Amazing Faith: The Key to Our Life in Christ

Today's episode of a new beginning is brought to you by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God. Learn more@harness.org and while you're there, browse our library of free e-books designed to help you grow in your faith. Everybody has rose from her one day. There probably will say Greg Laurie, Sue, since we all apply faith. Anyway, put our faith in God Almighty loves and cares there is no safe God washings joy and contentment also includes challenges and trials that plan also provides the tools to navigate to begin. Greg Laurie helps us understand one of the most important tools we've been given. Faith is the key of C away when there seems to be no way today. Pastor Greg helps us put our amazing faith. Let me start something you might find surprising everybody lives by a form of faith also might say no I don't have faith though not in the faith of another woman a big no, everyone has faith. Everyone applies great.

Listen to this. Even the atheist has faith guidance a bid faith in God we have faith in something I'm not sure what. Maybe they have faith in them so while that'll be disappointing. Maybe they have faith in a political system that will be even more disappointing or faith in whatever but they have faith.

By the way, I think it takes more faith to be an atheist, that it takes to be a Christian to not believe that there is a creator and that someone is in control of all the things around us, but everybody has a measure of faith.

And when we bring the word faith up. I think the problem is we make it to mystical. When in fact we act in faith every day Princess and go to a restaurant and you order your hoping that that food is is going to be rash your hoping that it will be prepared properly when you board a 747 that weighs over 300,000 pounds that is going to somehow get up in the air and take you to the place you want to go to your applying faith. When you do that, hey, when you step into an elevator you're applying faith in the hopes that all the cables are working and they've done their due diligence and all the checks on it and so forth. When you go down to the drugstore and you fill your medications your trusting that pharmacist knows what they're doing and I get up at the right pills in the right bottle. But then someone comes along and says all have faith in God, we say well what faith in God. That's insane. Listen to this. There is no safer place to put your faith in God himself. So question what is faith and how does it work, what is faith and how does it work number one faith is belief plus action faith is belief plus action Hebrews 11 one gives an excellent definition of faith were the author says faith is the substance of things hoped for, its the evidence of things not seen.

So faith isn't just believing something it's acting on that thing one believes and see you get a mere intellectual assent toward something that would say I believe this is true, as the Bible says the demons believe in trouble.

As I pointed out in an earlier message. The devil believes God is real.

The devil believes the Bible is true. The devil believes Satan is coming back again, but he is not submitted himself to that he is not following the Lord, but it's an acknowledgment of the truth of it. No real faith in God is faith plus action belief plus action number two faith does think if you are real faith you will do something with it. Going back to Hebrews 11 that talks a lot about faith and by the way have written a book about this called world changers based on Hebrews chapter 11 will we look at the various people mentioned in that account and what they did with their faith, but in Hebrews 11 we read Abel offered a sacrifice. Noah prepared an ark.

Abraham obeyed, etc. they all did things because of faith, with no words is a faith that does not work then repeat that of faith, with no works, is a faith that does not work. Everything in our life revolves around faith were saved by faith were told over and Ephesians. For by grace you been saved through faith, not of works lest any man should boast not only as Christians are we saved by faith. But then we live by faith. The Bible says the just shall live by faith.

So, not feeling, because if you build your Christian life on your emotions, you're going to be riding a roller coaster.

Sometimes Laura sometimes were down emotionally, but faith is steady as she goes as we believe the word of God regardless of our emotion so notes are easy to talk about faith and tell people to have faith heard a story about a woman who went to her pastor and said Pastor my husband scares me. He actually said to me that if I keep coming to your church. He's going to kill me and the pastor said.

Now, ma'am. Don't be afraid.

The Lord is with you and the Lord will protect you and it'll be okay. And then she came back a week later and said Pastor again. My husband said if I keep coming here is going to kill me again. Just trust the Lord. He's in control. She gave back a week later and said Pastor my husband just said to me, if I keep coming to this church is going to kill you. The foster paws Ramon when he said you know there's a great church on the other side of town you might like to start attending to the point is, it's easy to tell someone else. They have faith but then when you have to apply faith. It can be a different situation right my third point is faith can make the difference between something happening and not happening again. Faith can make the difference between something happening and not happening.

Look, God can do what he wants where he wants to whomever he chooses to do it through.

But it's interesting how the Lord chooses to do his work through people. God could've sovereignly parted the Red Sea without Moses playing any role, but instead the Lord said to Moses, hold up your staff and watch what I will do. God could've brought fire down from heaven without Elijah Prange, but he directed the prophet Elijah to pray and fire came down.

