Last Sunday, I was truly blessed. Some of you know, that I was battling with high blood pressure during Sunday School and Church. I had a headache. My vision was a little blurred. And, I felt all-around lousy.
Up until last Sunday, I had denied having high blood pressure.
· I know high blood pressure runs in my family. But, I denied it!
· I know that African-Americans are more prone to high blood pressure. But, I denied it!
· I knew that being overweight increased the risk of high blood pressure. But, I denied it!
· I knew the doctors and nurses had told me my blood pressure was high. But, I denied it!
I denied my families history, my racial predisposition, my natural feelings and even the expertise of the doctor. Why? Because I didn’t want to believe I had high blood pressure. High blood pressure is what happens to other people, but not me!
· I’m too young!
· I don’t add salt to my food!
There is NO WAY I have high blood pressure, right? Wrong!
Want to know one of the things that made last Sunday such a blessing? I, for the first time, was honest with myself, about having high blood pressure … and I did something about it!
· I went to the doctor and got a prescription for my high blood pressure!
· I started to read the food labels, and rediscovered that sodium can be found in more places other than a salt shaker!
· I began cutting back on my meals, to lose … a few pounds!
· I began to live my life as someone who has accepted the fact that he has high blood pressure.
But, there’s another reason why last Sunday was a blessing. And, that reason is YOU!
Last Sunday, before the message, I asked the church to say something good about Pastor Noel. Not having any real expectations, I just stood there and waited for somebody to say something, anything.
And to my semi-surprise, and somewhat embarrassment, men and women… boys and girls… stood up and spoke words of kindness… words of encouragement… words of edification … about me…their Pastor.
I have to admit, I was truly touched by the words that you shared with the church. This impromptu … unrehearsed … spontaneous, gesture of Christian grace …
· couldn’t fit on a paycheck!
· It couldn’t be measure by the hands of men!
· It couldn’t be captured and duplicated, with the same results!
It has such a blessing because it wasn’t spoken for a birthday. It was spoke for an anniversary. It wasn’t spoken over a casket. Last Sunday, Grace And Glory gave me my flowers while I was living. And for that, I will be eternally grateful.
You spoke what was on your hearts, in …what I feel was 100% honesty, and touched the heart of the man of God, in a way that is hasn’t been touched before.
And, it’s on that note that I want to speak today: Honesty!
· We live in a word where honesty is seen as a moral flaw. A defect.
· We live in a time when lies are expected, and the truth is sometimes a necessary evil.
· We live in a society where some look down on the virtue of honesty, and yet hold in high esteem the ability to ‘spin’ the truth.
I’m here to tell you, church family, the truth has been spun far too much.
· It’s been spun so much that it’s dizzy!
· It’s been spun so much that it’s getting’ ready to blow chow!
· It’s been spun so much that it’s is unrecognizable!
And, there is an area in which the truth has been spun, twisted, shaked-and-baked, so bad… that mankind may never be the same. And, that area is the area of our faith.
For far too long, Christians have said things like…
· “I believe and receive!”
· “I’m counting it done, in Jesus name!”
· “I’m believing God for a miracle!”
· “My breakthrough is just around the corner!”
· “We need to touch and agree”
· “I’m believing those things which are not as if they were”
· and the list goes on and on and on!
And, there’s nothing wrong with this sayings. Yet,
· do we really believe what we we’re saying?
· Do we really, ….honestly …. believe that I believe and I’ll receive?
· Do we really, truly,….HONESTLY … believe that ‘I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me?’
We may say yes, but the facts of our lives say NO! Why do I say this? Because Matthew 17 tells us that all we need it the faith of a tiny mustard seed and we can command a mountain to remove itself from where God planted it, and the mountain would obey.
Yet, with this written promise of God before our eyes, with this written promise of God inside out hearts, with this written promise of God burning inside our hearts… we continue to struggle with the same old problems… the same old needs … the same old prayer request…. The same-old-same-old!
And herein lies the problem. Like your Pastor…
· You know you have a predisposition to doubt the written Word of God! But, you deny it!
· You know that your spiritual man is not as strong as he or she should be! But, you deny it!
