The Truth About Faith - Part 2

This edition of PowerPoint with Jack a little later in the program will tell you how you can get a copy of Dr. Graham heaven first, here's the message. The truth about faith to God what you have.

Not only is saving sufficient. They know what is that me well turn with me to Hebrews chapter 11.

This is the faith chapter in the brief biographies of many men and women of faith are given to us in this chapter describing demonstrating faith. You know it's difficult to define faith is best demonstrated but there is a brief description of faith in verse one out of Chapter 11. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Three things about faith that leap from this page. In this one sentence faith is substance faith is evidence and faith is hope. Now what is substance could be translated reality.

Faith is something real. God has given every one of us a capacity to believe 86.

Since God is given to everyone. The measure, a measure of faith and faith is not simply closing your eyes and believing things down deep in your heart you think are really true but rather faith is strong faith is substantive. The kind of faith that were talking about here is not faith in faith or faith in a better day or a better life is not mere optimism.

Faith is not wishful thinking. In fact, is the substance of things hoped for, what is hope. Hope is not just well I hope I hope I hope this happens hope in the Bible is a sure thing hello is assurance is anticipation. That's why the second coming of Christ is called the blessed hope because we know that Christ is coming again, and that is our blessed hope, our faith is built upon evidence given to us in the word of God is not mindless but rather is faith in God.

Sometimes people say well what you need to do is just delete just believe.

Well believe what because faith is only as valid as its object and this place faith can be dangerous. It can be deadly when it is faith in the wrong thing. We need bona fide Junior one faith faith that is built upon solid truth.

Jesus said all you generation of unbelievers. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. This, of course, there are many things about our faith that we cannot see fact if we could see it. It wouldn't be faith sometimes you can't see the promises of God and you just have to rest and trust and see not with the eyes of your head but the eyes of your heart.

By faith we see and believe and we trust in God everything to be falling apart in your life doesn't sing that your advancing spiritually or maybe your marriage or is in trouble. Or maybe your family is in trouble. Maybe your finances aren't rock-bottom and you've been praying and you've been putting your trust in your faith in God and you can't see it happening in your wondering God. He really working in my life God are these prayers really getting through. I'm here to tell you that you can trust God that he is working even when you can't see. You keep on watching you keep on praying and God will keep on working in your life and one day you will see it because all things are possible to those who believe trust in God, and remember that delays are not denials with God.

Timing is always perfect. God can do what we can't do rather than running ahead and taking matters into our own hands and trying to figure things out ourselves.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him and he will bring it to pass. Put God first in your life and in your heart trust him, dare to believe and not to doubt God does not want you to live in doubt and defeat and discouragement. He wants you to live in faith.

So this is the dynamic of faith now.

Jesus illustrated with a C, a mustard seed, for he said in the back in our text chapter 17 of Matthew's gospel.

He said verse 20, 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 to see and not just to see, but a mustard seed. Matthew will place a mustard seed in your hand, you could scarcely see it. Mustard seed is the size of, say, a fleck of pepper and so Christ said if you just had the faith the size of a mustard seed, you could move mountains nice. Jesus contradicted himself. Here you have to disable Jesus what you mean by this because he has just reprimanded his disciples for unbelief for their little faith, their lack of faith. And now he's saying if you just have a faith as small as a little mustard seed, you can move Mel is Jesus now commending little faith, not at all because you see the seed it is powerful there something powerful in a C and that something powerful is the dynamic of life. You could take a grain of sand, which is about the size of a mustard seed plant it in the ground and leave it there for a billion years and nothing will happen. But you take a mustard seed that is alive planted in the ground and it will grow a huge Bush in the parable of the mustard seed in chapter 13 of Matthew Jesus spoke of this great Bush that rises out of the sea, the mustard seed. These bushes can grow from 6 to 12 feet high spoke of all the birds representing the kingdom of God coming and resting the expansion of the kingdom of God. All these expensive thrust of the kingdom of God in the world. See the mustard seed is powerful. The emphasis is not here on the size of the seed but the quality of the seed, not the quantity but the quality little. This produces large when the seed is planted as faith, the balance it moves mountains. That's how powerful it can be.

Now obviously Jesus is not speaking here of moving physically, mountains that he could do that is open the Red Sea. He made the mountains.

He can certainly move them out but mountains here. Refer to obstacles and difficulties in any huge problems that we face mountains of pain, or mountains of suffering are mountains of said it. Whatever the mountain may be.

Jesus said by faith, plant the seed let it grow and watch God now you're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and his message truth about faith pastor this month we have a special gift for listeners through book heaven can you tell us about this powerful. One of my favorite Christian thinker CS Lewis once wrote about heaven. He said if you read history you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were those who thought most about the next world. He goes on to describe believers throughout history.

