The Master Key To The Christian Life: Romans Series #13
If there were ever a time for us to have an earth-shaking, mountain-moving, devil-defying faith in Almighty God, this is the season we need it on the earth.
Whatever we will accomplish in our Christian life, the measurement that will measure what you will accomplish is “according to your faith, be it unto you” (Matthew 9:29). Faith is the medium of exchange in the Kingdom of heaven. Feelings are good. Facts are great. Fortunes are grand. But faith is glorious!
When we go to a store to purchase supplies or purchase items online, the medium of exchange is dollars. However, we receive from God by faith. Faith is the greatest asset that we have in this life.
Unbelief is the greatest stumbling block. Unbelief is the mother sin, the father sin, the parent sin, the sin of all sins is unbelief. It was unbelief that caused Eve to sin against God in the Garden of Eden. She failed to believe the God of the Word and the Word of God. It was unbelief that locked the doors to the promised land and the Israelites did not go in because of their unbelief. It was unbelief that tied the hands of Jesus when Jesus was there in His own hometown and the Bible says, “He could do no mighty works there because of their unbelief.” It is unbelief that shuts the door to heaven.
In the spiritual realm, if you do not believe, nothing is possible. The Bible says in the book of Romans that the just shall live by faith. Just as you live physically by breathing and from nourishment that you take from food, you live spiritually by faith,
In Romans 10:11-17, we read:
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? 15 But how are they to preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”
16 However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
We must learn how to believe God and His Word. The Apostle Paul throughout the Book of Romans instructs us in our faith and inspires us to take steps of faith.
I. We Need To Remember The Reality Of Faith (Rom. 10:11)
“For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.” Our faith must have the right object to be real faith. I’m talking about the reality of
faith. There are times when people will say to us, “Just have faith; only believe.” When a person says to me, just have faith, The first question in my mind is, faith in what? Faith in who? There is no power in faith alone. Don’t think there’s something mystical or something magical about just believing. Our faith is no better than its object.
It is not faith that moves mountains. It is God that moves mountains. We read in Mark 11:22, “He said unto them, have faith in God. Whosoever believes in Him.”
A lot of people think of faith as positive thinking. Faith is not positive thinking.
Thinking positively is wonderful and there is nothing wrong with it. But the majority of people think there’s something mystical and magical of only believing. But the reality of Biblical faith is in verse eleven because we are to believe in God.
When we make faith just simply positive thinking. You know what’s going to happen to you? You’re going to get discouraged, because there’s going to come times when you’re trying to think positively and you’re not going to be able to think positively.
If you put faith in faith, you’re a sitting duck for the enemy to attack your soul. The devil will come to you, and he will say, you’re not good enough to be saved. Also, at some point he will say to you, say you’re trusting the Lord but how do you know your faith is good enough. How do you know your faith is strong enough. How do you know that your faith is the real thing?
In response to the devil’s schemes and words, we need to express, “I am not putting my faith in faith, my faith is in Jesus.” The least amount of faith in the right object is better than strong faith in the wrong object. We are to believe in God and what He has taught us in His Word.
In Hebrews 12:1, we are told to look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
Looking unto Jesus. We are not to look at our look. Don’t put faith in your faith. Put your faith in God. The reality of faith is not positive thinking. It’s not faith in faith. It is faith in God. Weak faith in the right object is better than misplaced faith in the wrong object. You may ask, will God honor weak faith? He certainly does. If He didn’t, most of us wouldn’t have anything from Him.
In the Book of Mark chapter nine, there was a man who had a little demon-possessed boy and he came to Jesus and said, Lord if you will, you can heal my boy. In verse twenty-three, we read, “But Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible for the one who believes.”
Do you know what his father did and said? We read in verse twenty-four, “Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief!
Jesus gave him just what he needed. He had a weak faith. But you see it was weak faith in God. I’m not saying we ought to have weak faith. It is far better to have strong faith. Jesus has taught us, “If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, be removed and be cast into the midst of the sea.” What’s he saying? The least amount of faith is greater that the greatest amount of difficulty, if it is faith in God.
If we desire to have strong faith, we need to put our faith in God. We need to find out who God is and place our faith in Him.
If you wanted to cross a bridge and you were afraid and didn’t know whether it could hold you up. All you need to do is to see what the bridge is made out of and then you will have confidence to cross it. Yet, if that is not enough, you could look at the size of the trucks that cross the bridge every day and you will know you can cross it. As a result, you would come to know what the bridge is made of and what is can do and you will easily cross it. In other words, it is easy to cross the bridge in life when you know who God is and what He can do. Your faith will grow when you know who He is.
Where does faith come from? It comes from a knowledge of God. He that believeth on him shall not be put to ashamed. Do you want to have strong faith? Don’t try to make yourself believe. Build a relationship with God and get to know Him.
In Psalm 9:10, we read, “They that know Thy name will put their trust in thee.” When we know “the name” or who the name represents, we will put our trust in God. In Daniel 11:32, we read, “They that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits.” When we know intimately the Lord we will be strong and accomplish mighty things with the Lord and for the Lord.
II. We Need To Realize The Root Of Faith (Rom. 10:14,17)
All true Biblical faith is rooted not only in knowing God, but in hearing from the God that you know. We read in Romans 10:14, “How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?”
Then, in Romans 10:17 we read, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Faith comes by hearing the Word of God.
In order to have faith, you must hear from God. You cannot know the will of God by guessing at it. Faith comes; we do not generate it. God gives faith. No one can believe God unless God enables him to believe. How does God enable us to believe? God gives us his Word. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. God speaks and you believe it and receive it.
