Faith and Fact-Checking

Transcript

Good morning. If you have your Bibles, would you please turn with me to the book of John chapter 4. This morning we’ll be looking at verses 43 through 54. If you’re here this morning and you don’t have a Bible, there should be some Bibles in front of you in the basket there. You’re welcome to use that Bible. If you don’t own a Bible, feel free to take that home with you as our gift to you. So long as you read it, we are really excited about giving that to you. I’ll read and then we’ll pray and then we’ll begin. John chapter 4 verse 43.

After the two days, he departed for Galilee. For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown. So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast.

— John 4

(ESV)

For they too had gone to the feast. So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum, there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe. The official said to him, sir, come down before my child dies. Jesus said to him, go, your son will live. The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better. And they said to him, yesterday, at the seventh hour, the fever left him.

The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, your son will live. And he himself believed, and all his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God, let’s pray. Our father and our God, we thank you for your word. We thank you that you have not left us on our own, but you have given us your word, and you have given us the Holy Spirit so as to understand your word. We pray, O Lord in God, that even now you would give us the aid of the Spirit so that we might see Jesus in your word. That we might see what you have to say to us through your word. And most importantly, that you might change us as a result of seeing Jesus in your word.

A World Obsessed with Proof

We submit ourselves under its authority and its power. And we pray, O Lord in God, that you would meet us this morning. In Jesus’ name, amen. We live in a world obsessed with proof. In fact, if it can’t be measured, verified, or fact-checked, we doubt that it’s real. That’s why we instinctively reach for our phones to capture everything, from concerts to milestones to meals, even to tragedies. Because we’ve been trained to think, photo, or it didn’t happen. But it’s not just the camera on our phones. It’s the endless access to information that we have on our phones. When we hear about something big in our world, especially something tragic, our first impulse is to hit our phones and check our social media feeds. Did someone post about it? Was it caught on video? Because we want to see it to believe it. We even do this with things as insignificant as Amazon reviews.

Well, maybe that’s not insignificant. It depends on what you’re purchasing. We immediately scroll past the description and head straight for the pictures and the videos looking for proof that the product is legit. Maybe not all of you do that, but my wife definitely does that. Here’s what’s crazy. Even with all the tools that we see and verify, we as a people have become more and more suspicious of what we take in with our own eyes. We’re constantly asking the question, or hopefully you’re asking this question, is this real or is this AI generated? Is that video legit or is it a deep fake? It’s hard to know these days. Media moves so fast. Truth feels a bit slippery and AI is so powerful and can seem so realistic that it’s hard to know if it’s real. And even in our skepticism, even with the rise of AI generated video content, we still

demand proof to see it with our own eyes. And while it’s true that we live in a post truth world, we are still very much addicted to proof. And this family is what makes the spiritual climate of our culture so ironic. You see, in the physical world, in the secular world, we demand hard evidence. We live for the fact check. Or if you’re on Twitter, the grok check. If you don’t know what that means, it is what it is. But when it comes to the spiritual world, we actually want the opposite. I mean, we still want proof, but for whatever reason in that particular domain, we define proof by what we feel. Transcendence has replaced truth. Experience has replaced evidence. Emotion has become the new spiritual fact checker. And it seems more and more like Christians are seeking a faith that they can feel rather

than they can verify. Over the top worship experiences that shape and cater to their emotions, subjective spiritual moments that move them towards transcendence rather than truth. In other words, they want to feel God, but not necessarily hear from God. And that’s why many today are drawn to either this hyper charismatic movement or back to Catholicism or Eastern Orthodox traditions. Not because of passion for biblical truth, but because they want to feel something sacred. Whether it’s through a perceived move of the spirit or through the beauty and mystery of tradition, people are looking for transcendence. But without being tethered to the word of God. And let me be clear, those longings, they’re there for a reason. They aren’t inherently wrong. They’re human and they’re even biblical. But if they’re not anchored to God’s word, then they won’t build your faith. They’ll cause you to drift in your faith.

