August 25, 2013

Sunday School

Short Study on 

Faith and Belief

• 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 for here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.  Matthew 17:20 (NKJV)
•  Belief - an opinion or judgment in which a person is fully persuaded.
• We see that our beliefs are things that we are thoroughly convinced of . Usually, but not always, they are ideas and/or concepts that we gather through acquiring information and experience. Because of that, our beliefs can change over time as we gain more knowledge and experience more things throughout our lives. 
• Faith = Belief + Action + Confidence
• Faith includes our beliefs, but it is bigger than that. Faith requires action. If it doesn't move us to do something or say something, actually take some kind of action, it is not really faith at all.  In James 2:17 it says, "So you see, faith by itself is not enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
• Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him just believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
• Until we take action our "faith" is just a bunch of words. James says that unless faith produces action it is in fact dead or not faith at all.
• Some get confused and turned around on this point and try to do good things to generate faith. However James did not say that the good things we do produce faith. He said our faith, if it is real and alive, will naturally move us to do good things.
• Confidence - trust that is based on knowledge or past experience.
• Basically confidence is a measure of how firmly we hold to a particular belief.
• Now we can see how belief and faith are interrelated. The difference between the two is subtle. Understanding that subtly makes things that Jesus said have more sense to us.
• When we believe the truth with enough confidence to take action we exercise faith. And it doesn't take much of that faith to see huge things happen, even miraculous things.
• You can see where unbelief, that is believing things that are not true, believing lies, completely clogs up the working of our faith. Unbelief prevents us from ever seeing the miraculous in our lives.

Note: Some information made available from Google, Bing, religious references.

 

 

 

Sermon

Matthew 27:1-2 - v1- When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put Him to death: v2 - And when they had bound Him, they led Him away, and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

Subject: Caught up, Tied up & Tangled up!

 

How do we bind Jesus?

• When Jesus isn't the main focus in our lives; when we do not put Him first; when He isn't the top priority in our lives.
• God desires our praise, our allegiance, our attention.
• God is a jealous God.
• We need to loose Him in our lives, allow Him total control
• By fear and unbelief
• A double minded man is unstable in all his ways - James 1:8
• If we remember that we can do "all things" through Christ who strengthens us.....
• In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us - Romans 8:37 
• Failure to grow spiritually
• Read Luke 19:13-27
• Are we still the same as we were last week, last month, last year?
• Jesus came so that we may have life and have it abundantly - John 10:10
• If the Son make you free, you are free indeed! John 8:36