The Fight of Faith

By Tony V. Hammack

Abundant Life Today Media
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These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video.
1 Timothy 6:12

I. Grace not law
II. 1 Timothy 6:12
III. Faith to manifest God’s kingdom

John 6:29
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent.”

We mustn’t trust in our own abilities to create spiritual realities but our trust must be in Jesus Christ, operating through us.

Matthew 11:30
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Fighting the good fight of faith in the context of 1 Timothy 6 is avoiding:
1.) an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and
2.)the love of money pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

Thesis: 
I’ve noticed many in the body of Christ don’t have any fight in them. They are bobbing in the water but aren’t fighting for anything. It’s time we picked up the fight of faith.

Fighting for what we cannot see.

Hebrews 11: 1 says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. “

Faith begins where the will of God is revealed. What has God told you? What are you fighting for?

Why is there a “fight” of faith? Well, we have to fight against the inclination to just allow circumstances to determine our reality. When God speaks through His word or into our hearts and we believe it, now we have to fight for it because nothing in the kingdoms of this world or the demonic world wants to see the kingdom of God expressed!

We also have to fight ourselves!

Often the Word of God can be contrary to paradigms of thinking that we’ve grown accustomed to.

Isaiah 55:9
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

When God spoke to Moses and told him what to do, go into Egypt and liberate the Israelites he began to “sputter” a bit in Exodus 3. He tried to hide behind his inability to put his thoughts together quickly.

Acts 7:22
Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.

If anything is created in the world, it starts with a thought that is believed in. I would call this faith. If you don’t believe you can do something, chances are you will never try it while this remains your mindset. However, if you believe you can do something you will persist until you see it accomplished.

Much of the church has divorced itself from faith because of the fight. It’s much easier to say, “God works in mysterious ways”. Than it is to say, “I’m very sorry, I didn’t have enough faith for this situation.”

Matthew 17:14-20
14 When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” 17 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” 20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Why were the disciples unable to expel the demon that was causing the manifestation of epilepsy? Was it because God was trying to teach the parents and the boy something important? Was it because God had a greater plan for the boy that included this disease? Was it because he would reach people with the disease he had that otherwise he couldn’t reach?

All these reasons come out of the mouths of Christian leaders on a fairly regular basis but let’s take a look at where Jesus squarely places the responsibility for the solution to this difficult situation.

Reason #1 or Rebuke #1
v. 17 Unbelief

Reason #2 or Rebuke #2
perverse generation

Perverse - turned away from what is right or good : corrupt Generation - a group of individuals born and living at the same time

Reason #3
little faith v. 20

Now in Mark 9:14-29 we see another similar story where Jesus mentions prayer and fasting as the reason the disciples could not drive out a spirit. I believe the prayer and fasting increases the faith of the believer. I don’t believe there is a prayer or fasting threshold that is reached and then spirits come out. It’s not like saving up enough money to buy a car or some other object.

So, you’ve heard the message, and you’re thinking, “I want to fight!”. The fight of faith begins with the work of Jesus on the Cross and is followed up with prayer, fasting and victory over sin. When this starts the fight will begin to be won.
   

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:15 AM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) and Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM (Central Standard Time U.S.A.) If you can't be with us in person please visit via internet video on Jubilee T.V.

If you live in Batesville please tune into KBAP 88.1 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.

Jubilee Family Church45 Thunderbird Dr. Batesville, AR 72501 (870) 793-9124
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God Thought It; Jesus Bought It; The Holy Spirit Brought It; Have You Caught It?

By Tony V. Hammack

These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video. To listen to the audio (podcast), click here. To watch the video, click here.

God thought it - Redemption

Omniscient - having infinite awareness, understanding, and insight
Omniscient
Psalm 147:4-5
4 He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.

Isaiah 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.

God Thought about Redemption
Immediately after the fall of man God is implementing his plan to redeem mankind back to Himself.

Genesis 3:15 The Protevangelim
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

     1. There is a struggle for the souls of men and women
     2. Sin will be judged
     3. Salvation comes only through Christ. The seed of the woman.

Jesus Bought it - Humanity

Jesus paid for your redemption with his broken body

1 Corinthians 6:19,20
You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

Jesus Bought or Redeemed Us
Redemption – The act of buying back : repurchasing, to get or to win back.
Jesus Offering Himself as the Sacrificial Lamb

Hebrews 4:15
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.

Hebrews 9:27,28
27Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Broken Body
1 Corinthians 11:24
24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."

Jesus Paid our Sin Debt
Ephesians 1:7
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.

Hebrews 9:12
He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.

The Holy Spirit Brought It - Power

The Holy Spirit brings us power. The Greek word in the New Testament that means power, dunamis.

Dunamis - dunamis is (a) "power, ability," physical or moral, as residing in a person or thing; (b) "power in action," as, e.g., when put forth in performing miracles. It occurs 118 times in the NT. Sometimes the word dunamis is used to describe the miracle itself.

The Holy Spirit is for You
Acts 2:38,39
38Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."

Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 1:5a
because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.

Have you Caught It? – Righteousness by Faith

Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

Righteousness – To be in a right relationship with God. To live uprightly.

Romans 1:17
For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."


Romans 3:21,22
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

Romans 4:5
However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.

Romans 4:13
It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.

Romans 9:30
What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;

Galatians 5:5
But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.

Philippians 3:8,9b
not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

Hebrews 11:7
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

Have You Caught It?

The Bible teaches in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

The penalty for sin is not only physical death but spiritual death. Romans 6:23 says, “the wages of sin is death”.

The rest of Romans 6:23 says, “but the gift of God is eternal life.”

Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.“
Jesus Christ died for us! Jesus' death paid the price of our sins.

Romans 10:9 says, "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.“

Because of Jesus' death on our behalf, all we have to do is believe in Him, trusting His death as the payment for our sins - and we will be saved!

Romans 10:13 says it again this way, "for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."


Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins and rescue us from eternal death. Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, is available to anyone who will trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Romans 5:1 has this wonderful message,
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Romans 8:1 teaches us, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.“
Because of Jesus' death on our behalf, we will never be condemned for our sins.

Finally, we have this precious promise of God from Romans 8:38-39,
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Maybe today you’d like to make sure you’re in right relationship with your creator. I would like everyone to repeat after me if you are a Christian or if you’d like to make sure you’re in right relationship with the Lord Jesus.
Maybe you want to make sure you’re going to heaven. Repeat after me &; Pray this simple prayer with me from your heart.

Lord Jesus, I need you. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my personal Savior and Lord. I confess with my mouth that You are Lord and believe in my heart that God raised you from the dead. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be. In Jesus name, AMEN!

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here.

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.

If you live in Batesville please tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.

Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501
(870) 793-9124


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