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The Truth Of The Matter is - Episode: 131 The Application And Or Principle Of Faith
24 Plays10 months ago
Faith is the only thing that pleases God and therefore the believer must learn how to apply the application and or Principle of faith. Thinking back Once I decided to place my faith in Jesus I Had questions about what that actually looked like From a Practical standpoint. I understood what faith was from the definition provided in Hebrews 11:1 but what does the meaning look like when applied was my question. After episode 128 it came to me that the man with Leprosy, the Roman official, and Peter's mother in law applied their faith actively. Faith is a reasoned trust, an enduring process, and an inherit foreknowledge. On Today's episodes I thought it would be beneficial to show you how these individuals applied the application and or Principle of faith Practically.
Transcript
Welcome & Introduction
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Welcome to the Truth of the Matters podcast. I'm your host Jonathan and we are back for episode 131. Please let's give a round of applause to all our new and consistent listeners.
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We thank you all in advance for continuing to press play. Of course, that's your home convenience. So to be honest, I'm super excited about what I am discussing today. Of course, I've enjoyed my preparation this week. And my goal as I talk to you today is to be clear, passionate,
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and impactful as I disseminate this message to the masses to anyone that presses play. And if you don't mind, you can tell a friend and hopefully this is a blessing to them as well. And this is not the last time they press play on the Truth of the Matters podcast.
Scriptures as Reference
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So in my preparation, I came to the conclusion that I believe this will be a blessing.
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Now, if you haven't listened to the podcast.
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I want you to know that in this podcast, I'm always provided scriptures. I have scriptures already, of course, for a point of reference that you can follow along to see the practicality and the philosophical thought process that I went through to arrive at the conclusion that I'm making. Okay. I also pray that what I share will be useful to all who took the time to listen.
Thanksgiving & Family
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Ultimately, that's all you can ask for. In other news, I hope and pray that everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving. And I also want to let you know that you should be giving yourselves grace because during this time of year, the holidays that are coming up, obviously,
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There's a lot of mixed emotions that are transifying if you're being honest. Think about it, right? You're seeing family that you haven't seen in a while. You're finding yourselves talking to family that you haven't seen in a while. Through the art of conversation
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You're finding yourself agreeing and disagreeing over different topics that are brought up at the dinner table or just mingling in general. You're enjoying good food, but you're also reflecting upon what you're thankful for. Let's not ignore this portion also.
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I'm pretty sure some of you are wondering why does it take a holiday such as this for you to want to gather and want to discuss life and talk about things. Why can't we stay in constant contact and speak on a regular basis that way we're not
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looking at the holiday as an excuse to gather and talk with one another. These are the things that you're contemplating about. These are the things that are going through your mind as these holidays approaches and you're having to deal with people that you don't normally discuss and talk to about that. And I'm only bringing this up because these are some of the thoughts that go through my mind.
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And I think family is much more bigger than that. We should be talking not because of the holidays, but because we're family and we should be desiring to stick together and bond with one another outside of just the
Personal Experiences & Favor
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holidays. And we shouldn't just look to the holidays as an excuse to want to talk to one another. So I'm bringing this up because obviously I think this is something that
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A lot of us are thinking about and have thought about, but it's never raised. So maybe the encouragement needs to be. Irregulated.
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where people are considering the fact that this is family. I care about them. I love them. And let's not just look to the holidays for us to connect again. Let's try to see how one another is doing outside of the holidays. Again, let's see how one another is doing outside holidays.
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So, with that being said, let's continue with a segment that I brought up, and that is how the Lord has blessed
Prayer & Faith Introduction
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me. And I'll start by saying, the Lord has blessed me by giving me favor. And for those who know, through the past, I wanna say three episodes, I came out of a tough season where I made a large investment into my car.
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And I can say thus far every day this week, I've been given favor and received high tips from customers. And I know that's God. I know it's God because he's blessing me and he's providing a way. And as a hardworking individual, I know my job is to show up and make the best out of what is available.
