May 29, 2025 • 28 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham. A
little later in the program, we'll tell you how you
can get a copy of a devotional on fifty two
questions every believer should answer.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
But first, here's the message.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
What is faith? Take your Bible's turn to the eleventh
chapter of Hebrews. It's one of the most famous chapters
in all the Bible because it is the faith chapter. Now,
it is difficult to define faith, and what we have
(00:37):
in the first few verses of Hebrews Chapter eleven is
a description of faith. Faith is difficult to understand, and
I'll explain that in a moment. So what we have
in Hebrews eleven is is a description of faith and
a demonstration of faith. Have you ever wondered why so
(00:57):
much of the Bible was written in the biography of people,
the stories of the Bible, the people of the Bible,
Because the Bible is a book not just to be learned,
It is a book to be lived. And so we
see how faith is lived through the lives of believers,
those who live by faith, and this faith is to
(01:21):
be lived in difficult times, dangerous times, even most anyone
can live their faith in good times let the good
times roll. But when the bad times roll in. That
is when faith is challenged to keep believing when you doubt,
to keep going when you want to give up, to
(01:45):
never fall apart when your world is fall apart.
Speaker 4 (01:48):
We all need faith when life is hard, a strong,
muscular faith that will never tap out, a faith that
will not fall apart.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Even when you may be falling apart. So in Hebrews
chapter eleven, beginning at verse one, we see this description
of faith. Now, faith is the assurance of the things
hoped for, the conviction of things not seen, for by it.
The people of old received their commendation by faith. We
(02:25):
understand that the universe was created by the word of God,
so that what is seen was not made out of
things that are visible. Now just scroll down to verse six.
And without faith, it is impossible to please him. For
(02:46):
whoever we draw near to God must believe that He
exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Every
one of us, as followers of Jesus, pray what the
disciples pray when they asked, Jesus, Lord, increase our faith, Lord,
(03:10):
increase my faith. Have you prayed that lately? Or is
your faith static and still are you asking God to
deepen and strengthen your faith? Now? I've been a Christian
for a long time now, and over the years I've
seen my faith strengthened and deepened, typically the most during
(03:31):
the most difficult times. I've been able to exercise my
faith and grow muscles of faith. And this faith that
God has given me is now stronger than ever because
we keep going. I can tell you this that God
never disappoints those who trust in Him, never, and as
(03:57):
we have trusted Him over the years, we've seen God
to be faithful. When you trust in God, when you
live by faith, you are not disappointed. Now you might
say that faith, and here's a definition that faith is
trusting God regardless of the circumstances or the consequences. Faith
(04:17):
is trusting God no matter what, trusting God regardless of
your circumstances, and regardless of the consequences that faith demands.
So we need to know what faith is, and that's
really the title of the message today. What is faith?
Three things? Number one, Faith is real. Faith is real.
(04:41):
That's why Verse one says faith is the substance or
the assurance of things. Hope for substance or assurance faith
is real, and therefore it is reliable. Faith is substantive,
it is it's something that is strong and formidable and powerful.
(05:04):
It's a description here, this word substance, of the foundation
of a building. If you see a massive skyscraper or
even your house, there's a foundation, and the foundation, of
course holds everything up. And the stronger the foundation, the
deeper the foundation, the larger and the taller the building.
And so when it speaks here of substance or assurance,
(05:28):
it means that we are building our faith upon a
sure and strong and steady foundation. Now I want to
remind you that faith is only as valid as its object.
I mean, you can believe in green mushrooms, but that
doesn't matter. You can believe anything you want to believe
about anything you say you believe. But faith is only
(05:50):
as valid as its object. The object of our faith
is the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Our faith, our hope, is not in wishful thinking. Faith
is not a pump up. Faith is not just positive thinking.
I like positive thinking. I like being around positive thinkers
(06:13):
a lot more than negative thinkers. So, but faith is
so much more than thinking positively. Certainly, faith is not
faith in faith just say I believe believe what well
I believe in faith, or even I believe in God,
some generic God. No, faith is more than that. Faith
is stronger than that. Faith is more substantive and certain
(06:37):
than this. It is not soft, It is not sentimental.
Faith is not feelings. It's not faith in ourselves. Oh
I believe in myself. How's that working out for you?
We need something stronger than ourselves, because you know, really,
the first step in seeing God change your life is
(06:58):
to admit that you're not strong enough, you're not good enough,
and you humble yourself before God and say I need help,
I need God's power, I need a living faith. So
this faith is built upon a sure foundation. Don't just
say oh oh oh I believe, okay, well what do
(07:20):
you believe? Well I believe in God? Well tell me
what you believe about God? Well I believe what my
church believes about God? Well what does your church believe
about God? Well they believe what my mama believed about God?
