TEXT: MARK 9:23: [This Gospel portrays Christ as “The Son of Man”]!
Vs 23: Jesus said unto him, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth”.
Jesus’ statement must not be taken as
an unqualified promise. The “all things”
does not mean everything we can think of.
The prayer of faith must be based
upon the will of God; and it never asks for anything foolish or wrong. (James 4:3) Ye ask and receive not
because ye ask amiss (out of order; improper; in a wrong way) that ye may consume it upon your
lusts. As in selfish desires or that
that is evil or is wicked.
The belief or faith required here
must be received as a gift of God and is implanted in the heart of the believer
who lives faithfully according to “His will”!
Matthew 17:20, And Jesus said unto them, “Because of your
unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye
have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove
hence to yonder place, and it shall remove and nothing shall be impossible unto
you”.
This dual origin, “believe” and
“faith” are the most important Gospel “word-family” in the New
Testament! Hebrews 11:6,
“For without faith it is impossible to please God: for he that cometh to God must believe
that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”.
In the Greek, “believe” is pisteu’o, which is faith, or pistis, which
is to have faith in; commit to one’s trust.
So it means not just to believe, but also to be persuaded of; place
confidence in; to trust or rely upon one’s word. “Faith” is persuasion; strong conviction; or belief; assurance; persuaded (bringing
about a change of mind).
Let’s take a look at the scriptures
and re-translate and show that “believe” and “faith” are really the same in the
original.
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he
gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth (has faith in) in him, shall not
perish but have everlasting life”.
Acts 16:31, “Put your faith in (believe on) the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved and thy house”.
John 5:24, “Whosoever hear my word and have
faith in (believe on) him who sent me has everlasting life”.
Now let’s take three famous “faith”
scriptures and re-translate:
·
Hebrews 11:1, “Now believing is the
substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen”.
·
Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through believing;
and that not of yourselves: it is the
gift of God: not of works, lest any man
should boast”.
·
Romans 4:5: “But to him who does not work but
believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his believing (faith) is counted for
righteousness”.
The concept of this is simply taking
God at His word and trusting what He says is true. (Concept: an idea of
something formed by mentally combining all its characteristics or particulars [specific
person, thing, group, class]).
The Word says, “Now faith (believing) is the
substance (title deed) of things
hoped for”…….meaning your faith is your title deed to eternal life. Just as a title deed is evidence of real
estate, so your belief is evidence of your eternal estate in God!
2 Corinthians 4:18: “While we look not at the things
which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal;
but the things which are not seen are eternal”.
Faith is taking God at His Word and
asking no questions. “But without faith it is impossible to
please him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Faith/believing is knowing that “all things work together for good to them
that love God, to them that are the called, according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Faith does not believe that all things
are good, or that all things work well.
It believes that all things whether good or bad, work together for good to them that love God! Do you believe?
Belief is based in the mind and faith
is based in the joining of heart and mind.
Only believe, only believe! God
will not fail you!! It is impossible for God to fail!
“For as the rain cometh
down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the
earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower,
and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my
mouth: it shall not return unto me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing
whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11).
God will fulfill the promises made to
you in His word!!! Believe it
beloved!!! “For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no
greater, he sware by himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and
multiplying I will multiply thee. And
so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise” (Hebrews 6:13-15).
In Matthew chapter 8, the Centurion’s servant was healed. Matthew 8:10, Jesus said, “I have
not found so great a faith, no not in Israel”.
(Vs 13) And Jesus
said unto the centurion, “Go thy way, and as thou hast believed so be it done
unto thee”. And his servant was healed in
the selfsame hour.
In Matthew 9:27, Jesus heals the blind and mute men. (Vs 28) Jesus said, “Believe ye that I am able to do this”? They said unto him, “Yea, Lord”. (Vs 29) Then touched he their eyes saying, “According to your faith be
it unto you”.
Matthew
21:12-22 is about the barren “fig tree”
[symbolizing Jewish religion or Judaism].