Because the kind of faith that Jesus is after isn’t propped up by sacred vibes or signs. It’s rooted in his promises. It clings to his word. Now that doesn’t mean that we reject the spiritual experiences or tradition. No, the move of the spirit is essential for the Christian life and for faith. And the tradition of the church deeply matters. But both of those things must be deeply shaped by, interpreted by, and submitted to the word of God. Yes, Jesus performed signs and moved in power, but those signs were never to be the foundation of belief. They were simply confirmations, not the core of our faith. Romans 10, 17 says, faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the what? Word of Christ. So while signs may occasionally affirm, the word must always ground. Friends, this kind of faith that grows us as Christians is the kind of faith that God desires

for us to have. It’s the kind of faith that clings to his voice and holds to his promises, even when we as his people don’t see anything visible to hold on to. And friends, that is in part what our text is driving at this morning. And though this narrative happened 2,000 years ago, this narrative, I think, is perfectly fitting for a culture like ours, a culture shaped by a religious longing for the supernatural and transcendent, and for a people tempted to believe only what they can verify with their own eyes. And so, we’ll explore this text together, and then at the end we’ll close with some points of application for what this text might mean for us as a church. And to help us move through our text this morning, I’ve broken this narrative into four scenes. So we’ll look at the superficial welcome, the supernatural weight, the spoken word,

The Superficial Welcome

and the saving work. And I wonder if you noticed the double alliterations in that? Come on now. All right. I couldn’t help myself. There was two there that naturally came out, and I was like, all right, let’s just go for all four. Let’s do it. Let’s begin with the superficial welcome, verses 43 through 45. After the two days he departed for Galilee, for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown. So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they too had gone to the feast. So the first thing I want you to notice about this scene, because I think it helps us to shape some context here, is that Jesus is heading into very familiar territory. Galilee is where he is from. And these folks are his people.

And so this should feel somewhat like a homecoming for Jesus. But John, the gospel writer here, is quick to point out in verse 44 that Jesus himself had said that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown. And he’s right. Because as Jesus enters into his neighborhood, he receives a very strange kind of welcome. Although it appears to be warm and familiar on the surface, it’s a welcome that is very much without honor. Now, to be fair, this welcome is not hostile, but it’s very much hollow. Verse 45 says that they welcomed him, but John gives us the reason for the welcome. Because they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem. In other words, they welcomed Jesus not because of who he is, but because of what he’s done. Meaning they were interested in the signs and the wonders that could be demonstrated

by Jesus. They were treating Jesus like a carny, like a traveling entertainer, like a spectacle. This is what you might call being familiar with Jesus without having faith in Jesus. So they were fans. They admired him, but they didn’t honor him. You see, they respected the power, but they did not revere the person. And this isn’t any different from the way people treat Jesus today. It is possible to like certain things about Jesus, to be a fan of Jesus without seeing him for who he truly is, without embracing Jesus’s exclusive claims about himself, to admire him as maybe a moral teacher or a miracle worker or a cultural icon without surrendering to him as Savior and Lord. This is surface level spirituality, and it is exceedingly popular in our culture. In Portland, in the Pacific Northwest, people love the idea of Jesus. Jesus seems like a pretty nice guy, like a very wise teacher, something akin to Gandhi.

So they rock with Jesus. They even rock with some of the things that Jesus says, you know, like love your neighbor, bless those who persecute you, forgive those who sin against you. They rock with Jesus. As long as Jesus aligns with their values, affirms their lifestyle or meets their needs or their expectations. But Jesus isn’t looking for fans or for familiarity. He’s calling for followers and not the kind of shallow followers that we’ve become accustomed to in our social media age, where you just kind of like or subscribe or whatever. He’s looking for followers that will lay aside everything to chase after Jesus on his terms, taking him at his word, taking him for who he is, who he himself claimed to be. Jesus is not content with the welcome that is rooted in wonder or familiarity or for performance. He wants worship that is rooted in spirit and in truth and family.

This is a good word for us. Enthusiasm for what Jesus can do is not the same as honoring Jesus for who he is. The Lord of Lords, the king of kings. And here’s part of the problem with these Galileans. They were way too familiar with Jesus, the man. He was, in fact, where they were from. So you could say he was one of them. He looked like them, probably had the same accent. And that significantly colored the way they saw him. So sure, they could receive him as a performer, a man with talent and power. But in their minds, he would always be the boy from their town, the grimy carpenter’s son that rose to this celebrity. And because of that, they failed to see Jesus for who he truly is. They admired the signs, but they did not honor the savior. They welcomed the spectacle, but they couldn’t receive the son of God.

