From Fear to Faith [Part 2]

Pastor author and Bible teacher Alan Wright. Sometimes I may not have the capacity to believe. For great things, but my heart is Jesus. If you know that he's the answer you may have little faith that you have three or Alan light might fit a whole new light by Daniel Britt excited for you to hear the teaching debate in the series life of Peter has presented at renewal the church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire broadcast how to make sure you know how to get our special resource.

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Contact us at pastoralan.org that's pastor out.org or call 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright so if he says you have little faith and calls you little faith is not an insult to you. It is a blessing to you because the whole oak tree is contained in the little acorn and a whole blazing forest fire was contained in the initial spark. The spark is just as much fire as is the blazing furnace and the acorn is just as much treat as is the giant oak I met a man in California many years ago when I had gone out to learn from the famous Saddleback Church in church and Rick Warren as he was teaching so much about doing church on purpose, and several of us went out to learn from them and I learned a lot, but I might learn the most having lunch one afternoon and just talking to a man who is a original member, a charter member of that church. This man must've been about seven years old and I was just talking to at lunch and I've asked him what he did in the church and what he like to do in life, and he said well the main thing that he did was he like to lead people to Christ and asked that all is fantastic out and I taught them. I realized it had some success fine. I just will you people have you think you lead and that was some number in the hundreds of people that he had led to faith in Christ that I like. This is an amazing man. I want to hear a bit more how do you do this is that will years ago. He said I change the way that I was appealing to people to make decisions for Christ.

He said because often times we think that being saved is all about knowing everything there is to know about Jesus and and being fully aware of all the things Bible teaches over and then being able to say yes so that you know that your life is dramatically changed is that but no really, that's not the way that it is everybody's actually on some sort of area of of of of a continuum of a journey in faith and some people don't have God on their minds are fully devoted disciples of Christ, thereby also somewhere in between the things that I started realizing that the way that you lead.

So, my Lord is not come to them and say can you this day affirm all the principles of the Nicene Creed, the apostles Creed and could you review the institutes of religion by Calvin and make sure that you can afford the essentials of all reform faith so that you can fully articulate the incarnation and the Trinity and explain some of the deeper revelations of the book of Revelation so that we have your eschatology correct and once you understand all of this beasts sure and certain that your life will change an instant the new you will be fully redeemed and healed and understand your new position in the cosmos. Are you ready to say yes to Jesus and his and so what he started to just say to people after he talked about Jesus for a little bit a site inasmuch as you do understand about Jesus, inasmuch as you do understand the love of God for where you are right now. Could you say yes to that everything in his fiesta is built on this idea that any faith is real faith any faith little faith is real faith look at this way. Two guys got to go to a business meeting in Dallas. One of the guys is a regular traveler flies several times a week. Million mile club gets on the plains without even thinking about it, does it over and over in his life, other guys a terrible fear fly never gets on the plane don't play one time his wife was terrified vowed never to get back on, but he's absolutely gotta get on this flight or is he loses his job both vinegar get on the flight first. Man will call him Sam and Sam secure Sam gets onto applying Sam is relaxed and I cannot join little bit of conversation people around them and then he's going to get out of laptops and get some work done is going have a little snack to go take a little brief nap, so be fresh for his business meetings that day and then there's Joe who comes and sits down next to him and chose a nervous wreck his palms are sweaty. He's got beads of sweat running down his brow. He can't even talk. He's looking for the whole time the lady gets up there and start given the thing about the all the new thing will come down for oxygen and where you can get your flotation device.

He's pouring over the things in the very likely studying for final exam and I plane takes off and he's a nervous wreck a little bit of turbulence is knuckles were white is about to throw up. He so afraid the whole way doesn't say a word. Other man has a wonderful flight and then they land and they both get off and Dallas Texas answer question is Joe who was so scared any less in Texas than Sam is who they're both their male little faith might not of enjoyed the ride as much as great faith, but they both got to Texas I heard a preacher put it this way. Imagine lady she's walking along a precipice, and she's enjoying the Vista and their foot slips and she falls off the cliff and if she's falling down she knows of the corner of her eye that there is a twig a branch that seems to be sticking out from the side and it looks like it's just a flimsy branch looks like with like nothing more than to the long twig is all that she sees as she grabs hold of it, not knowing that it's actually a strong branch connected to a strong oak tree that is standing firm and will definitely hold her weight and she grabs hold of it and she is able to secure herself and she saved. Let's say that as she was reaching out for that branch and it looks so flimsy to her and she didn't understand the grandeur that was behind it. Let's just say that she only had 10% confidence that it would save her but it did. If she only 10% saved. If you have faith of a mustard seed, you can be saved or greater miracle is there than that. If you have little faith God can take it and mix it with his great face and work a miracle if you can pray a prayer of petition that at least has a little bit of faith.

