The Faith Equation

The Faith Equation (Active Faith)

Hebrews 11:1; Hebrews 11:2-35a abbr.; James 2:17; Joshua 6:20

November 5, 2023 – Waters Edge Church

INTRODUCTION (1.5/1.5) 37:00

Morning…I’m Corey, NN CP…so honored to be here…welcome to YT/IC/Online/my campus-NN…thank you Pastor Stu…1 of most focused/gracious leaders I’ve ever met…thank you for faith in me/keeping Jesus first

Excited to conclude series-More than Able, liked it? If not been here- we’ve been learning how to have a more than able faith bc its faith season! Today-I want to close the circle/complete the puzzle…shown you how to position/ grow/order/focus/authority in your faith- today I’ll give you final piece to full, MTA faith- doesn’t end w/ series

TENSION / THE HOOK (5/6.5) 35:30

Start off w/ a question…Has anybody ever wanted to be great? Best in the world at something? HOF illustration… Fball/Bball/Baseball/RnR/Country… Putt Putt/Agriculture/Towing & Recovery/Insurance… awk fam photo…bad haircut…ugliest dog…desire to be the best has existed forever… so much so- the Bible actually has a HOF of faith… God enshrined 20 individuals by name into the HOF of faith…long been referred to as the Hall of Faith: Hebrews 11

That’s where we’ll be today.. but before we jump in, I want you to know why God wrote this chapter…bc in the early church- Christians were being persecuted & killed/they were confused/discouraged…there was a temptation to turn back from their faith in Jesus or at the minimum hide their faith/to believe it but not to act on it…

So the author writes Heb 11 to inspire/encourage the church to have faith like the HOFers who’ve gone before…& through his HOF list, teaches them very imp concept: the faith equation… Faith = Belief + Action… faith isn’t just something you believe, faith is something you act on…

My biggest fear in this series is that you’d walk away from it w/ big belief, but small faith… praying/believing hard/declaring/claiming the miraculous, but going on living your life like normal/sitting around praying for God to move/doing nothing about it…so today as we conclude series, I want to teach you an essential truth: a more than able faith must be an active faith…that faith happens in action/movement…

EXPOSITION (11/17.5) 30:30

Here’s what we’re gonna do…walk through HOF together…ready? begins w/ what we all expect of faith-Heb 11:1 RGT: Now faith is the confidence of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen… beautiful verse-this is where faith starts-w/ belief/hope/confidence of the future…but then author presents the 2nd half of faith-does so using pattern…like a rap/poetry… he’ll introduce each HOFer w/ “by faith” but then he will highlight each of their actions that proved their faith…as we read through- want everyone to read “by faith” aloud & I’ll highlight the action…

Heb 11:2-35a: This is what the ancients were commended for…By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did…(more than Abel) By faith Enoch skipped death entirely…By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family…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… By faith Sarah conceived a son, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised…By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice…By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future… By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshipped…By faith Joseph, when his end was near, prophesied about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt…By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born…By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter…By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible… By faith the people of Israel walked through the Red Sea on dry ground…By faith, the Israelite army marched around the walls of Jericho for seven days, and the walls fell flat…By faith Rahab the prostitute welcomed the spies and escaped the destruction of those who were disobedient…(and he finishes w/) And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received their loved ones back from the dead…love this chp!

Love how each person acted on their faith differently-some built/sacrificed/conceived/went/marched…but did you notice the theme? They each exercised faith in action!

These ppl had bold/audacious/mountain-moving/ HOF/more than able faith bc they moved! these ppl were far from perfect- yet God honored them/they are immortalized in the HOF, why? Bc in a crucial moment in life, they acted in faith… they demonstrated active faith

Notice how God doesn’t highlight their belief…never says “by faith Moses prayed/believed/hoped/trusted”… no, these ppl didn’t just say/think it, they stepped out in faith… didn’t just talk the talk, they walked the walk

Indiana Jones Illustration… You can “say” you have faith, but until you step out/put your faith into action, you don’t actually have a more than able faith-you have passive faith…

& I just need you to know- faith cannot exist without action, passive faith is just belief… Jas 2:17 NIV: In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead…goes on to say “even demons believe” but what separates us is action…continues-it is our actions that prove our faith… the way we live proves what we believe…

Now let me be clear-James is not saying we’re saved by doing anything for God…we cannot earn our forgiveness-we’re saved by grace through faith in Jesus: perfect/died/rose…but here’s what James saying-when we put faith in/ give our lives to Jesus-transforms us from inside out…naturally produces fruit...if there’s fruit/faith, no fruit/no faith

Real quick-if you say believe, but there’s no fruit/actions/desire to serve God… you’ve prob never put faith in Jesus & I want to challenge you-don’t walk out of here w/o giving your life to Jesus…be best decision you’ve ever made

You see, just like James said-all these HOFers proved their faith by 1 thing-action… in the midst of hardship, they didn’t just pray, they stepped out in active faith… & now their faiths have been memorialized forever in the HOF

Active Faith Releases God’s Power (6/23.5) 19:30

Now you might be here & be thinking “that’s great…but like why do I need to have an active faith?” I see that all the HOFers/saints of old had an active faith, but why me? Why do I need to have an active faith?

