The first kind of faith mentioned in the Bible is great faith. It's the story of the centurion, who came to Jesus. And he said to Jesus, "Lord, my servant lies at home paralyzed and is suffering terribly". Jesus said, "Well I will go and heal him". And the centurion said, "No. Lord, I have authority over a hundred Roman soldiers", hence the word centurion, "But I recognize that you have authority in heaven and in earth. If you will just speak the word", now this is word for word out of the Bible, "If you speak the word, my servant will be healed". And Jesus said, "I have not seen such great faith in all of Israel". And it came from a Roman soldier. Great faith was saying, "Lord, you have authority over sickness and disease". His great faith was saying, "You have authority over death, hell, and the grave. You have authority over demon spirits. You have authority over winds and waves".
The Lord Jesus Christ has authority over fear and doubt that haunt you. He has authority over kings and over presidents. He has authority, and nothing is impossible with God. Saints of God, God is waiting for you to speak the word of faith, to speak it boldly, to speak it specifically. Say what you want, when you want it, who you want it to happen for, in Jesus' name, and the mountains of impossibility will be cast into the sea.
Great faith can pray from a great distance. You can pray for someone across town or on the other side of the world. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. Faith is the currency of heaven. Faith sees the invisible. Faith conquers the impossible. Faith is the voice that sings in the darkness, waiting for the glorious dawn of a new day. "Have faith in God". That's God's request. "Have faith in God". Say that with me. "Have faith in God". Give the Lord praise!
When you have great faith, your faith is aggressive. When you settle for second best, you don't have aggressive faith. Great faith is determined. The three Hebrew children were before Nebuchadnezzar and the huge statue that he had built. And all were told to bow and worship this statue. The three Hebrew children only recognized Jehovah God. And they looked at the world's most powerful man, who had this huge, blazing furnace going that had already burned people who had started the fire to death! They looked him in the eye and said, "O king, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us out of your hand". That's bold faith. Hello, America. We, the people of the United States and even in the church, are bowing to pagan Gods. Socialism is a pagan God. It will destroy this nation. What is your confession? Our confession is, "In God we trust. We hold these things to be self-evident: that we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights: that among them are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". That is our declaration, and so help us God: we will achieve that.
A second kind of faith is natural faith, natural faith. When you're traveling, and you get on an airplane, you have faith that the pilot knows the difference between Chicago and Cuba. When you vote for the president of the United States, you have faith that he will honor "The constitution of the United States of America," the right to assemble, the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, America first. Why shouldn't America be first? Natural faith. You have faith that your doctor knows the difference between a tonsillectomy and a hysterectomy. They sound a lot alike. but there's lots of difference. You have faith in your lawyer, in your banker, in your insurance man. Why not have faith in God, who never fails: God, who is ever present: God, who is Almighty: God, who has never failed you, you can't find a person on planet earth that says God has failed them, whose awesome power has been given to you. Faith is the victory that overcomes every barrier you're ever going to face. Have faith in God!
The third kind of faith is mustard seed faith. Matthew 17:20, and Jesus said unto them, "If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, 'be cast into yonder place,' and it shall be removed. And nothing shall be impossible to you". Say that with me. "And nothing shall be impossible to you," Matthew 17:20. Mustard seed faith is pure faith. Mustard seed faith will mix with nothing without transforming the taste of that substance. Think of a hot Jalepeño Pepper in the middle of beans. You can't put it in the beans without it affecting everything. The mustard seed is small, but it's pure. It never, ever waivers. It's small but has the power to put mountains into the sea. Little is much when God is in it. When you have pure faith, God will do the impossible for you.
A fourth kind of faith is a measure of faith. Romans 12:3, God gives a measure of faith to every believer in Christ. Shortly after you come to Christ, the prince of darkness will whisper in your ear, "You don't have faith". That's a lie! The Bible says God has already given you a measure of faith. You prayed the prayer, the sinner's prayer, as an act of faith. You have that measure of faith right now. It's up to you to read the Word of God and listen to the Word of God to increase your faith. Again, the Bible says, "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing", say it with me, "By the Word of God". The will of God and the Word of God are always in agreement, because they're one in the same. The question is, how much do you read the Bible? That determines the quality of your faith and the amount of your faith. Don't say God is silent when your Bible is closed six days out of the week.
