5 – Faith leads to Spirit filled living

By / Expressions of Faith / 3 minutes of reading

Within Paul’s prayer of Ephesians chapter 3, we read of the connection between faith and the working of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 3:16-19, Paul prays that according to the riches of His (the Father’s) glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Through his prayer, the apostle Paul reveals the amazing spiritual resources which are only available to Christians. God’s divine treasure, found within the immeasurable wealth of His heavenly glory, has been made available to His earthly children, to those who believe in His Son Jesus Christ. As incomprehensible as this may seem, access to this storehouse of blessing is gained through faith.

Faith, which is trusting belief, its dependant belief, and its belief that channels the believer’s affections through Jesus Christ to God, it is this faith which attracts God’s full attention. So, it is because of faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection as payment for our sin, that God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:5. Cf. Rom 3:21-26). And it is God’s Spirit who manifests the heart of God within the believer’s changing heart.

Now, as the child of God is rooted and grounded in love through the Holy Spirit, Paul prays for the believers to have strength to comprehend the enormous greatness of the love of Christ. As the Holy Spirit grows and matures the child of God, so it is God’s desire for them to be filled with all the fullness of God. And to be filled with God means we are to be saturated with the presence of the Holy Spirit, which speaks of being controlled by God’s Spirit.

Paul explains the ways in which the Holy Spirit manifests Himself through a believer’s attitudes and behaviour in Galatians 5:22-23. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control… Again, these expressions of the Holy Spirit are the outcome of faith, because faith chooses to live in obedience to Jesus Christ and God’s Word. Faith chooses to walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). Living an obedient life of faith stops sinful desires becoming sinful behaviour.

Faith not only believes in Jesus Christ for salvation, but it trusts the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sent (John 15:26) for daily representing the Lord Jesus within us. Faith trusts the Holy Spirit to do the long term job of sanctification, of changing our lives to be more like Jesus Christ, a little more each day.

Paul explains this in 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 NLT. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord – who is the Spirit – makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

Faith in God, through Jesus Christ, is reliant upon the Holy Spirit to accomplish the things we cannot do in our own strength. As always, this ministry of the Triune God within us does not… depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy (Romans 9:16 NIV).

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4 – Faith bows under Jesus as Lord

By / Expressions of Faith / 3 minutes of reading

While faith is internal belief, faith must express itself through outward confession and behaviour to be authentic. It acknowledges Christ’s rightful authority over our lives and our commitment to yield to Him as master. This confession is the fruit of salvation.

You see, a person cannot claim Jesus to be their Saviour without intentional surrender to Jesus as their Lord. Jesus is NOT demanding perfect obedience to qualify for salvation. No, He is saying obedience is the expected result, or outcome of salvation for those who love Him. For those who are born again (Jn 3:3), who are new creations in Christ (2Co 5:17), loving obedience is the path they walk by faith.

Romans 10:9, If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

John 14:15, If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

Luke 6:46, Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?

1 John 2:3-6, And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Some walk away from Jesus, proving they were never born again, because they only want salvation and eternal life, but they do not want a life of surrendered obedience under Jesus as Lord (Mat 7:21-23; 1Jn 2:19).

The principle of not serving two master’s remains true after salvation. As Jesus taught in Matthew 6:24, He can be the only Lord in a believer’s life. No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

For those who have been cleansed of past sins (2Pe 1:9), they do not want to wait until judgement day to confess Jesus as Lord. No, they desire to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, through their present day lives (Philippians 2:11), and their confession is authenticated through the fruit of obedience.

However, care needs to be taken that people do not misunderstand the truth of Jesus’ Lordship. We are not to be legalistic, demanding perfection before obedience can be acknowledged. That would prove us to be self-righteous, thinking we qualify for God’s grace. No, sinners will never qualify for or deserve God’s grace. Rather, genuine Christians seek to obey the Lord Jesus because they love Him deeply! They desire to please their Lord! And they desire the character of Jesus Christ to manifest in their lives so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light (Colossians 1:10-12).

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3 – Faith is rooted in Jesus Christ and results in salvation

By / Expressions of Faith / 3 minutes of reading

This lesson highlights the centrality of Jesus Christ in the Christian faith and the personal nature of faith in Him.

Faith is not vague or universal; it is specifically faith in a person, and that person is Jesus Christ. Faith believes in Jesus Christ and the factual reality of Him. Therefore, faith believes in Jesus’ life, Jesus’ death, Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus’ ascension to glory, and Jesus’ return (Rapture).

Hebrews 1:2a, in these last days he (God) has spoken to us by his Son… So, it is God’s Son that we must listen to and obey. God has provided no other person or spiritual being to act on His behalf, only Jesus speaks for God, and only the Holy Spirit of Jesus and God convicts humans of Jesus Words.

Therefore, Jesus alone is the foundation of our faith and the source of eternal life. Believing in Him means trusting that He alone can save us from God’s wrath and reconcile us to God.

Acts 4:12, there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name (Jesus) under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

John 3:36, Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Faith in Jesus Christ is the door to eternal life and salvation. Salvation is not based on human merit but on believing faith in Jesus as the Son of God who saves sinners from the power of sin and eternal death. It is the most important decision a person can make.

