Faith That Works

Faith That Works

gtcotr/ss072703

Turn To Nehemiah 4

It is generally recognized that we must 'BELIEVE IN' something before we can successfully 'BELIEVE FOR' it

Tell the story about believing for a 1980 Toyota Corolla for 2 yrs.

Key Scripture

James 2:20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

Believing in and believing for may be a testimony to our faith ... But don't be fooled - faith without works is dead ... (Unproductive?)

James 2:17 (NJKV) Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

James 2:17 (KJV) Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

Faith alone may not always work!

Faith Postures Us

Faith Positions Us (However)

It Will Take Work To Produce

Mark 5 The little woman with the issue of blood had to press

2 Kings 4 The widow had to borrow vessels and pour

Joshua 6 Joshua had to get the children to march around Jericho

2 Kings 5 Naaman had to dip in the Jordan river seven times

Acts 3 The lame man received his miracle only after he was pulled to his feet - not before!

I. Working On Your Faith

Ezra 8:21-23

21 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.

22 For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, "The hand of our God [is] upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath [are] against all those who forsake Him."

23 So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.

A. Faith Is Trust In God

B. Trust In God

C. Trust That You Have Heard God

D. This Type Of Faith Qualifies A Person For Supernatural Intervention (So that what you would not have been able to accomplish by yourself, now you can because of the partnership you have with the Holy Ghost through faith)

E. We should be ashamed not to put our faith into practice

1. James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe -- and tremble!

2. Evidently believing is not all there is to it!

II. Faith And Works

Nehemiah 4:7-9

7 Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry,

8 and all of them conspired together to come [and] attack Jerusalem and create confusion.

9 Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.

A. Made Prayer

B. Set A Watch

C. Nehemiah 4:4:6 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.

III. Faith That Works

A. Find A Scripture

1. Agrees With Scripture (The whole counsel - Acts 20:27)

2. Does Not Violate NT Theology

3. That Will Stand The Test Of Counsel

* Remember: God is sovereign!

> Faith is not the weapon we use to fight against God’s choices.

> Faith is the power we have to accept and accomplish the will of God.

B. Partner With God

1. Prayer & Confession

* What we say to God & What we say to others makes a difference

2. Philemon

6 that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

C. Participate In Your Miracle

1. Take What You Have

2. Start Where You Are

3. Do The Very Best You Can

Keeping The Focus

Keeping The Focus

gtcotr/ws071603

Talking about judging others:

My wife once encouraged me by saying, “Honey, if they knew you like we knew you, they would love you like we love you.”

The point she was making was valid.

Ecclesiastes 7

20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

21 Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee:

22 For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.

Romans 14

10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

There seems to be an unusual number of people which God has gifted with the same two gifts:

To point out the blatantly obvious through the gift of hindsight

To quickly identify what is wrong with other people

Our Aggravations & Discontentment With Others May Be A Signal That We Need To Change

If the devil cannot make you bad, he will endeavor to make you busy

When he succeeds in making you too busy, he will then make you bad and you may not even notice it … but others will!

Keeping The Focus

Keeping The Focus On You

I. Remember Where You Came From

A. Thankfulness

B. Perspective

II. Remember Where You Are Going

A. Vision

B. Direction

III. Focus On Your Calling

A. God’s Will For Your Life

B. Identify Your Grace

C. Don’t Measure Yourself By Some Other Standard

D. Running The Race To Win (No Other Competitors)

* 1 Corinthians 9:26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:

IV. Three Things To Help Keep Focus

* 2 Peter 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

1. Make your calling and election sure

* 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

2. Prove all things

3. Hold fast to that which is God

Note: Keep A Healthy Pace (Commit to some obtainable goals)

* Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

V. The Essential Commitments Of Every Christian

1. Your Commitment To God (Jesus as Lord)

2. Your Commitment To Each Other (Family & Friends)

3. Your Commitment To The World (Lost Humanity)

Are you in a committed relationship:

With God? With Each Other? With Lost Humanity?

