Sermon Tone Analysis

“Jesus Responds to Unbelief”

John 4:43-54

 

Introduction:

            We have often said and will continue to say, for that is the purpose of the writing of the Gospel of John that John is always writing here to identify the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, that is a very important element to keep in mind.

It will change the way that you view this book and it will certainly change the way that you study.

There are certain things that John has left out that the other Gospel writers include.

For example, the other Gospels show us the entire 16 month ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ is Galilee, but the Gospel of John only show us two works that He did in the region.

Some have tried to use that as cause not to be believe in the infallibility of the Word of God because it is contradictory in nature.

You know, were there two angels at the tomb or was there one angel of the tomb.

And people have used that you try and convince people that the Word of God cannot be trusted.

And, of course, the answer to that question is, “both”.

You all know the debate.

Matthew and Mark record that a (singular) angel was at the tomb and Luke records that there were two angels standing at the tomb.

And right away the skeptic says that the Bible because cannot be trusted because it is contradictory in nature.

But if the skeptic will just really read the text instead of making false proclamations about the text he will see that Matthew records an angel sitting on the stone when the women arrived and Mark records an angel sitting inside the tomb the where the Body of Christ was.

I believe that adds up to two.

The Gospels do not contradict, the focus on different things from different angles and when you understand that it changes the way that you read the text.

And just like the Gospel view the same thing from different angles and different perspectives, Christ deals with people in different ways.

Why?

Because it takes different dealings to deal with different levels of faith.

All of us have had times of unbelief.

Even as Christians there have been times, maybe more than need be that we have exercised unbelief.

Let me sum up the different levels of faith and how John describes them for us in the text.

When I say different levels of faith, what I mean is that your unbelief demands fulfillment of a different nature before you will believe.

First, there is the unbelief that all it demands is the person of Jesus Christ.

Now, we are going backwards here, because this is the top rung of faith.

This kind of faith demands no words, no miracles, just the person of Christ is all that this sort of faith needs to be satisfied.

The Apostle John records for us the words of John the Baptist in John 1:29

29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

You see.

There was no miracle that was required in order for John to believe.

Christ had not really began His public ministry yet, but John believed the person of Jesus Christ.

There are those people that the only drawing revelation that they need is the person of Jesus Christ.

There faith is very high and great and God grants to some that kind of faith that can believe just because God is God.

Second, there is the unbelief that it demand a little bit more.

It demands the Words of Jesus Christ.

This is illustrated in our text that we just finished with the woman at the well.

John 4:42

42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have /heard/ him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

That unbelief demanded the words of Christ.

The person of Christ was not enough, they needed to hear the words of Jesus Christ before they would believe.

This faith is the second rung on the faith ladder.

Many have this faith that can hear the words of Jesus Christ and then believe.

No works of Jesus Christ are required, just the words.

Remember Peter, Luke 5:5

5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless /at thy word/ I will let down the net.

The Scriptures have much to say about the words of Christ.

Job 4:4

4 Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.

Psalm 119 is a great tribute by the psalmist about the Words of Christ.

The whole Psalm just drips with praise about the Word of Christ.

Psalm 119:9

9 BETH.

Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

Psalm 119:11

11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Psalm 119:16

16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

Psalm 119:28

28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.

Psalm 119:38

38 Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.

Psalm 119:41

41 VAU.

Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even thy salvation, according to thy word.

Psalm 119:42

42 So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: for I trust in thy word.

Psalm 119:50

50 This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.

Psalm 119:58

58 I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word.

Psalm 119:140

140 Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.

Psalm 119:160

160 Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

Psalm 119:162

162 I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.

Psalm 138:2

2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

Jeremiah 15:16

16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

And we could go on and on about how the Scripture Praise God for His words.

And some unbelief that is all that it demands, the words of Jesus.

But there is a third and probably the bottom rung of the faith ladder and probably where most people are; it is the unbelief that demands the works of Jesus.

That is where our text is and certainly that is where Israel was and where most Christians are.

You know, we trust that our faith is moving up the ladder so that all we need is the person of Christ, however, at least in part; this is the demands of our unbelief.

I was sixteen years old and fighting God in my mind on some issues.

Our basketball team was traveling down Rt. 53, between Charlottesville and Palmyra, on Saturday night in the fall of 1988.

It had been raining all day and it did not let up going into the evening.

We were all sitting in a turtle bus, about 30 of us, tired from the day’s games.

It was late and it was raining.

We were traveling at a normal speed, when at one moment a car came around the corner driving us into the side of the Monticello Mountain.

I can remember distinctively hitting the mountain three different times.

As we hit the mountain the driver instinctively pulled the wheel back to get us into the road, losing control throwing us into the mountain once again.

I remember very clearly hitting the mountain the third time, because the third time some heavy equipment fell on me causing some kind of back injury that haunts me to this day.

I can remember standing, finally, on the side of Monticello Mountain, with a pain in my back saying, “God, I believe, help thou my unbelief.”

That fight was to preach, but that day, the works of Christ moved my faith up the ladder.

This account of Jesus here with the nobleman’s son is a clear picture of how Christ responds to unbelief and moves it up the ladder.

I.