When Our Faith Fail
Scripture: Hebrews 11:6; James 2:14; 26; Acts 8:18-19; 1 Peter 2:24
Introduction:
I am starting this series with some trepidation as to how to deliver all of the information that is within my spirit in such a way that it will be received clearly by each of you and those who may read this message via email. This sermon series is titled “When Our Faith Fail” and I promise you that I will try to be sensitive “somewhat” to your sacred cows as it pertains to some of your beliefs. That being said, I will challenge some of those beliefs during this series. As you may already realize, many of our beliefs are based on our understanding (or lack thereof) of Scripture. In addition to Scripture, there are beliefs that we have based on how others have interpreted Scriptures. Then there are beliefs that we have that are based on what we choose to believe because those beliefs make us feel better about our situations. In this series I will touch on each of these belief sources and how they impact our faith. In this series I truly want us to evaluate and understand that when our faith fail there is a reason and that reason is not God! It could be due to our beliefs; our actions; or what we were believing for went against God’s word, will and/or direction for our life? At the conclusion of this series I hope that we will walk away understanding how our beliefs impact our faith and ultimately how our actions and results are based on the combination of our faith and the beliefs we attach to it. So that being said, let me remind you of the importance of faith in our life. Hebrews 11:6 states “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Every thing that we do is through faith. We have not seen God face to face nor have we met Jesus Christ in physical form, yet we believe that God exists and Jesus lives and this is by faith. We cannot serve nor please God without faith. I want you to consider this Scriptures as I share these two scenarios with you that speak to a person’s faith and how what they currently believe about God is impacting their faith.
1. God gave me this illness so that I could focus more on Him. There is a pastor currently in the hospital who believes God gave him the illness. How does this belief relate to Hebrews 11:6?
2. God allowed the terrorists to attack the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001 to punish the America and He caused hurricane Katrina to punish New Orleans. Many believe that the terrorist attack and hurricane Katrina were acts of God to punish America and New Orleans. How does this belief relate to Hebrews 11:6?
These are just two examples of beliefs that people have that destroy their faith in God and actually contradict what the Bible actually teaches. We have trained ourselves that the God we serve is like the gods of Greek mythology who take joy in the pain of humans. I am here to tell you that is not the God we serve. Our faith and the results of our faith are linked to what we believe about God and I pray that I do this series justice in trying to help us see that we need to change some of our beliefs as it relates to our standing in faith. Some of what I will share in this series comes out of many conversations that I have had with my older brother Barry since earlier this year. We share thoughts and materials between us so I am also using some of his research in this series (just in case it seems familiar to you Barry).
Here are the five faith equations that I will touch on in some format throughout this series. I call them faith equations because our faith does not stand alone. In order to get results, there are things that must be added to our faith, specifically belief and action. In each of the equations you will find that believing has a direct impact on the outcome. Although I am sharing five with you, I will spend the greater amount of time on how our unbelief and/or wrong belief causes our faith to fail.
Before I share these faith equations, I want to remind you of what James said in James 2:14; 26. He said “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?......For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” With this Scripture in mind, consider the following faith equations.
o Faith + Stupidity + Action = Stupid Actions
o Faith + Unbelief + Action = No Results
o Faith + Wrong Belief + Action = Wrong Results
o Faith + Some Belief + Action = Some Results
o Faith + Right Belief + Action = Right Results
I. Faith + Stupidity + Action = Stupid Actions
When I lived in another city, I had a minister friend who was very gifted and women loved his gifts. There was one woman who came up to him and told him that God had told her that he was to be her husband and she was basically waiting in faith for him to become her husband. Now this woman had faith; so we are good up to this point. So let’s consider what she added to her faith. This minister was already married and had children so this woman was adding stupidity to her faith. I cannot find anywhere in the Bible where God ever told a man or woman that someone was to be their spouse if they were already married to someone else. So now we have her faith which she added to it some stupidity (even though she was very sincere). Let’s consider her actions. This woman believed so strongly that she was to marry this minister that she refused to date other men as she waited for him to leave his wife and marry her. So now we have faith added to stupidity and to stupidity actions and the results were stupid actions only. The man has not left his wife and I am not sure if this woman is still waiting on him.
I am sure many of you are thinking that this woman was out of her mind, but let’s consider something that is not so extreme. There are some Churches who handle snakes in their services based on Mark 16:18 which says “They will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them…..” There have been several members of these churches that have died – and you know what the rationale was for their death? You got it – they did not have enough faith. What about the poor woman watching the televangelist on TV who was begging for that $1000 seed offering and in return he promised God would move quickly on her behalf. The woman had faith and she believed the “man of God” but she did not have the money. So when they said she could charge it on her credit card and pay it off with the blessings from God, she did. She is still waiting on that blessing to be able to pay the bill off. Again, when our faith is mixed with stupidity, even though we have good intentions, we often end up with stupid actions only. One more example and then I will move on.