A fifth kind of faith is faithless faith. John 20:27, then said he to Thomas, "Extend your hand. Put your finger in my hands and be not faithless, but believing". Faithless faith is that faith which must see before it believes. People of faith say, "We believe and then we receive". Faithless people like "Doubting Thomas" say, "I'm not going to believe until I touch the scars in his hand". They have to see it to believe it. They say, "Seeing is believing". They are ruled by the flesh. And they are never going to experience the power of God. There are people who will drive a thousand miles to see a miracle, when God is waiting to do a miracle in their church if they were spiritual enough to go to church. If you don't go to God's house, why do you think he's going to take you to his house?
A sixth kind of faith is visible faith. Luke 5:20, "And when he saw their faith". Say that with me. "And when he saw their faith". God can see your faith. He can see it in what you say. He can see it in what you do. He can see it in where you go. Where were you last night? He can see it in what you think. As a man or a woman thinketh, so is he. "Faith is the victory that overcomes the world". Faith unlocks the gates of heaven. "The just shall live by faith". Say that with me. "The just shall live by faith". That's you. Every day of your life is a faith opportunity.
The seventh kind of faith is little faith. Matthew 6:30, "O ye of little faith". Little faith can only accomplish little things. Little faith is always worried about things. Listen to Jesus' sermon on little faith and the things we worry about. Matthew 6:28-30, "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. And yet I say to you that even Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field that is today and is burned up tomorrow, how much more will he clothe you, oh you of little faith"? The point is if the sparrow in the fields know that God will provide for him, this little bitty bird, why don't you believe that you are as important to God as a sparrow? Because that's what you're saying. Sparrows don't take Alka-Seltzer. Sparrows don't watch fake news. They don't have psychiatrists and lawyers. They know there's a God in heaven that's taken care of them for hundreds of years and they're still going to be around.
Daniel's prayer proved that God is in total control of your life in Daniel 9:20-23. Daniel's prayer takes about 30 seconds to read. I'm talking about the length of his prayer. The angel Gabriel came from heaven to earth and appeared before Daniel during his prayer, Daniel 9:21. How far away is heaven? Heaven is beyond the north star. The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second. That's really fast. Light from the north star that you see tonight has been traveling 200 years at that speed so you can see it. Think. Daniel started praying and he saw Gabriel in heaven. Heaven is beyond the north star. And when he finished, Gabriel was standing in front of him. It's right there in the Bible. How fast can God get his angels to you to take care of you, to protect you, to guide you, to defend you? Instantly. At the worst, it was 30 seconds. But if Daniel had his eyes closed, it was instantaneously. Hallelujah!
Jesus conducted a faith seminar in Matthew 6. Five times in this text, he says, "Take no thought. Don't be anxious. Don't worry. O you of little faith, don't worry about your life". It's the Greek word "Suke" talking about the physical, earthly life. And it means stop worrying. Verse 27, "Which of you by worry can add a cubit"? He's referring to the quality of your life. In verse 28, "Why do you worry about clothes"? Verse 31, "Do not worry about food and drink". Half of America's on Weight Watchers right now. "Don't worry about tomorrow". That's the Greek word for don't start worrying. Why? Because God is your father. God is your father. In the Bible, he is your provider. He is Jehovah Shammah, the Lord who is always there. You may not see him, but he's there. He is your healer. He is your defender. He is your rock. He is your fortress in the day of battle. He is your high tower. He is your shield and buckler. He is there when you need him. God is good all the time. He is good all the time.
Have faith in God, because God is the God who has never failed. It doesn't take great faith to believe in something that never fails. God has never failed. You can't find a person on earth in their right mind that will tell you, "God failed me". Ever notice how worry comes at a bad time? It comes at a time of crisis. Just when you need a clear mind and steady nerves to make a great decision, here comes worry like a dark cloud to hide the sun, like a leech draining you of your creative ability to think. Oh, ye of little faith, worry is a killer. It makes cowards out of aggressive men. It paralyzes the mind so that you cannot produce the better idea to solve a new problem. Worry robs your body of rest at night. It sends you to work shattered, shaky and second a rate. You're on the naked edge when you worry all the time.
Medical science is now confirming that worry is the mother of cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, ulcers. It's not what you're eating that matters. It's what's eating YOU that matters. Worry has sent millions of Bible believers to the cemetery before their time, who are supposed to be serving the Prince of Peace. Jesus says, do not worry. Do not worry. Take no thought. O you of little faith. "Let not your heart be troubled". Say that with me. "Let not your heart be troubled". Almighty God has declared that he is a God who will not fail. He will never forsake you. He is from everlasting to everlasting. I have defeated your enemies. I have already solved the problems that you are about to go through. Have faith in God. He is the shepherd who is in front of you, eliminating your enemies and make the crooked path straight. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad. The sun will come up in the east tomorrow and everything is going to be alright!
