Pastor Wayne Cordeiro & Pastor Richard Waialeale
June 7, 2020 - W2023

Fixing Our Faith

Faith Fixer Upper

Pastor Wayne Cordeiro & Pastor Richard Waialeale

June 6 & 7, 2020 

PASTOR WAYNE:  Welcome, New Hope! Today, we are starting a new series, Faith Fixer Upper, and the subject is “Fixing Our Faith.”  Faith is a word that's been misunderstood, misused, diluted, disputed, and generalized.  It has become synonymous with a person's religion or spiritual viewpoint, even though it has nothing to do with Jesus Christ! We're often defined by our faith; but, do we let the Bible's definition of faith define us?  

Matthew 9:27-29 NIV says: “²⁷As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” ²⁸ When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. ²⁹ Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you;” 

Where did that faith come from? There must have been enough faith to stir up a condition for the miraculous to take place!  Did it come by believing in an opinion or a personal viewpoint?  No, it came by believing in a person—faith in Jesus Christ and who He is!  Since the men were blind, they couldn't have been eyewitnesses to Jesus' miracles, but through others, their faith was ignited, as stories unfolded about transformed lives, and hope began to surge within their hearts as they heard about His compassion and love. In their minds’ eye, they could see the miracles of people being raised up.  Their hearts were stirred, and they reached out to others who would lead them by the hand to where Jesus would be! Their faith defined them!  Another example is in…

Matthew 8:5-13 NIV says: “⁵ When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ⁶ “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” ⁷ Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” ⁸ The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” ¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.” 

This was a rare and awe?inspiring kind of faith, as it was a huge risk for this Roman centurion to come to Jesus, asking for healing!  He had to be willing to change alliances without fear.  He was desperate for God's touch on his ailing servant; his faith was evident when he said, “Lord, you don't have to go.  Just say the word and it will be done.”  This showed the Lord that this man believed the word of God and acted on it.  When God marvels at something, it's a pretty big deal!  Through these examples, God shows us that it's not those of great status that the Lord marvels at, but the common everyday people who know how to apply faith.  When we have this type of faith, we give God the ultimate gift of believing in His power—and that honors God, and He is thrilled to respond with the miraculous! Would you love to have God marvel at your faith?

Thirty percent of all mentally ill patients have problems rooted in worry a paralyzing force based on unfounded fears!  One man summed it up so eloquently: “Where worry begins faith stops, and where faith begins, worry stops.”  Faith and worry cannot coexist.  It's like holding your breath and breathing at the same time! You must choose: Worry or trust.

Luke 12:22-26 NIV says: “² Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. ²⁴ Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! ²⁵ Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? ²⁶ Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?" 

Worry is a signal to us that change needs to take place. God never promised we wouldn't have problems.  He says each day will have problems of its own, but the heart with which these problems are approached cannot be worrisome, fearful, or intrepid. This is a battle we must constantly fight, no matter how long we’ve been a Christian. Worry is a learned knee-jerk reaction that needs to be unlearned!  Here are three principles that could help:  

1. Doubt Your Doubts Before You Doubt Your Faith  

Often, we have the tendency to doubt our faith before we doubt our doubts.  We've seen God's goodness and experienced His provisions, but for some reason, before we realize it, we're throwing out our faith, wrongly concluding that God no longer cares for us!  Someone once told me that when doubt knocks at your door let your faith answer it with Scripture, i.e., Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV says: "⁵Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.^"

Doubts your doubts before you doubt your faith--when you learn that, you'll always be right, because in the end, it will be our faith that will remain.  

PASTOR WAIALEALE:  Aloha, everyone!  It's an honor and a privilege to partner with Pastor Wayne on this message and we'll continue from there.

Matthew 18:3 NIV says: “...Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." This doesn't mean we're to be childish and immature but are we are to possess a childlike simplicity.  

Paul wrote in the book of Romans that our salvation is based not upon some mysterious understanding or something we should be doing, but that salvation is a free gift founded simply on believing not upon trying but upon trusting; not upon doing but upon what Jesus had already done!

