A Question of Faith

Intro and Tension

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Jesus said “If you have faith of a mustard seed, you can move mountains” - Paraphrase, what happens when that mountain does not move? What hapens when you know Lord of the Universe | and Mountain stays put?

Title: A Question of Faith

My Hope: Faith will move from head to heart - That what you read, will manifest, come real in your life - that we will be people that walk by Faith and not by sight - but Faith for God’s Work.

New Sermon Series; Strapped In!

**Aeroplane flying** Stop trying to see | just get strapped in. We’re on bus, are we strapped in?

Faith move mountains

What a topic / Tension. Series to be ALL IN

Last week: Wrestled tension between God holding all things | yet invited to pray - Invited to pull miracles down from Heaven.

We said we pray because we are invited | To pray for miraculous/ impossible | Tension here | We said great faith captures attention of heaven | To pray “Glorify your name” is the prayer God always answers | and we said that bold prayers of faith;

is for the demonstration of Jesus’ Power, and for the proclamation of Jesus’ Name for Revival all over the world

Just because didn’t answer prayer, doesn’t mean he is not working it in a different plan | Application point: “Link Miracle Prayer, to Bold Mission” - Let’s talk about it and being strapped into HIS WILL.

**prayer**

We have to remember who God Is - and this builds tension;

May this be our mindset;

Jeremiah 32:17 ESV

‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.

Nothing too hard for God | Background = Jeremiah never saw promises of God | tough Ministry, got told to buy a Field while the Army was coming over wall | What would you do? How so much faith?

Crazy amount of Faith, but it wasn’t what he had, it was who He had it IN.

Steve Jobs = Interview, Distorted Reality, Ipad, crazy

Mores Law = First chip = 1960, predicted omputers capacity will double every 2 years, but will become cheaper and smaller - Still holds true -now we hold more tech in our hand that what put men on the moon = Incredible.

St Louis Arch in America - Created something impossible in 4 weeks.

Amazing people | No indication walking with God | Amazing people = achieved impossible things.

but we walk with YAHWEH. So many times we start process with “No WAY” - But we walk with YAHWEH.

God wants us to awaken to who he is.

Most of our faith is in head | move it to our heart | Do we stand in belief that our Father hears our prayer?

want to build on last week | some may be repeated | So important to walk and mission | Unpack 2 stories | Traffic advice | Plant a seed.

Important we read the bible, in LIGHT of entirety |

context first story. Jesus heals boy, teaches them mustard seed (We gonna get to that) - And then straight away, Asks;

Matthew 18:1 ESV

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

Ah, Jesus, who is the greatest? When we are insecure in WHO WE ARE IN GOD we always try and Compare

| Sidebar; You been FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY MADE for a PURPOSE that’s not for someone else |

Jesus grabs child says;

Matthew 18:3–4 ESV

and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Uneless turn from Sins | Become Babies | Come off high horse | Come as HUMBLE as a little CHILD |

Why? When I make a promise to child, they believe it |

first 2 years, trust me with their life | I am the source of Food, Love, comfort |

Not trying to grab from somewhere else | Not something Conjured up | Trust they have, Felt, Know.

Kids addicted to 7/11 slushes.

“Yes slushy” - They believe| don’t say “Do we have enough money for gas?” | They don’t even ask me a second time | Too many of us, become too mature, to trust his WORD

Dependency Issue - Are you Sufficient, or Jesus Sufficient | My child doesn’t go “Hey Daddy, are the lights going on tomorrow” - No - just trust. translates to faith.

Same when they don’t want to do it | Veggies | Sometimes I withold | They know, I’m preparing them.

Faith in God comes First.

Jesus goes on to say, Cause little ones to Sin = Millstone around neck.

What Jesus saying?

These kids are fully dependent- Don’t go offer an alternative | Don’t ask them to take eyes off me.

Question: Where is your faith? Is it in the God of the Impossible? Is it in this world? Is it in the bank? Is it in the government?

Where you fear the most, reveals where you trust God the least.

and what you fear losing the most, is what you value the most - Is it God’s will you value?

He is asking you to LEAN IN.

That place you are fearing (money, health) is an INVITATION. God is INVITING, you to pray some bold prayers of faith.

OK, OK - Mustard Seed.

Context; coming back from Transfiguration? when Moses and Elijah | and there was boy, with a demon in him, brings to Jesus, ok let’s read.

Matthew 17:17–21 ESV

And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Understanding Scripture, always comes back to knowing who Jesus is. If it doesn’t line up with His character, it’s just your bias.

let’s break down; On screen

Jesus is not belittling them; You just need to have MORE Faith | That sounds like a Bar that we have to reach? But Jesus is about to tell me to come as a little child? I thought it was you Jesus.

So What is Jesus saying?

We have a Mustard Seed | We have Faith | and We have a Mountain |

A mustard seed | Small | When a seed goes into the ground - it needs to find water, food, and sun quickly - Mustard seed has one chance to find or die - It has complete reliance on everything around it to provide everything that it needs.

Jesus did on the Cross - He gave up EVERYTHING. Fully Reliant on God.

