FIXING FAULTY FAITH!
Notes
Transcript
Week 49 (1st Sunday) Communion Sunday
This Week’s Theme: When Your Faith Falls Short
Word for the week is Trust: Relying completely on God when your own strength is not enough.
Memory verse: Mark 9:23 Jesus said to him, “If[a] you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
Sermon Focus: A faith that looks to Jesus is a powerful faith.
Sermon Passage: Matthew 17:14-20
17 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.”
I. DEFICIT DEPENDANCE
I. DEFICIT DEPENDANCE
14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying,
15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.
ASKED FOR HELP RELIEF AID
ON BEHALF OF HIS SON
HEAR HIS DISAPPOINTMENT
16 So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”
DON’T MISS IT
LOOK CAREFULLY
THE FATHER SAID
I BROUGHT HIM TO YOUR DISCIPLES
THE FATHER SOUGHT HELP FROM HIS DISCIPLES FIRST
HE WENT TO THE SERVANTS INSTEAD OF THE SAVIOR.
HE LOOKED TO THE HELPERS INSTEAD OF THE HEALER.
HIS FAITH WAS IMPERFECT, INDIRECT, AND SECOND-HAND
GOD SHOULD BE THE SOURCE OF HIS FAITH
THE PROPHET STATED IN Jeremiah 17:5
5 Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord.
ISN’T THIS SIMILAR TO SOME SAINTS TODAY
WHO LOOK TO
PASTORS
MINISTERS
OR METHODS
RATHER THAN GOING TO THE MASTER
ARE YOU GUILTY OF
SEEKING OUT
CHRIST’S MESSENGERS RATHER THAN THE MESSIAH.
ARE YOU GUILTY OF
SEEKING OUT
CHRIST’S WORKERS INSTEAD OF THE ONE WHO WORKS MIRACLES
THE PSALMIST PROCLAIMED
8 It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man.
Jesus had given them authority to cast out demons
LOOK AT Matt. 10:1
1 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.
But in Matthew 17 VERSE 16
THEY FAILED
THEY COULD NOT CAST THE DEMON OUT
They had experience (Mark 6:13
13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.
YET THEIR DEPENDANCE WAS DEFICIENT
THEIR FAITH WAS FAULTY
Authority alone does not guarantee success.
ADRIAN ROGERS SAID THAT
YOU CAN’T BE OVER WHAT GOD HAS PLACED UNDER YOU UNTIL YOU ARE UNDER WHO GOD HAS OVER YOU
Power flows from ongoing dependence on God.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
CONSIDER JESUS WORDS
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
SEE THE DEFICIT DEPENDANCE
BUT ALSO THE
II. DIMINISHED DEVOTION
II. DIMINISHED DEVOTION
17 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.”
Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation,
JESUS IDENTIFIES THE ROOT: A POWERLESS FAITH
THEY WERE FAITHLESS,
THEY WERE UNBELIEVING,
THEY WERE LACKING IN FAITH,
THEY WERE WITHOUT FAITH
THEIR FAITH WAS LITTLE
BEING GOD IN HUMAN FLESH
JESUS KNEW WHERE THEIR FAITH WAS
PLUS,
IT IS NOT LIKE JESUS HAD NOT SEEN GREAT FAITH
REMEMBER
The Centurion in Capernaum
THIS Roman centurion asks Jesus to heal his servant.
When Jesus offers to come, the centurion respondED WITH THESE WORDS
LOOK AT VERSE 8 AND 9
8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.
9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
LISTEN TO JESUS
10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!
THE ROMAN RECOGNIZED THAT
DISTANCE DIDN’T DIMINISH JESUS’ POWER
JUST SPEAK THE WORD
LIKE HE DID IN CREATION
HE BELIEVED THAT THE SON OF GOD COULD HEAL
HE ALSO BELIEVED IN JESUS’ AUTHORITY
Authority = the Right to Act
Authority is the legal, rightful, delegated permission to do something.
It speaks of position, commission, and authorization.
Power is the ability to carry out what authority permits.
The Canaanite (Syrophoenician) Woman
A Gentile woman begs Jesus to deliver her demon-oppressed daughter.
After Jesus tests her persistence, she humbly appeals to His mercy.
THEN JESUS SAID IN Matthew 15:28
28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
She WAS DETERMINED BECAUSE GOD WAS HER ONLY HOPE
SHE TRUSTED THAT JESUS IS A GOD
TO THE JEW AND THE GENTILE
HE CROSSES BEYOND
ETHNIC AND CULTURAL BOUNDARIES
BUT IN CONTRAST
HERE IN VERSE 17
17 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.”
