Welcome to NECF sermons. Each message here is
designed to uplift and strengthen you in your
walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until
the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive
right in. You know, yesterday in the training
center, I think someone asked a question in my
group. It was asking, I can't remember who asked
the question yesterday, but I remember the question
throughout. Can't bring it in my mind, but how
often should we teach a particular truth? You
know, how often should we teach the idea of salvation
by grace? And I said, we teach it every day,
right? We preach what God has done. We preach
salvation by grace through faith every day because
we have the tendency to forget every day. Hallelujah!
We have the tendency to forget that we are saved
by grace through faith. So every day we need
to be reminded of this truth. In fact, that is
a summary of the Christian life that God God
alone saved us. Hallelujah. God alone did what?
He saved us. Okay? God alone saved us. And it's
not by our works. Our sister was leading us to
pray, and we see in Romans that it is God Himself
that has saved us and given us the anointing
of the Spirit. And it's not anything of our own.
Alright? John chapter 14 verse 12. Even as we've
been examining, We've been examining the faith
for greater works. John chapter 14 verse 12 to
verse 14, which is a theme for the year. Where
we get the theme for the year, the text for the
year. Moses shortly I say to you, he who believes
in me, the works that I do, he will do also.
And greater works than this, he will do. because
I go to my father and whatever you ask in my
name whatever you ask in my name I will do that
the father may be glorified in the son verse
14 if you ask anything in my name I will do hallelujah
so then in verse 12 we see the importance of
faith okay in verse 12 we will discuss this for
several weeks the importance of faith for greater
works and we have seen many times that faith
this faith originates from God the faith comes
from God the faith that will enable us number
one to be born again and also to do the works
of God to do that which God has recreated us
in himself through Christ will do is by faith
and this faith we've established several times.
In fact, I've been very intentional every time
I stand here to speak, to be very deliberate,
to emphasize. The emphasis has always been to
point us to where this faith comes from. And
if we can, you know, memorize this and keep repeating
it every day, it becomes a reality in our hearts.
And I think it will shape the way we live our
Christian life. So the faith is a result of,
you know, Jesus going to the father we see this
he says because I go to my father Jesus had to
go to the father and we see this on we saw this
on Sunday We saw that this is a centrality of
the Eastern message that Jesus Had to go to the
father Jesus had to go to the father. I'm going
to the father reflects all speaks of his death
Right while he was on art was telling his disciples
that I must go to the father and going to the
father speaks of His death speaks of His barrier.
It speaks of His resurrection. Going to the Father
speaks of His ascension. He's indwelling by the
Spirit in the hearts of men. Hallelujah. So,
and then not only that, but its corresponding
benefit to the Church. How do the Church benefit
from the death, burial, resurrection of Jesus
Christ? justification and the gift of the Spirit
and all that we see in our lives. So verse 13
and 14 introduces a concept of prayer. Hallelujah.
Look at verse 13. He says, and whatever you ask
in my name, okay? So this speaks, first of all,
we said, we established several times that Jesus
was speaking to the disciples and the context
is that He is going to die. Okay? And in His
death, those who believe in Him will do greater
works. So verse 13 and 14 introduces us to the
concept of asking and receiving from God. And
I trust that in this quarter, you know, we'll
be able to deepen our understanding on the concept,
an important component, which is prayer. And
prayer also is a work of faith. So similarly,
in the text that we used, we saw Jesus also teaching
In Mark chapter 11, verse 12 to 14, we see that
Jesus was teaching about faith and in it, he
also talks about the issue of prayer. Mark 11,
verse 12. Mark 11, verse 12. Now, the next day
when they had come from Bethany, he was hungry
and seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves,
he went to see if perhaps he will find something
on it. And when he came to eat, He found nothing
but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.
