WEBVTT - Functional Faith 0:00:01.520 --> 0:00:02.800 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. 0:00:02.840 --> 0:00:05.280 I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our 0:00:05.280 --> 0:00:07.760 podcast and I wanted to thank you for joining us today. 0:00:08.080 --> 0:00:10.680 Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. 0:00:10.760 --> 0:00:13.080 Hope it gives your perspective to see God is moving. 0:00:12.920 --> 0:00:19.240 In your life. Enjoy the message. Let's work together today 0:00:19.280 --> 0:00:19.520 on this. 0:00:19.560 --> 0:00:22.800 In Mark chapter three, verse one, and the scripture I 0:00:22.880 --> 0:00:25.159 want to read kind of sets up a theme that 0:00:25.160 --> 0:00:26.479 I want to talk to you about for the next 0:00:26.480 --> 0:00:28.920 few weeks. So the Bible says another time Jesus went 0:00:28.960 --> 0:00:31.479 into the synagogue and a man with a shriveled hand 0:00:31.560 --> 0:00:34.960 was there. Some of them were looking for a reason 0:00:35.040 --> 0:00:37.839 to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see 0:00:37.920 --> 0:00:39.360 if he would heal on the Sabbath. 0:00:39.360 --> 0:00:40.360 And Jesus said. 0:00:40.200 --> 0:00:43.559 To the man with the shriveled hand, stand up in 0:00:43.600 --> 0:00:47.599 front of everyone, and then Jesus asked them which is 0:00:47.720 --> 0:00:51.440 lawful on the sabbath, to do good or to do evil, 0:00:51.880 --> 0:00:53.040 to save life. 0:00:53.000 --> 0:00:56.120 Or to kill? But they remained silent. 0:00:57.400 --> 0:01:02.040 So he looked around at them in and deeply distressed 0:01:02.040 --> 0:01:06.119 at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, stretch out 0:01:06.160 --> 0:01:08.680 your hand, and he stretched it out and his hand 0:01:08.800 --> 0:01:13.040 was completely restored. I want to speak to you today 0:01:13.240 --> 0:01:16.160 and possibly over the next few weeks on the subject 0:01:16.440 --> 0:01:23.319 of functional faith, functional faith, and so Lord, I pray 0:01:23.400 --> 0:01:25.760 that your word would do its work in our hearts 0:01:25.880 --> 0:01:28.960 and that we would respond in order in Jesus name. 0:01:29.200 --> 0:01:30.639 Amen, and I may be seated. 0:01:30.680 --> 0:01:32.520 On your way to your seat, Tell somebody we got some. 0:01:32.520 --> 0:01:48.080 Work to do. Mark's Gospel gives us five. 0:01:48.320 --> 0:01:54.000 Different accounts within two chapters of Jesus in confrontational situations. 0:01:54.760 --> 0:01:56.200 Typically we think of jesus. 0:01:55.920 --> 0:01:57.960 Ministry as being a ministry of comfort, but it was 0:01:58.840 --> 0:02:03.040 also a ministry of co confrontation. Comfort and confrontation are 0:02:03.080 --> 0:02:06.200 both functions of the spirit of God. The same spirit 0:02:06.240 --> 0:02:08.520 of God that will comfort you and your trials will 0:02:08.520 --> 0:02:12.160 also confront you in your dysfunction in order to change 0:02:12.160 --> 0:02:15.200 you and conform you to the image of Christ. And 0:02:15.280 --> 0:02:18.280 so the earthly ministry of Jesus was no different in 0:02:18.360 --> 0:02:20.959 that he was a reliable source of comfort for those 0:02:20.960 --> 0:02:24.639 who mourn and a source of confrontation for those who 0:02:24.639 --> 0:02:28.160 had become complacent. We see Jesus here in one of 0:02:28.280 --> 0:02:31.839 five situations with the religious ruling group of his day, 0:02:32.520 --> 0:02:37.240 and the central issue around these confrontations is jesus relationship 0:02:37.280 --> 0:02:40.720 with and approach to the Sabbath. The Sabbath was a 0:02:40.760 --> 0:02:44.000 gift that was given by God to people, but as 0:02:44.040 --> 0:02:45.120 people so often. 