You Gotta Believe

May 1, 2011

Introduction

 

            “You Gotta Believe!”  No, we’re not talking about the modern lyrics, but we are talking about what the Bible says,

 

(Heb 11:6 NKJV)  But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

 

Body

 

I.       How important is faith?

 

A.  Without it we will be lost

 

(Mark 16:16 NKJV)  "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

 

  1. It is to be our life:  Our walk!

 

(2 Cor 5:7 NKJV)  For we walk by faith, not by sight.

 

 

  1. What is faith?

 

(Heb 11:1 NKJV)  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

 

1.      What is substance?

2.      Our faith is what we base our lives upon

 

The word ὑποστασις, which we translate substance, signifies subsistence, that which becomes a foundation for another thing to stand on  -- Adam Clarke

 

  1. How do we get faith?

 

(Rom 10:17 NKJV)  So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

 

3.      We hear as we come together to study and worship together.

 

(Acts 5:42 NKJV)  And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

 

4.      We need to do our own personal study.

 

(Phil 2:12 NKJV)  Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

 

II.    Jesus recognizes degrees of faith.

 

  1. Jesus recognized the great faith of a Gentile.

 

(Mat 8:5-10 NKJV)  Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, {6} saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." {7} And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." {8} The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. {9} "For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." {10} When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

 

  1. The Canaanite woman had a great faith and it had a reward.

 

(Mat 15:22-28 NKJV)  And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." {23} But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us." {24} But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." {25} Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" {26} But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." {27} And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." {28} Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

 

  1. Sometimes the disciples were short on faith.

 

(Mat 17:14-21 NKJV)  And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, {15} "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. {16} "So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him." {17} Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me." {18} And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. {19} Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" {20} So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. {21} "However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

 

III. We need to share our faith with others.

 

  1. Jesus told the woman at the well to go get her husband.

 

(John 4:13-18 NKJV)  Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, {14} "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." {15} The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." {16} Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." {17} The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' {18} "for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."

 

  1. He told the Demoniac to go home and tell others what the Lord had done for him.

 

(Mark 5:16-20 NKJV)  And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. {17} Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region. {18} And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. {19} However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you." {20} And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

 

  1. Jesus wants the gospel preached to the end of the world.

 

(Mat 24:12-14 NKJV)  "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. {13} "But he who endures to the end shall be saved. {14} "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

 

IV. When He comes back, He’ll be looking for faith.

 

(Luke 18:1-8 NKJV)  Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, {2} saying: "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. {3} "Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.' {4} "And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, {5} 'yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'" {6} Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. {7} "And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? {8} "I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"

 

Conclusion

 

I.       Let’s end where we started.

 

(Mark 16:16 NKJV)  "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

 

II.  We never know which day will be our last.  Are you ready?

 

Scripture quotations marked "NKJV™" are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

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