Welcome to John chapter 4 with me. Gospel of John chapter 4. We read earlier verses 43 to 54. But this morning God helping us will be looking at verses 46 to 54 of John chapter 4. And we'll be looking at the second sign Jesus did in Galilee. In verse 54 of John chapter 4, we had read this again, is the second sign Jesus did when he had come out of Judea into Galilee. So we're looking at the second sign Jesus did in Galilee. Now, the Samaritan woman has said first in John chapter 4 and there in verse 25, the woman said to our Lord Jesus Christ, I know that Messiah is coming who is called Christ. When he comes, he will tell us all things. He will tell us all things. And then in verse 29 she now says, this woman, come see a man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ? And then later on after two days in Syca of Samaria The people of Samaria, the people of Syka there, the Samaritans, there in Syka were able to say, now we believe. Not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him. We ourselves have heard Him. This is in verse 42. We have heard Him and we know that this indeed is the Christ, the Saviour of the world. We have heard Him and we know indeed that this is the Christ, the Saviour of the world. The Samaritans had faith in our Lord and our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, for who He is. He is the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. They heard, they came to know that He is the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. They heard Him, they believed Him for who He said He was. They had faith in Him as the Messiah. faith in him as the saviour of the world. They believed what they heard from him and they believed him for who he said he was. But in verse 45 we are told there that when our Lord Jesus Christ 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. They received him having seen all the things that he did in Jerusalem at the feast. because they also had gone there. They received him for what he had done. Not that they believed him and had faith in him, they received him as a miracle worker. They received him as one who could meet their needs, one who could provide for their needs, They received him as a miracle walker. Come back to chapter 2 of the Gospel of John and don't forget what we saw earlier in verses 23 to 25 of John chapter 2. In John chapter 2 verses 23 to 25, Now when he, that is Jesus, was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself to them, because he knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for he knew what was in man. If you feed the 5,000, so be it, we'll receive him. If you help us to heal our sick, so be it, we'll receive him. If you provide for all our goodies, so be it, we'll receive him. And they received him for that. The Samaritans believed him because of what he said and for who he was. And they came to know that he was indeed the saviour of the world. The Galileans received him because of the signs they heard he had done, because of the signs they saw him do, because many of them were there even in Jerusalem. And so here, in verses 46 to 54 of John chapter 4 we have an example of a Galilean who had heard of Christ who had heard of the things that Christ had done now he comes to Christ and he comes to Christ for something He wants the Lord Jesus Christ to heal his son. And as we look at this story, I want us to consider three things this morning. First, we'll consider the joys and sorrows of this life. Secondly, we'll look at the fact that believing is seeing. And then thirdly, we'll look at faith in the word. Faith in the Word. So let's begin first then by looking at the joys and the sorrows of this life. In verses 46 and 47 of John chapter 4. So Jesus came again to Cana of Dalilee where he had made the water wine and there was a certain noble man whose son was sick at Capernaum. 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. He was at the point of death. So that the first thing we are reminded here is the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ had performed a miracle there in Cana of Galilee before. And that the Lord Jesus Christ came again to Cana, the place of his first miracle. He came again to Cana of Galilee where he had made water into wine, turned water into wine. That was the place of his first miracle. and indeed it was his first miracle there in Galilee. This miracle that he performed at first was in a place of joy, in a place of merriment, in a place of living together, joining one with the other, husband and wife, that they may live and have life together. And in the story before us, We are appointed, we are brought if you like to a place that is different. And so John the Apostle tells us this is the place where he had performed the first miracle. Place of joy, merriment, living together. But this time in the story we have someone coming. And the story is about a place of sickness. A place of sorrow. A place that smelled of death. For the son of the noble man was at the point of death. Now this is the other place. This is now the second miracle of our Lord Jesus Christ in Cana of Galilee. There was joy. Now we have this place of