Copyright 2011 by CenterPoint Church. All Rights Reserved.

Transcription

1 Faith Copyright 2011 by CenterPoint Church. All Rights Reserved. Written by Jeff Schoch and Charlie Cascio. Edited by Emily Schiavi and Henry Fuhrman. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. ~Matthew 17:20-21 All Emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the authors.

2 Introduction The Life of Faith Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. ~Hebrews 11:1 There are times and opportunities in the life of the local church when teaching and theology are often tested by true application. These moments define the church. These moments go beyond casual faith to confident faith. They take us from doubt to assurance that God is in charge. Great opportunities like these often require great steps of faith. As many of you know, CenterPoint Church now has an unprecedented opportunity that will forever change our church and the south shore of Long Island for Jesus. We have arrived at one of those moments when our faith must take on a greater risk; when we must have confidence and assurance for what we do not see. The time has come for us to step out in radical faith! To help strengthen our faith as a church, we have created the following Faith Devotional. Over the next two weeks we hope you will spend time reading Scripture, in prayer and fasting, and taking specific action steps of daily faith. We pray this devotional will serve as a useful guide to build up your faith and encourage you as we embark on this exciting journey together. In faith! ~Pastor Brian McMillan

3 Day 1 Day 2 Read Matthew 17:14-20 Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. ~Matthew 17:20b, 21 What if? A father comes to Jesus desperate to see his beloved son set free from his affliction. Though others had tried and failed this dedicated dad brings his son to Jesus in the hope that Jesus would be able to do something miraculous, something that others had been unable to do. With a word, Christ commands the demon that had been tormenting this young child to leave and to the amazement of the disciples, the boy is healed. The disciples then ask why they were unable to do what Christ had done so easily. Jesus tells them that it is because they lacked faith. He then explains that if they had faith as small as a mustard seed they would be able to do the impossible! If we had even an inkling of an idea what could be possible for us if we had faith, we would be shocked. What if at the end of our lives we are given an opportunity to see what could have been if we only had faith? Think of the impossibilities that could be realized if we only had faith. Imagine a different destiny for yourself that includes the miraculous predicated on faith! What could God do in you and through you if you lived by faith? Father, grant me the gift of faith. Lord, show me my unbelief so I may replace it with the knowledge that you are an awesome King who can do the impossible. Meet me in my unbelief so I can live the life you have called me to live. Help me to believe that nothing is impossible for you so that I can live boldly and without fear. I love you Lord and I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Take a moment to honestly assess your level of faith right now. Has it been increasing or decreasing? What has helped or hurt your faith? Consider how having faith as small as a mustard seed could transform your present circumstances. Read Joshua 10:1-15 On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon. So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies ~Joshua 10:12-13 Sun Stand Still Joshua was an incredible leader. He was in the process of executing one of the most successful military campaigns in history. He had already overcome overwhelming odds in conquering Jericho and Ai. It probably looked to the outsider that Joshua s military success was the result of shrewd thinking and an amazing tactical mind but the Bible is overwhelmingly clear that Israel s victories were the result of God s providence. Joshua had faith that God would do the impossible. He had so much faith in fact that he didn t even make his request to God in private but in front of his whole army. For Joshua and for us big faith accompanies big things. Have you asked God for something big? Most of the time we pray for things that if they were to happen might be considered miraculous by some but mundane to others. If you knew that God was going to do the miraculous what would you pray for? What might happen if you had the faith to ask the sun to stand still as Joshua did? Lord, give me a big vision for the future. Grant me the faith to ask for big things. Give me the courage to ask for something amazing. I pray that you would use me mightily to accomplish your will and that your sovereignty and power would be more evident in my life. I commit my hopes to you Lord and trust that you are able to accomplish all that I ask in the name of Jesus. What sun stand still prayer are you going to pray today?