Do you remember the story of Simon from the book of Acts the 8th chapter? Simon had previously practiced sorcery in Samaria and the people looked up to him as someone of greatness. When Phillip witnessed to him, he exercised his faith and accepted Christ. Now enters the stupidity. When he witnessed Peter and John laying hands on the people and they receiving the Holy Spirit, he was impressed and wanted the same gift – not the Holy Spirit, but the ability to lay hands on the people for them to receive the Holy Spirit. Simon was motivated by the same illusion of power that motivates many of us in business, politics and especially in the entertainment arenas. We easily create power figures based on the popularity of someone or the money they have. Many Christians would quickly skip Church if they were invited to a party at a hotel hosted by a celebrity on a Sunday morning during the worship hour. Why? Because in their minds they can go to Church any Sunday, but the opportunity to socialize with someone famous does not happen often. Simon wanted to be that “famous someone” whom people desired to be with. So enters the stupidity. Simon thought within himself that he “needed” that gift to rise back up in the eyes of the people and he thought he could buy it from the apostles. Acts 8:18-19 records the following: “And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” So He added to his initial faith after receiving Christ stupidity (maybe not necessarily intentional) and to the stupidity action. This combination resulted in him trying to bribe the apostles for the ability to do what they were doing. While practicing sorcery Simon had become obsessed with the power that came from the praise/ adulation of the people and when he saw this leaving him and shifting to the apostles he wanted it back. His desire was so strong that it overshadowed his true belief in Christ and he quickly shifted back to where he had been spiritually.
There is a little bit of Simon in all of us – the desire for power, praise and adulation. How much time and energy do we really devote to fantasizing about how great we are or how great we will become? How much attention do we give those who stroke our egos versus those who are not impressed with our status and will be truthful with us about our weaknesses? How much do our status and position in life define who we are? If we were to lose all of it, what then? It is very easy for us to claim to walk in faith when things are going good – but when our personal desires and wants are not immediately met, sometimes we shift from faith to adding some stupidity in order to get what we want, often to our own dismay. There is some stupidity in all of us so we must be aware that we do not combine our stupidity with our faith.
In this first equation, their faith failed (as defined by them getting what they were believing God for) because of what they added to their faith. Many people would say if you have just a little faith you could move mountains, but that depends on what is added to that faith. When we add stupidity to our faith and then our actions are based on this combination, it is easy to understand why it appears that our faith failed us when in actuality, it never had a chance. Our stupidity will always trump our faith and that is why we are encouraged to know the Word, so that God’s Word drives the stupidity right from us. We may walk in faith, but it is what we add to it that brings about the results we are standing for. If you are standing in faith for anything and you have not completed the walk, do not pick up some stupidity while you are staying the course. Remember, we walk by faith and not by sight and it is when we shift from faith to sight that we begin to see the reasons for adding some stupidity to our faith. Whatever you are standing in faith for, make sure you are standing on God’s Word and that you completely understand the Word for which you are basing your belief. Understanding the Word is crucial to the steadfastness of your faith and this is a good transition to the next two faith equations.
II. Faith + Unbelief + Actions = No Results
Faith + Wrong Beliefs + Action = Wrong Results
I will not be able to complete these two equations today, but I will continue with these in two weeks as we will have a guest speaker next Sunday.
In the first equation there is faith and to the faith was added unbelief. I will spend just a little time explaining unbelief so that the rest of what I share with you in the coming weeks will make sense. This equation is similar to the equation pertaining to the wrong beliefs, but they are not exact. So I will be going back and forth between these two as there are some overlaps between them.
Unbelief takes on several faces. There is the face where we just do not believe. Then there is the face where we believe something which is wrong which causes us not to believe what we should believe. Overall, unbelief is a lack of belief in something and can be detrimental to our faith walk. When it comes to wrong beliefs (believing the wrong thing) that is a dangerous area for Christians. We must understand that our faith must be combined with a belief system that is unshakable. This will only come through an understanding of God’s word and knowing the truth.
