YOUR FAITH & GOD’S GRACE
I. Introduction
A. Main Scriptures:
Romans 1 and Acts 17 – (Just mark these: we will
get to them later)
B. Overview
1. Everyone – ALL human beings - have a measure of
Faith given to them by God. This is part of what is meant in
the Genesis story of creation that God created man in His
image. This is part of the divine spark that is in EVERYONE!
2. Our individual Faith is increased, reinforced, and
activated by the Word of God as it is taught and learned, preached,
read and meditated upon.
3. In God’s time and very possibly at
multiple times, His Grace will intersect your Faith.
4. When this happens then marvelous, miraculous glorious
things will occur, among those being salvation.
II. Definitions:
A. Heb 11:1- “Faith
is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen.”
1. If something has “substance,” that
means it is TANGIBLE – you can see it, feel it, see the
effects of it, etc.
2. If something is evidence then that means it can be used as
PROOF, it is TRUE – as in a court of law.
3. Examples:
a. Faith is when God said it would rain,
so Noah built a boat!
b. Faith is when God told Abraham that he would be the father of many
nations, even when he was 100 years old, and He gave him a son,
Isaac. Faith is when God then tells Abraham to sacrifice his
son to God and Abraham lays him on the altar and draws his knife.
c. Faith is when God tells Linda Philpot that she is going to be a
medical missionary to Uganda in Africa and she starts packing her bags.
d. Faith is when our daughter Jessica is 4 years old and EXTREMELY
allergic to eggs. Because of this her mother and I
have the church anoint her with oil and pray for a divine
healing. A few days later Sandy is making a cake and Jessica
comes into the kitchen and asks if Sandy has already put the eggs in
the batter (Jessica is like her father and would rather eat the batter
than the cake!). Sandy then reminds Jessica that we prayed
for her at church on Sunday and asks her if she believes that God
healed her. Jessica says “Yes,” - she believes she
is healed. Faith is when Sandy hands her a big spoonful of batter that
has eggs in it and Jessica eats it and NEVER has a reaction to it NOR
ever had another allergic reaction in 25 years!
That’s Faith!
B. Jesus said that Faith is
like a “grain of mustard seed” – that it
is very small but that it grows and grows and becomes like a tree.
C. Romans 10:17 says that
“Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of
God.”
1. This means that as we learn or experience our Faith
grows. This could be from lessons taught to us at a very
early age by our parents, through Sunday School, listening to the
preaching, reading our Bible and meditating on what we read,
participating in a Bible Study, and then seeing the Truths of the Bible
actually impact and affect our lives.
2. Our Faith starts small, but grows bigger and bigger as we
see the evidence of it being revealed in our lives through the answers
to prayers, healings, salvations of loved ones, etc. (Remember Heb 11:1)
III. Examples: The following are some examples of how we have faith in
day to day things and events and how our use of them and the Faith that
they will perform as expected will grow:
A. Electricity –
Most people don’t know much about electricity. We
have some trained Electricians in our Church who know all the
principles and how to apply those principles in the safe handling and
use of electricity, but most of us don’t know about voltage,
current, conductors, amperage, etc. We don’t know
and more importantly WE DON’T NEED TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT
ELECTRICITY TO GET THE BENEFITS OF USING IT! We learn at a
very early age – Flip the switch and the light comes
on! We can also learn early on at a young age that
electricity can be dangerous and so we’re not supposed to
stick anything into the wall sockets, etc.
B. Car – A car is a
very complex machine made up of a number of different systems that work
together in harmony and very easily to provide us with
transportation. You have the power system with the
application of physics concerning the compression of gases, igniting
those gases and the force driven down through the piston to a camshaft
which in turn uses gears to transfer the power to the wheels.
You have an electrical system to provide not only the spark for
ignition but power for the radio and the headlights and horn.
You have the steering and braking systems all seamlessly coordinated to
provide a smooth, comfortable safe ride. We have master
mechanics who understand how all these systems work and engineers and
designers who put it all together and apply the Laws of chemistry and
physics and the like so that we can have these cars.
