In this study we take a look at: 1) what faith is, 2) how you get faith, 3) how fear is the oppossite of faith.  We discuss methods to combat fear.

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Scriptures:

• Hebrews 11:1-6
• Galatians 3:6
• Romans 10:11-17
• Acts 25:11
• Psalms 56:3
• Philippians 4:6-7

New Series: Characteristics of a Mature Christian

Subseries: Faith

What Is Faith?

1. What is Faith?
2. Who Has Faith?
3. Faith vs Fear

What is Faith?

Hebrews 11:1-6

1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2For by it the men of old gained approval.

     3By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. 4By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. 5By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. 6And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Hebrews 11:1-6

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for

• Faith is assurance

• Example: H&R Block second look
• It’s a belief in what you hope for
• Faith gives you confidence that it is true

1b  the conviction of things not seen.

• To be convinced of things you can’t see or touch
• Conviction = a firmly held belief or opinion

2 For by it the men of old gained approval.

• Who are the men of old?
• Abraham, Abel, Enoch, Noah
• Abraham’s faith was counted as righteousness
• Sheol
• Ancient Jewish (and nearby cultures) belief
• After death souls go to Sheol
• The righteous don’t stay there
• The righteous go to be with God
• David wrote: “though will not leave my soul in Sheol”

Galatians 3:6

6Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

• Abraham’s faith in God let him be considered righteous
• Abraham didn't have patriarchs as an example
• Jesus spoke of how God is not the God of the dead thus Abraham must have risen

3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.

• We believe God made the world because we have faith in the bible
• Others believe in the big bang because of faith in science

4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.

• The fact that Abel spoke after his death implies that he still existed
• If he still existed then he wasn't in Sheol
• He must have been with God (in Heaven)
• Therefore he was righteous
• To be righteous, he must have had faith

5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.

• Enoch was taken to Heaven and didn’t die
• Enoch pleased God

6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

• Paul’s logic
• We know Enoch had faith because…
• Enoch didn’t die
• Enoch went to be with God in Heaven
• Only the righteous go to see God
• Therefore Enoch must have pleased God
• Without faith it is impossible to please God
• You achieve righteousness through faith
• Therefore Enoch must have had faith

• Belief in God is a requirement for faith
• Belief in God is required to please Him

Without Faith

• Without faith you can’t please God
• No matter how many good works you do
• No matter how many puppies you save
• No matter how many children you feed
• If you don’t believe in God you are pleasing Him
• Moses pleased God after murdering someone
• David pleased God after committing adultery
• But no one has ever pleased God without faith

Seeking God

Do we need to seek as Christians?

• Not like when people look for something that they have lost
• Not the way pirates seek for a treasure  

• We know exactly where to find our treasure
• Like a migratory bird that goes over oceans and continents
• Like a rose petal that emerges from the seed towards the sunlight
• God has put the instinct in us

Who Has Faith?

Romans 10:11-17

11For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”
14How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!”
16However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?” 17So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

• What does verse 17 mean?

Romans 10:11-17

11 For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."

• Whoever believes in Jesus will not be disappointed

12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;

• Your nationality doesn’t matter

Calling Upon the Name of the Lord

13 for "WHOEVER WILL CALL [epikaloumai] ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

Epikaloumai

• CALL

Acts 25:11

11“If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal [Epikaloumai] to Caesar.”

• It's the same word that's translated ‘appeal’
• Paul appealed to Caesar
• Declared his right as a Roman citizen to be tried under Roman law
• As a Roman citizen he had the right to appeal to a higher court
• He had the right to be tried by Caesar
• Paul confessed that he lived under Caesar’s rule

• When we “call on the name of Jesus” we are appealing to Jesus
• “Calling on the name of Jesus” is confessing we live under Jesus’ rule
• We are citizens of His kingdom
• We are announcing that we belong to the kingdom of Jesus

“Calling on the Name of Jesus” is calling on Jesus’ authority

• It is submitting to Jesus’ authority
• “Callin on the Name of Jesus” is stating that Jesus is your Lord
• We must call Jesus Lord in order to be saved

• “Calling on the name of Jesus” means we are citizens of Jesus’ kingdom

• Who can be saved?
• Whoever believes in Jesus will be saved

Believe that He Exists

14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed?

• They have to believe that Jesus is the Messiah
• You won’t submit to a fictional king
• You’re not going to bow down and worship Burger King

14b How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard?

• They have to hear the good news before they can believe
• That is why it is of high importance that we tell people about Him

14c And how will they hear without a preacher?

• How can someone hear the gospel unless it is being taught

15 How will they preach unless they are sent?   Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!"

• ‘Apostle’ means “one sent forth”
• How beautiful are the actions of those who spread the “good news”

16 However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?"

• Not all who hear will believe

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of [concerning] Christ.