The Supernatural Weight

And this is why Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in their own hometown. He knows the heart of man. He knows the difference between a shallow welcome because of local talent or someone who desires to have saving faith in Jesus. This brings us to scene two, the supernatural weight, verses 46 through 49. So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe. The official said to him, sir, come down before my child dies. In this scene, Jesus moves deeper into the region of Galilee, specifically the town of Cana.

Now we know that this is not the first time Jesus has been in Cana. Cana was the setting of the very first public miracle that Jesus performed, where he turned water into wine at a wedding. That moment marked the beginning of his signs. It was the first glimpse that we got of his defined authority and most importantly, his compassion. At this wedding, as Samuel so faithfully preached to us, Jesus transformed not just the wine, but also what could have been a social disaster. He turned that into a joyful celebration. He did this because he had compassion on the hosts of the wedding. He wanted to save them from the shame that would come from not having the sufficient resources to keep the party going. His compassion was what drove the miracle. So he filled the jars to the brim with the best wine. He gave abundance where they had been lacking.

And listen, this was no performance to entertain. It was a movement of compassion and glory. But this glory was a kind of behind the scenes miracle that showcased his glory, but that in every way revealed the very heart of Jesus. But now as Jesus steps back into Cana, the mood is drastically different. Last time he was surrounded by dancing and laughter, some of which we will experience this afternoon. But this time he’s met with desperation and grief. Instead of a bridegroom full of joy, we meet a father who is completely burdened by fear. A royal official who was someone likely connected to Herod of Antipas, which means he was kind of a big deal. This father has come from Capernaum all the way to Cana specifically to find Jesus. And just to give you some perspective, that’s about a 20 mile hike uphill for this upper

class official from Capernaum to travel. And the reason for this extended hike is because this man’s son is dying. Now we’re not told how this father heard about Jesus, but it’s likely that word has gotten to him about that very miracle where Jesus turned the water into wine. And the reason why was probably implicit, that Jesus had compassion on this family. But however he heard about it, one thing is for sure, this desperate father needed a miracle. And he knew that Jesus was in the business of making miracles happen. And what’s interesting about this man is that this man had a whole bunch of status. He had power, he had influence. So if there’s anyone in this region who had access to the best kind of care, it would have been him. But none of those things could fix what was broken with his child.

His health could not be fixed by his wealth. His title could not keep death away. His connections couldn’t stop this crisis. He had exhausted every option that he had access to, which would have been a lot in this culture. And now in a desperate attempt, he comes to the one place hope might still be found. And what a contrast from a wedding and this wine to a deathbed plea from joyful celebration to soul-crushing fear and anxiety of a parent. And yet, both moments are infused with the same presence, the presence of Jesus. Both moments reveal his heart. Both showcase his power and compassion. And in that contrast, we see something that is so important for us to understand. Jesus meets us where we are. Whether in the joy of celebration or in the grip of crises, Jesus is never far from us. He’s not distant or disengaged.

He steps into both scenes, into gladness and into desperation with full awareness of the situation and with full compassion. Jesus is always aware of where we are and how we feel at all times. And he’s present with us in those moments and in those feelings. Do you believe that, dear Christian? I know it’s hard to feel the presence of God when you are in the midst of suffering and crisis, when you are experiencing depression and anxiety and fear. But no matter how we feel, Jesus is present. The Bible tells us that the Lord draws near to the brokenhearted to remind us of what is true of him, even when our hearts fail to feel it properly. I pray that we would be a people that would remember that and remind our brothers and sisters when they forget that. What’s interesting about this whole exchange here is that while this father came looking

