FAITH - First Baptist Concord in Knoxville, TN...The hard part about faith is that it is what we...

FA I T H

1

Bel ief that inspires fa i th is a concept that is supernatural . Which means, i t is not a natural tendency for us to bel ieve and l ive a l i fe of reckless fai th . These verses, however, encourage us by reveal ing the miraculous works of the Lord that accompany those who bel ieve. Remember, the Lord shows up as we take steps of fa i th-f i l led obedience even today. His miracles and movements are not meant to be relegated to past t imes in history. He wil l work through you today. Your conf idence that God keeps His promises develops when you step out and rely on His leading. You wil l experience today what He has promised long ago.

Before we talk about what i t means to have faith and l ive i t out , we need to f i rst understand what fa i th is , and how it is different from bel ief.

Read Hebrews 11:1-3.

Write out a definition of faith from the scripture above.

Read John 5:24.

Write out a definition of faith from the scripture above.

W E E KO N E

2

What we see in Hebrews is that faith wasn’t only a thing to have - it was and is the fundamental fact of existence [MSG]. It set apart the believer from the unbeliever. Faith was a clear picture that the Christ follower believed that God was who He said He was and that Jesus did what He said He would do. The hard part about faith is that it is what we can’t see – and that is hard for us in 2018 because we didn’t get a chance to touch the marks on Jesus - we ARE the marks of Jesus. We as Christ followers reveal the Gospel to the world through our faith. We see in scripture time and time again Christians who believed, and then their faith followed in obedience. We cannot have faith or live out faith unless we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only way to be saved, and the only way to live a life of faith. Read Mark 16:14-18.

In your own words, what is this scripture saying?

I t is so comfort ing to look into scr ipture and see the eleven themselves, Jesus’s people, doubt . This whole bel ief inspir ing faith is a concept that is supernatural – meaning that i t is not a natural tendency for us to s imply bel ieve and thus l ive a l i fe of reckless fai th . However, these verses encourage us by saying that miraculous works of the Lord wil l accompany those who bel ieve. Thus, meaning that the Lord shows up as we take steps of fa i th-f i l led obedience. Your conf idence that God keeps His promises develops when you step out of your comfort zone and rely on His leading.

What truth is revealed to you in these verses?

3

Find some quiet space and ask the Holy Spir i t the fol lowing quest ions : :

Ask Him to reveal any places where your faith is in something other than Him. What did He say?

Ask Him to reveal any places in your life where He wants you to take a faith-filled step of obedience. What did He say?

In response to the question above, ask Him what that first step looks like.

Take the step of obedience that the Holy Spirit revealed to you in your time with Him. Share with your life group what you saw Him do!

LISTENING TO THE LORD

// CHALLENGE //

5

Faith is act ing on the knowledge that God is who He says He is and I am who He says I am. Who do you say He is and who do you say you are? “ I am shy” is who I say I am at t imes. Maybe you say, “ I ’m not a people person.” Or “ I just don’t have that gift ” . I f we look closer , these very “normal” responses come from fear. Fear of reject ion, fear of saying the wrong thing, fear of looking clumsy, fear of losing control . A fear-f i l led l i fe is not God’s intent ion for His chi ldren and true fulf i l lment and ful lness wil l never be experienced in fear. We must come to the real izat ion that we have two opt ions, 1 ] we can l ive by fear or 2] l ive by faith . These responses are choices we make inside each and every moment, and those decis ions lead us to the experiences we have. Scr ipture is clear that we are given al l the faith we could ever need. Don’t trust your fa i th level - trust God. He may at t imes lead us into s i tuat ions where we are fearful , or we have no conf idence, but that is where the power of Chr ist is revealed. The best part of i t al l is that we can trust a good God who works al l th ings for our good and His glory - you can trust Him.

* * Our good” here is referencing making us more l ike Chr ist which is our ult imate “good” not what we def ine as “good.”

W E E KT W O

6

Read Luke 17:5-6.


What truth is revealed to you in these words from Jesus?

What encouragement or conviction do you receive?

These words burst through the hearts of believers as we are reminded that faith is either in us or it isn’t. There is no “more” or “less” when it comes to this. It is our human nature to feel as though we aren’t qualified enough, or we don’t understand enough, and that leads to fear or disbelief, but the scripture is so clear that a simple mustard seed of faith contains the power of our risen King.

7

Read Matthew 13:53-58.


What truth is revealed to you in these words from Jesus?


8


Ask Him to reveal the places where doubt is an inhibitor to His power being revealed through you. What did He say?

