January 8, 2011
1. How to Transform Your Faith in 7 minutes? Transform your view of God
a. Mannafaith- immature faith- Complaining and murmuring because your God is distant and aloof. You’ve seen God do things in your life and then he takes time off. You see God as a Santa Claus God. – God shows up every 400 years! (so they thought)
1. The Israelites had just watched God send 10 plagues on the Egyptians and part the Red Sea. Now they wanted something to eat. They complained (Exodus 16). “Oh that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by posts of meat and when we ate bread to the full”- Are you kidding me!
2. We do the same thing. We watch God do mighty things in our lives and then complain when something doesn’t go our way.
3. Me:
a. Moaning: God my job stinks. You helped me through school and now I’m stuck doing this. Where are you? God if you could just get me a better job.
b. Moaning: God, my kids won’t listen. You made these kids. God if you could just make my kids listen. A little help wouldn’t hurt would it?
c. Moaning: God , I need a little more money. You own the cattle on a thousand hills. God, if you could create an opportunity where I could make a little more money that would be great. If I didn’t give this money to the church, I’d have so much more money.
4. God will provide for you. Quit complaining and ask.
b. Hannahfaith- Bargaining faith: See God as the “Great Negotiator God”. You see God as a Bargaining God. He is an “If you, then I God” - 1st Samuel 1:11
1. 1st Samuel 1:11;“O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.”
2. At first, Eli thought she was drunk. Eli spoke with her and said (v. 17) “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.”
3. If you do this for me, I’ll do this for you God. It is bargaining with God- She gave Samuel to God
4. Not complaining, not murmuring, just bargaining.
5. Me:
a. If my baby is healthy, I’ll raise her for your glory.
b. If my kids get over this sickness, I’ll pray more to you every morning.
c. If I’m having a rough week at work: God, if you bless my leadership today, I’ll give you the glory.
d. If you help me get that promotion, I’ll give more to the church.
c. Annafaith- Serve, serve, serve. Mature faith: See God as God
1. Luke 2:36- 84 year old widow who “did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day”. “She gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”
2. She served God night and day with fastings and prayer- She was in tune with God
3. She immediately knew who Jesus was when she saw him.
4. She did not complain, she did not murmur, she did not bargain, she simply served.
January 8, 2011
Transform Your Faith
(Seven Minute Version)
How do I Transform my faith? Transform your view of God
1. Manna faith (Exodus 16)
a. Manna faith is an Immature faith
b. Those with Manna faith complain and murmur because their God is distant and aloof. .
c. They see God as a Santa Claus God.
2. Hannah faith (1st Samuel 1:11)
a. Hannah faith is a Bargaining faith
b. Those with Hannah faith tell God” if you do this for me, I’ll do this for you God. They bargain with God
c. They see God as the Great Negotiator God
3. Anna faith (Luke 2:36-38)
a. Anna faith is a Mature faith
b. Those with Anna faith serve. They do not complain, murmur, or bargain. They simply serve.
c. They see God as God
How can I get that Anna Faith?
1. We serve what we love. You can love without serving, but you can not serve without loving.
a. How do we love God? Luke 10:27 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, ‘and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’
2. Loving the Lord with all of your:- Mark Batterson, Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity
a. Heart- “There is a God-ordained passion that makes you glad, sad, or mad. There is something that breaks your heart because it breaks the heart of God. The only question that remains is this: what are you going to do about it?”
1) What God-ordained passion are you pursuing?
b. Soul- “Loving God with all of our soul means a soul full of wonder, a soul flooded with glory of God, a soul awed by beauty and mystery, a soul that hallows God above all else” (p. 52)
1) What are you doing to flood your soul?
c. Strength- “Nothing is more fulfilling than burning calories for a kingdom cause. Anything less than leveraging all our strength for God’s purpose is boring at best and hypocritical at worst” (p. 135)
- “Pray like it depends on God. Work like it depends on you.”
- What can you do to have a good “Kingdom Sweat”?
d. Mind- Loving God with all of your mind means “making the most of your mind”. It means loving God logically and creatively, seriously and humorously, intuitively and thoughtfully” (p. 94)
1) How can you use your mind to honor God?