for a miracle, what Jesus will offer him is something far more miraculous than just the miracle of this son. Jesus offers him something far more transformative. Now the text doesn’t tell us definitively whether this father was a Jew or a Gentile, but either way, he represents someone of status and political clout, someone who’s used to being in control of the situation, someone who gives orders to other people. But now none of that matters. He’s not in any position to give orders or leverage his clout because his son is dying and he is completely desperate. And what we see in him is something so foundational to the human experience. Crisis always has a way of leveling us. Crisis doesn’t care about your net worth. It doesn’t recognize your job title or your social status. Pain family is the great equalizer of people and suffering doesn’t discriminate or show

partiality. It doesn’t politely and respectfully knock on your door to see if it’s okay if he can come in. No, it barges in unannounced, unexpected and without respect. And when you’re face to face with a threat of loss, all your social capital, all your money, all your resources are suddenly meaningless. It doesn’t matter anymore. Suffering and crisis and crisis has a way of reading you from everything and rendering you completely and utterly dependent. And this is why family God uses suffering so much with his saints because it forces dependence like nothing else in this world. When we are suffering, we tend to turn away from all those other things we have trusted in to provide comfort and to provide peace. And then we go straight to the source of all comfort. This is what drives this father 20 miles uphill from Capernaum to Cana. This is what compels a royal official to beg this Jewish rabbi for help.

This is a father in crisis, a man of power who is brought low by pain and his desperate plea is simple, but it’s urgent. Come down before my child dies and you can feel the weight of that request. You can imagine how this father must have felt walking those 20 miles, each step holding back the panic, holding back the anxiety, clinging on to hope. You can hear it in his voice. There’s ache and there’s urgency. Jesus, please come with me. You’re the only one who can help me right now. If we leave now, we can make it just before the day is done. And listen, it’s all downhill. We’ll get there faster than how I got here. Jesus, please come with me. But Jesus doesn’t match his urgency. And instead he responds with appointed rebuke. Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.

Now I mentioned earlier the compassion of Jesus. Well then if Jesus was full of compassion, why then this kind of response or rebuke? Well first it’s important to understand that the you in this sentence is actually plural, which means that Jesus isn’t only or maybe primarily speaking to this man. He’s also speaking to the crowds gathered around the man who would have seen this request from this royal official as an opportunity to witness this miracle. Oh, it’s about to go down. Remember these are the same people who welcomed Jesus, not because they honored him as Lord, but because they had seen what he did in Jerusalem. They were drawn to the spectacle. They were intrigued by the potential sign, curious about how Jesus would demonstrate his power. But they were not convinced about the person. And here’s the thing, this isn’t a first century problem.

This is a 21st century problem too. There is a whole segment of Christian teaching today that encourages the exact kind of faith, a faith that revolves around what Jesus can do for you and not who Jesus is to you. It’s a message that makes Jesus like a divine vending machine. Push the right buttons, say the right kind of prayers and your healing, your promotion, your financial success, your breakthrough will happen. You hear it from preachers like Joel Osteen, who wrote a book that was a number one New York Times bestseller. Listen to what he says in his book, Your Best Life Now. Start calling yourself healed, happy, whole, blessed, and prosperous. Stop talking to God about how big your mountains are and start talking to your mountains about how big your God is. Now listen, what’s exceedingly dangerous about this is that there’s a little bit of truth

in it. God is big. God can move mountains. But what this kind of teaching often promotes is a God that exists for your glory and for your preferences. And what this kind of teaching often leaves out is the cross, the call to deny yourself for his glory. The reality is that sometimes God’s plan for you isn’t to move the mountain in some miraculous way. Sometimes, and I would say more often than not, God wants us to climb the mountain so that you might see his glory through the process and that he might make you more mature, sanctify you through the hardship of it. This is the kind of faith that the prosperity gospel often promotes, a faith propped up by signs but not grounded in scripture, a Jesus who provides for your desires but not a Savior who will save you from your sin, which is your greatest need, friends, a version

of Christianity that aims at miracles but avoids repentance, faith that focuses more on what you get in this life than what Christ has done so to secure your life to come. This is not the faith that Jesus desires for his saints. He’s not after people who would cheer for his power. He’s after followers who would trust in his word. And this royal official, though he doesn’t have perfect theology, he demonstrates something that the crowd does not, a humble, seeking, and persistent faith. This is the kind of faith that honors Jesus. The reason Jesus gives this rebuke is because Jesus is exposing and dealing with something much deeper than signs or physical sickness. He’s confronting a spiritual condition, a heart that demands proof before trust, a mindset that says, show me and then I’ll believe. And you see this all the time. Well, if God is real, why doesn’t he just show up and show us that he’s real?

