"Building a Church Through Outreach"
Victory Faith
ELCOG 6/24/07
Text: Heb. 11:1
Let me remind you of a story to introduce this morning’s message…
Mark 9:22
22And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.
Mark 9:23
23Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Mark 9:24
24And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
The last sentence of the 24 verse, Lord help my unbelief is the focus of my message. Faith is extremely important to the Christian. As a matter of fact, faith may be considered THE most important component to the Christian. It is by faith that we are saved. Without faith it is impossible to please God. So, we can all agree that faith is an absolute necessity.
Rom. 10:17
17So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
In order for our faith to increase we must hear messages on faith. The more we hear preaching on faith – faith from the word of God – the more our faith should increase. This morning I want to preach on 5 major aspects of victory faith.
1. Present Help… "Now Faith"
This morning we have a present help…Now Faith. We need to rely on a word that is already provided. We have a need, but the provision is already provided. "Now Faith". It is not coming tomorrow or next week, it right now.
*Everything is already provided.
Psa. 46:1
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
God is my provider right now. My faith produces a present help. My faith produces the provision. I need your help God. I need your provision. I need you to help my faith. I believe, but help my unbelief. I want NOW faith!
2. "Faith IS"
Faith is a word from God. Remember, faith cometh by hearing a word…
John 15:7
7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Jesus makes a powerful statement that if His words are in you then you can ask and you shall receive. The word of God increases your faith to believe. You must have a deeper understanding of God’s word. The more you know the word, the more you believe. Faith IS.
John 1:1
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:2
2The same was in the beginning with God.
John 1:3
3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 1:4
4In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
The word was with God, the word was God. That is why faith increases as you know the word, because the word is GOD! As you know the word, you know God. As you learn the different aspects of the word you are learning different aspects of God. Oh, I think I have discovered the key to a problematic church…a lack of knowledge of God; which produces a lack of faith which causes the church not to be pleasing to God (without faith it is impossible to please God) which means the church is unproductive. It all starts with YOU knowing the word of God. That is why it is so important to have a pastor that will preach the word of God. We don’t need to pulpit filled with myths and personal interpretations of theological backgrounds. We simply need the Word. FAITH IS the word of God!
3. Faith is the Foundation to Stand on…
Faith is the Substance. A substance is a foundation. Faith is the rock. It is the substance.
Psa. 78:35
35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.
Psa. 94:22
22 But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.
Psa. 95:1
1 O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Matt. 7:24
24Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Matt. 7:25
25And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
Matt. 7:26
26And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
Matt. 7:27
27And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Faith is the foundation. What are you building on this morning? Are you trying to build on your own knowledge? Are you trying to build on your own understanding?
Prov. 3:5
5Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Prov. 3:6
6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.
4. Faith is things…
Now faith is the substance of things. Jesus has your stuff. We all get so wrapped up in our stuff or our lack of stuff. Some of you work all your life for the things of this world, but Jesus has your stuff. Faith is the substance things. God has got it under control!
Mark 11:23
23For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Mark 11:24
24Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
I am not going to be troubled about the things that I don’t have because God has it and my faith will unlock God’s doors in my life. What things I desire…I have. Why, because faith is! I have victory in my faith because faith gives me the desires of my heart.
1 John 3:22
22And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
1 John 5:14
14And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
1 John 5:15
15And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
James 1:6
6But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Faith is the things.
5. Faith is the Hope
Rom. 8:24
24For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom. 8:25
25But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
We are saved by hope. So hope and faith are on the same level.
Eph. 2:8
8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
I have faith therefore I have hope. I hope of the eternal glory that comes through Christ Jesus. I rejoice in the hope of my God because I have great faith.
Psa. 16:8
8 I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Psa. 16:9
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
Psa. 38:15
15 For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.
Psa. 43:5
5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Psa. 147:11
11 The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.
Faith is your hope. Faith produces hope.
6. Faith is the Evidence
Evidence is proof. Faith is the proof. The word is the proof. All my needs are met because the word says so. I am an over-comer because the word tells me I am. It’s the proof that I need. The word says I can build. It’s my proof. The word says I am healed. The word says I am free. The word says I am delivered. It’s my proof.
You can not persuade a person who has been healed that the healing isn’t real because they have proof that they are healed. Sometimes you can’t see it, but the word prove that it is there.
You can’t see the baby inside the womb of an expecting mother, but its there. You will never talk that woman out of the fact that she is pregnant because she has that baby living inside of her. She feels its kicking and its hick-ups. You can’t see it but its growing inside of her. She knows that its real because its in her.
That is what we need in our faith. I have the proof because I have that seed growing inside of me. You can’t see it yet, but I can fell this promise kicking and I can feel this promise growing inside of me. I have faith and you are going to see it come to pass because it’s in me. I am going give you proof when this baby is birthed. I got the promise living inside of me. It’s real. I don’t much care what you believe, but I got the proof!
In closing… we must be a people of faith. You need to allow your faith to increase.
Rom. 1:17
17For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Rom. 5:1
1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom. 5:2
2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Where are you today? Do you need to prayer the prayer as in the beginning, "Lord, I believe but please help my unbelief."? We need faith. It is the only way that we will live in victory. Faith is the only way that we will know more of God. Let us be a church that can be identified by our faith. Let us be a group of people that will please God. The just shall live by faith. Faith is.
1. A present help
2. A Word
3. A Foundation ( A substance)
4. The things we need
5. The Hope we live in.
6. The evidence (the proof)