Faith Over Feelings

NOTES

Pericope: Genesis 15:1-6

Scripture Reading: Genesis 15:6

Main Point: Have Faith in your Father, not in your Feelings.

Four Ways to Walk in Faith.

INTRO

Picture of me graduating high school.

Picture of me graduating college.

Picture of me becoming a dad.

BODY

Four Truths to Grow Your Faith

Genesis 15:1-6

Truth #1: Faith makes room for God to meet you in your fear.

Your Father sees your fear—and speaks to it first.

Talk about fear and its psychological effects.

God being our shield.

God being our great reward.

Faith makes room for God to meet you in your fear.

Truth #2: Faith isn’t figuring it out—faith is handing it over.

Time passed, still no promise yet.

Abraham resorted to plan B. But God never told him about Plan B.

Abram thought that God over promised and under delivered.

Waiting/Delay makes us doubt what God has promised.

Faith isn’t figuring it out—faith is handing it over.

Truth #3: Faith dares you to dream.

God: “Your plan B was never in my plan”

Your plan B isn’t even close to what I have in store for you.

When in doubt, God calls you to dream.

Faith dares you to dream.

Truth #4: Faith isn’t about what you do—it’s about who you belong to.

Have Faith in your Father, not your Feelings

Righteousness isn’t about behavior, it’s about standing.

THE FOUNDATION OF OUR FAITH NEEDS TO SEE GOD AS FATHER. AND US AS HIS CHILDREN.

WALK IN YOUR IDENTITY AS A CHILD OF GOD.

Faith isn’t about what you do—it’s about who you belong to.

OR Faith trusts God to be who He says—even when you don’t feel it.

You cannot atone for your past sins; you cannot change your heart and make yourself holy. But God promises to do all this for you through Christ. You believe that promise. You confess your sins and give yourself to God. You will to serve Him. Just as surely as you do this, God will fulfill His word to you. If you believe the promise—believe that you are forgiven and cleansed—God supplies the fact; you are made whole, just as Christ gave the paralytic power to walk when the man believed that he was healed. It is so if you believe it. Do not wait to feel that you are made whole, but say, “I believe it; it is so, not because I feel it, but because God has promised.”—Steps to Christ, 51.

CONCLUSION

Graduates, whether you are going to first grade, sixth grade, ninth grade, college, or looking for a job, God has CHOSEN YOU.

Fathers, when you don’t feel like you’re good enough, our Heavenly Father has called you to step up.

Church members, HAVE FAITH.

APPEAL