Deepening Faith: Foundations for a New Year
Summary
As we step into 2025, it's a fitting time to take a spiritual inventory of our lives. Over the next four weeks, we'll explore foundational aspects of the Christian life: faith, failure, finances, and family. These are not exhaustive, but they are essential for those who wish to pursue Jesus wholeheartedly. Today, we begin with faith, a concept often misunderstood in a world that embraces spirituality but not necessarily Christianity. Hebrews 11 provides a biblical definition of faith as the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. This assurance is not wishful thinking but a confident belief in what God alone can provide. Conviction, on the other hand, is a steadfast belief that remains firm regardless of the consequences.
Faith matters because it is the means by which we are justified and the only way we can please God. Without faith, we cannot have a real relationship with God. It is through faith that we are justified, declared righteous before God, not by our own works but by believing in the work of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, faith is essential for walking with God. The Bible tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please Him. This kind of faith is often built in the difficult moments of life, not the easy ones.
To grow our faith, we must live in God's Word, walk in and with Jesus, pursue holiness, and pray in the Holy Spirit. Living in God's Word involves reading, listening to, and memorizing Scripture. Walking in and with Jesus means making Him the foundation of our lives and living according to His teachings. Pursuing holiness requires us to supplement our faith with virtues like knowledge, self-control, and love. Finally, praying in the Holy Spirit involves a deep dependence on God, trusting Him even when His answers differ from our desires.
As we practice our faith today by celebrating the Lord's Supper, let us remember that Jesus has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. He lived a sinless life, died for our sins, and rose again, offering us forgiveness and eternal life. May 2025 be a year where our faith is deepened and strengthened.
Key Takeaways:
1. Biblical Definition of Faith: Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. This assurance is not mere wishful thinking but a confident belief in what God alone can provide. Conviction is a steadfast belief that remains firm regardless of the consequences. [41:08]
2. The Importance of Faith: Faith is crucial because it is the means by which we are justified and the only way we can please God. Without faith, we cannot have a real relationship with God. It is through faith that we are declared righteous, not by our own works but by believing in the work of Jesus Christ. [47:24]
3. Living in God's Word: To grow our faith, we must immerse ourselves in God's Word. This involves reading, listening to, and memorizing Scripture. By doing so, we allow God's truth to transform us and guide our lives. [58:09]
4. Walking in and with Jesus: Walking in Jesus means making Him the foundation of our lives, while walking with Jesus involves living according to His teachings. This affects how we love, serve, and interact with others. [01:00:52]
5. Praying in the Holy Spirit: Praying in the Holy Spirit involves a deep dependence on God, trusting Him even when His answers differ from our desires. These prayers are often raw and unrefined, yet they build our faith in profound ways. [01:07:53]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:30] - Introduction and New Year Greetings
[01:45] - Upcoming Deacon Ordination
[03:15] - Spiritual Assessment for 2025
[05:00] - Series Overview: Faith, Failure, Finances, Family
[07:30] - Importance of Note-Taking
[09:00] - Defining Faith Biblically
[12:00] - Assurance and Conviction in Faith
[15:00] - Why Faith Matters
[18:00] - Justification by Faith
[21:00] - Walking with God through Faith
[24:00] - Growing Your Faith: Practical Steps
[27:00] - Living in God's Word
[30:00] - Walking in and with Jesus
[33:00] - Pursuing Holiness
[36:00] - Praying in the Holy Spirit
[39:00] - Celebrating the Lord's Supper
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
- Hebrews 11:1-6
- Romans 5:1-2
- 2 Peter 1:5-8
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Observation Questions:
1. According to Hebrews 11:1, how does the Bible define faith? What are the two distinct aspects mentioned? [41:08]
2. In the sermon, what reasons are given for why faith is essential for a relationship with God? [51:04]
3. How does the pastor describe the role of faith in the life of Enoch, as mentioned in Hebrews 11? [52:59]
4. What practical steps are suggested in the sermon for growing one's faith? [58:09]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the biblical definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1 challenge common misconceptions about faith in today's world? [41:08]
2. Why might the pastor emphasize that faith is built more in difficult moments than in easy ones? How does this align with the examples given in the sermon? [54:45]
3. In Romans 5:1-2, what does it mean to be justified by faith, and how does this justification affect a believer's relationship with God?
4. How does 2 Peter 1:5-8 suggest that pursuing holiness is connected to growing in faith? What are the potential consequences of neglecting this pursuit?
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your current understanding of faith. How does it align with the biblical definition provided in Hebrews 11:1? What steps can you take to deepen your understanding? [41:08]
2. The pastor mentioned that faith is often built in difficult moments. Can you recall a challenging time in your life where your faith was strengthened? How did you see God at work during that time? [54:45]
3. Romans 5:1-2 speaks of having peace with God through faith. How does this peace manifest in your daily life, especially during times of stress or uncertainty?
