ALL ABOUT FAITH--THE FAITH OF GOD

Faith- What is it?

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:

• 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, not a measure. (before you were saved)

•  Faith involves speaking
• Faith involves believing in your heart
•  Faith involves believing you receive (now)
• Faith works with forgiveness,with 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: 

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

• 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) 

• Where is faith? Faith is IN Christ and Christ is IN us (Col. 1:27). 
• Only God's faith will accomplish the job: Mark 11:22; Rom. 3:22; Rev. 14:12; Gal. 2:20. 
• 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.

• Faith is reality: Hebrews 11:1. 
• 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).

• 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

How does faith get in to your heart?

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.