Biblical Talks with Elder Michael Tolliver Podcast
When the term Reformed theology is used, it often refers to something less historical. Often it refers to a theology that acknowledges the doctrine of predestination and holds to a high view of the Bible as God’s inerrant Word. Sometimes it is also identified with the so-called five points of Calvinism: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints. These are all important teachings of the Reformed tradition, but they do not fully encapsulate or describe Reformed theology.
A better starting place is five statements that have been called the five solas of the Reformation. These five solas (sola is the Latin word for “only” or “alone”) are sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), sola fide (faith alone), sola gratia (grace alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), and soli Deo gloria (God’s glory alone). Put together, these solas clearly express the central concerns of the Protestant Reformation, which was about worship and authority within the church as much as it was about individual salvation. The “alone” in each is vital, and they emphasize the sufficiency of God’s Word and the gracious nature of salvation, received by faith alone, in Christ alone. The last of the five solas, soli Deo gloria, is the natural outworking of the first four. It reminds us that Reformed theology understands all of life in terms of the glory of God. To be Reformed in our thinking is to be God-centered. Salvation is from the Lord from beginning to end, and even our existence is a gift from Him.
Biblical Talks with Elder Michael Tolliver Podcast
Sermon of the Week, Colin Smith: Five Reasons to Grow in Your Faith and How to Get Started
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A pastor said, "Faith is acting like God is telling the truth, acting like it is so even when it is not so, so that it might be so simply because God said so.
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Welcome to Biblical Talks Sermon of the Week. I heard a pastor once said Faith is acting like God is telling the truth, believing like it's so even when it's not so and all the day might be so, simply because God said so. Beloved faith always involves your feet. It is an action of your life, not merely words from your lips. A person can feel like they lack faith, but still be full of faith If they choose to obey what God has revealed to them, to do or say. Faith is not merely a feeling, it's an action in response to God's revelation. In response to God's revelation, pastor Colin Smith said all of us have times when we feel our faith is small. But no believer should be content with little faith. Pastor Colin Smith talks about five reasons to grow in faith and five strategies for growing in your faith. Here's Pastor Colin Smith.
Speaker 2:Well, please open your Bible at Matthew and chapter 6. The Bible says that when everything else passes away, there are three things that will remain Faith, hope and love remain forever. Faith, hope and love are our distinct calling from God, and I am absolutely persuaded, to the core of my being, that the greatest need of the Christian church today is a fresh outpouring, a filling of faith and of hope and of love. Why do we need to grow in faith? What does that look like and how is that possible? Luke records that the disciples on one occasion said to Jesus Lord, increase our faith. Lord, increase our faith. That's our prayer for this series. These men, the disciples, had faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They were followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, but they came to a point in their lives where they knew that they had to grow in their faith. And you'll know what this is like in your life, as I know what it's like in mine. Perhaps you've been a believer for some time, perhaps for many, many years, but then, suddenly, some crisis erupts in your life and, though you've been a believer for a long time, you suddenly find yourself saying well, now I'm really going to have to trust God. Lord, increase my faith. Well, that is the prayer for our series, and we are starting today at a place where each and every one of us can begin.
Speaker 2:Jesus spoke on five occasions about little faith. The first of those is in our reading from Matthew and chapter 6. If you have your Bible open, you will see it in verse 30, where he says to the disciples O you of little faith. Now, our Lord used this phrase, little faith, almost as if it was a name. It's almost as if he's using this as a name by which he refers to his disciples, and you might feel that little faith could be your middle name. Little faith, that's me. I have faith in the Lord, jesus Christ, but I often feel that my faith is small. Now, all of us have times in our lives when we feel that our faith is small, but no believer should ever be content with little faith. Believer should ever be content with little faith. Our faith needs to grow, and today, as we begin this new series, I want us to see why. We're going to look at five occasions where Jesus spoke about little faith, and we're going to see, from these five occasions, five reasons for growing in faith Now. The first time, then, that Jesus refers to little faith is in the passage that was read for us in Matthew and chapter six, and from this we learn that little faith is ineffective against anxiety. That's the first reason that we want to grow in faith, because little faith is ineffective against anxiety.