0:02:44.880 --> 0:02:47.840 Do, we pervert a good gift and use it for 0:02:47.880 --> 0:02:48.640 the wrong purpose. 0:02:48.760 --> 0:02:50.680 And the very thing that was meant to be creative 0:02:50.680 --> 0:02:54.920 and restorative in nature becomes destructive when it's abused, that is, 0:02:54.960 --> 0:02:56.920 to be used for a purpose different than what it 0:02:56.960 --> 0:03:00.359 was designed to accomplish. So, as we teach a little 0:03:00.400 --> 0:03:03.200 bit today on the subject of functional faith, and we 0:03:03.240 --> 0:03:06.320 look at this one particular story, we see here an 0:03:06.360 --> 0:03:10.280 image and an illustration of a system that is not working, 0:03:11.120 --> 0:03:14.280 a system that has become dysfunctional, a system that is 0:03:14.320 --> 0:03:18.760 no longer fulfilling its intended purpose. Jesus arrives and the 0:03:18.800 --> 0:03:22.440 temple system by which the people were approaching God has 0:03:22.560 --> 0:03:26.880 become dysfunctional or if you want to say, unfit, it 0:03:26.960 --> 0:03:30.639 was unfit for the purpose that it was designed to serve. 0:03:32.280 --> 0:03:35.680 How many of you, as summer approaches, are setting some 0:03:36.040 --> 0:03:36.680 goals to. 0:03:37.080 --> 0:03:38.720 Maybe get in shape for the summer. 0:03:38.720 --> 0:03:41.640 Maybe you're gonna get a little bit fit for the summer, 0:03:43.560 --> 0:03:51.400 gonna some crunches, No, some nasty crunches. How many of 0:03:51.400 --> 0:03:55.440 you bought a fit bit some Lululemon' you're gonna do 0:03:55.520 --> 0:03:59.240 it this summer, Well, go for it. I wish you 0:03:59.320 --> 0:04:03.240 all the best. I think fitness is something that is 0:04:03.320 --> 0:04:09.000 unique to each individual, because fitness is relative, right, you 0:04:09.040 --> 0:04:12.560 can go to certain places and feel very fit in 0:04:12.600 --> 0:04:15.840 comparison to other people, then go other places and feel 0:04:15.880 --> 0:04:17.320 like you've never exercised a. 0:04:17.360 --> 0:04:18.080 Day in your life. 0:04:18.640 --> 0:04:21.160 And me and Holly were on a cruise ship recently 0:04:21.200 --> 0:04:23.599 and I told her, I said, this place makes me 0:04:23.600 --> 0:04:25.960 feel better about my body image, you know, just like 0:04:26.400 --> 0:04:27.280 all the buffets. 0:04:27.360 --> 0:04:28.080 This is helpful. 0:04:28.400 --> 0:04:32.880 And me and Chunks come up here. 0:04:32.960 --> 0:04:34.600 Chunks, we went to Planet Fitness. 0:04:34.279 --> 0:04:36.800 A while back to we were on vacation and we 0:04:36.880 --> 0:04:40.239 joined this gym to get a workout for a week. 0:04:40.640 --> 0:04:44.320 And Chunks is, he's a fitness snob. 0:04:44.400 --> 0:04:46.000 He likes to make fun of people who don't know 0:04:46.040 --> 0:04:49.800 how to work out. He's very judgmental. It's a pharisee 0:04:49.839 --> 0:04:55.680 of sorts, a fitness pharisee he is. And he likes 0:04:55.720 --> 0:04:57.360 to walk around the gym and tell me how other 0:04:57.360 --> 0:05:01.160 people aren't doing the exercises right. So if you ever 0:05:01.160 --> 0:05:03.120 see him looking at you in a gym, he is 0:05:03.200 --> 0:05:06.680 not admiring your form, Okay, he's making fun of you. 0:05:06.760 --> 0:05:08.600 At Planet Fitness, that's a funny gym. 0:05:08.640 --> 0:05:10.240 I liked that place they had. Have you ever been 0:05:10.240 --> 0:05:13.000 to this place? They have the lunk Alarm on. 0:05:12.960 --> 0:05:15.760 The wall because they call it a judgment free zone. 0:05:15.839 --> 0:05:17.320 They say, we want you to be able. 0:05:17.160 --> 0:05:23.159 To come work out here without guys like this investigating 0:05:23.200 --> 0:05:27.400 your movements, and and so they have it's kind of funny. 