Faith Series
Summary: Faith
Text: Matthew 14:25-33
Subject: Faith
Theme: Walk by Faith
Introduction:
Proposition: How to maintain our Faith?
Transitional Sentence: We can maintain our Faith by acting the four Principles from the below enlisted in…
I. We must Trust Jesus (v. 25-28)
A. Trust means reliance on other
-Assumed Hope
B. Explanation
C. Application – Trusting is our foundation of Faith to Jesus
II. We must Obedient to Jesus (v. 28)
A. Obey means go or come after
B. Explanation
C. Application: Obeying is the way to faithfulness
III. We must Focus to Jesus (v. 29)
B. Focus means central point
C. Explanation
D. Application: Focusing is our connection to the power of Jesus
IV. We must always Asking to Jesus (v. 30-31)
A. Ask means call for the answer
B. Explanation:
C. Application: in Asking Jesus given us strength to face from our problems and He answers our prayers according to His will.
Conclusion:
To maintain our Faith we must always Trustful, Obedient, Focus, and Asking to Jesus to be fulfill the will or our calling in God.
CREDIT:
Faith Series
Contributed by Lito Sacatropiz on Jan 14, 2007
Summary: Of all the things God could have chosen as the road to salvation. Why did he choose Faith?
Why Faith?
Romans 1:13-19 for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in righteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; FOR GOD HATH SHOWED IT UNTO THEM..
When putting together the plan for our salvation, Why did God choose Faith as the necessary thing we must possess. He could have chosen many different things. But he chose faith. Over the years I’ve heard many people use the analogy of “baking a cake” to demonstrate how different things are assembled, and what ingredients are more important then others. Well at the risk of sounding redundant, I’m going to use it one more time. When assembling the ingredients to bake a cake it is important to know what is necessary, and what is not. For example, flour, yeast, sugar, eggs, milk, are all necessary. Things like cinnamon, chocolate, nuts, caramel, coconut, etc. are not. Once you assemble the necessary things, you can alter the taste, and texture of the cake with the unnecessary things. So in constructing this plan of salvation, we also have a number of ingredients. Some of these are necessary, and some are not. For example, the most important ingredients are obviously Grace, and forgiveness. This is what God puts into the mix. Now comes what we put in. Money, Fame, Power ????? No, you say “that doesn’t sound right“. Why doesn’t it? That’s the way the world works. OK, lets try some other things. How about:
ABSTINENCE for example.
Simply withdraw from the world. Withdraw from worldly things. Set yourself apart.
How about WORKS?
That would be simple. Just do A, B, and C, without messing up.
WHAT ABOUT INTELLECT. You know a good education, a high IQ.
How much better to understand the mysteries of God?
Well obviously you know where I’m going with this. So I’ll say it. HOW ABOUT FAITH!!!
Why did God choose Faith as the main ingredient that we must put in the mix?
The dictionary’s definition for Faith is: (To trust in somebody or something, ESPECIALLY WITHOUT LOGICAL PROOF.) This means then that God wanted us to practice trust in Him without logical proof. The old phrase you’ve heard many times “ Trust Me,” Comes to mind. But anyone who is street smart will tell you that anytime someone say’s "trust me“, you should run the other way. And I agree. Any time a person tells you to trust them, there should be a red flag go up. But when God says trust me it’s much different from man saying it.
So why then did God choose Faith?
I believe the answer to this question will explain a lot of other questions we have.
Let begin with INTELLECT. Why did’nt God chose intellect?
Biologist Richard Dawkins said in his book {The God delusion}, faith is a form of irrationality, what he terms a virus of the mind. Philosopher Daniel Dennett compares belief in God, to belief in the Easter bunny. Sam Harris, author of {The end of faith} professes amazement that hundreds of millions of people worldwide profess belief in God when there is no rational evidence. Biologist E. O. Wilson say’s there must be some evolutionary explanation for the universal pervasiveness of religious belief. Well there is an explanation. Rev. Ron Carlson in his writings offer us two groups of people for your examination.
One is the secular view which says: “You are the descendant of a tiny cell of primordial protoplasm washed up on an empty beach 3 ½ billion years ago. You are a mere grab bag of atomic particles, a conglomeration of genetic substance. You came from nothing and are going nowhere.”
The other is the Christian View. It says you are the special creation of a good and all-powerful God. You are the climax of His creation. Not only is your kind unique, but you are unique among your kind. Your Creator loves you so much and so intensely desires your companionship and affection that He gave the life of His only Begotten Son that you might spend eternity with Him.
What these men of Science don’t understand is that the believer looks around him and sees evidence. He sees proof. I can look out my living room window on a beautiful morning and see the divine hand of God in the sky, in the trees, literally everywhere. This is not understandable to the nonbeliever. God didn’t make salvation something that required a doctorate to grasp. In fact if you are a very intelligent person it can actually work against your believing. That is if you rely on you intellect alone. Intellect to an intelligent person is often like money to a wealthy man. Like Fame to a superstar. It is what sets theme apart from the masses. And the more they lean on it, the harder it becomes to turn loose and trust God. Just the way the rich young man felt when Jesus told him to sell all he had, give it to the poor, and follow him. The Bible said he went away sorrowful. It was to hard for him to let go of what he had come to lean on all his life.
You see God chose faith because everybody could exercise it. Everyone, from the most intelligent , to the simplest. From the most wealth, to the poorest. It’s kind of like this: God says you take a step by faith toward me, and I’ll show you a glimpse of reality.
