O Ye of Little Faith

The point: Hide this teaching in your heart, even though it may not meet a present and an immediate need, because the time may come when all of us will desperately need this teaching.

Martin describes checking a medicine chest or snake bite kit before an emergency, illustrating the need to acquire spiritual knowledge and hide God's Word in the heart *before* a crisis, rather than running to it like a 'magic Ouija board' in desperation.

Some of us may live to see what others of God's children have lived to see and experience, where we will literally have to pray, give us this day our daily bread. And so hide this teaching in your heart, even though it may not meet a present and an immediate need. When we went off for a few days, we were in a hurry. We had a few days of vacation up in the woods in Pennsylvania.

4:20 - 4:41 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not neglect your Bible week after week and then in a problem or a situation run to the Bible like some kind of a magic Christian Ouija board.

Airline pilots constantly practice emergency procedures so their reactions are automatic in a crisis, demonstrating the importance of preventative learning for safety, which applies to the Christian life and Bible study.

By the time I got around to getting one and learning how to use it, I might not need it. The undertaker might have to take over. And so we in life continually are taking measures to acquire knowledge in the present which will help us to face a future emergency. Airline pilots do this constantly.

5:16 - 5:36 Read in full sermon

Driving home: When we condense all that our Lord has said in this passage, I believe we can accurately state that the basic reason for sinful anxiety is the problem of unbelief or of little faith.

Martin recounts reading an article by Martin Luther King asserting that all men are children of God by birth, which he refutes by citing Jesus' words to the Pharisees, 'ye are of your father the devil,' to clarify that 'little faith' applies only to saved individuals.

They are guilty of that cardinal sin of unbelief. Now I had naively thought that the old line liberal doctrine that we are all the children of God by birth had long since gone by the boards with any thinking people, but it hasn't. I was reading an article that someone gave me by Reverend Martin Luther King, who's been a leader in the civil rights movement, and in this article, three or four times, he asserts in no uncertain terms the old line liberal doctrine that all men are the sons and children of God simply because they are the creatures of God. And he said the reason Christ was crucified ...

11:02 - 11:46 Read in full sermon

The point: Sit and meditate on the character of God – His omniscience (He knows), His love (He cares), and His omnipotence (He is able) – as the way out of little faith.

The story of Hagar being cast out and God meeting her in the wilderness, where she names Him 'Thou God seest me,' illustrates God's omniscience and care for those in need.

You remember the story how that Hagar the handmaiden of Abraham had been cast out of the household of Abraham and Sarai. Her name had not yet been changed to Sarah. There she was out in the wilderness and it says an angel of the Lord came and by that place where God met her she gave God a name and that compound name means Thou God seest me. Thou God seest me.

37:57 - 38:24 Read in full sermon

The point: Sit and meditate on the character of God – His omniscience (He knows), His love (He cares), and His omnipotence (He is able) – as the way out of little faith.

Hagar placing Ishmael under a bush to die, and 'the Lord heard the cry of the Lamb,' illustrates God's tender care and His attribute of love, showing He not only knows but also cares.

He knows my need. He cares. A little bit later in Genesis 21, 16 she's cast out with her son and she puts him under a bush because all her food and drink is gone and she thinks he's going to die. So she puts him under the bush to die and she goes off so she won't have to bear the sight and it says the Lord heard the cry of the Lamb.

38:24 - 38:48 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second step to overcoming little faith is to meditate on God's character: His omniscience (He knows), His love (He cares), and His omnipotence (He is able). Martin illustrates…

Examples of God providing water from a rock, manna, and parting the Red Sea and Jordan River for Israel illustrate God's omnipotence and His ability to meet any temporal need, no matter how impossible it seems.

He's able no matter what my circumstance of temporal need He's able. What did He do for His people Israel? They needed water and the only thing around was a rock so God says alright bringing rock out of the water is as easy as bringing water out of the rock is as easy for me as bringing water out of anything. So Moses take your stick hit the rock and he said let me make food for you every morning so he sent down the man.

39:32 - 40:05 Read in full sermon

The point: Become so wholly occupied with things eternal and the Kingdom of God and His righteousness that you have no time to fret about temporal things.

Martin shares his personal experience in traveling ministry, where he and his family made a policy never to make finances an issue for where they would preach, trusting God to provide. This illustrates the principle of seeking first the Kingdom and God's faithfulness in meeting temporal needs.

When we were in the traveling ministry, made it a policy that we would never, never make finances an issue of where we'd go, and the men would write, and say, we'd like you for meetings, what's your financial policy? I'd write back and say, if God wants us, whatever your financial policy is, that's ours.

44:06 - 44:21 Read in full sermon

The point: Become so wholly occupied with things eternal and the Kingdom of God and His righteousness that you have no time to fret about temporal things.

Martin recounts turning down ministry opportunities where the message wasn't truly wanted or where he was expected to preach a superficial gospel. This illustrates prioritizing the Kingdom of God and His righteousness over financial gain or popularity.

There are times we can say to the praise of God when I wouldn't be in meetings for three or four weeks, because I refused to go where the message wasn't wanted. And it meant turning down messages, turning down opportunities of ministry. When men would write and say, we're having a week of evangelistic meetings, will you come and preach? I'd write back and say, I don't know you, brother, and I don't think you know me.

44:23 - 44:43 Read in full sermon