Forward In Faith 2: God Is Faithful So Have Faith In Him Series

Our new series is called, “Forward in Faith.”

And this morning I want us to spend a few minutes thinking about the What? How? and When? of faith.

Faith is a fundamental requirement of life.

All of us have faith in something.

When you went to bed last night you had faith in the alarm clock going off at the right time this morning.

When you got into your car to come to church - you had faith that it would start.

And I’m sure that right now you have faith that this sermon will eventually end!

Simple examples of what we have faith in without really thinking - ordinary everyday things.

Humanly speaking, there may be many different things you have placed your trust in, but do you show a real trust in God in your everyday life?

We may all have faith in many of the every day ordinary aspects of life - but as Christians we are also meant to have faith in an extraordinary God that loves and cares for us and wants to be in a real relationship with us.

Perhaps in your life you have placed more trust, more faith, in the things that you have some control over.

Maybe you are the kind of person that only has faith in yourself.

Perhaps you are the kind of person that wants a safe, risk-free, trouble-free, problem-free life - and maybe you attempt to structure your life so that every possible problem can be solved as quickly as possible.

Before you go out you check the weather forecast, and even if its the middle of a heat wave you take an umbrella - cause you can’t be too careful can you?

Or when you buy light bulbs, you buy some candles and matches too just in case.

When you open the fridge you check the date on the milk every time.

When you go on holiday, just in case the hotel has run out, you fill your suitcase with toilet roll.

Maybe you are the kind of person that only has faith in yourself.

There may be many ordinary things you place your trust in, you may even have only placed your trust in your own skills, talents or abilities...

But real faith in God requires you to believe in the extraordinary - to believe in someone far more capable and able than you are.

To trust in, to have faith in the God of all Creation.

Real Faith helps us to live in the real lives that all of us have.

The Good days, the bad days, the average days, the days that we wish would never end,

the days that we wish would never have started.

The days that bring us joy,

the days that bring us pain,

the days of happiness and sadness.

The real days of our lives require a real faith in a real God who cares.

Faith in Him, trust in Him is our hope, our anchor in the storm.

Our comfort, our peace, our strength.

Do you have that faith in your life?

We are meant to have faith - we are meant to trust - but too many of us live our lives without the faith we should have.

May God help us be the faithful people He has called us to be.

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Have you ever looked at someone and thought “I wish I had faith like them”?

Sometime we look at others and we compare ourselves to them, and when we compare our life with so and so, we assume that they are so much stronger, that they are so much more together, that they have got what we want, but we don’t know how to get it.

Maybe that person looks at you and the same thoughts are going through their heads too.

The way you let God help you get through that situation.

The way your prayers were answered.

The peace you showed.

The love, the mercy, the grace they wish they had.

If we are honest, no one wants to appear weak in faith. And all of us can say the right things.

All of us can appear on the outside like we are in control when inside we are screaming for help.

And deep down in all of us there is an ache,

a longing, a desire that we would have more faith in every situation, in every circumstance.

It’s in those situations we need to say “Lord, I believe - help my unbelief”.

Help me to wait. Help me to trust. Help me to have faith.

Friends that longing, that ache, that desire comes from the reality that in our own strength, in our effort, we can never truly live the life of faith that God wants us to live.