BUT… most people don’t have much knowledge, nor do
they need it in order to use and enjoy the use and convenience of such
a product. Most people know just enough to crank the car,
where to put the gas in order to keep it going and how to operate
it. Their knowledge is very limited, but that
doesn’t keep them form using the car! They have the
Faith to operate the car and that it will perform in the way that they
have been taught or experienced.
(These next 2 examples apply the faith principles as described in Mark
9:17-24, with v24 being the key verse: “Lord I believe; help
my unbelief!” This means that even though
we sometimes believe something because we can see it or the results and
can’t deny that it exists or is happening, still the event is
so mind-boggling that we still have doubts and an element of unbelief.)
C. Aircraft Carrier – Have you seen an aircraft
carrier up close or perhaps in dry dock? They are
amazing! They are huge and most people’s response
to seeing one is “How can that huge thing
float?” Very talented and trained engineers, marine
designers and technicians have applied all types of scientific and
engineering principles to the construction of an aircraft carrier so
that not only does it float, but it is one of the fastest ships in the
naval fleet! Also, if you see one in dry dock from the front
your impression is very likely that even if it could float, surely it
would tip over in the water because it is top heavy and
unbalanced! Yet even with these perplexing thoughts we can
see the evidence of the warship steaming effortlessly along.
We see it so we have to believe it, yet it still is
unbelievable. This again is an example of Faith and points
back to the Mark 9: 24 scripture. “Lord, I believe,
help my unbelief!”
D. 747 – If you have ever seen a 747 jumbo jet take off or
land you have probably had the same reaction that I had when I first
saw one – “There is no way that something that big
can fly!” I have studied Physics and know the
principles of flight and how lift is created as air passes over a
properly shaped wing, but still, every time I see one of these planes
they never cease to amaze me and I come away with the same feeling
– how in the world does that thing fly? The
scientists and aeronautical engineers, again like the aircraft carrier
have applied Godly physical principles and harnessed those principles
and powers so that lift and flight can occur. And yes, I can
know something of the principles involved but that doesn’t
make it any less amazing. This again is another example of
Faith and points back to the Mark 9: 24 scripture.
“Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!” My unbelief
does not prevent me from enjoying the great comfort and convenience of
air travel.
Common points of these examples:
1. You don’t need to know everything in order to
have faith in something and how it will work and have it benefit you.
2. There is always some aspect of learning or experience
involved that makes it possible for you to use the item or believe in
it, and to use it more or better in the future.
3. Sometimes you will have a Mark 9:24 moment when you are
forced to say, “Lord, I believe - help my unbelief!
You see it and believe it because of the sensory perception, but it
still is so unreal that you have some unbelief!
4. We are all confronted by these and other everyday
situations where we rely on Faith in something or someone in order to
accomplish something, utilize a principle or object, or just enjoy
something.
IV. There are some who would still deny God and Godly Faith.
(Maybe some of you!)
A. Atheists (those who
don’t believe in God) or Agnostics (those who don’t
know there is a God or who don’t think that we can know that
there is a God.)
B. To those of you who might be one of these I urge you to
keep an open mind – examine the evidence that has been
presented and will be presented. Objectively view and ponder
what has been said and will be said and see if it doesn’t
make a whole lot more sense than the alternative – I believe
that God’s Grace is about to start working if you will have
this open mind.
C. You are about to be confronted by the TRUTH.
V. Read the following SCRIPTURES:
A. Romans 1:18-22 - In this
scripture Paul is saying to the Romans that even though they say that
there isn’t a single true God or that God does not exist at
all, that the very world that we live in and all of the amazing things
that we are confronted with every moment of every day SCREAMS to us
that there is a God. This is to such an extent that no one is
without excuse. No one can ever say that they
weren’t told or that they didn’t know.
Man by his very design acknowledges that there is a Supreme Being
– This is true in every society and every culture regardless
of the fact that they have been witnessed to or taught by
Christians. The world and all its glories speak to His
existence.
