“Just have Faith”
Hebrews 11:1;6
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 6 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.
In Mark 4:35-41 Jesus is asleep on a boat with His disciples, a “Great Storm” comes up, and the disciples began to fear for their lives. They awake Jesus, and He rebuke the wind, and claim the storm, then they look at one another, and ask this question, “what manner of man is this”?
So, I ask you that same question this morning, “what manner of man is this?” The disciples ask that same question. Why? Because they didn’t know, they really didn’t know what kind of man Jesus was. They walk with Him for years and still they didn’t know Him. So I ask you this morning, do you know Him, I mean, do you really know Him for yourself. While, just in case you don’t know Him, I think I’ll try to tell you what kind of man He really is. So I ask a few people, and this is what they said to me.
· I asked Mary, mother of Jesus, and she said, we were at a wedding feast, and the wine ran out, and He told the people to fill up every jug and bottle with water, and we saw him turn the water into wine, and they’re still asking, what manner of man is this!
· Then I saw a Woman at the wale, and she said, I stop by here to get some water, and a man was there, and told me all about myself, and I’m still asking, what manner of man is this!
· Then I saw this woman that was bleeding for 12 long years, and she said, I knew if I could just but touch the hem of His garment, I would be made whole, and she’s still asking, what manner of man is this.
· Then I asked the 3 Hebrew boys, and they said, while we would not bow down to their king, so he through us in this fiery furnace, and Jesus showed up, and took the heat out of the fire, and we’re shall asking each other, what manner of man is this.
· Then I asked a blind man that sat on the side of the road, name Bartimeus, and he said, all I know is, I once was blind but now I can see, and I’m still asking, what manner of man is this!
· Then I asked this Centaury Soldier, who had a servant that was sick unto death, and he said, I visit Jesus and ask him to heal my servant, and he spoke some words and told me to go home, and when I got there, my servant was healed, and I’m still asking, what manner of man is this!
· Then I looked at myself in a mirror, and saw a low down, no good, drug smoking, alcoholic drinking person, who God picked-up, cleaned-up, and made me a servant for Himself, and I’m still asking, what manner of man is this! Well, I’m glad you asked.
1st He’s a man of Great Faith
· This man called Jesus, who went around, healing those who needed healing.
· This man called Jesus, who did nothing more than what His Father excepted Him to do.
· This man called Jesus, who defies the logic of this world by walking on water like it was a side walk.
Isn’t that like Jesus, the very thing that was threatening to destroy the disciples, He was using as a sidewalk to save them. And I’m saying to those of you who are here this morning, the very storm that you are going through, He’s going to use it to bring you the answer.
· This man lived life by faith, and believed every word of God.
· This man who raised Lazarus from the dead by saying “Lazarus come forth”.
· This Rabbi of God, this Lion of Judah, this Bright and Morning Star, this Bread of Life, this Alpha and Omega, who walked out of a borrowed grave, and on the 3rd day rose, just like He said He would. He did all of that, because of His Faith in God. And,
Because of His faith, He was not limited in His birth, or His death or His resurrection.
Because of His faith, Rome could not condemn Him.
Because of His faith, the Cross could not conquer Him.
Because of His faith, the Grave could not contain Him.
Because of His faith, Pharisees and Sadducees could not deceive Him.
All because of His faith, Satan himself, could not defeat Him.
I said all of that, just to say this, if you don’t remember anything else this morning, God wants you to keep this in your head, (“nothing shall be impossible”) if you believe, and (“all things are possible to them that believe”) if you have faith.
The Bible say, (“for with God all things are possible”), and many of you here are, wrestling with trials and tribulations in our lives, and you’re desperately searching for answers, and I pray that you find it in the message this morning. “Just Have Faith”.
Let us pray; Father God, let us hear this word of the Lord, and let it change our lives forever, in Jesus name, we pray, Amen!
Hebrew 11:6, say; “without faith it is impossible to please God”. (say it with me)
Why? Because everything that God offers you, come by Faith.
Salvation comes by faith – Rom. 10:9 (That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.)
Healing comes by faith – Acts 3:16 (By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.)
Baptism comes by faith – Coloss. 2:12 (having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.)
Financial blessings comes by faith – 2 Ki. 22:7 (But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are acting faithfully.")
Even Guidance comes by faith – Ps. 23 (He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.)
Now the Bible says, “we walk by faith and not by sight”, but do we really believe that, do we really know what that mean. That mean, you take action based on what you believe. For example:
· If I fill like I’m not going to make it this morning, then I’m not going to make it this morning.
· If I fill that I would never be anything in life, then guest what, I’ll never be anything in life. But the devil is a liar. Because my Bible tells me, “greater is He that is in me, then he that is in the world”; “that I’m more then a conqueror, I am the head, and not the tail, I am the above and not beneath, I am the lender and not the borrower ”, and you shall have what you say”, if you believe and just have faith.
The Bible says “faith cometh”, this word (cometh) in the Greek contents, is a continues verb. That means, “Faith”, is continuing to grow, based upon your use of it.
For example:
If you want to lose some weight, you go to the gym and say, “I’m going to change this body of fat, into a body that looks like Mr. Universe, that’s not going to happen in just 15 minutes, you have to work on it, and work on it, day after day, and night after night, year after year.
God has given everyone a measure of faith, but if you don’t use your faith, you can’t develop your faith. (Well what are you saying preacher), just this:
· If you can’t believe God to heal your headache, why would you believe God to heal cancer.
· If you can’t believe God to solve a $100.00 problem, why would you ask God to solve a $1,000.00 problem.
· If you don’t have faith for the smaller things, you can’t have faith for the bigger things, you have to start believing somewhere, and exercise your faith.
