Services | The Impact of Even a Little Faith

Bulletin

FBCWest
January 19, 2020

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and truth.”

“I Will Enter His Gates”
Praise and Worship
SCRIPTURE READING – Psalm 105:1 - 5
“Awesome is the Lord on High”
“Love is Here”
“Live with Abandon”
“From the Inside Out”

Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
SPECIAL MUSIC – By Pru Hungate

Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“The Life and Ministry of Jesus The Messiah”
“The Impact of Even a Little Faith”

PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
“Walk by Faith”

Acknowledgements and Announcements
Benediction “Won’t Stop Now”

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Scritpures

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Transcript of Service

The question is.

As God's people ever disappointed you.

And there would be a 100 percent answer to that question because at some time or not in our lives.

God's people seem to disappoint us.

And we're going to see an incident where?

The Lord's disciples disappoint this gentleman, although.

The disappointment of this man isn't the point of the message or the reason I believe that the Scriptures.

Or not, but I might want to encourage with the fact that if Jesus is disciples. Disappointed people then it's probably understandable, but all the rest of us disappoint others. And so, if you will turn to Matthew Chapter 17 will start with verse 14.

Looking at Jesus is earthly life and ministry, he has just come down from the mountain.

Anne were you born he had been transfigured.

Now, Jesus. I'm sure didn't have a mountaintop experience in sense of. He is God everywhere. He went he was God, so he took God with him.

Peter James and John haven't been there seen Jesus transfigured having seen Moses and Elijah. I bet that was a pretty exciting event. So now they come down from the mountain and it says when he came to the crowd. A man came up to Jesus falling on his knees before him insane. Lord have mercy on my son for his a lunatic and he is very ill, for, he often falls into the fire and often into the water. I brought him to your disciples.

And they could not cure him.

Now, having a when I was in high school I took 4 years of Latin.

There are few Latin words that I remember an Luna is one of those Luna means moon.

And there is even in our culture. Today, you'll hear about will when there's a full moon. People just act crazy.

So that's where you get the word lunatic from so this guy is crazy and whatever and so the diagnosis from his father, who seen him is that I got a crazy son, he does crazy things. He falls in the fiery falls in the water in his harming himself.

And I was.

At my wits in an your disciples were out there and they were healing in preaching and teaching and doing all of these things.

And they couldn't do it.

And I couldn't cure him.

And Jesus being mild mannered in because he is.

And Jesus answered and said you unbelieving and perverted generation. How long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you.

Bring him here.

Now that's a pretty strong, stinging review.

And Jesus seems to have saved this lot have, I been with you song. You don't know who I am and I don't know what's going on and he's?

He has.

Diagnose the problem not the person's illness.

But the disciples.

And so he says bring him.

Here.

And Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him and the boy was cured at once.

Now in my limited theological knowledge.

I think I've discovered why the disciples in a certain sense couldn't cure him.

'Cause they misdiagnosed the problem.

They thought the problem was psychiatric.

The problem was spiritual.

He had a demon in him so when you're trying to cure somebody of a broken leg and they have lung cancer. You're not going to be successful 'cause you misdiagnosed the problem.

But they have a deeper problem that the disciples have.

So Jesus cured the boy at once. I want you to understand it didn't take a long period of time. He didn't take weeks didn't take moments immediately, he was cure.

Then the disciple came to Jesus privately. Now they're showing smart since you don't want to be when you get something wrong. You don't want him to tell everybody what you did wrong. You want to find out privately so OK privately so.

So they came to in private, he said why could we not drive it out.

And he said to them.

Because of the littleness of your faith.

He doesn't say because the demon is strong. He doesn't say because the demon is powerful, he says because the Little Iness of your faith.

Or truly and whenever Jesus is truly the next words are on the test OK for truly. I say to you if you have faith the size of a mustard seed you will say to this mountain move. From here to there and it will move and nothing will be impossible to you.

Now, if I had a mustard seed and put it between my 2 fingers. You couldn't see it because the fatness of my fingers would cover the mustard seed that's how little is and Jesus says.

When he said, You have little faith means their faith was less than a mustard seed.

Because if they had the faith of the signs of a mustard seed, they would have said they could even talk to amount and say be moved.

Now I want to talk about 2 things.

Faith.

And on faith.

You see in our culture, especially in western Christianity. We have a tendency if I just have enough faith, something can happen.

If I just have enough faith. I'll be cured of some illness if I just have enough faith.