(Vs 21) If ye have faith and doubt not, ye shall say
unto this mountain, “Be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be
done”. (Vs 22) “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing,
ye shall receive”.
The faith that can move mountains,
the faith that causes miracles, healings, and accomplishes great things for
God, is the faith that produces results!
These things only happen because of faith in God!!!
Mark 11:22 And Jesus answering
saith unto them, “Have faith in God”! The
faith the Holy Spirit creates within us!
Romans 12:3: “For I say, through the grace
given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more
highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath
dealt to every man the measure of faith”.
1 Corinthians 12:9
“To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the
same Spirit”.
Do you believe it? Then activate it!! Someone might say, “Well, I pray, I believe,
I have faith, but I don’t see any results”.
Well the problem is not with God, nor His Word.
Mark 13:31 “Heaven and earth shall pass away,
but my words shall not pass away”.
Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goeth
forth out of my mouth: it shall not return
unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper
in the thing whereto I sent it”.
Maybe you have not found your real
“self”! Jesus Christ educated His
followers to discern the real man! Jesus
taught that there is a power in man that gives him authority over the
things of the world. That principle is
the higher self, the “spiritual man”, The Christ!
In order for us to succeed we must bring forth
the principle, “the CHRIST, who gives us dominion and mastery”! “I can
do all things through CHRIST who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
Reveal yourself to yourself by
affirming, “I am the Christ, son of the Living God”! Look at yourself not as flesh and blood only,
but also as Spirit! John
4:24 God is a
Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in
spirit and in truth. 1 John 4:17 “For as he is, so are we in this
world”!
Jesus Christ affirmed or declared His
true self and the Father acknowledged Him!
Jesus saith unto him, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet
hast thou not known me, Philip? He that
hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the
Father”? (John 14:9).
Matthew
3:17: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased”.
Each of us have within ourselves, “The
Christ”, just as Jesus had and we must
look within to recognize our son-ship, our divine origin, and our birth, even
as He did.
How do we do this? We do this by continually unifying ourselves
with the Most High (Highest) by our thoughts and by our words. Then we too shall become sons of God manifested!
“He came to his own,
and his own received him not. But as
many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to
them that believe on his name:
which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the
will of man, but of God” (John
1:11-13).
John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. The same [that’s us] was in the beginning
with God. (Vs 14) And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us”. As Jesus was manifested in flesh, so were
we manifested in flesh!
“But
when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a
woman, made under the law” (Galatians
4:4). When God had need
of a “son of God” to be born you came in the flesh!! HALLELUJAH!!! Do you believe it? Do you believe it?
Genesis 1:2: “And the earth was without form, and
void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of
the waters”. Briefly on this verse: The “waters” the Spirit of God moved
on was not physical water, but it was “people”.
Revelation
17:15: And he saith unto me, “The waters which thou sawest, where
the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues”. These “peoples, multitudes, and nations, from
a previous creation had lost the form or nature of God and had become void
(empty; lacking; ineffectual) of God’s dominion, authority and power!
When God said, “Let there be light” (Genesis
1:3), that was not the day light as we know it. Technically
that wasn’t brought into creation until the fourth day. This “light”
brought forth on the first day, were “luminaries”,
people called and put into a position of power and authority! People that would rule and reign over the creation
at God’s command! That’s what the Adam people did and today that’s what the
Christians are supposed to be doing by the Holy Ghost!
Romans 8:19-23
19. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for
the manifestation (appearing, taking off of the covers, revealing) of the sons
of God. [The sons are now
being revealed]!
20. For the creature/creation was made subject to vanity, not
willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21. Because the creature/creation itself also shall be
delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the
children (sons) of God.
22. For we know that the whole creation groaneth (experiencing
a common calamity) and travaileth in pain together until now.
23. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the
first-fruits (tongues of fire) of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan (praying
inaudibly) within ourselves, waiting for the adoption (placing of the sons), to
wit (know), the redemption of our body: (deliverance of believers, from the
presence and power of sin and our bodies from the bondage of corruption).
