In this episode of The Takeaway, Pastor Harry Burns brings us to the closing section of John chapter 4. The gospel now shifts from the joy of revival in Samaria to the tension of unbelief in Galilee. The same Jesus who was celebrated by outsiders will now be tested by the complacency and unbelief among his own. Through the story of a desperate father pleading for the life of his dying son, Pastor Harry shows us how God refines faith through testing, teaching us that true belief isn't proven in moments of excitement, but in seasons of endurance. Here, we learn that faith must rest not on what we see, but on the authority of God's word, the word that never fails to accomplish what he sends it to do. So here's Pastor Harry Barens with today's message.

Now, before we open the text, let's remember where we've been. In verses 1 through 26, we saw Jesus reveal himself as the living water to a broken Samaritan woman. He commanded, Give me a drink, revealing her sin, extending grace, and awakening true worship. Then in verse 27 through 42, that grace overflowed. One transformed sinner became a witness who brought her entire town to the Savior. Samaria's harvest showed that God's command not only redeems individuals, but multiplies grace through obedience. And now as we move into verses 43 through 54, the setting changes. The joy of Samaria's faith gives way to Galilee's unbelief. The same Jesus who was received with joy by strangers is now met with shallow admiration by his own. And yet, even in rejection, the glory of God shines through faith that takes him at his word. In verses 43 to 45, we read, After the two days he departed for Galilee, for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown. So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they too had gone to the feast. So John opens this final section with tension. Jesus leaves Samaria, where outsiders welcomed him, and returns to Galilee, where those who knew him best honored him the least. Yet Scripture says plainly, a prophet has no honor in his hometown. They welcomed him, but not as Lord. Their interest was in his miracles, not his message. They saw what he could do, but they didn't want who he was. And that's the danger of spiritual of spiritual comfort. Familiarity, or as we might say, getting too used to Jesus can dull our reverence. When the gospel becomes routine, we lose our awe of the one who speaks it. We see that all around us today, churches filled with people who sing the songs, quote the scriptures, and know the stories, yet their hearts remain unmoved. Their truth, the truth that once stirred wonder has become predictable. The danger of overexposure is indifference. If Jesus walked into our churches today, would you recognize him? Would we fall on our faces and worship, or would we simply ask him for what he can give us? Would we desire his presence or just his provision? You see, in Samaria, people believed because they heard his word and felt his grace. In Galilee, they only wanted another sign. And yet Jesus went anyway, because obedience, not outcome, defines his ministry. Everywhere he goes, he's following the command of the Father, even in places of resistance. His steps are ordained by heaven. And that's important for us to understand. Sometimes God leads us into places of rejection or misunderstanding. Not because we failed, but because he's working something deeper. You might find yourself in a season where obedience leads to difficulty. You speak about Jesus and people don't want to hear. You live out your faith and others turn away. That doesn't mean you're outside his will. It means he's refining your heart, teaching you to walk by faith, not by approval, not by sight. So now Jesus enters Galilee with that purpose. He's modeling perseverance in the face of indifference, showing us that the measure of faith is not how people respond to us, but how we respond to God. Verse 46-47, we read, So he came again to Cana of Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Campernium there was an official whose son was ill. When the man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at that point, for he was at the point of death. Now we're back in Cana, the same place where Jesus performs his first miracle, turning water into wine. That first sign was all about transformation, joy out of emptiness. The second sign will be about restoration, life out of death. And John tells us that a royal official from Capernaum comes to meet Jesus. This man likely worked for Herod Antipas, a man of position, wealth, and power, but all of that means nothing now because his son is dying. And here's what I love about this scene: desperation has a way of leveling us. It doesn't matter who you are, how much you have, or how long you've been in church. When life hits hard, every one of us becomes the same. Needy, broken, desperate for help. So this man travels 20 miles uphill from Capernaum to Cana searching for Jesus. He's not coming with perfect theology. He's not coming with faith that fully understands who Jesus is. He's just coming with need. And that's where faith often begins. God uses need to draw us close. Many of us met Jesus that way, not through study, not through planning, but through pain, through a crisis that stripped us of everything else we thought we that we could depend on. And that's grace. God allows the ache to awaken faith. He lets us feel the weight of helplessness so that we'll reach for the only one who can help. This man comes in desperation. And that desperation will become the doorway to transformation. Now we read on in 48 to 49. So Jesus said to him, Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe. The official said to him, Sir, come down before my child dies. Now at first glance, Jesus' response sounds harsh. Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe. But he isn't scolding this man out of cruelty. He's comforting the heart of a generation that demanded proof before trust. Remember, Galilee was filled with people who had seen the miracles in Jerusalem. They were amazed by what Jesus did, but unmoved by who he was. They believed in the signs, but not in the Savior. Jesus is exposing the shallowness of sign-based faith, the kind of belief that depends on results instead of resting in the Word. Now, let's be honest. We've all been there. We've all prayed prayers that sounded a lot like this, man. Lord, if you'll just fix this, if you'll just come through here, then I'll believe. But faith that depends on seeing first will never grow roots. Jesus is calling this man and us to something deeper. Belief that rests on the character of God, rather the evidence before our eyes. Yet even in the testing, there's tenderness. This man doesn't argue or walk away. He simply pleads, Sir, come down before my child dies. That's the heart of a true prayer. Desperate, dependent, but still directed toward Jesus. Now notice something beautiful here. The man's faith may be imperfect, but Jesus doesn't reject it. He meets him where he is, and we'll lead him to where he needs to be. That's grace and action. God often meets us in the shallows of belief to lead us into the depths. He takes the spark of desperation and fans it into an enduring faith. This is how faith is refined through command, revelation, and grace that draws us closer. The command confronts, the heart is revealed, and grace begins to work. Now, in this next section, we'll see that the same word which confronted will now create. Jesus will speak a command that carries divine power, a word that brings healing, faith, and glory. In verses 50 to 53, we read, Jesus said to him, Go, your son will live. The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. And as he was going down, his servant met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better. And they said to him, Yesterday, at the seventh hour, the fever left him. The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, Your son will live. And he himself believed in all his household. Now, this is where the story turns. Jesus doesn't follow the man home, doesn't lay his hands on the boy, doesn't speak healing over him in person. He simply says, Go, your son will live. One command, one sentence, that's it. And scripture says the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. He's still standing in Cana. His son is still in Capernaum, 20 miles away. He has no proof, only a word. But that word was enough. Now imagine that walk home. Every mile between him and his child was an act of faith. Every step was a test of trust. He didn't just have Jesus walking beside him, he had Jesus' word ringing in his heart. That's how faith works. You may not see God moving, but if you've heard his promise, you can keep walking. The power of the promise is greater than the evidence of the moment. And as he walked, grace was already at work ahead of him before he could even see the result. The word of Christ was accomplishing what it was sent to do. Isaiah says, So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth. It shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose. Now that's what's happening here. The spoken word of Christ transcends time and distance. He doesn't need to be physically present to change reality. His command carries authority over sickness, space, and circumstance. When the man's servants met him with the news, your son is alive, his faith exploded into fullness. He asked when the fever left, and they said, yesterday at the seventh hour. That was the exact moment Jesus spoke. Now watch this. He himself believed and all his household. The miracle wasn't just physical, it was spiritual. His son's body was healed, but his family's souls were saved. One man's obedience became the channel for grace to flow through an entire household. That's how God works. He uses the faith of one to reach the many. The woman at the well brought a city. This man brought his home. Both believed because of a word. Both saw grace overflow into glory. And that's what faith beyond sight looks like. It's trusting the word of God when your eyes still see the storm, when your heart still feels the ache, when the miracle hasn't happened yet. True faith doesn't demand that God move on your terms. It rests in knowing that he already has. Now look at verse 54. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee. John calls this the second sign. The first was water turned to wine, a sign of transformation, turning emptiness into joy. The second sign shows restoration, turning sickness into life. Now together they reveal the full picture of Christ's mission. Joy to the empty, life to the dying. Both miracles point beyond themselves to the same truth. Jesus is not just a miracle worker, He is the Word who became flesh, the one who speaks, and it is so. And John carefully weaves these signs together so that we learn something about faith. At Cana, Jesus turned water into wine before anyone asked. Here, he heals in response to a plea. The first revealed his compassion, the second, his authority. The first shows the abundance of his grace, the second, the power of his command. But both tell the same story. The glory of God is revealed through the word of Christ. This entire chapter has been building toward one truth: faith that begins with hearing. In Samaria, the woman believed because Jesus revealed her heart. The townspeople believed because they heard his word. Now in Galilee, a father believes because he trusted a command. In each story, the command of God confronted the heart, revealed the need, and produced grace that overflowed into glory. Faith isn't about seeing, it's about trusting the unseen. It's believing the word before you see the result. That's why Paul wrote, We walk by faith, not by sight. Because sight depends on evidence, but faith depends on the one who speaks. Now, if you're waiting on God today, wondering when the miracle will come, when the answer will show up, remember this his word is already working. You may not see it yet, but the moment he speaks, something shifts in the unseen. Keep walking, keep believing, keep trusting that what he has promised will come to pass. God's word never fails, it never returns empty, it always accomplishes the purpose for which he sends it. And here's something many miss. It never leaves a heart unchanged. When the word of God confronts you, it always does something. It draws you to the light or it drives you deeper into darkness. Jesus said in John 3 that the light has come into the world, but men love darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. The same sun that melts the wax hardens the clay, the same word that saves some offends others. But no one stays neutral in the presence of the word. When Christ speaks, you are moved, either drawn to him in worship or repelled by his holiness. The question is, how will you respond? Will you, like the official, take him at his word and walk in obedience? Or will you, like the Galileans, remain impressed by his works but unmoved by his worth? The woman at the well brought a city. This man brought his family. Both were changed, not by miracles, but by the word of Christ. God's command never fails. Whether through the faith of the unworthy or the testing of the believer, his word brings life, his grace multiplies, and his glory endures forever. Because his word never returns void. It always accomplishes what it sets out to do. It never leaves a soul neutral. When confronted by his truth, you will be changed, either drawn in awe to the light or recoiling in offense because you love darkness more. But for those who believe, his word restores, it renews, and it redeems. Faith beyond sight is walking in obedience when you have no evidence, trusting his word because you know his heart. Let's pray. Father, we thank you that your word still speaks, still heals, heals, still saves. Thank you for every moment that tests our faith. For through the testing, you refine our hearts. Teach us to trust your voice more than our circumstances, to walk on your promises, when our eyes see nothing but uncertainty. Lord, when we are tempted to chase after signs, remind us that your word is enough. Strengthen our homes and our hearts to believe, to believe you before we see you move. And just like the royal official, may our obedience open the door for grace to overflow into the lives around us. Let your word accomplish its purpose in us, and may all the glory belong to you. In Jesus' name. Amen. Now, looking ahead to next week, we're going to step into John chapter 5, where Jesus meets a man who has been paralyzed for 38 years and commands him to rise, take up your bed, and walk. We'll see how God's command not only restores the body but exposes the heart, revealing the power of grace to make the impossible possible. So please join me next time for that episode where God's command that it's God's command that reveals grace through power. And in closing, as always, I thank you for joining us today. And I hope this episode has helped you take a step closer in your relationship with Jesus and that you now have a deeper understanding of just how much God loves you and wants you to know Him. And if today's message encouraged you, would you please take a moment to follow the takeaway and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it? Your support helps us reach more people with the hope of the gospel. And if this ministry has been a blessing in your life, we'd love to hear from you. Just leave a quick word of encouragement or share how these messages are impacting your walk with Christ. It's our desire that this ministry be a tool to reach the loss and equip the saints for a life that brings glory to God. God bless, and we'll see you next time on the takeaway.