Walk in Faith

Daniel Shane Dismuke

Faith That Works • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago • Presented 2 years ago

2 Corinthians 5:6–7

Faith

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Faith is a word many consider to understand but few stand in.

Our series being: “Faith that Works” should make us consider a question: “How so?”

I want to take a portion of our time to consider a modern struggle in American Christianity.

We struggle to walk in faith.

2 Corinthians 5:6–7 ESV

6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.

This Is Not Our Best Life.

2 Corinthians 5:6 ESV

6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,

Think for a moment about the outflow of living your best life now:

It would mean— “This is all there is!”

It would mean — “There is nothing to long for or hope towards!”

It would mean — “Humanism is our best hope!”

It would mean— “What is to come is less!”

Colossians 1:5 (ESV)

5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,

Meditate for a moment on the hope we have:

In this life:

Wars have been fought over gold.

In the one to come, for the Christian:

Gold is so plentiful the streets are paved with it.

In this life:

Pain, struggle, tears, & death are present.

In the Best Life:

Revelation 21:3–4 (ESV)

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Paul says:

“So we are always of good courage...”

Why?

Because we are not home yet!

Paul had already written several letters to the church at Corinth. In his first letter he reminded them:

1 Corinthians 15:20–22 ESV

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

Hebrews 13:14 ESV

14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.

Paul says:

“...We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,

This Is Our Position In Life

2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV)

7 for we walk...

Notice how Paul says, “we walk.”

This is the idea of the motion.

In order to walk, one must be alive

In order to walk, one must have capacity.

Dead beings don’t move.

Dead beings stink, but not much more.

You might be able to take a dead creature and position them in a specific way or place them a in a specific area, but they do no move.

As Spurgeon says, “There must first be an inward life, before there can be the outward sign of it.”

Paul is saying: We are active. Activity comes as we are alive.

So here is my question church?

“Are you alive?”

It’s really not a hard question until you meditate on it.

Let me explain:

Are you active? (No. I don’t mean do you exercise. I mean are there signs of life in you?)

Is there evidence of life?

Does your life bare fruit?

Is the activity and life visible for us as a church?

Maybe the better question is:

“Are we, meaning First Baptist Church, alive?”

That seems like an easy question until you meditate on it.

Let me explain:

Are we active?

Is there evidence of life?

Are we baring fruit?

Is the activity visible in our community?

We are not home yet and therefore, our mission is still alive and present!

Have we:

Love God Faithfully (Matt. 22:37-38)

Love People Sacrificially (Matt. 22:39)

Make Disciples Fervently (Matt. 28:19-20)

Psalm 37:4 ESV

4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

James 1:22–24 ESV

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

Let’s keep it real for a moment

We can make, both personally and corporately, excuses for inactivity.

Busy, Broke, Health, Inability, Personality, and a multitude of other statements.

None of these diminish the reality of God’s calling and demand upon us both corporately and individually.