CCOAN Thessalonica Sermon From Mog Harry Your Proof As A Christian 2015 10 18 V2

Many of us today, tell our friends, our acquaintances, our relatives, to our circle, that,

"I have known the Lord for these years, I believe in Jesus Christ these years. Since I gave my life to Christ, my life has changed."

But, if someone asks you, can you prove, do you have proof as a Christian?

"But I changed!"

The person will tell you, "Yes, but the previous day when we talked, you got angry and started shouting."

You will tell him, "Yes, I used to smoke before but now I do not smoke."

He will tell you, "Yes, but you keep company with smokers."

You will tell him, "Yes, I have changed."

"Yes, but the previous day I heard you cursing due to your anger."

This is your proof as a Christian?

This will bring us to the title of today's message which is, YOUR PROOF AS A CHRISTIAN!

We shall read from the book of Mark 10:46.

"Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude,

blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. [...] So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?

The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”

Chapter 52, "Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well!”

Your proof as a Christian is your faith in God's Word!

Here, we see blind Bartimaeus who was sitting at the corner of the road and was asking for mercy.

When Jesus came close to him, he told him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"

What could a beggar want? Someone who begs needs money, isn't it?

But what did blind Bartimaeus answer to Jesus as we read? He told him, "Teacher, I want to regain my vision."

He did not say, "Teacher, I want to win the lotto." He did not say, "Teacher, I want to win the lottery,

so that I can help the other poor, the other beggers."

He did not say, "Teacher, I want a Mercedes." He said, "Teacher, I want to regain my vision! "

Immediately, when blind Bartimaeus met Jesus Christ and they had the conversation,

- What do you want Me to do for you?
- Lord, I want to see!

What did Christ tell him, "Let it be according to your faith! Your faith has made you well! Go!"

Your proof as a Christian is your faith in the Word of God!

If your proof as a Christian is your faith on God's Word, you will be believe now, you will act now, and you will receive now!

Now, I want us to look at another case with someone who was a little weak in the faith I'd say, or maybe no faith at all.

The book of Mark 9:17-27.

"Then one of the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.

And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.

So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.” [...]

Then, they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him,

and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. [...]

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes!”

Here, we have a case of a father whose son was deaf and dumb, he neither could hear nor could speak,

and many times when that demon would come upon the child, he would fall down,

roll and fall inside the fire, he would fall inside water in the river, sea, wherever there was danger.

Because the demon wanted to kill him!

You can understand how much pain his father was going through!

Moreover, we see that there is a conversation between Christ and the father.

After the father told Him, "Please if you can do something. You at least, if your students couldn't do it.

At least you, take care of my child, please!"

And Christ told him, "If you believe, everything is possible to the who believes!"

What was the answer of the man?

"I believe, Lord, help me in my unbelief."

In other words, he confessed that although he believes, his faith is not enough, his faith is small.

The fact that your faith is small, is not a reason for you not to pray, because many of us use it as an excuse.

"Why should I pray, will God listen to me? Every time I pray nothing happens."

"My faith is small! I have to go and find a Man of God who will have big faith."

That is how we quit and don't pray.

If you know that you do not have faith, then, you can come to Christ and take the faith that He has prepared to give you.

How can you receive faith if you refuse to come close to Jesus Christ?

Is it possible?

How will you receive faith if you refuse to open the Word of God to see what God says about your case?

Is it possible to receive faith?

Even the statistics say that, nowadays, melancholy and depression have increased a lot.

The psychiatric hospitals are full, the clinics are full of people who have psychological problems,

and all these happen because they refuse to come close to Jesus Christ who can give them faith and they can receive the solution to their problem.

If you read your Bible very well and carefully, you will see that Jesus Christ never healed and that alone,

Jesus Christ never blessed and that alone, Jesus Christ never delivered and that alone, Jesus Christ never saved and that alone.

In every case, he demanded people's faith!

What will happen right after your prayer is your proof as a Christian!

What is the result?

That is the question.

Yes, you believe for many years, what was the result of your faith?

Where did your faith lead you to?

Where did it bring you? To what level?

These are the questions that each Christian has to sit down and ask himself!

If you discover that your faith is small or that you do not have faith at all, come to Jesus Christ,

He is willing to give you the faith that He has prepared to give you!

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