Little Faith

Text: Matthew 16:5-12

Place Preached - (Mississauga International Baptist Church)

Date Preached - (02/23/03)

Introduction:   

A little faith will bring your soul to heaven; a great faith will bring heaven to your soul.  -  Spurgeon

What are you missing by not trusting God?

I mean what benefits? What privileges? What blessings are absent, not revealed in your life if you are not a person of faith?

1. Could it be the fulfillment of temporal needs being met?

Material things / New home / new car

A better job / Closer friends

Healing etc.

2. Could it be answered prayer?

Matthew 21:22  And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

God will respond to our faith with answered prayer and through meeting our temporal needs.

But there is even a greater benefit of faith revealed in our text.

CONTEXT of today’s passage (Matt. 16:5-12)

Chapters 15-18 are transitional.

The focus shifts from the Kingdom in earlier chapters (Jewish audience) to the cross.

We have witnessed the utter rejection of Christ by His own people.

Chapter 16 culminates with Peter’s great confession of faith in contrast with the sentiment of the culture.

Matthew 16:16  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

It was after Peter’s confession that we read.....

John 7:1  After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.

In vs. 1-4 We have the Conflict with those who have NO Faith.

In vs. 5-12 There is Confusion among those with LITTLE Faith.

EXPLAIN EVENTS of the Passage

Shortly after feeding the 4,000 Christ had suddenly departed.  Now the disciples followed.

In their haste (to be with Christ) they forgot to take bread.

We would say Childish, Neglecting, Careless!!

NOTE – Their common practice was to provide and carry provisions with them. (Eg. They go for meat while Christ shares with the woman of Samaria John 4).

Mark 8 tells us they did have one loaf with them.

They were forgetful, careless, neglectful, but Christ does not rebuke them for this.

WHY?  There is another matter more serious.

Matthew 16:6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees .

IT’S NOT ABOUT THE BREAD!

Verse 7 The disciples thought this way.

They reasoned – “to deliberate, reckon the reasons”

They thought He must be rebuking us for our neglect.  They had their focus on lack of the physical provision.

In verse 8 Jesus questions them regarding their little faith.

His earlier warning had nothing whatsoever to do with material provision.

It was a statement of Spiritual Warning.

Why should the disciples be anxious over their material needs?  Had they not been eyewitnesses of Christ’s power of provision?

Two EXAMPLES given....

The feeding of the 5,000 and the 4,000.

In both cases the emphasis of Christ is upon the baskets remaining. WHY?

It demonstrates God’s abundant provision.

If He could supply an overabundance for vast multitudes, could He not supply all the needs of these few men?

Verse 12 – Finally, the disciples understood.

Jesus was communicating a spiritual principle, not reprimanding them for a material oversight.

EXPLAIN – Doctrine of Pharisees & Sadducees

LEAVEN -

“leaven, sour dough, in a high state of fermentation,” was used in general in making bread. It required time to fulfill the process.

The prohibition on leaven, as that on honey ( Lv. 2:11 ), was possibly made because fermentation implied disintegration and corruption, and to the Hebrew anything in a decayed state suggested uncleanness. Rabbinical writers often used leaven as a symbol of evil and of man’s hereditary corruption ( cf. also Ex. 12:8 , 15–20 ).

1 Corinthians 5:6-8

6Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

7Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

8Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

The corrupt principles and practices of the Pharisees and Sadducees are compared to leaven; they were souring, and swelling, and spreading, like leaven; they fermented wherever they came.

PHARISEES –

The Pharisees’ hypocrisy and preoccupation with outward show

SADDUCEES –

The Sadducees’ scepticism

They Rejected resurrection, immortality of the soul etc.

So what is it all about?  What is the big problem?  What is it the disciples missed in their little faith?

HERE IT IS – They missed an important spiritual truth, a spiritual principle, a warning concerning the false teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

APPLICATION – Without faith our Focus becomes so earthly, so material, so temporal.....

That we fail to see, understand, or discern spiritual truth, principles that will guide us safely through this vale of sorrows.

Hebrews 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Faith in God for even the temporal concerns of life is like a window on the wonderful spiritual promises of His Word!!

APPLICATIONS:

1. A person who is living for, occupied by the temporal is not living by faith!

2 Corinthians 5:7  (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

2. A person who is not applying spiritual principles to their life is not living by faith!!

Not willing to see what God has to say to your life..... What the Word of God has to say to your situation......

Looking everywhere else for answers.

3. A person who cannot make sense out of their present temporal surroundings is not living by faith!!!

You are not putting life’s situations in the great context of God’s Word.

...............of God’s plan for the ages......of His plan for your life!!!

ILLUS: Spritual WHITEOUT!!!

What are some of the situations in which we are prone to have a lack of faith, or little faith?

Christ used the title “Little Faith” to describe His disciples on four occasions in the book of Matthew.

We will look at these four occurrences and see how closely this applies to our own lives.

I. Matt:16:8

Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread ?

Lack of Material Provision

EXAMPLES – Lose your Job / Financial setbacks / Rent Increase etc.

You Now have your focus on all these concerns – They are the wrong priorities.

Before long you are not looking to God.

You are goin to miss out on some important spiritual principles...

....some work of God in your life.

II. Matt. 6:30

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith ?

Anxious Care For Tomorrow

ILLUS: Worry is like a snowball.

Caught up in things that might happen.... rather than God’s work of grace for today.

III. Matt. 8:26

(CONTEXT) Storm on Sea while Jesus slept.

And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith ? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

The Prospect of Imminent Danger

They had lost sight of Christ’s nearness. He was in the Boat!!!

The Dangers of life can loom so large and seem so threatening that we actually lose sight of Christ’s presence!!

IV. Matt. 14:31

(CONTEXT) Christ walking on water – then Peter.

And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt ?

Circumstances that Distract us From Christ

Conclusion:     (Review)

MAIN POINT!!!

John Wesley said: "Bring me a worm that can comprehend a man, and then I will show you a man that can comprehend the triune God!"

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