The Path Of Faith Series

Scripture: Isaiah 40:1-11; Mark 1:1-8

Theme: Second Advent - Year B

Title: The Path Faith Leads

In our passages the LORD reveals to us the path of faith - 1. Faith leads us to confession and repentance 2. Faith leads us to being Transformed 3. Faith leads us to Action - Living Out a Life of Faith Everyday

Confessing, Transforming, Active Faith

INTRO:

Grace and peace from God our Father and from King Jesus who came to take away the sins of the world!

In Mark chapter 10:46 - 52 we find this wonderful story involving Jesus and Blind Bartimaeus. It's the kind of story that we love when we think of faith. Blind Bartimaeus speaks out in faith. Jesus responds by telling him that his faith has made him whole. Bartimaeus now seeing begins to follow Jesus. Faith equals instant healing and victory.

In Luke 9:43 -56 we have the two stories of the woman with the issue of blood and the resuscitation of Jarius' daughter. Both are based on faith and both are immediately healed and restored. The woman with the issue of blood is healed and cleansed while Jarius' daughter is able to once again breathe and sit down for a meal to eat. Faith equals instant healing and victory.

In Matthew 8:5 - 13 we have the story of the young servant boy who is healed as a result of the Centurion's great faith in Jesus. In verse 13 we read where the servant was healed at the same time the Centurion was talking to Jesus. Faith equals instant healing and victory.

You get the gist. Faith leads to supernatural encounters. Faith leads to great supernatural miracles and anointings. Faith leads to lives being transformed. Faith leads to seeing all kinds of wonderful things happening around a person.

Those are the type of stories that get our spiritual blood pumping. Those are the stories that we love to share in Vacation Bible School, Teen Bible Class or Adult Small Group Bible Studies. We like to see faith in action and that action quickly rewarded. We like it when we hear about prayers of faith that led to instantaneous or at least almost instantaneous miracles, healings and restorations.

But what about stories and lives of those like Joseph, Abraham, Joshua and let's add one more - Noah?

The Bible tells us that for 13 years Joseph suffered the life of first a slave and then the life an inmate before he experienced a supernatural rescue from the LORD. For 13 long and difficult years he had to hold on to his faith that God was hearing his prayers and that deliverance was on the way.

The Bible tells us that Abraham was 75 years of age when by faith the LORD led him from Haran to go to the Promise Land. He was 75 years of age when the LORD revealed to him that he would one day be the father of a blessed people numbering in the thousands and millions. And yet, Abraham would not be able to hold that Promise Child in his hands for another 25 years. Twenty-five long years of waiting as he and Sarah grew older and older. Each year taking them away from the thought of ever having children. He had to hold on to his faith day after day waiting for God's Promises to come true.

The Bible tells us that for 40 years Joshua had to wait in faith as the People of God stumbled around the Desert because of their rebellion. And then it would take another 25+ years to finally get a little bit of a foothold in the Promise Land. So we see that for 65+ years Joshua prayed, waited, walked, suffered before he experienced a part of God's Promise. He faith had to sustain him for 65+ years.

For Noah it was even longer. From the moment the LORD spoke to him about the Ark to the moment he got on the ark some believe that 100 years had passed. That means some 36, 500+ days went by before he stepped foot on that ark and the rain started pouring down. 36,500 days keeping faith. He followed that up by spending another 370 days on the ark floating around in faith waiting for the Lord to dry up the earth. 101+ years is a long time to wait by faith for God's Promises to come true.

It's easy to get caught up in the stories of Blind Bartimaeus, the woman with the issue of blood and the Centurion's servant. They are neat and quick. They are inspirational. They fit our time line of being microwave miracles. We are not as easy to get caught up in the faith and miracle stories of Joseph, Joshua, Moses or Noah. We like to read about the exciting things that happened in their lives but when we begin to think in terms of 13 years, 25 years, 61 years or even 101 years then we find ourselves a little exhausted. That's a long time to wait for God's Promises to come true. That's a lot of day to day keeping faith.