Faith That Works: Only Believe - Pastor Kyle Self

[00:00:00] Welcome to the World Changers Church Gold coast podcast. Join us as we listen to today's message. [00:00:07] All right. I don't know what accent that was, but praise God. Well, good morning everybody. How are you guys doing? You sleepy on this fine day? I feel like the rain does something to Australians. It keeps them off the roads and it keeps them in bed. Yeah, yeah. You know, I'm sorry that I'm an American saying that. We're so critical, aren't we? But Church, I am so glad to be back this morning. We really did miss you. We realized how much we love your phone calls, your coffee catch ups and just being able to walk with you. It's really amazing how much you miss somebody when you completely just turn your phone off and get away. And me and Tina did that for a few days in Noosa. We did a staycation a few days. We had the American boy come over as you saw, Jamie, Darrell, David and I felt like an Australian tour guide during that time. It was really amazing. But there's places in Australia I hadn't been yet. What's that? Falls Natural Bridge Falls Natural Bridge. That's absolutely beautiful. If you hadn't been, you should go Twin Falls. I thought that was a five minute hike. I didn't realize it was a five minute hike from the parking lot to the first destination. And I told the boys that they didn't need to wor about anything and it turned into a long hike and I got in trouble that day. Oh, Pearling Brook Falls. All these places that we have available to us and we decide to go to Pacific Fair and Australia Fair instead. We go venture miles and miles and miles and kilometers in kmart and shop. What is it? Spotlight. But anyway. But while I was away, I was able to reflect on some things about myself and really had this moment of realizing my transition and how my faith has been building from the first time I encountered Jesus. And I was a science guy. I loved advanced chemistry, advanced biology, quantum physics. I loved to figure out how things work. And you know, I wouldn't say I was that kid that took the computer apart, but I wanted to know how mathematically how things worked. I needed logic, I needed realism. And so you can imagine that I got bored easy as a kid. Does that make sense? I got bored easy. I got bored in school. And so in my early 20s I got into a lot of trouble because I just wanted to have fun, I wanted to belong. Cause nobody actually wanted to talk about the things I wanted to talk about. I mean, if you talked about fourth Dimensional beings. People looked at you like you were schizophrenic. I mean, it was. If you started talking, I mean, they'll talk about Yetis and Bigfoot. Sorry, picking on you. But we can't talk about fourth dimensional beings. And so I found the only way to belong was to go do what everybody else was doing. That was go party, do drugs, hang out at night, go to clubs. Anybody else do that? Okay, all you are super saints. I have no right to be here. But as a kid in my early 20s, one night I found myself alone in a bad situation on a bathroom floor, crying out to God. Now, I wasn't saved. I hadn't been to church. And I found myself in a situation where I should have died. And all I could do was cry out to God and say, please don't let my mother, my grandmother, find me this way. And you know what's funny? There was no method to that. There was no real faith other than a hope, a glimmer of an idea that there might be a God. And I was asking God, if you're real, I don't want to die here. And it's funny. I didn't have the right words. I didn't quote a scripture. But a God that is faithful answered. Do you hear me? I didn't have the right scripture. I didn't have the right action. I should have died that night. But I survived. And from that moment that God answered, that simple cry, I wanted to change. It wasn't a Bible school. It wasn't a Bible study. It wasn't a worship service. It wasn't a revival. It wasn't a camp meeting. It wasn't a youth camp. It wasn't vacation Bible school. It was none of those things that were available to the Christendom. It was a simple cry because I knew they might be a God. And that faithful God answered my cry. I've spent every season since then, Bless the Lord. I've spent every season since then finding out what a science guy didn't understand. Faith is not complicated. Do you hear me? Faith is not complicated. Not because it's shallow. Do you hear me? Not because it's like, fake it till you make it. No. Because God has made himself trustworthy. He was trustworthy. I didn't have a rabbinical degree. I didn't go to pastoral college. I didn't graduate Theology 101. I just simply cried out, God, please. And he answered. He is the one that answers. Not our methods, not our actions when we were yet sinners. He died for Us? Do you think sin is more powerful than God's word? Your sin is what's keeping you down. Let go of it and let God work in you. Amen. All right, that was a little nugget from a sidebar somewhere, but it was for somebody. Amen. He has made himself trustworthy. He proved it when he sent his son to die on the cross. He proved it when he imparted the Holy