“An Overcoming Faith!”
6/24/2007 – Marsing, ID
2/10/2008 – Marsing, ID
Heb 11:6
“6But 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.”
“6Empero sin fe es imposible agradar á Dios; porque es menester que el que á Dios se allega, crea que le hay, y que es galardonador de los que le buscan.”
We live in perilous times, times in which we cannot make it with self alone. Recently I heard a preacher say it that self is flesh without the “h” backwards.
We live in times where we have obstacles that face us everyday, if not at every corner.
It seems that at every corner there is a wall that comes before us and does not allow us to go to the next step, into the next dimension with God.
You see many Christians, many non-Christians are living in the dimension of “Self” and Jesus is calling them into a greater dimension, into the dimension of the “Kingdom of God!”
A couple of weeks ago I gave an illustration of the “Yard Sale of Satan” and mentioned some of the obstacles Satan puts in our path: Envy, Jealousy, Anger, Doubt, others as well as Discouragement.
It is through these obstacles that Satan wants to destroy the gift of God that is in YOU!
Tell somebody, you belong to God! God has a gift in YOU!
The bible tells us that Satan is a liar, the father of lies, his only purpose is to steal, kill and destroy.
You may think you are the first one or the only one to be going through the problem you are going through, you may think you are the only one experiencing your situation and no one can relate to you.
Let me tell you friend, that Jesus died on the cross to carry your burden. The problem with many of us today, is we come to church with baggage, and we leave with our baggage and we pick some up along the way.
Let me remind you of some great young men that God lifted up from the obstacles of this life:
I. MOSES, OVERCAME A THE OBSTACLE OF A SINGLE-PARENTING HOME
(BIBLICAL YOUTHS THAT OVERCAME OBSTACLES TO SUCCEED by Lauro Hernandez)
A. His parents had to give him away – Ex. 2:3”But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. ‘
B. If they didn’t he would have been put to death –Ex.1:22”Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”
C. He became Son of the Pharoah’s daughter – Ex. 2:10”When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”
D. He Became a Great Leader and a Leader of a Great Nation
Heb. 11:24-29”By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. 29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. “
Moses went through living as a son with a single mom, he went through the ridicules, through the loneliness of not having a physical father with him, but when God got ahold of him, God brought out the gift in him of leadership and was able to use Moses, a stuttered for the kingdom of God.
II. JOSEPH, OVERCAME A DYSFUNCTIONAL HOME
A. His father had two wives and two mistresses
B. He was the Eleventh of Twelve Sons
C. He was gossiperer, spying on his brothers
D. He’s brothers wanted to kill him, kill their own brother
E. We have to see the fundamentals that were in their hearts
F. The sold him to a foreign country
G. HE was sent to PRISON – NO future for those that have a criminal record!
H. Gn. 41:41-44”So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. 44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.”
I. He became the PRIME MINISTER OF EGYPT
God lifted up Joseph from a horrible situation and made it possible for him to be faithful in an impossible situation.
III. TIMOTHY, OVERCAME A DIVIDED HOME
A. His father was an unbeliever
B. His mother and grandmother were the only two Christians
C. His father was a greek who worshipped other gods
D. This did not became an obstacle for His faith to diminish
E. 1 Tim. 2:5”I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. “
F. After the Apostolic Age – He became the CHRISTIAN LEADER OF the CHURCH
These are only three examples of what God can do besides the obstacles that surround us. You will have problems, it’s only a matter of time and what you do with the problem will determine your character, your destiny your eternity.
You may feel alone, you may feel like no one understands, you may feel your problem or obstacle is too great but we need to remind ourselves of the scripture:
Heb 13:5-6
“5Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”
“5Sean las costumbres vuestras sin avaricia; contentos de lo presente; porque él dijo: No te desampararé, ni te dejaré. 6De tal manera que digamos confiadamente: El Señor es mi ayudador; no temeré Lo que me hará el hombre.”
Hebrews 13:5b-6 (NIV)
God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
You may think, no one understands me, no one sees my pain, the scripture says to you:
Heb 4:13
“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”
“Y no hay cosa criada que no sea manifiesta en su presencia; antes todas las cosas están desnudas y abiertas á los ojos de aquel á quien tenemos que dar cuenta.”
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account.
Hebrews 4:13 (NIV)
Heb 11:6
“6But 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.”
“6Empero sin fe es imposible agradar á Dios; porque es menester que el que á Dios se allega, crea que le hay, y que es galardonador de los que le buscan.”
