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Date Posted: 08:57:08 02/10/17 Fri
Author: c
Subject: Faith

Faith


Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:


http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/smith_chuck/SermonNotes_Eph/Eph_22.cfm?a=1099008


I. "FOR BY GRACE ARE YOU SAVED THROUGH FAITH."


A. Here is where a long time controversy in the church comes together.


1. The sovereignty of God and the human responsibility of man.

2. Both concepts are correct for they are both taught in the Scriptures.

3. Where man errs is to teach one to the exclusion of the other.


B. For by grace are you saved. That is the sovereignty of God.


1. I do not deserve to be saved.

2. I surely cannot save myself.

3. Salvation comes to me through the grace of God, there is nothing that I have done to deserve it, and certainly nothing I can do to earn it.

4. This is something that God has done for me, He has saved me.


C. The "through faith" is my part, just believing the promises of God concerning my salvation. That if I will confess with my mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, God has promised that I would be saved.


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intouch.org radio 9/10/15 "In defense of liberty"

19:09

...the concept - the whole truth of justification by faith alone. It isn't salvation by grace through faith and keeping anything. It is all of what God has done and nothing that man has done. And it will always be by grace and grace alone.


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http://biblehub.com/commentaries/illustrator/ephesians/2.htm

Faith: what is it? how can it be obtained
C. H. Spurgeon.

Faith occupies the position of a channel or conduit pipe. Grace is the fountain and the stream: faith is the acqueduct along which the flood of mercy flows down to refresh the thirsty sons of men. It is a great pity when the acqueduct is broken. It is a sad sight to see around Rome the many noble acqueducts which no longer convey water into the city, because the arches are broken and the marvellous structures are in ruins. The acqueduct must be kept entire to convey the current; and, even so, faith must be true and sound, leading right up to God, and coming right down to ourselves, that it may become a serviceable channel of mercy to our souls. Still, I again remind you that faith is the channel or acqueduct, and not the fountain head, and we must not look so much to it as to exalt it above the Divine source of all blessing which lies in the grace of God. Never make a Christ out of your faith, nor think of it as if it were the independent source of your salvation.

I. FAITH: WHAT IS IT? What is this faith concerning which it is said," By grace are ye saved through faith"? What is faith? It is made up of three things — knowledge, belief, and trust.

1. Knowledge comes first. Know God, know His gospel, and know especially Christ Jesus, the Son of God and Saviour of men. Endeavour to know the doctrine of the sacrifice of Christ, for that is the point upon which saving faith mainly fixes itself.

2. Then the mind goes on to believe that these things are true. The soul believes that God is, and that He hears the cries of sincere hearts; that the gospel is from God; that justification by faith is the grand truth that God hath revealed in these last days by His Spirit more clearly than before. Then the heart believes that Jesus is verily and in truth our God and Saviour, the Redeemer of men, the Prophet, Priest, and King unto His people.

3. So far you have made an advance towards faith, and one more ingredient is needed to complete it, which is trust. Trust is the life blood of faith: there is no saving faith without it. The Puritans were accustomed to explain faith by the word "recumbency." You know what it means. You see me leaning upon this rail, leaning with all my weight upon it; even thus lean upon Christ. It would be a better illustration still if I were to stretch myself at full length and rest my whole person upon a rock, lying flat upon it. Fall flat upon Christ. Cast yourself upon Him, rest in Him, commit yourself to Him. That done, you have exercised saving faith. Faith is not a blind thing; for faith begins with knowledge. It is not a speculative thing; for faith believes facts of which it is sure. It is not an unpractical, dreamy thing; for faith trusts, and stakes its destiny upon the truth of revelation.


II. Let us inquire, WHY FAITH IS SELECTED AS THE CHANNEL OF SALVATION?


1. There is a natural adaptation in faith to be used as the receiver. Suppose that I am about to give a poor man an alms: I put it into his hand — why? Well, it would hardly be fitting to put it into his ear, or to lay it under his foot; the hand seems made on purpose to receive. So faith in the mental body is created on purpose to be a receiver: it is the hand of the man, and there is a fitness in bestowing grace by its means.

