By Faith...
Notes
Transcript
I want to start out this morning’s message with a question… I want to ask what might seem to be somewhat of a silly question, but I want you to really think about this… JUST HOW IMPORTANT IS… FAITH?
What is faith?
Hebrews 11:1 tells us...
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
The Bible dictionary would define faith as a belief in or confident attitude toward God, involving commitment to His will for one’s life.
Faith is MORE than belief. Faith is belief combined with action… faith moves a person beyond what is seen… beyond what is tangible through our senses… faith moves our confidence and assurance away from the things and patterns of the world and places them in the unseen but clearly present power and presence of God.
Faith… is what disconnects us from the world and reconnects us with God.
So… moving back to the question how important is faith? Faith is extremely important! In fact, Faith is the key to unlocking our ability to experience all that God has for us!
So with this level of importance in mind, it is no wonder why the enemy will try to distract us from obtaining or maintaining faith in God.
The enemy wants to keep us focused on the things and the world around us. He desires to keep our eyes on what is seen… on what is around us. He wants us focused on what we can do with our hands, where we can go with our feet, what we can accomplish through our understanding. The enemy wants us to settle for what we can do on our own.
But as we talked about last week, there are some things that we simply cannot do on our own. There are some things we cannot overcome on our own. It doesn’t matter how much we do with our hands… how far we go with our feet… or how accomplished we become in our understanding. No matter how much we try… no matter how much we do… we will fall short.
Fall short of what? Fall short of breaking free from sin… fall short of becoming righteous. Such is why justification is such a beautiful gift of God’s grace - and this gift is obtainable only through placing our faith in Jesus.
This morning, we are going to dive into Galatians 3 and similar to the introduction of this message, we see Paul open up on the Galatians with a question… a question that directly confronts their lack of faith.
Like so many in our culture today, the Galatians were falling for a works-based religion instead of living a faith-based relationship. They began to focus on doing… instead of being. Doing what they were supposed to do instead of following Jesus and becoming like Him.
To clarify… works IS a part of being a Christian. As defined earlier in the message, faith is a combination of belief AND action. If all we have is a claim but no action to back it up, Scripture says that “faith” is dead in the water. It’s no good. But do not make the mistake in thinking that it is our works that make you a Christian… that you have been saved by what you do. Instead, never forget you have been saved because of who you are… a follower of Jesus Christ.
Faith is following the Lord. Faith is becoming more like Jesus. Faith is the key to experiencing all that God has in store for us. How many today desire to experience all that the Lord has in store for you? Then we are going to look at three important reminders regarding our faith in hopes that such will help us from becoming distracted by enemy.
By Faith… We are Redeemed.
By Faith… We are Redeemed.
Let’s look at Galatians 3:1-6 to start us off.
You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Paul starts out with a question that was meant to gain the attention of the reader, “Who has bewitched you?”
Literally Paul is implying that the recipients are acting as if someone has cast a spell over them… someone is controlling them. That somehow… through some magical means… they have been deceived or made to believe something untrue.
Now obviously there was no spell or any form of incantation that caused the Galatians to begin to slip in their faith… but remember the theme of this book. Paul wrote to set the record straight… to guide these folks back to the true gospel message. Paul is using strong language to gain their attention.
The problem: They had stopped living by faith and had moved to living by works of the law. They began by believing through what they heard, but moved to trying to live by the flesh.
And hear me clearly today… there is nothing more the devil would love to get you do to than to shift from living by faith to living by the flesh. Living by the flesh will lead to… nothing. Those who live by the flesh can expect to receive only what is seen. And it all ends in.. death because of our sin. But living by faith… is living as one redeemed.
Throughout these points you will notice a pattern in Paul’s teaching. He brings up Abraham in all three sections to reinforce the importance of living by faith. And in this point we see the shift that MUST take place in order to be redeemed by faith.
Look at verse 6 again. Speaking of Abraham, Paul says Abraham was made righteous through his what in God? Through His BELIEF in God - a belief he lived out in his lifetime.
The Galatians had heard the message. And take note - Paul is writing to believers in this letter… not to the un-reached. Paul is addressing those who should know better.
The crucifixion of Christ - the message of His death and resurrection - had been “clearly portrayed” and communicated.
They began by means of the Spirit but aimed to finish by means of the flesh.
Paul is reminding them that their righteousness, their redemption did NOT come through works or living according to the law… it came through belief and placing their faith in Jesus Christ.
Our justification… our being made righteous in the eyes of the God… comes by way of faith… not works, not the law, not “religious” motion, not tradition, not heritage, not through the flesh, not through what is seen. Our confidence must shift from what is seen to what is not seen.
It comes to a matter of trust. When we try to DO… work our way to righteousness we are trusting in ourselves more than God. However, when we choose to follow… to be like Christ and acknowledge our need for Him, our trust is then found in the One who gave His life for us.
Our righteousness, our redemption comes through placing our faith in Jesus Christ. Through that redemption we will begin to do the work of the kingdom and live according to the gospel message, but that living begins with faith, not through works. Like Abraham, our believing God, our placement of faith in Christ… will be credited unto us as righteousness. We are redeemed by faith!
