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FAITH: CONFIDENCE AND
PERSISTENCE
Luke 5:12-26
The Confidence Of Faith.
"While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man covered with
leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him,
saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." And He
stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be
cleansed." And immediately the leprosy left him. And He ordered him to
tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest and make an
offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to
them." But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large
crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.
But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray."
The Persistence Of Faith.
"One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of
the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and
Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him
to perform healing. And some men were carrying on a bed a man who was
paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in
front of Him. But not finding any way to bring him in because of the
crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with
his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. Seeing
their faith, He said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven you." The scribes
and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this man who speaks
blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?" But Jesus, aware of
their reasonings, answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in
your hearts? "Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins have been forgiven
you,' or to
say, 'Get up and walk'? But, so that you may know that the Son of Man
has authority on earth to forgive sins,"—He said to the paralytic—"I say
to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home." Immediately he
got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went
home glorifying God. They were all struck with astonishment and began
glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen
remarkable things today."
Faith = Confident Persistence
“Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of
God, you may receive what was promised. For yet
in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay.
But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My
soul has no pleasure in him.” - Hebrews 10:35-38
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