God Wants Your Faith To Grow, Part 2

Today on the Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. Maybe time that we stop admiring people with great faith and decided that's what we want to possess for ourselves and our lives over and over again to the downcast of the overwhelmed in the grieving to the feeling. Jesus says don't be afraid. Just trust me. Just believe joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana going pastor Bill Gebhart now is once again he shows us how God's word. Our world evolves God, he says, Lord, if you're willing, Jesus stretched out his hand to touch his intention Jesus doesn't see in a moment Jesus doesn't even have to be there. Jesus doesn't have to touch everybody's watching Jesus touch is intentional. That's what's so amazing about this. No sin can defile his touch. C doesn't matter what it is I can touch anything, the leprosy had no effect on Jesus. Jesus had tremendous effect on the leprosy Jesus heals a leper now Jesus and says to him, he said see that you tell no one to go and show yourself to the priest present an offering, he said that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.

Just what Leviticus talks about go to the priest shall make a claim make an offering, don't start talking about this. He often does, that were not ready for this kind of notoriety. This is between me and you right now and when Jesus entered Capernaum. That's where he was. Now we see a second thing happen when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion he is a Roman soldier with responsibility over 100 men. He says when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, imploring him now.

It's interesting he said in a snowstorm Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.

First of all, touch a little bit about the Centauri in which a lot more than just a moment that that centurion has a servant of servants all the time. You know what the rights of servants and slaves are like in the Roman Empire. Most masters when care at all except to replace him as cheaply as possible, but he's concerned and he says he is fearfully tormented.

Jesus said to my will, and he'll just that simple but not exactly see what about this Roman will. Luke tells us in Luke seven or some other things about.

First of all, Luke tells us that initially he did go to Jesus. Initially he sends elders Jewish elders to Jesus. He's not worthy.

He believes the go to Jesus Jewish elders. How does that happen.

Why would they do that well they tell you then that he said they say to Jesus. He loves our nation. The centurion loves Israel. He loves our nation is likely that a proselyte all by the way he built our synagogue. You see, this is a man of not just one moment of desperation is a man of deep faith. He also sent friends after that Jesus gets closer and closer now and Capernaum and close to Jesus. He speaks verse eight the centurion said Lord I am not worthy for you to come under my roof. You just say the word of my servant will be. He knows Jewish custom what happens. The Jesus if he goes under the roof of a Gentile is unclean. Ceremonially, once again, not just a leper.

Now with a Gentile is unclean exist. Lord I know enough.

You don't have to come to my house. He said you just say the word or what kind of faith is this, you say the word.

You stay right where you're at now you and I on hindsight would say yeah yeah yeah but we know Jesus raising the dead. We know Jesus, the son of God. We know Jesus could do anything.

That's right, but he didn't even have your info.

He had faith. Amazing great faith. In fact, he says, the Jesus explained something why I said that, he said, for I also am a man under authority with soldiers under me and I say to this one go and he goes into another, and he comes in. My slave would do this. He does while first of all, he reveals his humility and now he reveals his faith with an analogy, is that I represent Rome.

I'm under the authority of Rome you know that means I have absolute authority over those under me is have absolute authority I say to a soldier, he comes. I say to you, and you go you that I know that I know what authority is like what you said you represent God.

You see, you represent God you have authority over everything distance disease and matter.

You represent God, that's a great faith does he see you represent God. When Jesus heard this is one of the most amazing verses in the entire Bible. He marveled just find out how many times Jesus ever does this astounding. He marveled from so is the word almost always it's translated amazed see marveled so like Ali marveled. Now it's not like that but be a great way in our language to say that Jesus marveled would be like this.

Jesus said why you see that's it.

He's amazed why. What does it take to wow Jesus Christ faith just great faith. When Jesus heard this, he marveled, and he said to those who were following.

Truly, truly, I say to you I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel for any one that includes the 12 that's John the Baptist. No greater man is ever been born of woman in John course number. John said, are you the one she would look for someone else exit this man's faith. You see this man's faith is amazing. In other words, Jesus saying allow this man trusts me with everything that's great faith, which had that kind of faith. You see how this is to the benefit of living a life with this kind of faith he's impressed by the way, just turn with me than verse 23, the site was get a chance in the same chapter you know the story and when you got into the boat. The disciples followed him.

And behold, there arose a great storm the scene. The boat was being covered with ways and Jesus was asleep and they came to him, they woke up and said same as Lord we are perishing, and he said to them, why are you afraid you man of little faith there is great faith move a Roman centurion.

My disciples, you see, you can't miss this, you me a believer in Jesus Christ. But you have great belief is you don't have great trust, one should have great faith he once you have great faith look at the consequences.

Because of this man Jesus says, I say to you that many will come from the East and the West and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, there to be a lot of Gentiles being added eventually to this whole idea, but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness in that place there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. The religious leaders of Israel have no faith and the reason is they don't believe you got a relationship with God based on faith. You get a relationship with God based on religious obedience.

