Just Faith It: Part 1 – What is Faith?

James Greer (00:04):
Well, good morning Journey Church, and I’m excited to be back and let’s welcome our online people as well. Amen? Man, we’re starting our new series today it’s called Faith It Not Fake It. I’m telling you what man, Journey Church you all have been faithing it. Do you know to date we’ve baptized 68 people in spite of the Corona virus? Hey, did you all know that we’re ahead of last year? How do you explain that? Amen? Not only that, we got baptism today at 10 o’clock and we got baptism again today at 11:30 am. This is the fifth Sunday in a row. Amen.

James Greer (00:04):
Hey, I love those people watching online, but man, there’s nothing like being live. Just saying, just saying. Man, I am so proud of our youth men and our youth Pastor Richie. Did you all know that they had youth camp this year, where many people got saved and are still getting baptized? And then our children, our children and Pastor Susan. They had a one day VBS and had hundreds of volunteers and the children are still getting saved from that.

James Greer (00:47):
Did you know in Hebrews 10 that it says this, and let’s consider one another and let’s stir up love and good works. And then it says how to do it. Don’t forsake the assembling of yourselves together, even during the Corona virus. I may have added that part. Now I understand if you’re my age. Happy birthday Dorothy. I’m so glad you’re here. She had a birthday this week. She makes me feel young. She’s 20 years older than I am and she’s at church. Now, I understand if you have underlying conditions, you don’t need to be here and only God can let you know if you feel safe being here. But the Bible does says, don’t forsake this some of yourselves together. It also says, as a manner of some of you have done, because it says, you know, you’d come and you exhort one another as the more the day is approaching.

James Greer (02:34):
You have to say there’s something strange going on in the world. Amen? And I believe the day is approaching and Jesus is getting ready to come back. I don’t know if that’s tomorrow, next year, or when it is, but it says, that’s one of the reasons you need to be at church. I’m so proud of Journey Church. I’m proud our doors are open. Amen? I mean, we’re here at 8:30, we’re here at 10. We’ve got two services, 1130, you don’t know. We have one in the sanctuary and we have one out there with the youth, and their service is online as well. I love the people that watch online. I really do. I just want to take a second. I want to be careful though that during this time that we’re not deceived.

New Speaker (03:20):
There’s people that are going to work and they’re spending, inside of a building, eight hours a day with people. I’m not going to church. Oh no, no, not me. No. Nope. They go to the grocery stores. I don’t. They go to Walmart. I don’t. They work out. Can you imagine going to a stinky, smelling, gym. They work out, half of them that are working out are not even wearing masks. I’m not going to church. You could be deceived, you know? You go out to eat, but I’m not going to church. There could be some spiritual deception going on. I’m just saying. So, let’s be careful. Again, I’m not saying, I’m not saying don’t wear a mask. I’m not saying don’t social distance when you can. I’m not saying don’t wash your hands. I’m not saying don’t be careful, but I am saying don’t be deceived. Did you all know the prodigal son? You remember the story? He couldn’t wait to get out from under his dad’s authority. And man, for a while, he had it going on. Man, he was partying. He had the wine. He had the women, he was rocking the house. He thought. And to some extent, that’s kind of what’s going on with a lot of people. They say man, I’m not going to church. I’m going to do other things. I’m going to rock the house. I’m going to go do my thing, but be careful. He didn’t like it when he got in the pig pen, just a warning.

James Greer (05:01):
I love you. You love me. I got one more thing to say and I’ll get on with it. You know the church is supposed to operate like a family. Amen? I hear people say, I’m not going to church. I’m not going to class. I’m not going to do this unless you do that. You wouldn’t tell your wife that, you wouldn’t tell your husband that. You wouldn’t say things to each other like you would say about the church. I’m not going to church if I have to wear a face mask to get into church. You wouldn’t talk to your mate that way. Can I tell you? Life is not all about you. You have to learn to get along with each other. I know, you think it is, but it’s not. You come to church to learn, to get along with each other. Amen? So, if you have to make a little sacrifice, make a sacrifice. It’s all about Jesus. Amen? Oh, we’re going to have fun today. Amen?

James Greer (05:58):
So, we’re starting a new series today. We probably better get on to it. It’s called faith it. And we’re going to learn today. What faith is. What I want you to learn to do is learn what faith is and not fake faith. Fake faith is having faith in something that you think is going to bring satisfaction that brings dissatisfaction. And the dissatisfaction ends up bringing destruction. That can bring in a person, a job, a place, a happy time or a thing. I want us to have the kind of faith, the faith that can part the seas, move the mountains and build a boat. That’s faith. Amen? That’s what I’m calling faithing it. That might not be proper grammar, but it’s great faith, Amen?

