Introduction
Hello everyone, and welcome to our Bible study for April. Today’s lesson is a continuation of our look at what it means to have “Visible Faith.” We began this two-part study on “Visible Faith” with four passages in the Bible that speak to how we are to live as Christians, and they are nearly identical. The first reference is found in the Old Testament in the book of Habakkuk. In Habakkuk 2:4, we see the following: "Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith.”
There is something very important in this first scripture that we want you to see, and to use a
term familiar to many of us, it is a “deal breaker.” The verse says that the proud person, who does not humbly yield himself to God’s divine authority, cannot live by faith because he has rejected God (His soul is not upright) and will spend an eternity in hell unless he repents. This is a prophetic warning to everyone who claims the name of Jesus but chooses their path. They are slowly walking away from an eternity with Jesus.
The next three references are found in the New Testament. The first one is Romans 10:17
which says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” The second reference is in Galatians 3:11. It says, “But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for 'the just shall live by faith." The last New Testament reference is found in Hebrews 10:38: “Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."
Hebrews 10:38 and Habakkuk 2:4 are the same, just stated differently, and both are warnings to the Church. The person who “draws back” no longer has faith in God, and this could happen for any number of reasons. Whatever the reason, 1 Timothy 1:19 describes the person this way: “having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck.”
The Bible is clear. Christians are required to walk by faith which means we must humble
ourselves and trust God to keep His promises to us, and this is critical because of what we
read in Hebrews 11:6. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who
comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently
seek Him.” In the context of Hebrews 11, faith is simply being humble enough to believe
what God says and then taking Him at His Word.
In part one of this study, we looked at the connection that faith has with works that is found in
the book of James. James 2:14 & 26 says, “(14) What does it profit, my brethren, if
someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?.... (26) For
as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
James points to Abraham and Rahab as examples of individuals whose works were evidence of their faith. They are also mentioned in Hebrews chapter eleven for their faith. James says that when we have faith, good works will follow, and those good works will bring glory to Christ because whenever we do something in our walk for Christ, He gets the glory. But the
opposite can also be true when Christians do not act accordingly – when what we do draws
attention to ourselves and not to Jesus.
In this lesson on “Visible Faith,” we are going to examine some individuals who acted on their
faith and were recognized for their faith. Although the stories we are going to read are not
new to you, hopefully, you will hear something that will aid you in assessing the visibility of
your faith. Let’s start with Mark chapter two.
The Paralyzed Man
Remember, James says faith and work go hand in hand. So, if our work demonstrates our
faith, then our faith will be seen by others. In Mark chapter two, there is the story of a group of
men whose faith caught Jesus’ attention. Let’s begin with verse one, and because it provides
greater context to the story, I will begin reading from the Amplified Bible.
(1) Jesus returned to Capernaum, and a few days later the news went out that He was at home.
(2) So many people gathered together that there was no longer room [for them], not even near the door; and Jesus was discussing with them the word [of God].
(3) Then they came, bringing to Him a paralyzed man, who was being carried by four men.
(4) When they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Jesus; and when they had dug out an opening, they let down the mat on which the paralyzed man was lying.
(5) When Jesus saw their [active] faith [springing from confidence in Him], He said to the paralyzed man, „Son, your sins are forgiven.? (Mark 2:1-5)
Jesus had returned to Capernaum, and after a few days, word had spread that He was there.
A large crowd gathered to see Him and to hear Him teach, but there was no more space
available in the house when four men arrived carrying their paralyzed friend. So, acting on
their faith that if they could just get their friend to Jesus, He would be healed, they took him to
the top of the house. Once there, they removed part of the roof so that they could lower him
down to Jesus.
We want you to see this. For the moment, these men were not concerned about the damage
to the homeowner’s roof, because they cared about their friend more. Now this is important.
As they lowered their friend down, Jesus took notice of them. He saw their faith, not the
paralyzed man’s faith. Jesus saw his friends’ faith. Verse five records, “(5) When Jesus saw
their [active] faith [springing from confidence in Him], He said to the paralyzed man, Son, your sins are forgiven.'” This verse says, “Jesus saw their [active] faith....”
