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NOTICE: THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!
GOD'S PURPOSE FOR MY LIFE
PART 4--LIVING BY FAITH
ROMANS 1:16-17; 5:1-5
Introduction
The African impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet in one leap. Yet they can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with no more than a 3-foot wall. That’s because they will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will fall.
Faith is the ability to trust what we cannot see. And our faith can free us from those things in life that want to keep us enclosed and entrapped.
This message is the last in a four part series on God's Plan For My Life.
We have been addressing the matter of growing spiritually in Jesus Christ.
In the first message we established from God's Word that God has a plan for each of our lives and that plan includes our spiritual growth.
Whether we live the best life we can, or accept something less depends first on our receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and then growing to maturity as we live by the Word of God.
In the second message we saw how that spiritual growth is a progression from infancy or childhood to maturity. It is a process that takes both time and effort.
Last week we addressed the vital matter of letting Jesus Christ be the Lord of our lives. It is a matter of being a disciple of Jesus and letting Him guide us through life and as we do so, we are then filled by the Holy Spirit of God and God's will for our lives is accomplished daily.
Today we want to look at the part that faith has in this matter of living out God's will for our lives.
There are many Christians who never really grow very much in the Lord. Many of these people fail to realize that we are to live the Christian life by faith.
These Christians have a flaw like that African impala. They aren’t going to jump if they can’t see where they are going to land.
The Christian is not supposed to have that problem, because God does not tell us to take a "leap into the dark." He gives us the light of His Word.
God's Word explains to us the ways of God. It gives us His instructions on how He works in us. He tells us in clear terms what is right and wrong for us. He gives clear principles to guide us through any situation that we encounter in life.
So Biblical faith is not jumping where we cannot see, but living as God has told us. We can jump 30 foot fences in faith and land safely on the other side. Or, we can live small dull little lives and be held within the little fences because of our lack of faith.
I. WE’VE ALREADY SEEN HOW THAT A PERSON WHO IS “BORN AGAIN” STARTS A NEW LIFE SIMILAR TO THAT OF A NEWBORN INFANT.
A. There Are Seven Rules That Promote Good Health In Babies That Can Be Adapted And Applied To A Christian’s Spiritual Growth.
1. Daily Food.
We must take in the "pure milk of the word" through daily study and meditation.
1 Peter 2:2–“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”
In Hebrews 5:12-14 the Word of God is referred to as both milk and meat.
Psalms 19:10–“More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.”
2. Fresh Air.
We must be constantly filled with the Spirit of God if we are going to grow as we should.
Ephesians 5:18–“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;”
The Spirit of God is the oxygen of the soul.
3. Regular Exercise.
We must put into practice what we learn in God's Word.
4. Adequate Rest.
We must rest on or rely on God at all times in simple faith.
5. Clean Surroundings.
We must avoid evil company and whatever will cause us to be spiritually weak or sick.
6. Loving Care.
We must be a part of a Family,( i.e. a Church) where we will benefit from a pastor's teaching and Christian fellowship.
7. Periodic Checkups.
We must regularly examine our spiritual health.
B. All of these things are vital to living a spiritual life and to accomplishing God's purpose for our life. But, they all have an element that is much deeper. They all must have a vital element, without which, they all are ineffective.
That element is biblical faith!
1. If God said it, that should settle it for us!
If God said it, we should just believe it!
And if that will be our attitude of trust towards God and His Word, then:
We will obey the Lord, and bring Him honor and glory. We will grow and have a wonderful spiritual life.
2. On the other hand, we can express a different attitude. There are some who read the Bible, they know that is what God has said and yet they respond by saying something like this,
"God, you have a good thought, I appreciate it, but you don't understand my circumstances".
Some profess to believe Philippians 4:19, which says "...but my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
However, when things are not exactly convenient or the going gets tough, (as it will), many become anxious and lose sight of God's presence.
Some just continue on doing little or nothing for God and end up really going nowhere in their spiritual walk.
Some panic, and begin to question both their salvation and God's promises.
These responses are just human. But we need to understand that in Christ, we can overcome just being human.
In Christ, we have the supernatural power of God available to encourage, guide and strengthen us.
So, for us to be anxious or to panic may be human, but it is not an act of faith.
When anxiousness, panic, and uncertainty come in the believer's life, then faith should immediately take over.
When faith takes over, that means we determine to do what the Bible says to do. i.e. We obey God and allow Him to take over the situation.
Now, this is the last message in this series, but, I believe it to be the most important message because it’s the foundation of finding and living God's will for our lives.
God has a purpose and that purpose is found with biblical faith. Hebrews 11:6 says "Without faith it is impossible to please God."
I wonder how many of us would honestly see ourselves somewhat like the farmer in a story I heard. The story is told of an old farmer who proudly and frequently described his Christian experience to his friends saying..... "Well, I'm not making much progress, but I'm well established!"
What he was saying was that he was not growing or accomplishing much for Christ. He may have been established, but established for what?
One spring when he was hauling some logs, his truck's wheels sank down to the axles in mud. Try as he would, he couldn't get the truck out. Frustrated, he sat down atop the logs, viewing the dismal situation. He was trying to figure out what to do next.
