“Faith Born of Desperation”
Golden Text: Mark 9:23
If you can? Said Jesus. Everything is possible for him who believes

Focus: to reframe desperation as a catalyst for faith and grow in our ability to trust God

Objectives:
1. be encouraged when struggling with doubt
2. acknowledge God’s authority over stubborn problems
3. persistently seek God’s help

Last week I said that the greatest power that a person can exercise is faith in God. It is the spiritual resource that connects humanity to God. Faith in God connects finite with infinite, temporal with eternal, powerless to omnipotent. BUT our understanding of human relationships does not always give good analogies for understanding God’s ways. God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are higher than our ways.
I have often stated that I cannot change a person’s heart, only God can do that.
In life we are faced with many things that are out of our control and it can be frustrating. It can lead to doubt or even despair……BUT, Jesus said, “Everything is possible for him who believes”. Is that possible, to believe in despair, to believe when the clouds of doubt are overhead, to believe when faced with the impossible?

Matt8:5-10
What is the worst problem you can imagine? Sickness? Sending a loved one off to war? Financial ruin? Loss of health? What problem seems so big that nothing touches it?
How do these kinds of situations make us feel? Angry? Cheated? Helpless? Depressed? Fear has a way to paralyze us. It can place such an obstacle in our path that we don’t know how or are unable to act. When this happens, as Christians, we must reframe the problem in such a way that our faith enters the picture. We need to see God as the One who has the power to work in impossible situations.

The centurion was an outsider in a little town on the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee.
Here is where I love to read parallel translations. The NIV says that the Centurion came to Jesus asking for help. The King James says that he beseeched Jesus.
Beseech is to ask with urgency, or ask with anxiety.
The Centurion came to Jesus and he had a problem. He was concerned for his servant. There was a sense of urgency in his coming. Lord, I’ve got a problem and I need a solution.

In our lives, often, it takes a state of desperation to bring us to God with a sense of urgency. Hence, our lesson title, “Faith Born of Desperation”

PRAY = think about the impossible situation in your life. You know it will never get any better, or will it?

Faith begins with a good understanding that God exists AND that He cares about you.
1 Peter 5:7 cast all your anxiety upon Him because He cares for you…..
That’s fact brothers and sisters. God, your heavenly Father cares for you
Jesus, speaking to the crowd as recorded by Matthew,
10:28-31 do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows

The Roman Centurion had it right. He had men under his command. He knew about authority and discipline. It was the backbone of the Roman army. He understood that there was a higher authority than his own commander. He understood that God rules over all the earth and that not only kings and kingdom are subject to His word, but also demons and sickness bow to the authority of God.
Faith begins with that as a foundation. God exists, He is real, He cares and He has all authority. Consider the evidence. The Old Testament is filled with examples that the law of faith supersedes the laws of nature. When Paul wrote to the church at Rome, inspired by the Holy Spirit to write these words.
Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.
The book of Joshua records a time when the sun stood still-the law of faith overrides the nature law of the universe
The book of Daniel records such things as people walking about in a furnace of fire and staying in a den with hungry lions for a night without harm in either case. The law of faith is greater than the natural laws of consuming fire and beasts devour.
2 Kings 6 records that an iron axe-head floated – the law of faith supersedes the law of buoyancy
In the book of Exodus you read about the plagues of Egypt, the parting of the red sea, and water from a rock as well as manna from heaven for bread to eat.
In Joshua you read about the crossing of the Jordan at flood stage, the battle of Jericho and the conquering of the land.
The law of faith conquers all when that faith is placed in God.
The New Testament is filled with miracles that Jesus performed while here on earth. We only have a small picture of what actually took place during those three years. John would end his gospel with these words.
And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.

I want you to notice something very significant. We think our circumstances may limit our ability to believe God for the things we need. Maybe you didn’t grow up in the home environment that I was blessed to experience in my younger years. Get this, the people of Capernaum would hear the teachings of Jesus and witness His miracles, and fail to believe the evidence. Jesus denounced the city of Capernaum for their lack of faith. In
Matthew 11:23, 24 “and you Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable for Sodom on the Day of Judgment than for you”

The Centurion came from this environment. He was surrounded by evidence and rubbed shoulders everyday with disbelief. He chose to believe. Even more significant, he chose to act upon his belief.
Faith begins by believing in the evidence of God. The Psalmist said “the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. (19:1)
Jesus is the greatest evidence of God. In Him we see the perfect image of God.
There is a wonderful verse found in the book of
Genesis 4:26. At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord
Yes, we live in a secular age. We are surrounded with science, education and technology that seemingly are aimed at solving all our problems. But have they? No, No, No ten thousand times NO.
We need God in a time of need. The only way to have Him help you is to call on Him.
God invites us to do just that..
Jer 33:3 call on me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things which you do not know
Matt 7:7 if you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him
James 4:2 you do not have because you do not ask God

Someone has said it this way, If you don’t bother God, everything else will bother you.

Yes, it is humbling to ask for help. Especially for us men. It isn’t limited to just asking for directions. It is the pride of the male makeup. Exercising faith means humbling yourself before the Lord and seeking His power because we have a need that is beyond ourselves.
1Peter 5:7 Humble yourselves, therefore under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you at the proper time.
Hebrews 4”1 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

But Andy, you don’t understand, I have been asking God about this situation, this condition, this problem for years.
Luke 18 the story is told of a widow seeking justice. She continued coming until she got what she was asking for. Jesus challenges us at the conclusion of this account to do the same because God will respond to those who day and night seek His help.

Here is another amazing fact about this account. To call anyone “Lord” except Caesar was an act of treason. Yet this Roman official called Jesus Lord. He recognized that Jesus had the authority to do what he needed and was asking for.
The Centurion pushed past the unbelief of others in his community. He pushed past the prejudice of Jew and Gentile. He pushed past all the things that could have kept him from asking. He took the risk and asked God to intervene on behalf of his sick servant.
One more amazing details of this account. He, the Centurion, knew who he was and He knew who Jesus was.
I am not worthy, I do not deserve for you to come into my house.
Just speak the Word.
We often struggle under the same concept.
Poor self image, low self-esteem, unworthiness, worthless.
But you have been made in the image of God.
you are His image bearer.
You have been endowed with divine worth and you are valuable enough to God to pay a tremendous price for your redemption.
Having been born again, you are now His personal ambassador here on earth.
Help is a four letter word that a Christian should not hesitate to utter. Desperate times can enable our faith but you may have to work through doubt and fear. Let faith in God enable you to overcome.
If you can believe, all things are possible….. Who said it? Believe it. Act on it. Worship the one who is able to turn the impossible into the possible!

The account of the widow who would not be denied ends with a question that is scary.
Jesus said, nevertheless, when the son of man returns, will he find faith upon the earth.

I fear that Sunday after Sunday, people leave this place of gathering still carrying their sorrow, their feelings of helplessness, their doubt and despair.
Now I don’t understand it all, but I do understand this.
Heb 4:16
16 Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help (us) in time of need.

Let’s put our pride aside and run to this place with faith that has been born out of desperation