Do you Have Faith God can DO THIS? John Kilpatrick

Matthew 9:28-33

When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to DO THIS?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region. While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”

Things we believe as Christians that are written in the Bible:

1. God created everything out of nothing. (Genesis 1:1)
2. God made the sun, the moon, the stars, and the universe. (Genesis 1:14-18)
3. God made humans in His likeness and image. (Genesis 1:26-27)
4. God destroyed all of mankind except for 8 people who were on an ark. (Genesis 7:1-24)
5. God put two of every kind of species of animals on the ark. (Genesis 7:2-3)
6. A man and his wife had a child when they were almost 100 years old. (Genesis 17:17; Genesis 21:1-7)
7. A man with a rod in his hand parted the sea, and 2.5 million people marched across on dry ground. (Exodus 14:21-22)
8. God killed the ensuing army and drowned them in the same Red Sea. (Exodus 14:26-28)
9. God’s people were supernaturally provided with fresh bread every morning from the sky. (Exodus 16:4-5)
10. The people’s clothes did not wear out for 40 years. (Deuteronomy 8:4)
11. A rock gave water to 2.5 million people and their animals. (Exodus 17:6)
12. People sounded trumpets and shouted, and a wall fell down. (Joshua 6:20)
13. The Earth opened and swallowed rebels who were against God and His leaders. (Numbers 16:31-33)
14. A man spoke to the sun and commanded it to stand still to finish a battle. (Joshua 10:12-14)
15. An angel killed 185,000 men in one night. (2 Kings 19:35)
16. A man with a sign in his hair had supernatural strength and killed 1000 men with a jawbone of a donkey. (Judges 15:15-16)
17. The man’s hair was cut, and he became like other men. (Judges 16:17-19)
18. A boy killed a giant with a slingshot and became the king of a nation. (1 Samuel 17:50; 1 Samuel 16:13)
19. A man dipped in a river seven times and was cured of leprosy. (2 Kings 5:14)
20. A chariot of fire and horses came down from the sky, picked up a man, and took him into heaven in a great whirlwind. (2 Kings 2:11)
21. A man took part of his clothes, slapped the water of a river, and it parted for him. (2 Kings 2:14)
22. A dead man was thrown on top of another dead man’s bones, and he came back to life. (2 Kings 13:21)
23. An axe head swam to an axe handle. (2 Kings 6:5-7)
24. Three men were thrown into a scorching furnace and survived without even the smell of smoke on their clothes. (Daniel 3:27)
25. A child was born of a virgin and proclaimed to be the son of God. (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23)
26. At age 12, the child confounded all the intellectual scholars of his day. (Luke 2:46-47)
27. This man could command evil spirits with just his word. (Mark 1:27)
28. He could heal those doctors could not heal, open blind eyes, and deaf ears. (Matthew 9:35; John 9:6-7; Mark 7:35)
29. He spit on the ground, made mud, put it on a man, told him to wash, and the man came seeing. (John 9:6-7)
30. He raised a man from the dead who had been dead for four days. (John 11:43-44)
31. He could talk to the elements like the sea and the wind, and they obeyed him. (Mark 4:39-41)
32. He fed thousands of people with just a boy’s lunch. (John 6:9-13)
33. He had 12 disciples who followed him. (Matthew 10:1-4)
34. He turned all his authority over to these unlearned and ignorant men. (Matthew 28:18-20)
35. He was killed by hanging on a tree and came back to life after three days. (Luke 23:33; Luke 24:6-7)
36. Other people came out of their graves and walked in the streets after his resurrection. (Matthew 27:52-53)
37. He could walk through walls at will. (John 20:19)
38. He ascended into the sky, and two heavenly beings said he would return the same way. (Acts 1:9-11)
39. He told some men to go to an upper room and wait, and after days, tongues of fire came and lit on them, and they began to speak in languages they had never learned. (Acts 2:1-4)
40. A man heard a voice, became blind, and after three days, something like scales fell from his eyes, and he was healed. (Acts 9:3-18)
41. A former murderer wrote most of the New Testament. (Acts 9:1-2; Acts 13:9; Romans 1:1)
42. A man named Philip was teleported 30 miles after baptizing someone. (Acts 8:39-40)
43. An angel miraculously delivered a preacher from prison. (Acts 12:7-10)
44. Jesus is said to come back like a thief and rapture millions of his followers from all nations. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:52)
45. Believers in Jesus will never be sick, grow old, or die, and all their needs will be eternally taken care of. (Revelation 21:4)
46. They will live in mansions, never have tears or pain, and live forever. (John 14:2; Revelation 21:4)
47. After years, Jesus and his people will return to Earth, riding on horses through the air. (Revelation 19:11-14)
48. Jesus will destroy all his enemies and set up his Kingdom. (Revelation 19:19-21; Revelation 20:4)
49. After 1000 years of rule, a city will come down from heaven with gates of pearls, made of precious jewels, and streets of gold. (Revelation 21:2, 21)
50. Satan will be eternally vanquished into a fiery prison. (Revelation 20:10)

The Challenge of Belief
Not, one thing that’s normal. All this is exceptionally unbelievable. But you know what we believe, don’t we? So I have a question for you. If you can believe that all these stories from the Bible are true and this is what we’re required to believe, why can’t you believe God for what you’re facing right now?

