SERMON SERIES
THE IMPORTANCE OF FAITH
Sermon 4
The Importance of Prized Faith
I John 5: 1-15
Key Verse: I John 5:4
1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
Intro:
1. This month we began a sermon series called The Importance of Faith. The first message was The Importance of Pleasing Faith. We said that pleasing faith brought Salvation, Serenity, Satisfaction, and Service. And we also noted that if we please God with our faith then He would declare us to be righteous!
2. The second message was The Importance of Perfect Faith, and we said that perfect faith is when you have Pardoning Faith, Purifying Faith, Penetrating Faith, and Persevering Faith.
3. The third message was The Importance of Personal Faith, and we said personal faith is a Recognizing Faith, Responsive Faith, Revealing Faith, Rebuked Faith, Requesting Faith, Receiving Faith, and Rejoicing Faith!!
4. The fourth message is The Importance of Prized Faith. There is a prize when you have pleasing, perfect, personal faith.
5. Let’s look at our text:
a. Verse 1 – The first prize is being born as a Son of God! The second prize is we get to love Him!! It’s born in us to love Him!
b. Verse 2 – The third prize is we get to love the children of God (all of God’s people) and they love us. The fourth prize is that we get to keep the Lord’s commandments (we don’t have to, we get to!)
c. Verse 3 - “his commandments are not grievous.” If you get grief over keeping God’s commandments, it is a good sign that you are not saved!!
d. Verse 4 – (Key verse) The fifth prize is that we overcome the world!! Faith in Christ allows you to overcome the world!!
e. Verse 5 – It is a reminder of how we can overcome the world . . . by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ!!
f. Verse 6 – We must be baptized in the blood of Jesus and in the water of Jesus (all human’s bodies are 90% water). This verse proves that Jesus was 100% man while being 100% God! The Spirit is witness to it!!
g. Verse 7 - Three will testify in heaven whether you are saved or not – The Father, The Word, and The Holy Ghost!!
h. Verse 8 – Three will testify on earth whether you are saved or not – The Spirit, The Water, and The Blood.
i. Verse 9 - I like verse 9. It says man can say he has the Spirit, been baptized with water, and has the blood applied, but the only witnesses that count is The Father, The Word, and The Holy Ghost!! These trump man’s witness!!
j. Verse 10 - If you are saved, you have the witness in you. If you don’t have the witness in you, then you are a liar!!
k. Verse 11 – The sixth prize of our faith is eternal life!!
l. Verse 12 – Either you have eternal life or you don’t. Either you are saved or you’re not saved.
m. Verse 13 - John said, “I wrote these things so you could be sure that you are saved and that you know it!!”
n. Verse 14 - The seventh prize of our faith is confidence!!
o. Verse 15 - If you have not the prizes of faith (Salvation, Loving God, Loving God’s People, Getting to Keep His Commandments, Overcoming the World, Eternal Life, and having Confidence) then verse 15 says you can ask for it, He will hear you, and He will give you the same prizes!!!
5. I’m sure glad there are prizes in having faith in God!! So now let’s take each letter in the word FAITH, and see the prizes in faith so we can understand the importance of prized faith!
Body - The Importance of Prized Faith
The Prize is . . .
I. Freedom
John 8:36 “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed”
A. The Source of Our Freedom
1. The Savior – The only reason we have the prize of freedom through faith is because the Savior set us free – nobody or nothing else could set us free!
2. The Salvation - Salvation set us free by grace through faith!
3. The Spirit - The Holy Spirit keeps us free by living in our hearts!!
B. The Scope of Our Freedom
We are set free from . . .
1. Sin
a. The Death of Sin – Our sinful flesh is not free from death, but our souls are free from the second death which is an eternal death in Hell fire!
b. The Damnation of Sin - The Savior, the Salvation, and the Holy Spirit has set me free from being sent to Hell!
c. The Depression of Sin - The pleasure of sin only last for a season. After that season, there is a depression of sin. I’m no longer depressed about sin because I’m saved and set free!!
2. Satan
a. I’m set free from Satan . . . Here!
b. I’m set free from Satan . . . Hereafter!
3. Sizzle (I will not sizzle in Hell. I’m saved from Hell and saved from the sizzle of Hell!)
C. The Soul of Our Freedom
The soul of our freedom is . . .
1. Enjoyment (I enjoy being free!)
2. Excitement (I’m still excited about being free!)
3. Everlasting (My faith guarantees my freedom forever.)
The Prize is . . .
II. Assurance
A. I’m Assured in Heart
I’m assured because the Savior, the Spirit, the Scripture, and Salvation is in my heart!!
B. I’m Assured in Heaven
1. My Assurance is Written in Heaven – My name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life!
2. My Assurance is Witnessed in Heaven – My witnesses that will testify that I am saved is The Father, The Word, and the Spirit!! There are no better witnesses!!
C. I’m Assured in Help
I’m assured that Jesus will never . . .
1. Stop Loving Me!
2. Start Leaving Me!
** The prize of faith is you are so sure that you are saved that assurance chases away all doubts and fears!!
The Prize is . . .
III. Involvement
Matthew 9:37 “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few.”
• The letter “I” is the center letter of the word “faith,” which means I must have faith, and once I have faith, I must function!
• Have you ever been awarded a position that you were excited about? I have!! It was like winning a prize.
• When you get saved by grace through faith, the prize of that faith is that you get to be involved in the things of God!
A. You Get Involved in the Worship
John 4:23 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
** True worship will include . . .
1. Holiness!
2. Heaven! (Heaven came down and glory filled my soul!)
3. Honor! (True worship honors the father not the follower.)
B. You Get Involved in the Work
James 2:17 “Faith without works is dead.”
1. Work in the Service
2. Work in the Sanctuary
C. You Get Involved in the Witness
1. Testify about your faith in the Service
2. Tell about your faith in the Streets.
** It is a great high prize (an honor and a privilege) to be involved in the worship, work, and witness for the Lord!
The Prize is . . .
IV. Triumph
Romans 8:37 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
A. A Lacking Faith
1. Causes Disappointment
2. Causes Discouragement
3. Causes Displeasure
B. A Little Faith
1. Gives Omnipotent Results
2. Gives Outstanding Results
3. Gives Overcoming Results (Overcome the World)
**Faith results in triumph, and with faith you always win!!
The Prize is . . .
V. Heaven
In John 14:2:3 Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
** In order to make it to heaven, you must . . .
A. Know Faith
** If you are a stranger to faith, you will never obtain the prize of heaven. Knowing faith comes through being . . .
1. Blood Atoned – The Blood of Jesus has to be applied.
**Has the blood been applied to your heart?
2. Born Again – There has to be a place in your life Jesus was birthed into your heart and you got saved!
B. Keep Faith
Keeping the faith leads to the prize of a prepared and perfect place called heaven!!
Close
1. We have taken each letter of the word “FAITH,” and have seen the prizes that we are rewarded by having faith!
2. We are reward the prizes of Freedom, Assurance, Involvement, Triumph, and Heaven!! Those are mighty good prizes just for having faith in Jesus Christ!!
3. If we lack faith, we miss everyone of them!! No freedom, assurance, involvement, triumph, or heaven will be awarded to us if we lack faith!! That is why Prized Faith is so important!!
4. This is what Paul said he did, and I think we should do the same thing!
Philippians 3:13-15
13 But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded:
5. Make up your mind once and for all to forget everything behind you and from here on out have faith in Jesus Christ and press toward the mark for the prizes you will find by having faith!!
