Faith

FAITH

“The just shall live by faith.”  This declaration of the Christian’s principle of life is found four times in the Bible.  Hab. 2:1-5, Roman. 1:17, Gal. 3:10-11, Heb. 10:38.  In Habakkuk we see the difference between the lives of the unjust and the just.  The unjust are puffed up and live by their own self-sufficiency. (PRIDE)  But the just live by faith—their confidence is in God.  To them, faith is more than a philosophy of life; it is the very principle of life.  The righteous shall live his whole life by faith. 

He is saved by faith. 

Acts 16:31 …believe on the Lord Jesus Christ [give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping] and you will be saved…

He is kept by faith

I Peter 1:5 Who is being guarded (garrisoned) by God’s power through [your] faith [till you fully inherit that final] salvation that is ready to be revealed [for you] in the last time.

He lives by faith.

Gal. 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.  

His faith shall be tried many times and in many ways. 

I Peter 1:7 So that [the genuineness] of your faith may be tested, [your faith] which is infinitely more precious than the perishable gold which is tested and purified by fire.  [This proving of your faith is intended] to redound to [your] praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) is revealed.  but faith will always be vindicated, because it is more than equal to any occasion. 

Faith knows how to wait on the Lord. 

Isa. 40:31 But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun], they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.   and faith is always victorious I John 5:4 For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this, is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith.    

Faith defies reason:  it moves mountains.  Matt. 17:14-21 [Jesus healed the epileptic son after the disciples had failed to do so and He said that it was the littleness of their faith!] Faith does not always face facts; it never gives up. Heb. 11:32-39 [names several who did not look at their circumstances but exercised their faith for the impossible.]  Faith says, “God is working out His perfect will in my life, and I can wait, endure and suffer.”  Faith does not make anything easy, but it does make all things possible. 

FAITH IS “counting so what is not so that it may be so because God said so!” 

“Now faith is the substance (title deed) of things hoped for…”  Hebrews 11:1

Your faith is your title deed to eternal life.  Just as a title deed is evidence of real estate, so your faith is evidence of your eternal estate in God.  II Cor. 4:18 Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting. 

1) Faith is taking God at His Word and asking no questions.  Heb. 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him.  For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]. 

2)Faith is knowing that  We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. Romans 8:28  Faith does not believe that all things are good or that all things work well.  It does believe that all things (that we may consider good or bad) work together for good to them that love God and are fitting into His purpose. 

3) Faith has two sides.  One side to do with the intellect.  It is an intellectual conviction that Jesus Christ is God.  The other side has to do with the will.  It is a volitional surrender of the will to Jesus Christ as Master.  This is seen when Thomas believed and confessed, “My Lord and my God.”  John 20:28  “My Lord” – this was volitional surrender.  “My God” – this was intellectual conviction.  Together you have saving faith.  John 20:31 But these are written (recorded) in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (the Anointed One), the Son of God, and that through believing and cleaving to and trusting and rely8ing upon Him you may have life through (in) His name [through Who He is].

Saving faith is an intellectual conviction that Jesus is God, and a volitional surrender to Him as Lord (Master) of your life.  By faith, the mind trusts in God; the heart responds to the love of God; the will submits to the commands of God; and the life obeys in the service of God.

4) Faith is paradoxical.  It goes beyond reason.  It believes without understanding “why”.  It sings in prison.  Acts 16:25 But about midnight, as Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the [other] prisoners were listening to them. It glories in tribulations.  Romans 5:3 Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance.  It chooses to suffer.  Heb. 11:25 Because he preferred to share the oppression [suffer the hardships] and bear the shame of the people of God rather than to have the fleeting enjoyment of a sinful life.

It accepts all things as a part of God’s will.  Phil. 1:12Now I want you to know and continue to rest assured, brethren, that what [has happened] to me [this imprisonment] has actually only served to advance and give a renewed impetus to the [spreading of the] good news (the Gospel).

You are born with a measure of faith. Romans 12:3  Then faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Romans 10:17  So faith comes by hearing [what is told] and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself).  Man has the choice of where to place his “measure of faith”.   He can continue to place it in his own works, thinking, etc. OR place it in the Lord Jesus Christ when he hears the Truth.  This is why we are commanded to preach the Gospel to every creature, that they may hear and believe.  Romans 10:13-14 For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord [invoking Him as Lord] will be saved.  But how are people to call upon Him Whom they have not believed [in Whom they have no faith, on Whom they have no reliance]?  And how are they to believe in Him [adhere to, trust in, and rely upon Him] of Whom they have never heard?  And how are they to hear without a preacher?

