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#1301 1025 09A

           A continuing, trusting, and believing faith on the atoning sacrifice of Christ is crucial to salvation.  The apostle clearly warned his listeners to Acts 3:19-20 "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before.”

            Believing faith will change our heart, but will also bring opposition and hostility.  Matthew 10:22 "You will be hated by all for My name’s sake.  But he who endures to the end [continues to trust in the shed blood of Christ] will be saved.”  Jesus paid our sin debt, and cleansed our heart of rebellion, so that we could be free to trust Him in faith for everything—health, healing, protection, provisions, justice, and eternal life—all for free but only by faith.

The gift of healing is received by trusting faith in Christ.  Mark 5:34 "Daughter, your faith has healed you.  Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."  Daily needs are provided by God, if we will trust in His faithfulness.  Philippians 4:6 ”Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

            Protection is promised to those who trust God in faith.  Psalm 91:7 ”A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you.”  Salvation is by grace through a believing faith in the atonement of Christ.  Matthew 19:29 “Every one that hath forsaken [anything or anyone] for my name's sake, shall receive a hundred-fold, and shall inherit everlasting life.”  It is our responsibility to maintain a trusting faith on the resurrection power of Christ concerning every faith issue in this life.

            Faith that changes the heart is an active faith that believes God.  The combination of spoken and acting faith makes us righteous in His sight.  James 2:21-23 ”Was not Abraham our father justified by works [what he did] when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?  Do you see that faith was working together with his works [deeds], and by works faith was made perfect?  And the Scripture Genesis 15:6 was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’”

            Admitting rebellion, confessing sins, and correcting mistakes is called spiritual growth.  God wants us to be prepared for eternity, so He is waiting to forgive those who are willing to repent and trust Him in faith.  John 3:16 "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

            When God convicts us of a wrong attitude or an unscriptural decision, we must turn back to Him and trust Him in faith for the inspiration to correct those mistakes.  King Saul did not repent, so the prophet told him 1 Samuel 15:23 ”Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness [arrogance] is as iniquity and idolatry.”  He could have repented as King David, who wrote, Psalm 51:2-3 ”Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.  For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me,” but like Israel, King Saul was not willing Matthew 23:37.

            Continuing to trust God includes recognizing our mistakes, confessing our sins, forsaking those wrong choices, and getting back in God’s will by a deliberate decision to trust in faith on the atonement of Christ.  It is our responsibility to ask for the Holy Spirit who inspires believing faith that will trust God.  Psalm 51:10 ”Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

            If we have defiled our conscience by an unscriptural decision, a wrong choice, or a rebellious attitude, we need the Holy Spirit to inspire faith in us to repent, and to trust the cleansing blood of Jesus to remove that stubborn nature.  Psalm 51:11 ”Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.”

            King Asa was angry at the prophet Hanani for telling him that he did a foolish thing when he no longer trusted God.  After being given that scriptural advice, the king hardened his heart Hebrews 3:7-8, but David was willing to correct his mistake.  God already knows our heart, so we should pray 51:2 “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”

Every rebellious attitude is known by God Hebrews 4:13 ”Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.  Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account,” so we should change our attitudes now, while we still have time.

            The entire theme of the Bible is to trust God in faith, and have nothing between us and Him on which we could depend—because God promises to heal us, protect us, provide our needs, avenge our wrongs, cleanse our heart, and save our soul—if we will trust Him in faith.

The sacrifice of His Son on the cross erases our sin, so that His power is then able to heal our body without drugs, protect us without guns, provide our needs without government money or insurance, and to give salvation by faith in that atonement.  It is possible to fall away from faith and to no longer trust God.  Jesus said if salt “loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again?" Mark 9:50.

            Our time on this earth is to glorify God.  Every thing we possess is on loan from Him.  While we wait for His return, we are to trust Him in faith for whatever is needed, and to make changes when they are revealed, because ”he who does God’s will continues for ever” 1 John 2:17.

            God requires the believer to put a trusting faith in the atonement of His Son.  Faith that changes the heart is a faith that trusts God for all needs.  Banks give a few percent interest but God promises 10,000% interest—if we will in faith give Him our treasure.  Most people are not willing to give their money to God, by giving it to charity, because they do not believe He will bless them.

            Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where [nothing can touch them and God can distribute them].  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 

God called the man a fool who built bigger barns to store larger supplies he could depend on, and said Luke 12:20 "This night your soul will be required of you.”  21 "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich [in faith] toward God."  Trusting God in faith for each day’s needs is a salvation issue.

            Jesus paid our debt and invites us to follow Him in faith.  1 John 5:20 ”The Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ.  This is the true God and eternal life.”  God promises to heal, provide, protect, avenge, and save us—if we will believe Him in trusting faith.  The warning is clear 1 John 5:21 “Keep yourselves from idols,” because idolatry can take many forms today.

            To love God with all our heart, is to trust Him for every part of life.  A believing faith in Him includes asking for divine wisdom by His Spirit; for healing by our faith in Jesus Acts 3:16; for protection under His shed blood Psalm 91; for supplies from our treasure in heaven Philippians 4:19; and for eternal life by grace through enduring faith in Christ John 3:16.

            This life is a test James 1:12 and we must pass the tests by trusting on the shed blood of Jesus to the very end of our life.  Trials reveal idols, and if there are any, we must know it and correct that.  Psalm 26:2-3 “Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.”

            A hypocrite is anyone who looks religious on the outside, but is not believing God on the inside Matthew 23.  Hypocrites seriously opposed Jesus, who said, John 15:21 “All these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.”  He then said Mark 7:6 "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.’” 

It is a serious sin and a deadly mistake to be a spiritual hypocrite who does not trust God.  Jesus said of the wicked servant who sinned and got drunk, that His Father will “cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” Matthew 24:51.

We must persevere through tests, and keep trusting on the atonement of Christ to change our rebellious heart.  The only concern in this life is to be ready for the next.  2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

            Maintaining a believing faith on the atonement of Christ for every life issue is vitally important.  We must understand how a trusting faith is applied each day.  1 John 5:11 “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”  To be in the Son is to trust on the Father.

            God is He ”Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  The Lord executes righteousness And justice for all who are oppressed” Psalm 103:3-6.

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First Century Gospel Church © 2011
PO Box 24283
PHILA PA  19120-5283
contact@fcgchurch.org