You cannot study the Bible very long before you understand the importance of faith. We cannot be saved apart from faith. Ephesians 2:8-9. “The gospel of Christ…is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth…for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; as it is written the just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17.
Faith is one of the most crucial terms in the entire Bible – it denotes the trust one has in another – but it also conveys the idea of the trustworthiness or reliability of someone. Faith is not a passive resignation to life like fate; rather, it is a confidence that God will fulfill His promises and as a result causes people to act upon those commands that lead to the promises. Faith means both to believe and to be faithful to the belief.
Faith is personal confidence. We use the word in everyday conversation, as follows, "I have complete faith in my doctor." We mean that we trust him with our case. So, in the Bible, faith is personal confidence in God. It means that we believe what He says, and trust Him to save us and to keep us.
God gives men the power to believe on Him. The source of faith is a gift of God. John 3:27. But how does a man receive faith? "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." Romans 10:17
Therefore, if we don’t have faith in God, we should read the Bible. God has promised that anyone who wishes to do His will, will come to a knowledge of the truth. John 7:17. The Bible sets forth the Lord Jesus Christ as the true object of faith. Acts 20:21. The important thing is not how much faith a man has, or what kind of faith he has, but that the object of his faith must be Jesus Christ, to trust Him to save you from your sins, help you to live now and take you to heaven.
Faith trusts in the living and true God and in his promises. Faith obeys God’s commands exactly, immediately, and with great delight - people with this kind of faith shall experience victory. If you are living a defeated life, then listen to the word of God, believe it, and you shall be delivered.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not onto your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight”.
F-reedom in Christ
“If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36
Accepting Christ as Savior and Lord brings freedom and victory, enabling one to “overcome the world.” (John 8:32)
A-ssurance from Christ
“But Jesus,…said… “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.” Mark 5:35-36
We can trust the Lord without reservation, confident that He is able to handle everything that comes into our lives. (Jude 24).
I-nvolvement for Christ
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” Matthew 9:37
The victory of faith includes working for Christ, for “faith without works is dead” (James 2:17). We must share Christ with all, bringing them to a knowledge of salvation. “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:38 NAS
T-riumph through Christ
“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37
Faith enables the Christian to triumph through Christ. No mountain is too steep, no valley too deep, no burden too heavy, no problem too difficult for Christ to handle. “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 NAS
H-eaven with Christ
“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:2-3
Faith is the victory! God said it, we believe it, and that settles it. No matter what the scientists and the psychologists and the philosophers say, we believe what God has spoken.
Eyes see storms. Faith sees Noah’s rainbow.
Eyes see wilderness. Faith sees Canaan.
Eyes see the lion. Faith sees Daniel’s angel.
You see your faults. Your faith sees your Savior.
Your eyes see your guilt. Your faith sees His Forgivness.
Faith is trusting what the eye can’t see.
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world-- our faith.” 1 John 5:4
Friday, May 15, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Three Steps to an Answer
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Mat. 7:7-8
What makes a prayer really a prayer? The saying of it?; Or the hearing of it?; Or is it the answering of it? I believe, in these verses, Christ revealed three elements to real prayer. Each of these elements must be active for the prayer to reach fruition.
I. THE PRINCIPLE OF ASKING Ask, and it shall be given you...
The Greek word for "ask" is "aiteo" and it means to beg or to crave. This kind of asking is serious, humble and dependent. It is respectful and honoring to the one asked.
Jeremiah 33:3 says Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Psalm 2:8 says Ask of me, and I shall give thee... Psalm 145:18, The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
Prayer is not shopping for an answer, prayer is asking expectantly for an answer. Jesus taught us to ask, Give us this day our daily bread... The blind man called out to Jesus by the way, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. When Jesus asked him his need, he said, Lord, that I might receive my sight... Peter, when sinking beneath the waves, said Lord, save me.
One would think that this principle would be a simple one. But alas, ye have not, because ye ask not. (James 4:2) The first great principle of answered prayer is to ask.
