John 4:43-54

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

The Healing of the Nobleman’s Son

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. God designs dilemmas of faith to cause Christian growth.

  2. God can heal from a distance.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Do you need signs and wonders?

  2. Maybe your sickness will bring others to Christ.

QUESTIONS

  1. Is the Lord’s statement in John 4:44 contradictory?

  2. Who was the nobleman of John 4:46?

  3. If this was the second miracle in Galilee, what was the first miracle?

  4. Why does God design dilemmas of faith?

  5. What was the dilemma of faith for the royal official? How was it resolved?

ANSWERS

  1. It would seem that our Lord was received with praise, rather than as a prophet without honor. However, John is referring to what was about to happen. He would be rejected by the Galileans.

  2. He was either a Jew or a Gentile, probably the former, employed by Herod Antipas, the ruler over the region of Galilee.

  3. The changing of the water into wine at the wedding

  4. To cause Christian growth

  5. If he left, he must leave the Lord and go in complete faith, based on the word of the Lord. If he stayed and insisted that the Lord come, the son might die in the meantime. He believed the word of the Lord and responded with a strong faith.

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. Have you ever felt that you were a prophet without honor in your own country? If so, how did this affect your ministry?

  2. Have you known the healing power of the Lord? Have you known someone who was not healed, but his/her sickness brought others to Christ?

CHALLENGE

  1. Have you been caught in a dilemma of faith? Be specific. How did you respond?

KEY VERSES

  • “He believed the word that Jesus spoke to him.” John 4:50



John, Talks, New TestamentDeb HarmsJohn 4:43-54