FBCWest 396 | Faith Is Not an Assumption of Things to Come
Recorded On: 05/20/2020
Bulletin
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
Welcome to FBCW Bible study. Last couple weeks we've been going through various questions that people have have asked, and I responded and we're going to continue doing that, except we're going to take a break this week and the reason we're taking a break this week is there is a topic, a word that I want to discuss with you because I believe that many people misinterpret this word.
They think somehow, uh, they don't have enough of it, or there's this assumption that that's the spiritual thing to do, and that word that we're going to take a look at today is faith.
Faith. What does it mean? What's its significance? How do we acquire it? What benefits are there an to kind of?
Yes, use various scriptures towards the end to demonstrate my interpretation of faith or you see, in today's world faith is kind of thought. what I would say as an assumption.
Assume something I want some goal or want something to happen in that goal. May even before the Lord, I want the the church or the ministrator have to be larger or I want.
Bigger financial benefit to myself or I or family member may be ill and we just kind of think well, if I just have enough faith, everything will turn out well. Well, that's not faith. Faith is is something we'll talk about. It's not at assumption is not well. If I just believe hard enough in something then that will come true. Unfortunately, that kind of thinking kind of.
Does away with the principle Jesus teaches us on things like prayer as in prayer, it says may your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven, and in this if I just want it bad enough and I just have enough faith and I just say it loud enough that it'll come true. Well maybe that's not God's will for us in our lives and so I want to take a look at faith and again to encourage you in your faith and to show the benefits of it.
And so the verse will start off with is in Hebrews Chapter 11 verse one. It defines what faith is and it says. Now faith is the assurance.
Or the conviction of things hoped for, or the conviction or evidence of things not seen. So First off, we need to unpack that a little bit. Faith is not something that you.
Uh, I think might happen. It's it's something that you have conviction about is something that you're searching about some similar words that we can use the verb for faith would be believe are believing. Another similar word would be to trust it. All of those words are related to.
A trust, a belief, a faith in God, or sometimes we can use it in in a human. But in here what we're talking about again is is God, and so when we take a look at it says, now faith is the assurance of things hoped for. Now again we start off and we kind of get off tangent on hope, because the idea of biblical hope is slightly different than our common view of hope. That kind of give you an example. When I was a child, my father died when I was quite young.
My brother was substantially older than Maine an at the time he was an adult and I was a young child and it was about Christmas time and I wanted a slot car. A car that went around the track. It was electric car and it is something that I had asked for. No one said that they would get it, but it was what I hoped for in my family. We have 3 words when somebody asks for something, one is yes and.
When you want something that's usually a great response, the other is no and often times were disappointed that that and the third in my family was will see will see was that is was not said to delay the answer.
It was I don't want to lie to you, so I don't want anything to enter seed or interfere with what I do. So if I say yes, but then something interferes with that, then I have an essence lied to you and so our family would use.
We'll see, but no one ever said yes no or I just made them aware that that's what I wanted for Christmas and I was hoping to get it.
No, and again I said said I was going to get it and when Christmas came and I there was this box that was the exact 5 or a slot car set. So I was pretty excited that that was going to be what I got. I tore open the package only to see that it was one of those wind up cars on a plastic track. Now my mother taught me to be grateful for whatever you got and so with all my ability I tried to look grateful and I said thank you.
I'm sure that my brother could tell that I was not being entirely truthful in my thankfulness because I was disappointed and then subsequently that he brought out, which was the slot car that I wanted, and so obviously I was happy about it, but the hope was something I was hoping to get it without. Something that anybody promise main. It's just something that I wanted and was hoping to get.
That's not what the term here for hope is hope in the biblical sense is is that it's an unrealized promise. I'll give you another example as a teenager.
Early in my Christian walk, you hear preaching on Jesus is going to come again.
And I believe that an I faith that that yes, I believe that Jesus is going to come.
However, in my immaturity, I was hoping that it wouldn't come at that particular time 'cause there was so much of my life I wanted to live. Now having been older.
I not only still believe because his word says he's coming again, but I'm hoping for. I'm looking forward to it. I haven't realized that promise that he is returned to Earth, but I'm hoping for it. There's that hope. And so the faith is that.
Part of the conviction that the word of God is true and that I have not yet experienced it, but I'm hoping too soon, so it's that hope that we have not yet seen. And it says 4 by it meant of old gained approval. So again, faith is not a new concept in the sense of the scriptures all way back in the Old Testament.