I can accomplish these things and so you'll have pastors, they will God spoke to me and said XY and Z and everybody believes they said he said. XY and Z until it doesn't happen.

That's why I'm always conscious very where to say, I think God is said.

'Cause I know God is never a liar.

Which the only answer is than I am?

So if I say God said something and he didn't I lied.

All too often, we think of assumption rather than faith.

We think if we assume something it will come true and if we're just strong enough in that assumption that that will happen.

Jesus didn't say if you assume something it will take place, he said. If you have faith. The only way to have faith is in response to what God says.

Now I've said this before, and I'll probably repeated throughout my ministry.

You will hear some people say God said it, I believe it that settled it that's wrong.

God said it that settles it.

Then it's up to me to believe it.

And faith comes by believing what God said.

And then acting on what God said.

As a reality.

So I want to talk about the importance of faith.

In Hebrews,

Chapter 11, the Great.

Chapter on faith.

It says this.

Inverse.

What is Versa at 6?

And without faith.

An without faith.

An without safe.

It is impossible. It is not possible it is impossible to please him.

Or he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who mind say seek him up leave King St James is diligently seek him.

So 1st off.

If we want to be pleasing to God then we gotta have faith.

Not assumption.

Which means we need to study the word of God more to know what the word of God says so that when he makes promises we can rely on them.

In the Old Testament.

In the Torah.

That said if you get away from me when you're in the land.

And you don't follow me and you follow after other gods. I'm going to stop the rain.

And if you don't celebrate certain celebrations like.

Feast of booths, I'll hold off the rain.

God said it then several centuries later, when God's people didn't do and follow him, he told Elijah pray that it doesn't rain.

Elijah pray that it in rain in his stop raining for 3, 1/2 years.

And it took Elijah's prayer again to start the rain.

It wasn't a lie, just assumption that if he prayed it would stop raining. It was a word of God, who told him in the word of God. Before that, said pray this and it won't rain.

So Jesus makes.

A crazy statement.

He says if you have the faith the size of a mustard seed.

You can tell this move mountain to move.

And it will move.

Or nothing will be impossible for you.

Now I want to talk about.

Moving mountains.

In Isaiah Chapter 64.

With verses 12, forces Oh that you would render heavens and come down that the mountains. My quick at your presence as a fire Kindle. The brushwood's fire causes water to boil to make your name known to your adversaries that the machinations may tremble at your presence and when you did. Awesome things, which we did not expect you came down the mountains quake at your presence.

Or from the days of old, they have not heard or perceived by ear nor has I. The I seen a God. Besides you who acts in behalf of the one who waits for him.

Moving mountains is not a matter of saying well. Look how much faith. I have that I can move mountains. Moving mountains is so the people who are opposed to God might understand who God is.

Mountains quake in the presence of God.

Those are mountains moving.

But Jesus?

Is going to move a mountain?

Even more than that.

In Zachariah Chapter 14.

After there is discussion of how bad things are going to be around Jerusalem.

And it says in verse 3, then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations.

As when he fights on the day of battle and that day his feet will stand on the mountain of olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the East and the mountain of olives will be split in its middle from the East to the West by a very large Valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half towards the South.

Talk about mountains moving moving so far apart that there will be a Valley.

That God is going to accomplish his purposes.

We frequently.

Are always frame?

Lord give me more faith.

I do, I have?

And if you truly understand faith, you understand it's not something that you work up.

For the scripture says 4 by Grace. You have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is a gift of God.

So all too often, we're always praying Lord Give me more faith.

When in reality, what we should be saying is Lord.

May I use the faith you've already given me.

Because he says if you have the faith the size of a mustard seed. You could say to that mountain move. And it will be moved when God tells you to say move that mountain.

It doesn't take a lot of faith.

So Can you imagine how little faith the disciples had at this moment?

When they said if you simply had the faith of a mustard seed.

And nothing.

Will be impossible for you?

But there's one more verse I want to share before I go back to the text.

Is found in first? Corinthians chapter 13? Is the first few verses?

This is this, if I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels, but do not have love. I have become a noisy, Gong or a clanging cymbal.

If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains.

But do not have love.

I am not.

Isn't it interesting we're always seeking for God to give us more faith?

When all the site, the faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains and nothing can be impossible. And as the word says without faith. It is impossible to.

But Please God.

But even as pulses, even if I have all faith. It's all been accumulating to me and I have not loved it, I am nothing.

So as important as faith is and as awesome as faith is and how underrated faith is.

Love is still more important.

