Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Hear The Word

Romans 10:17
We are going to talk turkey about faith today.
It’s important for sure.
Romans talks about it in the context of the gospel.
How do people get saved?
But an expanded question is how is faith developed?
God would not make you just believe without help.
He has given us a big assist.
1.       People Have To Hear
Without someone to tell them, they are obviously not going to be saved.
Romans 10:14-15
But they have to hear very specifically in order for faith to be born.
Faith is born by hearing the words of Christ.
Very specific faith comes by hearing, not just any words but the words of Christ.
For the lost we have to have unflinching believe in the power of those words.
They provoke people to faith,
So what do you do for anyone lost in your life that you care about, find a way to speak the words of Christ to them.
Those words when heard are life changing.
What is heard (they have to penetrate, take root, begin to grow)
So we keep speaking until some word gets into the soil and survives the onslaught of everything they have to endure until they produce faith.
So focus on the words of Christ, it’s worked for 2000+ years why not today?
2.       The Words Continue To Produce Faith.
After saving faith, they create healing faith, they create provisional faith, it’s no different after we are saved.
There is saving faith but there is also living faith.
Who did the writer of Hebrews tell them to focus or fix on right after the Hebrews 11 faith chapter?  Jesus of course, why Jesus?
Hebrews 12:1-2
He is the author and the finisher of our faith. 
He is personified in His words to us.
John 1:14
His words are what we have and so we need to access those words as often as possible.
You want greater faith?
Allow His words to penetrate, take root, get into the ground of your heart where there is good soil that they can grow in.
This tells us something:
3.       We Have To Take Ourselves Out Of The Equation.
Your great words do not inspire people to salvation and they don’t inspire faith.
Was your prayer good bad indifferent ugly immature, doesn’t matter.
The words of Christ matter, He said he was the healer, the life giver, the provider,
To much focus on us is faith killing.
We’re weak, power drained, limited.
Just simplify, take the word of Christ and begin to claim them, stand on them, put them into practice, try to apply them.
If His words get into your heart they will produce the fruit promised.
The words of Christ when heard produce faith.

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