2nd Sign: From The Foxhole To Genuine Faith, Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ.

I think I think that we share this responsibility gets all the glory and this is God. Even though we have this nature not to do this. The only thing you want I can say joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhardt now again he shows us how God's word meets our network only ever have foxhole faith.

That's all that you have no matter what ends up happening the royal official said to him, sir, come down before my child dies down is impaired, you have to come down because Capernaum is on the Sea of Galilee, the Sea of Galilee, 700 feet below sea level, which is really low and saying were at sea level 700 feet. So no matter how you go to see guy you're going down because as mountains around that now that Jason anyone in the event any idea if this child is interesting.

It really means that the great were to choose, there is little one. It's male little boy is dying so you can see this man's desperation yellow little boy is dying how desperate you Jim try to make deals with God for this.if you do this and I'll do this type of thing with the whole story changes right now.

Jesus said to him, go compared your sentiments something a guys wife Ray figured out how about your work in a situation right.

He needs to come down. He needs to find your sign you need to heal yourself.

Jesus is go some good news. Maybe write anything about your point of view suddenly from his point of view this is a moment of truth being offered right now the prayer is going to be offered in Cana.

The answer is going to be done in Capernaum.

That's the most difficult walk in the world revolved on the walk from Canada to Capernaum ever prayed for something you had to wait ever.

Yes, yes you are praying for something using a foxhole faith and you want it done now and you wanted done in this way, and you have to walk but our situation seems a lot different. Yes, Jesus didn't say your son lives to us to see what he did say Paul wrote Romans 828 all things work together for good to those who love Jesus. That's what he said and what does he mean when he says all things work together for good to those who love Jesus. One thing how things that's what Jesus so Jesus tells you you may not see go to Capernaum. But in a sense, he is all things work together for your good. You've prayed all things work together for your good how you feel about using do you exercise genuine faith when he stood in sort of in a sense Scripture had said just don't know how this is going to work all season. I don't know if I'm to get what I asked for.

I don't I don't know if when I'm there to see the goodness I don't know what when I go to see the good ones he going to answer it. My going to get what I ask for how long will this walk be that I'm on right now could be 18 seconds 18 days 18 months 18 years. It could be you won't even understand the good of them to you in the Lord's presence. That's a long walk. Admit. But he already answered it.

This all the work for your good.

Now what Mary saying whatever he says do it. So this is what he says do you miss the way it's going to be know what kind of faith you have when he says that foxhole faith or general entry using this a little bit harder than we thought goes on. The man believed the word that Jesus just like us Americans. He believed now were moving the genuine wine.

He believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and he started off he didn't start off because he experienced the miracle he started off because of what Jesus said to this is hard for us. We do this all the time you find these kind of stories all through the Bible hold a place here with me for a moment and go with me to second Kings chapter 5 second Kings chapter 5 verse one says no name and captain of the Army of the King of Iran was a great man with his master and highly respected because by him. The Lord had given victory to Iran and the man was a valiant warrior but he was a leper. Now that's about us here is this great warrior famous man has great value is a leper. I'm guessing it's in the early stages of his leprosy, but he knows in that world.

That's a death sentence to him. He will eventually be isolated and leper colonies. He'll likely lose vision digits off his hands and feet.

He knows what leprosy is going to bring up. I was kind of verse nine. So because of that name, and came he said with his horses and his chariots and he stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha whose Elisha is a prophet.

When the great prophets of God.

The success of new Elijah this is Laura I'm the deal with this. I'm going to go to the store I'm going to go and talk to the great prophet of God Elisha how let's get this is why because I don't want to have leprosy and I leper that's his foxhole faith. I would start the watch what happens. Elisha sent a messenger to now worse Elisha is a mouse does Elisha come and talk to him of the door.

No sends a message that here I am, this great warrior know that Ngai doesn't even come talk to me.

He sends his messenger, and he said go wash in the Jordan seven times in your flesh will be restored to you and you should be going now that Elisha tell him that God told is the word again. You go ahead and do this you get off of name name and was furious and went away sad and said, behold, I thought he will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord is God and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. I know how this works I've seen on TV guys gotta come out is gotta be right with you.

He's gonna wave his hand and calling God and in that foxhole.

He's telling Elisha how to do this, you see is just like combine to Capernaum and he's telling the same thing. In fact, he says, are not. He said banana and he said in far part of the rivers of Damascus better than all these waters in Israel.

Gotta love that whatever takes rivers and you want to do a good one. How about all rivers are rivers or better than that river could I not washing them and be clean and so we turn anyone away in a rage he didn't do what I wanted done the way I wanted it so than his servants came near, and they spoke to him and he said my father had the prophet told you to do some great thing we do not of done it.

It's a great line if Peter told you. Here's what you going to have to do one you have to capture your wealth and given to the poor you have to do you have to promise me that you stop swearing all the time in God's you have to treat your wife better than you've ever treated before. Okay I can do this then I will be a leper. He said if you told you that it is said okay I'll do it while how much more than that, he says do you want to be clean. It's only these are his words washing the claim. It's always asking into the words say when Don dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God according to the word of the man of God.

He doesn't exist.

Flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child. It was clean CVM to the same idea. It really comes down to this idea. Do you believe a word you don't believe in the word that becomes the problem I think, for all of us men is problem with this guy doesn't share his glory with anyone. Everything he does is righteous.

Everything we have is a result of his grace and his mercy and God gets not part of the glory. There was gets all the glory man hates this man doesn't like this at all. We want to do something, God, if you do this I'll do that.

That's the way this should work. I mean, think about this. How simple are the words of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The really simple. Now you tell those to somebody and what you say how things are. I gotta be doing something.

