Faithlessness as disobedience

AS I look at America, I look at the failures, divide and the hate filling the air waves. I say to my self, What is wrong with America.

Faithlessness among the ungodly

In their character and lifestyle

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Examples of faithless men

Nabal; Haman; Herod the Great; Demetrius

The faithless appear to prosper

Jeremiah 12:1 ESV

Righteous are you, O Lord, when I complain to you; yet I would plead my case before you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?

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Faithlessness results in judgment

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Faithlessness among the Jews

Their failure to trust God for deliverance

Isaiah 31:1 ESV

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord!

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Their rejection of the gospel

John 12:37–38 ESV

Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

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Specific examples

the people of Nazareth; the rich young ruler; Many Jews reject Paul’s ministry in Rome; Paul’s own persecution of the church arose from unbelief in Jesus Christ.

Israel’s estrangement from God

Matthew 21:43 ESV

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.

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The acceptance of the Gentiles

The Jews’ rejection of the gospel opens the way for Gentiles to be incorporated into the people of God, represented here as branches grafted onto a cultivated olive tree.

Israel’s faithlessness is partial and temporary

Though the people as a whole have rejected Jesus Christ, a faithful remnant remains; ; God’s purpose for the faithful of Israel is their ultimate salvation.

Faithlessness among believers

Lack of faith is rebuked

Matthew 14:30–31 ESV

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

See also worrying about food and clothing; Fear during a storm at sea; inability to cast out a demon

Causes of faithlessness

failure to learn from the lessons of the past; failure to accept teaching that has been given

We Are to Grow in Faith

Examples of growing faith

​ ESV We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

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Weak faith

Weak faith rebuked

​ ESVAnd why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

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Other examples of weak faith

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Strong faith

Strong faith commended and encouraged

​ ESV let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

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The faith of OT leaders

Obadiah; Hezekiah

The faith of Christian leaders

; :7See also Stephen; Barnabas; Paul

Paul’s encouragements to Timothy:

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Other examples of strong faith

​ ESVThough the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

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The growth of faith

Praying for more faith

​ ESVThe apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

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The encouragement of others

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Faith strengthened through testing

​ ESVIn hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

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Doing Church God’s Way

God’s Plan for the Church

1. We exercise His gifts for ministry (4:7–10).

a. We received a spiritual gift when we were saved (

Romans 12:6–8 ESV

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

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1 Peter 4:10 ESV

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:

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b. We each need to discover our spiritual gift.

c. We each need to exercise our spiritual gift .

1 Corinthians 12:14–26 ESV

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

d. We need to build the ministries of the church around spiritual gifts.

2. We implement His plan for ministry (4:11, 12a).

a. His plan is for gifted leaders to equip gifted people (4:11, 12).

b. His plan is for equipped and gifted people to do the work of the ministry (4:12).

i. It means that every believer is a minister.

ii. It means the success of the church’s ministry depends on the people.

iii. It means the ministries of the church are to be born out of the heart of the people who make up the body.

Read Verse 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

ESV And he gave

The body has many members, the church has many members and leaders. Jesus/ God has called and given the church many leaders over the years, from Pentecost to now. He gives these men for teaching and leadership for our walk and daily lives. To build us up and to teach us and help prepare and encourage us to go out. To do the work of Christ, to share/ to care/ to love/ to be more Christ like.

Read Verse 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

ESV unity of the faith

These teachers should be bringing us together, not dividing us. Christ tore down the veil/ wall and no man shall build it back. We should stop being so critical of others as we grow together at different speeds. 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ,;

ESV mature manhood

We are not to stay as babes, We are to mature in our faith. We are to progress from milk to solid food of the gospel. Have faith like children but obedience of Christ (8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.), We continue to grow in the character of Christ 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

Read Verse 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

ESV we may no longer be children

If we stay children of Faith, we will fall or could fall for any explanation of scripture or deceitful trick or scheme, because we have not matured in our understanding or testing. A Child is trusting and taught to trust adults, and in most cases not taught to test what is said.

Read Verse 15-16 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

ESV speaking the truth in love

We are encouraged to speak truth in love, what does this mean? It means we are to be truthful, but we are also to be concerned for others. If we have to correct someone, do so gently and with love. We are not to speak ill of or at others. We are not to speak in a way to encourage evil. (2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.), 11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.; In our personal lives, we should speak truth/ Seek truth/ grow in truth in turn we speak in love/ seek in love/ grow in love and we do this by keeping Jesus commandments. in Jesus tells us so. Also in we will sacrifice our self for others. & the more we seek the more we find and this will free us from temptations.

ESV the whole body

The church is the body of Christ, Christ is the head of the church (23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.) which is fitting because we get our nourishment from the head, but also learning and guidance. The head knits or hold the body together col 2:19 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. - it brings unity No member is greater than He, no member is greater than another member. We are all under Him and His authority. 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

(ESV)

14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is,God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it,25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

The Results of Following God’s Plan

• We will be united in doctrine (4:13).

• We will have a deeper relationship with Christ (4:13).

• We will mature spiritually (4:13).

• We will be stable in the faith (4:14).

• We will proclaim the truth in love (15).

• We will experience true unity as we each do our part (16).