Episode 59: Quality and Quantity of Faith

In the name of the glorious Trinity, Father and Son and Holy

Spirit forever. Amen.

Glory be to the everlasting mercies which sent you to us, O

Christ, the Light of the world and the life of all.

Give us wisdom by your law and enlighten our impulses by your

knowledge. Sanctify our souls by your

truth, and grant that we may be obedient to your words and may

fulfill your commandments at every hour.

O you who enlightens the rational with the knowledge of

your greatness, do enlight, O my Lord, our thoughts that we may

meditate upon your holy and divine scriptures at all times,

O Lord of all, Father and Son and Holy Spirit forever.

Amen. Join me in a one question.

Jeopardy. And this is the clue.

It supersedes human reason, that is human thought that is based

on empirical, which means experimental and observable

evidence and logic rather than emotion as it pertains the

invisible substance of things you're saying.

Yeah, right. What was that?

Well, the answer is what is faith?

That is believing in and living in that belief.

Have you heard of modus ponens? It's Latin literally means mode

that affirms. Now I'm going to confuse even

more the Enlightenment out of you.

And this is the rule of logic stating that if a conditional

statement, conditional statement, which means if P then

Q. See there's a condition there.

If P then Q is accepted and the antecedent or the forerunner P

holds, then the consequent Q may be inferred which is

conditional. Stevens looking at me like what

are you going on about? Well, that is an equation of

logic, reason, rule of nature. It's complicated, isn't it?

Thank God for faith because it supersedes this rule.

Now I'm not going to discuss that.

We're going to discuss logic, reason, but rather something

other than the greatness of God that supersedes that of all

gods. Second Chronicle 25.

Greater than the peace of God that supersedes every thought.

Philippines 47 But rather discussing faith, let's discuss

faith. And I always like to quote the

Church Fathers. Saint John Chris Austin writes

Faith supersedes or surpasses human reason.

That equation I just I just gave you that logic equation.

Faith supersedes, surpasses human reason which is human

thought that is based on empirical, that is experimental

and observe observable evidence and logic.

It supersedes logic rather than emotion as it pertains the

individual in the invisible. I'm sorry, Substance of things.

Tongue twisters, SJC acronyms. I love acronyms.

And John Christostom continues, it is faith that succeeds,

transcends the anxiety of our search to see hidden reasons in

God's purpose. When we try to find and work out

why God did it, why he didn't do it, what is his purpose for me?

And we try to find it through logic and reason and the law of

nature and what have you. Well, if you don't have faith,

you will continue to be anxious because you will not receive

that Peace of Mind, that assurance of the purpose of God

for you. Let's talk about faith and and

look at 2 aspects of faith to the quantity of faith that is

required through the scriptures and the Holy Church Fathers and

the Church itself through the liturgy and the quality of

faith. Why do I say the quantity?

Because many people claim and many be people attest to this

person have this person having a lot of faith.

You know, Nasir and I always mention and I stressed that RAW

by him and well that goes against the scriptures, that

goes against what Jesus Christ has taught us now.

The quantity of faith that we need to attain, to possess, to

strive for our steadfast unmovable relationship with the

Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is that simple faith,

that's the quantity. Simple faith.

The mustard seed. Faith.

Mountain moving faith. Faith that simply relies on

faith and faith alone. Faith is that does not only rely

on our examination of things with human reason, standard

capability, wisdom, no logic, no law or rule of nature.

You know that faith that will not chuckle and mocked the

faith. The fact that an Angel of the

Lord numbers. Chapter 22.

Numbers 22 · chapter mention

Read it. Very interesting.

An Angel of the Lord caused a donkey to speak and rebuke his

master. You may be chuckling now.

Well, you need to examine the faith.

It is in the scriptures. There is a reason why the Angel

of the Lord appeared to Balam and caused his donkey to speak

and to rebuke. You know, sometimes when we we

watch these documentaries on, you know, National Geographics

or some of these videos that are posted, I believe and I

sometimes am rebuked by the fact that animals have more

compassion for one another than human kindness.

I remember I saw this this picture of 1 man kneeling

another another man having a sword in his hand about to

behead the person in the background.

Now whether it was photoshopped or not, in the background there

is a donkey helping or assisting another donkey to climb a Cliff.

So the donkey is helping each other but the man are beheading

one another and that's why we love it.

