October 3, 2021: "Moving Mountains"
Notes
Transcript
What’s the worst that can happen? Moms and Dads answer questions like this differently, don’t we
Faith - “pistis”
Faith - “pistis”
More than just believe (but its the same word)
What it is
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
What it isn’t
You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.
Starts with being truly saved. To have faithfulness, first you must have faith
Faith has always been the vehicle of salvation
FAITHFULNESS: unfailing loyalty (to a person, thing, cause); putting that loyalty into consistent practice regardless of extenuating circumstances
FAITHFULNESS: unfailing loyalty (to a person, thing, cause); putting that loyalty into consistent practice regardless of extenuating circumstances
Love, and faithfulness, are actions demonstrating our hearts
God has demonstrated his love and faithfulness to us, meaning it is up to us to respond
The believer, the follower of Jesus can’t NOT be faithful
If not: either not saved or have quit the faith, quenching the Spirit
This is fun to teach, hard to live
Faithfulness guides the surrendered believer’s (redundant?) life
Bible, Prayer, Church, Family
Believer’s Response to God’s Faithfulness
Believer’s Response to God’s Faithfulness
Faithfulness is part of His character
Faithfulness is part of the believer’s character
1) Being Recognized by Him
1) Being Recognized by Him
Do you recognize your children? Why? Because they’re your children!
Doesn’t mean they are always perfect, maybe sometimes you don’t want to recognize them...
We’ll be talking through more specifics down the road.
QUESTION: How does God, and people know you are faithful?
For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
It’s rather rhetorical - NT believers would not understand someone trusting in Jesus and their lives not showing it - nonsensical
Works follow faith (in that order)
People around them knew if they were faithful (not a judging thing)
People around you know if you are faithful
Jesus commands it, when He returns to find you...
In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.
2) Surrender to His Will
2) Surrender to His Will
“If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua, in the face of prior objections (people had grumbled)
Review: Joshua and Caleb - Promised Land - the only two of his generation to enter
Joshua, in Egypt, in wilderness, had SEEN God’s faithfulness
He had faith, and now he needed to decide:
Decided Who he would follow
Decided to allow the LORD to work through him
Decided to surrender
3) Start with Faithful Mindset - Examine your faith
3) Start with Faithful Mindset - Examine your faith
QUESTION: What’s in the way of your faith?
And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.
And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen.
Context of Jesus’s point, “moving mountains”
Triumphal Entry
Entering by Mt. of Olives
End of the day, He returns to Bethany
Next day, fig tree, faith like a mustard seed
From the summit of Mt. of Olives
Can see, to the left, South, fortified palace of Herod the Great
Herodium - an architectural feat
Had to move dirt from one hill to the other to build it up, and up, and high, and majestic, and “in your face” to Israel
Also, from this viewpoint, can see the Dead Sea (place where nothing lives, Jewish leaders ceremonially threw “unclean” utensils in the Dead Sea
Israel always struggled with control, refusing to yield control to even God - the Herodium then was a continual reminder of control, power, opposition
(this conversation is after the fig tree incident)
“If only I could......” ever say that??
If only I could serve God more, be a better Christian, stop doing this…stop doing that
Look at the “Herodiums” out there today - culture
CDC no longer uses a BIblical term like woman, related to a pregnant “person”
Our world, our nation, our state, this area, is pagan, anti-God
Jesus says, “yeah, that’s always gonna be there, until I return”
Jesus says, so, knowing that - LOOK WITHIN, SEEK WITHIN
Is there faith in us? Is there faith in you?
If so, that faith, God-given, and God-powered, will allow you to overcome what you feel are the obstacles to demonstrating our faith
CHALLENGE: What are your obstacles?
CHALLENGE: What are your obstacles?
Jesus tells his disciples that if they pray with true and genuine faith, that disgusting pagan palace on that mountain may as well be cast into the Dead Sea
It will no longer affect their faith!
What “mountain” do YOU need to cast into the Dead Sea?
People talk a good game: “I want to be faithful”
People say they want to be faithful, but refuse to give up the habits, the activities, the “gods” they put before Jesus
And they can never surrender when they do this
Losing weight - won’t happen unless you drop bad habits, and actually decide to do something
Getting into shape - same
Marriage won’t improve if you don’t change
Parenting - children’s behavior won’t improve unless you make the decision to raise them Biblically, nurture and admonition of the Lord
ALL THESE, and more - change won’t happen if you only try when it’s convenient, when there is nothing better to do...
ALL THESE - not fueled by will-power, but by the power of God
What about convenience?
Faithfulness is non-existent when it’s only practiced when it’s convenient
Jesus, walking with His disciples, knows what’s about to happen at the end of that week
His faithfulness was not convenient for Him
He does not want our faithfulness only when it’s convenient for us
CLOSE
Your demonstration of your faith
Pleases the LORD
Encouraging to others
Your lack of demonstration of faith
Displeases the LORD
Discouraging to others
At some point in your life, if you are a believer, obedience in following Jesus, living a life that shows your faith, has to matter
What’s the worst, and best, that could happen?
What’s the worst, and best, that could happen?
“Why should I fear? - we sang earlier. Good question.
What, or even who, keeps you from being faithful. Which is more important? That thing or person or activity, or God?
What’s the worst that can happen?
Matt. 25:41 Matt. 7:23 “Depart from Me, I never knew you.”
“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
What’s the best that can happen?
“Well done, My good and faithful servant.”
“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
Faithful actions change the world
They did then - they can now
It starts with you, one person at a time
If Jesus returned today, would He find you faithful?