THE IMPORTANCE OF FAITH:

The shield of faith is a vital part of the Christian’s armor. You are to put on the “whole armor of God”.  Ephesians 6:10-18 because the Christian life is a warfare, a spiritual conflict.  As Paul names the different parts of the Christian’s armor, he comes to the shield and emphasizes its importance by saying.     Eph. 6:16 Lift up over all the [covering] shield of faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one]. Romans 8:37 Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us. 

The importance of faith is seen in that:

1)  You cannot be saved without faith.  John 3:36 And he who believes in (has faith in, clings to, relies on) the Son has (now possesses) eternal life.  But whoever disobeys (is unbelieving toward, refuses to trust in, disregards, is not subject to) the Son will never see (experience) life, but [instead] the wrath of God abides on him.  [God’s displeasure remains on him; His indignation hangs over him continually.]

2) You cannot live victoriously over the world without faith.  I John 5:4

For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith.

3) You cannot please God without faith.  Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him.  For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]. 

4)  You cannot pray without faith.  James 1:6 Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating. No doubting), For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind.

5) You cannot have peace with God without faith.  Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

6) You cannot have joy without faith.  I Peter 1:8 Without having seen Him, you love Him; though you do not [even] now see Him, you believe in Him and exult and thrill with inexpressible and glorious (triumphant, heavenly) joy. 

7) You are justified by faith and not by works.  Gal. 2:16  Yet we know that a man is justified or reckoned righteous and in right standing with God not by works of the Law, but [only] through faith and [absolute] reliance on and adherence to and trust in Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).  [Therefore} even we [ourselves] have believed on Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by an observance of the ritual of the Law given by Moses], because by keeping legal rituals and by works no human being can ever be justified (declared righteous and put in right standing with God). 

8) You are to live by faith.  Gal. 2:20 I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live; yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God Who loves me and gave Himself for me.

9) You are made righteous by faith.  Romans 10: 1-4 …for being ignorant of the righteousness that God ascribes [which makes one acceptable to Him in word, thought, and deed] and seeking to establish of their own, they did not obey or submit themselves to God’s righteousness…the purpose of the Law is fulfilled in Him] as the means of righteousness for everyone who trust in and adheres to and relies on Him.

10) Christ dwells in your heart by faith.  Ephesians 3:17 May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts!  May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love.

11) The Holy Spirit is received by faith.  Gal. 3:2 Let me ask you this one question.  Did you receive the [Holy] Spirit as the result of obeying the Law and doing its works, or was it by hearing [the message of the Gospel] and believing [it]?  [Was it from observing a law of rituals or from a message of faith?]

12) But the man who has doubts (misgivings, an uneasy conscience) about eating, and then eats [perhaps because of you], stands condemned [before God], because he is not true to his convictions and he does not act from faith.  For whatever does not originate and proceed from faith is sin [whatever is done without a conviction of its approval by God is sinful]. Romans 14:23 

LITTLE FAITH:

And Peter answered Him, Lord if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.  Matt. 14:28  Peter was yet a man of “little faith”.  However, after Pentecost, he became a spiritual giant.  Let us take a look at his “little faith” and profit from it.  Jesus came to His distressed disciples, walking on the water in the midst of a storm.  Peter asked to come to Jesus on the water.  He must have thrilled at the thoughts of doing the impossible.  Jesus said, “Come”. 

1)  Peter did the IMPOSSIBLE thing: he walked on the water, by faith.

2)  Peter did the CONCEIVABLE thing: he saw the storm, and had a second thought—he doubted.  For a moment, he lost sight of Jesus.  [He may have turned and started back to the boat—THE SCRIPTURE DOES NOT SAY SO! – which would have been trusting in himself.]

Luke 9:62 Jesus said to him, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back [to the things behind] is fit for the kingdom of God.

3) Peter did the NATURAL thing: he feared destruction.  Doubt always breeds fear. 

4)  Peter did the EXPECTED thing: he began to sink—he failed.

5)  Peter did the RIGHT thing: he prayed, “Lord, save me.”  Immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand and caught him.  Once more Peter made contact with Jesus by faith.

6) Peter did the IMPOSSIBLE thing:  he walked on the water with Jesus to the boat. 

