Scandalous Faith
As we approach fall and the weather gets cooler...
It seems as though we're always wanting to know what the winter weather holds for us,
*Will the Willy Worms be dark or light?
*Will El Niño or la Niña affect us the way the weatherman say they will?
*Will the farmers almanac printed pages of faith hold true as in years before?
No one knows for sure…but there's one thing for sure
about the weather, it's constantly changing.
Illus. By Andrew Chan
There is a story that it was autumn...
and the Indians on the remote reservation asked their new Chief if the winter was going to be cold or mild.
Since he was an Indian Chief in a modern society, he had never been taught the old secrets and When he looked at the sky, he couldn’t tell what the weather was going to be.
Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he replied to his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect firewood to be prepared.
Also, being a practical leader, after several days he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked, "Is the coming winter going to be cold?"
"It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold indeed," the meteorologist at the weather service responded.
So the Chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more wood in order to be prepared.
A week later, he called the National Weather Service again. "Is it going to be a very cold winter?"
"Yes," the man at National Weather Service again replied, "it’s definitely going to be a very cold winter."
The Chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of wood they could find.
Two weeks later, he called the National Weather Service again. "Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?"
"Absolutely," the man replied. "It’s going to be one of the coldest winters ever."
"How can you be so sure?" the Chief asked.
The weatherman replied, Because "The Indians are collecting wood like crazy."
I want to talk this morning about faith…
And how if you choose to believe
unlimited and unbelievable things can be and are accomplished in your life,
In the lives of your family and friends...your church and the kingdom of God.
Amen??
2 Samuel 7:22 NKJ
Therefore You are great, O Lord God. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
Romans 10:17NKJ
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
2 Corinthians 4:13 NKJ
And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,”[a] we also believe and therefore speak
Matthew 17:20 NKJ
20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief;[a] for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
So let's get this straight…
*We have heard that there is a God and that He is the one true God and there is no other God besides Him...
*Faith is instilled in us when we hear His word and when we hear His words we believe…
*and that spirit of faith even its just the size of a mustard seed...causes us to believe that we can speak it over our own situation and make it move...
*And realize that nothing is impossible with God!!
Scandalous...that's nothing but scandalous the world thinks in response when you tell them about faith.
But for someone..I said for someone who has experienced it firsthand and seen the results that it produces it's called a miracle. Amen??
So what keeps someone from experiencing their mountain from moving?
Jesus said in Matthew 17:20 "Because of your unbelief"
And I believe that right there alone is what the accuser uses to make the world think that it's so scandalous...and unbelievable.
Mark 9:23New King James Version (NKJV)
23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe,[a] all things are possible to him who believes.”
MSG. Says...23 Jesus said, “If? There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.”
Faith… Gives hope, that's what makes it so scandalous and attractive...just think of what would be possible if the whole world had hope and believed?
Today I want to share a story of "Scandalous Faith" from the Old Testament
about a man who heard about a God of anything is possible if you will only Believe...and the lengths that god is willing to go to...to meet your need when you do
Let's go to 2 Kings chapter 5 MSG
Naaman was general of the army under the king of Aram. He was important to his master, who held him in the highest esteem because it was by him that God had given victory to Aram: a truly great man, but afflicted with a grievous skin disease. It so happened that Aram, on one of its raiding expeditions against Israel, captured a young girl who became a maid to Naaman’s wife. One day she said to her mistress, “Oh, if only my master could meet the prophet of Samaria, he would be healed of his skin disease.”
(in todays terms and understanding…Naaman was a general in the Syrian army and they were going into Israel terrorizing the countryside
and they had captured and enslaved a young girl, who became a maid to Naamans wife...
miracle #1
That young girl could've been bitter...she was a stranger in a foreign land and she was being held captive against her will...but nevertheless she was free with her information and how Naaman could be helped if he was willing to listen)
4 Naaman went straight to his master and reported what the girl from Israel had said.
5 “Well then, go,” said the king of Aram. “And I’ll send a letter of introduction to the king of Israel.”
Miracle #2 His master said Yes...while he was considered very valuable to the King and the kingdom of Aram...he was expendable and he had an uncure-able disease
So he went off, taking with him about 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothes.
(now that's around $200,000 worth of silver and $3.75 million worth of gold...)
6 Naaman delivered the letter to the king of Israel. The letter read, “When you get this letter, you’ll know that I’ve personally sent my servant Naaman to you; heal him of his skin disease.”
7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he was terribly upset, ripping his robe to pieces. He said, “Am I a god with the power to bring death or life that I get orders to heal this man from his disease? What’s going on here? That king’s trying to pick a fight, that’s what!”
(One can only imagine what was going thru the Kings mind...this was the general of their enemy...it surely must be a trick, or some clever part of a plan...who would ask such a thing, he didn't know quite what to do...)
8 Elisha the man of God heard what had happened, that the king of Israel was so distressed that he’d ripped his robe to shreds. He sent word to the king, “Why are you so upset, ripping your robe like this? Send him to me so he’ll learn that there’s a prophet in Israel.”
Miracle #3 the King of Israel agreed to help and let Naaman and his Entourage go see Elisha a man of God that the little girl had told Naamans wife about to seek his healing...
9 So Naaman with his horses and chariots arrived in style and stopped at Elisha’s door.
(it must've been some kind of spectacle… Remember all the silver and gold..
Nearly a half a ton of it..
and all the baggage...
and the men and the horses and wagons it must have took to carry all that stuff...
let alone the provisions to make the trip...
