Having Faith.

Having Faith.

Reading: Hebrews 11.

A tourist came too close to the edge of the Grand Canyon, lost his footing and fell over the side, clawing and scratching to save himself. After he went out of sight and just before he fell into space, he stumbled upon a small bush which he desperately grabbed with both hands.

Filled with terror, he called out toward heaven, “Is there anyone up there?” A calm, powerful voice came out of the sky, “Yes, there is.” The man pleaded, “Can you help me? Can you help me?” The calm voice replied, “Yes, I probably can. What is your problem?” “I fell over the cliff and am dangling in space holding to a bush that is about to let go. Please help me.”

The voice from above said, “I'll try. Do you believe?” “Yes, yes, I believe.” “Do you have faith?” “Yes, yes. I have strong faith.” The calm voice said, “Well, in that case, simply let loose of the bush and everything will turn out fine.” There was a tense pause, then the tourist yelled, “Is there anyone else up there?”

It is one thing to talk about faith – it is quite another to act on faith! I want to look at SIX things faith is. FAITH IS…

1. BELIEVING WHEN I DO NOT SEE IT.

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see “Hebrews 11:1.

It sounds like a disagreement, but the Bible teaches that faith is creating in your mind the future in the present. It is being sure of what you do not see. It is seeing it in advance of it happening.

1. Man says: “Seeing is believing.”

2. God says: “Believing is seeing.”

Everything that has happened in life was impossibility before it became a reality and somebody had to believe it. Faith is simply trusting God to turn dreams into reality. Because nothing happens until somebody believes it is possible.

What do you see in your own future? What is your dream? What impossible thing is God going to do in your life? You have to have faith that it is going to happen for it to happen – you have to be certain that God can and will do these things in your life.

2. OBEYING WHEN I DO NOT UNDERSTAND IT.

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going” Hebrews 11:8.

You know this story – Abraham is living in the land of Ur. He is 75-years-old. God tells Abraham that He is going to send him on a journey. He does not tell him the name of the place he is going and He does not tell him how far away it is. The question is would you go? Would I go?

Faith is obeying when you do not understand it. And at 75 years of age, Abraham starts out on the greatest journey of his life and becomes the father of a nation. Now, there are a lot of people who want a guarantee of success before they try anything, but God says, “No.” Because faith always involves risks – God wants to force you to trust Him.

Faith is doing the right thing even when it seems ridiculous. Faith believes when I do not see it and faith believes when I do not understand it.

3. GIVING WHEN I DO NOT HAVE IT.

“By faith (Abel) was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offering” Hebrews 11:4b.

Did you know that? Faith is giving when I do not have it to give. Giving and faith go together. In fact, God uses finances to test us all the time. Have you ever had to make a decision whether to pay a bill, or tithe?

This is a test – God's testing you to see how much you trust Him. There are two ways that you can give:

1. You can give by faith. Giving by faith is when you say, “How much does God want me to give, whether I have got it to give or not?” That is what it means to give in faith.

2. You can give by fear. Giving by fear is when you say, “How much can I afford to give?”

Able gave in faith. Now it is one thing to give when you have got it to spare. It is another thing to give when you do not know where it is going to come from to pay your bills. That is a test of faith – Giving when you do not have it.

4. PERSISTING WHEN I DO NOT FEEL LIKE IT.

“By faith (Moses) left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible” Hebrews 11:27.

Our present culture says, “Base everything you do on how you feel.” In other words, if you feel like doing it, do it – If you do not feel like doing it, do not do it. That is a guaranteed formula for immaturity, because immature people build their lives on feelings rather than on commitments.

The truth is I do not always feel like doing what is right. Do you? I do not always feel like praying and reading God’s Word. But the issue is not what do we feel, but do we do the right thing?

And godly men and godly women do not get that way just by feeling it. Instead they develop some habits in their lives, some disciplines like having a daily time with God, and they do it whether they feel like it or not. And that pleases God.

“You mean even if I don't feel like doing it, spending time with God, pleases Him?” Yes! Why? Because you are doing it in faith and faith, which pleases God,

Faith is:

1. Believing when you do not see it.

2. Obeying when you do not understand it.

3. Giving when you do not have it to give.

4. Persisting when you do not feel like it.

That is what it means to have faith. Faith is being persistent. It is refusing to give up, no matter how tired you get.

5. THANKING GOD BEFORE I RECEIVE IT.

“By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days” Hebrews 11:30.

During Israel’s wanderings, they come up to the most prepared city in the world, Jericho with its massive walls. Now here are people who have been slaves for 400 years. They are not a trained army. They have no weapons.

God says, “Okay. Here's My plan: I want you to walk around this city, once a day, for six days. Just march around it in silence. And then, on the seventh day, I want you to march around it seven times. And I want you to be thanking Me in advance, all during this time. Trust in Me. This is going to be a statement of faith, by your marching around, because you expect Me to work.”

They were thanking God in advance. That is what faith is. Faith does not believe God can do it.

God can do it whether you believe it or not. His ability is not dependent upon your faith. Look at this verse, “I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” Mark 11:24.

