Just Enough Faith

Website Editor • August 25, 2020

From Pastor Lance Shumake's message on Matthew 9:18-34:

From the very first words in the Book of Matthew, Matthew makes the case that Jesus IS the Messiah.



Matthew shows us that Jesus taught with all authority and HAS all authority. We see His power over the wind and waves; over sickness; over demons; and — in our text this week — even over death.



Our study in Matthew 9:18-34 gives us five accounts of supernatural healings and demonstrations of Jesus' supreme power.



As Pastor Lance pointed out Sunday, one of the things that is particularly interesting about these accounts is that they stand in contrast to the earlier miracles Matthew shares with us. The centurion, for example, had SO MUCH faith that he KNEW Jesus had the power to heal his servant, even from a distance. Jairus, the ruler with a dying daughter in Matthew 9, didn't have as much faith. He had *just enough* faith to seek out Jesus, then plead with Him to come to his home and see his daughter. He wanted Jesus to come all the way.



The woman mentioned in Jairus' story who interrupts Jesus on His way to see the daughter, had even less faith. She sneaks up to Jesus as a last resort.



The thing about both of these accounts is that Jesus showed up. Even when faith was small, Jesus didn't hesitate to heal. Through these accounts, it's clear that it is not about if we have enough faith. It's about the power of the one we put our faith in.



Sometimes our faith is strong. Sometimes our faith is weak. Either way, God shows up. It's His strength that matters; not ours.



The accounts in Matthew 9 give us a reference point for what "just enough" faith looks like:



Just enough faith to come to Him. Jairus came to Jesus when He was desperate and in absolute need. Even though we ought to have faith to come to Jesus before the midnight hour, He is still faithful to meet our needs.



Just enough faith to wait on Him. Jesus has a whole conversation with a woman on the way to rescue Jairus' daughter. (...can you imagine what was going through Jairus' mind?!) Once they arrived at his home, the girl was already dead.



To all the mourners, Jesus said, "the girl is not dead but sleeping." They laughed and didn't understand. They thought even God didn't have the power to raise her from the dead.



And yet, He did.



Death is not final for the believer. Jesus viewed death as simply "sleeping". We must let His view of eternity shape our view of the present. We know that God's timing is perfect. We must hold faith and wait for Him to show up. We must also hold faith if we never receive answers this side of Heaven.



Just enough faith to make our needs known. The bleeding woman in this story was living in shame. She had a physical and spiritual condition that made her impure. If anyone knew about her secret, she would have been banned from the temple and barred from society. Yet, what she found in Jesus isn't shame but forgiveness. She found healing and love.



Jesus already knows what our needs are, but He still wants us to come to Him with them anyway. We can trust Him with our needs. We too can find forgiveness, healing, and love in His arms.



Just enough faith to ignore the lies. As evidenced in the crowd mourning, our feelings are often our biggest deceivers. They laughed at the thought that God was in control. Let us have enough faith to trust in Him even when circumstances, crowds, or feelings tell us otherwise.



Just enough faith to persevere in your asking. The two blind men (Matt 9:27-31) followed Jesus, all the way into the house where Jesus was staying. They kept on going; kept on asking.



Just enough faith to bring others to Him. In the account of the demon-oppressed man (Matt 9:32-34), someone brought the man to Jesus. That person knew that the man's only hope was Jesus.



There are needs around us all the time. Let's be a people who point those in need to the only One who can help.



Just enough faith to follow Him as Lord. It's a popular Christian-ese saying to "Follow Him and make Him Lord of your life." Fact is, He is already the Lord of your life -- and everyone's life. You don't need to give Him permission; He's God. The question is, will you follow Him? Will you obey Him?



Will you give Him more than the Sunday sliver of time at church? Will you let His teaching and goodness and truth filter into every area of your life — how you parent? How you conduct yourself at work? How you act with unbelievers?



He gave His life for you.



He conquered death and defeated the grave for you.



Do you have just enough faith to follow Him anywhere?



It's not about how strong our faith is. It's about how the Lord is glorified when we seek Him and obey.



Watch this sermon, here.

