How's Your Faith

How’s Your Faith

Mark 4:40, Mtt 17:20, Mtt 15:28, Mtt 8:10 (NLT)

Intro: It was autumn, and the Indians on the remote reservation asked their new Chief if the winter was going to be cold or mild. Since he was an Indian Chief in a modern society, he had never been taught the old secrets. When he looked at the sky, he couldn’t tell what the weather was going to be. Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he replied to his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect firewood to be prepared.

Also, being a practical leader, after several days he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked, "Is the coming winter going to be cold?"

"It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold indeed," the meteorologist at the weather service responded. So the Chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more wood in order to be prepared.

A week later, he called the National Weather Service again. "Is it going to be a very cold winter?"

"Yes," the man at National Weather Service again replied, "it’s definitely going to be a very cold winter." The Chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of wood they could find.

Two weeks later, he called the National Weather Service again. "Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?"

"Absolutely," the man replied. "It’s going to be one of the coldest winters ever."

"How can you be so sure?" the Chief asked.

The weatherman replied, "The Indians are collecting wood like crazy."

. Be careful in who and what you put your faith in.

. Today’s sermon was placed on my heart last Sunday night at choir practice.

. The choir practiced the song Move Mountain that they opened our service with today. The song is based on one of our scripture references this morning in Matthew 17:20 where Jesus says that our faith will allow us to move mountains.

. Jesus talks much about faith during his three year ministry. He mentions three types of faith and I want us to look at these three types of faith this morning.

. He speaks of those that have No Faith, He speaks of Little Faith and He speaks of those who have Great Faith.

. Let’s look at what Jesus calls:

NO FAITH

. Mark 4:40

. Jesus has been teaching by the lake shore standing in a boat on the lake so the water could act as an amplifier for his voice so the people could hear him.

. He taught them in stories called parables.

. That night, He was alone with his disciples explaining the meaning of the parables to them. It was getting late and Jesus said that they needed to get to the other side of the lake.

. They got into the boat and set out across the sea of Galilee.

. There on the Sea of Galilee, fierce and violent storms can come up suddenly. It is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth and it is nestled in between four very steep hills. The winds come off these hills and can cause waves up to 10 feet high right there on that fresh water lake.

. It was in one of these storms that Jesus and the disciples found themselves in.

. Jesus was sleeping in the back of the boat. Apparently He was a very sound sleeper.

. The disciples got scared and they went back and woke him up.

. Look at their conversation here in Mark 4:39-40

39When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!”Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.

40Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

. Now these guys had seen Jesus drive out an evil spirit from a man in the synagogue, He had just healed Simon Peter’s mother in law.

He set up camp there in Simon’s house and Mark writes that Jesus healed many sick and demon possessed people.

. They had seen the paralyzed man let down through the roof of a house because they could not get him to Jesus for healing because of all the people surrounding Jesus.

. They had seen all these things yet Jesus says that they have no faith.

. Why?

. These guys were not yet saved is why they had no faith in Jesus.

. They had really just met Jesus and they had heard about him and seen him but they really didn’t understand who He was.