Faith is not hope. Faith is conf ident and sure. I t is knowing that nothing is too hard [Genesis 18:14] or impossible for God [Luke 1 :37] . Faith is rely ing on that real i ty. Faith is not a feel ing. I t is a decis ion. We can choose to l ive by faith even i f we do not feel i t . I t is knowing that God keeps His promises. When He says that He wil l be with us always, He is with us always. When He says we received the power of the Holy Spir i t at the t ime of salvat ion [Acts 1 :8] then we have power. We don’t have to bargain with God or pretend, fa i th is knowing.


Now, ask Him to fill that space with the truth. What did He say?

In response to the truth that was revealed to you, find a scripture that solidifies that in His word. Write it on sticky notes and put them all over the place – from there memorize it!

Share with your life group what He spoke to you or revealed to you.

// CHALLENGE //

9

Have you ever wanted something so bad but you were afraid to ask for it? A spouse, a job, freedom from addiction, a baby, a promotion, etc. You get the picture… Things like this can consume us. Have you ever thought maybe God cares more about your fullness and joy than even you have the capacity to understand? Have you thought about how much God wants to talk about things with you? Sometimes we miss God’s intervention because we stay silent instead of asking. What if all God is doing is waiting to reveal himself to you? Waiting for you to ask Him so He can blow your mind by revealing that He is what you ultimately wanted all along. This week we will dive into scripture and ponder that thought.

W E E KT H R E E

10

Paul wrote these sweet verses as an encouragement his brothers and sister in Ephesus. He is affirming their belief and their faith-filled obedience AND THEN he ASKS God for the things he wants for them. I love the thought of a community of believers with a leader who is daily praying for intelligence, discernment, clear eyes, focus on their calling, a grasping of the immensity of the glorious life God has for His followers, endless energy and boundless strength. WHAT?? C’MON – church let’s start asking / expecting these things for ourselves and those around us. God is perfectly willing to perform the impossible in our daily lives – we just have to ask.


Read Ephesians 1:17-18. [MSG]


What truth is revealed to you in this verse?

11

There are times in scripture that are goosebump worthy, and this is one of those moments. You have a mighty warrior after God’s own heart who knows that he cannot win this battle if the Lord doesn’t do something. In a moment of chaos, I see him screaming the one thing that comes to mind… “SUN STAND STILL” and it does. Can you imagine? He didn’t ask, he just spoke His desire in a command form and it happened.

What encouragement or conviction do you receive from this story?

Read Joshua 10.


What truth is revealed to you in this Chapter?

12


Ask Him to reveal to you the places in your heart where you have been afraid to ask Him for something. What is that thing? Why were you afraid to ask Him for it? What did He say?

SPEND SOME TIME IN THANKSGIVING THAT WE SERVE A GOD WHO DELIGHTS IN ANSWERING PRAYERS AND PROVIDING FOR HIS CHILDREN.



Every day this week, ask the Lord for that one thing that has been s i t t ing on your heart .

Talk with your l i fe group about what He spoke to you or revealed to you.

// CHALLENGE //

TIME OF THANKSGIVING

13

Have you ever read a story in scripture and been blown away by how God came through? In the scriptures we may read about Peter, Paul, or John and think, “Wow! I could never do what they did. They had such great faith. They walked with, and physically heard from God!” Whether consciously or subconsciously we may separate “us” from “them”. Super Jesus follower vs normal me mentality. Scripture refutes this thinking. The men and women who walked with Jesus were just like us. Prophets like Elijah had a nature just like you and me. In this week’s study, let’s unwrap the truth of what faith looked like in those that walked alongside and interacted with Jesus personally.

W E E KFO U R

14

After reading that, take a deep breath and rest in the knowledge that, if you have accepted Christ to be your Savior, you have the same faith that Peter, and the other disciples/apostles had! Now spend this week reading though these amazing stories of faith in scripture and be inspired and encouraged that the same thing is happening all around you.

What have we been given? How are we to respond to what we have been given?

Read 1 Peter 1:3-11.



15





Read Luke 18:35-43.




When Jesus said to people, “Your faith has made you well,” He was saying that their faith - their confidence in Him - had been the means of their restoration. The power of Christ was what affected the cure, but His power was applied in connection with their faith.

17


Ask Him to reveal to you where your faith has been stifled. What is constricting it? What did He say?

SPEND SOME TIME IN THANKSGIVING THAT WE SERVE A GOD WHO LOVES TO USE US TO ACCOMPLISH THINGS HERE ON EARTH.



Every day this week, ask the Lord to use you in whatever way He desires – and then DO IT!


// CHALLENGE //


19

What does it look like to live out our faith in today’s world? In order to live out what we believe in a world where trust doesn’t come easy and hope is placed in what we know works the way we want. Remember God wants good for you - let Him in on the process. We must be in an active relationship with Christ. He is listening- pray fervently and be bold in your obedience. When we allow satan, the world, or even our own nature to influence us; fear and doubt can become a lifestyle. It is those things that feed us with lies that sound like “what if” or “that can’t happen.” When we hope in the God of impossible things, the impossible begin to happen. When we are active in our faith-filled obedience, the outside world sees the result of a faithful God who “makes good” on His promises.




