Faith is Faithfulness Series #1
Pastor David T. Elms Preached on 12/10/2024
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Summary
Pastor David T. Elms begins a series exploring how biblical faith is synonymous with faithfulness, contrasting the active Hebrew root of faith with the passive, intellectualized versions found in Western philosophy. through the lens of Luke 17, he challenges believers to move beyond theoretical belief into a life of disciplined practice and duty toward God.
Key points
- •Faith is not just an intellectual idea (Greek mindset) but a lifestyle of faithfulness and action (Hebrew mindset).
- •The disciples' request for Jesus to 'increase our faith' was in direct response to his difficult command to forgive someone seven times in a day.
- •The parable of the unprofitable servant teaches that faithfulness is simply doing our duty to God rather than something we deserve praise for.
- •True biblical faith involves 'faithing it' (practicing faithfulness) even when we do not feel a specific spiritual 'buzz' or emotion.
- •We are called to orient our lives toward the 'unseen' eternal reality rather than the 'temporal' seen world.
Scripture
Faith
Faithfulness
Forgiveness
Spiritual Discipline
Biblical Interpretation
Life application
This week, choose one difficult spiritual discipline - such as radical forgiveness or consistent prayer - and practice it faithfully as an act of duty to God, regardless of whether you feel particularly 'spiritual' while doing it.
Reflection questions
- In what ways have you fallen into a 'Greek' way of thinking about faith as just a set of beliefs rather than a set of actions?
- Why do you think the disciples specifically asked for more faith after Jesus spoke about forgiveness?
- How does the concept of being an 'unprofitable servant' change your perspective on your service to the church and God?
- What 'unseen' promises of God do you need to anchor your hope in today despite what your eyes are seeing?
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Full transcript
0:00so I don't want to serve bad fuel in
0:00this house but I do have what I believe
0:01in fact I've already preached this
0:03message but under the inspiration of my
0:05wife and by the strengthening of the
0:07Lord I've turned this into a series
0:10we're going to learn about
0:12faith uh is
0:15faithfulness tonight's my first lesson I
0:17think we may have five of them I'm not
0:19sure faith is faithfulness and we're
0:23gonna
0:25diagnose Faith because we got to get it
0:28correct not this Western Christian view
0:33of what they tell you faith is and I'm
0:35going to show you why it's a dangerous
0:36Viewpoint and how it changed from the
0:38apostolics all right so we're reading
0:41together I'm not reading without
0:43blesses okay you may be seated in Jesus
0:46name uh Luke
0:4817 I'm G to start Les I'm going to start
0:51teaching now are you ready yeah all
0:53right all five of you then said he unto
0:57the disciples it is impossible but that
0:59offenses will come but woe unto him him
1:03through whom they come it were better
1:05for him that a millstone were hanged
1:07about his neck and he cast into the sea
1:10than that he should offend one of these
1:12little ones take heed to that to
1:15yourselves everybody say take heed to
1:17yourselves take that means on a common
1:21Tuesday night pay good
1:23attention take heed to what's being
1:25taught I speak not my words I bring to
1:29you the word of God take heed to
1:31yourselves If thy brother trespass pass
1:33against thee rebuke him and if he repent
1:36forgive him and if he trespass against
1:38thee seven times in a day and seven
1:41times in a day turn again to thee saying
1:42I Repent Thou shalt forgive him and the
1:46Apostle said un the Lord increase our
1:48faith one of the best verses in the
1:50entire Bible this was maybe one of their
1:53smartest days I so glad that they have
1:57that question and that request because
2:00there are so many days that I wake up
2:03and I say
2:04Lord I
2:06believe help thou mine
2:09unbelief so many times I say Lord I
2:13think I have faith but would you
2:16increase my
2:17faith we're going to break that down and
2:19the Lord said if ye had Faith as a grain
2:22of mustard seed you might say to this
2:24sycamore tree be thou plucked up by the
2:26roots and be thou planted in the sea and
2:28it should obey you but which of you
2:30having a servant plow and or feeding
2:32cattle will say unto him by and by when
2:34he has come from the field go and sit
2:36down to meet and will not rather say
2:39unto him make ready wherewith I may Su
2:42and G thyself and serve me till I have
2:45eaten and drunken and afterward Thou
2:47shalt eat and drink do he thank that
2:50servant because he did the thing that
2:52were commanded of him I Tri not that's a
2:56big King James word in other words I
2:59don't think
3:00so so likewise ye when you you shall
3:03have done all these things which are
3:04commanded you say we are unprofitable
3:07servants we have done that which was our
3:12duty to do all right I know you haven't
3:16heard this verse preached
3:18on but we believe the whole Bible not
3:21the convenient
3:22Bible and when Jesus said it it means I
3:25need to dig around and try to comprehend
3:28it and if I don't comprehend it at first
3:30it's only because I have not afforded it
3:33enough investment of my intellectual
3:36Capital my heart's outcry my spirit's
3:40desire to glean to learn to partake of
3:44his Divine wisdom and that's why as we
3:47go into this we're going to first of all
3:49learn about faith because faith is
3:53faithfulness much of what we have in our
3:56text also is recorded in Matthew and
4:00Mark um