Speaker 2:Look back up to verse 25, if you would and see that Jesus is speaking here about anxiety, and see that Jesus is speaking here about anxiety, do not be anxious. He says about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Now you read these words of Jesus and it's very clear. These are the things we're anxious about all the time. Do we have enough to cover our costs? Have we saved enough for the future? Will we be able to make ends meet, or have we actually bitten off more than we can chew? These are the unavoidable questions of life and their natural tendency is to produce anxiety.
Speaker 2:But here Jesus says do not be anxious. You read that. You say well, how can we do that?
Speaker 2:Well, jesus tells us why we must not give way to anxiety. Notice, he tells us verse 26,. There's no need for anxiety. Look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Look, your heavenly Father cares for the birds, jesus says Do you not think that your heavenly father will care for you as well? There is no need for you to be anxious.
Speaker 2:Then he follows it up in verse 27 by saying there is no point in being anxious Verse 27, which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to the span of his life? You see what Jesus is saying. Worry doesn't change a thing. It can't make your health better, it can't extend your life by a single day or a single hour. W worry is, in its nature, completely and utterly unproductive. So if there's no need for anxiety and there's no point in anxiety, why do we worry?
Speaker 2:Now Jesus tells us off little faith, verse 30,. We worry because our faith is small. Now, remember that Jesus is talking here to believers. He doesn't say to these first hearers of these words that they have no faith. No, he says they have little faith. And what Jesus is saying here is that little faith is ineffective against anxiety. Yes, you believe, but you're anxious so much of the time.
Speaker 2:It is possible to be a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and yet still to be overwhelmed with anxiety. And none of us wants to be there. And that's the first reason why we all want to grow in faith. The more we grow in faith, the more we will prevail over anxiety. Grow in your faith and you will worry less. Grow in your faith and you will have greater peace, you'll have greater freedom and you'll have greater joy. So how can we grow in faith? That's always the practical question, isn't it? Well, there are many, many answers to that question how can we grow in in faith? We're going to pick up on five of them today and, god willing, in the weeks that lie ahead we're going to see many more answers to the question how can I grow in faith? I hope you're going to embrace each and every one of them. Notice what our Lord says to little faith here 33, seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you. You see the point Faith grows as we seek God's kingdom. Give yourself to serving the Lord and you will grow in faith. Hold back and your faith will remain little, but give yourself to seek his kingdom. Give yourself to serve the Lord and you will grow in faith.
Speaker 2:Now, the second time that Jesus refers to little faith is in Matthew and chapter 8. And here we come to the story of where the disciples were shaken to the core by a sudden storm. And from this story we learn that little faith underestimates the ability of Jesus. Notice, jesus said to them why are you afraid, o you, of little faith? And then he rose and he rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm. Now if you look up a few verses in Matthew in chapter 8 to verse 18, you will see that the disciples got into the boat at the express command of the Lord Jesus Christ. He commanded them, he gave orders. Matthew said that they go over to the other side of the lake, and it seems that the water was calm when the disciples set out, in obedience to the command of Jesus. What could be more pleasant than an evening boat trip with the Lord Jesus Christ? But you know the story. Suddenly, unexpectedly, everything changed, verse 24,. Unexpectedly, everything changed, verse 24,. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves.
Speaker 2:Matthew tells us that Jesus was asleep. So you see, here you are in a crisis. And the first question you have is what in the world is Jesus doing? And the truth is he doesn't appear to be doing anything. He doesn't seem even to be engaged. So the disciples go and they waken. The Savior, save us, lord. They say we are perishing. See, that's what faith does. Faith's first instinct in times of trouble is to turn to the Lord and to ask for help, and Matthew records that Jesus said to them why are you afraid, o you, of little faith? Why are you afraid, o you, of little faith?