0:05:27.440 --> 0:05:29.520 They have a lunk alarm on the on the wall. 0:05:29.520 --> 0:05:32.680 They call it a lunk somebody who walks in, you know, 0:05:32.760 --> 0:05:34.680 the guys that walk in with a gallon jug of 0:05:34.760 --> 0:05:38.679 water and the belt and the gloves. You know, guys 0:05:38.720 --> 0:05:41.200 like Chunks. They don't want those kind of guys in 0:05:41.279 --> 0:05:44.560 Planet Fitness. Also, by the way they offer. When we 0:05:44.560 --> 0:05:47.520 were joining, the girl told us she said, come back Monday. 0:05:47.600 --> 0:05:52.640 They have on Monday we serve pizza of Monday at 0:05:52.640 --> 0:05:56.839 the fitness club, which is are remarkable. I told Chunks 0:05:56.880 --> 0:05:58.840 we got to start giving out cocaine at the Sunday 0:05:58.880 --> 0:06:00.840 night service at. 0:06:06.040 --> 0:06:06.280 Well. 0:06:09.720 --> 0:06:13.200 But Chunks is great. He's really helped me understand fitness. 0:06:13.240 --> 0:06:15.839 He used to be a physical therapist, and that's part 0:06:15.839 --> 0:06:19.040 of why so arrogant about the human body. And him 0:06:19.080 --> 0:06:20.720 and Buck. You should come to Buck. How many want 0:06:20.800 --> 0:06:24.279 Chunks and Buck on stage at the same time. These 0:06:24.279 --> 0:06:28.400 guys are These guys are both strong men, and they're 0:06:28.400 --> 0:06:31.280 both very stubborn. So sometimes I like to watch them argue, 0:06:31.520 --> 0:06:34.680 and I'll often start an argument. I'll just I'll just 0:06:35.480 --> 0:06:37.960 throw the two of them together in the cage and 0:06:38.000 --> 0:06:41.880 watch them go. I'll sometimes instigate arguments between them. But 0:06:42.040 --> 0:06:45.640 they're both very fit, but there are different philosophies to fitness, 0:06:45.640 --> 0:06:47.359 you know. So sometimes I'll be doing a workout with 0:06:47.440 --> 0:06:49.640 Chunks and they say, what did Buck have you do yesterday? 0:06:49.720 --> 0:06:51.440 And I'll tell him and he kind of roll his eyes. Oh, 0:06:51.520 --> 0:06:57.000 that sounds like Buck. Buck's fitness routine. He's more of 0:06:57.040 --> 0:06:59.960 a punisher. He has more punishment, a binge and pun 0:07:00.800 --> 0:07:04.279 mentality toward fitness, and Chunk says more beach muscles. 0:07:04.320 --> 0:07:05.960 God, do you know what I mean by beach muscles. 0:07:06.320 --> 0:07:07.719 He's gonna bench press. 0:07:07.480 --> 0:07:09.280 And he's gonna do his triceps and all that, all 0:07:09.320 --> 0:07:11.360 the stuff that you can see. Like a lot of 0:07:11.440 --> 0:07:13.600 Christians we want to have knowledge to show off when 0:07:13.600 --> 0:07:14.160 we pose. 0:07:17.880 --> 0:07:18.520 He's a great god. 0:07:18.800 --> 0:07:23.400 And so Buck, bring out those kettlebells. Have you guys 0:07:23.440 --> 0:07:27.240 seen some these kettlebells? Do any of you this kettlebelt? 0:07:28.320 --> 0:07:31.600 There's a trend in fitness. The term is trendy right now, 0:07:32.200 --> 0:07:35.480 called functional fitness. Notice how he gave chunks the smaller 0:07:35.520 --> 0:07:36.880 one just by instinct. 0:07:38.760 --> 0:07:43.240 Guy was judging you. They said that. 0:07:43.200 --> 0:07:50.280 One's fifty three pounds GTA twenty four kilograms, and that 0:07:50.360 --> 0:07:55.280 one's thirty five pounds or sixteen for the rest of 0:07:55.320 --> 0:07:59.600 the world that uses the metric system. 0:08:00.440 --> 0:08:04.760 So Buck says that functional fitness when you say you 0:08:04.840 --> 0:08:06.520 subscribe mostly to. 0:08:06.520 --> 0:08:13.200 Functional fitness, and functional fitness is two things, adaptability and application. 