WEBVTT 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:09.169 Good morning, good morning, welcome to church. 00:00:09.169 --> 00:00:10.710 Are you glad to be in the room this morning? 00:00:10.710 --> 00:00:13.666 Phenomenal, my name is James. 00:00:13.666 --> 00:00:26.353 I get the privilege of serving over at the Pinewood campus as the campus pastor there, and Pastor Andy and I have traded places for the day, so if you invited a friend and told him Randy was awesome, I apologize. 00:00:26.353 --> 00:00:27.356 Come back next week. 00:00:27.356 --> 00:00:30.908 He is awesome, he's just not here today, so you get me. 00:00:30.908 --> 00:00:33.240 But I'm grateful to be here. 00:00:33.240 --> 00:00:42.932 I love this place, I love the people of this church and it's such a privilege to be one church in two locations. 00:00:42.932 --> 00:01:01.219 And I just want to say thank you on behalf of the Pinewood campus for the way that you serve and the way that you faithfully give and for your willingness to take a faith filled risk and figure out what it means to be one church in two places. 00:01:01.219 --> 00:01:12.219 We are grateful for you and just grateful to God for what he's doing through both campuses as we continue to build and bring. 00:01:12.219 --> 00:01:15.199 So we're going to be in Hebrews, chapter 11, here in just a moment. 00:01:15.199 --> 00:01:22.113 I want to give a quick shout out to our online family joining in Miss Donna, watching from Virginia Beach. 00:01:22.113 --> 00:01:24.967 I heard this morning that she watches faithfully every week. 00:01:24.967 --> 00:01:27.665 So, donna, welcome, we're grateful for you today. 00:01:28.379 --> 00:01:35.512 We're kicking off today an Advent collection of talks called the four guarantees of Christmas. 00:01:35.512 --> 00:01:40.128 That's two things we love right Guarantees and Christmas. 00:01:40.128 --> 00:01:41.705 So you just mesh those two together. 00:01:41.705 --> 00:01:43.649 It's going to be a great four weeks. 00:01:45.421 --> 00:01:54.219 Advent is all about the arrival of something or someone of significance, importance and value. 00:01:54.219 --> 00:02:06.176 So in Advent, what we're doing, we're identifying with generations of God's people in the past who patiently waited for the coming of the Messiah. 00:02:06.176 --> 00:02:10.240 Can you imagine being the people of God in the Old Testament, the Israelites? 00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:20.792 You've got this promise from God one day a Savior is going to come, but then you wait and you wait and you wait and the promise doesn't come to pass. 00:02:20.792 --> 00:02:30.240 We're remembering the waiting of all of those generations of Israelites who waited on God to be faithful to His Word. 00:02:30.240 --> 00:02:42.118 But Advent, it's also a reminder that the same Christ who came is coming again, and when he comes again, he's going to put the world right. 00:02:42.118 --> 00:02:55.198 Our best days are ahead of us, and so Advent reminds us that just as Christ has been faithful in the past, he will also be faithful in the future. 00:02:55.198 --> 00:03:04.849 And in the midst of a broken world, we get to live with the hope of the coming of Christ, and isn't that good news today? 00:03:04.849 --> 00:03:07.838 So let me pray, then we're going to jump in. 00:03:07.838 --> 00:03:15.240 Father, thank you, thank you for your word, thank you for the chance to gather together as your church, one church in two places. 00:03:15.240 --> 00:03:22.528 Father, we are grateful for you, grateful for your spirit, we're grateful for your word. 00:03:22.528 --> 00:03:36.518 And, father, today in this place, we pray, god, that you would have your way, that you would teach us, that you would illuminate truth in our hearts, father, that you would convict us, change us, help faith to rise up on the inside of us. 00:03:36.518 --> 00:03:39.219 In Jesus' name, and everybody says amen. 00:03:39.921 --> 00:03:42.170 I need a little help to get things rolling this morning. 00:03:42.170 --> 00:03:50.240 I want you to just imagine for a second that you're holding a package, a present, a Christmas gift, the first gift of Christmas. 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:55.890 You're holding it in your hands, you start to tear in through the wrapping paper. 00:03:55.890 --> 00:03:57.996 And whoever boxed this one up? 00:03:57.996 --> 00:03:59.200 They're one of those tape people. 00:03:59.200 --> 00:04:01.067 They really like the tape. 00:04:01.067 --> 00:04:03.165 They laid the tape on really heavy. 00:04:03.165 --> 00:04:03.829 You know what I'm talking about. 00:04:03.829 --> 00:04:21.173 The roll of duct tape is wrapped around this box and so you're trying to like, dig through the duct tape and you finally get to the point where you can get into the cardboard box and as you open the cardboard box, what's inside is not on your list. 00:04:21.173 --> 00:04:26.790 In fact, you're not sure what it is or if it was on anybody's list anywhere, anything. 