Deepening Faith: Trusting God Through Life's Challenges

 

Summary

The sermon begins with the pastor acknowledging that faith is not exclusive to Christianity, as people put their faith in various things such as their spouse, politicians, and pilots. However, as Christians, our faith involves putting our trust in God. The pastor uses the story in Mark chapter 9, where the disciples were unable to drive out a spirit that possessed a boy, to illustrate the concept of faith. The pastor emphasizes the importance of moving from mere possibility to complete trust in Jesus, using the story of a father who brings his son to Jesus for healing as an example. The pastor encourages the congregation to take the first step of asking Jesus to intervene and then to trust that He will do so.

The pastor reflects on the challenges and doubts that believers may face, expressing their belief that even in times of darkness and silence, the Lord has always provided light and spoken at the right time. The pastor encourages the congregation to overcome their unbelief and seek the Lord's help. The pastor then prays for God's mercy and help, particularly in the face of tragic conflicts, shootings, and attacks happening in different countries. They ask for God's peace, a peace that surpasses human understanding and brings restoration and completeness.

The pastor emphasizes the importance of having a curious faith that seeks to be satisfied. He encourages the congregation to allow the story of God to shape their lives and become an integral part of who they are. The pastor challenges the listeners to level up their faith by pushing their boundaries and pressing further into what it truly means to believe in Jesus and put their trust in Him. This can be done by expressing doubts to God, submitting shortcomings to Jesus's overcoming, moving from mere possibility to complete trust, and allowing oneself to be shaped by the unfolding story of God in their lives.

The pastor introduces the new sermon series called "We Believe," which aims to explore and understand the core beliefs of Christianity. They explain that they will be using the Apostles Creed, an ancient tool of the church, to guide their exploration. The pastor highlights the simplicity and conciseness of the Apostles Creed, stating that while it may not cover every aspect of Christian belief, it provides a wonderful summary of the faith. The pastor concludes by inviting the congregation to respond to what God has been saying through a few moments of silent reflection and then joining together in a prayer of response and faith.

Key Takeaways:

- Faith is not exclusive to Christianity, but as Christians, our faith involves putting our trust in God. The story in Mark chapter 9 illustrates the power of faith and its ability to bring about positive change in our lives. ([1:23])

- Moving from mere possibility to complete trust in Jesus is crucial in our faith journey. We must take the first step of asking Jesus to intervene and then trust that He will do so. Trust is not necessarily backed up by personal experience, but it is a choice to believe in the possibility of God's power. ([15:45])

- Even in times of darkness and silence, the Lord has always provided light and spoken at the right time. We are encouraged to overcome our unbelief and seek the Lord's help, particularly in the face of tragic conflicts and attacks happening in different countries. ([28:30])

- We are challenged to level up our faith by pushing our boundaries and pressing further into what it truly means to believe in Jesus and put our trust in Him. This can be done by expressing doubts to God, submitting shortcomings to Jesus's overcoming, moving from mere possibility to complete trust, and allowing oneself to be shaped by the unfolding story of God in their lives. ([37:50])

- The Apostles Creed, an ancient tool of the church, provides a wonderful summary of the Christian faith. It is a simple declaration of faith that helps believers articulate and understand their beliefs. The upcoming sermons will delve deeper into the different aspects of the Creed, encouraging the congregation to seek further resources for their spiritual journey. ([49:33])

Study Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Mark 9:14-29
2. Jeremiah 20:7-18
3. Habakkuk 1:1-4

Observation Questions:
1. In Mark 9:14-29, what was the father's initial request to Jesus and how did Jesus respond?
2. In Jeremiah 20:7-18, what struggles is Jeremiah facing and how does he express his feelings towards God?
3. In Habakkuk 1:1-4, what complaints does Habakkuk bring before God and how does he describe the state of his society?

Interpretation Questions:
1. In Mark 9:14-29, what does Jesus mean when he says, "Everything is possible for one who believes"? How does this relate to the father's plea for help?
2. In Jeremiah 20:7-18, how does Jeremiah's lament reflect his faith in God despite his circumstances?
3. In Habakkuk 1:1-4, how does Habakkuk's questioning of God's justice reflect his faith and trust in God's sovereignty?

Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you, like the father in Mark 9, asked Jesus for help. How did you express your faith and trust in Him during that time?
2. Jeremiah expresses his deep anguish and yet his unwavering faith in God. Can you recall a time when you felt similar emotions? How did you express your faith in God during that time?
3. Habakkuk questions God's justice in the face of rampant injustice. Have you ever questioned God's justice in your life or in the world around you? How did you reconcile your faith with these questions?
4. What is one specific way you can move from mere possibility to complete trust in Jesus this week?
5. Can you think of a specific situation in your life right now where you need to express your doubts to God and submit your shortcomings to Jesus's overcoming?