Men and women received approval from God because they believe God because they had faith in what he said and who he was. And so there is that so uh.
If we look a little further in in Rome, I mean in Hebrews Chapter 11 verse six it says this.
And without faith it is impossible to please him.
Or he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is Rewarder of those who seek or diligently seek him, and so faith is obviously very important, because you cannot please God without faith. You can do all the do's and don'ts of the Commandments. But if you don't have faith, you're not pleasing God. It's as the scripture says, impossible. It is not possible to please God.
Unless you have faith, so this word is very important. 'cause we all as believers want to please God. We want to be pleasing to our Lord and so faith is a necessary part of that.
So how do we obtain faith? So if you look at Romans Chapter 10, verse 17, it says this.
So faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. And so in order to.
Have faith come to you, you need to hear the word of God and by hearing the word of God and then believing that God is true and what he says. That's where faith comes. And so faith comes by hearing, but not just anything. It comes by hearing the word of Christ or the word of God. And so one of the ways again to increase faith, that that's your goal. and I hope that it is, is that we.
Read the scriptures. We are tuned toward the word of God is and so for instance.
If I don't know that the word of God says that nothing will separate me from the love of Christ.
Then I can't believe I can't have faith, then nothing will separate me from the love of Christ, because now I've heard the word of God. And then I said yes, Lord, I believe that you are faithful to do that, and so the more we understand in the more we get involved in the word of God. Then the more faith can come be cause more of the word is instilling us and the more that we can say. Yes Lord, I know that is true.
And so not only is do we acquire faith by hearing in the word of God, it also comes in. Is there in a another? So if he will take a look at Ephesians Chapter 2.
Verse 8.
It says this and it's one of those well known scriptures for by Grace you have been saved through faith, so we are saved by Grace by the unmerited favor. Or how is it that I know that I have received grace because I have faith? So I've been saved by grace, the mechanism faith. But then notice what it says.
And that not of yourselves. It is a gift of God. So faith comes by hearing, hearing the word of God, but it comes as a gift from God, so that we can't both so.
You'll get this analogy later, but uh, for instance, I might say, well, my face is the size of a pea, and your faith is only the size of a mustard seed, and this other person's faith is only the size of a Speck of dust. See isn't it so wonderful that I have faith the size of the peak, and I can't boast because whatever size of fate that I may or may not have is not because of Maine, it's been a gift given by God, and so faith is not something that we should.
Uh.
Think that we are better than somebody because we have more faith than somebody else does.
Now the other thing that their faith has a far as a benefit is still turning your bibles to Romans Chapter 5, verse one. It tells us this.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. So faith justifies us.
Justify is a legal term that means that you're without guilt, you're not excused from the thin you are justified in faith is what does that it causes you to be justified, and by being justified we then have peace with God. So faith gives us that justification and gives us peace with God. And then there's some additional things that.
Faith is a beneficial an in second Corinthians Chapter 5.
Starting with verse 7.
It says.
For we walk by faith, not by sight now.
It's not saying that we walk blindly, but we walk by faith. We walk because God has revealed is word to us is revealed, his promises to us, and having revealed that to us, we then walked by that construct, not by sight. So God may say.
That this will happen and other people will say, well, there's no way that's going to happen and we live our lives based on what God is said, even though the world and the evidence at the particular time may say we doubt it. But because you know God, and you know his word, and you know who he is. You have faith because he does what he says he will do and so.
That walking is that living alive and one other verse related to that is in Galatians chapter 2, verse 20. It says this.
I have been crucified with Christ and is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me and the life which I am now live in the flesh. I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me. Now notice both that we walk by faith an we live by faith.
Unfortunately, there seems to be this belief that we conduct our lives because there may be something that happens, uh, there's an illness, or there's a difficulty, or there's some goal that we want to have, and we think that that's the time to apply faith now, faith is something that should be in our lives every single day. Faith is what we walk by. Faith is what we live by is not something that comes and goes.
And is greater at one point in another our whole.
Being should be one of faith, believing God and live in our lives accordingly. Again, like I said, too often it's like well. If you just had enough faith that would have happened or that would have happened and it's not about that one particular time we should be living our entire lives in faith.
Now.
Faith does not have to be massive in.
Matthew Chapter 17.
We're going through a number of verses tonight because the Scriptures has so much to say about the an so Matthew 17 verse 6.