4 Day 3 Day 4 Read 1 Kings 18:16-39 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again. ~1 Kings 18:36 Fire on the Mountain A prophet, a man of God, and one of the few remaining faithful stands before a great crowd of people that do not believe as he does. Elijah enters into the fray armed only with his belief that God has not forsaken His people though they had turned away from Him. God makes himself known by causing an altar that had been soaked with water to burst into flame. God has set certain rules in place that govern the way the universe works. We have to understand that He is more than capable of bending or breaking those rules if He chooses. When you think about who God is and what He has done it is perfectly reasonable to not only accept the possibility of a miracle but to expect it! The conventions that apply to our world, our bodies, our culture are all subject to God s will. If we pray with faith we should expect that God may indeed up-end those conventions. Lord, though my faith is imperfect I know that you are able to do more then I ask or even imagine. Father I commit the deepest desires of my heart to you, especially those desires that seem improbable or impossible. You created the universe, placed the stars in the sky and called them by name. You are powerful and mighty. Lord I ask you to intervene... (insert your request here). Amen. God heard Elijah s prayer and accomplished what seemed impossible. What seems impossible in your life right now? Or in the lives of those you know? Write down a prayer request that seems unlikely to be fulfilled, and ask God to answer this prayer so that people will know that you LORD, are God. Read Hebrews 11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. ~Hebrews 11:1 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. ~James 2:17 Faith in The writer of Hebrews defines faith for us through a series of synopses which reads like the Faith Hall of Fame, listing great stories of faith throughout the Bible. The point of all of these stories that are being recounted is that faith is not merely intellectual assent but something that, when genuine, is always accompanied by action. Many people say today that they believe in something yet there is no tangible result of this belief. This is not faith. You will know that faith is genuine when it is accompanied by perseverance, action, courage, and an intrepid spirit. There is an old adage which says: if you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Consider this question for a moment. Are you doing anything that requires faith? Have you ever endeavored to do something that absolutely demanded that God intervene? Is there something in your life that absolutely requires a miracle to take place? Lord, I desire great faith. Help to believe more and more each day I walk with you. God give me the strength and courage to live in light of who you are. Help me to meet life s challenges in a way that reflects your sovereignty. Lord help me to be bold and to count on you to do the impossible. Write a list of things you would do if you had greater faith, things that would absolutely require God to show up. Post the list somewhere visible, in your car, on your bathroom mirror. Then pray about what to attempt first.

5 Day 5 Day 6 Read Ephesians 2:1-10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. ~Ephesians 2:8-10 By Grace... Through Faith Paul says that it is by grace you have been saved. This word saved is somewhat loaded. Some believe that their actions justify them to God. Others will choose to believe that nothing could justify them to God. The Apostle Paul, writes to the church at Ephesus and insists that we are saved by grace... through faith. This means salvation is a gift. It cannot be earned or deserved. It does however require an appropriate response: faith. When someone gives you gift all that is required of you is that you receive that gift. Faith is us accepting the gift God so graciously bestowed on us through the person and work of Jesus Christ. We need to acknowledge that God has given us this gift through the sacrifice of Jesus and have faith that His grace is sufficient for us (2 Cor. 12:9). Lord, thank you for the free gift of grace we have through faith in Jesus. I will never know fully what you did for me that day but I am so very thankful. Father remind me today of the great love you have for me that it will cause my heart to swell with gratitude so I may show grace to others. I pray this in the name if Christ. Amen. Paul teaches we are saved not by works but to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. What good work might God have prepared for you to do today? Throughout your day, look for opportunities to do good to someone, knowing in Jesus Christ God has certainly done good to you. Read John 20:24-29 Then Jesus told him, Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. ~John 20:29 My Lord and My God We refer to him as doubting Thomas which might be unfair. This Apostle, also called Didymus, wanted to believe so badly in the Resurrection that he asked for the proof his heart would need to be convinced. Jesus appears to Thomas and the other disciples and invites Thomas to investigate the claims of the other disciples for himself. Thomas sees Jesus woulds and then worships Him by saying my Lord and my God. It is fascinating to try and explain this scenario in a way that does not acknowledge the resurrection of Christ or His divinity. Thomas was a young man who, from childhood, had been conditioned to believe that God could not be a man. Upon seeing the resurrected Jesus, Thomas worships Christ as God. Even more convincing is that Jesus accepts this worship. The only plausible explanation for these events is that Christ did indeed rise from the dead and that His claim to be God was authentic. The story is told so that we can be sure that Christ is indeed who He claimed to be so that we may believe! Lord, your Word is amazing. God thank you for making yourself known to us through the Scriptures. I pray that you would continue to grow my faith. Lord, as you showed Thomas the proof he needed to believe I pray that you would meet me in my doubts, that you would move in unmistakable ways so that my faith would increase. We all have a lot of Thomas in us. Write down some of your doubts today. What proof are you looking for from God? Confide in someone you trust and pray through each of your doubts together.

