"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT FORGIVENESS"
Matthew 6:14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Matthew 6:15 “But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
NKJV
Matthew 6:14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
Matthew 6:15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
NLT
Some explanatory thoughts and application:
1. These verses come out of a the sermon on the mount, and out of what we commonly call the Lord's prayer, or as some have said, perhaps, it ought to called the Disciple's Prayer, because Jesus was teaching the Disciples how to pray.
2. This part of the prayer, actually comes after the teaching on prayer. In other words, Jesus taught about how to pray, but, then He went back and added these extra thoughts about the subject of forgiveness, which He had already taught on earlier.
3. He is of course dealing with the subject of forgiveness, and making some very serious and sobering statements about it.
4. He puts two thoughts together here. One, if you forgive men, then your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But, if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you.
5. The word trespasses, means, an offense, a lapse or deviation from truth and uprightness, a sin, misdeed. The word forgive means, to leave, let, forsake, let alone, to send away, to depart, yield up, to disregard, to give up, keep no longer.
6. Isn't it wonderful to know that God forgives us of our sins, and of our misdeeds. And, it's wonderful to know that He places such importance on our forgiving others. It's clear that He wants us to act towards others the way He has acted towards us.
7. It's very easy to go into asking all kinds of questions about what these verses mean. That is, they can be rather troubling to us. I won't go into that here, but, may I suggest that Jesus was not teaching us about this to stimulate all kinds of questions, rather, He was stating a truth about forgiveness, and He I'm certain would like us to just be forgivers. I think, that's the main point Be a forgiver just like He is a forgiver. Our God is a forgiving God, and He wants His children to show the same forgiveness to the rest of His children, and to others who may not even be His children.
A prayer:
Lord, Thank You for being a forgiving God. It's hard to imagine what it would be like to live without Your forgiveness. And, it's not to hard to know what it's like living with human beings, who do not apply what You are teaching us in these verses. May we take to heart Your Word, and by Your grace and power put into practice what You call us to do. Thank You for being the creator of the entire concept of forgiveness, it sure was not our idea, but Yours.
In Jesus name, amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Friday, November 29, 2013
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT FRIENDS, AND FALSE TEACHING"
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT FRIENDS, AND FALSE TEACHING"
1 Cor 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
1 Cor 15:34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
NKJV
1 Cor 15:33 Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”
1 Cor 15:34 Come to your senses and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t even know God.
NLT
Some explanatory thoughts and application:
1. Paul is giving a warning here, "Do not be deceived, or Don't be fooled by people who are teaching false doctrine. In Corinth, there were those who were actually denying the fact of the resurrection.
2. Paul then explains that false doctrine will hurt you, it will corrupt your life, and your character. False doctrine is very, very dangerous.
3. Finally, in verse 34 Paul exhorts and encourages the believers in Corinth and us today, to "Awake to righteousness, or the right way of living, or Come to Your senses, and stop sinning. Again, two great thoughts.
4. Putting this into application for you and I today, here are some thoughts to consider.
(1) As Proverbs chapter 1 says, be careful who you hang out with. Watch who you become friends with. Pick your friends carefully. Or it could cost you in the end.
(2) The devil is out to fool you. He is a liar. And, he fools people by lying to them about the truth of Christ. The problem with being fooled, is that it can lead you down a path of destruction. It can ruin your life.
(3) The path to choose, is also stated, "Come to your senses, and start thinking the right way about everything. Let God lead you the right way through His Word. That will help your life, preserve your life, develop your life, make your life fruitful.
(4) Paul was also admonishing the church in Corinth, that it was to their shame that some of them did not even know God. Do you ever wonder how many people in your church, that attend regularly do not know God? I do.
(5) One final thing that Paul says, which is a great prescription when we are dealing with sin. It's not only and effective prescription, but it's true and effective if you are sinning. "Come to your senses and stop sinning"
(6) Now God would never say such a thing unless it was possible to do. We do what God calls us to do, not by our power, but by His power and grace.
A prayer:
Father, Your Word is so amazingly spot on with our lives. Friends, truth, character, danger, growth, truth etc, etc. Thank You for Your Word, and please give us continued desire to be in it, and to understand it, and to put it into practice so we can grow in the grace and the knowledge of Christ.