I mean that's just the way it is. I think you have to become a really good person. If you want have anything to do with God. I think you better show up in church, you know, I think I'm I think I better do the sacraments are about. If you think that way your gut doesn't share this. You have a responsibility do something hard.

God gets all the glory and this this is God. Even though we have this nature not to do this. The only thing you want I can do is believe what God said. Now go back to John with me. Verse 51 and then it says, as he was going down his slaves matter of this is really interesting to me for something amiss if you don't think about if I would've been you and you find out that your son he said your son is well. What would you have done well. Remember you can you can get there in six hours. So you gonna find out a moment you could got there the day Jesus told her that you get there in effect as the wealthy man. He could've God gone to Hertz rent a chariot rented a chariot any good got there in two hours. Would you think that I'm getting back I got a seat I come to get back in with the guiding he spent the night in a hotel I'm in no hurry. Why I believe.

I believe what he says.

You see, that's important.

He believes what Jesus says in his then it goes on and says this is slaves Mme. shows he is a man of wealth and that his son was living so he inquired to them.

The hour when he began to get better and they said to him yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left one in the afternoon when Wayne was talking to Jesus. So if you left right then walking the Goodman home by seven, but he wasn't. Why he believed what Jesus told. Now he doesn't have foxhole faith now is showing genuine wine faith using that's an amazing thing that he does right there. It doesn't stop so the father knew it was that that hour that Jesus said to him your son lives and he himself believed in this whole house girl save all household and the man. Genuine faith how to get saved you believe Jesus, you see, he just he believed what Jesus said and it ended up that he was saved. Just like the Samaritans same idea now and shooting gallery. Not not all very little conversions, but here it is. Jesus even when he interacts in a miraculous way always has something bigger in mind always, always, that you have a profound effect on our prayer life. I know you are and I'm often asked to pray for people and the prayer request I get is often a foxhole request so and so is really ill on my end, who's just like a mother to me had a test. And let's pray that it's benign that maybe that sounds is that something up earlier give yes we do this, but of the bigger fish to fry your than that one of Jesus.

It healed the boy and then just let them be the boy would've been healed right and in 70 A.D. years. The boy would've been dead and forever separated from God. In other words, when Jesus was talking about doing something physical like a miracle.

He always has something's virtual in mind. So when you and I do intercessory prayer for somebody else. I challenge you to make sure you don't just pray the foxhole prayer that God will do in this situation exactly what you want them to do. But, like Mary, you say you do it that this outcome before you we save you will be done.

That's what Jesus but more importantly, should be a spiritual aspect of my prayer sometime people are surprised because last-minute pray for someone they know it's going through a difficult time usually help another things and I say what's their spiritual condition. Why would one know that. Why wouldn't I are they save people if they're not, I would pray God would use the situation to bring in the Christ if they are saved. I pray God would use this to help them mature in their faith. That's what the spiritual part is extremely important here is not just I want to get what I want to get I want to get it now. We think that somebody if somebody's really sick, or someone young even dies. That's the tragedy what's really the tragedy of someone lives to be 92 when dies like Christ. That's a tragedy for ever. That's what he came for. That's the gospel and so this man went from foxhole faith to believe in Jesus and staying there and not trusting Christ as Savior and his whole household. That's what Jesus had in mind from the beginning. This Jesus more interested in giving a boy health are more interested in saving the house. His word has far greater worth than his miracles, his miracles just authenticate his word he uses miracles in that way, we have to think about this in our life like doesn't always go the way we wanted to mean a lot of us right now in certain areas of our life were living between Canaan Capernaum. That's where life is writing on his heart, pray and pray you wait in your not walk.

Look, I'm sorry that your plans never materialized. I'm sorry that your spouse never apologized. You know, I'm sorry that your cancer decided to metastasize.

I'm sorry about that, and I know it takes great faith. The walk between Canaan Capernaum.

You have to remember what he said, all things will work for your good. That's what he said. The question is do you believe that or as Mary said just do what he says I'll leave it in his hands. There are no limits to what Jesus can do he try so often who assures some 46 one says that God is ever present in trouble ever present what a great way to describe it.

God is as close as your next breath is right here he's right with you said promise Jesus the writer.

He presented by Jesus differently's promise was all never leave you nor forsake you, Woody. Map my walking from Canaan Capernaum along never, I never will. In fact it doesn't even say that the Greek you can't write it very well in English. English is all never leave you nor forsake you.

Greek five times uses five times not is repeated. This is what Lindley says I will not not leave you neither or not, will I not not forsake you. Why did God say that I'll not not leave you. I'm not not not forsake you so that you believe it, that's his emphasis I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to be right here that's his word. All of us look when it comes the difficult times in our lives. There's a temptation of that myself don't have foxhole faith. Don't make a deal with God is way beyond have genuine wine real saving faith in you, and that simply means take God at his word, what a difference of make in your life for spring.

Father, I must confess that all of us and when way or another, have prayed to you and told you exactly what we want done in exactly the way we want it with the outcome that we desire the father. That's his foxhole faith when genuine faith.

Father, when you say to me or to any of these people go to your son as well. I want that piece beyond all understanding. I want to trust you. You've given us these promises so that we can live our lives triumphantly that we can have peace and joy and hope in our lives and were not bound by the circumstances in which we find yourselves father have each of us just look in your own soul and and ask ourselves do I have this kind of genuine faith.

When I find myself in difficult times, and when I begin to pray for you specifically how, when and where you should do something that should be love you. Trust me quicker circumstances for an investor broken heart on the radio ministry of fellowship lower if you ever missed one of our broadcasting or maybe you just like to listen to the message one more time. Remember the good a great website called in one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio programs as well have Fellowship in the Word.

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