Future Faith

Copyright: South Bay Community Church
Sermon Reflections: Future Faith
Date: 8 October 2023
Speaker: Minister Elder Jonathan Banks
    Sermon Texts: Hebrews 11: 1, 6
Sermon Preamble
           In this message, we are asking God to speak to our hearts from the thought, “Future Faith.” Faith in God’s revelations is communicated to us and touches our whole lives – our past, our present, and our future. When God communicates to you, God meets you exactly where you are. God is always communicating in various ways customized to each person. Since God is the creator and maintainer of the universe, each of us should want to know what God is communicating. God’s Word is eternal and life-giving. God’s revelations, God’s communications, and our observations bring us joy that God calls us to share with others. In our future faith, we forgive ourselves and others. Time in devotion and prayer shows you where you are and what you are ready to receive from God through future faith. However, future faith requires that we believe and obey God’s communications to us.

Love for God’s Word is the foundation of joyous blessings       
            Hebrews 11:1 reads, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:6 reads, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him (God) must believe that God exists and that God rewards those who sincerely seek Him.” The first verse in Hebrews declares, “Long ago, God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son” (Hebrews 1:1).  God sends God’s Word for us. To love God’s Word, reintroduce yourself to the Word of God. God’s Word will surely bless you.

God communicates to us in many ways     
            God’s Word is one of the many ways that God communicates to us. God speaks to us through revelation of God’s Word. God speaks to us through creation. God speaks to us through what we observe. When you wake up in the morning and take your first conscious breath, it should speak to you that God has been good to you, even in the midst of difficult circumstances of pain and trials. Life can bring its challenges, but loving God’s Word makes life sweeter.
            When God speaks to you, God meets you exactly where you are. God is communicating, even though we are not always listening. God may change how God speaks. God may also change who God speaks through.

God’s Word piques our curiosity to know more
            When God is speaking, we want to know what God is communicating to us and what God is thinking. The preaching and teaching we receive at our church is critical. Jesus answered the devil declaring, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4). Pastors that preach, teach, prophecy, and share the mind of God have a special gift.
            Minister Banks shared with our regular Saturday evening service that he did not grow up in church. God made him curious about how God loved us enough to send the Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us. He saw in Christians their joy, regardless of their circumstances, that he could not see in himself. That joy piqued his spiritual curiosity to inquire if there was more to God than he had experienced. He wanted to know, what is God thinking? How curious are you about what God is thinking?
            When thinking about the God of the universe, the God that created everything we see, and even created everything we can’t see. This should pique your curiosity about God even more.
 
God’s Word is life-giving
             Minister Banks described himself as a former engineer for Kraft Foods. His engineering mind sought God’s Word. The Word of God transformed him to living a life pleasing to God.
            Since the Word of God is life giving, then the questions for us are, who we are introducing to God, and how we are introducing them to God? Introducing them to God means that God wants to meet them exactly where they are.
 
We are uniquely wired by God  
            The Apostle John is introducing God to his audience. John does so poetically. John writes, “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God and the Word was God.” (John 1:1).  John describes God as the Word or the authority, the Logos, the thought that creates the universe. God meets us in a way that piques our spiritual and intellectual curiosity. This lets us know that God is not just the God of the Spirit, but also God of the mind, intellect, and science. That is why we call God omniscient (omni-science). God knows all things. God is the creator of all things. God is the sustainer of all things. So as we introduce God to others, we have to take our time to make sure that we introduce various aspects of God’s character. God’s love is inclusive of all, poor, homeless, nonbelievers, marginalized, etc. Receiving God’s Word and sharing God’s character is a life-long process.
            John speaks to the spiritual readiness of his audience. People have a unique, customized bent in how God has wired them. When you are sharing faith, especially future faith, you have to listen and consider their experiences. When you introduce God, allow the Holy Spirit to guide you so that God would be well received.
                                                                                                                                             
Looking for God encompasses looking for love
            Let’s look at the well-known scripture, John 3:16-17. “For this is how God loved the world; He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3: 16-17 NLT). John meets his readers who are looking for God and also looking for love. How are you looking for God and God’s love?
            Looking for God and looking for love are two intriguing topics. If someone you know in your family has not yet come to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, they are still looking for God and God’s love. God created in each and every one of us an innate desire to respond to God and to respond to God’s love. We are created not just to have physical existence covering our life span in our earthly bodies. Everyone is created with a need for God that only God can fill.  “God created male and female in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27). Therefore, we should boldly share God with others.

