Firm Facts about Faith!
Intro:
The three year old felt secure in his father’s arms as dad stood in the middle of the pool. But dad, for fun, began waling slowly toward the deep end, gently chanting, ‘Deeper and deeper and deeper,’ as the water rose higher and higher on the child. The lad’s face registered increasing degrees of panic, and held all the more tightly to his father, who of course, easily touched the bottom.
Had the little boy been able to analyze his situation, he’d have realized there was no reason for increased anxiety. The water’s depth in any part of the pool was over his head. Even in the shallowest part, had he not been held up, he would have drowned. His safety anywhere in the pool depended on Dad.
At various points in our lives, all of us feel we are getting out of our depth – problems abound, a job lost, someone dies. Our temptation is to panic, for we fell – we’ve lost control. Yet, as with the child in the pool, the truth is we’ve never been in control over the most valuable things of life. We’ve always been held up by the grace of God, our Father, that does not change. God is never out of His depth and therefore we’re as safe when we’re ‘going deeper’ as we have ever been.
A.Every one alive expresses faith in something. No one can live a single day without exercising faith –faith in the physical world.
1.When you awoke and went into the bathroom this morning you flipped a light switch and you had faith that it would work.
2.When you get in your car you have faith that it will start.
3.When you mail a letter you have faith the postal system will get it to the right address.
4.When you go to the pharmacy you have faith that the pharmacist will give you the right drugs.
5.Every time you walk into this building or any building you are expressing faith in the architect and the workmen.
B.Faith is also expressed in the spiritual realm. Each of us regardless of our backgrounds or educations, our social status or our talents express faith. The difference between the faith we exercise is the object of that faith. Again everyone places their faith in something or someone.
1.The Moslem puts his faith in the Koran and in Mohammed.2.
2.The humanist put his faith in himself.
3.The follower of religion, in his own good works.
4.None of these can save, because in each case the object of faith is wrong. Your faith is only as good as the object in which you place your faith.
C.The Bible insists that we personally put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 says, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
I..WHAT FAITH IS (11:1-3)
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
A. To understand what faith is we must get past certain misconceptions about faith
1.First, that faith is the ability to manipulate God. This is the approach of the “health and wealth” prosperity gospel. This approach only sees faith as having one aim – a life of ease and blessing.
2.Second, that faith is adherence to a set of beliefs . You must believe the right doctrine. But Paul says in 2 Tim. 1:12, “ I know whom I have believed.” If your beliefs are not founded on the right person it does not matter what else you believe.
3.Third, that faith is a blind leap into the dark. To many unbelievers faith is the anti-thesis of science. Some advocate, “faith is without reason, you just have to have faith” it the same as saying “just have to act contrary to everything you know and trust that it will all work out for the best.”
4. Finally, that faith is simply devotion to whatever god one happens to follow. It can be said, “He is a person of deep faith” about a follower of Mohammed or the Ayatollah or of a Christian. What matters is that they are Sincere.
5. But unfortunately none of these is true faith. Hebrews chapter eleven portrays what real biblical faith looks like.
B.True faith is confident obedience to God’s word in spite of circumstances or consequences.
1.It is the “substance of things hoped for,” and “the evidence of things not seen.”
2.First, the word translated “substance” (hupostasis) in the Greek, means literally ‘to stand under or to support.’ Faith is the foundation that gives the believer the confidence to stand. The verse could be translated “faith is the confidence of things hoped for.”
3.The word hope carries with it two thoughts. (Desire) (Expectation)
4.The evidence of things not seen
a.You cannot see the wind-but you see the evidences of it
b.You cannot see God but you see the evidences of Him
5.Faith is willing a willingness to follow God, because you confidently stand on His promises and have full assurance and expect that will carry thru all He has said and your faith sees the evidence of the invisible God!
C.Faith enables us to understand what God does. Faith enables us to see what others cannot see. As a result, faith enables us to do what others cannot do."
One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, “Jump! I’ll catch you.” He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His
father kept yelling: “Jump! I will catch you.” But the boy protested, “Daddy, I can’t see you.” The father replied, “But I can see you and that’s all that matters.”
II. WHAT FAITH DOES (11:4-7)
A.Faith Caused Abel to Worship God (v. 4) By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain,
B.Faith Caused Enoch to Walk with God (vv. 5-6)
C.Faith Caused Noah to Work for God (v. 7)
“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household,
1.Noah built an Ark because he believed God. Every tree he felled shouted, faith. Every board he sawed, shouted faith. Every swing of his hammer, shouted faith. Every seam to which he applied the pitch shouted, faith.
2. Do your works reflect your faith? Faith will make us work. Only his steadfast belief in God kept Noah faithful for the 120 years cutting the trees and planning the construction of the Ark.
3.The ark was 450 feet long, 75 ft wide and 45 ft. high, that means that it was nearly one and a half times the length of a football field, it was more than four stories high, it could hardly be hide from the ridicule of the scoffers. Can you imagine the mockery and jeering that Noah must have faced on a daily basis as he built this huge ship? It was a hundred miles from the nearest ocean and far to big to move.
4. The majority of the people simply refused to believe Noah’s witness concerning the coming flood. Yet, he in faith went right on working and witnessing, building the ark and warning of the coming judgement. Then as a final act of faith, he and his family stepped into the ark and closed the door. Noah was a man of faith and his life continually showed his faith.
4.Does yours? Noah worshiped God faithfully as Abel had, and he
walked with God faithfully as Enoch had and he worked for God
faithfully.
Closing: You want to grow in your faith? Then get in this book called the Bible! This is the instrument that will give you faith. This is the instrument that will bring you to a relationship with Jesus!
The story is told of the helicopter pilot who flew from an aircraft carrier in the Pacific told this story. He said, "I was flying the helicopter back to the ship when a blinding fog rolled in. Flying at a low altitude, I knew that a single mistake would plunge my crew and me into the ocean. Worse yet, I was experiencing a complete loss of balance -- which is common for pilots flying by instruments. This loss of balance was so bad that despite the instrument readings I was certain that I was lying on my side. For 15 minutes I flew the helicopter by its instruments, fighting the urge to turn it according to my feeling. When we finally broke safely through the fog, I was deeply thankful I had been trained to rely upon my instruments rather than on my feelings." That is what people who live by faith do -- they remember that feelings can be misleading, but the truths in God's word are reliable, trustworthy, and consistent
