Sermon Tone Analysis
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*The Gospel of John X: *
*Desiring God, not Gifts*
*John 4:43-54*
*/July 13, 2008/*
*Prep: *
· Grief observed, Nowen, Newbigin
· Sermons: Apologetics, leftovers
*Opening:* Join us next Sunday, time of community.
*Prayer*
· Walkers and Stones: New *marriages*
· Raymond: *Health*
· *Camping* *trip*: Happy work of *building* *community*, that it be a benefit even to those unable to attend.
*God the vending machine*
Q Have you even *bargained* with God?
*Earliest* time I remember was when we got in a *car* *accident* on our way to *inner* *tubing* at Hurricane Ridge.
· Talking to my mom, she says that God *protected* us, but all I cared about *missing* the *sledding*.
Q How often do we come to God as a *vending* *machine*?
Q Are we more interested in *him* or what he *gives* us?
*Mixed motives*
In today’s passage we’ll meet a man like us.
He’s *desperate* for a *miracle*, and he is a *mixture* of good motives and bad.
He comes to God for the *wrong* *reasons*, yet demonstrates *genuine* *faith*.
· He will be an *example* of both of what *to* *do* and *not* to do.
*John 4:43 - 54 * 43 ¶ After the two days [in Samaria] he left for Galilee.
44 (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.)
45 When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him.
They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, for they also had been there.
“*No* *honor*” foreshadows Jesus’ difficult relationship with his own people.
Even though they initially “*welcomed*” him, it was for the *wrong* *reasons*, and thing would *turn* *sour*.
· Like the seed on *shallow* *soil*, their welcome was short lived.
46 ¶ Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine.
And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.
· Capernaum was about a *day’s* *walk* away.
· This story is *similar* to another with a Roman centurion.
47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.
48 “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”
On the surface, this seems pretty *harsh*.
The guy just wants this son healed.
We would do anything to see our *children* *healed*.
But notice he’s only *interested* in his *son’s* *health,* not *Jesus*.
· *Royal* *official* means he work for *King* *Herod*, a godless man.
He has no interest in Jesus as the *Messiah*, only as a *miracle* *worker*.
Likewise, the *crowd* just wants to see a *cool* *show*.
· Jesus addressing their *motives*: They didn’t want God, they wanted a *magic* *genie*.
*Faithful Samaritans*
This stands in stark *contrast* to the *Samaritans* from last week, who *welcomed* him for his own sake, as *savior*.
*John 4:42 * 42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
Q *How* *many* miracles convinced *them* Jesus was savior?
*One*.
Once they understood that he was a *prophet*, they gladly *followed* him.
They were *outcasts* and stood in clear knowledge of their *desperate* *need* for a savior.
Q *How* *many* miracles would have it taken for his *own* *people*?
· It *never* would have been enough – they had *already* *seen* some.
It’s easy to think if God just did some *great* *show*, people would flock, but miracles themselves cannot *change* a *hardened* *heart*.
· Killing *Lazarus *and Peter’ passage (*healed* *physically*, only)*.*
Miracles can be dismissed as *coincidence*, *accepted* without any *life* *change*, or otherwise *ignored*.
If we don’t *want* God to exist, nothing can *convince* us *otherwise*.
*Desiring God*
That’s not to say we don’t *desire* and *earnestly* *pray* for God’s *supernatural* hand.
It is not wrong to bring all of our *needs* and *concerns* to him, in fact he *desires* it and even *commands* it:
*Philippians 4:6 * 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
But our *first* *desire* must be *him*.
The whole *purpose* for *prayer* is to draw us *closer* to him, to make us *desire* him more, to *trust* him more, and *need* him more, and *see* his *glory* more.
· *No* *one* wants to be *wanted* only for what *they* *give*.
· You hear *frustration* in Jesus voice: “I am here to offer you *eternal* *life* and myself, but all you want is a *magic* *show*.”
We will always have *mixed* *motives*, just like a kid tearing through a *birthday* *card* from grandma looking for *money*.
But hopefully, on *some* *level*, our prayers will be more fueled by a *desire* for *God* than for what he *gives* us, to see his *glory* more than his *gifts*.
Ä Sooner or later, we’ll be *tested* when God *disappoints* us.
*Shadowlands~/A Grief Observed*
I am *reluctant* to speak of this, because I have not *suffered* truly *deep* *pain*, but I know that many *fathers* have prayed with all the *earnestness* of this official, but their *children* *died*.
· When we are disappointed by God, we are forced to ask, “Do I only believe in God when I see miracles?”
This week we watched “*Shadowlands*,” and we see C. S. Lewis *struggle* with God’s *goodness* in light of his wife’s death.
In his book “A *Grief* *Observed*” he accuses God of being a *sadist*.
· The struggle came down to *trusting* God’s *motives* even if the pain did not make sense.
*Oswald* *Chambers*: “Faith for my deliverance is not faith in God.
Faith means, whether I am visibly delivered or not, I will stick to my belief that God is love.
There are some things only learned in a fiery furnace.”
Ä So our “royal official” is a *poor* *example* of *seeking* Jesus for his own sake, but even still there is something *admirable*.
49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”
50 Jesus replied, “You may go.
Your son will live.”
The man took Jesus at his word [lit.
believe his word] and departed.
So even though he was looking to God for what he could get, I *admire* his *persistence* and *faith*.
*Persistence*: I think that while Jesus was *rebuking* the crowd, he was also *testing* this man.
Several times in the Bible we see him initially saying no, then yielding.
*Faith*: But even better than that, he *believed* and *obeyed*.
This was a true *test* of *faith*.
· *Long* *distance* miracles were rare, even by great OT prophets.
This is where our guy is *different* than the crowd: They need to *see* *miracles* to believe, he only needed to *hear* *Jesus* *word*.
He obeyed without seeing.
· Faith is *believing* God and *acting* upon it, even if you can’t *see* it.
*Reformers* definition of Faith: It needs *knowledge*, *acceptance*, and *trust* (living *as* *if* it were *true*).
· Faith it like crossing a *rope* *bridge* across a deep canyon.
Ä In this we should *emulate* this man: *Trusting* *Jesus* until his *faith* was made *sight*.
51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living.
52 When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.”
53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.”
So he and all his household believed.
54 This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee.
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