Foundation Stones: Living for the Lord Jesus Christ:
Part 2 Faith:
I. Introduction:
1. In the days before sin entered the world,
Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of each day.
I kind of imagine them beginning their day with Him,
and ending their day with Him.
What ever the time frame might have been,
we were created to fellowship intimately with Him,
to trust and walk transparently before Him.
Our senior pastor (Dave Hess) is fond of saying:
“intimacy” means “into – me – see.”
2. God’s warning to them rings clear to us as well today,
“Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden
to cultivate it and keep it. The LORD God commanded the man, saying,
‘From any tree of the garden you may eat freely;
but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat,
for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.’"
3. Why wouldn’t God want Adam and Ever to know for themselves
about the difference between Good and Evil?
It is because God wanted them, and us,
to trust and depend fully on Him for everything!
4. Adam’s choice was to trust in his own ability
to decide where his life would go –
what he should or shouldn’t do –
how he should rule over the earth.
5. We have the daily choice to cling to the Tree of Life (Jesus Christ)
or to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
The failure of man to choose God’s perfect will for his life
over self-determination,
becomes the justification of a life lived in the flesh –
rather than in the Spirit.
6. The Spirit life breathes life, peace, while life in the flesh leads always to separation from God and eventually spiritual death.
“For the mind set on the flesh is death,
but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,”
Romans 8:6 NASB
“For to be carnally minded is death;
but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
Romans 8:6 NKJV
7. We must judge our call to ministry before we devote ourselves to it,
no matter how spiritual or Scriptural it may seem.
The true nature and assessment of any work must be judged by its fruit,
not its “spiritual appearance.”
8. We must ask ourselves, is this fruit from the Tree of Life
or from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil?
9. Jesus is to always be the sum of all spiritual truth.
“with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times,
that is, the summing up of all things in Christ,
things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him”
Ephesians 1:10 NASB
“that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times
He might gather together in one all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.
Ephesians 1:10 NKJV
10. Thankfully we have been given the opportunity now
to have everything that Adam lost by his sin
restored to us by living a simple life of faith.
11. The further away we get from controlling our own lives,
and seeking to live lives led by the Holy Spirit
the closer we come to Eden restored.
12. Our daily inheritance as children of God
is to know the voice of our Father in Heaven
and know what his plans and directions for our daily lives are.
13. Jesus never did anything without seeking the Father’s will first.
“Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them,
"Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself,
unless it is something He sees the Father doing;
for whatever the Father does,
these things the Son also does in like manner.”
John 5:19NASB
“Then Jesus answered and said to them,
‘Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself,
but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does,
the Son also does in like manner.’”
John 5:19NKJV
14. The Apostle Paul summed it up like this:
… “the just shall live by faith.”
Galatians 3:11
15. The Word of God calls us to:
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God
as a workman who does not need to be ashamed,
accurately handling the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15 NAS
16, The writer of Hebrews addressed this problem
in the early church writing:
“Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ,
let us press on to maturity,
not laying again a foundation of
repentance from dead works
and of faith toward God,
of instruction about washings
and laying on of hands,
and the resurrection of the dead
and eternal judgment”
Hebrews 6:1-2 NAS
II. Let’s examine more closely
what it means to have ‘faith in God.’
1. Our whole life is about faith!
Everything we do is done out of a restored relationship with God.
2. We now “walk with Him”
which means we live our lives with a constant awareness of His presence around us and in us.
3. We actually now have something better
that what Adam and Eve had in the Garden.
A. They walked and talked with God in the “cool or the day.”
(Genesis 3:8)
B. As Christians we have God in us through the Holy Spirit.
C. Our “tuning in” to His internal voice
is what the daily “walk of faith” is all about.
D, It is how we are daily transformed into His likeness
“But I say, walk by the Spirit,
and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh;
for these are in opposition to one another,
so that you may not do the things that you please.”
Galatians 5:16-17 NASB
“I say then: Walk in the Spirit,
and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
For the flesh lusts against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh;
and these are contrary to one another,
so that you do not do the things that you wish.”
Galatians 5:16-17 NKJV
4. Walking in the flesh does not just refer just to sinning –
it means living life like Adam chose to do,
saying “I will decide what is right and wrong for me.”
5. There are only two ways to live life:
A) Walk in the flesh (the old nature – a self directed life) or
B) Walk in the Spirit
( the new nature – directed by the Holy Spirit in us.
23But he who doubts is condemned if he eats,
because his eating is not from faith;
and whatever is not from faith is sin.