• In order to believe they have to hear
• They have to hear the word ‘concerning’ Christ
• To have faith you must hear the good news
• He was not referring to the Bible
• There was no written gospel at this time

Requirements of Faith

1. Believe in Jesus
2. Have heard that Jesus is the Messiah
1. Heard the gospel
3. Believe that Jesus is the Messiah
4. Accept Jesus as your Messiah/Lord
1. Muslims believe Jesus was a great prophet
2. Satan believes Jesus is the Messiah

Same as the requirements for salvation

When you have faith you are saved

• If you are saved you have faith

So every Christian has faith

• “We are all given a measure of faith”

Faith vs Fear

Fear is the opposite of faith

Story: man hanging on side of cliff

• Is anybody else up there?

We all have fears:

• Fear for our safety or the safety of our loved ones
• Fear about how we’ll die: disease, cancer, alone, broke, drowning, in a plane crash
• Fear about what will happen after death, being forgotten, being judged
• Fear about living a meaningless life
• Fear about being unloved or alone
• Fear of what people think about you
• Fear about being in love and then hurt or abandoned
• Fear about what you might lose: a friend, your relationship, a relative, your hair, your youth, your job, your money, your health, your faith
• Fear about things on the news
• Killer bees, SARS, swine flu, bird flu, ebola, mad cow, anthrax
• global warming
• Isis
• What will Donald Trump do next?
• 36,000 families got evacuated because of  Tuesday’s flooding
• Fear of a rainy

fear of a layoff

• What if …
• How will I pay mortgage?
• How hard will it be to get a job?
• Will I need to get a pay cut?
• What if I end up in a cubicle?
• What if the guy next to me talks too loud?
• What if the printer at the new company always breaks?
• What if they have a bad cafeteria?

You haven't even been laid off!

• Most of the things we fear never happen

Control

The basis of fear is the feeling of not being in control of the situation

• We are uncomfortable if you are not in control
• A need for control is the root cause of many issues
• When we don't know how we’ll fix it

Anger is often a reaction to fear.

• show me an angry person I’ll show you a person who is afraid of or upset about not being in control of a situation

Fear is caused when we don't think we have the situation under control using our own:

• Knowledge
• power
• influence

• We can't solve the problem ourselves
• What will I do?

Hebrews 11:1

1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Fear is the assurance of things we hope don’t happen and the conviction of things not seen.

• The belief that it might happen
• The stronger your assurance the stronger your fear

Fear is activating faith in reverse

Faith activates God

Fear activates the enemy

You can tell how much faith you have by how much fear you have

The Solution

Psalms 56:3

 3When I am afraid,

           I will put my trust in You.

When facing a situation, we either trust in our ability to resolve it or we trust in God

• Trusting in God doesn’t mean inaction
• It means not worrying
• We ultimately turn it over to Him

“I can't do this on my own because I'm scared if I succeed

That I'll no longer trust in you because I only trust in me”

 --Lecrae

We want to depend on God

Faith is putting your trust in God

• You are no longer relying on your ability to solve it in the natural
• It allows you to have peace even when you don't have the answer

Philippians 4:6-7

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all [a]comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

• Faith brings you peace

Conclusion

To have faith you must:

1. Believe in God
2. Have heard the gospel of Jesus
3. Believe that Jesus died for your sins

Faith is the substance of things you want

• It is what gives you assurance
• It gives you the belief
• It gives you the confidence
• It is what gives hope to your dreams

Faith is ...

• trusting God

• the belief that God’s ways are better than your ways
• the ability to allow God to lead
• the ability to wait in the midst of a storm
• what keeps you on the right path when the wrong path seems easier

Faith allows you to fight when there’s no hope in sight

Faith allows you to rest when you’re being oppressed

Faith will put on the brakes when God says to wait

Faith will make haste when God says to run the race

Faith allows you to let God drive when you’re on a hazardous  road

• It’s not letting go of the wheel, but it’s letting go of your will
• If God says go right, but you see a tree you still go right
• If God says speed up when you’re afraid you still speed up
• If you’re lost...you trust God and keep driving
• If you’re afraid ...
• If you can’t see through the fog ...
• When it rains …
• If the kids are yelling “are we there yet” …
• If the GPS says “recalculating”...
• If your tire goes flat ...
• If you get detoured ..

Faith is letting Jesus take the wheel

Presenter: Michael Leadon

References

The Wisdom of Men and the Power of God (John Piper)

http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-wisdom-of-men-and-the-power-of-god

MacLaren Expositions Of Holy Scripture on Hebrews 11

Extra Scriptures

The Patriarchs

Some claim that the patriarchs must have had faith in the coming Messiah

• There is no allusion to that in the text
• But Jesus made it clear for us that no man can see the Father except through Him

Calling on the Name of Jesus

Caesar could have ruled that Paul was guilty

• This means that Paul broke the law
• This would not impact his citizenship
• It means he would receive the punishment of a Roman citizen vs the punishment of a foreigner

As Christians we aren't judged