4:03I I have a challenge I don't see a clock
4:06I need to see a clock all right they
4:09took it down at 8:01 all right good I
4:12see the time that'll help me let me see
4:14the clock at all times back there all
4:16righty and for the internet crowd we're
4:18glad you into en joining us tonight uh
4:23um but so much of what we are reading in
4:27this text is recorded in Matthew and in
4:30mark this text is usually looked at as
4:34three disperate separate statements that
4:38are thrown together and not necessarily
4:40intended to be together in other words
4:43many T teach these as if they're
4:46fragmented fractured statements from
4:49being together but really this passage
4:51is part of a larger message that
4:53commences in the 15th chapter and uh
4:56where the Bible says now all the tax
4:59collectors and sinners were come near to
5:02listen to to him isn't it interesting
5:05that how he he draws the tax collectors
5:07unto him I want to be one of those I
5:09don't take taxes but uh I pay taxes uh I
5:14want everybody in this house to know I
5:16pay
5:17taxes and you ought to pay taxes too or
5:19you can go to the graveyard Hotel all
5:22right uh so now all the tax collectors
5:25and sinners were coming near to listen
5:26to him and continues that verse
5:30continues until the 19th Chapter and the
5:3220 7th verse faith is refi referred to
5:36in a unique and special way in the 17th
5:39chapter of Luke faith is deep and faith
5:43is metaphorical and when you grow up in
5:46America and you hear about faith or many
5:48countries you hear about faith you don't
5:50know how affected you are with that word
5:53and The Way It Is defined in our culture
5:56and so we are going to try to dissect
5:59faith and realize that even though many
6:02times people look at Faith as
6:04metaphorical the Lord put it there for
6:07us to Grapple with and that means when I
6:11don't completely understand something it
6:14doesn't mean I'm supposed to write it
6:15off and say oh it's there I don't
6:18understand it don't get it y'all deal
6:19with it no it is it is I don't know why
6:23I'm on taxes right
6:25now but you know what if you have the
6:28auditor come to your house it is not
6:31their job to teach you about paying your
6:33taxes and you can say well I didn't know
6:36that but you're not going to get off
6:37because you didn't know that that's the
6:40reason everybody gets kind of uptight
6:42around the 15th of April unless you file
6:44an extension and we know those processes
6:47I don't think I've have I ever filed an
6:50extension maybe once because of you all
6:55right but here here's the thing it is
6:58not the irs's duty to teach you about
7:01taxes
7:03it's your duty as a United States
7:05citizen to learn about and if you don't
7:07want to be a US citizen move on there's
7:09other countries that you can do it their
7:11way but in this country you're supposed
7:13to know about how to pay and what to pay
7:17with regard to your taxes well in faith
7:21when we meet the Lord regarding Judgment
7:23Day we're not going to be able to walk
7:25up to him and say but Lord I didn't
7:28understand what you meant by faith and
7:30so that's on you
7:33no no no Thy word David said have I hid
7:37in my heart you know what you do when
7:40you hide now listen I got
7:43grandkids we play hide and
7:46seek
7:48they gifting at
7:52hiding is not as
7:55advanced a little booty might be hanging
7:58out a shoe might be showing
8:02but if their eyes are covered they're
8:05hid okay and that's the way some people
8:08hid the hide the word in their heart
8:09they just sort of tuck it in leave no
8:11when David said Thy word have I hid in
8:14my heart that means I have anticipated
8:18things I have thought about things I've
8:20thought about my own attitudes and my
8:22own approaches and my own mindsets and
8:24the days I'm excited about being me and
8:27the days I'm disappointed in being
8:30me but he said I hi hide it in my heart
8:33why why does he hide it in his heart
8:36that I might not sin against thee and so
8:42here when we're dealing with faith even
8:44though faith is a challenging thing to
8:46Grapple with we've got to answer with
8:49how we wrestled with the word do I
8:53wrestle in my prayers with faith do I
8:56wrestle in my prayers with consecration
9:00do I wrestle in my prayers with the
9:02quality of My Worship listen as a church
9:07we should not just come here and say
9:08well I
9:10worshiped am I really giving the Lord
9:14worship that is
9:16quality what is the test of the caliber
9:21of My Worship Is it real or is it just
9:27programmatic is it worshiped by root
9:30which is the weakest kind of way to go
9:32to school oh just learn the answers fill
9:35in the blank fill in the blank fill in
9:36the blank Lord help the Cathedral of
9:38Pentecost not to have feel in the blank
9:41kind of disciples no I don't know what
9:44my answer is going to be you come I
9:46don't have a pat answer for you because
9:48every circumstance is distinct every day
9:51is different some days I can run faster
9:54than others some days my legs hurt some
9:57days other things are going on that have
9:59my spirit in a depressed state and I'm
10:01doing everything I can to keep it hidden
10:03from you but it's all there but in those
10:07moments instead of saying I have a rope
10:10Pat answer no I'm going to walk up and
10:12say on this day here is what I have for
10:15you oh King you are still glorious to me
10:19and I know about this and I know about
10:22that but I'm still this is one of the
10:24things I preached when I talked about
10:26authenticity in our praise a couple
10:28weeks ago when I talked about how we
10:31started November with the uh season of