And so on? What do you believe? When you say
I believe, it's more than just saying you know, for
(07:41):
every starlit night, I can say I believe. Just what
is it. I believe what my parents taught me, or
I believe what my church taught me, or I believe
what my wife said. No, what do you believe? Our faith?
What we believe is in God, through our faith in
Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. It
(08:05):
all begins with believing, as verse six says, in God
who exists. More about that in just a moment. But
we believe that God has spoken, that he has spoken
in creation, that he has spoken in the scriptures the Bible,
and that He has spoken finally and fully, as we
learned in Hebrews Chapter one, in Jesus Christ. Now, faith
(08:31):
is never to be a small compartment or component in
our lives. Our faith in Jesus Christ intersects every part
and parcel of who we are and how we see
the world. Faith is essential for everything in life. In
(08:52):
one way, faith is common ordinary stuff. I mean, we
believe a lot of things. You believe. When a doctor
writes a prescription in writing you can't read, and you
take it to the pharmacists and they put those little
pills in a bottle that you don't even know really
what they are. But you go home and you take them.
It says take two a day or whatever, and you
do it. You do that by faith. So you know
(09:13):
you exercise faith if you would be paralyzed if you
didn't take some risk every day, if you didn't operate
in some realm of faith. But again, we're not talking
about common, ordinary faith. We're talking about our faith in
Jesus Christ. Faith that really makes a difference. So why
is this faith essential? Well, just several things right out
(09:33):
of the Bible. Number one, we are saved by faith.
That's Ephesius three twenty. For by grace are you saved
through faith? And that not of yourselves. It is the
gift of God. We receive. Secondly, eternal life through faith.
Jesus said in John chapter six, whoever believes has eternal life.
(09:56):
Whoever believes in Me has eternal life. We are connected
to God in faith. We have access to God by faith,
and that's in Ephesians chapter three and verse twelve, and
whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our
faith in Him. In Romans chapter five and verse one,
(10:22):
we have peace with God by faith. Therefore, since we
have been justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ. We please God by faith.
We live a victorious life by faith. This is the
victory that overcomes the world, even our faith one John
(10:46):
five and verse four. Are you addicted to something? Are
you hung up on something? Can you not break the
habits of sin in your life? Does the world have
a grip on you? Are you just going with the flow?
Compromising your life all the way to defeat the world,
to overcome the world, and to live in victory in
your life? Is how by faith? We are to pray?
(11:12):
By faith Matthew twenty one, twenty two, What did Jesus say?
Whatever you ask in prayer you will receive if you
have what faith when we pray, it's the secret to
answered prayer. And yes, God always answers prayer. We pray
in faith.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message
what is faith? When you ask big questions of God,
you can trust He'll give you answers that grow your
faith and deepen your intimacy with Him. In his devotional
to Jesus, code Os Hawkins helps you uncover bold truths
as you search for answers to life's biggest questions. We
(11:53):
want to send you a copy of this powerful resource
as thanks for your gift of ten dollars, or more so,
request your copy of the Jesus Code when you call
and give today call one eight hundred seven ninety five
four six two seven. That's one eight hundred seven ninety
five four.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Six two seven.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
You can also text the word code to five nine
seven eight nine. Don't let stress rob you of peace.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
It is possible to break the destructive grip of stress
on your life and enjoy the peace and abundance God
desires for you. That's what doctor Graham helps you do
in his booklet Breaking Free from Stress. We'll send you
a digital download of Breaking Free from Stress when you
sign up for email updates from PowerPoint Today. Just go
to PowerPoint dot org slash stress and sign up today.
(12:40):
Now let's get back to today's message.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
What is faith? And then we resist the devil by faith?
We're all under attack by the enemy, So how do
we resist him? First? Peter five seven? Resist him? How
firm in faith? When we're spiritual battle is described in
the Book of Ephesians, chapter six. We're to put up
(13:05):
the shield of faith when the flaming darts of wickedness
are aimed against us. So faith is essential, not just
for part of your life, but for all of your life.
Faith is real, and therefore it is reliable. Faith is substance,
(13:27):
but something else. Faith is reasonable because back in Hebrews,
chapter eleven and verse one, it says this faith is
the convictions are the evidence of things not seen. Tewod
Corinthians five seventeen says we do not walk by sight
(13:52):
but by faith. Faith operates in the real world, for sure,
but it operates beyond this world and in the world
that is without and the world that is to come.
It is an unseen world. Did you know that all
(14:13):
around us there is an unseen, invisible, but very real world.