In response, Jesus said to them, Let no one eat
fruit from you ever again. And his disciples
heard what Jesus said, verse 20. So they came
to Jerusalem, verse 20, verse 20, verse 20. Now
in the morning as they passed by, they saw the
fig tree dried up from its root, from the root.
verse 21 and Peter remembering said to him rabbi
look the fig tree which you cursed has withered
away so Jesus answered and said to them have
faith in God have faith in God 23 for as surely
I say to you it believes that those things he
says will be done he will have whatever he sees
the person will have whatever he says and having
whatever he says comes from the point of having
the faith particularly the faith of God in him
verse 23 verse yes verse 24 therefore I say to
you whatever thing you ask you see he bring in
the idea of asking whatever you ask whatever
things you ask when you pray believe that you
receive them and you will have them And whenever
you start praying, look at verse 25, we can equally
see in verse 24, Jesus introducing the concept
of prayer, verse 24 again. Therefore I say to
you, whatever things you ask when you pray, what
do you do? You believe that you have received
those things and you will have them, okay? So
the prayer I've seen in verse 24, the result
of faith or we will call it the work of faith
John also teach this in 1st John chapter 5 verse
13 1st John chapter 5 verse 13 and 15 13 to 15
1st John chapter 5 verse 13 to 15 these things
are written to you who believe you see faith
believing is essential those things I have written
to you who believe particularly the believer,
the Christian, okay? Who believe in the name
of the Son of God that you may know that you
have eternal life and that you may continue to
believe in the name of the Son of God. Now, this
is a confidence that we have in Him, in Jesus,
in God. That if we ask anything, if we ask anything
according to His will, His will is that He hears
us. Hallelujah. And if we know that He hears
us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the
petitions that we have asked of Him. So in God,
there is no unanswered prayer. Okay? In God,
we don't see anything as unanswered prayer. But
in Mark 11 verse 25 to 26, we'll see an introduction
of a concept. We'll read 20 to 24, but in 25
and 26 we'll see a concept introducing Mark 11,
the previous text. Let's read from 24. Therefore
I say to you that whatever things you ask when
you pray, believe that you receive them and you
will have them 25 And whenever you stand praying,
if you have anything against anyone, what do
you do? Forgive that your Father in heaven may
also forgive your trespasses. So what verse 25
is introducing is an idea of forgiveness and
answering of prayer. And what this suggests is
that we forgive. Alright? So that we will be
forgiven. Look at verse 26. But if you do not
forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive
your trespass. And if you are reading from the
NIV, you will not see verse 26. Alright? If you
are reading, if your Bible is NIV, you will not
see verse 26. If it's good news, also I think
you will not see verse 26 and other translations.
So we see something quite remarkable in this
verse. Jesus seems to be saying, or Jesus is
saying that there is a condition, there seems
to be a condition for answering prayer. The verse
is applying that forgiveness is conditional on
us forgiving others. And as I said, verse 26
is not in some Bible translation. It means that
the verse is not found in some some of the oldest
manuscripts. I think Pastor Victor taught us
this when he was teaching us the canonicals,
right? The canonicity of Scripture, how the Scripture
was collected, you know. And it will be important
for you to go back to listen to this teaching
again. And you know why verse 26 especially is
not in some Bible translations, and you see a
footnote there. You know, so I don't want to
go back into the details of that, but you can
listen to the teachings and learn from that again,
once again. But Matthew 11, 25, 26 gives us a
notion, gives us a notion that there is a condition
to God answering the prayer of those who believe
in Him. And I want us to note particularly that
these statements of Jesus, alright, especially
in the gospel, what Jesus was teaching under
the gospels were actually statements made under
the law. The Bible will let us know that Jesus
Christ, you know, came under the law. He died
under the law. In Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,
we see that Jesus Christ came in the era of the
law, and it is in his death, his burial, and
his same that was in existence. Or rather, he
fulfilled, or he brings to completion, that particular
system. He brings to an end, as it to say, that
system. So, in the four gospels, Fundamentally,
under the law, there's a system. People forgive
so they will be forgiven. Okay? There's a condition
to receiving forgiveness in the whole system.
People have to forgive. There's need for us to
make this clarity as we teach about faith so
that we will not begin to appropriate things
that is not meant for us. Hallelujah! So prior
to redemption, forgiveness is conditional. And
what is the condition? The condition is that
you forgive. If you don't forgive, then you don't
receive forgiveness. Okay? But in the epistles,
let us see the scriptures as, let's see Ephesians
4 verse 31. After redemption, Ephesians 4 verse
31 and 32, we'll see a change. rough, anger,
clamour and evil -speaking be put away from you
with all malice and be kind to one another, tender
-hearted, forgiving one another. And why should
we forgive one another? Even as God in Christ
forgives you. So we see that after redemption,
okay, forgiveness is rooted in what Christ has
done. Alright? We forgive because Christ has
forgiven. This is a very important thing to note.