God’s Specialty in the Impossible
Because He specializes in things impossible. God wants you to believe Him for what’s troubling you. He wants you to believe Him for what’s causing anxiety and worry, where you can’t really sleep. He wants you to believe Him for what’s keeping you up at night, walking the floor. He wants you to believe Him for that which seems utterly impossible in the natural. And He wants to deliver you and help you to overcome and give you the victory.

Jesus’ Question to the Blind Men
So the question that Jesus asked these blind men was this. He did not ask them a question that applied to His general power because all of us would say, “Oh yeah, God can do anything. Of course, He can.” But the Bible says, “And when He was come into the house, the blind men came to Him: and Jesus saith unto them, ‘Believe ye that I am able to DO THIS?'” (Matthew 9:28). He didn’t say, “Do you believe that I can heal?” He didn’t say, “Do you believe I can raise the dead?” He didn’t say, “Do you believe that I can do miracles?” He said this: “Do you believe that I can DO THIS?”

The Personal Challenge of Faith
Because you see, whatever you’re going through, many times you can believe that God would heal Sister So-and-So in the church. No problem. She’s got cancer, stage 4. He can heal her. Sure He can, absolutely. You get cancer, stage 4, three months later, and you don’t know that God can do this. Because it’s different, because IT IS YOU! And the question doesn’t apply to His ability to do miracles or to raise the dead. You know He can do it. We preach it. We believe it. We read it in the Bible, but this was a specific question about their greatest need. And they needed healing from blindness. And so Jesus, when they came to Him in the house, He went right for the jugular. He said, “Do you believe that I am able to DO THIS?”

The Reality of Our Needs
Their “THIS” was a physical condition.  I know that I’m talking to people that you’re battling with some things that are very serious. I know that you are. I can feel it. Those of you just watching. A recent diagnosis has wrecked your life. You would give all your money and you’d give all your assets. You’d give everything up if you could just be restored to health. That money means nothing to you now. You’d give up everything that you’ve saved to have your health back. And so Jesus knew that the greatest thing in their life was they actually needed healing.

Facing Our Greatest Needs
Whenever you have a need in your life—and I’ve had them many times. I’ve had my belly turned inside out. I’ve been nauseated. Needs that I’ve had to face that I felt like would end my life and maybe end my ministry. I’ve had to face them several times and it’s gut-wrenching. But He brought me through. And could I tell you something? He’s going to bring you through too. I said He’s going to bring you through too.

The Difference Between Theology and Reality
So we hold a great deal of faith in theology. Oh, we believe in theology. Oh, yes. Jesus, yes, absolutely, you can. But when it comes to personal reality, then that’s a different story. For instance, who doesn’t believe that God can do anything or that He can do everything? Theologically, we know that He has all the power. We know that He is the Son of God and He said all power has been given unto me, but when it comes down to personal matters, it’s another story.

Answering Jesus’ Question
And the blind man answered, “Yes, Lord.” But if He would ask you today that question, “Do you believe? Do you believe that I’m able to do this?” Could you answer like the blind men and say, “Yes, Lord”?

The Importance of Overcoming Unbelief
Let me say something about unbelief. Let me tell you what’s so important that you stay with it until you get an answer. Unbelief is something that carries over in your life. True faith believes, “Yes, He’s able to do this.” True faith increases with every difficult case that arises in your life, your ministry, your family. And you say, “Yes, I believe that God can do this.”

The Consequences of Unbelief
But let me give you some solemn thoughts about if you ever come to the place that you don’t believe that He can do this. Let me give you some solemn thoughts to think on for a minute. Faith increases with every answered prayer, but unbelief also increases with every prayer that you don’t believe that He can answer. Unbelief increases when you stagger in your faith. Unbelief increases when you faint, even in just one case. Even in just one case. If you stagger and you can’t answer that question, “Yes, I believe.” If you cease to believe God can do this, then unbelief sets in. Unbelief is deadly. If you cease to believe that He can do this, what prevents you from doubting that He can do something next time? Let’s say you don’t believe He can do this and you try to move on and you’re just going to write this one off. You can never write this one off. You can’t do it.

Conclusion
We’re called believers because we believe in God. We are called Christians because we are Christ-followers. Jesus calls us to follow Him and become His disciples, which means doing as He did, learning, and obeying the ways of God, believing that God is faithful to His promises. At the same time, we must remember that He is God, He is sovereign, and His wisdom is above ours. Though we believe He can and is able, He might not choose to answer the way we would like. That doesn’t mean that we didn’t have belief, for if we were praying and asking Him, that means we believe He can. His answer is in His own wisdom and timing. It’s for us to believe that He loves us, cares for our needs, and wants to hear us ask Him for things that matter to us, believing He is able to do what we’re asking Him to do. In the end, it’s for us to know and believe that God is good and His good ways are far above our ways.  It’s for us to believe.