FAITH
1. There was once a young man who took a college speech class.
2. As this class progressed he was given an assignment.
3. He was told to present a speech which would be both creative and memorable.
4. After some consideration he chose to speak on “The law of the pendulum.”
5. For the first 20 minutes of his speech he described how a pendulum operates.
6. Most of us know what a pendulum is; we have seen them in clocks.
7. There are also pendulums where balls or similar objects bang into each other.
8. Most know that a pendulum will never swing beyond the point where it is released.
9. To demonstrate this in the class, the young man used a 3 foot string with a child’s toy attached to it.
10. He marked the movement of the pendulum so everyone could see how it worked.
11. Then he asked those in the room of they believed in the law of the pendulum.
12. Did they have faith that once released it would go no higher than the drop point?
13. Everyone said “yes.”
14. Soon thereafter everyone thought his speech was over.
15. Even the teacher started to walk towards the front of the room.
16. The speech writer told the professor he was not finished.
17. Somehow this student had come up with 4 strands of 500 pound parachute cord.
18. Tied to these cords was a 250 pound metal weight, a functioning pendulum.
19. The professor was asked to sit in a chair placed against a concrete wall.
20. The student then took the 250 pounds of weight and brought it over to the professor’s face.
21. He got within an inch of the professor’s nose.
22. Once again, the student explained the law of the pendulum which had been demonstrated for the class.
23. According to proven facts, the professor would be safe if simply kept his head against the wall.
24. The student then said to the teacher, “Sir, do you believe the law of the pendulum is true?”
25. A whispered “yes” came from the professor’s lips.
26. The student released his contraption through the air and it went “woosh.”
27. As the apparatus swung back, the professor leaped from the chair and fled from the pendulum.
28. Those in the class were then asked if their teacher really believed in the law of the pendulum.
29. They rightly said “no.”
THOSE
IN THIS CLASS WERE REALLY ASKED ABOUT THE TEACHER’S FAITH.
a) He said he believed, and one level that was surely true.
b) When his faith was put to a powerful test, it failed.
2) This very situation can exist in the Christian life.
3) A person may become a Christian and said, “I have faith.”
4) “I have faith in God, Jesus Christ, the virgin birth, the Bible…I have lots of faith.”
5) As long as that faith is not put under extreme conditions it may exist.
6) When pressure is applied, it may vanish.
7) With some, that faith grows and increases. With others it fails.
8) The Bible has a lot to say about faith.
9) Last Tuesday I attended a preacher’s meeting.
10) We discussed the idea of preaching a whole series of sermons on faith.
a) One person who was at that meeting said, “How would that work?”
b) As a group we began to think about faith. Pretty soon we had a full page of ideas.
c) Without too much effort we came up with the following possible topics:
d) Weak faith, dead faith, small faith, great faith, confirmed faith, courageous faith,
e) Salvation by faith, faith without sight, faith and sacrifice, demonic faith, vain faith.
f) There would be heroes of the faith, those that left the faith, and even a hypocrite faith.
11) God has much to say about this little word.
12) For our time this morning I want to think about great faith.
13) Our general text for this information is the third chapter of Jonah.
14) From events that happened long ago we learn some things about having a great faith.
a) Jonah 3:2 tells us a prophet was told to go to a “great city” and preach.
b) Why would God send a preacher to people—either in the time of Jonah or now?
c) According to Rom. 10:17, faith is created by hearing God’s word.
d) There is a direct correlation between our level of faith and our study of the scriptures.
15) What Paul said is in stark contrast to a lot of modern thinking.
16) On the way back from TN a week ago I tuned into a talk radio program.
17) Science professors from two secular universities were being interviewed.
18) One was a man and one was a woman.
19) The views of these two individuals were made clear throughout the show.
20) If information in the world is to be accepted, it must be accepted by modern science.
21) We can only have faith in something if it gets a stamp of approval from the scientific community.
22) Any information which gets a good bill of health from science is good for faith.
23) If information comes from another source such as the Bible, it is an unacceptable basis for faith.
24) Not only did these educators argue the Bible is an improper basis, they made a definite insinuation.
25) Those who believe in the Bible for faith are just plain ignorant.
26) If we do not let academia tell us what to have faith in, we are a bunch of idiots.
27) A long time ago a pretty bright man saw that he had two choices.
28) He could have faith in the ways of the world or in the Word of God.
29) He chose the later; he said: “as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”
30) Today we are called upon to make similar choices; where will our faith come from?