Before redemption, the missing link is actually
Jesus' sacrifice for sin. Man forgives so that
God will forgive. And as I said earlier on, this
is a system that was under the law. But after
redemption, as we can see in verse 32, of Ephesians
4, we forgive because God in Christ has forgiven
us. So forgiveness initially was based on our
performance, right? Forgiveness was rooted in
what we do, okay? Because that was a system that
is under the law. But after redemption, we see
that forgiveness is rooted in what Christ has
done. It is by understanding God's forgiveness
that we forgive Okay, so God forgives us because
of Christ Not because of what we do God forgives
us because of Christ not because we did anything
Ephesians 1 verse 17 will tell us Ephesians 1
verse 17 says that the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ the father of glory Is it Ephesians? 1
verse 7, sorry, not 17. 1 verse 7, in him we
have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness
of sins. In him, talking about Jesus Christ,
right? We have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins according to the riches
of his grace. Not according to what we've done,
but according to the riches of the grace of God,
we have redemption, we have forgiveness of sins.
So after Jesus died on the cross, we see that
our forgiveness is grounded in what He has done.
No longer in what we do or what we will do. All
right? Another text, Colossians chapter 1 verse
14. We see Apostle Paul as well. Clearly stating
this in Colossians chapter 1 verse 14. Colossians
chapter 1 verse 14. In whom? All right, let me
read from verse 13 to give us. greater context
he says he has delivered us from the power of
darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of
the son of his love in whom so now forgiveness
is in whom forgiveness is in the person in whom
we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness
of sins hallelujah so forgiveness of sins is
no longer in works or by works. Forgiveness of
sins is no longer in what a man can do, in what
a man can achieve. Even if you go to the law,
you discover that men could not even keep the
law. All right? So we now have confidence in
the place of prayer. We now have confidence as
we approach God. We now have confidence in our
conscience. Because our approaching God is not
based on the works of the law Amen is not rooted
in the works of the law. We now have confidence
in the place of prayer because God in Christ
has forgiven us Because God in Christ has forgiven
us. So there is no condition for receiving from
God except faith and That faith in reserve is
not from us but from God So we have the assurance
that God will hear us. Amen? So when we approach
God, we're not approaching God because of anything
that we need to do or anything that we've not
done. Because oftentimes when we pray, we start
looking at ourselves, what have I not done? What
have we not done? Or what should we do so that
God will hear us? We approach God from the place
of our position, our position in Christ. The
redemptive work that God has done in Christ gives
us the confidence to approach Him especially
in the place of prayer, we have communion with
the Father, we approach God, we commune with
God, not based on anything that we have done,
not based on anything that we should do, but
on all that God has done for us. Hallelujah.
So Jesus Christ becomes the foundation by which
we relate with God. So we must understand the
context of Jesus' conversation because we are
talking about faith. Hallelujah So it is important
that we emphasize this It's important that we
emphasize this That faith is from God Galatians
2 verse 16 He says knowing that a man is not
justified by the works of the law but by faith
of Jesus Christ Even we have believed in Christ
Jesus That we might be justified by the faith
of Christ and not by the works of the law For
by the works of the law no flesh Shall be justified
All right, and we said this several times that
this faith Comes by hearing of the Word of God
Romans 10 verse 17 speaks of how we receive faith
This faith comes when we hear the message This
faith is transmitted to us through the message,
through a message. And the message is a message
of the gospel. Alright? We receive it by the
message of the gospel. So, what happens to the
unbeliever when we preach to them? What happens
to the unbeliever when we go out to minister
or we go out for evangelism? I think this was
one of the questions I was trying to discuss
with Pastor Emma. You know, maybe we should have...
establish more conversation on that. What happened
to the unbeliever when we go to preach to them?
When the gospel is preached, does the unbeliever
exercise faith to be saved? Do we ask them to
believe so that they will be safe? Do we ask
the unbeliever to exercise faith so that he will
be saved? Does the unbeliever have the capacity
to exercise faith? Because if the unbeliever
has faith then he's no longer an unbeliever Okay,
faith is from God right we've always been emphasizing
for past weeks that faith is from God So when
we bring the message to the unbeliever Okay Do
we ask the unbeliever to exercise faith? It's
an argument I'm dropping Because if we're asking
we're demanding faith from the unbeliever Then
where can the unbeliever produce that thing?
