Quiet Confidence - Peace Church, Loyal OK

Quiet Confidence

In July 1911 Bobby Leach, a stuntman, confidently stood at the top of the mighty Niagara Falls taking in the scene; eager to go over the Falls. He had worked diligently, now he was prepared to go over the falls and astound the onlookers! He had planned carefully! Using a specially designed steel drum, over he went! Although he suffered minor injuries, he survived because he recognized the tremendous dangers and prepared well!

Amazingly enough, he died several years later as a result of a simple accident! He was skipping down the street in New Zealand when he slipped on an orange peeling, fell, and badly fractured a leg. He died of complications from that fracture. Source Unknown; found at www.sermons.com.

Although Jesus met with a lot of opposition He went about His ministry in confidence, knowing that God had called Him to this role and with the help of the Holy Spirit, He would succeed. Most of us would have changed churches, communities, or countries if we were treated like He was! However, Jesus understood His calling and His responsibilities, so He prepared Himself through prayer, Bible study, and walking in obedience to the Holy Spirit.

We have that same responsibility today!

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Loyal, OK

Pastor Leon Seaton

Matthew 9 has seven major thoughts:

1. Is Jesus really the Son of God?

2. Should Christians spend time with sinners?

3. When should we fast?

4. How does one go about raising the dead?

5. Healing is based on faith.

6. Casting out demons will bring healing (If that is the problem.)

7. God needs more workers!

Is Jesus Really the Son of God? YES!

When the paralytic's friends brought him to Jesus, our Lord discerned their faith - the faith of the friends and the patient. To encourage the man Jesus said, "Take heart, son, your sins are forgiven."

Immediately this got a negative reaction! The teachers of the law (lawyers) said to each other, this man is blaspheming!

First and foremost, Jesus was a preacher and a teacher, and He knew their thoughts, so Jesus responded, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? So that you will know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins," turning to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go home."

How could Jesus be so confident? He was filled with the Holy Spirit!

One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is discernment. Jesus recognized the strong faith the paralytic and his friends had.

Apparently sin was the cause of his paralysis! This is not always the case, but it was this time.

If sin is the cause, God will forgive us if we ask; however, He may not heal us - especially if we do not ask!

Also, healing may come without forgiveness if we do not ask! If you believe you are ill because of sin in your life, ask for forgiveness and healing. Remember that Jesus told the woman caught in the very act of adultery, "Neither do I condemn you."

Should Christians spend time with Sinners? YES!

The Jews did not like tax collectors because in their mind tax collectors were traitors working of the Roman government. Also, they often charged too much.

After Jesus called Matthew to be a disciple He went to his house for dinner. That certainly opened the door to criticism! Matthew was excited about what Jesus had done for him, so he invited his friends to dinner so they could meet Jesus. He wanted them to be blessed as he had been blessed.

Sure enough, here came the troublemakers! Some days we just can't win! Jesus explained that He had not been called to minister to the healthy (the righteous), but the sinners.

Since Christ is our example you and I know that we need to mix with sinners at times. We just need to make sure that we have the primary influence! It is really hard to win people to Christ who do not accept you as a friend and someone that really cares about them!

When should we fast? WHEN WE MOURN FOR SIN OR SINNERS!

The short answer is that we should fast when we mourn for our sins, the sins of the nation, or we want to draw closer to God. Fasting does not change God, but it changes us as it shows a difference in our priorities.

At times believers were confused by Jesus' actions. That's okay. We all have some presumptions that need corrected at times.

John the Baptist's disciples asked Jesus why they had to fast when Jesus' disciples did not. I guess it did not seem fair to them! He made an excellent point. Fasting is mourning. In the beatitudes we read, "Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4)

Jesus explained that a time would come when His disciples would fast; however, now was the time to celebrate! He also noted that you would not take a new piece of cloth that will shrink when it is washed and use it to patch a piece of clothing that had already shrunk. The new cloth would cause the old to tear even worse. Matthew Henry taught that this teaching implies that we should not teach all of our religious hang-ups to new converts! His exact words are, "Great caution and prudence are necessary, that young converts will not receive gloomy and forbidding ideas of the service of our Lord; but duties are to be taught as they are able to bear them."

