February 10, 2013 - Oh, To Have Faith

This week’s scriptures are: Exodus 34:29-35, Psalms 99, 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2, Luke 9:28-43

Please pray with me:

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that the words of this sermon are YOUR words, and not mine.  I pray that the message here touches those that need to be touched.  I pray that those receiving this sermon remember that all Honor and Glory are yours, Lord, both now and forever.  Amen and Amen.

Grace and Peace to you, from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Oh, to have faith.  I don't mean "lip service" faith.  I mean FAITH!  The kind of faith that can move mountains.  That can heal the sick.  Make the blind see and the cripple walk.

But faith like that brings responsibility.  I mean if I had the faith that could move a mountain, I'd probably play tricks on people.  As some poor hiker is about to start on his long journey up, ready to take that first step.......WHAM!  Mountain, MOVE!  Oops.  Sorry.  (As he or she goes sprawling to the ground).

As the news crew tries to report on the mountain moving from place to place all day..........I'd stop.  Have a quick laugh and wait for them to leave.  Then start all over again.  It's over here!  No wait, it's over there!  OOPS!  Here comes the news people again, time to stop.

In today's reading, a father is distraught.  He brings his son to Jesus and asks him to heal his son.  He says he asked the disciples, but they couldn't do it.  For this, they are rebuked by Jesus.  How little faith they had.  Jesus calls them "faithless".

I don't want to be "faithless".  I want to be "faithful"

You see, if we are faithful, we CAN do great things.......through Christ.  If we are faithful, we will live the life that we were meant to live.

I'm not saying our lives will be easy, just better.  Think about it.  A person who we think is faithless may seem to have everything in life we want.  They may have more money, a nicer house or car.  Maybe even a job that we'd like to have.  But are they TRULY better off?

How many times have we read in the paper or seen on the news how someone who seemed to "have it all", did something stupid.  They get caught doing drugs or drinking and driving or they kill someone (or even themselves.  Why?  Because their lack of faith left them empty. 

If they had only had the faith of a child, how wonderful would their lives have been?  How happy would they have been.

How many times have you seen an unhappy child?  I'm not talking about a child who's upset because they got caught doing something they shouldn't done.  I'm talking about a child who NEVER seems to be happy.  A child who never smiles.  Never laughs.  A TRULY unhappy child.

I've seen children living in squalor, laughing.  Why, because they have FAITH that things will be ok.  They have FAITH that maybe not today, but tomorrow, they will have everything they need.  NOT what they want, but what they NEED.

The faith of child is a pure faith.  The faith of a child will heal scars that run deeper than the eye can see.

If everyone of us had the faith of a child, there WOULD be peace on earth.  There WOULD be no more wars.  There WOULD be enough for everyone to eat.  There WOULD be no more disasters.

Imagine having the faith to be able to stop a storm in its tracks.  NO more hurricanes.  No more tornadoes. 

Imagine having the faith to heal the lame.  Hospitals would be empty.  Doctors would be out of business. 

If only I had the faith that Jesus wants us to have............I'd stop the crime.  I'd heal the sick.  I'd help the lonely.  I'd never be done, but I'd be doing the work of Jesus, so it wouldn't matter.

Oh, to have FAITH.  I could have healed that child had I been there and had the faith. 

I KNOW that God so loved the world, that He sent Jesus.  I KNOW that Christ died on the cross to pay the debt He dis not owe.  I KNOW that Jesus rose from the dead.  BUT it's my lack of FAITH, the prevents me from doing the things that I ought to do.  Oh, to have FAITH.

This week, let's all work on our faith.  Let's try to go from faith to FAITH.  The big faith that let's us move mountains, even if they're only the mountains of some one's loneliness.  Have the FAITH to be a friend to someone who needs a friend.  Have the FAITH to live the life that God wants.  That alone could be a mountain being moved.

Oh, to have faith.........

Amen, Amen.

May the reading of this sermon bless you.  May God be with you and you with Him, until we meet again.

Amen, Amen.