Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Nyberg. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com. Now here's our pastor, Todd Nybert. I'm going to read a passage of
scripture from John chapter four, but I would like to announce
the title of this message. What is faith? Have you ever asked yourself
that question? I would believe if I knew what it meant. What
is faith? And the passage of scripture
I'm going to read answers that question. If you can get a Bible
and follow along with me, I believe that would be helpful. What is
faith? In John chapter four, beginning
in verse 46, so Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he
had made the water wine. That's where he performed his
first miracle that's mentioned in the book of John, in John
chapter two. And there was a certain nobleman
whose son was sick at Capernaum. Now this was a town that was
about approximately 15 miles away from Cana. When he heard the man whose son
was sick, when he heard that Jesus was come out of Judea into
Galilee, he went unto him and besought him that he would come
down. Cana was above Galilee and he
asked him, he besought him, he begged him, he implored him to
come down to Capernaum and heal his son for he was at the point
of death. Then said Jesus unto him, Now,
if you don't have a Bible, try to think of what he would say.
Somebody says, well, I would say, he would say, okay, I'll
come down and heal him. But this man actually is met with a rebuke
at this time. When he comes with this desperate
need and says, my son's at the point of death, would you come
down and heal him? The Lord said unto him, except
you see signs and wonders, you will not believe. Why, you need
to see me come down and heal your son before you can believe,
or before you will believe. This is actually a rebuke. Did
that stop the man? The nobleman saith unto him,
Sir, come down ere my child die. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy
way, thy son liveth. And the man believed the word
that Jesus had spoken unto him. There's faith. If you want to
know what faith is, there it is. The man believed the word
that Jesus had spoken unto him and he went his way. And as he
was now going down, this is the next day. The servants met him
and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. Then inquired he of them
the hour when he began to amend, and they said unto him, Yesterday,
at the seventh hour, one p.m., the fever left him. So the father
knew that it was at the same hour in the which Jesus said
unto him, Thy son liveth, and himself believed. and his whole
house. This is again the second miracle
that Jesus did when he was come out of Judea unto Galilee. What is faith? Let me say three
or four things about faith before we look at the answer this passage
of Scripture gives us. Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8
and 9 says, for by grace are you saved through faith. And that not of yourselves, it's
the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should
boast. Now faith is the saving grace. And you and I will not be saved
apart from faith, whatever it is. By grace are you saved through
faith. Without faith, it is impossible
to please God. I will not be saved, you will
not be saved unless we personally believe. And he tells us that
that faith is not of yourselves, it's the gift of God. Not of
works, lest any man should boast. If you and I have faith, we're
gonna understand that that faith we have is what God gave us.
It's not the product of our decision. It's not the product of our free
will. God gave it to us. And to not believe that is to
believe salvation by works. To believe salvation by works
is to not believe the gospel at all. Now, faith is the saving
grace. What is it? And I suppose you
could say this about every other doctrine in the Bible, but there's
no subject that has more wrong conceptions and misunderstandings
than this. What is faith? I want to tell you a story. The Lord entered Cana, where
he'd made the water into wine, and there was a town some 15
miles south of that where there was a nobleman. He was an official,
in Herod's court, a Gentile, probably wealthy and influential,
a nobleman. And he had a son who was sick
at the point of death. Now put yourself in this man's
place. Perneum was a place where the
Lord had performed many miracles in the past, and I have no doubt
that this nobleman had heard about these miracles. If someone
in, if a man had come into the Markey Cancer Center at the University
of Kentucky and started healing people, not saying you'll be
healed if you have enough faith, but I mean just healing them.
They were dying and he healed them. You reckon everybody in
Lexington would hear about it? You can be sure of it. It'd be
in the front page of the Herald-Leader. Everybody would know about this.
Well, this man had heard of these miracles, and I don't know what
he thought about them. Maybe he was skeptical. Maybe
he believed them, and it's a good thing to know if I ever need
it. We don't know exactly what he felt about this, but now he
has a need, and he's thinking, would he, could he heal my son? He now hears differently. He hears by way of a need. You see, the whole need not a
physician, but they that are sick. He healed them that had
need of healing. And when the Lord does something
for somebody, He creates in them a need. You know, there's a lot
of people that just don't need the gospel. There's a lot of
people that don't need the gospel of God's grace. They're fine
with a salvation by works, but when they see they're a sinner
and they need God to do something for them, they hear differently.