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And I'm hoping obviously to build my money back up and make these payments that I have. Now, obviously it was a process, but as long as I show up again to work, I believe God is going to bless my hands as I put them to work. Even if I have to work longer hours, I'm here for it. So let's begin with prayer before we dive into the scriptures.
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Father God in Jesus name, we thank you for favor, for grace as we continue to live life. We thank you for seasons of prosperity and for seasons of long suffering. We thank you for the seasons of peace and for the seasons of reflection. We thank you for friends, family, community, even enemies.
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Bless us today as we go to your word. I pray for understanding and wisdom. I ask for guidance into your truth. Lord, we ask you these things in honor and with reference towards you.
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In Jesus name we pray. Amen. So there will be quite a bit of reading of scriptures today so if I don't know long I encourage you to take a pen and paper out or play this episode again because I have a lot to share a lot of references so that you can truly understand the perspective that I'm coming from and obviously this is
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after long hours of spending time with the Lord in the scriptures. So I'm going to try to take my time as I walk through this so that you can understand what I am implying about. So let's begin by addressing the application and or principle of faith.
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My goal today is to address the application and or principle of faith. What I mean by application is the action of putting something into operation.
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What I mean by the application is the action of putting something into operation. When I talk about principle, I'm speaking of a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reason. I'm going to repeat that as well because I know that's a mouthful.
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When I talk about principle, I'm speaking of a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.
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Three weeks ago, we talked about God's willingness to act through our faith. Today, I want to talk about what does our faith look like from a practical application standpoint. Now I've mentioned it several times, but I want to point it out in the text for today so that you can see the importance of how to apply your faith.
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Now the biblical definition of faith that we're going to look at and unpack is in Hebrews 11 one. And of course, this is the definition that most people reference to one acts to define faith. And I want to give you.
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some practicality in reference to this. So follow along, please. I'm going to take my time here. Now, the verse says, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. So let's break this down philosophically.
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The word substance means that essential nature underlining
Biblical Definitions of Faith
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phenomena, which is subject to change and accidents. The word substance means the essential nature underlining phenomena, which is subject to changes and accidents.
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So when we talk about phenomena, we're talking about occurrences or manifestations without human input. These events are rare and of course, unusual. This is where we can safely say that a miracle, a divine intervention happens, right? The hand of God is present. And of course, he steps in on your behalf or someone else's behalf.
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So when the scripture says faith is the substance, it's speaking of a moment where things are subject to change due to your faith and allowing God to address the issue.
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The word there in the definition of substance, you also have accident. Now, the word accident simply means an event that happens by chance or that is without a parent or deliberated cause.
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The word accident simply means an event that happens by chance that is without apparent or deliberated cause. So there isn't something that causes anything. It's by chance, which is very well-defined. It's unpredictable.
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And the next question says substance of things hoped for. The definition of hope is simply a feeling of trust. A feeling of trust. So when you put it all together, we are trusting in the application or principle of faith. Things are subject to change based upon what we are hoping for.
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So when we put it all together, we are trusting that in the application or principle of faith, things are subject to change based upon what we are hoping for. This is why having faith requires us to be confident in God.
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And we do this by trusting in God. This is why having faith requires us to be confident in God, and we are doing this by trusting in God. The scripture says, God is not a man that he shall lie. Therefore, God must be trustworthy, correct? He's the opposite of man. We can place our faith in God after all because man is flawed.
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But God is not. The thought process between man and God is not the same. Jesus said, I am above, you are below. He spoke about the distance in terms of the consideration. Man has this ability to have to go through a process. God doesn't have to go through a process. Nothing ever occurs to God.
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There's no comparison between God and man. Romans chapter 3 verse 4 says, let God be true and every human being a liar. Other translations say every man to be a liar. Now the last portion of the definition of faith in Hebrews 11.1 states the evidence of things not seen. The evidence of things not seen. Evidence is anything that can be used to prove something.
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Let's go even deeper here, right? The scripture says a lot of things.
