Part 2 - Breath of Faith

Matthew 1:18-21

God makes us ready for heaven… when we put our faith in Christ to save us… the one who finds life will find it through trusting God. Rom. 1:17

When does my faith falter?

When life’s position is uncontrollable

"I hoped for happiness and light, but trouble and darkness came instead.” Job 30:26

When people are unchangeable

“Lover, friend, acquaintance – all are gone. There is only darkness everywhere.” Psalm 88:16

When problems are unexplainable

“The one who walks in the dark does not know where he is going.” John 12:35

When pain is unbearable

“The thought of my pain… is bitter poison. I think of it constantly, and my spirit is depressed.” Lam. 3:19-20 (GN)

When the past is unforgivable

“For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.” Psalm 51:3

What does a person of faith look like?

J ust   Now this is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, being a just man, decided to break the engagement quietly, so as not to disgrace her publicly. Matt. 1:18,19 NLT

O bedient   While Joseph was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, the baby that Mary will have is from the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and marry her. Then after her baby is born, name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” So the Lord’s promise came true,…”A virgin will have a baby boy, and he will be called Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.” Matt. 1:20-23 CEV

S ilent   Not one word from Joseph is recorded in scripture!

E xample   After Joseph woke up, he and Mary were soon married, just as the Lord’s angel had told him to do. But they did not sleep together before her baby was born. Then Joseph named him Jesus. Matt. 1:24,25 CEV

P rotector   An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up and flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to try to kill the child.” That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, and they stayed there until Herod’s death. Matt. 2:13-14

H umble   "He’s just a carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers— James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas." Matt. 12:55

What is this gift of faith Christ offers?

1. He will give stability to my circumstances

“The plans I have for you, says the Lord, are plans to prosper you, not to harm you… to give you hope and a future.” Jer. 29:11

2. He will bring satisfaction to my relationships

“Even though I go through the deepest darkness, I will not be afraid, Lord, for you are with me.” Ps. 23:4 (GN)

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

3. He will make straight my steps

“Jesus said, I am the Light of the world. So if you follow me, you won't be stumbling through the darkness, for living light will flood your path.” John 8:12 (LB)

“Your words are a flashlight to light the path ahead of me and keep me from stumbling.” Ps. 119:105 (LB)

4. He will bring salve to my hurt

“Is there balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why is there no healing for the wound of my people?” Jer. 8:22

“Surely he took our infirmities and carried our sorrows….the punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:4-5

5. He will bring solace to my soul

“Come, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Mt. 11:28

Today you can receive:

Faith from God: acceptance

Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Rom. 5:1

Faith of God: trust

“You, Lord, give true peace to those who depend on You because they trust You.” Isaiah 26:3 (NCV)

I have learned to be satisfied with the things I have and with everything that happens. I know how to live when I am poor, and I know how to live when I have plenty. I have learned the secret of being happy at anytime in everything that happens… I can do all things through Christ, because He gives me strength. Phil. 4:11-13 (NCV)

Faith in God: surrender

If a person’s thinking is controlled by his sinful self, then there is death. But if his thinking is controlled by the Spirit, then there is life and peace. Rom. 8:6