Walking With Jesus In Faith Series

Walking with Jesus By Faith II Cor. 5:1-9

INTRO.: Everyone knows I like to fish. When I fish, I seldom see fish. But I select my fishing place based on past experience and reports of others. I have faith the fish are there and I will eventually catch them. The only question is whether it is better for me to continue trying to catch them or go to another place where fish are more abundant or cooperative.

This is simple human faith. I believe the fish are there, but don’t know whether I can catch them.

Divine faith is different. Note the times Jesus told men to fish. Matt. 17:27 & John 21:1-6.

Simple human faith has an element of speculation in it. Faith in Jesus has an element of certainty. It’s this kind of faith we want to think about this morning.

We will illustrate this by looking at the life of one of the ancient men of faith then draw some lessons about living with Jesus by faith.

I. Abraham was a great man of God who walked in faith: Heb. 11:17-19

A. We wonder how he could have offered his son:

1. He had a direct order from God. Gen. 22:1, 2

2. He trusted God, knowing every life is in God’s hands anyway.

3. He had confidence in God’s ability to raise the dead.

4. In the end his confidence was shown to be justified.

5. Living in faith is walking in confidence.

B. God gave Abraham difficult tasks:

1. Right from the time he called him to leave home and family and travel to an unknown destination.

2. Offering Isaac was not the first hard task God gave him.

3. He was justified because he put his faith into action. James 2:21-24

4. Living by faith is living a life of obedience. Doing what God says do.

C. Abraham was a mere human like the rest of us: It isn’t easy for us to render pleasing service to God.

1. He sinned. He went to Egypt because of a famine and passed his wife off as his sister for fear they would kill him for her. Gen. 12

2. Later, he pulled the same stunt in the Negev. Gen. 20. Failed to trust God.

3. His righteousness came through faith, not works of the Law. Gal. 3:6, 7

4. He was considered righteous because he believed God.

II. Let’s go back to our text passage and look at the concept of living by faith in Jesus. When we live by faith in Jesus:

A. We live with confidence. We have more reason than Abraham: vv. 6-8

1. There was no precedent for most of what he did. Leaving his homeland, offering his son.

2. He had no example to follow.

3. Contemporaries may have thought him crazy.

4. We have Abraham’s example, as well as Jesus’

5. We can have confidence. 2 Tim 1:12 “I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

B. We live for Him:

1. If we have faith in Jesus, we must strive to please Him in this life and the next. Live in His service.

2. It should never be hard to get people to work in the Church if they love Jesus.

3. It should never be hard to get people to share Jesus with others.

4. God hasn’t asked us to make any sacrifices as hard as Abraham was asked to make.

C. We live righteous lives: Rom 1:17 “The righteous will live by faith."

1. 2 Cor 5:21 “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

2. Like Abraham, we’ve no righteousness of our own.

3. We must accept the righteousness God offers through Jesus and His sacrifice.

4. Once God has made us righteousness thru the sacrifice of Jesus, we must live lives worthy of our calling.

CONC.: Living by faith in Christ means trusting our lives to Him. When we live with Him through faith, we can live with confidence, we can live for Him and we can and must live righteous lives.