THE BASICS OF FAITH: PART 1

IMPERATIVES:

#1 Determine Your Goal;

#2 Pick A Point (It’s important to have a one point message. That way you only have one thing to remember.);

#3 Create A Map (Me-We-God-You-We);

#4 Internalize The Message (Tell a story that takes them on a journey) (Whether it’s a journey to your childhood home or a journey to a life-changing truth, it’s a story that will take you there.) (People make it difficult when they try to communicate points instead of telling a story.) (When you stand up and speak without notes and without having to read your sermon, you’re saying, “This is so important that it’s a part of me — and I think you should make it a part of you, too!”);

#5 Engage The Audience;

#6 Find Your Voice;

#7 Find Some TractionPrayer, Checklist Questions: What do they need to know?Why do they need to know it?What do they need to do?Why do they need to do it?

MAP:

ME - Explain who you are and what you’re all about. Pastor in his church uses as introduction of idea or topic.

WE - It takes me from what I’m thinking or feeling to what WE are thinking and feeling. I have to find an emotional common ground with them around the topic or idea of the message. My goal is to raise a felt need with as many people in the audience as I can

GOD - where I take this emotional common ground I’ve established and introduce biblical truth into the discussion. Now I’m providing a solution to the need I just raised. Remember, we are not teaching the Bible to people; we’re teaching people the Bible. First, we connect with the people; then we move to the Bible.

YOU - Once I’ve introduced God’s view on the subject as the answer to the need, it makes it easy for me to then ask, ‘What are you going to do about it? This becomes the application segment, and if I’ve followed my map well, instead of having to stir up interest in making the application, the application comes as a relief or it’s always the answer to a question they’re already asking. Communicate the challenge at a personal level because life-change is going to come when people apply the truth to their lives. You just go back, and everywhere you raised a need, now you make an application and make sure you don’t raise a felt need that you aren’t going to cover from God’s Word and answer with an application. The worst thing a communicator can do is overpromise and under-deliver. You’re building trust with your listeners. Not just trust in the information, but trust in the relationship.

WE - the place to cast a common vision. A vision of what our lives, our church, and even our world would look like if only we would apply the truth of God’s Word. It’s the inspirational part of the message. My goal at this point is to inspire people to make a change. Sometimes being faced with God’s Word can leave the listener feeling defeated, if all they think about is how far they have to go. But, if I can give them a picture of what life will be like once they apply the truth, then they have a little hope.

GOAL: What are the basics of FAITH? What is most important when it comes to FAITH? (What we put our faith in) The Bible . . . the Word of God!

POINT: What Is Faith?

INTRODUCTION

Greetings Everyone! It is so good to have you with us! My prayer is that you are doing well these days and that you are finding comfort and peace in your relationship with the Lord along with provision in every way! I know we live in challenging days and we are all feeling the times of being restricted in many ways; but I’m also glad for the many opportunities that are arising for us to be the church and minister to those around us a message that can strengthen us and carry us through in a vibrant and thriving way of life.

(ME)/(WE)

Our family is finding comfort and encouragement as we are in God’s Word and times that we are being ND Smart with family and friends! We are soon approaching days in which we will be able to be together again in a limited capacity as a church family . . . so hang in there . . . the day is a coming! It is exciting that we will be able to be together for Mother’s Day for a Drive-In Service . . . and we are excited and looking forward to that time with you once again.

I know that WE are all looking forward to being together again. But, as for now, let us continue to be the “Church that has left the Building” and the “Church that is ministering and meeting needs in our community as they arise!”

Speaking of that . . . not only are there physical, emotional, and financial needs, but also spiritual needs! As we are ministering to others out there we are taking a step into a new series today talking about “The Basics of FAITH” Through this series we will be wrestling with those basics of the Christian Faith that make us who we are today in Christ . . . a return to the fundamentals we can call it. A return and refreshing, maybe even a fresh revelation once again of things forgotten or not thought of so much. These are great messages and topics that build us up and remind us of our roots and foundations!