What happens is that God through Christ, your intercessor joins in partnership with the righteousness of Jesus that is imputed to you and your prayer is received in some glorious manner with the name of Christ on Spurgeon said that a good woman all read his words a good woman wanted me to send in a petition to a certain government office concerning her husband was dead, and for whose sake she wanted to get some help. So here's a lady she's appealing to a government agency, probably about some death benefit or something and she drew up the petition and brought it to me. Spurgeon said about one word and 10 was spelt correctly and the whole composition was unfit to sin. She wanted me to add my name to it and post it for she come to say would you put your name on it so it gives you credibility and then you mail it. I did so, he wrote, but I first rewrote the whole petition keeping the subject matter. As she put it, but altering the form and wording of it. He took the letter and rewrote it. The prince of preachers. One was eloquent man in all of London and his day, who had one the best names and was well thought of.

Throughout the entire big city rewrote it the way he would like to have said it all beautiful kings English and signed his name alongside of her name and then he put it in the mail about what was sent and is the petition. Wonder if when you utter your most simple childlike little prayer of little faith.

It is rewritten by the Messiah in his blood and put his name upon it as it approaches the father. This is why little faith is so powerful and can move mountains and little faith not only means it is real faith and that therefore it gets you there, but it also means to say your little faith that means you got along way to grow and that's a wonderful thing when I was little Alan I was playing football in a neighborhood with older kids. I had to take my little legs and make him run faster just to keep up with them so taught me how to run quick play basketball with the bigger guys and so I had to learn to shoot with a higher arc and shoot quickly. I was stiff curry baby and I played tennis and I was a little wine and so I'd have to put a lot of topspin on it so it loop over the net and bounce really high on the other side. I was learning something. Because of your little how you gonna be able to do some things to keep up with the big boys and and there's a sense in which if your little faith.

It just reminds you that you got a wonderful wonderful way that you can keep growing and it stretches you. There was a seminary student one time who would go around telling everybody I will go far in the ministry. I will go far in the ministry.

I will go far in the ministry and finally one of his friends changes the lesson brother is arrogant. I mean, mean, or do you really have some sense of God's been some special to you why you say this all the time is someone just to say what my professors say that all of them tell me the same thing they say I got a long way to go. So it's just fine line between I got a long way to go and I will go far. Little faith is going to go far little faith is going to go far right will have more teaching moment from today's important series pressures always find hard to say no way that shall disappoint someone one relationship and they were naked and felt no shame entered the world they became anxious within nine question 19. There is only one solution. The grace of God that lifts our shame seeks me out and exposing an exception share is an individual or in a snobbery series is sure to bring healing and hope this man singed a digital master.

Thanks for your partnership in a world separate time to let God's grace to shame our night ministries, 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website past Rowan.org today's teaching now continues you once again is Alan, the Lord came to Elijah at Mount caramel after he defeated a 450 prophets of Baal and then Jezebel was chasing them. He was so worn out that he just got the press is amazing. You have such a huge victory and then the duct is one evil woman that's chasing him down any.

Just like Don I'm I'm no better than my fathers… Failed and he's just depressed to the point of death, an angel of the Lord comes and gives him a hot cake and a jar of water and a love of the angels that he said arise and eat for the journey to great for you at too great for you but not too great for God and to say that the journey is too great for you is to say that there's a great journey in front of you to say your little faith means that there's a lot of room for you to grow into big faith means you got a long way to go and little faith is wonderful Facebook of these moving towards the Lord.

He's moving towards Jesus and his and his first steps. He's moving to Jesus, but then as he thinks he's moving to Jesus and is reaching out to Jesus is an irony of this but when Peter is sinking down in that storm and he calls out and Jesus grabs hold of him. He's closer to Jesus while he sinking then the disciples are while they're sitting on the boat. Spurgeon said the Lord Jesus always acknowledges of faith which comes towards him, however lame it may be.

If you have a faith which looks to yourself occurs rests upon it. If you have a faith which looks the priests, it is superstition. If you have a faith which looks to ceremonies, creeds, prayers, and feelings. It will fail you when you most need help. If you have a faith whose eyes are on Jesus whose longings are for Jesus, whose hopes are all centered in Jesus who steps all had to Jesus, then you have a faith upon which Jesus sets his seal and those he though he calls it a little, yet he calls it faith. I take solace in that sometimes I may not have the capacity to believe. For great things, but my heart is set on Jesus. If you know that he is the answer. You may have little faith, but you have the real thing and little faith can make you become more and more like Christ. Spurgeon made the observation. All of the artist.

Great renderings of this scene from Scripture that you can find great paintings by great artists that picture the big storm and Jesus walking on the water there even paintings of Peter walking on the water and there are plenty of paintings of Peter sinking in the water and Jesus reaching out his hand to grab hold of him, but the one thing you can't find is the one. This part is that I wish someone would paint and that is I'd like to see Jesus and Peter going back to the boat together how they get there did Jesus carrion or I like to picture it.

