How are you? How is your week going? I’ve had the blessing of going to The Gospel Coalition Conference this week, and it was humbling, convicting, and refreshing for my soul. Thank you for praying for us.
The theme of the conference was “Conversations with Jesus,” and we went through various conversations people had with Christ in the Gospels. It totally overlapped with our current sermon series!
H.B. Charles, Jr. said this to describe Nicodemus in John 3 and the Samaritan woman in John 4: “John 3 shows us that no one is beyond the NEED of grace, and John 4 shows us that no one is beyond the REACH of grace.” OH SNAP!
To relate that to this past Sunday’s sermon on the end of John 4, I would add this: No one is beyond the POWER of grace. WHAT UP!
An official travels over 20 miles to see Jesus and to plea for Jesus to heal his son. He is in a position of authority and power, and yet he is powerless to heal his son. We can sense how desperate he is. I’m sure numerous doctors have seen his son to no avail, and Jesus is his only hope.
He trusts in and clings to Jesus’ power, person, and promises. I will use Ligon Duncan’s words to describe this official’s heart: “My sins are many, but Your mercy is more.”
Do we have this heart toward Christ? Are we desperate for Him? Are we seeking after Him? Do we see Him as our Lord and our only hope? Do we trust in and cling to Christ’s power, person, and promises?
See, in this story, we see the gospel story. A father travels a great distance to save his son. We know that God the Father traveled a great distance in sending His Son to save not Him but us. He sent Jesus to die so that we can be saved.
We can trust in God’s power, because that is the only thing that will bring about healing, restoration, and resurrection. We can trust in Christ’s person, because it was His person that was crucified on the cross for our sins. We can trust in God’s promises, because they all have their “Yes and Amen” in Jesus through His death and resurrection.
May you be reminded of the beautiful truth of the gospel this week. And may you put on the heart of faith of this official and be able to resoundingly say, “God, my sins are many, but Your mercy is more.”
Have a blessed week! See you on Sunday for Lord’s Day Worship!
In Christ,
Pastor Tim
Photo Credit: here