WHERE IS YOUR FAITH?
Friday – June 15, 2018, Tamuz 2, 5778
Greetings and welcome back to this wonderful faith building Bible Study from the Book of Hebrews and the faith chapter. We are looking at various Bible characters, their choices, words, thoughts, and outcomes. Although this eleventh chapter of Hebrews is called the faith chapter or the Faith Hall of Fame, the whole Bible in one way or another is an instruction in faith and love. I am talking about unwavering faith in God, in the Word of God, and obedience (love) to the Word of God. Therein is the abundant life, any compromise allows in the curse and varying degrees of stealing, killing, and destroying in our lives. Folks this should not be this hard, but we struggle with and at time refuse to set the flesh aside with its various lusts contrary to the Word of God. As we move forward let’s go ahead and read our primary text and then plunge into today’s Truth.
Hebrews 11:32-34 (KJV)
32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
As I was thinking about various things this morning and meditating on what the Lord wanted me to share with His people, my readers, the question that Jesus asked His disciples after calming the storm came to mind. His question to them was: “Where is your faith”? He is asking us the same question. Let us think about the use of the word “where” in this question. The word ‘where’ can be defined as ‘in or at’ or ‘from what source’. Jesus is not really asking the location of their faith, but He was asking ‘what is your faith in’ and ‘what is the source of your faith’. This is very startling to think about. The record of Jesus calming the storm is recorded in three of the gospels so let us see what each gospel writer was inspired to record.
Matthew 8:26 (KJV)
26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
In the Matthew account we see that the disciples were afraid, and Jesus describes their level of faith as little. The little faith that they had was not in His Word, that was negated by the fear that they allowed. As we will see in a moment, Jesus had told them we are going to the other side. Since Jesus only said what the Father told Him to say and He only did what He saw the Father doing, getting to the other side was not in question. They were fearful having a lot of faith in something, but it was not the Words of Jesus. They did have a degree of faith that He could save them and when He does they are stunned. They had no faith that they could act upon His Word and calm the storm themselves. They even asked if He cared that they were perishing. My, my, have we been that audacious (imprudent) at times? If Jesus was not on the boat and they were not in His care, they would have perished. We see this all around us, born again, and filled with the Holy Spirit peoples perishing. Jesus is saying; “where is your faith”?
Mark 4:40 (KJV)
40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
Again, in the account from Mark’s gospel we find fear is present. I think we can conclude that fear is a faith blocker, killer. In this account He says that they have “no faith”. This is not a contradiction of Matthew for they did not have faith in His Words and their authority to act upon that Word. They had some faith in Him but the account shows that to be weak at best for they are stunned when He actually calms the storm. Let’s see what Dr. Luke has to say in his account.
Luke 8:25 (KJV)
25 And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.
Here in the account by Dr. Luke we find the question from Jesus to the disciples and us: “Where is your faith?”
As we plainly see in the following verse, Jesus had told them they were going to the other side.
Luke 8:22 (KJV)
22 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.
Today, many people are waiting for Jesus to calm their storms. However, Jesus is waiting for us to proclaim the Word of God giving Him as basis to act. He cannot act without our authority. Jesus could do it then, because His earthly ministry was as a man, however, now He is restored as God and will not usurp the authority that was given man in the beginning and restored at the ascension. The disciples that day had all their faith in the storm, in the curse. Let us ask ourselves, where is our faith. Is it in the Word of God or is it in the lies of Satan, the curse? I have not forgotten that we are studying from the Book of Hebrews and Lord willing I will pick up right here on Monday. Until our next publication, I speak this Scriptural prayer for your life right now, receive it in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
2 Peter 1:2-4 (KJV)
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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