STRONG FAITH, Part 2
Several weeks ago when I was
filling in for Gordon, we looked at the Book of John, so I thought I would
continue on that same theme for the lesson today.
PRAYER--
The first lesson we had was a
basic introduction to the book of John, along with some of the background of
the book, a little about the author, and as well, the overall purpose of the
book.
As you will remember, I
stressed the importance of taking a close look at the context of this book, as
well as any scripture we are studying.
In order for us to make
proper application of any scripture to our lives today, it is imperative that
we understand what that letter meant to the people to whom it was written in
the first century.
We said that it is necessary
to realize and accept the fact that the Bible means today, exactly what it
meant when it was written.
We also said that there are 2
verses in John that give a short version of the purpose John had in mind for
the writing of the book—and that is John 20:30,31
We said that the 2 primary
points brought out in these verses were:
1.
That ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God.
2.
That ye might have life as a result of this belief.
We also mentioned that there
was a specific use of the word belief or faith in the book of John, and that it
is used as a verb—a word of action—a faith or belief that is made evident
through our very lives—8 days a week.
We also saw how the message
of God which was delivered to John, had been in existence since before the
creation of the world, and that that message was described as Christ
himself—John ch. 1.
page 2
In our second class, we
looked at Jn 6:46-54, with the subject centered around a STRONG FAITH.
We talked about SPECIAL
TREATMENT FOR SPECIAL NEEDS—i.e., any need that someone has, is for them a
special need—and as a result, any treatment supplied is in itself a special
treatment.
We also saw that in order to
have people have trust in us, we must do 3 things:
1.
We must show that
we are concerned about them.
2.
We must show that we have the power to help
them.
3.
We must show that we will use that power to
help them.
We looked at Ac 3:1-7, and
the healing of the lame man by Peter, where we saw that the lame man got not
what he wanted—which was a handout; but rather what he needed—which was the
ability to take care of his own needs.
We looked at the mathematical
equation: CONCERN
HAVING POWER
ACTION (using power)
------------------------
= WE REALLY CARE
We saw this CONCERN, this
HAVING POWER, and this ACTION, on the part of Jesus there in John 4 with the
healing of the nobleman's son, to give proof that Jesus really cared.
Several points need to be
examined here:
1.
When the man came specifically to ask Jesus to heal
his son, why did Jesus say—vs 48b?
The people knew that Jesus
was healing people—isn't that faith?
Matt 16:1-4
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Did you ever hear the phrase:
Red sky at night, sailors'
delight,
Red sky in morning, sailors
take warning.?
Straight out of the
Bible—amazing isn't it?
Anyway, back to the subject
at hand—vs 1.
Mark 8:11,12
Their questioning Jesus—was
not for the purpose of looking for proof of their faith or their conviction—but
what??
---their desire to find proof
of something which they could use to find fault with him.
When the Jews already had all
the proof they needed—now they were looking for more.
So, why did Jesus say to this
man—Jn 4:48b?
He was as well talking for
the benefit of all those present.
Jesus was looking for active
obedience to God—not just by word, but by faith—active obedience to God.
2.
Before faith, must come knowledge. The nobleman had to be made aware of the
power of Jesus. He had heard of the
power of Jesus—but what was a prerequisite of this? What was necessary for him to be made aware
of the healing power of Jesus?
Someone had to tell him.
Rom 10:14
So, preachers are the ones to
tell the world about Jesus---right?
But not the only ones.
It is every christian's
responsibility to spread the gospel to others.
By words and by actions.
Q/C??
Page 4
It is a very popular
philosophy today, that there are 2 gospels—1 necessary for an individual to be
saved, and l necessary to grow and mature, and perform service to God.
But there is only 1 gospel.
We expand our knowledge of
that one gospel step by step, and as a result, expand our responsibilities and
our service to the church.
Knowledge about God is not
just a minimum amt. of information necessary to become a christian.
Increasing our knowledge
about God, should be an ever increasing part of our lives—always being
challenged to study more—to have a greater understanding of God's Word—an
understanding which will spur us on to greater service.
This is one of the reasons
you will continually hear me use the phrase—THE UNFOLDING PLAN OF GOD.
Eph 1:6-10 repeat vs 8
Thru study and prayer, we
attain the understanding and make application—continued growth.
BOARD UNDERSTANDING
+APPLICATION
----------------------------
= ?? CONTINUED GROWTH
3.
Faith involves total dependence on God's power, and
God's love.
Note that the nobleman did
not say—"Jesus, I'm a nobleman, influential, rich—I can help you out with those
who are persecuting you—but first I need a favor."
No. Instead, he came and BESOUGHT or begged him
to heal his son.
He brought nothing but
humility, a need, and faith in Jesus.
Page 5
It should be the same with
us. It's not the car we drive, the job
we have, the responsibility we have in the church—it's just as I am—"Lord, I'm
depending on you."
Knowing that Jesus will
supply SPECIAL TREATMENT FOR SPECIAL NEEDS.
4.
The nobleman didn't know how Jesus was going to heal
his son—he just believed that He would.
Initially, he mistakenly
thought that Jesus would have to be in the presence of his son, and didn't
fully realize the power of Jesus---but—he did have faith that Jesus would heal
his son.
Today, we find ourselves in
circumstances we don't understand, and pray to God for help.
We don't know how God will
help—but we must have faith that He will.
5.
Why did the man's servants and whole house believe?
They didn't see the
miracle—they only heard about it—but—they saw the results of the miracle.
Today, we have these written
examples—these same miracles recorded---
We didn't see them—we only
read about them.
They happened—therefore—we
should believe.
Last point—6. The man believed prior to the miracle—the son
probably didn't—he probably was not aware of anything—yet it was the son who
was healed, by the faith of his father.
--unlike Luke 17:19, where
the lepers were cleansed—ARISE, GO THY WAY, THY FAIATH HAS HADE THEE WHOLE.
The application for us—our
prayers today will make a difference---for the sick, for the unbeliever, for
the weak, and for the strong. Q/C??
Page 6
In closing, we see 3 major
points in this lesson:
1.
Jesus cared—He
had concern
He cared about the man.
He cared about his son.
He cared about the loss of
the man's son.
He cared about the hurt and
pain the man was going thru.
John tells us: Jesus cares about us.
2.
When we are
hurting or when we are not---Jesus wants us to put our trust in Him—only
Him—entrust our lives to Him.
3.
Distance is not a
problem for Jesus to help someone—IF—they will only trust Him.
Jn 20:30,31 Jn1:12
Remember: 3 things are necessary to prove to someone
that they should have faith in us.
CONCERN + HAVING THE POWER TO HELP + ACTION (using that power) = WE REALLY CARE.
