How do we move past the road blocks that try to stop our faith? Listen in to this next message in our Change Your City series – “Faith Blocks”. Follow along to find out…

What happens you face an obstacle, a roadblock, or a barrier? Do you shut down? Get frustrated? Avoid or walk away?

Matthew 17:24-27 24 On their arrival in Capernaum, the collectors of the Temple tax[a] came to Peter and asked him, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the Temple tax?”25 “Yes, he does,” Peter replied. Then he went into the house. But before he had a chance to speak, Jesus asked him, “What do you think, Peter?[b] Do kings tax their own people or the people they have conquered?[c]” 26 “They tax the people they have conquered,” Peter replied. “Well, then,” Jesus said, “the citizens are free! 27 However, we don’t want to offend them, so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a large silver coin. Take it and pay the tax for both of us.”

IXTHUS – “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, the Savior.”

1. Faith Block of “Not Enough”

Believers can fail to act in the kingdom of God when they feel …

• they can feel like they are not enough so they fail to even try –
• they can feel like they don’t have enough resources, finances, or understanding…. and don’t try

26 “They tax the people they have conquered,” Peter replied. “Well, then,” Jesus said, “the citizens are free! 27 However, we don’t want to offend them, so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a large silver coin. Take it and pay the tax for both of us.”

To move past the faith block of not enough – go to Jesus first in what you lack.

Jesus will speak to you in action – It will be something hard, or tough, and very personal.

**But Jesus is testing / stretching you so that you stop focusing on what’s missing and focusing on what Jesus is providing.**

2. Faith Block of “Doubt” –

• Do you doubt Jesus is speaking to you? –
• Do you doubt He has chosen you to participate in the growth of this Kingdom?

Most people do not fully understand what Jesus is speaking to them about so they shut down. They fail to comprehend what Jesus is speaking because they fail to spend time listening.

The sermon last week – Peters mother in law was touched by Jesus then immediately started using her skill for the kingdom. We all were touched by the Jesus last week; but did you immediately start using your skill for the kingdom?

The Holy Spirit revealed to us Monday, that most people did not because there was a Spiritual Blockage. And most would say it was lack of understanding, or knowing…

**The Spiritual blockage of doubt prevents movement in the kingdom of God.**

Luke 24 41 Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he ate it as they watched.44 Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

**The Spiritual blockage of doubt is broken through what you give to Jesus.**

vs 45…. then he opened their minds…

Doing Life Together –

What does luke 24:41-45 mean to you? What are you going to do this week that is different than weeks prior? Be accountable to each other. If someone says something get their number and check up.

3.Faith Block of “changing your city”

Changing your city is not a sermon series….. it’s a LIFESTYLE that every believer is enrolled in the moment they call Jesus Lord. We are all called to change our own city.

15 That evening the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”16 But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.” 17 “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered. 18 “Bring them here,” he said. 19 Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. 20 They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers.

• Jesus is Jesus…
• Disciples are all believers…
• the crowd is our different cities…
• the bread and fish are what we have to offer. It’s not enough without Jesus.

We will change our cities if we are willing to participate and be involved in the group project known as vision.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Next Steps – Seek the Lord. Jesus will reward you with what you need to change your city. Hold someone else accountable. Check in. See how they are doing in seeking the Lord in the coming weeks.

Have you lost faith? Finding Faith – is the first installment of our new series “Faith Check”. This sermon series “Faith Check,” is a Holy Spirit lead deep look at FAITH through the book of Jeremiah. Have you ever seen an abandoned house? Yard overgrown, paint peeling, broken windows, dirt and neglect, just broken down? This is what our spirit looks like when we loose faith.  Let’s be honest with ourselves and have a Faith Check. What state is your faith in?

Jeremiah 13:1-11

13 Thus the Lord said to me, “Go and buy yourself a linen waistband and put it around your waist, but do not put it in water.” 2 So I bought the waistband in accordance with the word of the Lord and put it around my waist. 3 Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, 4 “Take the waistband that you have bought, which is around your waist, and arise, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a crevice of the rock.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord had commanded me. 6 After many days the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the waistband which I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the waistband from the place where I had hidden it; and lo, the waistband was ruined, it was totally worthless.

• Jeremiah represents Jesus
• Belt represents Humanity
• Euphrates represents behind enemy lines.

What is FAITH? –

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

James 2:26 says, “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”

If we are the belt, then the buckle is faith. It must be firmly engaged and attached to Jesus.

Are you able to keep your faith up while behind enemy lines or do you fail?

Blockbuster Case Study – 

They were in the movie rental business. The truth is we value movies and entertainment more than ever today, but blockbuster failed. Why?

 – Because they dug deep into their routine.

– The world changed and they didn’t move forward or adapt.

• Do you have a blockbuster faith right now?
• Is your faith failing because your not moving forward?
• Are you waiting for the world to return to what it used to be?

It didn’t work out for blockbuster and it wont work out for you.

The Inheritance Factor – What faith inheritance are you passing on?

Jesus is moving forward, are you clinging onto Him or hiding in the rocks waiting on things to return?

Doing life in the comments –

*** What are ways you are moving forward in your faith? ***

Gods precisely explains why His people have failed to move forward in their faith in verses 8-11. Let’s look at this and then do the opposite.

Jeremiah 13:8-11

8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “Thus says the Lord, ‘Just so will I destroy the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 This wicked people, who refuse to listen to My words, who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have gone after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, let them be just like this waistband which is totally worthless. 11 For as the waistband clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah cling to Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘that they might be for Me a people, for renown, for praise and for glory; but they did not listen.’

 

How do we find faith to fully connect to Jesus?

…refused to listen to My words

1 – Listen to the His Words

Are you reading the Bible to check your list or to check your heart? Listening to the Word is different than reading the Word.

…walk in the stubbornness of their hearts…they were taking steps to further their hard hearts

2 – Take Godly next steps

Are you taking next steps to your faith or to your comfort?

…have gone after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them

3 – Relationship with Jesus

The entire story of the belt shows the Fathers heart. “I want you to be connected to Me.” Are you working on your relationship with Jesus all the time? Is something distracting you?

Your Next Step – Today is the day to let go of old ways and hold onto Jesus.

• Let go of thinking worship isn’t worship without a church building; you are missing out on your weapon that is worship if you refuse to adapt.
• Let go of thinking church isn’t church without Sunday morning; you are missing out on growth if you refuse to adapt.
• What do you need to let go of so you can hold onto Jesus?