Sermon Based Curriculum
Sermon Date: Jan. 31, 2010
Sermon Title: All The Kings Men
Sermon Text: John 4:43-54
Small Group Text: John 4:43-54
Introduction
When have you ever relied on faith in the face of a crisis? We are probably all familiar with “fox-hole” religious experiences – when the enemy is attacking and we finally call out to God to get us through. Some of us only turn to God in a crisis. However, God desires our confidence in Him to grow beyond crisis faith! Today we are taking a look at a man in John 4 who moved from crisis faith through confident faith and finally into contagious faith. Let’s see what we can learn to help our faith grow.
Discussion
Read John 4:43-54. 1. When do we usually find ourselves asking God for help? (When we are in a crisis beyond our control.)
2. What is something people typically put their faith in even though they can’t taste it, touch it, smell it hear it, or see it? (Examples: Law of gravity, law of aerodynamics, romantic love etc.)
3. The royal official in verse 46 had traveled about 20 miles to see Jesus. What crisis motivated him to come so far? (His son was sick unto death.)
4. “John 4:48 was not a rebuke of this nobleman. Rather, it was our Lord’s lament at the spiritual condition of the people in general, both in Judea and Galilee. ‘Seeing is believing’ has always been the pragmatic philosophy of the lost world, even the religious world.” (W. Wiersbe) In verse 48, people had obviously gathered expecting to see a miracle. For what reasons are people interested in Jesus today? (Jesus is like a genie – a wish fullfiller, there at our disposal. We think following Jesus will get all our needs met.)
5. How does the second half of verse 50 indicate that the official’s confidence was moving from crisis faith to a confident faith? (He took Jesus at His word and left for home.)
6. In verse 51, what happened as a result of his confident faith? (He learned His son had been healed at the presice moment Jesus spoke to Him)
7. From verse 53, how can we tell that his confident faith became contagious faith? (His whole family became Christ followers because of His testimony)
8. In this true story, we have a man whose faith moved from crisis faith to contagious faith when he took Jesus at his word. Why is it sometimes hard to take Jesus at His word? (The natural bent of our human nature in times of crisis is to think, “seeing is believing.”)
9. What are some things God has told us in His Word that are hard for you to believe?
Application
1. As the sick boy’s father went to Jesus in his time of crisis, how can we “go to Jesus” in our times of need? (From the start, we should go to Jesus in prayer with great expectation, a humble spirit, and thanksgiving in advance.)
2. Practically speaking, how can we “take Jesus at his word” today? (By regularly reading His Word, knowing His Word and obeying His Word.)
3. What would it look like for you to trust God this week to handle a situation over which you have no control? 4. Leader Suggestion - Break into groups of two or three. Discuss these questions: a. What level of faith are you exercising in your life today? i. Crisis faith – I come to God only when I experience a crisis and, usually, as a last resort. ii. Confident faith – I come to God regularly and I take him at his word. iii. Contagious faith – I come to God, I take him at his word, and I share what happens with family and friends. b. What is one thing you can do to move toward contagious faith? c. What can another group member do to encourage you to move toward contagious faith this week?
Sermon-Based Curriculum