You do what the Scripture says and then you do what we say and maybe you have a relationship with God. That's wrong. And Jesus said to the centurion, go, and it shall be done for you as you have believed. The servant was healed that very moment amazing. It is a stop there. By the way, this is just a little condition when Jesus came to Peter's home and Capernaum. He saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with fever. Now notice nobody asked him by the way, don't you think Peter was with them with theirs and Dorian somebody did Peter White might want to say aboard my mom's for the sick here and you think and maybe did, but at all what happens here is this is Jesus touched her hand and the fever left her and she got up and waited on back to work. Notice nobody ask you see what is Jesus saying look I can do anything you see I can do anything a leper that is unclean that has permanent physical damage, I can restore the centurion who was a Roman over distance and disease.

I can do it, and oversight of woman lying here who hasn't even asked me for anything I could do this I can do anything and I will do anything that I will you see that's who he is and because of that. What he wants to say is simply this.

Trust me. Just trust me. Amazing. No wonder the writer of Hebrews that without faith it is impossible to please you see, that's what he's after. That's just your part of the relationship, I will trust you. This led me to a question. As I went through this highway going about wanting to trust the Lord more and more I love you've asked yourself that how I can't get my faith to grow. You see, because the kind of people that I talked about earlier, Elizabeth Elliott and Johnny Erickson, Todd, and John Hoss and many others. I want that faith the centurion.

I want that faith how I get my faith to grow, the more I thought about it the more I realize that it's not really a series of steps that I take, but it's an environment that I have to be aware of that could be a catalyst for my faith to grow this web decided to start this is the first of a series because I know how important it is for me and I know it must be that much important for you. How do you get your faith to grow. What is the environment that cultivates your faith to grow. I think there are five different experiences or environments that God uses the cultivator faith.

It doesn't mean your faith will grow. That'll be up to you but God uses five different things and will look at those in the future.

One is the practical teaching of God's word. That's clear and understandable. You need that you need understand what God said no that's extremely important. I think were all aware of that.

Secondly, though providential relationships providential relationships iron sharpens iron. The idea that I have relationships with people in my faith can grow on the basis of the relationship that I have with them. Thirdly, private discipline, I need to spend time with the Lord.

I need to spend time in prayer and time in his word I need to spend time with the Lord sent me to have that in my life. That's a culture in which my faith can grow forcefully personal ministry. See need to be doing something is an astounding thing you know, one of the things I've learned in part of my ministry that I've ever done is the greatest learning mechanism.

You can never have the learn the word of God is to teach the word of God because when you have to teach the word of God and only do you have to learn it. But you have to try to figure out why you're learning it. What if they ask these questions do I have the answers. And so you learn it in a different way personal ministry of all sort and fifthly pivotal circumstances in your life.

We all go through these.

They can be good and bad, but there pivotal circumstances in our life and these are opportunities that our faith can grow in. So in the weeks ahead were going to look at that with each and every one of these things can do.

How God can use these these areas of your life to grow your faith to increase your faith to what God desires for you.

You see people like this, like the centurion and the others. They should not be an anomaly. They should be us. See, it's maybe time that we stop admiring people with great faith and decided that's what we want to possess for ourselves in our lives. Over and over again to the downcast of the overwhelm to the agreement grieving to the feeling. Jesus says don't be afraid.

Just trust me. Just believe believe that he can believe that he cares believe that he calms we need to grow. I think for so many of us fear pillage is so much of our peace every day of her life. We allow it to because of our lack of faith story that I've always loved when ancient sailors would sketch maps of the oceans and write them out, they would they would disclose their fears on the vast, unexplored waters, cartographers would write these kind of words.

The place were no ship had gone here be dragons here be sirens here be demons were map drawn of your life in your world any unknown waters ahead would you write on their here be dragons over the unexplored seasonal financial difficulties here be sirens over the uncharted waters of serious illness here be demons over the very distant and of your physical you need to take heart from the example of Sir John Franklin master Seaman and mapmaker for Henry V man of great faith. He took all the maps the run the king's possession. Any cross direct dragons and sirens and demons, and in their place over all the uncharted waters. He wrote this here be God as we need to do with our lives. That's the perspective that we need. You see, you never will go where God is not he is able become the person God intended you to be a person of great faith stop admiring people of great faith become a person of great faith.

The spray father.

I think all of us realize that in the uncharted waters of our lives. We have our own humanistic negative assessment reviewing the fears that we have. Father I pray that this basic lesson from Genesis to the book of Revelation. It always comes down to the same thing between you and us.

You, the great provider.

The sovereign God, the beginning and the end, the creator of everything and you simply ask us into a relationship based on one thing from us.

Faith belief, trust father I pray that we become keenly aware of the ways in which you try to entice us in these weeks ahead to grow our faith to become stronger in our faith and to have this great faith of our cost push out of our lives, our fears and worries nine anxieties fill us with your peace in your this. We pray for your glory and for our pastor broke apart you ever missed one of our broadcast or maybe you just like listening to the message one more time. Remember the little great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online at that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio program, had Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make his broadcast possible with all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting a monthly fourth is the one time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is of the sermon, the pastor will deliver during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible church visit our website SBC Nola.org that SBC and of LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds of pastor Bill sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sermon series you're looking for or you can search by title.

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