Today's lesson is part 3 in our faith series. Last week, we instructed on what is false faith? Now, we look at what are the evidence of someone who has saving faith. This is important as you don't want to be deceived on a subject that has eternal consequences. Thank God, we have His Word, and He will guide us. We can know the truth and that truth will set us free. Prayerfully read this lesson and ask yourself, "Do I have evidence of saving faith?
The Apostle Paul said that he had preached publicly and from house to house "REPENTANCE toward God and FAITH toward our Lord Jesus Christ." True repentance leads to saving faith. Saving faith always grows out of true repentance. You cannot have one without the other. Faith and repentance always go together; they are never separated.
However, you cannot build your religious life on faith alone. If you do, you have religious life without a foundation. If you build your religious life on repentance alone, you have a foundation without a building. It is repentance toward God, and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. If you don't believe me, read Acts 20: 21.
Section 1: Faith in Three Steps
John 4: 46-53: "So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where He made water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard Jesus was come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him, and besought Him that He would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. Then said Jesus unto him, except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. The nobleman saith unto Him, Sir, come down ere my child die. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man BELIEVED the WORD that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, thy son liveth. Then he enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So, the father knew that it was at the same hour, in which Jesus said unto him, thy son liveth: and HIMSELF BELIEVED, and his whole house."
Step 1: Seeking
The verses above tell us of the nobleman's son who was on the brink of death. He is desperate. He most likely sought every natural means available all to no avail. Somewhere he had heard about the preacher Jesus of Nazareth. There was some faith enough resting in his heart to believe that if he just got to Jesus, all would end well. So, you see, the first stage or step in faith is to seek. SEEKING sent the father to search for the Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. So, it is with every sinner who is awakened by the Holy Spirit to his lost, ruined condition--he goes in SEARCH OF CHRIST. True repentance leads a sinner to Christ. If your repentance has not led you to Christ, then you are not saved.
When God gives a man seeking faith, that sinner becomes active about his soul's welfare. It may start as a little childlike faith, but as the sinner acts on that faith, it grows, and a seeking faith becomes an ACTIVE FAITH. When someone is under Holy Spirit conviction, he is not concerned about some make-believe child in a third world country who hasn't heard about the Lord Jesus Christ. He is not concerned about the riddle that asks, "Can God build a rock large that He can't lift it?" When I encounter this type of resistance to the Gospel, I know I should look for someone else to speak with because he or she is under no Holy Spirit conviction. I can't save them, only God can.
Saving faith is not passive. One does not say, "If God is going to save me, He will." No! Saving faith is active. It is seeking and moving toward God. Someone who is seeking to be saved will not shy away from true gospel services and the preaching of the Word. On the other hand, the person with a seeking faith will find a sermon to be heard. He realizes he is a lost sinner, and nothing interests him but hearing about Christ, he wants to hear the story of redemption.
A seeking faith will make the sinner use the means of grace; it will lead him to search the Word of God. Seeking faith puts wings upon his feet, and his one thought is, "May I but hear the Word." He will not be studying the Word for interpretations and new truths; he is studying it for one purpose, meditating upon it for one purpose--I must learn of Christ. Learning new Bible facts won't save you, but read your Bible with one prayer, "O Holy Spirit, reveal Christ to my heart as my Redeemer, my Near-Kinsman Redeemer, as my Lord, my Master, my Beloved, the Darling of my heart." Please show me Holy Spirit what a sinner I am and what a Saviour He is! The one who has seeking faith will not be satisfied with ball games, entertainment, or social games. He must know Christ! He is not interested in new truths, he wants Christ! His one cry is, "Lord, save me; Lord give me faith to believe Thee; Lord, help Thou my unbelief; Lord, grant me repentance," and his whole heart and soul are emptied out before God.
Seeking faith will not give up--will not turn back. Seeking faith sets itself toward heaven, and never one time thinks of turning back. Seeking faith is repenting and trusting at the same town. He is like Jacob of old, "I will not let thee go without a blessing." It has been said, unless your prayer is red hot in the furnace of desire, it will never burn its way upward to heaven. LISTEN, awakened sinner, are you there? Do you have a burning seeking faith? You will know you have this type of faith when you must get to Christ or perish!
Step 2: Believing in the Word
The Lord Jesus Christ told the nobleman, "GO THY WAY; THY SON LIVETH." In the 50th verse, the Word says, "And the MAN BELIEVED THE WORD that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way." He believed the Word of God. Just believing the Word will not save you, Christ saves you, but you must believe the Word to be saved.