In Peter’s story, we see the success and failure of EXERCISING “little faith.”  Or not exercising faith at all, but looking at the circumstances.  Peter started by faith, and walked on the water.  Then he saw the storm and had second thoughts that led to doubt, that produced fear and caused him sink – brought failure. 

Faith is bigger than the elements that would drag you down to defeat.  You can have big faith by “prayer and fasting and feeding your faith on the Word of God.  You can have mountain-moving faith.”  It may be that all faith is the same size, but the way we exercise the faith that is from Him is the determining factor!??

Is the size of your faith determined by your exercise of the faith that the Lord has given you?  Or can even “faith the size of a mustard seed move mountains?”

Matthew 17:20 He said to them, because of the littleness of your faith [that is, your lack of firmly relying trust]. For truly I say to you, if you have faith [that is living] like a grain of mustard see, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to yonder place, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.

Feed your faith on the Word of God.  You CAN have mountain-moving faith.  Romans 10:17 So faith comes by hearing [what is told]…

Kinds of Faith:

John 11:21 Martha then said to Jesus, Master, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  And even now I know that whatever You ask from God, He will grant it to You.  Jesus said to her, Your brother shall rise again.  Martha replied, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.   Here we see the faith of Martha in connection with the resurrection of her brother, Lazarus.  Lazarus fell ill and Martha and her sister Mary sent for Jesus to come and heal him.  Jesus delayed His coming until Lazarus was dead and in the grave for four days.  Then He came to raise him from the dead, and found the limited fundamental faith of Martha His only obstacle. 

1)  Martha’s faith was limited.  She knew that the Lord could have prevented her brother from dying.  She seemed to feel that Lazarus’ death was the end of her faith.  She believed that Jesus had the power to raise her brother up from the sick bed, but not from the dead.  Her limited faith restricted the power of Christ.  Matt. 13:58 And He did not do many works of power there, because of their unbelief (their lack of faith in the divine mission of Jesus.) Limited faith is controlled by circumstances, and motivated by fear of failure.

2)  Martha’s faith was fundamental.  Jesus reminded Martha that Lazarus would rise again.  These words should have rekindled hope and faith in Martha; but Martha was limited to the parameters that she placed on herself.  When Jesus said I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trust in, and relies on) Me, although he may die, yet he shall live; And whoever continues to live and believes in (has faith in, cleaves to and relies on) Me shall never [actually] die at all.  He then asked Martha, Do you believe this?  She said yes… Martha made her statement of belief, I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, Who was to come into the world… Martha stated her fundamental belief, but immediately went to get Mary.  We must go beyond our creed to the living, all powerful Christ.  We limit the movement of Christ in our lives when we do not step out to believe Him and not our limited sometimes mis-directed and mistaken thinking. Mark 10:27 Jesus glanced around at them and said, With men [it is] impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.

Verse 35 Jesus wept. 

3) In the verses that follow:  Jesus told them to remove the stone and at first Martha objected.  He reminded her of his promise that if she would believe and rely on Him, she would see the glory of the Lord.  So they took away the stone and Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, [don’t miss His statement] Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  Yes, I know You always hear and listen to Me, but I have said this on account of and for the benefit of the people standing around, so that they may believe that You did send Me…Lazarus come out!  Many say “seeing is believing”, but the Truth is ”you believe and then see!”  Faith comes before sight.  Don’t be satisfied with limited, fundamental faith only, when you can have unlimited faith that pleases God and reveals His glory!

THE HALL OF FAITH:

The chapter of Hebrews 11 is often called the “Hall of Faith”.  Here is the history of Israel and the church…the word faith is throughout the chapter as it names the names of those who lived and walked by faith. 

They worshiped by faith as Abel. They walked by faith as Enoch.  They worked by Faith as Noah.  They lived by faith as Abraham.  They governed by faith as Moses.  They followed by faith as Israel.  The fought by faith as Joshua.  They conquered by faith as Gideon.  They subdued kingdoms by faith as David.  They closed the mouths of lions by faith as Daniel.  They walked through the fire by faith, as the three Hebrew children.  They suffered by faith as Paul.  They died by faith as Stephen, the first Christian martyr.  Acts 7:54-60. 

By faith they were patient in suffering, courageous in battle, made strong out of weakness, and were victorious in defeat.  They were more than conquerors by faith.  It is only by faith in the all-powerful Christ that you can be superior to circumstances, and victorious over all the evil forces that would destroy you.  The faith of these saints is inspiring and we should read about them and be encouraged by reading their history as examples for us.  BUT we are to Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection].  He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2