Foundations of Faith Part 8
Notes
Transcript
O You of Under Developed Faith
O You of Under Developed Faith
The God of Miracles.
We declare He is the God of Miracles. On FB and SM, we hear people declaring, “We really need a miracle.
Is He the God of Miracles to you?
Is He the God of Miracles to you?
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?
5 Answer this question: Does the God who lavishly provides you with his own presence, his Holy Spirit, working things in your lives you could never do for yourselves, does he do these things because of your strenuous moral striving or because you trust him to do them in you?
In Paul’s mind, there was no question that God was a miracle working God. The early church had the evidence. Do we?
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.
Are you ready to stretch your faith in God?
1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
What were you doing in September of 2016? Silly question. If you could locate Proxima Centauri, ( The closest Neighboring star, Not the SUN) The light you see tonight, started it’s journey here on the day. At 186,000 miles a second. If you locate the North Star, the light you are seeing, began the journey in the year 1700. 76 years before we declared independence and became a country. Amazing? Yes, but why bring it up? Look at verse 3 again.
3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Vs 3 The Word of His Power:
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Hovering over the face of the waters. Jer. 1:12 He is watching over the Word to Perform it.
3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
Light Be. That is all He said and Light to this day continues to explode throughout the universe. This is 3 days before He created the Sun and the Moon.
The universe is still expanding from that 2 word phrase. Light Be. Everything in the mind of God was released in those 2 words. The perfect brilliance and balance of not only our galaxy, but of every galaxy. Mankind can not catch up to it. Allen, Do you believe there is life on other planets? I believe God’s out there. You can’t get any more life than that.
When God releases a word into our lives, it has the same power and he upholds it in the same way. He does not go out every morning and say. Okay. Light be again.
When God said. Allen
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Everything needed for my life, was released in His Words. (My parents were contained in that word. Karen, was contained in that word. Our Ministry together was contained in that word. Our Children were contained in that word.
DO I TRUST HIM?
DO I TRUST HIM?
Our Ministry together. Release it.
4 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
I knew you. Same word. Everything that was you, in the mind of God was released with you when you were created.
6 Then said I: “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”
7 But the Lord said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak.
NO, no, no, no, Don’t say. God I am too young. Read.
Allen, don’t say I am too old. But God, they..
Most people will not understand your calling.
8 Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.
I am with you. Do you believe it?
9 Then Yahweh stretched out his hand and he touched my mouth, and Yahweh said to me, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth.
10 See, I appoint you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, and to destroy and to tear down, to build and to plant.”
11 And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, “What are you seeing, Jeremiah?” And I said, “I am seeing a branch of an almond tree.”
12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.”
Right back to Gen 1 Do you believe it?
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.
Without trusting. “That Word”
You could have messed up every thing up until this point, and the Holy Spirit knows how to get you back on track. If you will Trust, and Obey.
2 I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.
2 I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.
God has placed His Integrity on the Line. He has exalted His Name above all, and then exalted his word above His name.
Can I trust his Word?
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?
Walk with God.
Review Matthew 14: Loaves and Fish
Disciples: Send them away so they can get something to eat.
Look at the rebuke.
16 But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
A Mighty Miracle. is taking place. Jesus involves the disciples in the 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.
BE THAT PERSON. BE THE ONE WHO CHALLENGES JESUS.
17 He sent a man on ahead of them; Joseph was sold as a slave.
18 They clamped his feet in fetters. His neck went into irons.
Poor man. I wouldn’t want to be him.
19 Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the Lord tested him.
Wait. What tested him? The Word that had been released over him. That was His Word. He was not giving up until it came to pass. He would not give up. Look at verse 20
20 The king sent and he freed him; the ruler of the peoples sent and let him loose.
Good, but not the place to stop.
21 He made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions,
Never let go of your word. Push through until you have
Great Faith:
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.
What pushed this man’s faith into the Great Faith Category?
9 For I also am a man under authority who has soldiers under me, and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another one, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”
For? Connecting it to Speak the Word Only. There is power in the word.
He recognized that his faith was his servant.
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
Bring it over to the spiritual. What are you dwelling on and thinking on when the battle gets tough.
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 He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it 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.