Faith, Hope, and Love
Faith, Hope, and Love
#1
12/15/01 and 12/16/01
1 ¶ If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 ¶ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 ¶ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
(NIV)
(see Amplified?)
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
-I want to spend the next several week talking about the eternal values of faith, hope, and love.
-This is a good season to focus on what really matters. Thank God for the holiday season. It is a very fun time.
-It is also a time when it is easy to lose focus.
FAITH
1. FAITH FOR PETITIONS
Philippians 4
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
-Notice that the Scripture says to present your requests to God.
-We are familiar with this type of faith. It is LORD I NEED A CAR. LORD I NEED A REFRIGERATOR. LORD EDNA NEEDS HEALING.
-There is nothing wrong with that. This is the way God wants us to live.
-Jesus said, YOU HAVE NOT BECAUSE YOU ASK NOT.
-There have been people who abused this area but so what!
-God is for me. He cares about me and the things that I care about.
-A petition literally is a written request.
-There is a process involved in prayer of petition:
1. Identity specifically what you are asking for.
2. Study the Bible and see if there are a multitude of Scriptures covering it.
3. Spend time with God in fellowship until you sense in your heart you believe the promise.
4. Ask Him.
Mark 11
22 "Have faith in God," Jesus answered.
23 "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, `Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.
24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
-There is a truth there that we need to grasp.
John 15
4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. (NIV)
John 15:7 “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you”. (KJV)
-He isn’t the DIVINE SANTA CLAUS. But He is your Father.
-This faith isn’t a formula but the result of a relationship.
-Faith is your heart’s response to the grace of God.
-God is good. He loves me. If I walk with Him and live in His word, He will help me.
-How many of you got somebody something and can’t wait until they open it?
-Why do you think you are better than God? DON’T BE SO RELIGIOUS.
Matthew 17
15 "Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water.
16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him."
17 "O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me."
18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
20 He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, `Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
-A better rendering is “poor faith”. Jesus told them they could move a mountain if they had tiny faith. The key wasn’t how much faith they had.
-Poor faith is faith based on a formula or past experience. It needs a fresh trip to the mountain of prayer and encounter with God. (That’s where He had just come from. V. 9)
-That is “petition faith” or faith for petitions.
Hebrew 11:1 Amplified
“Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title-deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality-faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses.”
2. FAITH FOR HIS PURPOSE
-This is faith for the purpose of God to be fulfilled in your life and in your generation.
-This is stepping up to partnership with God.
-This is when you want what He wants.
Acts 13
36 "For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed.
-This is where you go beyond being served to your life serving God’s purpose.
-This is where you trust God enough to obey Him, even if it scares you.
-This is going overseas to Scotland or Haiti because YOU TRUST HIM.
-His purpose becomes preeminent about your comfort.
-This is where you trust that God’s plan is good. It is better than yours.
Hebrew 11
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
25 He chose to be ill-treated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.
26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.
27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
-Purpose faith is when you grow beyond what you want to BECOMING CONSUMED WITH WHAT HE WANTS.
-You aren’t just the stock boy, you are now a partner.
-You begin to accept the responsibility of the business.
-You begin to think globally. You begin to think beyond the moment.
-You are able to give up things because in seeking God you have found something more.
-You begin to think of ways you can spend your retirement getting the gospel out instead of how much landscape you can feast your eyes on before you die.
EXAMPLE: Copa Cabana- This is it, we made it. This is IT?
-Possessions are fine. Your purpose becomes more important than your possessions.
Luke 7
27 This is the one about whom it is written: "`I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'
28 I tell you, among those born of women there is no-one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."
29 (All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus' words, acknowledged that God's way was right, because they had been baptised by John.
30 But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptised by John.)
31 "To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like?
32 They are like children
Romans 8
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Ephesians 3
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power.
8 Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,
11 according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Jer 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
(NIV)
-We need to be partners and co-heirs with God.
-We need to go from:
THIS IS THE STUFF I GOT FROM MY FATHER
TO
THIS IS MY FATHER’S WORLD
TO
THIS IS MY FATHER
PETITION FAITH SAYS, “I TRUST YOUR PROMISES”
PURPOSE FAITH SAYS, “I TRUST YOUR PURPOSE”
PRESENCE FAITH SAYS, “I TRUST YOU”
3. FAITH FOR HIS PRESENCE
-You can grow in a relationship with someone to the point that it doesn’t matter what you are doing, it is only important that you are there with that person.
-This is faith in God when you don’t understand everything in life.
Job 13
15 "Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him. (NASB)
15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. (KJV)
-Job had bad theology. We see later that he had to repent and we see that God didn’t slay him, the devil was the culprit.
-Yet, God commended Job for his attitude.
EXAMPLE: Twila Paris song written for Melody Green. (“Do I trust you Lord”) That was written when Keith Green died.
-John the Baptist was totally obedient and I know he had doubts when he was setting in prison. (Lu 7:19 ¶ And John, calling to him two of his disciples, sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?")
-Paul and Silas were probably wondering what to think that night in prison. Paul turned to Silas and said, “I FEEL LIKE SINGING”.
-Joseph was wondering about these dreams he had had when circumstances were going south. The Word was true…but it took a long time!
-Do you have a faith that can wait?
-Is your faith connected to circumstances or God?
-Can you say no matter what…..I TRUST YOU
-Do you have a trust in God that will let you have a less than perfect life and still have joy?
-Do you have a faith that trusts God’s goodness no matter what?
-Do you have a faith that trusts God even if He doesn’t tell you all He is doing?
Hebrews 11
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age--and Sarah herself was barren--was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.
12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.
14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.
15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.
16 Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
-Real faith is an eternal virtue.
-It doesn’t have to be satisfied in this life to be real.
-Faith is an eternal virtue in an eternal God.