Spirit into us. And every one of his promises are yes and amen. Yes, and so be it. Amen. Faith that works is what I'm talking about today. Faith works because God is faithful, not because we perfected the process of building it. I'm gonna say that again. Faith works because God is faithful. Faithful not because we perfected the process of believing. Well, if I do this, if I do that. If you could do anything, we would have never needed Jesus to die. Your job is to believe. Oh, man. I'm already fired up. What do I do here? Praise the Lord. I hadn't perfected anything on that bathroom floor. I was overdosing on drugs. Drug addict, drug dealer, gun runner. If anybody should have been left for dead, it was me. God was faithful to him. God was faithful to Paul when he was persecuting Christians. God has been faithful to people that didn't deserve it for a long time. So quit trying to deserve what God has already made freely available. Amen. Amen. Come on, somebody. And that's exactly what a desperate dad named Jairus found out in Mark 5. So let's open our Bibles to Mark, chapter 5. I want to take you from a bathroom floor to a dusty road. Two people, no right words, but a faithful Jesus. Now, before we meet Jairus, you've got to know that Jesus has just where he's just came from. He has had two of his massive days. He had stopped a sea at Galilee, right? He'd calmed a sea at Galilee. And he had just set free a man in the region of Gadarenes, a man filled with demons. So he just had peace, be still, and come out a demoniac. He has crossed the Sea of Galilee. He has taken two steps off the boat, and here's what he finds in Mark 5. 21, 24. Now, when Jesus had crossed over again by the boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to him, and he's met by a crowd, and he was by the sea. And behold. Listen to this. Because you've never paid attention to it before. The way it's been depicted and chosen is great. I love it. But it Just made it seem like he was just some farm boy. No. One of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw him, he fell at his feet. That alone is significant. A leader of the synagogues openly, publicly falls at the feet of Jesus. And we struggle to lift our hands and begged him earnestly, saying, my little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her that she may be healed and she will live. So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed him and thronged him. Setting the scene here is Jairus. He is pushed through the crowd. He's had a daughter that is 12 years old. And he is pushed through the crowd and saying, my daughter that is 12 years old is about to die. And the crowd continues to follow because they want to see miracles. Amen. Are you with me so far? All right. I want you to see that this man is not just some fringe person. He's not just someone on the side. He is respected. He's religious. He organizes service. He's got a name in the town, and he fell at the feet of Jesus. Why are you emphasizing that, Kyle? His status doesn't matter in this moment. Does that make sense? That's what the love of a father does. It abandons title, it abandons name, and it falls at the feet of Jesus because he loves his daughter. I'm gonna talk a little bit more about that in just a moment. He uses this language, my daughter. It's tender. It's the language of a father who used to carry her on his shoulders. He is desperate. Anybody got kids, you carry those kids. Anything's wrong with them. Do you hesitate going to the doctor or going. Having somebody pray? No, you don't hesitate. You love them that you're looking for every avenue. He had gotten desperate because his daughter was minutes, hours away from death at this time. Do you understand? Are you seeing the story unfold? Okay, I know this is a common one, but if you'll hang with me and not think it's Milt and just sit with me for a moment, you'll hear something you've probably never heard before. The word healed in verse 23 is the word. Sozo, go back to verse 23. And he begged him earnestly, saying, my little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her that she may be healed. Sozo. Delivered. Healed. This is the word he uses, that she may be healed and delivered from death. He's asking for salvation, and it's not even an offering. He doesn't know, a burnt offering that is sufficient for this moment. He's just heard of this rabbi named Jesus. And he knows if he gets to this rabbi named Jesus that his daughter might live. Cause he ain't got time to get a sheep and go put an offering in. He ain't got time to to make all the sacrifices, get the Levite priests and get the synagogue to organize people. He knows the process of how long it would take to get somebody to his house to meet his daughter near death because of the law. He knows his only hope is to get to Jesus. You ever been there before? Oh, somebody better say Amen. Well, what are you trying to say, Pastor Kyle? Verse 24 says simply, so Jesus went with him. I love that. Jairus asked come. And Jesus goes. No interview, no checklist. Jesus didn't ask, how strong is your faith? He just turns and goes, steps off the boat, has an assignment, and then he goes, okay, we're going this way. Because a man came with faith and abandoned everything and put it at his feet. The same way you will throw your crowns down in Revelations when we get to heaven is the same thing he was doing in that moment. He said, I give you everything in this moment. My job, my title, my name. Come heal my daughter. It was desperate and it was ugly. But on the way there, the crowds rushed in. Someone else reaches him. Let's look at verse 25. Now. A certain woman had a flow of blood for 12 years and had suffered and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, if only I may touch his clothes, I shall be made well. Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up. And she felt her body that she was, felt in her body that she was healed of the afflictions. 12 years. At the very end of this chapter, Mark tells us something on purpose. Verse 42 says the little girl was 12 years old. Think about that. So here's what we've got for 12 years. Different sides of the community, different names. A house of joy, a baby born, first steps, first words. And a little girl growing up on the other side of town. The same 12 years, a woman in pain, doctor after doctor, Money gone, getting worse, no better. Same 12 years, opposite sides. Pay attention to this. Pay attention to this. Two stories. And Jesus meets both of them on the same road. Jairus, his status didn't buy him anything, and her shame didn't disqualify her from anything. He had a title in the town. She couldn't even go sit in a chair or go get water with the other women. Oh, Jesus. That's the gospel. Jesus is not more impressed by your best days, and he's not scared of your worst days. He is not surprised by what's going on in your life right now. And you just gotta have faith that says, I believe, I trust, even know what to do. No method, no tradition, no praying an hour a day, no fasting, no this. Nothing's working. But I still believe. Anybody ever been there? Come on, somebody. Anybody ever been there? When you're having to reach deep down on the inside and say, God, I don't know what to do, but I'm praying and I'm still believing. And I don't even understand my next step, but I'm still walking with you. I'm still heading towards you. Anybody ever been there? Come on, somebody. Cause that's when unclean meets clean. But to really feel what she did that day, you've got to understand what she was living under. See, we just see a story with a woman with an issue of blood. A bad, sorry to say, this lady is a bad monthly that lasted 12 years. I don't understand it. I don't get it. But hers lasted 12 years. And by Levitical law, in Leviticus 15:25, if a woman has a discharge of blood for many days other than the time of her customary impurity, or if it runs beyond the usual time of impurity, all the days of her unclean discharge shall be the days of her customary impurity. She shall be unclean. Under the law. She was unclean. Anyone she touched was unclean. There was a multitude of people. Do you understand what she was doing? She was risking her life to get to Jesus. She could have been stoned that day just for walking through the crowd. Well, you just gotta pray and get to Jesus. You gotta get to the point that messy don't matter anymore and that you just believe in Jesus with everything on the inside of you. I don't know if I should clap or get worried. What's he saying? People stepped away from her for 12 years. She was untouchable. Think about it, what it meant for her day to day. No hugs, no holding kids, no sitting at friend's wedding. Every chair she sat in was unclean. Every bed she slept in was unclean. If she brushed by you in the market, you had to go home and wash yourself to make you clean again. She was reviled. Hmm. 12 years of people stepping back when she walked in the room. And that's exactly who reaches for Jesus. Understand the risk she's taken. Understand the uncleanness she's spreading. But that's not what happened. Verse 30. Let's look at this. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that power had gone out of him, turned around in the crowd and said, who touched my clothes? Hmm. Her uncleanliness didn't flow into him. His power flowed into her. Thank you, Jeremy. Some of you grew up with the King James that says virtue had come out of him. The new King James says power. The Greek word is dunamis. Miraculous power. It's healing power flowing out of Jesus church. This is massive, okay? Under the law, uncleanliness is contagious. But Jesus makes uncleanness wholeness. She didn't take. She didn't make him dirty. He made her unclean. And that's the story of the Klaross. That is the story of what happened on the cross. The exchange that happened on the cross. She got a preview of the New Testament event that was gonna happen. Happened after he rose again and ascended into heaven. And we got the Holy Spirit. She got a preview of the exchange. Amen. 2 Corinthians 5, 21 says this. For he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Do you know what she touched? She touched the hem of his garments. On the hem of his garments are tassels. They call them tzitzit. And it is