1 00:00:00,220 --> 00:00:01,220 What Is True Faith? 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,300 Introduction: Christ as the Foundation, Faith as Our Living Response 3 00:00:07,300 --> 00:00:13,160 In hardship and waiting, we often hope God will change our circumstances 4 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:17,120 and answer our prayers in the way we desire. 5 00:00:17,580 --> 00:00:23,560 Yet health, family relationships, or work may not improve, even after earnest 6 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:29,800 prayer. The foundation of Christian life is Jesus Christ, not the strength of our 7 00:00:29,980 --> 00:00:36,240 believing. Faith is our reliance on Him: receiving and responding to the grace God has 8 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:41,420 freely given in Christ, rather than trying to make God do what we want. 9 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:48,400 The life of faith is not an exercise in self-motivation, nor does it require 10 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:51,920 us to make reality sound better than it is. 11 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:57,080 Biblical faith does not avoid the complexity of human life. 12 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:01,760 We experience weakness and pain, and we have questions. 13 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:06,980 Faith does not ask us to convince ourselves that we are invincible. 14 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:13,200 It invites us to turn toward the trustworthy God while much remains unexplained. 15 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:19,420 Admitting that we do not know is not the same as denying His faithfulness. 16 00:01:20,340 --> 00:01:26,620 True faith is not believing that God will always do what we want, but trusting that He 17 00:01:26,620 --> 00:01:29,240 remains faithful even when He does not. 18 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:35,720 We may tell God what we hope for and acknowledge how difficult waiting has become. 19 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:39,940 Trusting Him does not mean that we always feel secure. 20 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:46,120 It means entrusting our lives to the Lord of grace even in confusion and weakness. 21 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:51,200 Faith and Reason: Trust Beyond What We See, Not a Leap in the Dark 22 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:56,120 Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen. 23 00:01:56,560 --> 00:02:00,620 — Hebrews 11:1 (WEB) 24 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:07,660 Faith is assurance concerning what we hope for and confidence concerning what we do not 25 00:02:07,660 --> 00:02:13,820 yet see. It rests on God and His promises, not on our changing feelings. 26 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:19,760 Hebrews 11:3 directs our understanding of creation toward God’s word; 27 00:02:19,900 --> 00:02:25,060 it does not ask us to substitute faith for every form of inquiry. 28 00:02:25,820 --> 00:02:31,400 Learning the facts, receiving appropriate medical care, seeking reliable advice, and 29 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:35,280 planning thoughtfully need not conflict with trust in God. 30 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:42,120 We can ask honest questions while acknowledging that our understanding remains limited. 31 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:46,320 We do not create reality through the force of belief. 32 00:02:46,700 --> 00:02:50,600 We trust the God who created and sustains all things. 33 00:02:51,060 --> 00:02:56,940 His faithfulness does not rise and fall with our emotions, and His promises are not 34 00:02:56,940 --> 00:03:00,680 identical to the outcomes we have chosen for ourselves. 35 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:06,880 When the road ahead remains unclear, faith keeps us listening to His word, discerning 36 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:11,020 the next step, and responding with hope and obedience. 37 00:03:11,380 --> 00:03:16,120 The Faith of Abel and Enoch: God’s Commendation and Diverse Outcomes 38 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:23,520 Genesis 4:3–5 recounts Cain and Abel bringing offerings and God’s regard for Abel and 39 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:29,640 his offering. Hebrews 11:4 explains that Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice 40 00:03:29,640 --> 00:03:33,760 by faith and received testimony that he was righteous. 41 00:03:34,340 --> 00:03:38,080 The explanation in terms of faith comes from Hebrews. 42 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:44,200 We should neither invent Abel’s unrecorded motives nor insist that differences between 43 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:46,300 the offerings had no significance. 44 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:52,520 Enoch’s walk with God is recorded in Genesis 5:22 and 24. 45 00:03:52,980 --> 00:03:59,060 Hebrews 11:5 emphasizes that he was taken up by faith and had already 46 00:03:59,060 --> 00:04:03,280 received testimony of God’s pleasure before he was taken. 47 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:07,320 Abel died, while Enoch did not experience death. 48 00:04:08,020 --> 00:04:14,000 Scripture does not use these different outcomes to rank their faith, nor does it promise 49 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,820 that every believer will escape death. 50 00:04:17,840 --> 00:04:23,880 Neither outcome gives us a scale for measuring faith by present circumstances. 51 00:04:24,660 --> 00:04:30,920 Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must 52 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:37,040 believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. 53 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:39,380 — Hebrews 11:6 (WEB) 54 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:46,200 God commends faith because it trusts Him, not because it has mastered a religious 55 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:52,160 technique. Hebrews 11:6 speaks of the God who exists and 56 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:54,260 rewards those who seek Him. 57 00:04:54,700 --> 00:05:01,120 Read alongside Hebrews 11:13–16 and 35–40, that reward cannot be 58 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:05,820 reduced to wealth, health, or favorable circumstances in this life. 59 00:05:06,300 --> 00:05:12,000 It directs our attention beyond immediate gains and losses toward God’s promises and the 60 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:17,980 better country. Fellowship with God, new life, and eternal hope help us understand that 61 00:05:17,980 --> 00:05:21,600 reward within the letter’s wider message; 62 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:26,100 they are not bargaining terms with which to secure the outcome we want. 63 00:05:26,100 --> 00:05:30,860 Faith and Grace: Wesleyan Theology on the Journey of Sanctification 64 00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:37,760 The Wesleyan tradition understands salvation, from beginning to end, as the work of 65 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:44,100 God’s grace. Prevenient grace comes before our response, awakening us and 66 00:05:44,100 --> 00:05:47,260 enabling us to respond to the gospel. 