God sometimes uses nature as well and even the foolish as God

says himself, the fools and the and the the weak to rebuke those

who think because of reason and rationale and knowledge and laws

and and you know nature and and rules.

God puts them to shame to so that they rely only and know and

accept the faith and the power of God.

Origin of Alexandria writes this about the, you know, Balham's

donkey speaking. I marvel at Balham's donkey and

heap blessings on it because it was worthy not only to see the

Angel. Balham didn't see the Angel.

The Angel didn't appear to. Balham did.

Not only to see the Angel of God, but even to have its mouth

open and break into human speech.

So the Church in the history of the Church has accepted this

miracle that God worked regardless whether it goes in

power with logic and reason and again the law of nature.

I'm going to keep mentioning these that must exceed faith,

that simple faith that is expressed and defined.

In Hebrews Chapter 11 verse one, Saint Paul writes faith, that is

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

the persuasion concerning those things that are in hope.

So when you hope for something, if you have faith, your hope

will be lacking. But when you have faith, and

then you hope for something, that hope is persuaded by your

simple faith that as if it is happening, it has happened.

And you will receive according to God's perfect will, not our

will, God's perfect will. Timing and the way he it

appeases him to reply to our hope.

And then he goes on to say, Paul, as if it were these things

in action, as I just mentioned, and the revelation of those

things that are unseen. This is faith.

When you have faith that simple must exceed faith, it is as

though those things that are hidden are already revealed to

you. You know that God will reply, as

I said, according to his perfect time.

So in Theodore of Matsustia, the Assyrian theologian circa 30,

sorry, 350 to 428 rights. If someone should be guilty of

10,000 evils, he's commenting on Hebrews 11/1.

If someone should be guilty of 10,000 evils only by believing,

that is, we'll talk about expending, We'll expend about on

that. Only by believing in Christ he

receives immediately deliverance from all of them, being deemed

worthy of justification from Him.

And this faith, beloved, you may be asking in who faith?

In what faith? In no other than the one true

awesome, almighty, sovereign triumph, God the Father

Almighty, Creator of all things visible and invisible, And in

the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, and in the Holy

Spirit, which proceeds from the Father, the life giving spirit.

That's what we're talking about. Why is faith necessary?

Saint Paul comments in Hebrews 11/6.

Because without faith no one can please God.

And if we are not pleasing God, we are not producing the fruits

of repentance. We are not pleasing God with our

words, deeds, and actions. Without faith, without faith, no

one can please God. For whoever is brought me to God

must believe that he exists and that he is the rewarder of those

who seek him, must believe that he exists.

If you do not believe in an existing God, a God that is so

evident in nature, a God that was seen in his Son and Lord

Jesus Christ, all of his attributes, well, there is no

faith, though you know we we can't continue.

It's a hopeless faith. So faith is necessary so that we

can please and appease our God in everything that we do.

And the quality of faith, beloved, the quality we we spoke

about the quantity. And Jesus says as mustard seed,

as small as a mustard seed, not rob hemanuto a lot of faith as

small as mustard seed. And when we ask her when the

scriptures refer to increasing faith, the apostles requested

Lord increase our faith. It goes against what Jesus has

commanded that we must have right as small as mustard seed.

But what do you think the the apostles were asking for?

They had faith. They were called, they were

chosen by Jesus Christ. They followed Jesus.

They left everything. They followed Jesus.

That is faith but the quality of faith, beloved, that will

strengthen our relationship with God.

Keeping in mind James 219 you believe that God is 1.

You do well. The demons also believe and

tremble. I'm not going to go into the

deeds, right? That is the act of the faith by

which we will be judged according to Second Corinthians

510, Revelation 2012, Ephesian 210 Matthew 1612.

But we need to affirm and strengthen our faith by what

it's lacking. Hence we do not receive his

trust. So the apostles were asking to

increase our faith. Lord, increase our trust, our

weight in you, because that small mustard seed faith that

Matthew, Simon Andrew, John James had when Jesus called,

they immediately left everything and followed Him needed to be

strengthened and accompanied and supported by trust and wait in

God. That may be why you believe, you

pray, but you don't have trust and you are not waiting.

Proverbs 35. Trust or wait in the Lord God

from all your heart and do not trust upon the wisdom of your

soul. Wait upon God.

Trust that God has heard your prayers.