Now, this man, when he heard, verse 47, when he heard that
Jesus was come out of Judea into Galilee, he went unto him. I imagine he got up at six that
morning because a 15-mile walk, maybe he had a horse, I don't
know, but a 15-mile walk would take, what, five, six hours,
I would suppose. He left at 6 a.m. because he knew he had to get
to the Lord to see if the Lord would heal his son. When he heard
that Jesus was come out of Judea into Galilee, he went unto him
and he besought him. He besought him. that he would
come and heal, come down and heal his son, for he was at the
point of death." Now, how does the Lord answer him? He answers
him with a rebuke. Now, somebody may be thinking,
is it that harsh? Everything the Lord does is right,
whether we understand it or not. So we would be wise to not judge
anything the Lord does by our standards. What he does is right.
But he gives this man a rebuke when he comes with this need
to heal his son. He said, except ye see signs
and wonders, you will not believe. Now, how did this man respond? Here's how he responded. He didn't
get mad. He didn't get offended. You see, if you need a rebuke,
we'll not turn you away. If you can be turned away, it's
because you didn't have the need. If you need, you cannot be turned
away. I remember when they told Bartimaeus
to hold his peace, to quit crying for mercy. And the scripture
says, he cried, the more, a great deal, Jesus, thou son of David,
have mercy on me. He had a need of mercy. You remember
the Syrophoenician woman, her daughter was grievously vexed
with the devil and she comes to the Lord and the scripture
says, he answered her, not a word. Now did she get mad? No, she
kept crying. The disciple said, send her away.
She cries after her saying, I'm not sent but to the lost sheep
of the house of Israel. Now Christ says, I've only come
to the elect. Did that turn her away? Well, that's not fair.
No, then she came and worshiped him, saying, Lord, help me. And
he said, it's not right to take the children's bread and to cast
it to dogs. She said, that's the truth, Lord.
If I ever heard the truth, that's it. I'm a dog, but even the dogs
eat the crumbs that fall from the master's table. You see,
she had a need. This man had a need. And he would
not turn away. The nobleman saith unto him,
Sir, come down, ere my child die. Verse 50, Jesus saith unto
him, Go thy way, thy son liveth. He did not say, if you have enough
faith, your son will live. And if he doesn't live, it's
because you didn't have enough faith. You know, preachers present faith
that way sometimes, and somebody that presents faith that way
doesn't even know what faith is. They're strangers to God,
strangers to the gospel. He didn't say, if you have enough
faith, your son will live, as if if he dies, it's your fault
because you didn't have enough faith. No, he made this announcement. Go thy way, thy son. liveth. And the scripture says
the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him. And he demonstrates this by the
fact that he didn't go straight home. Remember, it was 1 p.m. He had enough time to get home.
He might have been tired, but he had enough time to get home
in order to see if his son was in fact healed. But he felt no
need to because he believed what the Lord said. He believed he
was healed. The Lord said, your son lives,
he believed. And he went and got himself a
hotel room. And he starts back to Capernaum
the next day. Verse 51, and as he was now going
down, his servants met him and told him saying, thy son liveth.
Now he already knew that. He wasn't surprised. He believed
He lived because the Lord said He did. That's what faith is. It's believing what He has said. It's because you know who He
is. He can't lie. Anything that He says must be
true. He has the power to make anything He says come to pass
because of who He is. You believe what He said because
you know who He is. He knew who He was. He inquired of the servants,
he inquired of them the hour when he began to amend, and they
said unto him, yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.
It just left, it was gone. One o'clock, boom, it's gone.
