Quality over Quantity

ME

A few months ago I heard in the news a story about a Pastor named Joshua Harris. He led a mega-church and authored several books. One became a best seller and sold over a million copies. It was released in 1997 and was called “I kissed dating goodbye”. Fast forward to 2019 where Joshua Harris, released a statement that basically said “I kissed Christ goodbye”.

He said that he has undergone a massive shift in regard to his faith in Jesus.

He also said that, “The popular phrase for this is deconstruction, the biblical phrase is falling away. By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian”.

WE

Now we all go through crisis moments in our faith. Times when we lose a loved one, lose a job, go through marriage issues or financial issues. Times when we feel depressed, discouraged, and hopeless. These are the same moments that define what are faith is about. Is our faith weak or strong? Is our faith stagnent or growing? is our faith planted firm or easily removed?

There was a time when the Apostles asked Jesus to “INCREASE THEIR FAITH”!

Let’s read...

(NIV)

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

What is faith?

defines faith as...“Confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see”

The Hebrew word for faith means “to support, to sustain, or uphold. It carries the motion of to stand firm, to be stable, and faithful!

This is what Joshua Harris failed to do.

Faith is more about who we place it in then the weight that we carry it with.

There is great power in small things

Jesus reply to the apostles asking for more faith was that if they had the faith as small as a mustard seed, then they could do great things!

King David only needed one stone to defeat a powerful goliath

The widows mite gave away to small coins but it was considered more to God then the rich people who gave away much

4 TYPES OF FAITH

I. A faith that sacrifices: Abel

A. Abel has a faith that sacrifices

1.Story of Cain & Abel

2.Cain-Farmer sacrificed vegtables

3. Abel- Shepherd sacrificed meat

B. I like the story of the chicken and the pig. Both are walking down the street one day when they come to a grocery store with a sign in the window which reads, “Bacon and Eggs Desperately Needed.” The chicken looks at the pig and says, “I’ll give them the eggs if you’ll give them the bacon.”

The pig stares back at the chicken and replies, “No way.”

The pig stares back at the chicken and replies, “No way.” The chicken asks, “Why not?” To which the pig states, “Because for you it’s a contribution, but for me it’s my life.”

The chicken asks, “Why not?”

This is the same way many Christians are. They are only willing to throw an egg toward God and after they do that, they think they should get a martyrs crown! God doesn’t desire a mere contribution to His kingdom, He desires that we fully surrender our lives to Him!

To which the pig states, “Because for you it’s a contribution, but for me it’s my life.”

C. It’s easy though for us to say “God understands” or “God knows my heart”. Yeah, he understands that you are carrying an idol in your heart that you just won’t let go or that your heart is desperately wicked and sinful.

D. Abel had a faith that sacrificed. That brought the very best to God and we should too!

II. A faith that walks: Enoch

Enoch had a faith that walked with God. He walked so closely with God, that one day God just took him. He was considered righteous, Holy, and blameless. Don’t you want to have a relationship with God like that? That you would walk so intimate with God that He would just take you to be with Him for all eternity? We are called to walk like that and to have that kind of faith. We are to be Holy as God is Holy. It is said of Enoch that he walked with God, was blameless, and it’s says in the book of Jude that he was a preacher who pronounced judgment to the world! This walking with God reveals an intimacy, or fellowship. Enoch had an inner communion with God and was conscious of His presence. The love that this intimacy produced enabled him to live in such a way as to please God. It empowered Him to walk in the Spirit.

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 7142 Fragrance of His Presence

Dr. Charles Weigle composed the favorite “No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus.” One day he visited Pasadena, California. Early that morning he had an opportunity to walk through some of the famous rose gardens when the full fragrance of the flowers filled the air.

Later in the day he arrived at the hotel where a Bible conference was being held. As he took his seat, a man turned to him and said, “Dr. Weigle, I know where you’ve been. You toured one of our lovely gardens, for I can smell the pleasing aroma on your clothing.” “My prayer is that I may walk so closely with the Lord that the fragrance of His grace will pervade my being. I want them to know by my words, actions, and songs that I have been with Jesus.”

b. Dr. Charles Weigle composed the favorite “No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus.” One day he visited Pasadena, California. Early that morning he had an opportunity to walk through some of the famous rose gardens when the full fragrance of the flowers filled the air.