You have a huge impact for Christ of this world because their minds. Their hearts were fixed focused on Christ and the hope of heaven, for example, Christians like William Wilberforce and John Newton led the fight to abolish the slave trade in England. Newton is best known for penning the lyrics to the him, amazing grace when we've been there 10,000 years. These were men who long for heaven and it made them powerful forces for Christ on earth. That's something we desperately need right now is that it we need believers whose hope is set firmly anchored in the promises of God for the life that is to come because that will strengthen us boldly to witness and to live for Christ right now that was one of the prayers in my heart when I wrote my book called heaven. I'm excited that we offer yet is our special thank you gift to help promote the message of Christ and the gospel powerful today and get Dr. Graham's book heaven is our thank you for your gift: 1-800-795-4627 that's 1-800-795-4627 or text the word PowerPoint 259789.

Now it's get back today's message truth about faith part something else about the sea.

Not only is it powerful. It is persistent a little.

See grows and grows. It grows up it doesn't give up aniseed performs until the task is done.

What did Jesus say about prayer and faith ask and it will be given to you seek and you will find knock and it will be open in the end most literally when Jesus said here's what he said keep on asking.

Keep on seeking keep on not don't stop praying.

He said men ought always to pray and not to give up and faith perseveres in prayer and like to see.

We keep trusting God and relying upon him, and that faith begins to move and then this seed like faith is productive because ultimately that faith grows and Jesus says when you face these mountainous mammoth problems in your life. These impossible situations in your life when you come up against them.

You shall say to the mountain move and it will move because nothing is impossible with God. Now I know there are those who take verses like these, and abuse them in this use them.

I know that there are some who take the message of faith and is not a message of faith, but really a message that you don't find in the Bible because the fact is, when we trust God. God does what he chooses to do and faith in God is to trust God to do not only what he is able to do, but what God chooses to do. God sometimes performs differently then we ask often more than we asked when you believe what you're doing is opening the channels of God's blessing in your life.

Unbelief cuts God's power off in your life.

God can do anything, and God will do anything in his own time in his own way but there was a village's hometown of Nazareth, the Bible says Jesus could do no great miracle in that town because of their unbelief imagined tying the hands of omnipotence, cutting off the power of God because of their unbelief. So what is God.

Jesus went to another town and perform their high and not accessible and available by faith in God. God will just move in you somebody else. You see what I'm saying.

I just wonder how many miracles we miss in our lives because we don't believe how many great things does God want to do in our lives and yet we are filled with now. Why don't we experience more miracles in our lives. I believe we got experience miracles in our lives because we don't expect miracles in our lives. Jesus said if your faith is like a seed, don't put it in your pocket, planted, invested, put it in the ground. Watch it grow and Jesus said this time comes only by prayer and fasting that is prayer and seeking God's prayer that puts power into our faith. Someone said prayer is the slender nerve that moves the omnipotence of God. Prayer links our nothingness to his almighty nest.

Don't ever underestimate what God can do with the developing growing faith in your life because God can take something small and make it big. And remember this. There is nothing, absolutely nothing to big for God. This is the story of David, the mustard seed in the mountains the same story that we read the story of David and the giant David went out just a little shepherd boy with a slingshot and he face the great giant nodded his own straight on his own power, but in the power of faith, he said the battle is the Lord's, and that giant came down because David knew that giant was bigger than he was, but he was not bigger than he is God. Nice faith when Jesus spoke these words to his disciples about moving mountains and nothing is impossible to God. Remember, these men were just fishermen and tax collectors and really the scouring of the day.

In many ways, of the culture but Jesus looked at these men and said you're going to change the world you're going to change the course of history. He gave them a great commission to go in all the world and preach the gospel the same faithless band of believers. He's now speaking of their promise and their potential and what God's going to do with their lives. And guess what it happened.

They finally got it. What God could do with men and women who believe and trust in him and did what he told them to do that is the dynamic of faith and it may be that your faith is small and struggling today and it may be that you look around and you think my goodness is faith failing look at our world is the gospel really having an impact is the world changing.

Are we losing the battle.

Let me remind you, the words of the hymn writer, have faith in God.

He's on his throne have faith in God. He watches o'er his own. He will not fail. He must prevail. Have faith in God have faith in God. Now the final thing in the final few moments is the development of faith. And this is where we take our faith from the mountain and the mustard seed to life and I want to give you briefly for ways to exercise and develop your faith if you're looking to increase your faith if you want to strengthen your faith and grow your faith what your faith like a mustard seed develop the productive, then listen to this.

Number one.

Cultivate your relationship with God cultivate your relationship with God. Go deeper with God. Daniel 1132 says the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits.

The people who know their God shall be strong, your marriage can be strong, your kids can respond to you in your faith. You can walk in this world and the will of God you can influence lives for Christ. The people who know their God will be strong and do exploits.

