Faith for Christian Living

MEMORY VERSES: James 1:22; 2:26; Hebrews 11:1, 3, 6

Hebrews 11 is one of those special passages that brings together all of the major teaching on one subject in one place. Other examples of this are the love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13 and the resurrection chapter in 1 Corinthians 15.

 

Following are eight major lessons on the subject of faith.

 

1.  Faith is essential (Heb. 11:6).

 

The words “faith” and “believe” are mentioned 771 times in the Bible. The Christian life is “from faith to faith” (Romans 1:17). Jesus often reproved His disciples for lack of faith (Mat. 6:30; 8:26; 14:31: 16:8).

 

2.  Faith is based on God’s Word (Heb. 11:1).

 

Compare Romans 10:17.

 

Faith is simply believing God’s Word. This is the most important fact about faith. Consider Noah (Heb. 11:7), Abraham (Heb. 11:8), and Sarah (Heb. 11:11).

 

Biblical faith is not blind; it has evidence and substance (Heb. 11:1) and that is God’s Word itself, which is based upon “many infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3). This is in contrast to the “faith” of this world, which is based upon nothing substantive.

Biblical faith does not come by miracles or by feelings or by mystical experiences. Abraham told the rich man in hell that if men do not believe God’s Word, they will not believe even if one rose from the dead before them (Luke 16:31).

 

That faith is based on God’s Word means that the Bible is essential for Christian living. If we want our faith to grow, we must read and study the Bible (Rev. 1:3; 2 Tim. 2:15) and hear the Bible (faithfulness to the preaching and teaching) and memorize the Bible (Psa. 119:11).

 

3.  Faith steps out in obedience (Heb. 11:8).

 

See James 1:22. True faith is not something that is just in the mind and heart; it is something that acts on God’s Word. James teaches us that faith without works is dead (James 2:26). It is not real faith.

 

Faith steps out to develop godly habits (e.g., church attendance, Heb. 10:25; Bible study, 2 Tim. 2:12; intercessory prayer, 1 Tim. 2:1-2).

 

Faith steps out when God calls. Jesus warned about putting off the call of God (Lk. 9:59-62).

 

4.  Faith looks beyond this life (Heb. 11:10).

 

It looks at treasures laid up in heaven (Mat. 6:20). It looks at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10).

 

This will keep me from being lazy, selfish, carnal, lukewarm. Young people need to do this. New believers need to do this. Businessmen need to do this. Elderly believers need to do this. My mom starting reading the Bible every day when she was in her 70s and has read it through twice a year since then.

When the Bible commentator William Kelly’s nephew attended university, his Greek professor learned that his uncle had taught him this language and offered him a position on the faculty of Trinity College, a Roman Catholic institution. He was offered prestige and was told he “would make a fortune.” His wise reply was “For which world?”

 

5.  Faith is tested (Heb. 11:17).

 

Faith is always tested. It is tested to see if it is real and it is tested to purify it. We see this in the lives of the Jews in the wilderness (Ex. 4:29-31; 5:4-23).

 

Faith is tested as soon as an individual believes in Christ (Mk. 4:18-19) and there is a process of testing and strengthening throughout the Christian life (1 Pet. 5:10). Faith is tested each time a new step of faith is taken, such as the decision to attend church faithfully or to read the Bible every day or to give a portion of my income to the Lord regularly or to love my wife as Christ loves the church. God wants to see if our faith is real or only superficial.

 

6.  Faith gives us courage (Heb. 11:23).

 

Life is full of fears but faith in Christ overcomes every fear. We don’t have to fear any problem or situation, because everything is in God’s hands (Rom. 8:28). We don’t have to fear for food and clothing (Mat. 6:33; Heb. 13:5-6). We don’t have to fear for old age (Psa. 37:25).

 

7.  Faith makes wise choices (Heb. 11:24-26).

 

Moses made a wise choice by faith, choosing to suffer affliction with God’s people for a short season instead of living the life of ease as a son of Pharaoh. Faith can give us the same wisdom to make major decisions, such as these:

Whether to follow the crowd or to follow Christ. Whether to be wholehearted for Christ or not (Rom. 12:1). Whether to separate from the world or not (Rom. 12:2). Whether to serve God or mammon (Mat. 6:24). Whether to be lazy or diligent (Prov. 13:4). Whether to give to God’s work richly or to keep it for myself (2 Cor. 9:6).

