Where Is Your Faith

“WHERE IS YOUR FAITH?”

LUKE 8:25

INTRO: Jesus and His disciples were on a journey to the other side. They

were going over there to do some work. Somebody there needed them.

The Bible tells us in Luke 8:27-33—“And when he went forth to land,

there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time,

and wore no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.

When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a

loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God

most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. (For he had commanded the

unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him:

and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he broke the

bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) And Jesus

asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because

many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he

would not command them to go out into the deep. And there was there

an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought

him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them.

Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and

the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were

choked.”

But as they journeyed a storm arose to teach the disciples about the

power of Christ. It tells us in Luke 8:22-23—“Now it came to pass on

a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said

unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they

launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down

a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were

in jeopardy.” The storm also served to bolster their faith. They surely

were in need of a strong faith for what they were going to encounter

later that day when they reached the other side. Friends, in our

Christian lives, we face many winds, waves, and storm as we journey

toward the port of Heaven. These storms teach us, just they it did the

disciples, about the power of Christ and serve to bolster our faith in

HIM.

Friends, faith is an ABSOLUTE in the Christian life! Without faith we

cannot please God (Hebrews 11:6). Jesus certainly knew that the

storm was coming, yet He went to sleep in the ship. This fact alone

should have encouraged the disciples not to be afraid. What was their

problem? The same problem God’s people face today: we know the

Word of God, but we do not believe it when we face the tests of life. It

is one thing to learn the truth and quite something else to live it.

“Where is your faith?” is still the key question. Are we trusting God’s

promises, or are we trusting ourselves or our circumstances?

(Warren W. Wiersbe. Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New

Testament. Copyright:1992 by SP Publications, Inc. All rights

reserved. Printed in the United States of America Electronic Edition

Inc). I want us to consider this question tonight, WHERE IS YOUR

FAITH? Let us see three areas in the Christian life where it is

ESSENTIAL we exercise faith. By faith…

(1) WE WORSHIP GOD

HEBREWS 11:4—“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent

sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.”

A. WORSHIP IS PROMOTED BY FAITH. Abel had faith and it led him to

worship. Abel’s faith led him to do what God asked him to do and he

serves as an example for us to follow even though it eventually cost him

his life. Abel’s faith led to three progressive things: true sacrifice, true

righteousness, and true witness. Because he believed, he offered a better

sacrifice. Because he offered a better sacrifice, he obtained righteousness.

Because he obtained righteousness, he is for all the ages a living voice

saying, “righteousness is by faith.” (John F. MacArthur. MacArthur's New

Parsons Technology, Inc). Friends, we ought to let Abel’s determination to

worship and obey God, in spite of what others do, be an encouragement to

our faith.

B. WORSHIP IS PLEASING TO THE FATHER. It tells us here in Hebrews

11:4—“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain,

by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his

gifts…”. Abel’s gift by faith was sacrificial. He believed God’s word so he

offered the sacrifice God asked for. The quality of Abel’s sacrifice came from

the motive which promoted it—FAITH. This was what pleased God! When

we truly worship that will be our motive also! Hebrews 13:15 tells us—“By

him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the

fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Notice the words there—“by

him”. They mean “through Christ.” Someone has said, “Worship is not a

part of the Christian life; it is the Christian life.” --Gerald Vann (1906-1963)

(Edythe Draper, Draper's Book of Quotations for the Christian World

(Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1992). Entry #12135).

ILLUS: Worship is the highest and noblest act that any person can do. When

men worship, God is satisfied! And when you worship, you are fulfilled!

Think about this: why did Jesus Christ come? He came to make

worshipers out of rebels. We who were once self-centered have to be

completely changed so that we can shift our attention outside of

ourselves and become able to worship him. --Raymond C. Ortlund

(Edythe Draper, Draper's Book of Quotations for the Christian World

(Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1992). Entry #12137).

Abel came to God in the right way—by Blood. He did not come on his

merits. Friends, it is a waste of time to come before God bragging on

ourselves (Luke 18:10-14). Abel brought an offering. It was not something

that cost him nothing. It was the best he could bring. Friends, the

question tonight is, Do we bring our best? The worship we offer to God:

· DOES OUR OFFERING COST US?

· DO WE OFFER IT BECAUSE OF OUR CONSECRATION?

· DO WE OFFER IT WITH COMPASSION?

