ELEMENTS OF A
CONTAGIOUS FAITH
John 4:43-54
John stated the purpose of his book
•
30 Jesus
did many other miraculous
signs in the presence of his disciples,
which are not recorded in this book.
31 But these are written that you
may believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God, and that by
believing you may have life in his
name. --Jn 20:30-31
Each of us has a ‘world view’ that
influences our actions
• What we believe is
determined by our
conclusions based
on what we know.
• What we believe
then influences
what we say, do
and value.
The Bible is given us to ‘center’ our world
view in a God who is Holy, Infinite & Spirit
Believing in the God of
the Bible involves
trusting Him enough to
take His advice about
what to do and what
not to do to live well.
• But a serious
distrust has been
infused into
humanity. We have
a distorted view of
God, mistaken
notions of what is
right and good.
Part of the work that Jesus came to
do was to reveal…
• the Father as One
who is
trustworthy;
• as essential to Joy
and,
• even to life itself
3 questions are answered in this passage
• What’s the basis by
which to believe that
Jesus is God?
• What would we do if
we believed that
Jesus is God?
• What affect would
our believing in Him
have on others?
Verse 46 invites us to compare two
miracles that Jesus did in Cana
• John tells us that
both of these
signify who Jesus is.
• In each there is a
problem, a choice
as to whether to
trust, and a
marvelous result.
OUR BELIEFS ARE BASED ON
OUR CONCLUSIONS
Knowledge of facts + perspective +
choice = Beliefs
Believing/trusting is ultimately a
choice
• Sometimes we review the facts and
study the reliability.
• Sometimes we simply take the word
of someone we trust.
• Sometimes we just ignore the facts
and believe something because we
really want it to be that way.
These stories picture people and an
event where the choice was made to
believe that Jesus was the Messiah.
At the wedding feast in Cana,
the beverage is exhausted
and the problem is brought
to Jesus for help.
• First Jesus’ mother puts her
trust in him completely.
• Secondly the servants
obediently do as they are
told - a level of trust.
Later, also at Cana, a royal official
came to Jesus requesting help
• Jesus seems to speak a
rebuke for unbelief unless
God does something for
them.
• The nobleman is undeterred
and insists on urgent help.
• He clearly chose to believe
Jesus’ spoken word, “You
may go. Your son will live.” v 50
I can’t help but ask: ‘Would you and I
believe at least that well’?
• When life has run out of
joy, do I go to Jesus?
• When I have a need that
I can’t solve, do I go to
Jesus?
• Do I readily do what He
asks me to do?
• When I have a crisis, do
I go to Jesus for help?
• When he assures me
that all will be well, do I
trust Him?
OUR ACTIONS ARE INFLUENCED
BY OUR BELIEFS
Opportunity/option + beliefs = action
Many of our words, actions and values are the
result of our beliefs
In the twin stories before us, the
individuals acted according to their beliefs
• Mary, Jesus’ mother, was • The nobleman must
told some odd things by an have heard about Jesus.
angel before Jesus’ birth,
Here we are told that
saw and heard some odd
he “heard that Jesus
things after he was born.
had arrived in Galilee
She also had the memory
from Judea” - v 47.
of the Temple experience
– Surely that information
was only a part of other
when Jesus was 12. She
knowledge about Jesus
had evidence to go on.
• He acted on his faith
• She acted on her faith
IF WHAT WE DO HAS A POSITIVE
OUTCOME, OTHERS WILL ALSO BELIEVE
[] Pastor sharing about skeptics taking
olive oil, then confessing it works.
Psalm 109:18
Of the miracle at the wedding, we
read:
• He thus revealed
his glory, and his
disciples put
their faith in him
- 2:11
– It was more than the
flavor of the Koolaid
– Something convinced
them that this was
the Messiah.
Of the nobleman we read:
• he and all his
household
believed - 4:53.
– It wasn’t just that
the boy got well.
– They knew Jesus
had done a miracle.
In each case the event moves from
anxiety to joy
• The visible result
combined with the
certainty about
who Jesus is…
• Provides the
occasion for
others to believe.
If we really believe that in Jesus
God has come to us….
With all His infinite power and resources
And that He loves us deeply
And that He delights in helping us