From Knowledge to Trust: Embracing True Faith

Devotional

Day 1: Every Person’s Presence Reflects God’s Mission

In the life of the church, every individual is infinitely valuable, not because of attendance numbers or event participation, but because each soul matters deeply to God. Empty seats in the sanctuary are not just absences; they are reminders of those who have been sent out to share the gospel and those who have yet to encounter Jesus. This perspective shifts the focus from comfort and routine to active discipleship and mission, urging the community to embrace both sending and anticipation with intentionality and love.

Recognizing the significance of every person encourages the church to prioritize relationships and spiritual growth over mere statistics. It calls believers to see beyond the physical space and to understand that the church’s heartbeat is found in transformed lives and ongoing outreach. This mindset fosters a community that celebrates life change and remains vigilant in prayer for those still on the journey to faith. [29:08]

Romans 15:7-9
Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”

Reflection: Who in your life or community feels like an “empty seat” right now, and how can you actively pray for or reach out to them this week to reflect God’s heart for every soul?

Day 2: Belief Is a Heart Commitment, Not Mere Agreement

True belief in God transcends intellectual assent or cultural tradition; it is a deep, trustful commitment that shapes the whole person. This kind of faith is like a marriage covenant—rooted in trust and leading to a transformative relationship. When belief remains only at the level of facts or recitation, it lacks the power to change hearts and lives. Genuine faith compels action and devotion, moving beyond knowledge to a living, breathing trust in God’s promises.

This trustful commitment invites believers to engage with God personally, allowing faith to permeate attitudes, decisions, and daily living. It is not enough to know about Jesus; one must believe in Him with a heart that leads to surrender and obedience. This kind of belief is the foundation for a vibrant spiritual life that withstands confusion and competing narratives in the world. [57:14]

Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Reflection: What is one belief about God that you find difficult to fully trust, and what step can you take today to deepen your heart’s commitment to that truth?

Day 3: Confessing Jesus as Lord Means Total Surrender

To confess Jesus as Lord is to acknowledge His rightful ownership over every part of life. This confession is not a one-time declaration but an ongoing posture of allegiance, where Jesus is the center and authority in all things. It means surrendering control, ambitions, and desires, recognizing that true freedom and purpose come from living under His lordship. This surrender is the outward expression of an inward reality—a heart fully devoted to Christ.

Living under Jesus’ lordship challenges believers to examine areas of life that remain unconquered or compartmentalized. It calls for a daily choice to yield, trusting that His reign brings peace and direction. This confession shapes identity and mission, aligning the believer’s life with God’s kingdom purposes and reflecting a faith that is active and whole. [47:43]

Colossians 3:17
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: Identify one specific area of your life where you have hesitated to fully surrender to Jesus’ lordship—what practical step can you take today to begin yielding that area to Him?

Day 4: Faith That Transforms Is True Faith

Faith that does not produce change is not genuine faith. True belief in Jesus reshapes attitudes, actions, and perspectives, marking a clear distinction from mere knowledge about Him. The gospel is meant to penetrate the core of a person’s being, influencing how they live, love, and engage with the world. Without transformation, faith remains superficial and powerless.

This transformation is evidence of the Spirit’s work within, molding believers into the image of Christ. It challenges complacency and calls for continual growth and renewal. When faith changes the heart, it naturally flows into outward expressions of love, service, and holiness, demonstrating the reality of God’s kingdom in everyday life. [01:09:00]

Ezekiel 36:26-27
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

Reflection: In what ways has your faith recently influenced a change in your behavior or attitude, and what is one area where you sense God inviting deeper transformation?

Day 5: Our View of God Shapes Our Entire Experience

The way we perceive God fundamentally shapes every aspect of our lives and faith experience. If we approach God with low expectations or distance, our worship, trust, and daily walk will reflect that limited view. Conversely, seeing God as the living, powerful, and loving Creator fuels vibrant faith, passionate worship, and deep rest in Him.

This truth calls believers to examine and expand their understanding of God through Scripture, prayer, and community. A robust view of God invites trust and surrender, enabling believers to live with confidence and joy amid life’s challenges. Our spiritual vitality depends on the clarity and depth of our view of God’s character and presence. [01:11:08]

Malachi 3:6-7
“For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts.

Reflection: How does your current view of God influence your daily decisions and worship, and what is one way you can intentionally deepen your understanding of His character this week?

