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.

Arm Yourselves

June 11, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, June 8, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 4:1-6 Prepare to suffer Is. 50:6-8a I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. 7 But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near. The martial language indicates that discipline and grit are needed to live the Christian life, particularly in view of the suffering believers encounter. -Thomas R. Schreiner Some people won’t like you if you follow Jesus When a culture abandons biblical standards, when extramarital sex, cohabitation, and birth outside of marriage become normal, people attack the church for its moral snobbery and judgmentalism. Peter warns us that if we do take a stand, we need to expect slander, not applause. -Daniel M. Dorian This is one of the hardest things a new Christian has to face. Your friends liked you because you shared in “the same flood of debauchery.” It seemed great fun at times, but then you came to embrace Christ… But your friends have not… They will be surprised when you say “No.” -Juan Sanchez. Keep an eternal perspective Our outcome is glorious Suffering is good for us Let’s remember that suffering accomplishes God’s purposes. It exposes what or whom we are trusting (1 Peter 1:6–7). - Juan Sanchez Ecc. 7:2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Discipleship Questions: Verse 1 tell us to arm ourselves by thinking as Christ did about suffering. How did Christ arm himself for and against sufferings? What does it look like for us to do that? Have you ever lost friendships (or had them change) because you were following Jesus? Do you fear that we (or our kids) will experience greater persecution in the future? If yes, how should we handle that fear?

I Believe That We Will Win

June 3, 2025
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, June 1, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 3:18-22 Jesus suffered and died in order to bring us to God Jesus conquered death by his resurrection “A wonderful text is this, and a more obscure passage perhaps than any other in the New Testament, so that I do not know for a certainty just what Peter means.” —Martin Luther Problem #1 - he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison —Jesus preached through Noah to those who lived at that time (1 Peter 1:10–12) —Jesus proclaimed His victory to evil angels (see Genesis 6:1-4) Problem #2 - baptism now saves you —Scripture is clear - we are saved by grace not works —baptism pictures our salvation from God’s judgment through the resurrection of Christ “The waters of baptism, like the waters of the flood, demonstrate that destruction is at hand, but believers are rescued from these waters in that they are baptized with Christ, who has also emerged from the waters of death through his resurrection. Just as Noah was delivered through the stormy waters of the flood, believers have been saved through the stormy waters of baptism by virtue of Christ’s triumph over death.” —Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude —in baptism we are appealing to God for a good conscience "This appeal is an act of the heart looking away from itself and from all human instruments and calling on God, appealing to God, for grace to save.” —John Piper —in baptism we are pledging to God to live in a manner worthy of the gospel Jesus ascended to heaven and now reigns over everything “We can face suffering as Christians with confidence rather than panic, and hope rather than despair, because the road marked with Christian suffering is, no matter what its twists and turns are, the road to vindication and glory. The God who vindicated Jesus will vindicate you, and he will sustain your faith until that day.” –Juan R. Sanchez, 1 Peter For You Discipleship Questions: How does Jesus’ death and resurrection encourage us when we suffer? Why did we need Jesus to suffer and die to bring us to God? How does Jesus’ victory over death give us eternal hope? What are your thoughts regarding some of the problems in this passage? How does what Peter says about baptism elevate the importance of baptism? When were you baptized and how does this passage inform your understanding of baptism? How does knowing our victory is secured help us with all the things this life throws at us?

Who Can Be Against Us?

May 27, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, May 25, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 3:13-17 Nobody can (truly) hurt Christians Psalm 118:6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? Rom. 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? The train of thought is as follows: “No one will be able to harm believers on the future day if they are zealous for good” (v. 13). Indeed, even present suffering is not a sign of punishment but of blessing both now and especially in the future, on the day when God rewards his people with eternal life. -Thomas R. Schreiner Honoring Christ Erases Fear Share your faith with strength and gentleness Embrace balance Be prepared to share The truth of the gospel is a public truth that can be defended in the public arena. This does not mean, of course, that every Christian is to be a highly skilled apologist for the faith. It does mean that every believer should grasp the essentials of the faith and should have the ability to explain to others why they think the Christian faith is true. -Thomas R. Schreiner Be prepared to suffer “I’ve spent a number of years in India and Africa where I found much righteous endeavor undertaken by Christians of all denominations; but I never, as it happens, came across a hospital or orphanage run by the Fabian Society [a British socialist organization], or a humanist leper colony.” -Malcolm Muggeridge Be bold! We will likely suffer as Christians in this world, but that suffering is slight and temporary compared to the eternal inheritance that awaits us. The worst thing that can happen to us is that we die and receive our promised inheritance. Can you imagine how emboldened Christians would be if we only believed what Peter is saying? -Juan R. Sanchez Discipleship Questions: Does the fact that nobody can (truly) harm us comfort you? What would change if we lived like we really believe that? Are you a more confident person as someone who knows Christ? Does your security in Christ embolden you to take some risks in life, knowing that the worst that could happen is death? How equipped / prepared are you to give a reason for the hope that you have? What would grow your confidence and competence in that? Have you considered joining Michael Clark one day for evangelism at the harbor? Well….you should….
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