Without Faith

Mark 4:40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

Faith is what takes us through the tough times. Without faith, we despair of hope and we have nothing to anchor our lives. Faith in the providence of God is what helps us see life from another prospective. The eternal view is seeing the hand of God in everything that happens in life. The storms that take place in our life are the things that we fear. The fear of the unknown, the fear of lose, or rejections. “ O ye of little faith”. “Without faith it is impossible to please God”. Faith is the cornerstone keeping our lives secure in God. Cast away fear and look to Jesus, in Him the storms of life will cease, and we can make it to the shore on the other side.

Faith in God

Judges 7:13-18
January 27, 2008

Gideon, a might man of courage and fortitude realized his inability to overcome the enemy. God stripped Gideon of any plausibility that the battle would be won through his own strength. The Lord takes the weak and empowers them with His Spirit to overcome the difficulties of life. We must have faith in God that He will enable us to see victory.

Willing Soldiers (Gideon prepares his army)
• Releasing the fearful
• Releasing the careless
• Retaining watchful
Weak Made Strong (vs13. Cake of barley)
• God takes the weak elements of our lives and uses them
• His power is made manifest in our weakness
• As a church, we are weak, but God is in control
Worried Enemies (vs14. God had delivered his enemy)
• The Lord was working and preparing the situation
• The enemy trembles when the saints start to believe God
Worship the Lord (vs.15. Gideon…worshiped)
• We draw our strength by worshiping God
• Through worship we begin to realize our weakness
• God is exalted and lifted up in the place of worship
Weapons of the Lord (vs16. Trumpet, lamps, pitcher)
• God’s weapons are not carnal- (man depended)
• God will often use the insignificant to His glory
Watch and Wait (vs17.19. Look on me…set the watch)
• Gideon’ men needed to obey to see the victory
• Don’t get ahead of God when doing battle-Wait for His orders
War Cry of the Saints (vs20. Sword of the Lord)
• Praising God for the victory that will be won
• Shout your faith- dare to go out on a limb
• With God ALL things are possible-Claim God’s promise
Warfare with the Enemy (vs22. The Lord set everyman against…)
• The battle is not ours, but God's
• We must rely of God to give us the victory
Winning to the Glory of God (vs23. Pursued after the Midianites)
• There is no god, compared to Thee O God!
• To God be all the glory

Elihu's Advice to Job

August 19th, 2007
Job 36:1-18
With confidence, Job puts his faith in God and His mercy. He was resolute in his convictions that as far as he knew in his heart, he did not do anything that would cause the suffering he was going through. Realizing that Job was not going to admit that he had sinned against God, Elihu takes a different approach. It may be that Job was going through all this because God was unhappy with Job in some area of his life. That he may be experiences bad things, because God was correcting or chastising him for some things in his life that was not sin, but bad judgment. God does chasten those that He loves, and sometime the chastisements of the Lord are not pleasant. Once again, the words that Elihu speaks are full of truth and speak accurately about the nature and attributes of God, but like his counter partners, he too assumed that Job was doing something wrong, and it needed to be corrected. The words we speak are often true and accurate, but are they always appropriate. May we always be wise as a serpent and gentle as a dove and we speak and minister to others.
Compelled to Speak
• When are you compelled to speak up?
• Elihu’s could not restrain himself any longer
Convince of Speech
• His doctrine was right- Stayed with truth
• He was confident of his words
Colossal God
• A mighty God is He
• The holiness of God’s might
Condemnation of the Wicked
• Belligerently break God’s law- mistreatment of others
• Life is short for the wicked-Death waits at the door
Chastisement of the Righteous
• His eyes are always on the righteous
• Why? Change ways, listen to instruction, turn around.
Cry of the Hypocrite
• Lord! Lord! Have we not….
• Cry of sorrow without repentance
Christ Paid the Ransom
• We all deserve the wrath of God
• Mercy through Christ and the ransom He paid

Divine Nourishment

Mark 8:1-9, 14-21

To sustain the body to be healthy and strong, it is imperative that one takes time to nourish themselves with food and water. These basic necessities of life are essential for survival and must not be neglected if we are to grow and live healthy lives. God made humanity with a body and a soul. The till of the ground has provided man with food to sustain the body. But man cannot survive with bread alone. He must also nourish the soul. Jesus, who is the bread of life and true source of divine nourishment, had sent out the invitation to come and dine. This divine food from heaven is the source of our spiritual substance and is essential to our spiritual growth and eternal survival. Jesus said, “He that hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled” We often crave and long for certain foods, but how often do we crave for the bread of Life and divine nourishment for heaven?

