Faith


Read this if you want to increase your faith in God




1. What is faith?



Q - Why aren’t we scared that the chair we’re sitting on won’t collapse?


A - Because we trust the designer & the manufacturer.




Q - Have we ever seen them?


A - No:






It’s the same with God:






2 Corinthians 5:7 ~ For we walk by faith, not by sight.




Illustration


Q - Can we see oxygen?



A - No:






2. Abraham's a great example



Romans 4:18-20

18Who against hope (= against all hope / human reason) believed in hope, that he (= Abraham) might become the father of many nations,


according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.




19And being not weak in faith, he considered (= observed) not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:


20He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;








But Abraham decided to believe:


God


ABOVE


What he saw




In James 2:22-23 - Abraham is called the Friend of God.

 

Q - Why?

 

A - Because he had faith in God and then acted on it.

 



Further reading

Nehemiah 9:7-8




3. Why does God want us to believe what we can't see?



2 Corinthians 4:18 ~ While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen:


for the things which are seen are temporal (= temporary); but the things which are not seen are eternal.



--> God weans us off the temporary things: which we can see.


--> To focus our attention on the permanent things: which we can’t see.




Illustration


At night:






In the same way:





 

Colossians 1:15-16

15Who (= Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of every creature:


16For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible,


whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him.

 



Further reading

Romans 1:20




4. We believe in Jesus for our salvation - even though we've never seen Him



In Genesis chapter 24:











Isaac’s future bride Rebekah is a picture of the bride of Christ / Christians like us.


(See Ephesians 5:31-32 and Revelation 19:7-9 & 21:9 about the bride of Christ)





(Genesis 24:56-58 & 64-67)






1 Peter 1:8-9

8Whom having not seen, ye love; in Whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:


9Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.



--> If we believe in Jesus - Whom we haven’t yet seen - for the most important thing: our salvation.



--> We should also have faith in God for the lesser things: finance, guidance, healing etc.



Notice also that:






5. God can do anything (with one exception - which we'll look at later)



Mark 14:36 ~ And He (= Jesus) said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto Thee.




Example


I was in a ministry team of six people, travelling by public coach from Zimbabwe to Malawi.


A long journey which needed four border-crossings (each of which can be lengthy) in one day:






In the evening - as we reached border-crossing #4 into Malawi, the mains electricity supply was cut-off (a frequent occurrence in some parts of Africa).


So the guards shut the border-crossing for the night, because it was too dark for them to see.


Big problem - we needed to reach the city of Blantyre in Malawi that night, but were stuck on the wrong side of the border-crossing!




A Pastor friend was supposed to have made a completely separate journey from the more distant country of Botswana to Malawi a few days earlier - a journey of about 1,000 miles. 


At the border-crossing - I looked to my side and saw this Pastor standing right next to us!


He’d been unexpectedly delayed on his journey for many days: at his border-crossing from Botswana into Zimbabwe.




Because this Pastor originally came from Malawi, he speaks the local language and:






The chance of this Pastor being at the same border-crossing (he could instead have taken three different routes to Malawi) at exactly the same time as us in the queue was incredibly small.


But God somehow co-ordinated both of our journeys, so that we would meet!




--> Nothing is too difficult for God.


--> Our faith grows when we understand that God’s in control of EVERY situation.




Further reading on how God is all-powerful - see the ‘God’ message on WholeCounselofGod.com




6. What's the one thing God can't do?



Titus 1:2 ~ In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.


--> God can’t lie.


--> So if God tells us something, we should believe it: because it’s going to happen!




Further reading

Numbers 23:19

Deuteronomy 32:4


1 Samuel 15:29

1 Kings 8:24 & 56


Hebrews 6:17-18




Example


After the Israelites conquered the land of Canaan - Joshua told them:


Joshua 23:14 ~ And, behold, this day I (= Joshua) am going the way of all the earth:


and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you;


all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.




So we shouldn’t be discouraged by:



A. What we see with our eyes - there were 'visible giants’ in the land of Canaan.



B. What anyone else tells us - the other 10 spies said it couldn’t be done. 

(Numbers 13:28-29 & 31-33)


Because there will always be people to discourage us!  

    



Instead - we should be like Joshua & Caleb who decided to believe:


God


ABOVE


What they saw



(Numbers 13:30, 14:6-9, 24 & 30)




Psalm 118:8-9

8It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.