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But for starters, let's go here. Let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 22 through 25. 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 22 through 25. And it says, Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.
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But to those who God has called both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God, for the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
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So for those that have engaged in conversations about God, the evidence argument has been a thing for a long time. So no brainer. That is where people point to, okay? The answer to this answer in reference to evidence has never been the evidence that we point to.
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I'll repeat that again. Based upon that evidence argument, the believer should never look for evidence because that's never been the answer. The truth of the matter is, it's always been about God revealed. It's never been about God. It's never been about us trying to provide evidence of God's existence.
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It should always be about us desiring to show them and point them that it's about God revealing himself to them. Now I understand the case for Christ book that is out there, that's fine. But I'm talking about in terms of scripture,
00:15:53
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In terms of the biblical narrative, it's never been about the desire to provide evidence. It's been about the desire to understand that it's about God being revealed, not about providing evidence. And I'll explain that a little bit as we go on.
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The next passage I want to mention is Matthew chapter 12 verse 38 through 42 and I want you to hear this. Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, teacher, we want to see a sign from you. Now, when they say a sign, they want a piece of evidence.
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Verse 39 he answered, a wicked and adulterous generation access for a sign, but none would be given except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the bell of a huge fish, so the son of man would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Challenges of Faith & Belief
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The men of Ninevi will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it. For they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the south will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it.
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For she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom and now something greater than Solomon is here. So what Jesus is pointing to and talking about is the repentance and the behavior based upon someone God used in the context. And he's speaking about himself being greater than those people.
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Right? And he's also pointing to Jonah obviously being a foreshadowing of Christ.
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the signification of being in the well of a belly for three days three nights and of course Christ being crucified and obviously the resurrection portion of it but he's pointing to that story and saying that is the only evidence you're going to have
00:18:19
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There would be no literal sign that would be convincing for you to believe me. Now verse 39 is clear. It says none would be given except the sign of the prophet Jonah. So since Jesus said none would be given,
00:18:35
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Us as believers need to understand that we should not be looking for it. I repeat that again. Jesus said none would be given. So don't go looking for signs other than what was provided through the story and the prophet of Jonah.
00:18:55
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We need to understand Jesus is not performing a magic trick so that you can see Him. That's not what it's about. You know, in Corinthians and Acts, it talks about these things were written in the past for your benefit. I'm talking about Corinthians 10 is a portion about what we learned in the past. And then there's a portion in Acts that speaks about the same thing. Learning about what was written to benefit us in the present.
00:19:26
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and therefore providing us answers so that we don't go back looking for something else outside of what's already been provided and if we have hold on to our faith then it should be enough okay now this is why Jesus points to Jews to the resurrection which according to Paul is a stumbling block
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This is why Paul wrote this in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. We're going to look at, excuse me, chapter 15 verses 12 through 19. We're going to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 12 through 19. But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
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there is no resurrection of the then of the dead then none not even Christ has been crucified and if Christ has not been raised our preaching is useless and so is your faith more than that
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we are then found to be false witnesses about God. For if we have testified about God, that He raised Christ from the dead, but He did not raise Him, if in fact the dead are not raised, for if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is fruitile.
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you are stilling your sins, then those who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. Verse 19, if only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pity. So
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The reason why I bring this passage up again, 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 12 through 19, because this is a domino effect, which means everything occurs for a reason. And in this case, the dominoes fall with each one impacting the other.
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And this is why Paul is stressing us that if there's no resurrection from the dead, then we're in our sins. And if we are in our sins, then when we've never been redeemed, and if we've never been redeemed, then we are lost. And if we are lost, then our faith is fruitile. Okay? Now, why is it a stumbling block for Jews? Why is this a stumbling block for Jews?
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Well, the way Jesus appeared and went about his business, it wasn't the way they thought the Messiah would be. It wasn't what they perceived. And as a result, they rejected him. Now, some haven't and some have. The percentage amount, I do not know.
