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The Kind of Faith Jesus Desires Introduction: This time of the year we hear a lot about Jesus. There is nothing wrong with this but sometimes we need to ask what does Jesus think about us today. In this lesson we want to look at "what kind of faith Jesus desires." The words "believe" and "faith" both come from the same New Testament word Pistis. Believe is the verb form and faith is the noun. The importance of faith cannot be over stated. Our salvation is conditioned upon our faith. Mark 16.15-16 believing requires obedience to Jesus' words. I) What Is Faith? A) Romans 10.17 1. Faith and the word of God are linked together. 2. Look at God's own definition of faith in Hebrews 11.1. a. Robinson's Lexicon of the Greek New Testament: Faith is confidence as to things hoped for; conviction as to things not seen. b. In order to have confidence one must first know what to believe. Believing in "faith" or having faith in our "believing" is not enough. B) Faith -- confidence and conviction 1. Faith is related to things hoped for and things unseen. 2. We may have faith in heaven although we have not seen it. 3. We have faith in our resurrection based on the resurrection of Jesus; although none of us have actually seen Jesus either before or after his resurrection. II) Examples of Faith in Hebrews 11 A) Abel, v 4 1. Abel had a more excellent sacrifice. a. Offered to an unseen God an animal sacrifice. God had told Abel what to offer, hence the word of God. b. This was offered with the hope of receiving a blessing. Why would Able offer the sacrifice to start with unless he was trying to please God and he believed God would bless him. 2. Able had confidence and conviction. B) Abraham, v. 9 1. Called by an unseen God and promised and inheritance in an unseen land. 2. Abraham had confidence that God would do what He had promised; conviction so as to do what God commanded. a. If Abraham had "believed God" but not done what God said he would not of been blessed. b. How could Abraham have had conviction without confidence? III) A Practical Application A) Baptism for the remission of sins, Acts 2.38 1. EIS in order to receive, the remission of sins 2. Acts 22.16 to wash away sins 3. Mark 16.16 to save B) Requires confidence and conviction 1. Commanded by an unseen God 2. Done with the expectation of receiving forgiveness. C) As Christians we are to walk by faith in daily living 1. 2 Corinthians 5.7-8; Romans 8.24 2. No matter what the cost it is worth it? Why? Because we have confidence in the resurrection to come and the reward of heaven to the faithful. 3. The more confidence we have, the greater our conviction, the more willing we are to live the Christian life. It is when we start doubting that we start fudging our responsibilities. IV) The Kind of Faith Jesus Desires In Us A) Is not 1. A hunch or simply a gut feeling 2. Not dictated by the majority 3. What I choose to believe. 4. Not a miraculous gift from God, Ephesians 2.8 B) Is based on the word of God, Romans 10.17 1. A belief in the existence of God, Hebrews 11.6 2. God's word has been delivered, Hebrews 1.1-2 3. God's word is understandable, John 8.31-32 a. Every time we read the word "therefore" as often used in the Bible it is proof of the rational logic of what was written before. Because of these things we should do this. b. God's word is understandable to those who look at it from a spiritual and not carnal point of view, 1 Corinthians 2.13-15 4. Faith is to be an obedient faith (saving faith), Hebrews 5.9 5. The just are to live by faith, Romans 1.17; Galatians 3.11; Hebrews 10.38 6. Without faith there is nothing, John 8.24. a. When people refuse to repent there is a lack of faith b. When people refuse to assemble there is a lack of faith c. When people refuse to forsake sin there is a lack of faith, etc. Conclusion: The more we study and apply the word of God the stronger our faith. Do you have the kind of faith Jesus requires? (Sermon Adapted from an outline by Terry Sanders)
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