 

8.  Faith overcomes and also endures (Heb. 11:32-38).

 

Some receive faith to overcome life’s trials, while others receive faith to endure the trials. We can have faith whether the fire is quenched or whether it burns us, whether the lion’s mouth is shut or whether he eats us, whether the jail doors are opened or whether we die there. We must trust God whether we are healed or not, whether the house sells or not, whether the bullet is stopped or not.

 

God gives faith according to His will; we must accept His will. This is why Jesus called Scripture “the word of my patience” (Rev. 3:10).

 

Conclusion

 

Thank God for His grace and the privilege of exercising faith in this wicked generation. Do you have saving faith in Christ? A faith that has changed your life (2 Cor. 5:17)?

 

Do you have an intimate relationship with the Bible so that your faith is growing?

 

Is your faith being tested? Just keep on keeping on!

 

What will be the story of my life in regard to faith? Every life is written in God’s books (Heb. 11:39-40).

REVIEW QUESTIONS ON FAITH FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING

 

1.  What is the major chapter in the Bible on faith?

 

2.  What verse says that without faith it is impossible to please God?

 

3.  What verse says that faith is the evidence of things not seen?

 

4.  What verse says there are many infallible proofs for biblical faith?

 

5.  What was the rich man in hell told when he asked for Lazarus to be raised from the dead so that his lost brothers would believe?

 

6.  What must I do if I want my faith to grow?

 

7.  What verse says "be ye doers of the word and not hearers only"?

 

8.  What verse says "as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead"?

 

9.  Why is faith tested?

 

10.  What verse says that all things work together for good to those who love God?

 

11.  What verse says, "I have never seen the righteous forsaken"?

 

12.  What wise choice did Moses make?

 

13.  What is enduring faith?

Prayer

MEMORY VERSES: Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:2; James 5:16; 1 John

3:20-22

 

Nothing in the Christian life is more important than prayer. There are more than 500 references to prayer in Bible.

 

Prayer changes things, and nothing is changed without prayer: no one saved, no sermon blessed, no marriage victorious, no child turn out right, no church stay in God’s will

 

We have to learn to pray (Luke 11:1).

 

Prayer is acknowledging our inability and casting ourselves upon God. It is obtaining mercy and finding grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

 

To be effective, prayer needs to have the following simple but essential elements:

 

1.  Prayer must be worshipful (Luke 11:1-2)

 

This was emphasized Jesus in His “model prayer.” This does not mean that it is always necessary to precede every prayer with a long period of worship, but the supplicant must always be aware that he is approach the Eternal Creator, the Majesty on High. Prayer should not be a flippant, half-hearted activity.

 

2.  Prayer must be confessional (Psalm 66:18; 1 John 3:20-22)

We come to God through confession of our sins. By this means we obtain mercy and can pray with a good conscience and our prayers can have free course with God.

 

3.   Prayer must be earnest (James 5:16; Colossians 4:12). Hasty, half-hearted, distracted praying is not very effective.

 

4.  Prayer must be regular (Romans 1:9). The believer needs to establish a daily prayer time during which he meets with the Lord and prays for himself and others. Intercessory prayer is praying for others.

 

5.  Prayer must be watchful (Ephesians 6:18). This refers to intercessory prayer. By prayer we can watch over the spiritual lives of others.

 

6.    Prayer must be persistent (Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17). This is one of the most important aspects of effectual prayer and is often emphasized in Scripture. Jesus taught two parables to emphasize the importance of persistence in prayer: The unjust judge (Luke 18:1-5), and the man who needed the loaves of bread (Luke 11:5-10).

 

7.   Prayer must flow from a sound husband-wife relationship (1 Peter 3:7). The husband that does not treat his wife right after a godly fashion will not have power with God in prayer.

 

8.   Prayer should be in association with others (Romans 15:30; 2 Corinthians 1:11; Colossians 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:25; 2 Thessalonians 3:1). Paul constantly asked other believers to pray for him. If he saw the need for that, being an apostle and having seen the Lord face to face, how much more do we need it! In her conversations with me about prayer, my grandmother emphasized that having others pray with you about special needs is effectual.

9.  Prayer should be combined with fasting at times (Matthew 6:17-18; 17:21).

 

In the context of Matthew 17:21, Jesus was referring to the case of a demon-possessed boy. He said that the reason the disciples couldn’t cast out the demon was failure to fast. Prayer with fasting is particularly useful in spiritual warfare against demonic strongholds.

