Victory Life KY

Willing & Faithful IV

Episode Summary

Living spiritual, living a life of faith is very intentional. Remember Paul’s words, “The same way you received Christ, walk in Him.” And that way is faith.

Episode Notes

• Keep in mind, one of our major points from this talk is our willingness and faithfulness here and now, because it does influence our life in the next dispensation.

• According to Jesus, Paul, James, Peter, there is reward for what we do here. This is part of what Jesus was referring to when He said, “Lay up for yourselves treasure in Heaven.”

• We have to understand, for the born again, there’s more to life than humanity.

• Think about this, which way of life is more of a reality to you right now? Natural or spiritual? Here’s the deal, living a spiritual life only happens one way.

• Living spiritual, living a life of faith is very intentional. Remember Paul’s words, “The same way you received Christ, walk in Him.” And that way is faith.

• Hebrews 11:1,MSG- The fundamental fact of our existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. 

• And I know statements like this sounds crazy, but make no mistake, we’re designed to live by faith, and it won’t happen on accident. 

• A key to a life of faith is keeping our focus on the author and finisher of our faith. Jesus knows all to well the dangers of vision drift.

• Hebrews 2:1,MSG- It’s crucial that we keep a firm grip on what we’ve heard so that we don’t drift off. 

• Remember last week out of Hebrews we talk about not losing our confidence.

• Real faith simply chooses to accept that when God tells us something, we accept Him at His word.

• What if the reason the Bible teaches us that we’re to live by faith, is because God designed our born-again lives to function a different way?

• As a matter of fact, faith is the only way into His Kingdom. This why Jesus talked about the Kingdom more than any other subject, to the degree that He laid out in detail exactly how it functions this side of Heaven.

• And this is why he makes this radical statement in Matthew.

• Matthew 6:33,NLT-  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

• MSG, Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
• Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

• This chapter is right in the middle of Jesus’ sermon on the mount, covering serving, prayer, fasting, laying up treasure in Heaven, not worrying, but here’s one point I want to highlight:

• Matthew 6:22-23,NLT-  Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

• This is why its so important the born again has firm grip on the realities of the Kingdom of Heaven.

• John 17:15-18,NKJV- “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 
• They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 
• Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 
• As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.”

• Being sent like Jesus, starts with a willing and faithful heart.

• Isaiah 1:19,NKJV- “If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;”

• Make no mistake, willing and faithful to an unseen world demands faith.

• Hebrews 6 reminds us that we receive God’s promises through faith and patience.

• Hebrews 11 tells us that all those that are in the hall of fame of faith obtained their promises through faith.

• And this is why Paul repeatedly reminds us about living by faith.

• And in the world we live in today, much of society considers this way of living a little unrealistic, imaginary, according to Paul, foolish.

• But according to Jesus, the world has eyes but can’t see, ears but can’t hear, because their hearts are hard. The god of this world has blinded them. But God reveals His truth to our spirit.

• This means we have to stop letting the clutter of everything going on around us distract us. Remember, a faith life is very intentional.

• I believe God wants to do exceedingly, abundantly more than we imagination, so that people will see us and say, “that had to be God working in their life.”

• But we’ve got to get this one issue settled, for all of us that are born again, according to Jesus we’re no longer of this world. We’re built to live a different way, the faith way.

• Paul says, “It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going.”

• 2 Corinthians 5:7,AMP- We walk by faith, not by sight, living our lives in a manner consistent with our CONFIDENT BELIEF IN GOD’S PROMISES.

• Here’s the deal, actually living this kind of life will require that we become more God dependent.

• So, be willing, be faithful. Be on purpose with your life of faith.

• Remember, Jesus told us, “I’m coming quickly and my reward is with Me. Something else Jesus said got me thinking, “When I return will I find faith in the earth.”

• And I say yes. According to Proverbs, the path of the righteous is like the morning sun, that shines brighter and brighter until it reaches its full strength and glory. But we have to stay with it.

• Throughout our talk we’ve highlighted the parable of the minas, but something we haven’t looked at is what Jesus said in Luke 19, Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities. (Esther, Gideon, David)

• Psalms reminds us that promotion comes from the Lord, and it always starts with the little things. Faithful in the little.

• Here’s the thing, how often to all of us overlook the little things of life?
• Faithful in the little is how a life of faith is developed. Zechariah tells us not despise the day of small beginnings.

• Regardless of what we do for God ultimately; advancement, promotion, reward comes with it. We just have to stay faithful.

• Here’s one of my favorite John Wooden quotes is, “When opportunity shows up, its to late to get ready.”

• And one of my favorite qualities of faith is that faith gets ready! So be willing and faithful! Live ready!

• Think about it, since we’re designed to live by faith, chances are pretty good that our journey will have plenty of opportunities to exercise that faith.

• James 1:2-4,NLT- Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 
• For you know that when your faith is tested, your ENDURANCE has a chance to grow. 
• So let it grow, for when your ENDURANCE is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

• What if in this life things don’t necessarily get easier, we just get stronger?

• Colossians 3:1-2,MSG- So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ, that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.

• Think about this, if today is the day God has given you, what are you doing with it?

• Understand, God’s word isn’t just a light unto our path, it’s a mirror the Holy Spirit uses to show us, not only our current condition, but what He knows we have the potential of becoming.

• But we can’t keep doing the same thing expecting a different result.

• Hebrews 12, paraphrase, You see what this means, all these pioneers who blazed the way, cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. 
• Start running and never quit! No extra spiritual fat. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed, he could put up with anything along the way. 
• And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!”

• Remember, one of my favorite qualities of faith is that faith gets ready! So be willing and faithful! Live ready!