10:33gratitude but we come into December we
10:36come with authentic praise part of
10:38authentic praise is an admission to
10:41where I am right
10:43now quit pretending with
10:46God as if he doesn't know you're hurting
10:49it's nobody else's business that you're
10:51hurting my Lord if you're hurting don't
10:53walk up and show me
11:04at least pay on the fact that God is
11:07good all the
11:10[Music]
11:12time so what is this you faith it till
11:16you make
11:17it I didn't say fake it I used to but
11:20the Lord worked on me I used to say fake
11:23it till you make it but I say now Faith
11:27it and oh boy when we get into this
11:30series The more your you're going to
11:32realize the power of that
11:35statement faith
11:38it faithfulness it until you make
11:43it faithfulness it you know what a good
11:46marriage is made out of not Concepts and
11:51imaginations no it's faithfulness in
11:56marriage mayy need some milk on the way
11:58home get milk on the way home time to
12:02take the trash out take the trash out
12:05when you have to correct your wife you
12:06do it with the right
12:15spirit and when she corrects
12:18you receive it with the right Spirit I'm
12:23telling you my wife is getting on my
12:25nerves
12:26lately she has been getting on my nerves
12:29so bad in the last several weeks I don't
12:32know what's their problem I get a fresh
12:35stick of doubl Min in my
12:39mouth and the pastor's in the pull
12:44pit I get one
12:47stick and then I believe in the gift of
12:49the double portion
12:52blessing I get a second stick of double
12:55mint in my mouth I'm not even through
12:59the crunchiness of the goodness
13:03my wife say you sure are enjoying that
13:05gum aren't
13:07you and she emphasizes The
13:12Chew I'm sitting there thinking you got
13:15that
13:16right but her eyes don't tell me you're
13:20enjoying those gums that gum her eyes
13:23say you're getting on my nerves with
13:25that chewing gum I mean if I get around
13:29people it's like it's the most
13:30unmannerly thing in all the the world to
13:32have chewing and gum in your mouth am
13:34you got to get that gum
13:36out what do they make gum
13:41for I'm back on the word of God don't
13:45youall wish you could be here tonight
13:47all you online don't you just wish you
13:49could be here you're missing all the
13:53fun
13:55listen yes and so here we are and the
13:59Lord starts this saying Luke said now
14:02all the tax collectors and sinners were
14:06coming near to listen to him and then it
14:09continues through 19 and it talks about
14:11faith and Luke introduces significant
14:14themes in this section of repentance and
14:18restoration he tells the story about the
14:19Lost coin the lost sheep and the lost
14:21son and then in that he also gives us
14:24accountability of the disciples their
14:27need for faithfulness is what we're
14:29dealing with choosing God against the
14:31love of money he deals with in this then
14:33he a chief chiefly addressed the
14:35Pharisees and talks about the importance
14:38of
14:39compassion and apparently Pharisees
14:42don't understand that they once stood in
14:45the need of God
14:46too and so the Lord's dealing with the
14:49Pharisees about you better arm yourself
14:50with
14:51compassion all right now faith that is
14:55re rooted in the scripture is deeply
14:59planted in a HEB
15:02Hebrew
15:04mindset now I want to show you a
15:06difference and this is where it might
15:08get boring
15:09okay but stay with
15:11me Faith rooted in the Hebrew tradition
15:14is always defined as an active
15:18exercise and practice but Faith evolved
15:22into a more passive theoretical
15:25construct because of the adoption of
15:28Grecian philosophy stay with me I know
15:31it's going to say boring but I got to
15:32let you know that I'm telling you the
15:34truth okay so I got to give you the
15:36details Grecian philosophy was nowhere
15:39part of the first church it was
15:42Apostolic it was based in Hebrew Jewish
15:46mindsets there was no pH philosophical
15:49construct of debate and discussion and
15:52discourse no there was the preaching of
15:55the word of God and the Apostle Paul
15:57said God it pleased God by the
15:59foolishness of preaching you know what
16:01preaching is it's not lecture it's
16:04Proclamation with
16:06authority it's not subject to a little
16:08debate no it's the Declaration of the
16:11Covenant of God and so here it comes uh
16:15there's this theoretical construct that
16:17happens to make its way into the church
16:20because of Grecian philosophy and the
16:22shift happened I'm going to try to go
16:24fast through this all right so stay with
16:25me settle up the shift happened through
16:27the integration of Greek philosophical
16:30ideas in the
16:32church not
16:34Apostolic because this happened between
16:36100 and 400 ad Jesus died 33 ad there's
16:41been 70 years before this idealism
16:45starts coming in although it is dealt
16:47with in the scripture Corinth was
16:49already getting filled with hoty
16:51discourse and great dissertations and
16:54they were creating their little clubs
16:55and their little social groups and I'm
16:57of Paul and you're of sephus and you're
17:00you're a Apollo and Paul said what are
17:03you guys doing buying into all this
17:05mindset of high sounding words of men's
17:09wisdom but the shift happened as the
17:11church began to grow through the Grecian
17:14world through Athens and the the the the
17:18seven churches of Asia that's the
17:20Grecian phrase the the world where great
17:23Revival happened but to particularly
17:25this happened through the early church
17:28fathers now these are not the apostolic
17:30fathers these are those who came into