The word that does preach to him. Okay. Now,
Pastor Emmanuel told us that in the Bible, firstly,
he says that faith describes salvation. I'm just
making a recap of what he told us. Faith describes
salvation. Am I right? Right? He also said faith
in the Bible describes teaching or doctrine.
When we see faith sometimes Okay, the Bible used
doctrine as onto faith, and also the word faith
is also used to describe the believer's conduct.
Okay, we can go back and listen to it again.
The conduct of the believer. It is used to describe
salvation. It is used to describe doctrine or
teaching. It is used to describe the life or
the conduct of the believer. and then he read
some scriptures to us in relation to these concepts
that the Bible explains faith and I want us to
read those scriptures again and we will see Galatians
one of the scriptures he read for us was Galatians
3 verse 26 quickly so we can save time Galatians
chapter 3 verse 26 says for you are all sons
of God true faith in Christ Jesus all right so
Specifically, this is speaking about the believer.
Okay? This text speaks of who? It speaks of the
believer. The believer became a son through faith
that is in Christ Jesus. So, salvation is through
faith. Alright? Another text, 1 John chapter
5 verse 4. 1 John chapter 5 verse 4. is born
of God, overcome the world, and this is a victory
that has overcome the world. Our faith, okay?
Our faith. And of course, our faith here, the
faith for salvation, is actually the faith that
comes from God. 2 Corinthians chapter 13 verse
5. 2 Corinthians chapter 13 verse 5. Examine
yourself as to whether you are in the faith.
This is talking about the conduct of the believer,
okay? This is talking about the conduct of the
believer. Examine yourself as to whether you
are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not
know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you unless
indeed you are disqualified? Alright, so here
the faith here is speaking of the conduct of
the believer. Another text we read was 1 Timothy
chapter 4 verse 6. 1 Timothy chapter 4 verse
6. If you instruct the brethren in these things,
you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ,
nourished in the words of faith. Talking about
doctrine here, right? In the words of faith.
Words of faith has to do with the teaching of
faith and of the good doctrine which you have
carefully followed. So faith here speaks about
doctrine. It talks about teaching. Jude verse
3. Jude verse 3. Deut. Verse 3. You don't have
Deut in your Bible? It's before Revelation. So
this talks about doctrine, contending for the
doctrine. Alright? 1 Timothy chapter 6 verse
11 to 12. 1 Timothy chapter 6 verse 11 to 12.
Yes. But you, O man of God, flee these things
and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love,
patience and gentleness. Verse 12. Fight the
good fight of faith. lay hold of eternal life
to which you were also called and have confessed
the good confession in the presence of many witnesses
hallelujah so if you read through this we know
that the context is about doctrine okay second
Corinthians number five verse seven second Corinthians
number five verse seven second Corinthians number
five verse seven side all right Ephesians number
six verse sixteen Ephesians six verse sixteen
Of course, this also speaks of conduct. Above
all, taking the shield of faith, which you will
be able to quench all the fearing debts of the
wicked one. James 1 verse 6 to 8. James 1 verse
6 to 8. Prayer. But let him ask in faith with
no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave
of the sea. driven and tossed by the wind. For
let not that man suppose that he will receive
anything from the Lord. He is a double -minded
man, unstable in all his ways. So this fundamentally
is speaking to a believer, how the believer ought
to walk in faith. That is sharing of your faith
Okay communication of your faith. That is the
way you live your life the way you live the Christian
life May become effective By the acknowledgement
of every good thing which Christ in you Which
is in you in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah. So fundamentally
to all the scriptures we see very importantly
that It is the description of a believer. Okay?
In all these texts, the varied expressions, especially
in the epistles that we've seen, of faith. It
describes either what has happened to the believer,
or it describes teaching or the doctrine that
concerns the believer, or it describes the way
the believer ought to live and conduct himself.
Hallelujah. So it does not in any way or this
text in no way speaks of any man that is not
born again All right, that is to say that a man
This life can only be found in a man that is
born again This can only be found in a man that
is born again. How does the Bible describes the
unbeliever? How does the Bible describes the
unbeliever? Now understanding is very important
All right? For us, when we go to preach, how
does the Bible describes the unbeliever? Ephesians
2 verse 1. The Bible describes the unbeliever
as a dead man. Ephesians 2 verse 1. And you,
of course, all of us that are in Christ, He made
alive. Who made us alive? God made us alive.
who were dead in trespass and sins. So our former
condition was that we were dead in trespasses,
we were dead in sin. Verse two, in which you
once walk according to the cause of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit who now walks in the sons of disobedience.