Later in the day he arrived at the hotel where a Bible conference was being held. As he took his seat, a man turned to him and said, “Dr. Weigle, I know where you’ve been. You toured one of our lovely gardens, for I can smell the pleasing aroma on your clothing.” “My prayer is that I may walk so closely with the Lord that the fragrance of His grace will pervade my being. I want them to know by my words, actions, and songs that I have been with Jesus.”

C. Many will say, I will never be able to walk that close with Jesus or I will never again have the same intimacy I once enjoyed with God. That those are just feelings you get when you first come to know Him. But, what if I told you that you can?! You can experience that same level of intimacy with the father. We can come to the garden alone and walk with Him and talk with Him and fall in love with Him all over again!

d. Enoch had a faith that walked with God and was obedient to him and thats how he experienced the intimacy with God that he did.

III. A faith that saves: Noah

a. Noah has a faith that saves. He was called by God to build an ark because God was going to destroy the earth with a flood because of all the wickedness he has seen by man but he would spare Noah, his family and some animals. Noah was obedient to his call. Good thing he was or he would be saying goodbye to himself and his family just like the rest of the earth. He showed a faith that saved people from destruction.

b. We too share in this saving faith. The pregnant teenager chooses saving faith every time she decides to raise a child instead of aborting it.

c. God hasn’t reserved saving faith for just Noah or that teenage girl who chose life. Saving faith is for us too. To help those who are hurting, hopeless and helpless.

d. Noah had a faith that saved himself and his family from death. Just imagine the consequences if he choose not to listen to God’s voice.

Man: Is anybody up there?

Voice: Yes, I’m here!

Man: Who’s that?

Voice: The Lord.

Man: Lord, help me!

Voice: Do you trust me?

Man: I trust you completely, Lord.

Voice: Good. Let go of the branch.

Man: What???

Voice: I said, “Let go of the branch.”

Man: [After a long pause] Is anybody else up there

IIII. A faith that trusts: Abraham

IIII. A faith that trusts: Abraham

a. Another type of faith is a faith that trusts. This was shown in Abraham We all like to know “whats next” especially in our life and journey of faith but, sometimes God just wants us to trust and follow Him wherever he takes us. Abraham is a great example of this.  He was told by God to go to a place that God had prepared for him.  But God didn’t tell Abraham where it was or how long it would take to get there.  God simply told Abraham to go and to have faith.  Abraham did just that.  He trusted God and picked up his life and followed God. This reminds me of a story.

We all like to know “whats next” especially in our life and journey of faith but, sometimes God just wants us to trust and follow Him wherever he takes us. Abraham is a great example of this.  He was told by God to go to a place that God had prepared for him.  But God didn’t tell Abraham where it was or how long it would take to get there.  God simply told Abraham to go and to have faith.  Abraham did just that.  He trusted God and picked up his life and followed God.

Abraham is a great example of this.  He was told by God to go to a place that God had prepared for him.  But God didn’t tell Abraham where it was or how long it would take to get there.  God simply told Abraham to go and to have faith.  Abraham did just that.  He trusted God and picked up his life and followed God.

b. A man was walking along a narrow path, not paying much attention to where he was going. Suddenly he slipped over the edge of a cliff. As he fell, he grabbed a branch growing from the side of the cliff. Realizing that he couldn’t hang on for long, he called for help.

Man: Is anybody up there?

Voice: Yes, I’m here!

Man: Who’s that?

Voice: The Lord.

Man: Lord, help me!

Voice: Do you trust me?

Man: I trust you completely, Lord.

Voice: Good. Let go of the branch.

Man: What???

Voice: I said, “Let go of the branch.”

Man: [After a long pause] Is anybody else up there

C. That sounds a lot like us doesn’t it? When God speaks to us tells us to do difficult things, sometimes we get selective hearing or really, really, really, want to make sure it’s God speaking to us!

D. Abraham had a faith that really trusted in God and its something we should aspire for. To trust the Lord no matter what!

YOU:

What type of faith do you have? Do you know the power of faith, that’s even as small as a mustard seed can do extraordinary things in your life! As seen throughout scripture through the lives of Abel, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham

WE:

Conclusion

Faith is the gift of God. So is the air, but you have to breathe it. So is bread, but you have to eat it. So is water, but you have to drink it.

Faith is the gift of God. So is the air, but you have to breathe it. So is bread, but you have to eat it. So is water, but you have to drink it.

So how do we accept this gift? Not by a feeling, for “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (). It is not for me to sit down and wait for faith to come upon me with a strong feeling of some kind. Rather, faith comes when we take God at his word.

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