Freed to Serve

April 28, 2025
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 27, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:11-17 This is the beginning of a section addressing how God's people now function in this world. It begins with aliens and exiles and continues with servants, wives, husbands, and finally, all of you. 1.) Our identity defines our actions. We are sojourners and exiles (temporary, passing through, not at home) We have a heavenly citizenship Actions We abstain from the passions of the flesh Keep conduct among the Gentiles honorable (our conduct is for the benefit of other people) Honorable conduct wins souls… sojourners, exiles, and soul winners “Peter’s point is that believers’ behavior creates a context in which people will listen to God’s word. He is not teaching that ‘good deeds’ in themselves convert unbelievers, but they establish an environment for the Gospel-word to do so.” -Barnett 2.) Our identity defines our expectations (Unbelievers will respond to honorable conduct in 1 of 2 ways) Some will speak evil against us as though we are evildoers Some will see our good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation 3.) Our identity defines our view of authority (Does anyone here ever just want to do whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it? That’s why laws exist) Be subject to every human institution (for the Lord's sake) This includes governors and emperors (no distinction between good/bad) The will of God... by doing good, we silence the ignorance of foolish people 4.) Our identity defines our view of freedom Don't use freedom as a cover-up for evil We are freed to serve God Honor, Love, and Fear Discipleship Questions: 1.)Why is it so important to understand our identity before talking about our behavior? 2.) How might this reality impact your parenting? For real, what are 3 ways that you can apply that this week? 3.) How is good conduct a form of evangelism? 4.) What do these verses say that we can expect from others? 5.) How can we honor a government that isn't always honorable? Seriously, what are 5 things we should immediately stop doing and 5 things we should immediately start doing? 6.) What are some tangible ways to honor others? Love the brotherhood? Fear God? Honor the Emperor? 7.) Should we fear the Emperor?

Cornerstone

April 22, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, April 20, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:4-10 Everyone must accept or reject Jesus. He is the cornerstone. We choose to accept Him as the foundation of our lives or toss the truth aside. When we come to Jesus… We become part of His People 1 Pe 2:4-5 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. The cornerstone is The New Temple. From this we learn that following Christ entails joining his community, the church…The freelance Christian, who follows Jesus but is too good, too busy, or too self-sufficient for the church, is a walking contradiction. -Daniel M. Doriani We join a royal, holy, priesthood 1 Pet. 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Because of who Jesus makes us. We receive God’s mercy Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms….Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years. It means undergoing a kind of death. Acts 17:30-31 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Discipleship Questions: Why is it impossible to be neutral about Jesus? Why do you believe that Jesus truly is the Son of God? Do you ever have doubts about this? If yes, what are they? According to 1 Peter 2:9, who are we after we come to Christ? Why does Paul say (in 1 Corinthians) that if Christ is not risen, our faith is in vain?

Born Again

April 16, 2025
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 13, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:2-3 Why do our souls ache for certainty? We are so eager for certainty that we will look for it in all the wrong places. - Certainty in our Finances [show slide from news] - Certainty in our Jobs [Acts 17:24-27] - Certainty in our Health [Covid] - Certainty in our Abilities [Ecclesiastes 3:11 “God has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”] “Things that have never happened before are happening every day.” -Morgan Housel In these verses, God gives us what our souls ache for! 1.) You must be born again of imperishable seed - We have all been born of perishable seed o Impure souls o Disobedient to truth o Unloving insincerity toward others o Lack of loving effort o Impure hearts - We are withering grass and falling flowers - The imperishable seed is the living and abiding Word of God o Does not wither o Does not fall o Does not let us down o It remains forever o It MUST BE PREACHED! But still, how can we be certain that we have been born again? 2.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your relationships When your relationship with God changes, God changes your relationships! - Sincere brotherly love - Love earnestly - Put away… o Malice o Deceit o Hypocrisy o Envy o All Slander 3.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your appetite for God’s Word - Like newborn infants - Long for the pure spiritual milk Discipleship Questions: 1.) Where are some unhealthy places where you look for certainty? 2.) Why do you do that? 3.) What were some evidences of your perishable seed before you came to Christ? Any of that still lingering that needs to be repented from? 4.) Why does Peter call the Word of God the imperishable seed? 5.) In light of the text, how would you describe being "born again" to a 5-year-old? 6.) How has imperishable hope proven itself in your relationships? OR How might it if you lean into loving others earnestly? 7.) Why does Peter tell us that hope will be seen in our appetite for God's Word?
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