What is faith? How much do I need to move a mountain?

Funnies

I went to a faith healing session at the local community centre last night but it was absolute rubbish.

Even the fella in the wheelchair got up and walked out.

A preacher in New Orleans is known to be a good, holy man of God. One day, while the preacher is at home, a hurricane whips up, with torrential rains and rising waters. His neighbor comes by, saying he's leaving, and would the preacher like ride? The preacher says, "No, the Lord will save me." The neighbor says fine, and drives away. A few hours later, the waters are rising. The preacher has to retreat to the second floor window. A fireman comes by in a boat, and asks the preacher if he would like to be taken to dry land. The preacher says, "No, the Lord will save me." The fireman pulls away, surprised. Hours later, the waters have risen further, and the preacher has been forced onto his roof. A helicopter flies over, and through a loudspeaker yells for the preacher to grab the rope, they will rescue him. The preacher says, "No, the Lord will save me." Amazed, the helicopter leaves. A few hours later, the waters overwhelm the house. The preacher drowns, and comes before the Lord. The preacher asks, "Why, Lord, after my professed faith in you, didn't you save me?" The Lord replies, "What do you mean? I sent you a car, a boat, and a helicopter. Whadda' you want?"

An Old man attended a Faith Healing session

The preacher said "Stand up and walk" Then the old man proceeded to stand up from his wheelchair and slowly walked. The shocked crowd yelled in praise. The preacher asked him: "How are you feeling now?" The old man replied: "I still can't see"

The pastor and his mom

One Sunday, a mom woke her son up for church, it went like this: MOM: Son get out of bed, we have church today SON: Why do I have to go to church, it's the same thing every week MOM: you still have to go to show you're faithful to God SON: but that doesn't answer my question MOM: you have to go because you're the pastor

During the wedding rehearsal, the groom approaches the pastor with an unusual offer.

"Look, I'll give you $100 if you'll change the wedding vows. When you get to the part where I'm supposed to promise to 'love, honor, and obey' and 'be faithful to her forever,' I'd appreciate it if you'd just leave that out." He passes the minister a $100 bill and walks away satisfied. On the day of the wedding, when it comes time for the groom's vows, the pastor looks the young man in the eye and says, "Will you promise to prostrate yourself before her, obey her every command and wish, serve her breakfast in bed every morning of your life, and swear eternally before God and your lovely wife that you will not ever even look at another woman, as long as you both shall live?" The groom gulps, looks around, and says in a tiny voice, "Yes," then leans toward the pastor and hisses, "I thought we had a deal." The pastor puts a $100 bill into the groom's hand and whispers, "She made me a better offer."

Intro

What is faith?

Hebrews 11:1–3 NASB95

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.

Faith the assurance of things hoped for

What the writer means is not faith for personal ambition,

not positive thinking nor optimism,

but faith in the promises of God as revealed in the Bible

Some self-help gurus insist you can achieve anything if you just have enough faith.

Not so. No matter how much conviction or hope I have I will never be world best ballerina

A little later, he spells out the most important promise of all: “I will never leave you, nor forsake you. … The Lord is my helper.”

Hebrews 13:5 NASB95

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”

Faith is not just really hoping you get what you want.

what you want, must line up with God’s will for your life

its believing

God’s word is true and its going to happen

Faith is believing in God......not simply believing for what you want.

Scripture

The letter to the Hebrews has a whole chapter of biblical examples of faith to encourage his persecuted readers to stay strong.

Hebrews 11:28–31 NASB95

By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

They include Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Joseph, Moses and Rahab, the prostitute who lived in Jericho.

It continues

Hebrews 11:32–34 NASB95

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

Faith is Important

Faith is one of the big 3

1 Corinthians 13:13 NASB95

But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

but not the most important

You can’t please God without faith

Hebrews 11:6 NASB95

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

James 1:5–8 NASB95

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

You can’t get saved without faith

Ephesians 2:8–9 NASB95

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Prayer without faith is meaningless

Matthew 21:22 NASB95

“And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

In fact Anything done without faith is sin!

Romans 14:23 NASB95

But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.

The conviction of things unseen

is important because it requires an awareness beyond the arena of material facts.

Those who believe the only things that exist are the things we can measure by our senses or scientific instruments will not be impressed,

but it seems to me that such a world view takes a great leap of faith.

As author C. S. Lewis wrote, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

Proverbs 3:5–6 NASB95

Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

1 corinthians 2:5

1 Corinthians 2:5 NASB95

so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

Mustard seed

Matthew 17:20 NASB95

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.

mustard seed starts out small but grows massive tree

Some people right this off as allgorical

“Jesus didn’t actual mean you could iterally move a mountain, he was just illustrating a point”

but if we read on a few chapters Jesus debunks this line of reasoning

Matthew 21:18–22 NASB95

Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” And at once the fig tree withered. Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, “How did the fig tree wither all at once?” 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. “And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Jesus didn’t figuratively curse the fig tree. it actually withered up and died. then he tied that ti moving mountains

Just like he literally stopped the storm

and fed 5 thousand people, healed the lepers, raised the dead.

I truly beleive we as God’s people need to awaken to the supernatural and stop trusting in the mere natural method of solving problems.

I believe Jesus emphasizes this if we read on with the Parable of the 2 sons and the parable of the tenants later on in this chapter 21

I encourage you to read and study it this week

Philippians 4:13 NASB95

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Mark 9:23 NASB95

And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.”

Tower of Babel

Genesis 11:5–6 NASB95

The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. The Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them.

How do you build your faith?

Luke 17:5–10 NASB95

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you. “Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’? “But will he not say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’? “He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’ ”

The Key to do anything, is to make sure it lines up with the will of God

Romans 10:17 NASB95

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

1. Consistently read the Bible.

Read it out loud

Journal

2. Pray Regularly

3. Share your faith every day.

4. Regularly attend corporate worship.

5. Serve others