Jesus exposing this greater reality, family, is his compassion. Jesus rebuking this man and the crowd is compassion. Sometimes a rebuke can be a compassionate plea for you to understand the weight of your situation. Do you understand that? And here’s where this father stands apart from the crowd. He doesn’t argue. He doesn’t storm off. He doesn’t get offended by the rebuke. He simply asks again, sir, come down before my child dies. This might not seem like much, but it’s actually a picture of what persistent faith looks like. A faith that doesn’t fully understand what’s going on, but still reaches and a faith that is teachable. This man responds appropriately to the rebuke. A faith that doesn’t have all the theological answers, but knows where to go with the request. A faith that pushes and pushes and pushes until he hears from God. He doesn’t know exactly who Jesus is, but listen, he is full of faith and he believes

The Spoken Word

wholeheartedly that Jesus can help his son. He goes to the fountainhead of help. There was a huge difference between sign seekers and those who are desperate with their faith, which is why he is so persistent. And don’t miss this family. This is where real faith often begins, not with perfect theology, not with the fully developed understanding of who Jesus is, but with desperate trust. Psalm 50 15 says, call upon me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you and you shall glorify me. This father in the day of trouble, in his deep distress was doing just that. He was calling upon the Lord. And what we’ll see in the coming scenes is that this father will receive far more than what he requested from Jesus. Scene three, the spoken word verses 50 through 52. Jesus said to him, go, your son will live. The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.

As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better. And they said to him, yesterday at the seventh hour, the fever left him. Now this phrase, the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. This might be one of the most beautiful and challenging moments in this entire passage. Jesus doesn’t go with the man. He doesn’t offer a visible confirmation. He simply speaks. So no sign, no touch, no traveling miracle worker that makes his way to Capernaum. Just his word. And this is perhaps where many of us struggle. We pray. We want to see God move in more visible, tangible and measurable ways. We want the test results to change. We want the door to open. We want provision to show up.

And sometimes by God’s grace, he does just that. But what about when he doesn’t do it? What about the times when there are no visible changes? Only the promise spoken in scripture that God is working all things together for those who love him. Will we still believe him? That’s what makes this moment so remarkable. Jesus provides no outward evidence. The man just walks away, holding only on to what Jesus said. John says he believed the word. And this family is the mark of mature faith. This is Hebrews 11, one faith, the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. This is Romans 10, 17 faith, faith that comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. Jesus speaks and this man believes and obeys. That act of obedience reveals something significant about this man’s belief. He didn’t just believe that Jesus could do something.

He believes that Jesus had done something. Jesus said, go, your son lives. And the man walked all the way back, holding nothing but a sentence. And the sentence was sufficient. He took Jesus at his word. He trusted that what Jesus said was true, even before it came to pass. And family, this is what saving faith looks like. It’s not faith based on feelings, not faith rooted in the spectacular or the supernatural, but faith that clings to the word of Christ. A faith that says, if Jesus said it, I will believe it no matter what. I will go where he sends me to go. I will trust that his promises are true and I will follow him even when I don’t see the outcome. And friend, if you’re here this morning and you wouldn’t consider yourself a Christian, we’re so happy that you’re here. We want you to know that the same faith that this father demonstrated is the same kind

of faith that can save you from your sins and make you a Christian. It’s the same kind of faith. We want you to know that you can experience that kind of faith this morning. You see, despite what you might think, faith has nothing to do with your morality or how good of a person you might be or how you measure up with your neighbors or how good you are compared to the world. It’s not a faith in religion or faith in yourself or faith in some vague spirituality. Faith in Jesus is believing that Jesus is who he said he is and that he’s done what he said he would do. It’s trusting that he will save you from your sins. It’s trusting in his promise that if you believe in him, he will give you a new heart and he will make you his own.

