Faith

Faith is...

Faith is reality.

Hebrews 11:1-2 “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For by this our ancestors were approved.”

Parents Love. How do you know your parents love you?

Do you need to wear a tag that says “I am loved by my parents”? For most of you, you know. You have experienced it. You know that they do. But I want to dial down further.

If your parents say they are going to do something, are they going to do it?

Show of hands, my parents are going to do what they say they are going to do?

100% every time

75% of the time

50% of the time

Sometimes

Never

What about God? How often does God do what He is going to do?

The word proof here in verse 1 also means evidence. This is interesting because it says proof of what? Proof of things you can’t see.

Sometimes you might hear people say having blind faith. The Bible never tells you to blindly believe something. Instead it teaches you that we can believe what we cannot see, because we have seen proof that God will do what He says. Even if we cannot know the future, we can know God, who knows the future.

Our faith should use all 5 of our senses. This is how policemen and detectives solve crimes. Even though they didn’t see the crime occur, they use evidence to tell the story.

One big difference… God sees everything and knows everything. He doesn’t need evidence to know. He gives evidence to us because He loves us. He wants us to experience the reality of his love.

Well do you know what He has promised to you?

He is with you, He will strengthen you and help you.

Isaiah 41:10 “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.”

He hears your prayers

1 John 5:14-15 “This is the confidence we have before him: If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked of him.”

He will help you to know the right things to do.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.”

He will help you not sin

Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.”

How do we know all the things that God promised us? We read His word.

Faith is believing in something we cannot see.

Faith is proof of invisible things.

Hebrews 11:3 “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.”

Believing that God created the universe is so important.

We believe in creation ex nihilo or from nothing. God creating the world is the only creation in this way.

Someone tell me about the most up to date technological creation that they can think of right now...Example of something created out of something else. ‘

If God created everything, he is also owner of all things. So what does God own? Cities, Mountains, Trees, Your body, Your school?

How did God make the world? by speaking. “…by the word of God.”

Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.”

We should trust the things that God says, more than the things that we see.

How do we know what God says? How do we know that we can trust God?

Faith is how you relate with God.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.”

Matthew 4:4 “He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.””

Faith is not just belief in God, it is believing God.

We talked about evidence earlier. Did you know that Jesus after He came back from the dead, He was seen by over 500 witnesses. Over 500 people saw Jesus with their own eyes! Do you think it would be hard to trust your eyes after seeing Him being raised from the dead?

Because Jesus was raised from the dead…we can trust what He says.

John 14:6 “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

The only way to know God, to please God is to believe in Jesus Christ.

Questions:

Do you find it difficult to trust what God says? Why or why not?

JC talked about faith involving evidence. How is this different than how you thought about believing in God? Is there any evidence that Jesus lived? That Jesus died? That Jesus was raised from the dead?

If God really will do everything He says, why should we read the Bible? Why should we obey?

2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”