Anchored in Faith: Navigating Life's Challenges
Summary
Faith is the anchor that holds us steady in the turbulent waters of life. Just as a boat needs an anchor to navigate the rapids of the Niagara River, we need faith to navigate the challenges and uncertainties of our lives. Faith in God through Jesus Christ gives our lives meaning and purpose, providing hope and direction. Without it, we would be adrift, much like those who live without understanding their existence. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that without faith, it is impossible to please God. This faith is not blind; it is based on the evidence of things not seen and the assurance of things hoped for. It is a paradoxical journey where we trust in the unseen and believe in the impossible.
Living by faith involves embracing the paradoxes of the Christian life, as described by A.W. Tozer. It means loving someone we have never seen, trusting in the virtue of another, and finding strength in weakness. Faith is indispensable because it is the foundation of our relationship with God. It is not enough to be a good person; we must be people of faith to please God. This faith requires us to believe in God's existence and His rewards for those who earnestly seek Him.
Faith is not a leap into the unknown but a step based on evidence and trust in God's promises. It is most active when answers are few, as Elizabeth Elliot noted. True faith believes not only that God can but that He will fulfill His promises. The story of Adoniram Judson exemplifies this faith. Despite years without converts, he believed in God's plan and prepared for the future, trusting that God would reward his diligence.
To grow in faith, we must become apprentices of Jesus, learning and living His teachings. Faith should impact our daily lives, influencing our decisions and priorities. It is not enough to profess faith; we must live it out, especially in challenging times. Our faith should be evident in how we use our time and resources, reflecting our commitment to God.
Faith, like a koi fish, grows according to its environment. If we challenge ourselves and seek spiritual growth, our faith will expand. It is essential to exercise our faith, trusting God for greater things and allowing it to anchor us in life's storms. Let us pray for the courage to live fully for God, stretching our faith and glorifying Him in all we do.
Key Takeaways
- Faith is the anchor that provides meaning and purpose in life, guiding us through challenges and uncertainties. Without it, we are adrift, lacking direction and hope. Faith in God through Jesus Christ is essential for a life of purpose. [01:51]
- Living by faith involves embracing the paradoxes of the Christian life, such as finding strength in weakness and trusting in the unseen. This faith is indispensable for pleasing God, as it is the foundation of our relationship with Him. [03:48]
- True faith is not a blind leap but a step based on evidence and trust in God's promises. It is most active when answers are few, and it believes that God will fulfill His promises, as demonstrated by Adoniram Judson's story. [09:26]
- To grow in faith, we must become apprentices of Jesus, learning and living His teachings. Faith should impact our daily lives, influencing our decisions and priorities, and be evident in how we use our time and resources. [13:25]
- Faith grows according to its environment, like a koi fish. By challenging ourselves and seeking spiritual growth, our faith will expand, anchoring us in life's storms. Let us pray for the courage to live fully for God, stretching our faith and glorifying Him. [20:23]
Youtube Chapters
[00:00] - Welcome
[01:00] - The Anchor of Faith
[01:51] - The Necessity of Faith
[03:09] - Definition of Faith
[03:48] - Paradoxes of Faith
[05:01] - Pleasing God Through Faith
[07:02] - Belief in God's Existence
[08:21] - A Step of Faith
[09:26] - Faith in Action
[10:53] - Story of Adoniram Judson
[13:25] - Becoming Apprentices of Jesus
[16:13] - Faith in Challenging Times
[17:51] - Faith's Impact on Life
[20:23] - Growing Faith
[22:47] - Exercising Faith
[23:41] - Closing Prayer
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
- Hebrews 11:6: "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."