So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus
said unto him, thy son liveth. When was he healed? One o'clock,
well that's exactly when the Lord said, thy son liveth. And
as soon as the Lord said, thy son liveth, immediately the fever
left him. He's healed. And what does it
say then? And himself believed, and his
whole house. This is again the second miracle
that Jesus did when he was come out of Galilee. Now, like I said,
I have no doubt This man had heard about the healings of Christ,
but now he has a need. His son's at the point of death.
You know when you're going to see Christ? When you need him. When you need him. When he heard of Jesus, he went
down. When he heard that Jesus was
come out of Judea into Galilee, he went unto him. Now here's
where faith begins with hearing. Faith cometh by hearing. And when he heard of Jesus, he
came down to him. Now this I'm sure, when you have
no other options, you'll come to him. As long as you have other
options, you won't. As long as you're given a choice,
you won't. But when you have no other options,
you will come to him. This man came because he had
no other options, and he besotted him, he begged him. There was
no sense of entitlement, no bargaining or an offer of payment. He said,
come down, come down. Now, as much as is commendable
about this man, one thing is clear, he had too low a view
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, somebody says, why do you
say that? The fact that he said, come down and heal him, as if
the Lord had to be there in his physical presence to heal him.
Now, if you'll remember, the Lord spoke with a man who had
the greatest faith in all of Israel. It was a Roman centurion
who had a servant who was sick. And the centurion loved his servant,
but he didn't feel himself worthy to come to the Lord to ask and
tell him of the situation. So he sent somebody to tell him.
And the Lord said, I'll go down and heal him. And the man through
his servant said, I'm not worthy for you to even come under my
roof. And I'm not worthy to come to you, that's why I've sent
somebody else. Speak the word only, and my servant shall be
healed. Because of who you are, listen,
I understand authority. I've got servants, I say unto
one, go, and he goes, and another comes, and he comes, and another
do this, and he does it. I understand authority, and I
know you have all authority. and I know all you have to do
is will it, and my servant shall be healed." He believed in the
supremacy of the will of Jesus Christ. He believed the same
thing that leper believed who said, Lord, if you will, You
can make me clean. My salvation is up to your will. You know it was the will of Christ
that created the universe? It was He who said, let us make
man in our own image. It's the will of Christ that
controls everything in providence. He's in control of everything.
If you're saved, it's because He willed your salvation. It's
the will of Christ that controls salvation. Now, this man said,
could you come down? He didn't understand that Christ
could heal remotely, simply as an act of his will. And what
does the Lord say to him at this time? He says, go your way, your
son liveth. Go your way. You know, the gospel
is go your way. Go your way. It's not constraint. It's not manipulating and forcing
people. Go your way. Your son lives. Now, why did the Lord rebuke
this man? Except you see signs and wonders
you will not believe. Well, let me tell you why he
rebuked him. It's because if you believe who
He is, you won't need signs and wonders. The only reason you
would need a sign or a wonder or an evidence is because you
really do not believe who He is and you need more proof. I
need signs, I need wonders. Some people that way about salvation.
They need proof. I need to see more victory in
my life. Just his word saying I'm healed,
that's not enough. I need to see more power in my
life. I need to see more victory in
my life. I need to see more stuff happening.
Then I could believe. Yeah, but you wouldn't be believing
in him, you'd be believing in yourself. Go your way, your son lives. I need some evidence. How could
I know? Just because he said it. Nothing
else is needed. Go your way, your son lives. And with no other evidence but
the word of Christ, he believed the word that Jesus had spoken
unto him, and he went his way. Faith is believing what He said,
because you know who He is. That's the important part. It's
not just blindly believing, it's knowing who He is, and because
of who He is, what He says must be. You know, the first time
believing is mentioned is in Genesis chapter 15, when God
had promised Abraham You look at the stars, can you count them? So shall your seed be. Abraham
didn't have any children. but he believed what God said. He had no evidence that this
could take place, but the Word of God, he believed what God
said. This man believed the Word of
Christ, and he went his way. Now, believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved. He's Lord, He's Jesus, the Savior. He's God's Christ. He's God's
prophet, priest, and king. Believe on Christ, the Lord Jesus
Christ, and you'll be saved. To him that worketh not, but
believeth. On him that justifieth the ungodly,
his faith is counted for righteousness. This is the work of God, that
you believe on him whom he has sent. You see, faith is believing
him. Most folks think, well, faith
is believing you're saved. That's not what faith is. You can believe
you're saved and not be. What about that crowd in Matthew
chapter 7 where they said, Lord, Lord, they thought they were
saved. Have we not preached in your
name? In your name have we not cast
out demons? And in your name have we not
done many wonderful works? Note their quantity, many. Note their quality, wonderful.
