MARK 9:14 -29
V. 23-24
REFINING YOUR FAITH
INTRO:
A. Everyone heard someone say I just don’t have any faith?
a. If your one of those let me show you some areas in which your faith was exercised.
1. When you got into your automobile inserted the key in the ignition turned it, you had faith it would start.
2. Your faith was futher shown when you presented your check or debit card to the cashier for the merchandise you wanted you believed it would be accepted by the cashier and the bank.
B. I say to you everyone has faith.
a. It may be misdirected, anemic, tainted with doubt or many other things but faith is there.
C. What is needed is for our faith to be refined therefore the title of this message is REFINING YOUR FAITH.
a. To refine is to:
1. To reduce to a pure state; purify.
2. To free from unsuitable or immoral characteristics: refined his manners; refined her speaking style.
3. To become free of impurities
4. It is taking the blunt edges off something to make more suitable for use.
5. It is to take a hone and bring the cutting edge of a cutting instrument to its finest point so it cuts better and more smoothly.
B. In the verses read to you is the story of a man who admitted he had faith but his faith needed refining to make sure there wasn’t anything to hinder Jesus from healing his son.
a. Notice verse 24 said the father cried out and said with tears Lord I believe help thou mine unbelief.
b. There are three things we need to consider in refining our faith.
I. HOW DO WE REFINE OUR FAITH?
A. Jude in his little book after describing the conditions of the last days admonishes us to build up ourselves on your most holy faith. V. 20
a. He then goes on to instruct us as to how we can build up ourselves in the most holy faith.
b. Notice in verse twenty he begins his instructions on this building by saying praying in the Holy Spirit.
c. Now if we are to pray in the Holy Spirit there are some things we must do.
1. First be totally surrendered to the Holy Spirit so that He can live in our lives and direct us in praying.
a. Second we must know the mind of the Holy Spirit and this comes only by seeking His direction so we can know His mind.
1. G. C. Bevington told of a time he spent seven days in a hollow log seeking the Holy Sprits direction a matter he was contemplating doing.
2. It wasn’t until he knew the mind of the Holy Spirit that he pursued the matter he was praying about.
3. He goes on to tell how the matter turned out to bring more glory to God.
b. A person that is not fully controlled by the Holy Spirit cannot earnestly seek and know the mind of the Spirit.
2. Keep yourselves in the love of God.
a. Revelations 2:4 tells us of a church that had left its first love.
b. If our first love is lost then our faith cannot work properly for it is built on facts and one of those facts is our love to and for God.
c. God must be first in everything we do if not then faith cannot work properly.
B. Hebrews 11:12:2 gives us another way to refine our faith.
a. There we are admonished to look to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.
b. As we look unto (upon) Jesus the things of this world grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.
c. Looking to Jesus keeps one’s eyes off the things of this world that hinder ones faith from working properly for it is directed in the right direction and upon the right things.
d. When our eyes are upon the right things we will think on the right things, thus evil surmising, lust for this worlds riches and pleasures are not the greatest attraction of our life.
e. Also when our eyes are on the right things then our heart is centered on the right things.
f. So it’s very important where we allow our eyes to gaze for it is through the eye that the lust for the things of this world enters our heart.
II. REFINED FAITH IS:
A. A growing faith.
a. This is illustrated for us by Jesus in His parable about the muster seed. Mt.13:31-32
b. Jesus said a muster seed is the smallest of all seeds but when planted it grows into a tree where birds of the air come and nest in its branches.
c. We can easily see from this parable that it isn’t
the amount of faith one has but the purity of their faith.
1. If our faith is pure and planted in Jesus then it becomes a great tree where birds come to nest and animals come to rest under its shade.
2. Too often people worry about the amount of faith thus thinking their faith is gone, but we must remember it isn’t the quantity of faith that matters but the quality of faith.
3. So stop concentrating on the quantity of faith and concentrate on the quality of faith.
B. Is an unmovable faith for it is rooted and anchored on the rock of ages thus it become steadfast and sure fastened to the rock which cannot move.
a. The storms will come and blow upon it swaying it in every direction but is wavers not.
b. To fully understand this let’s look at the word unwavering:
1. It moves steadily along even admits the most severe storm.
2. Its advisory the devil doesn’t pull it off course or slow its forward progress.
3. Jesus illustrated this in His closing remarks of the Sermon on the Mount. Mt. 7:24-27
C. Unchanging faith:
a. We are living in the midst of a changing world society and times.
b. Many things about us are changing even if we don’t like the changes.
c. But ones refined faith never changes it is always the same, always dependable always there when we need it the most.
D. An unshakable faith:
a. We often hear of earthquakes that shake the very foundation of entire cities destroying homes lives causing all kinds of havoc.
b. People sometimes do things that seem to shake the very foundation of our life and we wonder how they can do such things.
c. But even these things don’t shake our faith.
III. THE RESULTS OF A REFINED FAITH.
A. Refining our faith will enable us to unlock the store house of Heaven and receive things we both want and need.
a. Jesus said in Matthew If you believe and doubt not.
b. The refining of our faith is the removing of doubt even though it is ever so mall.
c. The removing of the little question or questions that make us wonder thus doubt God will do what He said He would do.
d. Doubt and or questions are blunts or broken off pieces that hinder faith form working properly.
e. It is the removing of anything what will hinder faith to cut through all the doubts fears and questions that keeps God for working in our lives and church as He wants too and promised to.
f. It is making us aware that God is still on the throne and He will remember his own what He says He will do His promises are true He will not forget you, God is still on the throne.
A. It allows us to see thing happen that otherwise would never have happened.
a. It removes mountains that seem unmovable, it crosses streams we thought were uncross-able, it brings to pass things hoped for.
b. It sees the things that are useable by the naked eye, it hears the inaudible, and it touches the untouchable.
c. It brings hope where there seems to be no hope, it brings healing when there is no cure in sight and the doctor shakes his head saying nothing can be done.
d. It brings light in darkest of midnights.
e. It gives courage to go on when all seem impossible.
1. That’s why we need to refine our faith.
