Intro- Faith is th cornerstone of the Christian life. Hebrews 11:6 declares : " But without faith it is impossible to please him : for he that cometh to God must believe that he is , and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." The Amplified Bible says in the same book, chapter, and verse :" But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily]believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who ernestly seek Him [out].
An accomplished author wrote and I quote "Faith has been weakened in meaning so that some people use it to mean ’self-confidence’. But in the Bible , true faith is confidence in God or Christ,NOT IN ONE’S SELF." Hearing God’s word produces faith. Romans 10:17 teaches us:"So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.And faith produces that"I CAN" spirit that Paul talked about in Philippians 4:13 when he penned:" I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me."
Prayer, sure enough, is the key to the kingdom but you must have faith in God in order for that prayer to unlock the door. For James5:15 screams off the pages: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise them up;". If the church have faith in God nothing can be outside of her reach. For Jesus said in Matthew 16:19 :" I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever ye bind on earth shall be bond in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose in earth shall be loosed in heaven.
When the Holy Spirit shines his special light of attention upon this txt we find two blind men. They were in need of a special touch from the Lord. Somebody here needs a touch right now. Somebody in here is a junkie, a failure, and an old winow and you can’t go another moment, another second, another minute, another hour, another day , another week, another weekend , another month, nor another year without a fresh touch from the Lord.
Every individual can have faith in God . But, how? I am glad you aked . By following the steps suggested in this text , you can develop a strong faith in God.
First things first you must...
PointI. Follow God Matthew9:27a - And when Jesus departed thence two blind men followed him...
To follow means to go after, to pursue. Following God causes a change in ones life. I Corinthians5:17 declares Therfore if any man be in Christ , he is a new creature: old things are passed away and behold all things are new. Jesus while speaking to the disciples in Matthew 16;24 said : " If any man will come after me , let him deny himself , and take up his cross and follow me." And John wrote on a simular subject in John 12:26 :" If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am , there shall also my servant be : if any man serve me , him willl my Father honor." In following we must never corstrue righteousness with evil. For John in 3John 11 yells in a dispairing cry words of caution saying :"Beloved , follow not evil , but that which is good." Some of you may be asking ,’Preacher, how do I pursue God?’ You pursue him by studying Paul admonished Timothy in II Timothy 2:15 to" Study to show thyself approved a workman that needet h not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babling: for they will increase into more ungodlinesss." But not only in studying but also in...
Point II. Praying to God.Matthew9:27 -" And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David , have mercy on us."
Praying is the act of entreating or, imploring. Praying relieves stress. John 4 recounts a the story of Jesus and the Samaratian woman. This woman was like the women on the movie "Waiting To Exhale". Thiswoman was stressed out like many of you. She had five husbands and one on the side. She had to have been stressed out to the maximun capicity of stress-tivity. But she had a talk with Jesus that gave her the power to exhale all that stress. She went from being one of the most antisocial people in town to telling everybody in town " Come see a man, which told me all things whatsoever I ever did :". Praying helps solve issues. You know everybody has issues. The Bible gives us a perfect example in Matthew 9. The Bible says that a woman had an issue of blood. She had spent all she had on doctor bills. But she reached up and touched the hem of His garment and pressed her way through to her breakthrough.When you pray to God you must also...
Point III. Hear God. Matthew 9:28 - " And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unt them , Believ ye that I am able to do this?..."
To hear means to percieve sound. The Bible says in Matthew 7 :" Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and dorth them I will liken him to a wise man that built his house on the rock ; and the rains descend and the floods came, and the windsblre, and beat upon the house; and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be liken to a foolish man that, built his house upon sand: And the rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon the houe; and it fell; and great was the fall of it." God is asking you right know "Can I do this? Believe ye that I am able to do this?" That leads me to my final point. You have to ....
Point IV. Answer God. Matthew 9:28c -" They said unto him, Yea, Lord."
Answering God activates Him to answer you. The Bible says in Matthew 16:13:"When Jesus came into the coast of Ceasarea Philippi, he asked his disciples , saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am? And they said some say That thou art John the Baptist: some Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them , But whom do ye say that I am ? And Simon answered and said, Thou art Christ the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it tounto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say unto thee, THat thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee, the keys to the kingdom of heaven : and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven ; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Conclusion- Therefore every Christian can build a strong lasting faith.
I. Follow God.
II. Pray to God.
III. Hear God.
IV. Answer God.