It is the world that is seen, that is accessed
only by faith, not visible to the human eye or
experienced by our five senses. But there is a sixth
(14:39):
sense that God has given every person who believes and
trust in him. It is the faith sense. It is
understanding that beyond this world there's something else, There's something more,
and that's something more is all around us. Angels are
all around us right now, as well as demons operating.
God's presence is real, and Heaven is closer than you
(15:02):
think there is a thin veil that separates us in
this life from the life that is to come. It
is tissue paper thin. This world is real, and therefore
it is reasonable in the sense that there is evidence.
You say, well, you know, what is this faith that
you're talking about. It is that you just sort of
closing your eyes and imagining things that down deep in
(15:22):
your heart you really don't think exists. Is that faith?
Is that what we're talking about? Of course not, because
faith is not imagination. Faith is not fiction. Faith is
not fantasy. But faith is the reality that God exists
(15:46):
and that we believe in him. We are compelled to
follow Jesus and trust that his word is true. And
so if you are not a believe in Jesus Christ,
no matter what church you may have grown up in,
no matter what someone told you, no matter what you
(16:07):
may say to yourself, if you have not believed on
the Lord Jesus Christ, you have never been saved. You
have never entered into a personal relationship with Christ. And
know this saving faith is for more than just getting started.
Oh it's vital that you get started, But everything in
our lives is to be lived as believers in faith.
(16:32):
Faith is not a once and for all experience. It's
a problem for some people they kind of put there.
They get their faith when they're saved, put it in
their hip pocket and wait till the last bust to heaven.
But that's not how faith is to be exercised. Faith
is like a muscle. If you don't use it, you
lose it. Not your salvation, but again, you can throw
(16:55):
away your confidence as a Christian. There is a moment's
decision when you trust in Christ for salvation. But the
faith that saves us is the faith that sustains us
and strengthens us throughout our lives. So we are saved
by faith. We are kept by faith. We walk by faith,
(17:16):
we worship by faith, we work by faith. We do
good works by faith. We persevere in faith. We praise
God in faith even when we don't feel like it.
We get married in faith. That often takes a lot
of faith. We have children and raise our children by faith.
That really takes a lot of faith. We're to love
by faith. All we do is by faith. The way
(17:42):
we think, the way we see the world, is our worldview.
We have a faith worldview, and the writer of Hebrews
points us to the ultimate, He takes us all the
way back to Genesis one one when he talks about
that God has created this world. He says, in verse three,
by faith, we understand that the universe was created by
(18:04):
the word of God. That is, God spoke, and what
is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
In other words, God takes us all the way back
to the beginning, before the beginning, when He spoke and
everything came into existence. He says, you start there. You
want to understand your Bible, You'll never understand it until
(18:26):
you look at verse one of chapter one, the very
first book of the Bible, Genesis, when we're told in
the beginning God spoke, God created the heavens and the earth.
And if you don't have faith, you say, I don't
understand a lot there is about faith. Well, then start there.
You say, well, I don't know, I don't know if
God created the heavens of the earth, maybe it just
(18:47):
came into being. Oh really, so you're one of the
persons who believes that nothing times nothing equals everything. He saying, well, no,
I'm not really that. I'm just agnostic about all of that.
You know, the word agnostic means ignoramus Latin, don't you
It means I don't know, it does, That's what it means.
So you know, I just don't know. Well, can you
(19:08):
agree that creation displays the grandeur and the glory of
a create start there, that all of this didn't just happen.
The Bible says, the fool is said in his heart
there is no God. And actually, if you take that
(19:32):
verse apart, the fool is said in his heart there
is no God. It literally it says the fool has
said no God. Because the vast majority of people who
say they have a mental issue, an intellectual issue with
following and believing in God, they don't have a mental problem.
(19:53):
They've got a heart problem. The Bible talks about an
evil heart of unbelief, and so you know, these ideas
of unbelief, and this disbelief comes from a heart that
is far from God. There's plenty of truth to believe.
There's more than enough truth and evidence and assurance in
(20:15):
the Bible, even in the natural realm, that if you look,
then you will see the reality and the reasonableness of faith.
No one is asking you to leave your brain at
home when you come to church. Quite the contrary, the
(20:41):
more you think deeply about God who he is, the
more you contemplate the possibility the reality of God, the
bigger your brain will get. There's plenty to believe. Now,
I'm not saying that it is easy to believe for everyone. Frankly,
(21:04):
you know, as a boy, as a child, it was
easy for me to believe growing up in a Christian
home and family, and I personally believed and received and
through the years that faith has grown. But I understand
that while there are a lot of people that it
is relatively easy for them to believe, there are some
that it is hard for you to believe. It's the
(21:24):
way you are, as your personality is the way you think.