0:08:14.400 --> 0:08:17.360 So it's like, is this something that would help you 0:08:17.440 --> 0:08:21.040 in real life? You know, like, is this movement that 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:24.840 you're doing in exercising something that's going to translate into 0:08:24.920 --> 0:08:27.080 real life because a lot of stuff you do exercising 0:08:27.640 --> 0:08:32.360 doesn't really resemble real life. And functional fitness it's a 0:08:32.400 --> 0:08:36.559 trendy term, but the essential definition of it in the 0:08:36.600 --> 0:08:40.440 spirit that is intended is like, show them a kettlebell swing, Buck, 0:08:40.640 --> 0:08:42.040 just a simple kettle bell swing. You can do a 0:08:42.040 --> 0:08:43.960 lot of different moves with this one piece of equipment. 0:08:44.720 --> 0:08:45.960 You can do a kettlebell swing. 0:08:46.080 --> 0:08:51.360 What else can you do with the kettlebelly creases? 0:08:59.000 --> 0:09:00.480 That shown the Turkish get up? 0:09:00.960 --> 0:09:03.280 Now, by the way, any exercise that starts with the 0:09:03.360 --> 0:09:06.920 name of an Eastern European country you should rebel against. 0:09:07.240 --> 0:09:11.000 This is a Turkish get up. A Turkish get up. 0:09:11.360 --> 0:09:13.800 He's gonna show you how many different things you can 0:09:13.840 --> 0:09:21.760 do with this one piece of Equipment's amazing. Well, come on, folks, 0:09:21.880 --> 0:09:26.559 us fifty three pounds. That man just lifted a weight 0:09:26.760 --> 0:09:33.280 joy over his head and stood up with one arm. 0:09:33.480 --> 0:09:35.840 Can you do that the same thing? 0:09:36.080 --> 0:09:41.480 Give a shot, just one time? Turkish get up? No 0:09:41.600 --> 0:09:42.439 Turkish get up? 0:09:43.280 --> 0:09:46.199 How many believe in chunks the lump? Come on, give 0:09:46.280 --> 0:09:47.000 him some love. 0:09:46.880 --> 0:09:57.839 And ye. 0:10:02.240 --> 0:10:04.640 Well done. Come on, let's give it up for both 0:10:04.640 --> 0:10:05.800 of them. Thank you, guys. 0:10:06.120 --> 0:10:08.679 I remember, I remember, I remember when Buck said, yeah, yeah, 0:10:08.679 --> 0:10:10.319 you're good for now. I remember when Buck first told 0:10:10.320 --> 0:10:11.920 me just leave those right there. I remember when Buck 0:10:11.920 --> 0:10:13.240 first told me he said, I can give you a 0:10:13.240 --> 0:10:14.839 whole work out. He said, people think you need a 0:10:14.880 --> 0:10:17.360 whole gym. All this stands the equipment he said, I 0:10:17.360 --> 0:10:19.400 can make you hate your life with this one piece 0:10:19.440 --> 0:10:23.320 of equipment. You just got to know what to do 0:10:23.520 --> 0:10:26.520 with it. And see, sometimes we think we need all 0:10:26.600 --> 0:10:30.320 this fancy special knowledge to grow in our faith, and 0:10:30.360 --> 0:10:32.920 we think we need all of this equipment and all 0:10:32.960 --> 0:10:36.160 of this training and all of this background. But I 0:10:36.200 --> 0:10:38.600 got good news for you one Bible verse. 0:10:38.679 --> 0:10:41.640 If you apply it to your life, I. 0:10:41.600 --> 0:10:44.680 Said, if you put it to work, touts or neighbors 0:10:44.720 --> 0:10:47.760 say it's time to work, It's time to work the word. 0:10:47.880 --> 0:10:49.560 So we want to talk over the next few weeks. 0:10:49.600 --> 0:10:55.480 And this is just an introductory seminar unfunctional faith. Functional faith, 0:10:55.760 --> 0:10:58.679 the kind of faith that doesn't just give you knowledge 0:10:58.720 --> 0:11:03.120 in your head, but gives you strength in your heart. 0:11:04.320 --> 0:11:07.880 The kind of faith that resembles real life. That is 0:11:07.920 --> 0:11:11.000 the greatest compliment you can ever pay me as a preacher. 