Then you begin to ask God to increase you faith, and He shows you a little more reality. And after a while you see what the unbeliever cannot see. He looks up in the sky at night and says: Aren’t the stars lovely tonight. You look up and say: WOW! Can you believe the awesome power of God to create all this! After awhile it becomes so obvious to you that God created it. You realize He has honored your faith, and turned that faith into reality. If it took an IQ of a 140 to grasp the meaning of salvation, then these men of great intellect would have to explain it to the rest of us who are mentally less fortunate . So God in His infinite wisdom knew those men, being mortal men would become corrupt in there duties of doling out God’s plan of salvation to the rest of us. We can look back on the Catholic Church when in the middle ages the priest were the only people who were allowed to read the word of God. By doing so they set themselves up as the middle man between God, and man. In the years that pursued they become corrupt, and sin entered the Church, and the priesthood. At the height of this apostasy they were selling blessings from the Alter of God.
FAITH IS THE CURRENCY OF GOD!
What does that mean you ask. It means God chose faith as the thing where with we can purchase from his storehouse.
Have you ever wondered why God didn’t just place a huge block of granite, a mile high, and a mile wide smack dab in the middle of Jerusalem with the answers to everything written on it. How easy would that be? No guess work. No problem explaining things to unbelievers. Got a question? No problem, just go to the mother stone, and look up the answer. So, why did God choose to leave us in the dark about a lot of things? Why has he chose to gradually reveal his mysteries to us over time. I believe the answer is found in John 3:12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? Or in Luke 16:31 When Jesus was telling the parable of Lazarus the beggar, and the rich man. The rich man looking up from hell, asked Abraham to send Lazarus back from the dead to warn his 5 brothers. But he said unto him, If they hear not Moses, and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, thou one rose from the dead. You see we are not persuaded by miracles, or unbelievable feats. They do not produce faith.
“ THE MIRACULOUS BECOMES MUNDANE IF IT BECOMES MONOTONOUS!”
Consider the Israelites. 40 years in the desert. Food falling from the sky everyday. A cloud leading them by day, Fire by night. What happened? It became mundane. Just think, God sent manna from above. Can you imagine the first time they saw food falling from the sky. What a miracle! I’m sure they stopped dead in there tracks, dropped to there knees, and through tear stained eyes begin in unison, to thank the Lord for the miracle he had given them. But then you fast forward in time and you can see these same people grumbling about this stupid manna they have to eat everyday. Again let me say “ The miraculous becomes mundane if it becomes monotonous.” God, knowing the type creatures we are ( after all, he created us) knew we had to be fed these mysteries slowly, over time. And thus he set up an elaborate set of time release truths that He would dole out to mankind at particular intervals. But!!! And this is a big but. The only way we can see these truths as he reveals them, is through the eyes of Faith. Act 14:27 And when they were come, and had gathered the Church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and HOW HE HAD OPENED THE DOOR OF FAITH UNTO THE GENTILES. What he is telling us here is, unless He allows us to see ( opens the door of FAITH) we cannot see what God is revealing to us. That’s the reason these great scientific minds of today don’t understand what we understand. And they would never allow themselves to believe the average person can understand something they cannot. This is the reason the Orthodox Jews, “though he knows the torah front to back,” is blind to the truth. Once again we see why God chose Faith as the main ingredient and not intellect.
ABSTINENCE:
Abstinence is something we practice in our daily spiritual walk, but our salvation is not predicated on it. It’s kind of like one of those lesser ingredients. As a child I though the way to heaven is to simply abstain from bad deeds. Unfortunately there are some adults who still believe it. We see abstinence practiced by people today. Buddhist monks practice it, as well as Catholic monks. But this is not biblical. Nowhere did Jesus tell us to remove ourselves from the world and become reclusive. In fact he said right the opposite. Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel.
So what about WORKS?
Now you would think this one is simple, but you would not believe how many people believe that works are necessary for salvation. I recently heard a number of interviews taken of people on the street. The question was asked do you think you will go to heaven? Unanimously they all said they thought they would go to heaven. When asked why they thought they would go to heaven, they replied because they were basically good people, who did good things. It’s normal for people to think that in order to receive something they have to pay a price. Either by payment, or conduct. People often use the scripture {faith without works is dead}. And faith without works is dead, but what does that mean. Well It’s simple. You can’t just have faith, you have to act on that faith. You must not only believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (faith), but you must confess with your mouth. (works) It’s that simple. You can go to Church every time they open the doors. You can set in that pew believing that Jesus is willing, and capable of saving your soul, but it will never happen until you call upon Him. The calling on Him part is called WORKS. You can have faith that God will feed the needy. But Jesus told US to feed them if we know there hungry. God will provide, but we must deliver. The delivery part is WORKS. But Works along will do nothing without faith.
Some people actually think RECRUITING is the was to God‘s heart! Again the psychosis behind this is somehow to earn salvation by one’s actions. We really get a good picture of this in the Islamic world. After all that has happened since 9/11. The world has truly changed. I myself have began to study history, and how it relates to current affairs. The muslim faith has become of special interest to me in the last 2 or 3 years. I have read a number of books on the subject by various authors. One that really stands out, and I would strongly recommend it, is Robert Spencer’s “ The Truth about Muhammad”. The one thing that becomes very clear is how Muhammad advanced his religious cult. He tried to convince the Jews, Christians, and others to accept his religion as a furtherance of the old, and new testament. When they rejected him, he became incensed. With a small band of marauding thugs, and thieves he set out to force his religion on those around him. It was, “accept me as God’s prophet or die“. Over 1300 years later we see this mode of conversion still in place. A concept of a Loving God completely escapes Muhammad’s followers. What is blatantly clear to us Christians, are hid from them. Such as “God could force everyone, at anytime to believe in him by simply removing there free moral spirit.” But then all God would have is mindless robots. It is our hearts God wants. And to have our hearts we have to freely accept Him.
