How to Use Your Faith- Its Practice
Pastor Jamie Wright * Maranatha Fellowship Church * 5-23-04
Hebrews 11:1“What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot see. (NLT) vs. 6 …without faith it is impossible to please God.”
WE found out last week that faith has a place. Where there is faith we
…See the invisible, Believe the Incomprehensible, Hear the inaudible, Feel the intangible, Expect the impossible, Hope the imperishable.
God wants us to possess faith. We need to build our faith and strengthen it through practice. A lot of us say I’ve got faith. I’ve got faith in this. I’ve got faith in that. I’ve got faith in Jesus. Well where is the practice of it? You’ve been granted a measure of faith and when a circumstance or situation arises or a storm is on your horizon what do you do? You practice that faith, and if you don’t practice that faith you won’t be able to stand on that firm foundation because your faith will be weak. We’ve got to practice it. We need to build our faith and strengthen it through practicing our faith and by getting in a place where faith is preached, where faith is. How do you use (practice) your faith?
Do you use it like a spare tire- used only in case of emergency!
Do you use your faith like a wheel barrow- must be PUSHED! Or
Do you use it like a greyhound bus- Ridden only when it goes your way! Or perhaps you use your faith like BREAL CREAM- a little dab will do you!
Whatever, kind of faith you have, it is of no VALUE unless you are using it to PLEASE God. Because, Faith without works is DEAD!
Today we are going to learn how to use (practice) our faith.
James 2:26 (GN)
26 So then, as the body without the spirit is dead, also faith without actions is dead.
26 (NCV) Just as a person’s body that does not have a spirit is dead, so faith that does nothing is dead!
INTRO: Our faith should be a practicing faith. It involves doing something on our part.
Luke 6:46 the Lord speaks saying, why call me, Lord, Lord, and Do not the things I say?
You have to practice your faith. A doctor practices medicine, an attorney practices law, a Christian must practice faith.
The word practice means: to live out, to perform, to apply and rehearse and to act upon. Those are all action words. My favorite is to live out.
So, how do we use our faith; practice it; live out our faith?
We must use or practice our faith as:
1. A WORSHIPPING FAITH Heb. 11:4 (Gen.4)
vs. 4 “it was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God…God accepted Abel’s offering to show that he was a righteous man. And although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us because of his FAITH.”
It wasn’t enough for Abel to say he believed in God. He heard the voice of God and he used the faith that he had in God. He practiced his faith. He put into action what he believed.
Worship! That is what the Father is seeking. Abel made a sacrifice that was acceptable or pleasing unto God. Hebrews 11:6 says it is impossible to please God without FAITH. Therefore, we can conclude that Abel had faith that he was living out what God wanted him to do in his worship…to give a blood sacrifice. That was his worship.
The father is still seeking for worshippers. 86% of Americans call themselves Christians. How many are putting their faith in God into action and worshipping, truly worshipping God? Remember, faith without ACTION is DEAD. Does that describe the church world today? All over America at this very moment denominations are holding services and millions of people are attending these services that are called WORSHIP services. Yet, the majority of them are dead. WHY? Because faith without action (a worshipping faith) is dead. I am not calling them dead. It is God’s word in James 2:26.
We worship through our sacrifice. It is easy to come in here and lift your hands, run, and dance and shout when everything is going great with you and yours. However, it is a little more difficult to give God your best when the bank account is low, the kids are sick ,your fighting with your wife and lost your job this week, isn’t it? But Abel gave his best lamb. The one without spot or blemish. IT didn’t matter to him what he had left. He put into action the faith he had in God and it pleased God. Do you have a faith in a God that is worthy of your praise? Is it all you do is talk about that faith? Well, how about start today by living out that faith you have in an all powerful, mighty God by WORSHIPPING HIM. Practice your faith everyday by worshipping God.
A Worshipping faith Sings to God
We must use or practice our faith as:
2. A WALKING FAITH- Heb. 11:5 (Gen. 5:22, 24)
vs. 5 “it was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying-but before he was taken up, he was approved as pleasing God.”
Gen. 5:24 “and Enoch with God: and he was no more; for God took him.”