That happened when Jesus died on the cross and got up out of the grave with all power and He gave us that same power to rule over any enemy that comes against us! John 10:19: I give unto you power (exousi’a) [ability; jurisdiction; freedom; authority], to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Believe it people of God!! Believe it!!
The true church is not made of creeds and forms, nor is it contained in walls of wood, stone, and brick with stained glass windows. The heart of man is its temple and the Spirit of truth is the one guide into all Truth. When men learn to turn within to the Spirit of truth, who is in each one for his light and inspiration, the differences between the churches of man will be eliminated, and the One/True church will be recognized.
We’re still talking about “declaring
our true self”. John 14:17 “Even
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth [knoweth]
him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him for he dwelleth with you and
shall be in you”.
Romans 8:9 “But ye are not in the flesh, but in
the Spirit; if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. And if Christ be in you; the Spirit is life
because of righteousness”.
What about Luke 4:18? Not only is the Spirit in you, but the Spirit
of the Lord is upon you; because He has anointed you to preach, heal, and
deliver.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to
preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to
preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to
set at liberty them that are bruised”.
Acts 1:8 “Ye shall receive power after
that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:
and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea,
and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth”. God has also endued us
with power! “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and
over all the power of the enemy: and
nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19).
Then there is no need for you or me
to allow the enemy to invade our territory!
John 1:11-12 “He came to his own, and his own
received him not, but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become
the sons of God”.
All through history even from the
beginning, the devil, serpent, Lucifer, the enemy, has plotted, using people to
try to intimidate, attack and afflict the people of God. He uses words, lies, fear tactics and many
other means, more than we can name, whether it is physically, mentally, or
spiritually. This is the time as I said
earlier when the principle (general truth, origin) has to come forth! “I am the Christ, the son of the Living
God”! “As he is so are we, in this world” (1 John 4:17). Paul
wrote, “For we are members of his body,
of his flesh, and of his bones” (Ephesians 5:30).
Our body is the temple of God and
where the light resides, there is no darkness.
“What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of
the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own”?
(1 st Corinthians 6:19)
“Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the
Prophet” (Acts 7:48).
Believeth thou this? “The
light of the body is the eye [spiritual vision]: if
therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light” (Matthew 6:22). “Ye are all children of light, and the
children of the day: we are not of the
night, nor of darkness” (1st Thessalonians 5:5).
We must declare this Truth!
Now God I am taking you at your word
and whatever the enemy throws at me or my sister and brother, we shall stand on
your Word!!
Should it be sickness: Isaiah
53:5 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for
our iniquities: the chastisement of our
peace was upon him; and with his stripes, we are healed”!
If it’s fear:
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;
but of power, love, and of a sound mind”.
If it’s torment: Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in
perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee:
because he trusteth in thee”.
Do you believe it?
Listen people of God there is only
two things that God cannot do: (1) NEVER
LIE!!!! (2) NEVER FAIL!!!! And He said, “He that believeth on me, as the
scriptures hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waters” (John 7:38):
He said again, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth”
Mark 9:23.
Look people when your
backs are against the wall and seems as though the enemy is reaping havoc; I
know sometimes you just want to throw in the towel; life has a way of knocking
you down sometimes; and sometimes you may lay awake at night or even cry all
night long; but if you can see yourself already out of the storm I promise you
it’s going to get better!!!
I will close with the
lyrics “I Believe” by James Fortune!!!
I believe the storm will soon be over!
I believe the rain will go away!
I believe that I can make it through it!
I believe it’s already done!!
I believe family will get better!
I believe God will provide!
I believe the promise that He made!
I believe it’s already done!!
I believe that my God is a healer!
I believe that I will survive!
I believe that my God is able!
I believe it’s already done!!
I believe God is going to do it for you!
I believe it is going to get better for you!
I believe God is going to fix it!
I believe it is already done!!!
HALLEJUJAH!!!! Clap Your Hands!!! Give God the
Praise!!!!
Assistant Pastor Jackie Burton