4. The sermon suggests living in God's Word as a way to grow faith. What specific changes can you make to your daily routine to incorporate more time in Scripture? [58:09]
5. Consider the idea of walking in and with Jesus. How does this concept influence your decisions and interactions with others? What is one area of your life where you can more intentionally walk with Jesus? [01:00:52]
6. Pursuing holiness is described as essential for fruitful faith. Identify one virtue from 2 Peter 1:5-8 that you want to cultivate more in your life. What practical steps will you take to develop this virtue?
7. The pastor shared a personal story about praying in the Holy Spirit. How can you incorporate more heartfelt, dependent prayer into your spiritual practice? What specific situation in your life needs this kind of prayer right now? [01:07:53]
Devotional
Day 1: Faith as Assurance and Conviction
Faith is not wishful thinking but a confident belief in God's promises. It is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. This kind of faith is deeply rooted in the understanding that God is faithful and His promises are true. Assurance in faith means having a confident expectation that God will fulfill His promises, while conviction is a steadfast belief that remains firm regardless of the circumstances or consequences. This faith is not passive but active, requiring us to trust in God's character and His Word. [41:08]
Hebrews 10:35-36 (ESV): "Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised."
Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to replace wishful thinking with a confident belief in God's promises? How can you actively demonstrate this faith today?
Day 2: The Necessity of Faith for Justification
Faith is essential because it is the means by which we are justified before God. It is not through our own works or efforts that we are declared righteous, but through believing in the work of Jesus Christ. This belief is not merely intellectual assent but a deep trust in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. Without faith, it is impossible to please God or have a real relationship with Him. Faith is the foundation of our relationship with God, and it is through faith that we are able to walk with Him and experience His presence in our lives. [47:24]
Galatians 2:16 (ESV): "Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified."
Reflection: Reflect on your understanding of justification by faith. How does this truth impact your relationship with God and your daily life?
Day 3: Immersing in God's Word
To grow in faith, it is crucial to immerse ourselves in God's Word. This involves reading, listening to, and memorizing Scripture, allowing God's truth to transform us and guide our lives. The Bible is not just a book of rules or stories but the living Word of God that speaks to us and shapes our faith. By spending time in Scripture, we allow God's truth to penetrate our hearts and minds, leading us to a deeper understanding of who He is and what He desires for our lives. [58:09]
Colossians 3:16 (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."
Reflection: How can you create a daily habit of immersing yourself in God's Word? What specific steps will you take to ensure that Scripture is a central part of your life?
Day 4: Walking in and with Jesus
Walking in and with Jesus means making Him the foundation of our lives and living according to His teachings. It involves a daily commitment to follow Him, allowing His love and truth to guide our actions and interactions with others. This walk is not just about following rules but about cultivating a relationship with Jesus, where we learn to love, serve, and live as He did. By walking with Jesus, we align our lives with His purposes and experience the fullness of life that He offers. [01:00:52]
1 John 2:6 (ESV): "Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."
Reflection: What does it mean for you to walk in and with Jesus today? How can you make Him the foundation of your daily decisions and interactions?
Day 5: Praying in the Holy Spirit
Praying in the Holy Spirit involves a deep dependence on God, trusting Him even when His answers differ from our desires. These prayers are often raw and unrefined, yet they build our faith in profound ways. Praying in the Spirit means being open to God's leading and allowing Him to shape our prayers according to His will. It is about surrendering our desires and aligning our hearts with God's purposes, trusting that He knows what is best for us. [01:07:53]
Romans 8:26-27 (ESV): "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."
Reflection: How can you cultivate a deeper dependence on God in your prayer life? What specific area of your life do you need to surrender to His will today?
Quotes
"Amen. Good morning, church. Happy New Year. Not everybody's excited about 2025, okay? Happy New Year. Good to see all of you. It's good to be back. If I missed you last week when Cole Travis preached and for any reason you missed his message, you will wanna go back and give that a listen. Cole is such a dynamic communicator and did such a great job of preaching in my absence last Sunday. And I am delighted to be back. The Bales family got some R &R after a busy December and Christmas season. I hope you and your family got some rest and some good time together as well. And if you have your copy of God's Word, grab that and turn with me to Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11. As you're turning to Hebrews 11, I'll remind you this is the first Wednesday of January. And so usually first Wednesdays are nights of worship for us dedicated to prayer and praise. This Wednesday will be another night of worship for us, but it will be slightly different in that we are ordaining our newest deacons to join our deacon body here at Prestonwood. And so in this room at 6 .30, this Wednesday night, I would invite all of you to join us. You get to watch one of the coolest things take place. And that is the institution of the ordination of deacons to serve God's church." [00:34:01] (85 seconds)
"There are only two offices mentioned in the New Testament, the office of elder or pastor, and then the office of deacon. And our deacons are servant leaders in God's church. And on Wednesday night, we'll have a new group of men and their families that'll be a part of that. And we will ordain them and our deacons will lay hands on them. And pray over them and the role that God has entrusted to them to serve his church. And so I would encourage you that it will be a night of prayer and praise and it'll just look slightly different. And so join us this Wednesday at 6 .30 right here in this room. Now, as we head into 2025, it's the perfect time of year for us to take a spiritual assessment of things." [00:35:27] (41 seconds)
