FAITH PART 2

How does faith get in to your heart?

As previously stated:  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.

Yet faith comes, it grows. FAITH COMES BY HEARING AND UNDERSTANDING THE WORD OF GOD.(Rom 10:17)  So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The Word of God often refers to itself as a seed. There are a total of forty-four verses in the New Testament where the Greek word “sperma” was translated “seed.” This is the same word from which we derive our English word “sperm.”

To conceive and give birth to anything you need, you must first plant God’s Word like a seed in your heart. Conception cannot take place without first planting the seed. This law of seedtime and harvest operates in every area of our lives. If we will plant God’s Word in our hearts, then allow the seed to germinate and the plant to grow to maturity, we will reap the fruit of a harvest. That is God’s best!

HOW DO YOU SEED THE WORD OF GOD IN YOUR HEART, BY SPEAKING IT AND ACTING ON CONSISTENTLY!!

What is the difference in faith and hope?

HOPE — confident expectancy. In the Bible, the word “hope” stands for both the act of hoping (Rom. 4:18; 1 Cor. 9:10) and the thing hoped for (Col. 1:5; 1 Pet. 1:3). Hope does not arise from the individual’s desires or wishes but from God, who is Himself the believer’s hope: “My hope is in You” (Ps. 39:7). Genuine hope is not wishful thinking, but a firm assurance about things that are unseen and still in the future (Rom. 8:24–25; Heb. 11:1, 7).

Hope distinguishes the Christian from the unbeliever, who has no hope (Eph. 2:12; 1 Thess. 4:13). Indeed, a Christian is one in whom hope resides (1 Pet. 3:15; 1 John 3:3). In contrast to Old Testament hope, the Christian hope is superior (Heb. 7:19).

Christian hope comes from God (Rom. 15:13) and especially His calling (Eph. 1:18; 4:4), His grace (2 Thess. 2:16), His Word (Rom. 15:4) and His gospel (Col. 1:23).

Hope is directed toward God (Acts 24:15; 1 Pet. 1:21) and Christ  (1 Thess. 1:3; 1 Tim. 1:1). Its appropri-ate objects are eternal life (Titus 1:2; 3:7), salvation (1 Thess. 5:8), righteousness (Gal. 5:5), the glory of God (Rom. 5:2; Col. 1:27), the appearing of Christ (Titus 2:13) and the resurrection from the dead (Acts 23:6; 26:6–7).

Faith and Hope work together along with the greatest one,  Love:(1Co 13:13)  But now abides faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

 Our Hope in God, our expectation, is His invitation.

 Here are some Biblical examples of faith in action.

1. THE FAITH THAT WALKS AWAY FROM A JOB
James and John (Matthew 4:21,22; Mark 1:19,20)

2. THE FAITH THAT PRESSES THROUGH TO JESUS
The woman with the issue of blood (Matthew 9:21,22)

3. THE FAITH THAT REACHES OUT FOR SOMEONE ELSE
Jairus, for the healing of his daughter (Matthew 9:18,23-25)

4. THE FAITH THAT SEES THROUGH BLINDED EYES
Two blind men (Matthew 9:29,30)
Blind Bartimaeus and a fellow blind man (Matthew 20:30-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-42)

5. THE FAITH THAT STANDS ON MERCY AND RESPONDS WITH THANKS
The Samaritan leper (Luke 17:11-19)

6. THE FAITH THAT TOUCHES THE POWER OF GOD
The sick people of Gennesaret (Matthew 14:36; Mark 3:10;6:54-56)

7. THE FAITH FOR A FRIEND THAT FIGHTS TO THE FINISH
Those who brought the paralyzed man to Jesus (Luke 5:18-20)

8. THE FAITH THAT REALIZES THE POWER OF A LITTLE CRUMB FROM A GIANT GOD
The Syrophoenician woman (Matthew 15:22-28; Mark 7:25-30)

9. THE FAITH THAT KNOWS A WORD IS ENOUGH
The nobleman whose child was sick ( John 4:46-53)

10. THE FAITH AWAKENED THROUGH A DISCERNING WORD
Through the prophetic and proclamation of Jesus ( John 4:39-42)

Faith Rest

(Heb 4:4-11)  For He spoke in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested the seventh day from all His works." And in this place again, "They shall not enter into My rest."Since then it remains that some must enter into it, and since they to whom it was first preached did not enter in because of unbelief,

He again marks out a certain day, saying in David, "Today," (after so long a time).