It’s believing that Jesus said all sinners need a savior. All people are sinners who need a savior and that salvation comes only through him. It’s believing that Jesus was right when he said that he came to lay his life down for sinners so that he might pay for the sins of men and that he would rise again to prove that he is who he said he is and all that he requires from you is that kind of faith. The faith of this father, not perfection, but trust, not proof, but belief, not performance, but complete surrender. So if you’ve never put your faith in Jesus, maybe you’ve been around religion or even around the church, but you know deep down inside that you’ve never come to trust Jesus in this way, you can come to him this morning. Come to him in your desperation, come to him in your weakness, come to him with nothing

in your hands, but trust, turn from your sin, turn from your old ways of life and turn to him and receive him and there friend, you will find a savior who speaks life, a savior who is faithful to keep his word, a savior that will say to you this morning, go, you will live. And if you have questions about any of that this morning, you can talk to anyone in this room, ask them if they’re a Christian and if they say yes, they will be happy to help you. They would love to talk to you about what it means to follow Jesus and to become a Christian. Amen. Okay. Verse 51 gives us the results of this man’s trust. As he was going down, his servant met him and told him that his son was recovering. His obedience is met with confirmation, not because he demanded it.

You catch that? Not because he demanded it, but because Jesus delights to affirm those who trust in his word. And when he asks the hour that his son began to recover, it matches the exact moment when Jesus spoke. Jesus provides for this man’s faith, a fact check in his kindness and in his compassion. Listen, the very reason this detail is here is to cast away any doubt that this was some sort of coincidence. This miracle of God not only reveals that Jesus keeps his word, but that his words are powerful to accomplish that which he intends to accomplish. This is a promise fleshed out in power and in providence. And this brings us finally to scene four, the saving work. Verses 53 and 54. The father knew that the hour, the father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, your son will live.

And he himself believed and all his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee. The final movement in this passage is the fruit of everything that came before it. After the superficial welcome from a crowd who was looking only for signs and wonders After the desperate plea of a father who had run out of options. After Jesus spoke a word, your son will live. Now we see the real substance in the narrative. Because saving this man’s son was never meant to be the end goal. You understand that, right? Jesus used this whole situation powerfully. The sickness of the son, the desperation of the father. Not just as a means to showcase his ability to heal, but to reveal his power to save. Not just to restore a body, but to redeem a soul. This entire scene is meant to lead us somewhere deeper.

It’s not just about what happened to the son. It’s about what happened to the father. The father’s faith in Jesus grew and deepened. What started as hope turned into pursuit. What began with crisis evolved into confidence. And now that confidence has blossomed into saving faith. Look at the progression. He believed enough to ask Jesus. He believed enough to obey Jesus without proof. And now he believes in a way that transforms his life and his household. So don’t get it twisted. This is not just faith in a miracle. This man began to have faith in the Messiah. And don’t miss this, friends. The gospel has a ripple effect. The faith that this man had soon began to transform his home. And we’ve seen this pattern before in scripture. In Acts 10, Cornelius hears the word and believes and his whole household follows. In Acts 16, the Philippian jailer is saved and immediately his whole family believes

and they get baptized. And the reason this happens is because this is what saving faith does. It multiplies. It begins with one, but then it begins to spread. It moves outward through families, through neighborhoods, and through churches. And John wants us to notice something specific. He ends this whole passage by saying that this was the second sign that Jesus performed. Now that’s not just about sequence. It’s not just a little data point. This is about significance. This wasn’t merely a demonstration of power. It was a revelation of a person. Jesus didn’t perform this miracle to impress the people of Galilee. He used this miracle to teach the people of Galilee. And to teach us this morning that his word is enough. That faith in him, faith without sight, without spectacle, without manipulation is the kind of faith that brings salvation. This is what Jesus is after.

Not fans who would admire him or what he does, but followers who believe in who he is. People who may walk away empty handed, no signs, no miracles, but walk away full of trust and faith because they’ve heard the word and believed. You want to know what’s crazy? That’s the greatest kind of miracle one could experience. When someone turns from their sins and believes in Jesus. You see, we were born with hearts of stone. We were born sinners, condemned under the law, incapable of believing, dead in our sins and in our trespasses, unable to respond to him. But God worked in such a miraculous way that he’s given us new hearts and he makes people who were once dead to sin, people who are alive to him so that we might respond to his word, turn from our sins and trust that his word is enough.