"So we assess things all the time. Don't steal that, okay? That's mine. But we assess, we do diagnostics on our car. If we want to know, you know, I'm not a car guy, like whatever, you know, you want to know what's going on. Somebody who knows cars is assessing it. They're diagnosing and making sure that things are where they should be. Healthy relationships do assessments, right? If you've been dating someone for an extended period of time or married to someone, then you know sometimes you just need to have a healthy assessment. Hey, how am I doing here? How are we doing? Do you think we're getting enough time together? Do you think we're connecting? Do you think we're hitting our goals and objectives in this area of our life or in that area of our life, right? So things that we care about, we pay attention to, we assess these things. Well, faith should be no different for us. And so we're going to talk about that in detail today. And I'm going to try to simplify the conversation as much as possible. This is going to feel elementary and that's by design. So we'll talk about it in three ways. First, we're going to attempt to let the Bible define faith for us. And here's why that matters, because you would agree with me that in a world that embraces spirituality, but not necessarily Christianity, faith is a term that gets thrown around loosely. So the Bible gives us a good definition of faith. So we're going to say, what is faith biblically? How do we define it? And then we're going to ask the question, why does faith matter? In other words, why should I care about faith? In a world that is taking in a bunch of ideas and a bunch of opinions with very little Christian conviction, then why should I care so greatly about my faith? And then lastly, this is the practical part of our conversation today, is how do I build my faith?" [00:38:11] (109 seconds)
"That's not fingers crossed, I hope it gets better. Biblical hope, assurance in things hoped for, is a belief in something that God alone can provide. That's biblical hope. It's different than worldly hope. It's different than circumstantial hope. Biblical hope is an assurance, in something that God alone can provide. And then he says it's a conviction of things that are not seen. Well, conviction is a steadfast belief in something, regardless of the consequences that are associated with believing it. Okay? Conviction is a steadfast belief in something, regardless of the consequences that come from believing. I'll give you a number of examples, because you and I know what it means to live a convictional faith. So this affects how we vote." [00:42:36] (60 seconds)
"Conviction affects how we tithe. Conviction affects how we live. Conviction affects how we love. Conviction affects what we watch. Conviction affects how we spend. Conviction affects how we parent, how we teach, how we live within our communities, what kind of name. This is a conviction of things that God alone can provide. This is a convictional faith. It is a steadfast belief in something, regardless of the consequences that come from believing it. And the Bible says, according to Hebrews 11, 1, that faith is the assurance of what is hoped for. This is a biblical belief in something that God alone can provide. And it's the conviction of things that are not seen. So this is a steadfast belief in something, regardless of the consequences that come from believing it. Now, I'll give you a secular explanation of how you and I deploy faith all the time." [00:43:56] (50 seconds)
"So, if you've ever flown in an airplane, and when you get on that plane, you believe that the scientific properties that allow that plane to get off the ground, to be propelled into some way so that it can then get into the air and remain in the air, there is, don't email me, okay? Some type of science that is deployed, it makes planes fly, okay? But that is an assurance, okay? That's faith because you have an assurance that you're going to fly, okay? The science is going to prove true. Right? And that plane is going to elevate off the ground. If you believe that the most efficient way to travel around the world is by air, that's a conviction, right? And so you have the faith to want to travel by air because of the belief you have that the plane is going to elevate, it's going to work, and the most efficient way for you to get around the world is in an airplane. plane. We deploy faith every single day." [00:44:44] (62 seconds)
"But I will tell you, I think far too many Christians stay grounded because I don't believe that we transfer what we use when it comes to airplane thinking to everyday living as a person who is devoted first and foremost to following Jesus Christ. I think we're grounded far too many times. So, What is faith? It is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things that are not seen. Now, the question is next, why does faith matter? Why does faith matter? Now, again, I'll just tell you, for some, you're immediately wanting to say, well, this is a foolish question for us to be asking. But in our world, where spirituality is prevalent, but sincere belief in God is absent, you would agree the term faith is thrown around often without having any real meaning behind it. In fact, all of the data tells us today that the fastest growing spiritually designated group in the United States are identified as religious nuns. Religious nuns. What that means is that these are men and women who do not identify with any single form of spirituality or identifiable religion. And so they're a category unto themselves. Religious nuns. They have no distinct belief in anything. And currently, according to Pew Research in 2022, religious nuns make up 30 % of the adult population in the United States. 30%. But here's the scary thing. If these trends continue, researchers tell us that it will be greater than 50 % by the year 2070." [00:45:48] (106 seconds)
"So why does faith matter? Well, because it turns out that very few people have it, and that trend is growing. But listen, we're salt and light. So the church has been called, Christ's followers have been called to shine the light of genuine biblical faith into dark places and to preserve a biblical conviction in areas where things might be eroding and changing around us all of the time. And so I'm going to give you two, as followers of Jesus Christ, two distinct reasons. One, why faith matters. If you're a Christian, here's why faith matters to you. First, it is only by faith that we are justified. First, it is only by faith that we are justified. In other words, all of our right standing before God is because of our faith. Again, what is faith? It's the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. In the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf." [00:47:20] (63 seconds)
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