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What Is Happening To My Faith? Hebrews 3.12-19 Faith
Is Important In the Life of A Christian A)
The Christian knows he needs faith B)
Wants to have faith C)
Does not want to lose his faith D)
Makes claims to have faith **Have
you ever questioned your faith? I)
Faith Is Important A)
In order to please God, Hebrews 11.6 1.
WE must have faith to accept His word, His power, the Plan of Salvation, in
heaven. 2.
If we do all God says but do not have faith it will profit us nothing. B)
We must live by faith, Hebrews 2.4; 10.38-39 C)
We must walk by faith, 2 Corinthians 5.7 D)
Actions and obedience are outgrowth of faith 1.
Prayer, James 5.15
a. Be not double minded, doubt causes us to stop praying, it causes our
prayers to be ineffective.
b. When we lack faith we do not place the proper importance on prayer and
become too busy to pray. 2.
Forgiving others, Luke 17.1-6
a. Natural
reaction is to get even, get angry, hold a grudge
b. Whey do we fail to forgive? Ultimately it is a lack of faith
c. How many times have you sinned and been forgiven? 3.
All actions of obedience starts with faith, Hebrews 11 E)
Foundation of our hope 1.
Assurance means substance (to fill up) 2.
Heart without faith is an empty shell, doomed to fail II)
Faith Can Change A)
Various forms of faith 1.
Weak (doubting) faith, Romans 4.19 2.
Strong faith, Romans 4.20 (Abraham accepted what God said) Acts 16.5 3.
Little faith, Matthew 6.30; 8.26; 14.31; 11.8 4.
Great faith (Matthew 8.10) God wants us to have great faith B)
What can happen? 1.
It can fail, Luke 22.32
a. Jesus prayed that the faith of the disciples would not fail.
b. We can start doubting and give up due to persecution. 2.
We can deny the faith, 1 Timothy 5.8
a. Those who do not provide for their own have denied the faith
b. Peter denied knowing Jesus 3.
We can depart from the faith, 1 Timothy 4.1
a. Some will depart from the faith giving heed to deceiving spirits and
the doctrine of demons.
b. How many gospel preachers have departed from the faith by
accepting the doctrine of men instead of the Bible? 4.
We can make shipwreck of our faith, 1 Timothy 1.19
a. Some having rejected the word of God have departed from the faith.
b. They teach that which is not so. 5.
We can stray from the faith, 1 Timothy 6.10,21
a. Due to the love o f money some strayed from the faith. Remember
the rich young ruler that sold out Jesus?
b. Straying is a gradual process; they do not run from but stray. 6.
It can be over thrown, 2 Timothy 2.18
a. People can teach false doctrine and lead some astray; over throw
their faith.
b. False doctrine often destroys the conviction of the Christian. A
person that does not believe in the resurrection will have little
conviction. 7.
We can cast off our faith, 1 Timothy 5.11-12
a. Younger widows told to marry lest they grow wanton against Christ
and cast off their faith.
b. Temptation of the flesh often causes people to cast off their faith
for the pleasures of sin. 8.
We can fall away from the faith due to a heart of unbelief, Hebrews 3.12
a. Their problem was not a lack of instruction or knowledge but
unbelief. C)
What should happen to my faith? 1.
Grow, 2 Thessalonians 1.3 (not just growing but exceedingly, with zeal). Growth
is a natural process. 2.
Our faith should be increasing, Luke 17.5. The more faith the more we desire to
serve God, the more we serve God the greater our faith becomes and the cycle
continues. 3.
Our faith should be strengthened, Colossians 1.11, Ephesians 3.16 III)
What Is Happening? A)
Taken for granted 1.
Ignored the warnings of loss 2.
Assume it is staying the same 3.
This will “never happen” B)
Which leads to neglect 1.
Faith to feed it, starve their faith, 1 Peter 2.2 2.
Fail to add to it, 2 Peter 1.5ff 3.
Fail to exercise it, faith needs to be used, connected with works, Luke 17.5-10.
4.
Fail to check it, 2 Corinthians 13.5
a. Examine yourselves as to whether
you are in the faith. Prove yourselves.
b. This applies to us today. IV)
Checking Our Faith 1.
Do you believe what you always have? 2.
Is your faith stronger now than it was at the start? 3.
Do you tolerate evil now that you did not before? 4.
Are you bothered by wrong (sin) as you used to be? 5.
Do you find yourself bored with
Bible Study? 6.
Are you spending more or less time in prayer? 7.
Are some acts of worship and service harder now? 8.
Does “stale” or “stagnate” describe your faith? 9.
Has your appetite changed in spiritual things? Conclusion:
What is happening to my (your) faith? It is either growing or dying. Which is
happening to you? |