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The Saving Work

This is the greatest of all miracles. Amen. Amen. Friends, I want to close this morning with just a few pastoral applications, just some questions and some challenges that I think this text really presses on us. And the first is, is the word enough for you? Friends, are you preoccupied and content with the word of God or are you chasing something else? One of the clearest takeaways in this passage is that Jesus’ words are enough. That his word is enough for you. One of the ways that you could know for sure that his word is sufficient is to ask yourself these questions. Do I live by the scriptures? Do I delight in the scriptures? Is this where you go to turn for help? Is his word the primary means of shaping you, correcting you, comforting you and guiding you? Is his word the foundation beneath your feet or is it just a supplement to your feelings?

Are you looking more to pragmatism or psychology or podcasts or whatever? Or is your go-to response, what does God have to say? That’s how you can know if you believe his word is sufficient for you. Family, this divine word should shape everything about us as Christians. It should shape everything we do as a church. The way we worship, the relationships we have with one another, our hope and our habits. It should all be shaped by God’s word. So again, is his word enough for you? Or are you longing for something else? Some supernatural movement? Some emotional mountaintop experience? Nothing wrong with those feelings. We thank God for when we feel the spirit move and when he meets us in tangible ways. But family, feelings fade. Experiences shift. Only the word endures. Isaiah 48 says the grass withers. The flowers fade, but the word of God will stand forever.

Are you standing on the word? May this be the kind of church that says along with the psalmist, I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. And listen, here’s why this matters so much in a culture like ours. Because we are living in a time where many Christians are beginning to doubt that the word is sufficient. That’s why so many people are chasing these spiritual experiences or the sense of transcendence because they want something that feels divine. But here’s the irony. Both of those things, the supernatural and the transcendent, those things are only found in God’s word. The spirit doesn’t bypass the word to reach us. He works through the word to reach us. He convicts through the word. He comforts through the word. He guides, he rebukes, he strengthens, and he grows us through the word.

Romans 10, 17, faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. James 1, 18 says of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth. So you want to hear the word of God speak to you in a very powerful and supernatural way? Open your Bible. Open your Bible. Read what it says of him and what it says of you. You want something transcendent? Plant your life in this book. Do what it says and it will sanctify you. Reading God’s word has a way of supernaturally making you different. Amen? Jesus prayed, sanctify them in the truth. Your what is the truth? This word is the most miraculous, transformative, otherworldly thing on earth because it carries with it the very breath of God. And my prayer is that we would be a church who keeps this word as the very center and

Taking Faith Home

foundation of our life together. It’s what glues our unity. It’s what binds us together. You understand that, right? Secondly, are we taking our faith home? Are we taking our faith to others, especially those in our home? Remember what happened after this man believed. He himself believed and all his household. Now we’re not told all the details, but what we can say with confidence is that this man’s faith definitely went home with him. He didn’t compartmentalize it. He didn’t keep it personal and private. He believed and that belief began to permeate his home and his family. This is the very essence of evangelism. For those of us with families, God has given us a primary ministry and that is to bring the gospel to bear on our homes, to raise our children with his word on our lips so that it becomes the culture of our home, to create homes that speak the gospel with grace.

Not perfectly. Come on, parents. Amen. I know. Oh, it’s only me. Okay. Okay. But faithfully, not to be clear, this isn’t a formula. There are no guarantees that if we believe our children will believe to know salvation belongs to the Lord. We can’t save our kids, but we could live in such a way that the gospel is consistently heard and it moves and spreads through our lives, in our joys, in our sorrows, and even in our failures, the gospel can be made known. I tell this to my kids all the time. You know, it’s such a great gift that God has born you into a Christian home. You want to know why? Because you get to hear the gospel all the time because God has given you a family who loves Jesus. Who loves it. Am I legit? Right? Friends, our work is to saturate our homes with the word of God and with prayer.

