Little Faith Series

FACING OUR FAITH IN 2015

THE HINDRANCE OF HAVING “LITTLE FAITH”

MATTHEW 6:25-34 "FOR THIS REASON I SAY TO YOU, DO NOT BE WORRIED ABOUT YOUR LIFE, AS TO WHAT YOU WILL EAT OR WHAT YOU WILL DRINK; NOR FOR YOUR BODY, AS TO WHAT YOU WILL PUT ON. IS NOT LIFE MORE THAN FOOD, AND THE BODY MORE THAN CLOTHING? 26 "LOOK AT THE BIRDS OF THE AIR, THAT THEY DO NOT SOW, NOR REAP NOR GATHER INTO BARNS, AND YET YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER FEEDS THEM. ARE YOU NOT WORTH MUCH MORE THAN THEY? 27 "AND WHO OF YOU BY BEING WORRIED CAN ADD A SINGLE HOUR TO HIS LIFE? 28 "AND WHY ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT CLOTHING? OBSERVE HOW THE LILIES OF THE FIELD GROW; THEY DO NOT TOIL NOR DO THEY SPIN,

29 YET I SAY TO YOU THAT NOT EVEN SOLOMON IN ALL HIS GLORY CLOTHED HIMSELF LIKE ONE OF THESE. 30 "BUT IF GOD SO CLOTHES THE GRASS OF THE FIELD, WHICH IS ALIVE TODAY AND TOMORROW IS THROWN INTO THE FURNACE, WILL HE NOT MUCH MORE CLOTHE YOU? YOU OF LITTLE FAITH! 31 "DO NOT WORRY THEN, SAYING, 'WHAT WILL WE EAT?' OR 'WHAT WILL WE DRINK?' OR 'WHAT WILL WE WEAR FOR CLOTHING?' 32 "FOR THE GENTILES EAGERLY SEEK ALL THESE THINGS; FOR YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER KNOWS THAT YOU NEED ALL THESE THINGS. 33 "BUT SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE ADDED TO YOU. 34 "SO DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW; FOR TOMORROW WILL CARE FOR ITSELF. EACH DAY HAS ENOUGH TROUBLE OF ITS OWN.

INTRODUCTION: AS WE BEGIN THIS NEW YEAR, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A FEW WEEKS AND LOOK AT THE “FAITHS” JESUS REFERENCES IN THE GOSPEL. I FIND FIVE DIFFERENT REFERENCES TO FAITH MADE BY JESUS IN THE GOSPEL.

I. THE PERIL OF HAVING A LITTLE FAITH

a. WHAT IS “LITTLE FAITH”?

i. COMES FROM TWO GREEK WORDS; “OLIGO” AND “PISTOS”

1. THE FIRST WORD MEANS LITTLE OR SMALL

2. THE SECOND WORD MEANS FAITH

3. LITERALLY IT MEANS TO LACK CONFIDENCE IN

IN PRACTICAL TERMS, WHEN WE HAVE “LITTLE” FAITH, WE LACK CONFIDENCE IN GOD.

LACKING CONFIDENCE IN GOD OPENS SEVERAL SCENARIOS IN OUR LIVES

b. LITTLE FAITH IS A FORM OF IDOLATRY

i. LITTLE FAITH PUTS OUR PRIMARY FOCUS ON TEMPORAL NEEDS

1. FOOD

2. CLOTHING

3. LIFE SPAN

ii. TEMPORAL NEEDS ARE CONSUMABLE NEEDS

1. THEY NEED TO BE RENEWED EVERY DAY

2. THEY HAVE TO BE SOUGHT OUT EVERY DAY

3. THEY NEED TO BE FOCUSED ON EVERY DAY

iii. AN IDOL IS ANYTHING WE PUT IN FRONT OF GOD!

c. LITTLE FAITH IS A SINFUL FAITH

i. IF WE KNOW CHRIST AS SAVIOR

1. WE HAVE TRUSTED IN HIM FOR OUR ETERNITY

2. WE TRUST HIM IN HIS PREPARATION OF HEAVEN FOR US.

ii. WE DO NOT TRUST HIM FOR OUR DAILY NEEDS

1. DENIES HIS LOVE FOR US

2. DENIES HIS INTEGRITY

3. GOD CANNOT BE TRUSTED TO KEEP HIS PROMISES

a. INERRANCY OF SCRIPTURE – WE BELIEVE WHAT IT SAYS

b. THEN WE WORRY AND FRET OVER FOOD, CLOTHING AND LIFE!

c. CANNOT HAVE IT BOTH WAYS!

d. LITTLE FAITH IS A “WORRY” FAITH

i. WORRY PUTS US ON A DANGEROUS PATH – IT INHIBITS US FROM SERVING GOD!

ii. WORRY KEEPS US FROM SEEING GOD’S CARE AND PROVISION IN HIS CREATION

iii. WE ADOPT THE A WORLDLY LIFE VIEW

1. THINKING LIKE THE WORLD (GET ALL YOU CAN, YOU ONLY GO AROUND ONCE) MAKES US

2. CRAVE LIKE THE WORLD – LIVING OUR LIVES TO OBTAIN CONSUMABLES, WHICH THEN MAKES US

3. WORRY LIKE THE WORLD.

e. LITTLE FAITH IS A FAITH WITHOUT GOD

i. WE CANNOT SERVE GOD BECAUSE WE CANNOT SEE GOD’S PROVISION IN CREATION

ii. WHEN WE DO NOT MAINTAIN OUR CONNECTION WITH GOD IN THIS AREA – OR IN ANY AREA REALLY

1. WE PRODUCE A SPIRITUAL VACUUM IN OUR LIVES

2. SATAN MOVES INTO THAT SPIRITUAL VACUUM

3. SATAN PLANTS DOUBT

4. DOUBT AFFECTS OUR SPIRITUAL CONNECTION WITH GOD ON ANOTHER LEVEL

5. THE PROCESS GOES ON AND ON!

6. THE END RESULT IS

2 CORINTHIANS 10:3-5 FOR THOUGH WE WALK IN THE FLESH, WE DO NOT WAR ACCORDING TO THE FLESH, 4 FOR THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE ARE NOT OF THE FLESH, BUT DIVINELY POWERFUL FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF FORTRESSES. 5 WE ARE DESTROYING SPECULATIONS AND EVERY LOFTY THING RAISED UP AGAINST THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD, AND WE ARE TAKING EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE TO THE OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST,

HAVING “LITTLE FAITH” IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR THE FOLLOWER OF CHRIST. WE ARE UNABLE TO FULLY FOCUS ON GOD BECAUSE WE ARE SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME FOCUSING ON THINGS WE LACK CONFIDENCE IN THAT GOD WILL PROVIDE.

AND IN DOING SO WE HAVE CREATED A SPIRITUAL DEFICIT IN OUR LIVES