Now while they were a neighboring enemy of Israel...One would've thought a caravan of that size would have at least gonered a face to face meeting with the Prophet...after all Elisha had told the King to send Naaman to him)
10 Elisha sent out a servant to meet him with this message: “Go to the River Jordan and immerse yourself seven times. Your skin will be healed and you’ll be as good as new.”
11-12 Naaman lost his temper. He turned on his heel saying, “I thought he’d personally come out and meet me, call on the name of God, wave his hand over the diseased spot, and get rid of the disease. The Damascus rivers, Abana and Pharpar, are cleaner by far than any of the rivers in Israel. Why not bathe in them? I’d at least get clean.” He stomped off, mad as a hornet.
(how many of you know… That God's ways are not always our Ways?
Many times like Naaman we try to figure out the ways that God is going to meet our need...in the manner in which He's going to do it and in the timeframe that He's going to do it...
and when it doesn't happen the way we think it should have, we start to question and figure out a different solution and formula to meet the need ourselves...
only latter to finally realize believing God for the answer and victory is the only way our need is ever going to be met...
Miracle #4 Naaman Believed...something that a lot of people for whatever reason choose not to do…
But you see Naaman realized that it wasn't something that he could do for himself...
it was something that only God could do)
13 But his servants caught up with him and said, “Father, if the prophet had asked you to do something hard and heroic, wouldn’t you have done it? So why not this simple ‘wash and be clean’?”
14 So he did it. He went down and immersed himself in the Jordan seven times, following the orders of the Holy Man. His skin was healed; it was like the skin of a little baby. He was as good as new.
15 He then went back to the Holy Man, he and his entourage, stood before him, and said, “I now know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is no God anywhere on earth other than the God of Israel. In gratitude let me give you a gift.”
Miracle #5 He was thankful...so many times after we receive what we have been praying about and seeking God for… We forget to thank Him and to be thankful that He not only hears but He also answers our requests when we have faith and believe that He will...
16 “As God lives,” Elisha replied, “the God whom I serve, I’ll take nothing from you.” Naaman tried his best to get him to take something, but he wouldn’t do it.
Ephesians 2:8-10The Message (MSG)
7-10 Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
(God is the one who deserves all the glory… Like the word says all we have to do is trust him and let him do it and when we are willing to do that...the results are amazing...)
2 kings 5:17-18 “If you won’t take anything,” said Naaman, “let me ask you for something: Give me a load of dirt, as much as a team of donkeys can carry, because I’m never again going to worship any god other than God. But there’s one thing for which I need God’s pardon: When my master, leaning on my arm, enters the shrine of Rimmon and worships there, and I’m with him there, worshiping Rimmon, may you see to it that God forgive me for this.”
Miracle#6 Naamans life was forever changed...no one could ever experience the life changing power of God and be the same...Just one moment in the life giving presence of his favor and you will never be the same...
19-21 Elisha said, “Everything will be all right. Go in peace.”
But he hadn’t gone far when Gehazi, servant to Elisha the Holy Man, said to himself, “My master has let this Aramean Naaman slip through his fingers without so much as a thank-you. By the living God, I’m going after him to get something or other from him!” And Gehazi took off after Naaman.
Naaman saw him running after him and jumped down from his chariot to greet him, “Is something wrong?”
22 “Nothing’s wrong, but something’s come up. My master sent me to tell you: ‘Two young men just showed up from the hill country of Ephraim, brothers from the guild of the prophets. Supply their needs with a gift of 75 pounds of silver and a couple of sets of clothes.’”
23 Naaman said, “Of course, how about a 150 pounds?” Naaman insisted. He tied up the money in two sacks and gave him the two sets of clothes; he even gave him two servants to carry the gifts back with him.
24 When they got to the fort on the hill, Gehazi took the gifts from the servants, stored them inside, then sent the servants back.
25 He returned and stood before his master. Elisha said, “So what have you been up to, Gehazi?”
“Nothing much,” he said.
26-27 Elisha said, “Didn’t you know I was with you in spirit when that man stepped down from his chariot to greet you? Tell me, is this a time to look after yourself, lining your pockets with gifts? Naaman’s skin disease will now infect you and your family, with no relief in sight.”
Gehazi walked away, his skin flaky and white like snow.
TBS God shares His Glory with no one...
Mark 8:36-37The Message (MSG)
34-37 Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?
Illus. By Melvin Newland
Behavioral scientists have discovered that we usually see things that we are prepared to see. This is all centered in a network of nerve cells called the "Reticular Activating System." Everybody has this system.
The "Reticular Activating System." works like this: Once something has been brought to our attention, and we have been prepared to see it, we’ll see it virtually everywhere we go.
For example, you decide to buy a new car. You make up your mind that you are going to buy a certain brand, a certain body style, and a certain color. Now, you’ll see those cars everywhere. You’ll see them on the roads, in TV advertisements, in newspapers and magazines. They’re everywhere.
Now what has happened? They were always there, but the moment you were prepared to see them, your Reticular Activating System kicked in, and suddenly you saw them everywhere.
Its the same way with the miracles of God… When you believe and have faith in the God of all possibilities and He brings a Miracle into your life...
You begin to notice them all around you and you realize that they have always been there and that there everywhere...
And as your faith grows..so does your expectation of God
Some would call such a thing scandalous...but for those of us who have come to know the Grace, Forgiveness and Love of God our Faith brings us...
Realize it can only be called one thing "AMAZING, NOTHING SHORT OF AMAZING"
Let us pray
