Do You Believe?

Matthew 9:28-29     And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

 

“Following Jesus”  These two blind men had been following Jesus crying out for mercy.  Jesus had performed several miracles in the previous verses and it goes without saying that people were talking.  These blind men had heard what was happening and decided that today was their day to receive a miracle, so, they began to follow Jesus.  If you want to receive your miracle today that is exactly where it begins – Seeking Jesus.

 

“Do You Believe”  God is not up in Heaven worried about what His next step will be or how He is going to help you.  He is able!  The question that must be addressed is what do you believe?  Is God able to open blind eyes?  Is He able to heal cancer?  Is He able to restore your marriage?  When you look at your situation and you cry out to God in desperation have you fully settled the matter in your heart?  A double minded man will receive nothing from God.  We cannot say God is able and then act like God has abandoned us.  Yes, Lord!  I know you love me.  Yes, Lord! I know you died for me.  Yes, Lord!  I know you are able.  God is waiting for us to settle this in our hearts.  What will our answer be today?

 

“Yes Lord”  When Jesus asked if they believed He was able to do this, heal them, the blind men did not hesitate.  They didn’t have to work through a lengthy mental exercise or weigh all of the facts.  They said two of the most important words we can speak in response to God.  Yes, Lord!  Not, “I think so.” or “if it is your will.”  Their response was, Yes, Lord!  I know that you can do this.  All power is in you.  You created the heavens and the earth.  You created every nerve ending in my body.  You are the breath that I breathe and the bread that I eat.  You are in control and at your Word mountains tremble.  Do I believe?  How could I not believe in you?  You are Lord!  You spoke and the world was created.  If you get the right perspective on who Jesus is you cannot help but believe.  He is not dependent on any mortal man.  He is God!  Lord of all creation and He is able.

 

“He Touched Me”  The song goes, “I was shackled by a heavy burden.  Neath a load of guilt and shame.  Then the hand of Jesus touched me, and now I am no longer the same.  He touched me…”  Have you been struggling with the weight of this world pressing on your shoulders?  Has worry and fear tried to steal the joy of your Christian walk?  Does every step you take feel like you can’t go on?  Cry out to Jesus right now.  Don’t wait for a better time.  There is no better time than right now to feel His touch and know His love.  Burdens are lifted and hearts are restored in the presence of the King.

 

“That’s Why He Came”  When we cry out to Jesus He will surely rescue us.  He is not far away and He is not deaf that He cannot hear.  He doesn’t have to “give it thought” or determine our worth.  So often we picture God like a celestial banker with a big ledger keeping track of the good and bad each of us has done and paying us back in kind.  But that is not why Jesus came.  He came while we were yet sinners.  He came when we were morally bankrupt.  He owed us nothing and we deserved death “But God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son that whosoever…”  The truth of the matter is that He came looking for us.  He wants to touch us and when we call on His name there is nothing that can separate us from His love.   Jesus came to seek and to save the lost.  He wants to touch you, to heal you, to save you, to restore you, after all, that’s why He came

 

 “According To Your Faith”  It is God that creates and sustains.  It is by His hand that we are made whole and it is by His Word that we are saved.  He is our all in all and there is nothing too hard for him but let no man think that he will receive anything from God without faith.  God has ordained that without faith it is impossible to please Him.  We are commanded to believe and to not waiver in James 1:6-8 and that principle still holds true today.  Jesus did not make this statement only once but Scripture is replete with this truth.  In Matthew 8:13 he told the centurion, “Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.”  In Mark 11:24 Jesus said, “What things so ever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them.”    

