God’s Book on Character 4-MINUTE & OTHER SERMONS For FAITH vs Presumption

Faith Committee, Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky

Faith is confidence that actions rooted in good character will yield the best outcome, Even when I cannot see how.

FAITH…INVISIBLE BUT SEEN! By Clyde C. Miller

Introduction: The Mysterious Nature of Faith.

You can't see it, but it's visible! You can't touch it but it's solid! You can't smell it but it is a beautiful scent! You can't hear it, but it speaks volumes! You can't taste it but it's sweeter to the soul than honey!

"What in the world," you may ask, "are you talking about?" I'm talking about Faith. And yes, it is hard to define, even for an old pro like the writer of Hebrews. Listen to his cryptic effort. "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1) Now what's up with that?

Where Does Faith Come From? It’s Originator and Giver is God.

God, the Originator "What's UP?" That's a good question to ask when it comes to defining faith. You've got to look UP because originally and ultimately, that's the direction from which faith comes. Let's boil faith down to its basic essence: Faith is believing. Literally, faith is your ability to believe in something even when you can't experience it with the five senses as cited at the beginning of this article. Faith allows you to hold "it" in your mind and heart even though "it" has no physical solidarity --and that's why I say that “it,” faith, comes from God.

To solidify this point that faith comes from God, I’d like you to answer some questions. Hang in there with me and catch the train of thought. I’d like you to go back to the beginning of everything and ask yourself, “Who was there?” The Bible says, “In the beginning, God…” God was there. (Genesis 1:1) Not only was He there in the beginning, He was there before the beginning, when all the world was just an image in His mind’s eye. Before He created anything that exists, God first saw “it.” Yes, God saw it before it was actually created in time. Now, according to that verse we read in Hebrews, the ability to see what you hope for, and then to see what you cannot yet touch, taste, smell, see, or feel is what we call faith, and God is the source of faith. God was and is the First Believer!

Faith is recognizing God’s will in a given matter and acting upon it. God, the Giver Now hang in there with me just a bit longer and you will see that God is not just the Originator of faith, He is the Giver of faith. And the faith you need is not something he will give to you, it is something He has already given to you. Romans 12:3 says, “…God has dealt to every man THE measure of faith.” (KJV) Believe it or not, the defining word there is “THE” because it is indicative, definite, and specific. Had the writer said, “some are given some faith” we might have an excuse for our unbelief. But the writer doesn’t say that some get the measure of faith, THE measure of faith is given to every person. There is an official measurement of faith dosed out to every person born on God’s green earth.

It is a good thing that God has already given us the measure of faith because if it were not so, then there would be no starting point in our relationship with God. Our starting point with God begins with the faith that He exists. – Here, the writer of Hebrews is much clearer when he says, “without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is (exists), and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

But What If I’m an Atheist?

No faith = no God. That’s the equation some people hold to. But you can’t destroy God by not believing in Him… However… without faith there’s no pleasing God. The problem with the person who does not believe isn’t that his unbelief can cause God to cease to exist. The problem is that the unbeliever is living as if there is no God, when God has already given him the measure of faith. God has given the unbeliever the faith to believe and yet he chooses not to believe in God. To not believe IN someone, especially under these circumstances, is the worst of all insults. No wonder you can’t possibly please God when you don’t believe IN Him.

Summation and Conclusion

So, let's put a wrap on it. Hopefully we’ve learned four things. 1. Faith is the ability to believe that which is but cannot necessarily be experienced by our 5 senses. 2. God is the First Believer. 3. God gives THE measure of faith to every person. Everyone has enough faith to believe in God! 4. Only by believing can we experience and please God.

THE TRUTH is you have faith. - USE IT!

Faith is recognizing God’s will in a given matter and acting upon it.