Hebrews 11:1,6 (NKJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
The Christian walk is a walk of faith from the time we are born again until we meet the Lord in heaven. What pleases God is faith and not works, though works are an outward expression of our faith, especially when we have received from Him regarding what to do. It is the Word of God spoken to us personally that gives substance to our faith and provides the anchor for our soul. It is like a title deed that states whatever that we are believing in belongs to us.
We don’t want our own ideas but God’s ways to deliver us from a current situation. We want to seek His opinion and tap into His wisdom. Although God’s strategy can either come across as brilliant, simple or even ridiculous to implement, it will be God who receives the glory, because we know it is Him who has led and delivered us!
It is difficult to have faith in someone unless we learn to trust that person. Some of us struggle in trusting God because we have never really done it, but without trust, we won’t be close to God because faith in God is the foundation of our relationship with Him. In human relationships, we won’t trust someone who’s untruthful or hypocritical because our word represents us. However, God is different from men, and we need to trust in the integrity of His Word because He has revealed His love, character, and His covenant relationship to us through His Word.
It is also hard to trust someone unless we know they love us. However, God has shown forth His love for us by His action of sending His Son to pay the penalty for our sins, and He has revealed Himself to us through Jesus because Jesus came to declare the Heavenly Father to us. Also, because the coming of Jesus was a fulfilment of prophecy, we can conclude that God means what He says and doesn’t lie. He has our interest at heart because He has shown forth the highest form of commitment understood by man in the form of a covenant relationship. We learn to trust Him in this close relationship and develop our faith in Him because we understand the power of a covenant relationship and its commitment.
We might not have been living a lifestyle of faith prior to COVID-19, because we are so used to running our own lives, but the disruption brought about by COVID-19 has forced us to walk by faith. When we have come to the end of ourselves, we need to live by faith in God. The good news is we are made and expected to live by faith!
Sermon Series: You Are in the Hall of Faith! (Part 1)
信心的生活方式
希伯来书11:1 – 6 (NKJV)信就是所望之事的实底，是未见之事的确据…人非有信、就不能得神的喜悦。因为到神面前来的人、必须信有神、且信祂赏赐那寻求祂的人。
基督徒的道路是信心的道路，从我们重生开始，直到我们在天堂见到主。虽然行为是我们信心的外在表现，尤其是当我们从祂那里领受了该怎样做的时候，但让神喜悦的是信心，而不是行为。这是神亲自对我们说的话语，给我们的信心以实质，并为我们的灵魂提供了锚。它就像一份产权契据，声明了我们所相信的一切都属于我们。
我们不想要我们自己的想法，而要神的道，好把我们从当前的处境中拯救出来。我们想寻求祂的旨意，探寻祂的智慧。虽然神的策略可能是聪明的，简单的，甚至是荒诞的，但荣耀要归给神，因为我们知道是神引导和拯救了我们!
除非我们学会信任一个人，否则很难对他有信心。我们有些人在信靠神上挣扎，因为我们从来没有真正信靠过神。但是没有信靠，我们就不会亲近神，因为信靠神是我们与神关系的基础。在人际关系中，我们不会相信那些不诚实或虚伪的人，因为我们的话代表了我们自己。然而，神与人不同，我们需要相信祂话语的正直，因为祂已经通过圣经向我们显明了祂的爱、祂的品格以及祂与我们之间盟约的关系。
我们也很难信任一个人，除非我们知道他爱我们。然而，神差祂的儿子为我们的罪付了罪的代价，祂已经向我们显明了祂的爱，并且借着耶稣向我们显明了祂自己。因为耶稣来，就是为向我们宣告天父。此外，因着耶稣的降临是预言的应验，我们可以得出结论，神说到做到，绝不说谎。祂把我们的益处放在心上，因为祂已经将人类所能理解的最高形式的应许以立约的形式展现出来。我们在这亲密的关系中学习信靠祂，坚固我们对祂的信心，因为我们明白这盟约关系和应许的大能。
在COVID-19之前，我们可能没有过一种有信心的生活方式，因为我们已经习惯了过自己的生活，但COVID-19带来的破坏迫使我们凭着信心而行。当走到自己的尽头时，我们需要依靠对神的信心来生活。好消息是我们被造本就是为了靠信心而活!
讲章系列: 你在信心的殿中！（第一部分）