17:32the
17:34church 70 years after Jesus died these
17:39are those who did not see him or hear
17:42him they heard those who heard him but
17:46you could see a slow
17:48degradation of the apostolic way of
17:51living and this is the why this is the
17:53reason the Bible said the church is
17:54built on the apostles and the prophets
17:57with Christ Jesus being the Chief
17:59Cornerstone when it says Apostles it's
18:01not talking about any Catholic
18:05Cardinals not one Catholic Cardinal is
18:08included in the in in the intent of the
18:11scripture when it says the apostles and
18:14the prophets with Christ Jesus being the
18:17Chief Cornerstone the pope has no
18:19authority to change what the word of God
18:22says in the sacred
18:25Bible but as you would expect as you all
18:29know America has changed with
18:33years I am only a few years old but in
18:37my 58 years of living America has
18:40changed a tremendous
18:42amount you can imagine how the enemy
18:46attacked God's church both from an
18:49underground Manner and from an on high
18:52manner to destroy the pure word of God
18:56it's demonstrated throughout the the the
18:58Epistles and then Jude the half brother
19:00of Jesus come Comes Alive wanting to
19:03speak to them and he said I sought to
19:05write to you about the common salvation
19:07in other words I just wanted to have a
19:08testimony
19:09service but I could not he said because
19:14there have been men who have slipped in
19:17among you
19:19unawares that are defiling the gospel of
19:23the Lord Jesus
19:24Christ now what does this mean if it's
19:27already happening and Jude is writing
19:29before 100 AD
19:32this 100 to 400 is where the
19:35great
19:37infusion of Grecian philosophy started
19:41coloring the minds of those who said
19:44they were the spiritual gurus and
19:45leaders of the church okay and this this
19:49this ship happened through the early
19:51church fathers who sought to reconcile
19:53their faith with contemporary back then
19:56it was contemporary intellectual
19:59currents this moved the interpretation
20:02of what faith is from the Hebrew
20:05emphasis on practicing
20:07it when you say I have faith it means
20:10you have
20:11faithfulness to this theological and I
20:15hate I don't even like that word to this
20:17theoretical I know theology means what
20:19men think of God and I'm not interested
20:21in what men think of God I'm interested
20:22in what God thinks of
20:24men okay that's the reason I prefer
20:26biblical studies not theological studies
20:30because I don't care what men have say I
20:31want to know what does God
20:33say that's the reason we stand on the
20:36word of God not the writings of the
20:37church
20:39fathers that makes us different y'all if
20:43you believe that the writing of the
20:44progressive revelation to the church
20:47fathers is a Doctrine then this is not
20:49your church it's not your church we're
20:52going to stand on the word of God period
20:54period I don't go and consult with those
20:57who lived 400 years after Jesus I don't
21:00get any with wisdom from 325
21:04ad I get it straight from the word of
21:06God and that's all I need I don't need
21:09all the dissertations on what faith is
21:11supposed to be defined at as so uh these
21:15these Grecian philosophical ideals got
21:18infused into theological circles
21:20particularly through the early church
21:22fathers which was 100 to 400 ad who
21:24sought to reconcile their faith with
21:26contemporary intellectual currents this
21:28moved Faith from a Hebrew emphasis on
21:31practice to a Greco Roman focus on
21:34belief as a theor theoretical
21:37understanding the Hebrew conception of
21:40faith is a conception of
21:43practicing the Grecian theory of faith
21:46is
21:48imagining and talking about it let's sit
21:51around and have a long dissertation
21:54about what we think the mental
21:56constructs of Faith are the Hebrew says
21:59Get Up and pray
22:02the Greco Roman idealism is sit around
22:05and let's imagine how is prayer to be
22:07effective in the dimensions and the
22:09Realms and the roles of
22:13mankind the Hebrew version of Praise Is
22:16get up off your feet get up on your feet
22:19raise your hands lift your voice and
22:22give God the
22:24glory the Greco Roman audition of Praise
22:27Is let's analyze the verbiage by which
22:30we shall approach the processes of
22:32thinking what praise might be
22:34entertaining
22:38through now listen we live in a world
22:42that this battle happens every Sunday in
22:46every church that's called Church there
22:49are many people who come say well I came
22:51to praise the Lord but they just barely
22:52praise I came to pray and they let
22:55everybody on the platform pray every
22:57prayer that's prayed it's like oh we're
22:59going to pray so I get to sit here and
23:00be quiet nothing but listen that's not
23:03praying I'm glad one is in the room
23:06praying but when you pray your prayer is
23:08what he wants to
23:09hear nobody can pray your prayer for you
23:13you can't pray my prayer for me you
23:15don't know where I came from you don't
23:18know what he brought me through and
23:20that's not disregarding or disrespecting
23:22you it's just I have come such a long
23:25way I was the lonely one at Freedom Park
23:28by the pine tree I was the one who
23:30almost died on Interstate 95 just
23:32outside of Washington DC I was the one
23:35that he saved from drowning in the river
23:37I was the one that he kept when I fell
23:40out of a tree and could have brush
23:41should have broke my neck I was the one
23:44who he saved time and time again you
23:47can't praise my praise I got to lift my
23:51voice I got to raise my hand I got to
