BIBLICAL FAITH

Ephesians 2:8-10

  1. Intro.
    1. what is biblical faith
      1. "faith is the daring of the soul to go farther than it can see"
      2. "faith is deaf to doubt, dumb to discouragement, blind to impossibilities and knows nothing but success in God
    2. what does the Bible really say about faith
  2. faith is taking God at His word - Mark 11:22
    1. this element of faith cannot be emphasized enough
      1. faith is always in something or someone; it cannot stand alone
      2. faith always has an object (our ability, money, doctor, lawyer)
    2. biblical faith has as its object the Word of God
    3. some people think they have faith when they presume upon God
      1. rather than going to a doctor, they presume that God will heal them
      2. going into great debt, then presume upon God to supply
      3. we are not questioning God’s ability to do anything, because God gives & heals as He pleases
      4. true faith is not founded on feelings or good intentions, but the Word of God
  3. faith is a God given gift
    1. man is totally depraved (corrupt, perverted, wicked)
      1. man is not spiritually sick; he is dead - Eph. 2:1
      2. a dead man cannot do anything
      3. a dead man cannot assist God (salvation is all of God)
    2. faith originates with God
      1. the apostle prayed, "Lord, increase our faith"
      2. fruit of the Spirit - Gal. 5:22
      3. the armor of God has a shield of faith
    3. man does not have the ability to exercise faith (we are dead)
      1. faith is a gift of grace from God
      2. God’s grace is not a reward for faith
      3. faith is the result of grace - I Cor. 15:10
    4. if man is to have saving faith it must originate with God
      1. faith & repentance are tied together
        1. we will not repent without the working of the Holy Spirit - Jn. 16:8
        2. we will not have faith without the working of the Holy Spirit
      2. saving faith is not the human contribution for salvation (we are dead)
      3. saving faith is a gift from a gracious God, who is seeking sinners
        1. its up to us whether we use the faith God gives us
        2. God could just as easily harden our hearts
        3. the Bible warns us that God may harden our hearts after we have refused
  4. faith is the principle by which victorious daily living is made possible I Jn. 5:4
    1. saving faith gets us to heaven, but how is a saved man to live
      1. the Bible is very clear, "the just shall live by faith" (Rom. 1:17, Gal. 3:11, Heb. 10:38, Hab. 2:4)
      2. faith in God’s Word is the way we are transformed into the image of Christ
        1. the Bible is the mind of Christ
        2. we are to have the mind of Christ - Phil. 2:5
    2. victorious living is the result of faith - I Jn. 5:4
      1. no substitutes, no shortcuts
      2. the more we conform to the image of Christ, the greater our victory will be
    3. faith is the most powerful force in the world - Mark. 11:22-23
      1. why is no one casting mountains into the sea
        1. no men of great faith
        2. Jesus was speaking figuratively of the power of faith
      2. what Jesus was trying to teach us
        1. a mountain is the largest possible physical obstacle
        2. the largest of all obstacles cannot hinder divine promises
        3. human obstacles retreat when confronted with biblical faith
        4. biblical faith will direct God’s power at the obstacle
      3. lets pray like the apostles, "Lord, increase our faith"
  5. faith is belief in action - Heb. 11:4, 7, 8,
    1. a passive faith is not a biblical faith - James 2:14-20
      1. James is not saying that we are saved by works
      2. a faith that does not produce good works is a dead faith
      3. a faith that does not work is a perversion of the true faith
    2. works will always come from a saving faith - Eph. 2:10
    3. the faith that the Holy Spirit instills in the heart cannot be idle
  6. faith is always under assault - James 1:2-4
    1. a faith that cannot be tested is not worth having
    2. only as our faith is tested, do we find out what kind of faith we have
    3. testing is the divine process for refining
    4. after our faith is tested we shall come forth as pure gold - I Peter 1:7
  7. faith validates our hope for the future - Heb. 11:1
    1. faith in God’s Word makes heaven real (no doubts, no hesitations)
    2. what the physical eye cannot see, the eye of faith can clearly see

Conclusion

  1. do you have biblical faith
  2. does your faith produce any action
  3. does your faith produce a real hope for the future