When Does Faith Pay? Hebrews 11:4-10

WHEN DOES FAITH PAY? Hebrews 11:4-10

WE ARE…

i. SAVED by FAITH—Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

ii. LIVING by FAITH—Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

iii. WALKING by FAITH—I Corinthians 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

iv. PURIFIED by FAITH—Acts 15:9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

v. JUSTIFIED by FAITH—Romans 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

I. WHEN THE STORMS OF LIFE ARE RAGING

A. WE HAVE SOMETHING TO HOLD

B. WE HAVE SOMETHING TO HELP

ILLUSTRATE: God delights to increase the faith of His children...I say, and say it deliberately--trials,

Difficulties and sometimes defeat, are the very food of

Faith...We should take them out of His hands as

Evidences of His love and care for us in developing more

And more that faith which He is seeking to strengthen

In us -- George Mueller.

Ask these Folks if Faith Pays When the Storms of Life are Raging…

i. Isaiah---Isaiah 4:6 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.

ii. Nahum--Nahum 1:3 The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

iii. Paul-Acts 27:21-26 Euroclydon

II. WHEN SICKNESS IN LIFE IS REAL

A. DREADED WORD-“TERMINAL”

B. DISCOURAGING WORD-“SICKNESS”

ILLUSTRATE: A study by Rush University Medical Center

In Chicago found that "belief in a concerned God” can

Improve response to medical treatment" in patients

Diagnosed with cancer and other terminal illnesses.

The Lord honors our FAITH and this has been proven time and again in my life. Thank God for allowing me to have

HEALING FAITH! Because of that HEALING FAITH, I

am standing here today. Serving God with a Foundation of

Faith is definitely a key to Healing even in these last days.

Ask these Folks if Faith Pays During a Time of Sickness….

i. Blind Bartimaeus Mark 10:46-52

ii. Simon’s Mother in Law Sick with a Fever Luke 4:38, 39

iii. The Man with the Withered Hand Luke 6:6-11

III. WHEN SINS IN LIFE ARE REALIZED

A. REALIZATION OF SIN

B. REPENTANCE OF SIN

C. RECEPTION OF FORGIVENESS

D. REJOICING OVER HIS GRACE

ILLUSTRATE: "When a person's faith seems to collapse without warning, one can be sure it has been the result

of inner conflicts -- the termites of disobedience."

"I believe in grace, because I have seen it; in peace, because I have felt it; in forgiveness, because I have needed it."

Martin Luther said "There is no justification without

sanctification, no forgiveness without renewal of life, no real

faith from which the fruits of new obedience do not grow."

Ask these folks if Faith Pays when sins in Life are Realized:

i. David—Psalms 51:1-19

ii. The Woman Caught in Adultery—John 8:11

iii. The Penitent Thief on Calvary—Luke 23:32-43

Conclusion: Romans 10:17 “So then Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”

a) Some Christians are weak in Faith—Romans 14:1

b) Some Christians have little Faith—Matthew 6:30

c) Some Christians have great Faith—Matthew 8:10

d) Some Christians increase in Faith-I Thessalonians

e) Some have Mustard Seed Faith-Mt 17:20; Lk 17:6

Let’s Hear and Respond to His Word Today!

A slight omission can bring serious consequences. There is an English Proverb which fits well here:

For want of a nail, the shoe was lost;

For want of the shoe, the horse was lost;

For want of the horse, the rider was lost;

For want of the rider, the battle was lost;

For want of the battle, the kingdom was lost.

All on account of a lost nail!