https://youtu.be/AAT2bpUFUQA

Praying Like Jesus Part 1 – Luke 22:39-45

Lords Prayer

Before we begin today’s sermon would you join me in praying the words our Lord taught us to pray?

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be donein earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: Amen

Introduction

Please stand for the reading of God’s Word.

Luke 22:39-46 ESV  And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him.  (40)  And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”  (41)  And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed,  (42)  saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”  (43)  And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.  (44)  And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  (45)  And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow,  (46)  and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

You may be seated

Last week we talked about preparing for the coming battle, a battle that would take spiritual preparation and physical preparation.We spent a good deal of time talking about the spiritual preparation of putting on the full Armor of God.And we spent a good deal of time talking about the physical preparation and how Jesus told His disciples they needed to bring physical swords for the coming battle.This week we begin talking about exactly what battle was being prepared for… the coming battle is about to begin, and the stage is set in a garden, with the disciples sleeping and the Savior crying out to God with such passion that He sweats blood!I want to spend two weeks covering this passage, because there is a lot to unpack, and I spent an hour and a half preaching last week and I don’t want to do that to you again!

Show Title Slide

Praying like Jesus… that’s what we are going to be talking about for the next two weeks…Because here in this passage we see one of the most powerful examples of what Jesus’ prayer life looked like…And there could not be a more pressing, dire, righteous, loving, and passionate prayer to study then that of our Lord’s the night of His betrayal.

This message has Four Parts:

To Pray Like Jesus: Have a Prayer Custom.To Pray Like Jesus: Pray that You May Not Enter Into TemptationTo Pray Like Jesus: Pray the Fathers WillTo Pray Like Jesus: Pray with Passion

We are going to go over the first two points this morning, and then the next two points next week.

Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray

Our first point this morning: to pray like Jesus: Have a Prayer Custom

Part One – To Pray Like Jesus: Have a Prayer Custom

Luke 22:39 ESV  And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him.

“As was His custom”… that means this was something that Jesus did a lot!He did it so often that it was described as His custom, more than a habit, more than a plan with good intentions… more than an every once an a while… Not just when needed or when the situati...

https://youtu.be/Xr7D_SZiZDI

- You may have had small faith in the past, but you can change that! You must be saved, believe the scriptures, and love and obey the Lord, and your faith will grow. Jesus, take the wheel (Matthew 8:23-27) *Verses in NKJV*

Matthew 8:23-27, Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

#1. The storms of life will come. 

- According to a study done in 1960, people are born with only two innate fears: falling and loud noises. The rest of our fears are “learned” as we grow up, as defense mechanisms to avoid danger.

- Surveys say the top fears include: Public speaking, going to the dentist, snakes, spiders, and mice, and enclosed spaces. These fears focus on perceived danger, despite not actually being harmed.

- In our story, the disciples, most of whom were fishermen, knew firsthand the dangers of storms.

- A fierce squall or storm was not uncommon in the Sea of Galilee. It may have been unexpected, but it was not uncommon… the disciples knew they could lose everything in the open sea.

- The first thing that stood out to me in these verses was verse 23, “Now when (Jesus) got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.”  (The potential for danger didn’t stop them from following Jesus.)

- It is difficult for our brains to recognize the difference between real danger and perceived danger. Example: Physical reactions from a GoPro video, or feeling pain when someone else falls hard.

- Intellectually you know it isn’t real, but your brain stills triggers your body’s fight or flight mechanism, your heart races, hands get sweaty, adrenaline dumps, and you’re ready for action!

- Example, PTSD: September 2012, first in on a 12 y/o accidental hanging. My kids were 13 and 10.

- Traumatic scene, triggered hypervigilance, stress, isolation and avoidance.

- Constantly wanting to quit my job (flight), and always aggressively looking for danger (fight).

- Constant worry and bracing for next trauma didn’t help! It only made me weaker to resist.

- I can’t control the emergency calls I will be sent to, but I can control my thoughts and mind.

- Phil. 4:6-8, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

- 2 Cor. 10:5b, …bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

- Fear will come. Work at controlling your thoughts, and eventually your body will follow.

- Example, PTSD continued: I struggled for many years, and it was a difficult season for all of us.