00:22:27
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However, biblical history tells us that they were expecting a man of war like David or Joshua. And Jesus would take the kingdom by force. And he didn't. And therefore they're questioning who he is and what he has done. Let's go to the gospel of John chapter 20 verses 19 through 29.
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On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came, stood among them and said, peace be with you. After he said this, he showed them his hands and side.
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The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Verse 21, again, Jesus said, peace be with you. As the father has sent me, I'm sending you. And with that he breathed on them and said, receive the Holy Spirit.
00:23:34
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If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven. If you do not receive them, they are not forgiven. Now Thomas, verse 24, also known as Denimos, one of the 12 was not with the disciples when Jesus came. Is that a coincidence? No. There's a reason for that. It's a story. It's why the story was written. So we can learn from this, verse 25. So the other disciples told him,
00:24:04
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Catch this, we have seen the Lord, but he said to them, unless I see the nails marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. So what is he looking for?
00:24:26
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Evidence. Verse 26, a week later, his disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, peace be with you. Then he said to Thomas, put your fingers here, see my hands, reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.
00:24:54
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Thomas said to him, my Lord and my God. Did you just told him, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have bleed. This story is beneficial for those who are questioning the legitimacy, which means God understood and knew.
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that this would be a thing. So what happened? The situation was provided. You don't think Jesus knew that Thomas wouldn't be there? Of course he knew that. Of course he
Focus on Unseen & Eternal
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knew that. It was intentional. The focus here isn't about seeing. It's about believing without seeing. This passage was written down for our benefit so that we can learn from it.
00:25:47
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This is how that passage applies to situations and predicaments currently now. We do not need to feel for the marks in his side and hand. The example of Thomas should be teaching us not to see things to believe when it comes to God, but to have faith without the evidence. Let's go to 2 Corinthians 4, verse 18.
00:26:16
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This is what Paul writes, 2 Corinthians 4, verse 18. We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
00:26:34
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We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. Since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. So the focus should not be on what you're able to see. If that's the case, who could deny its truth?
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It's about trusting in what you cannot see, which from Hebrews 11 6 says, we understand that the universe was formed at God's command so that what is seen was not made out of what was visual. Let's go to Luke chapter 24. And I'm going to read verses 13 through 32. Of course, I said there will be a lot of reading today.
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But no worries, if you follow along, you won't get lost. Now, that same day, two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, after seven miles from Jerusalem. Can you believe it? They used to walk seven miles.
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like it was nothing. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them.
00:28:03
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but they were kept from recognizing. This is when I'm talking about the difference between revealing and evidence. He wasn't revealed to them. They did not know who he was. Verse 17, he asked them, what are you discussing together as you walk along? Of course, he knows what they was discussing, but of course he's playing along and he's having a conversation with them. They stood still, their face downcast.
00:28:34
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One of them named Cephas Axton. Are you the only one?
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visiting Jerusalem, who does not know things that have happened there in these days. What things the acts about Jesus of Nazareth, they replied, he was a prophet, powerful in word and dead. Indeed, before God and all other people, he was a prophet, powerful in word, indeed, before God and all the people. So they refer Jesus as a prophet.
00:29:08
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That's it. Verse 20, the chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death. They crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. So here's a disciple, Peter, who's Cephas, talking about he was a prophet, talked about how he hoped that he was the Messiah.
00:29:33
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He thought he was the Messiah, and when things came to fruition in this short period of time, he lost hope. They were downcast.
00:29:48
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Verse 22, in addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning, verse 23, but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive.
00:30:06
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Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the woman had said, but they did not see Jesus. So here it is, Peter's telling this story. And throughout the story, you see how they lost faith. Throughout the story, you see how they looked at the situation and didn't think it was worth considering the truth of it.
00:30:34
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Right? The women, Mary and them told them what transpired and there was still doubt. Verse 25. He said to them, how foolish you are and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken. So now he's questioning the legitimacy of their faith. Why? Because everything that's been spoken up into this point, the prophecy that's been fulfilled up into this point, they didn't believe.