the command. There is, I think there's 10 knots, 633 braids representing the commands of God. The commandments of God in those seats. Fathers buy them for their sons. It is a traditional thing passed on. It is law. And touching. That means she touched the blessings and the cursings of the law. But Jesus had come to fulfill the law. So therefore, when she touched the law, she got the full blessings of the law and completely healed her. His righteousness transferred to her. Not her righteousness of having enough faith. Not her willingness to push through the crowd and risk her life. No. She knew there was a promise in him that nobody else had. Anybody hear what I'm saying? Amen. Come on. At the cross, the great exchange happened. Amen. He took what was ours, and we received what was his. But Jesus didn't finish it. This is the part y' all missed. Whoo. Man, I missed this for, like, 25 years because nobody ever explained the situation. They just wanted to see the miracle. You ever see somebody talk about the Miracle so much, you never understand the situation. Here we go. You gotta get the word and the foundation before the experience. Because if you're just chasing experiences and miracles, you're nothing but vipers looking for signs that came out of my mouth. Get a sip of water. Let y' all forgive me for a second. With a girl dying in the waiting. Remember, he's on the road to Jairus House. Every minute counts. He does the last thing anybody expected, verse 31. But his disciples said to him, you see the multitude thronging you, and you say, who touched me? And he looked around to see her, who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. Jairus fell at his feet. She fell at his feet. And he said to her, daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed from your affliction. She comes trembling, thinking she's in trouble. And the first words out of his mouth is, daughter. 12 years of being abandoned, pushed aside, forgotten, forsaken, alone, unclean. And he says, daughter. As far as we can see in the Gospels, that's the only time he calls an individual daughter. Other than the little girl he calls by name. Huh? First word she hears is a word of family. Look at the phrase, made you will. There's that word again. Sozo made you well. Your faith has made you well. Sozo healed you and delivered you. Hmm. I want you to notice something about her faith. It wasn't polished. It wasn't pretty. It was unconventional. It was wrong. That is not what she was supposed to do. I'll let you sit with that one on your own. She was sneaking behind, but Jesus altered it. Why? Because the power wasn't her technique. The power was who she touched. She put her faith in Jesus. Meanwhile, Jairus, all this is happening. This one man in the crowd who hasn't forgotten the clock. Jairus, put yourself. I want you to put yourself in Jairus sandals for a second. Happy for her daughter's dying. Can we? You going? No, that's not what he did. He stood there. That's faith, too. He waited patiently because he got to see a stranger, be called daughter. He stood there because he saw the miracle working power of Jesus. Have you ever been in that spot? You've prayed, you've asked, and nothing seems to be happening. So you start wondering, maybe I'm not good enough. Maybe I didn't pray right. Maybe I need more faith. Maybe I need to go to a church with an anointing maybe. It's my thinking. Hear me. Jairus didn't do any of that to make Jesus move. The delay wasn't the verdict on him, and it's not a verdict on you. Why isn't this getting better? Let the delay become a verdict. Amen. The text never said, Jairus complained. He stood there, but don't miss this. He got to see something that made him believe more. In the midst of all that, because we have them. We got those news toters, those gossipers, those social media warriors, those keyboard pastors comes in and says. In verse 35, while he was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house. And who said, you daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher anymore? While he was speaking, he's seeing this miracle. And we don't really get a picture in Mark why Jesus delayed. We just know he stopped. The delay. If I had to say it this way, did not make the miracle smaller. It made it bigger. Jairus came for his sick girl to be healed. Now it'll be a dead girl raised. But before we go there, I want you to think about something about this woman with the issue of blood. Why didn't Jesus just walk away if we want to talk about the delay for a second? Because here's a revelation. Now stick with me. If you're getting tired, if you're getting bored, or maybe it's too hot in here, it's okay. I didn't come here to entertain you. I came to give you the truth. I didn't come here to give you an experience. I came here to give you truth. I came here to give you revelation so that you could pursue Christ more. Okay, so here's why did he delay? Here's what I believe. Here's what tradition would say. What if he would have just walked away? She was healed. But was there anybody to confirm it? By calling her daughter and doing this in front of everybody, he restored her position