Unstoppable Faith
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Today, we gather to explore a powerful message from Acts 14:1-28 about the unwavering commitment of Paul and Barnabas to preach the Gospel in challenging places and their determination to follow wherever the Lord led them. Their example teaches us that, as believers, we must commit to God and trust Him, regardless of the outcome. It is this unwavering faith that makes the Church then and now unstoppable.
Metaphor: An empty chair requires you to have faith that it will hold you up.
Story of Tom Bryant and having faith in the chair.
You put your faith in God in order to be unstoppable. With that in mind:
Let's dive into this inspiring passage.
Read Acts 14:1-28 ESV
Point 1: Embrace Challenges
I, You, They:
In Acts 14, we see Paul and Barnabas facing numerous challenges as they spread the message of Christ. They encountered opposition, persecution, and even physical harm. But they did not waver. They continued preaching boldly in Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, despite the odds stacked against them.
“…vs1 The same thing happened… vs 2 against Paul and Barnabus…vs 5 decided to attack and stone them”
I Application: Story of Community Center charging us $70/$120/$440 a week. That challenge helped us to move forward in our church building plans.
You Application: You’ve faced challenge at school, at work, or in the community. Challenges are there to grow us to be unstoppable. Not to stall us and cause us to grumble.
WE Application: Like Paul and Barnabas, we too will face challenges and opposition when we stand for our faith and share the Gospel. It's essential to remember that difficulties and setbacks are part of our journey. Our commitment to God should not waver in the face of adversity. Instead, we must embrace these challenges, knowing that God is with us every step of the way.
Remember, these difficulties are part of life's journey. In the face of adversity, let's choose to embrace these challenges, knowing that God walks alongside us, ready to help us overcome.
Point 2: Follow Wherever the Lord Leads
I, You, They:
I APPLICATION: Story of hiking in Hawaii. There’s water that direction, let’s go find it.
--Following with faith can take you to some wonderful places
--story of George Zisk
You: You’ve been a follower at times. Is it easy for you to follow? Do you stop and ask for directions?
THEY: Throughout their missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas were guided by the Holy Spirit. They didn't rely on their own plans but were willing to follow wherever the Lord led them. When they faced closed doors, they didn't lose heart. Instead, they sought God's direction and trusted in His timing.
Remember, it's vital to be open to God's guidance. Sometimes, He might lead us down unexpected paths, but remember, His plans are always greater than ours. Like Paul and Barnabas, let's have an unshakeable determination to follow the Lord's lead, even when it challenges our comfort and understanding.
WE Application: In our lives, we often have our own plans and aspirations. However, it's crucial to be open to God's leading. Sometimes, He might lead us down unexpected paths, but His plans are always better than our own. Like Paul and Barnabas, our determination to follow the Lord's guidance should be unwavering, even when it challenges our comfort and understanding.
Point 3: Have an Unstoppable Faith for an Unstoppable Church
I, You, They:
I: The Hebrew writer defines faith as: is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
FAITH IS FIRST BELIEVING WHEN I DON'T SEE IT
Whether you're
an architect planning a building, or whether you're
an artist creating a sculpture, or whether you're
an Olympic athlete trying to break a world's record, or whether you're
a scientist trying to send a man to the moon, you have to believe it before you can see it. All of those things require faith. You have to believe it's possible in advance, long before it will ever be possible. That's what the Bible says faith is -- believing when I don't see it.
In 1960, JFK stood up and said: "Let's put a man on the moon by the end of the decade." When he said that, the technology had not even been invented to put a man on the moon. But some things have to be believed before you can see them. It all started out that somebody believed it was possible, believed it in advance. You have to believe it before it happens.
Faith turns dreams into reality. It is believing before I see it. But it's far more than that.
FAITH IS OBEYING WHEN I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT
In the Bible, in the New Testament, there are 1,050 commands of God. He says, do this and this and your life will be blessed. Every time God tells you to do something, it's a test. It's a test of whom am I going to believe -- God or my gut. Am I going to do what God tells me is the right thing to do or am I going to do what I think is the right thing to do? Am I going to believe God knows best or am I going to believe that I know best? Of these 1,050 commands, many of them seem unreasonable, many of them seem unusual, inconvenient. Some of them seem flat out impossible to do. But they are all there for our benefit. Because God loves you and our heavenly Father knows best.
Here's the point: If you learn to do whatever God tells you to do even when it seems absurd, then God can bless your life. You're going to build a life of faith and that's the foundation of building a great life.
FAITH IS PERSISTING WHEN I DON'T FEEL LIKE IT.
