Trinity 21 November 10, 2019 The Sunday of the Official’s Son Healed with a Word

Trinity 21 November 10, 2019 The Sunday of the Official’s Son Healed with a Word

Trinity 21
John 4:46-54
November 10, 2019

Copyright 2013 by Ian M. Welch. All Rights Reserved. Paramentics.com

“Faith Stronger”

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

First I’d like to explain the title because it doesn’t sound grammatically correct when it’s not in a sentence. The sentence would be something like this, “The official in John 4 who believes Jesus’ word has a faith stronger than others.” These two words sum up what I’m teaching today. First, the word faith tells us that when it comes to saving faith, faith getting you into heaven, then all faith is equal. It’s all gives the same treasure of Jesus. Small faith in Jesus gets you to heaven. Faith as big as a mountain gets you into heaven. It’s all the same in that respect. You either have faith in Jesus or you don’t.

But when it comes to here on this earth, that faith can be very weak or it can be very strong. In this sense, then faith isn’t the same amongst all of us. It’s different. One weaker, one stronger. One faith can weather anything the world throws at it. One faith might break at the slightest challenge. So saving faith may be all the same and all bring the same treasures of Christ, but you can carry that faith and treasure around in a plastic bag from Walmart or you can carry that faith and treasure around in a big armored van. So today we’re talking not just about faith, but faith growing stronger.

I’ll use a military illustration in honor of Veteran’s Day tomorrow. (We give thanks to God tomorrow for the men who have protected us.) Let’s say there was a major world war that started tomorrow, the biggest the world’s ever seen. And let’s say all men were called up to serve, from 12 years old to 60 years old. Now if you looked over that army of men, they would all be soldiers. Right? All of them would have a gun. All of them sworn in, etc. So they’d all be equally soldiers of the United States. No difference.

But would there be some soldiers stronger than others? Of course. Put any of those three young men on our prayer list (Sawyer, Tyler, or Jack) next to someone like me who could barely hit the side of a barn with a gun. Or put any of our men who are veterans and have served in their past. Any one of them will be stronger and more prepared than someone like me.

There is faith that is stronger than others. And why do you care about that? Because it is a real war we are fighting. Now I’m not talking about the culture war. That is a war, of course, but those aren’t the enemy first and foremost. The enemy is Satan. And you need a strong faith because at every moment he’s hunting you and has his fiery arrows aimed right at you.

This, of course, is Ephesians 6:16 which we heard today. “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.” See, you need strong faith to save you from those flaming darts. Some of you, I know, have bow hunted for deer. You are the deer in this scenario. And Satan is up in his tree stand with arrows on fire aimed right at you. And he has his demons in fifty other tree stands all around with their flaming arrows aimed at you. And he’s hoping he’ll catch you with your shield of faith down. With a paper shield that he can shoot right through.

Now let’s see how the faith of the official in the Gospel reading grew stronger. This man’s faith started as just a little spark or glimmer. He heard of Jesus changing the water into wine at the wedding in Cana. He thought that sounded like something only God could do. Maybe Jesus was the Christ. Then he heard of other miracles Jesus had done.

But then a crucial test. His son becomes deathly ill. He’s terrified. His little mustard seed of faith turns to Jesus. Maybe Jesus can help. He goes the twenty five miles to Cana to find Jesus and beg him to come and heal his son. But Jesus can see this man’s faith is a paper sack about to bust at the bottom. Jesus says to him, “Unless you see signs and wonder you will not believe.” But the man’s faith is still clinging on for dear life, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” And Jesus pulls out a bulletproof briefcase and hands it to the man and says, “Go; your son will live.” That Word of God fortifies this man and strengthens his faith. He goes, believing Jesus’ word, his faith stronger now.

On the way his servants meet him and say, “Your son is recovering.” His faith even stronger now. And He says, “When? When?! What time did he get better?” And he knows it’s the exact hour when Jesus gave the word. Now his faith even stronger. And he goes home and finds his son well and tells all of his household and they all believe also. Now a man of great faith. All because of the Word of Jesus.

Now study after study is telling us that less and less people in America and in all the West are calling themselves Christians. Many Christians are losing their faith altogether. Why is this? Because the devil is launching flaming arrows from every direction, especially at our youth, and we’re walking around carrying our faith in a plastic Walmart bag. It’s not going to hold up. We must fortify our shields of faith with the Word of God.