Notice the past tense, “Believe that you have received it.” That is what faith is. Believe you have already received it. If you waited until you received the answer to thank God, is that faith? No, that is just gratitude. It is thanking God in advance.

The Bible is full of stories that show this principle that faith is thanking God in advance.

6. TRUSTING IF I DO NOT GET IT.

“They were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect” Hebrews 11:39-40.

TWO FACTS ABOUT PRAYER:

1) God always hears and answers every prayer.

Always – God always hears and answers every prayer.

2) God does not always answer the way we want Him to.

Have you found that to be true? Sometimes His answer is, “You have got to be kidding!” or “No way!” or “Not yet” or “Latter or “Wait a while.” God answers in many, many different ways. And, sometimes, God says no. Why? Because He does not love you? No, because He does love you.

What is He saying here? The point is that living by faith does not exempt you from problems. A Christian has the exact problems a non-believer has; it is just that now you have a new power to help you with them. Something to help you cope and handle the stress and deal with it.

Because God is more interested in your character than He is in your comfort. God wants to make you a person of honesty and strength and values. And the only way you get character is by going through tough times. You do not know God is all you need until God is all you've got. And then you have to depend on Him.

Anybody can trust God when things are going great. But real faith develops in the valleys of life when the dream is delayed. Moses had a dream of going into the Promised Land. But he died in the desert. He never did get to go into the Promised Land.

But he is still a great man of faith. In fact, the bible says later he did get to see it because God, on the Mount of Transfiguration.

What am I saying? I am saying that faith is trusting God even when you do not get the answer that you want.

Conclusion:

Now let me just close this by saying that some of you are trying to face a full-time problem on part-time faith and that will not work – It just will not work. You need a full-time, head-on, full-born faith to handle the problems you are going to have this face. And the starting point is to establish a relationship with Jesus Christ.

JESUS STILLS A STORM.

JESUS STILLS A STORM.

READING: Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25.

8:23. “Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.”

8:24. “And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep.”

8:25. “Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

8:26. “But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.”

8:27. “So the men marvelled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

4:35. “On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”

4:36. “Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.”

4:37. “And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.”

4:38. “But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

4:39. “Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.”

4:40. “But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”

4:41. “And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

8:22. “Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out.”

8:23. “But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.”

8:24. “And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm.”

8:25. “But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and marvelled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!”

Here is I believe the 12^th recorded miracle of Jesus.

1^ST POINT: Background to the miracle.

The Sea of Galilee lies between high hills. Sudden winds funnelled between these hills can whip up the waters and create waves that endanger small boats. However, even the experienced fishermen who were in the boat with Jesus were terrified by this storm, convinced they were all about to die.

But where was Jesus in the storm? Jesus was asleep in the boat, even when this storm threatened to sink the boat. The terrified disciples awoke Jesus, who calmed the storm and used the occurrence to teach them about faith. Nearly every sentence in the brief story has immediate application to our lives.

2^ND POINT: Parties to the miracle.

This is one of several “private miracles” performed for the benefit of Jesus’ disciples. This miracle not only saved them but instructed them as well. The parties to this miracle were Jesus and an unnamed number of His disciples.

A. Jesus.

Jesus was exhausted after a full day of ministry, and was asleep in the boat. The image of Jesus asleep while the storm raged around them is a brilliant portrait of His calm confidence in God the Father. When Jesus was awakened by His terrified disciples, He immediately took charge, commanding the churning waters to “be still” Mark 4:39. Jesus then used the experience to teach the disciples about faith by challenging them to examine their actions during the storm.

B. The disciples.

When the storm struck, the disciples were navigating the boat while Jesus slept. As the storm grew worse, they became terrified. Finally they woke Jesus up. When Christ commanded the storm to stop and the waters immediately become calm, the disciples were fearful and amazed. They asked each other, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” Mark 4:41.

3^RD POINT: How the story unfolds.

“He… rebuked the wind” Mark 4:39.

We have seen this term rebuked used by Jesus before, when casting out a demon and when healing sickness. It is a word which indicates the control of an evil power. Some have taken its use here to indicate that Satan was behind the strong storm that struck while Jesus slept. In this view, Jesus’ “rebuke” was of the demonic beings behind the storm.

Yet, the miracle is intended to show Jesus’ power over nature itself, and so to suggest to His deity. The Creator alone can control creation.

Jesus’ action that day recalled the words of Psalm 89:8-9 “O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty like You, O Lord? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them.”

4^TH POINT: Personal application of the miracle account.

This miracle account is a favourite of believers perhaps because it speaks so clearly and directly to each of us in our own lives.

A. The great windstorm represents the storms we face in our lives.

B. The boat represents our security, which is threatened by the waves beating into it.

C. Jesus asleep in the boat represents the evident silence of God when we are overcome by stress or fear.

D. The cry “do You not care that we are perishing” Mark 4:38 expresses our own deep feelings of abandonment by God when life overwhelms us.

