DESPERATE FAITH

DESPERATE FAITH

Matt. 15:21-28; Selected Scriptures

I.       A RIGHT THEOLOGY (vv. 21-23)

a.       She went to Jesus (vv. 21-22; Mk. 7:25).

b.      She recognized her need for Jesus (v.22).

c.       She expressed her need unashamedly (vv. 22-23b, Mk. 7:26).

d.      She displayed relentless faith (v. 23; Matt. 7:7-8; Heb. 11:6).

II.       A RIGHT DOXOLOGY (vv. 24-28)

a.       Her worship wasn’t predicated upon her prayer being answered (vv. 24-25).

b.      Her worship wasn’t hindered by theological truths (vv. 24-26; Matt 10:5-6).

c.       She worships God in the midst of perceived insult/humiliation & relies upon God’s mercy & grace (vv. 26-27).

d.      Her worship was affirmed by Christ and intensified due to her faith (v. 28; Mk. 7:30; Heb. 11:6b).

Application

1.      Praise God for choosing you FIRST in salvation (Jn. 15:16a; Eph. 2:12-13).

2.      Don’t be ashamed to express yourself to God in YOUR time of need during corporate prayer & praise (Psa. 142:1-2).

3.      Know your place as creature when speaking to the CREATOR (Job 25:4-6; Psa. 103:14).

4.      Never allow others to discourage your faith in God (1 Sam. 30:6b).

IMMANUEL IN THE STORM

IMMANUEL IN THE STORM

Matt. 14:22-33; Select Scriptures

1.      Submission to Christ’s Lordship involves complete trust & obedience in Him (v. 22a)

2.      God sometimes prepares us for our storms by isolation from others (v. 22b).

3.      Christ intercedes for us when we face the storms of life (v. 23; Lk. 22:31-32a; Jn. 17:20; Rom. 8:34).

4.      Storms are individually tailor-made for us by God (v. 24; Jas. 1:2).

5.      Storms have the tendency to become deep, draining, dark & drawn out (vv. 24-25; Mk. 6:48; Lam. 3:6).

6.      Hearing God’s voice can be experienced in the midst of the storm (vv. 26-27; Psa. 109:115).

7.      Trust in God’s Word will enable us to face storms (vv. 28-29; Psa. 62:8).

8.      Storms create fear in our lives when our focus isn’t on Christ (v. 30; Heb. 12:2a).

9.     Christ’s love for us will NEVER allow us to be overwhelmed in our storm (v. 31a; Isa. 43:1-3a; 1 Cor. 10:13).

10.  Christ graciously delivers us in our storm even when our faith is small (v. 31b; Mk. 9:24).

11.  Deliverance from the storm will evoke worship to God (vv. 32-33; Matt. 28:9; Jn. 9:38; 20:28; Rev. 19:10).

Application

1.      Believe that God is always with you in your storm (Psa. 46:1; Heb. 13:5b)

2.      Express unashamed praise to God for delivering you out of your storm (Psa. 9:2).

My Interview With Ivey Conerly aka IV His Son

Those of you who know me know that I'm a stickler for sound doctrine. I believe doctrine informs us about what we believe about God. In fact, ALL OF US have a doctrine; the real question is: Is our doctrine BIBLICAL; especially when it comes to our choice of music!

I was blessed and pleased to come across a CD that I believe speaks to the heart of mans spiritual issue: SIN, and what's the remedy for mans dilemma: CHRIST!

If you haven't heard this CD, YOU ARE MISSING OUT! For SOME OF US, IT'S PAYDAY and I know you got at least $10 to blow off. Why not invest it in something of ETERNAL VALUE that brings back ETERNAL DIVIDENDS.

IV'S new CD is titled, "The Justice System" and it's HOTTTTT! Go to www.ivhisson.com and get it in your iPod and in your soul. To refuse to do so may bring "Divine" judgment to your soul:).

Gotta get outta here. Time to make that money for Mama:)! I'm ouuuuuuut!

Feeding The Five Thousand

FEEDING THE FIVE THOUSAND

Matt. 14:13-21; Selected Scriptures

1.      Removing ourselves from life-threatening situations is necessary in order to be used effectively by God (v. 13; 1 Sam. 19:10; Prov. 27:12; Jn. 10:17-18).

