Working Definitions:
Faith – Trusting and acting on what God has done and promised. It is acting like God is telling the truth.
Faith – Trusting and acting on what God has done and promised. It is acting like God is telling the truth.
Five Encouragements
1. Don’t let anything stop you from coming to Jesus. (Mark 2:1-12)
• “When Jesus saw their faith.” (V.5)
• From the book, “The Day America Told the Truth” 87% of Americans gave this definition of sin.
“Acting in a way that is inconsistent with my own values or hurting another person.” (The Day America Told the Truth, James Patterson) That means 4 out of 5 people you meet believe this lie.
• Biblical Definition: Sin living independently of God’s standard, will and design. “Sin is lawlessness” 1 John 3:4 But, lawlessness against who? God.
• This is why the teachers of law were so angry with Jesus. Only God can forgive sin.
• It’s easy just to say something, but Jesus did miracles to confirm his message not to just convince people. Miracles are “power-points” They point to God. Sometimes, money and others can change our circumstances. But only Holy God can forgive sin.
2. Fix your faith on Jesus Christ alone. (Mark 1:40-45)
“If you will, you can make me clean (v.40)
• Pastors Point: The “you” in this verse is singular. He ignores the group and focuses on Jesus. Christianity stands and falls on Jesus Christ, not his followers. Followers fall sometimes. Many people go to their pastor, small group, therapist, internet but Jesus said you will not come to me to have life.
“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” John 5:39-40
3. Come to Christ with the faith you have, and he will deal with your unbelief and struggles.
4. Draw encouragement from the compassion of Jesus. “Moved with pity, (compassion) he stretched out his hand and touched hum.” (v.41)
5. Get to the point – Go to Jesus with your greatest needs. Some come to church for years but never get to the point.
To confess that I AM a sinner and in need of rescuing and turning from that sin to Jesus Christ.
The Gospel is about Jesus taking my place and changing me to be more like him. This is what is called salvation and then sanctification.
“Follow Me” (v.17)
Jesus was saying…” Follow me and I will make something of your life…not make something of your life and then follow me.”
Pastors Point: You cannot have a better life planned for yourself than God does.
Notice This:
Think About It: This is what we would expect if Jesus were God. Jesus is everything God is but in the flesh.
Prayer
35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. (v.35)
Four Things That Block True Prayer
36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38 And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” (v.36-38)