Faith Becomes Reality
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Explanation
Explanation
here are our 2 sections of scripture we are focusing on and we will fill ion the gaps around these sections of scripture.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.
THEREFORE.....
-We need to go back in the text and find out what it is there for....
going back to chapter 11 we see something that
Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.
our faith brings into reality the things we long to happen and know God will do
and it is evidence it is hard proof of the things we cannot see.....
WAIT A MINUTE…I thought our faith was just belief
FAITH....Our Trust in God lived out in our lives SHOWS GOD’S REALITY IN OUR LIVES!!!!
The woman with the bleeding problem......
Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”
Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment.
She told herself that if I can only touch his robe.....I’ll be healed
-Jesus didn’t tell her that .....her faith told her that.
-Jesus said your faith has healed you!
Centurion
When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.”
Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”
But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.
Jesus was amazed at his faith.....again Jesus didn’t tell this man he would heal him from just a word so many miles away......THE MANS FAITH TOLD HIM THAT
Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre. He didn’t want anyone to know which house he was staying in, but he couldn’t keep it a secret. Right away a woman who had heard about him came and fell at his feet. Her little girl was possessed by an evil spirit, and she begged him to cast out the demon from her daughter.
Since she was a Gentile, born in Syrian Phoenicia, Jesus told her, “First I should feed the children—my own family, the Jews. It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”
She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children’s plates.”
“Good answer!” he said. “Now go home, for the demon has left your daughter.” And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone.
Good Answer! Some translations say OH WOMAN......this word OH translates into WOW.
-Again Jesus was wowed by this woman’s faith what her faith in Jesus told her became reality
SO I JUST DIDN’T WANT YOU THINKING YOUR PASTOR IS GOING OFF THE DEEP END BECAUSE I WANT TO LIVE AS IF EVERYTHING IN SCRIPTURE IS TRUE AND THAT I CAN DO AND WALK IN THE REALITY OF SCRIPTURE......I WANT TO HAVE THAT KIND OF FAITH!
BECAUSE NOW IS WHERE THINGS BECOME INTERESTING
Hebrews 11 starting verse 3
BY FAITH THE UNIVERSE
READ THE REST OF CHAPTER 11 BY FAITH
SO NOW WHEN WE COME TO HEBREWS 12......
-We understand the cloud of witnesses statement easier
-These Cloud of witnesses become the cheering section ......
-These cloud of witnesses are the proof that we can face all things through Christ who gives us Strength
-for Paul that was a faith statement cause he hadn’t faced everything yet....he faced a lot but he hadn’t been killed yet, but now his life is the reality that
WE CAN live in the belief....
We can live in the reality that Jesus walks with us through all things and is with us through all things and is the source we look to for the strength to get through in Faith all things in this life.
The sin that easily trips us up......the author is not specific here and many theologians talk about this as the sin that trips up all man kind.
what was the sin that tripped up Adam and Eve?
-trust .....as soon as the serpent planted a seed of doubt in them they stopped trusting God and thought they knew better and they lived as if they knew better when they disobeyed. Greed that they wanted what they couldn’t have and since the doubt was there they could just take it.....
so the way we live out NOT TRUSTING GOD BY TAKING THINGS INTO OUR OWN HANDS
-not listening to him before we start our day
-not listening for his voice
-do what seems best to us.....
this will trip us up everytime
THROUGH OUR FAITH, which is trust that comes to life through our lives, in God those weights of sin will fall to our sides and we can walk and run with him as a runner runs a race.....fast and free in him.
Hebrews 12:2-3 tells us about Jesus and he what he himself faced and it was only with the reality that his father was with him, behind him, and working through his life was the reality that allowed Jesus to face all that he did in the reality of the cross.....the reality of his trust in the Father.
CHAPTER 12 goes on to talk about the same thing we talked about last week....
v5 discipline in the greek here
is the word for teaching and instruction
the walking with us and guiding us step by step is the concept for discipline....and it in times it the instruction we receive will involve pain and discomfort
HOWEVER in that we know there is something in the works right?!?!?
HEBREWS 12 starting in verse 14 is talking about us listening to God’s voice
-the author talks about the experience of Israel in the desert not listening to God
-then the author transitions us to the place of Jesus again
the transition from a mountain in the desert to the mountain of God
the fact we can enter directly into the presence of God and the new covenant
No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.
Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.
Then we come to the last 2 verses of chapter 12
Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire.
AS WE ARE LIVING THROUGH A GREAT SHAKING IN OUR LIVES
-when we live in faith in his presence we will be on his foundation that can never be shaken and we will come out on the other side as the unshakable people of God.....heirs to his unshakable kingdom!
What do you Trust God for Today?
-He will be present?
-He will Speak to you?
What does this look like?
Speak to a lost person in your family as if they are already in a relationship with Jesus.....
-trust Jesus that he wants that even more than you do.
-continue to pray but also live with them and speak to them as if it is already true and watch God transform their life!
If you have a financial need live as if God has already taken care of it for you!
-trust him and live in the joy that he has already taken care of it for you!
Job
-trust Jesus and live is the reality that he has already provided it for you....because HE WILL
physical needs
-trust Jesus for your healing....we know that doesn’t always mean what we want it to mean and that it will look like what we think it will look like as well.
Any situation you face ...
know that God is there with you and he walks with you in it all....no matter what you face.
Why does the presence the almighty God in our lives not rock our world?
Faith brings what we trust God for into reality as we live it out in our lives
-If you want people to believe God is almighty we need to live out th proof that he is almighty
-If you want people to believe that he is the one and only God we need to stop worshiping other things besides God
-If we want people to believe that God is the ONLY HOPE for this world then we need to not place our hope in the things of this world.