Foundations of Faith Part 7
Notes
Transcript
O You of Under Developed Faith
O You of Under Developed Faith
3 Faith empowers us to see that the universe was created and beautifully coordinated by the power of God’s words! He spoke and the invisible realm gave birth to all that is seen.
The Invisible realm is not a realm of non-existing stuff. He did not create the World out of nothing. He spoke and brought the invisible realm into the visible.
6 And without trusting, it is impossible to be well pleasing to God, because whoever approaches him must trust that he does exist and that he becomes a Rewarder to those who seek him out.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].
But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 Amp 2015
Impossible. I must decide how important walking with God and pleasing God is to me. Trusting Him is the way to pleasing God. Am I willing to trust him completely or do I need to do things my way?
What am I trusting in? The integrity of God’s word. Are his promises true?
Walk with God.
It does not mean He doesn’t love us.
The question is “What are we giving back to him?”
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
10 For we are his creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, so that we may walk in them.
10 For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].
Using My Faith to Walk with God.
Our Faith was given to us to walk out the plan God has for us.
If I am feeling discontentment, I am probably missing the path God wants me on, or I am in the birthing process of the plan God has for me.
You will never be satisfied, until you are doing what God has called you to do.
Hasselblad
There is nothing wrong with being a doorstop, if that is what you were called to be, but to be a doorstop, when you were called to be a Hasselblad is sad.
Allen, I am content to be a doorstop.
10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
11 For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.”
12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
account: a record of assets and liabilities:
14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.
15 When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.”
Note they start making suggestions to Jesus. This is subtle, but up until this moment, Jesus has led, now they are interrupting what Jesus is doing and making suggestion. Jesus this is what we ought to do. Do you find yourself making suggestions to the Lord? Why? The disciples were probably hungry, and tired and discontent. Jesus could have shut it down right then. It would have gone down as a fantastic meeting. Multitudes getting healed.
The multitude is not complaining about being tired or hungry. Just the disciples.
What causes us to be discontent? Continue.
Look at the rebuke.
16 But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
This is quite the revelation to them.
17 And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”
We have HERE ONLY. Why are you limited to what you have here only? They had backed away from what he had already told them.
7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
9 Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts,
10 nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.
They should have already been by his side healing the sick, not sitting on the sidelines watching the show. When it was time to eat, he had already opened heaven for them.
18 He said, “Bring them here to Me.”
When you don’t know what to do, take what you have to Jesus. He knows what to do with it.
He does not require us to do things on our own. Do you have a big assignment for the Lord, but you don’t know how to do it. Good. Take it to Him.
Remember last week. Which report will you believe?
18 He said, “Bring them here to Me.”
19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.
Even before the manifestation of the miracle, Jesus prepared the disciples and the multitude for a miracle. And then, he looked at the natural ( 5 loaves and 2 fish) Then looked into heaven. ( More than Enough) He did not dwell on the limitations of the 5 loaves and 2 fish. He did not live there. He blessed. He spoke well of. He declared what he saw when he looked into heaven, not what he saw in his hands. As he began to break the bread and fish, the invisible realm, began to manifest in the natural realm.
20 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.
22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.
The miracle is done, Jesus sends everyone home full in their belly and full in their head. What a meeting.
At one point, Jesus says to the crowd. You only follow me because I did Miracles and I fed you.
What’s in it for me Jesus? I think there may have been only one who got the full impact of what just happened.
23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.
24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.
25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.
27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
We know from the other Gospels, they willingly welcomed Jesus’ arrival. He had come through for them again. Most of us are content just to have Jesus show up and heal a family member or pay a bill. We all have those moments and we should always celebrate his goodness. (Mom & Protection) Everyone in the boat was happy and content , except for one.
28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
Why Pete? There is always one who has to push the limits. Do you know that person?
BE THAT PERSON. BE THE ONE WHO CHALLENGES JESUS.
5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,
6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”
7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.
9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!
marveled: Completely amazed. shocked.
5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
Allen: test yourself, do a self examination. Are you in faith? Are you believing God? Are you displaying evidence of the Holy Spirit indwelling you? Allen, are you pushing the limits of heaven.