00:04:26.790 --> 00:04:29.728 You don't know what it is, what it means, why it's in this box. 00:04:29.728 --> 00:04:30.540 It's in there. 00:04:30.561 --> 00:04:42.273 In that moment You're tearing into a gift and all of a sudden you realize I got about five seconds to manufacture the proper response to whatever this is in this box. 00:04:42.273 --> 00:04:44.424 Right, what a feeling. 00:04:44.424 --> 00:04:44.543 Right? 00:04:44.543 --> 00:04:45.608 It's like I don't know what to do. 00:04:45.608 --> 00:04:47.425 I don't know what this is. 00:04:47.425 --> 00:04:48.187 I don't know what to say. 00:04:48.187 --> 00:04:49.023 I don't know. 00:04:49.023 --> 00:04:51.210 I just don't know what this is. 00:04:52.081 --> 00:04:56.350 Maybe you have somebody in your family who gives gifts like that. 00:04:56.350 --> 00:04:59.506 If they're in the room, don't look at them. 00:04:59.506 --> 00:05:00.650 Don't look at them because they don't know. 00:05:00.650 --> 00:05:03.165 They don't know my grandfather. 00:05:03.165 --> 00:05:08.685 He went to be with the Lord this year but he was that gift giver in our family. 00:05:08.685 --> 00:05:24.112 He spent who knows how much time scouring yard sales and estate sales and every thrift store he could find, collecting and assortment of eccentric and eclectic gifts to give at Christmas. 00:05:24.112 --> 00:05:25.182 And he knew it. 00:05:25.182 --> 00:05:27.670 He knew exactly what he was doing and he loved it. 00:05:27.670 --> 00:05:31.634 You just never knew what you were going to open. 00:05:31.634 --> 00:05:34.564 I didn't say this at the nine o'clock, this is the 1030. 00:05:34.564 --> 00:05:35.948 Maybe we can say it here. 00:05:35.948 --> 00:05:36.790 I'll give it a shot. 00:05:37.259 --> 00:05:45.323 He gave my boys one year for Christmas a Christmas tree ornament of an outhouse and it gets better. 00:05:45.323 --> 00:05:54.706 When you opened the outhouse there was a naked Santa taking a shower on the inside and I was like he's like it's great, isn't it? 00:05:54.706 --> 00:05:57.242 No, it's like this is great, that's grandpa. 00:05:57.242 --> 00:06:13.485 And I remember one year for Christmas, grandpa opened his present from my parents and part of his present that year was a tartan plaid festive flannel shirt from LL Bean, still in the plastic wrap, you know. 00:06:13.485 --> 00:06:15.031 And he opens it up. 00:06:15.031 --> 00:06:16.785 He's like oh, thank you, this is great, I love it. 00:06:16.785 --> 00:06:17.989 Sits it off to the side. 00:06:17.989 --> 00:06:21.329 Next year I'm opening my presents from my grandpa. 00:06:21.329 --> 00:06:24.932 Some of you know where this is going. 00:06:24.932 --> 00:06:26.240 Some of you have done this before. 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:28.240 You're like that's a great strategy, that's a wise man. 00:06:28.240 --> 00:06:37.287 I opened this package and I pulled out the same tartan plaid flannel shirt from LL Bean, still in the package. 00:06:37.287 --> 00:06:38.210 He's like that's a great shirt. 00:06:38.210 --> 00:06:44.250 And I'm like it's a great shirt, grandpa, you know, and that's who he was, that's how he gave gifts. 00:06:44.451 --> 00:06:55.835 And I say all of that to say that, that feeling of having to like, manufacture a response and figure out, like, what to do to look pleased and grateful and happy with what you've received. 00:06:55.835 --> 00:07:01.213 Have you ever wondered how God looks at you? 00:07:01.213 --> 00:07:06.401 Have you ever wondered if that's what God does when we come to Him? 00:07:06.401 --> 00:07:07.138 Like? 00:07:07.138 --> 00:07:17.867 Is God manufacturing a response of joy or pleasure or happiness when we come to Him, or is he genuinely pleased with us? 00:07:17.867 --> 00:07:31.835 And that's the question I want us to consider today is can I, can you, can broken people please a holy, righteous, just, almighty God? 00:07:31.835 --> 00:07:40.528 Or is God at best like us on Christmas with a gift we don't know what to do with, just trying to fake it and hope we believe in? 00:07:41.922 --> 00:07:49.973 This series is called the Four Guarantees of Christmas, and guarantee number one is this you can please God. 00:07:49.973 --> 00:07:51.514 You can please God. 00:07:51.514 --> 00:07:52.894 Isn't that good news? 00:07:52.894 --> 00:08:01.646 Like you can please God, you can lay your head on your pillow at night and know that God is pleased with you. 00:08:01.646 --> 00:08:03.939 Some of you are not convinced. 00:08:03.939 --> 00:08:04.497 You're like I don't know. 00:08:04.497 --> 00:08:10.682 That sounds like a big ask, a tall order to please God, because I know me and I know what's in me. 00:08:10.682 --> 00:08:13.384 Stick with me and we'll see how this works. 00:08:13.574 --> 00:08:15.823 Some of you are like oh, I know how to please God. 00:08:15.823 --> 00:08:23.203 I know, you know, I've almost kept up with my reading plan this year and I've just about checked all the boxes. 