#### Observation Questions
1. What does Hebrews 11:6 say about the necessity of faith in pleasing God? [01:51]
2. How does the sermon describe faith as an anchor in our lives? [01:00]
3. What paradoxes of the Christian life are highlighted in the sermon, and how do they relate to faith? [03:48]
4. How did Adoniram Judson's story illustrate the concept of faith in action? [10:53]
#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why is faith described as indispensable for pleasing God, according to the sermon and Hebrews 11:6? [05:01]
2. How does the sermon explain the relationship between faith and evidence, particularly in the context of trusting God's promises? [08:21]
3. In what ways does the sermon suggest that faith should impact our daily lives and decisions? [17:51]
4. How does the analogy of the koi fish relate to the growth of faith in a believer's life? [20:23]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when your faith acted as an anchor during a challenging period. How did it provide direction and hope? [01:00]
2. The sermon mentions the paradoxes of faith, such as finding strength in weakness. Can you identify a paradox in your own faith journey, and how has it shaped your relationship with God? [03:48]
3. Consider the story of Adoniram Judson. How can you prepare for future spiritual growth, even when immediate results are not visible? [10:53]
4. How can you become an apprentice of Jesus in your daily life? What specific steps can you take to learn and live His teachings more fully? [13:25]
5. The sermon compares faith to a koi fish that grows according to its environment. What changes can you make in your environment to encourage the growth of your faith? [20:23]
6. How does your faith influence the way you use your time and resources? Identify one area where you can make a change to better reflect your commitment to God. [17:51]
7. What is one specific way you can exercise your faith this week to trust God for greater things? [22:47]
Devotional
Day 1: Faith as Our Guiding Anchor
Faith is the anchor that provides meaning and purpose in life, guiding us through challenges and uncertainties. Without it, we are adrift, lacking direction and hope. Faith in God through Jesus Christ is essential for a life of purpose. Faith acts as a stabilizing force, much like an anchor for a ship in turbulent waters. It provides a sense of direction and hope, ensuring that we are not lost amidst life's challenges. This faith is not just a belief in something unseen but a trust in God's promises and His plan for our lives. It is through faith that we find meaning and purpose, allowing us to navigate the uncertainties of life with confidence and assurance. [01:51]
Hebrews 6:19-20 (ESV): "We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel adrift or uncertain? How can you anchor yourself in faith to find direction and hope today?
Day 2: Embracing the Paradoxes of Faith
Living by faith involves embracing the paradoxes of the Christian life, such as finding strength in weakness and trusting in the unseen. This faith is indispensable for pleasing God, as it is the foundation of our relationship with Him. Faith often requires us to accept and live out paradoxes that challenge our understanding. It means loving someone we have never seen, trusting in the virtue of another, and finding strength in weakness. These paradoxes are not contradictions but rather deeper truths that reveal the nature of our relationship with God. By embracing these paradoxes, we align ourselves with God's will and demonstrate a faith that pleases Him. [03:48]
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV): "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Reflection: In what ways can you embrace the paradoxes of faith in your life today, such as finding strength in your weaknesses or trusting in what you cannot see?
Day 3: Faith as a Step Based on Evidence
True faith is not a blind leap but a step based on evidence and trust in God's promises. It is most active when answers are few, and it believes that God will fulfill His promises, as demonstrated by Adoniram Judson's story. Faith is not about ignoring reality or evidence; rather, it is about trusting in God's promises even when the path is unclear. It is during times of uncertainty that faith becomes most active, as it requires us to rely on God's faithfulness and His plan for our lives. The story of Adoniram Judson exemplifies this, as he continued to trust in God's plan despite years without visible results. [09:26]
Hebrews 11:1-2 (ESV): "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation."
Reflection: Think of a situation where you are waiting for answers. How can you take a step of faith today, trusting in God's promises and His timing?
Day 4: Becoming Apprentices of Jesus
To grow in faith, we must become apprentices of Jesus, learning and living His teachings. Faith should impact our daily lives, influencing our decisions and priorities, and be evident in how we use our time and resources. Growing in faith requires intentionality and commitment to learning from Jesus. As His apprentices, we are called to live out His teachings in our daily lives, allowing our faith to shape our decisions and priorities. This means that our faith should be evident in how we use our time and resources, reflecting our commitment to God and His kingdom. [13:25]
Colossians 3:16-17 (ESV): "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Reflection: How can you intentionally live as an apprentice of Jesus today, allowing His teachings to influence your decisions and priorities?
