SPECIAL MESSAGE FOR OUR BILINGUAL BRETHREN 12 April 2020
John 4:46-54
GREETINGS
1. Special Easter Greetings to all our Evening-Bilingual Service worshippers
2. You are especially remembered
a) For your punctual ways
b) For your faithfulness
c) For your friendship
d) For your fellowship
CONTEXT OF COVID-19
1. It affects those who are Seniors
2. It affects those who are frail especially
3. You were thought of when decided not to have Worship Services before the Shutting down of Businesses and Churches
THINGS WE MISS
1. Going out to see family and friends
2. Coming to Church
3. Having good fellowship with each other
4. Sometimes we fall into danger without realising it
READING THE SCRIPTURES
John 4:46-54
46 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.
47 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.
48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”
49 The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!”
50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.
51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!”
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.”
53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household.
54 This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.
1. A Faith that is linked to what we can See
The Physical Presence of the Lord Jesus Christ
a) People valued His physical presence
b) His presence brought blessings
i) Joy in His company
ii) Faith was that much more real
iii) A great sense of well-being
c) It is great to have the actual physical presence of Jesus
2. Two problems associated with this kind of faith
The problems that a certain nobleman had
There were actually two problems:
a) The physical problem
This was the obvious problem
i) He had a son who was desperately ill
ii) He was so ill that he might die very soon
iii) He travelled a great distance to seek Jesus out
iv) He pleaded with Jesus to see his son and heal him
b) The spiritual problem
This was the deeper problem. Perhaps, he did not even realise he had this problem.
i) His faith was dependent on the physical presence of Jesus
ii) This was a problem that Jesus knew existed for many other people
iii) Thus, He said
“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” John 4:48
iv) It was a faith that was dependent on seeing signs and wonders
v) If these did not occur, faith is affected adversely
vi) This is not a great kind of faith!
3. The Challenge to have a Deeper faith
a) A deeper Faith that is real even if we cannot see
b) Jesus spoke to the nobleman and gave him two words
i) Go your way
ii) Your son lives (John 4:50)
4. A good response
a) He believed in Jesus
b) Jesus was not going to his house to heal his son
c) But he believed in the word that Jesus had spoken to him
ii) Jesus refused to go with him to Judea
iii) He had a ministry in Galilee
d) Jesus wanted the nobleman to have this deeper kind of faith
i) The nobleman had no choice
ii) He could not force Jesus to go to his house
iii) He had to exercise his faith somehow
5. A special blessing when this kind of faith is exercised
a) His servants met him when the nobleman returned
b) His servants reported:
“Your son lives! (John 4:51)
c) The nobleman asked what time his son recovered
d) The reply from the servants
i) “The seventh hour” (John 4:52)
ii) “The fever left him” (John 4:52)
(The seventh hour is equivalent to our 1.00pm)
e) This was the hour that Jesus had spoken to him
6. Great Lessons learned
a) His son was healed at the word of Jesus
b) His faith
i) It was there when he sought Jesus out
ii) It was now stronger though Jesus did not go to his house personally
c) Faith does not need to depend on physical sight/ presence
d) Faith is just as real and powerful even if we cannot see
7. The kind of faith that we must seek to have
Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory (1 Peter 1:8)
a) We may not see the Lord Jesus
b) But we can believe in Him
c) We can even love the Lord Jesus
d) And through believing, we can rejoice
i) With joy inexpressible
ii) And full of glory
EASTER JOY
1. We may not have our usual Easter Worship and Fellowship Lunch at Shangri La