Romans 14:23 NASB
6. This is the simple truth – whatever is born of faith is righteousness
– whatever is not born of faith is sin
7. Faith - God’s High Standard:
Although simple the walk of faith is a high standard
It means that we must completely trust our lives to Him
Our trust however, is not in our ability
Even our faith is a gift of God
8For by grace you have been saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB
8. How then do we build our faith?
A) Everyone who is a Christian
already has a measure of faith. (Romans 12:3)
B) or we would not have been able to come to Jesus.
C) For us to continue to grow and mature
our faith must grow continually:
17So faith comes from hearing,
and hearing by the word of Christ.
Romans 10:17 NASB
Hearing: G189 akoē {ak-o-ay'} hearing - audience, ear, fame, which you heard, hearing, preached, report, rumor. From G 191 to hear, be reported, understand.
9. Walking by faith simply means that we:
A. simply hear what God is saying
B. we obey what we hear Him saying
10. This means that we must learn to discern God’s voice:
For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture
and the sheep of His hand today, if you would hear His voice,
Psalm 95:7 NASB
"To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice,
and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
John 10:3 NASB
11. Hearing comes to us by the Word of God:
A. The first way to hear God’s voice
is to make prayer a daily practice…
a) Daniel prayed three times a day (Dan. 6:10)
b) Jesus did nothing without the Father’s approval
(John 5:30)
12. Essentials for establishing/ maintaining a growing prayer life:
A. Make Time for Prayer
a) Prayer must be made a priority in our life
b) Establish set times for prayer
c) If we are walking in faith
we will set other things aside
so we can hear the voice of God.
B. Use the Lord’s Prayer / or Disciples Prayer as a guide:
Luke 11:2-4 as a model
a) Note the simplicity
b) Meditate on each element of the outline for prayer
“Our father”
“You are OUR father… the churches Father
Lord help me to walk in unity
with my brothers and sisters
Thank you for the Spirit of adoption “Abba Father”
Lead me by Your Spirit today that we might be one
A reflection of the Trinity - One with the Trinity
Walking in unity – within the church… etc.
C. Pray with a Mentor:
a) Ask someone you respect in the Lord
to be your spiritual mentor of parent.
b) Pray with them and note how they pray
c) Ask them to help you to better seek and know God’s voice
D. Get Involved in a Home Group Fellowship:
Home groups are a great way
to experience God’s presence
and come alongside other mature believers
who will encourage you in prayer
and with your walk with the Lord
13. Essentials for growing in God’s Word
Another way to discern God’s voice is by making it a practice to read His Word, the Bible every day. The scriptures were all written by the Spirit of God through godly men, so they are an excellent way to discern what God is saying to you today. They are also God’s standard; if you think you hear God saying something that is not confirmed by His Word, then you can be sure what you heard was not from God.
Here are a few suggestions for getting started:
A. Start with books that are simpler to understand:
a) The Bible has many different genres:
• Historical narrative: Genesis and the first half of Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Jonah
• Law: the last half of Exodus; also Leviticus, Deuteronomy
• Wisdom: Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes
• Psalms: Psalms, Song of Solomon, Lamentations
• Prophecy: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
• Apocalyptic: Daniel, Revelation
• Gospel: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John,
• Acts of the Apostles/ Church
• Epistle (letter): Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, Jude
b) The apocalyptic books of Revelation and Daniel
are fascinating, and filled with God’s truths,
but they are better understood,
when the rest of the Bible has been read.
c) The gospels are a great starting place
as well as, many of the New Testament letters
like Romans, Ephesians, James and 1 John
d) Psalms and Proverbs should be a part of every believer’s daily diet in the Word. They are practical and the believer is able to identify with many of the feeling, ideas and juxtapositions offered in them
14. The Walk of Faith:
17So faith comes from hearing,
and hearing by the word of Christ.
Romans 10:17 NASB
A. Read this scripture verse several times
until you can repeat it with your eyes closed.
B. This passage tells us that our faith is increased
when we hear from God,
and our ability to hear from God
is increased by His Word…
His word comes to us:
a) through His written Word – the Bible
b) through the preaching of His word
c) through His Word spoken by the Spirit of God
C. Take some time to reflect
on how your faith has been increased by hearing God.
a) What has God spoken to you recently
through His Word
that has increased your ability to hear God?
b) How has this affected your level of faith?
c) Write down a testimony about a time
that you believed God said something to you,
and you saw it happen
because you did what He said to do.
15. Holding on to Faith During Tough Times:
A. You have probably discovered this truth –
It is easier to trust God
when everything is going well for you.
