Finding Faith Today (2)

As we move towards National Back-to-Church Sunday, to what are we inviting people?

What is this church to which we invite people?

What difference does it make in the lives of people?

What difference can it make in my life?

This past week has been a difficult week, full of senseless death and incredible misery.

Our country seems to be ever more quickly spiraling into a culture of division, misery and death.

What difference can the church make in such a hopeless situation?

Can it make ANY difference?

First of all we need to identify just what a church is.

It is NOT a human-created, non-profit organization.

Just another of many social organizations.

It was established by the Lord Jesus Christ:

In Matthew He said to Peter, one of His first followers:

Matthew 16:18–19 (NASB95) “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

The rock upon which the church is built is NOT Peter — wow, the idea that Jesus would build His church upon ANY flawed and fallible able human being is ludicrous.

No! Jesus built and is building His church upon the statement that Peter made in verse 16. A statement Peter could not speak out of human inspiration, but only as the Holy Spirit enabled him to do so.

Jesus said in vs. 17: Matthew 16:17 (NASB95) … Simon Barjona, … flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

The supernatural statement that Peter spoke and upon which Jesus builds His church is that …

Matthew 16:16 (NASB95) … “[Jesus is] the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

That Jesus is the Messiah — THE Chosen one of God.

The One chosen to bring salvation, hope, love and eternal life into being on this planet.

The ONLY One chosen — as Peter would later say in front of a religious council:

Acts 4:10–12 (NASB95) let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. 11 “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. 12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

The church that Jesus built and is building is NOT an organization at all — it is a living, breathing organism.

That certainly makes it different from all the human organizations on the earth today.

And this organism has and IS making a difference in this world.

Ephesians 1:22–23 (NASB95) [Our heavenly Father] put all things in subjection under [Jesus’] feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

The Body of Jesus is the church and He is the head of this living, breathing, miraculous organism.

As the Church marches forth BY FAITH, the Body of Christ, the Church, has been given the POWER to make a difference in this hopeless, miserable world.

Again in that scripture I read from Matthew 16:18-19 ...

Jesus said first of all, that the gates of hell cannot prevail against the Body of Christ — the Church.

The devil and demons of hell have unleashed an unholy war on humanity.

Jesus stated the devil’s agenda in John 10:10: to steal, kill and destroy.

The church is the force, the entity God has chosen through His Son, Jesus to stand against the devil — and prevail.

To stand in love.

To stand in supernatural strength and make a difference.

Secondly, Jesus said in that Matthew 16 passage that He has given the Church keys

We are to wield the keys to the Kingdom of God — to, as Jesus said, to bind and to loose.

To bind or fetter, the forces of evil.

Not by force of human might ...

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 (NASB95) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 (TPT) For although we live in the natural realm, we don’t wage a military campaign employing human weapons, using manipulation to achieve our aims. Instead, our spiritual weapons are energized with divine power to effectively dismantle the defenses behind which people hide. 5 We can demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One.

We not only bind, but the Church is to LOOSE the power of the Holy Spirit to make a difference.

When the Holy Spirit is loosed into a situation, He makes ALL the difference.

He brings hope in what looks like defeat.

He brings life in the midst of death.

He brings comfort in pain.

Healing in the place of injury or disease.

Wholeness in brokenness.

He brings whatever is needed in the place of emptiness and loss.

But the central truth is that the Body must stand in FAITH upon its foundation — that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Will Jesus Find Faith WHEN He Come?

Jesus said in…

Luke 18:1–8 (NASB95) Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, 2 saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. 3 “There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ 4 “For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; 7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 8 “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

In verse 8, Jesus asks the question …

When He comes back to this planet to catch away His bride, the Church, will He find faith in her?

First, we understand from the context that Jesus is asking…

Will He find continued, pursuing prayer.

Continuing to bring a need to God does not show a lack of faith, but just the opposite.

It shows that the issue has been released to God.

It shows we recognize that our concerns belong to God.

It removes the feeling of being anxious or worried because we can depend on Christ.

This will be as important as ever in the days ahead.

Jesus’ question suggests that as the time for His return draws nearer, evil will be so increased that many in the church will stop depending on Christ and forsake their faith in Him (Mt 24:11–13, 24; 1Ti 4:1;

As Christ’s return draws nearer, every Christian should continue to ask:

Am I showing my faith through continued prayer about everything?

Am I praying that God’s justice will prevail and that His purposes will be accomplished completely—now and forever?

If the answers are no, then as believers we need to ask ourselves if we are really living for and looking for His return (Rev 19–22).

Do we actually have the faith for which Jesus is looking?

Wednesday before last we were studying Ephesians 1 in our Wednesday Bible study.

I asked us to consider verse 15 where the Apostle Paul commends the Ephesian church by saying:

I have heard of your faith.

I have heard of your love.

I asked the question:

If the Apostle Paul were to walk into our service and he were to look around, speak to people, stay for the service:

What might he see, hear or experience that confirmed or denied FAITH in our individual lives? In our corporate body?

What might he see, hear or experience that confirmed or denied LOVE in our individual lives? In our corporate body?

Seeing Faith

First of all, it IS possible to SEE faith

It is possible to “see” of “hear” faith:

Matthew 9:2 (NLT) Some people brought to [Jesus] a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.”

It is possible to see faith on an individual and a corporate level. Including:

Seeing people come forward for prayer when they are sick

Worship

Responding to the altar call (whatever the call: for humility, stronger relationship with Jesus, greater passion, more prayer, etc.)

As we look at our lives do WE see faith?

Hearing Faith

Secondly, it IS possible to HEAR faith

In Luke 7:8–9 (NASB95) [a centurion who had come to Jesus said] “For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 9 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”

If we were the proverbial “fly on a wall” listening to our conversations would we HEAR faith?

What fills our conversations?

Is there even a speck of FAITH in our conversations?

Let alone are our conversations saturated with faith in Jesus.

Sister Carol was saying this week that she heard of the death of a sister in Christ who, through her conversations, would point to faith in Jesus.

I have mentioned that I remember a man in New Iberia, LA, Brother Butts, who would ask, when he saw you … do you ever just think about Jesus?

Jesus HEARD the centurion express faith.

Does He hear us express faith?

Lord, Help Us Be A Faith-Filled Church

God is calling on His Church to stand tall in these days of despair.

Ephesians 6:10–13 (NASB95) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

Is the Church, are WE, as individuals and as the Body of Christ, standing firm against the schemes of the devil?

As Jesus looks at this gathering, does He see faith?

Does He see His Body standing strong against the schemes of the devil?

Prevailing against the gates of hell?

Does Jesus hear His Body invoking His Name and the POWER of that Name to bind and to loose on this earth?

Do we have faith enough to do that?