Without faith we live a life of bitterness, of discouragement, of pain, of jealousy a life without the presence of God.
Around us we see others serving God and worshipping God but we cannot understand why they clap their hands, why they praise God because the Spirit of God is absent from our heart, and the only way you can allow the Spirit of God in your life is through FAITH!
(Seven Things Your Faith Can Do (If You Let It) by Robbie Parsons )
Hebrews 11:1 defines faith “The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
FAITH FOR SALVATION!!
“FOR BY GRACE ARE YE SAVED THROUGH FAITH…” EPHESIANS 2:8
We are not saved by faith. We are saved by GRACE (God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense). But faith is the funnel through which the grace reaches us.
Luke gives an account of a time when Jesus was eating supper at a Pharisee’s house. During the course of the meal, a known sinner woman came in and began weeping on Jesus feet, anointing his feet with oil, and drying His feet with her hair. She was so broken that she could not stop weeping, she knew that her condition was so hopeless outside of Jesus. The Pharisee began doubting Jesus, but Jesus responded to the woman saying, “Thy sins are forgiven. Thy faith has saved thee. Go in peace.”
FAITH WILL DEFEND YOU
TAKING UP THE SHIELD OF FAITH, WHEREWITH YE SHALL BE ABLE TO QUENCH ALL THE FIERY DARTS OF THE WICKED ONE.” EPHESIANS 6:16
Christians are constantly under attack. The devil walks about seek whom he may devour – and that includes you and me! Sometimes an attack will come from the most unexpected places. But we can rely on this faith to be our constant defender. But if we don’t use it, it will do us no good whatsoever. So don’t leave home without it.
FAITH FOR OUR PROVISIONS
“AND THEY THAT KNOW THY NAME WILL PUT THEIR TRUST IN THEE; FOR THOU, LORD HAST NOT FORSAKEN THEM THAT SEEK THEE.” PSALMS 9:10
“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you…” Matthew 6:28-30
FAITH WILL CEMENT YOU
“BELIEVE IN THE LORD YOUR GOD, SO SHALL YE BE ESTABLISHED…” 2 CHRONICLES 20:20
It is only by faith in God that we can obtain a firm foundation. Any other source is on shaky ground and is not reliable.
What better object for our faith, trust, belief and reliance than the One who is our creator and sustainer?
FAITH WILL ADD PUNCH TO YOUR PRAYER
“THIS IS THE CONFIDENCE THAT WE HAVE IN HIM, THAT , IF WE ASK ANYTHING ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, HE HEARETH US.” 1 JOHN 5:14
Possibly the greatest failure that exists within the church today is our lack of faith in our prayer life. Time and time again God continues to prove His ability to provide and answer our prayers, when we ask according to His will.
FAITH WILL HEAL YOUR FAMILY
“HE HOUSE OF THE WICKED SHALL BE OVERTHROWN: BUT THE TABERNACLE OF THE UPRIGHT SHALL FLOURISH.” PROVERBS 14:11
No other physical institution is as important to the church today is the institution of the home.
When the family fails, it is not God’s fault. All our problems begin when we turn our eyes off God. We will seek answers in the arms of another lover instead of praying with our mate. We will try to answer the problems of marriage through our own understanding instead of following God’s principles of commitment and fidelity that are found in His Word.
When will the family be saved? When the children of God get the guts to say that it is MY sin, MY neglect, MY avoidance of issues and MY refusal to live according to God’s Word. Let’s quit pointing the finger as someone else—it is our own fault, so let us act like it.
FAITH WILL MOVE MOUNTAINS AND KILL GIANTS
“IF YE HAD FAITH AS A GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED, YE SHALL SAY TO THIS MOUNTAIN, REMOVE HENCE TO YONDER PLACE AND IT SHALL REMOVE, AND NOTHING SHALL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO YOU.”
MATTHEW 17:20
It doesn’t take a lot of faith to make us powerful through God’s power. David had so much faith in God that he took five stones to defeat the giant Goliath. But he only had one stone for Goliath, and one stone for each of his sons, Ishbi-benob, Saph, Goliath Jr, and the one with 12 fingers and toes(2 Samuel 21:22).
Illustrations:
The African impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet. Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3-foot wall. The animals will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will fall. Faith is the ability to trust what we cannot see, and with faith we are freed from the flimsy enclosures of life that only fear allows to entrap us.
John Emmons.
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that thou mayest believe, but believe that thou mayest understand.
Augustine.