Some people have said, “ If God would only show himself to mankind, everyone would accept him. But if He showed himself to us physically, we would have no other choice then to accept him. His countenance would be so powerful, that we, as mere mortals, could not reject him. It is not a forced acceptance God wants. This thing of Life, is happening between our ears. And that is where God wants to be. In our hearts. When the bible speaks of the “heart.” It is speaking about our minds. We are minds surrounded by this flesh, and blood vehicle we call our bodies. The physical world we see around us is no more then the results of thoughts put into action. Whether it’s nature that God thought up and then spoke into being. Or man made objects that man thought up, and then constructed. When you really think about it, everything is a thought process, or the result of a thought process. It is there that God, and Satan vie for our souls.
God stands waiting for us to make a move. That move (if made)will be made by FAITH. It is Satan’s job to convince us not to make that move. You see we are in the camp of Satan already. If we do nothing, he has us. But with God, we must make a move, and the only way to make that move is believing without having logical proof. Thus we now understand Ephesians 2:8 For by Grace are ye saved THROUGH FAITH; I’m reminded of Peter on the sea of Galilee in Matthew 14:28 (paraphrased) when In the midst of the storm they saw Jesus walking on the water, and Peter cried out to Him saying, if its you Lord, bid me come to you. I believe Jesus did this with Peter because it is the perfect example of where we stand when we, like Peter, must turn loose of the railing, and by faith take that first step.
What have we accomplished here so far. Well we know it is:
1. Not by Abstinence
2. Not by Works
3. Not by Recruiting
4. Not by Intellect
5. Not by God revealing himself
6. Not by force
“BUT BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH”
You see it could be nothing else but faith. No other thing will work. There’s no repentance without faith. We must first believe before we can repent. So we can say there is nothing without faith. God predicated everything on FAITH. As I said at the beginning with the reading of God’s word THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH!
The fool says prove it to me God. The believer says Lord let me prove myself to you.
In closing, I will leave you with Paul words, in his second Epistle to the brethren at Corinth. When he was speaking concerning Hope he said, II Corinthians 5:6-7 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we WALK BY FAITH, not by sight.)
CREDIT:
Contributed by J C Prince on Oct 15, 2007
Summary: AS WE COME TO THE LAST OF OUR SERIES ON FAITH, WE ARE LEFT WITH, “FAITH”. IN OUR PASSAGE JESUS USES A VIVID ILLUSTRATION TO SPEAK ABOUT FAITH. WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT IS NOT, AND WHAT IT SHOULD BE. IN FACT SCRIPTURES USES THE ILLUSTRATION OF TREES, GARDENI
FAITH AND THE FIG TREE
Matthew 21:18-21 Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry. 19 Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He *said to it, "No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you." And at once the fig tree withered.
20 Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, "How did the fig tree wither all at once?" 21 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen.
LET’S TAKE A MOMENT TO REVIEW, SHALL WE, ….
INTRODUCTION: AS WE COME TO THE LAST OF OUR SERIES ON FAITH, WE ARE LEFT WITH, “FAITH”. IN OUR PASSAGE JESUS USES A VIVID ILLUSTRATION TO SPEAK ABOUT FAITH. WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT IS NOT, AND WHAT IT SHOULD BE. IN FACT SCRIPTURES USES THE ILLUSTRATION OF TREES, GARDENING, AND AGRICULTURE AS THE GROUNDWORK FOR TEACHING US ABOUT FAITH.
TRANSITION: SO IN OUR TIME TOGETHER, I WOULD LIKE TO LOOK AT AND POSSIBLY COMMUNICATE A FEW MORE THOUGHTS CONCERNING FAITH.
DEFINITION: FAITH IS STEADFASTNESS EXPRESSED AS OUR CONFIDENCE IN GOD
I. BARREN FAITH
a. AS JESUS COMES TO THIS TREE THAT IS BARREN OF FRUIT, HE TAKES TIME TO INSTRUCT HIS DISCIPLES ON THE ISSUE OF FAITH
b. JESUS FINDS A FIG TREE WITH ONLY LEAVES
i. FIG TREES HAVE A COUPLE OF THINGS SPECIAL ABOUT THEM
1. THE BEAR FRUIT TWICE, NOT JUST ONCE
2. THE FRUIT APPEARS BEFORE THE LEAVES
c. A FIG TREE WITHOUT FRUIT IS A CASE OF FALSE ADVERTISING.
i. THIS FIG TREE WAS SAYING SOMETHING IT IS NOT
ii. THIS FIG TREE WAS SAYING IT HAD FRUIT, WHEN IN REALITY, IT HAD NONE
d. GOD DOES NOT LIKE FALSE ADVERTISED FAITH
Ezekiel 33:30-32 "But as for you, son of man, your fellow citizens who talk about you by the walls and in the doorways of the houses, speak to one another, each to his brother, saying, 'Come now and hear what the message is which comes forth from the LORD.' 31 "They come to you as people come, and sit before you as My people and hear your words, but they do not do them, for they do the lustful desires expressed by their mouth, and their heart goes after their gain. 32 "Behold, you are to them like a sensual song by one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; for they hear your words but they do not practice them.