- I saw doctors, therapists, made job adjustments… I was told I should leave...

https://youtu.be/Q8Z5UnbLiRc

Gold, Silver or Bronze Hebrew 12:1-4

In chapter 11 we see the super heroes of our faith, how they endured and stayed steadfast no matter what they faced Let not call them Hero’s in a sense that they had super powers, unattainable super powers Peter and John – Crippled from BirthJames 5:17(nkjv) - Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.Ethan preached on Faith last week – That our faith should not change depending on the situationOur God is the same yesterday, today and forever That even though we walk through the shadow of death, we will fear no evil for He is with usWhether He is walking us through it Or shielding us while we are in it Or allowing us to suffer for His cause, He will not leave us or forsake usPastor Matt on Sunday spoke on the cost for salvationLearn to endure, you have been called to a life of enduranceAnd be of good cheer, that others may desire GodThere is no disclaimer in the Christian walk, #allinHebrews 12:1-4 (Nkjv) (Our Main Text)

Drop the extra weight

Vs 1 is saying, you have seen/read and heard about those that have gone before you, you need to lay down any weight that easily trips you upWe carry lots of things with us, and it’s all good until we have to runThe Bible use the word “run” because it’s easy to walk carrying stuff Let us run with endurance – This is not a splint, it’s a marathon Videos of someone being chased by a dog or an animal, they drop what they are carrying 

The examples we get, they left everything behindWe all feel like we have left everything back until we have to run.A great example is the young ruler 

Matthew 19:18-22(nkjv) -He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept [a]from my youth.( all this I need in my journey) What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.Let’s us lay aside every weight that entangles us – Something that makes it difficult for us to move, we get caught up We are aware of the bad things (Poison Ivy, blackberry bushes,) it’s the things that we don’t see coming that really do ties us upI am reminded of David, when he was about to fight Goliath, only to realize that Saul’s comfortable gear was too much to bearStop going to places others do – you will be entangled Stop trying pray the way you see others pray, seek God first and his righteousness and everything else will be added to you Be yourself – the best version of who God has created you to be

Run with enduranceNumbers 22 Baraam, -Balak sends for Balaam to come and curse the Israelites Numbers 22:12 (Nkjv)- And God said, to Balaam, you shall not go with them, you shall not curse the people for they are blessedHe kept going back to the Lord even though God has said noAnd God eventually allowed him to have his way and almost killed him if it wasn’t for the donkeyExtra weight will stop us from hearing God and being obedient We have to aim higher, allow God to search our hearts and reveal those areas where we are not aware of This is a race and we have to train on high elevation – Here we only bring the necessary stuff There is a cost of endurance Kenyan’s training on High elevation, allows for large lung capacity Thinner air, more endurance, when you come to the lower level,

Matthew 8:18-22Many things in life you agree to before you know what it really means and what it will costMarriage is one. A new job. A house. A car. My first car I owned for a year and didn’t do nothing to it- no oil, rotations, anything. No one taught me. I didn’t know nothing. It was work had no $When I became a Christian- I didn’t really know what it meant. There have been times I wanted to turn back because I didn’t realize what it was going to cost me in this lifeTelling Jesus you are going to follow him and then turning back isn’t what he wantsYou must make a decision to let the dead bury their own dead- and follow Jesus

Let the dead bury their own dead- learn to endure

19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”Jesus is talking to this scribe who sees in Jesus the messiahship, but Jesus is letting him know the tangible realities of both being the son of man and what it would be like to follow himBeing the son of man isn’t glorious- but to be a son of man in the biblical sense is understanding that Jesus identifies with all of who we are as human- he is a son of man- but he is THE son of man as wellEllicott describes it this way- It was accordingly, with these ideas attached to it—involving at once fellowship with the lowest of the heirs of our humanity, and yet also participation in the eternal glory of the Highest—that our Lord claimed the title, and used it with such marvelous frequencySo whatever Jesus asks of us- he identifies with and experiences with us. We don’t serve a Savior that asks us to endure with him, who didn’t endure himself. He suffered for us and continues to intercede for us before the father on our behalf. And so when this scribe comes and says “ I will follow you wherever you go” Jesus says, “but will you”? because I’m you and I’m God but I don’t even get a place to live. This Jesus life is the real deal, if its that way for me- its going to be that way for you- so are you willing to live a life of endurance following me? Do you really know what it means to follow me?John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”Jesus knew and told his disciples- in this world you will have tribulation. It will not be easyThis guy wants to follow Jesus but Jesus makes it clear- its not a cake walk- it wont be easyLuke 9:23 then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.does that sound like a party you want to be invited to? Its going to take some endurance. Its going to take some grit. Its not going to be easyCan I be honest with you? I think many have done a disservice to Christianity by trying to sell it as love, peace and blessings. People say “you’ll feel so much peace” “you’ll fill a God sized whole in your heart” “The benefits are out of this world” I think its why many fall away and don’t come back- They are not told what it really means to follow Jesus- Their life is already hard, they want a reprieve and someone sells it to themBut it either gets hard, or it lacks any teeth because they weren’t really convertedThis Christian life takes ENDURANCE if you are really try to live for Jesus- everything is at youGalatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.What does it mean to youHave you embraced the suck of following Jesus? That’s a military term- embrace the suckIts just a way to describe a horrible situation- you either fight it and complain or endureRomans 5:3 And not only that,