00:08:23.203 --> 00:08:32.105 And when I missed a day I went back and got it and I pray multiple times a day and I'm in a life group and I'm at church and I'm even serving from time to time. 00:08:32.105 --> 00:08:37.822 God must be grateful that I'm on his team and sometimes isn't that how we think we please God? 00:08:37.822 --> 00:08:39.658 I mean, I fall into that trap. 00:08:39.658 --> 00:08:40.543 Maybe you do too. 00:08:40.543 --> 00:08:45.943 God must be pleased with me because of all the stuff I'm doing for him. 00:08:45.943 --> 00:08:49.198 But I've got good news. 00:08:49.198 --> 00:08:51.365 It's even better than that. 00:08:51.365 --> 00:08:55.826 Hebrews chapter 11 is gonna help us answer this question. 00:08:55.826 --> 00:09:02.264 How do sinful people like me and you please a holy, righteous and just God? 00:09:02.264 --> 00:09:04.438 Hebrews chapter 11,. 00:09:04.479 --> 00:09:09.038 The author writes these words, beginning in verse one Now, faith. 00:09:09.038 --> 00:09:10.202 Everybody say faith. 00:09:10.202 --> 00:09:16.601 Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen for. 00:09:16.601 --> 00:09:20.322 By it, by faith, the people of old receive their commendation. 00:09:20.322 --> 00:09:29.880 By faith, we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. 00:09:29.880 --> 00:09:41.697 By faith, abraham offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than came, through which he was commended as righteous, god commending him by accepting his gifts and through his faith. 00:09:41.697 --> 00:09:44.855 Though he died, he still speaks by faith. 00:09:44.976 --> 00:09:51.264 Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found because God had taken him. 00:09:51.264 --> 00:10:05.975 Now, before he was taken, he was commended as having pleased God, and without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek it by faith. 00:10:05.975 --> 00:10:13.481 Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear, constructed an ark for the saving of his household. 00:10:13.481 --> 00:10:19.364 By this, noah, condemned the world, became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. 00:10:19.364 --> 00:10:22.376 Everybody say faith by faith. 00:10:22.537 --> 00:10:30.640 Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance, and he went out not knowing where he was going. 00:10:30.640 --> 00:10:38.661 By faith, he went to live in the land of promise as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob. 00:10:38.661 --> 00:10:44.065 He was looking forward to the city that has foundations whose designer and builder is God. 00:10:44.065 --> 00:10:52.496 By faith, sarah received power to conceive even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful, who had promised. 00:10:52.496 --> 00:11:02.839 Therefore, from one man and him, as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. 00:11:02.839 --> 00:11:13.822 These all died in faith, having not received the things promised, but having seen them from afar, greeted them from afar and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 00:11:13.822 --> 00:11:18.081 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 00:11:18.081 --> 00:11:27.778 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return, but as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. 00:11:27.778 --> 00:11:33.360 Therefore, god is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. 00:11:34.115 --> 00:11:51.681 The author, then, from verses 17 through 31, gives us this listing this hall of fame, of faith, if you will, from the Old Testament heroes who lived and died by faith in God, and even though they didn't receive the fullness of God's promise. 00:11:51.681 --> 00:11:58.725 Then, in verse 32, the author says this "'What more shall I say, for time would fail me to tell. 00:11:58.725 --> 00:12:11.626 "'of Gideon, barak, samson, jephthah, david, samuel, "'the prophets who, through faith, conquered kingdoms "'and forced justice obtained promises, stopped the mouths. 00:12:11.626 --> 00:12:14.725 "'of lions, quenched the power of fire. 00:12:14.725 --> 00:12:16.360 "'escape the edge of the sword. 00:12:16.360 --> 00:12:19.945 "'were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war. 00:12:19.945 --> 00:12:21.882 "'put foreign armies to flight. 00:12:21.882 --> 00:12:25.004 "'women received back their dead by resurrection. 00:12:25.004 --> 00:12:28.404 "'some were tortured, refusing to accept release. 00:12:28.404 --> 00:12:30.942 "'they might rise again to a better life. 00:12:30.942 --> 00:12:35.062 "'others suffered mocking and flocking, "'and even chains and imprisonment. 00:12:35.062 --> 00:12:36.767 "'they were stoned, they were sawn into. 00:12:36.767 --> 00:12:38.422 "'they were killed with the sword. 00:12:38.422 --> 00:12:51.279 "'they went about in skins of sheep and goats, "'destitute, afflicted, mistreated, "'of whom the world was not worthy, "'wondering about in deserts and mountains and dens, "'and caves of the earth. 00:12:51.279 --> 00:13:06.525 And all these "'The commended through their faith, "'did not receive what was promised, "'since God had provided something better for us, "'that apart from us, they should not be made perfect'". 