Have you lost confidence in God? Do you feel that has he let you down? Sometimes we fail to understand that Christians have tough times just like everyone!

God can also lose confidence in us - and we have to earn that trust back. It isn't always easy because sometimes we have to change so we can be trustworthy.

Robert Schuller of the "Hour of Power" TV broadcast writes that when his son Bob was young that he broke his trust and lied to his parents. He was dating Linda (his wife-to-be) but was only allowed to see her on certain nights.

One night, however, he wanted to see her without permission. He told the elder Schullers that he would be at his friend's house.

Schuller writes, "When we found out the truth, there was a real scene between us. He had violated our trust; it was like a crack in a fine cup that marred its appearance. In the confrontation, I smashed a fine English tea cup on the floor! I then told Bob that to restore their trust would be like gluing that cup back together again."

Bob said, "I don't know if I can do that." Schuller replied, "Well, that's how hard it is to build confidence and trust again." The outcome was that Bob spent literally weeks carefully gluing the pieces together until he finished. He learned a very important lesson. Robert H. Schuller, in Homemade, January 1985.

Sometimes people are too impressed with themselves. John McKay, of the NFL, tells a story about University of Alabama football coach Bear Bryant: "We were out shooting ducks; finally, after about three hours, here comes one lonely duck flying by. The Bear fires his gun... And that duck just keeps on flying! As Bear watched the duck flap away, he looked at McKay and said, 'John, you are witnessing a genuine miracle. There flies a dead duck!'" John McKay, A Coach's Story.

Raising a Girl from the Dead

How do we bring a dead girl back to life? First, Jesus honored the dad's request and went with him. Secondly, Jesus sent the unbelievers out of the room. Hanging out with unbelievers can drain our faith unless we are there to minister to them.

Healing is based on faith. "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"

When two blind men approached Jesus for healing He asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" Why would He ask that? They came to Him for healing! He wanted them to focus their faith.

Are we focused on our problems or on God and His power to meet our needs? Arnold Palmer once lost the Masters Tournament because he lost his focus due to overconfidence. Here is his story:

"It was the final hole of the 1961 Masters tournament, and I had a one-stroke lead and had just hit a very satisfying tee shot. I felt I was in pretty good shape. As I approached my ball, I saw an old friend standing at the edge of the gallery. He motioned me over, stuck out his hand and said, 'Congratulations.' I took his hand and shook it, but as soon as I did, I knew I had lost my focus. On my next two shots, I hit the ball into a sand trap, then put it over the edge of the green. I missed a putt and lost the Masters. You don't forget a mistake like that; you just learn from it and become determined that you will never do that again. I haven't in the 30 years since." From Carol Mann, The 19th Hole, (Longmeadow), quoted in Reader's Digest.

Casting out demons will bring healing - if the person is demon possessed.

Jesus healed a man that was mute - he could not speak - because he was demon-possessed.

God still wants to do that today, but sometimes He has problems finding willing workers. I know that the TV evangelists sometimes go to excess. However, they are at least ministering to people that we fail to reach.

God needs more workers! Either volunteer to work, or pray that God will send out workers - best of all, do both!

To this day millions of people are as sheep without a shepherd. I believe that the members of this church are kind, caring and compassionate people.

I have three prayer requests.

First of all, continue to pray for your pastor, his wife, and our Sunday school staff so that we will preach and teach the word of God with boldness.

Secondly, pray that God will send out more and more people to minister to those that do not know the Lord! What if no one had provided a church where each of us could learn about the Lord?

Thirdly, pray for a new move of God's Holy Spirit in our community and the surrounding area that more and more people will come to Jesus.

And pray and minister with CONFIDENCE! If you lack it, ask God to move mightily in your life!

"...In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength...." Isaiah 30:15 KJV