When Jesus saw the faith of the man’s friends, He told the man his sins were forgiven, and He later healed him. So, how did Jesus see their faith? He saw their faith in their actions. They climbed on a roof carrying their paralyzed friend and lowered him into Jesus’ presence so he could be healed. Why did they do this? Because they believed in Jesus and knew that He could heal their friend and would heal him. They acted on their faith. Their faith had works attached to it. Because their faith was visible in their action, Jesus saw them!
Noah Building The Ark
Let’s look at another example. In Genesis chapter six, we are going to read part of the story of
Noah. Let’s begin reading at verse twelve.
(12) So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
(13) And God said to Noah, „The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
(14) Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch....
(22) Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.” (Genesis 6:12-14, 22)
God looked upon the earth and witnessed how corrupt humans had become. Based on His assessment, He knew that all living flesh would have to be destroyed except for Noah and his family and the animals that He had commanded to be taken on the ark to repopulate the earth. After giving Noah the instructions, verse twenty-two says that Noah did everything according to God’s instructions.
Once again, we see the Bible recording faith being evident by works. Noah was a righteous man and believed God. When God told him to build an ark in what was believed to be a desert land, Noah said, “Yes, sir.” I heard Bill Cosby do a skit on this many years ago. Noah was totally confused about the command to build the ark since there were no large bodies of water around him. After much going back and forth, God finally asks Noah if he knows how to swim, at which point Noah starts building the ark.
It is not too far of a stretch to imagine Noah having questions about this strange request, but
he feared God and took Him at His word. He knew what had happened to Adam and Eve in
the Garden, and he knew what it meant to disobey, and he was not having it. So Noah’s first
act of faith was to pick up a hammer and a saw and get to work. It is believed that it took him
approximately 75 years to complete the ark, and every day he picked up his hammer and his
saw, he picked them up in faith. When people came and made fun of him, they witnessed his
faith. His faith was visible every day that he picked up that hammer and that saw.
Are you starting to see what visible faith looks like? It’s not doing something just because you can or because you like it; it is work with a purpose. It is work that benefits the kingdom of God, and in this case, the salvation of the human race and the animals. Our faith is proven by our works. I want to give you a personal example that we can all understand. Barry, I have two
resumes: I have an executive resume that speaks to my secular experiences, and I have a
ministry resume that speaks to my ministry experience. I have sat through many interviews
where I had to walk the interviewer through my resume. In every interview, they wanted to
know how I did certain things and what was accomplished through my actions. You see, one of the things they teach you about interviewing is not to focus just on the response that the candidate(s) give to a question, but how they got to the results. I can tell you that I accomplished something, but that won’t tell you how I accomplished it, which is what
the person needs to know to determine if I qualify for the job.
I believe this is what James is talking about. I can stand on the highest mountain and proclaim my faith to the world, but if I have no evidence, no action to prove it, then my proclamation of faith is just that – words. How I live should be the evidence of the faith that I proclaim to have. Remember, “faith without works is dead.” (James 2:26)
Seven Sons of Sceva
There is a story in Act 19 about seven brothers that exemplifies how our faith is visible, not
only in the physical world, but in the spiritual world. Once I read this story with you, Rodney
will share with you a personal story that bears this out as well. Let’s read Acts 19:11-17.
(11) Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul,
(12) so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.
(13) Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, „We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.?
(14) Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.
(15) And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?? (16) Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
(17) This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.” (Acts 19:11-17)
In this story, people witnessed Paul’s faith. How did they witness his faith? They saw the
miracles that he had done. Paul’s faith was visible because his actions proved it. This is what
I want you to understand. Paul’s faith was on display, not only to those who witnessed his
actions, but also in the realm of the spirit. As Paul performed miracles in the name of Jesus,
seven brothers took notice and decided that they too could do the same. They had no
relationship with Jesus, but because they saw Paul do the miracles in the name of Jesus, they believed that they could do the same.
