Exactly How Important is Faith?

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Exactly How Important is Faith?

Hebrews 11:6 ESV
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Here are two keys to faith. The first is to believe that God is.

“Who do I say You are?” Moses asked God.

“I AM THAT I AM,” God answered

“Who do I say You are?” Moses asked God.

“I AM THAT I AM,” God answered

Exodus 3:14 ESV
God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”
God is saying I am what ever you need.
Second part of Faith in this verse,
for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.faith believes God is the One who will meet the needs deep within my heart.
Hebrews 11:6 ESV
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
faith believes God is the One who will meet the needs deep within my heart.
for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.faith believes God is the One who will meet the needs deep within my heart.
There are those who believe God is—but they don’t really seek Him.
Why must we diligently seek God?
Why isn’t it enough just to believe He is whatever we have need of?
Because God knows if we diligently seek Him, the very things about which we seek Him will fade in importance as we realize it’s Him we want all along.

I believe most of us have no problem with the first of these two keys to faith. We believe God is. But because we don’t believe He rewards those who seek Him, we seek Him haphazardly or half-heartedly if at all.

I believe most of us have no problem with the first of these two keys to faith. We believe God is. But because we don’t believe He rewards those who seek Him, we seek Him haphazardly or half-heartedly if at all.

This leads us to a ton of issues within the church today.
Church as in the church abroad!
Faith in The Lord will cause ones life to go a total different direction. and Lack of Faith will take one in the oppisite direction.
A Busniess owner will cook the books.
I use to cheat, steal
Stack the deck,
Have two sets of books, for the purpose of gaining monies from not reporting income and thus not having to pay the taxes!
I was so guilty of this prior to Jesus in my life.
Guess what, I always wound up paying taxes. And I never seemed to get ahead no matter what receipe i used to cook the books.
But after Jesus came into my life, I had something i had never had before, FAITH
Having read His Word, I new what His word promised me.
Matthew 6:33 ESV
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
I had Faith, I had Faith the God would do just as He said He would.
I wasnt trying to get rich, I just wanted to be able to obtain the things i needed for my family.
I left the kitchen, I even tore the kitchen down, no more cooking the books for me.
I reported everything and have done so to this very day!
I thought oh man, what about the taxes, but I also thought of what God has promised me.
To supply me with what I needed.
Deal, I trust you Lord!
Story about not being able to meet payroll one day then was able to get monies paid that was owed me.
A strong rebuke and lesson from The Lord that day for me.
You see, its the lack of Faith that will cause so many people to fail miserably.
Not trusting God will cause many problems.
How can one trust God with their eternal Salvation but not with the light bill?
Such a beleif can only be a false Faith, A faith that has no hope for today yet alone for all of eternity.
Its ok to be concerned, and Jesus knew we would be, this is why He told us to not worry!
He gave us a example useing birds.
Matthew 6:25–30 ESV
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
30
Dont be axxious, but Have Faith!
Faith not is what you can do, Not in what someone else can do but Faith in What God will do!
Lack of faith will bring about so many problems.
It will cause people to become self dependent,
To become self righteous.
To become liars, to become deceivers, to become thieves.
This has happened to a lot of people, to a lot of good people.
This has happened to a pastor of a church located not to far from here.
This pastor allegdy took monies from his employer, a large sum of money. Not all at once but over a extended period of time.
This pastor didnt come forth to confess, but rather was caught in his crime / sin.
Now why would a pastor do such a thing?
but this isnt just one thing, we have a list going here.
Lying, stealing, cheating, deceitfulness. Manipulation.
1 Timothy 3:1–3 ESV
The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
Should this be a acceptable practice of a Pastor over God’s flock?
According to God’s Word, the answer is no!
Faith, Faith is the problem here!
Not beleiveing that God would supply all of the need!
Maybe its a greed peoblem, I dont know. I rather beleive its a Faith problem.
This Pastor from what I know has admitted to his congration that he has sinned and that God has forgiven his sin and that he was not closing the church or stepping down as Pastor.
The reply from the people at the church was that they accepted that.
Do you all see a problem here?
Why dont they see a problem here?
Peopel will get hurt here,
People will be misled here at this church.
People here will have the sense that accountability is not important and dosent matter.
I assure you this isnt the way God has intended for His church to be tended to.
28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
Either this church dosent know any better or its just plain Social havoc.
A Church verses a social club.
2 Timothy 3:1–4 ESV
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
A sign that the last days are upon us.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 NKJV
Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
1 Timothy 4:1 ESV
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,
1 Timothy 4:3–4 ESV
who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
1 Tim
2 Timothy 3:5 ESV
having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
2 Timothy 4:3–4 ESV
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
2 Peter 3:3–4 ESV
knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”
This verse is the scariest of all
1 Timothy 4:2 ESV
through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,
Maybe the people at this church dont think they can find another Pastor and this is why they arent acting.
If this be the case, its a Faith Problem. God loves the church more than any person could ever love it. He died for it!
Every beleiver has faith, but when we turn to anything or anyone before turning to the Lord we have a Faith problem.
A faith Problem can be Problem!
Without Faith,its impossible to please God!
Ephesians 5:11–17 ESV
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Ephesians 5:11–21 ESV
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
17
I beleive that everyone wants the kind of faith that depends on The Lord for everything.
To me this kind of faith only comes through a realionship through Jesus Christ.
Its by Grace that one is saved through Faith.
Faith cant and will not save us from eternal hell.
Gods Grace does this, but its throough our faith in Gods Grace that saves us from eternal hell and gives us eternal life.
Ephesians 2:8 ESV
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
I once asked a friend to go sailing with me, I asked him the same question I ask everyone who goes on the boat with me, can you swim?
He said sure I can, like a fish !!!
We went sailing and I noticed while I was getting the gear ready to shove off drom the peir he was securing his life vest on and pretty tightly to!!!
As soon as we got out in the water I heard the question, how deep is it.
I said it dont matter, you cant touch the bottom.
He slid slowly to the center and bottom of boat.
hmmm, can swim like a fish.....
He sure didnt excerise his faith in his swimming abilities.
How many people profess Faith but yet in the day to day activities as we shove off do we really excerise our faith?
Exactly How Important is Faith?
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