If Satan can keep you from believing the Word, or make you doubt the Word, he knows you will never get to Christ.
Throughout the Gospels faith is illustrated in people simply believing Christ's words and being blessed:
1. Matthew 12: 13: the man with the withered man showed his faith in Christ's words by stretching forth his hand.
2. Matthew 9: 28: the blind man responded to Christ's inquiry by saying, "Yes, Lord."
3. Matthew 15: 26-28: the Syrophoenician woman believed for the child's portion of the dog's place at the feet of Christ.
4. Luke 17: 14: the ten lepers acted on the word of Christ and went to the priest and were healed.
The Word of God is the foundation of your faith. It is the anchor to keep us steadfast in the storm of temptation. The Word of God is the bolt to fix us to the Rock of Ages in the hour of trial (1 Thess. 1:6). The Word of God is the cable to fasten us to the moorings of God's holiness (John 17:17), and the Word of God is the staple to hold us fast to the Lord Jesus Christ (Psalm 119: 67). Listen carefully, YOU CANNOT GET TO CHRIST APART FROM GOD'S WORD.
Step 3: Personal Belief
The nobleman arrived home. His son was healed, and the Word says, HIMSELF BELIEVED, and his whole house." Here he believed with full assurance of faith. His mind was rid of its doubts; misgivings no longer occupied his mind, and the Word of God says, "himself believed."
My reading friend, I urge you to trust in Christ's Word, and then you trust Him. You will never trust Christ until you trust His Word. You can't separate Christ from His Word. Christ is revealed through His Word.
In conclusion, the nobleman went in search of the Master; second, he believed the Word that Christ spoke; and third, he came to the place where he trusted Christ.
MY FRIEND, HAVE YOU TRUSTED CHRIST FOR YOUR SALVATION?
Section 2: Faith Diseases
The first disease occurs when an individual begins seeking the Lord, but he lets up on his praying. If this happens to you, you must strive against it. You are to labor against it. As long as you are crying out for mercy, mercy shall never withdraw itself from you. If you renounce secret supplication, you give up Christ and heaven. Cry unto Him by faith believing His Word, even it He tarries, He will come.
Another disease or weakness of faith is letting up on your reading of the Word. Don't allow business, pleasure, loved ones, company or friends crowd out your secret devotion to the Bible. Awakened sinner, hear this, meditate of the Word of God. Ask the Lord to show you some promise. Hang your soul upon it; don't let go.
Another weakness of faith is wanting to see signs and wonders. Today, more than ever, people are falling for Satan's imitation of the Holy Spirit. They rest their hope of salvation on a sign, wonder, or miracle. They will be deceived. Martin Luther said, "Feelings may come and feelings may go, but the Word of God endureth forever." If you take your eyes off the promises of God's Word and begin to look at signs and wonders, you take your eyes off Christ.
Another weakness of faith is that we do not observe the hand of God in everything. We are to watch as well as pray. The awakened sinner who begins to see the hand of God working out and leading him to Christ is blessed of the Lord. God will move in His Providential care to lead the awakened sinner to Himself. John 6: 44 says that no one can come to the Lord Jesus unless the Father draws him. The Greek word translated "draw" is helkyo. "Helkyo" means to forcibly drag or compel. It is the same word used to describe the jailers throwing the disciples into prison. Salvation is the Lord (Jonah 2:9), not of yourself. You can't save yourself.
Section 3: Questions for You
Friend, let me ask you the following:
1. Does your faith make you obedient to the Word?
2. Do you trust the Lord Jesus Christ 100% for your salvation?
3. Do you believe you are saved by any works you do?
4. Have you ever truly repented for your sins; this means to take full responsibility for them?
My friend, until you come to a point that you have faith to believe that the only reason you love the Lord is because He first loved you, you are lost. If you think your works or will had anything to do with your salvation, you are lost. You must have faith to believe that God sent the gifts of faith and repentance to your heart, that was awakened to its lost condition by the Holy Spirit convicting you of sin, and you in earnest pleas came to the foot of the cross-seeking blood redemption from Christ, and when you do, you will become a new creation in Christ. Faith diseases will be gone, and you will know that you are saved through the written Word of God (the Bible) and the living Word (the Lord Jesus Christ). Don't stop seeking and believing until you know the work is done!
Next week: Living Faith.
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