"Behold, I lay in Zion
A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.
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Discipleship Training Course Come… Follow Me!
Lesson 16: Building the Temple of God Part 2: Faith Towards
God: Part 1
Review
1. The Bible, God's written word, is God- breathed, inspired by Him, and is needed for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (See 2 Timothy 3:16,17)
2. By constant use of the Scriptures our minds are renewed, light dawns in the dark place, and we begin to think and see, having the mind of Christ. (See 2 Peter 1:19-21 and 1 Corinthians 2:16)
3. The Father begins to construct His temple using living stones, people with renewed minds through whom He works live works, i.e. works that are productive and have His life in them.
4. To do this each believer seeks to do the will of the Father, turning from the "good works" which are unproductive, (see Isaiah 64:6) to doing those things commissioned by the Father which He empowers.
5. To do this, the believer turns the spiritual force of faith he or she possesses towards what God has said.
In this lesson we will...
1. Define faith;
2. Show how faith develops in the believer;
3. Consider the mental attitudes that facilitate faith's growth;
4. Emphasize that faith develops from a strong relationship with the Father;
5. Know how to respond to the faithfulness of God;
6. See how faith grows when we see Jesus at work.
Our Objective...
is to make a quality decision to turn the spiritual force of faith within us towards the promises and Word of God; to be a people to whom believing is seeing, and not "seeing is believing".
Introduction
Hebrews 6:1-3 "Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgement. And this we will do if God permits."
A. Definition of 'Faith'
Hebrews 11:1-3 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. "
Faith knows you have that which you cannot see.
Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. "
Without faith you cannot please God.
B. The development of faith in the believer.
Romans 10:17 "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
Faith comes by continually hearing God's word,
Numbers 23:19 "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
His Word is utterly dependable.
C. Attitudes of mind facilitating faith.
Matthew 17:20 "So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."
Be a believer.
Romans 1:17 "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed faith."
Live the things you believe.
Romans 14:23 "But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin."
Spurn doubt.
2 Timothy 1:12 "For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day."
Allow yourself to be persuaded by the word of God.
Philippians 2:5-8 "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."
Spurn pride.
Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,"
Receive thankfully all the grace of God.
Deuteronomy 7:9 "Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;"
Love His instruction.
Psalm 9:10 "And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You."
Seek the Lord wholeheartedly.
D. Faith develops through a growing relationship with God.
1 Thessalonians 5:24 "He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it."
He is faithful.
Psalm 89:34 "My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips."
His word is not changeable.
Psalm 119:90 "Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides."
He is eternally the same.
1 Peter 4:19 "Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator."
Put your soul in His hands for He is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23 "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."
Malcolm Vine, Cornerstone Ministries. September 2004.
To contact the Bible School email: bibleschool@cornerstoneministries.org.uk
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