B. Acts 17: 26-27 –
In this scripture Paul is debating with the highly educated teachers
and philosophers of Rome. They are in a place called Mars
Hill where there are statues of all the Roman gods. In the
midst of these statues is an altar that has no statue but has the
inscription “to the unknown god.” This
was built so that the Romans could cover all the bases and protect the
Romans in case, due to their human inadequacies, had inadvertently left
out a god that they didn’t know about. Paul tells
them basically, “Hey, you got this one right! This
is an unknown god to you, but it is the One, True
God!” This is the God that they should have been
worshipping and Paul tells them that this “Unknown
God” has made them so that they would by nature grope and
struggle to find Him – that it is in their very human nature
to seek Him out. Again pointing out that they are without
excuse!
C. You too are without excuse.
You have even been told. You don’t have to grope to
find Him. He has been presented to you in this message and
through these scriptures. Think about these other examples:
1. How can you look up at the beautiful Eastern Shore sky at
night and not come to the conclusion that those billions of stars and
planets, so orderly arranged and magnificent, could be created or come
into existence without some Divine intervention? That it was
by some cosmic accident.
2. How can you look into the face of that newborn baby and
not know that this creation was not by accident and that there had to
be a higher power (God) who put in motion all of the different
biological and chemical processes that lead to this miraculous birth?
3. How can you look at the magnificent beauty of a sunset on
the Chesapeake Bay and not come away with the feeling and knowledge
that all of this creation was made by God and he wants us to enjoy its
beauty and have fellowship with Him?
VI. This is where Grace enters in! Grace is God’s
unmerited favor to us. It is a gift. We cannot earn
it in any way. We don’t get our salvation and
relationship to God by giving money or service to the church, by living
a “good life,” by regular attendance at church, or
by membership in a church. These are all good things and are evidence
of a saved person, but they don’t save a person.
READ EPHESIANS 2:8-10.
God’s Grace for us shows us:
A. His love for us even when we are sinners. There
is nothing we can do or not do, that will make Him love us more.
B. That His desire to fellowship with us makes Him direct His
Grace to us. He is compelled to shower His Grace on us because of His
love for us.
C. His Grace intersects our Faith – the Faith that
I talked about in the first part of this message – and this
occurs at preappointed, predestined times of God’s own
choosing. He decides when He will pour His Grace on us.
D. That His Purpose is to get us to recognize that He is real
and He is Lord!
VII. My brief Testimony – My Appointment with God.
My wife, twin daughters 2 years old and
I had moved back to Georgia and were living in a nice little rental
house in the north Georgia mountains. It was in February and
it was cold and snowing outside but we were warm and toasty in our home
sitting by the fire. Now my wife had been raised as a Baptist
and had grown up going to revivals all her life. But I was
raised as a Catholic and thought that revivals were just emotional
meetings as had been depicted in movies such as “Elmer
Gantry” where some slick preacher was deceiving the
illiterate and ripping them off, all in the name of God. I
didn’t believe in revivals and my wife knew how I
felt. So it was a great shock to her that on this cold winter
evening, out of the clear blue sky I would say to her, “They
are having a revival at Bethlehem Baptist Church tonight. Do
you want to go?” Now I had never been to this
church, didn’t know who the visiting evangelist was, and
don’t remember how I found out about the revival. I
knew a few people who attended there, but that was all, and none of
them had invited me. I just knew that there was a revival
that night. Sandy said she didn’t want to get the
girls out on such a nasty night, so I said, much to her surprise, that
I was going by myself! So I went, by myself, on this cold
nasty, snowy night to a church I had never been to before, for a
revival that seemed so out of character for me to attend. I
sat on the back row. I don’t know what the
evangelist preached, don’t know his name, and remember
nothing about the service except that when the invitation was given
that I was the first one down front. I knew I was a sinner
going to hell, that I needed and wanted salvation and that I was
willing to finally surrender to Jesus. I got “born
again” that night!
That was my appointment with God. It was my personal time
when God’s Grace intersected my limited Faith and salvation
occurred.
VIII. What is this relationship between Grace and Faith?
A. First of all it is a
Process based upon Godly Principles.
1. God’s Grace kicks in, combines with
our Faith all in God’s timing.
