The 5 C's Of Faith

Therefore He came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and was imploring Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” The royal official said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off. As he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was living. So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives”; and he himself believed and his whole household. John 4: 46-53

This passage in John chapter 4 tells the story of when Jesus has travelled to Cana in

Galilee. If you remember, Cana is where Jesus performed the miracle of turning the

water into wine.

While Jesus was in Cana, a royal official whose son was sick ran to Jesus and told Him

that his son was sick. Now his son was not with him in Cana. That is especially

important as we continue to look at this event. Dad is in Cana --- the son is in

Capernaum.

It is likely they didn’t know Jesus - or much about Him. He probably didn’t know that

Jesus is God‘s Son. But he had heard enough about Him to know and believe that

Jesus could help his son.

This man owned everything money could buy in those days. The Scripture says he was

a nobleman – royalty.

He knew that even with all he owned, he could not make his son well. He was

powerless to do anything for the boy.

He apparently had heard about Jesus and His power. So, he sought Jesus out for help.

The nobleman had what we will describe as CRISIS FAITH.

We know that we can – and should – go to God for answers and relief in our times of

crisis. When we do that, He answers our crying out to Him – not always in the manner

we would like, but always in the manner God knows is best for us.

The important thing to remember here is that He doesn’t want us to come to Him only in

the midst of a crisis.

We can go back to the Scripture we just read and see what Jesus was teaching as this

man coming to Him.

Verse 48 – Jesus says there: “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply

will not believe.”

We have heard it said and maybe have said it ourselves: “I will have to see that to

believe it.” In other words: “SEEING IS BELIEVING!”

That statement might have caused some people to think that Jesus was rejecting the

father’s plea for healing for his son.

But the father was determined to have Jesus come and heal his son.

He possessed a CONTINUEING FAITH – a faith that endures.

Now Jesus says something that the father must have not expected – even in his great

faith.

Jesus didn’t say: “Ok, come, we will go together to Capernaum where your son is and

where I can touch his body, and I will heal your son.” What did he say instead?

Jesus told the father: “You go to Capernaum…...your son will live.”

By making this statement to the father Jesus was teaching him to have a CONFIDENT FAITH.

A confident faith is the kind of faith that trusts without seeing tangible proof that

something has happened.

In this event the father took Jesus at His word.

Confident faith does not doubt in the dark what God has revealed in the daylight.

Confident faith does not weaken while God is working His miracle.

Listen to the way Psalm 128 sees this confident faith:

How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,

Who walks in His ways.

When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands,

You will be happy and it will be well with you.

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine

Within your house,

Your children like olive plants

Around your table.

Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed

Who fears the Lord.

The Lord bless you from Zion,

And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.

Indeed, may you see your children’s children.

Peace be upon Israel!  Psalm 128

This Psalm speaks of living by the promises of God for those living in that day – and to

us today --- but also for the next generation.

Let’s go back to the message in John 4 again. This man’s confident faith became

CONFITMED FAITH.

On his way back home, one of his servants met him and told him that his son had

recovered from the illness --- he was healed of his sickness – no longer dying.

(vs. 51-53) .

As he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was living. So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives”; and he himself believed and his whole household.

What does that tell us? First, it tells us that the man believed, and that he wasted no

time asking questions but, at the word reads…” he started off (toward Capernaum

where his son is).

It tells us that the illness left the boy at exactly the moment that Jesus told the father

that his boy would not die, but he would live.

So, we have, on this account of the healing of this son, several demonstrations of faith:

crisis faith, continuing faith, confident faith, and confirmed faith.

There is still one other demonstration of faith on this account of the royal official’s son’s

miraculous healing.

And that is that there is a CONTAGIOUS FAITH.

We find that contagious faith is evident in verse 53, where read that because of the

testimony of the father about what Jesus had done for his son, his whole household

believed as well and were inspired to have a faith of their own.

So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives”; and he himself believed and his whole household.

To put it in simple terms --- the faith was caught by the evidence of the son’s healing.

In the world we live in today, we will, at some time, face discrimination and may even

face persecution for our faith. We need to seek to have and to hold firm to that

contagious faith.

When we seek that kind of faith, God will empower us to overcome the obstacles that

get in our way from time to time.

We need to examine our own faith. How would you describe your own faith?

At whatever level, our faith is --- we need to continually ask our Lord to help us to grow

our faith to become:

crisis faith; continuing faith; confident faith; confirmed faith; and contagious

faith.

Why? So that we may be capable of trusting and obeying God’s Word.so that we may

become instruments to lead others into a life in Christ, sharing the Gospel with them so

that: having heard the Word, and believed that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that they

are ready to repent of their sins; ready to confess Jesus Christ as Lord, and ready to

submit to baptism to gain the new life that will produce faith, in the new life, available

through Jesus Christ.