I don't know, but there's some of you who who
have sincere questions, and your sincere questions deserve sincere answers
and thoughtful responses. That's why the scripture says here that
(21:45):
if you will start with the reality that God exists,
that God is the rewarder of those who seek Him,
who diligently seek Him, and I can promise you according
to God's way. If you have sincere questions, if you
have doubts or even unbelieved, if you will start there
(22:05):
and say God. You could even say God, if you exist,
if you're real, reveal yourself to me. And if you
will seek God and ask the right questions, he will
compel you to follow him. And I go back to
(22:29):
what I said at the beginning of this message, is
I've trusted him. I've found it to be trustworthy. I've
never been disappointed in him. Have there been hard times? Yes,
of course, That's what this whole thing is about. Persevering
through dark times, deadly times, difficult times, doubting times, to
(22:50):
keep going. And we find that even when we fail,
when we fall, he'll carry us home. If you will
step out with him, as you seek him and follow him,
he will bless you and ultimately reward you for your faith.
Are you ready to be a person of faith? Do
(23:16):
you need a genuine faith, a faith in Jesus Christ
that will strengthen you and sustain you and take you
all the way to heaven.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message
what is Faith and the devotional to Jesus code Os
Hawkins invites you to ask fifty two thought provoking questions
found in the Bible that will help you experience Jesus
in deeper, more authentic ways than ever before. As you
dive into these questions, you'll discover that everything we need
(23:48):
can be found in a deepening relationship with Jesus Christ.
We want to help you uncover bold truths in the
search for answers to life's biggest questions by sending you
the Jesus Code as our thanks. Thanks for your gift
of ten dollars or more to help proclaim God's unchanging
word through PowerPoint. So call now to request your copy
of the Jesus Code. Call one eight hundred seven ninety
(24:11):
five four six two seven. That's one eight hundred seven
ninety five four six two seven. You can also text
the word code to five nine seven eight nine, And
don't forget to visit Jack Graham dot org where you
can shop our EA store, give a gift online, or
sign up for doctor Graham's free daily email devotional. Our
(24:33):
website again is Jack Graham dot org. And also be
sure to sign up for doctor Graham's podcast Bible in
a Year pastor what is your PowerPoint for Today?
Speaker 3 (24:46):
You know is true? Human nature really hasn't changed much
since Jesus walked on the Earth two thousand years ago.
Back then, people wanted to sign a miracle from Jesus.
They wanted something tangible, something they could see, in order
to believe in him, And today people are the same.
So many men and women say they would believe in
Christ if only he would show himself in some way,
(25:09):
either physically or some miracle in their lives. But listen
to what Jesus had to say about that. Unless you
see signs and wonders, you will not believe. He was saying,
don't wait for a sign to believe in Trust in me,
don't wait on some miracle. Don't demand that I perform
for you in order for you to believe in me.
(25:31):
The fact is Jesus has already done everything that needs
to be done for you to come to him. He
came to earth, he lived a perfect life, He died
on the cross, he rose again. That is the greatest
miracle of all. You may be struggling to trust Christ
with your life today. While I don't know what you
may be facing, I want to challenge you to trust
(25:52):
Him even though you can't see him, even though there
seems to be no miracle on the way. Jesus had
no confidence and the kind of faith that de mand's
sight because faith that the man's sight is limited. Faith
it's just doubt looking for evidence. I know it's hard
to come to grips with this, but often we can't
(26:12):
figure God out. There will be times when you are
in the dark and you can't see. There will be
times when you just keep clinging and singing and bringing
your heart to Him by faith. You may be in
that kind of situation today. So, friend, even though it
is difficult, trust me. Jesus wants you to get to
the place in your life where you can look to
(26:34):
Him by faith. And it's not about the miracle. It's
all about trusting Him even when you don't know what
to do next. So if you find yourself in a
place today where you need a work of God in
your life, look to Jesus. As the Bible says, let
us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
(26:55):
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith.
It is my prayer that this encourages you to trust
Jesus today, no matter what you face. Say Lord, I
don't know what to do, but my eyes are on you,
and when you look to him, you will find him faith, and.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
That is today's power Point. Remember when you give a
gift of ten dollars or more to PowerPoint, we'll send
you OS Hawkins devotional that Jesus code as our thanks
call one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
That's one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
You can also text the word code to five nine
(27:37):
seven eight nine and join us again next time as
doctor Graham brings a message about how your faith cannot
only survive, but thrive as you live for Jesus. That's
next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack
Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministry.
