When Faith Fails

Just about three weeks ago, New York City experienced a power outage. The causes was a lightning bolt, and the reason the lightning bolt was able to cause such damage was because of structural damage caused by Tropical Storm Isaias. For about an HR millions were without power, but then Northern Manhattan remained dark until Friday Morning. Close to 200,000 people without power (elaborate)

Now we know that New York is up and running as we speak so obviously they recovered just fine, but this raises and interesting parallel. Is it possible for us, as believers in the Most High God, followers of the Way, and imitators of Christ to suffer from “power failure”? There are times when even the most robust prayer warrior will need someone to pray for them. There are times when even the most anointed preacher will need to hear a corrective word from God. There are times when even the most talented musician will need a song to minister to their heart. There are times when even the hardest working servant will grow tired and need someone to wait on them. Churches close there doors to never open again do to a lack of spiritual vitality, power failure. Over half of all marriages end in divorce because of irreconcilable differences, power failure. Almost eighty percent of the American prison population is Black men, power failure. Its not that we don't have power its just that at times we allow sin, Satan, and the world with their distractions to drain us to the point that we become ineffective. As long as we suffer with a fallen body we posses the potential and proclivity to experience "power failure". Church it happens. It happens to the best of them. Its happened to me. If your honest you know that its happened to you, or it will. The question is, "what will you do when it happens?" This text gives some principles or tools to help us to recover from power failure.

As we get into the text we would to well to note that a Jesus and His inner circle have just experience a great and majestic vision of heavenly things. It is called in your Bible the Transfiguration. And as they are coming back to meet up with the other disciples as Jesus is now ready to die as he was born to do they are interrupted by a community facing a failure of their faith.

1. Diagnose your Doubt?

One of our greatest weaknesses as human beings and simultaneously our greatest sin is pride. And that pride will often cause us to ignore the truth that we are powerless people without God. It is not until we come to grip with our own weaknesses that God will show up in our situation with power and work it out. Remember Paul learned this lesson also. That he too found himself in a powerless situation and had a thorn in his flesh and when he asked God to remove it God said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." There some people in this text who we all identify with. Out of these four characters in the story we all can end up like them if not careful. We meet some people in the text who are a lot like us. In fact we may all have found yourself as one of these. But, what they have in common with each other is that they have experience power failure.

Sanctimonious Scribes

Faithless Father

Spiritually Sick Son

Dysfunctional Disciples

2. Who is your faith in?

The bible says that I we draw near to God that God will draw near to us. I then assume than that when people find themselves far from God spiritually that its not because God moved. (repeat) The sure way to experience power failure in your walk with God is to turn your back on him. I think this is a good place to point out that inability for us to walk faithfully with God, hence lack power is not because of the Power Source. Just like that black out in New York was caused by human error our blackouts are cause by human error. So then, if you are to get back to being right with God you need to get closer to God. How do you get close to God? I'm glad you asked. If you are going to get close to God then you need to get to where God is. The father sought out Jesus to heal his Son. So you need to seek out Jesus.

You can find Jesus when you pray(two are gather in my name).

You can find Jesus when you worship(God inhabits the praise of his people).

You can find Jesus when you give(the Lord love a cheerful giver). You can find Jesus when you serve (when you do to the least of these you have done onto me).

You can find Jesus even when you suffer (for to live is Christ and to die is gain).

You can find Jesus when the sun rises (this is they day that the Lord has made).

You can find Jesus when the sun sets (even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.)

You can find Jesus when you look at your spouse (he who finds a wife finds a good thing and has obtained favor from the Lord)

You can find Jesus when you look in the mirror (I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well).

You can find Jesus when you can't even find yourself (I will never leave your nor forsake you)(preach)

The best part of returning to the Jesus is that he has extend the invitation himself. Yeah you may have to face your sin when you come but at the end of the day Jesus gave this invitation, "bring him to me."

The story gets dramatic now. After Jesus tells the father to bring the boy to Himself the demon who is possessing him tries one last time to kill him. This lets us know that sometimes when we come to Jesus the enemy is not going to let up on his hold. Have you ever noticed that just when things are going well in your life it seems as if then the devil tries to show his head. Here it is that this demon wants to destroy the boy even in the very presence of Jesus. But church don't grow weary in your well doing. Know this. When you return to Jesus and things star looking better, and the enemy tries to destroy what Jesus is doing, it only lets you know that you have great potential. If you didn't have potential to do great things for Jesus and if you weren't valuable then the devil would just leave you alone. But he knows that once Jesus sets you free you will be free indeed. Free to (Run here)

3. Jesus Never Fails and is always Faithful

Exegete v21-22 (close big)