Devotional

Day 1: Trusting in God's Power
Faith is not exclusive to Christianity, but as Christians, our faith involves putting our trust in God. The story in Mark chapter 9 illustrates the power of faith and its ability to bring about positive change in our lives. [1:23]

Habakkuk 3:19 - "The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights."
Reflection: Reflect on a situation in your life where you felt powerless. How can you put your trust in God's power in this situation?

Day 2: Moving from Possibility to Trust
Moving from mere possibility to complete trust in Jesus is crucial in our faith journey. We must take the first step of asking Jesus to intervene and then trust that He will do so. Trust is not necessarily backed up by personal experience, but it is a choice to believe in the possibility of God's power. [15:45]

Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
Reflection: What is one area in your life where you are struggling to trust God? How can you move from seeing His intervention as a mere possibility to a certainty?

Day 3: Seeking Light in Darkness
Even in times of darkness and silence, the Lord has always provided light and spoken at the right time. We are encouraged to overcome our unbelief and seek the Lord's help, particularly in the face of tragic conflicts and attacks happening in different countries. [28:30]

Psalm 112:4 - "Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous."
Reflection: Reflect on a time when you felt God was silent. How did you eventually see His light in that situation?

Day 4: Leveling Up Our Faith
We are challenged to level up our faith by pushing our boundaries and pressing further into what it truly means to believe in Jesus and put our trust in Him. This can be done by expressing doubts to God, submitting shortcomings to Jesus's overcoming, moving from mere possibility to complete trust, and allowing oneself to be shaped by the unfolding story of God in their lives. [37:50]

James 1:6 - "But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."
Reflection: What is one doubt or shortcoming you can express to God today? How can you allow this to shape your faith journey?

Day 5: Understanding Our Faith
The Apostles Creed, an ancient tool of the church, provides a wonderful summary of the Christian faith. It is a simple declaration of faith that helps believers articulate and understand their beliefs. The upcoming sermons will delve deeper into the different aspects of the Creed, encouraging the congregation to seek further resources for their spiritual journey. [49:33]

2 Timothy 1:13 - "What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus."
Reflection: How familiar are you with the Apostles Creed? How can you use it as a tool to deepen your understanding of your faith?

Quotes

"Faith is filled with a curiosity that longs to be satisfied. Are you a curious person? Do you have a curious faith? We all should have a curious faith. We need to let the story of God that unfolds in our lives be the thing that satisfies that curiosity." ([59:46])

"What does it really mean to believe? Hopefully, some of what we've unpacked this morning has helped us to consider some of that. Can I challenge us all to think about leveling up our faith, pushing our boundaries, and pressing further into what it really means to believe in Jesus and to put our trust in him?" ([01:00:31])

"Faith always involves us putting our trust in someone or something else as Christians Faith involves us putting our trust in God." [47:52]

"I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief." ([49:33])

"In those words of rebuke from Jesus, we see a warning to us all who follow him, a warning to never take our faith for granted, a warning to always be reminded to be prayerfully putting our trust wholeheartedly in God." ([51:55])

"How often do we wrestle with some situation in our own life and say Jesus could transform this situation I'm in right now but then we don't really believe that it will happen or we don't even take it to Jesus and ask him to intervene like the father of the boy who needed Jesus's healing in his life we need to take the first step of asking Jesus to move and then we need to trust that he'll do so." [56:44]

"Over time we learn that God's promise is worthy of our trust. God's trustworthiness is verified by experience but we don't start with verification, we start with trust. This leads to experience and experience leads to knowledge of God's trustworthiness. The certainty of God's trustworthiness grows and grows over time as we continue on the Journey of Faith but the first step is choosing to put our trust completely in him." [57:29]

"Sometimes we think that doubt is the opposite of Faith or that doubt hinders our faith but actually for all of us doubt is a part of our faith Journey... as we express our doubts to God we are putting our faith in the one whom we know to be righteous and Sovereign and we trust him to help us in our unbelief." [54:03]

"We're going to take some time over the coming months to really drill into what it is that we believe...and to do that certainly in the first instance we're going to journey through what is called the Apostles Creed which is an ancient tool of the church which has been recited by Christians throughout the ages to affirm what it is we really believe about our faith." ([40:34])

"The Apostles Creed on the other hand is a simple Declaration of Faith which affirms what we think and what we commit to as Believers without getting into some of the complexities that are unpacked in the later Creeds. It's a beautifully articulate and simple tool for discipleship for believers to be clear about what they believe." ([42:39])

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Transcript
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