Isaiah 29:13 Then the Lord said, "Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,
i. GOD WARNS EZEKIEL ABOUT THOSE WHO COME TO LISTEN BUT DO NOT DO ANYTHING WITH WHAT THEY HEAR.
ii. GOD WARNS ISAIAH ABOUT THOSE WHO GIVE ONLY LIP SERVICE BUT HAVE DISTANT HEARTS!
e. JESUS WAS SAYING THAT FALSE FAITH CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO PROSPER.
f. FALSE FAITH IS REPLACED FAITH
i. JESUS HAD EARLIER SPOKEN ABOUT THIS WITH REGARD TO THE TEMPLE
Matthew 21:13 And He *said to them, "It is written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER'; but you are making it a ROBBERS' DEN."
ii. WHAT JESUS WAS SAYING WAS THAT WHAT THE TEMPLE WAS THEN AND WHAT IS WAS SUPPOSE TO BE WAS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
iii. IT WAS A BARREN TREE
1. BEAUTIFUL ON THE OUTSIDE
2. BARREN ON THE INSIDE
g. JESUS SAW THE MARVEL OF THE DISCIPLES AT WHAT WAS DONE.
h. JESUS DEALT WITH THEIR DOUBT ABOUT WHAT THEY COULD DO.
i. JESUS WAS SAYING, STOP MARVELING AND STOP DOUBTING AND START HAVING FAITH
FAITH IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FIGS AND LEAVES
PROFESSION WITHOUT PRACTICE IS DEADLY TO BELIEVERS AND CHURCHES
II. CULTIVATED FAITH
a. FAR TOO MANY IN THE CHURCH TODAY HAVE A FALSE ADVERTISED FAITH – FAR MORE APPEARANCE THAN SUBSTANCE
b. THEY ARE TOO MUCH LIKE TREES WHO BEAR NO FRUIT
c. THE PROCESS OF BEARING MORE FRUIT
Luke 13:6-9 And He began telling this parable: "A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. 7 "And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?' 8 "And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; 9 and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'"
John 15:1-8 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
d. THE RESULT OF NOT CULTIVATING FAITH AND FRUIT
i. GOD IS PATIENT, AND WAITS FOR CHANGE
1. DEAL WITH OUR ADDICTIONS
2. DEAL WITH OUR ISSUES
3. BUT DEAL WITH THEM
ii. IF WE FAIL TO PRODUCE SPIRITUAL FRUIT THERE IS JUDGMENT
iii. GOD DEALING WITH OUR FRUITFULNESS IS VERY NEAR. AT ANY MOMENT AS A BELIEVER WE CAN STAND BEFORE GOD TO GIVE AN ACCOUNT.
iv. DELAY IS BY GOD’S MERCY, NOT OUR FAITHFULNESS
e. THE OPPORTUNITY TO CULTIVATE FAITH AND FRUIT
i. REMAIN IN JESUS
1. SALVATION
2. PERSEVERANCE
3. OBEDIENCE
ii. APPLY JESUS TO YOUR PRESENT
1. I AM
2. THE “VINE” NESS OF JESUS IS ALWAYS IN THE PRESENT TENSE
3. NEVER A TIME WHEN JESUS GETS OUTDATED
iii. ALLOW GOD TO GET INVOLVED IN YOUR LIFE
1. CUT OFF REALLY MEANS TO LIFT UP
2. IT IS THE PROCESS OF THE GARDNER (IN THIS CASE, GOD) TO WORK WITH YOU AS A BRANCH
3. IF NEED TO BE RECEPTIVE TO HIS WORK IN OUR LIVES, NOT RESISTANT!
iv. ALLOW GOD TO PRUNE IN YOUR LIFE
1. WORD MEANS TO PURGE – GET OUT OR TAKE AWAY
2. IN OTHER WORDS WHEN GOD WANTS TO TAKE SOMETHING AWAY FROM YOUR LIFE, LET HIM DO IT
3. GOD IS REMOVING THOSE THINGS THAT ARE DETRIMENTAL TO YOUR FAITH
v. THE FAITH THAT WE HAVE CANNOT BE MAINTAINED APART FROM JESUS
1. GOD SAYS THAT “NOTHING” IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR US.
2. AT THE SAME TIME, WE CANNOT HOPE TO SUCCEED BY DOING FAITHFUL THINGS APART FROM GOD
TO FIND OUR FAITH TO DO, WE NEED TO FIND GOD FRESH AND NEW.
IS YOUR FAITH LITTLE OR GREAT?
IS YOUR FAITH BASED ON OTHERS?
IT IS YOUR FAITH, CULTIVATE IT OR CONTINUE TO LOSE IT.
CREDIT:
Contributed by Guy Glass on Jun 26, 2015
Summary: Faith how and why.
FAITH
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope(expect with desire) for and certain of what we do not see.
Mark 11: 24 Therefore I say to you, Whatever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them.
I. Examples of faith.
Matthew 8: 5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.”
7 Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.”
8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.
Matthew 14: 25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Acts 14: 8 In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10 and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.
II. Jesus said it was important
A. *-(Look at what Jesus says is important!)-Matthew 23: 23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have left out the weightier (more important) matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these are the ones you should have done, and not leave the other undone.
III. Difficult/Stubborn problems, situations, sins etc…
Matthew 17: 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” 21. This kind goes out only by prayer and fasting.
IV. We need to get doubt out and the belief up!
Matthew 21: 21 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
V. How Do I Get Faith?
A. Romans 12: 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
B. Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
C. Why by God’s Word
D. 1 Corinthians 2: 5 so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
VI. What now?
A. 2 Corinthians 4: 13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak,
1. Speak it out proclaim it stand on it God will perform miracles, have faith!
B. Hebrews 10: 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope(confident expectancy) we profess(declare), for he who promised is faithful.
James 5: 14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
CREDIT:
Contributed by Stev Ashe on Oct 30, 2012
Summary: The Bible teaches that faith is the key to everything for the Christian. By faith we come to Christ. By faith we live our Christian lives with joy and gladness.
Faith to Faith
Text: Romans 1:17
Gullible. It never ceases to amaze me just how gullible people are. When P. T. Barnum said, "There’s a sucker born every minute," he was right. It seems that there is no limit to what we will believe.
