#1 (THE
"WITHOUT" SERIES)
"WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD!"
(Or:
"Faith Up To Reality!")
TEXT: Heb. 11:6 ;
Jn. 3:16-18; Gal.
5:6
INTRO: Without faith there can be no
salvation, it is the first necessary step to have a relationship with God! Man is really left with only two
choices:
1. Have faith only in those things we
know and see … or,
2. Have faith in
God!
ILLUS: TWO
CHILDREN WERE PLAYING ON A
Without faith there can be NO
relationship with God! Each man and
woman, each child must decide: "Will I believe
or not believe?"
PROP. SENT:
The Bible teaches us that “without faith we cannot please God,” or find
spiritual realities! The
beginning point is faith!
I. MAKING GOD HAPPY! Heb.
11:6
A.
Price-tag!
11:6a
1. To find salvation and the joy of
God's love one must come to God in faith!
a. We cannot find deliverance without
faith; it is the one requirement to become a
Christian.
b. This is the stumbling block for
those who are not saved, it is by faith that we are saved … the world prefers
works or other ways!
c. There is N0 other
way!
2. It is not by being good people or
by doing good works, it is by faith alone!
3. “Without faith,
it is impossible to please God!”
Heb.
11:6a
4. If you want to experience freedom
from sin, freedom from bondage, freedom from guilt, freedom from sorrows, you
must come to God in faith; only those who TRUST GOD, who believe in Him, will
find salvation!
ILLUS: A BUILDING
WAS BURNING IN NEW YORK'S HARLEM DISTRICT SOME YEARS AGO, A BLIND GIRL WAS
PERCHED ON THE 4th FLOOR, PANICKED ABOUT THE FLAMES COMING FROM THE
WINDOWS ALL AROUND HER. SHE COULD
NOT ESCAPE THE FIRE AND NO ONE COULD GET TO HER TO RESCUE HER. UNFORTUNATELY,
THE ALLEY WAY WAS TOO NARROW FOR THE FIRE TRUCKS TO GET IN AS WELL. THE FIREFIGHTERS HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO
ATTEMPT TO USE A NET T0 CATCH HER AS SHE FELL, BUT THEY COULD NOT GET HER TO
JUMP. NO MATTER HOW MUCH THEY
PLEADED, SHE DIDN'T BELIEVE THEY HAD A NET OR COULD GET HER. SHE COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING, AND SO SHE
WAS AFRAID AND UNWILLING TO TRUST THESE STRANGERS. FINALLY HER FATHER ARRIVED ON THE SCENE
AND THROUGH A BULL HORN HE TOLD HER TO JUMP, THAT THERE WERE INDEED ENOUGH MEN
AND A STRONG NET TO CATCH HER, SHE COULD TAKE HIM AT HIS WORD! ON HER FATHER'S COMMAND SHE JUMPED, SO
CONFIDENT OF HER FATHER'S WORD THAT SHE WAS SO RELAXED THAT EVEN AFTER 4 FLOORS
SHE LANDED WITHOUT TIGHTENING UP, AND SO NOT EVEN A SINGLE BROKEN BONE RESULTED,
NOR EVEN A STRAINED MUSCLE! SHE
TRUSTED COMPLETELY IN HER FATHER'S WORD, AND THIS SAVED HER! -- Source
Unknown
5. Ultimately, we all have to decide
whether we will trust in our Heavenly Father or not, but there is N0 other way a
man or woman can be saved! It must
be by faith!
a. When Abraham was called by God to
leave Ur of the Chaldeans and go to a strange land he believed God and went,
when asked to sacrifice his only son he was willing, "Abraham believed
God, and it was counted to him for righteousness." Rom. 4:3; Ga.
3:6; James 2:23
b. Faith moves into action, it is not
just a concept … it finds expression in real ways of
trust.
B.
Payment 11:6b
1. God rewards faith, Salvation being
the biggest reward, but there are smaller rewards that come throughout our
lifetime as well!
a. Salvation is the initial and
largest reward.
b. Peace, joy, security, and many
other benefits await the one who lives by faith!