For instance, many Christians now just take it for granted that we’re going to be taught evolution. That the world is billions and trillions of years old and that we evolved from animals. The devil has been working on this flaming arrow for a couple centuries now and he aims it right at the very first words of the Bible. All kids in public school are being taught evolution. I was too. How’s our faith going to hold up like this, “Well, I believe the Bible is mostly true except for that one part! Which part is that? Oh, you know, the very first part. Page 1. Chapter 1, verse 1. That Creation stuff.”

How many books do you trust that are wrong on page 1? And then, what’s even worse, is Jesus our Savior actually quotes Genesis and treats it like true history. The very words we read today in the Old Testament reading. He talks about Adam and Eve and believes they are the first humans and God created them. So if you don’t believe Genesis 1 and 2, then eventually you’re going to think Jesus is an idiot and you’re smarter than Him. How many of us will trust a Guy that isn’t as smart as us? The devil just shoots his arrows right through us.

But they say there’s all this evidence for evolution. What evidence? It’s all how you interpret the evidence. Evolution is a wrong interpretation. In fact, there are many people coming out now and saying that the theory of evolution has some major holes that aren’t fixable. All the evidence points to a Creator. Someone who designed and made it all. We know Him. Remember that He didn’t create Adam as a baby but as a fully grown man. Why isn’t the same true for the creation? He created a fully formed creation. Trees that were already fully grown and so forth. God can do this. If you believe He can become a man and die for you and rise from the dead for you, surely you can believe He created the world in six days?

God’s Word in Genesis 1 and 2 strengthens our faith. It fortifies our shield against the devil’s lies.

Now what about some other arrows? Oh, he’s got his flaming arrows of individualism and narcissism and materialism. The ones where he convinces you that you’re the center of the universe and everything is about you. And he’s got his classic arrows of pride and vainglory and greed and lust and anger.

But the other specific arrow I want to warn you of right now today is the flaming arrow he has aimed at family. He is destroying the family unit in America. This arrow can generally be called the sexual revolution. He’s telling the world that the Bible is a prude and that marriage and faithfulness is boring and that truly sex is the greatest god. Sex is the greatest thing in the whole world, we’re told. And anything that gets in the way of that is evil, including children.

So we need all the contraception and abortion that we can manufacture. And we need no-fault divorce. And we need open marriages. And we need gay marriage. And all the while the devil is smiling because he has convinced the world that sex is a better god than God. He’s convinced the world that God is anti-sex. Which, of course, He isn’t. He created it after all. But He created it for a specific place—between husband and wife. That’s where it’s good and healthy. And that’s where babies can be born and cared for.

So if you can appreciate that you’re a helpless deer surrounded by a whole forest of flaming arrows—then you’ll understand why we must fortify ourselves with the Word of God. Then you’ll understand why we must take up the shield of faith and make ourselves arrow-proof (bullet-proof).

You must come to the Sacrament, for one. In the Large Catechism, Luther is asking what we should do if we don’t feel like going to the Lord’s Supper. Here’s part of his answer: “Now, what is the devil? Nothing else than what the Scriptures call him, a liar and murderer. A liar, to lead the heart astray from the Word of God, and to blind it, that you cannot feel your distress or come to Christ. A murderer, who cannot bear to see you live one single hour. If you could see how many knives, darts, and arrows are every moment aimed at you, you would be glad to come to the Sacrament as often as possible.”

We must fortify ourselves and our children with the Word of God. Read the stories of the Bible. Read about folks like this official who believed God’s Word and found his child alive and well. Read about Abraham who trusted God’s Word. Moses who trusted God’s Word. Esther who trusted God’s Word. Peter, James, Paul. All of them trusting God’s Word. Read God’s promises and remember how He has always kept every one of them. God is faithful! Come to the Sacrament and strengthen your faith in the One who gave His life for you on the cross.

Lastly, this official in John 4 shows us some of the benefits of a stronger faith. It doesn’t let up. No matter how many arrows the devil shoots at us, we don’t let up. Nothing can separate us from Christ. This faith also trusts God’s Word alone. No other lies. This faith also gives peace and joy. Just like the man was overjoyed when he got home and his son was better. Our faith gives us joy to see the goodness of God in our lives. And this faith is active in loving others. Because we’ve been loved, we love also. This official in the Gospel reading told his entire household and they all believed.

God grant all of you a faith stronger. You’re going to need more than a plastic Walmart bag if you’re going to protect your faith in this world. Arm yourselves with the word of God and the shield of faith. God’s Word is true. From page 1 to eternity. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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