Basic Faith

Pastor’s Pen…

How well do you understand the operation of faith? It's an important question, since faith is at the heart of what we sometimes referred to as the “Christian religion.” 

As a matter of fact, the exercise of faith plays a part in much of our lives. For example, when you came into the worship center today you sat on a pew. You didn't check within engineering firm, or have it tested. You simply exercised faith that these well engineered pews would hold you up.  Eating a meal, drinking water, riding in a car someone else is driving, receiving a check-- these all involve an element of faith. 

Hebrews 11 is often referred to as the faith chapter. In it the author catalogs a number of Old Testament examples of faith, beginning with creation and including individuals such as Noah,  Abraham, Moses, Gideon, David and numerous others. Each example shows us how living in dependence on God is the only way to live.

I describe the first 12 verses of this chapter as “Basic Faith,” as we see what faith is, how it benefits us, and what it ultimately accomplishes. 

Let me again thank all who help sanitize our facilities for services each Saturday morning in preparation for Sunday worship. Also, to those who make it possible for us to ‘live-stream’  on Facebook at 10:45 each Sunday morning, and to post each message on our website (www.fccwylie.org) each Sunday afternoon. We continue to hold our Sunday services with all safety protocols and pre-service sanitizing in place. No Sunday school yet, and the nursery is not available.  We will continue following the protocols as outlined by GA-18 guidance.  Face masks, social distancing, no physical contact. We use bulletins printed untouched by human hands, with songs, etc. printed therein, and pre-packaged communion elements. Offering plates are located at the rear, or giving can be done online at www.fccwylie.org.

 

If you still feel uncomfortable attending, you can join our live-stream on Facebook (at 10:45 am) which includes communion and the worship hymns, or the website, where the message is posted each Sunday afternoon.  We are blessed to have the technology available that allow us to still worship, and those in our church family who have the expertise to post the service online.

 

 

Now let’s examine the first 12 verses of Hebrews 11…Basic Faith. O

 

I.               What faith is: Basic elements (v. 1)

·      Definition: trust, reliance 

·      Ingredients: Substance, evidence and Things hoped for, not seen

 

·      Examples: 

o   Faith gives a firm confidence concerning that which is yet future

o   Faith proves the realities of things invisible to human eyes

 

II.              How faith benefits us: (v.2, 3)

·      It honors God (see v. 6)

·      It enables us to understand things that are beyond our human capacity  

o   The origin of the universe

o   The sovereignty of God

 

III.            What faith accomplishes: Basic purposes (vs. 4-12)

·      It connects us to personal salvation  (4)

·      It activates personal convictions  (5,6)

·      It leads to future rewards (7)

·      It gives us a true perspective (8-10)

·      It enables us to stretch beyond our limitations (11, 12) 

Applications: (How are you connecting with the accomplishments?)

Prayer items: Donna Hancock, dealing with COVID 19. She has several other health complications

Barbara’s step-daughter Angie and three children in the loss of her husband.

Feel free to contact me with urgent prayer requests, and I will endeavor to include them in my weekly ‘Pastor’s Pen’ texts.

                                                             *******

RADIO THIS EVENING: How can you help your children and grandchildren cultivate their God-given talents and fulfill their dreams? This weekend on Encouragement Live, Shelia Erwin, mother of two award-winning Christian filmmakers, joins host Don Hawkins to share practical encouragement and help. 

Encouragement Live can be heard at 7:05 PM central time on American Family Radio (www.afr.net) and on theworshipchannel.org.

May our Savior’s grace and peace continue to encourage you as you trust in Him during these challenging times.

Don Hawkins, D. Min.                                                                                                                          Interim Pastor

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Instruction of Grace

Image
Pastor’s Pen… Special thanks to all who help sanitize our worship facilities for services each Saturday morning. Also, to those who make it possible for us to ‘live-stream’  on Facebook at 10:45 each Sunday morning, and to post each message on our website ( www.fccwylie.org ) each Sunday afternoon. Last Sunday evening I received a kind note from a pastor’s wife in Lahore, Pakistan, telling me they had listened to our Facebook service. Our church has been able during these trying days to have a worldwide impact!   We continue to hold our Sunday services with all safety protocols and pre-service sanitizing in place. No Sunday school yet, and the nursery is not available.  We will continue following the protocols as outlined by GA-18 guidance.  Face masks, social distancing, no physical contact. We use bulletins printed untouched by human hands, with songs, etc. printed therein, and pre-packaged communion elements. Offering plates are located at the rear, or giving can be done online at 
Read more

How To Win Over Temptation

Image
Pastor’s Pen… The famous playwright Oscar Wilde once said, “I can resist anything…except temptation!”   The temptation has been a problem for the human race ever since Adam and Eve began a careful examination of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. In Numbers 20 Moses was tempted to exercise his anger at the Israelites by striking the rock a second time, when God had told him explicitly to speak to the rock. In 2 Samuel 11 David yielded to temptation when he observed Bathsheba bathing on a nearby rooftop. In Matthew 4, Jesus resisted three temptations launched by Satan, to turn stones into bread to satisfy hunger after a 40 day fast, to foolishly leap off the Temple in order to create a spectacular rescue, and to bow before Satan in exchange for being granted rule over the kingdoms of the world-- which was ultimately His right as God’s Son.   In Matthew 4:3 Satan is identified as the tempter. The problem is, when we hear his name, what often comes to mind is a Halloween costume,
Read more

Christian Character

Image
Pastor’s Pen , This Sunday: Christian Character                                                                                           1 Peter 1:13-25   Did you make any New Year's resolutions? Are you doing with them?  Many people make resolutions at the beginning of the New Year, to exercise, quit smoking, lose weight, and eat more healthy foods. The problem is, those resolutions often fade out of existence by the end of January. But there are changes that God wants to bring into our lives. He does so through the power of his Holy Spirit who lives within each believer, and he wants to bring about lasting change. We call this Christian character, and it's not so much what you do as who you are, and who you are becoming in Christ. As Peter wrote to schedule Christians living in the northern part of Asia Minor, he shared some important truths about Christian character that can help us in our lives today.  He began by talking about the focus : saved people (vs. 1-3)
Read more