They had such a high opinion of what they've done. And then
the Lord said, depart from me ye that work iniquity. I never
knew you. Oh, how many people think they're
saved when they're not, because they think, well, if I think
I'm saved, I must be. That's faith. No, that's not
faith. Faith is in Christ. It's not in yourself. It's in
Christ. It's not in your experience.
It's in Christ. You look to him only. That's what faith is. Now, this
is helpful. Let's go on reading. And as he
was now going down, this is the next day, He found a place to
stay, and as he was now going down, his servants met him and
told him, saying, thy son liveth. He already knew that, didn't
he? And the reason he already knew it is because the Lord told
him, your son lives. And he believed the word. You will, too, if God gives you
faith. He believed the word that Jesus had spoken. Then inquired
he of them the hour which he began to amend, and they said
unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was
at the same hour in which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth.
Now the father knew his son lived the moment the Lord said, Thou
shalt not live. The fever left him. The father
knew when he knew the time. Now let me speak in closing about
knowing the time. I know when I was saved. I know exactly when I was saved. Now, when I say that, I'm not
talking about a calendar date. I'm not saying I was saved on
December 12, 1974. I remember when it happened. I was there when it happened.
I've heard people say that. Matter of fact, I remember hearing a
preacher say it once, if you don't know when you were saved as far as
the time, you're probably not saved. He said, if you broke
your leg, you know when it took place. Well, that's foolishness. I don't remember when I was born.
That doesn't mean I wasn't born, does it? I don't remember the
day of my birth, but I was born that day, even though I don't
remember when it was. Doesn't take away from the fact
that I was born. Now, when I say I know when I saved, I'm not
saying I know the calendar date when I was saved, because I don't.
And it's a good thing I don't, because if I did, I'd look back
to that experience for assurance. If I start thinking, I wonder
whether or not I'm saved. Well, back then I fill in the
blank. I experienced something, therefore
I must be saved. That's looking to experience
and not Christ. Well, when were you saved? I
was saved before the foundation of the world. 2 Timothy 1.9 says
he saved us and he called us. Not according to our works, but
according to His own purpose and grace which was given us
in Christ Jesus before the world began. I was saved before time
began when Christ took full responsibility for my salvation. He's called
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. I was saved when
Jesus Christ died. He was delivered for our offenses
and raised again for our justification. You see, when he died, all my
sin was paid for and I was justified. God declared me to be just. When
he said it is finished, my salvation was finished. I was saved when
Jesus Christ died. His life is given to me. My sins
were paid for and I'm saved when I believe the gospel. Romans chapter 10, brethren,
my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they
might be saved. Now it's evident they were not saved. Paul wanted
them to be, but they were not. He says concerning these people,
I bear them record that they have a zeal of God. They're religious,
no question about that, but not according to knowledge. They
don't have the true knowledge of the gospel. For they, being
ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish
their own righteousness, had not submitted themselves to the
righteousness of God for Christ. is the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believeth." And you know when you believe?
When you actually trust Christ as your personal righteousness
before God. Quit trying to establish your
own righteousness, you know you don't have any. And you trust
Christ as your personal righteousness before God. You trust Christ
as the end of the law for righteousness. Now that's when a man is saved,
when he hears and believes the gospel, trusting Jesus Christ
as his personal righteousness before God. We have this message
on DVD and CD. If you get on the church website
or call the church or write, we'll send you a copy. This is
Todd Niber praying that God will be pleased to make Himself known
to you. That's our prayer. Amen. To receive a copy of the
sermon you have just heard, send your request to todd.niber at
gmail.com. Or you may write or call the
church at the information provided on the screen.