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?
thank you Pastor!
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