WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD

Proclamation:

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”   Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)  In other words, “Now faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”  Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)  “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”  Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by an unknown human author under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  In this chapter he discusses “faith,” including what it is and how it is put into action.  He begins with a definition of what “faith” is.  Faith depends on The Lord God and He is the object of our faith.  It is based upon our belief in Him and not in the things that we can see.  The author then presents several practical examples of how faith was demonstrated in the past by certain individuals. (Hebrews 11:2-11 and 11:17-31)  Then he mentioned some of the things that people went through and endured because of their faith. (Hebrews 11:32-38)

Application:

Faith requires a belief in God.  Our salvation is based upon our belief in The Lord God.  Our earthly and heavenly rewards are based upon our works, living a Christian life.  Our salvation comes by faith, and our Christian walk also depends on our faith.  It was by faith that Enoch walked with God. (Genesis 5:24)  The faith which guides our walk cannot be seen, but the people around us can see the effects of our faith in our behavior and actions.  We are blessed for believing without seeing. (John 20:29)  The only way we can please The Lord God is by having faith in Him.  If we have faith, then we must walk and act in such as to demonstrate it because faith without works is dead. (James 2:26)

ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE

Proclamation:

"Jesus said unto him, ‘If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.  And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."  Mark 9:23-24

Explanation:

These are the words of Jesus, The Christ, which He said to the man with his son who had a dumb spirit that the disciples of Jesus could not cast out.  The man had questioned the power of Jesus by saying “… if you can …” (Mark 9:22)  Jesus replied to the man by questioning his faith.  The man stated that he believed and then asked Jesus to help him by strengthening his faith.  After Jesus cast out the foul spirit from the boy, His disciples asked Him privately why they could not cast out that demon.  He said unto them, “This kind can come forth by nothing but prayer and fasting." (Mark 9:29)

Application:
It is possible to have faith but also to have an imperfect faith mixed with a little doubt.  This father's prayer was to confess his spiritual weakness and ask for Jesus to help him to have a greater faith.  The take home lesson here is that believers may need to have a greater faith.  The disciples needed to know that some demons are more powerful than others.  This is also a lesson that we all could learn.  Some things we want require that we pray and fast.  All things are possible if we truly believe.  If we had the faith of a grain of mustard seed we could move mountains. (Matthew 17:20)  Jesus said to His disciples during a storm, “O ye of little faith.” (Matthew 8:26)  He was also speaking directly to us today.  We are fearful of things when we shouldn’t be.  We worry about things when it is not necessary.  We are doubtful of things that we should be certain of.  We have faith in God but only a little faith mixed with a lot of doubt.  We should probably also pray, as that father did, and say, Lord, help my unbelief.

BLESSED ACCORDING TO OUR FAITH

Proclamation:

"As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, calling out, 'Have mercy on us, Son of David!'  When He had gone indoors, the blind men came to Him, and He asked them, 'Do you believe that I am able to do this?'  'Yes, Lord,' they replied.  Then He touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you'; and their sight was restored." Matthew 9:27-30 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were spoken by Jesus, The Christ, as recorded by the Apostle Matthew.  After His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus came down from the mountain side and healed many people.  Before He blessed the two blind men by giving them their sight, Jesus asked them if they believed that He could cure their blindness.  After they said that they believed He blessed them according to their faith in Him.

Application:

Sometimes we are blessed without our having to ask.  There are other blessings we receive only if certain conditions are met first.  Most blessings are such that we either received them or we miss out on them.  However, the blessings mentioned here are given out based upon a sliding scale, the more faith we have in Jesus, the more blessings we receive from Him.  No faith, no blessings.  If we have a little faith, then we receive a little bit of the blessing.  The issue here is not if He can, but the issue is do we really believe that He can.  Our doubt, our lack of faith, or our limited little faith can interfere with our blessings and we do not receive all that is available for us. On five occasions Jesus talked about His disciples (and indirectly about us) having “little faith". (Matthew 6:30, 8:26, 14:31, 16:8, and 17:20)  We need to pray like the man with the son who was possessed by an impure spirit, “Lord, I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)  Our “intelligence” gets in the way of our believing the whole Bible.  We need His help with our unbelief and our “little faith” so that we may receive the full and complete blessing of The Lord.  We have to believe in Him and step out on faith in order to be blessed.  Believers walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)  Without faith in Him, it is impossible to please Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD

Proclamation:

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

Explanation:

Under the inspiration of The Holy Spirit of God the unknown author of The Bible Book of Hebrews wrote that it is not possible to please God without believing that He exists, without having faith in Him, without actively seeking Him, and without believing that those who honestly seek Him will find Him and will be rewarded.

