Increase My Faith Matt 17 20 Luke 17
- Slides: 12
Increase My Faith Matt. 17: 20 Luke 17: 6
Recognizing Our Potential • It is difficult to see the potential of something as small as a mustard seed. • How many of us feel as if our faith is as a mustard seed? • Do you recognize your potential? • Faith as a mustard seed starts out small but can grow into a beautiful, living, and thriving faith!
Recognizing Our Potential • Your faith in God, even as small as a mustard seed, is capable of incredible things: – Matt. 17: 20 – moving mountains – Luke 17: 6 – uprooting trees – Your faith in God makes you capable of the impossible (Matt. 17: 20; Mark 9: 23).
Defining Faith • What is faith? – Heb. 11: 1 – υ πο στασις - Greek for “substance” – “support; substructure, foundation” – Faith is the foundation for hope! – Faith is the lifeblood of a relationship with God and the foundation for a hope of eternal life.
Increasing My Faith • Mark 9: 17 -22, 23 -24 – Both the disciples in Luke 17 and this man in Mark 9 had the same need – an increase in faith. – A sense of urgency is seen from the man in Mark 9: 24. – Do we feel a sense of urgency for a stronger faith? – Sadly, the times that we do feel urgency are often only the times we think we need Jesus to help us.
Increasing My Faith • The truth is that once we recognize the critical role of our faith in salvation (Heb. 11: 1 – “foundation”), the more urgent we ought to feel to keep it alive and growing! – Heb. 11: 6 – Acts 26: 17 -18 – Rom. 3: 21 -30 (vv. 22, 25, 26, 28, 30) – Acts 14: 22; 1 Cor. 16: 13; Phil. 1: 27; Col. 1: 21 -23 • It is evident from Scripture that maintaining a strong faith is crucial to our spiritual success.
Working For It • “Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty and persistence. ” – Colin Powell • It is going to require work and perseverance on our part if we want our faith to increase (Acts 14: 22; 2 Pet. 1: 5, 8 -11; James 2: 14 -26). • These works are works of obedience. They are demonstrations of faith (James 2: 21, 25).
The Power of a Thriving Faith • A Thriving Faith brings joy! - Phil. 1: 25; 1 Pet. 1: 8 -9) • A Thriving Faith brings peace! - Rom. 8: 6; 15: 13 • A Thriving Faith casts out fear - Mark 4: 40 • A Thriving Faith casts out doubt - Matt. 21: 21 • A Thriving Faith works wonders - Mark 11: 22 -24
New Year’s Resolution: • In what ways can I demonstrate my faith more obediently to God? • I will commit to an obedient faith, recognizing its importance, its role in my salvation, and its power in my life.