How Do I Test Myself? One way. Listen to what comes out of my mouth when I am under pressure?
23 As he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.
24 Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves—but Jesus kept sleeping.
25 So the disciples came and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to die!”
26 He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him!”
Read the Rebuke: O You of Little Faith.
New Spirit-Filled Life Bible Chapter 8
little faith, oligopistos (ol-ig-op-is-tus); Strong’s #3640: From oligos, “small,” and pistis, “faith,” describing a faith that lacks confidence or trusts too little. Jesus used the word in various situations as a tender rebuke or corrective chiding (6:30; 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; Luke 12:28). Another way to term it is “underdeveloped faith” as opposed to outright unbelief or distrust (apistis).
O You of Under Developed Faith
O You of Under Developed Faith
Roadblocks to Strong Faith
Roadblocks to Strong Faith
Roadblock Number 1
Roadblock Number 1
Eating the Wrong Meal on the Day of Battle
23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.
24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep.
25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
They are following the truth. They are going to the other side. The are walking in Faith in Jesus.
VS 24
Suddenly a Tempest.
Suddenly: They did not see this one coming.
It came up unexpectedly, but It demanded their attention.
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 91.13 ἰδού; ἴδε; ἄγε
prompters of attention, which serve also to emphasize the following statement—‘look, listen, pay attention, come now, then.’
Bring it over to the spiritual. What are you dwelling on and thinking on when the battle gets tough.
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Roadblock to Strong Faith #2
Roadblock to Strong Faith #2
(Subtle) Not Valuing What He Has Already Said.
1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?
2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?—
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 31.56 ἀκούω; ἀκοή, ῆς
ἀκούωd; ἀκοήe, ῆς f: to believe something and to respond to it on the basis of having heard—‘to accept, to listen to, to listen and respond, to pay attention and respond, to heed.’
Not just hearing, responding to it. Faith is developed, not just by hearing, but by acting on what you have heard.
3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
4 Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?
5 Therefore does the one who gives you the Spirit and who works miracles among you do so by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Hearing, believing, and Acting.
35 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.
36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:
37 “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry.
38 Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”
39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.
Lock onto His Released Word. Don’t back off of it.
35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”
Everything needed was contained in his release.
When they are struggling, listen to what comes out of their mouths.
38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
Don’t you care? We are dying. They let go of the Word. You can hear it in their voice.
24 And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm.
Hey. Just want you to know it ain’t working Jesus and we are going to die. They never had it.
25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
Lord save us. There is nothing wrong with asking for his help. We should, but We are dying, speaks volumes. It shows us, they let go of the first thing he said. Go to the other side.
Again. Calling for help was not the problem. We are told to call on Him. We are told if we lack wisdom to ask.
Review:
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
The problem was they had elevated the problem over the released Word.
When you ask for help, listen. Do what he says.
Modern application.
We need a miracle. He is a God of Miracles. He is the one who does miracles. He is not stingy with miracles. BUT......
My responsibility is to respond to the word. If I am searching for a miracle, when he has already made a promise, it is subtle, but it robs me of my faith. Most of the time, I don’t need a miracle, I need to obey and have faith in his word.
Allen we need a financial miracle. Sometimes I just need to obey him in giving and receiving.
6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above)
7 or, “ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
Explain if time permits.
18 As Jesus was saying this, the leader of a synagogue came and knelt before him. “My daughter has just died,” he said, “but you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand on her.”
Does the Leader of the synagogue need a miracle? Yes.
Are miracles promised?
19 So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him.
24 Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him.
42 His only daughter, who was about twelve years old, was dying. As Jesus went with him, he was surrounded by the crowds.
In the 3 accounts of this story, Jesus does not speak a word. His will is revealed in his movement.
The Holy Spirit will lead us into Miracles. We follow His Leading. Every step is orchestrated by the Holy Spirit. There are no more words spoken by Jairus. Jesus does all the speaking.
21 Jesus got into the boat again and went back to the other side of the lake, where a large crowd gathered around him on the shore.
22 Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet,
23 pleading fervently with him. “My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.”
5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,
6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”
Does this sound like a need for a miracle?
7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
I Will: Jesus’ will. Heal Him.
The will of Heaven revealed and released.