sorrow. So that in both of this, the place of joy initially, now the place of sorrow, in both we see that life is full of joy and sorrow. It's not just joy. It's not only sorrow. The two are there, joy and sorrow. And this sorrow leads to death. There is always death there, waiting, even as we have been hearing during the week. There is always death there waiting at the end for each and every one of us. And we are reminded of the fact that both the rich and the poor are affected by this joy and this sorrow. If it was ordinary people that were getting married initially, where the Lord turned water into wine because their wine had finished, Now we have a noble man, a rich man. And what is happening in his home? There is sorrow. There is pain. His son is at the point of death. Whether it is the rich or the poor, they all partake of the joys and the sorrows of this life. None is immune. It comes to all. And we all partake of them as it were. But one thing that comes out here clearly is this. that whether it is in the place of joy or it is the place of sorrow, the Lord Jesus Christ and him alone is the answer to both. The Lord Jesus Christ and him alone is the answer to both. He is the answer to our joys, he is the answer to our sorrows. And in both, he and he alone is especially needed by us so that If we are rejoicing, and if we call on the Lord Jesus Christ in the time of our rejoicing, He will increase our rejoicing. He will add to our rejoicing. And He will help us to rejoice with joy unspeakable. Joy that cannot be uttered. Joy that the world will never understand. If only we will call on Him, He will be there, and He will make us know the real meaning of joy, true joy, journey in joy, the one that God gives and no one can take away. And if it is in the place of sorrow, the point is clear, that if we call upon the Lord Jesus Christ, if we invite Him in our times of sorrow and death, that the Lord Jesus Christ will bring consolation. He will bring comfort and He will bring everlasting life in place of the sorrow, sickness and death. If only we will call upon the Lord Jesus, He will be there. He will be there. He will add to our joys and He will take away our sorrows. He will take away our pains. He will bring comfort and consolation and at the end He will grant to us everlasting life. life eternal for all who will call upon Him and call upon Him with sincerity of heart and look to Him only even as their help. Oh yes, if we'll look to Him for our help. Where does your help come from? The psalmist said, my help comes from the Lord, the one who made heaven and earth. If only we will look to Him His help will come to our aid. In joy we will know increase in joy. In sadness and sorrow we will know comfort. We will know consolation. And beyond that we will have everlasting life. But the next thing that we see under this joys and sorrows of this life is this. We are told that there was a noble man A nobleman whose son was sick. He was a nobleman. And the word that is used here is different from the one that was used for Nicodemus. Nicodemus was referred to as a ruler of the Jews. And the expression there, ruler of the Jews, denotes, if you like, preeminence in authority. It's one who was in a position of preeminence when it came to authority there in Israel. That's the reference to Nicodemus. But the word that is used for the noble man here is a word that denotes royalty. Its root comes from the word that is translated king. So it is a word here that denotes royalty, because the word itself, basilikos, is related to the word king in the Greek. So we are talking about a royal person, perhaps somebody who was there in the courts of King Herod, either related to him by blood or somehow royal in the courts of King Herod. Now, this is the kind of person we are talking about here. He is a man of authority. He is a man of wealth. He is a man of nobility. He is from the royalty. And in those days, I don't need to tell you the kind of power, authority, and wealth that a royalty carried. It's not like the royalties we see today, who have not much power. In those days they have power over life and death itself. This is somebody from royalty we're talking about. Yet we see here that neither his rank nor his wealth were able to exempt him and his family from sorrows. His royal position His wealth could not exempt him or his family from the sorrows, the common sorrows that each and every one of us goes through, the common sorrows that are known to mankind. No. His position nor his wealth could not exempt him and his family from that. For he came, we are told in verse 47, to call on the Lord Jesus Christ to heal his son who was at the point of death. The joys and the sorrows of this life. Secondly, believing is seeing. Believing is seeing, verses 48 and 49 of John chapter 4. Then Jesus said to him, unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe. And the noble man said to him, Sir, come down before my child dies. The noble man comes and he passionately implores the Lord Jesus Christ he passionately calls on the Lord Jesus Christ to come and to heal his son because like most Galileans at that time he had heard