Sunday, September 1, 2019 - What Happen to My Faith?
Pastor Roger R. Marcos
September 1, 2019
Have You Ever Experience losing Your Faith? What to Do When You’ve Lost Faith?
People often begin to lose faith in God as a result of their life experiences. Some face things that seem cruel or unbearable. Others are confronted with information presented from a secular viewpoint that rejects God.
Through experiences like these, people start questioning whether the God of the Bible truly has the answers to life’s problems. As they begin to doubt God, their faith begins to waver and weaken. As a result of their doubts, they may stop worshipping and communicating with God, which in turn, makes it even easier for their faith to diminish and eventually die.
I heard: “I just don’t know if I believe anymore . and I don’t know what to do about it.”
I hear words like these from people, from every strand of the Christian tradition, from every conceivable segment of society.
Jesus Christ Asked a Question in Luke 18:8: “when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
The fact that He even had to ask is a good indication that faith will be scarce at the time of His return; it always has been.
Every Christian Has Faith:
- Know he needs faith
- Wants to have faith
- Doesn’t want to lose his faith
Faith Is Precious 2 Pet. 1:1
Do You Ever See things in your life - makes you wonder - What’s Happening to My Faith?
Do You Ever Surprise?
I. Faith Is Extremely Essential.
When you hear the word “faith,” what do you think of? Whether you realize it or not, faith is an essential part of life, not just Christianity. For example, every time you sit down on a chair, you have faith that the chair will hold you. You are trusting that the chair won’t collapse under you.
That’s faith - being sure of what you’re hoping for - being certain of what you don’t see or experience yet. The Bible defines faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” Hebrews 11:1
Why Is Faith Necessary? Because without it, we cannot please God.
A. Pleasing God. Heb. 11:6
Hebrews 11:6 states, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Let’s face it - believing in a God we cannot see and believing that He is who He says He is takes faith! And it pleases God.
B. Live By Faith. WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Walking in the Spirit means living a life of faith in Jesus. The advice is to keep on believing in God in the midst of life struggle.so that’s our text is clearly stated- Luke 18:8: “When the Son of Man Comes, Will He Really Find Faith on the earth?”
38 And, “But my Righteous One will Live By Faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” 39 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. Heb. 10:38-39
C. Walk By Faith.
All of us are on the journey of life. We can make the journey in one of two ways. We can make the journey on the basis of what our eyes can see-that’s walking by sight. Or we can make the journey on the basis of what we cannot see-that’s walking by faith.
The Bible says For We Walk by Faith, Not By Sight ." 2 Corinthians 5:7
God wants each person’s life’s journey to be a journey of faith. Through the life of Abraham, we learn what walking the journey of life by faith really means
Those Words seem Simple Enough.
However, I am learning that fleshing out those words, that simple concept, can be a much tougher assignment. It requires tremendous courage and strength. You must be willing to be misunderstood and even abandoned. You must be willing to give up any semblance of control of your life that you thought you might have. You must be willing to look like a complete fool.
But it is a journey of tremendous blessing and reward. It is a journey that is exciting, life-altering, and mind-boggling. It is a journey that will allow you to see and experience God as he was meant to be: in all his fullness and grace.
What Does it Look Like to Walk By Faith and Not By Sight?
Walking by faith and not by sight requires you to go to a place you do not know, one that God will reveal as you walk in obedience. Just look to Abraham as an example. Genesis 12:1
Walking by faith requires a strong determination to follow God’s plan regardless what life throws your way. Look to Daniel to discover how to have the resolve not to sin Daniel 1:8
II. What Happened My Faith Now?
Taken For Granted:
Ignore warnings - losing
Assume - stay same
Think: “Never happen
Neglect:
- Fail To Feed it,. Col. 1:9-11 9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[a] 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,
- Fail to Add To It 2 Pet. 1:5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;
- Fail to Check it. 2 Cor. 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-unless, of course, you fail the test?
Checking Our Faith:
Do you believe what you have always believed?
Are you Being bored with Bible Study?
Are you Being Bored in Sunday School?