Day 5: Faith Grows in Its Environment
Faith grows according to its environment, like a koi fish. By challenging ourselves and seeking spiritual growth, our faith will expand, anchoring us in life's storms. Faith is dynamic and can grow or shrink depending on the environment we create for it. Like a koi fish that grows according to the size of its pond, our faith expands when we challenge ourselves and seek spiritual growth. By intentionally creating an environment that nurtures faith, we allow it to anchor us more firmly in life's storms, providing stability and strength. [20:23]
2 Peter 1:5-8 (ESV): "For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Reflection: What steps can you take to create an environment that nurtures and challenges your faith to grow today?
Quotes
The life of faith is consequently a life of paradox. To be certain of something you don't see is rather paradoxical. The very popular pastor and writer A.W. Tozer, a century ago, eloquently described the unusual characteristics of a Christian who lives by faith. He said, a real Christian feels supreme love for one he has never seen. [00:03:37]
He talks familiarly every day to someone he cannot see, expects to go to heaven on the virtue of another, empties himself in order to be full, admits he is wrong so that he can be declared right, goes down in order to get up, is strongest when he is weakest, richest when he is poorest, and happiest when he feels worst. [00:04:08]
A pretty good, succinct description, I would say, of the paradoxical nature, of the Christian faith, of living by faith. Someone said, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. said once when the person of faith goes to church to pray for rain he takes his umbrella with him. That's the assurance, the confidence that God rewards those who diligently seek Him. [00:04:49]
You can be a model citizen but if you're not a person of faith you can't please God. You can behave yourself as well as any Christian might but if you're not a person of faith you can't please God because without faith it is impossible to please God. Why is that? Well obviously you can't come to God unless you believe that God exists as this verse tells us. [00:06:06]
At the end of the day, when all is said and done, when reason and investigation have taken us as far as they can take us, a step of faith is still necessary. Now, I said a step, not a leap. A lot of people in our world think that faith is a complete abandonment of all knowledge and science and blindly trusting and taking a leap of faith in something that they don't know is even there. [00:08:21]
There is evidence, there is knowledge on which we found our faith. But at the end of the day, a step. A step of faith is still necessary to please God, to live for Him. In fact, faith is at its best when answers are at their fewest. The missionary Elizabeth Elliot said, True faith goes into operation when there are no answers. That's when your faith steps up. [00:08:37]
Judson served in Burma, now Myanmar, as a foreign missionary. Tried to go elsewhere, but was prevented, wound up in Burma. For the first seven years of his missionary ministry, he did not see a single convert to Christ, not one. But his heart's desire was to translate the Bible into Burmese so that those people could find God in His Word. [00:10:53]
During one period, his work was viewed as hostile to the government, so Judson became a political prisoner. His small prison cell had a little window just above the ground. His wife would visit every day, bring food to him, and hand it through that small window. One day, she told him they had received a letter from their supporters back home, asking them what they needed, what they could use, what they could send. [00:11:24]
We diligently seek God by becoming disciples. The word disciple just means learner. becoming a disciple a learner about jesus a better word i think is apprentice of jesus a learner may learn some things but not necessarily do anything about it an apprentice is learning those things in order to be able to do those things we are apprentices of jesus so that we can model our lives after jesus life so that we can learn to do the things that jesus did and that jesus taught [00:13:25]
If you truly believe that God exists and that He rewards those who seek Him, it will change the way you live. It will impact the decisions you make. It can't help but make a difference because it radically changes you. Elton Trueblood said, Our faith becomes practical when it is expressed in two books, the date book and the checkbook. [00:18:06]
If you believe that He is, and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him, who live for Him, who endeavor to be like the Lord Jesus Christ, then those things will be impacted by that faith. and here's one more thing before i'm finished if you want to grow your faith to be a faith that pleases god then you need to exercise it and give it room to grow you need to put it to use [00:20:00]
If we stretch our faith, exercise our faith, seek to know God in all of His fullness, then we will not only end up with a larger view of God, but also a steadily growing faith. Faith is essential. It takes faith to please God. So how is your faith? Do you have one? Do you know how to use it? [00:22:54]
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