you who have been immersed into the kingdom of God. What is keeping you from fully committing your life to Jesus? Is it your pride, are you afraid you will not be cool, are you afraid you will not get that date or that job promotion?
This man for the first time in his life understood what was truly important in life.
What about you? Where is you pride, power, popularity and prestige going to get you when your life is over?