00:13:07.935 --> 00:13:15.980 So how do we, broken people in need of a savior, how do we please God? 00:13:15.980 --> 00:13:25.784 The author, in Hebrews 11, verse five and six, he gives us an insight into this question. 00:13:25.784 --> 00:13:36.724 I don't know if you called it as we read, but when talking about Enoch, the author of Hebrews says this before Enoch was taken, he was commended as having pleased God. 00:13:36.724 --> 00:13:54.403 And then Hebrews 11, six without faith, it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 00:13:54.403 --> 00:14:01.726 So Hebrews 11, six says very clearly what is it about humanity that is pleasing to God? 00:14:01.726 --> 00:14:08.663 Well, apart from faith, humanity, or the author of Hebrews, says it's what it's impossible to please God. 00:14:08.663 --> 00:14:22.826 So you can do all the good you want to do, you can be the best person you can be, you can try as hard as you want to try, but apart from faith, it's impossible to please God. 00:14:22.826 --> 00:14:39.446 All of our good, everything we do, everything we try, every attempt at being a better person or serving someone else, apart from faith, means nothing in this conversation about pleasing God. 00:14:39.446 --> 00:14:44.639 But the converse of that is that with faith it's possible to please God. 00:14:44.639 --> 00:14:47.683 What's God looking for from me and you? 00:14:47.754 --> 00:14:51.544 This conversation has to start with faith. 00:14:51.544 --> 00:15:11.591 God is looking for broken, sinful, unrighteous people who are willing to trust in him, to believe in him, to surrender and place faith in him. 00:15:11.591 --> 00:15:17.020 And so today, as we begin this advent journey, we're gonna talk about faith. 00:15:17.020 --> 00:15:31.065 If that's the key, if that's the ticket to pleasing God is faith, that's what God's looking for from us Then we've gotta ask four questions this morning about faith, and the first question is simply this what is faith? 00:15:31.065 --> 00:15:35.903 If that's what's pleasing to God, then we need to make sure we know what faith is. 00:15:35.903 --> 00:15:38.504 Question number one what is faith? 00:15:38.504 --> 00:15:42.403 And the good news, our answers today, these aren't like human ideas. 00:15:42.403 --> 00:15:46.642 We're gonna get the answers to these questions right out of God's word. 00:15:46.642 --> 00:15:50.075 Hebrews 11, verse one, helps us answer this. 00:15:50.075 --> 00:15:51.116 What is faith? 00:15:51.116 --> 00:15:51.878 Question? 00:15:51.878 --> 00:15:54.659 The author of Hebrews says Now faith is? 00:15:54.659 --> 00:15:59.296 Aren't you grateful when the Scripture makes it really clear and simple? 00:15:59.296 --> 00:16:02.152 Now faith is. 00:16:02.392 --> 00:16:08.469 Here's the definition, a definition, not the totality of the definition, but here's a great starting place. 00:16:08.469 --> 00:16:17.195 Now faith is the assurance Everybody say assurance, the assurance of things hoped for. 00:16:17.195 --> 00:16:23.634 The conviction everybody say conviction, the conviction of things not seen. 00:16:23.634 --> 00:16:30.871 So the author of Hebrews begins Hebrews chapter 11, and says there are two words that help us define faith. 00:16:30.871 --> 00:16:36.647 The first word is assurance and the second word is conviction. 00:16:36.647 --> 00:16:41.719 If you want to know what faith is, faith is assurance and it's conviction. 00:16:42.546 --> 00:16:51.448 Now, if you dig in a little bit in the original language, the word assurance literally can be translated the substance of. 00:16:51.448 --> 00:16:56.017 So it's what's the very center of something. 00:16:56.017 --> 00:17:00.289 And it can also be translated a foundation. 00:17:00.289 --> 00:17:07.262 So faith is the substance of the center of things hoped for. 00:17:07.262 --> 00:17:10.690 So it's got this future orientation to it. 00:17:10.690 --> 00:17:12.673 Faith is forward looking. 00:17:12.673 --> 00:17:19.191 It's believing for tomorrow, it's the confidence in something that hasn't yet happened. 00:17:19.191 --> 00:17:28.353 And the author of Hebrews says it gets right to the center, to the substance of our deepest hopes and longings. 00:17:29.355 --> 00:17:30.616 Faith is assurance. 00:17:30.616 --> 00:17:36.730 It's foundational In our world today. 00:17:36.730 --> 00:17:39.605 Don't we need a solid foundation on which to stand? 00:17:39.605 --> 00:17:48.620 Don't we need to know that our hope, what we're longing for, isn't just hope and hope? 00:17:48.620 --> 00:17:51.127 We're not just. 00:17:51.127 --> 00:17:54.765 This isn't like the way I've explained this for a decade in youth ministry. 00:17:54.765 --> 00:18:02.627 This isn't like walking into a math test that you haven't studied for and hoping that you get the answers. 00:18:02.627 --> 00:18:04.074 Have you been there? 00:18:04.074 --> 00:18:08.711 It's like you walk in the classroom and it's like, I hope, did you study? 00:18:08.711 --> 00:18:10.135 Nope, not a bit, but I hope. 00:18:10.135 --> 00:18:12.724 I just like knowledge being down from somewhere right here. 00:18:12.724 --> 00:18:16.013 I got to pass this test to get out of this class. 