of the Lord Jesus Christ and he had come to believe that the Lord Jesus Christ could heal and if he could heal then he could heal his son who was sick, who was at the point of death. And they have come to believe that like we believe in doctors, we go to them because we trust they know what they are doing. And if we know well, they are able to diagnose what the problem is and give us the necessary medication that will grant us healing. And those who go to heal us believe in their ability to grant them healing. And so the Galilean believed. And so the nobleman believed. that Jesus could heal his son. And then in verse 48, having heard what the man said, our Lord Jesus Christ addresses the people. He speaks to him, addressing the people. And as he addresses the people, it seemed as if our Lord Jesus Christ had ignored completely what the man said. For he looks at him, but he speaks to the people. And he says, unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe. And so the noble man, as it were, repeats his request. He cries out again in verse 49. He says, sir, come down before my child dies. And the first impression you have when you read those words, it's, It seems as if the man is speaking out of exasperation, isn't it? I'm asking you to come and heal my son. You're speaking to us about seeing signs and wonders before we think of believing. But not here, the first thing. Why did our Lord Jesus Christ speak that way? Why did he seem to ignore what this noble man was asking for? In the first place, because he knew the heart of man. Remember what we saw in chapter 2, verses 23 to 25. He knew the heart of man. He knew what he wanted. It wasn't because he believed in him. It wasn't because he really had faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. It was simply because he had a need, he had a problem, he wanted the problem fixed. Simple. And the Lord knew the heart of the man. You see, in general, For us, for people, seeing is believing, isn't it? That's what we say, isn't it? Seeing is believing. But the Lord Jesus Christ wants the noble man and all those who are around him, and he wants us even today to understand this and to know this, that as far as spiritual things are concerned, believing is seeing, not the other way around. We may say in the world, seeing is believing. In spiritual things, believing is seeing. And this is the point that our Lord Jesus Christ is making clear to the noble man and to all those who are around him at this point in time. And if only, and it is only, only as you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ truly, that you see spiritual things happen in your life. Only as you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ truly will you see spiritual things happen in your life. And he wanted the noble man and all those around to get that right. It is in believing that you see when it comes to the things of the Spirit and the things of God. It is not as we say in the world, seeing is believing. But in the second place, you will notice the Lord Jesus Christ is actually lamenting the blindness of the noble man and all Galileans in general. All you think of is what I can give you, what I can do for you, what you can get from me. That's all you're thinking of. You're only thinking of the food, the miracle of food, the miracle of healing. That's all you are thinking of. And when the Lord spoke to the noble man and all those around him, he was lamenting. He was lamenting the blindness of this noble man and all the Galileans. And he was showing them that faith in himself, it is faith in him, the Lord Jesus Christ, for everlasting life. that is by far much more needful than any other miraculous signs. He wanted to show the noble man and all those who were around that it was faith in himself, the son of God, as their savior. Faith in him for everlasting life was by far much more important than any healing. Even if the boy was healed, he would die again anyway. The important thing is, how does he die? Does he die in Christ or outside Christ? And he wanted the nobleman and all around to understand first things first. Faith in him as the Son of God. Faith in Him as the Savior of the world. Faith in Him as my personal Savior, your personal Savior. That is by far much more important than any miracle that He could perform for them. Especially having just come from Samaria. He has just come from Samaria. And remember, how the Samaritans reacted. The Samaritans were considered the scorn of the earth. They were the scorn of the Jews. They disliked them. They considered them as dogs. Meanwhile, these Samaritans, that the Jews who were supposed to be the custodians of the oracles of God, these Samaritans that they despised. believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah, as the Savior of the world because of the word that he spoke to them, not because of any miracles. And the Galileans, who were the custodians of the oracles of God here, only came to him. Only came to him as a miracle walker. They only saw him as a miracle walker. one that was going to meet their needs and that was all. They did not see him as the one who will tell them all