Little faith = Pistis, Believe, trust - Listen - Faith useless without an object/person and a promise.

Must understand Faith requires an object and a promise.

“Have more faith” - In what? It’s not a superpower, it’s a relationship! Hve more faith in Jesus…have more faith in Jesus that He is a redeemer / Lord and Saviour / AUTHORITY

and Read his Promises and watch him outwork them in your life.

not question of how much faith, it’s what you have faith in - you have FAITH every DAY.

Faith that car will start - Obect is the car, promise is it’ll start | School will raise your kids right (oh-o), Object = school, promise = sales letter | Faith in Aeroplane = object = plane, promise is = peice of paper. OK OK let me show you a simple exmaple.

GO | SLOW Sign - Why do you trust the guy?

Let’s get real.

Problem | Jesus | Promise.

Look what Paul Says;

2 Timothy 1:12 ESV

which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.

Paul says: I know who my God is - Do you know who your God is?

Or as Job puts it;

Job 13:15 (ESV)

Though he slay me, I will hope in him...

Do you trust that He can do it? Do you trust that we have GOD of the IMPOSSIBLE?

CLEAR it’s not about your faith as super power because we only need mustard seed, but it is about HIM, and It is about where you are putting your trust!

Ok, mountain, Why does Jesus say Mountain? Mountain = object! Jesus is not saying literally, you can pick up that mountain - Look at Context | You are focusing on PROBLEM, and not SOLUTION. You are looking at the MOUNTAIN:

“Oh lord, I don’t know how” “Oh Lord, this is a massive barrier” - Stop focusing on the barrier, and focus on Jesus.

last week; Just because When we pray for miracle, Believe in Jesus’ Authority, strapped into plan - something else happens - it may not mean didn’t have enough faith, it means that God is using these circumstances in differnt plan.

if you had faith of a mustard seed (Complete reliance and trust on me), you could move the mountain - If behind that mountain was my will, and the only reason you would want to move that moutnain, is because my will is behind it!

When friend gets healed, brings me glory | When that circumstance changes it brings me closer to you. etc.

You concentrated on the boy, but not my glory. You wanted to do a Miracle but for you, not for me. We know this because straight awya, they say “Who is the greatest”.

Miracle Prayer is not for our Ego, it’s for God’s Glory.

Link Miracle Prayer to Bold Mission - Lord I want healing, and becasue of this healing people will know you.

Last Story

Inspo and Close

Garden of Gethsemene, Jesus

Garden of Crushing | Completely Sorrowful | Dripping in blood of Stress | gets on knees;

Matthew 26:39 ESV

And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Never saw this before | Jesus Came to Earth to Die for us | Knew what was going to happen | says “abba” - if it be possible = Dynatos = strong/mighty/powerful.

What Jesus saying? Father, you are Mighty- You are ABLE - So i’m going to ASK for the IMPOSSIBLE. 3 Times. IS there any other option.

Abba | Mighty Abba | Miracle Working/Powerful - Knowing all things possible, except 1. 1 thing impossible for God = That thing, is to make a way from spiritual death, to life without Jesus Christ’s death on the cross. That is impossible.

Jesus is modelling the TENSION. I know it’s not possible, but I’m going to ask because MY God is POWERFUL, even though I alreayd know, cause I co-signed.

Can I do what I planned to do, without doing what I planned to do, can you show me Abba?

WHAT FAITH. ALREADY KNEW OUTCOME, but BELIEVED IN MIRCAULOUS POWER OF GOD, HE ASKED. but then said; Not MY Will, your will

Jesus started with possibility, but surrendered in confidence that there was going to be miracle. Might not look like what he prayed for| VWhen we step out in that kind of faith. Things Change. Whether you see them or not.

IF you were taking notes that night | learning how to pray, you would quit - This is a JOKE (Prayer). What did I learn? Jesus struggling, called out to God 3 times, While your calling/surrending/desperate, dude comes in arrest you. worked out great = gonna pray more.

But it WAS Working out MIRACULOUSLY!!!

I will pray = Pray for miracle, but your will. Someone said to me; stop copping out, if you add on “not my will, but your will” - that’s a just in case, and I said well I don’t think JESUS COPPED OUT. IT’s not a COP OUT , it’s an OPT IN.

I can have FAITH in the GOD of the IMPOSSIBLE, and YIELD AND SURRENDER to his plans AT THE SAME TIME.

I Can say I KNOW GOD DOES NOT OPERATE IN MY WAYS, and at the same time I HAVE NO IDEA.

So;

I will trust you

Trust your outcome

I Will See a miracle - but I don’t know what it’s gonna look like.

Stop/Slow Sign - Don’t go and take the sign off the guy. (stop) - There is work being done on other side | Maybe the sign is turned - SLOW - Time to move. Get strapped in to HIS PLAN.

Now, if God told you that you could die and rise again, would you believe Him? What kind of faith would that require? What kind of life would you then live?

Jesus died, so you don’t have you - You will rise withe Saints | Here’s the seed: Buy the Farm - Enemies coming - Buy the farm - Pray the prayer in FAITH that the LORDS WILL, will be done.