Faith

Introduction

we are kicking off our fall kickoff series, Better Together.

This series actually comes from a process of self discovery that we did as leadership. We asked the membership what they thought the values of OneChurch are. From the survey we put out, we answered a few other questions about our community and where we were as a church.

As a result of that process, and much prayer, God led us to a place where we wanted to shift our focus to relationships. Courtesy of COVID, we as a society and the broader church have grown really disconnected. We have seen a rise in divorce, increase in anxiety and depression, linked very closely to the isolation.

Yet when we read through scripture, so much of it is about relationship and how we interact with our families, our friends and enemies, and most importantly, our God. We were made for relationship; it part of being like God. God himself said in Genesis 2:18

Genesis 2:18 NLT

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”

it is not good for us to be alone. Thus, we need to be in relationship and community. Our role as a church is to help you have biblically healthy relationship with the most important people in your life.

So over the next 5 weeks, we are going to be diving into the 5 most important relationships we have in our life, and going over how we as a church can help you with them.

It is also this commitment to relationship and community that inspired us to keep the tables out. Over the summer it has been great to see everyone talking and connecting around the tables. We need this, and we are going to continue gathering around tables for the next little while. It is important for us to remember that church is something we participate in, not consume. So we sing together, we pray together, and we discuss God’s word together.

But in light of the fact we said that the Carlyle service will be more traditional, I will preach the entirety of my sermon, and then create space for you to have discussion. That way, if you have to run, you won’t miss anything other then the life-giving discussion around the tables.

So we are about relationship, we believe that life is better together, and the tables are here to stay for the forseeable future.

So to kick off our series, we are looking at the most important relationship we have in our life, and that is our relationship with God. We call it FAITH.

Now some of you may be thinking, we just talked about faith not too long ago. That is true. It was the second part of our series Elementary, where we looked at the 6 fundamental truths according to Hebrews 6. If you missd that service or need a refresher, I would encourage you to check it out because this is kind of a part 2 of that message.

So back in June, I said that faith is really made of 3 separate parts:

Hope that God will do what He says He will do

Trust that God is who He says He is

Honouring God with the way we live our life.

then we went through and saw how the heroes of the faith demonstrated the different aspects of faith in their life.

so where that message laid down the foundation of what faith is, this morning we are going to look at the substance of our faith. It is one thing to say that we hope God will do what He says He will do, but what did God say He would do? It is one thing to say we trust that God is who He says He is, but who is He? What does He say about himself?

By extension, in light of the answers to those questions, what implications do those things have on our life? How do they influence our relationship with Him?

Who is God?

God is omnipotent

Mark 10:27 NLT

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”

2. God is omnipresent

Jeremiah 23:23–24 NLT

Am I a God who is only close at hand?” says the Lord. “No, I am far away at the same time. Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?” says the Lord.

3. God is omniscient

Matthew 10:30 NLT

And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.

Job 34:21 NLT

“For God watches how people live; he sees everything they do.

4. God is Love

1 John 4:7–8 NLT

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

so what do all these thing mean for me as a believer?

Well if God is all-knowing, then when you pray, you don’t have to tell His what’s going on. You come to find out what you can do. You come to learn from Him, not educate Him.

If God is omnipotent, then you can pray with confidence that He is able to do what needs to be done.

If God is omnipresent, then you’re never truly alone. He is always with you, and you can take on life with that confidence.

If God is love, then you never have to worry about being unloved, unwanted, or like you don’t belong. God is love, He loves you, and nothing can ever change that.

What has He promised?

1. If you follow His ways, you will be blessed

Deuteronomy 28:1–2 NLT

“If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God:

2. If you seek Him, he will meet your needs.

Matthew 6:33 NLT

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

3. He will forgive us

1 John 1:9 NLT

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

4. We can have a full life

James 2:5 NLT

Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?

God has made a lot of promises in His scripture, and He has never failed to come through on His promises. If He has fulfilled His promises before, we can have confidence He will do it again.

So What?

Because God is who He says He is, and He will do everything He says He will do, there are a lot of ramifications for you as believers.

Our relationship with God is the most important relationship in our life, and it not only affects us personally, but will ripple out to our loved ones, our friends, and beyond.

The question we have to ask ourselves, and I want you to discuss at your tables, is so what? How does God being omnipotent impact your life? How does God’s perfect knowledge impact your life? How does His promise to bless you if you obey influence the way you live?

Last week we looked at godliness, and how it is the ultimate expression of us being completely sold out on God. Well, who God is and the promises He has made to those of us who follow Him should inspire us to be all in.

Our life should be a reflection of hos great our God really is.

1. What stood out to your from the message?

2. What are some other characteristics about God you can think of? What implication does that characteristic have on your life?

3. What are some other promises God has made? How do those promises influence your life?