C. WORSHIP IS PUBLIC IN ITS FOCUS. Speaking of Abel’s offering it says—

“by it he being dead yet speaketh.” James Moffatt wrote, “Death is never the

last word in the life of a righteous man. When a man leaves this world, be

he righteous or unrighteous, he leaves something in the world. He may

leave something that will grow and spread like a cancer or a poison, or he

may leave something like the fragrance of perfume or a blossom of beauty

that permeates the atmosphere with blessing.” Man leaves this world either

a Paul or a Nero.

Dead men do tell tales. They are not silent, but still speak to those who will

listen. From many thousands of years ago, Abel speaks to twentieth-

century man. This man who lived when the earth was new, who was of the

second generation of mankind, has something to teach modern,

sophisticated, technological man. He lived in a far distant age, in a far

different culture, with far less light from God than we have. But what he

has to tell us is more relevant than anything we are likely to read in our

current newspapers or magazines. (John F. MacArthur. MacArthur's New

Parsons Technology, Inc). Abel’s worship was public. He did not try to

keep it a secret. I want you to note a couple things about PUBLIC

WORSHIP:

· IT IS REQUIRED (HEBREWS 10:25).

· IT IS REFRESHING (EPHESIANS 5:19-21).

By faith WE WORSHIP and…

(2) WE WALK WITH GOD

GENESIS 5:24—“And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God

took him.”

HEBREWS 11:5-6—“By faith Enoch was translated that he should not

see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 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.”

A. THE PATHWAY OF FAITH. “And Enoch walked with God…”. Enoch

walked with God. He enjoyed fellowship with God. Even in a wicked world

he remained true to God. He was dedicated to God and trusted His Word.

And note that it was “by faith.” Like Enoch, every believershouldwalk

with God every day he is on earth. When we get to heaven, wewillwalk

with Him forever. (John F. MacArthur. MacArthur's New Testament

Technology, Inc).

B. THE PRIORITY OF FAITH. “But without faith it is impossible to please

him…”. (Hebrews 11:6a). No matter what we do, if it is done, without faith

it is unacceptable to God.

ILLUS: Most Hindus have a desire to visit the city of Banares at least once in

their lifetime. It is a holy city to them, with fifteen hundred temples.

The road encircling the city is thirty-six miles long. To walk all the way

around the city with devotion is deemed a very holy thing. But

Christians believe that how you walk is far more important than where

you walk. (Robert C. Shannon, 1000 Windows, (Cincinnati, Ohio:

Standard Publishing Company, 1997)).

C. THE PLEASURE OF FAITH. “By faith was translated that he should not

see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before

his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” (Hebrews 11:5).

Believing that God exists is the first steptowardfaith. Believing that he

rewards those who trust in Him is the first stepoffaith. Trusting fully in

Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is only the beginning of the faithful life in

God. To continue pleasing God, we must fellowship with Him, commune

with, “walk” with Him—just as Enoch did. Walking with God is pleasing

God. The termwalkis used many times in the New Testament to represent

faithful living. (John F. MacArthur. MacArthur's New Testament

Technology, Inc).

Friends, for you and I, our greatest business on earth, our priority, is to

please God. We need to consider. Is God pleased with? :

· OUR INDIVIDUAL LIVES? Are our lives pure, holy, and godly? Can others see Jesus in us?

· OUR ACTIONS? Do we strive to seek His will, follow His way, and heed His Word?

· OUR ATTITUDES? Do we show compassion, concern, and caring? Are we consecrated, committed, and constrained?

· OUR AFFAIRS? Do we make decisions in accordance with His Word? Do we ask ourselves, “What would Jesus do?”

· OUR HOMES? Is the Lord the Head of our homes? Is He pleased with what we watch, listen to, and entertain ourselves with?

· OUR CHURCH? Are we seeking to please God? Does our teaching and preaching please HIM (2 Timothy 4:1-5)? Do our songs meet His approval? Are we carrying out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20)? Are our services conducted in an orderly manner? How do we spend the Lord’s money—do we hoard it or do we honor Him by advancing His work?

By faith WE WORSHIP GOD, WE WALK WITH GOD and…

(3) WE WORK FOR GOD

HEBREWS 11:7—“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen

as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”

A. WORKING FOR GOD TAKES DEPENDENCE. It tells us in this verse—“By

faith Noah…prepared an ark to the saving of his house…”. The word

“dependence” means “The state of relying on something or someone.

Reliance or trust. Subjection to the control and guidance of another.” (Funk &

Wagnalls Standard Desk Dictionary. Volume A-M. p. 171). Noah worked by

faith. There had never been rain on the earth. All Noah had to go on what

was God said He was going to do. He stood of the promise of God! Noah’s

dependence was that God’s Word was true. “By faith Noah, being warned

of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the

saving of his house…”. He had never seen rain, because it probably did not