In Jesus name, amen
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia
1 Cor 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
1 Cor 15:34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
NKJV
1 Cor 15:33 Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”
1 Cor 15:34 Come to your senses and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t even know God.
NLT
Some explanatory thoughts and application:
1. Paul is giving a warning here, "Do not be deceived, or Don't be fooled by people who are teaching false doctrine. In Corinth, there were those who were actually denying the fact of the resurrection.
2. Paul then explains that false doctrine will hurt you, it will corrupt your life, and your character. False doctrine is very, very dangerous.
3. Finally, in verse 34 Paul exhorts and encourages the believers in Corinth and us today, to "Awake to righteousness, or the right way of living, or Come to Your senses, and stop sinning. Again, two great thoughts.
4. Putting this into application for you and I today, here are some thoughts to consider.
(1) As Proverbs chapter 1 says, be careful who you hang out with. Watch who you become friends with. Pick your friends carefully. Or it could cost you in the end.
(2) The devil is out to fool you. He is a liar. And, he fools people by lying to them about the truth of Christ. The problem with being fooled, is that it can lead you down a path of destruction. It can ruin your life.
(3) The path to choose, is also stated, "Come to your senses, and start thinking the right way about everything. Let God lead you the right way through His Word. That will help your life, preserve your life, develop your life, make your life fruitful.
(4) Paul was also admonishing the church in Corinth, that it was to their shame that some of them did not even know God. Do you ever wonder how many people in your church, that attend regularly do not know God? I do.
(5) One final thing that Paul says, which is a great prescription when we are dealing with sin. It's not only and effective prescription, but it's true and effective if you are sinning. "Come to your senses and stop sinning"
(6) Now God would never say such a thing unless it was possible to do. We do what God calls us to do, not by our power, but by His power and grace.
A prayer:
Father, Your Word is so amazingly spot on with our lives. Friends, truth, character, danger, growth, truth etc, etc. Thank You for Your Word, and please give us continued desire to be in it, and to understand it, and to put it into practice so we can grow in the grace and the knowledge of Christ.
In Jesus name, amen
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia
Thursday, November 28, 2013
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE WHEN FACING THE IMPOSSIBLE"
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE WHEN FACING THE IMPOSSIBLE"
Matt 17:20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
Matt 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Some explanatory thoughts and application:
1. You will notice that in each verse above, Jesus uses the word "Impossible" And, He speaks of moving a mountain.
2. The word impossible as it's used here, means, to not have the strength, or ability, to be weak, or can not be done.
3. So, let's look at each verse and see what Jesus was trying to convey. In Matt 17:20, Jesus is pointing out that the disciples had actually been in the state of "unbelief" and, that it was because of their unbelief, that they had not been able to help a man that had come to them seeking help. Jesus then went on to say, that if they had had, even a small amount of faith, they could have accomplished what needed to be done. He then went on to use the mountain moving illustration.
4. A mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds, and of course a mountain is large by comparison, even a small mountain is large. So, what was Jesus's point here. Was He actually saying you could move a mountain from one place to another? In a sense yes, and in a sense no. For example, God used Moses to part the Red Sea, which was an impossibility apart from Moses believing God, and God acting to part the sea. But, those kinds of things don't happen to regular people from day to day. But, what does happen to regular people, i.e Christians, is that we face mountain like situations very often. And, it's our choice to believe God to work in the situation, or to not, that is to be like the disciples and be in the state of unbelief.
5. It's helpful to remember, that Jesus was training the disciples to live a life of trusting in God, in the small things of life, and in the big and challenging things of life. God calls them "trials" And, what God wants us to do in our trials is to trust Him, believe Him, even if we only have a little bit of faith as it were, God can work in what seems like a mountain to us. He can get us through the trial, and will work in our lives, changing us, and giving us strength as it were, making us stronger as we go along.
6. The Lord in Matt 19:26, said, "But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” He said that in answer to a question about how rich people could be saved, since it was nearly impossible for them to be saved, in light of how money can affect people, and influence them not to believe. But, Jesus said, what seems impossible to us, is not impossible to God. So, when we think of someone whom we think could never get saved for whatever reasons, we need to remember, that God does not see it that way. Nothing, or no one is an impossibility with God.
