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PULPIT TODAY SERMONS
FAITH
MAKES ALL THINGS POSSIBLE
Hebrews 11:6
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
by Robert D. Pace
Introductory Remarks
When you read about the subject of faith, you’ll discover that the Bible presents it several ways. The first two ways I want to mention is how the Bible affirms faith positively and also negatively. Here’s what I mean:
Positively, Jesus said in Mark 9:23, “Everything is possible for one who believes.” That’s positive reinforcement.
But Matthew 17:20 shows Jesus using negative reinforcement to affirm faith when he said “[with faith] Nothing will be impossible for you.”
But there’s another way Jesus spoke of faith. He pointed out that faith can be calculated; that is, it can be measured or computed. He illustrated this when He spoke of great faith and little faith:
And in Matthew 15:28 Jesus told a woman seeking deliverance for her demonized daughter: “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.”
In Matthew 17:20 Jesus said: “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”
But Jesus uttered another important truth about faith. He said there can be an absence of faith in a person’s life. For example, the Gospel of Mark relates a story when the entire apostolic band lost faith as they crossed the Sea of Galilee. Jesus gathered His Apostles and said to them, “let us go to the other side.” So they all entered the vessel and launched forth. But out of nowhere, a storm turned to sea into a tempest. The Apostles fought for their lives as they battled the storm; but to no avail. After exhausting their efforts they turned to Jesus and found Him asleep in the stern! Notice their first words to Him:
“Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” (39) He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. (40) He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
(Question) Have you ever wondered why the Lord waits so long before intervening in your calamities? Why is the Lord reluctant to rescue us from crisis before things get so out of hand? The Bible answers this question: It’s because the Lord looks for faith. This is what happened to many great men and women of Scripture: the Lord brought them through a trial of faith. And at times, the Lord sorely tried their faith! Let’s look at 1 Peter 1:6—7 to see what the Apostle said about this:
“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. (7) These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
(Example) Peter said faith is greater than gold! Let me say that again: Faith is greater than gold! According to 1 Corinthians 13, Paul said faith is among the three preeminent virtues in the Kingdom of God—“faith, hope, and love.” Of the three, faith is the currency of the Kingdom; it makes purchases from God. You see, to make purchases from the world, you use money. But money doesn’t impress God. God owns everything; the universe and its treasures are at His sovereign disposal. But the one thing God doesn’t have and doesn’t need of Himself is what humans have. What is that? It’s faith! He loves it when His creation expresses confidence, reliance, belief, and trust in Him. Imagine the honor you give to God when you trust Him.
Love and hope move the heart of God, but faith moves the hand of God. In one respect, it’s faith that makes transactions with God. It’s the currency of the Kingdom!
HEBREWS 11, FAITH’S “HALL OF FAME”
When is the last time you have read Hebrews 11? Do you remember what this chapter is called? It’s called the “Faith’s Hall of Fame” or “The Hall of Faith.” I want to read from Hebrews 11, and point out several instances of those who exercised great faith. (Read select verses from Hebrews 11:1—16)
By faith Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Joshua, Samson, etc.
Then there is Job. When you summarize Job’s life, it’s this: Job remained faithful and trusted the LORD unto the very end. He suffered the loss of children, his health, his friends, and his herds of animals. But he never wavered.
In James 5:10—11, the brother of Jesus said this about Job: “Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. (11) As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”
The Apostle Paul tells us why it is imperative to thank and praise God when crisis and difficulty come our way. He wrote these words in 2 Corinthians 4:17: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” The day is coming when every Believer will appear at the Judgment Seat of Christ. It’s where we are rewarded for our works. One aspect of our rewards involves the Lord granting us eternal blessings for how we stood firm in the face of trials, trusted Him in times of trouble, anchored our faith during crisis, remained resolute during persecution, and believed Him when common sense suggested we were doomed. This is why Paul could say our “momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”
(Emphasis) When you read what the NT says about the life of Jesus, you find that only two things amazed him: (1) Jesus marveled at a person’s “lack of faith,” and (2) Jesus marveled at a person’s “great” faith. Those are the only two things that “wowed” the Lord. When Jesus returned to His hometown in Nazareth Mark 6:4—6, says “He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. (6) He was amazed at their lack of faith.” It becomes clear here: unbelief halts the hand of God! It stifles His actions! But if you want to impress God, activate your faith. Anchor your heart and soul in what He can accomplish for you. Faith is what impresses and honors God.
Maybe there was a time when you thought, you didn’t have any faith. But that’s untrue! God has given every Christian that’s ever lived faith. Turn to Romans 12:3 and let’s read! “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”
(Insight) When I began this message I mentioned “little faith,” “great faith,” and “no faith.” I mentioned faith both positively and negatively. But there’s a greater truth to be identified about faith. It has everything to do with the Object of our faith. And what, or “Who” is the object of faith? It is God! God is limitless; He’s all-powerful! So when difficulties come your way keep your focus on God and recognize “with God all things are possible.” Let me state it this way: When life overwhelms you and crisis looms large, never put your mountain between you and God. Defeat is certain when you do that! Always put God between you and your mountain. When God stands between you and your dilemma, your faith will grow and you can vanquish anything!
I want to point out the importance of faith in the Christian Life. And I want to return to our opening text in Hebrews 11:6. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
I want you to see how God uses a ‘progression of faith’ throughout our journey through life:
Ephesians 2:8 shows that we get our start in the Kingdom of God by utilizing faith. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God it is the gift of God.”
Paul then says in Galatians 3:1—6 we are filled with the Holy Spirit and God works miracles through us “by faith.”
Throughout the Bible it shows that we receive blessings, healings, and peoople were raised from the dead “by faith.”
And then notice what the Bible says, almost word-for-word, in four separate places. Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:38 each summarizes the how faith influences the entire Christian life when they say: “The righteous will live by faith.” From first to last faith characterizes our walk with God.
Well, since faith takes a preeminent place in the Kingdom of God we must ask ourselves an important question about faith: How can we increase our faith? The answer is found in Romans 10:17 [ESV] when it says this: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” I need to elaborate on Paul’s insight here. What does he mean? It means if you’ll find a promise in the word of God, and focus your faith in it, God can work wonders for you! But there’s more to it than that, so permit me to explain further:
(Insight) The writer of Hebrews tells us that faith is based on knowledge! He does this in Hebrews 1:1—3. Let’s read that short passage: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (2) This is what the ancients were commended for. (3) By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command.…” Notice again the first four words of verse three: “By faith we understand.” According to Hebrews 1:3, faith is based on knowledge. True faith is never “blind faith”; it has “substance.” When you place your faith in the “substance” of God’s living, omnipotent, irrepressible Word, it produces miracles and great feats from God! So if you have a great need, find a great promise from God’s Word, and mix it with faith. That’s when you’ll see wonderful things happen. God responds to man’s faith in His Word.
Conclusion
The final notation I want to mention about faith also comes from our Savior, Jesus Christ. And He connected it to Endtime prophecy. Turn to Luke 18, and let’s read:
Parable of the Unjust Judge (Luke 18:1—8)
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. (2) He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. (3) And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ (4) “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, (5) yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” (6) And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. (7) And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? (8) I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Why did Jesus make the connection between faith and the last days? Well, if there’s anything that can be noted about this time of trouble, it’s that it will be a time of distress unlike anything in the history of the world. Difficult, perilous, and wicked times will require great faith! Moreover, let every Christian personalize Christ’s words in Luke 8:8. “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”