Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness

Intro

What is Faith?

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Confidence in the future, the eternal future

It is a confidence that drives conviction that convicts us to live in such a way that is marked by that confidence

It is confidence that comes from meeting God here in the Bible, it is a confidence that comes from having your soul brought from death to life

Faith is the God-given confidence that makes our future hope a present reality, and the inner conviction that His unseen promises are already proven true.

as we established weeks ago a walk with Christ is a walk where we count the cost, we go to war knowing we stand on a sure foundation

Out of knowing with certanty comes great boldness

This is why I can go into the world stand againsnt other worldviews

This is why I can boldly proclaim devil bring it

Faith Recognizes the Power of God’s Word

Hebrews 11:3 ESV

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

By faith we trust God created this world by His Words. He created every atom of it

In six days at that, the human body at that is an accomplishment, millions of species of animals, the laws of physics ( we spinning at 1,000+ miles an hour), the vastness of space (the milky way itself would take over 100,000 years to travel across at the speed of light), and contains 100s of billions of stars and 100s of billions of planets

And you thought your last 6 days this week were too big for God to handle

Mark of Faith #1: Scripture Alone, the Word of God is where the confidence of your faith comes

Faith that Leaves a Legacy

Hebrews 11:4 ESV

By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.

By Our faith we give an offering to God, a holy offering, not just a good.

Ask yourself are you giving God your leftovers and just your convenient moments?

Or do you strive to make him central?

Faith gives us a witness bigger than us, why should we know Abel, he did simply what was right, nothing largley profound?

Life is not about doing something large and profound, but simply about living faithfully to God, that is a life well lived

Faith is not defined by a walking on water moment, Peter was not compliment by Jesus for stepping on the water, rather rebuked and called out on his lack of faith

Peters moment of realizing his inadequacy to stand against the storms of life though allowed his faith to blossom

Simply do what is right and holy everday, consistently and that will be a live well lived and a day not wasted

Andrew Murray "Holiness is the very nature of God, and to live holy means daily to walk in step with Him, moment by moment, in every detail of life."

Faith Pleases God

Hebrews 11:5–6 ESV

By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Why is it only possible to please God through faith?

Because of who we have faith in and the faith in the confidence of his works, Jesus

Faith drives us to seek God daily

Apart from Christ our good works do not hold up, apart from Christ our good deeds are just in the now, apart from Christ our good deeds are about happiness

A Faith that Condemns

Hebrews 11:7 ESV

By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

I know this one sounds a little out there

But when we live obediently it is going to let completly different from the world and will expose the wickedness of it

Noah in a sense condmened it with every nail he drove and board he placed

Every thud of the hammer was a sermon to to the world judgment was coming

What type of thuds is your life giving off?

What are you building in this world, that says my faith is in Jesus

This morning your life says you worship Jesus, but also faith is offensive and opposes a wicked world

Or have you tried to build a faith that cuddles the sins of others?

Proverbs 6:16–19 ESV

There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.

The unbeliever should be affected by your faith, it should make them uneasy because light is shining on the darkness of their soul