By Faith… We are Blessed.
By Faith… We are Blessed.
Oooooo… I like that word! Who in the house desires to be blessed today? How many know that if you are in Christ, you are truly blessed? We move on this morning to see how by faith we are blessed. Read on in Galatians 3:7-9
Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
This is an amazing passage of Scripture. When God spoke to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, He was announcing the gospel in advance. God was revealing His plan through a promise to an individual who would not meet Jesus on earth… but God spoke of the blessing that would come by faith.
By faith, when we place our faith in Jesus, the promised blessing given to Abraham becomes our blessing! Look again at verse 9, “…those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”
By faith, we are redeemed… by faith we come out from under the curse of sin and the law and move into the blessings of God!
If we desire to walk in the blessings of God… we must continue to walk by faith… we must continue to be assured of what is unseen.
Church… if we are willing to be real this morning… we would acknowledge how difficult this might be for some of us today. Why? Because we are so used to being in control, used to having the answers, used to knowing the next steps… that when God says trust me with what is not seen… we might struggle a bit.
I’m an old India Jones fan.. and in one of the movies there is a scene where he is standing on the side of a very deep chasm. The doorway out is on the other side. He has to take “the leap of faith” in order to get to the other side.
It appeared hopeless until..l he took the first step. There was a walkway he could not see that blended in with the cliff side.
The blessing came from being able to reach the other side.
When we walk by faith, God is able to open new opportunities that would otherwise be closed off. God is able to do things we would NOT be able to do on our own. Walking by faith opens the door to living in His blessing.
And let’s not forget the greatest blessing that walking by faith produces. The greatest blessing it gives us is a deeper trust and assurance in God. The more we choose to walk by faith… the easier it is to make the choice to walk by faith. It develops a maturity in our walk… and unwavering trust.
God desires for all to walk in His blessing… to live in His blessing… for all to be blessed along with Abraham. The key to unlocking this blessing in your life is faith - placing your faith in Him!
Just as your redemption, your righteousness comes by way of faith… so does living in the blessings of God come by way of faith! We’ve got to take our eyes off what is seen and place our confidence and assurance in what is not seen… We must place our faith in God!
By Faith… We Receive.
By Faith… We Receive.
Lastly, who desires to receive all that God wants to pour into your life? Again, the key in receiving is faith. Let’s read Galatians 3:10-14
For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
Did you catch that last sentence? Let’s read it again as it sums up this entire message. (READ VERSE 14).
Our redemption was granted that we ALL might be blessed. Jesus was the key to our redemption and blessing. When we place our faith in Him, we are redeemed. When we place our faith in Him, we are blessed along with Abraham. When we place our faith in Him… WE RECEIVE THE PROMISE OF THE SPIRIT.
We need to understand something very important. When Christ died on the cross… He did so to REDEEM those who would believe from the curse of sin and the law!
Sin SEPARATED us from the presence of God. Sin brought death and destruction to our lives. Jesus’ death satisfied or fulfilled the conditions of the law. His resurrection opened the door for us to experience new life in Him. Christ broke through sin’s curse, death’s victory, and the law’s power!
1 Corinthians 15:54-57 reads,
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul is speaking of Christ’s return… of the blessed hope we have in knowing He is coming soon. Look at the truth that is conveyed here.
Death has been swallowed up in victory! It no longer has power over those who place their faith in Christ. Sin has lost it’s sting, sin has lost its power. OUR VICTORY IS GIVEN THROUGH JESUS CHRIST!
Through Christ, the power of sin is BROKEN which means… our fellowship with God has been restored. Through Christ… through placing our faith in Him, WE BECOME RECIPIENTS OF GOD’s PROMISED SPIRIT!
There is no greater thing we could receive from God than His Spirit in our lives! It is NOT someone we receive through works, through the law, or through through anything else. We receive by hearing and believing… we receive His Spirit by faith.
Closing
Closing
So that brings me to the last question of the day… ARE YOU READY TO RECEIVE FROM GOD? Do you want all that God has for your today… redemption, blessing, His Spirit?
The key to opening the doors to experiencing all that God has for you is faith - place your faith in Jesus.
Jesus did all that was necessary. Jesus went the distance for you because of His love for you. It wasn’t anything He had to do… it was what He wanted to do - to set you free from sin.
But you’ve got to want that freedom. Placing your faith in Christ means walking away from that old life of sin and giving all to Jesus.
It means we no longer live by what is seen, but place our confidence and assurance in what is unseen. Will you place your faith in Him?
PRAYER - Salvation
Secondly, we need to be careful not to get distracted in our faith.
Distractions might include fear, our own understanding, lack of trust, worried about lack of comfort or convenience. becoming more concerned with doing instead of being.
If you are in Christ, you have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Choose not to walk in the ways of the world no longer… but rather choose to walk in His blessings and by His Spirit in the days to come.
PRAYER - God, help me to live daily by faith.