7. God has given to each of us a measure of faith. (Rom 12) And, He calls us to live by faith. Not just when things are going smoothly, but day by day, situation by situation, mountain by mountain as it were, trial by trial. He never changes, and He is alway faithful, and He honors and responds and rewards those who come to Him (even with their little mustard seed like faith) God will see you through, You can count on it, because He has promised to do that.
A prayer:
Father, You are many things, and one great thing, is that You are faithful, You are dependable. You cannot lie, and all of Your promises are true. You lead us by Your Word. We do not live on explanations, but on promises. And, You merely ask us to believe You. And, you give us more then a mustard seeds worth of faith as we grow, and that faith comes from our hearing, being in, and abiding in Your word. So, Lord, may we listen to You, and grow in our faith, and exercise our faith in the trials we encounter, and the mountains that we face.
In Jesus name, amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.
Matt 17:20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
Matt 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Some explanatory thoughts and application:
1. You will notice that in each verse above, Jesus uses the word "Impossible" And, He speaks of moving a mountain.
2. The word impossible as it's used here, means, to not have the strength, or ability, to be weak, or can not be done.
3. So, let's look at each verse and see what Jesus was trying to convey. In Matt 17:20, Jesus is pointing out that the disciples had actually been in the state of "unbelief" and, that it was because of their unbelief, that they had not been able to help a man that had come to them seeking help. Jesus then went on to say, that if they had had, even a small amount of faith, they could have accomplished what needed to be done. He then went on to use the mountain moving illustration.
4. A mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds, and of course a mountain is large by comparison, even a small mountain is large. So, what was Jesus's point here. Was He actually saying you could move a mountain from one place to another? In a sense yes, and in a sense no. For example, God used Moses to part the Red Sea, which was an impossibility apart from Moses believing God, and God acting to part the sea. But, those kinds of things don't happen to regular people from day to day. But, what does happen to regular people, i.e Christians, is that we face mountain like situations very often. And, it's our choice to believe God to work in the situation, or to not, that is to be like the disciples and be in the state of unbelief.
5. It's helpful to remember, that Jesus was training the disciples to live a life of trusting in God, in the small things of life, and in the big and challenging things of life. God calls them "trials" And, what God wants us to do in our trials is to trust Him, believe Him, even if we only have a little bit of faith as it were, God can work in what seems like a mountain to us. He can get us through the trial, and will work in our lives, changing us, and giving us strength as it were, making us stronger as we go along.
6. The Lord in Matt 19:26, said, "But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” He said that in answer to a question about how rich people could be saved, since it was nearly impossible for them to be saved, in light of how money can affect people, and influence them not to believe. But, Jesus said, what seems impossible to us, is not impossible to God. So, when we think of someone whom we think could never get saved for whatever reasons, we need to remember, that God does not see it that way. Nothing, or no one is an impossibility with God.
7. God has given to each of us a measure of faith. (Rom 12) And, He calls us to live by faith. Not just when things are going smoothly, but day by day, situation by situation, mountain by mountain as it were, trial by trial. He never changes, and He is alway faithful, and He honors and responds and rewards those who come to Him (even with their little mustard seed like faith) God will see you through, You can count on it, because He has promised to do that.
A prayer:
Father, You are many things, and one great thing, is that You are faithful, You are dependable. You cannot lie, and all of Your promises are true. You lead us by Your Word. We do not live on explanations, but on promises. And, You merely ask us to believe You. And, you give us more then a mustard seeds worth of faith as we grow, and that faith comes from our hearing, being in, and abiding in Your word. So, Lord, may we listen to You, and grow in our faith, and exercise our faith in the trials we encounter, and the mountains that we face.
In Jesus name, amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT 2 BLESSINGS FROM THE LORD"
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT 2 BLESSINGS FROM THE LORD"
Luke 6:21 Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh.
Some explanatory thoughts and application:
1. If you look closely, you can see the word "Blessed is used 2 times in this verse, and there are 2 promises made also.
2. The first blessing is associated with hunger, and the second blessing is associated with weeping.
3. At first blush, these blessings do not seem normal. Who is blessed or happy when they are hungry, and who is blessed, when they are weeping? They don't seem to go together. But, they actually do go together.