00:18:16.013 --> 00:18:17.698 I don't want to take algebra again next year. 00:18:17.698 --> 00:18:20.969 I'm hoping, hoping in what? 00:18:20.969 --> 00:18:30.971 Well, the author of Hebrews 111 says that our hope, our assurance in Christ, it's the substance. 00:18:30.971 --> 00:18:33.739 It's got something substantial to it. 00:18:33.739 --> 00:18:35.565 It's a foundation upon which you can stand. 00:18:35.565 --> 00:18:43.989 It's not like walking in to take a math test and you haven't done any work in the background to get ready for the math test. 00:18:43.989 --> 00:18:47.678 There's a foundation upon which you are standing. 00:18:47.678 --> 00:18:53.753 There's a level of confidence that comes with this faith. 00:18:53.753 --> 00:19:00.711 Not only that, faith is assurance, it's also conviction, and that's a great word. 00:19:00.711 --> 00:19:03.959 I love the word conviction In our context today. 00:19:04.245 --> 00:19:09.089 Most of the time when we think about conviction it's in the legal context right, somebody's on trial. 00:19:09.089 --> 00:19:11.238 They were convicted for the crime. 00:19:11.238 --> 00:19:15.852 The evidence was insurmountable, it was clear they did what they were accused of doing. 00:19:15.852 --> 00:19:17.998 Conviction was the sentence. 00:19:17.998 --> 00:19:21.770 But in this context, conviction is a little bit different. 00:19:21.770 --> 00:19:27.166 It literally means an inner convincing, a persuasion. 00:19:27.166 --> 00:19:33.545 You've been convinced of something to the point that it is now anchored deeply within you. 00:19:33.756 --> 00:19:38.305 We need people who stand firm on a foundation. 00:19:38.305 --> 00:19:43.328 We also need people who live with an inner conviction, do we not? 00:19:43.328 --> 00:19:53.358 Who aren't thrown side to side by whatever ideology of the day is the most prevalent or whoever's screaming the loudest in culture. 00:19:53.358 --> 00:19:57.468 We need people of conviction, and we know what conviction is. 00:19:57.468 --> 00:20:09.362 If I tossed out just for conversational purposes this morning, if I were to say to you guys ACC or SEC, who's in, some of you have some deep convictions about that. 00:20:09.362 --> 00:20:11.768 You're like FSU deserves it. 00:20:11.768 --> 00:20:14.974 No, obama's, they're one of the four best teams. 00:20:15.675 --> 00:20:26.268 We got some conviction right, and what the author of Hebrews is telling us is that faith in Christ gives us a foundation to stand on. 00:20:26.268 --> 00:20:37.713 It also gives us truth that we can believe in just as strongly as you believe in your team or you believe in their merit to make it to the college football playoff. 00:20:37.713 --> 00:20:47.526 There is conviction in the truth of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done, and faith, it's a foundation upon which to stand. 00:20:47.526 --> 00:20:51.233 It's truth in which we can believe. 00:20:51.233 --> 00:20:55.363 Faith is the assurance of what we hoped for. 00:20:55.363 --> 00:20:58.849 It's the conviction of things not seen. 00:20:58.849 --> 00:21:03.739 So then the next question becomes okay, if that's what faith is. 00:21:03.964 --> 00:21:06.170 Where does faith come from? 00:21:06.170 --> 00:21:07.993 Where does faith come from? 00:21:07.993 --> 00:21:11.267 How does one go about obtaining this faith? 00:21:11.267 --> 00:21:14.679 Is this something I have to manufacture up on the inside? 00:21:14.679 --> 00:21:17.928 Is this up to me to be assured and convicted? 00:21:17.928 --> 00:21:19.531 Is that how this works? 00:21:19.531 --> 00:21:22.077 Well, let's go to Romans, chapter 10, verse 17. 00:21:22.506 --> 00:21:28.228 The apostle Paul riding to the church at Rome and he's answering this question where does faith come from? 00:21:28.228 --> 00:21:31.757 And this is what he says Romans, chapter 10, verse 17,. 00:21:31.757 --> 00:21:34.230 He says faith comes from hearing. 00:21:34.230 --> 00:21:36.717 Faith comes from hearing. 00:21:36.717 --> 00:21:39.483 Okay, well, what do we need to hear? 00:21:39.483 --> 00:21:40.405 Well, paul goes on. 00:21:40.405 --> 00:21:44.496 He says hearing through the word of Christ. 00:21:46.160 --> 00:21:50.168 So where does this assurance and this conviction come from? 00:21:50.168 --> 00:22:05.845 Well, it comes as we hear the good news about Jesus, and God, in His grace and mercy and kindness, through the power of the Holy Spirit, gives us the gift of faith. 00:22:05.845 --> 00:22:07.851 Faith isn't that beautiful. 00:22:07.851 --> 00:22:12.484 Faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. 00:22:12.484 --> 00:22:23.998 As we hear good news about who Jesus is and what Jesus has done, faith rises up on the inside of us Y'all, by the way, that's why we need to be in church, is it not? 00:22:23.998 --> 00:22:26.567 You ever get discouraged in this life. 00:22:26.567 --> 00:22:33.009 You ever feel like the world's just kind of beaten on you a little bit and you feel like your faith is wavering. 