The Power of Faith

The Power of Faith

My favorite part of preaching is when the “light goes on!” When people come to faith in Jesus because of the power of God’s word at work in their lives.

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 

But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” 

But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?” So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message? Yes, they have: “The message has gone throughout the earth, and the words to all the world. Romans‬ 10‬:9‬-18‬ (NLT)‬

‬Faith in God is established and increased when we hear the Word and when we embrace the Word:

The Scriptures: God’s written word. The Gospel Preached

The Creator: The One the word was written about…with His character included.

When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. When the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with awe, and they ran to greet him. 

“What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked. One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So, I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.” Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” 

So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” 

When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. “Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!” Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up. 

Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?” Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer [and fasting].” Mark‬ 9‬:14‬-29‬ NLT‬‬

God’s power within Faith…His demonstrations of love increase our trust in Him when combined with our devotion!

Without devotion, our lives become a supernatural magic show: Ask the Israelites/Egyptians!

With devotion, our lives become testaments of His grace and glory to the world!

This man had endured his son’s suffering for years on end. The disciples couldn’t heal the boy. The sinful Scribes were having a good ole time…and Jesus was ticked!

Maybe these disciples were the “B Team” of the disciples, but one thing was for sure, what they were trying was not working!

The man asks Jesus: “If you can…” Wow! How many times have I thought that?

Is God willing? Is God able? 

This is too much! 

I’ve messed up too much…God won’t help me…

Then I prayed a faithless prayer all the while making fun of a man who was just being honest!

I believe, help my unbelief! (Not bad…not bad at all…)

Our faith comes from God…so asking for more is great!

Faith is not needed for the task, faith is needed in the One who will accomplish the task!

Do you believe God loves you? How do you know?

Do you believe God loves them? How do you know?

It’s hard to believe for them or yourself if you don’t know God loves them and you!

How do we know this? Prayer and Fasting!

What?

Prayer: constant communication with our Creator.

Fasting: a passionate pursuit of God over all other pressing matters. 

Jesus was sharing with His disciples that the amount of spiritual influence they possess is connected to the amount of spiritual intimacy they embrace.

How you pursue God is how you will see your world: Faith!

Here is how Matthew describes Christ’s conversation with His disciples afterward:

You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible. Matthew‬ 17‬:20‬ (NLT)‬

Only a small number of disciples grew intimate with Christ…they were willing to follow Him on difficult journeys…and they weren’t perfect, but they were persistent!

Look at your neighbor and say, “I’m not perfect, but I won’t quit!”

Church, your prayers and your fasting has positioned you for mighty works in prayer!

Healing

Deliverance

Miracles

Lasting Spiritual Encounters

Salvation

Nothing will be impossible for them that believe!