Listen to this. Jesus could have healed everyone everywhere during his earthly ministry he didn't have to lay hands on that person and have this other person touch them and speak to award to even another person to get it just said on the count of three, everyone sealed a boom they would've all been healed but no BC working in the lives of people that called out to him and applied their fate because, again, faith can make the difference between something happening or not happening.

We think a blind Bart Emmaus, who heard that Jesus was coming. His direction so he cried out Jesus son of David, have mercy on me, and some with such don't bother Jesus and he yelled even louder, Jesus son of David.

He cries out, have mercy on me, and Jesus touches and heals Bart Emmaus, the squeaky wheel gets the oil product is not in the Bible but is kinda true. Bart Emmaus was the squeaky wheel was innate but then there are those that were more quiet in their faith like the woman we looked at recently who had the physical ailment of constantly bleeding and she reasoned, if she could touch the hem of the garment of Jesus, she would be healed and she wasn't. Jesus commended her for her faith while speaking of women with faith. We look at another woman.

Now who had what I would describe as amazing faith important know she was not one of the disciples of Jesus. She did not have the privilege of walking and talking with him day and night and hearing his great teachings and seen as powerful miracles. She knew nothing of that. In fact, she lived in a different country, but she had heard of Jesus she was a sinful woman with a great great need and she rallies with amazing faith for her daughter to be delivered from the power of demons, causing Jesus to say in Matthew's account of the story were going to read here from Mark all woman great is your faith. I mean, that's a pretty big deal when Jesus calls you out in a positive way and says great is your pay them and think about it Jesus Christ was an expert on the subject of faith was seen not Jesus of course was God incarnate, he created all things. He's known every person is ever called from Abraham to Moses from Sarah to Ruth from Elijah to Elisha from Peter to John yet. He specifically comments on the faint of this woman. It's something we need to look at it something we need to admire and that something we need to emulate because it was amazing faith. This woman had a problem. As I said her daughter was possessed by demons and she needed to get Jesus in hell or high water would not stop her. She was the mother would not give Greg Laurie will have the second half of this message just a moment in a new book Pastor Greg Laurie recalls his friendship with Dr. Billy Graham. He had this ability to connect from the beginning to the middle to the end of his ministry. Remember seeing him in New York. It is final crusade in Flushing Meadows. There, and I remember he just looked at the crowded said God loves you and then he would turn to another part of the crowd, God loves you will read somewhere that what you want me his first you will and the Bible says God loves you. There were 2 mg.

He was the same in private that he was in public. He was a godly man I've ever met, the new Billy Graham man I knew Greg Laurie euros for a gift of any size at harvest.or Pastor Greg is presenting a message today called amazing faith. Here's Pastor Greg now to dig into today's Scripture. Let's read now from Mark chapter 7, read verses 24 to 29 a. By the way I'm reading from the new living translation.

Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre underlined that the vanilla come back to it. He didn't want anyone to know what house he was staying in but he couldn't keep it a secret quite a way a woman would heard about him came and fell at his feet. Her little girl was possessed by an evil spirit, and she begged him to cast out the demons from her daughter since she was a Gentile, born in Syrian Phoenicia. Jesus told her first. I should feed the children. My own family. The Jews, it isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs feasible. That's true Lord but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps that fall from the children's plates. I love the response of Jesus could answer, he said no go home for the demon.

This left her daughter when she arrived home she felt her little girl lying quietly in bed in the demon was gone. Taking notes. Here's a major point. This woman had an unexpected and an amazing faith again. She had an unexpected and an amazing faith. Why is it unexpected because she was an non-Jewish woman from a pagan background verse 26 says she was a Gentile, born in Syrian Phoenicia.

More to the point she was a keen and I think they will. So what will remember the Canaanites were the enemies of Israel. Remember when God directed Moses to lead the Israelites through the wilderness, and they came to the promised land and what was the promised land. It was the land of Canaan.

What was the first city to fall. It was a city of Jericho, a Canaanite city. We think about so sad that they wanted to get territory from these people know the Canaanites were wicked people.

The Canaanites were known historically to sell their children in the prostitution the Canaanites would take their little babies and offer them as sacrifices to their false gods and God gave them warning after warning after warning for this woman is connected to the Canaanites, so the Israelites and the Canaanites led to say they didn't get along very well right and in here's another interesting thing she lives in Tyre were Jesus went to see her now Tyre is not in Israel. Effectively, Jesus is leaping the country to go visit this woman.

