Faith Advent 2024
Advent 2024 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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I like one definition I read of faith
Faith is an active trust in God, a belief in what He says is true that results in action.
Have you ever doubted? Have you ever been afraid? Have you ever worried?
-Last week we looked at Hope. this week our focus is Faith. the two go
hand-in-hand.
Hope and Faith are not necessarily linear, as if only one of them leads to the other
one, think of them more as circular. As our hope is realized, our faith grows. As
our faith grows, we hope with more confidence which leads to more faith… and
more hope...
What does our passage say about God?
I want to start with the most important reason you can have faith in God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
What else does our text say about God?
Hebrews 10:5 (ESV)
Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
1 Samuel 15:22 (ESV)
And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
What does it say about Jesus?
and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
What does our passage say about The Holy Spirit?
And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
“This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
and write them on their minds,”
This leads into what does the text say about us?
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,
and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
What does God want us to do in response to this passage?
For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
What hope do we have from this passage?
32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings,
33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated.
34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.
35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
37 For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay;
38 but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”
39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
Wow there is a lot here and I would encourage you to review this passage this week and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you, but I want you to focus on verse 34
34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.
So we know this world is under the control of the evil one and until our King returns, there will be difficulties, sickness and death but where is our hope?
37 For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay;
He is coming and if we endure suffering knowing that we have a better possession, God Himself!,
39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