Please understand what I am about to say. The sons of Sceva believed that using the name of Jesus and saying what Paul had said was all that was required to produce the miracles that Jesus produced through Paul. And they knew that by producing such miracles, they could make a name for themselves. Remember, they had no relationship with Jesus but wanted to use His name to draw attention to themselves. We are seeing this in the Church today. Some proclaim their Christianity when it benefits them personally, but believe me when I tell you that does not work.
So, the seven brothers decide to cast out the evil spirit by saying, “We exorcise you by the
Jesus, whom Paul preaches.” Notice what they said. They were attempting to cast out the
evil spirit by the name of Jesus that Paul preached. Do you understand the significance of
this statement? They professed that they knew nothing about Jesus, had no relationship with Him, but were lip-syncing what they had seen Paul do. The difference here is that Paul knew
Jesus. Paul knew what Jesus said. Paul believed what Jesus said. Therefore, because he
knew Jesus, knew what Jesus said, and most importantly, believed Jesus, then Paul acted on
his belief.
Remember, “.... faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) These seven brothers had no faith because they did not know God’s word or His Son. These brothers didn’t have faith because they didn’t have a relationship with Jesus that comes through knowing Him. Because they didn’t have a relationship with Jesus. they didn’t have faith, it would be impossible for them to be successful in their attempt to cast out the evil spirit. So what happened? After the brothers make their declaration, verses fifteen and sixteen record the following,
(15) And the evil spirit answered and said, „Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?? (16) Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.”
This is extremely important to understand. The evil spirit stated he knew Jesus. Of course, he knew Jesus because he had once been in His presence, and when Jesus walked the earth, the evil spirits were subject to Him. But then the evil spirit said that he also knew Paul. Are you seeing this? This evil spirit knew of Paul because of Paul’s faith. The evil spirit had witnessed Paul walking in the authority Jesus had given to believers who believe in His name.
We need to understand that when we begin to walk in faith, the spiritual world can see it also. Spiritual forces know if we are truly walking with God or lip-syncing it. So, the evil spirit proclaims to know Jesus and Paul, but not the sons of Sceva. Then the man with the evil spirit leaps on the brothers and beats them. Can you see them walking into this man’s house all big and proud, ready to use the name of Jesus to cast the evil spirit out? Can you see them creating a movie in their minds of their great conquest and the fame they’ll receive from casting an evil spirit out of this man? Can you see them creating a movie in their heads about how they would use their newfound fame to create wealth?
Now, can you see it all crashing down on them when they are beaten and forced to run out of
the house naked because they were simply lip-syncing what they had seen? They had no
clue as to who Jesus was, and the evil spirit knew they had no clue. How did this spirit know
this? Well, for one, they had no work. They had nothing to show that they even knew who
Jesus was, which told the evil spirit as much when they said they would be casting him out in the name of Jesus that Paul preached.
Do you understand what happened here? If they had known Jesus and had a relationship with Him, the evil spirit would have known it and left the man. We have that authority, if we believe what Jesus says in Mark 16,
(17) And these signs will follow those who believe: (In our notes, we underline “those
who believe” because this is where our faith starts – not only believe IN Jesus, but believing
WHAT Jesus says.) in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new
tongues;
(18) they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:17-18)
If you believe IN Jesus and WHAT He says, then you will do what He says you can do.
But I want to show you something else about our walking in visible faith. This is a personal
story that I know to be true. Before I tell you the story, I need to establish a foundation so you
will understand the seriousness of what I am going to tell you. In the past, some of you may
have had your palms read or visited a fortune teller – maybe for fun at a carnival or maybe
because you wanted to know something. What I am going to share with you hopefully
will warn you from ever doing it again, and if you have not, it will be a warning to never
consider it.
In the Old Testament, the following is recorded, “Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 19:3) And Leviticus 20:6 says, “And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.” These verses speak directly against our going to fortune tellers or mediums. These people, if they are genuine, are heavily influenced or possessed by familiar spirits, and we are forbidden from interacting with them.
With this background, I want to share this story about how our faith is visible to the spirit world as it was when the evil spirit did not recognize the faith of the seven sons of Sceva.
Many years ago, I had family members visit a fortune teller. For the sake of privacy, I will
number them as Person One and Person Two. Person One wanted to visit the fortune teller to
get a remedy for a problem within the family. Person One was a long-time preacher of the
gospel who knew what the Word of God said about dealing with people with familiar spirits.