9It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.




Further reading

1 Samuel 23:3-5


2 Chronicles 16:8


Psalms 4:5, 11:1, 16:1


Proverbs 3:5, 29:25




7. Three important reasons for having faith




#1 Jesus expects us to have faith



Luke 18:8 ~ When the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?




When we meet Jesus - will we feel:


or


... of our level of faith?




Further reading

Deuteronomy 32:20

Psalm 62:8


Nahum 1:7

Zephaniah 3:1-2 & 12


Matthew 8:23-26, 14:31, 17:17 & 20

Mark 16:14

Luke 1:18-20


Ephesians 1:1

Colossians 2:5-7

1 Timothy 1:19, 6:11-12


1 Peter 1:7

Jude 5

Revelation 17:14




#2 Having faith makes us happy



Proverbs 16:20 ~ Whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.




Faith = Trusting God:






Further reading

Psalms 5:11, 33:20-21, 56:4, 146:5

Isaiah 12:2, 26:3-4




#3 We're blessed



As in Jeremiah 17:7 ~ Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.




--> As we saw earlier - Numbers 13:30 and 14:6-9, 24 & 30 describe how:










Jeremiah 17:8

For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see (= not have regard to) when heat cometh, 


but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful (= not be full of cares / not anxious) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.



--> A tree draws water from deep down - the water’s there, but invisible to us.


--> Having faith means that deep down, we rely on God - He’s INVISIBLE to us, but we KNOW that He's there.




--> Notice also that the tree doesn't escape the heat & the drought, but can successfully live through it.




Further reading

Numbers 26:63-65

Deuteronomy 1:32-36


2 Kings 18:1 then 5 then 7


1 Chronicles 5:20

2 Chronicles 13:18


Psalms 2:12, 18:30, 21:7, 22:4-5, 26:1, 31:19 & 23


Psalms 32:10, 34:8 & 22, 37:3-5 & 40


Psalms 40:4, 56:11, 84:12, 112:7, 125:1-2


Proverbs 28:25, 29:25

Isaiah 30:1-5, 31:1-5, 57:13


Jeremiah 39:18

Daniel 6:16-23

John 20:29




8. We need to act on our faith



James 2:17-18

17Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 


18Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.




Words are cheap:










ABRAHAM proved that he had faith


James 2:21-22

21Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?


22Seest thou how faith wrought with his works (= see how faith & actions worked together), and by works was faith made perfect?



--> Works doesn’t only mean ‘helping others’.


--> It means ACTING on our faith: as we TRUST GOD in a potentially difficult situation.




RAHAB proved that she had faith


James 2:25-26 

25Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works (= by what she did), when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?


26For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.



--> Rahab hid the two Israelites in Jericho.  (Joshua 2:1-6)


--> Her faith in God was STRONGER than her fear of the Jericho men who were hunting the Israelites.




Like Abraham & Rahab:




 

 

As Smith Wigglesworth said:


“Faith is an act.”


“The Acts of the Apostles is called the Acts of the Apostles because the apostles acted.”

 



Further reading

Romans 1:7-8




9. We need to take the first step - then God acts



Let's see what God told Moses at the Red Sea


Exodus 14:16 & 21

16But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.


…


21And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.



A. Moses acted first.


B. Then God did His part.




Illustration


It’s like starting a car:


A. We first turn the ignition key / press the start button.


B. Then the powerful engine (or electric motor) does the hard work for us.



But if  we DON'T take the first step - NOTHING HAPPENS.




How did the Israelites cross the River Jordan? 


Joshua 3:15-16

15And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan,


and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim (= edge) of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest)




16That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan:


and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the Salt Sea (= Dead Sea), failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.



A. The priests first put their feet into the edge of the water.


B. Then God stopped the river.




Jesus explained how faith works in Matthew 18:18 ~


Verily (= this is a trustworthy saying) I say unto you,


Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven:


and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.



A. We act first.


B. Then God does the things which we can’t do.




Illustration


It’s like switching on a light:


A. First our finger makes a tiny movement.


B. This then releases electricity from the mighty power station to the light.



But WE always need to take the FIRST step.


Otherwise nothing happens!




