The Stages of Faith - Part 2

Welcome to the In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Wednesday, November 15th. Is your faith in God strong and reliable? Today's podcast helps encourage our little faith to grow into a confident belief in a God who does great things. I want to give you three stages of faith. The title of this message is The Stages of Faith. There are three stages of faith, and I think it's in the Scripture, and I think certainly as I look back in my own life and see how the Lord has worked in my own heart, I believe there are three specific stages of faith in a person's life. Now let me say, and I'm going to say this more than once, this does not mean that every time you ask God for something, you have to go through all three of these stages. It would be wonderful if we could start out with every prayer request on stage number three, but we don't. So I want to begin with this first stage, and the first stage of our faith is little faith.

I'm going to ask you to give it back to me in a moment. Little faith, and I think in terms of little faith as being restless faith. That is, little faith always has this twinge of doubt. When we look at little faith, we look at faith that is struggling, faith that is restless, faith that oftentimes gives up, and let me say in the very beginning here, there's nothing wrong with struggling faith because that's where we all begin. When you first trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, and somebody said, well, the Bible says, asking it shall be given you, seeking you shall find, knocking it shall be open to you. For everyone who asks received, he that seeketh findeth, him that knocketh, it shall be opened. And so you started praying and nothing happened.

You said, well, I must have misunderstood. And so you struggle with faith. All of us begin the Christian life with struggling faith. So it's not a sin.

Now listen carefully. Struggling faith is not a sin unless I give up and consent to going back to unbelief and saying, well, it just wasn't going to happen. God doesn't answer prayer.

He's just overlooked me or all the things that we may respond with. So little faith is not where any of us want to stay. It's where all of us in some point, depending upon the nature of the circumstance, may begin.

But it is not where we want to stay. That's the bottom rung of the ladder. The first stage of faith is little faith. And that's what kind of faith? Restless faith, restless faith, struggling faith.

All right. Which brings us to the second stage of faith. And that is great faith. Now, listen, little faith said, I know he can, but I'm not sure will.

I know it may happen, but I'm not certain it will. Great faith says, I know, I know he can and I know he will. Now, listen to these incidences here of what Jesus said to these people who were going through difficulty and hardship. You see, when I think about moving from little faith, they said we all started from that as a believer. When we move to great faith, to me, this is when the Christian life gets exciting.

In fact, when I think about the Christian life personally, the two things that most excite me is learning the ways of God. How does he operate? I want to get into his mind.

How does he function? Number two, the second thing that excites me most is to see this challenge and know that I can't do anything about it and watch what God does. How is God going?

How is he going to work this out? And see, the more difficult it is, I think the more exciting it is to me because I know I'm about to see God operate. I'm about to see him, listen, as he says, he acts in behalf of those who wait for him. When you and I trust him, a person who is experiencing great faith is doing what? They're willing to wait for God.

They're not in a hurry. They believe in the sovereignty of God, that he's in absolute control. They believe in the faithfulness of God, he's going to do what he says. So great faith can wait. Great faith can wait and wait and wait and wait and never give up no matter what.

Why? Because great faith is entrenched into the Scripture and is resting and trusting upon the very character of God. Now listen, when you and I can reach the stage in our faith in any given circumstance in which we are faced and we're struggling and God lays upon our heart a passage of Scripture that relates directly or indirectly, the principle is there to whatever that need is. And God says, here's what I'll do. You and I can thank him for his promise, claim that and have what?

And have great faith. The Father has made this promise and if he's made the promise, I'm going to trust him. May not be exactly like I wanted, I'm trusting him. May not be when I wanted, I'm trusting him. May not be exactly what I was, exact the way I expected, I'm trusting him. Great faith says, if he says it, he will do it. If he promised it, he's committed. Great faith is able to hold on tenaciously, not with anxiety, but with a blessed assurance the Father will do what he promised to do.

And he looks with expectancy. Let's go over to Matthew chapter nine verse eighteen. While he was saying these things to them, behold, there came a synagogue official bowed down before him saying, My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live. And look at this.

And Jesus rose and began to follow him. Now, think about that. See, sometimes we don't stop to think about what's going on before. Here's a man who says, look, he says, my daughter just died. Please come and lay your hand on her and she will live. Now, I think if Jesus had said, Who are you? Where is your daughter?

How long has she been dead? Well, I got to think about this. I'll have talked to the father about this.

The next incident would not have happened. It was the fact he said, listen, now this is about the most critical situation you can come to. My daughter is dead, not sick, not under death.

Listen, he says, my daughter has just died. Come and lay your hand on him. Now, look at this. Jesus rose and began to follow.

