Faith: Why we need it: Benefits of Faith
Gal 3:11; Rom 1:17
It has been said the medium of exchange between heaven and earth is faith. When you go to a store to buy something you have to have what? Cash/credit. Cash is the medium of exchange here on earth. Faith is the medium of exchange with God.
In order to receive anything, anything from God a person must believe.
Someone once said, pray and believe and you will receive. Pray and doubt and you will do without. Dr. Adrian Rogers says I don’t know what you will accomplish in your Christian life but you will only accomplish what you can believe God for.
Matthew 9:29 Jesus says, be it unto you according to your faith. What you receive from God will be according to what you can believe God for.
Not according to your fortune. Not according to your fame. Not according to your feelings, but according to your faith.
The greatest enemy of the saint is unbelief. There is only one thing that ties the hands of God from working in your life and that is unbelief. Rom 14:23 whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
Jesus went to his home town to preach and minister to the people there the Bible says He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Almighty God, the God of all power and might, has limited himself to work according to a person’s faith.
But not only is unbelief the greatest enemy of the saint it is also the greatest sin of the sinner.
There is only one sin that sends a sinner to hell. That one sin is not lying. It is not adultery. It is not murder. It is not rape. It is not homosexuality. It is unbelief. You see, Jesus died for all those other sins. Those sins have been paid for by his precious blood on the cross of Calvary.
There is only one sin that sends a person to hell and it is unbelief.
If a person does not believe, if you do not have faith in Jesus you are condemned already. A lost person is only one heartbeat away from hell.
Unbelief ties the hands of the Almighty for the saint and shuts the doors of heaven for the sinner.
However, this need not happen to any of us because Jesus says If you can believe all things are possible to him who believes. If you can believe. Even a child can believe. All it is takes is a little faith.
Someone will say why is faith so important to life? Here’s why we need faith.
One benefit of faith is we need faith for the forgiveness of sins
Luke 5:20 And when [Jesus] saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. How does a person activate the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus in their life? By faith.
When a person puts their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation the blood cleanses them from all their sins.
2nd benefit of faith is healing is possible for all who will believe
James 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Doctors and those in the medical field are starting to see the benefits of incorporating faith in prayer in treating their patients.
Speaking of Jesus’ death the Bible says he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
On the cross Jesus took not only our sins, our sorrows, and our separation but he also took our sicknesses. By his stripes we are healed. The provision for our healing has already been provided.
By faith we simply reach out and accept what has already been provided by his death.
3rd benefit of faith is we need faith to overcome this world
I Jn 5:4 For whosoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.
The only way we can overcome and be victorious over this ungodly world of sin and temptation is through faith. Faith in Jesus the Son of God. He is the only one who has ever lived a sinless and victorious life over the world and we can also only as we place our faith in him.
Speaking of the early Christians Rev 12:11 And they overcame [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
One piece of the armor of God the Christian is to wear is the shield of faith.
Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.
It is faith that enables us to overcome this evil world of sin, satan and temptation.
4. Another benefit of faith is facing life’s Impossibilities
Matt 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, ….If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
A mountain speaks of impossibility of life. A mountain is something that is in the way. You can’t go through it, it’s to solid. You can’t go around it, it’s too steep. You can’t go up it, it’s too rigid.
How we get through, around and over life’s impossibilities? Faith.
Some wrote, “Got any rivers you think are uncrossable; got any mountains you can’t tunnel through? God specializes in things tho’t impossible; He does the things others cannot do.”
Mark 9:23 All things are possible to him who believes. We must just simply believe he can and leave it with him.
5. Another benefit of faith is to please God
Heb 11:6 says without faith it is impossible to please God.
The great desire of every believer is to live their life in a way that is pleasing to God. The only way to live that is pleasing to God is to live by faith.
There is no future in the Christian life without faith. To live the Christian life without faith is futile.
To live the Christian life without faith would be like putting screen doors on a submarine. It would be a failure.
To live the Christian life without faith would be like sending our men and women to war with B.B. guns. It would be fatal.
To live the Christian life without faith would be like mailing a letter without a stamp. It wouldn’t go anywhere.
Without faith the Christian life is fruitless. Without faith the Christian life is frustrating. Without faith the Christian life would be a failure.
6. We need faith to understand the Bible
Heb 4:2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
Paul says here, the gospel was preached and it had two effects: it saved some and it didn’t save some. Why was the difference? The ones it saved had faith and the ones it didn’t save didn’t have faith.
Why is it that some people can read and understand the Bible and others do not? Because the ones who read it and understand it believe what they read.
1Thes 2:13 “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which powerfully works also in you that believe.”
What must we believe when we hear the Bible? We must believe that it is the word of God. This book is the word of God we must believe that.
The just shall live by faith. Faith honors God and God honors faith.
Last benefit of faith is, we need faith for Salvation
The greatest need of everyone is the need to be saved. Saved from what? Saved from sin, hell, judgment and damnation.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (for by grace are saved through what? Faith).
Luke 7:50 And [Jesus] said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. (what had saved her? Her faith).
The Bible says we are saved by grace through faith. The biblical formula for salvation is by grace alone, by faith alone in Christ alone.
What is grace and faith?
In another place the Bible says if you will believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God and that God raised him from the dead you will be saved. If you will believe you will be saved. Faith is believing.
We need faith for Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, healing, overcome this world, facing life’s impossibilities, to please God, to understand the Bible
Let me share with you four closing thoughts on how we can live by faith.
Dedicate your life to Jesus. Where you place your faith is what‘s important. A lot of people have faith in everything but God. We are to have faith in God.
Saturate your heart and mind with the scriptures. Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. The more you know of the scriptures the more you will be able to trust and believe God for.
Activate the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. The way you activate his power in your life is through faith. You activate the power of the Spirit in your life when you seek to live your life filled and led by the Spirit.
Communicate with God in prayer. Ask God to in crease your faith. The early disciples did. Luke 17:5 the disciples asked Christ to increase their faith. Ask him to increase your faith right now.
Faith is a gift from God ask him to give you the gift of faith to trust him today.
