VERSUS: Faith vs Fact (PT 1.)

​As we age through our spiritual journey we never want to get to a place where we feel stuck, paralyzed, or unable to grow. As a believer, it should always have the desire to want more, greater, better and the goodness of God to elevate us. However, as I scan the realm of the spirit a began to understand what God was speaking to his people The Spirit of the Lord said this is the season to see Harvest, on the other hand, the harvest isn’t obtained by faith alone. The Holy Spirit began to tell me "many of us are neglecting the facts that allow our faith to work." Even within this past year being surprised by a pandemic and surviving the seasons of protest has plagued us with a battle between faith and facts.

When this word began to come to me I was reminded of my spiritual leader who coined a phrase within my mind. “Face the Facts But Keep The Faith”. Which was basically to encourage believer who has been hit by life with hard fact but has to maintain their level of faith to be sustained. Now we have reached a point where the leader of America has now begun to echo and paraphrase those wise words as He aims strengthens the nation through His sickness. Not only is this a prophetic sign but a clarion call to the body of Christ. This is now the hour where our faith must collaborate with our fact to produce a harvest. Last year God told us “principles are the roots that keep a strong tree standing and producing fruit.” For a farmer to see a harvest, there must be a seed planted. Previous we did a series on "SEEDS" and how a seed is more than church talk for a finance deposit. In fact, seeds can be events of trauma, words of encouragement, lies, gifts, donations, memories, dreams, ideas, and more.

In today's text, we examine Jesus in the 23rd chapter of Matthew. This is the chapter we’re Jesus begin to open rebuke the leaders & teachers of the laws. ​Because much like today's leaders, the Pharisees have practices with no principles and principles with not practices. They weren't living the life they would preach about. ​There were several “woes” that Jesus began to give out ​in this particular chapter. I have a whole series on this chapter that you can go read later. However​ today I want​ to​ point out Matthew 23 verse 23.

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.” Matthew‬ ‭23:23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​Here's where we bring our text today. Because as the world evolves and leadership becomes more necessary. So has accountability and responsibility become more relevant in our society. As we examine Jesus in this text, he is calling the Pharisees to another of accountability because as leaders we have the tendency to tell people what principles and practices to do but neglect to do it ourselves. We tell people to show up for prayer meeting. Say ya grace before you eat. Tithe Faithfully. Treat People Right. Leave The 99 for the Lost 1. If a person asks you to walk with them a mile, to with them two miles. Yet, We Don't Do It. Which has now put the world in disarray and confusion because the people look to us. The world follows us. First Spiritual, Then Natural. We see an issue in natural leadership but spiritual leadership has lost their standards. We want we wanna do, and the people have begun to be a reflection of that. So now because we have allowed leadership to lose its standard, and have mishandled the anointing, the placement, and the word of God, any and everybody thinks they can do it. Now I'm working towards my text. Everybody thinks this and thinks that. Everybody thinks they can be president. Everybody thinks they can preach. Everybody thinks they call walk-in leadership. Everybody thinks they can pastor. Everybody thinks they can do this and still be that. When the fact of the matter is THEY CAN'T.

The fact of the matter is "There is a Breach In Our Faith". There has been a breach in leadership and we are responsible for correcting that. The Fact of the matter is we are living in a time now where everybody is a leader. everybody is leading. everybody wants to talk. everybody feels like their voice matters. When the truth of the matter is it really doesn't. Because there has been such a breach in leadership and in faith everyone wants to "lead by faith" rather than to be led by faith. Therefore as a result of everyone being in places of authority but out of place spiritually, no one knows who to listen to. The world is in disarray because spiritually it doesn't know who to follow. The world naturally is in chaos because spiritual it doesn't know who to listen to. The world response to us but when we look like the world and act like the world we lose our faith in the anointing of our office and authority to command, direct, and led the world. The world response to us yet we have conformed to the world. So now when things happen in the world naturally we're searching for the facts of why it happens and what going to happen next, neglecting faith. Neglecting to search in the spirit for why. Now because everybody is able to tell us what God is saying, we're following everybody and doing what they do, not knowing they're not evening doing what they say do and then the things that they are doing - they only do it for a show. Practice with no principle and Principles With No Practice. Which brings us to or text... Matthew 23:23 ​Because we see the Pharisees here are practicing "faith moves" but neglect the faith. Jesus calls them out because he recognizes that they were ​doing what God said but neglecting the faith of why God said it. At this point what was "Faith Move" has now become a "Fact Move" for them. Tithing was such a strong principle that eventually they began to do it automatically and superficially. They had a principle that worked so well it was now a fact to them so there was no need to apply their faith but that where the problem arises. Because they started doing things that they knew would work to get what they wanted. They stopped making Faith Moves and Started Making Fact Moves. So as long as they knew the "facts of the matter" to get it what they wanted and to get where they were going they ain't need faith. But how many of you know you can't please God without faith and facts can be changed?

I'm getting to my closing now because Jesus ​says to them "yes, the fact of the matter is you're doing some good things, but you still need to step it up to your faith on the backend." Yes, you have the faith to do what God said but are you still doing what God is saying." Has what God said become a fact or is it still in faith.?