Are you just talking the talk or are you walking the walk? Enoch pleased God in his walk. That means he had faith as he walked his everyday walk with God. His actions pleased God. And then one day as he was walking his walk of faith God took him.
Walking has to do with the way one lives his/her life. This is a life that is always rehearsing its faith. No matter what time of day or night. Whether there is sunshine or rain, comfort or pain. This WALKING FAITH has the power to form character and does not fear death.
When people here you talk about your faith, have you been putting into action and practicing it in such a way that your talk matches up with your walk.
James 1:22 says, “But be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
You definitely are not fooling God or Satan, and you probably aren’t fooling others, especially your spouse and kids. Therefore, if you are talking the talk of faith, yet, you are not practicing your faith what does it profit you? Nothing, because talk is cheap and faith without living it (or walking it) is dead.
James 2:14-17 says
14 Dear brothers and sisters, what’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can’t save anyone. 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, 16 and you say, "Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well" – but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? 17 So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all – it is dead and useless.
I challenge you to start living out your faith today by walking day by day in the faith of our Lord. As much as you tell people you are Christian let them see it.
A like the way this little Sunday school girl explained Enoch’s faith:
“Enoch went walking with God one day and they walked so far God said, ‘Enoch, you just come on home with me, you are too far from your house.’”
A Worshiping faith sings to God, a walking faith sees God up close.
We must use or practice our faith as:
3. A WORKING FAITH Heb. 11:7 (Gen. 6:13-22)
vs. 7 “it was by faith that Noah built an ark to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God…by his faith he condemned the rest of the world and was made right in God’s sight.”
Noah obeyed God and put into action the faith he had in God. God asked him to build an ark in the middle of the desert and it had never ever rained before. Yet, Noah’s faith did not waver. He served God and believed in God enough to put on his carpenters apron and WORK.
We need some more Noah’s in our audience. We actually need this audience to rise up and become an army. Look at Noah’s work:
a. It was a work of great magnitude- it was an ark. It was 450 ft long, 75 ft wide and 45 ft high. THAT IS BIG. THIS IS A BIG MINISTRY…apply your faith today. Begin to use your faith and WORK for God’s kingdom
b. It was a work of great duration- Noah worked 120 years building the ark.
Are you working? What are you doing? Are you continuing and enduring faithfully to the end?
Start today and commit to working for the Lord. The faith that pleases God is a faith that prepares for the harvest.
Noah worked as God directed. He did what God said, the way God said it. Noah was the first man in the Bible to be called righteous or just. He put his faith in God into action. He lived out his faith.
A Working FAITH serves God.
We must use or practice our faith as:
4. A WILLING FAITH Heb. 11:8 (Gen. 12:1-3)
vs. 8 “it was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land. He went without knowing where he was going. And when he reached the land God promised, he lived there by faith. Abraham did this because he was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundation, a city designed and built by God.”
God called Abraham and he responded. He was willing to do anything God said. Abraham had faith in God’s word. He made the right choice. He started out being willing in his faith to God to listen and respond. God tested Abraham early to see if he was WILLING.
In Genesis 22 God again tests Abraham’s faith to see if he is willing to put his faith into action. Early in life Abraham was willing to leave home and go where God sent him. He used his faith and went. But, here in Genesis 22 God is asking Abraham to put his faith in God into action and sacrifice his own son, the promised child.
Hebrews 11:17
“it was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him…he was willing (ready) to sacrifice his only son…
Abraham was willing to offer his own son. He put his faith into action and obeyed even when a considerable sacrifice was involved.
OBEDIENCE IS THE ACID TEST OF FAITH! ARE YOU WILLING TO OBEY! The faith that pleases God is the faith that is lived out and put into action; it is the faith that is used in obedience to God’s Word.
A Willing faith makes sacrifices to God.
We have learned that our faith can be used or put into actions when we use it as
1. A Worshipping faith that sings to God
2. A Walking faith that sees God
3. A Working faith that serves God
4. A Willing faith that sacrifices to God
Listen if we will learn to use our faith and practice it then our faith in God turns around and does something for us:
It DETERMINES God’s POWER
It DISCOVERS God’s SOLUTIONS
It DEFINES my PRAYER LIFE
It DIRECTS my FUTURE
It DELIVERS God’s Miracles