So, today we are going to talk about FAITH, What We Put Our Faith In & Why!

Would you pray with me as we dive in today?

MESSAGE (GOD)

What Is The Definition of Faith?

Definition of Faith: Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary.

The Definition of Faith according to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary says that faith is an allegiance to duty or a person, secondly, a belief and trust in and loyalty to God, and finally something that is believed especially with strong conviction especially a system of religious beliefs without question.

Definition of Faith: central to biblical thought.

Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible says The Definition of Faith central to biblical thought is that human faith is that which responds to and is sustained by God’s faithfulness.

Another says that faith on the part of a person should lead to faithfulness.

The idea of faith can move from the subjective attitude (which is based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions, and which is dependent on the mind for existence) to “the faith” which God has revealed objectively (which is not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts; nor is it dependent on the mind for existence, but is actual) through deed and word and sign in order that it should be trusted.

As always in the Scriptures, the divine initiative is emphasized or assumed, and the fact that the living God is willing to enter into relationship with his creatures, and has shown them that he is worthy of their trust, is what gives biblical faith its distinctive character.

What Is Most Important When It Comes To Faith? (What we put our faith in and why)

What is most important when it comes to faith is what we put our faith in and why.

I want to use a simple illustrations for understanding.

A Chair.

Most likely, everyday you sit in a chair. You are most probably sitting in one even now! Whether it is a chair with 4 legs or maybe a stool like I’m sitting on now with one single pedestal. Each time we choose to sit on something like this we are putting our faith and trust in the chair to hold us up. We firmly believe that the materials that it is made of, and the way it was constructed will hold our weight up and not send us crashing to the ground in a heap of materials.

The “why” is what causes us to act in faith to set in the chair. We can see the chair, the materials that it is made of, and if we look closely, we can see the way it was constructed . . . but undoubtedly, we hardly ever closely examine the chair in which we sit in unless it is clearly in bad shape and clearly looks unstable. So, unless something is clearly and visibly unstable we are acting in faith and in trust that the craftsmanship was adequate to hold us up. We probably don’t even know who constructed the chair . . . but we are putting our faith and trust in them that they have done an adequate job.

You see, we put our faith (trust) in things everyday without knowing all of the facts, but based on our experiences from the past, what we can see with our eyes, and what we don’t see with our eyes.

On the other hand, we have relationships with people. From the time we are a baby there is a faith and trust being built inside of us without us even knowing it. From the time we are born, and our parents are holding us and taking care of us . . . it is happening! Unknowingly, we are learning to have faith and trust in them to know what we need and act on our behalf . . . until finally one day, we are grown and mature enough that we are putting our faith and trust in other people! There are those that we learn (through experience) to trust in (like our parents) and not to trust in (also because of experience). Those experiences either build or tear down that faith and trust we have in the person and the relationship. We can also be taught about faith and trust by people, but it most often still comes back to our experiences in whether that faith and trust stands over time and is built or tore down.

So, we literally put our lives, by faith and trust, into the hands of things and people everyday that we don’t know and don’t see! With a little thought we could make a long list very quickly including cars, planes, trains . . . and the people who operate them!

Now, after wrestling with “what faith is”, and talking about “what is most important when it comes to faith” . . . what we put our faith in and why . . . we want to wrestle with “putting our faith in something that stands the test and is dependable, reliable, and consistent.”

(dependable, trustworthy and reliable based on personal allegiance; reliable, consistently good in quality or performance; able to be trusted . . . a person or thing with trustworthy qualities, relationships based on service between superiors and inferiors; consistent, acting or done in the same way over time, especially so as to be fair or accurate, unchanging in nature, standard, or effect over time, compatible or in agreement with something.)

When we think about those three words, dependable, reliable, and consistent . . . it eliminates pretty much everything except for one thing. The government, our financial institutions, our health, and this is sad, but our relationships do not always meet these.

It leads us to one thing that meets all three of these. The Bible - The Word of God! Let’s wrestle with that!

The Bible - The Word of God!

