Church in the Peak Podcast

13th June 2010 - Phil Hardy - Faith And Promises

We are all on a journey with God. But journeys with God don’t always go the way we expect they will. There may be bumpy parts to the journey or unexpected turns along the way. But, though all this, we need to take part in the journey – we are not to be passive. On our journeys we will face personal doubts etc. We need faith to step out on this journey because we have nothing and God provides everything. Faith doesn’t grow unless it’s challenged.

Hebrews 6:13-20 – Although the word “faith” is not mentioned in this passage, the whole passage is about faith. Abraham had to be a man of faith. Even though Abraham’s actions may at times have wavered, his faith never failed. Us “helping out” God doesn’t work. We can’t take shortcuts with God, and if we try to it will take far longer than if we’d just done what God said in the first place. Without faith, we can’t please God. The point of our salvation is to grow in faith. John Wimber said that “faith is spelt r.i.s.k.” Yes, faith can be risky, but if we step out in what God’s telling us to do, it will work out the way God intended it to.

Faith requires us to persevere and be patient. We must persevere and not give up at the first hurdle. We must not be quitters and we must keep on pressing into what God has for us. God loves to feed those who are hungry (Matthew 5:6) and so we need to be hungry for God. In the passage from Hebrews, God promises to fulfil the promise and swears by himself as there is none greater to swear by. If we seek righteousness, we will be filled. We need to live fully for Christ – as Paul said “for me to live is Christ”.

Faith has to keep on growing. You can never have enough faith. If we’ve settled for where we are, we won’t carry on growing and we will end up with less that what God wants for us. We must not settle until we reach heaven.

Patience is a key to growing in faith. Generally, life nowadays is getting faster and faster – faster internet, faster cars, faster credit. People don’t know how to wait for things. God isn’t like us in this respect. Patience is a character of God and a fruit of the Spirit. God will never keep us waiting and then let us down. Because God has overcome, we can be overcomers. God restores our soul and makes us new – we are victors in Christ. But God will do it his way, not necessarily the way we’d do it.

God requires that our faith is unfailing and enduring. Faith that endures won’t crumble under testing. If God says one thing and everything natural is saying the opposite (and possibly even seems to be winning), that it when God can break in when we step out in faith.

Unfailing and enduring faith doesn’t blame God and ask “Why?” all the time. It says “I will trust” and presses in to what God has for us. Unfailing and enduring faith doesn’t try to resolve the issues by itself but trusts God to provide the answers. God is always about our good and about bringing us into a deeper knowledge of him. There is a danger that past disillusionment, especially with churches, can cloud our thinking. We must trust God. He doesn’t act like men and he can’t lie.

In the book “Incomparable”, Andrew Wilson explains that God is unchangeable. This is good news. If God did change, we’d be in serious trouble. For example, if he changed for the worse, watch out. And if he changed for the better, then he was less than perfect to start with. Every good and perfect gift comes from God. God turns things meant for evil into good. We can trust God to do this.

If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and make us righteous. This righteousness includes both spiritual and physical elements. There is no sickness in heaven, so why should we accept it here on earth? We must carry on praying for sicknesses to go.

Colossians 1:15-19 – God holds all things together
Hebrews 1:1-3 – God sustains all things.
Jesus went and did good things everywhere he went all the time.

We have a God that we can put our faith in. We can live in joy and peace whatever situation we are in.

Questions

God is a God of unchangeable Character. The character of God is holy, and he does not lie. He is Unchangeable and Infallible.

God is looking for faith that perseveres and is patience, that is unfailing and enduring. Faith that recognises that he is the same yesterday, today and forever and makes promises to men and fulfils them, that he is full of Love, Grace and compassion and that he his Good

· What does it mean to your faith that God is unchangeable?

· Look back on your journey of faith. How have you been growing in faith, being enlightened by Him, and becoming more experienced in matters of faith and responding to him in acts of faith?

· How can you be better at developing your faith so you can endure?

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