James Greer (07:23):
Let me give you some examples of really great faith. Exodus 14 :16. Moses lifted up a rod and he stretched it out over the sea and he divided it and the children of Israel that they should go on, then it was dry land through the Mississippi. That’s pretty strong faith. Not only that, Moses had what he needed to have such great faith. Can I tell you probably have what you need to have such great faith. Let me give you another, Matthew 17:20, it says this. So Jesus said to them, if you had the faith of the grain of a mustard seed and you say, and you what? You say to this mountain move from here to there and it will move, and nothing shall be impossible for you. So, you probably have what you need. If you have Jesus in your heart, because it said, say. And then I want to look at Hebrews 11:7 and then we’ll start talking about it in a minute. It was by faith, Noah being divinely warned. Some of you all are here today, here in the sanctuary and online, to be divinely warned by God.

James Greer (08:24):
And he was divinely warned of things that not yet seen. He moved with godly fear and he prepared an ark or a boat. He prepared a boat and made it never rained, but he saved his household. That was great. Noah’s faith in his actions saved his own house by which he condemned the world and became heirs of righteousness, which is according to his faith. Now, see, I want to give you what these were a type of. The sea parting is a picture of type of an impossible situation that may look too big, too deep and too wide for you to go through apart from you having the right faith. The mountain is a type or a picture of a situation looks too tall, too big or too hard for you to go through apart from your faith.

James Greer (09:38):
But the boat is a type of time for you to act. Maybe act in a way that you never have because you’re being divinely warned by God. Maybe there’s something that you need to change in your life. Maybe there’s something you need to start doing. Maybe there’s something you need to stop doing. And you’re here today because God has a divine warning for you and by faith, you need to change and you need to move maybe in a different direction. The others it’s a message to you, there’s absolutely nothing too big. There’s nothing too, too wide or impossible. If you would just learn to faith it.

New Speaker (10:45):
Now, what is faith? Hebrews 11:1-3 explains faith. It says, now faith is the substance. Say substance. So faith, you’re going to learn how to have substance. It’s substance of things hoped for and the evidence, say evidence. Of things not seen. So faith, we know it’s going to have substance, it’s going to have evidence and then it says, for by it the elders obtained a good testimony. And then it goes on to say this, by faith we understood. I’m glad that we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. Can you imagine the world was framed not only by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of the things which are invisible? I love that because it says, God can take nothing and make something out of it. God just speaks the word and it comes about. God can take nothing and make something. You can have a nothing marriage, and God speaks into it and now you have something, Amen? That’s the kind of God we have. Faith is believing something is so, that’s not so until it is so. But let’s look at faith. First of all, faith has substance. I want to explain what substance is. When you build a house or a marriage or a church or a relationship, it needs to have a great foundation.

James Greer (11:43):
When you really understand what substance is, substance brings stability and steadfastness. Substance has hope. I’ve taught you to hope is a confident expectation of a positive future in spite of the present circumstance, because your hope and your foundation and your expectation is going to be in Jesus Christ. Amen? Matthew 7:24 starts talking about how to build this substance, this foundation. It says, therefore, whosoever, hears these sayings of mine. Now listen, because you’re hearing the sayings of God. And when I’m preaching, you’re hearing the word of God and the devil’s come along and he’s trying to take it from you. And then not only you hear them, you do them. You’ll be like a wise man who builds his house on the rock. Who’s the rock? That’s the substance. That’s the foundation. Matthew 7:25 goes on, and the rain descended. You’re going to have problems. I’m going to have problems. We all going to have problems.

James Greer (12:54):
It descended. And the floods came and the winds blew and they beat on that house. That’s my house, your house. But you know what? It didn’t fall. For its foundation was on the rock. That’s the foundation. See the substance? Faith has substance. It has a foundation. In Matthew 16:18. It just kind of sums it up. And I also say, I say to you, that you are Peter. When Jesus talking and on this rock, I shall build my church. And the gates of hell shall not prevail again. So what he was saying that your faith has substance and that substance Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is like a rock. And the gates of hell will not prevail. It’s so important that you understand that faith has substance. And it’s substance it’s Jesus Christ, but the right faith, listen, the right faith and the right steps brings stability in your life. If you, if you have the right faith, you have the right stability.