God loves into our place of future faith 
            Since God meets us where we are, God doesn’t just leave us there. God loves us into our place of future faith. God loves us into a safe place; God loves us into a whole place; God will love you into a powerful, peaceful place. God’s love will do it for you. When we read the scriptures, we sometimes think that God only did it for the biblical characters. We may think that God will not do it for us. We may think that we have been so bad; we have pushed God away; we have had thoughts that God would not be pleased with. God loves us and restores us even while we are sinners (Romans 5:8).
            God has a safe place for us, a healing place for us, and a loving place for us. When God communicates to you in your safe place, God not only knows where you are and what you are ready to receive. We have to have ears to hear and hearts to receive. We need to trust that God is revealing the truth, and obey God about our current and future existence. God doesn’t leave us where we are. God is our restorer and rewarder for those who diligently seek God.
            The devil’s story is concluded and settled in the book of Revelations.  If you have breath, your story has not been told to the fullest. As we rise every morning, we are met with new mercies and God’s love. Despite how much we mess up, God loves us and prepares a way. The Almighty God takes us from where we are to where God want us to be. Jesus Christ is the center of our hope. Where God takes us is exceeding abundantly above what we can ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

God’s revelation of our current and future faith
            Putting the pieces together, God lets you know where you are and what you are ready for. David put it this way in Psalm 119: “Your commandments give me understanding; no wonder I hate every false way of life. Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119 104-105). The lamp to guide my feet is where I am. The light for my path is what I am ready for.
            God is sending you love notes. In fact the Bible is a 66 book love note from the Creator to His creation. We pray that God show us where we are, and God show us what we are ready for. God’s Word always illuminates and shines. God’s Word reveals to us where we are. When we read God’s Word, we find out more about who God is and why we are created. We cannot find these things outside of God’s Word, without giving God our undivided attention.  We know God does His part. We have to do our part.  Our part is to receive, believe, and obey. Oftentimes, during the day, we have to consecrate, spend time in devotion, and spend time in prayer. We have to spend time in meditation thinking about the Word.  How do you apply God’s Word in your life?
            Hebrews was written to believing Jews who knew that God had spoken in earlier times by the prophets. Now God is speaking to us by His Son.  They knew that God had spoken, but they needed to know that God was still speaking. Today, many people know that God spoke, but those people may not know that God is present with us and is still speaking, showing, and revealing.

Distractions from being attentive to God’s Word for restorative future faith
            Remember the first verse in Hebrews says the God spoke many times and in many ways through the prophets, and in these final days, God has spoken through God’s Son. Similar to the Jews of that day, we forget God’s Word; we do not allowing ourselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit, and be attentive to God’s voice.
            So what is distracting us from being attentive to God? Sometimes life distracts us. We go through times of strong faith, but other times, we go through times of weak faith. Sometimes, weak faith is the result of us forgetting how God has worked in the past or forgetting that God is able to do exceeding and abundantly more than what we can think or imagine.

Faith is fragile and has to be nurtured
            On one hand, faith is powerful, but on the other hand, faith is fragile and has to be nurtured. A weakness in faith is the season where your faith is being challenged and your heart is being tried.
            God is omnipotent and all powerful. Jude writes in verses 20 and 21, “But you dear friends, must build each other up in you most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.” (Jude 20-21).  Faith is also resilient when it is built up. Jude then continues in verse 22, “And you must show faith to those whose faith is wavering” (Jude 22). When your faith is strong, strengthen those who are struggling. When your faith is struggling, you should stay in God’s Word, seek God, reach out for those who are strong in faith, and pray for God to strengthen your faith. This is how God nurtures our faith, strengthens our faith, and develops our faith.
            An illustration of this principle is buttons or switches. Sometimes when a button or switch is depressed it stays down and stuck. Newton’s law is that an object at rest or in motion needs an outside force to change it from at rest or in motion. Similarly, when we get stuck, God sees us and rescues us in various ways.   God strengthens and develops your faith so that you partner with God to strengthen others.
 