10. What if we don't feel that we have enough faith?



Matthew 16:5-10

5And when His disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.


6Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 


7And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.




8Which when Jesus perceived, He said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?


9Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 


10Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?



--> The disciples were concerned that they had no food.


--> So Jesus reminded them how God had fed them BEFORE.




Illustration


It’s like going somewhere new, and seeing a familiar fast-food outlet:






We may be in a challenging new situation right now:






Further reading

Deuteronomy 1:28-31

Psalm 44:1-7




11. Our faith should increase over time



Luke 17:5 ~ And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.


--> The disciples wanted to increase their faith.


--> So should we:



2 Thessalonians 1:3 ~ We are bound to thank God … because … your faith groweth exceedingly …




Parents become concerned if their children don’t grow:






Further reading

Revelation 2:19




Illustration


It’s like walking to the top of a hill:






12. Three ways to increase our faith




#1 Read the Bible



Romans 10:17 ~ So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.







Further reading

Psalm 9:10

Matthew 23:23




#2 Pray in the Spirit



Jude 20 ~ But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost (= Holy Spirit).







#3 Spend time with people who build up our faith



Proverbs 27:17 ~ Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.



--> As much as possible: we should meet with people who encourage us in our walk of faith.


--> Who could that be for you?




Further reading

'Encouragement' message on WholeCounselofGod.com




13. David vs Goliath



1 Samuel 17:1-7, 32 & 34-37



Verses 1-7

1Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah,


and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim. 


2And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array (= in battle line) against the Philistines.


3And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. 




4And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.


5And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. 


6And he had greaves (= armour to protect his shins) of brass upon his legs, and a target (= a small shield) of brass between his shoulders.


7And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield (= a shield-bearer) went before him.



--> By SIGHT - Goliath looked INVINCIBLE.


--> But what did David think?




Verse 32

32And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.


Q - Why did David have such strong faith?


 

Q - Why did David have such strong faith?

 

A - Two reasons:

 

 


Reason #1

 

David knew Goliath couldn’t kill him - because God had told David he’d be king!

(1 Samuel 16:1 then 12-13)

 


Key to overcoming doubt / fear:

 


 

 


Reason #2 - Verses 34-37

34And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:


35And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.


36Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. 


37David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.



Reason #2:


--> David remembered what God had done for him in the PAST.


--> So he had faith that God would help him NOW.



DIFFERENT situation - but the SAME God.




When David fought the lion & the bear - he had no idea that God was building up his faith to defeat Goliath in the future.


We may wonder why we’re in a challenging situation right now - but God is using this time: to build up our faith for what lies ahead.




14. Hebrews chapter 11



Verse 1

1Now faith is the substance of (= being sure of) things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.



--> Faith = trusting God, whom we can’t see.


--> Like we trust the designer & manufacturer of the chair we're sitting on: even though we’ve never seen them.




Verse 2

2For by it the elders obtained a good report.



--> When we have faith - God’s PLEASED.


--> Like parents are pleased when their children trust them.


 

 

Verse 3

3Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

 

--> God spoke this world into existence.

 

--> Our faith means we understand this world was made from things which couldn’t be seen.

 

There’s another spiritual dimension all around us which we can’t see - but it’s there, just like our bedroom walls at night-time are there, even though we can’t see them.

 

 


Verse 5

5By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated (= taken him to heaven): for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

 

--> Enoch had faith - this pleased God.

 

Q - So what does God think of us if we DON'T have faith?




Verse 6

6But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.



--> If we DON'T have faith - we CAN'T please God.


--> Parents are unhappy when their children don’t trust them.




Further reading

Hebrews 3:17-19




Verse 7

7By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house (= his family).



--> Noah could not see what God was going to do (flood the earth).


--> But thankfully for us, He still acted on what God said - and built the ark.




Verse 27

27By faith he (= Moses) forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing Him who is invisible. 



--> Moses acted as though he could see God.


--> God wants us to do the same!




15. Hebrews chapter 12



Verse 1

1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with (= surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses,


let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,



--> The great heroes of faith are now looking down at us.



--> How will we feel when we:






Verse 2

2Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith;


who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set (= sat) down at the right hand of the throne of God.



--> Jesus is the Finisher of our faith:






So you and I should increase in faith daily, and always believe:


God


ABOVE 


What we see




Amen