Listen to some of the titles that have appeared in the tabloids found in grocery store checkout lines: Cow Mattresses Help Cows Produce More Milk - Mom On Diet Of Only Chicken, Lays Huge Egg - World War II Bomber Found On The Moon - Women Gives Birth To Two-Year-Old Baby: Child Walks And Talks In Three Days - Adam And Eve’s Bones Found In Asia: Eve Was A Space Alien.
The sad thing is that many people believe this nonsense. Being gullible is certainly a word that can be used to describe many people. But gullible has also been used to describe Christians. Some people who consider themselves to be logical or rational, believe that Christians are gullible for their faith in God.
We believe in miracles and in an unseen God and (to them) that is evidence of our being gullible. My friend there is nothing “gullible” about believing in the Lord.
The Bible teaches that faith is the key to everything for the Christian. By faith we come to Christ. By faith we live our Christian lives with joy and gladness. Without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6) Faith is the core of our Christian living.
Our faith is the key to unlock the door to certainty (and eternity).
A famous Baptist evangelist once told the story of an elderly lady who was very upset by all of her real and imaginary troubles. Out of frustration her family told her, "Grandma, we’ve done all we can do for you. You’ll just have to trust God for the rest." A look of despair spread over her face as she replied, "Oh, dear, has it come to that?"
Church, it always comes to that, so we might as well begin with that!
Well, let’s begin with faith and see just what the Scripture has to say as it relates to our salvation and how we live our lives.
Righteousness Revealed
For in the Gospel a righteousness from God is revealed . . . (Romans 1:17a)
The apostle Paul has made the point that God works in a powerful way with the Word of God. Here, we have righteousness revealed to us.
In a lot of passages Paul points out the truth that everyone who believes in the message of the Gospel is saved from their sins.
This shows us that Jesus Christ is the center point of our faith.
When Paul writes that in the Gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, he is really speaking of the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, Jesus Christ is the message of the Gospel. The Gospel centers in the person of Christ. It is all about His sinless life, the atonement of our sins, and the supernatural resurrection. He is the center of the Gospel, so He is the center of our faith.
God’s righteousness is revealed to us in two very obvious ways.
1. Christ is righteousness – there is none other.
2. Christ imparts His righteousness to us – we have been cleansed from our sins.
This is the function and purpose of preaching the Gospel. This is why Paul emphasizes "Christ and Him crucified" in his preaching of the Gospel. This is why we celebrate the Lord’s Table together to remember the righteous One who was crucified in our place. This truth is the basis for our salvation. The Gospel is an explanation of why we can be saved.
We can only be saved because of what God has done. The Bible teaches that we are all sinners for two reasons:
1. By nature – we were born into sin
2. By choice – we ignore, deny and/or reject God’s plan of salvation
The fact is we are totally unable to save ourselves.
The Good News is this. Salvation has been made possible for us through God’s Son, Jesus Christ. We must first understand the message of the Gospel, so we will know how we can be saved.
Faith for Living
. . . a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." (Romans 1:17b)
The way that the righteousness of God is given to us is only through faith. You see, that is why it is called Good News. If all we understand that Christ is righteous and we are not, that is not Good News. The Bad News is when we don’t have faith in this truth.
The righteousness of God is offered to us only if we exercise our faith to receive it. In fact, we are told that this righteousness comes to us by faith from first to last.
Faith is – 1. How we receive the righteousness of Christ. 2. How we walk in that righteousness.
Many of us have had faith to receive His righteousness. Aren’t you blessed of God for that?
But what is true biblical faith after we have received His righteousness? Is faith something we do?
No, on the contrary, true biblical faith is never a work we perform because we are somehow good and worthy. True Biblical faith means rejecting all of our works and trusting completely in Christ for everything.
Pastor, how am I going to remember all of this? There is an easy way to explain this - Forsaking All I Trust Him.
True biblical faith is casting oneself wholly on the Lord Jesus Christ as your only hope for salvation. Faith is trusting in what Jesus did on the Cross is all you need.
There once was a man, named John Paton, who was translating the Bible for a South Seas island tribe. John Paton discovered that the natives had no word for trust or faith. One day a native who had been working hard came into the missionary’s house, flopped himself into a large comfortable chair and said, "It’s good to rest my whole weight on this chair."
This became a revelation to Paton. "That’s it," he said. "I’ll translate faith as ’resting one’s whole weight on God.’"
When we believe in God the way the Bible tells us to, we are indeed resting our whole weight on Him.
It is by faith that we have the righteousness of Christ inputted or imparted to us. But it is also by faith that we live our lives every day. We must not only trust in Christ for our salvation, we must also trust Christ with our lives.
In our text, Paul quotes from the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk when he says, "The righteous (just) will live by faith." (Habakkuk 2:4). We also find this quotation here in Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 10:38. It is one of the greatest statements of all of the scriptures.
Faith is the only way we can live. Recently, there has been a lot of interest on television with the survival stories. People have become very fascinated with situations of survival.
I would to God that we Christians would become as fascinated with spiritual survival. If that were the case, the only thing we would need would be faith in Christ and Christ alone.
Our scripture text for today was used by God to change the life of Martin Luther, and bring a spiritual revolution to Christianity. Martin Luther was a devout monk living in Rome, Italy.
He, like a lot of Christians, had been trying to earn his salvation by doing good works for God. And anyone of us can relate to this story, in that, Martin Luther became very frustrated.
He wrote these words to himself, "But what works? What works can come from a heart like mine? How can I stand before the holiness of my judge with works polluted in their very source?"