E. Jesus’ rebuke of the wind and sea remind us of Christ’s sovereign control over every circumstance in our lives.

F. The calm that followed immediately after the storm symbolizes the inner calm we can experience when we rely on Jesus’ love and His Word.

G. Jesus’ rebuke, “Why are you so fearful?” Mark 4:40 reminds us that when Jesus is in our lives, we must trust Him, even when life’s storms strengthens.

H. Jesus’ question, “How is it that you have no faith?” invites us to remember all that Christ has done for us in the past. Remembering yesterday’s goodness strengthens the faith we need to face today and tomorrow.

I. The disciples’ fear reminds us always to hold Jesus in awe, remembering that He is truly God.

J. The question, “Who can this be?” is answered by the miracle and the Scriptures. We are to concentrate on Him, and not let life’s circumstances confuse or distract us.

CONCLUSION:

We have looked at one of the recorded miracles of Jesus.

A MESSAGE FOR SUNDAY.

FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS.

Reading: 2 Timothy 1:12.

“For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.”

We have all meet people when we have asked if they need help to do something, only to be told: “I know what I am doing.” Yet, later the same person is in trouble because they do not know. Or maybe we have asked the way in a new place, only to be show the wrong way by someone who thought they knew the way.

If only we could find those people in our lives, that not only know the way, but are able to lead us there also. Paul is one of those people who “Knows” the way. There are two words for “know” in the Greek:

1. To know as you are told.

2. To know by vision and faith. This is the one I want to speak about.

“For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.”

1. KNOW-KNOWING-KNOWLEDGE.

“For I know whom I have believed.”

The translation of several Hebrew and Greek words for “know” are found in the Bible, covering a wide range of meanings: intellectual understanding, personal experience, emotion, and personal relationship.

Here the word:

Know (the Greek oida) means “absolute knowledge,” beyond a shadow of a doubt.

The word covers the idea of; an active relationship between the one who knows, and the Person. This suggests have seeing or perceiving; or experiencing knowledge, hence, to KNOW, to have fullness of Knowledge. The basis is to know a person, the Lord Jesus, and His power to keep Phil. 3:10.

This is a spiritual knowledge of Christ and is necessary to faith in Him: an unknown Christ cannot be the object of faith, for knowledge and faith go together: they that truly know Christ believe in Him, and the more they know Him, the more strongly they believe in Him.

This knowledge which they have of Christ is not from them, but from the Father, who reveals Christ to them, and in them. By which a man sees Christ and His grace; goes to Him in is need; and lays hold of Him as Saviour; where he commits his all unto Him; and walks with Christ till he receives the end of faith, even eternal salvation.

In the New Testament one knows God through a knowledge of Jesus Christ (John 8:19; Col. 2:2-3). Knowledge of Christ gives direction, conviction, and assurance to faith (2 Cor. 4:14). Knowledge is a spiritual gift (1 Cor. 12:8) which can grow, increase, be filled, and abound (Phil. 1:9; Col. 1:9-10; 2 Cor. 8:7).

God’s knowledge is said to be omniscient. He knows all things (Job 21:22; Psalm 139:1-18); His understanding is beyond measure (Psalm 147:5). He knows the thoughts of our minds and the secrets of our hearts (Psalm 44:21; Psalm 94:11). He knows past events (Genesis 30:22); present happenings (Job 31:4). And future events (Zech. 13:1; Luke 1:33).

So it is good to have Knowledge of God. Paul does not say, we they or others, but he says “I”. Paul places this verse in his own personal experience of life, by which we should do also.

2. BELIEF, TRUST AND FAITH.

“And am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.”

Paul knows Jesus Christ whom he has trusted:

A. “I am persuaded”. Here the word used means: To guard, to guard against robbery or any loss.

B. “That which I have committed unto Him,” Literally, "my deposit," as in a bank, the bank of heaven which no burglar can break into (Matt. 6:19).

C. “Against that day”. The day of Christ's second coming. Elsewhere, the day of the Lord, the day of Christ or Jesus Christ, the Day of Judgment (Romans 2:5, 16).

By that which Paul had committed to Christ is meant here, not his labours and sufferings for Christ, as if he had deposited these in Christ's hands, It seems best of all to interpret it of his natural life, the care of which he had committed to Christ, trusting in Him for eternal life and salvation, believing He was able to save him to the uttermost; even unto the day of death, and unto the day of the resurrection, when both soul and body will be glorified with Him; and to the Day of Judgment, when the crown of righteousness will be received from His hands.

Persuaded means: to win over, to bring about a change of mind. Paul knows because he was persuaded by Christ. Look at Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

CONCLUSION:

Knowledge of God is closely related to faith, expressing the insight and understanding of faith. Full knowledge is possible only through Jesus. It is committed to us, to be preserved pure and entire, yet we must not think to keep it by our own strength, but by the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.

“For I have FULL KNOWLEDGE, by the Holy Spirit, WHOM (the Lord Jesus Christ), I have believed and remain steadfast and am persuaded, to prevail upon Him, that He is able to keep what I have committed and deposited to Him until that Day.”