Building Our Faith
We want to know what Jesus did so that we can do what Jesus did.
Matthew 5:13-14 NIV
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
Living out our faith is a way to give light to the people around us.
Mark 5:21-34 NIV
When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
Lessons on Faith:
I. Faith in Jesus is different than following Jesus.
People were all around Jesus but only one had put their faith in Jesus.
What separated the woman from the crowd?
- The crowd was standing, while she was pursuing.
- The crowd was watching, while she was passionate and persistent.
- The crowd was proud, while the woman was desperate.
Matthew 9:21 NIV
She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”
Jeremiah 29:13 NIV
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Lessons on Faith:
I. Faith in Jesus is different than following Jesus.
II. Faith is going against your fears.
Faith can feel foolish.
Faith can be built.
1 John 4:18 NIV
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
Mark 5:33 NIV
Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth.
Faith pushes past fear.
Faith isn't the absence of fear; it's choosing to act in the presence of fear.
How much faith do you have to have?
Just enough to come to Jesus.
"Just as I am, though tossed about,
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fighting and fears within,
Just as I am – I come."
Lessons on Faith:
I. Faith in Jesus is different than following Jesus.
II. Faith is going against your fears.
III. Faith is choosing to trust in God’s grace.
Mark 5:35-36 NIV
While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
"Don't be afraid; just believe."
Be not afraid; go on believing.
2 Peter 3:8-9 NIV
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
God is working in the waiting; we have to decide to trust Him.