Theme: Great faith rewards
Introduction:
The introduction to the most widely read book in the world are the simple yet significant words “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”. Everything begins with God. He is the Creator. “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made”. (John 1:3) God created man on the sixth day after He had created everything that man would need and gave him power and authority to rule on earth as He did in heaven. Man’s power and authority was to be exercised by faith in God’s Word. The Scriptures define faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. (Heb. 11:1) A man of faith “trusts in the Lord with his whole heart and does not lean of his own understanding”. He believes the Word of God and trusts God to fulfil His Word even when there is no sign or evidence that it is being fulfilled. God’s appointed way of life for man to fulfil His divine purpose is a life of faith.
Step One: Faith is God’s appointed way of life
a) Faith believes Jesus Christ is God
Faith believes Jesus Christ is God. It believes God created man in His image and likeness with the choice to decide whether to trust and obey God or not. Man was deceived to disobey God and rely on himself rather than to trust God. Today many people are still being deceived in a similar manner and do not trust Jesus Christ to fulfil His promises. What answer would you give to the question Jesus Christ put to His disciples “who do you say that I am?” Is Jesus one of the prophets? Is He an angel? Or is He the Messiah, the Son of the living God?
b) Faith believes that Christ died for us
Faith not only believes that Jesus Christ is God but that He died for the forgiveness of sin. We all deserve to die for “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”, (Rom 3:23) and “the wages of sin is death”. (Rom 6:23) But Christ took our place and endured the full judgement of God on sin for our forgiveness and redemption.
c) Faith believes we are blessed in Christ
Faith believes that God has blessed us in Christ. When Christ took our place on the cross he was made sin with our sinfulness that we might be made righteous with His righteousness. Jesus was forsaken and rejected so that we might be accepted as God’s beloved children who can come to Him and call Him Father.
Illustration:
God created everything that man needed before He created man. In the same way God provided everything that the new man would need before He saved him. In the case of the first Adam, the life of faith depended on the obedience of Adam. In the case of the second Adam, the life of faith depended on the obedience of Christ. Where the first Adam failed through his disobedience, the second Adam succeeded through His perfect obedience. It is Christ’s obedience and not our obedience that gives us access to God’s provisions. We glorify God as we take hold of Christ’s provisions by faith. Jesus Christ describes two people in the gospels as having great faith, the Canaanite woman and the Roman Centurion. The only thing common to the two were that they were both Gentiles. Their great faith overcame all obstacles in their way. They did not belong to God’s chosen people and therefore could not lay claim to any of the privileges that the Jews laid claim to as descendants of Abraham. They did not lay claim to who they were or what they had done. The only thing they laid claim to was the mercy and grace of God and that is great faith.
Application:
Our salvation does not depend on who we are or on anything we have done but on who Christ is and on what He has done. “By grace are we saved through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God”. (Eph. 2:8)
Step Two: The test of genuine faith
a) The test of trust
Faith will always be tested for “without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him”. (Heb. 11:6). Faith is tested by the level of our trust. This test serves to remove the hindrances and limitations that prevent believers from receiving the fullness of what the grace of God has made available. The test of trust brings us to the place where our actions testify that Jesus Christ is our Lord.
b) The test of unbelief
If Jesus Christ is indeed our Lord then every area of our life should be under His control leaving no room for unbelief. We cannot claim to believe in Christ and be unbelieving when it relates to His promises. We cannot claim to believe in Christ and not believe Him when He says He has taken care of all our needs.
c) The test of perseverance
Perseverance is also a test of our faith in God. It proves the certainty of our belief that God has fulfilled His promise even when there is no sign of its manifestation.
Illustration:
The testing of our faith is always to bring out the best in us. Joseph was despised by his brethren and sold into slavery. He was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and imprisoned. Joseph was tested but never doubted God’s presence and provisions. He came out of prison as the second most powerful ruler in Egypt. When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognised them, loved them and was overjoyed to see them in spite of all the suffering they had put him through. They could not recognise him because of his status as second in command of Egypt. When Joseph revealed his identity, he told that that they meant evil against him but God meant it for good to save many lives. (Gen. 50:20) God rewarded Joseph and blessed him to be a blessing.
Application:
The testing of faith through delay and discouragement serves to increase faith and not diminish it. Genuine faith believes and trusts God no matter the obstacles that stand in the way.
Step Three: The reward of Christian faith
a) Reconciliation with God
The reward of Christian faith is being reconciled with God. When Christ cried out “it is finished”, the veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies was rent in two from top to bottom signifying the removal of all barriers that separated sinful man from a Holy God. It signified our peace with God and our experience of the peace of God.
b) The blessings of God
Our justification and sanctification gives us access to the blessings of the New Covenant. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” - so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. (Gal. 3:13-14)
c) The provisions of Christ
As believers, we are to prosper and be in health even as our soul prospers. (3 John 1:2) Jesus Christ, though he was rich, for our sake became poor, so that we by his poverty might become rich. (2Cor. 8:9) God has promised to “supply all our needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus”. (Phil. 4:19)
Illustration:
Faith takes hold of what the grace of God has provided. The Canaanite woman came to Christ because she believed what she had heard about Him. The silence of Christ only increased her faith. She never doubted His love even though she was a Canaanite woman. When Christ told her that healing was the children’s bread and not to be given to dogs, she responded with faith. She declared that dogs were allowed to eat the crumbs of bread that fell to the ground and that it was enough to meet her need. God will always respond to faith so that He does not contradict or compromise His Word in any way. God knew the woman’s great love for her daughter and the level of her faith. His actions enabled her to rise above discouragement and doubt “that the trial of her faith might be found unto praise and honour and glory”. (1 Peter 1:6-7)
Application:
God will never contradict or compromise His Word and makes sure that faith takes hold of the gifts of His grace. These gifts are a certainty since they do not depend on anything we have done but on what Christ has done.
Conclusion:
God will always test our faith. This year, soon after my retirement, there was a publication in the Daily Graphic newspaper saying that Unibank had a court order to auction my house that I used as collateral to secure a loan. I was subjected to many comments and insults but I never lost my faith in God. I was finally vindicated when the document used to secure the loan turned out to be a complete fraud. Although the document bore my name, the picture was not of me, the signature was not my signature and the date of birth was that of a much younger person. What I went through only increased my faith and confirmed the truth of God’s Word that man was created to live by faith. We can only fulfil God’s purpose when we take hold of the provisions of God’ grace by faith.
Personal Response:
The good news is the gospel of grace. It is good news because we did not do anything to deserve it. We only need to take hold of the blessings and provisions of God’s grace by faith. It is only by faith that we can fulfil God’s purpose to the praise and glory of Almighty God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
