Waiting for a Miracle to Believe? - Study 3/23/13
Waiting for a Miracle to Believe?
You would think that with all the miracles we have observed, heard about and witnessed in our lives and those of others, we would just believe in God without question and doubts. If fact, there should not be anyone who does not believe in God. There have been many miraculous stories of our time where thousands were saved from natural disasters. There was the earthquake of Haiti where many were recovered after more than a week under rubbles and they lived. There are the recent miracles from Sandy storm that hit east coast of USA. There are the many miraculous births of babies that had no chance of survival. On and on and on even in our lives and around us. God gave my wife and me a baby after 15 years of infertility and barrenness. The list goes on and it is endless.
So why would anyone not believe in God and Jesus Christ His Son and Savior of the whole World? Jesus helps us gain insight into this question. Jesus said to a nobleman and actually to the nation of Israel, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe” vs. 48. In essence, Jesus is saying, if you are waiting to see signs and wonders, forget it you will never believe.
Faith is believing what you cannot see. It is no longer faith if you can see it. The nobleman in this account, went against the grain and his human instincts to believe in Jesus the Messiah and His words. The Word of God is sufficient for our faith in God. If God said it, that settles it and I believe it.
Are you waiting for answers to a particular prayer in your life before you can believe in God and His saving grace? Wait no more. No miracle in your life would cause you to believe. The devil does miracles too so be warned.
John 4:46-54
46 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”
49 The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!”
50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!”
52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household. 54 This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.
We are told here that Jesus came back to a city where he had performed the first miracle of water to wine. You would expect more faith in this place right? Not really. “45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast”. The people wanted to see more miracles before they can put their faith and trust in Jesus the Messiah. The water to wine was not enough neither the miracles Jesus performed at the feast in Jerusalem. What is the matter with us human beings?
Here comes a nobleman (honorable, most likely rich) who takes God at his words. His son is about to die. He begs Jesus to heal his son. Jesus provokes him by indicting him and the Jewish nation - 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” That is enough to put anyone away but not this nobleman. He keeps on pressing and insisting Jesus to come heal his son. Finally, Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” What would you and I do at this point? Go away disappointed because Jesus did not follow him/us home? We don't control God and dictate what He must do. God does only His will - His Word.
Note that the nobleman went home believing. “So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way” vs.50. He did not wait for the outcome to believe. He trusted God before seeing that his son would get well. This is faith at work. Outcome does not determine our faith. It is the object of faith, (whom we place our faith in) that determines our faith.
If faith was based on outcome, then many described in Hebrews 11 would not be considered faithful. “….35 Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted,[f] were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith” Hebrews 11:35-39.
The nobleman even verified when his faith kicked in. “51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!”52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household. The nobleman believed God’s word period. The follow up is that his household believed too. Our faith is contagious. Others would be encouraged to believe in Jesus when they see our faith and not the “stuff” we have “named and claimed” through the so called “breakthrough” faith. Is the particular Word of God for you before you "claim" it? His Word works with His Holy Spirit to bear witness in our own spirit. Let's be in step with His Spirit. Let’s worship God in Spirit and Truth.
In another instances, Jesus commended a centurion for his faith. “ 7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” (Matthew 8:7-10). What about you and me? Is God's word our authority for faith and obedience?
Still waiting for a miracle before believing? Wait no more and let’s put our trust and faith in the only God who made heaven and earth just by His words. Faith is a gift from God. Receive and believe God today for His salvation through Jesus Christ. Amen.
You would think that with all the miracles we have observed, heard about and witnessed in our lives and those of others, we would just believe in God without question and doubts. If fact, there should not be anyone who does not believe in God. There have been many miraculous stories of our time where thousands were saved from natural disasters. There was the earthquake of Haiti where many were recovered after more than a week under rubbles and they lived. There are the recent miracles from Sandy storm that hit east coast of USA. There are the many miraculous births of babies that had no chance of survival. On and on and on even in our lives and around us. God gave my wife and me a baby after 15 years of infertility and barrenness. The list goes on and it is endless.
So why would anyone not believe in God and Jesus Christ His Son and Savior of the whole World? Jesus helps us gain insight into this question. Jesus said to a nobleman and actually to the nation of Israel, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe” vs. 48. In essence, Jesus is saying, if you are waiting to see signs and wonders, forget it you will never believe.
Faith is believing what you cannot see. It is no longer faith if you can see it. The nobleman in this account, went against the grain and his human instincts to believe in Jesus the Messiah and His words. The Word of God is sufficient for our faith in God. If God said it, that settles it and I believe it.
Are you waiting for answers to a particular prayer in your life before you can believe in God and His saving grace? Wait no more. No miracle in your life would cause you to believe. The devil does miracles too so be warned.
John 4:46-54
46 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”
49 The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!”
50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!”
52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household. 54 This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.
We are told here that Jesus came back to a city where he had performed the first miracle of water to wine. You would expect more faith in this place right? Not really. “45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast”. The people wanted to see more miracles before they can put their faith and trust in Jesus the Messiah. The water to wine was not enough neither the miracles Jesus performed at the feast in Jerusalem. What is the matter with us human beings?
Here comes a nobleman (honorable, most likely rich) who takes God at his words. His son is about to die. He begs Jesus to heal his son. Jesus provokes him by indicting him and the Jewish nation - 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” That is enough to put anyone away but not this nobleman. He keeps on pressing and insisting Jesus to come heal his son. Finally, Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” What would you and I do at this point? Go away disappointed because Jesus did not follow him/us home? We don't control God and dictate what He must do. God does only His will - His Word.
Note that the nobleman went home believing. “So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way” vs.50. He did not wait for the outcome to believe. He trusted God before seeing that his son would get well. This is faith at work. Outcome does not determine our faith. It is the object of faith, (whom we place our faith in) that determines our faith.
If faith was based on outcome, then many described in Hebrews 11 would not be considered faithful. “….35 Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted,[f] were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith” Hebrews 11:35-39.
The nobleman even verified when his faith kicked in. “51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!”52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household. The nobleman believed God’s word period. The follow up is that his household believed too. Our faith is contagious. Others would be encouraged to believe in Jesus when they see our faith and not the “stuff” we have “named and claimed” through the so called “breakthrough” faith. Is the particular Word of God for you before you "claim" it? His Word works with His Holy Spirit to bear witness in our own spirit. Let's be in step with His Spirit. Let’s worship God in Spirit and Truth.
In another instances, Jesus commended a centurion for his faith. “ 7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” (Matthew 8:7-10). What about you and me? Is God's word our authority for faith and obedience?
Still waiting for a miracle before believing? Wait no more and let’s put our trust and faith in the only God who made heaven and earth just by His words. Faith is a gift from God. Receive and believe God today for His salvation through Jesus Christ. Amen.
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