My pulpit message notes: Go in Faith

Go in Faith

My Pulpit Message Notes are extracted from the sermon preached at the Nairobi Baptist Church (NBC) Ngong Road on Sunday 9th October 2022. Preacher: Rev. Majid Ochieng’. Scripture: Mark 6:1-56. Topic: Go in Faith

- The book of Hebrews tells us that 'faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see'.

- Charles Spurgeon says that faith has a saving connection with Jesus Christ. He says that we are in the deep seas almost drowning and Jesus is on the shore with a rope. And as we are drowning Jesus holds the rope and throws it to us and keeps pulling as we hold on to that rope with the confidence that though we may not see Jesus Christ, but He is pulling and pulling until we are safe on the shore. Yet if there are doubts then we will be left drowning in the seas.

Faith has two components:

1. Belief. This can sometimes be a one off.

2. Trust. This is continuous. Every single day of our lives

Three things:

Faith declared.

Faith demonstrated.

Faith deployed.

Faith Declared

- A declaration is something that has been said, or taught. Something that is being pronounced / proclaimed, or someone almost eager to share it out. The faith we are talking about, Jesus Christ was teaching, declaring, proclaiming the Word of God. e.g. Mark 6:1-2

“Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.”

- Mark 6:6

“6 He was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.

- Mark 6:12

“They went out and preached that people should repent.” (This was after Jesus had sent out the disciples.)

- Mark 6:14

- Also John the Baptist declared. He continued to teach about the faith to the point that he had to pay for it with his life. “King Herod heard about this,(what Jesus was declaring). Vs 17-18

“17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

- John was not happy and had been telling the truth what needs to happen, thus he was speaking against that. The truth of God / faith declared. Because of this Herod had to put John to death. Because of that Herodias had a grudge with John so when the opportunity presented itself when the daughter had a birthday and when Herod asked what should we do for you on your birthday, the mother influenced and said, ‘I want the head of John the baptist on a platter’ and that is how John the baptist died for standing on the truth and declaring the Word of God.

- Mark 6:30 “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.” when we have this faith, we are supposed to declare it, speak about it, share it and should be seen in our lives. The faith declared should be consistent with our lives. That is when this faith will make a difference in lives of God’s people.

- Go in faith for how can they hear the gospel unless someone shares with them. I pray that when we share/declare we will also be living it out so that there is consistency with that which we declare and how we live our lives.

Faith Demonstrated

- As Jesus was teaching, it was accompanied by results. He is the Son of God. He taught with authority and power and therefore that was seen in action.

- Mark 6:1-2

“Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter?

- There was demonstration which was seen in the miracles.

- Mark 6:12 After Jesus had empowered the disciples it says,

“12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.”

- The demonstration of faith and the power of God was seen in their midst.

- John the baptist demonstrates that faith in that it is not just in the easy circumstances but demonstrates that once I have received that faith, I am willing to do anything and everything including with my own life and that demonstration is that because he had seen the light, he was willing and as a matter of fact he was killed.

- Mark 6:16

“16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!” This is because some were saying that the way Jesus Christ was teaching is like John the baptist who has come back to life for Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested and had him be bound and put in prison. He did this because of Hernias.

- That demonstration, John was saying no matter that which I have received, I am not going to be tossed left right and centre by the authorities. I will demonstrate that I believe in God even if it means that my life will have to be cut short.

- When you see the feeding of the 5,000. vs 39 following, because Jesus had preached and many people had followed Him, at some point the disciples were wondering what are we doing to do with these men, time had come to have lunch and they were saying, ‘let’s go away, and Jesus directs them and tells them,

“Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.”

- Jesus taught with authority and the authority was seen in action.

- As we go along you see that demonstration of faith when Jesus walks on water.

Vs 45 “Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. 47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

- Vs 53 “When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.” Faith demonstrated.

Faith Deployed

- Deployment is the act of moving something, or someone to a strategic position of readiness, or condition of being in such a position.

It basically means to be released / sent with authority.

Mark 6:6

“He was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7 Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.”

- And we see in vs 12

“They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.”

- After this faith was declared, remember the disciples were with Jesus, after this faith was demonstrated, they were sent/deployed.

- That is where we are this year, that after we have grown, we have seen, we have learnt. Here He sent they two by two, but God wants you to be the salt and the light of our Saviour Jesus Christ. There should be a difference in the place of work, in your businesses, our families. Why? Because we know Jesus Christ and we do differently our businesses. We practice family differently because there is a faith that has been declared, because there is a faith that has been demonstrated, because we have known Him and therefore we live by His standards.

- You have been sent. Otherwise, if we were to stay behind with everything that we have learnt over the years, (forgive my terminology) but we risk being ‘spiritually obese’. That does not bring glory to God.

- The LORD wants to reach each nation, our families, the LORD wants us to transform the nations. The LORD wants us to make a difference in the places we are in. That is why, after He had been with the disciples He sent them out with authority they had seen, with the power they had seen and therefore faith demonstrated, faith declared, we can go in that faith because we have been sent by our LORD Jesus Christ.

- Mark 6:6-7

“Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7 Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them the authority over impure spirits.”

God wants you to demonstrate His power even in the dark forces of the world today.

- They went out and preached and because they were sent with the authority of the LORD, they were able to do that which Jesus did because they went in faith. Faith declared, faith demonstrated and faith deployed.

- Someone said that

'faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible, receives the impossible.'

- By faith we see the hand of God, the lives of creations grand design, the lives of those who prove His faithfulness, who walk by faith and not by sight.