Speaker 2:Now, what I want you to notice here is that little faith is obedient to Jesus. The disciples obeyed the command of Jesus. They got in the boat when he told them to cross to the other side of the lake. Little faith obeys the Lord Jesus and little faith prays to the Lord Jesus. The disciples called on Jesus. They asked him for help. Save us, we are perishing. So little faith obeys and little faith prays, and yet little faith still lives in fear, because little faith underestimates the ability of Jesus. Do you see, it is possible to be an obedient, praying believer and still to underestimate what Jesus Christ is able to do. That's what little faith does. None of us wants to underestimate the ability of Jesus.
Speaker 2:Now notice where the story ends, because here's where we pick up another lesson on how to grow in faith, Verse 26, matthew records Then he, that is Jesus, rose. He got up from sleeping in the boat and he rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm and the men marveled, saying what sort of man is this that even winds and sea obey him? Faith grows as we get to know Jesus. Walk with him, learn of him, look to him and your faith will grow. You know, paul says that he is able to do far more abundantly above all that we ask and even above all that we think. Little faith believes enough to ask Jesus for help. Little faith thinks that God can help. That is why he or she asks. But God is able to do far abundantly more than little faith asks or thinks. He's able to do far more than any of us here today even thinks. Walk with him and you will find out what he can do. And you will find out what he can do Now.
Speaker 2:The third time that Jesus refers to little faith is in Matthew, in chapter 14, and you might like to turn over to that with me now. This is the story of when Jesus came to his disciples walking on the water, and from this story we learn that little faith is easily distracted. Notice Matthew 14 and verse 31. Immediately, jesus reached out his hand and took hold of him. That is Peter saying to him oh you of little faith, why did you doubt? Now again, this is a story that some of us know well.
Speaker 2:The disciples were in the boat at night and Jesus had gone to a mountain on his own in order to pray. But late in the night Jesus came to the disciples walking on the water. At first the disciples thought that they were seeing a ghost, but Jesus said take heart, it is, I Do not be afraid. And Peter said Lord, if it's you, command me to come to you on the water. And Jesus said come. Peter got out of the boat and he walked on the water to Jesus.
Speaker 2:Now here we learn something else about faith. Faith takes bold initiatives at the command of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we look at this story Peter getting out of the boat our first thought is most likely well, peter must have had great faith to do that. I mean, I'm not sure I would have done it, would I have got out of the boat. Peter must have had great faith to get out of the boat, and yet what Jesus says to him here is oh, you have little faith. And yet what Jesus says to him here is oh, you have little faith.
Speaker 2:Spurgeon suggests that Peter's faith was little from the beginning, because little faith is always looking for a sign. Listen to what he says and I quote little faith is far too eager for signs. Spurgeon says I do not think Peter's faith suddenly became little. It was always little, and the sight of the wind made its littleness apparent. He continues strong faith is content without signs. It believes God's bare word and asks for no confirming miracle.
Speaker 2:Now, it's clear from the story then that little faith that's the name by which Jesus addresses Peter here little faith can achieve great things. But it's also clear from the story that little faith gets easily distracted. Here's Peter taking what looks like this bold initiative of faith. He's responding to the invitation of Jesus to come. But Matthew tells us that when he walked on the water, he saw the wind verse 30, and he was afraid. So picture this his eyes are on Jesus as he walks towards the master. But you see, the thing with little faith is it's easily distracted. And when he saw the wind, oh well, then he was afraid and he began to sink. Now this is one of the marks of little faith it looks to Jesus and then it looks away to something else. Now we're asking the practical question throughout this series how can my faith grow? Well, again, from this story we've got another very obvious answer, and it's this that faith grows as we worship. And that's where the story ends here.
Speaker 2:Verse 32, when they got into the boat, the wind ceased and those in the boat worshipped him, saying truly, you are the Son of God. About little faith is in Matthew, chapter 16. And again you might like to turn there. 16. And again you might like to turn there. And here we see that little faith forgets what Jesus has done. Matthew 16 in verse 8,. But Jesus, aware of this, said oh you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread?
