Online Discipleship class Lesson 3 Faith toward God!

Faith Toward God!

Heb 11:6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.

INTRODUCTION

Good evening! We are going to be studying tonight on a very important part of the Christian life which is life of faith.

I am not talking about dead faith, but a faith that is alive and active, responding quickly to the Word of the Lord.

So before we get to far into this let’s have a time of discussion:

Here the discussion question: How important is faith?

Ok let’s look at:

Heb 6:1 So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don't need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God.

Faith toward God is the second principle of the Doctrine of Christ.

Remember:

Faith and repentance are inseparably linked together. They are mutually dependent upon each other.

Mark 1:15 "The time promised by God has come at last!" He announced. "The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!"

First, repent and then believe.

Act 20:21 I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.

To put it out there: To profess to turn to God without forsaking sin in repentance ends in hypocrisy. To attempt to forsake sin without turning to God in faith, ends in failure and despair.

Faith is the foundation for the entire Christian life. Nothing can be known or received from God unless man first believes in His existence and secondly, that God has revealed Himself in His Word, The Bible.

Rom 1:17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in His sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life."

The King James version: Put it this way

Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. KJV

The just shall live by faith.

But let’s stop for a minute or two and have a discussion time:

The discussion question is: What is faith?

The Bible defines faith in:

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. kjv

Heb 11:1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. NLT

The dictionary defines faith as a “trust, firm persuasion, assurance, firm conviction, confidence in another and another’s word.

Charles Finney put it this way: Faith is “a receiving of Christ for just what He is represented to be in His Gospel, and an unqualified surrender of the will, and of the whole being to Him.”

R.A Torrey states: To believe God is to rely upon or have unhesitating assurance of the truth of God’s testimony, even though it is unsupported by any other evidence, and to rely upon or have unfaltering assurance of the fulfillment of His promises, even though everything seen seems against fulfillment.”

So with that all in mind: let’s have another discussion time:

What is the source of true faith?

The only source of true biblical faith is the Word of God.

Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Abraham serves as an example to us of how to receive and respond to the Word of God.

Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

Heb 11:9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

Heb 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Heb 11:11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

Heb 11:12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

Let’s look at how Abraham manifests faith and is the same manner which we must manifest faith>

He heard the Word

He placed his hope in the future according to that word.

He refused to accept natural evidences that contradicted that word.

He did not waiver in his commitment to that word.

He rejoiced when the fulfillment of the word was realized.

You see, Scriptural faith is a condition of the heart, not the mind.

It is in the present, not the future. It produces a positive change in the behavior and experience.

Faith is based solely in God’s Word and accepts the testimony of the senses only when it agrees with the text of God’s Word.

So let’s stop and have a discussion time. The question is:

How is true faith expressed in the life of the believer?

There are two main ways in which faith is actively expressed in the life of the believer:

First, It is expressed by the confession of the mouth.

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Matt 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

Matt 12:34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Secondly, It is expressed by a life of obedience to the Word received.

Faith and works are inseparably linked.

James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

James 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

Let’s go back to discussion time!! The question is: How do we find faith for situations in our life?

Locate the promise in God’s Word that fits the need.

Phil 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

2 Cor 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

Fulfill all the conditions attached to that need.

Deut 28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

Deut 28:2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

Deut 28:15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

Psa 37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

With patience accept the trying of your faith and God’s testing of your faith through time of delay.

Psa 105:19 Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.

James 1:3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.

James 1:4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Discussion time again: The question is: What can we do to increase our faith?

Five things real quickly:

Settle in your hearts that God’s Word is true.

Psa 18:30 God's way is perfect. All the LORD's promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection.

2. Put yourself in the place of hearing the Word of God.

Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

3. Be hearers and doers of the Word, not hearers only.

Luke 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

4. Exercise the faith that you have.

Matt 9:20 Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind Him. She touched the fringe of His robe,

Matt 9:22 Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well." And the woman was healed at that moment

5. Avoid natural reasonings and philosophies of man that speak contrary to the clearly revealed Word of God.

1 Tim 1:4 Don't let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to meaningless speculations, which don't help people live a life of faith in God.

1 Tim 1:5 The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.

1 Tim 1:6 But some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions.

1 Tim 1:7 They want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don't know what they are talking about, even though they speak so confidently.

Faith toward God is simply trust God, to have confidence in Him and His Word, to believe what God has said, that His Word is true and what He has promised He will perform.