2. Faith, again, is doubtless selected because it gives all the glory to God. It is of faith that it might be of grace, and it is of grace that there may be no boasting; for God cannot endure pride.

3. It is a sure method, linking man with God. When man confides in God there is a point of union between them, and that union guarantees blessing. Faith saves us, because it makes us cling to God, and so brings us into connection with Him.


5. Faith, again, has the power of working by love; it touches the secret spring of the affections, and draws the heart towards God. Faith is an act of the understanding; but it also proceeds from the heart. "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness;" and hence God gives salvation to faith because it resides next door to the affections, and is near akin to love, and love, you know, is that which purifies the soul. Love to God is obedience, love is holiness; to love God and to love man is to be conformed to the image of Christ, and this is salvation.

6. Moreover, faith creates peace and joy; he that hath it rests, and is tranquil, is glad, and joyous; and this is a preparation for Heaven. God gives all the heavenly gifts to faith, because faith worketh in us the very life and spirit which are to be eternally manifested in the upper and better world. I have hastened over these points that I might not weary you on a day when, however willing the spirit may be, the flesh is weak.C. H. Spurgeon.


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You have been quickened in order that God in Christ may be glorified in you and by you. You are a monument of the marvellous grace of God, therefore glorify the grace of God by ascribing your salvation to sovereign grace as its origin, depending on efficacious grace as its means, and living to the praise of redeeming grace as its end. W. Mackenzie, M. Grigor


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He does not quicken us with the inward life, and then leave us to perish; grace is a living, incorruptible seed, which liveth and abideth forever. C. H. Spurgeon.


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We ought to obey the Father as our Creator, the Son as our Redeemer, and the Holy Ghost as our Sanctifier. This distinction is as easy to be perceived and felt, as the distinction between creating goodness, redeeming mercy, and sanctifying grace.
(N. Emmons, D. D.)


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Grace here means God's free gift. Our salvation is entirely God's gift to us; and it must be so, because we cannot make it or get it for ourselves; we have no power of our own to make it for ourselves, nothing of our own to offer in exchange for it. If our salvation does not come to us as God's free gift it can never come to us at all. But, though our salvation is entirely God's free gift to us, it is never forced upon us without our consent. Freely as it is offered to us, we must, on our parts, freely accept it when it is held out to us; we must acknowledge it thankfully; and unless we do acknowledge it and lay hold on it, it can never become ours. It may go on lying within arm's length of us all our lives through, and yet be of no more service to us than if it were hundreds of miles away; we must reach out our hand to take it, and this hand of ours which we have to put forth to take it with is faith. "By grace are ye saved, through faith." This reaching out of faith, in answer to God's stretching out His hand to save us, is the second step which is necessary to be taken in the matter of our salvation. But here St. Paul finds it necessary to put in a word of caution to those who are the very foremost in accepting his teaching, and the most earnest in looking to their faith as the sole instrument of their justification. He foresaw that men would come to pride themselves upon this faith of theirs as something peculiarly their own, which very few besides themselves had any share in, and which entitled them to look down upon the rest of mankind with something like a feeling of contempt. And so, after saying, "By grace are ye saved through faith," he goes on to say, "and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." Your salvation, yes, and your faith, too, by which you lay hold of your salvation, is all God's free gift to you; you did not make your faith for yourselves any more than you made your salvation; you had nothing of your own with which to make it. And how dare you, then, presume upon your faith, and pride yourselves upon it, as if it were your own creating? H. Harris, B. D


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3. God's grace and man's faith ever stand together (Galatians 3:22; John 3:16). To this it may be objected that the grace of God cannot stand with anything in man. How then (you will ask) can it stand with faith? Answer: It is true, that the grace of God does not brook anything inherent in man, and of man; and yet, notwithstanding, it may well agree with faith. For(1) Faith is not of man, no, not in man by nature; but it is in man renewed, and as a gift of mere grace.(2) Faith does not justify, as it is an inherent quality in us, but as it apprehends Christ Jesus the Redeemer.(3) Faith receives only, and shows to God the righteousness and merit of Christ.(4) It is therefore the Lord's grace that accepts faith for the righteousness of the believer. Paul Bayne