back into the community. He could have just kept walking. Cause he was on a time limit. He was on a time clock. Gotta get this done. That's us. That ain't Jesus. He knew there was more to be done than just heal her. He had to restore her reputation and her position in the community. And that's exactly what he did. And that's exactly what he's doing for you. And then Jesus says these words the series is built on in verse 36. As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he said to the ruler of the synagogue two things. Do not be afraid. Only Believe. Now, that's easy. That's quotable. That can become a bumper sticker. Smith Wigglesworth made it a song. Did you know that? Yeah. Well, go look it up. Amen. Amen. As soon as he hears the news of Jesus, he stops talking to her, restoring her in the community, and says, don't be afraid. Only believe. You know what he's telling him? He said, don't let fear control your next decision. And if you believe that I can heal her when she's sick, believe me that I can heal her and raise her from the dead. He said, you need to believe what you started. You need to keep going with me. Do you understand? In those two words, he said, jairus, don't you let what they said change your mind about what I'm about to do with your daughter. Amen. You got many reports, but there's only one you need to listen to. Jesus hadn't even had the time to answer the messengers. And Jesus gives him the commands both. Present tense in the Greek, don't be afraid is really keep. Don't keep living in fear. How many are riddled by fear? The what ifs of Life. You're so 10, 20 years out, you can't even do what's in front of you. He's saying, don't stop what you started. He's not telling him to deny it. He's telling him to trust and believe him. That make sense? Only believe is really keep believing. Keep trusting. And look at that word, only. Only believe, nothing added. I'm gonna stop and read my notes right here. I gotta make sure I say this. He doesn't say believe harder. He doesn't say believe louder. He doesn't say work out exactly how your faith operates to get it fundamentally right. He says, only believe. You praying? Oh, God. You laying in sackcloth and ash. Oh, God, you, Communion. You doing everything. You're doing everything and nothing's working because there's no belief behind it. Amen. There's no belief behind it if you don't believe it. Jeremy, let me ask you a question. Realistically. In the last year, how many people you led to the Lord? You know, when I just shouted it out, they got saved. Not just led them to a prayer, you know, that they got saved. How many people? Yeah, you over 40. Okay. There's been over a thousand in the last year with your group, right? Yeah. So does anybody know Jeremy Duxfield? Has he got a book? He part of a big ministry. He got hillsong backing him up. Nobody knows his name, which is Greater the name are the people that have entered into heaven because of what he's done. Believe. Believe is not attached to a movement. The movement started on the cross. You're looking for anointing when all you need is Jesus. So let me ask you, what have you added to only? Only believe plus pray enough. Only believe plus get thoughts in order. Only believe plus feel right first. That's like trying to get clean before you get in the shower. You know? It's like you're standing there with dude wipes, just wiping down. What you doing, honey? I'm getting clean before I take a shower so I can be more clean. That's stupid, right? Don't do it with what you believe. Walk with God and trust him along the way. Even in your messy, messed up, desperate prayer, believe him. People ain't gonna understand it. They ain't you. It says, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Pastor Kyle, I don't know what to do. Neither do I. Talk to Jesus. I cannot walk with you with what you're walking with. I can tell you what I think. I can tell you what I believe. I can give you scriptures I can encourage. I can guide you, but I cannot do it for you. Only believe. Hmm. Let's look at this. We need to stop trying to be right and do right. We need to just be. Be his. Be in him and let him be faithful. The circumstances didn't change, but the one Jairus trusted. The circumstances changed, but the one that Jairus trusted did not. Hebrews puts it like this. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That's why faith works. Not because your feelings are steady. You hear me? That's why faith works. Not because your feelings are steady, but because he is. The world thinks you're coo coo co chew. So what? Trust Jesus. But here's the tension of it all. Because I know what some of you are thinking. That's easy when it's not your report. So let's talk about it. Fear and faith are both a response to report. You hear me? Fear. Fear and faith are both a response to a report. They both have a character. They both have a position. They both are saying the same thing. They're just responding to something. Fear and faith are a response to a report. The messenger brought one report. Your daughter is dead. Jesus brought another. Don't be afraid. Amen. Jairus had to decide which one he