Says this
I'm sorry.
OK, we're gonna go from 6 ounces and this app as hard as they fell down to the ground and were horrified. And Jesus came to them and touch them and said, get up and do not be afraid and let me know if their eyes they saw no one except Jesus himself alone and they were coming down from mountain Jesus coming television and no one and it goes on. And basically Jesus will tell them if it if you have the faith of the size of a mustard seed and you can tell this mountain to move.
Anna remove so apparently very little faith.
Will cause a significant happening.
Now.
Assuming if you have the faith of a mustard seed, you can tell any amount in the move and remove. There is the word of God that is spoken of. It talks about when the mountains will move an when that happens because God has said it and we believe it. It requires very little faith. Now the next one is in Matthew.
Chapter 14 verse 31.
And it says this.
And this was when, Uh, Peter.
So Jesus walking on the water in the in the disciples were terrified and cheese instead of Peter says if it's You Lord Command me come out of the water and he said, come out, an Peter walked on on the water for a period until he saw the waves.
He got fearful. He began to sink and he said, Lord, save me in Jesus response saved him and they were back in the boat and Jesus response was this.
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and took him all of him and said to him, you of little faith, why did you doubt?
So you notice.
That it was in the Jesus rebukes by saying he had no faith. It was that he had some faith, little faith but doubt crept in, which caused him to sync.
So I think it's funny.
The Jesus says that if you have the faith of the size of a mustard seed.
You can tell a mountain to move.
However, it seems that we never have enough faith when it comes when we are anxious or fearful.
When we're anxious and fearful, it seems that's when we need the greatest amount of faith, and that seems to be when we have the least amount of faith.
So faith should be even in those critical times when we are fearful or anxious, instead of being fearful or anxious, we should have faith because we know that God is.
He said that every hair on our head is numbered are rising up in her falling is known by God that we are more valuable than sparrows, and yet sparrows don't follow the ground without gods notice, and so knowing all of these things, and Jesus tells us, instead of being fearful to seek first the Kingdom of God, and so he tells us how to Institute that faith.
Rather than having beer and so.
Hum.
Unfortunately I guess.
Wow, we think. Well if I just have enough faith, these things will happen and we never consider how little faith we have when we were fearful or anxious.
No.
I wanna go back to Hebrews.
Because I wanna talk to you in Hebrews chapter, him doesn't want to talk to you about that concept that I have. That faith is an assumption. Faith is responding to the word of God. If God doesn't speak and there's no reason to have faith because faith is responding to the word of God, and so we want to take a look. At Hebrews 11, Chapter 3, I mean Chapter 11 verse 3 and it says this.
By faith we understand that the world were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
Basically saying that as Genesis says, God spoke the world into existence. He created the world out of nothing.
Now science will tell us.
That there's a Big Bang and billions of years and whatever and they view.
There the evidence of what happened based on their worldview.
What we need to do is.
Base our opinion on the word of God and there is still evidence that what God said is true is so it's not blind. Faith is not all would just believe God, although we should just believe God. But we can use our minds to show that God did create the world, that there is a designer that things are.
So complicated that there's irreducible complexity that the way life started violates what science is, how life can start, and so there's no reason for us to retreat from science. But we started from the opinion that God is said all way back in Genesis, I created the world.
By unseen things. And so we believe that. But again, like I said, my God didn't say I'm gonna give you no evidence for that. It's just blind faith.
But I'll be honest with you if there were no evidence.
And God said it.
Then I'll believe God because I know eventually science will catch up to a God set.
Next it says in verse 7.
About Noah this is by Faith Noah, being warned by God about things yet seen and reverence prepared and art for the Salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world and became an air of the righteousness which is according to faith.
God told Noah I'm going to destroy the world by a flood, so I want you to build an Ark.
Now, having the world destroyed by a flood had never happened before. Uhm, but no was told by God to do. It wasn't like, OK. Well, I'll build a little canoe and three weeks later we do it. It took decades, perhaps 100 years for him to build the Ark, and I'm sure there were those who mocked him and ridiculed him. Why would you build a boat in the middle of dry land? But Noah responded to the world word of God.
Anne had faith that God would do what he said. So again, notice though it didn't say, Oh, I think I'll build an art because mankind is terrible and evil and goddaughter destroy him. And so maybe if I build a boat, he'll do that. No no. A responded to what God said again using.
