Victorious Faith

Image via WikipediaI. THE NATURE OF FAITH

   A. What faith is ...
“the substance of things hoped for” Heb. 11:1 (KJV)
implies hope - enables the believer to understand that the things hoped for are a present spiritual reality.
“the evidence of things not seen” (KJV)
having faith, in itself, provides evidence of the reality of the unseen things and faith enables the believer to understand that these things are real.

     1. Faith is the opposite of unbelief.
      “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Rom. 14:23 (KJV)
      Unbelief is really the worst sin, since it results in ultimate separation from God.
     2. Faith is equated with righteousness: “Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Rom. 4:3 (NASB) (quoting from Gen. 15:6)
     3. Belief / Assent - involves knowledge
     4. Trust - entrusting yourself to Christ

   B. Christian faith is not blind faith,
 but is rooted in historical events and a real person who lived on earth at a specific time and place. It is based on the assurances of God's Word, which is accepted as His supernatural revelation of Himself, and thus is entirely trustworthy and reliable.

Faith is not an attempt to believe something reason tells us is untrue. The early disciples knew they had good grounds for their belief.

   C. Where faith comes from: God, through the Holy Spirit
     1. You have enough faith to be saved.
     2. You need to act upon your God-given faith (“seeking” faith that drives one to prayer)
      Examples: Jacob - Gen.32:26 “….I will not let you go unless you bless me.”(NASB)
        Nobleman - John 4:49-52 “…Sir, come down before my child dies.”
        “…Go your way. Your son lives.”
        “….Yesterday at the seventh hour, the fever left him.”

     3. Faith grows from prayer, fellowship with God, hearing God's Word.
      Example: Samuel “Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.” (I Sam. 3:9, KJV)
     4. Faith leads to obedience: Example: Abraham
     5. Faith leads to victorious accomplishments for God: Examples: Paul, Samson, Gideon

   D. Faith is not understood or accepted by the world.
It is misunderstood, identified variously as superstition or misguided idealism.
The “scientific” or secularist world view which gives rise to this misunderstanding is essentially a failure to understand the nature and reality of God. God doesn't think like they do! But God created out of nothing the things the materialists know.

Heb. 11: 3 - “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” (NASB)

II. THE TESTING AND RESULTS OF FAITH

   A. Faith leads to
     1. Salvation
     2. Obedience
     3. Good works
     4. Power to live the Christian life
      "Walk with God" - Enoch
     5. Final victory in Christ

   B. Faith is tested and proven.
     1. Without adversity, there is no test of faith.
     2. Faith does not demand signs and wonders, but instead is what there is when the miracle doesn't come.
     3. The faith of the Christian will be tested.
      Examples: Job, Stephen, Paul

   C. Faith is the victory which overcomes the world. (I John 5:4)
    Overcoming = not compromising
    Example: Noah

   D. Hindrances to faith
     1. Lack of prayer
     2. Lack of participation in church
     3. Demand to see signs and wonders
“An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign…” (Mt. 12:39, NASB) Presumably, if no sign is given, there is an excuse for unbelief.

Example of not requiring a sign: Daniel's friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Hebrew names), a.k.a. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego (Babylonian names):

Dan. 3:17 -18 - “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (NASB)

        a. Must see quick results
        b. Must have right feeling
        c. Must be delivered immediately from all troubles

     4. Failure to observe what God has done
        a. Offer of salvation
        b. Blessings of life
        c. Answer to prayer

III. THE REWARDS OF FAITH

   A. Jesus' healings often were acknowledgments of faith.
      Mt. 9:20-22 - Woman with a flow of blood: “….Be of good cheer, daughter. Your faith has made you well…” (NKJV)
      Mt. 9:27-29 Blind men: “….According to your faith let it be to you.” (NKJV)
      Lk. 7:2-9 Centurion's servant: “….I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in  Israel.” (NKJV)

   B. Faith enables a person to find God and to please God.
      Heb. 11:6 - “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God  must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (NKJV)

   C. Eternal rewards listed in Revelation include
      Eat of the tree of life (eternal life) 2:7
      “….Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (2:10, NASB)
      Hidden manna 2:17
      White stone / new name 2:17
      Authority to rule 20:6
      Be a pillar in the temple of God 3:12
      Sit down with Jesus on His throne 3:21

IV. BUILDING YOUR FAITH

   A. Build your faith by practicing it.
     1. Continue in prayer.
     2. Don't give up.  “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15, KJV)
     3. Practice obedience.
“You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing, but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you." (John 15:14-15, NASB)

   B. Share your faith with others, especially your own household.
      1. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” (Acts 16:31, KJV)
      2. “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially those of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever.” (I Tim. 5: 8, NASB)

   C. Faith affects all relationships.

   D. Don't spare the effort.  Let your actions demonstrate faith!


Illustration: Title page to the 1611 first edition of the Authorized (King James) Version of the Bible. Public domain.