These words may seem strange and ancient to us. But simply put, Martin Luther was having a very hard time being a Christian and was very discouraged with his relationship with God. Martin Luther began to study the Book of Romans.
He came across this passage of Scripture: "The righteous will live by faith." And God began to use it to speak to his heart.
On another day, Martin Luther was in the Church (of St. John Lateran in Rome) where there was a set of medieval stone stairs, which supposedly were the stairs leading up to Pilate’s house in Jerusalem.
Apparently, these were supposed to be the stairs upon which Jesus walked. They are called the Scala Sancta or "Holy Stairs." Many pilgrims to Rome would ascend these steps on their knees, pausing to pray at various intervals where there were stains said to have come from the bleeding wounds of Jesus.
It was there that God brought these words of Scripture to Luther’s mind: "The just shall live by faith." Luther saw clearly his superstition and shuttered at it. He realized that he could never save himself by works. But he could be saved by the righteousness of Christ, received by faith.
He descended those stairs a new man. (And, of course, he became the man God used for the greatest reformation that the church has ever known. In fact, it is known historically as "The Great Reformation of the Sixteenth Century.")
But notice that the Scripture does not simply say that the righteous will be saved by faith, it declares that the righteous will live by faith.
Faith is not just something by which we enter into a right relationship with God, faith is also what we live with every single day. It is not that we come to Christ by faith and then we live by good works.
Remember, it is "from faith to faith." “…by faith from first to last…” (NIV) In other words, it is from faith to faith to faith to faith, and so on. Faith becomes a way of life for us. Faith is the principle of life for the believer.
The Bible calls all of us to trust in Christ. We are called to believe in Christ. Do you believe? Do you truly trust Christ? Have you experienced, in the Spirit, that Christ is your savior? Does your heart call out to Him in childlike trust?
If you do not know Jesus, cast yourself on Him as your only hope of salvation. And, if you have trusted Christ and you have been touched by the power of the Holy Spirit -
Then it is time to set aside your own strength for living. Trust Him daily. Christ is all you need.
It has been said (John Calvin) that, “The righteousness of Christ avails itself before God.” The Bible tells us that those who are saved by faith become holy, as are all things that belong to God. For example, the Israelites were set apart by God to be His own holy people in Exodus 195-6.
What ought to have been the spiritual and moral character of their lives, also ought to mark the character of our lives in Christ.
Titus 2:14 says this, “(Christ) gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”
We have something that God’s people did not have in Exodus 19. That is, God’s Holy Spirit to help us. Our faith in Christ should naturally produce a godly result.
Missionary, David Brainerd talks about how this was proven in the mission field God sent him to: "I never got away from the teaching of Jesus and him crucified. When my people were gripped by this great evangelical doctrine of Christ and him crucified, I had no need to give them instructions about morality."
In another place he wrote " I find my Indians have begun to put on the garments of holiness and their common life begins to be sanctified even in small matters when they are possessed by the doctrine of Christ and him crucified."
CREDIT:
Contributed by J. Yeargin on Aug 21, 2003
Summary: This message shows three distinct phases of Faith.
FAITH, FAITH AND FAITH
Text: John 11 Tell the story of the death of Lazarus.
I. Struggling Faith (Martha) vv 20-27
A. A person in deep water.
1. Trying to find something to cling to.
2. But it is just out of reach.
B. If you only had been here Jesus (Martha)
1. My brother would still be alive.
2. God will give you what you ask.
3. Not what I ask.
C. Your Brother will rise again.
1. I know. In the last day.
2. I am the resurrection and the life.
3. Mary says “I know you are the Christ.”
II. Clinging Faith (Mary and the crowd) vv 32-37
A. Hanging on the side of a boat.
1. Found something to cling to.
2. But still struggling.
B. If you had only been here. (Mary and the crowd)
1. Lazarus would still be alive.
2. Surely Jesus could have done something
a. When Lazarus was alive.
b. But not now.
III. Resting faith (Those who rolled away the stone) vv 40-41
A. In the boat.
1. Secure. No more struggle.
2. Out of the water.
B. Roll away the stone. (v. 39)
1. Surely he stinks. (Are you sure Lord?)
2. They finally rested in His word. (v. 41)
C. Resulted in reward. (v. 44)
Conclusion: One other result.
And the people believed.
And they went and told about it.
Struggling faith may get you to the clinging faith stage.
But they will not get you to the resting stage.
Just clinging is not enough.
Come to me all who labor and heavy laden and I will give you rest.
Full commitment to Him. Not just struggling with scripture.
Labor to rest. (Heb 4: 9-11) read and close.
CREDIT:
Faith, Faith, And Faith
Contributed by Jimmy Giffin on Apr 3, 2004
Faith
Contributed by Lou Nicholes on Apr 12, 2005
Summary: How to lived by faith and not by sight.
THOUGHTS ABOUT THE PASSAGE:
A man named Smith was sitting on his roof during a flood, and the water was up to his feet. Before long a fellow in a canoe paddled past and shouted, “Can I give you a lift to higher ground?” “No, thanks,” said Smith. “I have faith in the Lord and he will save me.” Soon the water rose to Smith’s waist. At this point a motorboat pulled up and someone called out, “Can I give you a lift to higher ground?” “No, thanks. I have faith in the Lord and he will save me.” Later a helicopter flew by, and Smith was now standing on the roof with water up to his neck. “Grab the rope,” yelled the pilot. “I’ll pull you up.” “No, thanks,” said Smith. “I have faith in the Lord and he will save me.” But after hours of treading water, poor, exhausted Smith drowned and went to his reward. As he arrived at the Pearly Gates, Smith met his maker and complained about this turn of events. “Tell me, Lord,” he said, “I had such faith in you to save me and you let me down. What happened?” To which the Lord replied, “What do you want from me? I sent you two boats and a helicopter!” (Source Unknown).