· You know that others have been telling you that your faith meter is showing that you’re running on empty! But, you deny it!
Then, one day, something happens, like with me last Sunday, when you’re faced with the fact that your denials have to come to an end. And, you have to face the facts that ….
· you’ve been less than honest with the condition of your faith….
· you’ve been less than honest with the condition of your ministry…
· you’ve been less than honest with the condition of your relationships…
· you’ve been less than honest with the condition of your home…
· you’ve been less than honest with the condition of your children …
· you’ve been less than honest with the condition of your finances….
· you’ve been less than honest with the condition of your life…
You’ve been living in the 51st state of the Union. Not the state of Oklahoma. Not the state of Texas. You’ve been living in the state of DENIAL!
It’s time for the Church to be honest with their faith. No more clichés! No more worn rhetoric! No more lame, “What’s God has for me, is for me”. If you’re going to say it, then BELIEVE IT!
It’s time for the church to listen to the wake-up call that God is giving us, before it’s too late!
There was a man, in Mark chapter 9, that had such a wake-up call. We don’t know his name, but we do know his story. And, it’s in this story that we can learn what it takes to be honest with our faith.
Thus the title of today’s message: “How Honest Is Your Faith”.
The first thing I want you to ask you is this: ‘How Honest Is Your Faith, When Trouble Hits Close To Home?’
Look at verses 14-18. “And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.”
Now, skip down to verses 20-22. “And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.”
This man had some troubles at home. The first trouble is not mentioned directly, but has a good leg to stand one. Apparently, this man was a single parent. Why do I say that? Because what mother is going to send her husband to take care of a child without her?
· She’s the one that carried this child for 9-months!
· She’s the one that nursed him!
· She’s the one that washed his stinky bottom!
· She’s the one that kissed the boo-boo one his knee!
I strongly believe that this man must have been a single parent, else his wife would have been there with him.
Now you might say, what’s the problem with being a single parent. Although I’ve never experienced it first hand, I can say from observation and the testimony of others… it ain’t easy.
· A single parent has to be both mother and father!
· A single parent has to raise the girls like girls and boys like boys!
· A single parent has to be the hand of both love and discipline!
· A single parent has to bring home the bacon and cook it too!
And, they have to do this all by themselves.
· This man knew the strains of trying to hold down a job, while making sure his son didn’t hurt himself.
· He understood what it was like having to say ‘no’ to social engagements, because of the needs of his child.
· He valued the prayers and words of support from others, but readily knew that his son was HIS responsibility.
So, when verse 17 introduces us to this father, believe me, understood what a problem was.
But not only the fact that he was a single parent, but also the problem that his son was demon possessed. Consider the following:
· Verse 17 says the child had a dumb spirit!
· Verse 18 says the demon ‘took’ the child, not that the child took the demon! In other words, the demon controlled the child!
· Verse 18 goes on to say the demon caused the child to foam at the mouth and gnash with his teeth, and become stiff. (That’s what ‘pineth away’ means, in the King James)
· Verse 22 says the demon would cast the child into fire and into water, trying to kill the boy.
This man had problems at home, and he had to be honest and admit it. We don’t know how old the child was, but verse 21 says that he had been suffering this way since he was a child. Apparently, the boy that Jesus and the disciples were looking at wasn’t a baby, and probably wasn’t a pre-teen. Quite possibly this man’s child was a teenager or a young adult. A soul that had been suffering with this demon for,….not days,….not week’s….not months….but for YEARS!
We don’t know when the father first sought help. But, I tend to believe that this was not the first time.
· He probably went to the Pharisees and they told him that he or the boy had probably sinned and this was the judgment of God on their lives.
· He probably went to the Sadducees, and they probably told him that the demon was only in his mind. Just rebuke the thought of the demon and everything would be alright!
· He probably went to the Scribes, and they said they were too busy in the ministry to help one boy. But, that they would be praying for him.
· He probably went to the doctors of his day, who told him to give his son these herbs… apply this ointment….drink this potion.
What we do know is, this boy had been suffering with this situation for some time, with no relieve. And, so have some of you.