31) Once we select a source, how strong will it be?
a) Those who decide to get faith from God’s word get it from the right source.
b) When people make this choice they need to be reminded that they have made the right choice.
c) Jonah 3 tells us something about the prophet’s audience.
d) Verse 5 says the people of Nineveh “believed God.”
e) Who believed the prophet’s preaching?
f) At the end of this verse we find a reference to the least.
32) In life there are persons who have very little standing in the eyes of the world.
33) The least might be a homeless man or someone locked away in prison.
34) In the eyes of society the least might be an adult who never reached mental maturity.
35) God tells us the least in Nineveh believed (had faith).
36) Faith in God and His word was not limited to this part of society.
37) In Ninevah there were those who could only be considered “great.”
a) Perhaps this term pointed to leading business people.
b) Important city officials may be included in this term.
38) Faith was something that had universal appeal in ancient Ninevah.
39) True faith has never been limited to the ignorant and gullible.
40) In the case of Jonah, even the king of Ninevah believed (verse 6).
WHEN WE TURN FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT TO THE NEW TESTAMENT, THE PRINCIPLES OF FAITH IN THE BOOK OF JONAH ARE STILL RELEVANT.
a) In Ninevah, the people had great faith based upon their exposure to the word of God.
b) Today God wants His people to have great faith.
c) Someone might say, “How do we know that?”
d) I know because of the gospels.
2) Many of Jesus’ miracles are expressly related to a person’s faith.
3) Matthew 8 begins by telling about a man who had leprosy.
a) He had an incurable disease.
b) How many of us have gone to see a doctor about a serious problem?
c) If you can mentally raise your hand to that question, consider this point:
d) Did you every say to a doctor, “I KNOW YOU CAN CURE ME.”
4) A doctor would probably be shocked if a person with a serious illness said those words.
5) We say something else to doctors and surgeons.
6) “What are my chances? Is there hope? What do you think? What are our choices?”
7) Our faith in physicians hardly ever rises to the degree of faith expressed in Mt. 8.
8) As we consider what we say to doctors, listen to Mt. 8:2 – READ.
9) Here is faith, and it is strong faith.
a) Just a few verses later we read about a military man (a centurion).
b) This man who had a servant (verse 6) who was gravely ill.
c) He was so concerned about the servant he begged the Lord for help.
d) Jesus said He would go to this man’s house (verse 7).
e) What was the Lord’s reply? Verse 10 – READ.
10) God wants strong faith from His people.
11) He doesn’t want His people to be like the speech professor who said “I believe” and then jumped.
12) When God decided which miracles to put in the Bible, He put some emphasis on people’s faith.
13) What about the man in Mk. 2, the opening verses?
14) A fellow was on some type of bed and lowered down to Jesus through a roof by four friends.
a) We might describe the sick man and his four friends in a variety of ways.
b) They were creative, brave, persistent, and pretty unorthodox.
c) What did God have to say about them? What was heaven’s view of this situation?
d) Mk. 2:5: and seeing their faith.
e) Strong faith resulted in divine help.
15) Mark 5 tells about a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years.
16) Mk. 5:26 says she suffered “many things” from “many physicians.”
17) It is also said she spent all she had. We think that modern medical care is expensive.
18) It is, and here the Bible suggests it can bankrupt someone.
19) What would be on our minds if we had experienced 12 years of failed treatments?
20) Most would say there was no hope.
21) This woman had faith, Mk. 5:28 – if I but touch His garments I will be healed.
22) What faith.
23) Jesus specifically commented on her faith in verse 34.
24) Let’s go back to the opening illustration of this lesson.
25) Suppose God explained to us the law of the pendulum.
26) He then had us sit in a chair and He showed us the 250 pound weight and heavy cords.
27) God said, this will be released an inch from your nose but you will not be hurt.
28) Would we whisper “okay” like the professor or say, “LORD, I BELIEVE”?
29) The metal rushes through the air and comes back at us at a high rate of speed.
30) Would we still be in the chair or would we be diving for cover?
31) That’s a question we can ponder today and for the next several days.
32) Jesus faulted disciples for their weak faith.
33) Four separate times in the book of Matthew we find a statement like “oh ye of little faith.”
34) Even in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 6:30) He spoke of this problem.
35) God wants a strong faith from His people.
36) This week, t we can determine we will increase our faith.
37) Warmer weather is coming, and people are beginning to think about making things grow.
38) As good weather approaches, it is time to fertilize our faith.
39) For those who have a weak faith, it can grow. God’s word will do that.
40) If we have a strong faith, we want to keep it that way and make it even stronger.
41) There may also be those who are struggling to create faith. Help is available for you too.
42) If you have faith but it is currently dead (inactive), it is time to make it active.