Sermon Tone Analysis

*Sermon Idea:*  Faith in God is one of the most crucial commodities of the Christian faith.

Without it we cannot please God – with it we can conquer giants and move mountains.

This series is looking at different aspects of faith.

Today we look at Faith’s Voice – faith that is alive speaks the words of God and has a strong public confession that is crucial to see God’s heart made manifest in reality in the earth.

*INTRO*:  ELIM City Church has a vision.

We believe God has called us to become a church of *INFLUENCE* in our nation and nations of the world.

We are a multi-national church that has a love for ALL people – no matter what the colour of your skin or your ethnic background.

/Red, yellow, black or white – we are all the same in GOD’S SIGHT!/

Our vision is to become a church of *2000 members* that is having a radical influence upon our communities.

We have a city vision with a community focus.

We are part of a wider congregation called ELIM Christian Centre – a multiple campus church.

In total we are believing to influence the lives of 10,000 Aucklanders over our current 3 campuses.

Why?

Because Jesus said, \\ *Matthew 5:16 (NKJV) **"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.*

We exist to give glory to our Father in Heaven – to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

We cannot do this or achieve this goal without having a radical reformation inside of us to do with *FAITH in God*!

 

*RECAP*:  Last time I spoke about how *OVERCOMING FAITH* is formed in our spirit-man and how we can nurture and protect God’s seeds of faith in our heart.

We understand that *1 John 5:4 (NKJV) */For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.

And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith./

/ /

We need faith that is BORN of GOD that will overcome every obstacle in front of us.

To achieve the call of God over our congregation and steward that call – we must become OVERCOMERS.

Amen!

Today I want to talk about Faith’s voice – the fact that faith that is born in our hearts by God has a voice – *FAITH SPEAKS!*

 

*Words are Under-valued in our Culture*

 

The spoken word is often held in low esteem today.

We say things like *“words are cheap*” or “*all talk and no action”*.

Through newspaper, television, broken election promises and our own abuse of the spoken word, we have little or no understanding of just how important words are.

The Bible, however, has a lot to say about the power of the spoken word:

 

*Matthew 12:36 (NKJV) **"But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

*

 

*Jesus* regards every word we say as being important – so important in fact, that every idle word we say will be brought into account.

Why does Jesus Christ consider our words to be of such importance?

*1.

Faith’s Voice has created and constructed the World *

 

Listen – the whole universe is constructed and held together by the power of words:

 

*Hebrews 1:3 (NKJV) *who being the brightness of /His/ glory and the express image of His person, and *upholding all things by the word of His power*, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high

 

*God Himself operates by faith*.

Before he created the universe He held a *picture in his mind* of what the world and the universe looked like.

He had a plan, a purpose and a vision inside Himself.

He believed it, was convinced about it, before his plan had even appeared.

Neither man, nor the earth or the universe itself was in existence.

Nothing was visible except what His inward eyes were able to see.  *God’s faith saw what was to come.*

Then one day everything was physically manifested.

*How*?

God spoke it out!

\\ *Genesis 1:3 (NKJV) *Then God said, "Let there *be* light"; and there was light.

God spoke and the world came into existence.

He said “*be*” and it was.

As God’s words came out of his mouth, His power was released and what was in his heart in the form of a picture and a conviction became a manifested, physical reality.

How?

By the power which flowed out from His spoken Word.

*Isaiah 55:11 (NKJV) *So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper /in the thing/ for which I sent it.

*Psalms 33:9 (NKJV) *For He spoke, and it was /done/; He commanded, and it stood fast.

*2.

Faith’s Voice operates like the Royal commands of a King.*

* *

*a.

Man is created to Rule on the Earth*

 

*Genesis 1:26 (NKJV) *Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

Man should be like God, think like God, act like God and speak like God.  *NOT BE GOD!*

But be like God.

We have been made in His likeness and in His image.

*God is KING*.

His Word are commands which when issued are intended to change the state of things.

When God created man he placed him also in a position of DOMINION over creation, saying “fill the earth and subdue it”.

*b.

Man has been given delegated authority in the Earth.*

Man was appointed to the lofty position of leadership over the earth:

 

*Psalms 115:16 (NKJV) *The heaven, /even/ the heavens, /are/ the LORD s; But the earth He has given to the children of men.

*How do we carry out this responsibility*?

In the same way God does!  God rules as a King – he speaks his royal commands and it is done.

When man comes into close fellowship with God, receives a picture of what God wants to do in the future.

This is meant to be spoken out and watch God’s creative power released through our words.

We see a little of this with *Adam naming the animals* (Genesis 2:19).

Have you ever wondered how hard that would be without God’s help?

 

*c.

The Devil wants to steal the authority of God’s Word*

 

What went wrong?

The devil came to sow doubt regarding the Word of God (*Gen.3:1*)

*/“has God indeed said…..?”/* – causing man to fall into sin and die spiritually.

Here is the satanic pattern – *SOW DOUBT IN THE RELIABILITY OF GOD’S WORD IN OUR HEARTS AND STEAL THE AUTHORITY OF GOD’S CREATIVE POWER FROM OUR LIVES.*

Listen – faith is crucial to the outcomes of God’s purposes in the earth and this is why the devil attacks the very core of what moves God’s people ahead – the SPOKEN word of FAITH.

/The devil gets us to believe and act upon his words instead/ and this gives the devil the right to steal, kill and destroy – something he has been doing right up to this day.

Words filled with faith release the power of God, while words filled with */doubt, criticism, unbelief and hatred/* *release the devil’s power* and give him free reign to cause havoc.

*We have regained our position to act with royal authority on the planet – just as Adam did in the beginning before falling prey to the devil’s tactics of doubting the validity and authority of God’s words.*

*1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV) *But you /are/ a chosen generation, a *royal priesthood*, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may *proclaim* the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

 

*Revelation 1:6 (NKJV) *and has made us *kings* and priests to His God and Father, to Him /be/ glory and dominion forever and ever.

Amen.

*d.

Example Jesus recommends:  The Centurion solder *

 

*Matthew 8:8-10 (NKJV) 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/."

*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!

 

*This man understood the *power* and *authority* of words.*

Jesus marveled because of this mans understanding of the significance of words.

The centurion knew that because of Jesus’ position of LORDSHIP, what Jesus spoke would release the power of God.

 

*He believed in the power of faith-filled words!*

 

/Jesus walked on the earth, holding the same position that Adam had prior to the fall.

With his words He healed the sick, rebuked storms, cursed the fig tree, raised the dead, and fed thousands of people./

*3.

Faith’s Voice has a good confession*

 

*a.

By the confession of our mouths we become saved:*