Speaker 3 (27:54):
Say
Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham. A
little later in the program, we'll tell you how you
can get a copy of a devotional on fifty two
questions every believer should answer.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
But first, here's the message.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
What is faith? Take your Bible's turn to the eleventh
chapter of Hebrews. It's one of the most famous chapters
in all the Bible because it is the faith chapter. Now,
it is difficult to define faith, and what we have
(00:37):
in the first few verses of Hebrews Chapter eleven is
a description of faith. Faith is difficult to understand, and
I'll explain that in a moment. So what we have
in Hebrews eleven is is a description of faith and
a demonstration of faith. Have you ever wondered why so
(00:57):
much of the Bible was written in the biography of people,
the stories of the Bible, the people of the Bible,
Because the Bible is a book not just to be learned,
It is a book to be lived. And so we
see how faith is lived through the lives of believers,
those who live by faith, and this faith is to
(01:21):
be lived in difficult times, dangerous times, even most anyone
can live their faith in good times let the good
times roll. But when the bad times roll in. That
is when faith is challenged to keep believing when you doubt,
to keep going when you want to give up, to
(01:45):
never fall apart when your world is fall apart.
Speaker 4 (01:48):
We all need faith when life is hard, a strong,
muscular faith that will never tap out, a faith that
will not fall apart.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Even when you may be falling apart. So in Hebrews
chapter eleven, beginning at verse one, we see this description
of faith. Now, faith is the assurance of the things
hoped for, the conviction of things not seen, for by it.
The people of old received their commendation by faith. We
(02:25):
understand that the universe was created by the word of God,
so that what is seen was not made out of
things that are visible. Now just scroll down to verse six.
And without faith, it is impossible to please him. For
(02:46):
whoever we draw near to God must believe that He
exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Every
one of us, as followers of Jesus, pray what the
disciples pray when they asked, Jesus, Lord, increase our faith, Lord,
(03:10):
increase my faith. Have you prayed that lately? Or is
your faith static and still are you asking God to
deepen and strengthen your faith? Now? I've been a Christian
for a long time now, and over the years I've
seen my faith strengthened and deepened, typically the most during
(03:31):
the most difficult times. I've been able to exercise my
faith and grow muscles of faith. And this faith that
God has given me is now stronger than ever because
we keep going. I can tell you this that God
never disappoints those who trust in Him, never, and as
(03:57):
we have trusted Him over the years, we've seen God
to be faithful. When you trust in God, when you
live by faith, you are not disappointed. Now you might
say that faith, and here's a definition that faith is
trusting God regardless of the circumstances or the consequences. Faith
(04:17):
is trusting God no matter what, trusting God regardless of
your circumstances, and regardless of the consequences that faith demands.
So we need to know what faith is, and that's
really the title of the message today. What is faith?
Three things? Number one, Faith is real. Faith is real.
(04:41):
That's why Verse one says faith is the substance or
the assurance of things. Hope for substance or assurance faith
is real, and therefore it is reliable. Faith is substantive,
it is it's something that is strong and formidable and powerful.
(05:04):
It's a description here, this word substance, of the foundation
of a building. If you see a massive skyscraper or
even your house, there's a foundation, and the foundation, of
course holds everything up. And the stronger the foundation, the
deeper the foundation, the larger and the taller the building.
And so when it speaks here of substance or assurance,
(05:28):
it means that we are building our faith upon a
sure and strong and steady foundation. Now I want to
remind you that faith is only as valid as its object.
I mean, you can believe in green mushrooms, but that
doesn't matter. You can believe anything you want to believe
about anything you say you believe. But faith is only
(05:50):
as valid as its object. The object of our faith
is the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Our faith, our hope, is not in wishful thinking. Faith
is not a pump up. Faith is not just positive thinking.
I like positive thinking. I like being around positive thinkers
(06:13):
a lot more than negative thinkers. So, but faith is
so much more than thinking positively. Certainly, faith is not
faith in faith just say I believe believe what well
I believe in faith, or even I believe in God,
some generic God. No, faith is more than that. Faith
is stronger than that. Faith is more substantive and certain
(06:37):
than this. It is not soft, It is not sentimental.
Faith is not feelings. It's not faith in ourselves. Oh
I believe in myself. How's that working out for you?
We need something stronger than ourselves, because you know, really,
the first step in seeing God change your life is
(06:58):
to admit that you're not strong enough, you're not good enough,
and you humble yourself before God and say I need help,
I need God's power, I need a living faith. So
this faith is built upon a sure foundation. Don't just
say oh oh oh I believe, okay, well what do
(07:20):
you believe? Well I believe in God? Well tell me
what you believe about God? Well I believe what my
church believes about God? Well what does your church believe
about God? Well they believe what my mama believed about God?