The Bible - the book that has been by far the Bestseller of all time and has been translated into more languages than any other book.

Literally, Bible means “book.” But, what kind of book is the Bible? Is it just a religious record of encounters with God? Is it a human book? The Christian Church has looked at it for some time as the written Word of God.

We know that God is the leading character in this book because the first words are “In the beginning God . . .”

Right from the beginning God is giving us information about himself and telling us about the purpose he has for all of creation.

How we look at the Bible is so important because it reveals to us that God does exist and even how we can know him and have relationship with him if he does exist.

It is in the Bible, the tool that God has chosen to use, that he reveals himself and his true character . . . the dependable, reliable, and consistent God that he is. it is through documented histories, stories, and events that we find out where we have come from, why we are here, and even the end of it all. He gives us what scripture says in 2 Timothy 3:16 . . . that the word of God is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man/woman of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” and in 2 Peter 1:3 “everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him [Jesus Christ].” So that we would have what we need for life . . . for instruction, for encouragement, for discipline, and for wisdom!

There is so much we can cover here, and I’ve put more in the notes for you to further look at and study than we can cover in such a short time, but I want to just move through and announce some of the things that we know and can prove that the Bible - the Word of God is . . .

1. God Has Revealed Himself Through the Bible - Indication of Supernatural Origin.

a. Nature and the entire Cosmos are evidence of a powerful designer. (This didn’t happen by chance.)

b. Through history God has revealed himself, particularly in his dealings with Israel and the nations surrounding it.

c. The words of the prophets were also instruments of God’s revelation as they interpreted their circumstances and sought God’s will.

2. God Provided a Written Record Through the Bible

a. The 39 books of the Old Testament

1) 1100 years to write

b. The 27 books of the New Testament

a. 100 years to write

3. God’s Word Is Inspired

a. A book of over 2,000 years history and it has a single theme.

b. The Bible originated in God’s mind, not in human minds . . . it is inspired! Inspired literally means “out-breathed” (from the mouth of God).

4. God’s Word is the Primary Source of Religious Belief

a. Out of 4 possible sources (1. Tradition, 2. Human Reason, 3. Existential Encounter [an emotional experience], and 4. the Bible itself) the Bible is the recognized, supported, and verified by rational investigation, historicity of Jesus Christ himself. All the other possible sources must be submitted to the message of Scripture.

b. Based upon repeatedly accredited evidence of modern archaeology, we can trust the Bible with confidence.

(YOU)

What About You? After listening and joining in the Word today . . . where do you see yourself at?

Where do you see your FAITH at? What is it that you are putting your FAITH in and why?

Is it the Word Of God . . . or do you find yourself searching, questioning, and wondering?

God desires to have a relationship with you! Remember, he has initiated this whole drama, this whole story, because He loves and cares about you and me! About us! So, if you find yourself questioning, wondering, searching, it’s okay because “if you will just ask him to reveal himself to you, and you will earnestly seek him, the promise is that you will find him (Matt 7:8; Lk 11:10; Acts 17:27; Heb 11:6).

This is only the beginning of a great adventure with God . . . and it all starts with “The Basics of Faith!” Faith in God’s Word, Faith in God!

CONCLUSION

(WE)

In a moment we are going to pray, but I want to paint a picture for you right now. The picture is of a group of people that are so committed to the message of life, of love, and of encouragement as we build each other up in our faith in these days! A picture of a group of people who will do whatever it takes on our knees in the prayer closet, on the streets greeting people, in our workplaces working side by side in relationships, and in our homes fellowshipping and breaking bread together, in making sure that people know that they are loved by God and can have a relationship with Him . . . ministering to felt needs as they arise, comforting one another through hard times such as these, and encouraging one another each step of the way to grow in Christ and His Word! That’s what I see in Valley City. A city thriving with love, encouragement, goodness, and the many fruits of the Spirit we see in Galatians 5. With God’s help we can and will see a group of people, a community of people, a city of people arise in new and powerful ways!

Let us pray!

Isaiah 55:11 NIV84

so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.