THE INGREDIENTS FOR BELIEVING GOD PT 4
T.T. Hebrews 12
The first ingredient for believing God
1. Matt 17:20…..if you can understand faith functioning as a seed,
2. AND - If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, … and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
3. We talked about hooking your mouth up to the seed of the Word of God that’s in your heart
The second ingredient for believing God
You can believe God with your heart and doubt in your head!
The third ingredient for believing God
Matthew 13:21 (KJV)
21 The person who has not allowed the word to///// root in himself, but endures for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, …. he is offended.
1. It is possible to revive the word with joy
2. be close to a miracle
3. close to allowing God making big changes in our lives
4. then be offended
5. Allowing the devil to steal the word of God that has been planted
A GREAT SPIRITUAL TRUTH!!!
The Greatest test of faith is when you don’t understand
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Hebrews 12:1-2 (NASB)
1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
QUESTION: Is He….the author and perfecter of our faith
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Today I want to talk about
1. The importance of NOT wavering!!
2. The importance of fixing our eyes on Jesus
3. Understanding the devil wants you to waver!!
4. the devil wants us to take our eyes OFF Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith
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T.T. Hebrews 10
When studying - the ingredients for believing God
We have to talk about faith!
Because believing God …(pause)…is having faith in Him!!
What is faith?
The bible says……Hebrews 11:1 (NASB)
1 Now faith is the assurance (Bro. Hagin “the title deed”) of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
What is faith?
Vine’s Expository Dictionary says……
"firm persuasion," a conviction based upon hearing —
What is faith?
1) A strong conviction – A firm persuasion – An assurance
That what God said he will do ----HE WILL DO!!
2) Believing Him
3) Trusting Him
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Faith is valuable
The enemy is out to steal the seed of the word of God
He wants you to cast your confidence away
But the scripture says..
Hebrews 10:35-38 (KJV)
35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
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T.T. James 1
The DEVIL wants us – “not sure” – wondering – and questioning God
….SLOW …But if we
1. Cast not away therefore your confidence
2. stand and except the Lords Word
3. God’s Word cannot fail
Jeremiah 1:12 (NASB)
I am watching over My word to perform it."
Mark 13:31 (KJV)
31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Psalms 119:89-90 (NKJV)
89 Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.
90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides.
STATEMENT
There is nothing the Devil can do ---- to stop the God’s Word from working
So what does he do?
He tries to force the believer into….
1. questioning God
2. stop believing
3. and wondering –
He tries to force the believer into wavering on his beliefs!!
Now – look at NOT WAVERING as an ingredient for believing God! ---
James 1:5
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom (healing, finances, good things in their life),
WHAT DOES IT SAY? ….let him ask of God Q: IS GOD A GIVER?
who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
without reproach
1. He won’t sneer at you for being dumb or ignorant
2. KJV and upbraideth not
3. He won’t criticizes
4. He won’t say you’re dumb as a post
Stop… LISTEN
If people are serious ……there are NO DUMB questions or request!!
It says…and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
LOOK AT YOUR NEIGHBOUR AND SAY
………..ask and it will be give to you
THEN HE QUALIFIES THE REQUEST
James 1:6….6 But he must ask (what) in faith (how do we ask?) without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
Does that paint a picture for you?
1. Out on the ocean with a raft
2. …1. The waves 2. The swells
3. ..Way up.. the down
4. Then ……….whatever the wind is doing
5. …that’s what you’re doing
6. So one day
7. you will be up and then you will be down!!
Someone says, what does that have to do with anything
1. We are talking about faith
2. Have you ever seen Christians like that?
3. One day they will be up and then they will be down!!
They will say….
One day….
Philippians 4:19 (NKJV)
19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Then the next day
“I don’t know how we’re going to pay the phone bill
One day….
Psalms 107:20 (KJV)
20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
Psalms 103:1-3 (KJV)
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
Then the next day
The doctor said…
”only 1 out of 10 through this sickness..that’s not very good odd is it?”
One day….
God I know you are a delivering God…Daniel – Israel – Paul and Silias
Then the next day
For some reason I can’t seem to get a handle in this problem.
If it be your will Lord..
I guess I’ll allow this to be my lot in life!!
QUESTION: What is that?
ANWSER........ (It’s wavering)
QUESTION: Is that a problem
QUESTION: Can that prevent you from receiving a miracle?