 

My maternal grandmother, Julia Pollock, was the first person that ever talked to me about fasting. Referring to Matthew 6:17-18, she told me that she had proven this promise several times in her life. On one occasion her husband, who was a deacon in a Baptist church and who had not taken a drink of liquor since before their marriage, got a job working on a roof with one of his old drinking buddies. He eventually allowed himself to be talked into having “just one drink.” The one drink turned into many and they got so rip-roaring drunk that they began singing loudly and throwing tools off the roof. The police were called in and they were hauled off to jail. Julia had to get Deacon Pollock out of the slammer! He was deeply remorseful and promised her that he would never do it again, and he stood before the church and apologized profusely and was forgiven by the congregation. She was deeply shocked by this event, though, and was afraid that he might fall again, remembering that both her father and her husband’s father were drunkards. So she determined to fast and pray until she was assured of his complete victory over this evil. I don’t think she told me how long she fasted but it was many days. She would cook her delicious meals and when it was time for breakfast, lunch, or supper Monroe would say to her, “Come on, Julia, let’s eat a mouthful,” and she would reply, “Don’t worry about me, Monroe.” Finally she had peace in her heart that God was going to give him the victory and she ended her fast, and he never touched a drop of liquor again in his life. None of her boys ever drank, either.

 

 

REVIEW QUESTIONS ON PRAYER

 

1.  What verse invites us to come boldly to God's throne?

 

2.  What are nine essential elements of effective prayer?

3.  Why should we approach God in prayer worshipfully?

 

4.  What verse says, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me"?

 

5.  What verse says that the husband's prayers can be hindered if he doesn't treat his wife right?

 

6.  What verse says that prayer with fasting is necessary to overcome demonic strongholds?

 

7.  In what passage did Jesus promise that those who fast in secret God will reward openly?

Christian Growth & Victory Part 4

MEMORY VERSES: Ephesians 5:18-19; Hebrews 12:1-2

 

In the last two lessons we looked at eight important ways to grow spiritually and to have victory in Christ: abiding in Christ, putting off the old man and putting on the new, confessing sin, pressing toward the mark, devouring the Word, protecting the Word, separation from the world, and separation from false teachers.

 

In this lesson we will look at four final things: yielding to the Spirit, establishing godly habits, keeping one’s eyes on Christ, and drawing nigh to Christ.

 

BEING FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT (Ephesians 5:18)

 

Spiritual victory in the Christian life is through surrender to and yielding to the indwelling Holy Spirit.

 

1.  Being filled with the Spirit means to be under the Spirit’s control. As a man is under the control of wine when he is drunk, so the believer is under the Spirit’s control when he is filled with the Spirit. It is only in this one sense that being filled with the Spirit is likened to being drunk with wine. In truth, being filled with the Spirit is not likened to being drunk with wine; it is contrasted to being drunk with wine. Some Charismatics teach that Spirit filling is to be drunk with the Spirit, so that the individual falls down and laughs and acts like a drunk, but this is ridiculous and unscriptural. When the disciples were filled with the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, Peter plainly stated that they were not drunk (Acts 2:15). They were not stumbling around and falling on the ground and laughing hysterically! No, to be Spirit filled simply means to yield to God’s control in my life. It means to die to self-will and self-desire and to live for Christ. It means to start each day by surrendering myself to the Lord for that day, and then as

choices come my way I choose to do God’s will rather than my own. When the believer does this, God gives him spiritual strength and wisdom and guidance. This is walking in the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit.

 

2.   To be filled with the Spirit is not a one-time act or experience; it is a process. The verb in Ephesians 5:18 is in the continuous tense. It is not a matter of achieving a state of perfection; it is a matter of growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. The believer must not get discouraged when he sins; he can be filled with the Spirit anew by confessing his sin and by yielding to the Spirit’s leadership and control.

 

3.   Observe that being filled with the Spirit is associated with singing spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19). There is power in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. In Ephesians 5, Paul associated the singing of spiritual songs with being filled with the Holy Spirit. Just as David’s songs calmed the troubled king (1 Samuel 16:23), spiritual songs can feed and encourage the believer’s “new man.” It is a good practice to memorize hymns and spiritual songs so that they can be used when trials come. A godly woman told me that she once went through a hard trial during which she found it difficult to pray or read her Bible, but she kept singing a simple spiritual song over and over and the Lord gave her the victory.