So let’s fill our living rooms and fill our car rides with truth, not just on the way to church like, you know, you better behave today. Let us model repentance when we fail our children, telling your children that you need Jesus just as much as they do. Let our faith be real, not just in this sanctuary, but in the everyday stuff of life. That’s evangelism. That’s discipleship. That’s the calling of every Christian parent. And listen, I do want to be clear here. For those of you who aren’t parents, but are members of this church, we need you too. We need your help with our kids to see and to know and to hear the gospel. I mean, Josh, I’m so thankful, brother, for you. You do such a good job at this. Man, we should be like Josh, right? He kills it in this area.

I mean, you know, you know what I mean. We need you to speak with our kids, serve our kids, be praying for them. Let the cries of the children in this sanctuary not be a distraction to you, but a holy reminder for you to pray for them, that they might be saved. May it be true of Trinity Church that God saved us and our households. May God be so infinitely kind that he saves every single one of our children. And finally, what if God doesn’t answer our prayer? When we move through a text like this, I think it’s important to ask this question. What if God doesn’t answer your desperate prayer? What if the healing doesn’t come? What if suffering doesn’t stop? What if the depression doesn’t immediately leave? What if the miracle doesn’t happen? Because here’s the reality. Sometimes it doesn’t. More often than not, it doesn’t.

Sometimes the diagnosis doesn’t change. Sometimes the job isn’t restored. Sometimes the healing doesn’t come. And in those moments, the question isn’t, did God fail us? The question is, do I still believe? Do I still believe? Will I take Jesus at his word, even when I don’t see the results that I prayed for? Will I trust in his character and in his goodness, even when I struggle to trace the fingerprints of it in this season? Because the point of this story isn’t that Jesus healed this boy. It’s about believing God’s word and his promises. And listen, God has not promised that this world would be easy and pain-free. In fact, God has promised one thing for us, that in this world we will suffer. But he’s also promised us that when we suffer, he will be present with us. That he will carry us all the way to the end.

He has promised that every ounce, every drop of our suffering will be used for our good and for his glory, even when we don’t understand it, even when it’s exceedingly painful. And friends, when someone in our church is suffering, we are called to walk with them, to be the hands and the feet of Jesus, to be the comfort of Jesus, to pray for them, to comfort them, to remind them of the promises of God. And the best way to give them the promises of God is to give them the very word of God. Listen, when the pain is real and the answers aren’t clear, empty, human, psychological words mean nothing. Oh, it’s going to be okay. What Christians need in suffering is God’s word, because there is where we supernaturally find joy and peace, even when it seems unthinkable. Romans 8, 28 reminds us, we know that for those who love God, all things work together

for good, for those who are called according to his purposes. That all things include suffering, and hardships, and trials, and anxiety, and pain, and brokenness, and despair, all things. We don’t understand how that works, but one day when he carries us home, we will figure it out. Praise be to God. Jesus said, in the world you will have tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome the world. The promise of Jesus, family, is that he has overcome this world for us. Do we believe this? This is the kind of faith that God asks us to hold to. It’s what we celebrate at the Lord’s Supper. Our hope in the promises of Jesus are secure, so we celebrate even in the midst of suffering. This is the faith Jesus wants from us, the faith that doesn’t demand proof, but says with Job, though he slay me, though he slay me, yet I will trust him.

A faith that walks home with nothing else but the word of God, and finds that his word is enough, that his word is the balm that soothes our broken souls. Amen? Let’s pray. Our Father and our God, it is true that so often we minimize your word. Forgive us for doing that. We need your word, oh God, and we pray that you would give us greater appetites for your word. In fact, the more we dive into your word, the more it puts our life together. The more it helps us to weather the storms. May the word be our anchor, oh God. Help us from being superficial Christians who say all kinds of Christian things but are not deeply rooted in the power and sufficiency of your word. We need it, oh God. And we pray, Lord, that your spirit would meet us as we dive into your word, that your

spirit would call to us your prompts and your promises, that we would find solace in it and comfort in it, and that it would shape us as people, as individuals, and as a church. May we be known for people of the book. God, we pray that your word would transform us more and more into the image of Jesus, the one who has secured every promise through his life, death, resurrection, and ascension. We love your word. We need your word. Help us to be people of your word. We pray these things in Christ’s name, amen.