Sermon Tone Analysis

/" After the two days he left for Galilee.

(Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.)

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.

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.

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.

“Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”

The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

Jesus replied, “You may go.

Your son will live.”

The man took Jesus at his word and departed.

While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living.

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.”

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.

This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee." (John 4:43-54, NIV) /

[1]

 

/“I expect a miracle today because I believe God not so that I will believe in God.”/

 

*Ill.**

– plaque on pulpit – “Expect a Miracle!”*

 

Any computer~/internet novice knows that there are wonderful computer programs that are available for download.

If you are wanting the opportunity to “try it out” without any commitment to buy it, then it’s great.

Many times however the downloaded version is not a full-featured version or it is good for only a limited amount of time.

Unfortunately many people take a similar approach to their relationship with God.

They “download” some experience that is partially functional and find that it fails to meet their expectations.

They want the “demo” version only.

It’s free, . . .

no commitment, . . .

toss it when you are done, . . .

no one has to be the wiser in the world of cyber privacy.

And there are so many concluding that faith is inadequate based on their experience with a “demo-version” of God.

It’s features are limited.

It will take you tot church but not to heaven.

It will make you feel great about tipping God but never allow you to consider a tithe.

It will give you a warm feeling of sensitivity to God but fail to give birth and growth to your spiritual nature.

It is not a registered version, merely something to try.

I suspect, human nature being what it is that people were little different in Jesus day.

They interpreted the worth of things based on the value to the individual.

The scripture this morning finds Christ returning to Galilee.

He makes the observation to his disciples in some manner worthy of remembering and so John cites his observation relative to the worth of a prophet in his own country.

It could have been simply an observation but perhaps it might have been as much related to his ability to minister effectively in his home area based on the fact that people there knew him so well as the son of Joseph, the Carpenter that they could never conceive him as the promised Messiah , the son of God.

 

1.

The Prospects For Ministry (v.44)

 

/(Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.)/

I wonder if God looks forward to coming to church on Sunday AM?

When I go fishing, I want to go where the fish are biting.

I wonder if God delights in being with us as a people?

Do you suppose that God looks forward to the openness of our people as we gather together on Sunday AM because together we are expecting that we would never have another normal Sunday morning in our lives?

*/There are times when our faith is defined by what we have not seen as much as it is defined by what we have seen.

/*Familiarity can have a detrimental effect on our ability to “imagine” what God can do.

*These Galilean folks were somehow handicapped in their understanding of Christ by their familiarity with Jesus*.

There was nothing more that they could know of Him that they did not already know.

They had known of his family and perhaps some of them had been personally acquainted with him as a boy.

Too many times we miss so much because we live on the low level of the natural, the ordinary, the explainable.

We leave no room for God to do the exceeding abundant thing above all that we can ask or think.

-- Vance Havner in the Vance Havner Quote Book.

Christianity Today, Vol.

36, no.

14.

 

 

Today there are those who are likewise disadvantaged.

They have been blessed to know of Christ over a long period of time.

They have grown up through Sunday School classes and Christian homes and sat through more sermons than they could ever remember and while they have knowledge of God, they have an experience deficit.

Their knowledge does not stir their heart.

They pray with little passion infrequently.

Rarely do they find themselves before God in desperation and personal abandon to serve Him.

They are unable to measure any discernible impact that they are having on those that they work with and rarely do they think of Christ apart from a Sunday service which seems to run consistently longer than their liking.

What is worse is that they have defined their experience as normal and have long ago ceased to look for something more vital.

Their relationship with God has been defined by their lack of experience.

They really don’t believe that God speaks to people because He has never spoken to them.

They are skeptical that God would ever heal a person because they have never seen such a thing take place.

They don’t think that they have any responsibility to witness for God because they have excused themselves from trying for a sufficient period of time to see their timidity as personality related rather than related to the depth of their passion.

Jesus was returning to his own people and had full realization that their faith antennae’s were not raised – the receivers were not even turned on.

God’s willingness to work among his people is related somehow to their own receptivity and their willingness to believe God and to cease their restrictive beliefs.

Do you know that your own responsiveness today in the midst of the familiarity that surrounds this event is either invitational to God or prohibitional to His desire and ability to work in your life.

The faith limiting perspectives that you have adopted over the years define for God what He is allowed to do in you.

If you have concluded that He never answers the childlike and sometimes self absorbed prayers of His children then you have given up the practice of taking your heart to Him and your prayers have become sterile and meaningless and devoid of supernatural impact.

Don’t limit him today by your lack of experience.

2.

The Prevalent Mind-set (v.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."

(John 4:45, NIV) /

/*[2]*// /

 

It is not awareness of God that draws people to him.

This royal official was as much aware of Jesus ministry as the others had been but only by reputation.

There was a period of time where he felt no need to seek Christ out.

The public was well aware of the miracles that Christ was performing.

Was he drawing the curious in his crowds?

The word about Jesus was a matter of public record.

People might not have been willing to acknowledge his identity but they could not deny the power and legitimacy of his presence and influence.

People flocked to him because they were seeing something happen.

There was a demonstration of power that accompanied him that gave him an inimitable authority.

There were no others like him.

You know, I am convinced that there are few irreligious people who have problems with Jesus.

There are many who struggle with the representation that they see of the person of Christ in his followers.

3.

A Personal Misfortune (vs.46,47)

 

/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.

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.

*[3]*/

 

While there were many who knew of Jesus ministry, Jesus was not pursued most closely by those who were curious.

He was sought after most diligently by those who were desperate.

Most people are not drawn to faith based on the testimony of the miraculous.

It’s not that we are disinterested in miracles but if life is going well and we are not conscious of any particular need then we have mild interest at best.

How many times does a crisis point us to God.  I’m not sure how much we realize our need of him apart from some tragedy or misfortune.