was walking home with. So do you. Ooh, that'll stick. That made y' all all quiet. Notice what Jesus doesn't Do. He doesn't tell Jairus to pretend. The first report was never said. He doesn't say deny it. He just gives him something greater to hold onto. They said, cancer, you are the healed of the Lord, they said. Diabetes, you are the healed of the Lord, they said. Anxiety, they said, depression, they said this, they said that. They, they, they, they, they. They won't give you so many reports. Am I making sense here? But what did God say? What did God say? Every one of us gets a report some of them are real and we don't have to pretend they're not. But they're never the last word. Jesus is always the last word word. Amen. And grace always gets there before we fall apart. Come on, somebody. Jairus didn't have to work up faith on the road. He just had to keep listening to Jesus. Romans 10:17. So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Faith isn't something you manufacture. It comes by hearing him. And the more we hear him, the more we know him. The more we know him, the easier it is to trust him. Well, I gotta have more faith. Who told you that? Who told you that? Same as when you know Adam and Eve are naked in the garden. And God comes walking and says, adam, where are you? He answers, I mean, God knew where he was. He's one of the man we're hiding over here. Cause we're naked. Who told you that? Who told you you were naked? Find me in Scripture where it says you need more faith. No, it says you were given a measure of faith. And faith is the hope and the title deed of something. It's not something you manufacture, it's not something you build. It is yours, given you by God to trust and have faith in him. That is faith. Amen. Oh, I feel like there is the measure of faith. But you gotta shut the noise on. You gotta shut the door on the noise. Jairus is about to need every bit of trust because he's about to get to his house. It's chaos. Verse 37 to 40. And he permitted no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. Then he came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue and saw the tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly when he came in. He said to them, why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead. She's sleeping. And they ridiculed him. But when he said, put them all outside, he took the father and the mother of the child and those who were with him, and he entered where the child was lying. They laughed at him. They'll laugh at you. Because to them, dead is dead. But Jesus, death is something he can wake her from. That's resurrection talking at a funeral. Amen. And look at what he does. He doesn't argue with the mockers. He doesn't preach them a sermon. He just puts them outside. Sometimes faith doesn't have to win an argument. It just closes the door on the noise and says, I choose Jesus. You arguing with people, trying to get them to believe. You can't convince people to believe. They have to hear and believe themselves. You can only offer what they need to believe in. But you cannot make them believe with a pretty sermon. Because here's the thing I want to close with. Your faith is not the hero. Notice who Jesus takes into the room. A dad whose faith just took the biggest hit of his life, then says something to every kind of believer in this room. Some of you pray loud, you cry, you shout, you go after it. And I love that. But it's not doing more than the rest of us. Some of you think deep. You want to understand the principles, the reasons, how that's awesome. It doesn't change the outcome. And some of you just say, I believe God bumper sticker, and you mean it with all your heart. But how long will that faith last if it's not in him? Jesus never measures Jairus faith. He never says, great faith, Jairus. He says, not enough faith, Jairus. He doesn't say that. He just keeps walking with him. Here's the funny thing. Jairus never asked for more faith. But the disciples did once listen to how Jesus answered them in Luke 17:5,6. Before we come back to Jairus and the apostles said to the Lord, increase our faith. And the Lord said, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say that this mulberry tree be pulled up from its roots and be planted in the sea, and it would obey you. Luke 17:6. You don't need more faith. You need to know the one your faith is in. You don't need more words. You don't need to know more scripture. You need to know more scripture so you can understand his character, so you can tell the difference between a lie and truth. What you mainly need to know is Jesus. Think about that. That's common ground for every single one of us. The loud prayer, the deep thinker, the quiet believer. We're all standing on the same thing. Not our style, not our strength. Him and his name is Jesus. And if you're battling anxiety, depression, ptsd, or Mental illness. Hear me. Your struggle is not a lack of faith. Jesus isn't waiting on your mind to be quiet before he moves. He's getting help from. And getting help from the doctor is not a lack of faith. It's often how he shows up in the middle. I was battling with war