Even as it is said, "Today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts."  For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day.  So then there remains a rest to the people of God. For he who has entered into his rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from His.

Therefore let us labor to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of unbelief.

A faith rest is like flying an airplane by IFR (Instrument Flight Rules). I took a few flying lessons back in the 80's on a Cessna. One day the instructor said today you are going to fly the airplane on IFR. I really didn't know what that meant. When we were up in the air, he put up a shield or a blinder on the windshield. Now you have to fly using the instruments only.

That's flying by faith.  The same in this life we live and move and have our being n Him and His Word. What does Scripture say ,"(2Co 5:7)  for we walk by faith, not by sight;"

GROWTH IN FAITH

Faith is a lifestyle (Habakkuk 2:4; Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 5:7).  And as we walk in faith, we grow and develop.  This growth of faith is witnessed in the life of Peter. Remember everyone has a measure of faith. You needed that measure just to get saved. But as you receive the Word of God in your heart, speak it and act upon it, faith grows.

 

RECEIVED FAITH: 

He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have FOUND the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.  And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone (John 1:42-43).

 

Faith is first and always a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8; Ro. 10:17).  This ability to TRUST in, RELY upon, and ADHERE to (as the Amplified Bible defines it), is given to us by the Holy Spirit.  Like Andrew, we all seem to think that we FOUND the Lord.  Of course, we know that it is not the Lord, but we who were LOST.  And it is we who the Lord, as the Good Shepherd, has FOUND (Luke 15:4-7). So we didn't find Jesus He found us.

There was a movie I saw recently. In it this new executive came to an oupost in Alaska. While being driven to her office the lady driving said, "Have you found Jesus?"  And she answered ,"I didn't know he was lost."

Interestingly, the word FOUND  in Luke 15 is the Greek word HEURISKO (Strong’s #2147), meaning, “to find, see, perceive, get, or obtain.”  We get the English adjective HEURISTIC from this Greek word.  Heuristic means, “to serve, to demonstrate, or to reveal truth.”  Isn’t it amazing that while we were dead in trespasses and sins that Christ died for us, made us alive, and has opened our eyes to the Truth!   (Hebrews 2:9; 12:2).  He is the TRUTH.  He is the MESSIAH (the CHRIST).  He is LORD of all! 

We didn’t find Him; He found us.

But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name (John 1:12). 

REVEALED FAITH:

“Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?  Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.  And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God” (John 6:67-69).

Faith is RECEIVED and must be personally REVEALED.  What follows in Peter’s life is a confidence in the Word and Work of the LORD.  The word SURE in this passage from John’s Gospel is the Geek word GINOSKO (Strong’s #1097).  This word is primarily translated as KNOW and means to know by experience and absolutely.  John writes in his first epistle that we can KNOW that we KNOW (1John 2:3).  Paul’s ultimate desire was to KNOW HIM (Philippians 3:10).  Through a continuing walk and relationship with and in Him we will KNOW HIM.  And this knowledge is then the basis of our confidence. 

In other words the more we KNOW HIM the more we will grow in FAITH.

But note here also that Peter was still to deny the LORD.  Let us never think more of ourselves or put our trust in ourselves.  Thank the LORD that He gives us this example of Peter’s life to understand that our HOPE (confident expectation) is in Him only.  Peter still had more to KNOW of Him.  Oh, that we might choose that good part, as Mary did, sit at His feet, and learn of Him (Luke 10:42; Matthew 11:28-30; Ephesians 2:6).

“That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death”    (Philippians 3:10).

“Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth (Hosea 6:3). 

RESOLVED FAITH

In the life of Paul we see resolved faith.

(2Ti 1:12)  For this cause I also suffer these things; but I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to guard/keep my deposit  or commitment unto that Day. Now that is faith.