[Blogger's note: after being crazy busy one month, and then crazy sick for much of another month, by God's grace I am finally back and able to catch up on posting my notes from sermons at my church for the months of June and July. Thank you all for your prayers; I am believing and claiming that I will be completely healed, and even healed beyond whatever Satan or the world calls a "preexisting condition." I completely reject that term in Jesus' name, and choose to receive by faith the complete healing that GOD says He has for me: a new [undisclosed part of the body] in Jesus' name!
In the meantime, I pray that you are blessed by these sermon notes as much as I was blessed by these sermons. I will post sermons twice weekly until we are caught up again, in the same manner that I did from January through May, 2021.]
Church 6/5/2021
Reflection hymn at end: Ein Feste Burg
Bonus scripture: Psalm 16:11
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Psalm 16:9-11 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%2016:9-11&version=NIV
Offertory scripture
We’re believing God for miracles, blessings, and healing. There is freedom.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23:6 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%2023:6&version=NIV
Sermon message:
God is good. Faith is important. It is a stability. It brings stability and it brings comfort. It builds our self worth. It brings inner strength. It can change things too. It changes and conquers fear. A direct link between having a real faith in the God of the Bible and healing quicker while in the hospital.
When faith starts to grow a lot of good things happen inside of us.
Faith is a gift by almighty God. And it is a gift we can give to others. You can leave an inheritance of faith for others.
Strong faith, part 8: Abraham’s faith
The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.
Galatians 3:7 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Galatians%203:7&version=NLT
Abraham is the father of faith.
Abraham had strong faith.
Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.
Romans 4:20 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Romans%204:20&version=NLT
Faith is how you receive from God.
He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous.
Romans 4:21-22 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Romans%204:21-22&version=NLT
Abraham is also an example of faith for you and me.
And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
Romans 4:23-24 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Romans%204:23-24&version=NLT
It’s not just for Abraham: we all can have the righteousness of God by faith. We all can receive from God if we have faith in Him.
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.
Hebrews 11:8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2011:8&version=NLT
Hebrews 11:8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2011:8&version=NLT
It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac,
Hebrews 11:17 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2011:17&version=NLT
In Hebrews 11, Abraham is talked about twice.
Point #1: faith is not based on our senses or our emotions.
Let’s dive into Abraham’s story in Genesis:
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.”
Genesis 17:1-2 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Genesis%2017:1-2&version=NLT
At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.
Genesis 17:3-5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Genesis%2017:3-5&version=NLT
Abraham’s senses and emotions said “no” regarding Gods promises For a child, but he chose God and His word over his own senses and emotions.
That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.
Romans 4:17-19 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Romans%204:17-19&version=NLT
But Abraham chose to believe God:
Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.
Romans 4:20-21 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Romans%204:20-21&version=NLT
Abraham faced challenges, delays, and disappointments. His emotions and sense underwent a roller coaster experience.
Like many histories in the Old Testament, Abraham’s story of faith takes on another meaning in the New Testament.
Consider Thomas:
One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”
John 20:24-25 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=John%2020:24-25&version=NLT
Jesus uses this as a teaching moment regarding the type of faith He is looking for.
Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
John 20:29 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=John%2020:29&version=NLT
Our theme verse for this series:
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
Hebrews 11:6 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2011:6&version=NLT
Faith is based on God’s word and not on faith and senses and emotions.
Point #2. Faith brings change.
The point of David vs Goliath isn’t just about the story. It’s about faith in God bringing change to the situation. David believed God was bigger than Goliath, and so he acted on it.
Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.
Mark 11:22-23 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Mark%2011:22-23&version=NLT
Faith brings change. It changes things inside of us. When faith changes things inside of us, it can then change things around us. God will challenge you to change and mature. God wants us to go from glory to glory and faith to faith.
Stories in the Old Testament are a type and a shadow of stories in the New Testament and again now and today.
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.
Hebrews 11:8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2011:8&version=NLT
Consider the Israelites in Egypt, getting free, and walking to the promised land. It’s just like leaving the world of sin, getting free, and walking to the kingdom of heaven, walking in the light.
For example: The point and picture of circumcision is that it is of the heart, and not so much literally.
Bottom line: choose to let God change you.
Point #3. Faith says that when you give, God will take care of you.
Consider God’s request of Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac to Him. He believed God would take care of him nonetheless. When God saw that Abraham was trusting Him even then, He gave Abraham a way out from killing Isaac.
It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.
Hebrews 11:17-19 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2011:17-19&version=NLT
When you give, especially from the heart, God will take care of you.
Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
Luke 6:38 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Luke%206:38&version=NLT
Point #4: Faith shares faith.
Including sharing about Jesus with others.
Hebrews 11:17 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2011:17&version=NLT
In Hebrews 11, Abraham is talked about twice.
Point #1: faith is not based on our senses or our emotions.
Let’s dive into Abraham’s story in Genesis:
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.”
Genesis 17:1-2 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Genesis%2017:1-2&version=NLT
At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.
Genesis 17:3-5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Genesis%2017:3-5&version=NLT
Abraham’s senses and emotions said “no” regarding Gods promises For a child, but he chose God and His word over his own senses and emotions.
That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.
Romans 4:17-19 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Romans%204:17-19&version=NLT
But Abraham chose to believe God:
Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.
Romans 4:20-21 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Romans%204:20-21&version=NLT
Abraham faced challenges, delays, and disappointments. His emotions and sense underwent a roller coaster experience.
Like many histories in the Old Testament, Abraham’s story of faith takes on another meaning in the New Testament.
Consider Thomas:
One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”
John 20:24-25 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=John%2020:24-25&version=NLT
Jesus uses this as a teaching moment regarding the type of faith He is looking for.
Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
John 20:29 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=John%2020:29&version=NLT
Our theme verse for this series:
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
Hebrews 11:6 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2011:6&version=NLT
Faith is based on God’s word and not on faith and senses and emotions.
Point #2. Faith brings change.
The point of David vs Goliath isn’t just about the story. It’s about faith in God bringing change to the situation. David believed God was bigger than Goliath, and so he acted on it.
Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.
Mark 11:22-23 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Mark%2011:22-23&version=NLT
Faith brings change. It changes things inside of us. When faith changes things inside of us, it can then change things around us. God will challenge you to change and mature. God wants us to go from glory to glory and faith to faith.
Stories in the Old Testament are a type and a shadow of stories in the New Testament and again now and today.
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.
Hebrews 11:8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2011:8&version=NLT
Consider the Israelites in Egypt, getting free, and walking to the promised land. It’s just like leaving the world of sin, getting free, and walking to the kingdom of heaven, walking in the light.
For example: The point and picture of circumcision is that it is of the heart, and not so much literally.
Bottom line: choose to let God change you.
Point #3. Faith says that when you give, God will take care of you.
Consider God’s request of Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac to Him. He believed God would take care of him nonetheless. When God saw that Abraham was trusting Him even then, He gave Abraham a way out from killing Isaac.
It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.
Hebrews 11:17-19 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2011:17-19&version=NLT
When you give, especially from the heart, God will take care of you.
Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
Luke 6:38 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Luke%206:38&version=NLT
Point #4: Faith shares faith.
Including sharing about Jesus with others.
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