23:54sing my song I got to let the world know
23:57he's done so much for me
24:01[Applause]
24:03[Music]
24:07in Hebrew the the word for faith is
24:11muna and it is inherently practical and
24:15intrinsically linked to action and to
24:20obedience action that's governed by
24:22obedience it is known as quote an active
24:26trust a lived experience rather than an
24:30abstract
24:31belief trust in the Bible Hebrew version
24:35of Faith trust is demonstrated by
24:38concrete actions and adherence to the
24:42Commandments validated and expressed
24:45through Deeds I know your
24:48faith by your
24:52works and Along Came Grecian thought and
24:55said no I have faith and you don't have
24:57to see anything because works are not of
25:00God
25:03what have a marriage with no
25:05Works try that
25:08someday love your kids with no Works try
25:11that someday when did Works get to be so
25:14bad have you ever collected a paycheck
25:15without
25:17works and people think God is more
25:20ignorant than that no you show him your
25:24faith by your
25:28actions follow me I'm not trying to win
25:31your heart I'm not trying to lose your
25:33heart I've got to tell the truth tonight
25:37that's all I'm here for is to tell the
25:39truth and you can grapple with it as you
25:41want to but here's the point about this
25:44the Hebrew scriptures emphasize a
25:47covenantal relationship between God and
25:50man where faithfulness is measured by
25:53one's commitment to do according to the
25:56Divine ordinance when he says praise him
26:00then we'll know if you love it by your
26:03praise if you want to stand and watch
26:05everybody else praise we're glad you're
26:06here you're not praising the Lord if you
26:09want to pray and listen to others pray
26:12I'm glad you're watching them pray but
26:14you're not praising and you're not
26:16praying it is yours it doesn't overload
26:19God for more than one person to talk at
26:22a time it might break your brain and my
26:25brain gets confused if I'm anticipating
26:28understanding of everybody who's praying
26:30but when the Pentecostal concept gets
26:32going that is we understand that God
26:35hears me when I pray and I'm not trying
26:38to be nosy and listen to your prayer I
26:40don't care what this one's going on in
26:42fact when I began to pray years ago when
26:44I was trying to keep my focus I would
26:45literally take my thumbs plug my ears
26:50and get to praying and when this church
26:52was a quiet praying Church you know what
26:55David gravy did I stuck these two thumbs
26:58in my ears and covered my head and I I
27:01prayed like I was the only person in the
27:02place and I raised some kids and told
27:05them there's no such thing as a silent
27:07prayer the devil's never heard a silent
27:09prayer an a angel doesn't doesn't even
27:11know a silent prayer is happening
27:13there's never been a devil cast out by a
27:14silent prayer you got to speak life or
27:17speak death you got to speak speak
27:19blessing or speak cursing but you can't
27:22think
27:23it I know the Bible says as a man
27:26thinketh in his heart so so is he that's
27:29you but when you're walking into a world
27:32of other people if you live in a world
27:34with no people in it then go ahead and
27:35just think think think think think but
27:37we don't live like that we live where
27:40people are and we've got to put forth
27:43like a candle an
27:46influence Grecian philosophical
27:49influence came to Christian thought
27:51because as Christianity merged out of
27:54the Hebrew setting and as there became
27:57this press from the Pharisee Jews and
28:01there was a Schism that happened there
28:03were Jews that were against the Jesus
28:05story as there is still today there were
28:07in that day they would come they would
28:09rise up and so because of that there was
28:12this Schism that happened that thought
28:14well the Jews don't want Jesus you ever
28:16heard that before that's a lie the whole
28:19old New Testament is fill of Jews Who
28:21Loved
28:23Jesus all of the Bible writers just
28:25about are Jews Who wrot Loved Jesus
28:28right so don't tell me none of the Jews
28:30love Jesus Jesus it's for everybody but
28:33in that day there was a Schism of the
28:34Jews that led Jesus so the Gentiles the
28:37goem said oh well but since the Jews
28:40don't want it but we love Jesus we
28:42finally got this this this God of Yahweh
28:45ours Jehovah the old test now belongs to
28:47us but as that happened they started
28:50infusing some of these Grecian ideals
28:52and as it merged into the Greco Roman
28:54World helenistic Culture permeated by
28:58Greek philosophy this prestigious
29:01philosophical schools was brought in and
29:04piped in to the religion Church world
29:08but platonism
29:12aristotelianism stoicism and
29:19neoplatonism I'll let yall interpret me
29:21next week provided Frameworks for the
29:25defining of reality of knowledge and
29:28ethics and the further the church went
29:30from the Apostles Doctrine a taint from
29:33these Traditions begin to appear even
29:37it's dealt with in the Corinthian
29:39letters and the as the credential of the
29:42philosophical stres stages infiltrated
29:45the church sometimes instead of praying
29:47through to the apostles Doctrine they
29:49said well let's just add on some of this
29:51Grecian stoicism into our worship and it
29:55was the same secet syncretism that
29:57happens nowadays it's just a big word
30:00that means we're blending
30:03religions and as the as the infiltration
30:06of these credential folks come in too
30:09many begin to interpret and articulate
30:11their faith using and it shows up in the
30:14Council of NAA okay it's very clear in
