Work of Believing audio video notes: For the believer, it is to always maintain an attitude of belief. We seem to be doing well, but then something happens. We allow negativity to enter our thinking. So, we become depressed. We get negative about this or that. We move from the positive position of believing to the negative position of doubt.
THE POWER OF BELIEVING
By Pastor Delbert Young
The Dynamic Work of Believing – From Defeat to Victory
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The Dynamic Work of Believing – From Defeat to Victory
Scriptures: Mark 9:23, John 6:28-29, Mark 5:36-42, John 6:28-29, Exodus 3:13-14, John 11:4, 14, 15, 22-45
There is POWER IN BELIEVING, unlike any other power in the world. It has the potential to change the natural into the supernatural. It can save a soul. Believing can heal a body. It can change the course of nature. It can do anything.
Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
The Lord does not want his children to live defeated, mundane lives. God desires to do great things for us if we will do our part and it is to believe. Christ’s followers are not here to be average status quo people. We are here to be supernatural and live the abundant life Jesus came to give us. To experience abundant life we must correctly believe.
A PRIMARY PROBLEM WE EXPERIENCE IN BELIEVING IS MAINTAINING AN ATTITUDE OF BELIEF.
We seem to be doing well, but then something happens, and we allow negativity to come into our thinking. So, we get depressed. We begin feeling bad. We get negative about this or negative about that. The next thing we know is we have moved from the positive position of believing to the negative position of doubt. The work of the believer is to maintain an attitude of belief all the time.
The Dynamic Work of Believing – From Defeat to Victory
One day Jesus was asked what works God required.
John 6:28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
John 6:29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: TO BELIEVE in the one he has sent.”
Belief begins by believing Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah/Christ/King. I think this is a part of our problem. We must believe all authority has been given to him in heaven and earth. We must believe correctly.
Believing this is work. Jesus said it is. Sometimes we have to labor to make our minds believe. We have to work at it. We look around, and everything is going south. Maybe our bodies are sick. Maybe our finances are in bad shape. Or maybe our marriage is in dismay. The child is rebelling. My parent does not understand. Unbelief attempts to take over.
Mark chapter 5 tells the story of a man named Jairus, a local synagogue pastor. One day, Jairus came to Jesus and fell at his feet. He told Jesus his daughter was at the point of death, and if Jesus would come and lay his hands on her, his daughter would live (Mark 5:23).
The Dynamic Work of Believing – From Defeat to Victory
Obviously, Jairus had faith and believed. Jesus said he would go, and they began walking. Along the way, the people crowded around Jesus, and the progress to Jairus’ house was slowed. A woman with an issue of blood touched Jesus’ garment and was healed, but it slowed the journey to Jairus’. Eventually, some men came from Jairus’ house and told their pastor his daughter was dead and not to bother Jesus anymore. It was too late.
Have you ever had people tell you something like this? Have you ever felt like it was just too late? You were working to maintain your belief, but someone came along full of doubt and bad reports. Let’s see what Jesus did when this happened to him.
Mark 5:36 Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
(KJV) Mark 5:36 … Be not afraid, only believe.
Jesus ignored their reports and continued believing. He told Jairus to do the same. He told Jairus to maintain his belief. WORK ON YOUR BELIEVING!
The Dynamic Work of Believing – From Defeat to Victory
Jesus said to work at maintaining your belief. Don’t allow negative reports to create negative belief. Don’t allow your faith to go the wrong way. Refuse to think or say the negative. All things are possible if we only believe, but BELIEVING REQUIRES WORK.
NO MATTER WHAT YOUR SITUATION MAY BE TODAY, JESUS IS SAYING THE SAME THING – WORK ON YOUR BELIEVING.
You may have every reason in the world to give up. Things may appear as good as dead. You may have gotten a bad report. Jesus told Jairus that if he would do his part—WORK ON HIS BELIEF—Jesus would do his part.