W E E KF I V E

20


Man, what a statement - this story takes place immediately after Jesus feeds the five thousand. Jesus sent the disciples ahead of Him and He went to pray. However, in His absence, fear set in among the disciples. As strong winds and big waves came crashing up against the boat, they lost sight focus – they took their eyes off of the truth. In the midst of a raging storm, they see a man walking on the water towards them, and immediately they think it’s a ghost. Jesus gave them comforting words telling them not to be afraid for He was there, but still there was doubt. Peter did what we often do, “Lord if this is you or your will send a sign, make it known to me.” Peter said if it’s you tell me to come walk on water with you. When Peter began to walk on water, the moment he allowed the things around him to take his focus off Jesus was the moment his faith began to slip and he began to sink. Satan and the world so easily distracts us from the things of Jesus. Fear and doubt seep in, weighing us down and keeping us from walking on water in full faith beside our Savior.

Practically now, how do we live by faith? We know who we put our faith in.

Example : : Sitting in our favorite chair. We don’t second guess the chair, the durability of the material, the sturdiness of the legs, or the softness of the texture. We simply know the chair is good and will do what it is does, because we sit in it every day. Yes, this is a silly example but how true it is. We don’t think about the chair breaking when we sit in it…The same can be true of our relationship with the Lord. When we spend time with Him, we know who He is and what He did for us. When we don’t, other theories and voices start creeping in - we start doubting Him. We start needing proof in order to have faith.

21


Ask Him to reveal to you where satan / the world are distracting you. What did He say?

SPEND SOME TIME IN THANKSGIVING THAT WE SERVE A GOD WHO NEVER LEAVES US IN THE MIDST OF A STORM.



Everyday this week, ask the Lord to reveal to you the distract ions around you – take a step of obedience and remove them from your day.


// CHALLENGE //


23

How do we live out faith in our personal lives? Christ is revealed through our words, our actions, our decision making, and even our parenting. It touches every part of our lives because decisions in a follower’s life are compelled by the truth that a good God made a way for enslaved people to be set free. When we are compelled by the risen savior, we will take on the very nature of God and those around us will notice. It will look different from the world who expects us to live a certain life in a certain way. We are meant to reveal God’s life. Let’s start surprising the world around us by revealing the power of the risen Christ that resides inside of us! Are you open for God to be more than you expected?

Read Ephesians 2:8-9.



W E E KS I X

24

Read James 2:14-26.

After reading Ephesians 2:8-9, what is this scripture saying?

Read Genesis 22:1-18.




God always wants us to be obedient, but sometimes He just wants to know we trust Him.

Have you ever experienced an Abraham / Isaac adventure?

25


Ask Him what areas of your life are not compelled by what Jesus did for you on the Cross? What did He say?


Ask Him what led you to operating outside of that truth? What did He say?


Now that you have identified that area in your life that is not compelled by what Jesus did for you on the Cross, what step of obedience is necessary to shift that? Take that step this week. Share i t with your l i fe group.

// CHALLENGE //

26

How do we live out faith with our life group? The people we walk with the closest, we become the most alike. That, my brothers and sisters, is why it is so important that we continue to encourage and spur one another to good works and a life of faith within life group. How do we do that? We listen, pray, and move together with expectation. I love that word… expectation; it means a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future. If you aren’t experiencing the fullest Christian life, begin to make moves together as a group. Let’s create a culture that starts with you; ask and expect God to move.

W E E KS E V E N

27

Read Joshua 6:1-21.




The scripture reveals two things in these verses, 1] the importance of a personal relationship with the Lord and 2] the importance of an expectant heart. Oh, how important is was the Joshua had an active and intimate relationship with God. He listened and obeyed each command the Lord gave – even when it seemed silly. He never questioned the marching or the silence, he simply conveyed to his men the plan with an expectant heart that the walls were going to fall because they had been promised the city.

28


Ask the Lord to reveal to you any places in your relationship that are distant. What did he say?


Ask the Lord to reveal to you any places where you struggling to be expectant. What did He say?

Two things, 1] Commit to spend time sitting and listening to the Lord daily for 30 days and 2] commit to acting on the things that are revealed to you.

Consistently share with your life group what He speaks to you.

// CHALLENGE //

SERVICE LOCATION: WEST HILLS ELEMENTARY

409 Vanosdale Road, Knoxville, TN 37909

865.966.9791 | fbconcord.org/westhills

FAITH - First Baptist Concord in Knoxville, TN...The hard part about faith is that it is what we...

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