0:11:11.000 --> 0:11:12.160 By the way, if you ever want to make me 0:11:12.200 --> 0:11:14.480 feel good and we run into each other, tell me 0:11:14.520 --> 0:11:18.520 that something I said helped you in your life, that 0:11:18.559 --> 0:11:20.240 it made a difference. 0:11:20.160 --> 0:11:20.720 In your home. 0:11:22.280 --> 0:11:26.320 Business owners occasionally tell me, in an apologetic way, I 0:11:26.400 --> 0:11:29.320 rip your stuff off. I take what you preach, and 0:11:29.320 --> 0:11:32.000 I preach it to my employees. You don't ever have 0:11:32.040 --> 0:11:35.320 to apologize to me for that. That's what I preach 0:11:35.360 --> 0:11:38.360 it for, so you can use it. You don't even 0:11:38.400 --> 0:11:42.040 have to cite me. Well, the first time you rip 0:11:42.120 --> 0:11:45.960 me off, quote me, say my pastor says, and then 0:11:46.000 --> 0:11:48.560 the second time you do it, just say it's been said. 0:11:49.640 --> 0:11:51.480 And then the third time you do it, say I've 0:11:51.520 --> 0:11:56.960 always said. That's how you do it. Touch somebody say 0:11:57.000 --> 0:12:02.080 plagiar eyes. I love it if I can find out 0:12:02.120 --> 0:12:05.319 that the sermon I preached on Sunday made it into 0:12:05.320 --> 0:12:10.160 your Monday, I love that, or that it visited you 0:12:10.240 --> 0:12:13.160 on Tuesday, that it came back to you when you 0:12:13.240 --> 0:12:14.800 needed it on Wednesday. 0:12:15.440 --> 0:12:16.560 And that's what I preached for. 0:12:16.600 --> 0:12:18.880 And I was thinking, if we had a new mission 0:12:18.880 --> 0:12:21.560 statement for our church, I'd probably make it bringing faith 0:12:21.640 --> 0:12:24.760 to life, because I hear people tell me so often 0:12:25.120 --> 0:12:27.680 that faith was always a part of my life, but 0:12:28.360 --> 0:12:32.000 it wasn't central to my life. And now I'm learning 0:12:32.520 --> 0:12:38.160 how God's word actually applies to me. Adaptability and application. 0:12:38.480 --> 0:12:40.960 Functional faith. 0:12:42.120 --> 0:12:50.120 Jesus is instigating a functional faith in a dysfunctional religious system. 0:12:50.559 --> 0:12:54.120 Mark Chapter three is about much more than a man's 0:12:55.040 --> 0:12:59.640 hand being healed. It is about the heart of a 0:12:59.720 --> 0:13:07.600 sissystem that has become dysfunctional. It's about a it's about 0:13:07.640 --> 0:13:13.400 a people who have misappropriated faith. I've heard so many 0:13:13.440 --> 0:13:16.520 different definitions of faith. It's come to mean so much 0:13:16.559 --> 0:13:22.720 that maybe it's now almost meaningless because when we say faith, 0:13:22.720 --> 0:13:23.240 we use. 0:13:23.120 --> 0:13:25.360 It to mean everything. You know, blind faith. 0:13:26.320 --> 0:13:29.559 That's almost a way of saying, you're an idiot, just 0:13:29.600 --> 0:13:29.959 did it. 0:13:29.920 --> 0:13:30.960 With blind faith. 0:13:32.480 --> 0:13:36.000 We say that an organization is a faith based organization. 0:13:37.200 --> 0:13:41.800 We might say that someone came to faith. We might 0:13:41.840 --> 0:13:44.320 say someone. 0:13:43.600 --> 0:13:46.440 Lost their faith, or we encourage somebody to keep the faith. 0:13:47.480 --> 0:13:50.640 We might tell somebody to have faith, or we say 0:13:50.640 --> 0:13:52.680 that somebody had. 0:13:52.520 --> 0:13:54.720 Great faith or or little faith. 0:13:54.840 --> 0:13:57.920 We we even call someone a person of faith, as 0:13:58.000 --> 0:13:59.160 if it's an ethnicity. 0:14:00.160 --> 0:14:02.959 Are you are you black? White? Faith? Like? What are 0:14:03.000 --> 0:14:04.400 your Republican Democrat? Faith? 0:14:05.000 --> 0:14:08.160 But faith is meant to be more than a formality. 