Application:

We cannot walk with God without wholeheartedly believing in Him.  Having faith in God and believing in Him, is more than intellectually knowing that there is a God.  The devil and his demons know that there is a God and they know who He is.  They just choose not to follow Him and His ways. (James 2:19)  We demonstrate our faith in God by following His way and by being obedient to The Word of God. (John 14:15 and 14:23)  We cannot have faith in God without also having our actions demonstrate that faith. (James 20:26)  If we sincerely believe in Him and seek Him, we will find Him. (Jeremiah 29:13, Matthew 7:7, and Luke 11:9)  Those who truly have faith in God are blessed. (Galatians 3:9, Hebrews 11:20-21)

We Have Faith

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  This is what the ancients were commended for."  Hebrews 11:1-2 (NIV)

The unknown author of the Book of Hebrews describes what faith is.  He states that it was because of their faith that the men of God, that were mentioned earlier in The Bible and listed later on, (Hebrews 11:5-32 by name and Hebrews 11:32-39 by what they endured) were commended for.

Faith in The Lord God is essential to the believer.  Without faith, it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6)  We are taught to hold on to our faith through trying times. (Hebrews 10:23)  In fact, we are taught that the just shall live by faith. (Hebrews 10:38)  It was because of their faith that the patriarchs pleased God and received a good report. (Hebrews 11:2)  Our faith is demonstrated by our actions, faith without action is useless. (James 2:18, 2:20, and 2:28)  We must exercise our faith and put it to work. (James 1:3 and 2:22)  This is clearly a case when actions speak louder than words.  We are justified by exercising our faith during trials and tribulations because that leads to patience and hope in The Lord God. (Romans 5:1-5)

Without Faith It Is Impossible To Please God

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

The unknown author of the Book of Hebrews stated that it is not possible to please God without believing that He exists, without having faith in Him, without actively seeking Him, and without believing that those who honestly seek Him will find Him and will be rewarded.

We cannot walk with God without wholeheartedly believing in Him.  Having faith in God and believing in Him, is more than intellectually knowing that there is a God.  The devil and his demons know that He is God, they just choose not to follow Him and His ways. (James 2:19)  We demonstrate our faith in Him by following His way, by being obedient to The Word of God. (John 14:15 and 14:23)  We cannot have faith in God without also having our actions demonstrate that faith. (James 20:26)  If we sincerely seek Him, we will find Him. (Jeremiah 29:13, Matthew 7:7, and Luke 11:9)  Those who truly have faith are blessed. (Galatians 3:9, Hebrews 11:20-21)

Faith And Works

"As the body without The Spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."  James 2:26 (NIV)

James, the half brother of Jesus, presented the people with an explanation and examples relating faith and works.  He said that if they claims to have faith in God, but none of their actions support that statement, then the statement is worthless.  Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action which supports it, is dead and useless. (James 2:14-26)

We know that faith is important, for without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6)  We have heard the phase, talk is cheap.  We have also heard the phrase, action speaks louder than words.  In this verse, James is saying something very similar.  Our words must be backed up by our actions, deeds, and works.  For example, if someone tells you that they love you, and even repeatedly tells you that they love you, you would question their statements if they never do anything to show you that they love you.  The same applies to us, if we say that we love The Lord God, that we believe in Him, that we trust in Him, and that we have faith in Him, but we never do anything which demonstrates that love, belief, trust, or faith, then our statements are not believable and they are worthless.  Our works cannot earn us salvation, our salvation is based upon our belief and it is a gift from God. (Ephesians 2:8-9)  But when we confess our belief (Romans 10:9-10), The Holy Spirit of God indwells us and we become a new creature. (2 Corinthians 5:17)  When this happens we are changed. (2 Corinthians 3:18)  We will begin to exhibit the fruit of The Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and the world will know that we have change by the fruit which we produce, our works. (Matthew 7:16-17)  We do not become perfect, or sinless, but our walk, our behavior, our actions will demonstrate our faith.








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Increase Our Faith

"The apostles said to The LORD, 'Increase our faith!' "  Luke 17:5 (NIV) 

According to Luke, the physician and travelling companion of the Apostle Paul, after Jesus had spoken to His disciples about forgiveness and the number of times that they should forgive a transgressor, (Luke 17:3-4), they said to Him "Increase our faith."  The disciples recognized that they needed more faith and they asked The Lord to give them more of it. 

