Hebrews 11:06 – Do We Believe That God Is? audio

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(Taking a Hard Look at Our Own Convictions)

Text: Hebrews 11:6

Introduction

A. In this series of lessons, we are emphasizing the need to take God more seriously.  There is not a single one of us who does not need to do this!

B. In the last lesson, we saw that it’s possible for us to actually PLEASE God.  That ought to be our confident hope and our highest aim.

C. In this lesson, we’ll look at FAITH — “for he who comes to God must believe that He is.”

D. Do we believe that God is? Let’s take a hard look at our own convictions.

Body

I. DO WE NEED THIS LESSON?

A. Some will already have said they don’t need to ask whether God is.  They say, “of course we believe that God is!”

1. Well, perhaps we do, but in all honesty, the “faith” that many of us have is little more than a hand-me-down religion. Some indications:

(1) carnal attitudes and worldly lifestyles

(2) non-involvement in congregational life

(3) ignorance of the Scriptures

(4) vulnerability to temptation.

2. Ours may be a “Christian” nation — but few may really believe that God is.

3. And ours may be a faithful congregation but real, personal faith may be in short supply

B. The Scriptures speak of things like a “sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5) and a “genuine faith” (2 Timothy 1:5)

C. As individuals, our faith is somewhere on a continuum between the faith of others and a faith that is our own.  The question is: what can we do to move toward a faith that is more our own?

D. Let’s look first at the difference between these two kinds of faith, starting with the one that we’re striving for: a truly genuine, personal faith.

II. THE INGREDIENTS OF PERSONAL FAITH

A. Genuine, personal faith has three basic elements:

1. Credence (belief) – John 8:24 – This includes not only the what but also the why – 1 Peter 3:15.

2. Confidence (trust) – 2 Timothy 1:12 – Real trust produces unconditional obedience: trust = obey.

3. Constancy (faithful unto death) – 2 Timothy 4:7-8 – Faith = Faithfulness – Revelation 2:10.

B. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your own faith in these three areas?

III. THE TRAITS OF MERE TRADITION

A. Definition: “tradition” simply refers to that which has been “received.”

B. In religion, some people’s faith is nothing more than tradition. They’ve simply been going with the flow, and their convictions are nothing more than those of the “chameleon.” Their faith is not really their own.  It is a matter of convenience rather than conviction.

C. Now, what is wrong here is not tradition itself. There is nothing wrong with tradition! We are fools if we throw things away simply because they are traditional – 2 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 3:14-15; 2 Thessalonians 2:15.

D. Our point is not that faith and tradition are opposites, but that real faith is MORE than tradition!

E. The difference is not in the CONTENT, but in the QUALITY of our faith.

1. If our faith is mere tradition, then it’s probably very weak.

2. We’ve probably never examined it or thought it through.

3. It’s probably never been seriously tested. Cf. James 1:2, 3; 1 Peter 1:6-7.

4. It’s probably quite abstract & impersonal — God is little more than an idea to talk about.

5. Worst of all, we’re probably not able to give a reason for the hope that is within us – 1 Peter 3:15 — we don’t know why we believe.

F. Three dangers of a faith that is mere tradition:

1. It won’t stand the test of temptation.

2. It won’t stand the test of hardship.

3. It won’t stand the test of judgment – Matthew 7:22-23; Matthew 15:8-9

IV. STEPS WE CAN TAKE TO GROW IN OUR FAITH

A. Many never really confront the issue of real faith until they’re faced with some serious crisis in life. Yet this is too IMPORTANT an issue to postpone until a crisis makes it URGENT.

B. Can’t we decide right now to move from “hand-me-down religion” to a deeper, more genuine faith? What practical steps can we take?

1. First, we can be honest about our faith – Mark 9:24, 2 Corinthians 13:5.

2. Then we can:

a. Feed it.

b. Challenge it.

c. Refresh it.

C. Like most valuable things, real faith has to be grown.  There is no “get faithful quick” scheme – 1 Timothy 4:15-16 – We need incremental growth, little investments in our faith day by day.

Conclusion

A. We say we “believe that God is,” but how much do we trust Him in making real-life decisions?

1. Do you believe that somebody could walk over Niagara Falls on a tightrope while pushing a wheelbarrow?  Many might say they believed it, but how many would . . . get into the wheelbarrow?

2. When tough, real-world decisions have to be made we find out whether we truly “believe that God is.”

B. The goal of gospel teaching is to produce love out of:

(1) a pure heart

(2) a good conscience

(3) a “faith unfeigned” (1 Timothy 1:5 KJV)

(4) what we want is a faith that is the “real deal.”

C. In future, we won’t be able to “go with the flow.” The flow is moving in too many different directions!

D. It has never been more important to decide what kind of FAITH we’re going to have