In their 50s and 60s people often feel deeply affected by the empty home, church may be repetitive or no longer be relevant, job no longer satisfies or they have been unwillingly retired; when the rails are no longer there people can easily feel that they don't know who they are any more, who they are meant to be, what they are supposed to do, to go.. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2.13 NLT God is still at work. Giving you His desires. And the all important power to do it for if not result is deep frustration. Living by Faith Outline Notes What comes into your mind when you hear that someone lives by faith? What it is not: Full time Christian work. Someone who heard the call to follow me and left all to follow Jesus. Someone with vague income sources, a kind of financial lifestyle. Some mystical holier person than I who lives on nothing while the rest of us live some kind of second class life following Jesus? I don t think so. My last salary was 1980 (except for a few months on CC payroll which I found kind but restrictive) so am I living by faith? No, I don t think so. Do I live in the grace of God yes. The foundations of living by faith wherever that life may take you, near or far, inside or outside the church building, are: 1. Deal with everything that stops you, eg. sin, self and Satan. 2. Offer yourself to God (which is a step too far for most people.) 3. Release the living Jesus in you. 4. Live and serve by his faith not by yours. 1. WHAT STOPS YOU LIVING BY FAITH? Basically, arguments from the body, soul and human spirit (the flesh). The usual advice is: They that are Christ's crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts. (Galatians 5:24 KJV) Take hammer and nails, start with your feet, and try to crucify yourself. You can t, it is impossible to do it yourself, hence Romans 7.21-25.
God s answer is the gospel to the believer not the unbeliever: For we know that our old self (the troublemaker) was crucified (past, forever complete tense) with Jesus so that the body (which is the instrument of sin) might be (made ineffective and inactive for evil) that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Romans 6.6 AMP When did this happen? Don't you know (no!) that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? (Not just a party, a testimony, a weird way of joining the Church, a getting wet) We were therefore dead and buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father - we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. What does this mean to me? I can't crucify myself but it has been done for me and the truth is there to be received and welcomed. This is the end of all my self-improvement plans. Catch yourself, yield to what has already been done for you, as many times as it takes, expect resistance but truth will prevail, in a lifelong process. Paul says I die daily. Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness. Romans 6, 1-14: When the troublemaker appears say to your old self, you are dead - now stay in the coffin. If any manifestation of the old nature, like anger, bad language seems ugly just remember where it has just crawled out from! Now let's get started building a life of faith. 2. OFFER YOURSELF TO GOD Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. Offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and do offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.
This is a step too far for most believers who only want to God to bless their lives and prosperity but in the OT God never could resist a sacrifice, He comes down in fire and consumes the sacrifice on the altar. 3. RELEASE THE LIVING JESUS TO DO WHAT ONLY HE CAN DO This is the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To us God has chosen to make known the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of (seeing the) glory (of God). Colossians 1:26-28 Paul says, I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in (and through) me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God. (Remember this last line for later.) Galatians 2.20 (volts) KJV. Paul, For this I labour unto weariness, striving with all the superhuman energy which He so mightily works within me. Colossians 1.29 AMP Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:20 NLT How does this work? The treasure is in our clay jars of flesh; break the outer clay of human pride which insists that "I can", admit that "I cannot" and out will come the One who actually can. Brokenness is God language. Our friend Miguel, from 0 to pastor of 40,000 poor people in 56 nations, all living in community, with food, medicine, clothes and employment provided free was asked on TV to describe himself apostle, prophet, what? He replied I am a donkey for Jesus I come out every morning, put the mantle on my back (the blanket or picture of Holy Spirit) and take Jesus wherever He wants to go, and let him get off and He does what he wants to do. The we carry on down the road. Be a carrier of divinity in your humanity and invite Jesus to say, pray, write, do and be Himself though you. Without me you can do nothing, nothing, not 20%, not 10% - nothing of eternal value. Jesus. 4. EXCAHNGE BELIEVING FOR FAITH When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said, "I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. Centurion, Matthew 8.10. Where
did a Roman soldier with a sword, no connection with OT or Judaism get a great faith from? Not supposed to happen! Some men (vandals) brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven." Matthew 9:2. Where did builders who could take a roof off get a faith that was visible? She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed." Jesus turned, "Take heart, daughter, your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment. After 12 years away from community and synagogue where did this ostracised woman get this kind of faith from? Matthew 9.22. A Canaanite woman (a total heathen) came to him, "Lord, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession. Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples urged him, "Send her away." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." The woman knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said. He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed that very hour. Matthew 15.21. Let the big brothers have the banquet, I will be happy with the crumbs because even a crumb from Jesus table works miracles. But where did this heathen, idol-worshipping woman get great faith from when some of our people who have been in church 30 years, including me, can t even find the faith to move someone s headache? "What do you want me to do for you?" "Lord, I want to see, "Jesus said to the blind man, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight. Luke 18.41. Where did he get it from? If he had faith even the day before why was he waiting and staying blind. In Lystra there sat a crippled man, who was lame from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, "Stand up on your feet!" At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. Acts 1.9. Where did these people get that kind of faith from? There is Saving faith, the gift of God, Eph. 2.8 which then develops as a fruit of the Spirit.
