A FATHER S EXAMPLE OF FAITH John 4:46-53 A. The best legacy a father can leave his children is that of an example of faithfulness to God. 1. When we were young Christians (or even before) we depended almost entirely on the teaching & the examples of others. a. When we stop & think how little practical Bible knowledge we had the time, we wonder how we ever made it to the point we are at today. b. I believe we can boil it down to two reasons: examples & faith. - We had good examples. - We had a heart to believe the gospel. 2. We fathers may not have a leadership role in the church; we may never have many tangible items to pass along to our children. a. But we can leave them with the heritage of knowing how to be a New Testament Christian (explain). b. It is important that we leave a legacy of faith that will both challenge & inspire our sons & daughter to carry on the work of the Lord s church, -- a father s faith will live a long time in his children. B. The royal official (nobleman) in John 4 heard about Jesus performing miracles. 1. And when he learned that Jesus was nearby, he rushed out to ask for His help. 2. At the outset of this event, this man s faith was childlike (as we just talked about); he believed that Jesus could work a miracle & save his son s life. 1
3. But under the skillful hand of Jesus, this man s faith in Christ grew to the point of being complete. [When Christian fathers seek a greater faith for the uncertain (frightening) times of life, we need a great example of faith, AND THIS IS ONE. Today we want to discuss how THIS father is an example of faith for all fathers?] I. HE APPROACHED JESUS IN FAITH A. By faith, he went seeking the Lord s help. 1. This man s motivation did not start out to be spiritual but instead physical. a. In agony of heart he implored Jesus to come to Capernaum to heal his son (47). 2. Are there times when we approach the Lord with less than the highest motivation? Probably, but that s not all bad; it can be a good start. a. We want our sons to be successful in the world so they can provide well for their families, & so we pray about that. - But the higher motivation relates to the work of God s kingdom: to their role in the family & in the church; do we fathers pray about that? b. We want our daughters to use their gifts & abilities for the betterment of others, & so we pray about that. - But the higher motivation relates to the primarily role God has given them as mothers & wives; do we fathers pray about that? 2
3. But it is always the Lord s intention to take our imperfect (physical) motivations & help us see the perfect (spiritual) ones; and that s what Jesus did for this man. B. Secondly, by faith this father went seeking not only the Lord s help, but the Lord s power. 1. This man did not know all there was to know about Jesus, but he did have confidence in Jesus power. a. After all, his son was at the point of death (47), but it was not too late for Jesus to save him - as far as he was concerned. 2. Our belief in the power (authority) of Jesus Christ is the greatest ally we have in life (Eph 1:19-23; 3:16-20). a. The same power that led Israel through many obstacles into the Promised Land, is the same power now entrusted to Jesus in leading us to Heaven. b. But we must be willing to subject ourselves to His word. C. Thirdly, by faith, he trusted the Lord s word. 1. After hearing the father s plea, Jesus said to him, Go; your son lives (50). a. Jesus was giving him an opportunity to act by faith or to obey. b. The man could have responded, No, I want you to come home with me. c. But instead, the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him & started off for his home with confidence. 3
2. Do we fathers exercise that kind of trusting faith in the Lord, when His word tells us what to do in the interest of our families? [But after approaching Jesus by faith, & accepting His word, this man s faith in Jesus began to grow.] II. HE GREW IN FAITH A. His faith expected a miracle. 1. At first this father just wanted a miracle; he believed Jesus could & would heal his son. a. That s the reason Jesus chided the people (48); it s the lowest level of faith. b. That s a faith that demands visible proof through some kind of a sign. c. That s a faith that cannot be satisfied with the testimony of Scripture concerning Jesus Christ. d. That s the faith of a lot of people. John 20:25 25 So the other disciples were saying to him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, & put my finger into the place of the nails, & put my hand into His side, I will not believe." 28 Thomas answered & said to Him, "My Lord & my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, & yet believed." B. His faith advanced to trust. 1. The degree of faith that caused this father to seek out Jesus also caused him to trust & obey Him (as we ve already noticed, 50). 4
a. That s a higher level of faith. b. That s a level of faith that does not need to know how or why, but only what? - Don t you hate it when people say things like, How is the Bible relevant to me & why should I pay any attention to that old book? - We would rather hear people say, What does the Lord want me to do, because I believe His word is trustworthy? The father of the 30 th President (Calvin Coolidge) said that when he had to go to town, he would leave instructions with Calvin about things that ought to be done before he returned. But never when he returned would he look to see if these things had been done. He knew that they would be done because he knew that he could rely on his son to do them. Jesus is more trustworthy. C. His faith reached its zenith, when it was finally confirmed. 1. And his faith was confirmed when he got home & learned that his son became well at the moment Jesus took him into consideration (51-53). 2. We too have confirmation of our faith in Jesus Christ. a. When we believe the record of Jesus life & teaching in the New Testament to the point that we will obey Him, then we have reached the pinnacle of faith. Hebrews 2:1-4 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, & every transgression & disobedience received a just penalty, 3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also testifying with them, both by signs & wonders & by various miracles & by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. 5
[It is not likely that this miracle would have occurred if the father had lacked faith in Jesus power & His word. Now Jesus didn t always require faith before He healed someone (Luke 7:11-17). But in this case there is evidence of faith in this man (the father), & his faith resulted in a great gain.] III. HE GAINED IN FAITH A. His faith gained him security. 1. Look at verse 53 again, So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives"; and he himself believed and his whole household. 2. But remember verse 50, the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him. 3. What s the difference in his belief before & after seeing the miracle? a. The first (belief) was simply that of trust & confidence in the word & promise of Jesus. b. The second (belief) was that of security; there was now no doubt as to Jesus being the Son of God who loved him, helped him & revealed Himself to him. 4. You see, Jesus had to convince the man that the most valuable thing God has to give is not physical healing, but spiritual understanding. a. It gives us a sense of security to know that Jesus loves us, cares for us, & that we can know His will. b. We fathers need to remember that with regard to our children. B. But his faith also gained his family security. 6
1. Verse 53 again, So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives"; and he himself believed and his whole household. 2. Because of a father s faith, a whole family came to have faith in God through Jesus. CLOSING A. No matter what a father may provide his children in an attempt to make them feel secure, he has not truly provided any security for them until he has shown them how to put their faith in the Lord. 1. How to seek His help & His power. 2. How to accept His word. B. As we learned today, a father s faith can be a sufficient guide, for his family, to gain security in Jesus Christ. Mark 16:16 16 He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. Faith is the victory; oh, glorious victory that overcomes the world. (1 John 5:4). 7