And so on? What do you believe? When you say
I believe, it's more than just saying you know, for
(07:41):
every starlit night, I can say I believe. Just what
is it. I believe what my parents taught me, or
I believe what my church taught me, or I believe
what my wife said. No, what do you believe? Our faith?
What we believe is in God, through our faith in
Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. It
(08:05):
all begins with believing, as verse six says, in God
who exists. More about that in just a moment. But
we believe that God has spoken, that he has spoken
in creation, that he has spoken in the scriptures the Bible,
and that He has spoken finally and fully, as we
learned in Hebrews Chapter one, in Jesus Christ. Now, faith
(08:31):
is never to be a small compartment or component in
our lives. Our faith in Jesus Christ intersects every part
and parcel of who we are and how we see
the world. Faith is essential for everything in life. In
(08:52):
one way, faith is common ordinary stuff. I mean, we
believe a lot of things. You believe. When a doctor
writes a prescription in writing you can't read, and you
take it to the pharmacists and they put those little
pills in a bottle that you don't even know really
what they are. But you go home and you take them.
It says take two a day or whatever, and you
do it. You do that by faith. So you know
(09:13):
you exercise faith if you would be paralyzed if you
didn't take some risk every day, if you didn't operate
in some realm of faith. But again, we're not talking
about common, ordinary faith. We're talking about our faith in
Jesus Christ. Faith that really makes a difference. So why
is this faith essential? Well, just several things right out
(09:33):
of the Bible. Number one, we are saved by faith.
That's Ephesius three twenty. For by grace are you saved
through faith? And that not of yourselves. It is the
gift of God. We receive. Secondly, eternal life through faith.
Jesus said in John chapter six, whoever believes has eternal life.
(09:56):
Whoever believes in Me has eternal life. We are connected
to God in faith. We have access to God by faith,
and that's in Ephesians chapter three and verse twelve, and
whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our
faith in Him. In Romans chapter five and verse one,
(10:22):
we have peace with God by faith. Therefore, since we
have been justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ. We please God by faith.
We live a victorious life by faith. This is the
victory that overcomes the world, even our faith one John
(10:46):
five and verse four. Are you addicted to something? Are
you hung up on something? Can you not break the
habits of sin in your life? Does the world have
a grip on you? Are you just going with the flow?
Compromising your life all the way to defeat the world,
to overcome the world, and to live in victory in
your life? Is how by faith? We are to pray?
(11:12):
By faith Matthew twenty one, twenty two, What did Jesus say?
Whatever you ask in prayer you will receive if you
have what faith when we pray, it's the secret to
answered prayer. And yes, God always answers prayer. We pray
in faith.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message
what is faith? When you ask big questions of God,
you can trust He'll give you answers that grow your
faith and deepen your intimacy with Him. In his devotional
to Jesus, code Os Hawkins helps you uncover bold truths
as you search for answers to life's biggest questions. We
(11:53):
want to send you a copy of this powerful resource
as thanks for your gift of ten dollars, or more so,
request your copy of the Jesus Code when you call
and give today call one eight hundred seven ninety five
four six two seven. That's one eight hundred seven ninety
five four.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Six two seven.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
You can also text the word code to five nine
seven eight nine. Don't let stress rob you of peace.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
It is possible to break the destructive grip of stress
on your life and enjoy the peace and abundance God
desires for you. That's what doctor Graham helps you do
in his booklet Breaking Free from Stress. We'll send you
a digital download of Breaking Free from Stress when you
sign up for email updates from PowerPoint Today. Just go
to PowerPoint dot org slash stress and sign up today.
(12:40):
Now let's get back to today's message.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
What is faith? And then we resist the devil by faith?
We're all under attack by the enemy, So how do
we resist him? First? Peter five seven? Resist him? How
firm in faith? When we're spiritual battle is described in
the Book of Ephesians, chapter six. We're to put up
(13:05):
the shield of faith when the flaming darts of wickedness
are aimed against us. So faith is essential, not just
for part of your life, but for all of your life.
Faith is real, and therefore it is reliable. Faith is substance,
(13:27):
but something else. Faith is reasonable because back in Hebrews,
chapter eleven and verse one, it says this faith is
the convictions are the evidence of things not seen. Tewod
Corinthians five seventeen says we do not walk by sight
(13:52):
but by faith. Faith operates in the real world, for sure,
but it operates beyond this world and in the world
that is without and the world that is to come.
It is an unseen world. Did you know that all
(14:13):
around us there is an unseen, invisible, but very real world.