· Your home has been suffering with the spirit of Un-spirituality, for some time!
· Your home has been suffering with the spirit of Disharmony, for some time!
· Your home has been suffering with the spirit of No Love, for some time!
· Your home has been suffering with the spirit of Division, for some time!
· Your home has been suffering with the spirit of Generational Sins, for some time!
· Your home has been suffering with the spirit of Drug and Alcohol abuse, for some time!
· Your home has been suffering with the spirit of Carnality, for some time!
· Your home has been suffering with the spirit of Fussing and Fighting, for some time!
The only difference between you and this man is, this man was HONEST about the problems in his home, while you may still be living in the state of denial.
· You deny it by saying things like, ‘I speak peace into this home’, and there’s still no peace!
· You deny it by saying things like, ‘I’m believing God for…’ and the thing you’re believing God for, never comes to fruition.
· You deny it by saying things ‘I’m turning you over to the Lord’ and then you try to change the family member or situation yourself.
You see, Church family,
· until we’re honest with the total, absolute, unadulterated mess that our homes are in, there will be no change.
· Until we quit whitewashing our condition, there will be no breakthrough.
· Until we’re honest….Holy Ghost Honest …. with where we are, we will never get to where we should be.
This man wanted a change in his home. So, he was honest, and took his situation to the Lord!
But, something else we need to consider is this; not only How Honest Is Your Faith When Problems Hit Close To Home, but also, How Honest Is Your Faith When Christians Let You Down?
Look at the last half of verse 18. It reads, “…and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.”
Matthews’s account of this story gives it this way, “…I brought him to thy disciples and they could not cure him.”
Any way your slice it, this man was let down by the disciples.
Now, keep in mind, he had already tried the Pharisees. He had already tried the Sadducees. He had already tried the Scribes. He had already tried the doctors. He had already tried everybody who could be tried…. And had gotten the exact same result. No change.
Would it be fair to say that this man didn’t see much of a difference …
· between the Pharisees and the Sadducees?
· Not much of a difference between the Sadducees and the Scribes?
· Not much of a difference between the Scribes and the doctors?
· Not much of a difference between the doctors and the disciples?
Why didn’t this man see a difference between any of these entities? Because they had all let him down!
You see, Christian friends, until we can show the world that we won’t let them down, they will never, ever see a difference between our faith and that of the Jehovah Witnesses. They’ll never see a difference between our faith and that of the Buddhist. They’ll never see a difference between our faith and that of the cultist.
For too many years, the world has been looking for someone, anyone, who could help them with THEIR problems…only to discover that everyone, including many Christians, would only let them down.
Think about it: you probably know someone who used to go to church, but stopped, because of something a Christian did.
· Maybe it was a money hungry preacher, who only stayed in the ministry for what he could get!
· Maybe it was an immoral church member, who was having illicit relationships, while other members knew and gossiped about it.
· Maybe it was Sis. ‘I’ll Be praying for you’ or Bro. ‘Everything will be alright’, who could have helped, but chose not to get involved.
· Maybe it was something entirely different. But whatever it was, it was enough for that person to drop out of church… because they had been let down by another Christian.
Be honest: How strong is your faith when you’ve been let down by other Christians?
· If the words and actions of other Christians is enough to get you to drop out of church, then…in all honestly….you have a pretty weak faith!
· If the words and actions of other Christians is enough to get you to give up your ministry, you have a pretty weak faith!
· If the words and actions of other Christians is enough to get you to go back to the world that Christ saved you from, then you have a pretty weak faith!
Now, someone might be saying, ‘But, Pastor Noel, you don’t know what they did. You don’t know what they said’ My response: I don’t need to know.
But, I can tell you this much,
· you aren’t the first person on the face of this earth to be let down by another Christian, and unfortunately, you won’t be the last!
· You aren’t the first Christian to see immorality in the church, and you won’t be the last!
· You aren’t the first child of God to see or hear Christians gossiping about another believer, and you won’t be the last.
You see, the fact of the matter is … Christians do things to let other people down. And sometimes it has nothing to do with morals. Sometimes it has nothing to do with gossip.
