SEEDS OF GODLY FAITH

JESUS AT THE CENTER

FUEL GRADUATION (Sunday April 7th it starts again)

INTRO:

We are approaching Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Picture the scene that day. Jesus beaten on a cross, two criminals on either side of Him. One wanting a sign, a miracle (“save yourself and save us too”) The other humbly admitting guilt and asking for mercy.

Luke 23:39–43 NLT

39 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” 40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” 43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

No Good Works

No Baptism

No Communion

No Coverts

Simple faith in Jesus lead him eternal life.

Had he lived; he would have had the fruit of the Faith he recieved that day on Calvary.

Ephesians 2:8–10 NLT

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Faith is the theme of the Christian Life.

faith — Belief and trust in God that is not founded on empirical proof but rather on acceptance of God's trustworthiness to keep his promises (Heb 11:1).

A Great Faith Passage is found in Hebrews 11.

It shares examples of how faith works

It reveals the power that works in every situation and reveals what pleases God. (vs 6)

It illustrates people’s faith in bad circumstances and even in sinful situations

Their Faith literally changed nations

We are not called as believers to be changed by the news;

We are called to change the news!

That happens when we have faith…

1. We Must Have Faith

BUT HOW MUCH IS NEEDED?

Matthew 17:14–21 NKJV

14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” 17 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

Matthew 18:2–4 NLT

2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Child-Like Faith they believe and act accordingly.

If you say it they believe it!

We tend to grow up and begin to doubt.

Don’t allow your limited understanding of the circumstances, to define the boundaries of God.

When we remove our faith in the Creator…

our true identity turns into an identity crisis;

our hope turns into doubt;

value for life disappears;

The opposite is also true…

Placing our faith in God…

gives us identity;

gives us hope;

gives us value;

gives us purpose;

Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Hebrews 11:6 NLT

6 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.

Question:

Do you have faith?

ILLUSTRATION: Suppose someone anonymously sent you a check for $1,000,000. The money is yours if you want it, but you still must endorse the check. In no way can signing your name be considered earning the million dollars—the endorsement is a non-work. You can never boast about becoming a millionaire through sheer effort or your own business savvy. No, the million dollars was simply a gift, and signing your name was the only way to receive it. Similarly, exercising faith is the only way to receive the generous gift of God, and faith cannot be considered a work worthy of the gift.

James 4:7–10 NLT

7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

Faith starts with us taking the first step; accept the check and sign it…

2. We Must Put Our Faith In Action

James 2:14–20 NLT

14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? 17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. 18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” 19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

Saying you have faith vs Showing you have faith

Is the difference between being a baby that is still nursing (drinking milk) and a growing human now eating meat

The graduation from just believing to acting upon that belief.

BY FAITH:

We understand (vs 3)

Abel offered a sacrifice (vs 4)

Enoch was swept away (vs 5)

Noah built a boat (vs 7)

Abraham left his hometown (vs 8)

Sarah believed for a child (vs 11)

Abraham offered Isaac (vs 17)

They passed through the Red Sea (vs 29)

The walls of Jericho fell (vs 30)

On and On…

Hebrews 11:8 NLT

8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.

Faith sees the impossible being possible, Faith conquers the undefeateable, Faith builds the unbuildable

QUESTION:

Have you acted upon the faith you possess?

What do you see that others can’t what do you dream possible that others are saying is impossible?

That just may be the giant or mountain that exists for you to conquer.

3. We Must Share Our Faith With Others

Romans 10:14–17 NLT

14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” 16 But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

Good deeds are contagious;

Love is contagious;

Faith is contagious;

BE CONTAGIOUS!!

ILLUSTRATION:

The Impossible 4 Minute Mile

Roger Banister was the first to run a mile in under 4 minutes (3:59) on May 6, 1954 defying what doctors and scientist called, “impossible.” Bannister's record lasted just 46 days.The following year 47 people ran the mile in less than 4 minutes. Because they believed it was POSSIBLE.

Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching?

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Take this message of FAITH to the ends of the earth

QUESTION:

Have you shared your faith?

Do people around you at school, at work, in public, know you are Christian?