He held his hand and they both walked on the water back to the boat. The Peter was starting to get a little glimpse of what it's like to do what Jesus does to walk with Jesus through storms to walk with Jesus in miraculous ways.

He was being trained is being trained that even a little faith will make you become like Christ, and we shall be as he is and as he is now John says so are we in this world and you will do the things that I've done Jesus at an even greater thing. The ESV version puts it really accurately Jesus took hold of Peter B. Reminded the Christian life little faith.

It isn't so much about you holding on the gone as it is about having faith to believe that God can hold onto you. If you are in a very difficult time and you have a hard hard time envisioning the positive thing that could come and you feel so weak that the idea of holding onto God seems nearly impossible. You take heart. God takes hold of you. The question is not can you believe that you will be strong enough to hold on to Jesus. The question is can you believe that Jesus is strong enough to hold onto you. If so, you have a little faith is question to Peter why did you doubt I think is an expression, not of disdain but a genuine surprise. Everything is a product Jesus is at times he is is the anointed son of God as God in the flesh times, he seemed to know everything, but other times he's fully human and he would only gain knowledge of something by revelation of the Holy Spirit. Like you I would very interesting mystery. What did he know what to do not know there sometimes are generally surprised.

I think this is one of heaven exists by perfect faith. The world is held together by God's perfect faith. Jesus is the word of God and he holds everything together and all that God has created was created by an act of faith and so heaven is love. And heaven is faith. And so when Jesus comes and he sees how hard it is for human beings and their fallen condition to believe, I think is generally surprised like we were walking I jacking Billy down things like that.

I've told you several times a pivotal moment in my life there odd moments that change your life one day as a freshman college I was taking the honor section of religion, 29, it was taught by Grant Wacker is a history of Christianity in America. It turned out that it would move me towards doing an additional major in religion and who knows might've been the thing that whet my appetite to really start studying the word of God and eventually led me to seminary.

Who knows all that God does to a moment like this, but I had come into the college and I was very very very sound on the outside but inside I was still reeling from the shame and brokenness of my family and I was sitting in that class and I remember feeling like an imposter like I should be an honor section and I never said anything was a discussion and I never said anything. I was too afraid.

I was too shy and I didn't like ahead anything to offer. I got back, the second exam, Prof. Grant, Wacker later would become the professor most important to me and would oversee my senior honors thesis and he wrote me on that paper. After given me a nearly perfect score and he said Alan he said I don't understand anyone who could write an exam like this. I have more confidence want to speak up in class change when the curse when he said to speak up.

It was it was a blessing because he was saying. I see something in you. When Jesus said like you doubt he wasn't saying you're a doubter doomed to a life of doubt, he saying I see faith in you.

There's no reason for you to doubt believe, believe, beloved, it is not always God's plan is not always his highest and best for a moment that our life be full of tranquil waters. Jesus sent his disciples out in this boat he knew a storm was coming.

Sometimes it is by God's design that were besieged by the waves in water and feel them against her skin, because God has high aspirations of teaching us and wooing us and letting us and was such a moment with Peter and when Peter went walking. It was a thrill and when he went sinking. It was scary but through it all. What you see is that this little faith. One was on his journey to be a great face one and that Jesus first called Peter and then he called the store. The storm was calm, but what came first, was what Peter was learning about the affections of Jesus and about the power of a little bit of faith, as Spurgeon said he did not break the bruised reed or disown the infant faith, but he called it faith answered its prayer and made it to stand with him and fellowship and power.

Peter was beginning to sink, but he had not sunk and even as the water was rising up. He called out to Jesus and it was enough. A little faith is real faith and real face real face even a little bit can welcome a miracle in NASA gospel today for you and me. Today's teaching from fear to faith. Stay with us. Alan is back in a moment with additional insight on this for your life and final work pressures always find it hard to say no way that shall disappoint someone one thing in any relationship in paradise.

They were naked and felt no shame in entering the world and became anxious within nine question like this painting. There is only one solution. The grace of God that lifts our shame seeks me out unexposed shame shows the individual or any snobbery series is sure to bring healing and hope our ministries. This man thinking to digital MasterCard. Thanks for your partnership in a world separate shame. It's time to let God's grace to shame Misty Banks from Allen Wright ministries, 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor and got work for the one listening right now and they just even called a couple of phrases there and they're gonna latch onto that. That's it.

Call on to Jesus. When you feel like it's hopeless. But you haven't given up on him bingo). I was thinking Daniel back to the story of told listeners before my mother many many years ago after my father had left home and she was like she was sinking down she got an uneasy said, Lord, if you're really there that I need you because I feel like I'm sinking down if you don't do something, then I'll probably take these three boys mine with me but I was just a little thing was no much know much, just a little faith and I really probably sit here today, also, that little faith that I just say the listeners right now that you got a little if you do you have real and with whatever little faith you have: a little faith can welcome a you today's good news message is a listener supported production Allen Wright ministries