By the way, this is the only time Jesus ever left the nation of Israel, tires 25 miles north of Galilee.

Sidon is 25 miles beyond that. It's a long way on foot. No overt, no skateboards, no bicycles, no motorcycles, no anything.

You did everything on foot. That's a long way to go to reach a person, especially someone who's not even Jewish and is been raised in a pagan culture. It made no sense. The disciples are thinking way, what would you do in your your leaving Israel. Lord you're really popular right now your trending on twitter I your Instagram account is blowing up.

You have so many followers.

Jesus is like. It's interesting. I have an appointment with someone I'm going to tire out why will they didn't understand why but they were about to see why he was doing this he wanted to reach this woman listen.

She needed a miracle and Jesus was going to bring it to her. This is a good reminder that as Christians we need to go where people are again, let me say we want to go where people are. This is why here at harvest ministries were always trying to find creative new ways to reach unexpected people in unexpected places, and so here is the Lord reaching this woman. By the way, Jesus did not see the whole world should go to church but he did say the church to go to the whole world, so he went out of his way to reach her now. I mention she was pagan which means she worship false gods. She probably worshiped the goddess asked start, which was the goddess of fertility. Clearly she was disillusioned with these gods they had not helped her because they're not real that that wasn't bad enough, now her daughter is become severely demon possessed.

I'm sure there's some cause-and-effect between all those little idols in the home. Those false gods and this demonic activity in the life of the daughter and it's a reminder for us that his parents we have a direct influence on our children listen to me moms and dads. Your children are watching you little eyes are watching little years are listening. They listen to what you say but more importantly, they watch what you do, be a good example. For instance, let's say you drink in front of your kids that one day your kids have a problem with alcohol and you wonder why you fight with your spouse right in front of the kids, sometimes even asking the kids to dig sides of the argument, which is always a horrible idea and then your shock when they have the same issues and their life or whatever it is you know the Bible talks about the sins of the parents being visited on the children. By the way that's not describing some mystical curse that's passed on from generation to generation. That is simply talking about a repeated behavior of sin that can be passed on as an example, that the parents are divorced, chances are far higher at the children will end up divorced. If the parents have issues with alcohol use. Chances are far higher at the kids will have them. Those are negative, listen the best mom and dad attend church regularly.

Chances are far higher at the children will attend regularly.

So not only can we pass sins on to our children but we can pass blessings on to them as well for the story of a father and his young son were climbing the mountain and they came to a very difficult place on the trail. The dad was thinking about which way he should go because he was deciding his little boy standing behind him said.

Choose the right path. Dad, I'm coming right behind you. Listen to this. The primary spiritual responsibility for raising your children is not on the church.

It's not in Sunday school. It's not in a Christian school. It's in your home.

You be the godly example.

You be the godly leader you read the Bible to them before they go to bed at night you pray with them and you model what it is to be a follower of Jesus Christ because it's a lot easier to build a child than it is to repair than adults. Let me say that again. It's a lot easier to build a child than it is to repair an adult listen. The cure for crime is not in the electric chair. It's in the high chair started early. The Bible says bring your children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and in that verse. It's implying not only should you put parameters in the child's life and use strong standards to raise them in, but it also implies greed of Thurston them so live a life with the Lord that will make your child desire that same relationship with Christ and that's the mom here she's like I I've got to get my daughter to Jesus.

I don't really know that much about Jesus, but I know he has the power to deliver her and so she's bringing her daughter to the Lord, by the way, she doesn't come with the man she comes begging for mercy in Matthew's account of the same story we find nursing, have mercy on me in here in Mark's account verse 26 she begged him to cast out the demons from her daughter to look at the response of Christ in this by the way, is from Matthew 1523 but he answered her not. He answered her not a word she's pouring out our heart.

She's begging she's pleading he's literally gone out of his way to leave the country to be with her and she comes with the request and he needs doesn't even respond ever talk to someone and they don't really respond at all. They're just not interested in what you have to say they don't make eye contact or you start pouring your heart out.

