WALKING BY FAITH
ACTS 14:8-10
8In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. 9He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10and called out, "Stand up on your feet!" At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.
HEBREWS 11:1 . . .
II COR. 5:7 “FOR WE WALK BY FAITH . . .”
MEANING
NATURAL/SUPERNATURAL
MIRACLE/WAY
DOWN/UP
NEVER OCCURRED/WALK BY FAITH
WHEN ON HAS THIS TYPE OF FAITH - UNDERSTAND
KNOCKED DOWN DOES NOT – DESTINED TO BE DESTROYED – DRAW YOU NEARER
PAUL’S TESTIMONY – ACTS 9 – AS SAUL – DAMASCUS – PERSECUTE THE CHURCH WHICH HE THOUGHT WAS GOD’S WILL/ AMAZING HOW WE OFTEN CAN ACT OUT OF OUR OWN WILL – GOD’S WILL
PROVERBS 14:12 “THERE IS A WAY . . .”
PAUL – DAMASCUS – GOD ALLOWED/CAUSED HIM TO BE KNOCKED DOWN, NOT FOR THE SAKE OF DESTROYING HIM (ALTHOUGH GOD COULD HAVE)
ANGELIC MANDATE – FIRSTBORN OF EVERY EGYPTIAN HOUSEHOLD
450 PROPHETS OF BAAL
BUT GOD ALLOWED/CAUSED SAUL TO BE KNOCKED DOWN IN ORDER TO DRAW HIM NEAR.
BEING DOWN DOES NOT MEAN DESTROYED – PLACE – DRAW YOU NEARER TO GOD
TESTIMONY – MAN WE FIND IN ACTS 14
SETTING: IS THE REGION OF LYSTRA
REGION BURSTING WITH GREEK MYTHOLOGY. THE ROMAN CHRONICLER (STORY OF TWO GODS) . . .
IN THIS REGION “THERE SAT A MAN CRIPPLED IN HIS FEET, WHO WAS LAME FROM BIRTH AND HAD NOT WALKED.”
SUCH A SAD SCENARIO
GOD’S FINEST CREATION/MAN – CREATED TO BE AGILE/MOBILE
TEXT – THE CREATION OF GOD – SAT – GOING NOWHERE BECAUSE HE WAS CRIPPLED IN THE FEET.
THE AREA THAT SHOULD HAVE UNDERGIRDED HIM
THE AREA THAT SHOULD HAVE SUPPORTED HIM
THE AREA THAT SHOULD HAVE SERVED AS HIS FOUNDATION – FAILED HIM
NOT BECAUSE HE DID NOT WANT TO OR BELIEVED HE COULD NOT MOVE, BUT RATHER BECAUSE HE WAS IN THIS STATE FROM BIRTH.
IN OTHER WORDS AT NO FAULT OF HIS – PREDICAMENT HE WAS
STUCK IN A RUT, DUE TO NO FAULT OF HIS OWN
SUCH A SAD SCENARIO TO BE STUCK INA RUT DUE TO NO FAULT OF YOUR OWN
STUCK IN A RUT – TOUCHED INAPPROPRIATELY
STUCK IN A RUT – SPOKEN DISPARING/DISCOURAGING WORDS
STUCK IN A RUT – EXPERIENCED – NEVER EXPERIENCED
SUCH A DEBILITATING BEGINNING – NEVER HAD HE WALKED, BUT HE BELIEVED HE COULD ONE DAY WALK BY FAITH.
FOR THIS MAN WHILE HE WAS CRIPPLED IN HIS FEET, HE WAS NOT CRIPPLED IN HIS MIND.
CAN I TELL SOMEBODY THATA DEFIENCY IN ONE AREA DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN EXCUSE IN ANOTHER AREA?
CRIPPLED IN HIS FEET, ABLE IN HIS MIND.
VERSE 9 “HE LISTENED TO PAUL AS HE SPOKE A WORD.”
IF YOU ARE GOING TO WALK BY FAITH:
I. YOU MUST LEARN TO USE WHAT YOU DO HAVE, TO GET WHAT YOU HAVE NEVER HAD
a. DON’T HAVE THE MOBILIZATION OF MY FEET, U-TIL-IZATION OF MY EARS
b. FAITH – HEARING
c. I MUST USE WHAT I HAVE – USHER IN MY HEALING
d. EARS – POSITIVE/FILTER OUT THE NEGATIVE
e. EARS – MOTIVATE/DENIGRATE
f. RESUME/SKILLS
g. NAME/TALENT
h. CAR/DRIVE
IN FACT, ALL I NEED TO DO IS HEAR ONE WORD FROM THE LORD AND EVRYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT.
THE TEXT: AS THIS MAN LISTENED TO PAUL, PAUL LOOKED AT HIM AND SAW THAT HE HAD FAITH TO BE HEALED.
PAUL DID NOT FOCUS ON IS CRIPPLENESS, IMMEDIATELY FOCUSED ON THE MAN’S FAITH
IF YOU ARE GOING TO WALK BY FAITH:
II. SOMETIMES WHEN YOU HAVE NOTHING TO STAND ON, YOU HAVE TO STAND ONYOUR FAITH
a. FEET/FAITH
b. SURROUNDING/FAITH
c. I KNOW WHAT I HAVE HEARD ABOUT/AROUND ME
d. I KNOW WHAT I BELIEVE INSIDE OF ME
e. SOME PEOPLE SAY “I’M NEVER GONE WALK, I’VE NEVER WALKED . . .”
f. BY FAITH . . .
TEXT: PAUL SEEINGTHE MAN’S FAITH – CALLED HIM (CHALLENGED HIM – AREA OF HIS STRENGTH . . .)
STAND UP ON YOUR FEET AND AT THAT, THE MAN JUMPED UP AND BEGAN TO WALK
GOOD NIGHT . . .
IF YOU ARE GOING TO WALK BY FAITH:
III. KNOW THAT WHATEVER PREVIOUSLY BOUND YOU, YOU CAN PRESENTLY GET UP FROM IT
CONCLUSION:
STUCK IN A RUT – COME UP; CRIPPLED – WALK . . .