2. Faith is the beginning point that
connects us to Christ, it is what hooks us in!
ILLUS: SHOULD AN
ELECTRIC WIRE STRETCH FOR 20 MILES TO A REMOTE OUTPOST AND YET LACK ONE FOOT
FROM REACHING THE BUILDING IT WON'T BENEFIT THOSE INSIDE! EVEN THOUGH THOSE 20 MILES ARE QUITE AN
ACCOMPLISHMENT, THE CONNECTION HAS TO BE MADE TO EXPERIENCE THE BENEFITS OF THE
POWER. ONE FOOT SHORT HAS THE SAME
EFFECT AS A QUARTER MILE SHORT, OR EVEN 10 MILES SHORT ... ONLY WHEN ACTUALLY
CONNECTED DOES THE POWER FLOW AND BENEFITS THOSE INSIDE! NO MATTER HOW CLOSE YOU GET TO GOD, IT
IS ONLY WHEN YOU ACTUALLY PUT FAITH IN HIM THAT IT CONNECTS YOU TO HIS POWER AND
LIFE! SOME MIGHT BRAG THAT THEY ARE
CLOSER T0 TRUSTING IN GOD THAN SOMEONE ELSE WHO IS A HUGE ATHEIST, BUT IN
REALITY THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE ... ONLY THOSE WHO COME IN FAITH FIND HIS LIFE
AND POWER AND ARE CONNECTED!
WITHOUT FAITH THERE IS NO CONNECTION! -- Source
Unknown
3. The Bible does not attempt to prove
to us that God exists, it only tries to convince us how important it is that we
do believe He does!
a. How can God have a relationship
with someone that does not believe in Him?
b. To believe in Him is to believe in
what He has to say about the past, present, and
future!
(1. That He created all
things.
(2. That we are lost without
Him.
(3. That He will reward those who have faith
in Him, not only now, but in the future!
4. The more we diligently seek Him,
the greater our faith will grow, but we have to start someplace with
faith!
II. MAKING YOURSELF HAPPY! Jn.
3:16-18
A.
Prized!
3:16
1. God's love was so great, even for
us as sinners, that He gave His very best. He believed in us even when evidence to
the contrary existed!!!
a. God laid His own life on the line
because He knew that many would come to Him if a way was
opened!
b. Christ’s sacrifice alone should be
enough to draw us to Him!
2. God's love for the lost is so
powerful, He spared nothing to find a way to let us experience His love and find
a life of joy and freedom from sin!
3. God prized us above everything,
even above His own comfort in heaven!
4. Putting faith in God is the best
thing you can do for yourself, it opens the door to a relationship with a loving
heavenly father and guarantees eternal life in heaven!
a. This experience will give you a joy
and peace you cannot get anywhere else; you are really doing yourself a favor
when you put faith in God!
b. The place of joy that is the stuff
of philosophers, poets, and artists has always been found in
Christ!
c. When a man’s eyes are open to God's
love nothing can hold him back!
ILLUS: A POET AND
AN ARTIST EXAMINED THE GREAT PAINTING REPRESENTING THE HEALING OF THE BLIND MEN
OF JERICHO. TO THE POET EVERYTHING
WAS EXCELLENT, THE FORM OF CHRIST, THE GROUPING OF THE INDIVIDUALS, THE
EXPRESSIONS ON THE FACES OF THE LEADING CHARACTERS. THE ARTIST HOWEVER SAW SOMETHING
DIFFERENT, HE SAID, "DO YOU SEE THE DISCARDED CANE LAYING THERE? WHEN THE BLIND MAN HEARD OF CHRIST HE
WAS SO SURE OF BEING HEALED THAT HE WOULD NO LONGER NEED IT HE THREW IT DOWN
BEFORE HE WAS HEALED!" TO THE
ARTIST, HE SAW A MAN WHO HASTENED TO CHRIST EVEN BEFORE HE COULD SEE; FIRMLY
BELIEVING JESUS WAS GOD AND WOULD TOUCH HIM! THIS IS THE CONFIDENCE OF FAITH, SOME
WANT PROOF FIRST, BUT FAITH COMES BEFORE PROOF, BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO
BELIEVES! -- Source
Unknown
5. Faith moves us right into
fellowship with God and then we find the happiness that allows us to conquer
everything this world can throw at us!