John 1:12-13, But to all who did receive Him (Jesus), who believed in His name (Jesus), He (Jesus) gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
§  Faith is specific, it is focused on Jesus Christ.
§  Faith intentionally receives Jesus as an expression of belief in Jesus.
§  Faith that receives Jesus activates adoption into God’s family.

Ephesians 1:5, he (God) predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.
§  Faith is therefore NOT the product of human inheritance, human desire, or human will.

James 1:18, Of his (God) own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
§  Faith that accomplishes this is NOT generated by humans; it is distinctly a work of God alone.

John 6:47, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.”

AMEN! Glory to God for such an amazing faith that he gifts to us in Christ.

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2 – Faith is a gift and comes by hearing God’s Word

By / Expressions of Faith / 3 minutes of reading

Faith does not exist within humans naturally, and it is not a self-generated attribute. Faith  has a start line, then it develops as we grow in our knowledge of God through His written Word and as we experience God’s presence in our lives.

It is one thing to have a basic belief about the spiritual realm, or even that there is a Creator God, but this is NOT the saving faith Scripture speaks of. Faith spoken of in the Bible is a deep inner acceptance of God’s truth that He has revealed about Himself. Faith does NOT build on a person’s imagination of what God is like. Biblical faith does more than believe about God, it dependently believes in the one true God.

Faith is the grace gift of God that ensures the sinner possesses the necessary faith for salvation.

Ephesians 2:8, For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.

Romans 10:17, So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Romans 12:3, …each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Philippians 1:29, For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him… (This is faith).

1 Corinthians 1:30-31, And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.

It is God who gifts a person the faith which enables them to believe in Him. This is NOT a general belief, but a specific faith that personally leans into God desiring intimacy with God, seeking the closest relationship possible. This God-given faith leads to salvation through Jesus Christ, but we shall consider more of that in the next message.

Because God has told us that without faith it is impossible to please him… (Hebrews 11:6), He ensures the necessary faith is placed within a person to accomplish what He wants. God desires to experience pleasure from our relationship with Him. His pleasure equals His glory.

Philippians 2:13, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Hearing the gospel message, the stories of God’s faithfulness, and His promises builds our faith. This is why regular Bible reading and teaching are vital. The Word of God plants the seeds of faith in our hearts, and as we nurture those seeds, faith grows stronger and more resilient. Faith grows as the Word of God is read and put into practice.

Faith is not something we can manufacture on our own; it is a divine gift. Salvation itself is by grace through faith, meaning God initiates and enables our belief in Him. This humbles us and keeps us dependent on God rather than our own efforts. Recognizing faith as a gift helps us appreciate God’s grace and encourages us to nurture and manage this precious gift.

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1 – Faith believes in God and His promises

By / Expressions of Faith / 3 minutes of reading

Key verse:
Hebrews 11:6, And without faith it is impossible to please him (God), for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Faith = persuasion, i.e. moral conviction, to be reliant upon. (Faith means you are persuaded so much that you rely/depend/trust the one you have faith in).
Believe = to have faith, by implication, to entrust. (To believe is to have an  active expression of faith. We entrust ourselves to the One we have faith in. so we say that we belief in Him).
Faith and belief share closely related characteristics. Often, they are the same.

There is only one thing that God looks for in mankind that will please Him, it’s faith. All other characteristics and actions that a person have counts for nothing without faith first. Without faith it is impossible to please him (God).

John MacArthur Hebrews Commentary says…
Believing that the true God exists is what is pleasing to Him. Mere recognition of a deity of some sort—the “ground of being,” the “man upstairs,” or any of the man-made gods just mentioned—is not the object of belief in mind here. Only belief in the existence of the true God, the God of Scripture, counts.
We cannot know God by sight. “No man has seen God at any time,” Jesus said (John 1:18). Nor can we know God by reason. Two chapters of the book of Job (38-39) are devoted to God’s forceful and colorful illustrations of how man cannot even fathom the operations of nature. END QUOTE

Faith is confident trust in the reality that creator God exists, therefore we believe in His promises that He has made to humanity. Faith is not blind optimism, it is not wishful thinking, but it is a firm assurance based on God’s character, on the evidence of the created universe, and upon the trustworthiness of His written Word.

Faith looks outside of self. It looks at the created universe (Isa 40:25-26; Acts 14:17; Rom 1:19-20) and listens to God’s written testimony in Scripture, then concludes that God is who He says He is. And since He is who He says He is, we can believe and trust Him.

Hebrews chapter 11 records the lives of people who had faith in Yahweh. There lives of faith are presented as supported evidence the God is, and that He keeps His promises.

Biblical charactered faith looks beyond present circumstances and holds on to the hope that God is, and that He will fulfill what He has promised. This kind of faith is foundational for the Christian life because it anchors us in God’s unchanging character, and in His unchanging truth rather than trusting our feelings or circumstances, and instead of trusting in the empty speculations of mankind which are constantly changing.

Faith engages the human will and says, “I believe, therefore I will trust and obey.”
Hebrews 11:1, Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Jeremiah 29:13-14, You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord…

Application:
Have you searched for God and found Him?
Have you intentionally put your personal faith in His Son Jesus Christ?
Have you given God the single, most important thing that can please Him? Faith.

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