Christ-Centered Faith - Key to Christ likeness

Christ-Centered Faith - Key to Christ likeness

1. DEFINATION OF fAITH
A. Faith: an ability to trust in and draw upon the power God beyond my rationality, my instinctive pessimism, my willingness to settle for less than best.

B. Hebrews 11:1 & 6 – classic Biblical definition
V1 “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” 2This is what the ancients were commended for. ……
V6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”.

2. FAITH IS THE KEY
•Faith to dream and see the invisible
•Faith to attempt the impossible
•Faith to defy the odds that is stack against you
•Faith to braze a trail for others to follow
•Faith keeps us from wandering off track
•Faith keeps us from going cold
•Faith ensures that we won’t exchange a life of adventure and excellence with mediocrity
•Faith causes us to be focused and fearless

3. GOD IS ALWAYS PLEASED WITH DREAMERS AND VISIONARIES
•Look at the list of faith heroes
•Noah..
•Abraham…..
•Joseph…
•Daniel…
•And many more….

4. WE NEED FAITH TO OVERCOME THE “defeatist” Mentality
•Can you believe God for more in your lives?
•Have you settle for the status quo?
•I will and I can change !!!

5. Parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30
•Matthew 25:14-30: - parable of the talents
•Invest our God given talent! – double it, grow it.
•Don’t just hide it out of fear!

6. WE ARE CREATED TO SERVE GOD

Gotta Serve Somebody - LYRICS
(Originally by Bob Dylan – sung by Nicole Nordeman)
You might be an ambassador to England or France
You might like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You might be a socialite with a long string of pearls

You might be a rock-and-roll addict prancing on the stage
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage
You might be a business man or some high degree thief
They may call you doctor, they may call you chief

But you're gonna have to serve somebody -Serve somebody

You might be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk
You might be the head of some big TV network
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame
You may be living in another country underneath another name

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes, indeed
Serve somebodyIt might be the devil or it might be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody

You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride
You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side
You may be working in a barbershop, knowing how to cut hair
You may be somebody's mistress, may be somebody’s heir

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes, indeed
Serve somebodyIt might be the devil or it might be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
You might like to wear cotton, you might like to wear silk
You might like to drink whiskey, you might like to drink milk
You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread
You may like to be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-sized bed
©1979 Special Rider Music (SESAC)

7. Christ centred Faith
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God”
– Jesus is both the source, theobject, the model, and reason that we live.!!! He is also the sustainer and purifyer of our faith.
Don’t just have faith in other things – like faith in your faith, faith in your perseverance, faith in your own ability.

8. Conclusion and Application
•It takes faith to believe in Christ. What are you waiting for ?
•God is always pleased with those people who take him upon the face value of his words.
•Can you believe God for more in your lives? Have you just settle for the status quo?
•“As for me and my house” (Joshua 24:15) - Our challenge àà whom are we gonna serve ?