Soon a neighbor who had always felt uncomfortable with the farmer's worn out defeated testimony came along and greeted him. He couldn’t resist the opportunity to say, "Well, brother Jones, I see you're not making much progress, but you must be content because you're very well-established!”
Now, God wants us to be well-established, but in the right things. If our motto is going to be “I shall not be moved!”, let’s make sure we are established in the things we ought not to be moved from and not just stuck in the mud of mediocrity.
I think most of us would accept the fact that we should grow in Christ.
There is a lot to be said for spiritual maturity!
When the storms of life come or decisions need to be made, spiritual maturity looks in faith to the Lord and the storm is then weathered or the situation dealt with.
If our faith is what it should be and we are trusting in the Lord Jesus, then we will not be put into a tail spin or defeated by the circumstances of life.
In James 1:2-8, James explains what we should do when the trials come.
1 John 1:9 tells us what to do when we fail the Lord and sin.
1 Corinthians 10:13 explains God's active part in our lives when we are tempted and subject to failure.
1 Corinthians 10:13–“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
So, the problem is two-fold:
1. Some folks aren’t aware of God’s instructions. i.e. They don't know what to do.
2. But others.(and this is really sad) know what God says, but they choose not to follow what He says.
II. THREE TIMES IN GOD’S WORD HE SAYS, “THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.
Habakkuk 2:4–“. . .but the just shall live by his faith.”
Romans 1:17–“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”
Galatians 3:11–“But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.”
What God says once is important, Amen! What God says twice He adds emphasis to its importance. But when God says it three times, we had better take note hadn’t we!
I don’t think we need to go into great detail about what faith is.
We know that it is the act of a person who believes God and then lives according to what he knows is true.
A person who believes some particular truth will then apply that truth to his life and in so doing it will affect his life and all he does.
Faith is not the same as knowing something. Some people know a great deal about God and about what God's will is and about what is right, but they do not live according to what they know to be true.
That is what separates a head knowledge, from Biblical faith.
Biblical faith that saves and takes one to heaven is a faith that acts and lives by God's truth.
The Bible plainly says three times, "The just shall live by faith."
Let’s break that down:
Who are the "just?" The word in Old Testament refers to those who are righteous, meaning they have obtained a right standing before God.
It means they are lawful, which means they are obeying God and living by the word of God.
What do you think the word means in the New Testament?
It means the same thing!
It means that one has obtained a right standing before God by being born again and that they are obeying God and living by the Word of God.
What does "shall" mean?
When I was a boy my dad would give me and my brothers "shall" commands.
He would say, "Boys, I want you to pull weeds out of the azalia bushes.”
Or, “Boys, I want all the pine burrs picked up out of the yard.”
Or, “Boys, I want you to rake up all the pine straw out of the yard!”
Now, He did not use the word “shall”, but we knew that he was saying to us. "You boys shall pull the weeds out of the azalia bushes."
God does not say....I suggest you, as a child of Mine, live by faith, He says you SHALL live by faith.
Hebrews 11:6 says "But 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."
Folks listen, God loves us and wants the best for us!
So, He doesn't beat around the bush! He states it emphatically to Christians, “You SHALL live by faith!”
But, the object of our faith is as important as our faith is! We all have faith. But where is your faith based? Faith based in anything but God and His Word will bring us nothing but tragedy.
The Lord Jesus Christ and His Word are the only sure objects for our faith.
The verse says that “The just shall live by faith.” This is a fact and is a undisputable truth. A life that is lived without faith in Christ is a tragedy.
It will end with God's condemnation.
A Christian who professes to know Jesus Christ as their Saviour who does not live by faith is living a wasted life.
That person not only ends their life without reward or honor to Christ, but they have to live through the years of their earthly life missing out on all the blessings of following and obeying the Lord.
Turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 3:10-15. This passage say that our works, (i.e. the way we live our daily lives) will one day be judged.
We will stand before the Lord Jesus and our works will be tried by fire. That which we did in faith, i.e. those things which bring honor to the Lord will survive the judgement.
However, the life we lived as to ourselves–ignoring the Lord and living our lives without His direction, will be there too. But all that will be burned up in a great flash!
Conclusion:
I really don’t know how to challenge each of you to live God's plan for your life.
I wish that I could somehow motivate you to want to live for the Lord.
I know that I am certainly not a great preacher. I’m not really even close to being one. There are plenty who can preach circles around me.
But, I’ve given you the messages that God has given me. Yet, many people have rejected the messages I have preached from God's own Word.
I wish it were not true, but I believe more have rejected God's reaching out to them than who accepted His calling.
But listen, you are not rejecting me. If this message is touching your heart strings this morning, it is the Lord Himself who is seeking you, to give you a fulfilling life.
It is God who loves you and is even now compelling you to live for Him.
My prayer this morning is that no one leave this place without making that commitment to the Lord–The commitment to live for Him and to accomplish His will for our lives, in living by faith in His Word.
Home Page Contact Us Service Times Sermons Are You Going To Heaven?
NOTICE: THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!