00:31:03
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Verse 26, did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? This is something Jesus told him before he went on as well. Verse 27, and beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself. Verse 28, as they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as he were going farther.
00:31:29
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But they urged him strongly, stay with us, for it is nearly even the day is almost over. So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and began to give it to them.
00:31:49
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Think about what's transpiring. This is the last time Jesus actually at the last supper, right? At the last supper, he did exactly the same thing. And look at verse 31 through 32. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him and he disappeared from their sight.
Revelation & Understanding Scriptures
00:32:12
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which means there was a pattern that transpired here. They were at the table at the last supper where Jesus dipped the bread in the dish and they drank the wine to signify communion. And here it is. After he has risen, he sat with them and he broke bread with them. And then they realized who he was. It was revealed to them.
00:32:38
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sort of like the scriptures, right? We'll get to that, but the revealing of the moment that was shared jogged their memory. Was it evidence? It was the revealing, right? So we get here to verse 32. They asked each other
00:32:58
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when not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us interesting verse now i want to skip down a bit
00:33:11
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and read this next portion, same chapter. Let's go from verse 36 to 49. While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, peace be with you. They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.
00:33:43
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He said to them, why are you troubled? And why do you, why does doubt rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself touch me and see a ghost. Touch me and see a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.
00:34:10
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When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet, and while they still did not believe,
00:34:18
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believe it because of joy and a maze. He asked them, do you have anything here to eat? They gave him a piece of boiled fish and he took it and ate it in their presence. He said to them, this is what I told you while I was still with you. Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the law of Moses.
00:34:42
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the prophets and the Psalms. Then he opened their mind so that they could understand the scriptures. He told them, this is what is written, the Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem. Verse 48, you are witnesses of these days. Verse 49, I am going to send you my father
00:35:12
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send to you what my father has promised. But stay in the city until you have been clothed with the power from on high. The reason why I read verses from Luke 24 is because evidence isn't what got the disciples to believe it.
00:35:33
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it was Jesus revealing himself that did. Now obviously what Jesus did that I thought was quite natural was that they thought they saw a ghost. So what does Jesus do to get rid of that concept? He says, do you have something to eat? And he ate in front of them. And he asked, does ghosts are ghosts able to eat?
00:35:58
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No, he talked about flesh and bone that he has that is like theirs. So they were shocked. But what Jesus did to clear that conscience was that he ate something that they would eat to show them that, Hey, the same period in time that I was with you, I am that same person.
00:36:24
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When Jesus revealed himself, they understood and their eyes were open to accepting the truth. Something obviously that was shocking to them and would be to most people, he provided, he provided something that they needed and he revealed himself to them in a way. And he unfortunately did something that they thought might've been impossible being that they thought he was a ghost at first.
00:36:53
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Now verse 31 says, then their eyes were opened and they recognized him and he disappeared from his sight. We go to verse 45. It says, then he opened their mind so that they can understand the scriptures. So again, it took Jesus revealing himself and it took Jesus opening up their minds.
Applying Faith in Daily Life
00:37:13
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It wasn't about providing evidence.
00:37:17
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Now, Jesus said in Matthew chapter 13 verses 13-15 this, this is why I speak to them in parables. Though seeing, they did not see. Though hearing, they did not hear or understand.
00:37:35
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them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah you will be ever hearing but never understanding you will be ever seeing but never perceiving verse 15 for this people's heart has become calloused
00:37:50
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They hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I will heal them." He's talking about the clarity and understanding.
00:38:11
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of how a person ought to act once they recognize the truth, then they can do all those things. But because they don't recognize the truth, they fail to be able to be complied with what he just read, which shows that there's an issue here. Now, here's what I want to do. Here are four passages of scripture that help me see the application of faith.
00:38:41
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for passages.
00:38:44
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Again, for those who haven't heard me say this, I'll say it here. The practical definition of faith that I've given is that faith is what? A reasoned trust, an enduring process, and an inherent for knowledge. Faith is a reasoned trust, an enduring process, and an inherent for knowledge. Lastly, faith is a reasoned trust.