things as the Samaritan woman said in verse 25. The Samaritans saw him as one who was going to tell them all things and they believed him. The Galileans saw him as a miracle The One that will meet them at their points of need, provide for all their needs, that's all. That's all they saw Him, and so they received Him. And the Lord shows them that it is in believing that you see. It is not in seeing that you believe. Thirdly, and finally, believe in the Word. Believe in the Word. We have it there, told of this man, this noble man. Like I said earlier, the words of the noble man there in verse 49, they appear as if he was speaking out of frustration, out of exasperation, as if he was annoyed, I'm telling you about my dying son. You are talking about seeing signs and wonders before we believe. All I want you to do, sir, is to come and heal my child. But it will appear when you study the context and you read the words of the nobleman again, you will see that it seems more to be out of an understanding. The noble man has heard and he has come to understand one thing. First of all, the Lord Jesus Christ did not refuse to heal his son. He didn't say, I'm not going to heal your son. In the second place, he didn't even read any reluctance on the part of our Lord Jesus Christ to heal his son. No, he didn't read any refusal. He didn't read any reluctance. It was not indicated at all. in the words of our Lord and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so he takes the rebuke because he understood it was a rebuke. Rebuke to him and to all Galileans. He takes in the rebuke and then he moves from there. He builds from there while still holding on to what he knows. He takes the rebuke but he still holds to what he knows. He has heard that this man can heal. He has heard that he has performed miracles. That much he knew. If I have not believed properly, I am sorry Lord. But I will hold to what I know. I will hold to what I have come to understand. And I know that you, the Christ, you can heal. I know you can heal my son. And all I want you to do is, Sir, come down. before my son dies. All I want you to do is come now and heal my son, please, before he dies. You remember the Syrophoenician woman in Matthew's gospel, chapter 15? Let's read a few verses there in Matthew 15. You see the similarity in what we have here. In Matthew, chapter 15 from verse 24 in verse 24 this woman had come to our Lord Jesus Christ but in verse 24 he answered and said I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and then in verse 25 then she came and worshipped him saying Lord help me You may not have come for the lost, you may have only come for the lost sheep of Israel, but Lord please help me. But in verse 26 he answered and said, it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs. The woman takes the rebuke and in verse 27 she said, yes Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master's table. I know what you can do. I have heard of what you can do. I believe you can do it. Please do it for me. That is my desire. I take the rebuke, I stand rebuked, I stand corrected, but please help me. I need help even at this time. And when the Lord says to him in verse 50 of John chapter 4, when the Lord says to the noble man, go your way, Your son lives. What do we read? Look at the verse. So the man believed the word. The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and he went his way. I wonder what would have happened if he had not believed the word that Jesus spoke to him. But he believed the word that Jesus spoke to him. after everything he believed the word and he went holding on to the word he had not sinned he had not heard that his son has been healed but he believed the word of the Lord and he went believing the word of the Lord because he believed even as we have read here because he believed the word of the Lord we know We know that he was going to see the result of the word of the Lord. He believes the word and he will see the result of believing in the word. And what this means here simply and clearly is that The word that was spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ came home to him. It came home to his heart with divine, irresistible power, such that he could do no other but believe. When he heard the words, he knew the one behind the words was the one with the authority, the man with power, the one who could speak and it would happen. And so he believed. He believed the word. And in verses 51 and 52, the man's faith is confirmed for him. Because 51 and 52 we read, And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, Your son lives. The words that our Lord used for him. Your son lives. Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. When he got better? No, when he was healed. To him, he was still asking, when did he start getting better? What hour did he start getting better, he seems to ask. And they said to him, yesterday at the seventh hour, the fever left him. The fever left him, he was healed. It left him. because the Lord spoke and the nobleman believed the word of the Lord. And so the father in verse 53, sorry in verse 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. So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, your son lives. It was at that very hour that the Lord spoke that healing went. Went to his son and his son was healed. Then we are told in verse 53 again, And he himself believed. His faith was further confirmed. He himself believed, but not only that, and his whole household, himself and all his household believed. Because he dared to believe the word of the Lord. Let me finish. I know our time is gone. Now as with the noble man, when you read your Bible, you will notice there that never once, never once in the Bible did a mother or a father bring the needs of a dear child to our Saviour. who did not obtain for that child the mercy that they sought from the Lord Jesus Christ. When we come to the Lord Jesus in faith, believing, when we believe on behalf of our children, as we have been looking at in our adults in this school, When we trust the Lord for our children, and we come to Him without doubting, He has never failed. A true and a faithful father or mother, through other scriptures, who have come to Him faithfully, with a request for their child. And if only we will believe and come to Him, He is the same yesterday, He is the same today and He remains the same forever. He who has promised is faithful and He will do it. These are His words, not mine. He is ever faithful to His own word. But we must come to Him directly and we must come to Him believing. Don't go through anybody. You don't need a so-called man of God. You don't need a so-called high priest anywhere. You need nobody. Come to Him directly. Ask of Him, believingly, in faith. Trust Him. It was said of a Scotsman. Let me read the Testament. It has to do with the fact that we have to go straight, directly to our Lord, not to any intermediaries. It is related that a Scottish Roman Catholic nobleman had on his estate a Protestant tenant. A Roman Catholic estate owner in Scotland had on his estate a Protestant tenant, who in a season of depression was in arrears for a considerable amount. He felt himself obliged to turn for help first to one of the under-officials of the nobleman, asking him to plead with the nobleman for some alleviation. The official promised, but did not perform. Thereupon, he went to a higher official with the same request, who also promised, but did as little as the other. Finally, The twice deceived peasant summoned up courage to approach the proprietor himself personally. The latter, that is the noble man, remitted the whole amount of the debt and accompanied his tenant as he was departing through the great hall of the castle on the side walls of which were hung the pictures of martyrs and saints. Do you know, said the nobleman, what those paintings represent? No, said the peasant. They are pictures of the saints whom I pray to. so that they may make requests for me before the Lord for the forgiveness of my sins. That was the answer. But why do you not go to the Lord of all himself with your requests, said the peasant simply. Oh, replied the noble man, that would be to take too much of myself. It is far better to have mediators like the saints between God and men. I don't think so, replied the other. And I will show you why. In my distress, I turned first to your under official. It was up to no avail. Next, I went to the higher official who promised to do something and did nothing. In the end, I came to you personally. And you have remitted all my debts. That's my example. How? Said the noble man. Go to him directly. Don't go to mediators because there are none. The Lord himself is a faithful and true high priest. And we are priests in the kingdom of God if we are true believers. and we have access directly to him, our high priest, we can call upon him in times of need. And finally, let me finish with this. You will notice that Zinogu Ma wanted our Lord Jesus Christ to come with him so that he could heal his son. But the Lord spoke the word and the child was healed at a distance. He did not have to be there. He didn't need to go there. And even now the Lord speaks. He is omnipresent in His glory, so He is here. But even upon His throne, He speaks. And when He speaks, it happens. And He is speaking to you, He is speaking to me at a distance, even now, so to say. For we cannot see Him with the physical eye, so let's say He speaks from a distance. He speaks even now to you and to me from a distance. His word of salvation, His word of healing has power to descend from His throne of glory to you here on earth, to heal you, to save you, to make you His child. Have you heard Him? Have you heard the word that the Lord has spoken? Are you saved? Are you truly believers? Have you called upon him for your salvation and for your healing? The Psalmist of old knew this truth, he understood it, and in Psalm 147 he tells us, and this is where we close. In Psalm 147, and there in verse 15 of Psalm 147, the Psalmist says, he, that is the Lord, he sends out his command to the earth, his word runs very swiftly. His word is running. Have you heard him? Have you listened? Are you obedient to his word? May the Lord help us each one, for his name's sake. Amen.