Our Commitment Of Faith – Part I Series

OUR COMMITMENT OF FAITH – PART I

Please open your Bible to I John 5 and 2 Timothy 4 as we continue our series, The Race of Life, with today’s message, “Our Race of Faith Part I.”

The necessity of faith in your journey through life is so important, and so dynamic, that I would like to spend the next two sermons on this topic. Your faith is very important to God. You cannot finish your God given race without faith. The secret to finishing your race, is determined by how well you keep the faith. For the next two weeks, I want to show you how and why you must keep the faith and fight the good fight.

1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? NKJV

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. NKJV

THE NEED FOR FAITH

We are living on the doorstep of great prophetic events. There is a spiritual darkness descending over our world and if there was ever a time the world needs faith, it’s now.

Luke 18:8 …when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” NKJV

When Jesus spoke these words, I believe he was speaking directly to our generation when the lack of faith would be so great that very few would be prepared for His return. This is a prophetic picture of what the world conditions would be like just before His return. The message is, the world desperately needs faith.

Not just any faith, but a faith that endures; we need a faith that overcomes; we need a faith that carries us to victory. We need a faith that stays the course until the race is finished. We need a faith that has the power to change lives. We need a faith that is not afraid to count the cost. We need a faith that knows how to put on the armor of God and stands against the forces of hell. We need a faith that guide us through the perils of the future. We need a faith that overcomes fear and does not waver in the storm. If you are fearful of the future, then you need the great faith that comes from the throne of heaven.

We need a faith that knows what real truth is. We need a faith built on truth and righteousness. We need a faith that stands against evil and fights the good fight. We need a faith that will bring revival and hope. The question is, does this kind of faith exist? And if so; where can it possibly be found? I John 5:5 tells us the faith that overcomes the world, that endures the race, and brings great victory is given only to those who believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

RUNNING OUR RACE BY FAITH

You are running in the greatest race ever known, and it is impossible to finish this race through life without faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

Hebrews 11:6 without faith it is impossible to please God... NKJV

Hebrews 12:2 says we are to…look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith… NKJV

Jesus said that out of all the things you could ever seek to accomplish in life, your greatest reward will come from how well you finish your journey for the kingdom of God. How you

walk by faith, and how faithful you are to finish the race for the glory of God should be the single most important pursuit of your life. Not the American dream; not the treasures of this life; but to finish your race for the glory of God.

THE COMMITMENT OF FAITH TO RUN THE RACE

At the end of your journey, you will stand before the King of heaven and earth, and when you do, you absolutely want to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

To hear those words will be determined by your commitment to keep the faith, and to finish the course God has set before you.

Hebrews 12:1 says… let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

God has marked out a race for you run. He has designed a course for you to follow. But the path that God has designed for you can only be seen by faith. You have heard the saying, “Seeing is believing.” That’s how people without faith walk through life. But for those who walk with God; for those who pursue the kingdom of God, faith comes first, because the eternal things of God can only be seen by faith.