Sermon Summary

Summary

God is alive, reigning in glory, and worthy of all our praise. In the midst of our anxieties, burdens, and uncertainties, we are invited to lay everything at His feet, recognizing that nothing is greater than His majesty. Our community is not about numbers or events, but about souls—each person matters deeply to God, and every story of life change is a testimony to His ongoing work among us. Even the empty seats in our church are significant: they represent both those who have been sent out on mission and those who have yet to encounter Jesus. We are called to be a people who celebrate both the sending and the anticipation of new lives being transformed.

As we begin a journey through the Apostles’ Creed, the focus is not on memorizing a historical document, but on using it as a guide to understand the core beliefs of our faith. The Creed was born out of a need to clarify who Jesus is and what it means to follow Him, especially in a world full of confusion and competing narratives. At its heart, the Creed begins with two simple but profound words: “I believe.” This belief is not mere intellectual agreement or cultural inheritance; it is a deep, personal trust that leads to commitment.

Romans 10:9-11 teaches that salvation is not about reciting a formula, but about confessing Jesus as Lord and truly believing in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead. To confess Jesus as Lord is to pledge allegiance to Him, acknowledging that He owns every part of our lives. But belief goes beyond head knowledge—it is a trustful commitment that changes us from the inside out. True faith is not just knowing about Jesus, but knowing Him personally, in a way that transforms our attitudes, actions, and very identity.

The difference between knowing about Jesus and believing in Him is like the difference between carrying around a stool and actually sitting on it. Knowing about Jesus can become a burden, but trusting Him brings rest, joy, and purpose. The invitation is to move from mere knowledge to wholehearted trust—a faith that leads to real change, real relationship, and real rest in Christ. The most important thing about us is what we believe about God, and our experience of Him will never rise above our view of Him. Let us be a people who not only know about God, but who know Him, trust Him, and are changed by Him.

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Key Takeaways

1. Every Soul Matters and Every Empty Seat Has Meaning In God’s eyes, every person is of infinite worth, and our church’s mission is not about filling seats for the sake of numbers, but about loving people and sending them out with the gospel. Empty seats remind us both of those who have been sent on mission and those in our city who have yet to encounter Jesus. This perspective keeps our focus on ongoing discipleship and the urgency of reaching the lost, rather than on comfort or self-preservation. [29:08]
2. Belief Is More Than Intellectual Agreement—It’s Trustful Commitment The biblical call to “believe” is not about knowing facts or reciting creeds, but about a deep, heart-level trust that leads to action. True faith is a commitment, much like the commitment of marriage, where trust leads to a life-changing relationship. If our belief in Jesus does not lead to trust and commitment, then it is merely knowledge about Him, not saving faith. [57:14]
3. Confessing Jesus as Lord Means Surrendering Every Part of Life To confess Jesus as Lord is to pledge allegiance to Him above all else, acknowledging His ownership over every aspect of our lives. This is not a one-time statement, but an ongoing posture of surrender, where Jesus is not just a part of our lives, but the center and the owner of it all. Such confession is the outward expression of an inward reality—a heart that truly believes. [47:43]
4. Faith That Doesn’t Change Us Isn’t Faith at All Genuine belief in Jesus always leads to transformation. If our attitudes, actions, and perspectives remain unchanged, we must ask whether we truly believe or simply know about Jesus. The gospel is meant to change us at the core, shaping how we live, love, and interact with the world, and distinguishing us from those who follow any other path. [69:00]
5. Our View of God Shapes Everything About Us What we think about God is the most important thing about us, and our experience of Him will never rise above our view of Him. If we approach God with low expectations or a distant heart, our worship and our lives will reflect that. But if we see Him as the living, powerful, loving God of the Bible, our faith will be vibrant, our worship passionate, and our lives marked by trust and rest in Him. [71:08]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:00] - Opening Prayer and Praise
[04:30] - Celebrating Life Change and Baptisms
[08:00] - The Meaning of Empty Seats
[13:00] - Praying for Those Sent and Those Yet to Come
[16:00] - Introduction to the Apostles’ Creed
[22:00] - What Is a Creed and Why Does It Matter?
[27:00] - The Apostles’ Creed: History and Purpose
[32:00] - “I Believe”: The Heart of Faith
[38:00] - Romans 10: Confession and Belief
[44:00] - Allegiance to Jesus as Lord
[51:00] - Belief That Leads to Commitment
[56:00] - The Difference Between Knowing and Trusting
[62:00] - Faith That Changes Us
[70:00] - Our View of God Shapes Our Lives
[76:00] - From Knowledge to Rest in Christ
[78:00] - Invitation to Respond and Pray

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Romans 10:9-11 (ESV) — > Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Observation Questions