So our former identity is of disobedience. Okay?
You and I were sons of disobedience, among whom
also we all once conducted ourselves in the loss
of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh
and of the mind, and whereby nature, the nature
of the man that is not born again, his nature
is that he is a child of wrath. Okay? He is under
condemnation. He is a child of wrath. And there
is a spirit that is at work in him. And that
spirit is a spirit of disobedience. So the unbeliever
is dead in trespass and is a child of wrath.
And the response that we can see from someone
that is dead is what? What response can we see
from a dead man? We'll see death, right? To wake
a man That is pretending to sleep to wake up.
I mean there's a common saying That is difficult
to wake a man that is pretending to sleep than
actually a man that is sleeping a Man that is
dead is dead and No matter what you try to do
to a man that is dead. He cannot respond Okay,
so you cannot make a demand from a man that is
dead Probably sometimes this understanding should
help us to lower our expectation from unbelievers.
All right Because we so much expect some miraculous
way, we expect a lot from them that we will not
see. Hallelujah. So a man that is not in Christ
is a dead man. Okay? A man that is not in Christ
is a dead man. Romans chapter 8 verse 5 speaks
more about this particular person. Romans chapter
8 verse 5 to 8 also speaks about this man that
is not born again. For those who live according
to the flesh, their mind, right, are set on the
things of the flesh. But those who live according
to the spirit, the things of the spirit. For
the carnally, to be carnally minded is what?
Is death. But to be spiritually minded is life
and peace. Now this is a contrast of two different
individuals. Okay? Because the carnal mind that
is the one that does not have the Spirit of God
in him, the one that is not born again, this
is his identity. He is enmity against God. He
is an enmity against God. He is in opposition
to the things of God. For that particular mind
or that particular man is not subject to the
law of God, and the law of God is the law of
faith. Nor indeed can be. There is no possibility
for such a man to obey the Lord of God, verse
8. So then those who are in the flesh, they cannot
please God. Hallelujah. So the judgment concerning
a man that is not born again is that he cannot
please God. There is nothing he can do of himself
that will bring pleasure to God. He does not
have the ability to do what pleases God. The
man that is dead does not have the ability to
please God. Those who are in the flesh and those
who are not born again cannot please God because
God is pleased by what? By faith. Hebrews 11
verse 6 talks about how God can be pleased. The
only way that God can be pleased is by faith.
And the time we're talking about that text, Hebrews
11 verse 6, we say that that faith is the faith
of God. or without faith, it is impossible to
please him. For he who comes to God must believe
that he is and that he is a rewarder of those
who diligently seek him. So the unbeliever is
given life by faith that God, that the unbeliever
receive life through faith, that is a gift from
God. Ephesians 2 verse 1, let's go back to Ephesians
2 and see how that unbeliever Okay, can become
a life He says I knew he made a life who made
the unbeliever who made the dead man come to
life God All right, because the dead man is dead
and he does not have the ability to come to contribute
to his coming alive So I knew he made a life
who were dead in trespasses and sins now move
down to verse 4 From verse 4 we read to 9 But
God who is rich in mercy not I wanted to focus
on who is responsible here Okay, who the responsibility
lies on in bringing that dead man to life? All
right, but God who is rich in mercy? Because
of his great love with which he loved us Even
when we were what we're dead in trespass what
happened? He made us alive together with Christ.
By grace, you have been saved. How? And raised
up together with Christ together and made us
sit together in the heavenly places in Christ
Jesus. We don't see any of our works or any of
our contribution in this. The next verse. That
in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding
riches of his grace in His kindness toward us
in Christ Jesus. Everything was done by God in
Christ Jesus. For by grace, importantly, now
focus on this verse, very, very important. Says,
for by grace, you have been saved through faith
and that not of yourselves. And that not of yourselves.
What is it? It is the gift of God. Hallelujah.
So the man coming to life is the gift of God.
Because he's a dead man. A dead man cannot give
himself life. A dead man cannot contribute to
him coming to life. God in totality brings a
man back to life. The grace and the faith is
the gift of God. All right? The grace, the salvation,
And the faith is the gift of God. So what the
man does is that he receives the gift of God.