0:14:08.280 --> 0:14:11.400 Can I preach this faith? This meant to be more 0:14:11.440 --> 0:14:14.520 than a feeling faith, This meant to be more than 0:14:14.520 --> 0:14:16.840 a formula. In fact, if you can reduce it to 0:14:16.880 --> 0:14:19.400 a formula and make sense out of it, it ain't faith. 0:14:20.480 --> 0:14:23.560 If you can explain it, it ain't faith. You don't 0:14:23.560 --> 0:14:26.240 need faith for what you can explain. You need faith 0:14:26.280 --> 0:14:29.240 for what your eyes can't perceive. You need faith for 0:14:29.320 --> 0:14:33.720 what you don't understand. Richard Rore has a definition of faith. 0:14:33.920 --> 0:14:40.600 He says that faith is patience with mystery. Faith is 0:14:40.640 --> 0:14:43.480 the willingness to abide in a place that you don't 0:14:43.480 --> 0:14:49.640 fully understand. The ramifications of faith is patience with mystery. 0:14:50.800 --> 0:14:51.640 What is faith? 0:14:52.920 --> 0:14:55.480 Hebrews eleven one says that faith is the substance of 0:14:55.560 --> 0:15:01.280 things hoped for the evidence of things not seen. Faith 0:15:01.360 --> 0:15:06.120 the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things 0:15:07.280 --> 0:15:07.600 not seeing. 0:15:07.640 --> 0:15:10.280 Let's play a game. What's the opposite of good? 0:15:12.360 --> 0:15:17.640 What's the opposite of light? What's the opposite of faith? 0:15:20.680 --> 0:15:25.920 I heard doubt? I heard fear. I want to suggest 0:15:25.920 --> 0:15:28.880 a third option. What if faith is not. 0:15:30.920 --> 0:15:32.360 What? 0:15:32.360 --> 0:15:34.200 What if faith? You know? 0:15:34.040 --> 0:15:37.680 You tend to think sometimes that if you have doubts, 0:15:37.720 --> 0:15:41.560 you don't have faith, that the presence of doubt indicates 0:15:42.080 --> 0:15:46.560 the absence of faith. But one priest said, the opposite 0:15:46.560 --> 0:15:52.440 of faith is not doubt. The opposite of faith is certainty. 0:15:53.720 --> 0:15:58.320 Let that sink can that the opposite of faith is 0:15:58.360 --> 0:16:01.280 when you've figured every thing out, when you put your 0:16:01.320 --> 0:16:04.320 life in such a position that you don't attempt anything 0:16:04.400 --> 0:16:10.160 that requires God. You don't stretch yourself into a territory 0:16:10.600 --> 0:16:14.320 that enables the faith that you need for the challenges 0:16:14.360 --> 0:16:16.800 that you face. So that means you can have a 0:16:16.840 --> 0:16:20.680 lot of doubts but still operate in faith. Because faith 0:16:20.760 --> 0:16:23.920 is not certainty, and faith is not a feeling. I 0:16:23.960 --> 0:16:26.880 don't have to feel faith to have faith. I don't 0:16:26.920 --> 0:16:29.840 have to feel a goosebump to believe God. I don't 0:16:29.880 --> 0:16:32.280 even have to feel happy to be grateful for what 0:16:32.320 --> 0:16:36.120 God is doing in my life. Somebody shout, I got faith. 0:16:37.240 --> 0:16:39.400 I got faith in the middle of a storm. My 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:42.480 faith doesn't mean it's not gonna rain. My faith means 0:16:42.520 --> 0:16:45.320 I'm gonna make it to the other side through whatever 0:16:45.400 --> 0:16:48.800 waves I have to crossover. I got a faith that works. 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:52.880 It works in the face of the wind and the waves. 0:16:53.240 --> 0:16:55.760 It works in the face of doubt and disappointment. 0:16:56.200 --> 0:17:03.600 My faith is a faith that were So what is faith? 0:17:03.640 --> 0:17:06.560 And maybe a better question is what is faith? For? 0:17:08.480 --> 0:17:11.520 Faith is the substance of things hoped for? What is 0:17:11.520 --> 0:17:15.000 faith for? In other words, what is the objective of faith? 