OVERCOMING UNBELIEF (5)

(1) Mark 9:23
     Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are                    possible to him that believeth.

    (a) Believe, believe, believe,

    (b) Did He say some things are possible to him that believeth,               no He not but for the most part, this is really what most of                 the church world believes

    (c) How can you say that preacher, well let's see could it be                   because most people in the church get some prayer answer,             but not all    

    (d) But let us look at all things, all things are those that are                     promised and provided by God in His Holy Word

    (e) All things are promised in the gospel "that pertain unto life               and godliness"

     (f) Believe all things that the Bible says are for us as children               of God

     (g) What God has promised He is able to perform, Be like                      Abraham

     Romans 4:21
     And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was          able also to perform.

(2) Mark 9:24
      And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with          tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

   (a) This is where I believe a lot of God's people are at, just like              this father, we believe but we need help with our unbelief

   (b) So God has sent these series of messages to a people that                have cried out Lord I believe, help my belief

   (c) Don't miss what the Lord is going to say to us, remember His            way works   

(3) Mark 9:29
      And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing,             but by prayer and fasting.

    (a) Lord help my unbelief, This kind can come forth by nothing,             but by prayer and fasting.

    (b) Fasting easy to say hard to do

    (c) I wonder how many times the Lord has laid on our hearts to              fast and we didn't

(4) Isaiah 58:1
     Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew         my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their             sins.

  
    (a) Show my people, what does the Lord want us preachers to                 show His people

    (b) Show their transgression, their sins

    (c) Let's see what their sin was   

(5) Isaiah 58:2
     Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a                nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of        their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take          delight in approaching to God.

   (a) Notice they seek God daily, notice all the things in verse two            that God says about

   (b) But remember verse one, show my people their                                  transgression, show them their sin

   (c) Looks like a pretty good bunch to us, we need to see through           God's eyes

(6) Isaiah 58:3
     Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not?                   wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no                   knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure,            and exact all your labours.

    (a) The people say we fasted, but the Lord does not see

    (b) They say we afflict our souls and God don't even knowledge             of us 

    (c) God answer back in the day of your fast ye find pleasure

    (e) God say they exact their labours, isn't it sad that people                   cannot even pull away from their jobs long to do a real fast,             and give God the time He so richly deserves

(7) Isaiah 58:4
     Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist          of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your        voice to be heard on high.

   (a) God said they fasting for strife and debate, I believe that                  many of God's people still fast and pray this way

   (b) Striving to have their way, even to the place where they are             debate against the WORD OF GOD to get their way

   (c) Let's fast and pray for His will in whatever we bring to Him    
 
   (d) God tells them don't fast this way, don't fast thinking you are            going to be heard on high

(8) Isaiah 58:5
      Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict           his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread         sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and           an acceptable day to the Lord?

    (a) In verse 5 we see that this is the way that people look at                  fasting, in verse 6 we are going to see how God looks at                    fasting

(9) Isaiah 58:6
      Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of             wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the                        oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

(I) God's true fast will  loose the bands of wickedness, in your own        life and in the life of those you come in contact with

   (a) The wickedness of our nation will take God's people fasting              to break this wickedness, are you up to task sent before us

   (b) So we see that if there is something in your life that is                        wicked, fast and pray, so that God will loose those bands

   (c) Also I what to point out that if there is wickedness, heavy                  burdens, and you are being oppressed in your life it is                        because of unbelief

   (d) Unbelief got us in to these areas of our life, believing is going           to get us out, now if you are going to believe, you are going              to believe that fasting and praying God's way is going to set             you free  

(II) God's true fast will undo heavy burdens, is the burden you are          carry to heavy to you, then; give it to the Lord

    (a) But preacher; I have try to give it to the Lord but I still carry           the weight of the burden
   
    (b) Well let's praise the Lord for sending His word that is going              to show how to get rid of this heavy burden
  
    (c) This kind goes out by fasting and praying

    (d) Remember belief will produce action in God's word, if I                     believe. I will fast and pray, and I will see the answer that                 God has for me

(III) God's true fast will let the oppressed go free

    (a) There are way to many oppressed people even in God's                     family

    (b) Where does this stuff come from

    (c) Acts 10:38
         How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost                and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all              that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

   (d) Oppressed of the devil, it is the work of the devil

   (e) So is heavy burdens and wickedness, works of the devil
  
   (f) By the way unbelief is also a work of the devil

   (g) John 10:10
        The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to                     destroy:  I am come that they might have life, and that they              might have it more abundantly.

(IV) God's true fast will break every yoke

   (a) It is time to get unyoke from the work of the devil

   (b) Satan will try to yoke things to us, but a true fast will unhook            us from those things he tries to send our way
  
(10) Isaiah 58:7
       Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring              the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the            naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from        thine own flesh?

   (a) This verse tells us how to deal with others when fasting

   (b) This verse also tells us not to hide from ourselves, one of the            most important thing to learn while fasting God's way is to                listen when he speaks and show us our self and the things we            are coming short of

   (c) Don't hide from your flesh deal with it, that is while God                    reveal the weakness, or sin, or what ever short coming it is,              so that we can overcome

(11) Isaiah 58:8
      Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine                  health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall          go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward.

    (a) We see the benefits to a true fast in verse 8

    (b) We see light breaking forth

    (c) We see health coming forth

    (d) We see righteousness going before us

    (e) We see the glory of the Lord is guarding our back

    (f) You see the word rereward means rearguard

    (g) In the N.I.V. bible Isaiah 58:8 [reads like this] Then your                 light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will                    quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you,             and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

    (h) In Ephesians 6 we find the armour of God, we don't see the               cover for the back parts in Ephesians 6, we don't need                       armour for the back, the glory of the Lord is taking care of              the back

     (i) The glory of the Lord is our rear guard

(12) Isaiah 58:9
       Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry,         and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst           of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking          vanity;

      (a) We are going to stop in verse 9, you can read the rest                        Isaiah 58 and see what God says

      (b) If we do a true fast We can call, and the Lord will answer

      (c) We can cry, and the Lord will say here am I

      (d) If you want this listen to the rest of verse 9

      (e) We are to help get people free; to unhook the yoke the                     devil has on them

      (f) To stop blaming others, that is the putting away of the finger

      (g) Stop speaking vanity, speak life into yourself and into                       others
Message from
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November 2002
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Bro. Lawrence Bradford