James 1:6-8
6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting (wavering),
WHY
v: 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
• Have you ever seen Christians?
• One day they will be way up
• And - then they will be way down!!
• Can you imagine the Holy Spirit?
• He is thinking……would they make up their mind!!!
• I have tried to help you 895 times this year
T.T. 1 Peter
So ……What we have to do is
1. Get in faith
2. Stay in Faith
3. Believe God’s Word
4. Cast not our confidence away
5. Allow the WORD to take root……….as in the parable
6. Do not get offended
STATEMENT
Wavering can cause problems!!! With receiving from God
Wavering
Here we see what Peter called ……Receiving the end of your faith….
1 Peter 1:6-8 (KJV)
6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
1 Peter 1:9 (KJV)
9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
The bible says…..Hebrews 10:23 (NASB)
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;
Q: Why does he tell us to hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering
A: Because there are things in life to
1. Tempt you
2. Sway you
3. And if you start thinking about it
4. And if you start looking at it
5. And you begin to meditate on it
6. It will get off the Word
7. And off the faith
8. THEN YOU WILL BEGIN TO WAVER AND VACILLATE
Then what does the bible say…..
7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
T.T. Romans 4
James 1:6 (KJV)
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Wavering = the same Greek word
Mark 11:23 doubt
23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt
Wavering = the same Greek word
in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Wavering = the same Greek word……..in a positive way staggered
Romans 4:19-21 (KJV)
19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:
20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
T.T. Matt 14 ….a good example of wavering
Abraham being fully persuaded EXPOUND
1. NO WAVERING
2. OR VACILLATING
3. his own body now dead
4. neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb
JESUS WALKS ON THE WATER
Matthew 14:27-30 (NASB)
27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."
28 Peter said to Him, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."
29 And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
What was Peter thinking?
1. What they was going to have for supper
2. The molecular structure of water
3. The shifting of the water with the wind
4. !!!He was ….fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, Hebrews 12:1-2
Where did his faith come from?
• He was looking at the one who said COME
• There was power in the word COME
• And as long as he looking at Jesus
• He has the power to do the impossible
• Experiencing the miraculous
• THE SOMETHING HAPPENED
30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"
QUESTION:
1. Can you hear the word
2. Get excited
3. Start doing the miraculous //// the impossible
4. And end up failing?
5. YES……..How does this happen? …………..By wavering
Q: why do people waver?
A: they decide they can look and think about other things
LISTEN …. The Devil is the offer of other options
…..He the chief of the alternatives
Hebrews 12: 2 (NASB)
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith,
T. T. Numbers 21
1. The people of Israel are, murmuring against God
2. the people was discouraged because of the way.
3. And the people spoke against God, and against Moses
4. And the LORD sent poisonous snakes among the people,
5. and they bit the people;
6. and many of the people of Israel died from snake bite.
Numbers 21:7-9 (KJV)
7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
I want you to get the picture here
1. There are 603,550 soldiers in the camp
2. Not including the older people, the women and children
3. Millions of people
4. What if we turned 10 big rattle snakes in this room?
5. A snake come, under your chair and on your arm
6. What do you think you would do? PAUSE
7. There are enough snakes that they are going thru the whole camp of millions.
8. Major chaos
9. Someone would say there is a snake on me
10. ………………………I have been bitten
11. the animals would be spooked
12. things knocked over
13. dust,,, animals and people all over
14. someone yelling ……….where is my child!!!
15. Someone looking at fang marks
16. And there body swelling up
17. But
18. In the middle of this Moses hears from God
19. Raises something big enough for everyone to see
20. A snake on a pole
21. Where we are told in John 3 is a type of Jesus
John 3:14-15 (KJV)
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
22. And this is the instruction
23. Numbers 21:9 (AMP)
9 …..and if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked to the serpent of bronze [attentively, expectantly, with a steady and absorbing gaze], he lived.
24. What kind of look
25. …[attentively, expectantly, with a steady and absorbing gaze],
26. If you wanted to live you had to fix your eyes on the serpent on the pole……….You couldn’t be double minded
27. What if you paid attention to the chaos?
28. Venom was running thru their veins
29. They didn’t have the name of Jesus, wasn’t born again!
• Could it be done?
• If they could do it
• You and I can do it
• once we hear from the Lord
• There is nothing to Look at/// Think about
Hebrews 12:1-2 (NASB)
1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