https://youtu.be/es05W72lzv4

Watch Jesus Move Matt 8:1-17

2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”There’s a few parts of this story that I find interesting- One- there were mutitudes following him, but only one came out of the crowd to be healed and he worshipped himNow if you don’t know anything about leprosy- this was a debilitating condition. It would create open sores, scabs and lesions on a person. They would bleed and be filled with pus. They might lose hands, fingers or feet and then only get around by crawling. A complete outcastIn bible times- it was thought to be highly contagious- so many people avoided these types and because of the lack of healthcare- the priests were the one who determined if the person who had or was exposed to leprosy was able to be be in society or if they needed to be quarantined.You have to put yourself in this mans situation- an outcast- labeled -quarantined- unable to take part in society- and he comes out the crowd- and Goes to Jesus and says “If you are willing” This was a man of faith. A man who was surrounded by other people, but had a need and humbled himself and put himself before the one he knew could heal himHow many relationships were broken. How many people distanced themselves from himBut he goes “If you you are willing” if you can do it. I want to be healed. Now I don’t know anything about this guy. If he was Jew or a gentile. I don’t know. But the word of God was there during that time. Maybe he went to synagogue. Maybe he had faithMaybe Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.

Jeremiah 33:6 Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.Those are faith scriptures! Those are healing scriptures! And then Jesus tells him ‘go and show the priest’ a few reasons- 1 Jesus wanted to honor the law of God in regards to leprosy- he wasn’t anti-law he came to fulfill it- so he sends him to the priest as was required by the law. 2 He wanted the priests and religious leaders to see that this man was healed because healing was a promise of the arrival of the messiah.  Isaiah 35:5-6 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert.This healing is yet another proof of Jesus ability to heal the sick and his messiahshipAnd why was he healed? Because Jesus can heal- and he was humble enough to askHe could have stayed in his condition- he could have stayed with the crowd- lived in his painBut he walked in humbleness and faith and believed! Psalm 41:3 The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will [a]sustain him on his sickbed.

What does it mean to you?What do you need Jesus to do for you in your life and what haven’t you seen happen because you refuse to leave the crowd and bow before Jesus and say “If you are willing” and see what he does!We live in a different time- we don’t walk around in groups and follow itinerant preachers claiming to be messiah. We know the truth- we know who Jesus is- we just lack humblenessNow some would say courage- but I think we’re overrun with courage- we need humbleness we need to learn how to bow the knee and go before the Lord and put it in his hands- not control itProverbs 22:4 By humility and the fear of the Lord Are riches and honor and life.Are you humble- do you fear the lord? Do you see him as your source and healer? Or are you on your own doing it your way on your terms? God wants you to come to him and trust himPsalm 103:2-3 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:3 Who forgives all your iniquities,

https://youtu.be/tK6dbRj29wE

Moses v Rahab (Hebrews 11:20-31) *Verses in NLT*

- Hebrews 11:20-23, It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau. 21 It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff. 22 It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left. 23 It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command.

- Hebrews Chapter 11 is known as the “faith chapter”. Right now, these believers are struggling with persecution and ridicule, and the author is encouraging them to hold fast and to live by faith.

- Hebrews 11:1-2, Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.

- Faith is not wishing, it’s not blind, not a formula for blessings, not a secret key to unlocking the favor of God. (Example: Like those commercials, “Do this one thing every day to torch belly fat…”)

- Faith is an active certainty, a confidence that the God of the Universe will fulfill His promises, even if we don’t see it now, and may not see it in our lifetime. Faith is an action word.

- Out of thousands of years of the history of God’s people, the author chose these specific examples of faith to highlight. He must have chosen these people as examples for a reason.

- Hebrews 11:23-28, It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command. It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. 27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. 28 It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.

- Moses, founder of the nation of Israel, writer of the holy scriptures, delivered the nation out of slavery, a man who spoke with God face to face. A great super hero of the faith!

- In verse 23, the word “unusual”, means or attractive or beautiful. This word refers to something of superior quality. His parents could already tell that Moses was extraordinary from birth.

- As an example of faith, I have trouble identifying with Moses and his accomplishments. I look at him and say, “How can I match up to that?” He is like the Superman of the saints.

- Hebrews 11:29-30, It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned. 30 It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.