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Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written, The just shall live by faith

http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Rom/Rom_001.cfm?a=1047017

This evangelical righteousness, (1.) Is called the righteousness of God; it is of God's appointing, of God's approving and accepting. It is so called to cut off all pretensions to a righteousness resulting from the merit of our own works. It is the righteousness of Christ, Who is God, resulting from a satisfaction of infinite value. (2.) It is said to be faith to faith, from the faithfulness of God revealing to the faith of man receiving (so some); from the faith of dependence upon God, and dealing with him immediately, as Adam before the fall, to the faith of dependence upon a Mediator, and so dealing with God (so others); from the first faith, by which we are put into a justified state, to after faith, by which we live, and are continued in that state: and the faith that justifies us is no less than our taking Christ for our Saviour, and becoming true Christians, according to the tenour of the baptismal covenant; from faith engrafting us into Christ, to faith deriving virtue from him as our root: both implied in the next words The Just shall live by faith. The just by faith is faith justifying us; live by faith, there is faith maintaining us; and so there is righteousness from faith to faith. Faith is all in all, both in the beginning and progress of a Christian life. It is not from faith to works, as if faith put us into a justified state, and then works preserved and maintained us in it, but it is all along from faith to faith, as 2 Co. 3:18, from glory to glory. It is increasing, continuing, persevering faith, faith pressing forward, and getting ground of unbelief. To show that this is no novel upstart doctrine, he quotes for it that famous Scripture in the Old Testament, so often mentioned in the New (Hab. 2:4). The just shall live by faith. Being justified by faith he shall live by it both the life of grace and of glory. The prophet there had placed himself upon the watch-tower, expecting some extraordinary discoveries (v. 1), and the discovery was of the certainty of the appearance of the promised Messiah in the fulness of time, not withstanding seeming delays. This is there called the vision; by way of eminence, as elsewhere the promise; and while that time is coming, as well as when it has come, the just shall live by faith. Thus is the evangelical righteousness from faith to faith-from Old-Testament faith in a Christ to come to New-Testament faith in a Christ already come.


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http://biblehub.com/commentaries/barnes/romans/1.htm

This expression, therefore, does not mean, as it is sometimes supposed, the "justified by faith" shall live; but it is expressive of a general principle in relation to people, that they shall be defended, preserved, made happy, not by their own merits, or strength, but by confidence in God. This principle is exactly applicable to the gospel plan of salvation. Those who rely on God the Saviour shall be justified, and saved.


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http://biblehub.com/commentaries/clarke/romans/1.htm


1. That the just or righteous man cannot live a holy and useful life without exercising continual faith in our Lord Jesus: which is strictly true; for He only Who has brought him into that state of salvation can preserve him in it; and he stands by faith.


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http://biblehub.com/commentaries/edt/romans/1.htm


This righteousness of which the Apostle has spoken is not due to our own works, which do not contribute to it anything whatever. When it becomes ours it is due entirely to faith—faith which appropriates Christ, and by resting upon Him enters into it and invests us with all its prerogatives. And just as it is due to faith, so also it is designed to produce faith. Consider how the revelation of this righteousness, and its being offered to faith, opens an immediate entrance into a state of salvation. The radical error into which we all run in reference to our acceptance with God is that we must do something in order to secure it. So far from being an act or something to be done, it consists essentially in giving up the attempt to do anything whatever towards righting ourselves with God, and resting satisfied with what Christ has done.

—C. Moinet, The Great Alternative and other Sermons, p. 71.


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http://biblehub.com/commentaries/pnt/romans/1.htm
It is revealed to us by believing (faith), and the duty of the believer is to extend the gospel, or to extend the faith. Says Dr. Schaff,
Believing includes knowledge and belief, assent and surrender, appropriation and application.''


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Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it isevident: for, The just shall live by faith

http://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/galatians/3.htm

When God justifies a sinner through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, there is no place left for human merit. If Christ’s merit, appropriated by faith, is not sufficient to justify us, we are lost. If it is sufficient, our imperfect, faltering, sin-stained obedience can add nothing to that sufficiency.