Future faith is faith for others
            Future faith is faith not just for us, but for others. Future faith says that everybody matters to God, and therefore, everybody matters to me.
            Without faith, our past looks random, out of control, and meaningless. But when we look through the lens of future faith, we know that “all things work together for good to them that love God and that are called according to God’s purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Future faith for past pain and suffering
            Even though we’ve gone through some painful moments and some tragic seasons, the Word of God guides our faith. God guides our steps and lets us know that the steps of a good and righteous person are ordered by the Lord. Faith opens up our understanding of God’s presence the entire time. When we go through heartache, Psalms 46:1 declares, “God is a very present help in the time of trouble.” When we have mountain top experiences, God is the source.
            Faith does not explain every single pain in ways we can understand. But faith does let us know that our pain has purpose. God’s Word changes our lives, transforms our thinking, gives us hope, prepares us for an unlimited future, and gives us blessings that we do not deserve.
            God does not have favorites. God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). Everybody has a shot with God and is beloved by God. God has enough power to spoil every one of us every day in every moment.
            We are all on a journey of discovery. Let faith walk through your past and give God praise even for those moments of pain, so that you do not let your pain, mistakes, and scares define you. This is a lie from the enemy. God is a restorer. God is a way maker. God is future establisher. God will restore the years that your failures have broken. Your failure is not your future. God enable us through future faith to look back to the past and forgive. Forgive whoever hurt you. Forgive whoever disappointed you. Forgive whoever abused you. Forgive whoever let you down. Future faith will even help you forgive yourself. Forgiving yourself is sometimes the hardest to forgive.
           
Future faith to obey and trust God
            Future faith will help you look ahead and trust God. God is simply looking for obedience, not perfection. Obedience is the ultimate expression of faith. Abraham became the friend of God by obeying. James 2:23b says, “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God’s friend.” For future faith, let us believe and obey God’s Word now.
               
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS INCLUDING FOR USE IN FAMILY GROUPS
Sermon Preamble and Love for God’s Word is the foundation of joyous blessings      
-From God being close to us, what are various ways that God communicates to us?
God communicates to us in many ways
-Since God created you uniquely with particular bents, which way of God communicating with you most resonates with you?  
God’s Word piques our curiosity to know more
What has piqued your curiosity and interest in the Almighty God to know more about God?
God’s Word is life-giving
In what ways is God’s Word transforming and restoring your inner life into the image of God that God created you to be?
We are uniquely wired by God
Why is it important to listen to and recognize in others, whether they are believers or non-believers, the unique way they are wired as a pathway to God?
Looking for God encompasses looking for love
Some humans may come to faith in God and love without a conscious attachment to Jesus. In looking for God and love with all our hearts, why must those humans who seek a future faith meet Jesus? In considering love, what is special about including Jesus at the center?
God loves into our place of future faith
What helps you experience joy, not dependent on your circumstances, when God loves you into your place of future faith?
God’s revelation of our current and future faith
Read Psalms 119: 97-112. What are the extraordinary benefits for us listed by the Psalmist from obeying God’s Word? Why is obedience even sweeter than honey to the mouth (Psalm 119:103)?
Distractions from being attentive to God’s Word for restorative future faith
What is distracting for you in being attentive to God and God’s Word?
Faith is fragile and has to be nurtured
What spiritual practices are available for you to do when you struggle in your faith?
What spiritual practices are available for you to do when you see others struggling with weak faith?
Future faith is faith for others
As we look at our past, how does it change your view of the past when you know Romans 8:28 that all things work together for God to them that love God and are called according to God’s purpose? How will this knowledge change your actions with difficult circumstances in the future?
Future faith for past pain and suffering
Why is obedience to God and God’s Word so important in the place of future faith?

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