 

So the question becomes, “How can I increase my faith?  How do I believe in the midst of this storm?  Paul tells us in Romans 10:17 that faith comes by hearing the word of God.  But have you ever read the rest of that chapter?  He goes on to rebuke Israel because they heard and remained disobedient.  In fact the very next verse says “But I say, have they not heard”.  Just hearing God’s Word is not going to magically give you faith.  You must believe that God is and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.  You must hide His Word in your heart so that you will not sin against Him.  Again, just memorizing the Scriptures isn’t enough.  You must do it SO that you might not sin against God.  This implies that you are living to please Him, desiring to not offend God in even the smallest thing.  Faith is like the nucleus of an atomic particle.  A particle so small, yet within that tiny structure is power so great that when it is released the power takes on a self sustaining life of its own.  Faith in God is just like that.  Deep within the core of your being is something as small as a mustard seed that can lay dormant and inactive for a lifetime.  But when you come face to face with the Creator, its Creator, that faith can be activated and things will never be the same.  It truly is a gift from God and as Jesus said, “All things are possible”, only believe.

The Spirit of Truth

 "Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth." Psalm 31:5 (KJV)

Only Believe! Those words can’t be bad after all didn’t Jesus speak them to the ruler of the Synagogue when he received word that his daughter had died. Jairus was standing before Jesus asking for a miracle when suddenly the world came crashing down around him. He was part of the established religion. He lived and worked in the influential world of the Pharisees and Sadducees where Jesus was not welcomed. He was risking everything to come to Jesus and ask Him to his house. His daughter, the love of his life, was sick and needed a miracle. He had seen the women with the issue of blood healed, he had watched the Gadarene with the demons be delivered, surely this man could heal his daughter. He too had pressed his way through the crowd not caring what people thought about him. He needed a miracle!

Then it happened! His servant tugged on his robe and said,

“Come on don’t bother the Master, your daughter is dead.”

The thoughts came rushing over him in waves of despair. His heart fell from his chest and darkness began to fill his mind. The world was spinning in a kaleidoscope of empty images. Dead! He was too late! Hope was crushed on the rocks of despair.

Then he heard the words of Jesus. Like a light piercing the darkness of His mind.

“Do not be afraid, only believe”

The voice startled him! It was not loud or boisterous. Yet, the coldness of despair gave way to the warmth of truth. He could feel his heart beat, hear the breath fill his lungs, and everything stopped spinning. His eyes opened as if for the first time and he saw Jesus looking at him. There was something about His eyes that seemed to look right through the confusion. Hope began to sing once again.

At the house people laughed and ridiculed Jesus for saying that his daughter was only sleeping. She was dead! Everyone knew it! The doctors had pronounced it! Still there was something about His voice. When Jesus spoke those words, even though everyone else laughed, he found a peace in them that seemed to defy understanding. Against all reasoning he believed!

He was standing there when Jesus took the cold hand of her lifeless body and spoke,

“Talitha cumi” which means “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”

Let me tell you, when Jesus speaks peace there is peace. When He speaks life there is life. What He says will come to pass and there is no shadow of turning in His voice. Just ask Jarius.

There is an old song that we sang often when I was growing up. Written in 1886 by Kelso Carter

Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.

There are more verses and each one makes me want to stand up and give God all my praise! You see in this day and age there are many who have put their faith in the gods of this world. They preach faith but they fail to ground their faith in Truth! A.W. Tozer said it this way,

"I do not recall another period when ‘faith’ was as popular as it is today. ‘If only we believe hard enough, we'll make it somehow.’ So goes the popular chant. What you believe is not important. Only believe. ... What is overlooked in all this is that faith is good only when it engages truth; when it is made to rest upon falsehood, it can and often does lead to eternal tragedy. For it is not enough that we believe; we must believe the right thing about the right One."

That was written a generation ago but it can be applied to our generation just as well. Unless our faith is grounded in the Truth of Jesus Christ and His Gospel we are travelling a road that cannot end well. Faith in God must stand upon His Word and be centered in Christ alone. Jesus told us in John 15:26,

“When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.”

There is only one Truth! God! The Holy Spirit is that Spirit of Truth that comes from the Father and He speaks only of the Son! Jesus! When we “only believe” let’s make sure that we place all of our hope, our trust, our faith, in Him.