John 4:43-54
Is God Supposed to Make Salvation Easy?
Is God supposed to make getting saved easy? I am not talking about changing
what it takes to be saved. The conditions for salvation are constant for
everyone. We must believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, was
buried and rose on the third day; and we must repent of our sins. This never
changes.
However, I do mean, when someone is coming to Jesus, should God make the path
as easy as possible? As a person considers Christ, should that choice be made
as easy as possible?
This is what the majority of soul winners do. I have no problem with that. I
just wonder how many of our converts are really committed to Jesus and how many
just follow along because, so far at least, it is convenient for them to do so.
I have noticed that many of today’s Christians do not seem to have a deep
commitment to Christ.
Many will not give God so much as one day out of seven.
It is a rare thing to find someone who will make a financial sacrifice for
Jesus.
Very few seem dedicated enough to Christ to be changed at all.
If we can not handle a little impoverishment for Jesus, how could we handle
imprisonment for Jesus? I believe many might come right out and say that they would
not be imprisoned for Jesus, impoverished for Him, or even inconvenienced for Him!
I wonder if the depth of today’s Christians is somehow related to our delivery
of the gospel to them? If we have no commitment to Christ, why should we expect
Him to have any commitment toward us? Personally, I don’t believe He does. I
believe there are a lot of half-hearted Jesus followers who have never made a
commitment to Jesus and who are still lost.
So the question comes around again. "Should God make it easy for a person to come
to Christ? Let’s consider it by looking a what happened to one man who came
to Jesus.
I. \\#John 4:46-47\\ The nobleman had enough determination to come to Jesus.
A. A nobleman is one who is of the household of royalty.
1. He may not have been a king, but he had some kind of connection to one.
2. He could come to this position by birth or promotion.
B. Regardless of how this man got his position, as a nobleman, he had to
turn away from some things which were obviously at his disposal.
1. As part of royalty, he had to turn his back on MEDICINE.
a. As a member of royalty, this man would have had access to
the best modern medicine available in his day.
b. I am certain the MDs of his day had just as much confidence
in their procedures as ours do today.
2. As part of royalty, he had to turn his back on the MANY MEANS at
his disposal.
a. There are many "cures" available to the wealthy.
b. When Michael Landon was battling cancer, he appeared one night
unannounced on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. He told about
some of the different "treatments" that people were sending
him. One was a coffee enema. I’m not certain he tried it,
but people with the resources will seldom run out of advice.
c. There will always be another herb, vitamin, a new procedure,
an unproven practice just south of the border.
3. As part of royalty, he had to turn his back—at least somewhat—
on the MONARCH.
a. Jesus had the title by some of being the King of Jews.
b. To go to One who had such a claim would not be taken lightly
by those in high positions.
4. As part of royalty, he had to turn his back on the MENTAL IMAGE.
a. Even though some called Jesus the King of the Jews, He appeared
to be nothing more than the son of a carpenter.
b. From His appearance and status in life, Jesus could not have
looked too appealing to a man of nobility.
c. Yet, this nobleman set that thought aside seeking help for his
son.
C. What love this father had for his son to turn his back on all that was
a part of who he was.
1. The love for his son no doubt gave this man his determination.
2. He came no matter what because his son needed the help he believed
Jesus could give.
D. This was probably the first man of such prominence who came to
Jesus. Surely Jesus would reward his faith and win his favor!
II. The nobleman had enough determination to accept Jesus harsh replies.
A. You would think that Jesus might demonstrate His love and kindness to
this nobleman, but you would be wrong.
B. Jesus only says two things to the nobleman but both could be viewed as
harsh.
1. \\#John 4:48\\ Jesus either rebuked the nobleman or used him to
rebuke others.
a. This prominent man had come to Jesus for help; but instead of
comfort, he is lumped in with a bunch of sign seekers.
b. If I were standing there, I would have considered the statement
a put down.
2. \\#John 4:49-50\\ Then to his request that Jesus come with him,
he was told to "Go."
a. Granted, Jesus does say that his son will live, but his
request was for Jesus to come. The father did not want to
lose this Man until he knew that his son was well.
b. You and I can understand the fact that Jesus’ speaking to the man
but not going with him was a test of the nobleman’s faith.
c. It was as if Jesus asked, "Will you believe in Me even if I
don’t go with you?"
d. In fact, the nobleman’s sign—-the things that he was rebuked
for—-was to have Jesus go with him.
e. Hence, Jesus would not go.
C. The nobleman is not the only one Jesus was harsh with.
1. There was a Syrophenician woman.
Matthew 15:21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and
Sidon.
22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto
him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is
grievously
vexed with a devil.
23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him,
saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house
of Israel.
25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to
cast it to dogs.
a. Jesus first ignored her.
b. Then the disciples requested to throw her out.
c. And for a moment, it looked like Jesus might do just that.
d. Last, Jesus called her a dog.
2. Rich young ruler
Matthew 19:16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good
thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one,
that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not
commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself.
20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up:
what lack I yet?
21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and
give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had
great possessions.
a. \\#Matt 19:21\\ This young man was told to give up all of his
money and wealth in order to be saved.
b. Those who have shared Christ with others know it is hard
enough today just to get someone to listen to you for five
minutes!
c. Suppose part of your gospel presentation was, "Oh, by the way,
you will have to give up everything you own in order to be
saved?"