- Although the Israelites are not great examples of faith as individuals, as a group, through their obedience, they displayed great faith in doing the ridiculous to see the miraculous.

https://youtu.be/AmJDxe8QLzY

Today is Easter (and Pastor Aubrey Birthday) Do you know himThe day we gather as Christians, all over the globe to celebrate the resurrection of our SaviorThousands of years we’ve been celebrating. I would say millions if not billions of people who make it a point to come to church on Easter and never let it get past the dayI welcome you- I welcome you to celebrate with us the resurrection of our lord. Great dayBut this wasn’t just a day for celebration- This was the beginning of the changing of the worldChristians have influenced society in many ways, education, healthcare, slavery, civil rights, medicine, science, orphans. Christians have been the greatest source of good planet earth has ever seenNone of that would have happened if Jesus didn’t resurrect from the dead. None of it. So today we celebrate it. We get excited about it. It’s the source of our hope. The reason for our strength. The passion in our lungs.  Our hope for eternal lifeSo people come to church on Easter- They sing the songs. Maybe see a play or something. They understand they should be here, but they don’t understand why they should be hereAnd so you listen, maybe half heartedly, maybe a funny joke or story. A warm fuzzy to satisfyBut then you just leave- go back to your life and continue to live the way that you have been living. You come to church on Easter and it doesn’t leave the parking lotWe use the Bible here. Its what we do. Its what guides us. We go through it every week1 Corinthians 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.If Jesus didn’t raise from the dead- our own bible says to pity us- but he did! No need to pity us!And so today we find ourselves here on Easter- In the book of Matthew. Going through itIf you’re here wondering who we are- we worship God, we learn the Bible, fellowship, serveMatt 7:21-29READHow is this an Easter scripture?Because none of it makes sense or matters if Jesus didn’t raise from the deadBut your eternity rests on this- this is a very important thing to grasp. If Jesus is raised from the dead-  and if he didn’t you cant know him, and you shouldn’t follow him- but he DID

You need to know him - Easter

Like I said, we go through the Bible here and this is where we’re at in the scriptures today, so we’re going to go with it- it says-21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’What is Jesus saying here? Just because you call Jesus Lord, but don’t do what God wants, Jesus says you’re a law breaker and he is going to tell you that he doesn’t know you and send you away from him- and you don’t want to be sent away from him. Its not goodNow some would say that this is harsh- but its not really- its just honest- Its Jesus saying- I don’t want you to give me lip service- I want you to actually know me and do what I say. Who actually likes lip service? Does it work in marriage? Parenting? Careers? Friendship?No one likes lip service- “come visit- we’ll take care of ya’ll- ‘yalll wanna get dinner stuff”No- it doesn’t. and it doesn’t work in a spiritual sense either- God doesn’t want lip serviceWhy would God want followers that didn’t follow him that he didn’t know? He wouldntJeremiah 9:23-24 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; 24 But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.

https://youtu.be/dTagGEhUdIE

Supersized Faith Hebrews 11: 8-19

Last Wednesday Pastor Crystal started Hebrews 11

What does God say about Faith?Abel’s sacrifice of FaithEnoch who walked with God by FaithNoah – Who had referential fear of the Lord which caused obedience  

Today I want us look at our faith and use 3 people to help us do that

When I think of Faith, I realize that we all have Faith

The interesting part about our lives is that we all have Faith, we do and its strong Faith for thatYou woke up and trusted without thinking that if you hit the light switch, lights would come on Our day-to-day activities 

How is the rest of you night going to play out? – We all have a choice to trust in ourselves or Trust God

This season and the seasons ahead, God requires us to understand Faith because we will need it; 

In its purest form

Hebrews 11: 1 Faith is a confirmation of things hoped for (Divinely Guaranteed) and the evidence of things not seen (Faith cannot be measured in a lab)It’s something that we will have to work hard forWe have to have an active Faith – Faith without works is dead

 (READ CHAPTER – Hebrews 11:8-19 NKJV

-By Faith Abraham – This right here was the fuel, the power behind obedience, the driving force to get Abraham going and to keep him going when things were challenging 

- By Faith Sarah received the ability to conceive 

- By Faith, Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice and Isaac got to see the redemption power of God

We will look at three different situations of Faith 

Super Natural Experienced Learnt 

Father Abraham 

Super natural - attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature.

Abraham is called to go to a place where he didn’t know and by Faith, he did 

Genesis 15:4 -6 (NKJV) And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.”  Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

Abraham believed the Lord and the Lord counted him righteous because of his Faith 

Abraham went without seeing, faith is the evidence of things unseen 

He had super natural faith, one that comes with a walking with God. 

We see this in Enoch, that he walked with God especially in a time when there was so much lawlessness (2020 and beyond)

Super natural Faith doesn’t hunt you, it only possible when you are at the right place 

We clearly see this in the upper room:

Acts 2:1-4 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all [a]with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them [b]divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Side note, that is why you should not miss Monday night prayerThey were in one place, praying and seeking the face of God,

https://youtu.be/1uKKPqRjJWY

Matthew 7:15-20 - Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

False prophets have been an issue within the church since before it began. The leader of the Local church is Jesus. It belongs to him, is for him, through him and because of himInevitably even when Jesus was on this earth, he warned his followers that there would be people that would come into the fold of the sheep that would present themselves as fellow sheep, but in reality they are wolvesThis is another colloquialism that the world has stolen and made its own with no reference to Christ- this was a term meant to protect God’s people from people who’s aim is destroy us

Beware of False Prophets

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. The problem is that we’re loving and trusting instead of testing- 1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.The problem is people don’t trust the pastor of their churchJeremiah 3:15  And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.People assume pastors are self serving- but the best of us protect the sheep. With God’s heartThe problem is that people don’t pay attentionJude 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation,The problem is that people want to love peopleJohn 15:12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.We’ve all seen it- people we assumed had good motives, and after time, it comes to light that they are in fact a wolf. A person bent on unholy destruction of Christians and christ’s church We must be careful- we must be diligent. We will never stop all false prophets and wolves, but we must beware of them. We must prepare and expel them from our midst. I’ve never seen a wolf get saved or change its fur. I just haven’t. Maybe you have- but in my years of ministry- I’ve seen lots of wolves- and as far as I know- they are still wolves from what I’ve seen and heardFour types of false prophets in the NTItinerant false prophets- These are the floaters. Their resume looks a lot like a jr high dating record. Typically they have been around Christianity for a while. They have been to many churches. They name drop. They share their ministerial resume as a cover for spirituality. They usually only stick around the church as long as they have Acts 20:30 Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.Apocalyptic false prophets these are the ones who are always claiming dates and times of Christ’s return. I’ve seen dozens of these predictors in my lifetime. Surprise, they’ve all been wrong. They claim to know when, how and why Christ is returning. Or even worse, they claim to be the return of Christ- matt 24:4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.Don’t listen to anyone who gives you a timeline of Christ’s return. Don’t Mark 13:32 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.Even Jesus doesn’t know the time of his own return- but wolf so and so does?Pagan false prophets- These are the ones who usually easy to spot- but without discernment you’ll miss it- 2 Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.These false prophets deny the diety, lordship and primacy of Christ. They bring Jesus down instead of lifting him up.

https://youtu.be/bifcTlu6CY0

I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing

Hebrews 11:1-7 New King James Version (NKJV)

11 Now faith is the [a]substance of things hoped for, the [b]evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

3 By faith we understand that the [c]worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.

5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

The essence of faith- the writer defines for us what saving faith entails:

Back up to v. 38 “the just shall live by faith: but if any man draws back my soul shall have no pleasure in him”

This fundamental principle is affirmed four times in Scripture: it is an OT principle spoken by Habakkuk in 2:4; Romans 1:17; Gal 3:11 and again in Hebrews. FAITH is not a new principle but what has always drawn men into relationship with God. Faith governs our relationship to God and our participation in the salvation provided through Jesus. “By grace are you saved THROUGH faith.” It is our faith that participates with God’s grace to bring salvation. The person who perseveres in faith will receive what God promises; the person who shrinks back does so to his own destruction.

Greek pistis- moral conviction of religious truth or truthfulness; from the root word peitho (pi-tho) to assent to evidence or authority by reliance on, have confidence in, trust, yield, obey.

By this definition, faith is an active and ongoing, present force, it is not a passive past belief. This chapter on faith demonstrates that faith is trust in God through all circumstances, which enables the believer to persevere and remain steadfastly loyal to God and His Word at all times.

Faith believes in spiritual realities: read v.1 “the evidence of things not seen”

Romans 8:24-25 New King James Version (NKJV)

24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

Faith is trusting in God’s Word, when we cannot see the outcome. “God said it. I believe it. That settles it.” It does not take faith to believe that pine trees are green. I can see that pine trees are green. It takes faith to believe the words of Scripture that proclaim God to be my Healer, even when I do not experience healing; He is my Provider, even when I do not have an income, He is my Deliverer, even when I am sitting behind bars.

Faith was the distinguishing characteristic of the OT saints: read v.2 

This quality of faith was it by which the Old Testament saints were distinguished, and on that account became objects of God’s favor and witnesses to Him as being accepted by Him.