30:16this Council of NAA they're using
30:20philosophical constructs from Greco
30:23Roman
30:24schooling and Jude says these people
30:27crept in
30:28unawares faith morphed to be understood
30:31as rational
30:34contemplation moving away from the
30:36Hebrew
30:37interpretation of action action
30:41action of faithfulness faithfulness
30:45faithfulness until now you could listen
30:47to a preacher preach and analyze the
30:49sermon and break it down as you thought
30:52maybe we'll consider that a little bit
30:53more we'll take this in somewhat and
30:55we'll we'll measure that out and it
30:58turned into the fact that you were the
30:59jury and the preacher was being judged
31:02instead of the word of God being the
31:04judge and you before the throne this
31:08book judges us it's sharper than any
31:12two-edged sword and when the preaching
31:14of the word of God happens there are
31:16Supernatural words that come out of the
31:18preacher's mouth that he doesn't know
31:20what he's saying but you're the one who'
31:22been living in your skin all week long
31:24and you know it just got scary up in
31:27this place because he just said
31:29something he's not supposed to know and
31:31why does he know that was he sitting up
31:34in my brain while I was thinking those
31:36thoughts and the preacher doesn't know
31:38what he's doing he's just under the
31:40anointing flow of the Holy Ghost and the
31:43Holy Ghost is coming up to you and it's
31:45Discerning the thoughts and the intents
31:48of your heart and it's Discerning the
31:50joint from Tom tomorrow and he saying
31:52this is of god that is your flesh get it
31:59separated that's Christianity spread
32:01Beyond its Jewish Origins it encountered
32:03increasingly Incorporated Greek
32:05philosophical Concepts the early church
32:08fathers integrated these philosophies
32:09imagine that it brought credibility to
32:11the church and under the influence of
32:13Grecian philosophy Faith began to see as
32:15less active less than active obedience
32:18and more
32:20intellectual Ascent the doctrinal
32:23formulation came about as Nan Creed was
32:25formed in the 325 ad formalizing beliefs
32:29that Christians were expected to now
32:32accept
32:34Christ where did that verbiage ever come
32:37from who's accepting
32:40who who do you think you
32:43are so you accepted
32:47him we say well we got that straight
32:49from Romans listen Romans are people
32:52already been filled with the Holy Ghost
32:53baptized in Jesus name just read the
32:55opening verses written to the church the
32:57saints that be at Rome it's not written
32:59to Sinners that are trying to figure out
33:00out whether or not they want to follow
33:03Jesus and so here it is this idea which
33:06is known in theological Ser circles I'm
33:09just saying this so I can impress one or
33:10two of you it's Orthodoxy versus
33:14orthopraxy it's
33:16belief over practice it's thought
33:19against Theory it's an interplay between
33:22faith and reason and this theme started
33:25feeling Christianity where faith is
33:29positioned as a philosoph opical inquiry
33:32rather than through the measure of one's
33:35practice and salvation becomes framed
33:38with philosophical discourse rather than
33:41repent every one of
33:43you and be baptized in the name of Jesus
33:46Christ for the remission of your sins
33:49the reason the whole world gets bothered
33:50when we quote acts 238 is because all of
33:53a sudden their theories about what faith
33:55is supposed to look like they're
33:57supposed to sit somewhere and just
33:58imagine a while it gets All Shook Up up
34:01how dare Peter tell me to repent every
34:04one of you and be baptized in the name
34:07of Jesus Christ for the remission of
34:09your sins and you shall receive the gift
34:11of the Holy Ghost and so flesh that is
34:14carnal and filled with Western thought
34:17says let me back up into my
34:21theological
34:23idealisms and I'll just put off baptism
34:27and I'll put off this repentance story
34:29and I'll put off this holy ghost thing
34:32because I've got to
34:34contemplate
34:36analyze and be
34:39paralyzed in my
34:42analysis paralysis by
34:45analysis and this period uh between 100
34:48AD and 400 ad witness witnessed a
34:51profound transformation where Faith
34:54evolved from the Hebrew emphasis on
34:57practiced obedience to a more
35:00theoretical construction centered on
35:03intellectual
35:05ascent and the shift shapes doctrines
35:09today it shapes practices today it gets
35:14into the imagined I accept him instead
35:19of the truth of the word of God is does
35:21he accept you it turns to where man is
35:26the one that has the prerogative when at
35:29the end of the day no
35:31when I come to him I give him all of me
35:34I don't come saying I've given you a
35:36thimble full or a bucket full or a
35:39barrel full so accept my offering no I
35:43come say All of Me Lord whatever I have
35:46I give I'm not holding anything back
35:50Withholding Nothing I give myself to you
35:56Withholding Nothing to do the things
35:59you'd have me do to do live the way you
36:04live dear Lord to give the way that you
36:08would
36:10give while this synthesis produced Rich
36:13theological discourses it also led to a
36:16form of departure from the biblical
36:19Apostolic understanding that your faith
36:22is known by your practice if you love
36:25God you go to church if you don't love
36:28God you stay home if you love God you
36:31pay your tithes if you don't love God
36:33you analyze the process of tithes if you
36:36love God you worship when it's time to
36:38worship if you don't love God you
36:41analyze the quality of others worship if
36:44you love God you get in that Altar and