Worry is not just a sign of little faith, it's a sin. Worry is practical atheism. Worry proves you don't believe God can take care of you. Worry is faith in fear. We serve a great God, who has never failed. It takes no faith to believe in something that never fails. Two dominant words in Jesus' ministry was "Fear not," because he is there to take care of every problem that you have. David said, "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death". People see death as a problem. Let me tell you, because of the cross, death is nothing but a harmless shadow. The shadow of a lion cannot hurt you. The shadow of a snake cannot bite you. The shadow of a sword cannot cut you. A shadow is harmless. "The Lord is my light and my salvation". "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me".
Listen, when you breathe your last breath here, it is your first breath inside the gates of heaven. You're home! Actually that's why Jesus said, "He that believeth in me shall never die". Because when you breathe your last breath here, you're instantly in heaven. Jesus said, "I am he that was dead. And behold, I am alive forever more," then, "He that believes in me shall never die". If that was the only message Christianity had, it would make this message the greatest message on earth. Your last breath here is your first breath there. Fear not sickness. He's the great physician. Fear not poverty. "It is the Lord that gives you the power to get wealth". Don't fear other people. "I will make your enemies to be at peace with you". That's in the Bible. I will drown Pharaoh at your feet. I will help you climb the impossible mountain. I will help you defeat the undefeatable foe.
"A thousand shall fall at your left hand and ten thousand shall fall at your right hand". David said, "I will fear no evil because you are with me". Oh, ye of little faith, worry is trust in the unpleasant. Worry is assurance that disaster is coming. Worry is belief in defeat and despair. Worry is a polluted stream that surges through the mind. It drowns optimism. It drowns hope and faith. Worry is interest paid on trouble that never happens. One old man said, "Most of the trouble I've had in life never happened". And that's true. Having little faith, what do we worry about? We worry about being unfavorably compared with other people. The Bible says, "Don't compare yourselves among yourselves". You're a child of the king! You are kings and priests unto God. You are the ambassadors of Christ. You are somebody!
Don't worry about the things you can't change. There's a prayer that goes like this: "Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference". You don't worry about the collision of the planets. What can you do about that? Don't worry about the federal budget. We're already broke, so don't worry about it. Don't worry about teenagers that grow up and that drive you crazy. They will grow up and be a blessing someday. You can never change what you will not confront. And sometimes the person you need to confront is the one you're looking at in the mirror. Don't worry about what you can't change. Don't worry about what you can change. Change it. Don't worry, period. It's a waste of time.
The Bible presents seven kinds of faith with weak faith being evidenced by worry. Are you anxious? Are you worried over situations in your life? In your business? In your family? In your health? With your children? With your prosperity? And you say, pastor, I would like to make a profession of faith today taken from the Bible about God helping me to live without worry. If that defines you, I'd like you to repeat this proclamation of faith with me. This is all taken from the Bible. It's not mine. Let's pray together.
Our most gracious Heavenly Father, I approach your throne, in the name of Jesus Christ, asking for the peace of God to flood my heart and mind today. Do not allow the thoughts of tomorrow to destroy the peace of today. For your word declares, "Take no thought for tomorrow: for sufficient unto the day is the trouble thereof". Casting every care upon him: for he careth for me. The eternal God is my refuge. And underneath are his everlasting arms. He will drive out my enemies before me. And God shall say, "destroy them". God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in the time of trouble. Today I release my faith to receive the peace and comfort of God. I am casting all my care upon him: for he careth for me, in Jesus' name. Amen.
Give the Lord praise where you are. I want you to make a card that says the three greatest words speaking the word of faith. Make sure to have several blank lines there. And what I want you to do, I want you to put a faith goal there, something you want God to do for you that stretches your faith. I want you to put something down there that makes the Lord say, "Ooh, look at that." And I want you to believe the Lord for it. Because until you start stretching your faith, and exercising your faith, it won't grow.
The Bible says, "Faith cometh by hearing". The word "Cometh" is a Greek continuance verb. God takes you to an arena where your faith is stretched as far as it can go, and he meets it. And then you step a little further and he meets it. And you step a little further and he meets it. Life gets exciting when you start talking to God and you're looking for the answer the next day. That's when your prayer life is an adventure. It's not something you have to do, it's something you enjoy doing, because you are talking to the Creator of the universe, who in an instant can make it happen. Have faith in God. God bless you.
