The Faith Of A Father

 Do you want faith like a father?

• John 4 v 46-54
• But what is faith – Dictionary Definition - Complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
• In this case and in the bible it is complete trust and confidence in God.
• Love is a father’s natural reaction towards his children.
• The noble man in the story loves his child so much he is compelled by love to act in faith.
• The man walked over 20 miles to meet Jesus; this is over 6 hour walk. He was willing to done anything to save his sons life. In those days walking was regular but 20 miles was still a fare way.
• This man is willing to do anything to save his son – lose respect, lose dignity and lose his job all by going to Jesus.
• He was a noble man; he had legal authority over Jesus as he was part of Herod’s serving officers. Even so he begged Jesus and called Him Lord. This guy could have just made Jesus heal his son because he had authority over Jesus but because saw who Jesus was – LORD. He gave Jesus respect and reverence.
• The man was desperate and begging because he loved his son. All of what he did that day was out of the ordinary. He did it all because of love.
• Do we give Jesus the respect and reverence he deserves?
• We are created beings who God has put love in. He created us with some of his love for others. Some of the fathers love that God has for everyone.
• Is our faith compelled by a love for God?
• Our Faith grows most when we believe before the miracle happens, than when we believe after the miracle happens.
• Do we wait for a miraculous sign before we believe?
• Jesus’s first response to the man is – “Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?”
• Jesus sees a faith in the man but knows he won’t fully believe until he sees Jesus heal his son.
• The man pleads again - “Lord, please come now before my little boy dies.”
• He acknowledges Jesus as Lord again. He is desperate and it is the love that is fuelling his plea.
• So Jesus sees an opportunity for the boy to be healed and the father’s faith to grow. Jesus tells him to go and the boy will be healed. The father has to have faith before he sees the miracle.
• Do we ever wait around until god gives us a sign?
• Actually what God wants us to do is to step out in faith.
• John 20 v 29 - “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
• Jesus is talking to Thomas who doubted the resurrection. Yet we will be more blessed because we believe in a God we can’t see. But we can see Him at work in many people’s lives.
• What do you need to be faithful and trust God with?
• Our response to when God speaks should be obedience.
• Are we always obedient to God?
• The noble man not only believed Jesus could heal; he also obeyed Jesus by returning home and therefore demonstrating his faith in Jesus.
• It isn’t enough for us to just say Jesus can take care of our problems. We need to act as if he can!
• When we pray for a need or a problem we need to live as though Jesus can do what he says.
• The noble man had to put his faith fully in Jesus because he had no evidence his son was healed, until he was met on the road by his servant. But the man set out with faith in something that he could not see. His son was 20 miles away. Yet the boy healed at the exact time Jesus said the words – Your son will live.
• Hebrews 11 v 1 – “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
• The noble man hoped Jesus would heal his son and put his faith in what he could not see at first.
• Because of the Noble man’s faith his and the miraculous sign the whole household believed in Jesus.
• His faith was contagious.
• What is our response to the faithfulness of God?
• The Noble man’s faith grew…
• He believed enough to ask Jesus to heal his son.
• He believed Jesus’ assurance that his son would live.
• He and his whole household believed.
• So let’s be inspired by the father’s faith. The love that compelled his faith, Jesus response to his faith and the father’s response to Jesus’s faithfulness.
• The challenge is to allow our faith to be compelled by love, to be ready for Jesus’ response to our faith and to respond and act to the faithfulness of God.
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