syndrome, PTSD years ago, and I was sitting in the middle of a session. And Dr. Green is his name. Funny name. I'll never forget it. He's a Christian. And he said something. I couldn't even hear him. I don't even know what he said. To this day, I don't even know what he said. But he saw the light bulb go off in my head. I was sitting there thinking deeply. I was praying to God. And a penny dropped, a plank dropped in the bridge. And all of a sudden, the noise stopped and everything became calm. And it was like, wow. And he looked at me and said, what's happened? I said, I'm good. Okay, well, let's come to a couple more sessions. I came to a couple. I'm good. It wasn't him. It was in the middle of me surrendering to whatever. I was desperate. It was messy. And I was crying out to God. And God answered, Look at this. Now come back with me to that little room. A mom and dad and three disciples in verse 41 and 43. Then he took the child. Y' all okay for me to go a couple more minutes. Then he took the child. Did anybody say no? Then he took the child by the hand and said to her, talitha kumi, which is translated, little girl, I say to you, arise immediately. The girl rose and walked, for she was 12 years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. But he commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given to her to eat. He took the child by the hand and said, feed her with the woman. The first thing he said was, daughter with her. Once she rose up, it was feeder. Simple but important. Now remember the law in Numbers 19:11. He who touches a dead body of anyone shall be unclean. 7. Twice in one chapter, Jesus comes in contact with the law, that law that said that would make him unclean. And a woman was bleeding and a girl was dead. And both times his life wins. Listen to me. Mark keeps the actual Aramaic words. Talitha kumi, the language of home. The way a dad wakes his little girl in the morning, he doesn't shout at death. He speaks to a child. Talitha, I say to you, arise. Like a dad waking a daughter up in the morning he didn't go. In the name of Jesus, I compel this dead body to move. Shabbat. Abracadabra. No, He did not perform. He spoke. Jesus had faith that he was anointed. And that faith is in us. For he is anointed. And therefore we speak with the same power. Amen. Amen. I'm about done. I promise. The biggest miracle of the day ends at a kitchen table. Don't tell nobody. Y' all raised somebody from the dead. You call Momma and them. CNN News, you calling Fox, you calling everybody. Put it on Facebook. Look at what I done. Look at Jesus. He didn't send a pigeon. He didn't tell them to go run out and tell the news. He said, keep it a secret. Cause it's not yet time. Because what he was fulfilling was not about him. He was waiting on the appointed time of the cross. Do you hear me? Is this making sense? So what do you do with this? Maybe you walked in today with your own report. The writer of Hebrews 12:2 says this, looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down on the right hand of the throne of God. My Bible tells me to set my mark and my aim unto Christ Jesus. I can do all things through Christ Jesus that strengthens me. And he shall supply all my needs according to his riches and glory. He is the author and the finisher of my faith. He's not an object of your faith. He is the author of your faith. We've made the cross an object of our faith. We've made pastors and people and anointed people a transitional point of transfer. Anointing. We were never called for you to follow us. We were called that we could follow Christ together. And some of us have different offices with different responsibilities. Apostles, prophets, you know all those. Yep. But we're all called to follow him. We're all called to put our hope in Him. We're all called to trust Him. And the more you keep looking for a feeling, the more you keep looking for an experience. The more you keep looking for the right words, the more you keep making sure there's a scripture attached to everything you say. The more you talk about, the more you do the method. You've lost the man. And his name is Jesus. He started it. He will finish it. And he sat down because his work is done. So when he says only believe, we're not saying believe in your believing. We're Saying believe in him and what he's already done. Your job is two words. Only believe it's not working out right now. Only believe I'm not getting a promotion. Only believe all my bills are due and the baby needs a new pair of shoes. Only believe my marriage is falling apart. Believe my kids are running amok. Believe. Because the more you try and do, the less it's going to work. Because it's you doing the work. And you got to trust in what he's already done. And that's what takes me right back to where I started, the bathroom floor. I didn't know faith worked. I wasn't saved. Obviously. I didn't have a method. I didn't have the right words. But I found out that night what Jairus found out on that road. The circumstances can change, the report can change. Everything around you can change. But the one you're trusting in doesn't. So today, the invitation is