 

It is wise to build a library of good sacred music and listen to it as one has opportunity, on a personal music player, in the car, and in the home. The late Pastor J.B. Buffington said,

 

“Worldly music produces a worldly environment and creates worldly attitudes. On the other hand, you can program temperament and stability and peace and quietness in your home if you get good sacred Christian music. You can play Bible stories in a room where a little baby is sleeping, and you are programming Bible stories into his little mind. Kids don’t have to learn things formally; you just put it there and they are like a blotter. They absorb it. Put soothing, Christ-honoring, soul-stirring Christian music on and just let it play in your home, and you are programming something of security and tranquility and peace into the children’s hearts” (“How to Lose

a Child Before He Is Five Years Old”).

 

We must warn against the carnal Christian music that is popular today. The Bible says we must sing “spiritual songs.” This is the opposite of worldly songs. Spiritual music is the opposite of music that feeds the flesh. It is the opposite of the world’s party music. We have already seen that God forbids us to associate with the evil things of the world (1 John 2:15-16).

 

A list of “Suggested Sacred Music Recordings” can be found at the Way of Life Literature web site.

 

4.    Being filled with the Spirit is associated with giving thanks to God (Eph. 5:20). If I have a critical, complaining attitude, I am not filled with the Spirit, because He is grieved by such things (Eph. 4:30-31).

 

5.   Being filled with the Spirit is associated with godly relationships (Eph. 5:21 -6:9). To be filled with the Spirit requires obeying Him, and He wants us to treat one another in a godly manner. Spirit-filled wives submit to their husbands. Spirit-filled husbands love their wives. Spirit-filled children obey and honor their parents. Spirit-filled fathers do not provoke their children to wrath. Spirit-filled servants are obedient to their masters. Spirit-filled masters treat their servants justly.

 

ESTABLISHING GODLY HABITS (Luke 4:16)

 

Our lives are busy and it is essential to establish godly habits so that God is not crowded out. We should establish a habit of daily Bible reading and intercessory prayer, a habit of faithful church attendance, a habit of participating in organized evangelism, a habit of spending time with our families, and many such things.

 

This does not mean that we only think of God and only serve God during special times in the day and week. We are to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17), to

always have a conscience void of offence toward God (Acts 24:16), to always abound in the work of the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58), to give thanks always (Eph. 5:20), to be ready always to give a testimony for Christ (1 Pet. 3:15).

 

We must beware, too, lest our spiritual habits become mere routine, lest our “form becomes formality.” We keep our spiritual habits fresh by staying in fellowship with Christ.

 

KEEPING ONE’S EYES ON CHRIST (Hebrews 12:1-2)

 

We must keep our eyes on Christ. He will never fail or offend. The believer stumbles when he gets his eyes off of Christ and on to anything else, such as his own sin, the world, difficulties in life, or other people. Those who have their eyes on Christ and are serving Him with an undivided heart don’t stumble when they see other believers commit sins or otherwise do things that offend. For example, when churches have troubles it soon becomes evident which of the members are truly walking with Christ. They continue to walk with Him regardless of what happens. But those who are looking at man and following man become discouraged and even quit when someone or something offends them.

 

ABIDING IN CHRIST (Matthew 11:28-30)

 

We started with this point, and we will end with it, because the most important thing the believer can do to grow spiritually and to have victory is to walk in fellowship with the Lord and to trust Him at all times. The Christian life is a personal relationship with Christ, the eternal Son of God. It is a matter of receiving Him and serving Him and learning of Him. This is the essence of true Christianity and it is the way of spiritual growth and victory.

 

 

REVIEW QUESTIONS ON CHRISTIAN GROWTH PART 4

1.  What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit?

 

2.  What did Peter say when he was accused of being drunk on the Day of Pentecost?

 

3.  To be filled with the Spirit is not a                  act or experience; it is a

                       .

 

4.  Why is filling with the Spirit associated with singing spiritual songs?

 

5.  Spiritual songs are the opposite of                    songs.

 

6.  Spiritual music is the opposite of music that                                       .

 

7.  How is being filled with the Spirit associated with giving thanks to God?

 

8.  Why is it important to establish godly habits?

 

9.  What are some godly habits that the Christian should establish in his life?

 

We must beware lest our        becomes