This is very important. The dead man receives
the gift of God. So faith, this is what faith
does. Because faith is a gift. It removes any
ground for human boasting. All right? It takes
away any idea of pride from man. It takes away
any possibility of we beating our chase. You
know the common language we use to say I give
my life to Christ. It shows how we give something
to God so that we will receive something in return.
Because it is by faith, it takes away the tendency
of boasting. We have no play in it. We have no
work in it. We have no work in it. You know the
human mind always wanted infused responsibility
Okay So you mean is free. Of course is free.
You mean God did everything of course God did
everything Because it is fit which is a gift
takes away any possibility for Boston. Look at
first Corinthians up to one verse 28 first Corinthians
21 28 to 31 and the best things of the world
and the things which are despised God has chosen
and the things which are not to bring to nothing
the things which that are that no flesh should
do what should glory in his presence okay God
wants to ensure right that no flesh will glory
in his presence If there's any possibility that
a man will take glory, if man, if anything can
be traced to the action of man, then it's not
from God. Okay? That is why even the life we
live, it says we live by the faith of the Son
of God. Even the life that we live today as believers,
we live in response to the complete, you are
not trying, see the life you're living, you are
not constructing a life. You're not building
a new life. All right? Even when your character
is transforming, you're only responding to what
God has finished in you, complete, by His sacrifice,
by His death. All right? So it takes away the
place of Boston. Boston has to do with, you know,
what you contributed, what you did, what started.
But of Him, you are in Christ Jesus. who become
for us wisdom from God and righteousness and
sanctification and redemption. That is, that
as it is written, he who glories, what should
be his glory, let him glory where? In the Lord.
That he who glory, let him glory in the Lord.
That is he who will boast, let him boast in the
Lord. First Corinthians chapter four verse seven.
First Corinthians chapter 4 verse 7. So will
the dry bones live again? Right? It's by the
work of God that the dry bones will come back
to life. Okay? First Corinthians 4 verse 7. For
who makes you differ from another? And what do
you have? What do you have? What has the believer
has? Okay? Received. What? for what makes you
differ from another, and what do you have that
you did not receive? Including, listen, including
the manifestation we see today, pastors have
been teaching us about the gifts, you know, the
gifts of the Spirit, the gift of the assignment
of Spirit, the gift of healing. It's not because
you fasted that you produce it, all right? It's
not because you did some spiritual disciplines,
then... You formulated, you know, you batted
it from the place of consecration of, you know,
we try to, we try to show our effort in manifesting.
See, what do you have that you do not receive?
Now, if you did indeed receive it, why do you
boast as if you had not received it? Okay. Why
do you boast as though you do not receive it?
Titus 3 verse 5. had to strip the tree verse
5 not by works of righteousness give me verse
4 so that we can have context to this text but
when the kindness and the love of God our Savior
towards man see the kindness and the love of
God our Savior towards man appeared not by works
of righteousness not by any work that man did
which we have done but according to his mercy
he would He saved us through the washing of regeneration
and the renewing of the Holy Spirit. So it is
the work of the Spirit that a man becomes born
again. Are we together? The regeneration of the
Spirit of God makes, look at the dead man. Just
have a picture of the dead man on the floor.
And the Spirit of God brings him back to life.
The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.
All right? Quicken us as we become born again.
Hallelujah! So, Romans 4 verse 2. Romans 4 verse
2. So that faith is a gift from God and it takes
away the place for busting. It takes away the
place for pride in us. For if Abraham was justified
by works, right? If Abraham was justified by
something he did, he has something to boss about.
Because he did something so God did something
so he will have a point to bust but not before
God You know how that means it is by works Everyone
will have something to bust but it's not before
God because before God, you know what all of
us are on the same scale before God All of us
are wretched before God All of us are dead as
pertaining to the things of God as pertaining
to the life of God If we could produce a life
by ourselves, if we could contribute to having
life of ourselves, then we don't need God. So
scripture will constantly teach that faith is
not conjured up by the human will. Faith is not
produced by human will, but is sovereignly granted
as a gift from God. Faith is granted as a gift
from God. Jesus will say no one can come to me
unless the father what? Unless the father draws
you. You can't come to God on your own terms
or by your own ability except the father draws
you to himself. John chapter 6 verse 44. Give
me that text. John chapter 6 verse 44. Yes. Says
no one can come to me unless the father who sent
me draws him and I will raise him up. where at
the last day look at verse 65 verse 65 verse
65 verse 65 yes and he said therefore I have
said to you and no one that no one can come to
me unless it has been granted to him by my father
all right and Acts chapter 3 verse 16 we'll see
where you know Peter was preaching Acts chapter
3 verse 16 and it speaks of the faith which comes
through him and his name and true faith in his
name has made this man strong whom you see and
know yes the faith which comes through him has
given him the perfect soundness in the presence
of you also the faith by which we see Peter healing
the man is the faith that comes from God in Philippians
1 29 He sees, you know, it has been granted of
Christ. Philippians 1 .29, Philippians 1 .29
says for you, for to you, it has been granted
on behalf of Christ. Not only to believe in Him,
but also to suffer for His sake. So it was granted
to believe and also to suffer. It has been granted.