---------------------------------=


http://biblehub.com/commentaries/wes/galatians/3.htm


The just shall live by faith - That is, the man who is accounted just or righteous before God, shall continue in a state of acceptance, life, and salvation, by faith. This is the way God hath chosen. Hab 2:4.


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Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/smith_chuck/c2000_Hbr/Hbr_011.cfm?a=1144001

This is not so much a definition of faith as it is the declaration of what faith does. It is the substance of things that are hoped for. And the word substance there has been translated in the new versions the substantiating of the things that we hope for. And the evidence that word has been translated conviction of the things not seen. I'm convicted of truths, though I may not have seen them, I'm convicted of their existence. There is evidence for the existence of God, and it causes me to believe in God. Though I have never seen God, the evidence of His existence creates that faith in my heart.


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Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.


http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/smith_chuck/c2000_Hbr/Hbr_011.cfm?a=1144006


Again, the whole idea here in the chapter is that it is through faith that a person is accounted righteous before God. It is believing in God that is the most important, not my works; they follow. Works will logically automatically follow my faith. But works cannot produce faith, nor can they substitute for faith. Faith does work. I cannot say that I believe with all of my heart without my life conforming to what I believe. There has to be that conformity, but faith has to come first. My faith in God provokes my works for God.

http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Hbr/Hbr_011.cfm?a=1144006


Observe, The practical belief of the existence of God, as revealed in the Word, would be a powerful awe-band upon our souls, a bridle of restraint to keep us from sin, and a spur of constraint to put us upon all manner of gospel obedience.


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intouch.org TV broadcast 2/19/16 "An Intimate Look at Adversity"

16:42


Adversity is one of God's most effective tools for strengthening our faith. Because our faith gets tested in times of trial and adversity. And if I trust Him - what happens? And nothing changes and I trust Him and nothing changes and I trust Him, nothing seems to change, but what's happening? It looks like it's not changing, but my faith is growing. I'm trusting Him and watching Him help me and strengthen me and enabling me to live through this pain and heartache and whatever it may be, and so it's a time for strengthening of our faith.


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2 Corinthians 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)


http://biblehub.com/commentaries/poole/2_corinthians/5.htm

2 Corinthians 5:7
(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
That is, we live, and order our conversations, not by sight, or any evidence of sense, but by faith,which is described by the apostle, Hebrews 11:1, to be the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. We see nothing here by the eye of sense but mortality, corruption, and misery; but by faith we see another more excellent and glorious state, and we order our life according to our faith, and sight of things that are invisible: or sight here may be taken more strictly for the beatific vision prepared in Heaven for the saints.


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intouch.org TV Broadcaast 6/12/15

17:45


Sometimes God will show you the next step and you think: “well, that couldn’t be it.” The next step is the next step to the next step which is the step you’re looking for. When God tells you to take the next step, because you can’t see around the corner, you can’t stop with that. You just say: “okay, here’s what You want me to do now.” Watch this: if I can see my way from the beginning to the end, I do not need faith. When He asks us to do something and we can only see the next step, that’s faith. He will show you what to do.


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Faith is believing the Heavenly Father despite appearances and obeying the Heavenly Father despite consequences.


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Galatians 5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.


http://biblehub.com/commentaries/sermon/galatians/5.htm

Faith.

I. Faith is the foundation of the whole spiritual building, whereby we are built on Christ Jesus. It is the root of the whole spiritual life of grace, the ground whereon the soul rests securely, the beginning of our spiritual existence. Faith goes even before love in thought, but not in deed. It goes before love in thought, for we love because we believe, not believe because we love. To faith which loves things seen fade from sight: things heard fall dull upon the ear; it will be unmoved by all outward things, for it has an inward sight, and an inward hearing, and an inward touch, whereby it beholds Christ dying on the cross for love of us, and in the shadow of His cross feels itself protected and healed. The cross is not far off, not over the seas, in the Holy Land, nor removed by length of time. Faith sees it close at hand, and clasps it, and loves it, and is crucified on it to Him.

