CHRISTWARD FAITH A DIVINE PREREQUISITE FOR A SPIRIT FILLED LIFE


A. "THIS ONLY WOULD I LEARN OF YOU, RECEIVED YE THE SPIRIT BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW, OR BY THE HEARING OF FAITH?" Gal. 3:2
  1. Confusion among the Galatian believers:
    1. False teachers had led them astray from the true gospel to Jewish ritualism.
    2. They were taught that unless they kept the law of Moses they could not be saved.
  2. Paul wrote the Epistle to the Galatians to point out the difference between the works of the law and the fruit of the Spirit:
    1. Human efforts are excluded because our own efforts will and cannot save us from sin - Rom. 4:6; 9:11; 11:6
    2. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is the only work acceptable to God - Gal. 5:22-25
B. SIMPLE AND LIVING FAITH THE DIVINE DENOMINATOR TO TRUE CHRISTIANITY
  1. It opens the door to every blessing that is ours in Christ:
    1. Faith gives us access to -
      1. Sonship - Gal. 3:26
      2. Righteousness acceptable to God - Phil. 3:9
      3. Sanctification - Acts 15:9; 26:18
      4. All God's promises - Heb. 6:12
      5. Unlimited power - Matt. 17:19-22
      6. Victory over the world - 1 John 5:4; Eph. 6:16; Heb. 11:32-34
    2. Without faith it is impossible to please God - Heb. 11:6
  2. Simple Christ-like faith, the key to Christian living:
    1. It rests on God's foundation - 1 Cor. 3:11; 1 Pet. 2:6
    2. It is rooted in God's great facts -
      1. God's love - 1 John 4:8
      2. His grace - 2 Cor. 12:9
      3. His eternal and unchangeable will - Heb. 10:10
C. BEHAVIOR AND BLESSING OF THIS FAITH
  1. Behavior:
    1. It does not stagger at God's promises - Rom. 4:17- 20
    2. It sees the invisible - 2 Ki. 6:17; Heb. 11:24-28
    3. It relies upon God's promises - 2 Pet. 1:4; 11:33
    4. It trusts God completely even when it must hope against hope - 1 Pet. 1:21; Job 13:15
  2. Blessings:
    1. By it we have access to God the Father by Jesus Christ our Lord - Eph. 3:12
    2. Christ dwells in our hearts - Eph. 3:17
    3. We are credited with God's righteousness - Phil. 3:9
    4. We are justified before God by faith - Rom. 3:22, 28
  3. Examples of saving faith:
    1. Abel - Heb. 11:4
    2. Enoch - Gen. 5:22-26
    3. Noah - Gen. 6; 7; 8; 9
    4. Abraham - Gen. 12; 15; 17; Heb. 11:8-11
    5. Moses - Heb. 11:24-28
    6. Rahab - Ps. 87:1-7
    7. Ruth - Ruth 1:16
  4. A challenge to God's people living in the last days:
    1. Our Saviour's big question - Luke 18:8
    2. Will our faith carry us through the crisis of the last days? Rev. 3:10-22
    3. Is our faith anchored to God's Word or to the rudiments of the world? Col. 2:8, 20
    4. Is our faith intelligent to a point where and when it can understand the signs of our time?


Design © John Bryant 2011