Abraham in verse eight. It says this by faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed the going out to a place which he was to receive or an inheritance. They went out not knowing where it was going again.
Abraham didn't say, Oh, I think I'll move 'cause I don't like it here and God will benefit me when I go. He goes no God calls him to leave where he was and to go and Abraham in faith responded, knowing that God would give him an inheritance using the next verse we see in verse 11. It says this by faith even Sarah herself. We see the ability to conceive even beyond the proper time of life.
Since she considered him faithful who had promised, now we know that initially Sarah had a problem with that when she was told about that she would conceive. She laughed. And that's one of the reasons. And the main reason why I zic was named Isaac, 'cause that means laughter and so.
The entire lifetime of isack, that memory of you laugh when you heard it, but Sarah came around to believe God and because of that.
She understood and had faith in God, and so there are times when God will say things that just seems beyond.
Probability beyond possibility that we do have a god of the impossible, and even though Sarah was too old by human reckoning to conceive, because God said so she did. And again her faith grew having responded to God. And so again there are times when we have difficulty in our faith that we struggle in our faith. That doesn't mean God gives up on you again.
Using Sarah is an example that she initially laughed.
But then she started to believe God and then in uh.
Versa 13 it says.
All these died in faith without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcome them from a distance and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. So again, this is what I want you to understand about fate. When God says something, it doesn't necessarily mean that will happen instantaneously. There are times when God says this is what's going to happen. So for instance, using the Jesus is coming.
Jesus may come in my lifetime. He may not come in my lifetime doesn't mean that he's not coming, but I look forward to it in the distance.
Abraham was told that he would be the father of many nations and that he would have this land that had been promised to him.
Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness. So we had faith. But then, when Abraham says, well, when's this going to happen? Basically God goes well, 400 years after you're dead, the people will come out of Egypt, and you'll have this land. And so God's plans sometimes aren't within our lifetime. But we still can believe God, because he is faithful to accomplish what he says he's going to accomplish.
Even if we're not there to see it in the physical, but Abraham did see God do, but God said he would do because he was in the presence of God.
And then another using again Abraham in verse 17 through 19 it says this.
By Faith Abraham when he was tested, offered up Isaac, who had received the promises, was offering up his only begotten son. It was he whom it was said, and I zic your descendants shall be called. He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back in a type.
With the scriptures is saying is.
When God told Abraham to take his son, his only son, the son of the promised, the one that God said that you will.
Have an inheritance and this people will become a people. Become a nation and if you could count all the sands on the shore to be able to count your people, it was going to be through Isaac.
That was the promise that God says I want you to take Isaac, that one in the promise, and I want you to sacrifice him. So he took him to Mount Moriah. And as the story goes, as they were going up there.
No eyes it goes.
Where's the lamb? An and the ram and an Abraham tells Isaac God will himself provide the lamp.
The faith part isn't that Abraham thought that God would stop him if he showed he was willing to sacrifice Isaac. The faith is that Abraham thought I'm going to kill my son, the one that was promised his God told me too. But I know God is able to raise him even from the dead.
Now that's faith.
And so Abraham acts not because he assumed and sacrificed would be acceptable because God did so, and he knew God and made a promise in the God would keep it.
And then.
Moses in Chapter 11, verse 28. It says this.
By faith eat having Moses kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of blood, so that he who destroyed the first one will not be touched by them. So I want you to. And then we kind of read through exodus and go. Isn't that that the children of Israel were told? The sacrificed a lamb, the place, the blood of the lamb on the door post, and the Lindell and like across if you will, and that they were to eat the lamb inside.
And as long as that blood was on the door post and lentilles that the death Angel would pass over them, that they would be safe. Now again, nothing like this had happened. So Moses number one had to tell all the children visual. This is what you need to do, so they had to in essence believe Moses who Moses was, believing God by saying well, how does placing blood on a door fossilen to prevent the death Angel?
From coming and killing the first born.
They believe God they saw that the blood covered them. It didn't matter the quality of the person inside, they could be reprobates. They could be unquote things, but God said, if I see the blood, I'll Passover and believing that he told the people and the people in Moses, believing they did as God had said so.
And then.
The last verse, as far as faith goes, it says in verse 39 and 40 all these having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised that God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect. So God saying.
That they believe God and sometimes it didn't happen in their lifetime.