II. Love is in all true faith, as light and warmth are in the ray of the sun. So soon as faith is kindled in the heart, there is the glow of love, and both come from the same Sun of righteousness pouring in faith and love together into the heart, and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. With the increase of love, faith increaseth. But love liveth by good works. Love cannot live torpidly. Even in human love, love which never did deeds of love would grow dull and die. We love those most to whom we do most good. Love is perhaps increased more by doing than by receiving good, at least by doing good out of the love of God. "Faith worketh" (literally "inworketh"; the word means, worketh in the very soul itself) "by love."

E. B. Pusey, Sermons from Advent to Whitsuntide, vol. ii., p. 1.


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intouch.org Daily devotion 9/3/15 How to bolster our faith

Colossians 2:6-7


Once we have made up our minds to obey God, we gather courage around us like a cloak and proceed. That is, until something causes us to hesitate and question the wisdom of this decision. Our faith is wavering. What do we do now?


Ask yourself questions about God:


- Has God promised to meet all my needs?

- Has He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in me, guide me, and equip me to obey Him?

- Did God promise to be with me at all times?

- Is anything too hard for Him?


Search the Scriptures for answers, and let truth fill your mind.


Meditate on God's Word. Ask the Lord to help you find Bible verses that relate to what you are facing. Then study the passage and apply its lessons to your personal situation.


Recall the Lord's past faithfulness. No matter how unsteady our faith, God invites us to draw near so He can strengthen our trust in Him. When He does, accept His invitation and give Him the glory.


Assess the situation. Ask, How critical is this decision, and whom might it affect? Is this one of those forks in the road in which my unbelief could cause me or another person a lifetime of regret?


Choose to trust the Lord. Make the decision to believe God and obey, no matter how you feel.


As you take a step of faith, God will strengthen you through His Spirit and enable you to continue on. Before you know it, your faith will become steady, joy will return, and you will be moving ahead once again.


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intouch.org radio 9/18/15 “Liberated by faith”

18:07


When something comes up and you disobey God, stop and ask yourself this question: Was this act of disobedience an act of unbelief on my part? Did I in any way express unbelief? And here’s what you’re going to find out: every single time you sin you will have expressed unbelief in the adequacy of Jesus Christ through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to meet your need and to take care of you in that given situation….The problem is you’re not willing to trust the Lord to meet that specific need at that moment at that time in your life.

I challenge you to keep a running account and see how many times you doubt God in this coming week….It’s going to begin to be a step in freeing you from whatever that is that has you hung up. And God will begin to send into your life and your heart the joy of beginning to feel a little bit of liberation and freedom in your christian experience.


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intouch.org radio 10/15/15 "Doing God's work God's way" part 1

18:06


Now I want to tell you why and how I really know when I am relying upon the Holy Spirit or not: when the tension and the stress and the fretting and the worry have disappeared. You say: "oh, but now wait a minute now - hold it, hold it, hold it." You see, here's the way we operate: sometimes we think: "well listen, if I have a little work, I should have a very little tension and stress and a little bit of worry. If I have a larger work, I'd have more. And a greater work, I'd have more."

Let me ask you something: what does the size of your work have to do with the power of God? Nothing! Because what that implies is: "when the work gets greater, I'm going to tax God's energy." You're not going to tax anything that's divine. When you really and truly rely upon the Holy Spirit, it doesn't make any difference how many and how much and how big and how large and what the need is. The same Spirit of God that can handle a nickel can handle 50 million dollars. The same Holy Spirit that can handle a little worry over something insignificant can take care of a big problem. He's not taxed by any of it.


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In Touch Magazine September/October 2015

Benefit of the doubt: Why questioning your faith isn’t a sign of weakness (excerpt from the article)

by Winn Collier

p 28


Through all this, a line from James has often bothered me. “When you [pray],” says James, “you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:6 – 7 NIV). So if I pray to God with questions or uncertainty, should I expect rebuke? How, then, are we to understand the Psalms’ vexing words: “What’s going on here? Is God out to lunch?...The wicked get by with everything” (Ps. 73:11 – 12 MSG)? And how do we make sense of the father’s wavering prayer for his son: “I do believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24)?