2.      Sympathy for others displays the character of Christ (v. 14; Heb. 4:15; Jn. 11:33).

3.      God sometimes will put us in situations to test our faith & dependence on Him (vv. 15-17; Jn. 6:5-6).

4.      God providentially blesses people through people (v. 17; Jn. 6:9).

5.      God uses the seemingly insignificant for His glory (v. 17; Jn. 6:9).

6.      God uses what we bring to Him by faith (v. 18; 1 Kgs. 17:9-16).

7.      Serving others requires preparation & order (v. 19a; Lk. 9:14; 1 Cor. 14:33, 40).

8.      We are to be thankful for whatever God provides (v. 19b; Mk. 6:41a; Lk. 9:16a; Jn. 6:11;   1 Thes. 5:18).

9.      Serving others requires care, compassion & commitment (v. 19c).

10.  When God satisfies our needs, He satisfies completely & perfectly (v. 20a; Psa. 107:9; 147:14b; Jn. 6:11b-12).

11.  God provides for us as we provide for others (vv. 20-21b; Mk. 6:43).

Application

1.      Thank God for the “little” you have & trust Him to provide the rest (Prov. 3:5-6).

2.      Praise God for blessing people to be a blessing to you (Acts 28:10).

3.      Never limit God’s power to work on your behalf (Mk. 9:23b; Lk. 1:37).

Standing For Truth

STANDING FOR TRUTH

Matt. 14:1-12; Selected Scriptures

1.      Standing for truth isn’t always popular or accepted by society (vv. 1-4; 2 Tim. 4:2).

2.      Standing for truth will cause you to confront sin (v. 4; Lev. 18:16; Rom; 1:32; Eph. 5:11).

3.      Standing for truth will cause controversy & hatred (vv. 4-5a; Mk. 6:19; Lk. 6:26; 21:17; Jn. 15:18).

4.      Standing for truth will cause you to be respected by others (v. 5b; Mk. 6:20; 1 Cor. 11:19).

5.      Standing for truth will cause you to maintain moral purity (v. 6; Job 31:1).

6.      Standing for truth will help you maintain self control (v. 7; Mk. 6:23; Gal. 5:22-23).

7.      Standing for truth rejects ungodly counsel (v. 8; Psa. 1:1; Prov. 1:10-16).

8.      Standing for truth rejects fear of man & the opinion of others (vv. 9; Prov. 29:25).

9.      Standing for truth may ultimately cost you your life (vv. 10-11; Lk. 14:26).

10.  Standing for truth will never go unnoticed & gets Jesus’ attention (v. 12; Acts 7:54-56; Rev. 6:10).

Application

1.      Stand for the truth of God’s Word no matter the cost (Matt. 10:32-33).

2.      Support & encourage those who take a stand for biblical truth (Isa. 35:3; 1 Thes. 5:11).

THE DANGER OF UNBELIEF

THE DANGER OF UNBELIEF

Matt. 13:53-58; Selected Scriptures

1.      Unbelief questions the origin of biblical & supernatural authority (vv. 53-54; Lk. 4:16-29).

2.      Unbelief creates doubt in others (v.54).

3.      Unbelief questions the intellectual capability of others (v. 55a; Lk. 2:40, 52).

4.      Unbelief grows in greater proportion by those who are familiar with the one who proclaims biblical truth (vv. 55b-56).

5.      Unbelief causes one to refuse to accept biblical truth no matter how powerfully it is presented (v. 57; cf. v.54; Heb. 6:4-6).

6.      Unbelief causes one to attack the messenger of the truth instead of accepting the messenger and the message given as truth (v. 57; Matt. 10:40; Lk. 10:16; 1 Jn. 4:6).

7.      Unbelief causes one to forfeit the blessing of experiencing the transforming power of God at work in their lives (v. 58).

Application

1.      Accept ALL of God’s Word as absolute truth (Psa. 119:160; Jn. 17:17).

2.      Abstain from foolish arguments regarding biblical truth (Tit. 3:9; Prov. 26:4).

3.      Advance the cause of the gospel by proclaiming Jesus Christ as the Source of absolute truth to others (Jn. 14:6).