JESUS IDENTIFIES THE ROOT:
FIRST, FAITHLESS, TO BE UNBELIEVING, TO BE LACKING IN FAITH, WITHOUT FAITH
SECONDLY, A PERVERTED (TWISTED) PERVERSE CROOKED TURN AWAY FROM THE RIGHT PATH CORRUPT
AND POWERLESS FAITH
THEIR DEVOTION WAS MISALIGNED WITH GOD’S WILL
LOOK AT ISAIAH 29:13
13 Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
FAITH LOSES POWER WHEN IT DRIFTS FROM PRAYER AND GOD-DIRECTED DEPENDENCE
III. DIRECTED DETERMINATION
III. DIRECTED DETERMINATION
LOOK AT VERSE 18
18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.
JESUS REBUKED MEANING TO tax with fault, rate, chide, rebuke, reprove, censure severely
IN JOHN 2 HE SHOWED HIS AUTHORITY OVER THE ELEMENTS
WHEN HE TURNED WATER INTO WINE
IN Matthew 8:26 HE SHOWED HIS AUTHORITY OVER NATURE
He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
IN Matthew 14:30-31
30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
SHOWING HIS AUTHORITY OVER THE DEMONS
LOOK BACK AT Matthew 17:19
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”
JESUS DEMONSTRATES TRUE POWER: AUTHORITY + DEPENDENCE
THE DISCIPLES NOR ANY SAINT CANNOT JUST THINK THAT THEY ARE IN CONTROL
THEIR COLLAPSE SENT THEM BACK TO CHRIST
THEIR SHORTFALL SENT THEM BACK TO THE SAVIOR
THE DISCIPLES WERE DETERMINED
FIX THEIR FAULTY FAITH
IT STARTS WITH BEING HONEST
THAT YOU CAN’T BUT HE CAN
WHAT ABOUT YOU
CAN YOU SEE OUR SHORTCOMINGS?
FAITH MIXED WITH HUMAN SOLUTIONS LIKE ABRAHAM
ARE WILLING TO
CONFESS YOUR CONSTRAINTS
THAT MAYBE
YOU HAVE BEEN LIVING ON THE VICTORIES OF THE PAST
ARE WILLING TO
FACE YOUR FRAILTY
YOU BEEN HAVING FAITH IN YOUR FAITH
NOT FAITH IN GOD
ARE WILLING TO
ADMIT YOUR INADEQUACY
YOU CAN’T
BUT GOD CAN
YOU CAN’T FIX YOURSELF
YOU CAN’T GET YOURSELF TOGETHER
WITHOUT FOLLOWING HIM
LOOK AT VERSE 20
20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
MUSTARD-SEED FAITH = SMALL BUT PLACED IN GOD, NOT SELF
FAITH IS POWERFUL NOT BECAUSE OF ITS SIZE, BUT BECAUSE OF ITS SOURCE—
NOT BECAUSE OF WHAT WE WANT, BUT BECAUSE OF WHO GOD IS..
GOD MOVES MOUNTAINS WHERE FAITH RESTS IN HIS POWER, HIS WILL, AND HIS PROMISES
20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,
21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
IS YOUR
FAITH MIXED WITH FEAR
FAITH MIXED WITH SELF-RELIANCE
FAITH MIXED WITH IMPATIENCE
FAITH MIXED WITH PRIDE
FAITH DIRECTED AT THE WRONG SOURCE
FAITH UNALIGNED WITH GOD’S WILL
HAVE
Faith in His will, not our wishes
Trust in His purpose, not our preferences
Confidence in His plan, not our passions
Dependence on His design, not our desires
Hope in His agenda, not our ambitions
FAITH SHOULD NEVER BE DISCONNECTED FROM PRAYER
FAITH IS UNLESS IF NOT IT IS NOT IN GOD ALMIGHTY
BECAUSE IT IS NOT ME BUT HIM
IT IS NOT
NOT MY HUSTLE, BUT HIS HELP
NOT MY MIGHT, BUT HIS MERCY
NOT MY PUSH, BUT HIS POWER
REMEMBER MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS THAT
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
JESUS DIRECTED THEIR DETERMINATION TO
HIM
NOT THE SIZE OF YOUR FAITH
BUT THE SOURCE OF YOUR FAITH
NOT THE MAGNITUDE OF YOUR FAITH
BUT THE MIGHT OF YOUR GOD
FAITH IS EFFECTIVE NOT BECAUSE IT IS GREAT,
BUT BECAUSE GOD IS GREAT.
PUT YOUR TRUST IN GOD
19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
WINE WAS NEEDED IN CANA
SIGHT WAS NEEDED BY THE BLIND
HEARING WAS NEEDED BY THE DEAF
VOICE WAS NEEDED BY THE MUTE
WALKING WAS NEEDED BY THE LAME
LOVE WAS NEEDED
COMPASSION WAS NEEDED
PRAYER WAS NEEDED
TEACHING WAS NEEDED
PREACHING WAS NEEDED
MERCY WAS NEEDED
SALVATION WAS NEEDED
HIS HEAD WAS NEEDED
HIS HANDS WAS NEEDED
HIS SIDE WAS NEEDED
HIS LIFE WAS NEEDED AND HE GAVE HIS LIFE THAT WE MAY LIVE.
