The Essentials of Faith
Steve W. Reeves
stevesermons.blogspot.com
INTRODUCTION:
A. If
you ever watched the animated Disney movie, “Jungle Book,” you may remember a popular song sung by Phil Harris entitled, “The Bear Necessities.” The chorus
contained the words, “Look for the bear necessities, the simple bear necessities,
forget about your worry and your strife.”
1. All of us are concerned about the necessities of life. Clean air, water, food, etc.”
2. Have you considered the necessities of your relationship with God?
B. There are two essential necessities that we must have in our spiritual life.
1. Grace.
a. Our English word “grace” is derived from the Greek “charis.” This word is found
156 times in the New Testament. In its early use it meant “sweetness” or
“attractiveness.” It later came to mean, “favor,” “goodwill,” or “loving kindness.”
Grace is never attained by one’s own efforts, but is a gift received from nother.
b. Grace means, “God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense.”
2. Faith.
a. In Ephesians 2:8 Paul wrote, “For by grace are you saved through faith. These
are the two components of salvation.
b. Grace is God’s ability. Faith is our responsibility. Grace is God’s action. Faith is
our reaction. Grace is God’s gift. Faith is our reception of that gift.
C. There is no aspect of your spiritual life in which faith in not essential.
1. Peace with God comes through faith according to Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore,
having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this
grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”
2. We are justified (made right before God) by faith.
a. Romans 3:28, “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works
of the Law.”
b. The theme of Romans is found in 1:16-17, “ For I am not ashamed of the gospel,
for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first
and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith
to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” (Paul was
quoting Habakkuk 2:4).
3. According to Acts 26:18 we have been “sanctified by faith.”
4. In 2 Corinthians 4:7 Paul wrote, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
5. In James 1:2, we read that in the midst of trials it is the testimony of our faith that
produces endurance. Later, in verse 6, James says if anyone lacks wisdom he
should ask God, “in faith,” without doubting.
6. John adds in 1 John 5:10, “the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar,
because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His
son.”
D. It was a lack of faith that led Adam and Eve to sin. It was a lack of faith that caused
the nation of Israel to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. It was the lack of faith by
the people of Nazareth that kept Jesus from doing mighty works there.
1. A lack of faith is a serious matter.
2. What are the essentials of Biblical faith?
I. THE OBJECT OF FAITH
A. The most important aspect of your faith is the object of your faith.
1. In what or who are you putting your faith?
2. It is far better to have a weak faith in the right object than to have a strong faith
in the wrong object.
3. Faith is no better than its object. It’s not the size of your faith. It’s the size of the
object of your faith.
B. What was the object of the faith that Paul preached? In Romans 10:8-11 he wrote,
“the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth
Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you
will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness,
and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says,
“Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”
1. The object of Paul’s faith and preaching was Jesus.
2. In 1 Corinthians 2:2 he said, “For I determined to know nothing among you
except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”
3. In 2 Corinthians 4:5 Paul wrote, “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ
Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.”
C. We hear a great deal today about “distracted driving.” There is a greater danger
facing every Christian. It is “distracted faith.”
1. Like Peter walking on the water in Matthew 14:22-32 we tend to become
distracted.
2. We become distracted by the voices of culture, the allure of wealth and riches,
and the detours of discouragement.
3. Notice what the writer of Hebrews wrote following his great admonition about
faith in Hebrews 12:1-2, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses
surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so
easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set
before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God.”
4. Notice the phrase “fixing our eyes.” This word means to turn away from
distractions to fix our sight on an object. If faith is going to make a difference in
your life you must be willing to “turn your eyes upon Jesus.”
II. THE ORIGIN OF FAITH
A. Where do you find faith? From what source does it come?
1. Is your faith a “hand-me-down” faith? We should be thankful for those who have
helped us develop faith. Consider Paul (2 Timothy 1:5) who had been taught by
his mother and grandmother (Eunice and Lois).
2. Is your faith a “borrowed” faith from a friend?
3. It is important that you own your faith. No one can take your place before God.
B. In Romans 10:17, Paul wrote, “ Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of
God.” The “word” in this passage is the Greek word “Rhema” which refers to
“things that have been revealed.” Thus, Paul is saying that faith comes by hearing
what God has revealed. The Bible is the original, “Faith-book!”
C. What does the Bible reveal about faith?
1. In Hebrews 11:1 we read, “Faith is the assurance or substance of things hoped
for and the conviction or evidence of things not seen.”
2. Do you have to see something to believe it?
a. Have you ever flown on a commercial airliner? Did you see the pilot and co-
pilot? Did you see the air upon which the principles of aerodynamics are
based? Did you see the air traffic controllers telling the pilot where to take off
and land? Chances are you didn’t see any of these and yet you had faith the
plane would fly and get you to your destination.
b. Have you been to a physician to receive a prescription? Could you read what
he wrote on the script pad? Did you see the pharmacist put the medicine in
the bottle? Did you see the technician type up the instructions? You many not
have seen any of these things but you take the prescription with the faith that
it has been properly selected, manufactured and filled.
D. God never asks us to believe anything for which he has not given us evidence.
1. The creation of the world.
2. The reliability of the Bible.
3. The life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
4. The importance of possessing faith in Him.
E. Once again may I ask, “From where does your faith originate?”
III. THE OBJECTIVE OF FAITH.
A. Does faith really matter? It matters more than anything in this world.
1. Everything this life offers is temporary: your body, your money, your house…
2. “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not
seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not
seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).
B. It is through faith that we receive God’s love and grace. It is through faith that we
receive His offer of pardon. It is through faith that we understand our purpose.
IV. THE OPERATION OF FAITH
A. How does faith work?
1. Is it mental agreement with certain truths?
2. Does faith stand apart from our actions and work?
B. James addressed this subject in his letter…
1. Faith is not merely belief. “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has
faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him” (James 2:14)?
2. “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself” (James 2:17).
3. “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and
shudder” (James 2:19).
4. James used the example of Abraham who was justified by faith. However,
Abraham’s faith was demonstrated by actions. This is why James concludes by
saying, “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone” (James
2:24).
C. Biblical faith means trust and obedience.
1. Suppose a child is trapped on the second floor of a burning building. The child’s
father is on the ground urging the child to jump into his waiting arms. The child is
reluctant. The father says, “Do you believe I will catch you?” The child may say,
“I believe,” but unless they trust enough to jump they will perish.
CONSLUSION:
A. In Hebrews 11:6 the Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”
1. The person who does not possess faith is insulting the integrity and character of
God because they are rejecting who He is.
2. There are many things we can do to please God but none of them means anything
without faith.
B. How about your faith? May we encourage you to consider your relationship with God.
Consider the evidence. Search the Scripture. Be honest and responsive. If you are
ready to receive Christ into your heart, repent of your sins and be baptized into
ist, we encourage you to