IT IS INTERESTING WHAT JESUS DID.
(TNL) Mark 5:37 Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn’t let anyone go with him except Peter and James and John.
He stopped the crowd from following, and he even stopped the disciples from following him, except for Peter, James, and John.
The Dynamic Work of Believing – From Defeat to Victory
It’s impossible to run with the crowd and maintain your belief. The crowd is full of doubt. In fact, you can’t walk with most Christ followers and maintain your belief. Isn’t it interesting out of the twelve disciples Jesus selected and took only three? We must be very selective when asking people to believe with us. Believing requires work. We want people with us who WORK AT BELIEVING. We want people who want what we want.
Jesus finally made it to Jairus’ home. People were weeping and crying. Jesus asked them why they were making all this commotion.
Mark 5:39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.”
Isn’t it amazing how much commotion people will make about negative things? Jesus doesn’t want any commotion made about the negative. He wants us to change our focus and believe in the positive, but when we do, people laugh, at least on the inside. It’s what they did to Jesus.
The Dynamic Work of Believing – From Defeat to Victory
Mark 5:40 And they laughed him to scorn…
They mocked Jesus. Obviously, the little girl was dead, but Jesus refused to admit it until he saw what God would do. Their laughing did not change his belief. The Bible says he put them out. Make those who mock and laugh get away from you and away from your miracle.
I was in Chicago several years ago. I received one of those dreaded pastor phone calls from someone who had received a horrible report concerning a pregnancy. The report said the baby would be terribly physically deformed, and they would do an emergency ‘C’ section the next morning at 6 a.m. We prayed on the phone. I left the conference and got the first flight back home. We were at the hospital the next morning. The mother who had been given the report was amazing. SHE IGNORED THE REPORT AND WORKED ON HER BELIEF. You could tell the doctors and nurses thought she was insane, but she would not bend.
A few hours later, a beautiful baby boy was born with no physical deformities! My point is to maintain your belief and realize people will laugh. Get them away from you as quickly as possible. ONLY BELIEVE!
Jesus went into the room where the girl lay.
The Dynamic Work of Believing – From Defeat to Victory
Mark 5:41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”).
Mark 5:42 Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.
Jesus took her lifeless hand and said, “Little girl, I say to you, get up.” She stood up alive.
WE MUST REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE OBVIOUS IF WE ARE GOING TO MAINTAIN OUR BELIEF.
You must work at avoiding a crowd, avoiding most Christ followers, and avoiding laughers. Sometimes it may look like your dreams and what you have believed for have died. However, if you will WORK ON BELIEVING, Jesus will take it by the hand and tell it to “get up!” God will resurrect your dead dreams, your dead marriage, or your dead finances. God will do the impossible.
WORK ON BELIEVING JESUS IS WHO HE said he is and God sent him.
Work on believing God has a good plan for your life and can turn around any circumstance. Also work on believing he can heal your body and your loved ones. Work on believing there are good days ahead for you, and work on believing no matter what trouble you are going through God will turn it around through Jesus.
The Dynamic Work of Believing – From Defeat to Victory
John 6:28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
John 6:29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
We try to complicate the Christian life, so we devise formulas and steps to get God to work in our lives. We preachers give point A and point B, but it simply comes down to ONLY BELIEVE.
OVER THE YEARS, WE HAVE HEARD SO MUCH DOOM AND GLOOM WE OFTEN HAVE DIFFICULTY BELIEVING GOD IS REALLY GOOD.
We need to believe God wants to do great things for us. Many people believe God is mean, angry, and waiting for an opportunity to burn up the planet. This is the devil. The opposite is true. God is looking for a way to bless you.
We are taught to put God in a box and limit him. We are taught a Baptist God, a Methodist God, a Pentecostal God, or a Life Gate God. So we want to give him a name/denomination. Doing this will pollute your belief.