3. Scribes and Pharisees
Matthew 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like
unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within
full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
a. While probably all of us have met some people we thought this
of, none of us have ever said it.
b. I doubt that any soul winner has ever spoken to his intended
convert that way and won him.
4. But then Jesus was always pretty direct and blunt with everyone,
even His disciples.
Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife,
and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be
my disciple.
a. Suppose we made that a prerequisite for church membership?
b. Or how about Luke 14:33?
Luke 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he
hath, he cannot be my disciple.
D. And Jesus is not the only One to be blunt and direct with the lost.
1. \\#Matt 3:8\\ John the Baptist sent potential converts away,
telling them they would first have to bring forth works which
proved their repentance.
2. \\#2Kings 5:9-12\\ Elisha did not even come out to talk to
Naaman, but sent his servant out, an obvious affront when a
dignitary comes to call on you.
3. \\#2Chronicles 18:14\\ The Prophet Micaiah was sarcastic when a
king enquired of him concerning the will of God.
E. What I am seeing here is that God’s people do not always make it easy
for the person who wants to come to God.
1. I am not advocating that we use a "spiritual" strap on those who show
an interest in Jesus.
2. I am just noting that we have repeated examples of God’s people
NOT making the path to Jesus easy.
III. Notice what the nobleman received for his determination.
A. Jesus did not make it easy for the man to get what he wanted, but the
man stayed with it.
B. As a result, look what he received.
1. His son was healed \\#John 4:51-52\\.
2. His soul was saved \\#John 4:53\\.
3. His household was saved \\#John 4:53\\.
4. His deed was recorded in the Bible.
C. By the way, the harsh manner of God’s servants in dealing with lost
people is never to drive the truly repentant away from Jesus.
1. The harsh manner is twofold.
a. It is to shock those who have no concern for their soul.
(1) Jesus was one of the first shock-jocks.
(2) Some lost folk need a shock to wake them up to their
condition.
b. It is to sift those who have no commitment.
(1) This story ends well. The boy is healed and the
household is saved.
(2) The story of the rich young does not end so well.
(a) Jesus told him to sell all that he had and to follow
Jesus.
(b) The rich young ruler left—sad, wealthy, and lost.
(c) Why? Because his coming to Christ was not of
commitment but of convenience.
(d) Had Jesus prayed with the man, his faith would not have
lasted.
2. Pastor Richard Oldham said, "A faith that fizzles before the
finish had a fatal flaw from the first."
a. It does no good to claim Jesus but have no commitment to Him.
b. If you have no commitment to Jesus, Jesus will make no
commitment to you.
IV. What is the point? There are several.
A. If you are unsaved, you need to understand some things.
1. You need to understand that there is no salvation without commitment.
a. If someone has told you that all you have to do is believe,
they were wrong.
b. Salvation is a commitment to Jesus Christ.
c. The Bible word is repentance.
(1) Basically, repentance means you take your hands off your
life and let God have it.
(2) If you are not willing to repent, you cannot be born
again.
2. God is not obligated to make salvation easy for you.
a. This is your soul we are talking about.
b. You either want to be rescued from your sins and damnation
or you don’t.
(1) There are no alternatives.
(2) There are no extensions.
(3) There are no excuses.
B. If you are saved, you need to ask yourself, "Just how committed to
Jesus am I?"
1. Charles Weigle was a Christian evangelist and song writer.
2. He was a contemporary of my pastor, Dr. Lee Roberson.
3. As a young man, he married a beautiful woman whom he loved with
all of his heart. They had a daughter together, but one day he
returned from a meeting to find a note that his wife had taken
their daughter and left.
4. She had decided she would not be a preacher’s wife any longer.
5. Dr. Charles Weigle was devastated.
6. He loved his wife but he was committed to Christ.
7. True to her word, his wife left, never to return.
8. As he grieved, alone in his room, the Lord gave him the song,
"No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus."
CHORUS
No one ever cared for me like Jesus;
There’s no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me.
O how much He cared for me!
I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus
Since I found in Him a friend so strong and true;
I would tell you how He changed my life completely,
He did something that no other friend could do.
CHORUS
No one ever cared for me like Jesus;
There’s no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me.
O how much He cared for me!
All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me;
All my heart was full of misery and woe;
Jesus placed His strong and loving arms around me,
And He led me in the way I ought to go.
CHORUS
No one ever cared for me like Jesus;
There’s no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me.
O how much He cared for me!
Ev’ry day He comes to me with new assurance,
More and more I understand His words of love;
But I’ll never know just why He came to save me,
Till some day I see His blessed face above.
CHORUS
No one ever cared for me like Jesus;
There’s no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me.
O how much He cared for me!
9. Charles Weigle lived to be 95. He lived on the campus of the
Bible college I attended the last 15 years of his life. I
heard a recording of him, as an old man, singing this song.
10. Christian, are you that committed to Jesus?
The answer to my question, "Is God supposed to make salvation easy?" is NO.
Sometimes He does, but God does not have to do so. Why? Because the question
is not just, "Will you believe in Him?" The question is, "Are you committed to
Him?"
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