II. THE PRINCIPLE OF ABIDING “seek, and ye shall find”
The second great principle of answered prayer is to seek. This word, "zete", means to seek in order to find out by thinking, meditating, and reasoning; to inquire into. God continually calls on His people to seek Him in His fullness.
“But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Mat. 6:33
“I love them that love me; And those that seek me diligently shall find me.” Pro. 8:17
Jesus expounded on this condition of continual seeking in the Gospel of John. He called it "abiding."
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:4-7
We abide with Him wherever He is, all the time, and in whatever condition we find ourselves. This is the place where we find answers to our prayers!
The life and fruitfulness comes from the vine to the branches. Jesus says Without me ye can do nothing. We can be successful only by Christ dwelling and abiding in us.
III. THE PRINCIPLE OF ANTICIPATING
“..knock, and it shall be opened unto you..”; Our last principle deals with "knocking." It means to literally knock on a door. It is the same word, krouo, used in Revelation 3:20 when Jesus says Behold, I stand at the door and knock... To knock on a door is to anticipate an answer. We knock because we seek entry; we have a desire to have dealings with someone inside. There is a sense of expectation, or anticipating, in knocking. Simply, there is faith. Jesus commanded us to have faith in God. He constantly chided the disciples, How is it that you have no faith?
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” 1 John 5:14-15
“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” John 14:13-14
Our heart's reply to those verses is "if only it were that easy." But it is that easy, if we have faith! Jesus said, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. But remember the order of the principles: ask, abide, and lastly, anticipate. Are you abiding in Him? Is your request pleasing unto Him? Are you sure you are asking "according to His will"? If so, then have faith in God!
What makes a prayer really a prayer? The saying of it?; Or the hearing of it?; Or is it the answering of it? I believe, in these verses, Christ revealed three elements to real prayer. Each of these elements must be active for the prayer to reach fruition.
I. THE PRINCIPLE OF ASKING Ask, and it shall be given you...
The Greek word for "ask" is "aiteo" and it means to beg or to crave. This kind of asking is serious, humble and dependent. It is respectful and honoring to the one asked.
Jeremiah 33:3 says Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Psalm 2:8 says Ask of me, and I shall give thee... Psalm 145:18, The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
Prayer is not shopping for an answer, prayer is asking expectantly for an answer. Jesus taught us to ask, Give us this day our daily bread... The blind man called out to Jesus by the way, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. When Jesus asked him his need, he said, Lord, that I might receive my sight... Peter, when sinking beneath the waves, said Lord, save me.
One would think that this principle would be a simple one. But alas, ye have not, because ye ask not. (James 4:2) The first great principle of answered prayer is to ask.
II. THE PRINCIPLE OF ABIDING “seek, and ye shall find”
The second great principle of answered prayer is to seek. This word, "zete", means to seek in order to find out by thinking, meditating, and reasoning; to inquire into. God continually calls on His people to seek Him in His fullness.
“But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Mat. 6:33
“I love them that love me; And those that seek me diligently shall find me.” Pro. 8:17
Jesus expounded on this condition of continual seeking in the Gospel of John. He called it "abiding."
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:4-7
We abide with Him wherever He is, all the time, and in whatever condition we find ourselves. This is the place where we find answers to our prayers!
The life and fruitfulness comes from the vine to the branches. Jesus says Without me ye can do nothing. We can be successful only by Christ dwelling and abiding in us.
III. THE PRINCIPLE OF ANTICIPATING
“..knock, and it shall be opened unto you..”; Our last principle deals with "knocking." It means to literally knock on a door. It is the same word, krouo, used in Revelation 3:20 when Jesus says Behold, I stand at the door and knock... To knock on a door is to anticipate an answer. We knock because we seek entry; we have a desire to have dealings with someone inside. There is a sense of expectation, or anticipating, in knocking. Simply, there is faith. Jesus commanded us to have faith in God. He constantly chided the disciples, How is it that you have no faith?