Calling of the disciples vs.1
• Minister to those in need
• Obligation to feed those who are in need
Compassionate Christ vs. 2-3
• The Love of Jesus how measureless
• Looking through the eyes of Christ
Complications arise vs. 4
• Obstacles that we will face
• Humanly this is not possible, but with God
Charge of the Savior vs. 6, 15
• He is the answer to all are needs
• Trust and obey- “Whatsoever He saith, do it”
Control of the circumstance vs. 5-7
• We must let go and let Him be in control
• He still desires to use us as vessels for His glory
Contamination of truth vs.15
• Beware of those who are able to twist the truth
• Just because it looks delicious, does not mean it will satisfy
Consider and Call to mind the miracles vs. 17-21
• How quickly we forget what God has done
• Understanding the spiritual world
• He desires that we have a present and active faith
• The Holy Spirit will lead us to remember

Christ is Risen

Mark 16:1-14
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the matrix of Christianity. It is the pivotal truth and anchor of our faith that makes Christianity more than just another religion conjured by man. It is not a religion of man, but a relationship initiated by God who rules and reigns in the pass, present, and future. The certainty of this truth is express by the Apostle Paul when he says, “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain”
The gospel accounts of the resurrection of Christ vary slightly in detail and sequence, but such difference does not dimension the validity of the truth. The account given to us by Mark is focused around the women that went to the sepulcher to anoint the body of Jesus, and a summary of other disciples that saw Him. The scripture lesson ends with a rebuke by Jesus for their unbelief in not believe those that saw Him first.

First Day of the Week (early in the morning…)
• The Christian Sabbath
• The sorrow and grief of death
Fortify with a Stone (…the stone from the door)
• The hindrances we face
• Continue to do what is right
Frighten by Angels (they were affrighted)
• One angel or two angels?
• Startled by the unexpected
• Fear is dispelled with astonishment
Foretelling of Christ (there shall ye see Him)
• He is not here- this was foretold
• You shall see Him face to face
• We must go where He leads to be able to see Him
Fled to Tell (fled from the sepulcher)
• They were admonish to go
• Spread the good news (gospel truth)
First seen by Mary (He appeared first…)
• Mary, delivered of 7 devils- From the depth of sin
• Personal acknowledgement- He calls our name. Is He Master?
Fellowship with Christ (they walked and went)
• Broke bread with them- social relationship
• Open the scripture with them- spiritual enlightenment
• Did not our heart burn within? – Sensing His presence
Faithlessness rebuked (upbraided them…)
• The frailty of humanity- the struggle with believing miracles.
• Rebukes are meant to strengthen. How do we accept rebukes?

The Test of Abraham's Faith

Gen.22: 1-14

The account given to us here in Genesis 22 has been a matter of great controversy. The offering Abraham was required to make is not consistent with the teaching of the Bible. The sacrificing of humans is a known practice among the heathen religions throughout history. There seems to be various explanations to this event, but it is not the nature of this study to explore for possible answers. It is sufficient to say that the final decree of God to Abraham was, “Lay not thine hand upon the lad” The more important aspect of this Biblical account is the spiritual application that is implied. Test and trails will come to every believer in Christ. God does require of us our most precious treasure. All those who walk with God will come to a crossroads in their lives. Are we willing to give it all to Him? A complete and full consecration, letting go, and let God have His way.

Talking with God- “God said unto him”
• Abraham knew the voice of God
• Do we pray enough to comprehend His voice?
Testing of Abraham- “God did “tempt” Abraham”
• God does not tempt with the intent to see us fall
• To show forth God’s glory
• Will our character remain steadfast? Proving the heart.
Total Obedience- “Take now thy son”
• Taking what we love and giving it all to God
• Trust and obey there is no other way
Traveling the Road -“rose up and went”
• Our spiritual journey often takes us to a “place”
• Getting there is half the battle- We must not be detoured
Top of the Mount -”I and the lad will go yonder”
• Isaac’s wiliness to be sacrificed
• Pointing to “The Lamb of God” - God Provided
Temptation and Deliverance “The angel of the Lord called”
• No temptation given to man- He will provide a way of escape
• Obedience is better than sacrifice
• His purpose is accomplished
Trial of our Faith-“I know that thou fearest God”
• Those who live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution
• Faith is shown by works- Not enough to say “I believe”
Testimony of the Lord – “It shall be seen”
• He is our provider-Jehovah-jireh
• He is all we need