Such Great Faith
Deeper Faith • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewWhat do we do in between knowledge of faith and acting in faith?
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
This is the final sermon in the series “Deeper Faith”. So I want us to wrap up where we are so that we can have a better understanding. What does it even mean to have Deeper Faith?
I want to talk with you about a couple things today that I think everyone in our society has challenges with. Those things are faith and circumstance. These two things seem to go hand in hand and if we do not manage them, we can quickly go down the wrong path. Let me explain, so How many of you have had issues with circumstance? You know, something happens, and we don’t quite know how to deal with it. Sometimes we allow circumstance to grab hold of our minds and takes us to a place where we cant see, we cant think, we cant move, we just cant function. Sometimes we lose faith because of circumstance.
Scripture:
When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum.
There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die.
The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant.
When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this,
because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.”
So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.
That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.
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.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”
Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.
Title, Prayer:
Such Great Faith
Application:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
There seems to be a gap between knowing what we should do and actually doing it. We know we are supposed to have faith but do we really? We can talk a good game when it comes to the easy stuff. But when the rubber meets the road, what do we do.
So I want to finish off this month by closing the gap between knowing about faith and walking in it. You see, just because you KNOW about faith, just because you know what Heb 11:1 says, doesnt mean you actually walk in it. I think we mainly walk in the flesh. Lord I hear what you say, but I cant see it! I cant SEE it…but arent we to walk by faith and NOT by sight? We shouldnt HAVE to see it!
But we do those things:
walk in the flesh
talk in the flesh
see in the flesh
act in the flesh
Mainly because of that gap
Gap definition: a break or space in an object or between two objects:
a difference, especially an undesirable one, between two views or situations
So we have to fill the gap! We have to put something in the space between.
Before we go any further, I want to give you some gap fillers.
Hearing the Word - What you hear will shape what you believe. Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Speaking in faith - What you say is an indicator of your faith. You have to talk is if it is already done 2 Corinth 1:20 For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!”
Belief - You have to really believe what you are speaking. Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. You cant tell the mountain to move but then start walking around it!
Action - You say say you have faith all day, but if it doesnt produce something, where is your proof? Where is your evidence? James 2:17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
There is going to be something that comes up that shows us where our gaps are, and if we dont fill them in with with spiritual things, fleshly things are already there. Here is often where the problem comes in. We tend to fill those gaps with stuff that is not of God. Dont be playing…We fill it with drinking, we will it with women and men, we fill it with money and power. the problem is that those thongs only last as long as you have them. They make you feel so comfortable when you have them, you start to lose yourself when you dont. Because the gap becomes more apparent. It is not natural to have that gap, its like a hole in our soul.
God makes us whole so any gaps we have will FEEL unnatural!
John 5:14
14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee
Exegesis:
Don’t let circumstance block your faith.
The Roman soldier did whatever he could to get Jesus attention
I am not worthy
WHO you are is not the problem.
This soldier was NOT a Christian
He was a slave of a soldier
Speak life into your faith
Just say the word
Benediction:
How we deal with circumstance can impact our faith. If we want to be blessed, do we have such great faith? If you want the people around you to be blessed, do YOU have such great faith? The Centurion was able to fill in the gap for his slave because he had such great faith. Jesus was like wow! You know how to fill in the gap! You heard me, you spoke me, you believed me and you walked in what I said. Do we have such great faith to fill in the gap for someone else? Are you scraping by with just having faith for yourself? Or do you have enough faith for someone else?
Ezek 22:30 “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.