Sometimes Christians let other Christians down, when we try to minister without the power of God on our lives, just like the disciples here tried to do.
Bro. Jones, please stand up. Bro. Jones, you’ve presented yourself as a candidate for the high office of Deacon at Grace And Glory Baptist Church. If the church body appoints you to this office and you try to serve without the power of God on you life, I guarantee you that you will let some people down. You may be seated.
Sis. Herbison, Sis. Eboni, please stand up. You ladies have been asked to speak at the WMU program next month. If the Lord tarries, and you’re given the privilege to break the bread of life, and you do so apart from the power of God resting on you….you will let down a bunch of people. You may be seated.
Now, I would like the entire Grace And Glory family to stand. Grace And Glory, if you go outside of these walls and try to feed the hungry, visit the sick, care for the needy, minister to the inmate, share the Gospel, or any such activity, and the power of the Holy Ghost of God is not firmly upon you….you, too will let a lot of people down.
You see, you don’t have to fornicate or get drunk or gossip in order to let other people down. You can actually let others down when you try to do what you’ve been called to do, but you try to do it apart from the power of God!
· No person ever fornicated with the power of God on their life!
· No person ever got high or drunk with the power of God on their life!
· No person ever told a lie or gossiped with the power of God on their life!
But …
· there have been many a sermons preached, without this power!
· There have been many a prayers prayed, without this power!
· There have been many a testimonies given, without this power
And the latter group can be just as hurtful as the former, in the minds of some people.
But what are we to do when other Christians let us down? Exactly what the man in Mark 9 did, take your problem to the Lord. Verse 17 read, ‘Master, I have brought unto thee my son…’
· After the Pharisees had let him down…
· After the Sadducees had let him down…
· After the Scribes had let him down…
· After the doctors had let him down…
· Even after the disciples had let him down…
… this man didn’t give up. He didn’t quit seeking. He didn’t throw in the towel. He didn’t draw up unto himself. This man knew that Jesus would never let him down. This man took the problem he had as illustrated in the life of his son to no one else but J-E-S-U-S…. JESUS!
You see, too many people feel that since the Christians let me down,
· I’m going to quit going to church.
· Since Christians let me down, I’m going to quit reading my Bible.
· Since Christians let me down, I’m going to return back to the way I used to be before.
What they’re really saying is, “When I’m honest about my faith, it’s pretty weak … because all it takes for me to quit is for a few Christians to let me down.
· What would happen to your faith if Pastor Noel quit the ministry?
· What would happen to your faith if Pastor Noel had an adulterous affair?
· What would happen to your faith if Pastor Noel gossiped on other Christians?
· What would happen to your faith if Pastor Noel preached without the power of God on his life?
· What would happen to your faith if Pastor Noel prayed without the unction of the Holy Ghost in his prayers?
· What would happen to your faith if Pastor Noel served without the grace of God in his service?
Be honest. Would any of these things be enough to cause you to fall away from your Savior? To quit going to church, somewhere? To abandon the ministry God called you to?
If so, I have to be honest, too …. If any of these things or any other thing could cause you to fall away for the Lord and Savior… then YOUR faith is weak, and in need of God’s help.
Your faith shouldn’t be placed in Pastor Noel or any other Christian. Unfortunately Christians, including Pastor Noel, will sometimes let you down. But, I can guarantee you something. The God that Pastor Noel serves, and Sis. Johnson serves, and Bro. Jones serves,…. He will never let you down.
You faith should be placed in God, not man….God, not ministries….God, not ministers. In God, and God alone!
What do I mean? Look at verses 23 and 24. “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Who was Jesus asking this man to believe in. The Pharisees? The Sadducees? The Scribes? The Doctors? …. The Disciples? No. Jesus was asking him to believe in God, and God alone.
Verse 24 gives the father’s response, “And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”
You see, this man, this father, was being honest. He knew he had some faith … some belief. But he also knew he had some disbelief in him, too.
Just like you and me. We know that we have some belief…
· regarding our homes!
· Regarding our finances!
· Regarding our relationships!
· Regarding our children!
We know we have some belief … that God will make a way somehow… But, when we’re honest with ourselves, we also know that we have some unbelief, too.