We read in Hebrew 11:1, “Faith is the subject of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” What does the word, “hope,” mean? In people’s minds, it usually means strong desire. Yet, the word hope in the Bible does not mean what our modern word means. Hope in the Bible means bedrock assurance based on the promise of God. It means assurance mingled with anticipation.
We read, “faith is the substance of things hoped for.” What does the word, substance mean? It means, sub stand. We have something beneath us for us to stand. When you’re living by faith, you’re not walking around on eggshells and Jello. We are standing on a rock-solid hope, a belief though you cannot see it physically, you know that you know you are standing on God’s promises for your life.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for. The are things that God has said. Do you see that? That’s where faith comes from. The root of faith is the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
How does God speak? There are two Greek words for “Word.” One word is logos and Jesus is called the logos. We could say the logos is the Bible, the written Word that tells of Living Word. Jesus is the logos and the Bible is the Logos. That just simply means the Word, the Word.
There is another Greek word translated Word and that is rhema. Rhema is the word translated in Romans 10:17. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the rhema of God. Paul says the rhema of God. What does this mean?
It means an utterance. It means a spoken word. It is a word from the Word. Let me explain this way, While you take the Bible, this is the logos and when you are reading the Bible, it begins to speak to you out of the Word of God. A rhema comes to you from the logos. In order for us to have faith, we have to hear from God.
It’s not enough to hear a sermon. In Romans 10:14, we read, “How shall they call on him in who they have not believe. And how shall they believe in him of who they have not heard?”
Look carefully at the phrase “of whom” In other words, “How shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard.” Not of whom, but whom. You must hear God. We must get a rhema from God.
How does God speak to you and give you something? When we are reading the Bible or we are praying and God puts a portion in your heart. God says, “This is from me.” The Holy Spirit quickens your heart, and you know you are hearing from God. The root of faith is the rhema of God.
III. We Need To Rely On The Result Of Faith
What does faith do? What is the result of this faith? What is the purpose of faith?
Faith is not getting our will done in heaven. It is getting God’s will done on earth. The result of faith is the will of God. We cannot have faith unless we hear from God.
Do you know what you are going to hear from God? You are going to hear the will of God. When God speaks, God is going to say, this is what I want done and therefore, I want you to believe it. As a Christian, you cannot have faith for anything that is not the will of God.
If it’s not the will of God, there’s no possible way that you can have faith for it. Why? Because faith is the gift of God. Faith comes from hearing the Word of God and God’s not going to give you a word on something that’s not His will. The result of faith is that the will of God is done.
You may think this means fewer blessing for you. Yet, it means more blessings for you
because the will of God is not something that you must do, but the will of God is something you get to do. In 1John 5:14, we read, “This is the confidence that we have in Him, if we ask Him anything according to His will, He hears us.”
IV. We Need To Recommit To The Release Of Faith (Rom. 10:16, 21)
What is the reality of faith? It is faith in God. What is the root of faith? You hear from God. What is the result of faith? God’s will is done.
How do we release faith? What do we do? How does it get down into private personal experience? How are we going to release our faith? True faith does more than merely believe. It obeys God. If what you say you believe does not translate into action, you do not really believe.
In Romans 10:16, Paus says, they have not all obeyed the gospel. Those who believe also obey the gospel. Thus, who do not obey the gospel or not believers of the gospel.
Faith is belief with legs on it.
There are those who will articulate if I cannot believe then it is not my fault but God’s fault because God did not give me faith. In other words, no one can believe unless God speaks to Him and maybe God didn’t speak to me and it’s not my fault. Yet Paul explains they have not all obeyed the gospel.
Paul is saying that everybody here is a believer, so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. God spoke, but why didn’t they obey? Why didn’t they believe?
We read in Romans 10:21, “But as for Israel, He says, “I have spread out My hands all day long to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
God is speaking. God placed this book in your hands and God said, I love you, but not everybody will obey the gospel. Not everybody will release their faith. God stretches out His hand, but there are people who are disobedient and obstinate.
In other words, they debate instead of hearing and obeying. The person hears the Word of God and God speaks to him/her through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit says yes, that is true, but the person parades it pass the judgment bar of his/her mind and refuse to obey
However, God stretches out his hands. He has stretched out his hands to a obstinate and disobedient people. They’ve not all obeyed the gospel. We must release our faith by obedience.
Years and years ago, men dreamed of a railroad that would span the continent, coming from the west coast toward the east coast and coming from the east coast to the west coast, obviously they called it the Transcontinental Railroad.
They began on the west coast to build the rails. They began on the east coast, and they came to a place out west where the rails met. When the rails were going to meet, they got the governors of two states. Additionally, there was a steam engine coming from the west and one coming from the east. When it was time to join the two rails, the whistles of the steam engine blew quite loud.
Also, the two governors took a golden spike and a silver hammer and when the railroad was almost complete, except the one spike, they took that golden spike and drove it with the silver hammer and when they did, the people gave a shout, because the east and the west were united.
When Jesus hung on Calvary’s cross, he did more than unite east and west, He united God and man. With one hand He took sinful man and with the other hand, He took the Holy God. And as they drove those spikes into his hands, the only silver that was there was the silver of his tears, and the only gold was of his blood. Through the silver of tears and gold of his blood He reconciled God and man.
If you go to heaven and I hope you will. You’re not going to heaven on the wagon of works. You are not going to climb up there on the ladder of logic and you are not going to ride there on the rocket of reason. You will only get there on the railroad of redemption. The release of your faith is when you say God I believe it and therefore, I obey it.
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