At the end of this chapter, he will say.

There are 3 great things faith hope and love.

But the greatest is love because faith?

Is only necessary for you and I to walk on this earth to believe that there is a God and he's a reward. Of those who seek him because when we go to heaven. We will see him face to face and will have no need of faith.

We have a hope that we will enter into his presence. But when we enter into his presence. We no longer need hope.

But since God is love.

He will still be that.

When were in his presence.

Love lasts an eternity.

So faith.

Is important?

Faith is necessary to please God, but not great faith.

Not overpowering faith, simple small things.

But without the love of God.

So.

Now I'm going to clean up a few.

Items at the end of the.

Of this.

In Matthew 17.

There is a

Little.

Blurb at the end.

This is this.

And so if I find 17 again.

A inverse twenty one if you have a new American standard you will see a bracket.

Your Bible may or may not have that bracket. Somebody was Don't even have this verse.

What is that bracket mean that bracket means that in some of the older and earlier translations and manuscripts this verse isn't there.

I'm not smart enough to know whether this verse belongs there or not I will tell you. I don't think it should be there, I'll give you my reasoning for it.

But what I will say is when you see that bracket don't build your theology on what's in it.

Because it may not be a part of the word of God, it maybe I'll give you an example or uh.

Housing brothers and sisters when they do the large prayer. They don't do the end of it that we do.

His end of it as we have is bracketed which means some of the ancient manuscripts don't have it. However, it is still true that his Kingdom shall come his will be done on Earth as it is in heaven give us this is.

And his power and his glory forever and ever Amen that's true weather is bracketed or not.

Because it says so in other places of the Scriptures.

So I'm going to mention this, it says, but this kind is not go out except by prayer and fasting.

Now tell you why I don't think it belongs here.

Because Jesus didn't.

Review his disciples for not doing the right procedure.

The right procedure, according to this verse is that you pray you fast and then it happens.

Except in else places people criticize his disciples and for Jesus or not fasting.

And he says the reason or not fasting is because the bridegroom's here. When I'm gone, though they won't fast. So why would they fast when he told him now is not the time to fast.

The next thing I find interesting is did you notice Jesus simply rebuked and called the demon out? He didn't fast, he didn't pray?

Is Jesus is always prayed up?

Doesn't need to pray at any particular moment? Does Jesus is always prayed up?

It's kind of like if you will.

I'll give you an example how you'll know you're prayed up.

You're on an airplane.

There's going down.

Are you praying?

Most of us probably all of us are which tells us all his arm prayed up.

'Cause we're not too sure what's going to happen.

I suspect Jesus would have been an airplane like he was in the boat.

Garden.

My father is in control.

You want some planet crash fine you don't want the plane crash fine.

I'm good either way.

We see Jesus not Jesus right. We see that he goes off to the mountains along the break. So I'm not disparaging prayer. Prayer is an excellent thing Jesus did it if Jesus did it. Lord knows we needed more.

But I don't think his rebuke is here. I think this was written to kind of make us feel better well. If we just do the right procedures, everything will be OK.

Because how can we tell whether we have the faith in the size of a mustard seed or not?

But we can do something we can pray and fast.

So my challenge to you and to me today.

Is for us to kind of stop asking God?

To give us more faith.

Or start walking in the faith that God is already given us.

Because I've got is is God simply gave us the faith. The signs of mustard stain. Nothing is impossible for us.

Both nothing is impossible for us, then what do we need of anything else?

Once something is an impossible do you don't need more or something to make it? It's like if you have enough money to buy everything you ever want? Do all the vacations. You ever want and to buy the best Steaks. You have why do you need more money you have enough money if God's given us enough faith so that we can tell mountains to move.

Why not exercise the faith that he's giving us?

But the exercise that faith in love.

Yes, let's face it.

I asked the question.

Have people of God ever disappointed you in all the light we answered yes.

And sometimes they have disappointed us because they weren't able to do what we had hoped they would do or they wouldn't be as consistent or there at the hospital or whatever. The thing may have been that that we were disappointed in it.

But if we believe that person loved us.

We're not that disappointed.

'Cause we know they loved us.

I give my children and my grandchildren, a lot more latitude.

They do other people's I love him a lot.

That's the type of thing we need to have for each other.

So much love.

That you can't disappoint me.

Because I love you more than disappointment.

And that I know.

Did God?

As resolved all things.

An if I need something that seems to be impossible done.

Is already giving me faith?

I just need to use it.

No God's People said.