00:39:12
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an enduring process and an inherent foreknowledge. Let's begin by Hebrews 11.3. I've mentioned earlier, but this is part of the verses that helped me practically understand what faith is. By faith, we understand that the universe was formed at God's command so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
00:39:40
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This is a reason trust. Why?
00:39:44
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Well, it starts with the saying by faith, which means it is not by sight that we believe what God has done. Therefore, there needs to be an understanding that God is a God who is unseen and yet has the capacity to bless people, situations, and realities without physically needing to be there.
00:40:13
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Let me take you to Matthew chapter 6 verses 5-6 for it says, Matthew chapter 6 verses 5-6 for it says, When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites for they love to pray standing in the center guards and on the street corners to be seen by others.
00:40:34
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Truly, I tell you, they have received their reward in full, verse six. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your father who is unseen. Then your father who is, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. So even though God is unseen, that doesn't stop him from making things happen for you.
00:41:02
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We'll see how that transpires with the Roman ruler.
00:41:08
Speaker
who did exactly what was mentioned here. We'll get to that. Let's go to Hebrews 11, 6, 4, 6. Hebrews 11, 6, 4, 6. Without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He awards those who earnestly seek Him. This is an inherent forenaut. I believe deep down,
00:41:36
Speaker
those who pray do so with knowledge that they must believe that God is real in order for God to answer their prayers. Even though they may not know who they are praying to,
00:41:51
Speaker
They still are attempting to reach out to God without a relationship because their circumstances have humbled them to this point that they are now realizing that God is the only answer to their promise, but more importantly, this is their last resort. Inherently, deep down, most believe that there is a God.
00:42:19
Speaker
The question becomes, how do we understand God? And what is the name of this God? Some believe it's a woman. Some believe it's multiple gods. When you start getting into religious circles, there's different definitions of what they believe God is. Here on the truth of the matter is, we believe Jesus is God.
00:42:44
Speaker
unequivocally, unequivocally, unequivocally, right? We believe that Jesus is God. Now, those who have decided not to believe in God, that idea usually comes from the misunderstanding of God, usually is out of anger as well. And therefore they resort to the idea of God not existing.
00:43:13
Speaker
and would feel inclined to say things like, if God were here, how could he allow these bad things to happen to me, right? And they can go on and on and on with these different things. But deep down, the idea of God is ingrained in everyone. People normally just move away from God because of ideas like God doesn't love me, God doesn't want what's best for me,
00:43:42
Speaker
Now those who draw near to God do so because of the right ideology, the right biblical understanding, the right theology.
00:43:55
Speaker
Another thing here to expand on when it comes to the inherent foreign knowledge claim. In the book of Isaiah chapter 43 verse 21 it says, the people whom I'm formed for myself that they might declare my praise. The truth of the matter is we were formed to declare praises to God.
00:44:18
Speaker
we will form to give him glory and honor. What this praise and worship mean, praises the expression or approval of admiration for someone or something. Which means, since we were created to worship, there are things we naturally do as a result of desiring to do that. That's part of our makeup. There's also an awareness that many have about what they hear,
00:44:48
Speaker
seen or know as it relates to personal transformations and how it couldn't have been anyone else but God. And as a result of that, you recognize the change and the transformation in that individual from what and how you've known them. And it's undeniable that God has changed that person's life. And I believe there are people out there that recognize
00:45:18
Speaker
the transformation. I believe the issue has always been that avenue of how God is willing to communicate. And that's through our act of faith, which is a reason trust, which we talked about in episode one to eight. This afternoon, obviously, isn't universally accepted and doesn't sit well with people.
00:45:44
Speaker
Therefore, that's the reason you have those who are not willing to conform to God's rules and his regulations and what he has to say for your betterment, for your understanding, and for your well-being.
Enduring Faith & Biblical Examples
00:45:59
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Matthew 7, 7, NLT specifically, keep on asking you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking and you will find. Keep on knocking and the door will be open to you.