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” 1 John 5:14-15
“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” John 14:13-14
Our heart's reply to those verses is "if only it were that easy." But it is that easy, if we have faith! Jesus said, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. But remember the order of the principles: ask, abide, and lastly, anticipate. Are you abiding in Him? Is your request pleasing unto Him? Are you sure you are asking "according to His will"? If so, then have faith in God!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
The Plan of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
It is the greatest thing that you will ever do! Though there are no rules or steps to becoming a Christian, the following is a biblical summarization of what you need to know to accept Christ as your Lord and Savior:
God Loves You!
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16
God has a wonderful plan for your life!
"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10b
The Bible tells us what the gospel is in 1 Cor. 15:1-4,
Now I make known to you brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures..."
Because of our sin, we are separated from God.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
The Bible says that we are all sinners (Rom. 3:23). This means that we have all offended God. We have all broken His revealed will that is written in His word, the Bible. Because of this, we are separated from God (Isaiah 59:2), dead in our sins (Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:3), cannot please God (Rom. 3:10-11), and will suffer damnation (2 Thess. 1:9) if we are not saved through Jesus alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).
The Penalty for our sin is death.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23
The penalty for our sin was paid by Jesus Christ!
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
Jesus, who is God in flesh (John 1:1,14; 8:58; Col. 2:9), bore our sins in His body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24). In other words, He died in our place. He paid the penalty for offending God that should have fallen upon us. He satisfied the very heart of God the Father by dying on the cross.
Jesus is the one who forgives sins:
"But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins....'He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home"'" (Mark 2:10-11, NIV).
You must believe that Jesus is the only way to God:
"I am the way, the truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father but by Me" (John 14:6).
If we repent of our sin, then confess and trust Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will be saved from our sins!"For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13
"...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Romans 10:9,10
You must ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins because Jesus has the authority to forgive you of your sins: "Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me'" (Matt. 28:18, NIV)...and
Jesus told you to ask Him for your requests:
"You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (John 14:14, NIV)...and
This last "step" is called receiving Jesus.
John 1:12 says, "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (NIV).
“Lord, I Believe, save me, help me, use me, and make me!”
Now that you are a "new creation" in Jesus Christ, the road ahead will be full of life changing experiences.
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witness to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8
God Loves You!
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16
God has a wonderful plan for your life!
"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10b
The Bible tells us what the gospel is in 1 Cor. 15:1-4,
Now I make known to you brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures..."
Because of our sin, we are separated from God.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
The Bible says that we are all sinners (Rom. 3:23). This means that we have all offended God. We have all broken His revealed will that is written in His word, the Bible. Because of this, we are separated from God (Isaiah 59:2), dead in our sins (Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:3), cannot please God (Rom. 3:10-11), and will suffer damnation (2 Thess. 1:9) if we are not saved through Jesus alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).
The Penalty for our sin is death.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23
The penalty for our sin was paid by Jesus Christ!
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
Jesus, who is God in flesh (John 1:1,14; 8:58; Col. 2:9), bore our sins in His body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24). In other words, He died in our place. He paid the penalty for offending God that should have fallen upon us. He satisfied the very heart of God the Father by dying on the cross.
Jesus is the one who forgives sins:
"But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins....'He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home"'" (Mark 2:10-11, NIV).
You must believe that Jesus is the only way to God:
"I am the way, the truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father but by Me" (John 14:6).
If we repent of our sin, then confess and trust Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will be saved from our sins!"For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13
"...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Romans 10:9,10
You must ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins because Jesus has the authority to forgive you of your sins: "Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me'" (Matt. 28:18, NIV)...and
Jesus told you to ask Him for your requests:
"You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (John 14:14, NIV)...and
This last "step" is called receiving Jesus.
John 1:12 says, "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (NIV).
“Lord, I Believe, save me, help me, use me, and make me!”
Now that you are a "new creation" in Jesus Christ, the road ahead will be full of life changing experiences.
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witness to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8
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