36:46you seek his face when the doors are
36:47open if you don't love God you sit there
36:50and say that's not for me today I'm
36:51analyzing the
36:53processes and that's the problem in
36:55every church is when you go as if you
36:58have some prerogative to de di the spet
37:01that you're going to open for the Lord
37:03tonight
37:05no I'm
37:07practicing the presence of the Lord I'm
37:10doing it in the morning and I'm doing at
37:12noon and I'm doing it at night and when
37:15I wake up in the Midnight Hour I still
37:19say oh God I love
37:24you doesn't mean I'm spiritual all the
37:28time I still like when the Chargers win
37:33I was still impressed the Dolphins
37:34pulled it out did
37:37they but you can do those things you can
37:40be spiritual in the midst of the hardest
37:42work day your hand can be busted I got a
37:45busted index finger that I hit with a
37:47claw hammer and it was so swollen up I
37:51took a little miniature drill and drill
37:53the hole until till the bud went boom
37:56and oh it came alive and talked to me
38:02even in the midst of those circumstances
38:04you can be
38:05spiritual because spirituality isn't
38:08some pretense of pretending spirituality
38:11is living in the real
38:13world oh Elms you're preaching good
38:18tonight this is significant and our text
38:21is placed I got to close right before
38:24end time
38:26declarations right before the Lord talks
38:28about eschatological
38:31entities that are coming in the last
38:34days right before he comes and says the
38:37son of man is going to appear in the sky
38:40and every eye Shall Behold Him right
38:44before that he deals with this idea of
38:47faith and what it is and the disciples
38:49said Lord if we got to forgive like you
38:53just said we're supposed to get forgive
38:55increase our faith and he said you don't
38:59need more faith faithfulness all you
39:01need is about faithfulness as the size
39:04of a mustard seed and if you'll just
39:07give me a mustard SE size faithfulness
39:11then I will come and you can say to the
39:13sycamore tree be thou removed and cast
39:17in the sea and it'll go in Matthew it
39:19can say it says you can say to this
39:21mountain be thou removed and cast in the
39:24sea and it shall obey
39:27you all you need is a little a faithful
39:30not
39:32thoughts you know I I've heard guys come
39:34when they're trying to get a divorce
39:35from their wife and some marriages I've
39:38not saved okay but they just say well I
39:42don't love her
39:44anymore okay Joker you don't know what
39:47love is do
39:48you you think love is some kind of buzz
39:51you get on your in the middle of your
39:53heart no you should have gone through
39:55all of that early
39:57on because after you get married love is
40:00faith
40:01fness taking out the trash when supposed
40:03to be taken out I'm on taking out the
40:04trash aren't I did you ever put the
40:06trash trash can back today or when I get
40:10home is that trash can still going to be
40:11by the
40:12driveway don't look around it's our
40:16house Austin did you put that
40:22[Laughter]
40:26away river is pop pop doing okay tonight
40:30uh ah River said amen I'm
40:32okay
40:34faithfulness is what makes a marriage
40:37good take a
40:40bath
40:45Faithfully present yourself to your
40:48beloved
40:49bride Faithfully
41:00that was not fair when you met me this
41:02morning you had already brushed your
41:04teeth and I hadn't that was not
41:07fair you got to cut it out sometimes you
41:09got to even the playing field
41:12okay all
41:14right the Bible says without
41:17faith it is
41:19impossible to please him for he that
41:23cometh to God must believe that he
41:26is and that he is a reward
41:31oh that's shouting material right there
41:34a rewarder of them who
41:38what interestingly imagine
41:44him
41:47constructively consult about
41:50him there is an action in faithfulness
41:54when you say faith you're saying
41:57faithfulness it's not some theoretical
41:59cont concept it's what have I done to
42:02show my practice of the presence of the
42:05Lord sister Elms come it'll help me
42:09close if you displease
42:12God it doesn't matter who you
42:15please and if you please God it doesn't
42:19matter who you
42:21displease he is our
42:24judge and what he said in his word is
42:27what we're going to be judged by you're
42:28not going to be judged by the words of
42:29David
42:30Elms but when I tell you God's word mark
42:33it down you're going to be judged by
42:35that you can't say well I didn't
42:37understand no no no no no no no you will
42:40be judged and all those secret thoughts
42:43that you thought nobody was recording
42:45the Lord's going to push one button and
42:46you're going to hear every word of your
42:49imagination played over the loudspeakers
42:51in heaven as you excused yourself
42:53because you that you thought you had it
42:55like
42:58that nowhere in the Bible can I find a
43:00definition of Faith but we do find a
43:02description of Faith now Faith is the
43:05substance say
43:07substance of things hoped for the
43:10evidence of things not seen you know
43:13what hope means in the Bible it's not
43:16something that you wish for or an
43:17uncertainty what hope is is describing a
43:20certain standing on a Divine promise you
43:23don't hope on nothing you hope because
43:26of the promise so you get a hold of the
43:28promise of God and and that is the
43:31foundation of your hope when I tell you
43:33the faith is the substance of things
43:35hoped for I'm telling you that there is
43:38coming a day when I shall not be the
43:40tail but I shall be the head there's
43:42coming a day where I shall not be under