00:46:11
Speaker
This is a reason trust and an enduring process right. Galatians 6.9 speaks about don't become weary in doing good for you or people harvest if you do not give up. This is all about effort.
00:46:25
Speaker
And finally, Hebrews 11, verses 35 through 44 says, women recede back of their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released, said they may gain an even better resurrection. Some face jurors and flogging and even chains and imprisonment.
00:46:51
Speaker
They were put to death by stoning. They were sold into two. They were killed by the sword. They went about in sheep's kings and goats' kings' destitute, persecuted and mistreated. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in the desert and mountains, living in caves and in homes, in the ground. These were all commended for their what? Faith.
00:47:20
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yet none of them received what had been promised since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. This is an enduring process and an
00:47:37
Speaker
apparent full analysis and a reasoned trust in understanding how people were able to apply the application of faith confidently and boldly regardless of what transpired when it came to them. Those who have faith received punishment, they were killed, and yet that did not impact their belief.
00:48:02
Speaker
They endured to the end regardless of what happened to them which means they had four knowledge knowing what would happen and stood on their convictions when it came to Jesus Christ.
00:48:17
Speaker
In Matthew chapter eight, we discussed Jesus healing a man with leprosy. The faith of a Roman officer, this is where we get into that portion, and the healing of Peter's mom in law and the deliverance of those who were demon possessed dealing with spiritual attacks. The man who was healed of leprosy heard of Jesus, right? He had to hear of Jesus and knew what he was capable of. Therefore, he had the foreknowledge
00:48:47
Speaker
and awareness of Jesus, and active with reason to believe it was possible, all he needed to do was accept Jesus' will. So as you can see, in faith, he heard about Jesus. In faith, that was the reason for him to do so. In faith, he was willing to do what was necessary for him to encounter Jesus. That's how he acted in faith.
00:49:16
Speaker
That was the application of faith that he implemented. He foreknew who Jesus was at the time who didn't in that particular region. He foreknew who Jesus was, which means he understood the capabilities that Jesus could provide him relief, right? He was enduring. What was he enduring? The leprosy problem. So in faith,
00:49:44
Speaker
Through his foreknowledge and his reasoned trust, he pursued Jesus. And all he needed to hear was Jesus' willingness to do so, to make him whole again.
00:50:03
Speaker
The Roman officer had a full knowledge and awareness of Jesus and looked at his circumstance and abilities and authority and compared it to what Jesus was obviously capable of doing. And he believed it. He even knew it didn't require Jesus to be there for it to happen. What I talked about earlier is that when we ask for Jesus,
00:50:29
Speaker
We ask things from Jesus. We don't need to be in a church. We could be in a car. We can be in a house. We don't need to be close to the church to ask God for things. In fact, it doesn't matter where you are.
00:50:45
Speaker
when you ask Jesus for something. It doesn't matter why it doesn't matter because Jesus is capable of fulfilling what you ask him regardless of where you are and where the situation is. From what I remember the scripture says in that same hour he was healed. It was done.
00:51:07
Speaker
Jesus was so impressed that he got it because what did he do? Practically, reasonably, he looked at his own ability and authority to do something and recognize Jesus's ability to do whatever he needed to do. And therefore, it didn't require all that.
00:51:26
Speaker
He understood, based upon, reflecting upon his own ability to instruct people. He said, I have shoulders under me. When I tell them to go, they go. When I tell them to do this, they do this. He understood the concept. And to understand that concept and to understand now who Jesus was, he understood what Jesus had the ability to do. When Jesus said, all power has been given to me by my father, he understood that. He knew. He knew what Jesus could do for him.
00:51:54
Speaker
Peter's mother-in-law had a fever. What was she going through? She was enduring. She was suffering. And as people who suffer all the time, right, we understand eventually it will subside. But guess what? In the midst of her suffering, right, she's had a fever. Who hasn't had a fever? If you had a fever, you understand that it is a process to allow it to take its course.
