Growing in Faith
I am complete in Christ 1.10 • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 6 viewsNotes
Transcript
Handout
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
GROWING IN FAITH
1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Purpose:To show that believers must continue to grow in faith, trusting Him more and more. We need to boldly take God at His Word, nothing wavering.
Ancient Hebrew meaning of Faith - Aman
The Hebrew root aman means: “firm, something that is supported or secure.”
This word is used in Isaiah 22:23
23 And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; And he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house.
Derived from this root is the word emun, meaning “a craftsman.”
A craftsman is one who is firm and secure in his craft.
Also derived from aman is the word emunah, meaning: “firmness, something or someone that is firm in their actions.”
You can be an aman, man!
When the Hebrew word emunah is translated as faith, misconceptions of its meaning sometimes occur.
Faith is usually perceived as a knowing while the Hebrew emunah is a firm action.
To have faith in God is not simply knowing that God exists or knowing that He will act...
...rather emunah is acting with firmness toward with the knowledge God’s will.
In other words it is not simply a knowledge...
Rather it’s a knowledge so powerful that it affects and drives the knowers actions.
As we grow in faith towards God’s Word, we will step forward with a bold and firm action, having confidence in the Word of God that what He promised in His Word, He is able to fulfill.
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Your faith without action is dead.
Faith, by definition, is a firm act towards the will and purpose of God
God is calling TLC into a walk of faith!
Read Hebrews Chapter 11
The key to faith is this:
You must first step out in faith BEFORE you will ever receive God’s promises.
In every story listed in Hebrews Chapter 11, we can see where God promised things to these people.
However, they never received their promise until they FIRST stepped out in faith.
Faith is trusting God even when it does not make sense.
Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “Faith is the substance, (support, essence, or abstract assurance; confidence), of things hoped for, the evidence (proof, conviction),of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:6 says, “...without faith it is impossible to please him...”
In other words, if we do not fully trust God, even when it doesn’t make sense to our carnal minds, we cannot pleaseGod.
Faith is believing God and trusting Him in all things.
Faith only grows when we step out and exercise it.
We must put feet (actions) to our faith or we have no faith at all.
For example: Only AFTER we begin to tithe do we see the miraculous provision of God.
To the carnal mind, keeping 90% of our income diminishes our income.
However, trusting God with our tithes actually produces greater provisions!
Hebrews 11:7 tells us that Noah put feet to his faith, when God told him to build an ark.
The scripture says here, in part, about Noah, “...being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house...”
That thing that was “not seen as yet”, was rain!
Up until Noah’s time, rain had never fallen from the sky.
Nobody had ever seen rain before.
The concept of water falling from the sky was absurd to their way of thinking.
It just did not happen!
Yet, when God told Noah about it, he began to build the ark.
He did not wait for God to prove it.
He just started building an ark and preaching that the rains would come.
Only AFTER Noah built the ark did the rains come.
He first had to put feet to his faith!
We see this same pattern repeated with Abraham, Sarah, Moses, and others.
God expects us to act on our faith.
That is hard for the blessed and analytical.
When we do, we will receive the promises of God.
That is the only way to please God and the only way to increase our faith.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for.
The word translated “substance” comes from the Greek hupostasis (how-post-A-sis), “a placing or setting under, a substructure or foundation.”
So faith is the hupostasis (how-post-A-sis) substructure or foundation of things hoped for…
In Hebrews 3:14 and 2 Corinthians 9:4, it appears as the word “confidence.”
Hupostasisis a substructure, or foundation, that although it may be hidden, exists beneath and supports what is visible.
Just as the foundation of a building is not seen, but the building above the ground is visible
the foundation, the hupostasis, is very real and is vital in supporting the building!
Our faith is that foundation, it is that confidence, that even though we cannot see it, we know that it’s there!
It’s what holds everything together. It’s sure, it’s tested.
Now, “...the evidence of things not seen.”
The Greek word for evidence is elegchos, which is translated “a proof or conviction”.
So, Faith is the substance, foundation and confidence, of things hoped for, and the evidence, or proof and conviction, of things not seen!
The Wycliffe Bible Commentary: “Faith is trust in the unseen. It is not trust in the unknown, for we may know by faith what we cannot see with the eye.”
Faith is not stagnant! Faith must grow!
It only grows as we use it and begin to trust God more and rely upon ourselves less.
We must be like John the Baptist who said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30
Corrie ten Boom said it best, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
Analogy of the Hammer and Nail
Imagine the young boy who wants to be a carpenter like his father. He takes the hammer and starts to pound in the nail. He hits his finger several times until he perfects his technique and then becomes confident enough to be able to do it efficiently.
This is the same thing with our faith.
We simply try it in the beginning and we make many mistakes, but through trying, our confidence becomes greater and this is how our faith grows.
Don’t give up if it does not work out the way you thought. Simply keep trying, and if you will keep trying, you will grow in faith.
Where is your confidence?
In whom does your trust lie?
What do you hope for?
14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
Keep a journal of answered prayers.
Then when you go through difficulties you can remember the answered prayers and they will strengthen your faith.