하나님께 가까이 함이 내게 복이라(시편73:28)

9월 8일 금문교회 주일예배 설교

설교자: 임걸 목사

번역 & 통역: 조명인

Title: Help me overcome my unbelief! (Mark 9:16-27; 1 Samuel 17:41-49)

Matthew 13:44: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.”

We, the people of God, have the single greatest treasure- faith in Jesus. There is nothing that this world can offer us that’s worth trading for our faith in Jesus. Do you understand the value of this treasure? Isknowing Jesus worth selling all that you have?Have you maybe forgotten or lost its value?

II. 1. 믿음이 자녀를 살리고 나를 살린다. FAITH SAVES

In today’s passage, the boy’s father said, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Then what happened? A miracle- the demon left the boy at Jesus’ command. If you want salvation for your children, your family, yourself… believe in the Creator God. Believe in Jesus the Savior. Sincerely, genuinely believe.

Whatever the situation might be, it’s a matter of having faith. Just like this father did here before Jesus, confess: “I believe!” And when it gets hard to believe, because it will, bring that before the Lord and say “Help me overcome my unbelief!” Pray to Him, cry out to Him-[what’s important is not how strong your faith is, but whoit is in.]Then you will see salvation and freedom in your family, in your children, in your own life.

(example1: When I first came to US, I was physically, mentally, spiritually, a mess. I kept thinking- I was serving faithfully and praying earnestly- why does my life still look like this?The answer was that my faith was weakening.Dwindling. Breaking. And because my faith, which should be my foundation, was failing, everything I did– prayer, service- just became work.

So I prayed to God :” God give me faith like a diamond- give me a faith as solid as a diamond rock in my heart.”

And THAT’S when I started feeling revived. Alive.

I wasn’t dying because of my circumstances;I was dying from lack of faith.

Life in US is so hard to manage. Many people are struggling physically, mentally and spiritually... But will your money/ education/ work/ position/ EFFORT… Will THESE THINGS BRING SALVATION TO YOUR SOUL, YOUR PARENTS, SPOUSES, OR CHILDREN’S SOULS? They won’t!

People sometimes say: “If I believe in Jesus is he going to make me food and pay my bills?”

I would say, “Yes! In fact if you believe in Jesus you get something far more valuable than food.”

There’s nothing that this world has that can give life to someone who is dying. The only thing that saves from death is faith in Jesus. Faith in the living God.

Is your soul, is your mind, wasting away?

It’s because we lack faith. If you have faith, you will live. Faith saves. Faith is what gives us life. That’s why faith is the most precious treasure in this world.

In the midst of the challenges and difficulties we face in our lives, it’s not more money, more time, more support that’s going to save us- FAITH is going to save us.

Consider Abraham! Abraham was a wanderer his entire life- he had no control over where he was going or how he was getting there- What did he need the most? Faith. God didn’t establish him as a man of love or a man of hope but a man of faith.What we need to seek is this kind of FAITH. Because, again, FAITH is what saves.

2. 세상을 이기는 가장 강력한 무기는 믿음FAITH WINS
Some of us have heard the story of David and Goliath that it really just becomes that- a story. But it’s not just a storyabout the past; it’s relevant TRUTH- and what’s the lesson?

The one that truly has strength is the one that has faith in God.Doesn’t matter how tall or short, how experienced or inexperienced, educated or uneducated…

The one that truly has strength is the one that has faith in the Lord.

Between David and Goliath, Goliath clearlylooked more powerful externally. But even in the unlikeliest of situations, the one that fights in name of God, like David did,emerges victorious. (hymnal lyric:Faith is the victory, faith is the victory, oh glorious victory, that overcomes the world)

The point of today’s message is this- We will overcome, we will be victorious… but only by faith in God.

Every day people get hurt, pained, scarred- there are so many that last year, one of the most popular themes in Korean TV showswas “healing.” There’s that much hurt and pain in the world. But WHY do we get hurt so much and so easily? It’s because we lack faith.We aren’t solid like a diamond in our faith in God, so we just keep getting hurt, getting scarred, by the hardships in this world. We lose sleep over a hurtful word by another person…

I mean, why are we so weak? Because our FAITH is.