In this passage we find that heaven was not simply a destination for Paul; it was also a motivation. He was anxiously waiting for the day when he would fully participate in the abundant life promised in heaven. He used a tent or earthly house as a picture of our present earthly bodies (v. 1). A tent is a weak, temporary dwelling without much beauty; but our glorified body will be eternal, beautiful, and never show signs of weakness or decay (Philippines 3:20 21). In contrast to the old body, the new body is pictured as a permanent dwelling.
He reminds the Corinthians that the world and its present sufferings are passing away. What is seen (the material) is temporary, but what is unseen (the spiritual) is eternal. No wonder Paul could endure suffering without wavering. His gaze was firmly focused by faith on the Savior and on his heavenly home; not on the seen but on the unseen (v. 7). To live this way is to live by faith and not by sight. Paul had a confident faith that conquered fear, and a future hope that was both a destination and a motivation. Every believer in Jesus Christ has these same marvelous possessions.
APPLICATION:
In our daily walk of life, what does it mean to walk by faith and not by sight? Lord, help me to think of examples our family has experienced of walking by faith!
9.
MARK 10: 46-52
(Open Enrollment)
Contributed by Derrick White Sr on May 15, 2017
Summary: THE GOSPEL OF MARK INTRODUCES US TO SOME PEOPLE WHO`S MALADIES WERE BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THE TRADITIONAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
Mark 10:46-52 (AMP)
46 Then they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, a son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside.
47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, saying, Jesus, Son of David, have pity and mercy on me [now]!
48 And many severely censured and reproved him, telling him to keep still, but he kept on shouting out all the more, You Son of David, have pity and mercy on me [now]!
49 And Jesus stopped and said, Call him. And they called the blind man, telling him, Take courage! Get up! He is calling you.
50 And throwing off his outer garment, he leaped up and came to Jesus.
51 And Jesus said to him, What do you want Me to do for you? And the blind man said to Him, Master, let me receive my sight.
52 And Jesus said to him, Go your way; your faith has healed you. And at once he received his sight and accompanied Jesus on the road.
VERY BRIEFLY WITH THE HELP OF THE LORD AND THE GUIDIANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS
I WANT TO REASON WITH YOU ON THE THOUGHT
(OPEN ENROLLMENT)
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS
THE GOSPEL OF MARK INTRODUCES US TO SOME PEOPLE WHO`S MALADIES WERE BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THE TRADITIONAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
IN THE 5TH CHAPTER OF MARK
HE INTRODUCES US TO A WOMAN WITH A ISSUE OF BLOOD
WHO HAD SPENT ALL OF HER MONEY ON SEVERAL DOCTORS AND NONE OF THEM DID HER ANY GOOD
BUT ONE DAY SHE HEARD THAT DR JESUS WAS PASSING BY AND SHE PRESS HER WAY THROUGH THE CROWD
AND TOUCH THE HEM OF HIS GARMENT AND WAS MADE WHOLE
IN CHAPTER 7 HE INTRODUCES US TO A SYROPHOENICIAN WOMAN WHOSE DAUGHTER WAS DEMOM POSSESSED
BUT SHE CAME TO JESUS
BECAUSE THE MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS OF HER DAY DID`NT KNOW HOW TO TREAT HER DAUGHTERS CONDITION
BUT SHE WENT TO DR JESUS
AND JESUS HEALS HER WITH CURING WORD
IN THE 8TH CHAPTER OF MARK WE FIND A BLIND MAN WHO HAD GIVEN UP HOPE ON EVER SEEING AGAIN
BUT JESUS MAKE A SALVE OF SPIT AND MUD AND RESTORES THE BLIND MAN SIGHT
AND IT`S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE PEOPLE IN MARK`S COMMUNITY HAD A HEALTH CARE CRISIS
BUT WE ARE LIVING IN A TIME WE`RE DEALING WITH A SPIRITUAL HEALTH CARE CRISIS
( What are your physical and Spiritual Challenges) Quote Come to me all that labor, Believe like a Mustard Seed and Listen to God's many Promises.
AND JUST LIKE THEY HAVE OPEN ENROLLMENT ONCE A YEAR IN THE PHYSICAL HEALTH CARE PROFESSION
I STOP BY ------------------------------- TO LET YOU KNOW THAT JESUS HAS SPIRITUAL OPEN ENROLLMENT 365 DAYS A YEAR AND 366 IN LEAP YEAR
AND JUST IN CASE THERES SOMEONE HERE
SITTING ON THE SAME ROW YOU`RE SITTING ON JUST MIGHT BE SITTING IN THE SAME SEAT YOU ARE SITTING IN
HAVE`NT ENROLL IN GOD`S SPIRITUAL HEALTH PLAN
I NEED TO TELL YOU TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO ENROLL
AND IT`S GOOD TO HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE
BUT I NEED TO TELL YOU IT`S BETTER TO HAVE ASSURANCE
YOU SEE INSURANCE CAN ONLY DO YOU GOOD ON THIS SIDE
BUT ASSURANCE CAN DO YOU GOOD ON THIS SIDE AND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE JORDAN
*********************************
BUT AS WE EXAMINE ON BARTIMAEUS
Read the text and DECODE IT #
DISCIPLES
LARGE CROWD
BLIND MAN -He survived by begging
HEARD- What was Jesus doing that credentialed his status then?