 2. Live on God's Promises

Paul said this is not something new, but the way it was meant to be from the beginning.  Paul reached all the way back to Abraham's time for an example of one who is justified by faith. 

Romans 4:19 NIV says: "Without weakening in his faith, he (Abraham) faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead."     

At the age of 86, Abraham received the promise that he and his wife Sarah would have a child; now, 14 years later at the age of 100, Abraham still believes God would honor His word.  Reproductively, his body was dead; physiologically, Sarah had been barren all the days of her life. Abraham didn't consider the frailties of his flesh--he counted on the faithfulness of his God.  

If you're wondering why God's promises has not been fulfilled in your own life, know that there's almost always a time gap between the promise of God and the performance of God, so that the Lord can prepare you for what's coming.  Take your eyes off your limitations and put them on the limitless one! Your problems are as grasshoppers, compared to the One who spans the universe! 

Jesus said in John 10:28 NIV:  "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand."  That's what living on the promises of God is.  Paul writes in Romans 8:28 NASB says: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

Here's the key to faith: When we give glory to God, worry flees, and faith comes!  I can be struggling when I walk into the sanctuary, but when I start worshiping, my faith begins to grow!  

That's the reason worship is so important--not only does it bless the Father it feeds our faith!  When we move according to His purposes, we overcome worry and fear.  No matter what's coming or what's going on when we worship God, because we have experienced how God always works everything together for good, we can trust Him to keep working for our good.

3. Always Pray with Thanksgiving 

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV says: ^"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

Notice it doesn't say "for" everything give thanks, but it addresses our spirit within each situation and reminds us "in" everything we give thanks.  In other words, let thankfulness be your temperament in whatever situation you find yourself in.  It just may be that God is about to use whatever pain you're going through to prompt the change that has been needed for a long time.  

God is for you and will use anything and everything for good.  So, when you trust Him, you can remain thankful because you know He will use it for good.  A thankful spirit will change everything; but a bitter or angry spirit will rear its ugly head when we believe our doubts more than we believe His promises. When we pray with thanksgiving, we stop grumbling in our prayers.   

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV says: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 

The older I get the more I'm learning that prayer is a dialogue.  I'm discovering more and more that the real need in my life is not for God to hear me, but for me to hear Him! So, when I pray a phrase or two, I stop. I rest and am quiet, and the Lord brings specific scriptures to my mind and writes His will upon my heart concerning how I am to pray.  When we remember to be thankful, our problems shrink, and we gain renewed perspectives about our lives. Remember to always pray with thanksgiving.

Here's the point:  Far too often as Christians we tend to rush ahead of God. We want to get to the blessing, and think we know it all.  We have no idea how to get there, still we rush ahead.  In the meantime, God is telling us where to go or to stop rushing.  We respond with frustration because we're not listening. We try forcing God’s hand, trying to make Him go the way we want; but His desire is for us to wait and to develop patience. God’s desire is for us to allow Him to lead us. He wants our obedience!

Psalm 139:23-24 NIV says: " ²³ Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. ²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting." 

But if we want to go where He wants us to go, we must allow Him to lead us by faith.  When we trust God to take care of us and surrender our worries to Him, we develop an unshakeable confidence.  No matter what type of storm, or how difficult the circumstance we're in, we remember to run to Him first; and remember His promises and pray with thanksgiving. When we remember God's calling on our life, everything becomes secondary, and our faith muscle begins to grow stronger than ever before.  That's fixing our faith!  

Questions for Discussion:

1. What does it mean to have unshakeable faith – the kind that can move mountains?
2. What is keeping you from having the kind of faith that Abraham possessed?
3. What three exercises can help build your faith?  If anger, worry or bitterness has shown itself, what can you do?
4. What are some of God’s promises that you can claim right now to help you with any worries or fears you might have?
5. What is salvation, and what must we do to be saved?