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Faith
The Bible says this about faith: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see," (Heb. 11:1). The dictionary says faith is "confident belief in the truth." These are great comments on faith. But, sometimes faith is just hard. And yet in Hebrews we read a bit further…This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. 5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. So we are caught in what appears to be a very hard place… Faith is hard, yet without it we can’t please God. I want to add one other lesser corollary to that… without faith we can’t even please ourselves. Like most things in our world our concept of faith is truly upside-down. We think that it starts with us… that we have to somehow work up enough faith, look at what we are not certain of and what we do not see and blindly leap into it. That is not the faith of the Kingdom of God. Sure you’ve been taught that, but I want to flip some things around for you today… that seemed to be a favorite action of Jesus. 1. Faith starts with God, not you. If anyone made a leap of faith it was God and since we know that he is all knowing and all powerful we can be assured that no leap was involved. Faith truly is the gift of having your eyes opened to what already is there… in Eph 2:8-9 8 Paul writes, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. a. It is easy to get down on ourselves for not having enough faith… I think that’s because we are under the false impression that faith is dependent upon us. i. Faith is taking hold of what is already there… in this world it starts with knowing that God is in control… verse 3 of Hebrews 11 tells us that the universe was formed at God's command… ii. The rest of the Bible tells us that God is in control… b. Now that can be hard when life gets really difficult… i. We sense that God must not be in control because things aren’t working out the way we think they should… Do you see any problem with that statement? ii. But it is a feeling that we have when things don’t seem to be going our way… 1. Why does God allow us to go through these desert times of the testing of our faith? Well, James tells us plainly, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4). 2. James knew what it meant to live by faith and he knew what it meant to have his faith made more complete. 3. It was made more complete by letting God be in control of it. c. But faith starts with God and not you. God has more faith in you than you do in Him. i. And that is a wonderful realization. One that is needed in the midst of trials and that should be appreciated in the midst of the good times. ii. Stop and think for a minute… and say to yourselves in a whisper, “God has more faith in me than I have in Him.” 1. So when things are in control, remember it is God who is in control. God has faith in me so I can have faith in Him. 2. And when things are out of control, remember God is in control. God has faith in me so I can have faith in Him. 2. God’s leap of faith brought Him into this world… Jesus being born, living here on this earth, teaching good things was an incredible movement, blasphemous to some. a. And our faith should change how we live in this world. It should change our thoughts, rearrange our priorities… but not to bring them in line with our opinion of how things should be… but in line with God’s plan. b. And that is hard because God’s plans often take us to the very places that we would never choose to go, to our own personal crosses. i. What is holding you back from embracing the faith of God? ii. What is holding you back from letting God’s faith in you be aligned with your faith in God? iii. That truly is the only kind of faith that makes major differences in people’s lives. 3. Placing your faith in the ONE TRUE GOD… Faith does not save you. a. The key to understanding faith lies not in faith itself but in the OBJECT of faith: God! Faith is only as good as who you put it in. i. Faith in a false god (i.e., Mormon, Jehovah's Witness, etc.) is useless and it doesn't save you. Faith in a God who grants wishes and offers you the exact life you ordered is only faith in yourself. ii. But faith in the TRUE God DOES save you. You see? Faith is only as good as who you put it in. Faith in the true God results in salvation Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. b. Faith in the kingdom of God is a solid substance. It isn’t a concept, a thought, or wishful thinking. Faith is what we are to hang on tight to, to find assurance in, to rest in… because the source of it is the ONE TRUE GOD. c. I will admit that this is hard… it goes against our very nature. We want to be in control. We want things to work out for us and our loved ones. We want peace on earth… i. But one more time… if any of those things are going to happen, I mean really happen, who is going to have to do it? ii. You? Me? The government? The next government? A perfect job? A perfect spouse? The right school, a class, a guy who stands in front of you and with a southern drawl tells you that God wants to bless you if you’d just trust a bit more and embrace your destiny… 4. True Faith lets us live wonderfully in this world… I think it was this kind of faith that Jesus was talking about when he said these words in Matthew 11:28… 28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." True faith is simply living with Jesus. Living with Him in control, living in His rest, learning from Him. DO YOU WANT REST FOR YOUR SOULS? Then accept the faith that God has in you and make it your own.
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