· We know God can do it, …but will he do it for me?
· We know that we have not, because we ask not, ...but maybe God doesn’t hear us when we ask!
· We know that we need to ask, seek and knock. … But is heaven’s door closed when I ask? Can it be found when I seek? Will anyone answer when I knock?
· We know all it takes is the faith of a mustard seed, … but maybe what I have is smaller than a mustard seed.
What we really need to do is exactly what this father did. Take our problems to Jesus. What we really need to say is exactly what this father said, “Lord, I believe….but I need you to help me with this truckload of unbelief that I have.”
When this man as honest about his faith, he experienced the breakthrough that he had been seeking.
· When he acknowledged that he had some faith, but he needed some more, he got his breakthrough!
· When he told Jesus what He already knew, …”I believe, but I need some help with my unbelief”… he got his breakthrough.
· When he started to be honest about his faith, even when other Christians had let him down, he got what he had been seeking… deliverance for his son.
Now, before you get down on this man for having unbelief, perhaps you need to take a look in the mirror. You and I are made out of the exact same stuff as he was, and you and I, just like this man, have some unbelief to deal with.
But, until you’re honest about your unbelief, you’ll never get what you want or need.
Just like me and my high blood pressure. My blood pressure is mine. I can’t blame anyone or anything, but me. And , when I stopped denying what the doctor already knew, I was able to begin correcting the problem.
And the same is true with your faith. When you take that first step and tell God what He already knows, …that you need some help with your unbelief, …then and only then, will you begin to correct the problems of you life.
But, it doesn’t stop there. Don’t forget the disciples. Later, in a private place, they asked Jesus, “Lord, why couldn’t we cast this demon out?” They knew that they had been commissioned to cast out demons, yet and still this one would not leave at their word.
What did Jesus tell them? It wasn’t because of a lack of faith on the part of the dad. It wasn’t because of a lack of faith on the part of the son. It WAS because of a lack of faith on the part of the disciples
Matthew 17: 20 tells us that the demon did not come out when the disciples spoke because of their unbelief: … “for verily I say unto you, (the disciples) If ye (the disciples) have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye (the disciples) shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you (the disciples).”
Then verse 20 gives us the secret, that some things, …even in ministry,… will never happen apart from fasting and prayer.
Mr. or Mrs. Christian…. Bro. Or Sis. Christian, …be honest about your faith. When was the last time that you not only prayed about that problem, …that situation,… or that person, …but you also, buffeted you flesh through the discipline of fasting?
Maybe you’re letting down other Christians, not because of your morals, but because you wont’ seek the power of God on your life during a season of prayer AND fasting.
· Some strongholds will never come down, apart from fasting and prayer!
· Some bondages will never be broken, apart from fasting and prayer!
· Some deliverance will never be seen, apart from fasting and prayer!
· Some victories will never be experienced, apart from fasting and prayer!
· Some songs will never be written, apart from fasting and prayer!
· Some sermons will never be preached, apart from fasting and prayer!
· Some homes will never have peace, apart from fasting and prayer!
· Some relationships will never experience unity, apart from fasting and prayer!
· Some children will never come home, apart from fasting and prayer!
· Some diseases will never be healed, apart from fasting and prayer!
Right now, in this place, we have everything and everyone we need to do a great work for the Lord. That’s not to say we won’t receive more laborers for the harvest.
· But, when God’s power rests upon one person, that one person can do an awesome work for the Lord!
· When the power of God is freely given, to even one child, that child can turn the world upside down.
· When His anointing is received by whosoever, that person can be the next John the Baptist… the next Apostle Paul… the next great warrior for Christ.
But, be honest, …do you have that kind of power on your life? Be honest, do you even want that kind of power in your life?
Stop denying what God has told you. By the little bit of faith you have left, take your problems to the Lord and leave them there.
If you tried other ways of fixing the problem, and still haven’t found a solution, tell him. Even if other Christians have let you down, tell him.
Tell the Lord what He already knows, …you need some help with your unbelief.
When you’re honest about your faith, God will give you what you’ve been searching for! But, let me ask you a question, How H
