Faith part 1 - Rom 10:8-10

Dr. A. J. Gordon, while traveling on a train, engaged in a spirited conversation with a fellow passenger on the subject of "Faith." "I differ with you," said the man, "in that any person is admitted to Heaven because of a little bit of theological scrip called `Faith.' I believe that when God receives one into Heaven He makes a searching inquiry as to his character rather than inspection of his faith." Presently the conductor came along and examined the tickets. When he passed, Dr. Gordon said: "Did you ever notice how a conductor looks at the ticket and takes no pains to inspect the passenger? A railway ticket, if genuine, certifies that the person presenting it has complied with the company's conditions and is entitled to transportation. So `faith' alone, my friend, entitles one to that saving grace which produces a character well pleasing to God. 'Without faith it is impossible to please him.'

***SLIDE 1***

What is Biblical faith? What is the faith preached by Jesus and the appostles?

A proper Biblical understanding of faith is critical.

-- the word faith is used differently

-- even in church settings      --faith in baptism

--faith in sacriments, that people are good , faith that brings success

--faith in faith , anything is possible if your believe, just believe and you can achieve

***SLIDE 2***

--pistis, em-oo-naw

***SLIDE 3***

--belief, trust

***SLIDE 4***

-- deep conviction

-- live faithfully

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-- confidence and assurance

-- core of a persons belief system

Start from a basic level of what faith is.

--ability to trust and believe deeply

-- everyone has this, being made in God's image we have this ability.

-- the best desceptions carry with them a partial truth.

-- if evil were not made to appear good there would be no temptation

-- even unBiblical faith has elements of truth to it.

-- Biblical faith does include belief and trust.

***SLIDE 6***

What is the object of your faith?

Here are some common phrase we often hear.

-- Believe in yourself

-- I have faith that I was saved when I was baptized

-- I believe in evolution and that the strong will survive.

-- I believe that God knows that my good outweighs by bad

-- I believe in my boyfriend / girlfriend because they love me.

-- I trust in the traditions of our fathers.

All phases of deep conviction.

All convictions that reveal foundations of how people live their lives in the world.

Since the fall of Adam

-- people trust in idols

-- people trust in religion

-- people trust in their success

-- people trust in the next political leader

-- hoping to find salvation or satisfaction

-- only to be disapointed and find emptyness

-- there are people here feeling this way

-- God has been drawing them to this moment

***Slide 7***

Since the fall of Adam people have placed their faith in idols

-- looking for satisfaction

-- looking for love

-- looking for acceptance

-- looking for salvation

***Slide 8***

Romans 1:18-19 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.

***Slide 9***

Saving faith comes from hearing and recieving the message about the Messiah.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

What is the object of your faith?

Are you trusting

-- in the doctrines of your church

-- regularly give to church

-- are you trusting on judgment day that God will accept your efforts like the church has been

-- no religious effort, no ammount of success, no social status,

-- no earthly relationship will remedy the hole in your heart.

-- we go through life looking for acceptence.

-- to be accepted by our family, our friends, our spouse

-- Nothing short of being reconsiled to the enternal God will give us peace

***SLIDE 10***

God has commanded everyone everywhere to repent

-- Until we lay our life at the feet of the living God, we lives lives of futility

--Acts 17:30-31  The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

***SLIDE 11***

The word for Assurance in Acts 17 here is the same word (pistos) used for faith.

-- Here we start to see what Biblical faith is

-- Assurance or guarentee

-- Confidence that what you believe is rooted in reality, eternal reality

-- In fact if you have not placed your faith in Christ

--you are under conviction

--not rooted in reality

--he is coming again to judge the living and dead

-- God is convicting all men through the Holy Spirit

Faith in the Savior Jesus Christ that reconciles you with the God of the universe

-- is the only thing that can bring peace to your soul

-- Christ brings an assurance of understanding to your mind

-- bringing meaning to all of history

-- bringing meaning to your life

-- Christ brings an assurance of peace to your heart

-- through the forgiveness of sins

-- eternal salvation

-- Christ brings an assurance of peace to your identity

-- equipping you with gifts specifically for ministry

-- preparing you for trials through the power of His Holy Spirit

What or should I say Who is the object of your faith?

***SLIDE 12**

There are three key verses I tend to refer to

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

-- Trust and belief

-- not letting our own limited understanding of circumstances get in the way of trusting

-- public acknowledgement is being faithful

-- it sets you on the right path

***SLIDE 13**

Hebrews 11:1-2 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Biblical faith has an assurance and conviction of things not seen

***SLIDE 14**

Yet it is rooted in absolute reality, absolute truth!

-- understand that the universe was created by the word of God

-- remember our Scripture from Rom 1:20

***SLIDE 15**

Romans 1:20  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

***SLIDE 16***

Finally we get to it our focus for today...

Romans 10:8-10  But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);  because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

***SLIDE 17***

Paul begins with the Old Testiment phrase

The word is near, you, in your moth and in your heart

--Deut 30:14-15

-- The word used in the Greek for word here means a complete thought or topic

-- In this context the word here refers to the complete gospel message of the Messiah.

-- Paul is linking Moses telling Israel in the Old Testiment to trust in God with the heart for

salvation    and obey Him directly to the fulfillment of their promised Messiah in Jesus Christ.

-- Here me O Israel, the Lord our God is One and there is salvation in no one else.

***SLIDE 18***

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord

-- You are confessing, Jesus is your personal Lord

-- You are declaring His Lordship, His God head

-- You are willing to confess it publicly

***SLIDE 19***

-- When Jesus was talking to disciples

-- encouraged them not to be afraid

-- Matthew 10:32-33 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

***SLIDE 20 ***

"and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead"

-- Faith is Jesus Christ is faith in the living God

--defeated the enemy of your soul

-- trusting the resurected Jesus Christ

-- not enough to simply declare Jesus as your master.

-- If Jesus in the grave / teaching in vain

-- Not like Buddha or Muhammad

-- they are still in their graves

-- Jesus is risen from the dead

-- evidence of the power of God to save

-- validates Jesus Christ as the Messiah

-- all men will be resurected from the dead and judged.

***SLIDE 21 ***

Saving faith is trusting in the resurrected Jesus Christ.

-- There are no prerequisites or requirements

-- Status means nothing

- you need to clean yourself up

- your just not good enough

- you can be a prostitute, a doctor, a farmer or a homosexual.

-- The gospel crosses all boundaries and all backgrounds.

-- Confessing that Jesus is Lord is an acknowledgement that you are a sinner in need of a Savior.

-- When you declare your abandonment from trusting in yourself and your sin and place your FAITH in the Savior as your master.

***SLIDE 22***

"you will be saved"

-- This is the power of the gospel.

-- God will deposit his Holy Spirit

-- You will become a new creature

-- This is what it means to be born again

-- If today you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

***SLIDE 23***

"For with the heart one believes and is justified"

-- The moment a person believes in his heart he is justified

-- The distance from your brain to your heart is 18 inches

***SLIDE 24***

-- To be justified means that justice has been executed.

-- You are in good standing before God.

-- This is the moment the righteousness of Christ is imputed to the individual.

***SLIDE 25***

and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

If one is made right the moment they believe in their heart what does it mean that they are

saved by with the mouth one confesses and is saved?

***SLIDE 26***

-- Saving faith on the heart nessesitates action.

-- Such deep conviction always responds with a declaration in the life

-- From the moment you believe in your heart you will begin to see salvation being worked out

-- One of the first acts of faith should be declaring Jesus as your personal Lord and savior.

***SLIDE 27***

Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

If you would like to know more about a relationship with Jesus Christ please see me after the service.