Hebrews 4:1-11

Introduction

Faith is the very foundation of the Christian creed and conduct after salvation. Ephesians 2:8. Faith is the confidence in God that leads us to believe His Word. It is by faith that we receive the Lord Jesus as our Saviour and confers Him as Lord.

The Syrophenician woman demonstrated a persevering faith and got what she wanted. Mark  7:26; likewise, the Centurion General manifested a humble faith and was rewarded for it – Matthew 8:810. 

In Mark 10:51, the blind man showed an earnest faith and received his sight. Jesus Christ, in His  dealings with these people, looked out for their faith.

1. WHAT IS FAITH? 

In  Heb. 11:1, the Bible defined faith as:

a. The substance of things hoped for.

b. The evidence of things not seen. 

There are two essential ingredients of  faith: i)  Substance and ii.)  Evidence. 

Evidence is defined as: facts or signs that prove the confidence or truth of something.

Faith is trust in God and Jesus Christ whom He sent – John 12:13.

The faith that saves is a personal trust in the Lord  Jesus Christ. You sit on a new chair because faith says you will not fall down. Also, faith says, Jesus is the Saviour and if you surrender your life to Him, He will save your soul unfailingly.

2. WHY IS FAITH NECESSARY? 

a. Without faith you can not please God –  Heb. 11:6 

b. If without faith you can not please God, then  you are a displeasure to God. Ps 2:5.

c) Faith is crucial for salvation – Acts 16:35.

d) Faith is crucial for healing, sanctification and the baptism. Lk.  8:22-25, Lk. 8:45-48, Lk.  9:37-41, Acts 13:47-48. 

3. THE SOURCES OF FAITH 

These are (i.) Divine (ii.)  Human

i.) Divine Faith:

a. God the father. Rom. 12:3.

b. God the son. Heb. 12:2.

c. God the Holy Spirit. Gal. 5:22. 

ii) Human Faith: By  hearing – Rom. 10:17; i.e.  listening to sermons, studying the scriptures, listening to testimonies of others, listening to good tapes and audio  CDs of anointed speakers, attending Digging Deep, Faith Clinic, Holy Ghost Services, Mount Zion Hour, etc.

CONCLUSION 

May the Lord release and  nurture the grace to possess the true and living faith to us all in Jesus Name.