0:17:15.560 --> 0:17:18.000 I'll put these in four subheadings so that you can 0:17:18.040 --> 0:17:21.880 take notes and remember this and review this. Faith has 0:17:21.960 --> 0:17:27.240 an objective. Faith always has an objective. If you're gonna 0:17:27.280 --> 0:17:30.600 get fit, the first thing a good trainer will ask 0:17:30.640 --> 0:17:32.960 you is what are your goals or what do you 0:17:33.000 --> 0:17:36.400 want to get fit for? Are you just getting fit 0:17:36.440 --> 0:17:38.680 for your honeymoon so you can look good for a week, 0:17:41.840 --> 0:17:44.760 or are you getting fit so that you can Is 0:17:44.800 --> 0:17:46.080 this a lifestyle thing? 0:17:47.280 --> 0:17:52.280 Faith is a lifestyle thing. The objective of faith. 0:17:52.359 --> 0:17:54.920 Now, in the passage that we read, there are three 0:17:54.960 --> 0:18:00.680 different groups or characters represented. You've got the Pharisees, the lunks. 0:18:02.600 --> 0:18:05.240 Bible says that they came to planet fitness that day 0:18:06.920 --> 0:18:09.560 to look at everybody else's form and to see what 0:18:09.720 --> 0:18:11.919 Jesus would do. I can't understand people who come to 0:18:12.040 --> 0:18:15.280 church just to find fault with the place that they 0:18:15.320 --> 0:18:17.920 invested their time in. Going to stay home for God's sake, 0:18:18.080 --> 0:18:24.920 wash your car, run a mile, I'm serious. The Pharisees 0:18:24.960 --> 0:18:27.680 that says that Jesus went into the synagogue, he went 0:18:27.720 --> 0:18:31.360 to heal, the man went with a withered hand, possibly 0:18:31.440 --> 0:18:35.920 to be heal, and the Pharisees went to watch says 0:18:35.960 --> 0:18:37.040 that some of. 0:18:37.000 --> 0:18:40.000 Them like how Mark doesn't actually call him out. 0:18:40.160 --> 0:18:45.560 He says, some of y'all, some of y'all were looking 0:18:45.600 --> 0:18:49.600 for a reason to accuse Jesus. Jesus was looking for 0:18:49.640 --> 0:18:53.800 an opportunity to heal. They were looking for an offense. 0:18:54.760 --> 0:18:56.720 What are you looking for when you come to church? 0:18:58.600 --> 0:19:01.520 I will never understand people who come on my Instagram 0:19:01.560 --> 0:19:03.399 feed just to tell me how much they hate me. 0:19:08.720 --> 0:19:09.960 Why are you on my feed? 0:19:12.920 --> 0:19:15.439 I'm serious, you know you're a false teacher. They'll come 0:19:15.440 --> 0:19:18.280 on there and say, I don't understand anything you say. 0:19:18.320 --> 0:19:19.119 It's algibbraius. 0:19:19.280 --> 0:19:21.359 I got a simple solution that's going to make all 0:19:21.400 --> 0:19:23.159 of our lives a little better from here on. Now 0:19:23.680 --> 0:19:26.240 get off my feed and you won't have to deal 0:19:26.280 --> 0:19:27.080 with my teaching. 0:19:30.400 --> 0:19:34.640 Nobody made you come on my Facebook tout. 0:19:34.680 --> 0:19:40.680 Your neighbors say, get off my feed. Pharisees are all 0:19:40.760 --> 0:19:41.680 up in Jesus' feed. 0:19:42.240 --> 0:19:43.200 I don't understand it. 0:19:43.280 --> 0:19:45.199 Why would you come if the only thing if the 0:19:45.200 --> 0:19:48.240 only thing you wanted to find was fault? But see, 0:19:48.280 --> 0:19:52.040 some people have a false objective for their faith. 0:19:52.760 --> 0:19:54.720 It is the objective of faith. 0:19:54.560 --> 0:19:58.919 That is exclusive rather than inclusional. It is when the 0:19:59.040 --> 0:20:03.560 church becomes or about judging how God should do it 0:20:03.640 --> 0:20:06.600 than being a part of what he's doing. It is 0:20:06.640 --> 0:20:11.000 a misappropriation of faith in the highest form. When a 0:20:11.119 --> 0:20:13.600 church isn't working. You can tell when a church isn't 0:20:13.600 --> 0:20:17.600 working because instead of reaching out, there's a man with 0:20:17.640 --> 0:20:20.280 a shriveled hand. He can't reach out. But he's in 0:20:20.320 --> 0:20:21.800 a synagogue full of people. 