Perhaps you know the story of Moses. The movie called him the prince of Egypt. He led an entire nation that had been in slavery for four hundred years out across the wilderness, through the Red Sea, out on to the Sinai peninsula and they traveled around in circles for forty years, waiting for God to get the people ready to go into the Promised Land. A forty year wait is a long time to wait in a desert. Can some of you relate?
How do you be that persistent? The Bible tells us -- the last phrase. It says, " Moses didn't give up but continued as if he could actually see the invisible God." The key is, Keep your eyes on God. That's what Moses did. When you keep your eyes on God, it keeps you persistent.
Some of you today are at the quitting point. You feel like you're ready to give up on your marriage. Or you're ready to give up on your ____friend. Or you're ready to give up on school, because it just seems too hard. Or you're ready to give up on that career, or that dream, or that hope of ever getting married, -- or that hope of ever getting out of that rut! -- or whatever. Some of you feel like your health situation is hopeless, "I'm never going to get any better."
Moses had it difficult too…40 years of chicken and biscuits. YUCK!
Some of you think your finances are hopeless, "I'm never going to get out of debt!" And you feel like giving up. And God brought you here this morning so He could say this to you, "Hang in there! Don't give up. Keep believing when you don't see it, obeying when you don't understand it, giving, when you don't have it, and keep persisting when you don't feel like it." Keep your eyes on God. If you look at your problem you're going to be overwhelmed. If you look at the world you'll be distressed, if you look within you'll be depressed, if you look at God, you'll be at rest. It's all what you have your eyes on.
There's two other things you need to know about faith.
FAITH IS THANKING GOD BEFORE I RECEIVE IT.
FAITH IS TRUSTING IF I DON'T GET IT.
anything you want, but that's not true. God is not a vending machine. Vending machines will give you things that you don't need. Vending machines will give you things that will kill you. God will never give you something that's bad for you. Does a parent give a child everything the child asks for? Of course not. Not if the parent is sensible and loving. And God's not going to give you everything you ask for. He said, "I will meet all your needs". He doesn't say, "I'll meet all your greeds." Big difference.
The Bible says that faith is trusting if I don't get it. Here's the truth: God hears and answers every prayer you pray. Fact number two, He doesn't answer always the way you want Him to. In fact, sometimes when you pray, God says, Yes. And sometimes when you pray, God says, No. And sometimes when you pray, God says, Not yet. And sometimes God says, "I've got a better idea. I've got something different. I know you're going to like this better." All four of those are equally valid answers to prayer. And faith is trusting God even when I don't get the answer I expected or wanted.
YOU SEE…Faith is distinct from Hope. I don’t hope to see it. I don’t hope to understand. I don’t hope I’ll feel like it. I don’t hope I’ll receive it. I don’t hope that I’ll get it.
If our faith is going to be unstoppable, we cannot confuse it with hope.
Faith is the ASSURANCE of things hoped for…and the CONVICTION of things not seen! That means if God tells you to go fishing and that you’ll catch Moby Dick…you’d better take some tartar sauce, because you’ll be eating a ton of fish n chips!!
As we read further in Acts 14, we see that despite the challenges and even stoning in Lystra, Paul and Barnabas continued to stay on mission….and they encourage the disciples, appoint elders, and strengthen the churches they had planted. They returned to Antioch, their sending church, and reported all that God had done through them.
Some of you are on mission.
Some of you are tired…working hard to stay on mission
Some of you left the mission and you’ve haven’t told anyone.
This idea of Unstoppable Faith scares you a bit. And so I encourage you, re-up your commitment. Level up your game. Choose Faith over fear and you will be unstoppable.
WE Application: The commitment and determination of Paul and Barnabas, rooted in their unstoppable faith, played a crucial role in the growth of the early Church. Likewise, as individual believers and as a collective body, the Church is unstoppable when we trust God without reservation. Regardless of the circumstances, let us continue to encourage one another, strengthen our faith communities, and celebrate what God is doing in our midst.
The Church is truly unstoppable when we trust God without reservation. No matter the situation, let's keep encouraging one another, building up our faith family, and rejoicing in what God is accomplishing among us.
Conclusion:
In Acts 14, we find a profound example of unwavering commitment to God's mission, regardless of the challenges, and a determination to follow wherever the Lord leads. Paul and Barnabas inspire us to trust in God's sovereignty and embrace His guidance with unshakable faith.
As we do so, we become part of an unstoppable Church, just as they were in their time. May our commitment to God and our trust in Him shine brightly in our lives and in our communities, for His glory and the expansion of His Kingdom. Amen.