B.
Peace 3:17-18
1. God's plan was to redeem, not to
condemn! The only thing that
keeps us under condemnation is our own unbelief!
a. God's plan of salvation was to
bring us peace and joy!
b. Those who believe in Him are no
longer under condemnation, even though they may still struggle with maturing
their faith!
ILLUS: A WOMAN WAS
STRUGGLING WITH BELIEVING SHE WAS A TRUE CHRISTIAN BECAUSE SHE SOMETIMES
STRUGGLED WITH HER FAITH IN GOD.
SHE CONFESSED THAT SHE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING IN THE BIBLE AND
WONDERED HOW THIS IMPACTED HER RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD; SHE WAS LACKING PEACE
ABOUT HER RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
THE WISE EVANGELIST THAT WAS MINISTERING IN THE MEETINGS AT HER CHURCH
ASKED HER A STRANGE QUESTION, "MRS. FRANKLIN, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN MRS.
FRANKLIN?" SHE ANSWERED, "WHY, EVER
SINCE I WAS MARRIED!" HE THEN ASKED
HER. "AND HOW DID YOU BECOME MRS.
FRANKLIN? SHE RESPONDED WITH, "WHEN
THE MINISTER SAID, 'WILT THOU TAKE THIS MAN TO BE THY WEDDED HUSBAND?' I JUST
SAID, 'I DO'!" THE EVANGELIST
ASKED, "YOU MEAN TO SAY YOU DIDN'T SAY 'I HOPE SO', OR 'I'LL TRY TO'? "NO" SHE REPLIED, "I SAID, 'I
WILL'. THEN POINTING TO GOD'S WORD
HE ASKED HER, "GOD IS
ASKING YOU IF YOU WILL RECEIVE HIS SON AS YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOR. WHAT HAVE YOU SAID TO THAT?' IMMEDIATELY HER FACE LIT UP AND SHE
SAID, "HOW SIMPLE, OF COURSE I HAVE SAID YES LONG AGO!" PEACE NOW FLOODED HER HEART, IN SIMPLE
FAITH SHE HAD COME AND SAID YES, EVEN THOUGH ALL QUESTIONS HAVE NOT YET BEEN
ANSWERED, THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE HAS! -- Source
Unknown
2. To the one who
has said, "Yes" to God, peace floods the soul, even if all the answers do not
flood the mind!
3. You can be at peace with God and
yourself when you know that you are born again!
4. God's peace can allow you to face
the most difficult of situations with complete confidence in a loving God! This is the power of
faith!
ILLUS: THE STORY
IS TOLD HOW MUCH FAITH ALEXANDER THE GREAT HAD IN A PHYSICIAN FRIEND OF
HIS. ON ONE OCCASION WHEN HE WAS
ILL HIS DOCTOR FRIEND HAD MIXED UP A POTION FOR HIM TO TAKE, AND JUST AS HE WAS
ABOUT TO RECEIVE THIS POTION SOMEONE CAME UP TO HIM AND HANDED HIM A SLIP OF
PAPER. AS ALEXANDER LOOKED AT THE
PAPER SLIPPED TO HIM, IT READ, "THE MAN WHO IS MAKING YOU THIS POTION IS MIXING
IN POISON TO KILL YOU, DO NOT DRINK IT OR YOU WILL DIE!" NO ONE ELSE KNEW WHAT
THE NOTE SAID, AND HIS DOCTOR FRIEND HANDED HIM THE POTION. WITH THE POTION IN ONE HAND, AND THE
NOTE IN THE OTHER, IN THE PRESENCE OF THE DOCTOR HE DRANK THE MIXTURE! AFTER HE FINISHED HE ASKED HIS DOCTOR
FRIEND TO READ THE NOTE HANDED HIM!
