Faith for the Greater Works
Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 1:17:48
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· 855 viewsThe true believer is destined to do the works of God and manifest them to greater magnitude for God's glory.
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The True Believer’s Destiny
The True Believer’s Destiny
The True Believer is destined to do the works of God and manifest them to greater magnitude for the glory of God.
The true believer - because there are so many imitation faith in the world today.
destined to manifest - It is God’s purpose that a people will rise on earth who are not dependent on the “self” - feelings, imaginations, will - but on God.
James 2.5 - chosen to be rich in faith…
Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
works of God - because life is not about us - it is about God and His will.
Ephesians 2.10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
greater magnitude - Jesus acts was just the seed, the fullness will manifest in the Church
True Faith is based on the person of Christ
True Faith is based on the person of Christ
The world says: “believe in yourself”
Examples of “believe in yourself”
Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy. - Norman Vincent Peale
You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself. - Swami Vivekananda
I believe that God has put gifts and talents and ability on the inside of every one of us. When you develop that and you believe in yourself and you believe that you're a person of influence and a person of purpose, I believe you can rise up out of any situation. - Joel Osteen
"Always be yourself and have faith in yourself. Do not go out and look for a successful personality and try to duplicate it." --Bruce Lee
"Wouldn't it be powerful if you fell in love with yourself so deeply that you would do just about anything if you knew it would make you happy? This is precisely how much life loves you and wants you to nurture yourself. The deeper you love yourself, the more the universe will affirm your worth. Then you can enjoy a lifelong love affair that brings you the richest fulfillment from inside out." --Alan Cohen
Why people fall for the mantra “believe in yourself”
It removes God from the equation
It removes man’s accountability for every sin and wrong
It exalts the “self” above God and others
It makes man feel good without the guilt of sin.
Jesus said: “Believe in Me”
John 14.1, 10-12
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
John 3.18
“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 6.29
Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
Why not believe in self
Romans 3.4
Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.”
Jeremiah 17.5-10
Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord.
For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.
Proverbs 28.26
He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.
Jeremiah 9.23
Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
Jeremiah 10.23
O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
True Faith is doing the same work Jesus did
True Faith is doing the same work Jesus did
Jesus did what He saw and heard from the Father.
John 14.10
Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.
John 5.19
Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
John 8.28-29
Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”
The believer’s faith will cause him/her to do the same works of Christ.
Follow me and I will make you fishers of men
My food is to do the will of the Father
Greater love has no man than this...
The Son of man did not come to be served…
my kingdom is not of this world...
lay not treasures on earth…
I did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill…
True Faith will magnify the works of Jesus
True Faith will magnify the works of Jesus
Jesus’s works “grew”
John 5.20-21, 25
For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.
Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.
first the lame walked
later, the dead was raised
See John 11.4, 25-26, 39-44
When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”
Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”
Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”
Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”
And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”
Jesus wants our faith to grow
Matthew 17.20-21
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. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
faith as a mustard seed
faith increases when supported with fasting
Faith grows from seeing to doing
John 1.50
Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
Nathaniel believed because he saw
Jesus promises he will see “greater things”
John 14.12
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
greater works will be performed by the believer
greater in number, testimony, extent
Conclusion
Don’t let your faith stagnate. Let it grow!
Don’t let your faith stagnate. Let it grow!
Faith grows when these three things are present:
1. Word of God
2. Presence of God
3. Experience with God
1. The Word of God
Faith exists where there is the Word of God.
The Word of God is the the food that nurtures the faith.
2. The Presence of God
Faith grows in the presence of God.
The Presence of God is the fire that drives the faith.
3. Experience with God
Faith is emboldened when exposed to testimonies and personal experiences.
The more experience you have in the work of God that stronger your faith becomes.
The secret, therefore, is to keep on working and doing the work of God if you want to see your faith grow.
Examples
1. Elisha - saw the power of God in Elijah up to his rapture
2 Kings 2.14 - he cried “where is the God of Elijah?”
Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over.
2. The Disciples - they had the Word, they received the Holy Spirit, they have living experience with Christ
Acts 3.6
Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
3. Bro. Branham - faith must move up, level up, grow up of we will not make it to the rapture.
4 And I want you to get built up now in the… this Holy Oracles of God, in the Faith, the Faith of this hour. The Faith! It's going to take more faith than ever was in any age, for this has to be rapturing faith, be taken up. And so we want you to believe tonight in all that you have seen, heard, the Word that you have heard preached, the—the signs and wonders that you have seen done. We want you to accumulate all that together in your heart, and consider it, whether if that be God or not. - 65-0718E - Spiritual Food In Due Season, Rev. William Marrion Branham
75 And then there's coming forth seven mysterious thunders that's not even written at all. That's right. And I believe that through those seven thunders will be revealed in the last days in order to get the Bride together for rapturing faith; because what we got right now, we wouldn't be able to do it. There's something we've got to step farther; we can't have enough faith for Divine healing hardly. We've got to have enough faith to be changed in a moment and be swept up out of this earth… - 63-0318 - The First Seal
Jesus said, "Say to this mountain…" And you've heard the—about what's been taken place; that's the ministry that we're entering into. We're way up the road now. Soon the coming of the Lord Jesus. And we've got to have rapturing faith in a church that can be changed in a moment in a twinkling of an eye to go out, or we'll not go. But don't worry, it'll be there. It'll be there... - 59-1219 - Questions And Answers On The Holy Ghost