When we pray, the first thing we might do is acknowledge and

trust and know that God has heard.

My God hears the prayers of a Sinner when the Sinner is

quiring out to be forgiven and to to be brought to repentance.

God hears every prayers because if God didn't hear the prayers

of the sinners, well, then the sinners have no hope whatsoever.

But when the Sinner is praying not, Lord, help me to get my fix

next time. Or Lord, help me to get my

customer. No, but Lord, forgive me.

Lord, bring me back to you. Draw me close to you, God.

Here's those prayers. Psalm chapter 56, verses three

Psalms 56 · chapter mention

to four in the daytime. I will not be afraid because it

is upon you. I trust in God.

I shall triumph in God. I have hoped I will not be

afraid. What a man does to me, trusting

God that he has heard your prayers.

This is the quality. Now the quantity is a mustard

seed. The quality is trust.

But do you think that is sufficient?

Do you think that is enough? You know when I when When we

submit our taxes to IRS. Dada.

When we submit our taxes to IRS, we trust that the IRS will

refund what it owes us or we'll keep on pounding on insisting

and and and continuously sending as reminding letters that we

need to pay, right. So I trust that the IRS is going

to reward me or return my refund or, you know, pay me my refund.

But do I wait for that? Or do I continually call the IRS

And to make sure and to and to emphasize the fact that you owe

me some money, what's going to happen?

Don't call again, right? Hang up.

Don't call again. But along with trust comes wait.

Be patient, because there are another 150 million

applications, for example, right?

Be patient with God. Know that He's heard your voice,

He's heard your prayers. Be patient.

Trust in His wisdom, in His knowledge, in His understanding,

in His almightiness. All knowing, being everywhere.

And wait, endure, persevere with God's timing, not else.

Galatian 4 Four to five. But when the end of time

arrived, when God was pleased, God's timing, God sent his Son,

and he was from a woman and was under the written law, that he

would redeem those who are under the written law, and that we

would receive the adoption opposition of children.

So don't worry about reason, don't worry about logic, don't

worry about the law and the and the rule of nature.

Does it fit right with me, with my understanding, with my

wisdom, my intellect of the world?

No, no, no. Simple faith in the power of our

Lord God and His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit.

Faith that is trusting, that is persevering.

Faith that is patient. Faith that is sacramental.

Faith that has deeds and actions.

Simple because without faith or without deeds, rather our faith

is dead. So this is how you examine your

faith, beloved. Do you trust God that he has

heard your when you finish praying, are you confident?

Do you feel at ease? Do you feel tranquil that the

Lord heard your prayers? You just entered into the

presence of the Lord. He has heard your prayer.

The Lord hasn't closed his ears on you.

Do you trust that He? Do you believe that he has heard

your praise? Do you believe that he is a

loving God, a compassionate God, a merciful God who is always

awaiting the return of His children?

And when you do, do you trust in God that He will reply according

to his timing, perfect will? And do you have perseverance and

patience? If not, we need to continue

praying and praying. We need to read the scriptures

to see how God in the history of man has fulfilled every promise

and has executed every warning. The promise for you and I is

that if we appease the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, we will

enter the Kingdom of heaven. And when I say appease, not just

believe because demons believe in, they shatter, but appease

with deeds, words, actions, commitment, sacrifice, reliance

on him only. We have been promised the

Kingdom of heaven and that will come.

We need to persevere and we need to wait.

But at the flip side, we need to also be careful.

The warnings Jesus has given us, the warnings God has given us

through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and

the Apostles and the Scriptures and His Church.

They will also come to fruition. The warnings are if you do not

love me and do not fulfill my commandments, you will not enter

the Kingdom of heaven. So let's work on our faith,

beloved. Let's work on the quality

quantity of our faith. We don't need to have to.

We no need to have so much faith to move mountains.

You know, did the disciples move any mountains?

Do you read in the scriptures that they actually literally

moved mountains? There are stories out there that

are not confirmed and, you know, but did the apostles in the holy

scriptures or the history of the the Church move any mountains?

No, But you know what they did? They raised the dead.

There's a mountain. They brought life to people who

are dead. They found those who are lost in

Jesus name. Glory be to his holy name at all

times, Father and Son, Holy Spirit forever.

Amen. We hope you enjoyed this week's

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Until next time, God bless you all.