Speaker 2:Now, the context of this here is that Jesus had said to the disciples in verse 6, watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. And Matthew tells us that on that particular day, the disciples had forgotten to pack lunch. They had forgotten to bring bread. And so when Jesus referred to leaven, they thought that he was raising the subject of lunch. Did he say leaven? Oh, no, we've forgotten the bread. Oh, we should have brought some lunch. Yes, says one of the disciples. But why did he say beware of the leaven of the Pharisees? Oh, says another. Well, maybe he's saying that we shouldn't be asking the Pharisees to give us bread. I mean, they did give alms, they did give help to people who were in need. Maybe Jesus is saying don't ask them. No, no, no, says someone else. Maybe he's saying that we shouldn't eat with the Pharisees because we are not walking in fellowship with them, and so forth. Their conversation was all about food.
Speaker 2:And Jesus says, verse 8, oh, you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? And then he says verse 9, do you not remember? And he reminds them of how he fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish, multiplying them so that all the people had plenty to eat, with 12 baskets left over, and how, on another occasion, he did something very similar with a crowd of about 4,000 people. Verse 9, do you not remember? Little faith forgets what Jesus has done. And this points us surely to another way in which faith grows. Faith grows as we remember the words and the works of Jesus. That's how faith grows, and this is why the Lord's Supper is such a marvelous gift for the strengthening of our faith. Faith grows as we fix our minds and our hearts on what Jesus has done, and this is why a daily diet of the Word of God is so vital to a growing faith. Little faith forgets what Jesus has done, but faith grows as it is nourished by the Word of God. And then the fifth and the last time that Jesus referred to little faith is found in the next chapter, matthew, and chapter 17. And here we learn that little faith gives up too soon.
Speaker 2:Notice verse 19 and 20 of this passage. The disciples came to Jesus privately and said why could we not cast it out? And he said to them because of your little faith. Now the story here is that Jesus had gone up on the mountain with Peter, james and John, where his glory was revealed in the transfiguration. The other nine disciples were left behind at the bottom of the mountain. And while Jesus was gone, a man whose son was possessed by an evil spirit came to the disciples and asked them for help. Now, the disciples had been in situations like this before, much earlier. The Gospels tell us that Jesus had sent them out.
Speaker 2:In Mark in chapter 6 and verse 7, we read these words that Jesus gave them authority over unclean spirits. Authority over unclean spirits. And Mark tells us that they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. So these disciples had been successful many times in bringing deliverance to people who were oppressed by evil powers, but on this occasion they were unable to help. When this man brought his afflicted son, I expect that the disciples said and did what they had said and done before, but this time nothing happened and they were perplexed. Why is this? I expect they were embarrassed as well.
Speaker 2:Jesus came down the mountain and Jesus immediately delivered the boy from the evil power that had afflicted him. But I want you to notice what happened next, verse 19. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said why could we not cast it out? Well, that's the question, and of course, this is a problem that all of us will recognize. Here we find ourselves today. We're surrounded in so many ways by great evil that manifests itself in all kinds of ways, and the church seems powerless, people say why can't the church do something about it? Why could we not cast it out? That's the question.
Speaker 2:And Jesus says because of your little faith. Now you read that and you think, ah, what he's saying is you need greater faith. If only you had stronger faith, if only you believed more, then you would have been successful in dealing with this problem. But I want you to notice that is not what Jesus is saying, because in the very next verse verse 20, he says truly, I say to you, if you have faith, like a grain of mustard seed that's the smallest of all seeds if you have, in other words, even the littlest faith, you will say to this mountain, move from here to there and it will move and nothing will be impossible for you. Now you see very clearly. What Jesus is saying there in verse 20 is that even the smallest faith can move mountains. Even little faith can see great things happen. We saw that already in the story of Peter, who had little faith walking on the water.
Speaker 2:So why were the disciples not able to deliver the boy from the evil power that afflicted him? Well, if you look at your Bible very closely, you will see that there is a footnote here and the footnote reads some manuscripts insert verse 21, verse 21. But this kind never comes out except by prayer and fasting. Now, whether or not that was originally part of Matthew's gospel, for sure it is recorded in the gospel of Mark Mark, chapter 9 and verse 29. And fasting, in its nature is something that you do over a period of time. You can't fast for five or ten minutes, you do it over a period of time. That's the point.
