“Faith that Overcomes”
Text: I John 5:4
>Hebrews 11:6 says, “For without Faith it is impossible to please God, for He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
-Say, “FAITH” (Look at your neighbor and say, “I’ve got faith, how about you?”
>Matthew 17:20, Jesus says, “I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain (your wall, circumstance, problems) Move from here to there, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”
-Faith in most cases is the element or ingredient that’s missing from a lot of Christians lives, because, they can only see their problems and can’t see that if they would just mix some FAITH into their situation, their situation would change.
* I’m going to give you 5 things that explain the value of faith and what it brings to believers.
-If you have something to write on and with, you may want to write these down.
I. Faith brings F-reedom
>John 8:36 says, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.”
-Some Christians are bound by false guilt the enemy keeps placing in our lives.
-They are denied many of God’s blessings because they suffer unnecessarily.(p)
-We must recognize that which is false and then accept our freedom in Christ through faith.
-We are forgiven, cleansed, and promised heaven because in Romans3:24 it says,”being justified freely by His grace through redemption that is in Christ Jesus”
*Redemption means: a release secured by the payment of a ransom, deliverance, setting free.
--So, faith brings freedom
II. Faith brings A-ction
>James 1:5 says, “Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only..”
-Many Christians willingly talk about faith, but they stop there.
>James 2:20 says, “Faith without works is dead”
-To be effective, faith must be active.
-Your situation will not change without faith.
-Our faith works for us only as we work our faith.
-For faith to stay in shape, in place in our lives, we must work-out our faith, to keep it in shape.
-Active faith requires 5 things:
1) doing something...
2) being something...
3) speaking something...
4) living something...
5) loving God and others.
--If you have faith, it will bring Action!
III. Faith brings I-nsight
-This is an area that a lot of Christians lack because they never study the word and never seek to grow in their walk with God.
>James 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God...and it shall be given him”
-Many Christians lack spiritual insight and they do and say things that hinder and hurt God’s kingdom.
-As we’re learning on Wed. nights, what comes out of our mouths plays a very important part in how we handle and come through the situations we are confronted with everyday.
-When we have faith, we gain insight and know more about God and what He would do in that situation.
-God wants to help His people make right choices and decisions.
>James 1:6 says, “Wisdom is given to those who ask in faith”
--So, faith brings insight.
IV. Faith brings T-rust
Psalm 37:40 says, “And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them...(why), because they trust in Him”
-We often say, “God, I trust you...but when you don’t do it in my time the way I want it done...I’m taking over” (we may not say that, but our actions speak louder than our words sometimes!)
-Many Christians fail to completely trust the Lord.
-They look to temporal things--houses, cars, and money for their security.
-Faith brings trust.
-Trust causes one to rely or depend on, to commit to, or to have confidence in.
-We must trust in the Lord for James 5:14-15 says, “any sick, call the elders...and the prayer of faith will save the sick and raise him up”
--Faith brings trust!!
V. Faith brings H-eaven
>John 14:1-2 says, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
Jesus promised to prepare a place for those who believe in Him.
Can we see heaven with our physical eyes? NO, but we can be assured though, that if Jesus Himself said “I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go, I will come again and receive you to Myself...”
-Heaven is real, as real as the person sitting next to you.
*5 things faith brings:
-Freedom
-Action
-Insight
-Trust
-Heaven
-And these 5 things will help you overcome!!