Keeping The Focus - Continued

Keeping The Focus (continued)

gtcotr/ws071603

Keeping The Focus On You

I. Remember Where You Came From

II. Remember Where You Are Going

III. Focus On Your Calling

IV. Three Things To Help Keep Focus

A. 2 Peter 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

1. Make your calling and election sure

B. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

2. Prove all things

3. Hold fast to that which is God

Note: Keep A Healthy Pace (Commit to some obtainable goals)

* Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

V. The Essential Commitments Of Every Christian

1. A Commitment To God

2. A Commitment To Family & Friends

3. A Commitment To The Lost

VI. Our Primary Responsibility

A. Galatians 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

B. Our Challenge @ GTCOTR

1. Joshua 3:4

We have not passed this way before

2. I Need Your Help Tonight -- Ministering To Our Flock

Advance & Engage

Advance & Engage

gtcotr/ss070603

Turn to Exodus 17

Water Baptism Works Against Our Past Enemies To Put Us In A Place Beyond Their Reach

What about our future enemies? We are guaranteed victory if we --- Advance & Engage

I. Exodus 17

8 ¶ Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.

10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

12 But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.

15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:

16 For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

A. To Advance

* To Take Up The Right Position

* The Right Position Is God’s Position

B. To Engage

* To Initiate Possession

* Put Feet To Your Faith

* Walk The Talk

C. It Is The Same In Any Battle - Physical, Mental, Spiritual - Legal

* Position Is Your Greatest Strength

* Establish Position Before Initiating Possession

II. Positioning Yourself To Win

A. Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness …

B. Joshua 5:13-14 Whose Side Are You On?

C. Joshua 24:15 Choose ye this day … me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

D. Exodus 32:26 Who is on the Lord’s side?

E. Matthew 12:30 He that is not with me is against me …

F. Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day … I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life that you and your seed may live.

G. Position Is Everything

H. We Must Maintain Our Position With God

I. Stay Under The Cloud Of God’s Presence By Choice

III. Five Things That Will Stop Your Advance

1 Corinthians 10

5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6 ¶ Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

A. v.6 Lust

1. Craving Out Of Control

2. God does not mind you having things, but He will not tolerate things having you

B. v.7 Idolatry (To Put Something In God’s Place)

C. v.8 Sexual Sin

D. v.9 Tempting God

1. To Provoke God

2. To Try God’s Patience

3. Numbers 21:5-6

And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

* They Accused God

* Blasphemy Mark 3

E. v.10 Murmuring

1. The Negative Commentaries & Complaints (so common to man)

2. These Tend To Frustrate God & Intimidate Followers

3. Complain, Complain, Complain - these 10 times

We Must Maintain The Right Position In Order To Obtain Our Desired Possession

IV. Engage

A. This was training ground for Joshua

1. Later he would have to initiate possession of the promised land

Joshua 1:8-9 Meditate on maintaining the right position & you will be able to make your way prosperous and have good success. I command you to be strong, courageous, unafraid and never disillusioned, because I am with you.

2. The enemies of your soul won’t just lie down and go away because you are a Christian.

3. Matthew 11:12 The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force.

4. Luke 16:16 every man presses himself into it.

B. Jericho would not have fallen, even though they were very afraid, had not Joshua initiated the march. Joshua 6

C. The three lepers of 2 Kings 7:3 initiated engagement with the simple logic, “Why sit we here until we die … let us go forward into the enemy’s camp.”

D. Sometimes we must just get up and do something about our situation

E. Genesis 30 Jacob acted on a dream from God and secured his financial future

F. 1992 I heard a word from God and from that position we initiated possession of the vision for a church in Russia.

G. 1995 I heard three times to begin The North Church, and from that position we engaged ourselves in the struggle to birth that work.

H. Advance - Take Up The Winning Position

I. Engage - Initiate Possession

God demands that we participate in our miracles.

What Is It In Your Life That Stands In The Way Of Your Success

What would you do for God if you were not afraid of something much less important?

When dealing with the enemies of your soul in the wilderness & in the promised land, you are guaranteed success if you will only:

Advance & Engage