Now, look what happens. And behold, a woman who'd been suffering from a hemorrhage for 12 years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she was saying to herself, If I only touch his garment, I'll get well. I don't have to touch his foot. I don't have to touch his leg. I don't touch his hand.

I don't touch his face. All I need to touch is the cuff. If I can just touch a piece of cloth, I'm going to be healed. Listen to what Jesus said. For she was saying to herself, If only I touch his garment, I shall get well. But Jesus, turning to see her, said, Daughter, take courage. Your faith has made you well. And at once the woman was made well. Absolute beautiful example of great faith.

What was she saying? I've seen what he's done. I've heard about him.

I do believe he's who he says he is. And now he's on his way not to heal somebody. He's on his way to raise somebody from the dead.

He didn't even hesitate. He said, My daughter just died. And if you'll just come lay your hands on it so she'll be well and be healed and be raised up.

And Jesus got up to go. She knew at that moment, if I can just touch the hem of his garment, I'm going to be healed. She didn't say I might be. She wasn't saying to herself, I hope I'll be. She wasn't saying, Oh, if I can just touch it, if I can just touch the hem of his garment, maybe something good will happen to me.

She says she was saying to herself, if I can just get there, she had to get to the crowd. If I can just get there, if I can just make my way there, if I can just touch him, I know I'm going to be well. That is great faith.

Not struggling over whether she's going to be well or not, but struggling to get through the crowd. But if I can just touch it, I know I will be healed. And Jesus said to her, you're exactly right. Take good courage. Your faith's made you whole.

You're a well woman. Well, look at this, if you will. I want you to notice another passage here. Because we're talking about the kind of faith that makes all the difference in the world. Look, if you will, in Matthew Chapter 15 for a moment. Matthew Chapter 15. Now, I know you say, well, now all of these have to do with healing.

It has nothing to do with it. It has to do with the fact of Jesus responding to faith in him. And it has to do with our stages of faith. What's the first stage of faith? What is it? Little faith.

What's the second stage? Great faith. Now, look at this, if you will, beginning in Matthew Chapter 15 here. Look, if you will. And let's begin in verse 22.

Now, watch this passage. The Holy Canaanite woman came out from the region and began to cry out saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David. My daughter is cruelly demon-possessed. And notice how she addressed him.

Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David. My daughter is cruelly demon-possessed. But he didn't even answer her word. And his disciples came to him and kept asking him, saying, Send her away, for she's shouting out after us. This woman didn't ask this once. She says, Please, please, please, she says, Have mercy on me.

My daughter is cruelly demon-possessed. Jesus didn't say we're lucky. He ignored her. That doesn't sound like Jesus.

But now watch this. He ignored her almost. So then he answered and said, I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, not the Gentiles.

I'm only sent to Jews, the Hebrews. But she came and began to beg. Listen. She bowed down before him, saying, Lord, help me.

I need help. Look at this. He answered and said, It's not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. Listen to what she said.

Yes, Lord, but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from the master's table. How's that? Smart woman.

Now, what was she doing? Here's what she said. She said, I've seen him heal. I know he can.

I believe he will. I'm going to get his attention. He ignored me. I'm not giving up. And he said to her, Don't have time for you.

Yes, you do. In other words, Jesus was testing this woman's faith. And you know what? She decided she wasn't giving up no matter what. I mean, they tried to shut her up. They tried everything possible to finally she got up to she bowed down and she said, Lord, help me.

Help me. Now, let me ask you a question. Where was her focus? On the son of God. Do you understand? Watch what's happening when the focus is on the son of God. What happens to faith? Faith skyrockets. Listen, faith in the son of God. The focus is on the son, not on the problem, not on the tormenting problem back here with the daughter.

But the whole focus is on Christ. I know what you can do. I know what I've seen you do. Help me. I need you.

I'm desperate. I believe that you can and I believe that you will. I'm trusting. In fact, she was so convinced she was listen, she wasn't about to be moved aside.

Notice what happens. Verse 28. Jesus answered and said to her, Oh, woman, your faith is what? Great.

Be it done for you as you wish. And her daughter was healed at once. Here's a beautiful example of great faith.

Not giving up. Listen, was she listening to the crowd? No. Was she going by her feelings? Listen, he said to her, I only give this to my people. That bother her?

No. She didn't go by what she heard. She didn't go by what she felt and she didn't go by what she saw.

They would say, would you get away? She was going by one thing. She loved her daughter. She believed who he says he was and she believed he would heal her daughter.

And she wasn't giving up until he did. Great faith. First stage is what? And little faith is what kind of faith? Restless faith.