James Greer (14:02):
If you’re unstable because of what the world’s going on right now. And there’s a lot of unstable people because what’s happening in the world. You’re looking at the world instead of the rock. If you’re unstable about what’s going on in your job, you’re depending on your job, instead of the rock. If you’re unstable in your marriage, you forgot that the Lord builds your marriage. If you’re unstable in your finance, you forgot it’s the Lord that provides all our needs. If you’re unstable, it’s probably because you’re looking at the wrong thing. Instead of looking at the rock, who is Jesus Christ, Amen? Jesus wants to bring stability in your life even right now, even today. I mean, if you’re going to small group today, if you’re going to Journey group, you’re going to learn in James it’s talking about even during terrible times that we can have joy because we know that the right joy brings faith and increases our faith. And we know that God’s doing a work in our lives.

James Greer (15:00):
Second. Not only, not only, listen, does faith have substance that brings stability? Faith has substance that brings steadfastness. So, you’ve got stability and steadfastness. And 1 Corinthians 15:58 puts it this way, therefore, my beloved brother and this is the Christians, it’s talking about brothers. Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Steadfast means settle it. It’s immovable. Stop changing your mind. Stop being so wishy washy, stop saying, I’m going to serve more today, but I’m not tomorrow. I’m going to go to church today. I’m not going to go tomorrow. I’m going to tithe this Sunday. I’m not going to tithe the next Sunday. I mean, you know the best way to tithe is? Is automation’s better than determination. Just set it up online and say, I’m going to give 10%. I’m going to set it up on the computer and set it up online. Every time I get a paycheck my 10% is just taken out. You know, we used to have 5% automation and 10% automation. Did you know, last Sunday almost 70% of our entire tithing that came in was automation?

James Greer (16:22):
I’m going to be faithful in my marriage. Steadfast, on the weekend, I’m not. That’s not very steadfast, Amen? I mean, see if you have the right faith, you’re not only stable, you’re steadfast. There’s some people, there’s some people they’re so wimpy. I came to church and some wicked wimp said something and they hurt my feelings and I’m not going to go to church anymore. Oh, come on. Now, you just became the wimpy, wimpy, wimp yourself. Are you not going to stay in the same house when your husband and wife says something to you? If so, you’re not going to be married. You’re going to be doomed, doomed, doomed in your marriage.

James Greer (16:36):
I mean, it’s going to happen on the job. It’s going to happen in your marriage. But if somebody says something ugly at church, I’m just not going anymore. Well, where are you going to go that somebody doesn’t say something ugly to you? Or then they say, well, they’re just hypocrites in that church. Well, you’re one too. Get a life, brother. I can’t. I’m so glad I’m back in the pulpit. I’ve been saving up, saving up, brother. Yeah, you’re right, brother. I mean, wait, we had three preachers that preached the house down, but I am so glad to be back. Anyway, just make a commitment that your faith in Jesus Christ. Amen?

James Greer (17:40):
Okay. So, faith has substance, Amen? But also has evidence. It tells us that if you look in, if you looked at Hebrews 11:1 it says that faith is the evidence of things hoped for, I mean, substance of things hope for and evidence of things not seen. I want to talk about evidence. Evidence it’s is called faith because you can’t see it, I guess. Now let me ask you, does faith have evidence that you can see? Can you see? Can you see Jesus? Yes or no? Well, yes and no. You can’t see him physically, but you can sure see him spiritually. Amen? I mean, Matthew 5:8 says this. It says blessed are the pure. Remember the pure in heart because later on, we’re going to be talking about that. For they shall. Oh, they’re going to see God. You ever seen God? I have never seen him. That says, you see God, you’re dead. But it says, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

James Greer (19:01):
You don’t see God physically, but you sure see the power and the presence of God. You see him working in your life. You see him working in other people’s lives. I’ve seen the evidence of God. I’ve seen the evidence of God in this church. I saw God work in my life. I still know His greatest miracles was one when he saved somebody like me. That was a miracle. It’s a miracle when he saves some of you all, too. Okay, look at him and say Amen.

James Greer (19:38):
Anyway. Anyway, one of the greatest miracles I ever got to see is when God saved me and equipped me to preach. So you can see, I mean, man, when God softens the hearts of the people at Journey Church and you take in God’s word and you get to experience what he’s doing, you get to see God at work. In fact, right now you all should be praying right now, God soften my heart, where I can see what God’s doing. Let me see it. Let me be a part of it. God, let me have a pure heart. Let me tell you something about a pure heart.