HE SHOUT-He was serious and wanted to be heard/ APPLICATION
MAKE A PLEA-have mercy on me ( quote ASK AND YOU SHALL BE GIVING)
REBUKE BY MANY- all sorts of Obstractions in our way to the TOP
HE PERSISTED -dont give up
GOT JESUS ATTENTION -
JESUS SAID CALL HIM
JESUS ASK HIM WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU- Permission and Consent
HE ASK JESUS TO HEAL HIM
JESUS SAID YOUR FAITH HAS HEALED YOU.
HE DID SOMETHING AFTER HE GOT HEALED?
HOW IS YOUR FAITH?
AND HE TAKES ADVANTAGE OF AN OPP0RTUNITY OF A LIFE TIME
EVEN THOUGH HE`S BLIND PHYSICALLY
HE SIGN UP WITH SUPERNATUAL DOCTOR WHO HAS NEVER LOST A PATIENT
A DOCTOR
WHO CAN HEAL THE SICK ------- RAISE THE DEAD
UNCLOG DEAF EARS
AND OPEN SIGHT BLINDED EYES
IT`S NO DOUBT HE HAD TRIED OTHER DOCTORS AND OTHER PLANS AND NONE OF THEM DID HIM ANY GOOD
AND IF YOU WOULD ALLOW ME TO USE MY SANTIFIED IMAGINATION
HE PROABLY TRIED THE H-M-O PLAN
THAT IS HANDLE MY OWN STUFF PLAN –
AND FOUND OUT THAT THE H-M-O PLAN LEFT HIM ALONE AND LONELY
IT`S NO DOUBT HE TRIED THE
G-M-H-O PLAN
THAT IS THE GIVE ME A HAND OUT PLAN AND IT LEFT HIM WITH UNCOVERED EXPENSES
HE PROBABLY EVEN TRIED THE P-P- P
THAT IS THE PITY -PARTY -PLAN AND IT LEFT HIM WORSER THAN HE WAS BEFORE
AND IN THE MIDST OF HIS PARTY WAS`NT NOBODY DANCING BUT HIS TEARS
BUT THE TEXT BEFORE US REVEALS THAT
ONE DAY BARTIMEAUS WAS SITTING BY THE ROAD SIDE OF JERICHO
AND HE HEARD THAT THE DOCTORS OF ALL DOCTORS WAS PASSING BY
AND HE FILLED OUT AND OPEN ENROLLMENT APPLICATION BY SAYING
SON OF DAVID HAVE MERCY ON ME
THE ADMINISTRATORS OF THE OTHER PLANS TRIED TO INSTITUTE A PRIOR CONDITION CLAUSE
TO KEEP BARTIMAEUS FROM SUBMITING AN OPEN ENROLLMENT APPLICATION WITH THE DOCTOR OF ALL DOCTOR
BY TELLING HIM TO BE QUITE
BUT THE BIBLE SAYS HE SHOUTED EVEN LOUDER—SON OF DAVID HAVE MERCY ON ME
AND HIS SHOUT WAS A SHOUT OF FAITH BECAUSE IT STOP DR JESUS IN HIS TRACKS
AND THE REASON WHY HIS SHOUT WAS A SHOUT OF FAITH
BECAUSE WHEN BARTIMAEUS SHOUTED SON OF DAVID HAVE MERCY ON ME
HE WAS PROFESSING JESUS AS THE PROMISE MESSIAH --THE DOCTOR OF ALL DOCTORS
WHEN JESUS STOP
HE CALLED BARTIMEAUS UNTO HIM
THE BIBLE SAYS WHEN BARTIMEAUS GOT UP HE FLUNG HIS COAT TO THE SIDE AND WENT TO WHERE JESUS WAS
AND THAT’S A WORD FOR SOMEONE HERE THIS MORNING/EVENING
BECAUSE YOU NEED TO GET RID OF ANYTHING THAT’S KEEPING YOU FROM GETTING WHERE JESUS IS ( gET rid of all distractions
IF IT`S YOUR FRIEND GET RID OF THEM
IF IT`S YOUR JOB FIND YOU ANOTHER ONE
IF IT`S YOUR MONEY OR YOUR HONEY GET RID OF IT
AND GET TO WHERE JESUS
IF YOU CAN`T WALK --- CRAWL
IF YOU CAN`T CRAWL -----SCOOT
IF YOU CAN`T SCOOT
FIND YOU FOUR FRIENDS AND PUT THEM ON THE 4 CORNERS OF YOUR COT
AND GET TO WHERE JESUS IS
BECAUSE WHEN YOU GET TO WHERE JESUS IS
YOU`RE GETTING TO THE ONE WHO CAN SUPPLY YOUR EVERY NEED
BECAUSE WHEN YOUR
BURDEN DOWN ---HE WON`T PESCRIBE YOU VITAMINS OR A VACATION
BUT HE WILL TELL YOU
Matthew 11:28-30 (AMP)
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.
30 For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good—not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.
ANXIOUS –HE WON`T PRESCRIBE VALIUM OR XANAX
HE WILL TELL YOU
Philippians 4:6 (AMP)
6 Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.
DEPRESSED- HE WON`T PRESCRIBE YOU PROZAC OR A ANTIDEPRESSANT
BUT HE WILL TELL YOU
Psalm 1:1 (AMP)
1 BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather.
RESTLESS AND STRESSED OUT –HE WON`T PRESCRIBE YOU SLEEPING PILLS OR A TRANQUILIZERS
BUT HE WILL TELL YOU TO PUT
Psalm 1:2 (AMP)
2 Your delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.
EXHAUSTED—HE WON`T PRESCRIBE YOU
BUT HE WILL TELL YOU
Isaiah 40:31 (AMP)
31 But they that wait on the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.
AIN`T GOD ALRIGHT
I SAY AIN`T GOD ALRIGHT
AND THE REASON I KNOW HE`S ALRIGHT
Comments
Post a Comment