43:44the feet I'm going to be up on top
43:46there's coming a day the Crooked shall
43:48be made straight and the high shall be
43:50brought low and the low shall be lifted
43:52up there's coming a day when he's going
43:54to reveal himself in the clouds with
43:56great great Majesty there's coming a day
43:58when Death Shall being swallowed up in
44:01Victory and there's coming a day when a
44:04city shall come out of Heaven from God
44:07whose Builder and maker is God for he
44:09hath prepared for us a city and when I
44:12start hoping get out of my way because
44:15I'm not hoping that bubble young will
44:18start tasting like hubba bubble I'm
44:20hoping on the principles of the King of
44:23Kings and the Lord of Lord he's coming
44:25back to take his church out of this
44:27world and then we're not leaving long
44:30we're coming back to take over and we
44:33shall Rule and reign with him as Kings
44:36and Priests and judges on this
44:38Earth
44:40Hallelujah faith is a
44:43substance faith is an Evidence amen the
44:46word evidence there means a
44:48conviction the conviction of Things Not
44:52Seen they get enough evidence in you in
44:55court they'll convict you faith is the
44:58conviction of Things Not Seen
45:00what am I talking about I'm talking
45:01about there is an Unseen World you can
45:03look around and see all of us right now
45:05but there's an Unseen World that's more
45:06real than this B of
45:08water there's an Unseen World around us
45:11right now disciples are called to live
45:14above sea
45:17level
45:20s you got to live above sea
45:23level because there is an unseen realm
45:27Colossians said Jesus created all things
45:29seen
45:30and unseen Romans 1 said the invisible
45:33things of the world what's that the
45:36invisible things of the world are
45:38clearly seen being understood by that
45:39which was made Hebrews 11:3 says through
45:42faith we understood we understand that
45:44the worlds were framed by the word of
45:46God hold on so that the things which are
45:48seen were not made of things which do
45:53appear wrap your brain around that and
45:56Shout a
45:58wi Prophet trans it like this that which
46:01is seen was made out of the Unseen that
46:04which you can see is made out of that
46:05which you cannot see everything I see is
46:09made up of atoms this is made up of
46:12atoms it's made up of atoms you know why
46:15the atoms stay together because they're
46:17organized by electrons and a invisible
46:21force that nobody can see you got to get
46:24a measuring device just to see if it's
46:26there you can't see a electricity but
46:29it's if ever you touch it you'll
46:34know you you you you'll come alive or
46:38you go dead one of the
46:41two it's unseen but by this the world is
46:45held
46:46together the invisible world was here
46:48before the physical world was the
46:50invisible world will be here after the
46:52physical world is gone and when all of
46:54this has evaporated and turned into
46:56nothingness 2 Corinthians 4:18 says
46:58while we look not at the things which
46:59are seen but the things which are not
47:01seen for the things which are seen are
47:03temporal but the things which are not
47:06seen are Eternal when you come to church
47:09I'm glad for everything I see but
47:11there's a reason we close our eyes often
47:13in the house of God because we got to
47:14get in a dimension where the
47:17Unseen becomes so real to us and we'll
47:21wave in his presence and tears will come
47:23by and nobody's in a casket there's been
47:27no disease no reports of terrible things
47:29things happening and what in the world
47:31are you doing with those tears coming
47:34down your face I'll tell you what you're
47:36doing you just encountered something
47:38more real than the realities you're
47:40living in and it tells you you win it
47:44tells you you God is good it tells you
47:47it's going to be all right after all the
47:49trouble passes by it tells you this too
47:52shall
47:55pass so you believe good you put
47:59confidence in
48:00good yeah that's
48:03good it's good that you believe and it's
48:05good to put your put your confidence
48:07something but that's not yet Faith
48:09because Faith isn't Faith until you act
48:11on it and when you act on it it becomes
48:15Faith agreement plus attitude plus
48:18action is true Bible faith
48:22[Music]
48:34Lord increase our
48:47[Music]
48:58faith somebody's putting some action
49:01into your fears right
49:03now that fear has been on your Trail all
49:06day long but you decided I'm done
49:09thinking I'm going to start acting
49:12Praise You
49:13Lord I praise you for the victory oh
49:17God I know though a weapon is formed
49:20against
49:21[Music]
49:25me it shall not
49:28Prosper though I'm my enemy rise up
49:31against
49:32me though he comes against me he shall
49:36not he shall not
49:40Prosper Why Don't We Stand and turn this
49:42building into some practice right
49:44now practice practice practice
49:48practice
49:50practice practice his
49:53presence practice his
49:55[Music]
49:58presence if you want to come up this
50:00altar area it's perfectly open for you
50:02to come and set your rates and
50:04practicing in the presence of
50:10God I will not let fear talk to me all
50:14day long and me not talk back I will not
50:17let
50:19discouragement come and declare its
50:22words to me and I'm going to stand there
50:24and take it oh
50:27no if God is for me
50:30who can be against me I'm walking in
50:33your
50:35truth I'm walking in your
50:38righteousness I'm not talking about
50:40serving you I'm serving you I pray
50:43before I eat I worship you on the way to
50:47work I thank you Lord for my healthy
50:51babies I thank you for my