AFTER READING IT HE JUST LOOKED AT ALEXANDER WHO SAID TO HIM, "SEE HOW I
HAVE TRUSTED IN YOU!?" HE HAD
ABSOLUTE CONFIDENCE IN HIS FRIEND, AND COULD DRINK WITHOUT HESITATION! HE HAD PEACE OVER IT! HOW MUCH MORE SHOULD WE WITH A LOVING
GOD, HOW WE TOO CAN TRUST HIM IN ALL SITUATIONS! -- Source
Unknown
5. There is no greater joy than that
of being a Christian, if you really want to make yourself happy, put your faith
in God!
a. He that believes in God is not
condemned, he is free from guilt!
b. Only those who refuse to believe
are still in their sins and not free from the bondage of
sin!
III. MAKING OTHERS HAPPY Gal. 5:6
A.
Parity 5:6a
1. Once in Christ by faith we no
longer have to struggle to find salvation, we belong to Him and now are brothers
and sisters in Christ
a. Notice how Paul states that now in
Christ Jews and Gentiles are equals!
b. Circumcision or uncircumcision, it
doesn't matter, only faith in Christ!
2. They were all on equal footing with
one another in Christ!
3. It was not the rituals of religion
that made them equals, it was their faith in Christ that did
so!
4. There was nothing the Jews or the
Gentiles could do that would make them more acceptable to God than simple
faith!
ILLUS: A LITTLE
GIRL OF 10 YEARS OLD WAS ASKED ONE DAY IF SHE WAS A CHRISTIAN. SHE ANSWERED THAT SHE DID NO KNOW FOR
SURE. THE MAN THEN ASKED HER IF SHE
WAS SAVED, AND AGAIN SHE SAID SHE DID NOT KNOW. HE THEN ASKED THIS LITTLE GIRL, "HOW DO
WE GET SAVED?" HER ANSWER WAS, "BY
BEING GOOD!" HE THEN ASKED HER,
"WELL, HOW GOOD DO YOU HAVE TO BE?"
SHE SAID, "YOU HAVE TO BE AWFUL GOOD!" HE ASKED HER THEN, "HOW AWFUL
GOOD?" SHE ANSWERED, "AWFUL AWFUL
GOOD!!" HE ASKED HER, "ARE YOU THAT
GOOD?" SHE SAID, NO". HE THEN SAID, "WELL, I GUESS THEN YOU
ARE NOT SAVED!" BUT THEN HE ADDED,
"GUESS WHAT LITTLE GIRL, I GUESS THEN THAT I'M NOT SAVED EITHER, BECAUSE I'M NOT
THAT GOOD EITHER!" THIS SHOCKED THE
LITTLE GIRL, FOR THIS WAS HER PASTOR TALKING TO HER! HER EYES GOT REAL BIG AND THEN SHE
ASKED, "WELL, THEN HOW DOES ANYBODY GET SAVED!?" THE PASTOR THEN BEGAN TELLING HER THE
GOOD NEWS THAT IT IS SIMPLY BY FAITH IN GOD THAT ANYBODY IS SAVED, NOT BY GOOD
WORKS ... THAT THE GOOD WORKS COME FROM BEING SAVED, NOT FOR GETTING SAVED! SHE WAS SO GLAD TO KNOW THAT A PREACHER,
LITTLE GIRL, OR ANYONE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER WERE ALL EQUALS IN GOD'S EYES, AND
THEY COULD ALL COME IN THE SAME WAY, BY FAITH! -- Source
Unknown
5. Since we are all equal and on equal
ground, only in faith can we come and be acceptable to God, this keeps us from
looking down at others, we are the same and must come the same humble
way!
B.
Practical
5:6b
1. "Faith which
worketh by love."
(KJV)
a. “The only thing
that counts is faith working through love!” (NIV)
b. Notice the translation in the NIV …
the combination of faith and love!
