You've Got to Have Faith
You’ve Got to Have Faith
Text: Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Intro:
• One of the primary things the Lord wants from our lives is FAITH. The Bible tells us that faith influences the Lord. It makes Him happy. It brings Him joy and pleasure, and so much so that the Bible says without faith it’s impossible to please God.
• The Bible says, “The just shall live by their faith.” Not just saved by faith, LIVE BY FAITH, not start out by faith, but “The just shall live by faith!” The Apostle Paul said, “For we walk by faith and not by sight.” Now, the Lord laid down a law in His Word that goes like this, “According to your faith, so be it unto you.” Say that with me, “According to your faith, so be it unto you.” That is a vital law that God operates by.
• That means: Great faith, great experience of God. Little faith, little experience of God. Isn’t that amazing? “According to your faith, so be it unto you.” Jesus returned to His hometown and the Bible tells us He could not do many miracles there. And it was not because the demons were too strong or the sicknesses too severe.
• He was hindered because of their unbelief. There was NO FAITH! Jesus, God in the flesh, had His hands tied by their unbelief. You can come to church and be part of the great American Pentecostal Church culture. But without faith it’s a dead religious form. There’s no life or vibrancy or victory. Without faith a church service is not even pleasing to God.
• Peter said, “We are kept by the power of God thru faith.” What keeps us victorious every day? The power of God! What activates the power of God in our lives? FAITH! The Bible says, “We are kept by the power of God thru faith!” (1 Peter 1:5)
• What happens when people backslide and turn away from the truth? They lose their faith in Christ. And when faith is lost, they start to drift or “slide back.” And when that happens, they lose sight of Jesus. And when they lose sight of Jesus, they look to other things. That’s why the writer of Hebrews said, “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…”
• Jesus was never amazed at anything but faith. He was never impressed by anyone’s wisdom, charm, or talent. But, when the centurion came to Jesus and said, “Would you come and heal my servant?” Jesus MARVELED and said to His disciples, “I’ve NEVER seen faith like this in all of Israel!”
• What made the great men and women of God stand out? Faith! Little faith, little expression of God. Big faith, big expression of God! Jesus did NOT say, when He comes back, will He find big churches, programs, or prosperity. The Lord Jesus asked, when He comes back to earth, WILL HE FIND FAITH!!!??
• The Bible says Abraham is the father of faith, because he’s the father not only of the Jewish people, but he is the father of everybody who BELIEVES, Jew and gentile. It says, “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness.” What was? His faith. Not works. He was justified by his FAITH!
• How did he get it? Genesis 12:1-3, “Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. (2) I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. (3) I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
• How did faith begin with Father Abraham? Well, the Bible says, “And the Lord said unto Abram.” That’s how the whole thing began. Abraham was uncircumcised, he was a pagan, he was an idol maker, and the Lord said something to him and that’s how FAITH began!
• “For faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God!” Abraham got some verbal communication from God. God spoke, and God’s Word birthed faith in Abraham. Today, the Bible is our only rule of faith and conduct, our only rule of doctrine and morals.
• This is the only rule that we have of faith. No manifestation, no prophecy, no claimed work of the Holy Spirit, can come from God, if it can’t be judged by the Word of God. The Bible is our roadmap, it tells us, if we stay the course, where we’re going and what will be at the end of our journey. This Book MUST become the Living Word from the Living God just like it was for Father Abraham.
• Because that’s how faith comes. Faith comes from God making this a Living Word from His Own mouth, His Own heart. How we need to live in our Bibles! I pray you read the Bible every day. You’ve got to live in your Bible because this is how faith is born and “this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.” (1 John 5:4)