2. Salvation occurs.
3. Then our Faith is increased and we can believe even more
of God’s great mysteries as shown in His Holy Scripture
4. We are then activated and made useful for
God’s plan to spread His Good News.
B. It is God’s
desire that ALL would repent and be saved! READ 2 PETER 3:9
His
desire is that none would perish, no not one!
C. But this is all based on
Our Choice. God will not force His way on us. He
has presented the evidence to us, he will make our Faith grow more and
more with the increasing knowledge and wisdom and evidence, and at some
point or points in our lives will bestow His Grace on us that we might
recognize that He is real and that He is Lord. We will
acknowledge that we are sinners and cannot make it on our own and that
we are compelled to turn to Him for Salvation. And, best of
all, He is faithful to take us in as His children, in spite of all the
bad things we have done or said. He is willing to forgive and
forget all of our past and welcome us into a loving fellowship and
eternal relationship with Him through a belief in His Son, Jesus Christ
and the sacrifice that Jesus made for us: a sacrifice that we could not
give.
IX. There are 2 Groups here today:
A. Those who are Saved – your
Faith has met God’s Grace at some time in your lives.
Question: Has your Faith stopped growing because you have not
applied the Word to it so as to allow God’s Grace to work and
increase it? Have you read your Bible, prayed, meditated,
attended Sunday School and Bible study, listened and learned from Godly
Biblical preaching and teaching? Are you further along your
Faith walk with the Lord than you used to be? If not, than
you need to examine your heart and change your attitude and direction,
and recommit yourself to your Lord. You have not lost your
salvation – You can never do that – but you have
wandered off the straight and narrow path and you need to get back on
it.
B. There are perhaps others in here who are Unsaved
– You have not taken that initial step. You have not
recognized that God is real, that He is Lord and that you are a sinner
destined for a devil’s hell.
But you are without excuse! You have been told! Every time you see a
plane fly or a large ship go by; every time you turn on an electric
appliance or flip the light switch; every time you see a bumblebee fly
by or you look up at the stars in the sky at night, or see the face of
that newborn baby, or witness the grandeur of a Chesapeake Bay sunset;
all of these events will shout to you the overwhelming testimony that
there is a God and that He is real and that He is Lord. You are without
excuse! You just need to believe and allow God’s Grace to do
its work. You just need to acknowledge “Lord I
believe, help my unbelief!”
REVIEW: Remember that…
1. Everyone – ALL human beings - have a measure of
Faith given to them by God. This is part of what is meant in
the Genesis story of creation that God created man in His
image. This is part of the divine spark that is in EVERYONE!
2. Our individual Faith is increased, reinforced, and
activated by the Word of God as it is taught and learned, preached,
read and meditated upon.
3. In God’s time and very possibly at
multiple times, His Grace will intersect your Faith.
4. When this happens then marvelous, miraculous glorious
things will occur, among those being salvation.
X. Invitation:
Do you want to be saved? Are
you tired of living a life with you in charge and messing things up all
the time? Have you wondered about what will happen to you
when you die? If there really is a heaven and a hell, what
determines where you will go when you die? If you are tired of these
struggles and want certainty in your life, turn to Jesus. The
Bible says that no man can come to the Father without accepting Jesus
as his Lord and Savior. How do you do that? Say this simple
prayer: “Lord, I now know that I don’t
know everything! I do know that I am a sinner destined for a
devil’s hell. I know that you love me
unconditionally – nothing I could do or say could make you
love me more or less. I know that you are also a just God as
well as a loving God and that even though I cannot pay for my sins
other than going to hell, that your son Jesus can and did. I
believe that Jesus loved me so much that He took my sins upon himself
and died on that cross over 2000 years ago. He paid the debt
I owed that I could never pay. Since I believe in Jesus as my
Lord and Savior, when you look at me you don’t see my sins
but you see the blood of Jesus and you say “Your debt is paid
– enter into my glory!” Thank you for
wiping my sins away and paying my debt Lord Jesus. Thank you
for making me “born again” and for the new life
that I now live. And Lord, know that I believe…help me in my
unbelief! Amen”
