Your Faith Is Your Testimony

August 26, 2012

Morning Worship

Text: Hebrews 11:6

Subject: Faith

Title: Your Faith is Your Testimony

I’ve been talking for these past few weeks about faith. More importantly the source of your faith. How many of you know that if we are ever going to see full blown revival break out – I’m talking about going beyond where we are now in this state of revival – if we are ever going to get there it is only because we believe God. In Mark 11:22 Jesus told his disciples, “Have faith in God”. This was after He had spoken to a fig tree and cursed it and hours later when they walked by the tree again it had withered.

How many of you think that when Jesus spoke to the tree nothing happened until later? The truth is, when Jesus spoke His word to that tree something took place on the inside. It just took a day for it to be seen on the outside. Now here is what a lot of church people say about that. This was Jesus, the Son of God. Now we can’t go around trying to do the same things that He did. That’s crazy! So we read on in Mark 11, Jesus said, “Don’t try this at home. I am a trained professional!” Isn’t that what a lot of people want the bible to say? But that’s not what it says. 23“I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Really quickly here look at a few points.

1. Doubt is the opposite of faith. And since we are talking about faith in God, if you doubt, then you are doubting God.

2. There is a strong connection between faith and “saying”. You may have faith but your “saying” releases God’s power to work on your behalf.

3. The word that is translated “believe” is the same word that means, “to have faith”. so if you say to the mountain you can have faith in God that He will do what you have asked. Verse 24 could read, 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, [have faith in God] that you have received it, and it will be yours.

2 Timothy 1:12, That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

The word know in the Greek literally is see. I see whom I have believed or I see whom I have my faith in…

Now, when Paul wrote that did He see God? No, but by faith he didn’t have to see God.

But he knew God just as if He were standing right in front of him. Jesus told Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed…” So Who is your faith in?

6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

I believe this is God’s Word…

I believe it is for me…

I accept it as mine…

And I appropriate it to my life…

I. PLEASING GOD… How many of you are God pleasers? You know, there are a lot of times when people may disagree with me about certain things, and I want people to like me – what kind of a pastor could I be if people didn’t like me – so in a sense I am a people pleaser. But my desire to please people will never overtake my desire to please God. So if there is ever a conflict between pleasing people and pleasing God, guess what… you are going to lose. God will always come first. I hope it is the same way in your life. Now, having said that, how do you please God? It has to be “BY FAITH”. How is your faith? Do you know everything you need to know about faith? Most of you probably think that you have a pretty good handle on the topic of faith, but listen, don’t get too overconfident in your understanding. If your understanding is that good then shouldn’t we be seeing your faith put into action? Does your faith begin and end with Jesus the Savior? You are saved by grace through faith…? What is it then that Paul means when he wrote in Colossians 1:10, 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father… I really want to look at the phrase in verse 10, may please him in every way… Pleasing Him is connected to what? Faith! So by faith you should be bearing fruit in every good work… By faith you should be growing in the knowledge of God… By faith you are 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might… None of those things are for eternity. They are for right now. So pleasing God is directly tied to your understanding of His nature. Faith in the bible? Faith in prayer? Faith in treating people right? None of those things work. Have faith in God… If you have faith in God as Savior you’ll get saved. But what about faith in Him as the healer, deliverer, miracle worker, provider? You see, faith in Him as Savior won’t get you healed. You have to know Him as the healer. If you want to be delivered you have to know Him as your deliverer and so on… Look at the story of the woman with an issue of blood. Mark 5:27-28, 27When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed. Now what do you think that she heard about Jesus? When her faith was put into action who was her faith in? Jesus the healer… When Mary told the servants at the wedding feast to do whatever Jesus told them to do, who was her faith in? Jesus the miracle worker… When you don’t know how you are going to pay your bills, who do you turn to? Hopefully it is God your Provider and not your government… Now do those things please Him? They sure do. Why? Because we get them by faith. Faith always pleases God.