John 44354 I Am Sayings 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 ID: 192566
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Slide1
ELEMENTS OF A CONTAGIOUS FAITH
John 4:43-54
"I Am" SayingsSlide2
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
20:30-31Slide3
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
.Slide4
The Bible is given us to ‘center’ our world view in a God who is Holy, Infinite & Spirit
But a serious
distrust has been infused into humanity. We have a distorted view of God, mistaken notions
of what is right and good.
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 wel
l.Slide5
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
believe
God has come in the fleshSlide6
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?Slide7
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
. Slide8
OUR BELIEFS ARE BASED
ON OUR CONCLUSIONS
Knowledge of facts + perspective + choice = Beliefs
FirstSlide9
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.Slide10
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.
God has really come
In the person of JesusSlide11
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.
H
e clearly
chose
to believe Jesus’ spoken word,
“You may go. Your son will live.” -v 50
God had really come
In the person of JesusSlide12
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? Slide13
OUR ACTIONS ARE INFLUENCED
BY OUR BELIEFSOpportunity/option + beliefs = action
Many of our words, actions and values are the result of our beliefs
SecondSlide14
In the twin stories before us, the individuals acted
according to their beliefs
Mary, Jesus’ mother, was told some odd things by an angel before Jesus’ birth, saw and heard some odd things after he was born. She also had the memory of the Temple experience when Jesus was 12. She had evidence to go on.She acted
on her faith
The
nobleman
must have heard about Jesus. Here we are told that he
“heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea”
- v 47.
Surely that information was only a part of other knowledge about Jesus
He
acted
on his faith
Do we take our problem to Jesus first
Do we rest in His assurance Slide15
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
T
hirdSlide16
Of the miracle at the wedding, we read:
He thus revealed his glory, and his
disciples put their faith in him - 2:11It was more than the flavor of the
K
oolaid
Something convinced them that this was the Messiah.
God had really come
In the person of JesusSlide17
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.
God had really come
In the person of JesusSlide18
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.
God had really come
In the person of JesusSlide19
If we really believe that in Jesus God has come to us….
With all His infinite power and resourcesAnd that He loves us deeplyAnd that He delights in helping us
So…
Why wouldn’t we trust Him?Slide20
We have enough
evidence
to believe confidently
Life has enough
problems
to provide opportunity
When we confidently
act
on our faith and good results…
Our contagious faith will
inspire
others to believe
We will live well –
Life to the Full