Sermon Central
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Where Faith Comes From - Part 1 Series
Contributed by Steve Lawson on Jan 7, 2004 (message contributor)
Summary: The word of God is the anchor to our faith.
Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 1
Romans 10:17 -So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.2
Where Faith Comes From - Part 1
His Delight
John 15:7 - If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.3
Romans 10:17 -So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.4
Word - rhema (4487) denotes “that which is spoken, what is uttered in speech or writing”;
The significance of rhema (as distinct from logos) is exemplified in the injunction to take “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” Eph. 6:17; here the reference is not to the whole Bible as such, but to the individual scripture which the Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in time of need, a prerequisite being the regular storing of the mind with Scripture. 5
A Tree Planted
James tells us that “he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”
Over 20 times in the Psalms alone, God is referred to as our Rock. The word of God is the anchor to our faith.
Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that those who did what He said would be like one who built his house on a rock. The word is our firm foundation.
Psalm 30:5 - “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6
Hebrews 6:17-19 - We have this hope as an anchor for the soul
By Streams of Water
A person whose delight is in the word of God is consistently nourished by it through the power of the Holy Spirit.
John 7:37 - “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.7
Yielding Fruit
John 15:5, 7, 8 - “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 8
Whose Leaf Does Not Wither
“his spiritual life is not subject to cyclical changes but is characterized by continuous inner renewal. As D. L. Moody put it, “All the Lord’s trees are evergreen.“9
2 Peter 1:8 - For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Whatever He Does Prospers
James 1:25 - the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. 10
1The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
2The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, (La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation) 1996.
3The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
4The New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, (La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation) 1996.
5W.E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger and William White, Vine’s complete expository dictionary of Old and New Testament words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.
6The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
7The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
8The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
9William MacDonald; edited with introductions by Arthur Farstad, Believer’s Bible commentary: Old and New Testaments [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1995 by William MacDonald.
10The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