But the person was desperate. Person One asks Person Two to join them. Person Two did not
feel right about it, but agreed to go to help the family member.
When they walked into the fortune teller’s office, the fortune teller looked at Person Two, not Person One, and asked if they were a minister. Person two responded “no” and pointed to person one as being the minister. Now this is important. The fortune teller tells Person Two, “We know him,” referencing Person One. Then she makes a profession that changes Person Two’s thoughts on the whole situation. She said, “I can see the glory of God surrounding you; you should not be here.”
This fortune teller could see the glory of God surrounding Person Two, who was not a minister
but walked in genuine faith, versus Person One, who walked in the office of a minister. Do you
understand what I am saying? Person Two had a genuine relationship with Christ and walked in true faith. This was not true for person one. After that encounter, Person Two repented and
asked God for forgiveness.
The reason an evil spirit is subject to a Christian walking in their faith and authority in Christ is
because the spirit can see the work that the person’s faith and authority produce. We only
see what people show us, and we will believe them when they are faking it, not knowing that
they are lip-syncing. But this is not so in the spiritual world. Satan and his demonic spirits are
serious about trying to foil God’s plans for mankind. So, when they encounter someone who
is professing something they do not truly believe, they ignore them. They ignore them
because they are not doing anything to hinder what they are doing to try to destroy what God
is doing.
But the person walking in faith is a problem. Our faith is visible, and so is our lack of faith. We can go through all of the appropriate motions to say we have faith, but in the end, the truth will come out. James says, “(14) What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?.... (26) For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (James 2:14 & 26)
Our faith is visible through the work that we do, but it’s not just any work. Our faith is seen through the work that means something to Jesus. Many people are going through the motions
of “working,” but those works might not make it in the end. Paul wrote in First Corinthians 3:11-15,
(11) For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
(12) Now if anyone builds on thifoundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, (13) each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is.
(14) If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. (15) If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
Paul says that some build on the foundation (Jesus) with gold, silver, and precious stones. They are the ones who receive and spread the pure truths of the gospel and nothing else. We are building with gold, silver, and precious stones when we build upon a good foundation, staying true to God’s Word. We do not mix in our doctrines or try to make God’s word say what we want it to say – we build on this sure foundation.
However, others build on the true foundation with wood, hay, and stubble; that is, though they adhere to the foundation, they depart from the mind of Christ in many instances. In doing so, they substitute their wisdom and inventions in place of His doctrines and institutions. They build upon the good foundation that will not withstand the test when the day of trial comes. When tested by fire, their works of wood, hay, and stubble will be consumed. There will be a time when what we have built on the true foundation will be made known. Paul says that every man’s work shall be made manifest and shall be laid open for public viewing, to his view and that of others. Some may, in the simplicity of their hearts, build wood and stubble on the good foundation, and not know it, but in the day of the Lord, their conduct shall appear to them in its proper light. Every man’s work shall be made manifest to himself, and made manifest to others.
Summary
For those viewing or listening to this second lesson on “Visible Faith,” please understand that
your works are evidence of your faith. Paul says that there is one foundation that we can
build on – Jesus Christ. If you are building on the one true foundation, what are you using as
your material? Your faith determines the building material you use. True faith based on a
secure belief in God’s Word will always use gold, silver, and precious stones. But a faith not
secure through the word of God will use wood, hay, and stubble, and when it passes
through the fire, will be burned up.
In these verses, Paul is not talking about a loss of salvation, but the “so-called” works you are
doing for Him. Are they genuine? Are they focused on His kingdom or your personal need
for power and recognition? In the past, some of my works, and I’m sure Barry will agree, will
not measure up and will not make it through the fire. But I have repented and now I am
making sure that, moving forward, my works are in line with God’s word. I will leave you with these words – the author is unknown.
“Doubt sees the obstacles – Faith sees the way!
Doubt sees the darkest night – Faith sees the day!
Doubt dreads to take a step – Faith soars on high!
Doubt questions, “Who believes?” – Faith answers, “I.”
