You have heard me say from time to time how important our faith is in the teaching of the Bible. It is the same in the teaching of our Lord Jesus. Using Peter for an example, perhaps at the greatest hour of trials and testing in his life, Jesus said, “I have prayed for your faith. If his faith failed, he failed.
Faith is the glue that holds our lives together. Over and over in the Bible, Jesus rebuked people for little faith. He worked according to their faith. Tonight, let’s make our faith the subject for the message. Ask yourself these questions concerning your faith.
I. Do I Have Faith?
1. Yes. There are two types of faith: Natural and Biblical.
a. Natural; lights, chairs, pews, cars, etc.
b. Biblical; Bible, Jesus, salvation, etc.
2. Biblical faith: what is Bible faith?
a. Faith is to trust God without terms or condition.
b. Faith receives, responds, and risks all to obey God.
3. Believing and trusting are the most elementary facts of life.
a. Everybody does it from birth to death.
b. In the spiritual realm, our faith is not perfect. It is not fully grown.
c. I do not know of a Christian who does not desire to have a stronger faith.
1) Mark 9:24
2) Help my unbelief.
II. Where Does My Bible Faith Come From?
1. Call this the origin of faith. Romans 10:17
2. Bible faith does not come from man but is the gift of God.
a. Ephesians 2:8-9
b. Romans 12:3
c. 2 Peter 1:1-5
3. Our faith is increased by or through the Word of God.
a. Hebrews 11:1; faith is the substance of things hoped for
b. If what your faith is responding to is not a word from God, then its not real Bible faith.
4. Faith is not getting our will done in heaven, but faith is getting God’s will done on earth.
III. What Does My Faith Trust In?
1. Call this the object of faith.
2. This is a very key question. All faith must trust in something, and faith is useless if it’s in the wrong object.
3. Faith is only as strong as its object. The object of Bible faith is God. it is up to God to do what he said he would do.
a. Romans 4:19-21, Abraham did not promise. God did.
b. Abraham did not need to help God out.
4. Our faith is either in God or in circumstances.
a. Luke 8:22-25, their faith was in a calm sea, not in the Lord of the sea.
b. Their faith was in a still boat, not in the Lord of that boat.
5. Isaiah 30:1-3,5,7-9, is the results of acting upon misplaced faith.
a. The enemy was upon them, the Assyrians.
b. They trusted in the wrong things, went down to Egypt, they forgot.
c. All of us have our Egypt’s, finances, popularity, friends, ability, talent: Wrong!
6. This is God’s biggest problem with us tonight. The object of our faith is seen by how and where we respond to the enemy.
7. Tonight, our faith should rest in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. As He has said so will He do.
IV. How Does My Faith Act?
1. What does real Bible faith do?
2. Call it the operation of faith.
3. How do we claim the promises of God?
4. Let me name one specific promise: giving. That touches the heart of every one of us.
a. Here is the promise.
b. Malachi 3:10-11
c. Luke 6:38
d. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
5. There are three steps in the operation of faith.
6. 1st we must renounce some things.
a. Renounce the standards of the world. We can never commit ourselves completely to God as long as we care what the world thinks about us.
b. The world never agrees with God about anything.
7. 2nd, we must rely on God. Proverbs 3:5-10
8. 3rd, we must respond. Deuteronomy 28:1-14. The conditions to the blessings and promises of God is obedience.
V. What is the Outcome of Real Bible Faith?
1. God commits Himself to us.
a. Matthew 9:29
b. He did to Elijah (widow, fire, fell, rain)
2. In closing, let me give you the test. Is there peace in your heart tonight? If not, something wrong with your faith. Psalm 37:1-11
3. Faith trusts God without terms.
4. Faith receives, responds, risks all to obey.
