FAITH PART 1

THE FAITH OF GOD

Faith- What is it?

To review and to sum things up:

1. Faith is a gift of God: 1 Cor. 12:9; Rom. 12:3; Eph. 2:8.

It is not our Faith but God's Faith.

The faith of God

(Mar 11:22)  And answering Jesus said to them, Have the faith of God.

(Act 3:16)  And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, this one whom you see and know, His name made firm. And the faith which came through Him has given him this perfect soundness before you.

(Act 6:7)  And the Word of God was increasing. And the number of the disciples in Jerusalem was multiplying exceedingly; even a great crowd of the priests obeyed the faith.

(Act 13:8)  But Elymas the conjurer (for so his name is, if translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

(Act 14:22)  confirming the souls of the disciples, calling on them to continue in the faith and that through much tribulation we must enter into the kingdom of God.

(Act 16:5)  Then indeed the churches were established in the faith and increased in number daily.

(Act 24:24)  Then after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.

(Rom 1:5)  by whom we have received grace and apostleship, to obedience to the faith among all nations, for His name;

(Rom 3:3)  For what? If some did not believe, will not their unbelief nullify the faith of God?

(Rom 4:11)  And he received a sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith while still uncircumcised; so that he might be the father of all those believing through uncircumcision, for righteousness to be imputed to them also;

(1Co 16:13)  Watch! Stand fast in the faith! Be men! Be strong!

(2Co 13:5)  examine yourselves, whether you are in the faith, prove your own selves. Do you not know your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you are reprobates?

(Gal 1:23)  But only they were hearing that he who then persecuted us, now preaches the faith which he once ravaged.

(Gal 2:16)  knowing that a man is not justified by works of the Law, but through faith in Jesus Christ; even we believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith in Christ, and not by works of the Law. For all flesh will not be justified by works of law.

(Gal 2:20)  I have been crucified with Christ, and I live; yet no longer I, but Christ lives in me. And that life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself on my behalf.

(Gal 3:23)  But before faith came, we were kept under Law, having been shut up to the faith about to be revealed.

(Eph 3:12) in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through His faith.

Again Mark 11: 22-26 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.(Exegesis Bible literal translation) Have the faith of God. ²³“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. ²⁴“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.²⁵“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. ²⁶“But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

Let's break this down:

     1. This is God's kind of faith (when do you receive it?)

(Rom 12:3)  For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think. But set your mind to be right-minded, even as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. (before you were saved)

          2. Faith involves speaking

          3. Faith involves believing in your heart

          4. Faith involves believing you receive (now)

          5. Faith works with forgiveness, unforgiveness faith doesn't work 

6. Faith involves doing, (faith without works is dead), being a doer of the word. (faith with corresponding action)

(Jas 2:18)  But someone will say, You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith from my works.

Can you grow in faith? Yes in your soulish realm/renewing your mind.

We are moving from FAITH TO FAITH, from FOUNDATIONAL FAITH to

FINISHING FAITH. Ever Increasing Faith.

FOUNDATIONAL FAITH is found in Hebrews 11. It is vital and without

option. It is man's faith in God. It is "first principles" faith-"faith

toward (upon) God." It is INDIVIDUAL faith that meets our needs in

five basic areas:

Again:

1. We are justified by the faith of God (Rom. 5:1; Gal. 2:16)
2. I live by the faith of Jesus Christ ( Gal. 2:20)
3.  Our hearts are circumcised in water baptism by faith (Col. 2:11-12).
4. We are filled with the Holy Ghost by faith (Gal. 3:1-5).
5. We are healed by faith (1 Pet. 2:24).
6. Our financial needs are met by faith (Phil. 4:19).

FINISHING FAITH is found in Hebrews 12. Jesus Christ is the Author

and the Finisher of our faith. Finishing faith is God's faith in

Himself in and through a Corporate Man. This is the faith of God (Mk. 11:22)

for these end-times (Lk. 18:1,8). This is faith for creation and for

the nations. This mature faith is needed to bring many sons to glory, to make disciples of all men. It is not just faith for us or for stuff, but faith to do the greater works.

Be encouraged! The One who brought us out will bring us in (Deut.

6:23 with Psa. 138:8; Jer. 29:11; Phil. 1:6).

"The hands of Zerubbabel (a type of Jesus the Messiah) have laid the

foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it..." (Zech. 4:9).

2. Faith is sent by God's word to those who hear: Rom. 10:17;  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.Prov. 20:12.

You cannot always look to the faith of the minister or to the one who prays instead of getting and exercising personal faith. The gospel is personal. Personal faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17) and by the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 12:4-11).Nothing is impossible for faith today as in the days of old.(Matthew 17:20;Mark 9:23)

3. Where is faith? Faith is IN Christ and Christ is IN us (Col. 1:27).

4. Only God's faith will accomplish the job: Mark 11:22; Rom. 3:22; Rev. 14:12; Gal. 2:20.

5. One needs faith to please and come to God: Heb. 11:6; Eph. 3:12; Gal. 5:6.

6.  As we said Faith is necessary to be:

a. justified - Rom. 5:1; Gal. 2:16; 3:6-9,24.

b. healed - Matt. 9:22; Mark 5:34; Luke 8:48; 17:19; Acts 14:9.

c. sanctified - Acts 26:18.

d. purified - Acts 15:9

e. saved - Eph. 2:8; 2 Tim. 3:15; John 3:16; Acts 16:31.

f. established - Isaiah 7:9; 2 Chron. 20:20; Col. 2:7; Jude 20.

g.  reception of the baptism of the Holy Spirit

h. to operate in the gifts

i. to appropriate all of God's promises

The standard is in Rom. 10: 8-19 (Rom 10:9-10)  Because if you confess the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses unto salvation.

6. Faith is reality: Hebrews 11:1.

7. Faith operates by love: Galatians 5:6.

"For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4).

8. Faith is not just to get things.

We cannot just look to God for our benefit and future blessings. That is man-centered. We have already been blessed. We have already been given all things that pertain to life and godliness.  It is not just what God can do for us, but what he will do by, in, and through us and as us to arrive at His eternal purposes.

The word “amen” is a most remarkable word. It was transliterated directly from the Hebrew into the Greek of the New Testament, then into Latin and into English and many other languages, so that it is practically a universal word. It has been called the best known word in human speech. The word is directly related -- in fact, almost identical -- to the Hebrew word for “believe” (amam), or faithful. Thus, it came to mean “sure” or “truly”, an expression of absolute trust and confidence. 

In other words when we say Amen, we are saying I have faith in what has been said.

Confidence is simple living in faith:

1 John 5: 14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him

CONTINUED IN PART 2