You see, Faith is like the currency of heaven, that mean, going to God without faith, is like going to Wal-Mart without money. Smith Wigglesworth said, “I am not moved by what I see, I am not moved by what I feel, I am only moved by what I believe”. So let me ask you this morning, what do you believe? What do you really believe? What would you try to do for God, if you believed that you could not fail. I mean, if your really believe that “nothing is impossible”, what would you really try to do for God, just food for thought. You see faith is not believing that God can do, faith is believing that God will do, and most of all, He will do it for you.
Listen to me closely, many of you believe that God created the heavens and the earth right, you believe that God will bless, with blessings pressed down, shaken together and running over, right, but the problem with that is, you don’t believe it will happen for you, and until you believe it, will not happen for you. You must believe without a shadow of a doubt, that it will happen, and most of all, it will happen for you.
Faith is not shouting at God when you pray, because God is not deaf. Smith Wigglesworth said, “I can get more out of God by believing Him for one minute, than I can by shouting at Him all night”. It’s not how loud your prayers are, or how long your prayer is that move God, it’s your faith that move God.
It’s your faith that brings the answer, listen to me, God does not respond to your needs, He responds to your faith. (Let me say that again,) God does not respond to your needs, He responds to your faith. You don’t go to God and say, “God look at my big need”, you go to God and say, “I believe you will do it”, and whether it’s big or small He does it, because you have faith in Him.
2ndly - Faith is not emotional, I’ve seen people walk into hospital room, with someone dying with cancer, and they just seat there and cry and cry and cry, and the person gets sicker and sicker and sicker, why, because emotions doesn’t heal anyone.
But then, I’ve seen people walk into a hospital room with the boldness of Jesus Christ, and anoint the head of that sick person, and believe with faith, that God will heal them, and supernaturally that cancer dries up, all because of 30 seconds of faith is worth a 1½ of your tears. What are you saying preacher, just this, emotions doesn’t move God, Faith moves God, just have faith in God.
The Bible says “believe for the impossible, and act like it is already accomplished.”
The fact is, prayer doesn’t cause faith to work, faith causes prayer to work.
Faith is the difference between Success and Failure, ok, if you need a job, you don’t pray to God and say, I’ll never get a job, you say; “Lord I thank you for the job that you’re sending me, and I’m believing with faith, that you’re sending it to me right now.
If your sick, say, “Lord I thank you for healing my body, the doctor said there is no hope, but you’re the God of all hope, and you said Lord, “by your stripes, I am healed”. When you pray with this kind of faith, supernatural things begin to happen;
· Supernaturally, the lame begin to walk.
· Supernaturally, the dumb begin to talk.
· Supernaturally, the blind begin to see.
· Supernaturally, demonic spirits begin to backup and flee.
· Supernaturally, money start to find you.
· Supernaturally, marriages begin to get better. That’s right marriages,
Say, “Lord I thank you for restoring my marriage, and stop praying about how your marriage is not working out. Just have faith!
If your business is in jeopardy, stop praying about how your about to lose your business, and start praying, “Lord I thank you for turning my business around, the devil is mad at me, and I’m glad about it. Because:
· By faith the victory is already mine.
· By faith God has heard my prayers.
· By faith the answer is on it’s way, and “nothing shall be impossible to them that believe”, and I believe in the faith of God, I believe in the power of God, and I believe in the word of Almighty God.
Finally, What is Faith? If you can’t remember this write it down, faith is the light that sees you through the storm. Some of you in this church are going through the darkest hour of your life, you’re in this massive storm, and you’re being shaken to the core, but keep your eyes focus on Jesus, because He’s in the storm with you. Faith is the light that sees you through the storm, just keep holding on to God’s unchanging hand.
Faith will gives you courage to march forward, when everyone else is shouting at you, stop believing that stuff, it’s not going to happen, and it’s certainly not going to happen for you. (You know those faith haters).
You see:
• Faith hears from heaven, and it doesn’t hear from hell.
• Faith hears from heaven, and it doesn’t hear from your doubting friends.
• Faith hears from heaven, and it doesn’t hear from a palm reader.
Faith says that I’m on my way to heaven, and I’m not listening to any more mess, or any more lies from satan. You see “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing comes by the word of God”. So I ask you this morning, whose word do you believe? Do you believe God’s word, or do you believe Satan’s words?
What God says is always in contrast to what the devil says, why, because God is a spirit, and “they that worship God must worship Him in spirit and in truth”. The devil is an evil spirit and he is full of deception. So again, whose word do you believe, the word of God, that is perceived by faith, or the word of Satan, that is full of lies and deception.
Heb. 11:1 says, “faith is the evidence of things hoped for”, listen to that, faith is evidence. Then, what is the hope of the believer? So many people read that verse, and have no Bible knowledge what so ever what this mean, so they look at faith like it’s a lucky rabbits foot, it’s not luck.
· Faith is something hoped for, it’s not a lucky rabbits foot as some call it.
· Faith is not crossing your fingers and walking through life hoping everything will be alright.
· Faith is not playing the odds.
· Faith is not playing the gospel lottery.
Faith is in God, and the Hope for the believer is based upon the word of God. Therefore, faith is believing God will do, and He will do it for you. Therefore:
· I don’t hope that God answers prayers, I know He will answer prayers, because He answered yours and mine.
· I don’t hope God heals, I know that He will heal, because He healed some of you in here.
· I don’t hope God leads, guides and provides, I know He leads, guides and provides, because He’s doing it right now.
· I don’t hope there’s life after death, I know there’s life after death, because my God lives, and because He lives, I got faith.
· I don’t hope He’s coming again, I know He’s coming again, because the Bible says, “that this same Jesus, shall come in like manner, just as you have seen him go”.
So, pickup, pack up, look up, and be prayed up, because we’re going up in a twinkling of an eye, just like He said, if you just have faith. Amen!
