From Faith To Faith Series

You know how some sermons are just easy to listen to? Maybe they hit on a subject you were just wondering about, or they address a need you felt but hadn’t put a name to, or they re-affirm something you believed but didn’t have the words for. Some sermons just seem to hit us right where we are at just the right time with just the right words. I love it when that happens.

That probably isn’t going to happen today.

Today is our third sermon on faith in our 3 on 3 series. For the last two weeks we have talked about what Faith is and What happens to our faith when the worst happens. Both of those sermons were nice and neat little packages. You could hear them and go away thinking about How great God is and how much He loves you.

But sermons are not always like that. I guess what I’m saying is that you’ll have to work a little harder than you usually would to connect with the message today. But you know how sometimes when you really dread getting into something, like a project at work or a homework assignment or a chore at home, how right in the middle of it you think to yourself, "You know, this isn’t so bad." I love it when that happens, too. And I pray that will happen today.

Today I want to spend our time together looking at what the Bible has to say about what we need to do to have victorious faith.

Paul writes in Romans 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."

Now all of us know something of the value of faith, and we know what the Bible says about it. As a life time member of the church we have had these verses burned into our consciences.

Hebrews 11:6: “Without faith it is impossible to please God

Mark 11:22: “Have faith in God.”

Mark 9:23: “All things are possible to him that believes.”

Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen..”

The problem in our brotherhood has never been the value of faith. It is the acquisition of faith that we struggle with. Every Christian that I have ever known has longed to have more faith but didn’t know how to get it? And thus the struggle.

Have you ever wanted to live by faith, like those we read about in Hebrews 11? Have you ever said to yourself, “I wish I had more faith because I know that I would be a better person. Or if my faith was only stronger then I would struggle so much.”

I want to start today by telling you that you are not alone. Every Christian wants to have more, or stronger faith and I believe in our Text today Paul tells us how to open the door to a greater faith.

the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith

The first faith speaks of that which is primary. The faith that caused you to act. To call out to God and allow Him to take control of your life when you submitted to Him in the watery grave of baptism.

The second faith is that power-giving faith. The faith that causes us to action. The faith that causes us to read about the giants of faith in Hebrews 11 and live that type of life and have that type of relationship with God.

The first faith saves us; the second one identifies us.

The first faith is all about assurance; the second tells us what we can become.

The first faith deals with redemption; the second deals with risk.

The first faith is a gift; the second is all about growth.

I told you that this sermon will be a little harder. And the reason I say that is because today I want to look at 5 things that we have got to do to get from faith to faith. You know it’s one thing to sit on the couch with a bag of cheetos and think man I have got to start exercising. It is a lot harder to close that bag and get up and do something about it.

This week I was trying to help Trafton spell his name and I would get a piece of paper and make a dot to dot puzzle out of his letters and was struck how much faith in me he had to have to do this.

First he had to believe that all of these dots really meant something.

Second he had to believe that it would be revealed – even though he had no idea what it was, He had to believe that these dots would make his name even though he could not see it, but he had to believe that it was there.