6 Day 7 Day 8 Read Matthew 14:22-34 Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, Lord, save me! Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. You of little faith, he said, why did you doubt? ~Matthew 14:29-31 A Journey of 1000 Miles In the dark of night in a small craft on rough seas the disciples believe they are far from Jesus, but He comes to them on the water. Peter, one of Jesus disciples wanted to follow Him onto the water. He had faith in Jesus and began to defy laws of physics. Although after a few moments he became afraid and began to sink. Crying out to Jesus for help, Peter received the hand of Jesus and was rescued. Jesus then rebukes Peter for having such little faith and asks him a simple question: Why did you doubt? Jesus calls us to live by faith. To take those first tentative steps, to get out of the boat and follow Him, however difficult it may be. His character is such that He is right there next to us waiting to extend a hand should we need it. Still many do not get out of the boat. We like the boat ~it s safe and it s secure. This passage teaches us that if we never risk following Jesus onto the water as Peter did we may miss something incredible. Faith enables us to live the life that Christ has for us. It may not appear safe or guarantee our comfort but there is an adventure to be had if we can take those first few steps. Lord, I confess my fear to you. I have been afraid at times to follow you, to do your will. I ask that you forgive me for my lack of faith. Father, help to get out of my boat. Help me to trust in you to be my rescuer, my help and my redeemer. What might it look like for you to take those first few, potentially risky steps of faith? Take a moment to identify some opportunities you have before you today to get out of the boat and have faith in Jesus. Read Genesis 6:9-7:24 Noah did everything just as God commanded him. ~Genesis 6:22 You Want Me to Do What? God tells Noah to build an ark. Using just hand tools Noah manages to construct a giant boat. It must have taken a long time! The Bible records that Noah was over 600 years old when the flood came. Would you or I have the faith to continue working and building year after year? I m sure there were days when Noah looked to the sky and wondered if it ever would rain. Maybe after years and years of building he even questioned his sanity! Maybe he asked, did God really tell me to build this or did I dream that? It s possible Noah s neighbors had some interesting things to say about him and his little building project. Perhaps they gave him a hard time or made him feel foolish for building an ark. Clearly, Noah was willing to endure whatever bad might come in order to listen and obey what God commanded. After years of building, the catastrophe of which God warned finally came to pass. There was a flood and everything was destroyed. Noah and his family survived because he believed God. Though his faith may have been tested in the process he was faithful to the orders God had given him. Do we trust God as Noah did? Are we able to follow Him though He may be silent at times? Can we do His will throughout our lives based on His promise to us? If we are faithful it is because God is faithful to do all that He is promised. We must rest in that promise if we are going to follow Him. Lord, make your will known to me throughout my day so I may honor you in every area of my life. I ask that you give me the strength and wisdom to seek your will. I pray that you would make me more like you. Father, show me the areas of my life where my faithfulness needs to increase. Help me to resist the temptation to doubt your promise to me. Lord increase my faith! Has God ever called you to something that you thought was crazy? Were you faithful or did you doubt? Is there anything you can do now to be faithful to that calling?