There is Serving faith, Rom. 12.3, 2 Tim.1.6 There is faith to forgive more people and more often, Luke 17.5 There is a faith comes by 'hearing' what God says, Romans 10.17 And then there is something else - the gift of faith, a little of God's own faith, for He is faith-full, 1 Cor. 12.9. This is not faith of man in God that is a big struggle for most people. This is the faith of God imparted to man. Let s see the faith of God in Mark 11.20: Jesus, seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it. The next morning they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Look! The fig tree has withered!" "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. No he didn't! Taking the original language word for word which makes for a very clumsy translation Jesus actually said: Have you faith of God. (Not a question) By this (kind of) faith you (anyone) can say to a mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will go. This is not my usual kind of faith. With this (kind of) faith you will not doubt in your heart but you will believe that what you say will happen, and it will be done for you. Ditto With (this kind of) faith you say thank you and you pray no more, you get on with life and wait patiently for the answer to happen. Ditto. Terms and conditions: Just one: if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins, and that clears the most common blockage to arrival of the gift of faith. - believing is not the issue, believing is in the head not the heart. The heart is the home of warm, living faith, the head is the home of cold, intellectual knowledge and learning, one argument prevailing over another and winning the thinker over but that does not save the man. How many people who know the Bible and believe the promises beg, plead, shout, quote, take authority, rebuke - and the person they are
praying for goes home the same or worse and is told to keep believing when actually it is have you faith of God that is required. God does not automatically meet needs or the world would be different, he meets faith. Often when confronted with a pray for me situation I can see two things: I have no faith for this, the man has no faith for this, so just pushing on with what I believe means empty hands being laid on an empty head. - I have to say to God that my poor faith is not good enough, the unholy trinity of me, myself and I cannot, now give some of your faith for him. - beyond intellectual believing is seeing, hearing and following Jesus, this happens through extended time, solitude, with Jesus as a lifestyle, this is where He imparts His faith for you to carry around with you. - listening and waiting is more important that speaking, Jesus often speaks obliquely to our linear western minds, we need to tune in and follow what he says. The answer to the Greeks in John 12 is a typical example of an oblique but 100% complete answer. - 30 years ago after I heard Psalm 105,1; Deut 15,16; Psalm 37.6 and Genesis 12.2, since then I have hardly prayed about this, only when feeling insecure, yet all have worked out as if on rails. - In 1987 when Pilar was very depressed by our miserable income and her continual sicknesses she heard Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span. (Exodus 23:25, 26 TNIV) and it has been so. The Hebrews 11 chapter of faith ends with the promise of something better for us: and that something better is looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, looking unto the healer not the healing. When I stopped believing with my mind and started asking for His faith in my heart walking turned into driving, renting a home turned into owning a home, Pilar being barren delivered a miracle baby, a tumour in her throat came out into the bathroom washbasin, and a rag-tag group of 24 young people in Nottingham turned into tens of thousands of people around the world learning about Jesus. In summary: 1. Reckon yourself dead to sin, self and Satan, daily. 2. Offer yourself to God. 3. Release Jesus. 4. Live by his faith not yours. Extra reading: The Real Faith, Charles Price; Are You Missing God s Best, Eric Maddison; The Release of the Spirit, Watchman Nee. Les Norman has free pdf copies of all these. www.dci.org.uk