It is the world that is seen, that is accessed
only by faith, not visible to the human eye or
experienced by our five senses. But there is a sixth
(14:39):
sense that God has given every person who believes and
trust in him. It is the faith sense. It is
understanding that beyond this world there's something else, There's something more,
and that's something more is all around us. Angels are
all around us right now, as well as demons operating.
God's presence is real, and Heaven is closer than you
(15:02):
think there is a thin veil that separates us in
this life from the life that is to come. It
is tissue paper thin. This world is real, and therefore
it is reasonable in the sense that there is evidence.
You say, well, you know, what is this faith that
you're talking about. It is that you just sort of
closing your eyes and imagining things that down deep in
(15:22):
your heart you really don't think exists. Is that faith?
Is that what we're talking about? Of course not, because
faith is not imagination. Faith is not fiction. Faith is
not fantasy. But faith is the reality that God exists
(15:46):
and that we believe in him. We are compelled to
follow Jesus and trust that his word is true. And
so if you are not a believe in Jesus Christ,
no matter what church you may have grown up in,
no matter what someone told you, no matter what you
(16:07):
may say to yourself, if you have not believed on
the Lord Jesus Christ, you have never been saved. You
have never entered into a personal relationship with Christ. And
know this saving faith is for more than just getting started.
Oh it's vital that you get started, But everything in
our lives is to be lived as believers in faith.
(16:32):
Faith is not a once and for all experience. It's
a problem for some people they kind of put there.
They get their faith when they're saved, put it in
their hip pocket and wait till the last bust to heaven.
But that's not how faith is to be exercised. Faith
is like a muscle. If you don't use it, you
lose it. Not your salvation, but again, you can throw
(16:55):
away your confidence as a Christian. There is a moment's
decision when you trust in Christ for salvation. But the
faith that saves us is the faith that sustains us
and strengthens us throughout our lives. So we are saved
by faith. We are kept by faith. We walk by faith,
(17:16):
we worship by faith, we work by faith. We do
good works by faith. We persevere in faith. We praise
God in faith even when we don't feel like it.
We get married in faith. That often takes a lot
of faith. We have children and raise our children by faith.
That really takes a lot of faith. We're to love
by faith. All we do is by faith. The way
(17:42):
we think, the way we see the world, is our worldview.
We have a faith worldview, and the writer of Hebrews
points us to the ultimate, He takes us all the
way back to Genesis one one when he talks about
that God has created this world. He says, in verse three,
by faith, we understand that the universe was created by
(18:04):
the word of God. That is, God spoke, and what
is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
In other words, God takes us all the way back
to the beginning, before the beginning, when He spoke and
everything came into existence. He says, you start there. You
want to understand your Bible, You'll never understand it until
(18:26):
you look at verse one of chapter one, the very
first book of the Bible, Genesis, when we're told in
the beginning God spoke, God created the heavens and the earth.
And if you don't have faith, you say, I don't
understand a lot there is about faith. Well, then start there.
You say, well, I don't know, I don't know if
God created the heavens of the earth, maybe it just
(18:47):
came into being. Oh really, so you're one of the
persons who believes that nothing times nothing equals everything. He saying, well, no,
I'm not really that. I'm just agnostic about all of that.
You know, the word agnostic means ignoramus Latin, don't you
It means I don't know, it does, That's what it means.
So you know, I just don't know. Well, can you
(19:08):
agree that creation displays the grandeur and the glory of
a create start there, that all of this didn't just happen.
The Bible says, the fool is said in his heart
there is no God. And actually, if you take that
(19:32):
verse apart, the fool is said in his heart there
is no God. It literally it says the fool has
said no God. Because the vast majority of people who
say they have a mental issue, an intellectual issue with
following and believing in God, they don't have a mental problem.
(19:53):
They've got a heart problem. The Bible talks about an
evil heart of unbelief, and so you know, these ideas
of unbelief, and this disbelief comes from a heart that
is far from God. There's plenty of truth to believe.
There's more than enough truth and evidence and assurance in
(20:15):
the Bible, even in the natural realm, that if you look,
then you will see the reality and the reasonableness of faith.
No one is asking you to leave your brain at
home when you come to church. Quite the contrary, the
(20:41):
more you think deeply about God who he is, the
more you contemplate the possibility the reality of God, the
bigger your brain will get. There's plenty to believe. Now,
I'm not saying that it is easy to believe for everyone. Frankly,
(21:04):
you know, as a boy, as a child, it was
easy for me to believe growing up in a Christian
home and family, and I personally believed and received and
through the years that faith has grown. But I understand
that while there are a lot of people that it
is relatively easy for them to believe, there are some
that it is hard for you to believe. It's the
(21:24):
way you are, as your personality is the way you think.
