Just Have Faith

Welcome/Scripture

Welcome. hope you guys are doing well. If you don’t know me. HI my name is Jesse and I am one of the leaders around Hillsong Phoenix. I hope you guys are doing well.

Y’all got your bibles? if you do we are going to

A little bit of backstory, we are diving into the story of Abram, he is a key factor in our Faith. In the portion of story we are picking up in where Terah’s who is Abram’s dad had just passed away.

Okay, y’all ready?

2.) Y’all got your bibles? if you do we are going to

English Standard Version Chapter 12

The Call of Abram

12 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

Let’s pray.

Connection piece

Y’all ever been to Six Flags?

Do y’all like it?

You see I did like until one ride....

*picture of Superman: Tower of Power*

Here is the deal y’all… I don’t understand what kind of evil person would create a ride like this. I love rollarcosters those are dope you spinning around super fast it makes sense it would be at a theme park. but, what doesn’t make sense is this ride straight from the pit of Hell. you’re telling me people actually like going SUPERRR high then just drop?

Let me explain something to you. I am a big dude. I don’t like heights. So here I am in Texas getting on my version of Hell. Looking at this thing just not in the mood.

You know that person that you know doesn’t want to be there. They got the face, the stance, and the attitude? That was me.

So we are getting on this ride and they are like in case that you get stuck at the top do not try and unbuckle and get out of the ride.

First thing: If this thing gets stuck, you will feel my wrath.

Second thing: Who in there right mind would EVER unbuckle and get out of this death contraption?

SO, they just made this whole experience worse, but here I go. I am commited and mama didn’t raise a quitter.

We go up, it stops in the middle and I am like i swear. That was part of the ride though. then we get to the top and we just top and like 2 minutes pass and I am like dude we are like 400 ft in the air. Lord you better get me off this ride. Then we hear over the intercom system:

Please stay seated and do not get unbuckled. We are experiencing technical difficulties.

So, here I AM saying Jesus you BETTER get me out of here. It’s Texas during the summer so I am sweating bullets because of the heat and because of my fear of this stupid ride.

The friend I was with his name was Benny. I looked at him and my boy was straight chilling and he said Jess, just have Faith and as soon as he said Faith the ride started slowly going down.

Spiritual Breakdown

Could that be God in your life right now? Could God be looking at you amidst your pain saying just have faith?

Do you need faith for your failed relationship? Do you need faith for you family not going to church? Do you need faith for your broken heart by your best friend?

I believe we serve a God who says Son/Daughter JUST HAVE FAITH.

Come on does anybody believe that?

C.S. Lewis said Faith is the art of holding onto your reason has once accepted, in spit of your changing moods.

I get it life can suck, but God didn’t promise you an easy life…

he promised you peace for a hard one. Come on. Does anybody believe that?

I have 3 things we can learn from what God said to Abram and what I know he wants his kids to know about today.

y’all ready?

English Standard Version Chapter 12

12 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

If you aren’t moving towards God he can’t show you his plans.

I think a lot of Christians few God as transaction. That I give God some of my money and he will bless it. Instead of giving out of obedience. Here is the deal: God can do what he wants. What makes it easier is if you actually engage with him.

If you aren’t faithful with the little, God won’t trust you with the big things in your life.

Get to know your God, your Jesus, and your Holy Spirit

Are you going to allow God to get close to you?

Evangelical Commentary on the Bible A. The Call of Abram (12:1–9)

A. The call of Abram (12:1–9). God’s first word to Abram is an imperative: leave! The three things he is to leave behind are arranged in ascending order: country, people, father’s household. The imperative is followed by a series of promises relating to progeny, reputation, and blessing.

English Standard Version Chapter 12

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed

2. God’s got your back through the pain

a. God is telling Abram here that dude, I get what I am telling you is a little crazy. That this a big dream, but I got you.

b. I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

c. I will bless those who bless you

d. and him who dishonors you I will curse

e. God is telling Abram no matter what you go through I GOT YOU. You don’t got yourself. I GOT YOU.

d. Do you believe in God’s favor and blessing over your life?

English Standard Version Chapter 12

So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

3. As the praises goes up, the blessings come down.

a. Abram recognized his blessing and realized he had to praise God because it’s not from his doing.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ge 12:4). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

b. This is something I have struggled with in my walk with God. I forget that the reason I am doing well in life is because God is allowing me to do well in life.

c. It wasn’t until recently that I began to praise God in the pain and surrender the blessing to Him as a sacrifice.

d. Let me explain: If God wants to take away my job I have to be okay with that even though it’s a dream job it means God has something better for my future.

e. Are you going to be okay if God tells you to end that relationship? that one thing you really like doing? Video games? Are you going to listen to his call or just shrug it off like not a big deal?

In Closing

Closing deal

Y’all remember Benny right? He’s the dude who told me to “Jess, Just Have Faith”

We met in High School and we eventually just stopped talking. Not because we were mad at each other. Life happens after High School though.

One day I was working and I get a call. I immediately recognized the voice. It was Benny. He sounded faint though. You could tell in his voice something was wrong.

He would go on to tell me that he renounced his faith and that he hated God because God allowed him to get Stage 4 colon cancer.

my heart just hit the flow because I remember that day we were on that ride and he looked at me with a calmness and said “Jess, Just Have Faith.”

I flew out to Texas to see him. He was tiny, you could tell he’d be fighting this fight for a long time. He’d been through so many chemo treatments. He’d be through so many people telling him it will be okay. God’s got you. He’d be through so many tears.

I remember just being present for him in that moment as he yelled out that God didn’t have his back, that he wish he would just take him away.

And I stopped him… I looked into his eyes and heart and said “Benny, Just Have Faith.”

We both just stopped and cried together.

Can I tell you Hillsong Church that a week later Benny was healed?

Because those who have faith have favor. Because Benny believed for a period of 5 minutes he was healed.

Can someone make some noise for our God?

Our healer, our protector, our Abba father, and our King!