DO YOU BELIEVE IN JESUS and WHY?

By Rev. F. Jay Pearson

 

I would like to share with you today what you already know. You know it and the knowledge of it is of great value. This is one of the things that keeps us growing in our walk with Christ. Remembering and being more aware of the answers you are less likely to be swayed. Remembering who you are in Christ and why you believe what you do. Do you believe in Jesus? Why?

To believe in Jesus is a God given ability through the gift of the Holy Ghost. Jesus revealed himself to you.

Romans 10:9,10
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Without the Holy Spirit in you these are just words on a page. We didn’t chose Jesus. He chose us.

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:
it is the gift of God:

John 15:16
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you,
that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain:
that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

What is Jesus standing in the creation?

Hebrews 1:1-4
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

What is our standing in the creation?

Ephesians 2:4-6
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Why is this our standing?

Galatians 2:16
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law,
but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

The faith of Jesus Christ is perfect. Our faith is lacking at times.

1 Thessalonians 3:10
Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face,
and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?

Luke 8:24,25
24 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.
25 And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.

Everybody has faith, Christian and non-Christian. The important thing is where is your faith and who do you have faith in. Although our faith is not perfect it can be perfected by the one you have faith in. Did the women that touched the helm of his garment believe that she could bring about her healing or did she believe in the power of Jesus Christ. That only in touching him his power might heal her.

Luke 8:46-48
46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.
47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.
48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

Jesus felt the virtue come out of him. Her faith in Jesus Christ made her whole. It was not her positive believing.

Do you believe in Jesus and do you trust in Jesus?

John 14:1
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

Today it seems the world is going to cramp before our eyes. We are showered with the so-called truth. Our doom is around the corner. The media instills fear and chaos to attract more viewers with a thirty-second closing feel good story. There has been numerous world-ending so called prophecies in my life-time and yours. Guess what? We are still here. Why?  Because the Lord has not chosen to call his children and those who sleep in him home yet.

Psalm 37:1-5
1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

Why trust in the Lord? From the time you were born he was there. The Lord saw your every stupid mistake. He witnessed every sin you have committed and will commit. Yet He chose to call you and establish you in His Kingdom. Why trust in the Lord? He is trustworthy. There is no other in heaven and earth more trust worthy than the Lord.

Proverbs 30:5
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

2 Corinthians 1:10
Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

Colossians 1:13,14
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Do you believe in Jesus? Why? Do you trust in Jesus? Why? Reminding yourself of it every day keeps you in awareness of him. When everything in your life is going good, when everyone is saying you are in big trouble, and when everything in this life seems to suck, believe and trust in the Lord. We believe in him because of what the Word says he will do. We trust in him because of what he has done in our past and proven he is able to do again and again.

John 14:1
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

Psalm 37:40
And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

Believe in Jesus and trust in him.

* * * * *

Your assignment for the week is to sit down with no distractions and read Ephesians chapter 2 with three questions in mind:

1) Who were you?
2) Who are you now?
3) Why?

 

 

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Presented 24 July 2022 in Pride, Louisiana