But that we might be apart of that promise of God that we are united in that, and so the aspect, for instance, other Passover, we still celebrate the Passover because we understand that Jesus truly is our Passover lamb, that we when God sees the blood of Christ that he passes over all of our sins. And so we believe those things an yet there are times when in each of these lives.
They did not get at the time what was promised and we are such a.
Microwave world things must be accomplished right away. Even our television shows weather there 30 minutes or an hour long will see the conflict and the situation, and you can almost and you look and you can look at your watch. And you know if it's an hour long program that within 5 minutes of the show being over the conflict will be resolved. Everything will be wonderful.
Uh, every, everybody will live happily ever after, no matter how it may seem impossible for to resolve in that 5 minutes. And that's kind of how we expect life to be. And that is not how life is that. There are times when God says this is what is going to happen, that we have to believe him, and we believe him. Whether it happens instantaneously or not.
So faith.
Not assumption it comes by hearing from the word of God. We get it by.
A gift.
It justifies us where to live according to it are we are to understand that even a little in accomplish many things, but it's not the faith that does. The accomplishment is believing. God in his God who accomplishes great things as the last thing. I want to say.
Is a while without faith it is impossible to please God.
And then we have the ascendancy to focus on faith at certain critical times rather than saying.
I am going to walk by faith. Could I live by faith? It doesn't matter what the circumstances are, whether they're good circumstances or bad circumstances.
So.
My encouragement to you is the live by faith because it pleases God, But.
They should not be the be all end all of our desire.
I'm going to read a passage from Corinthians Chapter 13.
The love chapter.
And I want you to see what it says.
As significant as faith is no it without it, we can't please God and that we need to live by it. We need to conduct ourselves according to it, but notice this. It says if I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels, but do not have love, had become a noisy Gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith to us, remove mountains, but do not have love, I am.
Nothing notice, even if he says I have so much faith that not only do I have to say this mountain moves, but I move all mountains.
And if I give my possession to feed the poor and I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love it, profits mean nothing. Then he tells us what love is. Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous.
Love does not brag and is not arrogant. Does not Act Unbecomingly it does not seek its own. It is not provoked. Does not take into account of wrong suffered, does not rejoice in on righteousness, but rejoices with the truth. Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But if their gifts of prophecy, they will be done away. If there are tongues, they will cease. If there is knowledge, it will be done away.
For we know in part and we prophecy in part. But when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child.
Think like a child reason like a child. When I became a man I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but when we face. But when we have then face to face, now I know in part. But then I will know fully just as I have also been fully known. Now this is the verse I want you to pay attention to.
But now faith, hope, love abide these three. But the greatest of these is love.
Now to me, the sad thing is, as you hear all kinds of people talk about faith and having faith, and if I just speak these things and if I just believe these things, if I do these things, then somehow God will do these things.
But faith is temporary.
Well, no longer need faith when we see God face to face will no longer need to believe that he is. He's a rewarder of those who diligently seek him, because we will see him.
So faith will be done away with hope will be done away with because there will be no unrealized promises.
But the one thing that will remain is love is God is love. So I encourage you to.
Strive to be.
More faith that you see God's gift of faith that you listen to his word and increase in faith, understanding that it takes very little.
To accomplish many things, and yet it seems to take a lot more faith to no longer be anxious or fearful.
But as our desire to increase faith encourage you also to desire all the more that which would be internal to love.
Faith is awesome. Faith is good.
Love.
Helps others.
Love takes others, Ben.
If it's not ours and quite frankly.
We may have enough faith to not be fearful.
I can tell you.
We should always see love.
Jesus tells us.
The love the Lord Our God with all our heart, all are mine all or scream or soul to love our neighbor. Other thought even love our enemy. And then he says the love one another as he has loved us and gave himself for us to encourage you to know about faith, to grow in faith, to understand faith.
But not not be the sole goal.
The goal also is to be with that it's eternal love.
Let's have a word of prayer. Father, we thank you that you give us faith. We thank you that in faith.
Were justified in faith were secure and faith.
Oh, we have Salvation.
We ask God that you would, as the father who was fearful of his child dying, an when the Lord said, do you believe is the Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. God, for those who are struggling in their faith. God, I ask that you would.
Give them faith that they would read your word, that they would see.
Where you would never leave them or forsake them that you're returning again. All the promises that you state in your word that would encourage us. I pray God that we would seek that the father also.
There we would seek the better.
To love one another, glass these things in Jesus name Amen.
I hope that you have a great rest of the day. May God Bless.