67 00:05:47,580 --> 00:05:53,500 Justification by faith means receiving forgiveness in Christ and being reconciled to 68 00:05:53,500 --> 00:05:57,140 God, rather than accumulating merit through works. 69 00:05:57,940 --> 00:06:03,320 Sanctification is the Holy Spirit’s continuing work of renewing our lives so that we 70 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:05,640 grow in love for God and neighbor. 71 00:06:06,140 --> 00:06:10,700 Justification and sanctification belong together, but they are not interchangeable. 72 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:15,800 Obedience, then, is not the price we pay for salvation; 73 00:06:15,820 --> 00:06:19,300 it is the response of a life that trusts God. 74 00:06:20,100 --> 00:06:25,740 Receiving salvation freely does not excuse us from repentance or love for others. 75 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:32,520 Grace enables our response and calls for a response expressed in action. 76 00:06:33,020 --> 00:06:39,360 As the Spirit renews us, gratitude begins to shape how we treat people, carry out 77 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:43,540 our responsibilities, and respond to temptation. 78 00:06:43,580 --> 00:06:48,560 We do not have to make ourselves perfect before we are permitted to approach God. 79 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:54,640 We draw near because of Christ’s saving work, and within His grace we learn obedience 80 00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:58,040 and responsibility. Growth takes time. 81 00:06:58,260 --> 00:07:03,520 The presence of weakness is not a reason to stop seeking help or to give up responding 82 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:04,380 to God. 83 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:08,080 Faith Amid Suffering: Weakness, Community, and Authentic Hope 84 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:15,620 Hebrews 10:32–39 reminds its readers of the suffering and losses they had 85 00:07:15,620 --> 00:07:18,540 endured and urges them to persevere. 86 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:25,140 Hebrews 11:13 and 35–40 also shows that some died without seeing the complete 87 00:07:25,140 --> 00:07:27,020 fulfillment of the promises. 88 00:07:27,620 --> 00:07:32,280 True faith makes room for weakness, confusion, and the strain of waiting. 89 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:38,460 We need not pretend to feel strong at all times, nor claim to know the reason for every 90 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:43,800 instance of suffering. Coming to God in tears to seek mercy is not the opposite of 91 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:44,260 faith. 92 00:07:45,060 --> 00:07:50,600 Faith is not a lonely struggle, but a life in which we help one another through 93 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:56,800 hardship. Hebrews 10:24–25 urges believers to consider one 94 00:07:56,800 --> 00:08:01,520 another, encourage love and good works, and value meeting together. 95 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:06,660 The church’s companionship, encouragement, and prayer matter deeply. 96 00:08:07,300 --> 00:08:13,260 This does not mean that someone temporarily unable to gather has been abandoned by God. 97 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:20,000 We should seek practical ways to care for one another within our circumstances, rather 98 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:23,540 than place another barrier before those who are already struggling. 99 00:08:24,862 --> 00:08:29,262 Imagine someone who has unexpectedly lost a job. 100 00:08:29,262 --> 00:08:33,362 After weeks of prayer, there is still no offer of work. 101 00:08:34,242 --> 00:08:39,142 Faith does not require this person to pretend to be unconcerned. 102 00:08:39,502 --> 00:08:45,842 It makes room to bring real needs honestly before God and to ask trusted people in the 103 00:08:45,842 --> 00:08:51,902 church for help. Alongside prayer, Scripture, and wise advice, there are 104 00:08:51,902 --> 00:08:58,382 practical steps to take: pursuing work, managing household expenses, and making honest 105 00:08:58,382 --> 00:09:04,762 decisions. Circumstances may not change immediately, but the burden need not be carried 106 00:09:04,762 --> 00:09:10,582 alone. Concealing fear is not a requirement for proving that one has faith. 107 00:09:10,582 --> 00:09:15,802 Conclusion: Fixing Our Eyes on Christ, Looking Toward a Better Country 108 00:09:16,902 --> 00:09:21,802 Our final reliance is on Christ, not on our own endurance. 109 00:09:22,902 --> 00:09:28,982 Hebrews 9:28 speaks of His being offered once to bear the sins of many; 110 00:09:29,142 --> 00:09:35,382 Hebrews 4:15–16 speaks of His sympathy with our weaknesses and our freedom 111 00:09:35,382 --> 00:09:40,502 to seek mercy and grace. Bearing sin concerns His saving work; 112 00:09:40,602 --> 00:09:44,162 sympathizing with weakness speaks of His understanding and help. 113 00:09:44,842 --> 00:09:47,942 We should not collapse these into a single expression. 114 00:09:48,502 --> 00:09:54,182 The better country of Hebrews 11:16 is heavenly, a hope God has prepared for His 115 00:09:54,182 --> 00:10:00,202 people. Looking toward it does not make our responsibilities today unimportant. 116 00:10:00,702 --> 00:10:06,442 looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before 117 00:10:06,442 --> 00:10:11,762 him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the 118 00:10:11,762 --> 00:10:12,602 throne of God. 119 00:10:13,162 --> 00:10:14,882 — Hebrews 12:2 (WEB) 120 00:10:15,842 --> 00:10:21,962 Faith does not deny the pain of reality or demand that we become strong overnight. 121 00:10:22,662 --> 00:10:28,582 In prayer, patient endurance, and practical action, we keep looking to the Lord who 122 00:10:28,582 --> 00:10:32,382 endured the cross and now sits at God’s right hand. 123 00:10:33,162 --> 00:10:35,162 Questions may remain unanswered. 124 00:10:35,162 --> 00:10:40,902 Even so, we can walk together in hope, looking forward to the day when we will see Him.