In the next hour, dive into each of these 20 stories-no but I want to look at 1 of these HOF examples & I want to show you two major reasons why you need an active faith… reason #1- Active Faith Releases God’s Power

Joshua Story… put yourself in shoes…God tells Joshua…Joshua believes God…why cant you do it? God want him to take step… 1,2,3 ridicule/laughing…4,5,6 not 1 pebble…God hasn’t moved…keep on marching…Josh 6:20a NLT: When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could… how awkward/weird it was/cue?… but they had active faith...& God responded…Josh 6:20b…Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it… they took a step/leap of faith- and then God responded/moved in power

Many of us, we’ve been waiting on God to respond to our passive faith-our come to church 1x a month/worship a bit/ read bible rarely/pray meals/believe-in-God-type of faith…& we’re wondering why God isn’t answering our prayers/ moving in life/doing miraculous… it’s bc we’re praying for a move, then sitting around waiting for it to happen…

For so many of us, we’ve been waiting on God, but all along he’s been waiting on us…

Passive faith doesn’t move the heart of God- bold, active, more than able faith compels God to move…

If you want to experience Jesus/see God move/power released in/through your life, then you must move/act in your faith…get off the sidelines/stop being comfortable/playing games/prioritizing travel sports/work/school/vacation/sleep over church… if we’re comfortable, we’re not ready for God to move… faith & comfort/passivity cannot coexist…

Faith requires action & when we have active faith, that’s how we position ourselves for God to move

That’s reason #1 of why you need an active faith- bc active faith releases God’s power/bc it compels God to move…

God Rewards Active Faith (6.5/30) 13:30

Brings us to reason #2 of why you need an active faith…you see, there’s this weird secular/pseudo-Christian belief that if I “believe” something hard enough, it’ll become true… if I pray/believe/manifest hard enough that I’ll get a new house, it’ll just happen… that’s dumb… bc we never control the outcome of our faith…

No, the entire purpose of faith is to relinquish control/trust Jesus/plans/desires/ways… but here’s what’s clear in HOF/Joshua’s story: reason #2- God Rewards Active Faith…

Heb 11:6 NLT: And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him… love this verse bc it highlights the heart of Jesus/who we put our faith in… our God always responds to faith with faithfulness… bc he’s always faithful… will never leave us empty-handed/always rewards our faith… & he’s a wonderful gift-giver

Stretchy Jean Story…same w/Jesus-gives us what’s best for us/what we need bc he loves us… many of you, you’ve been praying to God for something for so long: healing for body, reconciliation of son/daughter, salvation of mom/dad, restoration of marriage, freedom from addiction, God to give baby…& I’m here to tell you, I don’t know if God will answer your prayer/give want, but if you step out in faith, God will meet ur deepest needs/reward your faith

& here’s the amazing part/where we’ll conclude this series…it’s always worth it…the rewards that God has for us when we demonstrate active faith are always marvelous/amazing/better than we can ever imagine…

Here’s why: bc you can never lose by saying yes to Jesus/stepping out in faith… against his nature/he’s winner/ doesn’t lose/victory belongs to him & him alone…you cannot lose w/ Jesus! He loves you so much that died for you, he wants the best for you, & he has the power to give it to you…trust me church, you want God’s rewards! You want his gifts/blessings/love/grace/mercy/life/purpose/meaning…& he can’t wait to reward his children!

That’s reason #2 of why you need an active faith-bc God rewards active faith & his rewards are always worth it…

APPLICATION (3/33) 7:00

Are you convinced yet? Want an active faith? If so, probably wondering how? How do I have an active faith? Super simple… 1) Daily Obedience… not all active faith means stepping out on invisible bridges/arks in desert…for most part, active faith is consistently obeying Jesus in the little things/choosing to grow your faith daily by attending church, serving, joining/leading group, tithing, sharing your faith, reading Bible, representing Christ at work, decisions that honor God, loving others… a more than able faith is often built by 100s of tiny, obedient yeses

The 2nd way we build an active faith is by having 2) Courage When It Counts/critical moments…while faith is built through tiny yeses, its often proven in big moments…& that’s exactly what we’ve seen w/ the HOF…these were ppl whose actions proved their faith in critical moments/tough situations/adversity…

Somebody needs to hear that today: adversity is the opportunity to prove your faith…are you in difficult season/ tough circumstance/bad relationship/uncomfortable spot at work? Lie/keep job or have integrity/get fired? Share faith/lose clout or hide faith/stay popular? Serve/maneuver schedule or stay comfortable? It’s these choices- these are the prime occasions/decisive moments for you to prove your faith!

This where HOF/more than able faith is made...100s of tiny yeses proven by big yeses in crucial moments-so what’s your yes this week? Where you need to step out in faith? You’ve got this! Choose active faith & watch God move!

CONCLUSION (1.5/34.5) 4:00

As I conclude, let me encourage you- you can join them… this HOF list is not yet complete, there’s still space for you… let faith rise in you… what if you were to live a “by faith” kind of life? Where it doesn’t just have to say “by faith Noah/Abraham/Moses…”? But it says “by faith John/Tara/Ed/Madison/Travis/Megan…”

Church, you can have a HOF/MTA faith…all it takes is Belief + Action… so I urge you- have an active faith! Not just bc active faith releases God’s power/God rewards active faith… no have an active faith bc you trust Jesus… bc wherever Jesus leads you, I promise you, it’ll be worth it…

Follow him wherever he takes you… you can never lose by saying yes to Jesus…don’t just let belief rise, let faith rise, let action rise & watch what God will do through you…Pray… Salvation Prayer

KNOW (BOTTOM LINE): A more than able faith must be an active faith.

DO: Choose Faith through Daily Obedience and Courage When It Counts

FEEL: Challenged; Moved; Inspired

Key:

Important Lines/Ideas

Stories/Illustrations

Bible Verses

Slides

Videos/Pictures

On-stage Movement/Props/Crowd Participation

Funny/Joke

Dynamic

Important

Temporary or unfinished