4. The hunger Jesus is speaking of here, is not physical hunger, but spiritual hunger. It's speaking of when we come to realize our need for God, our need for grace, forgiveness, mercy, love, strength, etc, etc. It can be translated, to crave ardently, to to seek with eager desire. The promise Jesus gives to those who are hungry for the things mentioned, hungry for God, is that God will fill them with Himself, with His grace, with His mercy, with His forgiveness, with His love, with His many blessings.
5. The word weep, means to mourn, to lament, to bewail, to weep as a sign of pain and grief because of some matter. There are many things that can cause us to weep and mourn. But, our God promises to bring laughter into our lives.
Psalms 30:5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
6. Most likely, in this sermon of Jesus's ( which this verse is part of ) He is speaking of the person who comes to the place in their life where they are hungry for salvation, for God to save them, to receive God's righteousness, because they have come to realize that apart from Him, they cannot have what they need. Man cannot save Himself. Jesus is saying, I will fill you if you will place your faith in me. I will fill you will all that you need to be saved, and to become my child. "I'm the filler of hungry souls"
7. As to weeping and laughter. Well, it's the same basic spiritual reality as above. When a person truly comes to themselves, they come under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, there is a whole lot of weeping that goes on. It's a weeping over their sin. It's a weeping because they have come to realize they have sinned against God and against man. But, when the "weeper" places their faith in Christ, the tears turn into joy and laughter. The word laugh here means, "as a sign of joy or satisfaction" That's what the person receives who comes to Christ. Joy and satisfaction, their sins are forgiven.
8. One last thought here. These truths are not only for the person as they come to Christ for salvation, but they are real and true all through our lives here on earth. There is much hunger and weeping from time to time. And, the Lord is faithful to fill us, and He is faithful to bring us joy after our weeping. But, eventually, we will be filled with seeing Him in heaven, and laughing as never before, ( remember, laugh, means joy, or satisfaction. ) How joyful and satisfied will we be in heaven.
A prayer:
Father, You are so faithful, and You are so giving, and You are so completely able to provide what we need in our lives. You are the one who has filled us with eternal life, salvation, acceptance by Christ, forgiven of our sins. You are the one who places our tears in Your bottle (See Ps 56:8* You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.) Thank You for Your blessings in our lives. We love You, in Jesus name, amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT BEING BLESSED"
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT BEING BLESSED"
Luke 6:20 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: “Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God.
NKJV
Luke 6:20 Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is given to you.
NLT
Some explanatory thoughts and application:
1. Jesus uses one of His favorite words in talking to His disciples. It's the word "Blessed" meaning, Oh how happy.
2. It is important to make sure we understand, that this statement about happiness, was given to those who were following Him, and not to the multitudes, i.e those who did not believe in Him, and were not following Him.
3. So, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, following Him, then this word Blessed, or Happy is for you.
4. It's also important to understand what Jesus meant when He said poor. It could be translated, beggar, destitute, lowly, helpless, powerless to accomplish an end. And, lacking in anything. Jesus was not saying that poor ( economically )people are blessed/
5. Rather, He is speaking to the person who has come to realize how poor and destitute they are of what it takes to be accepted by God, and go to heaven when they leave this world. In other words, He is speaking to the person who has truly come to realize that they are a sinner, and they have absolutely no hope of getting to heaven on their own. They realize their own sinfulness, and unrighteousness before God, and understand the judgement they deserve.
6. When a person comes this realization, they are then ready to call out to Jesus to save them, and then they become saved. Simple as that. When a person truly admits their sinfulness, turns to Jesus Christ, and believes in Him as Savior, and receives Him as their savior, calling upon Him to save them, then, they become saved.
7. The result of being saved is that theirs is the kingdom. They are now in God's kingdom, God's family, they are one of God's children, joint heirs with Jesus Christ.
6. And, that is why they are blessed. How much happier can a person be then to know that their sins are forgiven, and that they are now accepted by God through their faith in Jesus Christ, and will be with God when they leave this world.
