Walking The Way Of Faith

WALKING THE WAY OF FAITH: 2 Corinthians 5:1-7

I love that 1st verse of 2nd Corinthians 5. Have you ever thought about the picture that Paul is painting here? Look at it again:

• This earthly house (“tent”): tents are temporary! They aren’t permanent ~ they are meant to be moved from place to place.

• Now “we know” that if (when) it is destroyed ~ we have a building from God, a house not made with hands!

• Buildings (houses) are meant to last ~ and God’s house is an eternal house!

But how do we get to this house? Verse 7 has the answer: “We walk by faith, not by sight.”

I). The way of faith is not the way of sight!

A). Too many people want an evidence of God before they’ll believe in Him.

• In John 6, the people asked Jesus for a sign.

• Show us a sign ~ give us some concrete evidence that You are who You say that You are!

B). Other people want to look into their own feelings to find God.

• I need that warm, fuzzy feeling from the Holy Spirit if I’m going to believe.

• I need to feel the Spirit ~ then I’ll know that Jesus is Lord (evidence?)

C). Still others want to base their faith on the circumstances in life that they go thru:

• “A God who loves me wouldn’t let me go thru what I’m going thru.”

• It’s not God who’s causing you to go thru what you’re going thru; it’s LIFE that’s causing you to go thru what you’re going thru (and just maybe it’s your SIN that’s causing it)!

• It’s God who is showing you some mercy and grace so that what you’re going thru isn’t any worse than it is now!

II). The way of faith is the way of relying on the character (the mercy, love & grace) & the promises of God!

A). Faith is looking TO God and believing that He is going to do what His Word says He is going to do!

B). It is also resisting the urge to “help God out.”

• What I mean is this ~ we have those promises from God ~ we have the assurance of His Word ~ and so we walk by faith.

• Now walking by faith does require that we do some things: Some of those promises of God have conditions that we have to fulfill ~ we do our part and God does His part.

C). The problem is that sometimes we get impatient and start doing things on our own: Now instead of helping ~ we’re interfering (like when our kids were little and wanted to help out).

• Do you realize that that is a form of unbelief? (God can do it, but apparently He doesn’t realize that I need it done NOW ~ or I need it done THIS WAY!)

• Isaiah 64:4 says, “God works for the person that waits for Him.”

III). The Way of Faith is letting God have His way in Your life.

A). There is no other way, because any other way is not faith.

B). My prayer for you today is that you will take the way of faith.

• God who is God ~ and who is trustworthy, only asks that we trust Him!

• Can we do anything less?