They bought their phone start scrolling through social media or their ghosting. You want social media not responding to you. While that is not actually what's happening. It looks like that's what's happening, but it is. Jesus knows this woman has amazing faith. Jesus wants to draw this faith out and he wants to put it on display so we can all learn from it. So we sort of puts up a hurdle. If you will, but he knows this woman can easily clear this hurdle, he knew she's going to be able to pass this test with flying colors. She had an amazing faith and she would not go home without an answer. What an example for us. From Pastor Greg Laurie here on a new beginning his message title is amazing faith. There's more to come as this study continues. But if you missed any part of this study so far, you can catch up by listening online@harvest.org just look for the title amazing faith yesterday. One of our station managers has really been enjoying hearing about your friendship with Billy Graham. His name is Rick McClary. In fact, he's probably listening right now hi Rick hey Rick, he's general manager of 91.5 and 102.7 the word in St. Cloud and Pequot lakes. Minnesota can you say that like a DJ. Though your singing that does not can say like a DJ would say it 91.5 the word in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Much better. What he texted me yesterday and let me let me read to his text he wrote I've been enjoying hearing Greg talk about Billy Graham. I surrendered my life to the Lord while watching Billy on the TV broadcast. While living in Ventura, California. I was 18.

It was during the Jesus people revival that swept through the country. I thought you could pass this on to Greg and thank him for sharing his stories well you know Billy, that's an amazing thing because so in the 70s when the Jesus movement was happening. Some people thought that it was some kind of weird religious cult. But you know who got it. It was Billy Graham.

I was a brand-new Christian and I remember picking up a book in a Christian bookstore. I think the title was the Jesus generation and Billy fully embraced it and because he was at that moment the face of evangelicalism and probably the most respected Christian in the world that Willie was a great shot in the arm. If you will, for all of us because we really were coming to Christ in our lives are being changed and of course, and Billy went on to speak at the Expo event there in Texas working with Campus Crusade in and that was one of the biggest things that happened in the Jesus movement in the early phases, so yes there so many stories of lives that have been impacted by Billy Graham going back so many years in his ministry still continues on to this day, but the reason I wrote this book Billy Graham, the man I knew was because I wanted to show what he was like personally and I'm happy to say that he was the same man privately that you saw publicly in a Dave it's been my privilege to meet a lot of famous people want a famous preacher's I've shook the hands of four US presidents I've been in the Oval Office and prayed for the president two times I've met movie stars and rock stars and and no one ever impressed me more than Billy Graham and I think it was because he was just so humble and so down to earth but yet his fame in many ways eclipsed all of them and but it never went to his head, or do his heart and any was always as he would describe himself a country preacher. It wasn't speak humility.

That's always on something when you think the Billy Graham story and I must remind you of a Bible story usually read of Gideon hiding from the Midianites of threshing this week when an angel of the Lord calls him to lead a mighty army you look at David, keeping watch over his flock. When the prophet comes the town and anoints him as the next king of Israel and you think of Billy, a farmboy with aspirations to become a professional baseball player, a just a normal red blooded American southern boy who God hand-picked to become the greatest evangelist in human history. And I think one of his secrets was he never lost sight of where he came from. He still was rooted as that simple boy Billy Frank who used to milk his dad's cows very early in the morning and had this humility about him that he carried to his last dying breath while he was a man we all wish we knew personally and you get to know them and Pastor Greg's new book. It's an inspiring journey to walk through his story and Billy Graham, the man I knew is that n-gram lots, Billy's daughter commented about the book. She said this in this page turner of a book I learn things about my father that I never knew is not something Greg Laurie has been a masterly job of setting my father's life in historical and cultural context. I pray that Billy Graham, the man I knew will draw readers to the gospel where they'll find the love of God that he preached so fervently and faithfully. So can we send a copy your way. Pastor Greg is making it available to thank you for your donation of any size.

Please know there are no churches or large organizations covering all the broadcast expenses was only through the investments of listeners with these insights can come your way. Each day, so thanks for being a partner with us with your donation today. Be sure to ask for Billy Graham, the man I knew you could write a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300 call anytime. That's a 24 hour phone number 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org will pester to give us the news about your new TV program called harvest with great glory. So we really expanded on television.

I would say quite dramatically wanting to reach new people wanting to reach unexpected people in unexpected places like the lifetime channel and is a huge viewership. This is not what you would call a Christian channel it's more of a secular channel a mainstream TV outlet will be on the lifetime network also will be on the FOXBusiness network also on Newsmax. In addition to that will be in great Christian networks like DayStar and TBN if you want to find out more about air times go to harvest.org will next time we'll see what factors keep our prayers are being answered. Pastor Greg continues his practical series in Mark called the gospel for busy people join us here on a new beginning with Pastor Greg Laurie and everybody thinks or listening to this podcast to learn more about harvest ministries follow this show and consider supporting it. Just go to harvest.org to find out how to know God personally go to harvest.org and click on know God