It’s helpful to understand that James concept of doubt is not the same as our modern notion – the word he uses (krino) means “to judge,” “to decide,” or “to believe.” He sees a doubter not as one who wrestles with the truth of things but rather as someone who refuses to ever take the risk of deciding on truth at all. James doesn’t rebuke people who wrestle tirelessly to find truth; rather, he criticizes those who use uncertainty as an excuse to avoid acting with courage. In other words, when doubts keep us honest, they serve us well. But when doubts keep us from saying, “This is what I believe, and this is where I stand,” they are a cop-out.

That’s why a doubter is “tossed by the wind” and “double-minded” (James 1:6,8). Such a person refuses to give himself to anyone or anything – he never takes responsibility and keeps every option open. I wonder if, in our modern vernacular, cynic would be a better word for what James describes. An honest doubter struggles because he or she wants to discover the truth. But a cynic wants to believe there’s no such thing as truth and shoots it down at every available opportunity.

Faith is not opposed to doubts and honest grappling. Rather it involves the courage to pursue truth – or better still, to pursue the God Who gives all truth. C.S. Lewis gets to the heart of this in Mere Christianity when he says, “Faith…is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.” Faith is a bold, daring yes to God.


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Adult Bible Class

Christian Life Series, Union Gospel Press

March, April, May 2016 Spring Quarter

Lesson 1, March 6, 2016


p 6,7


(Mark 9:24)

The father's response was immediate and strong. He declared his faith, but he also acknowledged that it was frail and needed to be built up....Most of us can identify with this man's assessment of himself. We have put our trust in God and believe He will provide and protect, but then we experience pangs of doubt when facing a difficult situation. We too then cry out, "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief."

Keith E. Eggert


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Bishop TD Jakes "The Potter's Touch" broadcast

"Faith is a perspective"

3/6/16

(summarized points of a message)



A saint's christian experience is built on faith

A saint has to choose to walk by faith.

Even saints have some doubt and fear and other negative stuff within, yet the objective should be for faith to become the dominating perspective that we operate in.

Not having faith is calling the Heavenly Father a liar

Having faith is recognizing the integrity of the Heavenly Father

Having faith honors the Heavenly Father because faith taps into the character of the Heavenly Father and not His gifts.

- a saint is serving the Heavenly Father because He is holy and righteous - not because of His ways.


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TD Jakes 11/15/15

"Don't be blindsided"

(several points of a sermon condensed and summarized)


The story we tell ourselves makes the difference. The woman with the issue of blood kept telling herself repeatedly (in spite of all the ways that she could have felt defeated) that if she could only touch the hem of Jesus Christ's garment, she would be healed (Mark 5:24 - 34). The man at the pool for 38 years kept telling himself a story of defeat (John 5:5 - 8).

Jesus Christ always works with what is left. The Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ close a lot of doors and what is left is the right door. The Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are more interested in building up a saint more than the particular endeavor a saint might be involved in at a particular time. So failure isn't really bad because the experience will usually lead to the right door being open at the right time.

Are we repeatedly telling ourselves that story and truly enlightening our vision or are we telling ourselves a negative story that makes too much fuss about failure or losing something or not getting a particular relationship?


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TD Jakes, The Potter's Touch broadcast 3/27/16

"Faith to build"


Faith worships: Abel (Genesis 4:1 - 4, Hebrews 11:4)

Faith walks: Enoch (Genesis 5:21 - 24, Hebrews 11:5)

Faith builds: Noah (Genesis 6:7 - 22, Hebrews 11:7)


"If you don't build it, the Heavenly Father can't bless it."


Psalms 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.


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intouch.org radio 3/31/16 "God, the greatest Lover of all" - part 2

22:29


"You can trust perfect love.....Perfect love is trustworthy."


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Our Daily bread

7/30/16

Keeping faith

(edited message)


It's tempting to think of faith as a kind of magic formula. If you muster up enough of it, you'll get rich, stay healthy, and live a contented life with automatic answers to all your prayers. But life does not work according to such neat formulas.


The picture of faith that emerges does not fit into an easy formula. Sometimes it leads to victory and triumph. Sometimes it requires a gritty determination to "hang on at any cost."


What our faith rests on is the belief that God is in ultimate control and will indeed keep His promises - whether that happens in this life or the next.

Philip Yancey

Our greatest comfort in sorrow is to know that God is in control

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