To set the stage here and to give you something to think about for the next couple of weeks, I want to ask you a few questions for your consideration as to unbelief or wrong beliefs. These questions may sound strange, but bear with me and really think about your answer. At the very beginning of this message I used a situation pertaining to illness and the person believing that God had given them the illness in order for them to be able to focus on Him more. This is a classic example of a wrong belief. Keeping that scenario in mind, please answer the following question:
1. If God made you sick in order to get your attention or to punish you, should you pray for healing? As you think on this question, consider this Scripture from 1 Peter 2:24 which says “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness, by whose stripes you were healed.” So Peter says that we have been healed through Jesus’ stripes, meaning that because of what Jesus went through, we have access to complete healing. So let’s answer the original question. “If God made you sick in order to get your attention, should you pray for healing? A logical person thinking immediately as a Christian would answer “yes” we should pray for healing. But an illogical person standing on the outside looking in would say “If God made you sick so that He could get your attention, then you should remain sick as long as He wants you to be sick.” Before you judge me too harshly, think about it. Now here is a follow-up question: If you believe God made you sick, can you believe that He also wants you well? This question focuses on unbelief. You see, when you believe one thing that contradicts something else, you are left with not believing the other. So, if you believe that God made you sick, can you easily believe that God wants you to be well? I mean, in my mind, if God made you sick, then obviously He wants you to be sick and if He wants you to be sick, then until He is ready for you to be well, you can pray and pray and what good would it do you (in my mind)? If God wants you sick, stop praying for healing and just wait for God to change His mind. Also, if God wanted you to be sick, if you were well then obviously your healing would place you out of God’s will because He wanted you to be sick. Now this is only the introduction into these two equations, but I want to give you something to think about. We will dig deeper into these in a couple of weeks. Let’s move on to the next question.
There is a belief out there that Satan is God’s punisher and God uses him to be the instrument of suffering in our lives. This teaching is based first on the book of Job, on Satan’s desire to test Peter, and Paul’s thorn in the flesh. All of these situations we will explore in more detail later. So let’s play this out. Satan comes into God’s presence and asks God’s for permission to bring an attack on me and make me suffer. God says ok, and then Satan does it. I want to let that sink in for a moment. So here’s the question:
2. If God gives Satan permission to destroy your home, car or take your job, who do you turn to for help? Before you answer, think about some Christians you know who turn a deaf ear to your problems because they believe you deserve to be in the situation you are in and if you deserve to be there then why should they help you out of the situation? Now if God gave Satan permission to “mess with you” can you believe Him to come to your aid? As in the first question, if God wanted Satan to do harm to you and you believed this to be true, why would you go to Him? Would you not be angry with God because He allowed Satan to harm you? Do you know there are a lot of Christians who do not go to Church because they are mad at God for something “He did to them or allowed to happen to them”? Is the God we serve an evil task master who take joy in the trials and tribulations of His children? How many of us as parents would hire a bully to beat up our child so that our child will come to us for help? I mean, come on, will we really harm our child to make a point? If we could not see ourselves doing this, why do we see God doing it? Again, if you believe this is how God (wrong belief) then you will be hard pressed to believe that He really cares about you and will be there for you.
With this situation comes to mind the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001 and hurricane Katrina that I mentioned at the very beginning. When the terrorists hijacked the planes and flew them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, people said that God was punishing America. When hurricane Katrina destroyed parts of New Orleans, religious folks said that God was punishing New Orleans. Combining these two incidents, thousands of people died and even more lost their property. So let’s say you are one of those who believe that God was punishing America with the terrorists attack and New Orleans with hurricane Katrina; what about those people who died and/or lost their property? I mean if God caused the innocent to die as a punishment for all of our sins, does that not negate what Christ did for us once and for all? There are bad things happen all the time, but is it because God is sitting in heaven at His heavenly computer designing all of it. So here is my question for your consideration:
3. If God is the author of the bad things that happen, should we feel sorry for those people who lost their lives and/or their property? Before you answer or get angry at my insensitivity, think about this closely. If God did it, He must have had a reason to do it so therefore maybe the people deserved it. If the people deserved it, then why should I feel bad about it? If I am a Christian and I am willingly serving a God of destruction, revenge and retribution because I believe God is behind this “stuff”, then I must support what He is doing because after all, He is my God. Is this starting to make sense?
I wanted to give you this as an introduction to part two of this series. In parts two and possibly three, we are going to take a really deep look into whether or not these “teachings” about God are true and if so, why our faith is so shallow. My goal is to go slow and examine as many Scriptures as possible because we are teaching unbelief in our Churches. We are teaching people to not believe God in their circumstances based on stories from the bible where the biblical character thought God was behind their circumstances. We are teaching people unbelief in how we give our testimonies of what we have to go through to get a prayer answered. By teaching people unbelief, we are at the same time teaching them the wrong beliefs. By the end of this section, I hope you are so stirred that if you have any unbelief or wrong beliefs as it pertains to the goodness of God you will cast them down and never pick them up again.
Until next time, listen carefully to the conversations around you and think about how often someone gives God credit for something bad happening in their life or in the lives of someone they know. May God’s blessings be yours.