00:22:33.009 --> 00:22:36.660 This is why we need to be together under the good news. 00:22:36.660 --> 00:22:51.160 It's why you need to be in a life group surrounded by people who love you and encourage you and pray for you and remind you of the gospel, because faith rises up in us as we get under the word of God. 00:22:54.307 --> 00:22:59.505 Maybe faith is hard for you, maybe belief is difficult for you. 00:22:59.505 --> 00:23:00.664 What do we need to do? 00:23:00.664 --> 00:23:08.076 We need to get under the word of God and read it and get it on the inside. 00:23:08.076 --> 00:23:09.503 Let people teach it to us. 00:23:09.503 --> 00:23:14.565 We need to pray the word of God as faith grows on the inside. 00:23:14.565 --> 00:23:19.164 We need more and more of God's word, not less and less. 00:23:19.164 --> 00:23:31.492 Yes, I heard somebody say one time that in the New Testament the idea of a follower of Christ apart from the community of the local church is unheard of. 00:23:31.492 --> 00:23:40.969 We need to be together under the teaching, under the reading of God's word, because that's where faith comes from. 00:23:42.184 --> 00:23:47.031 I'm willing to bet that for some of you in the room this morning, that might even be your story. 00:23:47.031 --> 00:24:01.724 Maybe the way you got here you had a friend that just kept inviting you to church and they kept promising you hey, you come to church with me, I'll take you to lunch after church and it'll be good. 00:24:01.724 --> 00:24:11.515 And you're like well, I don't believe what you believe, or I'm not sure about the Jesus guy, or I don't know about the whole organized religion thing. 00:24:11.515 --> 00:24:30.115 But maybe at some point in time maybe just to make them quit asking you finally got to the point where you're like all right, I'll come with you, I'm not gonna like it, probably not gonna believe it, probably won't come back, but you're gonna pay for my lunch afterwards, so I'll come with you to church and maybe that was how you got in the door for the first time. 00:24:30.115 --> 00:24:40.924 But I've seen it happen over and over, where that's how you get in the door for the first time and then you come back and you're like, well, I still don't like it, still don't believe it, but you buy my lunch again. 00:24:40.924 --> 00:24:42.779 I'll be back again, you know. 00:24:42.800 --> 00:24:49.378 And then you're still here and then a few weeks later it's like the songs are being sung and you find yourself singing along. 00:24:49.378 --> 00:24:53.295 You're like I'm still not sure, I even believe this, but I'm singing it. 00:24:53.295 --> 00:24:55.260 And then something happens. 00:24:55.260 --> 00:24:59.212 Somebody gets up here and opens the word of God and something begins to happen on the inside. 00:24:59.212 --> 00:25:01.290 It's like your heart is pounding out of your chest. 00:25:01.290 --> 00:25:05.684 You're like I don't know what's happening here, but something's going on on the inside. 00:25:05.684 --> 00:25:11.484 Then the next week you're singing again and next thing, you know, your hand's like out of your pocket and in the air and you're like what is happening? 00:25:11.484 --> 00:25:12.819 You're like, get back, you know. 00:25:12.819 --> 00:25:14.837 And it's like I don't know what's happening. 00:25:14.837 --> 00:25:20.045 But then the word of God is preached again and the invitation's given and somebody says, hey, do you believe this? 00:25:20.045 --> 00:25:24.484 And next thing, you know, you're walking down the aisle and you're like I think I believe this. 00:25:24.484 --> 00:25:27.576 I never meant to believe this, but something's happening on the inside. 00:25:27.576 --> 00:25:28.322 What's happening? 00:25:30.228 --> 00:25:35.260 Faith comes from hearing and hearing from the word of Christ. 00:25:35.260 --> 00:25:42.805 There is something powerful that happens as we position ourselves under God's word. 00:25:42.805 --> 00:26:07.501 There's something powerful that happens as you let God's word, god's spirit, work through you to encourage people in your family, in your office, in your neighborhood, like who knows how God could work, as we begin to position our lives under the authority of God's word and let God's word flow through us as we live. 00:26:07.501 --> 00:26:14.680 Do you believe that God could reach the person in your life that is far from God right now? 00:26:14.680 --> 00:26:18.444 Do you believe his grace could get to them where they are? 00:26:18.444 --> 00:26:24.245 Faith comes from hearing and hearing from the word of Christ. 00:26:26.753 --> 00:26:29.565 Third question is this well, what's the object of my faith? 00:26:29.565 --> 00:26:42.165 What's the object of my faith, and what I mean by that, is this does my faith have an anchor point or am I just? 00:26:42.165 --> 00:26:49.328 Is it just faith in faith, Like faith is just a virtue I should cultivate, or is my faith in me? 00:26:49.328 --> 00:26:54.809 Is this about my performance and me doing enough good? 00:26:54.809 --> 00:26:57.697 Where's the object of my faith? 00:26:57.697 --> 00:26:59.708 Hebrews, chapter 12,. 00:26:59.708 --> 00:27:01.668 You wanna flip over there just for a second? 