B. When we are…
a) prospering in our finances,
b) getting along with everyone around us
c) receiving all our prayerful requests
d) are healthy and happy…
…then the faith walk is easy
C. True faith, however, is demonstrated in the hard times…
a) when we are unemployed or financially strapped
b) when our relationships are strained
c) when the heavens seem to be made of brass
d) when we are confronted with sickness, depression
or are being attacked by the enemy
… in these times we discover whether we are walking in faith
or whether we have in some way
reverted to walking with God by our own control
6In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while,
if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
7so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold
which is perishable, even though tested by fire,
may be found to result in praise and glory and honor
at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
1 Peter 1:6-7 NASB (my emphasis bold)
D. When we are walking in true faith
we will not be moved or shaken or influenced
by the circumstances that surround us,
be they dining at the king’s table or unexplained affliction.
“Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content
in whatever circumstances I am.
12I know how to get along with humble means,
and I also know how to live in prosperity;
in any and every circumstance I have learned
the secret of being filled and going hungry,
both of having abundance and suffering need.”
Philippians 4:11-12 NASB
E. We do not deny the reality of the affliction or grace,
but we approach them with a Godly mindset
F. Faith is not the denial of the reality of troubles.
It is acknowledging that God
is greater than our troubles,
and trusting that He always loves us
and has our best interests in mind.
F. Faith sees life through a different set of eyes…
… eyes that have been opened to the supernatural (invisible)
yet superior realm of God’s kingdom being established here on earth
“for we walk by faith, not by sight”
2 Corinthians 5:7 NASB
G. Once, we all walked according to sight…
a) basing our beliefs about our lives…
our past
our present
our future
… on what we see day-by-day
… on what we could “control” by ourselves
H. Now, as believers, we live a life of faith in Christ Jesus;
trusting all our circumstances are safe in His hands.
"I have been crucified with Christ;
and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;
and the life which I now live in the flesh
Hebrews 11:1I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
21"I do not nullify the grace of God,
for if righteousness comes through the Law,
then Christ died needlessly."
Galatians 2:20-21 NASB (my emphasis bold)
I. True faith gives us a supernatural assurance
That it is going to be “alright”
even when the circumstances we are in
are contrary to our belief
“Now faith is the assurance (substance) of things hoped for,
the conviction (evidence) of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:1 NASB
J. By assurance (substance) and conviction (evidence),
we mean that we are walking by faith in the spirit
a) our soul (mind, will and emotions)
are locked on to God’s promises…
b) we look forward to His provision
before we can see it in the natural.
J. Faith is:
a) the man who is unemployed relying on God to provide for his family while he is seeking new work
b) the woman who clings to God’s promise of healing,
while she experiences the
(often painful) realities of having cancer,
and the sometimes negative reports
of the medical community.
c) It is the one who carries the promises of God in their heart, and refuses to lose faith,
no matter how long it takes for the answer to come.
K. Welcome to your new life of faith in God.
a) Buckle up, and get ready for the ride of your life!
b) As you grow in your ability to trust God (walk in faith)
you will be able to do greater and greater works
to establish God’s kingdom here on earth,
and bring Him glory.
L. Every time you refuse to allow your circumstances
to dictate what you do, you are building up your faith,
and stretching your heart
to live a life as God intended – by faith.
III. Self Study Faith Scripture
1. Read Hebrews chapter eleven (11)
2. This chapter is commonly called the “Hall of Faith.”
3. In it are examples of people who greatly glorified God
and built His kingdom because of a willingness
to live a life of simple faith.
A. Below is a list of the individuals which Hebrews 11 speaks of
along with the scriptural passages you can look up
and read about their accounts.
B. There is probably no better way to examine ‘faith’ in the Bible that to read and meditate upon the lives of these people
whom the Holy Spirit has given us –
that we might be encouraged in our own walk of faith.
C. You are invited to take the “Faith Journey”
by exploring their lives.
D. Invite the Holy Spirit to show you
why these people were considered pillars of faith,
and how you can apply what you learn about the faith walk
to your own life’s experiences.
Hall of Faith:
Abel (Genesis 4)
Enoch (Genesis 5:21 – 24)
Noah (Genesis 6 – 9)
Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 12 – 25)
Isaac (Genesis 22; 25 – 26)
Jacob (Genesis 28 – 33; 35; 48 – 50)
Joseph (Genesis 37; 39 – 46; 50)
Moses (Exodus 1-20; 32 – 34)
Joshua at Jerico (Joshua 6)
Rahab (Joshua 2; 6)
Gideon (Judges 6 – 8)
Barak (Judges 4 – 5)
Samson (Judges 13 – 16)
Jephthah (Judges 11 – 12)
David ( 1 & 2 Samuel)
Samuel (1 Samuel)
