Full
Pt. 6 - Faith Full
I. Introduction
Are you full? If so, what are you full of? Your "fullness" will determine what overflows to every area of your life. And yet the truth is that if we find ourselves closer to the "e" than the "f" we are in the majority. In a recent study of 1,000 churches and the spiritual growth of their congregation the researchers discovered that only 11% (or in other words 1 out of 10) would say they are compelled by their faith to love God and love others! 89% in the wilderness. Saved? Yes. Full? No! Emptiness reigns in the church community. However, I want to remind you and challenge you that God does intend for us to be full! I am going to continue to read these because they are promises that we must allow to come to life in our spirit - not just for my neighbor but for me.
John 10:10
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that _________ (insert your name) may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance - to the full, till it overflows. (Amplified Version)
Colossians 2:9-10
You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When _________ (insert name) came to him, that fullness comes together for _________ (insert name), too. His power extends over everything.
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness.
The accurate and mature understanding is knowing that salvation was only part of the picture. He came to save but He also came to enable us to experience fullness in life!
So I want to clearly state for us some of the things that should fill us so that we are able to experience this fullness that Jesus came to give us.
I have declared that we must be thank full, purpose full, grace full, and prayer full. I want us to continue on this path to fullness. Today I want to draw your attention to 4 identical statements all made in Matthew. While I read these 4 instances I also want you to take notice to whom this statement was made!
Matthew 6:28-30 (NKJV)
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (Stop here just a moment before we read the other 3 and say this instance is different in that He uses this "o you of little faith" not as an indictment but as the given or understood condition of His audience.)
Matthew 8:18, 23-27 (NKJV)
And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave the command to depart to the other side. (Luke says He says Let's go to the other side!) 23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
Matthew 14:29-32 (NKJV)
29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. (Notice this is after they had already experienced His ability to handle storms).
Matthew 16:5-10 (NKJV)
5 Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. 6 Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” 7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have taken no bread.” 8 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? 9 Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? 10 Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?
Jesus on 4 different occasions, all addressed to His followers, confronts their lack of faith. It seems to annoy and perhaps even baffle Him that disciples are faith less.
He is making it clear that He expects that His followers
Must be faith full!
Let's take a moment an examine each of these accounts. In Matthew 6 He attacks faithlessness in daily life issues. You can be faith full when it comes to your daily and most basic needs. Don't even worry about your clothes. He is saying I have you covered.Be faith full.
In Matthew 8, He attacks faithlessness in face of a life threatening moment.
In Matthew 14, He attacks faithlessness in the moment of a big step.
Then in Matthew 16:31, as the disciples freak out because they forgot to pack their lunch, Jesus addresses habitual and persistent faithlessness in light of proven track record - they had already seen this dealt with twice and in much more challenging situations. Now they don't have enough food for 13 and they panic even though they had seen Him provide for thousands.
So, in these 4 accounts, Jesus covers every aspect of our life - the day to day, the threatening moments and the big steps. In each moment He decries our lack of faith. He demands that we become faith full.
Are we faith full when we aren't sure how we will pay the rent? Jesus says you can have faith. Are we full of faith when we are faced with hopeless situations? No way out? Looks like we are doomed for failure? Jesus says we can have faith. Are we faith full when our stomach is in knots and we are risking it all? Jesus says we can have faith.
Jesus gives us some insight. He shows us that the number one enemy and cause of lack of faith fullness is the fact that we are forget full.
We have seen Him work. We have seen Him come through. We have seen Him heal. We have seen Him save. We have seen Him rescue. We have seen Him break in. We have seen Him set free! He didn't let you go without. He didn't let you sink. He didn't let you drown.
However, so often in the heat of the moment we fail to reflect and to recall. Re . . . Call. Re . . . Play. Re . . . View. Re . . . Mind. His repeat performances should result in faith fullness. This was the continued issue with the disciples. Even the account out of Matthew 8 is after he has healed a man with leprosy, centurions servant, Peters mother-in-law and cast out many demons and after watching Jesus flex His miracle muscles time and time again the disciples are faithless in face of the storm.
For just a moment will you stop looking at the daily issue, the heart stopping choice, the leap of faith, and remember what He has already done? What has He already shown you? Because it is at the moment that you are Mind Full of His goodness, ability, trustworthiness, and His track record that you cast off doubt and become faith full this year.
We are not faith full because of our lack of knowledge of His Word. Let's go to the other side. His disciples struggle with faith because they fail to trust His Word. You can't be anything but faith less until you trust His Word! If you are forget full and you don't know His Word, then your faith will be attached to feelings. The problem is feelings change and fluctuate. We become faith full when we base our belief on HIs track record and take steps based on the knowledge that His Word is guaranteed to be full filled!
Notice that every time the enemy attacked Jesus in the area of His faith about who He was and what He was called to do that Jesus answered and responded with the Word. The enemy attacks our faith and our biggest issue is that too many of us don't have the ability to talk back because we don't know the Word!
What daily thing has He asked you to trust Him for? What life threatening, peace threatening, destiny threatening, destination threatening thing are you facing? What major leap of faith has He called you to? Trust His track record! Remember what you have seen Him do. Trust His Word. What has He said about this?
You will overcome. No weapon formed shall prosper. I will give my angels charge over you! What the enemy meant for harm I can turn to good. I will restore what has been stolen from you. I will give you rest. I will supply all your needs. Overwhelming victory is ours. "But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.”
You can't be faith full if you don't even know the promises so that you can stand on them! We have dusted off some oldies lately maybe this is another one we need to revisit . . .
Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.
Refrain: Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.
You can't stand on a foundation you have not established!
How do we gain faith fullness? Romans 10:17 - So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
This is an easy equation that most of us don't work out. No Word = no faith. Hearing comes by the Word of God. If we are not hearing, then how can we stand on the promises?
We become faith full when we remember, rehearse, and recall what God has done and marry that to an understanding and knowledge of what He has said He will do.
So I show up on Sunday's reflecting on His track record and ready to hear His Word so I will gain faith. I will recall what He did last year and I will open His Word and see what He has promised and the result is faith!
Remind yourself today what He did. Share a promise you can stand on.