Some of the time God gives us what we ask Him for, and other times He puts in situations where we have an opportunity to demonstrate and develop that which we have asked Him for.  Those of us with very little faith, must exercise it and use it in order for it to grow and increase.  We can increase our faith by asking The Lord for it, and then believing and acting as if that which we asked for is already done. (Luke 17:5-10)  We need to ask in prayer, be obedient to His Word, praise The Lord, give Him glory, and give Him thanks for blessing us with that which we asked for. (Luke 17:12-19)  We need to be humble when we approach Him, knowing and believing that there is power in His Word. (Matthew 8:8)  We need to believe that His touch can change our life. (Matthew 9:20-22)  We need to demonstrate, practice, and exercise our faith when we are in trying circumstances and situations. (James 1:2-3)  We need to be obedient to The Word of God and do His will, for without faith it is impossible to please God, (Hebrews 11:6), but  faith without works to back it up is meaningless. (James 2:17-20 and  2:26)

Repentance Of Sin And Faith In Christ

"I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus."  Acts 20:21 (NIV)

Luke, the physician travelling companion of the Apostle Paul, recorded these words which Paul spoke to the elders of the church at Ephesus.  Paul told them that he had preached to both the Jews and to the Greeks, that they all must repent of their sins, and turn to God, and have faith in The Lord Jesus.  Paul was on his way to Jerusalem where, as The Holy Spirit had warned him, he knew that prison and hardship awaited him. (Acts 20:23)  However, he wanted to warn the elders that after he left, men would come and distort the truth which he had preached. (Acts 20:29-30)

Today, we need to be mindful of the fact that as Christians, repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ are our sacred duties.  That was the point that Paul was making, we must turn from sin and turn to God, and have faith in Christ. (Acts 20:21)  If we do not repent of our sins, then sin will be our downfall when we are judged by The Lord. (Ezekiel 18:30)  Because we are believers, it is by our faith in Jesus that we have a relationship with God. (Galatians 3:26)  Repentance is an importance part of the gospel, it is the message which Jesus preached. (Matthew 4:17, Luke 5:32, and Luke 24:46-47)  Belief and faith in Jesus, The Christ, is essential for our salvation.  We must accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, for only through Him is it possible to gain access to God and heaven. (John 14:6)  Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life.  For this reason we should give Him all glory, honor, and praise.  He is worthy of our worship.

Hope In Have Faith In And Trust In The Lord

"Love The LORD, all His saints!  The LORD preserves the faithful ... Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in The LORD."  Psalms 31:23-24 (NIV)

King David encourages all believers, all of the people who hope and have faith in The Lord, to be strong, keep the faith, be of good courage, and don't give up, because The Lord preserves and protects all who are faithful.

Blessed is the man who trusts in The Lord, whose confidence is in Him. (Jeremiah 17:7)  All of us who have faith and trust in The Lord, whose hope is in The Lord, will be rewarded.  He preserves, protects, and provides for all who are faithful to Him.  We need to wait on The Lord and have faith in His word. (Psalms 130:5)  He will keep His word, His word will not fail.  (Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, and Luke 21:33)  He will do whatever He says He will do. (1 Thessalonians 5:24)   Those who wait upon The Lord will be strengthened. (Isaiah 40:31)  Blessed is the man whose hope in in The Lord. (Psalms 146:5)

Those Who Have Faith Are Blessed

"The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: 'All nations will be blessed through you.'  So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith."  Galatians 3:8-9 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul told the believers in Galatia that The Scriptures predicted that all nations, all of the people of the world, would be blessed through Abraham, the man known as the father of the faithful.  This was a reference to the coming of Christ, through the lineage of Abraham, and His death, burial, and resurrection for the salvation of man.  God also blessed Abraham and his seed.  The word "seed" is used in two different ways, at times it refers to Christ, and other times it refers to the descendants of Abraham. (Roman 9:7 and Galatians 3:16)  Paul said that those who have faith will be blessed.

Abraham was not righteous.  He believed God, and God imputed unto him righteousness. (James 2:23)  The same can be true for us today.  If we believe in God, our faith will result in our salvation, and we will be the children of God (Matthew 5:9), part of the seed of Abraham, and we will be blessed along with him.  Abraham's seed was to be more numerous that the stars. (Genesis 15:5)  Abraham believed God and had faith.  Having faith is important, because without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6)  It is by the grace of God through our faith that we are saved. (Ephesians 2:8)   The just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17), we live and walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7), and faith comes by hearing The Word of God. (Romans 10:17)