And we'll see Peter also writing first. 2nd Peter
1 verse 1 talks about those who have received
the faith of the same kind as us. 2nd Peter 1
verse 1, yes, says Simon Peter, a born servant
and apostle of Jesus Christ, those who have obtained,
not obtained is to receive, those who have received
like precious faith. So the faith was something
that was received with us by the righteous of
God and Savior Jesus Christ. So faith is something
that has been received from God. Okay? How do
you know faith is God's gift? Left to ourselves,
no one will ever believe. The Bible says in Romans
3 verse 11, making reference to, you know, the
text in all this, it says, there's none who understands.
Romans 3 verse 11, none who understands. There's
none who seeks for God. There's none who understands.
There's none who seeks after God. So then, it
does not depend on the man. Who wills all the
man who runs but on God who has shown mercy Romans
9 16 Romans 9 16 talks about God showing mercy
and not by the wisdom and the effort of man so
then it is not of him who wills no of him who
runs but of God who shows mercy You know, so
God draws the sinner to Christ and gives the
ability to believe Without that divinely generated
faith one cannot understand an approach to the
Savior One cannot understand an approach to the
Savior All right, so first Corinthians 2 verse
14 will speak about the things of the Spirit
the things of faith you say that a natural man
does not accept the things of the Spirit of God
For they are what they are fully to him. They
are foolishness to him And he cannot understand
them because they are spiritually appraised.
They are spiritually discerned. Okay? So what
really happened when we preach the gospel? So
what really happened when we preach the gospel?
Since we say that the dead man cannot exercise
faith because all that comes from the dead man
is death. There is no ability in him to please
God because he's dead. Because he has no faith
in him so he cannot please God. So what happens
when we preach the gospel? Now we must understand
the gospel. that we preach is actually the power
of God. Okay? The gospel we preach is actually
the power of God that brings men to life. Thomas
1 of 16 talks about it as I ran up. For I am
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. For what
is it? It is the power of God toward salvation.
So the gospel you preach is what gives power
to that dead man to come to life. For it is a
power of God to salvation for everyone who believes,
for the Jew first and also for the Greek. The
gospel produces and births salvation in the man.
So the faith of God comes by the gospel. The
faith of God comes by the gospel. Romans 10 verse
17 talks about by hearing right? Hearing by the
message. So the faith of God comes by the gospel.
The gospel is a power of God. So the duty of
men is to welcome the word. The duty of men is
to welcome the word when it is preached and not
be rebellious to the word. You know what makes
a man an unbeliever is that he is preached to,
right? And he heard and he didn't welcome it.
That's what makes him an unbeliever. So the response
of a man is to accept the world Is to we'll see
so subsequently in text maybe on Sunday We'll
see where every single place the gospel was preached
in the book of Acts We'll see what is expected
of there. That is that that should believe all
that will believe Okay, so God only requirement
to hear the gospel the requirement is that men
should hear the gospel Then faith is given by
the gospel Then they believe Do you hear what
I just said? The requirement is that knowing
hear the gospel, right? Then faith is given to
the gospel Then they believe We're going to look
deeper into this subsequently So faith is not
our response to what God has done Faith is not
responding to what God has done Actually, faith
is what God has given. The gospel is everything
God has given humanity to come to life. Hallelujah.
So we must be very mindful of this reality as
we preach the gospel. We will see subsequently,
okay, how gospel was preached. Moses will tell
them, look and live. All right, look. We appreciate
you being here today. We hope you carry this
word with you throughout your week. Don't forget
to check the show notes for additional insights.
Stay connected with us through our website or
follow us on social media. If you were encouraged,
share this message with someone you care about.
Until next time, stay blessed.