WALKING BY FAITH NOT BY SIGHT
PART 1
(Some information from: Charles Capp)
Pastor Tim P. Blaisure – 02/11/24 – Morning Message
Intro:
Have you ever asked in prayer about something, and it never happened?
Have you ever found yourself in want even though the Lord says He will provide all your needs?
We are going to get into what keeps our faith from producing results.
Foundation Scriptures:
Matthew 17:14-21 KJV
14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and 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 suffer you? bring him hither to me.
18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Romans 10:17
“ SO, THEN FAITH COMETH BY HEARING, AND HEARING BY THE WORD OF GOD.”
I. THE EXAMPLE OF THE LUNATICK SON:
· Jesus rebuked the devil
· Disciples could have cured the son but didn’t.
· Reason the disciples could not.
- Could not because of their unbelief.
- Believing the wrong things causes unbelief.
II. THE EXAMPLE OF THE FIG TREE:
Matthew 21:18-22
18 Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.
19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward forever. And presently the fig tree withered away.
20 And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!
21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
· All things - believing you will receive.
· Think you believe – it’s a mind thing not a heart thing – nothing.
· If you have faith doubt not.
· Jesus didn’t say that if you have faith, you don’t have any doubt.
· He didn’t say if you have doubt you don’t have any faith.
· You can have both at the same time.
· Jesus said if you have faith and doubt not.
· You shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
Matthew 17:20 – Mustard seed Faith
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
· Your Faith does not stay at the same level all the time.
· Your Word level doesn’t stay at the same level all the time.
· Your Faith level depends on your Word level.
· The more Word of God you hear the more Faith.
· The less Word of God you hear the lower your faith level will be.
John 15:5-8 – The Vine and the branches
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me,
and my words abide in you,
ye shall ask what ye will,
and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so, shall ye be my disciples.
· We Must abide in Christ Jesus.
· His Word abides in you – not just your mind but your heart.
· Then you must ask what you will (Word of God).
· This Word that brings heart faith and believing brings results.
Matthew 21:22
22 And ALL THINGS, whatsoever ye shall ASK IN PRAYER, BELIEVING, ye shall receive.
· Your ability to believe comes from the Word of God only.
· You don’t have to defend the Word of God it defends itself.
· The only way you can have faith to believe is because you have Gods Word for it.
· The Word of God has to be so impressed into your spirit that nothing can take it out of you.
· The Word of God becomes a part of You.
· So many when things get tough, they cast off the Word of God and begin to say and believe what they see instead.
· They have more faith in the problem than they do in the Word of God.
· They have faith that God is able but doubt that He will.
· You can have great faith in God and His ability but doubt that He will for you.
· You can be full of faith and doubt at the same time.
· You can have doubt in your head and faith in your heart and still remove mountains.
Mark 11:23
“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”
· Don’t have doubt in your heart when you have faith there, you can, but don’t.
· Believe what the Word of God says and say it without doubt in your heart.
· But if you say the Word, and believe, and have faith but also have doubt in your heart it will not work for you!
· You can say the right things and have doubt in your heart.
· What if you ask for wrong things? You can’t get what you don’t have faith for.
· The only way you can believe with Bible faith is to have the Scripture back it up.
· You can believe with your head things that are not true.
· You can have great faith in error but that is not going to make it true.
· The only way to believe Gods Word is to know what it says.
· What scripture are you basing what you are saying on.
· You must have the Word of God to believe properly in your heart.
· The faith to believe what God says comes only from the Word of God, God’s promises.
· If you don’t have God’s Promises for it, you can’t have Bible like faith in that.
CONCLUSION:
Matthew 17:19-20 KJV
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
1. It is possible to have faith and doubt at the same time.
2. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God.
3. Doubt in your heart will cancel your faith and deliver no results.
4. It is possible to have faith in your heart and doubt in your head and get results.
5. True Bible faith comes from hearing and knowing what the Word of God says.
6. You can only stand on the promises of God if you know what they are.
7. Fear is faith in what Satan and circumstances say.
8. Faith is what God says and you hide it in your heart and don’t let anything move it.