Greater Faith (Part one of “How Great is our God”)

I love the picture that the Psalmist gives us here . . .

Psalm 104:1-3    Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great;  you are clothed with splendor and majesty.  ² He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent ³ and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind.

The being we call God is unique. His name is I AM, it is not God. Before time was, He is. -- When time ends, He will still continue. He is I AM, self starting and self-contained -- He is life. If He ceased to exist, so would everything. -- He is bigger, smarter and more powerful than we will ever know. -- He owns and manages everything in the universe from the infinitely large to the infinitely small. You can’t go someplace where He is not already there. You can’t metabolize one calorie, enjoy one heartbeat or breathe one breath w/o his permission. Sooner or later every knee will bow and tongue confess that He alone is worthy of worship.

Still some people ask the question . . . “is there really a God?”

 93 million miles from the blistering surface of the sun hangs the planet earth. A rotating sphere perfectly suspended in the center of the universe. The ultimate creation from an infinite mind. An unbelievable intricate complex design. A supernatural testimony, an irrefutable sign. That there is....a God. The size, position and angle of the earth is a scientific phenomenon to see a few degrees closer to the sun we’d disintegrate, a few degrees further we’d freeze.

The axis of the earth is tilted at a perfect 23 degree angle and it’s no mistake that it is. This allows equal global distribution to the rays of the sun making it possible for the food chain to exist. Or take for example the combination of nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere we breathe ever day.

It just happens to be the exact mix that life needs to prosper, it doesn’t happen on any other planet that way. You see, the Bible says the invisible things of God are clearly seen through His creation, to believe this is not hard.  

If there’s a design, there’s a designer, if there’s a plan, there’s a planner, and if there’s a miracle, there is a God. There is a hope, there is a light. There is an answer to all answers. There is a flame that burns in the night. And I know there is a God.

The scripture says the heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim the work of His hands. If we allow our minds to drink all the truth that just surrounds us, creation itself will help us understand.

Did you know the moon controls the tides, which in turn, cleans the oceans? Even the waves don’t crash the shores in vain. The tides drag impurities into the depths of the sea, it’s nature’s constant recycling chain.

It simply boggles the mind to think that the stars will rotate with such exact precision that it’s true. That the atomic clock they move though they silently orbit, the sun, the moon, the stars are like celestial evangelist above. Who circle the earth every 24 hours shouting in every language that there is a God!

When the fool said in his heart, there is no God, he rejects the truth God painted on the canvas of the disease or calmed a fear. Atheism has never still given answers to our existence, peace to a troubled mind or even dried a tear.

It’s God who created heaven and earth and flung the stars in space and breathed in the handful of dirt and it became a man.

It’s God who sits on the circle of the earth and measures the mountains in a scale and holds the seven seas in the palm of His hand. It’s God who sent His only begotten Son to the cross of Calvary to give us eternal life.

It’s God who saves. It’s God who heals. It’s God who redeems. It’s God who delivers and it’s God who works miracles. How great is our God!!!

Our finite, human brains can’t fully understand the Supernatural, Divine, Infinite, Omniscient Mind of God. 

Isaiah 55 tells us that His thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways.

Isaiah 40:28 says that His understanding in unsearchable.

Romans 11:33-34 says "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord?

Job 36:24 says ^“How great is God—beyond our understanding!”

Three Questions

1) How Big Is Your Problem?

Luke 22:24-32

 ²⁴Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. ²⁵Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. ²⁶But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. ²⁷For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. ²⁸You are those who have stood by me in my trials. ²⁹And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, ³⁰so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

 ³¹"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. ³²But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

In v. 31, Jesus says, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat . . .”

Sift – To put through a straining device in order to separate particles. Sometimes we use the terminology, “I’ve been run through the mill.”  That’s the same as saying, “The devil is sifting me.”  Simon Peter had a problem: The devil was sifting him.

A man was going through a major crisis in his life. He was worried about losing his job and he his health was beginning to cause him problems. His little daughter who was paralyzed was sitting in her chair as he entered the house with a bag of necessities for his wife. Giving his daughter a big kiss he asked, "where is Mother?" "Upstairs," She replied. "Well, I have something for her" "Let me carry it to Mother" said the daughter. "Why, Minnie dear, how can you carry this package? You cannot carry yourself". With a big smile, the child replied, "Oh no Daddy, but if you give it to me, then I will carry the bag and you can carry me". Then, the dad realized that that is what God wanted to do for him. He realized, “God wants to carry me while I am carrying my load.”

2)  How Big Is Your God?

Think of the size of the universe. The nearest star is about four light years away from earth. How far is that? That is the distance that light travels in four years. Light travels at the speed of 186,000 miles per second. This means that the nearest star is about 24 trillion miles away from earth. That’s a long way, but it’s just a speck of distance in the universe. The Bible says about God that He has, “measured heaven with a span. (Isaiah 40:12) That means that He measures the universe in the space between his thumb and little finger. How great is our God!

Can you fathom this? The God of the universe, who holds all things together by the word of His power, who fills all things and is bigger than the universe; bigger than time, literally lives in you. Calls you His dwelling place. What a magnificent creation you are! What high and wonderful privilege we have been given, to house the Holy Spirit of God!

Many people say that they have faith in God, but few really live it.

3) How Big Is Your Faith?

I am reminded of the guy who told his girlfriend . .  “My love for you is GREAT! My Commitment to you is GREAT! My faithfulness to you is GREAT! For you, I would climb the highest mountain. For you, I would swim the widest river. For you, I would walk the hottest desert. But, tonight, I can’t go out with you because the Yankees are playing Red Sox.”

Sometimes, our faith is put to the test.

Peter’s faith was tested and so is ours.

When you are sifted by the devil, God is testing your faith.

God wants your faith to grow. God wants you to be stronger!

God wants the “junk” in your life to be removed, so, he allows the sifting to take place.

A rubber band is made for only one purpose. That purpose is to be stretched so it can hold something together. Now, if it is not stretched, it is not fulfilling its purpose at all, is it? Christians are much like the rubber band. We were put on this earth to be doers of God word. To do that, we must stretch ourselves out of our everlasting comfort zones so that we can be effective. One of the hardest things for us to do, is to get out of our comfort zones, but to be effective for God, we must do it. I have read the Bible through and through and I have never seen anywhere in it that says God wants us to be all comfortable and cozy. I have never read where God wants us to have it really easy and smooth, have you?

Notice what Jesus says here in verse 32 . . .

Did Jesus say, I have prayed for you Simon Peter that you may not fail? No. Jesus didn’t pray that Simon would not fail, He prayed that Simon’s faith would not fail.  ³²But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.

Jesus knew that if Simon Peter’s faith failed, then it would lead to his failure.

But, if Peter’s faith became stronger, then he would be stronger!

So, is it important for your faith to grow?
Yes, the Lord believes it is vitally important – in order for you not to fail.

And how does your faith grow?
By overcoming problems.

By having GREAT FAITH in a GREAT GOD to overcome GREAT PROBLEMS!

v. 32b And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."