1. Last Sunday our lesson was based on the statement in Lamentations 3:23 where Jeremiah described God's faithfulness as "great." 2. According to Hebrews 10:23, God's faithfulness should lead us to "hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering." 3. Since this is the case, today we are basing our lesson on the Lord's statement in Mark 11:22 -- "Have faith in God." 4. The first point we need to make is that . . . Discussion: I. FAITH IN GOD IS ESSENTIAL TO PLEASING HIM
A. This is clearly revealed in Hebrews 11:6. B. In Hebrews 11 we read about a number of men and women who pleased God as they demonstrated their faith in various ways. C. This leads us to our next point. II. FAITH IN GOD IS DEMONSTRATED
A. This is clearly revealed in James 2:18-20. B. To illustrate this point, Jesus "saw" the faith of the men who brought their friend to Him to be healed of palsy (Mark 2:1-5). C. During His ministry Jesus commended those who demonstrated their faith. 1. He commended the centurion for having "great faith" (Matthew 8:5-10). 2. He also commended the woman of Canaan (Matthew 15:21-28). D. In Acts we read about many of the Lord's followers who demonstrated their faith. 1. Peter and John demonstrated their faith (Acts 4:18-22). 2. All of the apostles demonstrated their faith (Acts 5:40-42). 3. Stephen demonstrated his faith (Acts 7:54-60). 4. Paul and Silas demonstrated their faith (Acts 16:22-25). E. For our final point we need to show how . . . III. GOD WILL BLESS THOSE WHO HAVE FAITH IN HIM
A. This clearly revealed in Hebrews 11:2 -- by faith "the elders obtained a good report." B. Paul looked forward to receiving "a crown of righteousness" because he had "kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:6-8). Conclusion:
1. Because God's faithfulness is great, let us have faith in Him. 2. Let us demonstrate our faith in God by putting His will into practice. 3. We learn from Galatians 3:26-29 how to become God's children.
