Sermon

“The Power of Faith”

Luke 18:1-8

[1] One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up. [2] "There was a judge in a certain city," he said, "who was a godless man with great contempt for everyone. [3] A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, appealing for justice against someone who had harmed her. [4] The judge ignored her for a while, but eventually she wore him out. 'I fear neither God nor man,' he said to himself,

[5] 'but this woman is driving me crazy. I'm going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!' " [6] Then the Lord said, "Learn a lesson from this evil judge. [7] Even he rendered a just decision in the end, so don't you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who plead with him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? [8] I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when I, the Son of Man, return, how many will I find who have faith?"


The Significance of FAITH

    * Hebrews 11:6

    Without faith it is impossible to please God.

    * James 1:6-7

    Whoever has FAITH will have everything; whoever does not have faith will have nothing.

    * Hebrews 11:1

    FAITH is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things NOT seen

Faith is the currency
that we exchange with God
for what He has provided
and it is always ENOUGH

 
    * Have you noticed when something is beneficial, how often it is met with opposition?

    * Faith is met with opposition because it is very beneficial (Mark 4:13-20)


The Struggle of FAITH

    * The opposition to faith can be varied. But one of the forms of opposition to faith is when we must trust WHAT WE DO NOT SEE & WHAT WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND

    * Faith is like a BATTERY. Batteries must be replaced or recharged for the device we are using to function properly.

 
The 3 Batteries of FAITH

    * Love
    * LOVE is the power to receive faith.

        Galatians 5:6 (KJV)

        “… but faith which worketh by love.”

    * The Prodigal Son in Luke 15 relied on love to restore him to his father’s embrace and to bless him.
    * The elder brother struggled with love and therefore struggled receiving.

    * The Word

        Romans 10:17 (KJV)

        “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

    * If love is the capacity to receive faith, then the WORD of GOD is the charging force of faith.
    * Nothing will happen to the faith we have been given until it is charged with the Word of God.


    * Joy
    * Joy is the preserving strength of faith.
    * It was JOY that preserved the FAITH of Christ through the cross.
    * Hebrews 12:1-3
    * The JOY of the LORD will both preserve and strengthen our FAITH

 

GO Question

 

Reading Luke 18:1-8

1. According to you, what is the definition of faith? (Hebrews 11:6, James 1:6-7, Hebrew 11:1)

 

2. Read Matthew 17:20. Jesus said that faith the size of a mustard seed is enough to move the mountain. On the scale of 1-10, how do you rate your faith now? How big is it compared to the mustard seed?

 

3. A prayer without faith is useless. You can ask 1000 times to God, but if you don’t believe it, you won’t get it. When faced with impossible situation, do you expect God to answer your prayers? Why or why not?

 

4. What is the biggest test of your faith? Did God pull through for you? Please share

 

5. According to the reading, even a mean judge can give justice if the person is persistent enough in her/his request. Have you asked God so many times that He finally grants your wish? If yes, what was it?

Faith is like a battery. You need to replace it or recharge it so that it can function properly. There are 3 batteries of Faith, which is LOVE, The WORD (bible) and JOY

6. LOVE. Read Luke 15:11-32 do you feel like the elder brother? Do you have a hard time accepting God’s love? Why / why not?

 

7. THE WORD. Have you been reading your bible regularly? Do you get something out of it that helps strengthen you when times are tough? Please share

 

8. JOY. What is the difference between joy and happiness? Do you feel joy in the Lord despite all the bad things that happen to you?
 

Pray: for our faith in God, despite the entire impossible situation, we will believe that God will take care of us because He is our father in heaven. Pray for other members who is facing impossible situation in one’s life.