"Settled Faith"
Pastor Albert Almore
”So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.“
Luke 4:16 NKJV
”And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:“
Luke 4:17 NKJV
”“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”“
Luke 4:18-19 NKJV
”Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.“
Luke 4:20 NKJV
”And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”“
Luke 4:21 NKJV
”So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “IS THIS NOT JOSEPH’S SON?”Luke 4:22 NKJV
For the next couple of verses, Jesus begins to dispute their thoughts. The end result is Luke 4:28-29,
”So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.“
Luke 4:28-29 NKJV
”Then passing through the midst of them, HE WENT HIS WAY.“
Luke 4:30 NKJV
How does one do this? How does one go their way like nothing just happened after all of this? How does one get to this place of being unmoved, unshaken, completely unnerved in the face of extreme opposition. Jesus had our sermon title for today…
SETTLED FAITH
Jesus’s faith wasn’t moved. Jesus’s faith wasn’t shaken. Jesus’s faith wasn’t wavering. Jesus had SETTLED FAITH. Since Jesus had settled faith, the question must be asked….
WHERE DOES SETTLED FAITH COME FROM?
Tucked away in today’s reading, you’ll find the answer to today’s question.
”And He was handed THE BOOK of the prophet Isaiah. And WHEN HE HAD OPENED THE BOOK, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me…”
Luke 4:17-18 NKJV
”And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”“
Luke 4:21 NKJV
Jesus was coming into agreement with THE BOOK. When Jesus said, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” what Jesus was saying was, I’m in agreement with what THE BOOK is saying about me.
📝 Not only did Jesus find the place where it was written, but Jesus also found the place where it was written ABOUT HIMSELF.
Class is now in session, and Jesus, the Master teacher is teaching. Jesus, the master teacher in a blink of an eye gives us THE KEY TO LIFE. By finding the place where it was written about Himself, Jesus conveys to us, my purpose was found in THE BOOK. My "WHY” was found in THE BOOK. My Fulfillment was found in THE BOOK. My identity was found in THE BOOK, therefore follow the Leader to THE BOOK, and you’ll find yours too!
So in Luke 4:22 when they said…
…“ISN’T THIS JOSEPH’S SON?” they asked.“
Luke 4:22 NIV
📝 They were trying to put Jesus in A BOX, but Jesus had already found Himself in THE BOOK.
…“ISN’T THIS JOSEPH’S SON?” they asked.“
📝 You have to KNOW who you are, while other people are trying to decide who they want you to be.
…“ISN’T THIS JOSEPH’S SON?” they asked.“
📝 When your life is planted in THE BOOK, you won’t be moved by the OPINION of others. When your life is planted in THE BOOK, you won’t be moved by the ATTACKS of the enemy. They will come but you won’t be moved. They will come, but your FAITH won’t leave with them!
”And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that CHAINS and TRIBULATIONS await me.“
Acts 20:22-23 NKJV
📝 "BUT NONE OF THESE THINGS MOVE ME…
Acts 20:24 NKJV
This is settled faith at its best! How do you get to this place of settled faith?
📝 It was SPOKEN.
Jesus had settled Faith because of what Heaven SPOKE over Him in Matthew 3:17,
”And suddenly A VOICE CAME FROM HEAVEN, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”“
Matthew 3:17 NKJV
This is why Jesus was able to walk right through the crowd and not entertain it. This is why Jesus was able to hear what they said about, "isn’t that Joseph’s boy” and not get wrapped up in it. It was already settled in Jesus’s mind of who He was, because it was already spoken before one miracle hit the ground!
📝 Jesus was more consumed by HEAVENS voice instead of any voice from the earth.
📝 Jesus was more consumed by HEAVENS voice over any voice from the earth.
Can I settle the debate in your mind? Can I settle your faith in this moment? Can I remind you of what Heaven said about you before you got here?!Genesis 1:26…
”THEN GOD SAID, “Let Us make man IN OUR IMAGE, according TO OUR LIKENESS…”
Genesis 1:26 NKJV
Yet you think you’re not worth it. Yet you think you’re not valuable. Yet you think you don’t hold a special place in God’s heart. You bear God’s image. You bear God’s likeness. It was spoken before you got here!