00:27:01.668 --> 00:27:02.813 Verses one and two. 00:27:02.924 --> 00:27:19.729 The author of Hebrews says this therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. 00:27:19.729 --> 00:27:23.528 Looking to Jesus there's the key phrase. 00:27:23.528 --> 00:27:29.775 Looking to Jesus, the author and the perfecter of our faith. 00:27:29.775 --> 00:27:32.553 I've got good news for you this morning. 00:27:32.553 --> 00:27:34.791 Your faith has an object. 00:27:34.791 --> 00:27:38.272 Our faith is not just in faith alone. 00:27:38.272 --> 00:27:43.188 Our faith is not in us, in our performance, in our ability. 00:27:43.188 --> 00:27:44.933 Our faith has an object. 00:27:44.933 --> 00:27:46.990 Our faith is in Jesus. 00:27:46.990 --> 00:27:49.371 Aren't you grateful for that today? 00:27:49.371 --> 00:27:54.166 That on your worst day, god's not gonna look at you and be like you know what? 00:27:54.166 --> 00:27:55.190 Your faith didn't good enough. 00:27:55.190 --> 00:27:58.851 Have you ever wondered like is my faith strong enough? 00:27:58.851 --> 00:28:07.934 Or maybe my faith doesn't measure up to their faith, because God seems to be blessing them and God seems to be working in their life. 00:28:07.934 --> 00:28:15.116 But here I am and I'm trying my best, and I'm doing my best, but maybe my faith is just not enough. 00:28:17.144 --> 00:28:31.217 I've got good news for you this morning your faith is in Jesus, who the author of Hebrews calls the author and the perfecter of your faith, the author. 00:28:31.217 --> 00:28:38.117 He's the founder, he's the one with which this whole conversation begins. 00:28:38.117 --> 00:28:40.930 He's the starting point. 00:28:40.930 --> 00:28:47.072 Christ has come, christ has died, Christ has resurrected. 00:28:47.072 --> 00:28:49.153 He will come again. 00:28:49.153 --> 00:28:52.297 He is the author of your faith. 00:28:52.297 --> 00:29:11.346 So here's what this means when the moment came in your life, you're a follower of Christ and you bowed before King Jesus and you confessed your sin and you confessed your need for a savior and you confessed Jesus as the Lord of the universe and the Lord of your life. 00:29:11.346 --> 00:29:15.871 Jesus began the journey of faith in your life. 00:29:15.871 --> 00:29:17.620 It was his gift. 00:29:17.620 --> 00:29:19.599 You didn't earn it, you didn't deserve it. 00:29:19.599 --> 00:29:21.319 You can't pay him back for it. 00:29:21.319 --> 00:29:24.589 He's the author of your faith. 00:29:24.589 --> 00:29:30.039 Now here's what this means If you didn't earn it, you don't deserve it. 00:29:30.039 --> 00:29:33.009 That means you can't lose it Y'all. 00:29:33.009 --> 00:29:33.700 Can we be honest this morning? 00:29:33.700 --> 00:29:37.487 If I could lose my faith, I would lose it, because I lose everything. 00:29:37.487 --> 00:29:41.220 I lose my keys, I lose my wallet, I lose my cell phone. 00:29:41.220 --> 00:29:41.973 I lose it all. 00:29:41.973 --> 00:29:45.250 If I could lose my faith, I would find a way. 00:29:45.250 --> 00:29:48.338 But what does the author of Hebrews say? 00:29:48.338 --> 00:30:05.088 The object of my faith isn't my ability to hang on to Jesus, it is Jesus' ability to hang on to me, and if your faith is in Jesus, your faith has much less to do with you and much more to do with Jesus. 00:30:05.088 --> 00:30:07.272 Christ has come. 00:30:07.272 --> 00:30:08.120 Christ has died. 00:30:08.120 --> 00:30:10.039 Christ has resurrected from the dead. 00:30:10.039 --> 00:30:11.920 He will come again. 00:30:11.920 --> 00:30:18.807 It's why one day he looked at his disciples and he says I will not lose a single one that the Father has placed in my hand. 00:30:18.807 --> 00:30:22.851 He's the object of our faith. 00:30:22.851 --> 00:30:24.246 Isn't that beautiful. 00:30:24.246 --> 00:30:48.566 You can live with confidence in your faith, because it's not a confidence in you, it's a confidence in Christ, that he is who he says he is, that he's done what he said he will do, and he will do what he has promised, because not only is he the author, but Hebrews 12 says he's also the perfecter, he's the finisher. 00:30:48.566 --> 00:30:57.270 Philippians one says I am confident of this that he who begin a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus. 00:30:57.270 --> 00:31:00.827 Maybe you're walking through a difficult season. 00:31:00.827 --> 00:31:03.347 Jesus is not gonna let you go. 00:31:03.347 --> 00:31:12.508 Maybe you're wondering what this Christmas season is gonna be like because somebody who used to be here is no longer here and you're already dreading the pain. 00:31:12.508 --> 00:31:14.647 Jesus will not let you go. 00:31:14.647 --> 00:31:19.640 Maybe you're praying for a kid that's walked away from God and you don't know if they're ever gonna come back. 00:31:19.640 --> 00:31:22.469 Jesus will not let you go. 00:31:22.469 --> 00:31:26.790 He's the author of your faith and he is the perfecter. 00:31:26.790 --> 00:31:28.894 Our faith is not in faith. 00:31:28.894 --> 00:31:30.274 Our faith is not in us. 00:31:30.274 --> 00:31:32.888 Our faith is in Jesus. 