I don't know, but there's some of you who who
have sincere questions, and your sincere questions deserve sincere answers
and thoughtful responses. That's why the scripture says here that
(21:45):
if you will start with the reality that God exists,
that God is the rewarder of those who seek Him,
who diligently seek Him, and I can promise you according
to God's way. If you have sincere questions, if you
have doubts or even unbelieved, if you will start there
(22:05):
and say God. You could even say God, if you exist,
if you're real, reveal yourself to me. And if you
will seek God and ask the right questions, he will
compel you to follow him. And I go back to
(22:29):
what I said at the beginning of this message, is
I've trusted him. I've found it to be trustworthy. I've
never been disappointed in him. Have there been hard times? Yes,
of course, That's what this whole thing is about. Persevering
through dark times, deadly times, difficult times, doubting times, to
(22:50):
keep going. And we find that even when we fail,
when we fall, he'll carry us home. If you will
step out with him, as you seek him and follow him,
he will bless you and ultimately reward you for your faith.
Are you ready to be a person of faith? Do
(23:16):
you need a genuine faith, a faith in Jesus Christ
that will strengthen you and sustain you and take you
all the way to heaven.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message
what is Faith and the devotional to Jesus code Os
Hawkins invites you to ask fifty two thought provoking questions
found in the Bible that will help you experience Jesus
in deeper, more authentic ways than ever before. As you
dive into these questions, you'll discover that everything we need
(23:48):
can be found in a deepening relationship with Jesus Christ.
We want to help you uncover bold truths in the
search for answers to life's biggest questions by sending you
the Jesus Code as our thanks. Thanks for your gift
of ten dollars or more to help proclaim God's unchanging
word through PowerPoint. So call now to request your copy
of the Jesus Code. Call one eight hundred seven ninety
(24:11):
five four six two seven. That's one eight hundred seven
ninety five four six two seven. You can also text
the word code to five nine seven eight nine, And
don't forget to visit Jack Graham dot org where you
can shop our EA store, give a gift online, or
sign up for doctor Graham's free daily email devotional. Our
(24:33):
website again is Jack Graham dot org. And also be
sure to sign up for doctor Graham's podcast Bible in
a Year pastor what is your PowerPoint for Today?
Speaker 3 (24:46):
You know is true? Human nature really hasn't changed much
since Jesus walked on the Earth two thousand years ago.
Back then, people wanted to sign a miracle from Jesus.
They wanted something tangible, something they could see, in order
to believe in him, And today people are the same.
So many men and women say they would believe in
Christ if only he would show himself in some way,
(25:09):
either physically or some miracle in their lives. But listen
to what Jesus had to say about that. Unless you
see signs and wonders, you will not believe. He was saying,
don't wait for a sign to believe in Trust in me,
don't wait on some miracle. Don't demand that I perform
for you in order for you to believe in me.
(25:31):
The fact is Jesus has already done everything that needs
to be done for you to come to him. He
came to earth, he lived a perfect life, He died
on the cross, he rose again. That is the greatest
miracle of all. You may be struggling to trust Christ
with your life today. While I don't know what you
may be facing, I want to challenge you to trust
(25:52):
Him even though you can't see him, even though there
seems to be no miracle on the way. Jesus had
no confidence and the kind of faith that de mand's
sight because faith that the man's sight is limited. Faith
it's just doubt looking for evidence. I know it's hard
to come to grips with this, but often we can't
(26:12):
figure God out. There will be times when you are
in the dark and you can't see. There will be
times when you just keep clinging and singing and bringing
your heart to Him by faith. You may be in
that kind of situation today. So, friend, even though it
is difficult, trust me. Jesus wants you to get to
the place in your life where you can look to
(26:34):
Him by faith. And it's not about the miracle. It's
all about trusting Him even when you don't know what
to do next. So if you find yourself in a
place today where you need a work of God in
your life, look to Jesus. As the Bible says, let
us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
(26:55):
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith.
It is my prayer that this encourages you to trust
Jesus today, no matter what you face. Say Lord, I
don't know what to do, but my eyes are on you,
and when you look to him, you will find him faith, and.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
That is today's power Point. Remember when you give a
gift of ten dollars or more to PowerPoint, we'll send
you OS Hawkins devotional that Jesus code as our thanks
call one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
That's one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
You can also text the word code to five nine
(27:37):
seven eight nine and join us again next time as
doctor Graham brings a message about how your faith cannot
only survive, but thrive as you live for Jesus. That's
next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack
Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministry.
Speaker 3 (27:54):
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