Second stage is what? Great faith. And that is what? Reaching faith. Reaching out to him. Absolute confidence and assurance he's going to do what he says. Little faith says, I know he can, but I'm not sure he will. Great faith says he can and he will. Great faith is a sense of expectancy.

It is an adventure in our relationship to him. And if you'll just think about it, here's what will happen. If you understand what's going on in this message, here's what's going to happen. You leave here today and you're going to look at the obstacles. You're going to look at the things that you've been praying about and all of a sudden you're going to think, hmm, I've been down into the dumps.

I've been so discouraged. You know what? I'm going to start trusting God. I'm going to see what God's going to do.

You know what? You can turn the most discouraging thing in your life into an exciting, wonderful adventure with God no matter what the pain is and what the issue is because all of a sudden you begin to focus upon God and say, Lord, here's the problem. I'm no longer focusing on the problem. I'm focusing on you.

I'm focusing on you because I know what your character is. I know what your promises are. I know about your faithfulness.

I know about your sovereignty. You cannot break your words. You cannot fail a promise.

You love me because I'm one of your children and you said you'll meet every single need that I have. I'm trusting you no matter what. You know what will happen? You'll turn those discouraging things that you've been praying about and struggling over into an opportunity for God to do something wonderful in your life and to do what?

To lift you off the law rung, the law stage of little faith to great faith. Something will happen to you. Something will happen to your whole prayer life. You won't be coming and saying, Oh, God.

It won't be any more of that. But Father, I just want to thank you for who you are. I just want to praise you for who you are. I want to rejoice in who you are. Yeah, I'm hurting. Yeah, if I look at the circumstance, God, nothing's changed.

I just want to praise you for being exactly who you promised to be. Well, there's a third stage. Thank God there's a third.

This is the most exciting thing. Third stage. The third stage is perfect faith. You say, Well, does that mean that my faith is going to be perfect about everything?

No. Remember this now. Every single circumstance, every single request, every situation can be one of three. It can be a little faith. You can approach God with little faith, great faith or perfect faith. Here's what perfect faith is. Perfect faith is able to hear beyond.

What the audible sounds come from. That is, perfect faith is able to hear. From God.

And shut out everything else. Perfect faith is able to see the invisible right through this obstacle that is so visible. Perfect faith is able to see God in every single facet of life. Perfect faith. Is resting faith. Perfect faith has reached the place where no matter what he or she sees, hears, feels, recalls or thinks, there is this awesome sense of contentment and perfect peace that makes it possible to rest in the midst of turmoil and struggle and hardship and all kinds of obstacles and all kinds of sounds and sights and all the rest. Perfect faith is able to say, Thank you very much.

Now watch this. Little faith says, I know he can. I'm not sure he will. Great faith says, I know he can and he will. Perfect faith says it's done.

It's already done. Perfect faith says it's done. Perfect faith has the capacity to see the finished work even before it becomes a visible reality. Now, friend, that's when life gets real exciting because you see, you don't have to go through all three of those stages in every facet or every time you pray. Some things are not that momentous in our life, but perfect faith says, I see the end result. I see my Heavenly Father with such clarity. And I see him with such conviction and I see him with such absolute assurance that I will now operate on the basis that it's already done. And it will become a living, visible reality when my father knows the timing is right. That's what perfect faith is all about.

Now, how do I get from stage one to stage three? If I want to get there more often, I need to meditate upon his word daily because that gets the mind of God into my heart. If I want to get on that higher level and stay there, I want to be sensitive to how God is answering little prayers, big prayers, how he's operating in things that seem impossible and things that look like they're very simple.

I want to be sensitive to what he's doing and looking for his ways and and having my spiritual antennas out, looking for the evidence of God in every single aspect of my life. Then you know what happens? You'll come up against a tidal wave of awesome opposition that you think there is no way in the world. You know what?

You just stand and look at it and watch it go right around you and never even faze you. Why? Because you've discovered that the sovereign God of this universe is your shield, your refuge, your fortress. Your salvation.

He will see you through every single circumstance of life. Father, we are so grateful that you're so patient with us while we wallow in stage number one. You're moving us on, sending us enough difficulty and hardship and trial and persecution and suffering to just move us on to level number two. Thank you for the kind of peace that you give that is beyond human comprehension. We bless you and praise you and worship you and adore you for the God that you are. And I pray for so many people who are struggling, Lord, that they might understand that you're a heavenly father. You want the best. You've provided the best. You're waiting to give the best to those who want to trust you. In Jesus name. Amen. Thank you for listening to part two of the stages of faith. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or In Touch Ministries, stop by InTouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.