Faith By Rev.

Faith
By Rev. Harold Mauldin

Faith Abides In The Heart

Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to thisend, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Luke 18:2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

Luke 18:3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

Luke 18:4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard men:

Luke 18:5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

Luke 18:6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.

Luke 18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

Luke 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Faith abides in the heart! It is what is in the heart of a man that determines what he is! Jesus is the righteous judge. He is a fair ruler. He wants the best for His people. Think about the awesomeness of the grace of God. The Bible says he giveth grace. It is a free gift. He really does love his people. He watches out for his people with a steadfast love. It is the desire of the Master to give us good things. Blessed by the name of the Lord.

The most important thing in the life of the believer is a relationship. A relationship is exactly what God wants from his people. One of the most important aspects of a relationship has to do with faithfulness. Faithful people are dependable people. God wants his people to be able to be available for him to use for his purpose. We are the body of christ. We are his hand. We are his feet. We are his mouthpiece. God wants faithful people!

Jesus asked an intriguing question in Luke 18:18 when he asked, "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" Faith abides in the heart. Just think, a judge that is wicked will avenge someone just because she bugs him too much. How much more will our Savior come to our rescue when we need him? For those of you going through trouble, you think that you are at the end of the rope. I want to tell you that faith holds on when nothing else is there. I heard T.F. Tenney say one time that faith is holding on to nothing till it becomes something. You gotta believe it will come to pass before it ever does. If you want to be healed, then see yourself well. If you want a blessing, then bless the Lord. If you want to move on anything in your life, see it as being done. God is here to transform us into his likeness and his image.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Every man is given a measure of faith. A measure here means a certain amount. Faith is imputed to every man when he is born of man. It is that imputation that gives man the ability to be born again. That which is born of flesh is flesh, that which is born of Spirit is spirit. We must be born again. When we are born again, we are made alive. The Bible says we are quickened so that we can believe. When we hear about the power of God and what it can do in our lives, we become convicted and want to give our lives to God. That is the measure of faith. When we act on that we become alive in him. We are awakened from our dead state of sin. Now we are alive in the Spirit. That is why people that are born again need to be baptized quickly. When you become born again the old man dies out. Once we bury the dead sin-man, then we can walk in the Spirit when the Holy Ghost comes in. The measure of faith grows as we become faithful to him and rely upon him to help us in every situation. The first thing a child of God should be is faithful.

I Co 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

I Co 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Heb 11:2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

It is very difficult to deal and work with people who are unfaithful. People who are unfaithful at work get fired. People who show up for school whenever they want are suspnded. Why do we place work and school over church? Why do the things of God take a backseat to the other things we do? I believe it has a lot to do with the heart. People will generally do what is in their heart. A man's heart is where his treasure is. The Bible says to stoer up treasure in heaven. Faith abides in the heart.

Jam 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

Jam 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

Jam 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

It is easy to believe in God. It is easy to proclaim that you love God and that he is #1 in your life. But faith without works is dead. Faith is not just showing up consistently for something. Faith is what you believe. Our faith is in God. But faith without works is dead. What you believe is what you do. Our doctrine is very important. But we must be faithful to the call that is upon our lives in spite of the adversities we must face.

Luk 17:1 Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!

Luk 17:2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

Luk 17:3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.

Luk 17:4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

Luk 17:5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

Luk 17:6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

Luk 17:7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, God and sit down to meat?

Luk 17:8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?

Luk 17:9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.

Luk 17:10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

In life, offenses will come. That is why they call it life. Our youth are a vital part of the church body here at Grace. We want them involved and used in all aspects of worship. We never want to hurt or offend our youth. We need to have a forgiving heart.

The disciples wanted Jesus to increase their faith. They wanted to believe even more. But Jesus had an answer for them. He told them that the only amount of faith they needed was the size of a grain of mustard seed. Anything can happen with just a little faith.

Jesus wanted them to know the value of being a faithful servant of God. He said a servant never stops serving. He never stops putting the Master first. He loves the Master and seeks to make him happy. Miracles will happen when we learn to be faithful to God and put him first. This church will continue to grow as people remain faithful to the cause of Christ, show up for service and do his good pleasure. Faith abides in the heart.

As I arrived at work yesterday, the Lord spoke to me and said, "Tell my people to stop being afraid of themselves. Tell them that I have redeemed them, I have called them by name and they are mine."

It is time to do the work God has for us to do. The theme this year for the youth will simply be faith. FAITH ABIDES IN THE HEART. Let us all be found faithful to the call that is upon our lives.