What’s The Size Of Your Faith?

Pastor Jim Lowe III

Sunday Morning,  9:30am Stream

06/05/22 (1st Sunday Message)

 

 

{All scriptures are NIV84 unless stated}

 

 

Today’s Title:

What’s The Size Of Your Faith?

 

Galatians 5:22-25

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

 

V.24

 

Those who belong to Christ have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

 

If you have accepted Christ…you have DECIDED to live for him and not for yourself.

 

Faith (Easton’s Bible Dictionary):

 the persuasion of the mind that a certain      statement is true.  Its primary idea is trust.

 

The word itself says it this way:

 

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.

 

Faith is being sure of what we hope for.

 

 being certain of what we do not see.

 

This is the only time the bible “defines” faith.

 

the word “faith” is all through the bible…

 

 the bible talks about the importance of faith…

 

 who had it…who didn’t…

 

But our actual definition is HERE.

 

Being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we don’t see requires “strong belief.”

 

The belief that God DOES exist.

 

The belief that he LOVES us and calls us his OWN.

 

Is it perfect faith at all times??

 

No…but it’s the ability to trust and believe God:

 

 When we don’t have all the answers.

 

John 20:29

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

 

Jesus told Thomas that you can believe now that you’ve seen…

 

but the BLESSED ones are those who believe that didn’t see.

 

We Believe In A God Based On Faith

 

Look at all the times “believe” is used in this scripture.

 

John 3:15-18

15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

 

Faith is fundamental to what we believe.

 

People ask us…

 

 “Where is God? I don’t see him…”

 

 How can you believe in something that you can’t see?

 

That’s what faith is!!

 

It requires faith to believe in God.

 

It’s a fruit of the Spirit…

 

It gives us access to learn how to grow our faith to trust God even more!

 

What are some things we can learn about faith?

 

God Was Faithful To Us First

 

Faith is a fruit of the Spirit…

 

The Spirit of what?

 

The Spirit of God?

 

So God has to have these attributes.

 

And God shares his attributes with us.

 

1 Corinthians 1:8-9

8 He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

 

God is faithful…

 

Faithful to do what?

 

“To keep us blameless…”

 

{Someone say:}

 

“God is faithful…”

 

Deuteronomy 7:9

9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

 

Psalm 89:1

1 I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.

 

God gives us an example of his faithfulness.

 

God’s faithfulness of his love for us.

 

In spite of how we act…

 

In spite of how we treat him…

 

God is still faithful to us.

 

He is dedicated to us.

 

John 15:5

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

 

If we are connected to God…

 

We will bear fruit.

 

What is that fruit?

 

The fruit of “faith.”

 

The fruit of “trust in God.”

 

But like everything…that fruit must be built.

 

Matthew 17:14-20

14 When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” 17 “O unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” 20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” 

 

Jesus had been speaking about faith this entire time.

 

“By faith you can do this.”

 

“By faith you can do that…”

 

Yet when this man brings his son, the disciples couldn’t heal him.

 

Jesus rebukes the demon and it comes out.

 

The disciples asked Jesus in private…what happened?

 

Jesus tells them they have little faith.

 

Then said if they have faith “the size of.”

 

This means faith is “measurable.”

 

What’s The Size Of Your Faith?

 

Jesus said if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could “move mountains.”

 

This implies you could literally “speak” something, and it happen.

 

If the disciples had faith enough to do some things, but not others.

 

Then their faith could grow.

 

If their faith could grow, it can be built up.

 

There are things we may think we have the faith for…but we don’t.

 

We might be believing with the right heart and trusting God…

 

 but our faith isn’t strong enough.

 

So there’s the question.

 

How Do We Build Our Faith?

 

 

Here are two ways to build it.

 

 

2 Ways To Build Our Faith:

1. “His Word”

2. “His Works”

 

 

1. “His Word” (Hearing The Word)

 

Romans 10:14-17

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

 

Any Time You Hear The Word, It’s An Opportunity To Grow Your Faith!

 

Why?

 

Because the word REMINDS us of the type of God we’re dealing with.

 

Psalm 62:11-12

11 One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, 12 and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.

 

ONE thing God had spoken.

 

TWO things I have heard…

 

God said it once…

 

And it continued to be spoken…

 

And heard…

 

 …tales that God is strong.

 

When David’s faith was low…

 

 he could rely on what he heard.

 

He could recall he heard the word of how powerful God was.

 

Psalm 62:11 (NKJV)

 11 God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God.

 

If you want to know about power.

 

Who’s powerful…what’s powerful…

 

 What has the attribute of power?

 

Well power BELONGS to God.

 

That’s what God is…

 

He IS power.  It BELONGS to Him!

 

“Faith comes from hearing the message…”

 

This is why the message is important…

 

This is why being in church is important.

 

This is why hearing the word is important.

 

When your faith gets low.

 

 and it happens to us ALL…

 

the WORD you heard can encourage you!

 

When you can’t see what God is doing…

 

 Sometimes our situations can blind us…

 

We have the word to remind us of what God is doing!

 

GLC has hundreds of messages.

 

This is God’s word given to you.

 

Let it strengthen your faith to know God is real…he loves you…and he’s powerful.

 

 

2. “His Works” (Remembering The Things God Has Done In Your Life)

 

Lion and Bear Principle

 

{repeat}

“God Didn’t Deliver Me Before For Me To Forget It Now!”

 

Too many times we forget the Lion’s and Bears God has delivered us from!

 

Psalm 40:2-3

2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.

 

God has brought us from so much!

 

God picked us up from our mess and gave us a clear place to stand!

 

Psalm 40:2-3 (MSG)

He lifted me out of the ditch, pulled me from deep mud. He stood me up on a solid rock to make sure I wouldn’t slip.

 

How Many Of You Have Been In Some Deep Mud?

 

How many of you are in some deep mud now?

 

{used again}

“God Didn’t Deliver Me Before For Me To Forget It Now!”

 

Malachi 3:6

6 “I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 

 

God does not change.

 

People Will Change On You, But God Will Never Change!

 

Revelation 1:8

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

 

The God who is…

 

The God who “was”

 

The God who “is to come.”

 

This means yesterday’s God is today’s God.

 

So the God who loved you yesterday…

 

Is the God who loves you today.

 

It also means:

 

The God who delivered you yesterday.

 

Will deliver you today!

 

And because he is also the God “to come.”

 

That means that you can have faith of this:

 

If God Delivered Yesterday, He Can Deliver Today, And Can Also Deliver Tomorrow!

 

God has brought you through some things…

 

Use his victories as testament of what he can do.

 

Don’t Forget The Things God Has Brought You From!

 

{in closing}

 

Faithfulness is fundamental to our belief. 

 

It is a fruit of the spirit, and we have the ability to strengthen our faith.

 

To strengthen our faith, we have to remember to get in the place to hear his word.

 

Faith comes by hearing…

 

How do you know what to believe if you don’t hear about it.

 

You also have to keep logs of what God has done for you.

 

The question is:

 

What’s The Size Of Your Faith?

 

Is it the size of a mustard seed?

 

If not…let’s get it there.