2. Faith cannot exist without action,
if it is faith in God it will be God's love that will flow through
us!
a. This is what will impact
unbelievers the most, when they witness real faith expressing itself in our
lives in real loving ways!
b. It is much harder to deny God when
people are confronted with Christians whose faith has real practical loving
expression to it!
c. One can argue the intellectual
dynamics of faith, but to witness faith expressing itself in a loving way
is hard to deny!
d. Jesus is the prime example of this,
His call to have faith in His Heavenly Father was hard to resist as He reached
out and healed the sick, raised the dead, offered forgiveness to the prostitutes
and tax collectors of His day, they could not resist His love, and thus they put
faith in Him!
3. Faith loses its
power if it is not coupled with love!
ILLUS: A MAN WHO
OPERATED A LITTLE ROWBOAT TO TAKE VISITORS ACROSS THIS SMALL LAKE WAS A
CHRISTIAN WHO HAD FOUND A UNIQUE WAY TO WITNESS TO THOSE WHO HIRED HIS
SERVICES. AS SOON AS A PASSENGER
BOARDED HIS ROWBOAT TO HAVE HIM TAKE THEM ACROSS THEY WOULD NOTICE THAT ON THE
TWO OARS THAT HE USED WERE INSCRIBED A WORD. ON ONE OAR THE WORD, "FAITH" WAS
INSCRIBED. ON THE OTHER OAR WAS THE
WORD "WORKS". CURIOSITY WOULD
EVENTUALLY WIN AS THE PASSENGER INQUIRED ABOUT WHY EACH OAR HAD ONE WORD ON IT,
AND THE PARTICULAR WORD ON IT THAT WAS THERE. THE OLD MAN, BEING A WELL-BALANCED
CHRISTIAN WOULD ALWAYS RESPOND WITH, "I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED! THIS IS A TESTIMONY ON WHAT A TRUE
CHRISTIAN IS!" HE WOULD THEN
PROCEED TO DEMONSTRATE WHAT HE MEANT BY THAT: HE WOULD BEGIN TO USE ONLY THE OAR
LABELED, "FAITH" UNTIL IT BECAME VERY CLEAR THAT THE ROWBOAT WAS GOING NOWHERE
FAST, JUST GOING IN CIRCLES! THEN
HE WOULD SWITCH TO THE OTHER OAR LABELED "WORKS" AND DO THE SAME THING, ONLY USE
THAT ONE BY ITSELF, NOW THEY WOULD GO IN CIRCLES THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, GOING
NOWHERE FAST AGAIN! AT THIS POINT
HE WOULD THEN PICK UP BOTH OARS AND SHOW HOW USING THEM TOGETHER GOT THEM MOVING
IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AGAIN, THEY WOULD MAKE GOOD PROGRESS. HE WOULD THEN SAY, "YOU SEE, THAT IS THE
WAY IT IS IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE, FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD, AND WORKS WITHOUT
FAITH ARE USELESS TOO, GETTING US NOWHERE.
BUT BOTH PULLING TOGETHER MAKE FOR SAFETY, PROGRESS, AND BLESSING." FAITH WITH LOVE BLESSES OTHERS AND MOVES
THEM TO CONSIDER THE CLAIMS OF CHRIST! -- Source
Unknown
4. Only this combination
works!
a. Have you ever met someone who seems
to have great faith but little love or works, they act spiritually superior but
they turn people off to the Gospel!
b. Or have you seen those who are
willing to do works but have no faith, it appears they do it for personal
attention.
5. The only thing that counts in this
life however is “faith expressing itself through love!”
5:6b
a. “Without faith,
it is impossible to please God!”
b. Without faith, it is impossible to
please yourself!
c. Without faith, it is impossible to
please others!
6. Faith is not something we can do
without, it is a necessity!!
CONCLUSION:
Faith is the very heartbeat
of Christianity! Faith is what
allows us to soar above the physical world; it is what brings us into contact
with God, and lets us reach beyond ourselves. Imagine a world without faith! We could not please God, ourselves, or
others without faith! Faith moves
us into realms unreachable without it! Keep the faith! FAITH UP TO
REALITY!!!!