Speaker 2:And it seems to me that when Jesus says, oh, you of little faith here he's saying you've given up too soon. Even with a little faith, even with faith as small as a grain of mustard seed, you would have been successful if you had persevered, but that's what you didn't do. You know, when there's a difficult passage of Scripture to understand and this one isn't easy to understand it's helpful to be able to look at some commentaries. What have people who are wiser than us been able to see and discern? And I found great help after meditating on this myself, just to check what John Calvin said and to find that this is actually the point that he makes. He says this when Satan has taken deep root in anyone and has been confirmed by long possession. The victory is difficult and painful and therefore the contest must be maintained, maintained, continued with all of our might. So I'm convinced that Jesus' critique of the disciples here is not that their faith was too small, because he says even faith, like a grain of mustard seed would move mountains. His critique is that they gave up too soon.
Speaker 2:Now here's the application for us, and it's very obvious. Now here's the application for us, and it's very obvious. When you are faced with great evil, when you find yourself in a struggle with great darkness, keep praying, keep fasting, keep seeking the face and the help of God. If you have a loved one who seems trapped by the power of the enemy and it's been like this for a long time don't give up hope. Remember that Jesus said that we ought always to pray and not to lose heart. Someone here today has been fighting a particular temptation, and that battle for you has been hard and it's been quite discouraging. And now you're tempted to say, oh, it's no use, I can't overcome this. I can't overcome this. I want you to hear the word of the Lord, jesus Christ, to you. Oh, you of little faith, you're giving up too soon. Understand that some victories are only won after a long and hard struggle. Stay in the battle and your faith will grow as you persevere.
Speaker 2:So here from the scriptures, we have seen five reasons for growing in faith. Why should we, individually and together, be praying and crying out to the Lord, jesus Christ, lord, increase our faith. Why should we own that? Why should we pursue that together? Well, we want to grow in faith because little faith is ineffective against anxiety, because little faith is ineffective against anxiety. Little faith underestimates the ability of Jesus. Little faith is just so easily distracted. Little faith forgets what Jesus has done and little faith gives up too soon and none of us wants to be content to remain there. And from these stories we've seen five strategies for growing in faith.
Speaker 2:Faith grows as we seek God's kingdom. Faith grows as we get to know Jesus. Faith grows as we get to know Jesus. Faith grows as we worship. Faith grows as it is nourished by the word. And faith grows as we persevere. May God grant that we will grow in faith.
Speaker 2:Let's pray together, our Father. We want to come before you today with confession. We confess that we who believe in you are often anxious, that we often underestimate what you are able to do that we're too easily distracted, that we forget your words and your works and we often give up too soon. Have mercy upon us, and Lord, we are crying out to you. Increase our faith. We're grateful for all that it means to be in Christ, but we don't want to drift through our lives content with just a little faith. We ask that, in your mercy and in your grace, you will help us to seek your kingdom, to daily walk with Jesus, to grow as we worship, to be nourished in the word and, when the battle is tough, to persevere. Hear our prayers for these things we ask in Jesus' name, amen.
Speaker 3:Hello, my name is Michelle Tolliver and this month's Biblical Talks book offer for September is Hard Sayings Understanding Difficult Passages of Scripture, by RC Sproul. God gave us His words that we may know Him and live by His truth. So what should we do when we're reading the Bible and a difficult passage stops us in our tracks? Sometimes the solution is right there on the page if we know where to look, while other passages gain clarity in light of the rest of the background or its historical background. With the help of an experienced guide, we can overcome the obstacles to our progress and know God's Word more deeply. In hard sayings, rc Sproul applies his wisdom as a theologian and biblical teacher into some of the most challenging verses in Scripture. By showing us how to navigate tough texts in the Old and New Testament, he outlines key principles to help us grow in our knowledge of God. For any amount of donation to Biblical Talks, we will send you the book. Please go to BiblicalTalkscom and click the Donate here tab. Thank you for listening to Biblical Talks.