very simple. Don't be afraid. Only believe. Here's a question I want to leave you with. This week, Jesus said, only believe. But what does believing actually look like on Monday morning? In a hard conversation, a decision you've got to make in a season where you're waiting, what does faith actually look like? That's where we're going next week in part two of Faith that Works. Faith that works in ordinary life. Now, some of you might need to get sleep next Saturday. Half of you have fallen asleep on me, like two or three of you, just like you have tried. And it's the rain, it's the weather. It's so cozy. I'm glad that I've lulled you to sleep. But next week, get some sleep, because I can't wait to see you then. Because how many want faith that works? You can have it. Only believe. Lay your hands on yourself right now. If you've got a knee element, lay your hand on your knee. If you've got a back element, lay your hand on your back. If you got problems in your body, lay your hand wherever that problem is. This is not my prayer. This is your prayer. You were anointed to pray this prayer. You have been given the Holy Spirit. You've been anointed to declare and decree. Say this with me. I believe that all is well with my body, with my family, with my finances. I believe, like the Shunammite woman, with the word of the prophet that she held on to even though her son was dead. She believed that the word of the prophet was true and therefore he would raise again. And I believe in the spirit of prophecy that points to Jesus, that he has fulfilled all things in me. I am whole. I am well in Jesus name and we all say Amen. Give the Lord a hand clap of praise. Amen. Oh, thank you, brother. So here's the thing. I got called by a church yesterday and they want me to give them a word in the beginning of the year. And they said, we want you to bring the first word, a word of prophecy. I was talking to the pastor. I said, pastor, what sermon series you been preaching? He said, we've been going through Revelation, the seven church, the letters to the churches. I said, what did you discover? He said, everything points to Jesus. I said, good, then that'll be the word for the year. Everything points to Jesus. Folks, we're looking for a miracle. When it's right next to us, when it's right inside of us, when it's in the beauty of the day. I was studying something I'll talk about next week, then I'm gonna stop here and bring whoever's coming up next to close this out. Jeremy, you'll have to help me here, if you don't mind. I was studying the last Reformation in 1506 with Martin Luther, and that was 500 years ago. And the next move of God happened in 1706, which was 200 years later. And then after that, everything that's happened has been a 60 to 55 year span, a lifetime. It's almost like everything's sped up. But there's been no major reformation since. This monk tagged the Reformation to a door and was trying to prove his righteousness to God and learn something so amazing that I'll talk about next week. I believe the next Reformation is a revelation of the truth of the word because there's so many people chasing an experience, the signs and wonders, the. I believe what's coming next is a true foundation of truth that'll free people so deeply that their lives are gonna so radically change that they're gonna be promoted on their jobs, their mar. I'm not talking about prosperity. I'm talking about life just becomes good because you stop letting the devil have access to your life. Because you got so much word in you. No matter even if he tries you in the wilderness, you've come out clean on the other side. I believe that the next reformation, the next move of God, will be the word of God becoming back to the center of everything we believe. Not man's tradition, not repetitive teaching. No, no, no. The word being so ingrained in us that it becomes our language. Amen Father, we thank you for today. We thank you for this opportunity to come minister this word. We ask that you build faith in each and every person. If there be someone here that doesn't know the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray in the name of Jesus. They repeat these words after me right now. I believe with my whole heart that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I have a change of heart and mind towards my life and I now give my life to him. And I believe with my heart that I am saved. And I believe that all those that prayed those prayer with faith and belief in their heart have wrath radically been changed from the inside out. And I pray that they begin their journey with Jesus. But I also pray for each and every believer. Whether you've been doing it for 10 years, 20 years, 40 years, 60 years, you're waiting on that moment. But he's just waiting on you to trust and rely on Him. It's in Jesus name we pray and we all say Amen. Thank you, Jeremy. [00:55:42] Thank you for tuning in to today's message. To connect or find out more, you can reach us online at worldchangers Life. Remember to subscribe for more uplifting messages from our pastoral team and may you continue to walk in faith and transformation until we meet again.