Now, howdoeshaving faith mean not getting hurt?

Ephesians 6:16 “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

SHIELD OF FAITH!!! 비난 (criticism) 과 악의 (malice)- what overcomes these is the shield of faith.

When God called the prophet Ezekiel from among the stubborn Israelites, what did he promise? “I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house (3:9).”

Look, humans are weak. We’re limited. Just like that we become tired, we fall, we get tempted, we get frustrated…

So when God still calls us to proclaim His word… and people persecute us, criticize us and insult us. Many of us will be disappointed and just want to give up being a messenger of God.

Now, God knows this. That’s why in Ezekiel 3:9 God promises to grow their faith. He told him “I will protect you. I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. “ He made Ezekiel’s faith strong as a diamond, so that all threat, terror, insult will bounce right off the shield of faith. Again, the one that truly has strength is the one that has faith.

(example: Gideon’s 300 soldiers story.

When God selected 300 people, how did he select them? Did he choose the most muscular? Tallest? Smartest?No, God selected those that had FAITH. And he sent home those that didn’t. So by the end of this, there were only 300 soldiers left… and with those 300 that HAD FAITH IN GOD, Gideondefeated over thousands that didn’t. What’s the lesson here? FAITH is our greatest weapon, and it’s when we are equipped with it that we are our strongest.

Do you fear this world? Do you fear people? If you do, that’s because you don’t have faith. How can we be courageous in front of our enemies? How can we face trials and tribulations with confidence? Faith. Trusting in who God is. I hope this week each of you will live in a way that declares victory through faith in God.

3. 믿음이 하나님을 기쁘게 한다. FAITH PLEASES GOD

(Hebrew 11:6 “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him)

One of the worst feelings is being distrusted by someone else- it’s almost insulting, like “what! I’m not like that!”But you know what-we do the same to God.We were born with nothing, and yet until this very moment He’s provided food and clothing, He’s guided us to where we are now, He’s forgiven us of all of our past present future sins, protected our families, allowed us to even breathe the air we’re breathing now… But with our worries, our distrust, our lack of faith in who God is, we never fail to insult, belittle God.

As Christians, we are distinct. We’re set apart. We HAVE to be. What separates us is the fact that we don’t live to please ourselves, we live to “glorify God.” To glorify Him is to pleaseHim.

Now, how do we please God? How do we do that? Do we do it by sacrificing thousands of oxen, lambs and goats like they did in the Old Testament? Or by givingthe most money during offering time?Do we please God by fasting every week, going to every morning prayer? No! It’s very simple: Hebrews 11 says FAITH. Trusting in God. Absolute, uncompromised Faith. Faith when we’re diagnosed with terminal illness, faith when facing death, faith in the midst of financial hopelessness, faith when we lose the people we love most…

That kind of faith is what pleases God, and when we align our hearts to the purpose of glorifying God, every worldly concern, worldly problem, is overcome, because they mean nothing.

III. Do you have faith?

Do you maybe think that you have faith, but actually don’t? And you find yourself being easily hurt, easily discouraged, easily worried?The problem might not be with your circumstance, but with your faith. Have you overlooked or forgotten the most important thing in this world? Have you prayed earnestly and sincerely, not for God Himself, but for other unimportant, and ultimately temporary things?

We need to seek and ask for what really MATTERS. FAITH, that SAVES, FAITH that gives STRENGTH, FAITH that actually PLEASES and GLORIFIES GOD.

THAT’S how we can live in the boldness and joy that the Bible promises us.

If you don’t have this kind of faith, can we humble ourselves before the Lord and ask Him “Help me overcome my unbelief!”

God will answer our prayer. He will give us faith like a diamond.

Remember the last words of Joshua.(in Joshua 24:15: “If serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” That was Joshua’s declaration- can we do the same and declare today that we will not put our trust in the world,but in God who created it?

One of the things that makes God the saddest is a lack of faith. If we’re going to believe in Him, let’s REALLY believe the fullness of WHO HE IS.

(Example 3: For I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.” That line that we sing has to be a declaration and confession of our hearts, not just a song! I pray and hope that our faith will not be a weak in thehardships of the world, but strong in the truth of God our Father.