The Dynamic Work of Believing – From Defeat to Victory
Moses was this way. He tried to categorize God. At the commission of Moses at the burning bush, Moses asked God what was God’s name (denomination, etc).
Exodus 3:13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
What does this mean? It means, “I AM ________.” You fill in the blank. God said I AM WHATEVER YOU NEED WHENEVER YOU NEED IT. I AM the God who can make the impossible possible. I AM the God who can open your Red Sea. And, I AM the God who can supply your needs in your wilderness. I AM the God who can bring you water from a rock. I AM the God who can raise your dead dreams. Also, I AM the God who can heal your body. I AM your peace. I AM your wisdom. Furthermore, I AM your victory. I AM WHATEVER YOU NEED WHENVER YOU NEED IT. Don’t limit me!
We serve an awesome God. We serve a God who wants to do anything for us. The work is believing he wants to.
The Dynamic Work of Believing – From Defeat to Victory
MY WIFE DOESN’T LIKE FOR ME TO SAY IT THIS WAY, but to get the point across, I will.
We serve a God who wants to show his glory. God likes to show off. We say “the glory of God.” It sounds spiritual, but what it means is when God shows off. God wants us to see his glory. God wants people to see his glory. In other words, God is looking for a chance to show off.
One day, Mary and Martha sent a message to Jesus saying their brother, Lazarus, was dying.
John 11:4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
If you are familiar with the story, you know God showed off. Mary and Martha knew Jesus loved Lazarus, and they expected Jesus to come running, but he didn’t. Jesus waited two more days before he responded, even though he knew Lazarus had died. Finally, Jesus said to the disciples Lazarus was dead.
John 11:14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,
John 11:15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
The Dynamic Work of Believing – From Defeat to Victory
If God does not come running, don’t give up. It may be for your sake. It may be God is waiting to show off “so that you may believe.” Jesus knows you will need to believe again down the road.
Finally, Jesus went to Mary and Martha. Upon arriving, they found Lazarus had been dead for four days and had been buried. Many unbelievers were at the house mourning with Mary and Martha. Jesus would not go to the house. As we have seen, he would not get around unbelief. Mary and Martha came to Jesus.
Martha said a very interesting thing. She said had Jesus been there, her brother would not have died, but even now she knew whatever Jesus asked would happen.
John 11:22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
John 11:23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
Notice Jesus’ response to Martha’s faith. Jesus said Lazarus would rise again, but to do this, Martha had to WORK ON HER BELIEVING.
The Dynamic Work of Believing – From Defeat to Victory
John 11:25-27
25 Jesus said unto her, I AM the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
Martha believed Jesus was the Christ / King and he had all authority. This is the belief Jesus is looking for. After this was established, Jesus said to take him to the tomb.
John 11:39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.
John 11:40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
Already Martha’s belief had diminished. Jesus said, didn’t I just tell you to believe? Work with me here, Martha. WORK ON BELIEVING.
The Dynamic Work of Believing – From Defeat to Victory
Jesus looked to heaven and prayed. And then…
John 11:43-45
43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
45 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.
Did God show off or what? My point is our God wants to show off for you. He wants to do great and mighty things. If you will WORK ON BELIEVING, you will see it happen.
What is it about your life that maybe even stinketh? Maybe it’s your marriage, finances, health, child, parent, or job. Do you believe Jesus is the King? Do you believe he is the resurrection and the life? If you will WORK ON BELIEVING, you will give God a place to show off for you.
I want to encourage you today. All things are possible if you can believe, but BELIEVING IS WORK. Avoid the negative crowds. Avoid negative Christ followers. Get away from the laughers. Don’t limit God. Remember, he said I AM THAT I AM. He is looking for a place to show off in your life.
The Dynamic Work of Believing – From Defeat to Victory
How many are going to take the limits off God and WORK ON BELIEVING? THERE IS POWER IN BELIEVING! Give him a shout and a hand clap! Amen.
Work of Believing audio video notes
Work of Believing audio video notes
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