Divine Intervention: The Journey to Saving Faith

Devotional

Day 1: The Divine Gift of Faith

Faith is not a human achievement but a divine gift. In our natural state, we are spiritually dead, unable to incline our hearts towards God without His intervention. This spiritual deadness highlights the necessity of a new birth, a spiritual resurrection, for true faith to take root. The Bible illustrates this impossibility through examples like the rich young man who could not part with his wealth to follow Jesus, and the disciples' astonishment at the difficulty of salvation. Yet, with God, all things are possible. The miracle of new birth comes through the Word of God, awakening faith in those who are spiritually dead. [01:20]

Ephesians 2:4-5 (ESV): "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved."

Reflection: Consider an area in your life where you feel spiritually stagnant. How can you invite God to breathe new life into this area today?

Day 2: Faith Beyond Decision

The impossibility of faith for the spiritually dead is not due to an inability to make decisions but because faith is more than a decision. It is a treasuring trust in Christ, seeing Him as glorious and supremely valuable. The natural human heart is hostile to God, unable to submit to His law, and blind to the glory of Christ. Therefore, a new birth, a spiritual resurrection, is necessary for one to come to faith. This transformation allows us to see Christ as He truly is and to treasure Him above all else. [06:09]

2 Corinthians 4:6 (ESV): "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

Reflection: Identify something you currently treasure more than Christ. What steps can you take to shift your focus and value Christ above all?

Day 3: Awakening Faith Through Scripture

Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Therefore, the key to awakening faith is to immerse oneself in Scripture, continually exposing oneself to the Word in various forms. This is how faith is sustained and awakened. The command to believe remains, and God has the right to require what we ought to render, even if sin has made it humanly impossible. By immersing ourselves in Scripture, we open ourselves to the miracle of new birth through the Word of God. [08:48]

Romans 10:17 (ESV): "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."

Reflection: What specific steps can you take this week to immerse yourself more deeply in Scripture? How might this practice impact your faith journey?

Day 4: Praying for Understanding

Encouraging unbelievers to pray for the ability to see and understand is vital. The Bible provides examples of those who cried out to God for help in their unbelief, demonstrating that prayer is a crucial step in the journey to faith. Despite our spiritual deadness, we are encouraged to pray for the ability to see, hear, and understand. This act of prayer is a step towards opening our hearts to the possibility of faith and the glory of Christ. [10:03]

Mark 9:24 (ESV): "Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, 'I believe; help my unbelief!'"

Reflection: Think of an area where you struggle with unbelief. How can you incorporate prayer into your daily routine to seek understanding and faith in this area?

Day 5: The Power of Personal Engagement

Personal engagement with unbelievers, showing genuine care and concern, can be instrumental in their journey to faith. Our love and persistence may be the means through which God opens their eyes to the glory of Christ. By engaging with others personally, we demonstrate the love of Christ and provide a tangible example of His grace and mercy. This personal connection can be a powerful tool in leading others to faith. [10:56]

1 Thessalonians 2:8 (ESV): "So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us."

Reflection: Identify someone in your life who is struggling with faith. How can you show genuine care and concern for them this week, and what steps can you take to engage with them personally?

Sermon Summary

In our journey of faith, we often encounter questions about the nature of belief and the role of prayer in the life of those who have yet to experience saving faith. Today, we explore whether non-Christians should be encouraged to pray for faith or if such prayers are futile. The essence of saving faith is that it is a divine gift, not something we can conjure up on our own. As humans, we are spiritually dead in our sins, unable to naturally incline our hearts towards God. This spiritual deadness means that, without divine intervention, we cannot truly treasure or rely on God.

The Bible illustrates this impossibility through various examples, such as the rich young man who could not part with his wealth to follow Jesus, and the disciples' astonishment at the difficulty of salvation. Yet, with God, all things are possible. The natural human heart is hostile to God, unable to submit to His law, and blind to the glory of Christ. Therefore, a new birth, a spiritual resurrection, is necessary for one to come to faith.

Despite this, the command to believe remains. God has the right to require what we ought to render, even if sin has made it humanly impossible. The miracle of new birth comes through the Word of God. Thus, the key message to those who feel paralyzed in their unbelief is to immerse themselves in Scripture. Faith comes by hearing the Word, and it is through this hearing that new birth is awakened.

We should also encourage unbelievers to pray for the ability to see, hear, and understand. The Bible provides examples of those who cried out to God for help in their unbelief. Additionally, we must continue to engage with unbelievers personally, showing genuine care and concern for their spiritual journey. Our love and persistence may be the means through which God opens their eyes to the glory of Christ.

Key Takeaways

1. Saving faith is a divine gift, not a human achievement. Our natural state is one of spiritual deadness, unable to incline our hearts towards God without His intervention. This highlights the necessity of a new birth, a spiritual resurrection, for true faith to take root. [01:20]
2. The impossibility of faith for the spiritually dead is not due to an inability to make decisions but because faith is more than a decision. It is a treasuring trust in Christ, seeing Him as glorious and supremely valuable. [06:09]
3. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Therefore, the key to awakening faith is to immerse oneself in Scripture, continually exposing oneself to the Word in various forms. This is how faith is sustained and awakened. [08:48]
4. Encouraging unbelievers to pray for the ability to see and understand is vital. The Bible provides examples of those who cried out to God for help in their unbelief, demonstrating that prayer is a crucial step in the journey to faith. [10:03]
5. Personal engagement with unbelievers, showing genuine care and concern, can be instrumental in their journey to faith. Our love and persistence may be the means through which God opens their eyes to the glory of Christ. [10:56]
** [10:56]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:14] - Question on Faith and Prayer
[01:20] - The Impossibility of Saving Faith
[02:13] - Jesus and the Rich Young Man
[02:37] - The Natural Human Heart
[03:23] - Spiritual Deadness and Blindness
[04:06] - The Command to Believe
[05:06] - The Role of Human Evangelism
[06:09] - Faith as Treasuring Trust
[07:07] - New Birth Through the Word
[08:05] - Encouragement to Engage with Scripture
[09:16] - Encouragement to Pray for Understanding
[10:31] - Personal Engagement and Care
[11:24] - Closing Remarks