James Greer (19:50):
Look at Titus 1:15. This is the evidence, a person who is pure of heart sees goodness and purity in everything. But a person whose own heart is evil and untrusting, finds evil in everything, for his dirty mind and rebellious heart colors all that he sees. It has evidence when your heart is right and pure. You see goodness in others and everything. When your heart is not, you find fault in everybody and everything, See fake faith is fault finding faith. Other people know. You know, it’s evident. It’s evident in the way that you speak. It’s evident in the way that you think. You’ll look at somebody else and you’re always finding a fault. You can be around people that have true faith because you find all the faults and somebody and they find all the goodness in somebody. So, it has evidence.

James Greer (20:51):
Third, I’ve got to rock on. By faith the world was framed by the word of God. That’s pretty powerful. Amen? The worlds were framed by the word of God. If you drop down to Hebrews 11:3 it says, by faith we understand God said, this is something I want you to understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. So, that the things which are seen were not made by the things which were invisible. In other words, he was trying to tell you, listen, I make things out of nothing. That’s how they came about. He said, faith has substance that brings stability and steadfast. Faith has evidence that brings, makes you see goodness and in everything they do. By faith, worlds were framed by his word. Did you know when it says that formed by God’s word? It said it means to be, he brought it into completeness or restored or repaired or joined together. Do you know what if God’s word can form the world? I believe it can restore and repair whatever’s broken in your life. Amen? If God’s word can form the world out of nothing, which he did. He can restore and replace and repair or complete, whatever it is you need in your life. So, my question is, what is it that you need? And why wouldn’t you by faith today allow him to start working on your life?

James Greer (23:48):
So, I say this as we get ready to close, the first thing you’ve got to do to have this kind of faith is you got to make sure that you don’t have fake faith and you’ve put your faith in Jesus Christ. Whether you’re online or whether you’re here in the sanctuary, man, I would make sure today that I put my faith in Jesus Christ.

James Greer (24:02):
I’ll tell you what we’re going to do in a little while, but Darryl will be down here and if you hadn’t put your faith in Jesus Christ today would be today to do that. You might be here and this last week, or maybe this last month, the truth is you’ve been really unstable. You know what? Your family knows. You’ve been unstable on your job. You’ve been unstable in your family. He’s just been real unstable. And God says, man, I want my faith to change that. I don’t want your faith to be in your job, or even in your own ability. I want your faith to be in me. I want to be your rock. And it’s an act of obedience today. I want you to say, hey, I’m going to change that. I’m saved, but my faith has not been in Jesus Christ. I’ve had enough faith to get me to heaven, but I hadn’t had enough faith to live on a day to day basis. And so today I’m going to change that.

James Greer (25:17):
Maybe he hadn’t been steadfast. Maybe he hadn’t been steadfast in your home, your job, in coming to church, in your relationships. And you need to be steadfast and movable. You got your face set towards God. Is your faith have evidence? You feel and you’ve seen experienced the power of God. Your heart is tender and it’s pure. And you see the goodness in other people, in other things. Or recently you’ve had fake faith and all you see is the bad in everything and everybody. I pray here in just a minute that you had asked God to give you the right kind of faith. Maybe the faith that we’ve been preaching and teaching on this morning. I’m going to ask you a minute to stand and I’m going to pray. And Darryl’s going to talk about a next step, some of you may feel like you need to space yourself out, but you might need to come to the altar. We still can come to the altar. We can still pray and God will still hear us. Let’s stand.

James Greer (26:45):
God, you’re such an awesome God. And this message about faith was for many of us. I know it was for me. God, I pray that you would give us this kind of faith, the faith that would bring stability, the faith that would allow us to be steadfast. The faith that has the right kind of evidence in our life, that we have a pure heart. That we begin to see the right things, the goodness, and the people in the places and the things. The evidence that God we experience your power and our heart is tender. The faith that we understand by your word, that you frame the worlds out of nothing. And then God, one word from you can change anything and everything. You can restore, you can complete. And for those that need things repaired and restored today would be the day that they put their faith in you. Not them, not anything else, God, for those that want to join the church I prayed today would be the day. Those that want to give their life to Jesus Christ. Those that want to join the church I pray today would be the day for that. I ask it all in the precious name of Jesus Christ. And the whole church said, Amen.

James Greer (28:13):
On behalf of Pastor James, we’re so glad you joined us today at worship. If you are still wanting someone to pray with you, just click the link below and we have someone on standby that wants to pray with you. And for you, if you feel led to give to the ministries of Journey Church, click the link below and give whatever the Lord has laid on your heart. Pastor James started a new series called Faith it, he’s going to continue that series next Sunday. And I’m going to invite you personally to come and join us next Sunday as Pastor continues the series Faith It.

Recorded in Pineville, Louisiana.