7 Day 9 Day 10 Read 1 Samuel 17:1-51 Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? ~1 Samuel 17:26 Bringing the Cheese Young David runs toward the battle line! With nothing but his sling and five smooth stones he runs to face a seemingly indomitable foe. He has, what must have seemed like, an absurd amount of confidence. It is not however, confidence in himself. David is confident that the Lord would deliver him. Whether it is our own doubts or the many voices around us murmuring you can t or you ll never make it, we can often become paralyzed if we forget that our strength as Christians does not come from what we are able to do through our own power but from what God is able to do. The God of the universe calls us his beloved children! He has promised to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) yet at times we doubt or even tremble at the enormity of the task before us. It is at those moments that we have forgotten who God is and how He loves us. As Christians we should have a confidence born of faith that is supernatural and defies reason. We know that the One who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4) and so we should live in light of that fact. Lord, you are mighty and able to do more then I can ask or imagine. I pray that you would help me to have faith like David. God help me to have confidence in you. Give me the courage to run towards the challenges of my life rather then away from them. Deliver me from evil and continue to remake me in the image of your Son, Jesus. Amen. Where do you need to have more confidence in God. Is there a situation or challenge that you need God to handle for you? Invite God into that situation and then run towards that challenge with confidence that He will deliver you! Read Matthew 6:25-34 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you you of little faith? So do not worry... ~Matthew 6:30,31a You of Little Faith Though we live in one of the most affluent areas in all of history and enjoy a higher standard of living then the vast majority of people living today, most people are not happy, in fact they re miserable. Study after study show that people in the industrialized world are more depressed then ever. Why? One answer is that people worry more than ever. Worrying is a personal weakness of mine (Pastor Jeff ). One of the greatest liberties I have enjoyed as a Christian was being set free from worry when I became a Christian. Though I find myself drawn into worrying from time to time Christ has been faithful in continuing to lift that burden from me. Five times in the book of Matthew, Jesus rebukes His disciples by saying you of little faith (Matt. 6:30, 8:26, 14:31, 16:8, 17:20). What usually follows is Christ setting the record straight. Christ opens the eyes of His companions by explaining the reality that had escaped them. The opposite of worry is faith. Seek first my Kingdom and my Righteousness and all these things will be given to you. You need faith to seek God s Kingdom. Seeking His righteousness will require you to trust in God. In the process of trusting Him you are set free from worry and doubt. Lord, I confess my worries to you. I am anxious about. I trust that you can handle all of these concerns. Father, continue to strengthen my faith so I can seek your kingdom and righteousness without being hindered by doubt. Amen. Write the things you are worried about on a piece of paper. Fold the paper up. Walk outside to your trash can and throw the paper out. Have faith God will take care of it!

8 Day 11 Day 12 Read Matthew 25:14-30 Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master s happiness! ~Matthew 25:21, 23 Time, Treasure, Talent I have mentor who is fond of saying there are no U-hauls behind hearses. Author John Ortberg says it like this: it all goes back in the box. The heart behind these comments is the same. At some point we will stand before God and He will ask what we did with the good things He has given us. The Lord bestows on everyone time, treasure and talents. The point of the parable in Matthew 25 is that God cares deeply about how we leverage these gifts. He wants you to use your gifts to bring Him glory. The question we need to continually ask ourselves is: am I using the gifts God has given me to further His Kingdom? The promise of this passage is that when we are faithful with a little, much more will be given. This does not necessarily mean that if I give financially then I will receive more money somehow. There is however a reward to the person who is faithful with their Masters possessions. Remember that your time, treasures, and talents are all gifts from God. In faith, offer these up to God and be amazed with how He ll use them! Lord, I am grateful for the gifts you have given me. Help to better understand and seek your will. Father, I pray that you will use me to advance your purposes on earth. Give me the wisdom to recognize opportunities to leverage my time, talent and treasure for your glory. Write down the gifts God has given you in one column. Feel free to organize them by time, treasure, and talent. In another column write down how you are or how you might leverage those gifts for God s glory. Read Luke 7:1-10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel. ~Luke 7:9 The Faith of the Centurion Why was the Centurion s faith deemed great by Jesus? He even says I have not found such great faith even in Israel. The Roman soldier knew something about authority and so He knew that Jesus could do more than He had shown people up to the that point. We put God in a box when we deem things beyond His reach. One example is when we have a friend or family member that is far from God and we feel like not even God could change their heart. Limiting God could happen when a situation that seems so hopeless, and we think not even God could effect the outcome. When we think in this way we have put limits on One who is limitless and commit a logical fallacy. God continues to deliver the unlovable, accomplish the impossible, heal the un-fixable. The soldier recognized something that escapes many of us; God is the ultimate authority and all things submit to His will. He spoke the world into existence. With a word He created light. With a word He can heal the sick, raise the dead and command demons and angels. We need to trust that nothing at all is too big or impossible for Him. Lord, help me to recognize how great you are! Help me to understand better your limitless love and limitless power. God, I pray that you will help me to trust you with big things as well as small things. Amen. How have you put God in a box? What do you believe is beyond his reach? If you believe He can accomplish anything because of His authority, name a few things you would like to give to God and ask Him to accomplish the impossible.