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:

1 Peter 1:3, 23
1 Corinthians 2:11-14
Romans 8:7

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Observation Questions:

According to 1 Peter 1:3, what is the source of our new birth? How does this relate to the concept of saving faith being a divine gift? [00:39]
In 1 Corinthians 2:11-14, what is said about the natural person's ability to understand the things of the Spirit of God? How does this passage illustrate the spiritual deadness mentioned in the sermon? [02:37]
Romans 8:7 describes the natural mind's relationship with God. What does this passage say about the mind's ability to submit to God's law? [03:06]
How does the story of the rich young man in the sermon illustrate the difficulty of entering the kingdom of God? [02:13]

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Interpretation Questions:

How does the sermon explain the necessity of a new birth for one to come to faith? What role does the Word of God play in this process? [06:55]
The sermon mentions that faith is more than a decision; it is a treasuring trust in Christ. How does this understanding of faith challenge common perceptions of belief? [06:09]
In what ways does the sermon suggest that personal engagement with unbelievers can be instrumental in their journey to faith? How might this reflect the love of Christ? [10:56]
The sermon encourages unbelievers to pray for understanding. How does this align with biblical examples of individuals crying out to God in their unbelief? [09:16]

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Application Questions:

Reflect on your own journey of faith. Have there been moments when you felt spiritually dead or unable to incline your heart towards God? How did you overcome these moments? [01:29]
The sermon emphasizes the importance of immersing oneself in Scripture. What specific steps can you take this week to expose yourself more to the Word of God? [08:48]
Consider someone in your life who is struggling with unbelief. How can you personally engage with them in a way that shows genuine care and concern for their spiritual journey? [10:31]
The sermon suggests encouraging unbelievers to pray for the ability to see and understand. How can you incorporate this encouragement into your conversations with those who are exploring faith? [09:16]
Think about a time when you relied on your own understanding rather than seeking divine intervention. How can you shift your approach to rely more on God's guidance in future situations? [01:20]
The sermon mentions the importance of being persistent in showing love to unbelievers. What are some practical ways you can demonstrate this love in your daily interactions? [10:56]
How can you cultivate a treasuring trust in Christ, seeing Him as glorious and supremely valuable, in your everyday life? What changes might you need to make to prioritize this perspective? [06:23]

Sermon Clips

Saving faith is humanly impossible. The fallen, sinful, spiritually dead human soul does not have the moral ability to believe. They have the mental powers, they have the powers of volition, but the heart is so bent away from God it cannot make itself prefer God. You can't make yourself love God. [00:01:17]

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God for they are folly to him and he is not able, he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The mind of the flesh, that is the natural mind, the unregenerate unconverted non-born again mind, is hostile to God. [00:02:40]

The command remains for unbelievers to believe. God has the right to require from humans what they ought to render to him, even if sin has made that rendering humanly impossible. We are responsible to do what we ought to do, even if we are so bad we won't and thus can't do it. [00:04:00]

Human evangelism is indispensable in the miracle that God works to raise the spiritually dead and give them saving faith. I planted, Apollos watered, God gave the growth. Humans plant, humans water, absolutely essential, and God does the impossible, he gives life. [00:05:28]

Faith is more than a decision. Saving faith is a treasuring faith, a treasuring trust. Faith involves seeing Christ not just as useful for getting out of hell or getting well or getting rich. Saving faith sees Christ as glorious, better than any other treasure in the world. [00:06:04]

The miracle of the new birth comes by the word. In other words, alongside first Peter 1:3 that Jeff quotes, God caused us to be born again. God caused us to be born again. Alongside that, we must put first Peter 1:23. You have been born again through the living and abiding word of God. [00:06:44]

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. New birth comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Therefore, the absolutely key thing to say to the unbeliever is, keep reading the word of God, keep listening on your app to the word of God, keep pondering the word of God. [00:08:00]

This is how faith is sustained for believers. This is how faith comes into being and is awakened for unbelievers. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. New birth comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Keep exposing yourself to the word of God in whatever way you can. [00:08:42]

We should encourage the unbeliever to call out to God for eyes to see and ears to hear and a mind to understand. Remember the man who cried out, "I believe, help my unbelief," in Mark nine. I think he could have said, "Oh God, help my unbelief," period. [00:09:13]

In the Old Testament several times, we are taught that those who feel unable, in other words, paralyzed, trapped in their own inability and their sin, they feel unable to return to God, should cry out. This is an exact quote from Lamentations 5:21, "Cause me to return and I will return, O God." [00:09:43]

Keep leaning in to their lives personally with care. Keep communicating, not to make yourself a nuisance—you need spiritual discernment to know when that's happening—but to show them that you really do want them to believe and be saved, to be your everlasting brother or sister with God forever in joy. [00:10:31]

Just as God may open their eyes to see the glory of Christ in the gospel, he may also open their eyes to see the love of Christ in your concern. [00:11:04]

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Divine Intervention: The Journey to Saving Faith

Devotional

Day 1: The Divine Gift of Faith

Day 2: Faith Beyond Decision

Day 3: Awakening Faith Through Scripture

Day 4: Praying for Understanding

Day 5: The Power of Personal Engagement

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Divine Intervention: The Journey to Saving Faith

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