What we just witnessed in Genesis 1:26 is THE FIRST MENTION PRINCIPLE.
However God and His Holy Word first defines a thing, in the context of its first mention of it, that’s the definition of it, AND NOTHING CAN UNDEFINED IT! Let me say it like this…
📝 It doesn’t matter what you mention, God has FIRST MENTION over my life!
Since the first mention of mankind, was based upon Genesis 1:26, then that’s where our faith needs to settle. I have worth. I have value. I’m made in God’s image, after God’s likeness! It may be buried in shame. It may be covered in uncertainty, but it’s still there! David’s faith settled in this truth as he reflected on the first mention of mankind. Psalm 8:3-4 reads,
”When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, WHAT IS MAN THAT YOU ARE MINDFUL OF HIM, And the son of man that You visit him?“
Psalms 8:3-4 NKJV
”For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And YOU HAVE CROWNED HIM with glory and honor. You have MADE HIM TO HAVE DOMINION over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,“
Psalms 8:5-6 NKJV
I will not reduce my worth, value, and the image that God created me in down to comments, likes, shares, hearts, retweets, views, THE DEVIL IS A LIAR!
📝 According to Psalm 8:5, I came into this world CROWNED, so I wouldn’t have to waste time chasing yours.
IT WAS SPOKEN. But not only was it spoken, but…
📝 •IT WAS WRITTEN.
”ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY INSPIRATION OF GOD, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,“
II Timothy 3:16 NKJV
It was first written on stone tablets by God given to Moses. From there, Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. From there God inspired 39 other men, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to write out His love letter to you. God used 40 men total to write out His invitation, called the Bible to you. But God didn’t stop there. Hebrews 8:10 says…
”For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind AND WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.“
Hebrews 8:10 NKJV
It was written in stone. It was written on paper. Now it’s written in my heart.
📝 • IT WAS MANIFESTED.
”But when the fullness of the time had come, GOD SENT FORTH HIS SON, born of a woman…
Galatians 4:4 NKJV
But when the fullness of the time had come, God manifested ALL OF HIS PROMISES THROUGH HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST! 1 John 3:8…
He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose THE SON OF GOD WAS MANIFESTED, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
1 John 3:8
2 Peter 1:16…
For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but WE WERE EYEWITNESSES OF HIS MAJESTY.
2 Peter 1:16
Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—THE SON ALSO BECAME FLESH AND BLOOD…
Hebrews 2:14 NLT
The Word became flesh, The Word manifested to affirm to us that EVERYTHING that was spoken, everything that was Written is the way, the truth and the life! This is why….
My WORTH is found in Him.
My VALUE is found in Him.
My FULFILLMENT is found in Him.
Acts 17:28 says it like this…
For IN HIM we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘WE ARE HIS OFFSPRING.’
Acts 17:28
Because IT WAS SPOKEN. Because IT WAS WRITTEN. Because IT WAS MANIFESTED, MY FAITH IS SETTLED!
I don’t know about you, but from this day forward…
📝 God is my LABEL MAKER!
I am, who you say I am.
I can do, what you say I can do.
I can have, what you say I can have.
I can accomplish, what you say I can accomplish.
I can go, where you say I can go.
I can possess, what you say I can possess.
Because..
I’m forgiven!
I’m redeemed!
I’m called!
I’m chosen!
I’M HIS!
Therefore when the dust settles I’ll be found settled in faith. After the storm blows over, I’ll be found settled in faith.
”For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.“
1 Peter 1:18-19 NLT
”God chose him as your ransom long BEFORE the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.“
1 Peter 1:20 NLT
Before there was ever a discrepancy it was settled. Before there was ever a debt it was settled. Before there was ever a deficit, it was paid in full. This is why I have SETTLED FAITH!
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