Welcome to Refinery Life Australia.
To begin the new year we are kicking off with messages that are evangelistic in both object and nature.
“The Answer to Eternity’s Most Important Questions” is the theme for this series.
Today we are talking about Faith in Salvation.
Text
Hebrews 10:38-39 (AMP)
38 But My righteous one [the one justified by faith] shall live by faith [respecting man’s relationship to God and trusting Him];
And if he draws back [shrinking in fear], My soul has no delight in him.
39 But our way is not that of those who shrink back to destruction, but [we are] of those who believe [relying on God through faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah] and by this confident faith preserve the soul.
Scripture Reading
Mark 1:14-15 (AMP)
Jesus Preaches in Galilee
14 Now after John [the Baptist] was arrested and [a]taken into custody, Jesus went to Galilee, preaching the good news of [the kingdom of] God,
15 and saying, “The [appointed period of] time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life] and believe [with a deep, abiding trust] in the good news [regarding salvation].”
Prayer
Father, we thank you for all the blessings in life.
We are grateful for your mercy and grace.
Help us, Father, to understand and appreciate the real meaning of faith.
May we live in faith all our lives.
Part of this faith is trust in you for the material things of life as we practice the stewardship of your material blessings.
As people of faith, may we also be good stewards in faith.
Accept these gifts, we pray.
Forgive us our sins, we plead.
And strengthen us for all of life as we receive inspiration for noble living today.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
Introduction
The classic biblical definition of faith is found in Hebrews 11:1,
The Triumphs of Faith
11 Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].
The Greek word translated “substance” or assurance in the Amplified Bible had a technical meaning in the business world of the first century, it referred to one’s property or effects.
We can look at it as the title deeds to a property.
Faith is the title deed to what is divinely guaranteed.
This is faith, our title deed to salvation in Christ and the mercy and grace of God.
The thing for which we earnestly hope is salvation.
Faith is the title deed to that great hope, that great reality, the salvation of our souls.
- Faith in salvation has a definite object.
When we begin to examine the faith that saves, we notice that this is not just a vague thing that reaches out to nothing.
It is faith in a definite object, Jesus Christ.
- Our faith must be in Christ, not the church.
Many people have faith that the church will save them.
But the church itself cannot save.
B. Our faith must be in Christ, not the Bible.
The Bible is God’s word.
It brings us to Christ, but it cannot save us.
It simply tells us how God has provided our salvation.
Only faith in Christ brings salvation.
C. Our faith must be in Christ, not our good deeds.
Do you remember the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus?
Nicodemus was a good man, perhaps there was none better amongst his contemporary Jews.
But Jesus told him in John 3:7 (AMP)
7 Do not be surprised that I have told you, ‘You must be born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].’
2. Faith in salvation has a complete trust.
What is faith?
In its simplest form it is trust.
The we trust Christ as Saviour, when we have faith in Him, it means that we completely trust Him to cleanse us, forgive our sins, and save us for now and eternity.
You have trust that the chair you are sitting on is going to hold you up, you have trust when you fly somewhere that the pilot knows what he is doing and can get you to where you want to go, you have trust that the you are driving that the cars coming towards you will stay on their side.
That is faith!
This is the kind of faith we must have in Christ as Saviour.
Faith in salvation has a complete trust.
3. Faith in salvation has a distinct consequence.
- One consequence is that God forgives our sin.
Right at the time we turn to Him in faith, confessing our sins to Him and trusting in Him to forgive us, our sins are forgiven and we are saved.
B. Another consequence of faith is submitting to Christ as Lord.
Whenever a person becomes a Christian, Christ becomes the Lord of his or her life and soul.
C. But the direct consequence is that we live a life of faith.
Faith in Christ for salvation is not just the faith of a moment.
It is faith for a lifetime.
A blind man in the city had a guide dog.
He held the dogs lead, and the dog guided him through the crowds of people , directed him through traffic, took him about his daily business, and returned him to his home.
As the man followed the dog, he showed complete faith in the dog.
In complete trust we accept Christ as our Saviour, committing our life to Him and living the life of faith.
Conclusion.
The faith that saves is complete committal of our life to Christ.
He and He alone is the object of our faith.
Until next time
Stay in the Blessings
I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.
When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.
Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!
You’re important to God, and you’re important to us at www.refinerylife.org
When it comes to prayer, we believe that God wants to meet your needs and reveal His promises to you.
So whatever you’re concerned about and need prayer for we want to be here for you! Or even if you just want to say Hi, you can contact us
2021 IS A YEAR OF REFORMATION
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