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.

July 29, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, July 27, 2025. Sermon text: 2 Peter 1:3-4 We have everything we need for a godly life. Sentence has: 68 words 9 prepositional phrases 5 dependent clauses God called us. “By His divine power” The word here is summon Like Lazarus, come forth. English readers are apt to understand calling in terms of an invitation that can be accepted or rejected. Peter has something deeper in mind. Christ’s call is effective, awakening and creating faith. -Thomas R. Schreiner 1 Peter 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. By revealing Christ to us. “Through the knowledge of Him” Side note, ambiguity: The ambiguity in the text indicates that Peter does not clearly distinguish between God and Christ, which indicates that God and Christ were venerated equally. - Thomas R. Schreiner Excuses are Eliminated We need to note that this comes to us by grace, but also that we have a part to play here. Effort is not a 4 letter word. You have no excuse for: Pornography- You have everything you need. Substance Abuse- You have everything you need. Pride- You have everything you need Laziness- You have everything you need Anger- You have everything you need. Prayer and Scripture Reading- You have everything you need. Evangelism- You have everything you need. He’ll go on to mention supplementing He has given us what we need for godliness now, and He promises us even greater things to come. We will share in Christ’s Divine Nature 2 Pe 1:4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature Unusual word… The “divine nature” (Theos) appears only here and in Acts where Paul addresses the Areopagus an odd work choice and would have appealed to his pagan readers. Acts 17:29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. Redefining what it means to become like God. Christ shared in our nature that we might share in His. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. In 1:3, it’s through the knowledge of Christ that we are called to Him. Here, we see that a fuller revelation of Christ will conform us even more fully into His likeness. How so? Purity Immortality Restoration to Eden Christians also share in God’s immortality. They are not trapped in this world. Though ‘perishable’ now, Christians will be raised ‘imperishable’ -Paul Gardner Glory John 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, We have everything we need for a godly life. English readers are apt to understand calling in terms of an invitation that can be accepted or rejected. Peter has something deeper in mind. Christ’s call is effective, awakening and creating faith. -Thomas R. Schreiner 1 Peter 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. The ambiguity in the text indicates that Peter does not clearly distinguish between God and Christ, which indicates that God and Christ were venerated equally. - Thomas R. Schreiner Excuses are Eliminated We will share in Christ’s Divine Nature Acts 17:29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. Purity Immortality Christians also share in God’s immortality. They are not trapped in this world. Though ‘perishable’ now, Christians will be raised ‘imperishable.’ -Paul Gardner Glory John 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one. Discipleship Questions: 2 Peter 1:3 says we’ve been given everything we need for life and godliness… Do you find that verse encouraging, challenging or both? Are there any areas of your walk where you struggle to believe that you already have everything you need for success? Do you ever make excuses to yourself or others for a lack of godliness? If yes, explain. How much work does it take to live as a Christian? What does it mean that we will be “partakers in the divine nature”?
July 21, 2025
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, July 20, 2025. Sermon text: 2 Peter 1:1-2  Peter is warning us about counterfeit teaching and false teachers The genuine gospel came from Jesus through His apostles —servant (humility and honor) —apostle (called, unique, sent) The genuine gospel is just as precious to us today —received and believed “How does someone become a Christian? One person might say, ‘Because I believe,’ and another, ‘Because God chose me.’ According to Peter, both ways of stating it are correct. On the one hand, we believe. It is a fundamental definition of a Christian that he or she is a ‘believe-er’; that he or she ‘has faith’ But Peter also knows that it is not our feeble faith that holds us close to God. It is God who does all the holding, and that is the reality behind the word received.” —R. C. Lucas and Christopher Green, The Message of 2 Peter & Jude The genuine gospel is centered on the person and work of Jesus —God —Savior —Christ —Lord “This fourfold description of Jesus is important because it puts him at the focal point of human history. As God, he guarantees that his words and his works cannot be replaced or revoked; as Christ, he fulfills all the Old Testament promises; as Savior, he died on the cross for our salvation in the past, present and future; and as Lord he claims the right to our individual love and obedience—notice how Peter calls him our Lord.” —R. C. Lucas and Christopher Green, The Message of 2 Peter & Jude The genuine gospel transforms us as we grow in knowledge of Jesus —grace and peace multiplied Discipleship Questions: Why is false teaching so dangerous? How does remembering and focusing on the true gospel help us stand against false teaching? In what ways is the gospel just as precious to us as it was to the apostles? How do you relate to Jesus as God, Savior, Christ, and Lord? What is the difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Him?
July 16, 2025
Notes from Zach Snow's sermon on Sunday, July 13, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 5:8-14 Why is the lion roaring? Wouldn’t it be a better strategy to be quiet…subtle…sneaky, in an attempt to “devour” Christians? I think that Peter, led by the Holy Spirit, was very intentional with his description here of the devil being a roaring lion. Went into a rabbit hole on a lion's roar…there are some spiritual applications to these: Can reach up to 114 decibels…almost as loud as a jet engine taking off They roar for social reasons (territory, create bonds, locate other members of their pride) as well as for purposes of intimidation. One of the primary purposes of the lion's roar is to strike fear in the heart of their prey. The lion will always start with a psychological advantage Fear, anxiety, depression, anger, hatred - these things can absolutely paralyse you spiritually The lion is not necessarily trying to kill you, but to destroy your faith Prayer: Be sober-minded - Have a clear and self disciplined mind - Titus 2 Exercise self control in thoughts, words, and action this is the 3rd time Peter has said this to us in 1 Peter - 1:13, 4:7 - it’s a call to remain alert and focused Being sober-minded means waging war against the things that are detrimental to the mind: fear, hatred, anxiety, depression, anger I believe these are specific things the enemy uses to derail our mental health and cause us to take our guard down Be watchful - this is the same word that Jesus used in the garden before he was arrested and crucified - this is a call to pray Prayers for others - Eph. 6:18 - Ephesians 6:18 - [18] praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, Prayers for yourself - James 1:5 - 5 j If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. So here’s the question… Do you believe in prayer? How much do you trust that God can do the things that you are not able to do? Do you trust God with the big stuff AND the small stuff? Discipleship Questions: 1.) In your personal life, what does being sober minded and watchful look like to you? 2.) Who are the people who help you stand firm in your faith the most? 3.) As a CG look at each of the points of the Theology of Suffering and find Scripture to support each one of those statements: God is ALWAYS good God is ALWAYS enough God will ALWAYS love you 4.) Discuss ways that the God of all grace has restored, confirmed, strengthened, and established you.
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