Fruit - Faithfulness Pt 2…Faith is by the BOOK, not our feelings.

I remember once while living in Antipolo, the house we stayed in had a large closed in garage with a sliding wooden door. One day I decided to do some cleaning, so I pulled the door open to get air in. As I worked, I kept having this strange feeling that I was being watched. I would walk in and out of the garage, but no one was there. This feeling persisted and eventually I stopped working and just stood very quite. Suddenly in my peripheral vision I caught a movement. I looked to my right and straight up into the rafters of the garage. There, staring at me was a 4-5 foot long Bayawak! (Monitor Lizard) His tongue was what caught my eye.

I did not quite understand how to explain it, but I knew I sensed something. True faith has that element in it also.

Before we look at our other points let’s review:

1. If it is true faith we will be filled with the Holy Spirit.

2. If it is true faith we understand our authority.

Here are three more aspects of what faith looks like.

3. If it is true faith it incorporates our intuition.

Many might call this a “sixth sense” – it is the subjective part of our walk. We wish it was objective and that’s why so many in the church have moved away from faith walking into sight walking. What do I mean?

When faith is objective, it is sight walking, we want to be spoon fed life, no risk, no unanswered questions, which leads in the end that God must prove Himself to me!

When faith is subjective, it is faith walking, we are learning to eat and digest life one step at a time. We have objective truth to guide us, the Scriptures, yet we must still make that final step without seeing how it will end. This will lead us to live with the mindset that I must prove myself to God!

This turns faith into an exciting adventure that can become a treasure of memories on the trustworthiness of our Lord!

Mark 9:21-27 And He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood.  "And it has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!"  And Jesus said to him, " 'If You can!' All things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the boy's father cried out and began saying, "I do believe; help my unbelief.  When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again.” After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!” But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up.

God is not hard hearted and will not judge harshly when we have difficulty with our faith. Jesus illustrates this compassion. Also, consider what this boy’s father will believe the next time he is required to show faith. 

As God matures our faith we will grow to the point where we follow immediately.  

Acts 16:9-10 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a certain man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. 

4. If it is true faith it is based on Biblical theology

Much of what we see called “faith” today has very little to do with Biblical truth.

The “health, wealth, prosperity” movement has prostituted the true meaning of Biblical faith. Yes, I can trust that if God wants something to happen, nothing is impossible. However, when statements like: “Don’t ask God for things, Demand!” “Speak into existence what you want!” “Claim from God your desires” – All of these and others have NO foundation in Scripture. Our theology is what determines what kind of faith you have. How can you trust God for anything if you don’t know what He is like, how He thinks, what He expects, what His desires are for you?

Romans 10:13-17 for "WHOEVER WILL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!" However, they did not all heed the glad tidings; for Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?" So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. 

1 John 3:24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. 

5. If it is true faith it builds our History with God.

This is what I call “The Jordan Rock Principle”  - We do our faith harm if we have a short memory. God desires that we keep before us His faithfulness; so that each time we come to another mountain to climb, we can reflect how consistently our God has been in our past, which emboldens us in our faith!

Joshua 4:20-22 And those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. And he said to the sons of Israel, "When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, 'What are these stones?' then you shall inform your children, saying, 'Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.' 

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

If it is true faith it looks like this:

Filled

Authority

Intuition

Theology

History

Challenge: When you and other people look at what drives your life what do they see? Would it be that you walk by faith or by sight?