Saved by Grace (Ephesians 2:8-10)

                  Image via WikipediaIntroduction

How shall a person be saved? People have various theories …
Do your best and you’ll be OK in this world and the next.
Do good works and you will merit the salvation of God.
We’ll all be saved, regardless.
I’m sure I’ll be saved, because of my saintly parents and grandparents.
I’m a church member.
Believe in God, be good, and go to church.
We’re all trying to get to the same place, so the path we choose doesn’t matter. All these ideas are completely wrong.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." -- Eph. 2:8-10, (NASB)


I. Salvation Is Entirely of Grace

What is salvation? Reconciliation with God, eternal life, in God’s favor forever.

By grace - grace alone - are you saved. God will not be in debt to you. He will not be deprived His right to offer you the free gift of salvation.

Because of sin, we are unable to reverse the sentence of eternal death which has been passed upon us. We are unable to throw off the wrath of God which rests upon us. Nothing we can do would make the slightest difference.

Only God can help us. Out of His great love and mercy, He made a way for us to be saved from eternal destruction.

By grace you have been saved. Past tense. Completed process, because of the finished work of Jesus Christ. “It is finished!” (Luke 19:30)

It is NOT by rituals, by works, by feelings, by merit, not by knowledge, wealth, wisdom or power. Only by the grace of God and nothing else, can we be saved.

We cannot be saved by “making a commitment.” A commitment relies upon whom? YOU!
We simply make a DECISION to receive, on God’s terms, what He offers us.

What terms?

II. We Are Saved Through Faith

Faith in Jesus Christ, based on His sacrificial and substitutionary death for us. He died on the cross, shedding His blood as the payment for our sins. He was buried and rose again from the dead. This is His finished work of atonement, paying the price of our salvation. It paid everything that needed to be paid or could be paid. He made the FULL, FINAL, AND ONLY PAYMENT for our salvation.
No other payment is necessary. No other payment is possible.

We accept salvation through faith in Jesus on the basis of His death and resurrection.

This is vitally important. If you don’t believe the gospel, you have no spiritual life or light in you.
This is the very essence and central affirmation of the Christian faith. Without it there is no Christianity. It is essential.

By faith you believe the gospel.
By faith you receive the salvation of the Lord.

III. Not of Yourselves, It Is the Gift of God

Nothing about salvation is from us. The impulse to listen to and respond to the gospel comes from God the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, And I, if I be lifted up will draw all men to myself.” And also, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” So we see the Trinity is involved in this process. It has nothing to do with a person being good enough or smart enough. It simply is an act of the will in response to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ. We throw ourselves on His mercy, trusting in what He has done and what He has promised.

“Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved..” Acts 4:12 (KJV)

The blood of Christ seals the covenant.

IV. Not As a Result of Works, That No One Should Boast

You didn’t, couldn’t, can’t and won’t be saved as a result of anything good that you have done.
“…[K]nowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified.” -- Gal. 2:16 (NASB)

Being saved, you have nothing to boast about, as though you are to be praised for getting saved. All the glory belongs to God, who will not share it with another.

In fact, self righteousness often keeps people from being saved. It can be worse than open sin: ...“Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and harlots will get into the kingdom of God before you.” -- Matt. 21:31 (NASB)      Boasting is excluded.

Lost? Or Saved? This is the great dividing line of human existence. This is the great contrast, the eternal separation between two groups:

Lost:                                 Saved:
You were dead.                 Now you are alive.
You were enslaved.          Now you are free.
You were under sin.          Now you have been declared righteous.
You were under wrath.     Now you are in God’s favor.
You were hell-bound.       Now you are seated with Christ in the
                                            heavenly places.

Not of works.

V. Then What About Works? Works Follow Salvation

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (v. 10)

If anyone is in Christ, that person is A NEW CREATURE, (2 Cor, 3:17), with a new motivation and new power. “All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to such as keep His covenant.”  -- Ps. 25:10  (KJV)

What we do for God, we do out of gratitude for what He has done for us. We can’t repay Him. But He allows us to serve Him, and He empowers and guides us. It’s a privilege He gives to us, and a privilege He expects us to exercise. If we have the Holy Spirit, we have the desire and the power to do God’s will.

VI. Eternal Security

If you are saved, you are saved forever. God keeps you secure. He can’t fail. “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.”

Queen Victoria often visited the poor and humble. In one humble cottage, when she asked what she could do for the resident, the happy Christian told her, “There is nothing I need, I am perfectly content.”

“But I wish to do something for you,” she replied.

“Then promise me one thing.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
“Promise you’ll meet me in heaven.”
The queen replied, “I will surely meet you there, on the merit of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.” [1]

Are you sure you’ll be there?

Conclusion

How can I be saved?

Acknowledge to God that you are a sinner.
Believe the gospel and place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation.
Pray and express this to God, repenting (turning away from) your sin, trusting him for guidance.

By faith, simply receive the free gift of eternal life He offers. Then, if you mean business with God, you are eternally saved.

After that, follow Him in baptism and unite with a local church where you can learn about and serve Him, and have fellowship with other believers.

Too simple? It’s the only way.
May God help you in your decision.

[1] From a misplaced book of illustrations.

Illustration: Public domain.

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