9 Day 13 Read Genesis 22:1-14 So Abraham called that place The LORD will provide and to this day it is said, On the Mountain of the LORD it will be provided ~Genesis 22:14 The LORD Who Provides Hebrews 12:2 refers to Jesus as the author and perfecter of our faith, and this faith was working mightily in the heart of Abraham during one of the biggest trials of his entire life. God was calling Abraham to do something that would make any parent cringe. Abraham s task was to offer up his only son as a burnt offering unto God. Can you imagine what Abraham must have been feeling at this point? How would you react if you knew you would have to offer your son or daughter as a sacrifice? How about your wife, husband, sister, or father? Sometimes we question God s intentions, and wonder if what God has called us to do is really worth the price God is asking from us. What we fail to see often, is the supremacy of God, and His promises to make all things work out for the good of those who love Him. When we are called to situations or circumstances that seem like they are too big for us to handle, we must first acknowledge that God is in control, and we are called to be obedient. So what does that actually look like as it is playing out in our lives? It looks like having faith. God continually calls us to put everything on the alter as a sacrifice to Him, and trust Him that He will provide for us in return. Ultimately God provided the sacrifice for Abraham, and worked out the details that were out of Abraham s control. In fact, God was delighted to do this for all of His children when He provided His own Son as a sacrifice for our sins. When God reconciled us to Himself, He provided a solution for a problem that was literally impossible for us to do. Rest assured that God can do a great work of faith in your heart, as He did for Abraham. Lord, make your will known to me throughout my day so I may honor you in every area of my life. I ask that you give me the strength and wisdom to seek your will. I pray that you would make me more like you. Father, show me the areas of my life where my faithfulness needs to increase. Help me to resist the temptation to doubt your promise to me. Lord increase my faith! Think carefully; has God ever called you to something that you thought was crazy? Where you faithful or did you doubt? Is there anything you can do now to be faithful to that calling? Read: Mark 9:17-29 Day 14 The boy s father exclaimed, I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief! ~Mark 9:24 Overcoming Unbelief In these verses of Scripture, unbelief seems to have claimed its victory over each person in the crowd. Unbelief can act as a plague that has potential to prevent us from seeing what God is doing in us and around us. When we live in our doubts and unbelief, we prevent the amazing works of God from being manifested in our lives and in the lives of others. There is always a temptation to question whether God is really working in our lives, and if God is capable of doing the unthinkable. When the man questioned if Jesus could do anything to help, Jesus responded by asking the same question back to the man. These verses are screaming out this one simple truth: Jesus can do anything for those that believe in Him! Notice how we are not called to place our faith and trust in our own abilities or skills, but simply in the power of God. But what if we struggle with getting to the point where we fully believe? What if we aren t sure if we have enough faith? Jesus addresses the father s unbelief, after the father humbly admits his doubt before the Lord. Even though Jesus Himself tells the boy s father that everything is possible to the one who believes, the father still admits that there is doubt. We are called to let God be accessible to all areas of our life, and humbly admit to Him that we need His help to complete our faith. Heavenly Father, let me know fully in my heart that nothing is impossible for you to accomplish. I pray that you are willing to do incredible things in the lives of those who have faith. Lord, we humbly admit that even though we may struggle with doubt, you are still in control, and we humbly surrender our unbelief to you. In Jesus Name Amen. Reflect upon and write down those times you have struggled with asking God for help. Sometimes our pride gets in the way our relationship with God. We can practice humility by acknowledging that God already fully knows our hearts, and repenting of our sin of pride and unbelief. Go before God today, and don t be afraid to let it all hang out. If you are struggling with doubt, do not hesitate to tell God that you need Him to help you with your unbelief.

10 Notes