00:52:24
Speaker
Peter's mom knew that and guess what? In faith she believed it would pass. What she didn't anticipate was that when Jesus showed up he would speed the process up and take it away just like that. What do we talk about when it comes to faith? Faith can change the occurrence, the outcome,
00:52:53
Speaker
The occurrence can be taken away just like that. That's the benefits of the experience of seeing how God, if he is willing to address your issue at high speed, or in some cases, it takes place progressively. Those who were delivered believed in Jesus and what he could do.
00:53:23
Speaker
Now, the point of this episode is to understand that the application or principle of faith that we have in Jesus is not a blind faith.
00:53:33
Speaker
It can't be a blind faith. It's a reasoned trust. There's something to gain from the experience, good and bad, and there's a reason behind it. As students, I'm pretty sure that we're learning about that. There's a foreign knowledge of your faith. Deep down, there's an awareness of it. And finally, there's an enduring process that you will have to grow through, not go through, grow through. Just because you have faith, that doesn't mean you won't suffer.
00:54:01
Speaker
just because you have faith that does not mean you won't suffer you have to endure keep in mind that faith is an action it's what you do to understand the confrontation once you
00:54:17
Speaker
you process the practicality of it. The choice will be yours. And don't underestimate the moment. Don't underestimate the moment when it comes up. Embrace it and grow through it, not go through it. Grow through it allows you not only to reflect on a moment, but utilize it as further to get through the next moment that arrives.
00:54:43
Speaker
Every time we grow through something, God is providing us reasons to continue to trust Him, continue to believe in Him. Why? Because then that becomes evidence of you. That becomes evidence for you to not only be a walk in testimony, but to see God reveal Himself in moments.
Conclusion & Prayer
00:55:11
Speaker
on your behalf in those moments, your faith is strengthened. So, it is to start off with having evidence. It starts off with God revealing Himself in those moments for you to understand that and therefore it's evidence to you that He's shown up this time. He's shown up that time. He's going to continue to show up for you. Keep that in mind and never let someone tell you
00:55:42
Speaker
Let no one tell you that what you're going through or what you're experiencing is not true. I appreciate the moment and address it accordingly. Now, with that being said, I know we went through a lot. I encourage you to go back, play this episode again as many times as you need. Take notes if you haven't. If you have questions, disagreements, of course, reach out to me. I'm not on a high horse when I can't be reached.
00:56:11
Speaker
My information is in the description of the podcast, regardless of how you listen to it, whether it's Google, whether it's Apple, whether it's Amazon, whether it's Spotify. I'm accessible through TikTok, through Instagram, through my Facebook group called I'm a Believer. It is in the show notes. And now, without further ado, of course, I want to say this. Don't be shy.
00:56:36
Speaker
you'll find out that I love this stuff. I love talking about God. I love digging in the scriptures. I love it so much because not only does it encourage me to go back and learn more and more and more, I feel like I grow closer to God when I'm in the scriptures. And with that being said, I hope that you can have that same passion and fervor that I have for God.
00:57:03
Speaker
in your own way, however that way may be. And with that being said, we're gonna finish with devotional time.
00:57:10
Speaker
Galatians chapter 5 verses 5 through 6 says, For through the Spirit we eagerly await for faith, the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith, expressing itself through love. Now faith is the only thing that pleases God.
00:57:34
Speaker
and therefore the believer must learn how to apply the application of faith. I hope after this conversation today you can see how the examples provided in the scriptures you can see that. When we draw near to God sincerely we have full assurance that through faith and the act of repentance God will show us grace and mercy therefore cleansing us
00:57:58
Speaker
and convicting us to get back on track and to try again and live and write through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Here's a prayer that closes out.
00:58:10
Speaker
Lord God in Jesus name I pray that the relationship between every individual who has placed their faith in you grows. I pray that they continue to trust in you above all else. Father God there is no limit with you because all things are possible with you and all things
00:58:31
Speaker
are possible because you are God and God alone. All those in agreement say in Jesus name we pray. Amen and Amen.