0:20:21.560 --> 0:20:22.640 Who won't reach out. 0:20:23.040 --> 0:20:25.600 And I don't know which one's worse, the ones who 0:20:25.640 --> 0:20:28.080 won't reach out or the one who can't. 0:20:28.480 --> 0:20:30.600 And Jesus walks in and says, this isn't working. 0:20:30.880 --> 0:20:36.680 He confronts the system by identifying the objective. What's your objective? 0:20:36.720 --> 0:20:40.200 What is your reason for wanting to have faith? Some 0:20:40.240 --> 0:20:42.920 of us only have faith for the things that directly 0:20:42.960 --> 0:20:43.880 benefit us. 0:20:44.280 --> 0:20:45.920 We only pray for our. 0:20:45.880 --> 0:20:49.200 Job, We only pray for our healing, We only pray 0:20:49.280 --> 0:20:52.400 for our kids, We only pray for our promotion. 0:20:52.840 --> 0:20:53.960 When's the last. 0:20:53.680 --> 0:20:56.480 Time that you came before God and asked him for 0:20:56.520 --> 0:20:59.520 something that would actually make your life less convenient if 0:20:59.520 --> 0:21:11.840 he did it, I'll never forget at cheesecake factory one 0:21:11.920 --> 0:21:16.440 night when God struck me with conviction, God will confront 0:21:16.480 --> 0:21:17.120 your dysfunction. 0:21:17.440 --> 0:21:19.600 I was complaining to Holly. 0:21:19.600 --> 0:21:21.960 That we were on a date and people kept coming. 0:21:21.800 --> 0:21:24.720 Up to the table. And this was years. 0:21:24.480 --> 0:21:27.360 Ago, because I have really improved my attitude since then, 0:21:27.800 --> 0:21:30.439 But at the time, I was immature in my faith, 0:21:31.640 --> 0:21:34.320 and the Lord spoke to my heart. If you've ever 0:21:34.359 --> 0:21:36.440 had God speak to you, it's not a voice out loud. 0:21:36.440 --> 0:21:40.920 It's louder than that. It's louder than that. And it 0:21:40.960 --> 0:21:42.640 was as if the Lord said to me, I can 0:21:42.640 --> 0:21:45.960 fix this. You don't like people coming up to you 0:21:46.560 --> 0:21:49.360 and telling you that they enjoy your church. I can 0:21:49.400 --> 0:21:52.240 empty your church so fast. You can eat a cheesecake 0:21:52.280 --> 0:21:55.200 factory naked if you want to, and nobody will come. 0:21:55.119 --> 0:21:55.560 Up to you. 0:21:55.840 --> 0:21:59.040 I'll make you so unknown and so irrelevant, so fast 0:21:59.400 --> 0:22:00.600 you can go in where you want. 0:22:00.600 --> 0:22:02.280 Nobody will bother you. I said, no, thank you, Lord. 0:22:02.560 --> 0:22:05.800 I think I'll eat my cheesecake and shake some hands. 0:22:05.840 --> 0:22:07.879 And you don't really change my perspective. 0:22:07.920 --> 0:22:10.600 And now I enjoy meaning people unless they're crazy. I mean, 0:22:10.600 --> 0:22:12.120 good God, how long you understand her? 0:22:12.160 --> 0:22:14.879 But it's you know, you know, you know what I'm saying. 0:22:14.920 --> 0:22:19.680 It Just let me see. 0:22:19.760 --> 0:22:22.160 Are you praying that your church would grow for your 0:22:22.160 --> 0:22:24.080 ego or do you really want to help people verdict. 0:22:25.320 --> 0:22:29.000 What is your objective? What is your faith for? What 0:22:29.080 --> 0:22:30.479 did you come to church for? Where are you at 0:22:30.480 --> 0:22:33.320 the synagogue? So you can judge the way that Jesus 0:22:33.320 --> 0:22:35.080 healed the hand and wasn't his best sermon. 0:22:35.080 --> 0:22:40.760 I don't know, I don't know. I was kind of 0:22:40.760 --> 0:22:44.840 hoping the other guy would be leading worship. Tall guy, 0:22:45.880 --> 0:22:49.119 what you come for? What is your objective of faith? 0:22:49.920 --> 0:22:56.080 Your objective matters a lot. Your objective and all of 0:22:56.080 --> 0:22:59.040