A prayer:
Father, You are the dispenser of blessedness, of salvation, of forgiveness, of eternal life. We are the ones who are blessed as we receive Your grace, mercy and love in Christ. Thank You for sending Jesus to die for our sins, and thank You for opening our eyes to the truth of who we are, and of who You are, and of what You have done for us through Jesus Christ. We are grateful now, and will be forever and forever. Thank You Lord.
In Jesus' name,
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.
Luke 6:20 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: “Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God.
NKJV
Luke 6:20 Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is given to you.
NLT
Some explanatory thoughts and application:
1. Jesus uses one of His favorite words in talking to His disciples. It's the word "Blessed" meaning, Oh how happy.
2. It is important to make sure we understand, that this statement about happiness, was given to those who were following Him, and not to the multitudes, i.e those who did not believe in Him, and were not following Him.
3. So, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, following Him, then this word Blessed, or Happy is for you.
4. It's also important to understand what Jesus meant when He said poor. It could be translated, beggar, destitute, lowly, helpless, powerless to accomplish an end. And, lacking in anything. Jesus was not saying that poor ( economically )people are blessed/
5. Rather, He is speaking to the person who has come to realize how poor and destitute they are of what it takes to be accepted by God, and go to heaven when they leave this world. In other words, He is speaking to the person who has truly come to realize that they are a sinner, and they have absolutely no hope of getting to heaven on their own. They realize their own sinfulness, and unrighteousness before God, and understand the judgement they deserve.
6. When a person comes this realization, they are then ready to call out to Jesus to save them, and then they become saved. Simple as that. When a person truly admits their sinfulness, turns to Jesus Christ, and believes in Him as Savior, and receives Him as their savior, calling upon Him to save them, then, they become saved.
7. The result of being saved is that theirs is the kingdom. They are now in God's kingdom, God's family, they are one of God's children, joint heirs with Jesus Christ.
6. And, that is why they are blessed. How much happier can a person be then to know that their sins are forgiven, and that they are now accepted by God through their faith in Jesus Christ, and will be with God when they leave this world.
A prayer:
Father, You are the dispenser of blessedness, of salvation, of forgiveness, of eternal life. We are the ones who are blessed as we receive Your grace, mercy and love in Christ. Thank You for sending Jesus to die for our sins, and thank You for opening our eyes to the truth of who we are, and of who You are, and of what You have done for us through Jesus Christ. We are grateful now, and will be forever and forever. Thank You Lord.
In Jesus' name,
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.
Monday, November 25, 2013
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT FAITH AND UNBELIEF"
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT FAITH AND UNBELIEF"
Matthew 17:20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
Matthew 13:58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Hebrews 3:19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Hebrews 11:6 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.
Some explanatory thoughts and application:
1. The issue in these verses has to do with 2 things, faith and unbelief. What faith will do, and what unbelief cannot do.
2. Jesus identified to His disciples why they had been unable to perform a certain ministry when asked to do so. Jesus in Matt 17:20, explained to them, that it was because of their unbelief. Unbelief in scripture means, to not believe God. The word unbelief itself, means, unfaithfulness, faithless, want of faith, and weakness of faith. Jesus was not chiding them, but He was explaining to them, what had happened. They had asked Him they were unable to minister as they expected, and did not. Simple, they did not believe. It was because of their unbelief.
3. The NLT renders Matt 17:20 this way, “You didn’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”
4. Not having faith, actually can and will keep God from working as He would like to. Matthew 13:58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Normally Jesus did many mighty works, but in this case He did not, and the reason is given, it was because of a lack of faith. Faith, prevents if you will God from working. For example, a person could not and will not be saved, unless they believe. One must have faith in God for Him to save you. He never saves anyone who will not believe.
5. Unbelief, caused the children of Israel to not inherit the promised land when they were supposed to. The promised land by the way, is a type of the fruitful, and blessed life of the Christian, it's the picture of the Christian who believes God, and is then filled and led by the Spirit into the blessings that God has for them. Without faith in God, Christians live in a wilderness experience just as the children of Israel did for 40 years. Faith in God on the other hand, leads us into the will of God for our lives.