00:31:34.881 --> 00:31:41.229 I think one of the most honest expressions of faith in all of the scriptures comes from Mark, chapter nine. 00:31:41.229 --> 00:31:55.131 There's a moment in time where Jesus encounters a young boy who's possessed by a demon and his father says to Jesus he says if you can, please help my son. 00:31:55.131 --> 00:31:59.758 If you can, if you can do anything, please help my boy. 00:31:59.758 --> 00:32:02.399 And Jesus says if I can, what do you mean? 00:32:02.399 --> 00:32:04.609 If I can, I'm the son of God. 00:32:04.609 --> 00:32:06.599 I can do whatever I need to do. 00:32:06.599 --> 00:32:08.614 I can help your son. 00:32:08.614 --> 00:32:09.400 Do you believe this? 00:32:09.400 --> 00:32:12.880 And the man's response to Jesus y'all this is so powerful. 00:32:13.384 --> 00:32:19.231 He looks back at Jesus and this is what he says I believe help my unbelief. 00:32:19.231 --> 00:32:23.150 I believe, help my unbelief. 00:32:23.150 --> 00:32:27.529 Isn't that where we find ourselves so many times? 00:32:27.529 --> 00:32:30.769 God, I want to have faith in you, god. 00:32:30.769 --> 00:32:31.400 I believe in you. 00:32:31.400 --> 00:32:32.599 I believe in Jesus. 00:32:32.599 --> 00:32:35.160 I believe in his death for my sin. 00:32:35.160 --> 00:32:36.740 I believe in his resurrection from the dead. 00:32:36.740 --> 00:32:38.180 I believe he's coming back again. 00:32:38.642 --> 00:32:39.826 But I still got some questions. 00:32:39.826 --> 00:32:43.079 I still have some doubts, I still have some uncertainties. 00:32:43.079 --> 00:32:44.599 I'm struggling right now. 00:32:44.599 --> 00:32:46.847 I believe, help my unbelief. 00:32:46.847 --> 00:32:59.669 The only way that statement makes sense is if the object of our faith has the power and the authority to overcome our doubts and our fears and our insecurities. 00:32:59.669 --> 00:33:04.709 If our faith is in us, I believe help my unbelief makes zero sense. 00:33:04.709 --> 00:33:33.866 But if our faith is in Jesus, the resurrected Son of God, hebrews 6 says it's like an anchor for our souls when the waves of life beat on the boat, we have an anchor and his name is Jesus and he can handle the doubts, he can handle the fears, he can handle the uncertainties, he can handle the honest expression when we look at him and say Jesus, I believe, help my unbelief. 00:33:33.866 --> 00:33:37.909 He's the author and he's the perfecter. 00:33:37.909 --> 00:33:44.239 The key, I think, for us is right here in Hebrews 12, verse 2. 00:33:44.239 --> 00:33:47.279 Let us run with endurance through race that is set before us. 00:33:47.279 --> 00:33:51.675 Don't give up, endure, persevere, don't stop short. 00:33:51.675 --> 00:33:52.180 Endure. 00:33:52.180 --> 00:33:56.490 Looking to Jesus, looking to Jesus. 00:33:56.490 --> 00:33:58.786 Make the choice on Monday. 00:33:58.786 --> 00:34:22.268 I'm gonna fix my eyes on Jesus today, in the midst of the pain, the midst of the uncertainty, in the midst of the doubt, in the midst of everything I don't understand, I'm gonna fix my eyes on Jesus and I'm gonna keep moving in his direction, because he's the author of this thing, he's the perfecter of this thing and he's promised that his grace is sufficient for my weakness in the journey. 00:34:22.268 --> 00:34:26.288 He's the object of our faith. 00:34:27.702 --> 00:34:31.071 In the fourth question what's the outcome of my faith? 00:34:31.071 --> 00:34:33.805 That's what everybody wants to know, right? 00:34:33.805 --> 00:34:35.521 Where is this story going? 00:34:35.521 --> 00:34:38.083 What's gonna happen in the future? 00:34:38.083 --> 00:34:40.631 It's going to happen in the Middle East. 00:34:40.631 --> 00:34:42.257 What's going to happen with Russia? 00:34:42.257 --> 00:34:44.304 Where's this story going? 00:34:44.304 --> 00:34:46.650 What's the outcome of all of this? 00:34:46.650 --> 00:34:47.052 We don't know. 00:34:47.052 --> 00:34:50.388 There's a lot we don't know, is there not? 00:34:50.388 --> 00:34:55.992 But we do know what the outcome of our faith is. 00:34:56.032 --> 00:34:58.016 First, peter, chapter 1, verse 9. 00:34:58.016 --> 00:34:59.879 Peter writes these words. 00:34:59.879 --> 00:35:03.869 He says he says you don't see him now. 00:35:03.869 --> 00:35:05.989 Anybody see Jesus lately? 00:35:05.989 --> 00:35:07.487 Right? 00:35:07.487 --> 00:35:09.336 If you do call me, I want to hear about that. 00:35:09.336 --> 00:35:10.884 We don't see him now. 00:35:10.884 --> 00:35:12.208 We don't see him face to face. 00:35:12.208 --> 00:35:14.495 We can't FaceTime him up when I need an answer. 00:35:14.495 --> 00:35:15.045 Right, I don't. 00:35:15.045 --> 00:35:16.328 You don't see him now. 00:35:16.408 --> 00:35:25.870 Peter says but Peter says you rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. 00:35:25.870 --> 00:35:33.964 And then he says this obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 00:35:33.964 --> 00:35:37.954 You don't see Jesus face to face now. 00:35:37.954 --> 00:35:38.235 Why? 00:35:38.235 --> 00:35:41.390