Pastor's Bible Study

Sarah's faith began in unbelief but it ended with her experiencing what was humanly impossible, i.e. God's possible, when after 25 years of waiting she gave birth to the promised son, Isaac. There are many lessons we can learn from Sarah about faith. One of the most important is that faith must be personal. Abraham had great faith, but Sarah needed her own faith. This principle is true for us. We may have people in our lives who have great faith but their faith won't substitute for our faith. Another lesson to learn is that often when we have to wait in faith we end up seeing our faith grow to new levels.

Abraham was a man of great faith. God called Abraham to follow Him and come to a land that God would give to Abraham. . Abraham didn’t know where exactly God was calling him to, but he had faith to follow. And since he didn’t know where he was going, you could say he had faith to wander with God. 

In our text we see five principles for those who live by faith:

1) We are invited to live by faith.

2) We obey when we live by faith.

3) We sojourn when we live by faith.

4) We reject the world when we live by faith.

5) We see with spiritual eyes when we live by faith.

Enoch teaches us that by faith we can walk with God in such a way that we please God. By faith we can walk so closely with God and sense His presence and power that we look for our blessed hope, the return of Christ and the rapture that will occur.

Noah was a man whose fear (trust) in God motivated him to build an ark. He was moved by faith to prepare an ark in which he saved his house (family), condemned the world, and became an inheritor of righteousness.

What is your faith moving you to do? Real faith moves believers to action. Do you have real faith?

Abel responded to God in faith by bringing an appropriate offering in sacrifice. Because he obeyed by faith, he won God's approval. God testified to Abel's faith. And to this day, Abel's faith is still speaking to us; pointing us to the way of faith, i.e. responding in obedience to what God has revealed to us in His Word.

 True biblical faith is confident obedience to God’s Word in spite of circumstances and consequences. It is not simply an intellectual belief. It is revealed in us volitionally as we act on what we believe. The writer of Hebrews makes it clear that faith is very practical. Faith enables us to understand what God does. Faith enables us to see what others cannot see. As a result, faith enables us to do what others cannot do!

Glorification is the ultimate and absolute physical, mental, and spiritual perfection and transformation of each believer into the image of Christ. It is in essence the completion of our salvation. 

 The gospel brings us a salvation that is eternally secure. God preserves us. Eternal security is God’s assurance of our salvation. God is absolutely certain of the security of our salvation because He is the one who is securing it. God saves, seals, and secures.

Assurance is our confidence in God saving us and securing us.

The ultimate secret to assurance of salvation is to base your present assurance of salvation on exactly what you based your past experience of salvation – FAITH in CHRIST ALONE, not in yourself. 

The gospel is good news because we are preserved and secured by God the Son and the Holy Spirit. We secured by Jesus through His promises, his prayers, His substitutionary death, His resurrection, His heavenly work as our advocate and intercessor. We are preserved and secured by the Spirit through His work of regeneration, His work of placing us in union with Christ, His work of indwelling us permanently and serving as the earnest payment guaranteeing God will complete our salvation.

The gospel is good news because our salvation is secured by our Heavenly Father. He preserves us because He is sovereign, omnipotent, His nature is love, and He chastens us instead of casting us away. Praise God that our salvation does not rest on us but in God's grace alone.