6. Please notice this verse again. Hebrews 11:6 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. It's telling us what happens without faith. We cannot please God. The opposite is true also. That with faith we do please Him. And, for the person who comes to God, they must simply have faith in Him, believe Him, and the result is that He will reward Your life. Faith in God, will bring rewards. No faith in God, means we will not come to Him, and hence we will not be rewarded by Him.
A prayer:
Father, thank You for faith. Please keep us believing. Please give us faith. We know that faith comes to us through Your Word, thus, we need to be in Your Word. So, Lord, help us to get into Your Word, and to stay in Your Word. That's how we get faith, faith to believe You, and to see You do great and mighty works. And, Lord, keep us we pray from the sin of unbelief. Yes, it is a sin not to believe You. NLT Joh 16:9 The world’s sin is unbelief in me. So, Lord, keep us from unbelief.
And, Father, we also want to thank You for giving us faith through Your Word, may we hunger for Your Word, and read it, meditate in it, memorize it, believe it, and act upon it. We pray for those we know who are suffering needlessly, simply because they will not believe in You. God, we pray for them, and ask that You bring a life changing conviction into their lives.
Finally Lord, we pray for our church body, that each and every believer would grow in their faith, and that they would simply believe You. Trusting in You, for then Lord we know that You will do many great things for us, and in the lives of those around us.
We ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia
Matthew 17:20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
Matthew 13:58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Hebrews 3:19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Hebrews 11:6 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.
Some explanatory thoughts and application:
1. The issue in these verses has to do with 2 things, faith and unbelief. What faith will do, and what unbelief cannot do.
2. Jesus identified to His disciples why they had been unable to perform a certain ministry when asked to do so. Jesus in Matt 17:20, explained to them, that it was because of their unbelief. Unbelief in scripture means, to not believe God. The word unbelief itself, means, unfaithfulness, faithless, want of faith, and weakness of faith. Jesus was not chiding them, but He was explaining to them, what had happened. They had asked Him they were unable to minister as they expected, and did not. Simple, they did not believe. It was because of their unbelief.
3. The NLT renders Matt 17:20 this way, “You didn’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”
4. Not having faith, actually can and will keep God from working as He would like to. Matthew 13:58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Normally Jesus did many mighty works, but in this case He did not, and the reason is given, it was because of a lack of faith. Faith, prevents if you will God from working. For example, a person could not and will not be saved, unless they believe. One must have faith in God for Him to save you. He never saves anyone who will not believe.
5. Unbelief, caused the children of Israel to not inherit the promised land when they were supposed to. The promised land by the way, is a type of the fruitful, and blessed life of the Christian, it's the picture of the Christian who believes God, and is then filled and led by the Spirit into the blessings that God has for them. Without faith in God, Christians live in a wilderness experience just as the children of Israel did for 40 years. Faith in God on the other hand, leads us into the will of God for our lives.
6. Please notice this verse again. Hebrews 11:6 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. It's telling us what happens without faith. We cannot please God. The opposite is true also. That with faith we do please Him. And, for the person who comes to God, they must simply have faith in Him, believe Him, and the result is that He will reward Your life. Faith in God, will bring rewards. No faith in God, means we will not come to Him, and hence we will not be rewarded by Him.
A prayer:
Father, thank You for faith. Please keep us believing. Please give us faith. We know that faith comes to us through Your Word, thus, we need to be in Your Word. So, Lord, help us to get into Your Word, and to stay in Your Word. That's how we get faith, faith to believe You, and to see You do great and mighty works. And, Lord, keep us we pray from the sin of unbelief. Yes, it is a sin not to believe You. NLT Joh 16:9 The world’s sin is unbelief in me. So, Lord, keep us from unbelief.
And, Father, we also want to thank You for giving us faith through Your Word, may we hunger for Your Word, and read it, meditate in it, memorize it, believe it, and act upon it. We pray for those we know who are suffering needlessly, simply because they will not believe in You. God, we pray for them, and ask that You bring a life changing conviction into their lives.
Finally Lord, we pray for our church body, that each and every believer would grow in their faith, and that they would simply believe You. Trusting in You, for then Lord we know that You will do many great things for us, and in the lives of those around us.
We ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia