Your Son Will Live
John 4:43-54
August 21, 2022
Abraham Hong
Sermon Script
A big part of the life of the true Christian is times of testing. Our God, our Father in heaven, gives us tests. He tests us because he loves us. And his goal in all of our tests is to show our faith in Christ to be genuine and real.
This is true. Consider today’s passage. Jesus is God. He is the second person of the Triune God. And Jesus put the man who son was ill to the test. This man, along with many of his fellow citizens of Galilee, welcomed Jesus because of all of his miracles and signs and wonders.
But Jesus wanted to show the man’s faith to be genuine and real.
Jesus did not want the man to believe in him after the healing. Jesus wanted the man to believe in him before the healing. Jesus did not want him to believe because of what he would end up seeing. Jesus wanted him to believe because of what he would end up hearing. Because faith that is genuine and real comes from words. Jesus’ words. Words about Jesus. Words of promise.
Remember God’s word in Romans 10:17. Faith comes from hearing. Hearing comes through the word of Christ. Remember God’s word in 2 Corinthians 5:7. We walk by faith. Not by sight. And remember God’s words in 1 Corinthians 1:22. Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom. But we preach Christ.
So Jesus put the man to the test. And he did it in a most fascinating way. He told the man to go. This is remarkable. This meant that the man had to turn around and leave Jesus and walk all the way back home before he could see the healing of his son. This meant that the man had to go with nothing except believing in Jesus’ words of promise. “Go, your son will live.”
This father-son story/test here in John 4 ought to remind you of another father-son story/test that is very similar: the story of when God tested Abraham in the sacrifice of his son Isaac.
In Genesis 22, God commanded Abraham to go and sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering. Isaac was a sinner who deserved death. And God had the right to call in the debt. For the wages of sin is death. Abraham knew this. But Abraham also knew that God promised him offspring through Isaac. So what did Abraham think as he went on his way? Hebrews 11 tells us what Abraham thought. Abraham considered that God was able to raise Isaac back from death. Abraham believed in resurrection. And Abraham believed in God’s words. God’s words of promise - when he said that he would give Abraham offspring through Isaac.
Praise be to God in Genesis 22. He tested Abraham. He tested Abraham faith. And he showed Abraham’s faith to be genuine and real.
And praise be to Jesus here in John 4. He tested the man. He tested the man’s faith. And he showed the man’s faith to be genuine and real.
The man trusted in the words of Jesus. Jesus said, “Go, your son will live.” And like Abraham, the man believed and went on his way. As the man was on his way, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. The crazy and amazing thing is that the healing happened right at the moment, exactly yesterday at the seventh hour (1:00 PM), when Jesus said, “Your son will live.”
Praise the Lord for healing the man’s dying son. Imagine the man coming home so happy knowing that his son was okay. What a wonderful miracle.
But praise the Lord even more so for showing the man’s faith to be genuine and real. Imagine the man telling his son about Jesus. Imagine the man telling his entire household about Jesus’ words of promise. This is actually the bigger miracle that is far more important than the miracle of healing.
And praise the Lord for his love. Imagine the joy of Jesus in all of this. His joy in showing the man’s faith to be genuine and real through this moment of testing.
Dear Highland, what about you? Perhaps some of you right now, if not all of you generally-speaking, are going through times of testing in your life. Testing of your faith.
If so, know this. God promises to us that we will live. Jesus has overcome the ultimate reason as to why there are fevers and death and dying sons in the first place.
Jesus has dealt with our sin. This was and this is his promise to you. Jesus dwelt among us and suffered and died on the cross as a substitute for our sin so that now there is no condemnation for us who are in him. So now we can say, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This is the word of the Lord. Jesus has spoken. Listen to him.
And Jesus has given us eternal resurrection life. This was and this is his promise to you. Jesus raised up the temple of his body in three days so that now you can say, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is the word of the Lord. Jesus has spoken. Listen to him.
Praise to to our God for his word and for his promise of salvation. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
And the cool thing is that you know all of this. You know all of this because of God’s word. The Bible. The written word of God that is full of God’s promise of salvation from sin and eternal death.
So then consider all that Jesus has done for you. And believe in Jesus more and more. Do not look out for signs and wonders in your life. There are plenty of signs and wonders written down for us in the Bible. God’s word is sufficient. God’s word is enough for our faith. May your faith be grounded and grown on Jesus’ words and promises, especially when you go through times of testing when God shows your faith in Christ to be genuine and real.
This is not easy. But be encouraged by these words from 1 Peter 1:3-9. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith — more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire — may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
Soli Deo Gloria