Why because they know God. Romans 10 verse 11 says he who believes on him will not be ashamed. That is, you can count on God to come through. If you put your faith in God. If you know a God like that you have to be ashamed of your God. What God will do in your life and then Psalm 910 says, and those who know your name will put their trust in you. So if you want great faith spend time worshiping him getting to know him studying his character, his nature and you can't trust God. Next not only cultivate your relationship with God but saturate your heart and your mind with the word of God. Romans 1017 says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. This is why I love this book. This is why want to learn and study this book because this book is filled with faith building precepts and promises and principles for my life and this book again I say is not about just to be largest book to be live and you can count on the word of God, that every promise of God will be fulfilled in his time in his own way and when you know the God of the word and the word of God, you will have strong faith because we put on the word of God, and we yield the sword of the Spirit that bills faith in Allah. Make sure that the word of God is thoroughly saturated into your life and then dedicate your life to knowing and obeying God's will.

Faith is to be practice if you want your faith to grow just like a muscle take the faith that you have exercise use it in some way. What does Jane say about faith. Faith without works is dead. So if you're if you want your faith to be alive and growing didn't believe the old Anglo-Saxon word for believe is by live be live by live, what we believe we live. And if God says do something, even when it is difficult we are to obey his word and remember this, God will not take this one step farther than the measure of our obedience to him. If you want to grow in your faith and obey him at the point of what is already told you to do.

He spoke of a rebellious generation of unbelief. They knew what to do these disciples.

They just didn't do it. They didn't believe they didn't pray they didn't seek God with all their hearts, and praying with fasting so dedicate your life to knowing and obeying, knowing and doing the will of God, faith and obedience and rebellion. Faith cannot coexist. So if there's a problem of disobedience in your life. Confess that to God and ask him to forgive you and then move forward in faith in your life and then finally congregate with the people of God congregate with the people of God because people of faith will spark faith in you, just as iron sharpens iron so there's one man sharpens another and it is in the church that we grow and build our faith with one another because you know faith is not only taught faith is call faith is infectious. When I get around people filled with faith. My faith is exercised, an increase same is true concerning unbelief. You hang out with unbelievers will belong to be acting like unbelief, but you hang with the people of God you get involved in your church and you watch your faith grow as it is encouraged by others as you follow so you want your faith to develop. You want your faith to grow into a mountain moving kind of faith then contemplated cultivate the greatness of God, the goodness of God in your life. God is good wants the best for you saturate your soul your heart your mind your spirit with the word of God dedicate your life to knowing and doing, and obeying the will of God congregate like listening to PowerPoint his message. The truth about faith part struggles are facing today. You have hope in the promise is awaiting you in heaven. And God calls you to share that hope with others today. That's why we want to encourage and inspire you today by sending Pastor Graham's book had this exciting book takes you straight to Scripture to help me see all that awaits you in the life to come, and how it impacts your life today.

Hopefully today encouraged to share that hope.

So don't wait to request a copy.

Heaven is our special thanks for help claim God's word through PowerPoint to request your copy when you call today: 800-795-6277 95467 can also text the word PowerPoint 259789 and don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop RV store give a gift online or sign a productive Graham's free daily email devotion our website again is Jack Graham.Castro PowerPoint so that live out your faith. So often people go to church listen to the message and walked out the same way as when they walked in its in one ear and out the other. We must learn to carry our faith from church to our homes, our schools are jobs everywhere we go in every follower of Christ needs to be reminded that a strong faith depends on how well your cultivating your relationship with Christ.

Are you communicating with him through prayer on a daily basis. Are you saturating your mind and heart with his word every day. Can you honestly say that you are dedicating your life to knowing and doing his will, fulfilling his purpose for your life. Maybe you've never put your faith in Christ for the first time, that is, you've never really given your life to follow him by faith.

If you would like to do that today. What you need to do is pray a prayer of faith believing in your heart that Christ will save you if you will ask him.

The Bible says believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be safe. So if you're ready to believe and to receive Christ, then pray this prayer, Lord Jesus, I invite you to come into my life. I believe you died for me, and rose again and I receive you as my Lord, my Savior, my master and my friend come into my life, Lord Jesus, thank you for hearing my prayer for loving me and giving me eternal life. Now if you just prayed that prayer you are a child of God, not because I said so, but because God's word says that if we believe that if we receive Christ we will be safe. Listen to John 112 for as many as received him, that is Jesus then gave you the right to be called the children of God, even to them who believe on his name.

So if you have believe you have received Christ welcome to the family of God today. If you prayed that prayer with Dr. Graham and accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior would love to hear from you so we can help you begin your new life. Christ please call us at one 800-7954 627-1800 795-4627.

Join us again next time. Dr. Graham brings a message about how your failure doesn't have to be final.

That's next on PowerPoint with PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint ministries