According to Romans 10:9-10, what two things are necessary for salvation?
In the sermon, what did the pastor say empty seats in the church represent? [[13:00]]
What is the difference between “knowing about” Jesus and “believing in” Jesus, as described in the sermon? [[56:24]]
What does the word “Lord” mean when we confess “Jesus is Lord”? [[47:43]]

Interpretation Questions

Why does Paul emphasize both confessing with the mouth and believing in the heart for salvation? How do these two actions work together? [[47:43]]
The pastor said that belief is more than intellectual agreement; it’s a “trustful commitment.” Why is this distinction important for someone who wants to follow Jesus? [[57:14]]
The sermon compared faith to sitting on a stool rather than just carrying it around. What does this illustration teach about the nature of true faith? [[01:14:31]]
The pastor said, “Our experience with God is dependent on our view of God.” How might someone’s view of God affect their daily life and relationship with Him? [[01:12:45]]

Application Questions

The sermon said every empty seat represents someone who has been sent out or someone who hasn’t met Jesus yet. How does this change the way you see the people around you at church or in your community? Is there someone you feel called to reach out to or pray for this week? [[13:00]]
When you think about your own faith, would you say it’s more like “knowing about” Jesus or “believing in” Him? What’s one step you could take to move from knowledge to trustful commitment? [[56:24]]
The pastor described confessing Jesus as Lord as pledging allegiance to Him and surrendering every part of life. Is there an area of your life you find hard to surrender? What would it look like to give that area to Jesus this week? [[47:43]]
The sermon said, “Faith that doesn’t change us isn’t faith at all.” Can you think of a way your attitudes or actions have changed (or need to change) because of your faith in Jesus? [[01:09:00]]
The illustration of the stool showed that just knowing about Jesus can become a burden, but trusting Him brings rest. Are there ways you’ve been “carrying” your faith instead of “resting” in Jesus? What would it look like to trust Him more fully? [[01:14:31]]
The pastor quoted A.W. Tozer: “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” How would you describe your view of God right now? How might you grow in seeing God as living, powerful, and loving? [[01:11:08]]
The sermon talked about celebrating both those who are sent out and those who are yet to come. How can you personally participate in both sending and welcoming in your church community? [[13:00]]

Sermon Clips

It is requiring action on my part. Not just do I believe about this, but because I believe in this, it has changed the way I live, the way I act. And guys, that's what faith is. In fact, the Greek word for faith is prestige. The word prestige in the Greek literally means to make a trustful commitment. To believe in something in the original language meant that you are making a trustful commitment. Man, isn't that very different than the way we think about the word believe? You may say like, man, yeah, I believe in Jesus. But if your belief in Jesus requires no trust in your life, and has not changed anything about the way you live, think, talk, then you don't actually believe in Jesus. You just know about him. [00:56:45] (64 seconds) Edit Clip

And the Bible tells us that that's not what Jesus is going after. Jesus doesn't want a bunch of people who know about him. Jesus wants a bunch of followers who believe in him. It means making a trustful commitment. I remember when, it's kind of a crazy story, but I remember when Ellen and I were dating for those couple of months. That was really great. Our story is we got married pretty quickly out the gate. So we had known each other for a couple of years. But then when we decided like, hey, it's time. And I think maybe we, you know, really like each other and maybe should get married and serve Jesus together. That process went by pretty quickly. And so I don't recommend it for anyone per se, but we kind of slammed on the gas a little bit. And because we had known each other and served Jesus together for a while, I showed up to her house. And we hadn't, I mean, we hadn't been on any dates. We hadn't done anything. It's kind of awkward because like I'm her pastor and everything. [00:57:48] (66 seconds) Edit Clip

And so it's one thing to say, I trust you, but it's another thing to say, I trust you and I am committing to you. And guys, that's what the New Testament word belief or faith means. That's what it says here. If you believe in your heart, it's not a belief. Like I've always been told. So I guess I believe that it's a belief that says, I trust that God raised Jesus from the dead so much that I am willing to commit my entire life to following him. That's what the word belief means. So I wonder like you go on and it says in, um, it says in verse 10, it's with your heart, one believes and is justified. And with the mouth, one confesses and is saved. What we're getting here is the order of things in which they are supposed to go. So notice he says, if you confess with your mouth, Jesus, Lord, believe in your heart, God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved. [01:03:44] (60 seconds) Edit Clip

And so Jesus does that when he dies on the cross for us. He serves our punishment so that you, we think, man, God just lets our sin go free. God does not let our sin go free. God punishes, our sin. It's just, he punished Jesus instead of punishing you, which is why you have to believe in Jesus to receive the grace and the mercy for the forgiveness of your sins. And so that's what the word justified means. That's why all you bring to the table is not your being good enough. It's not your credentials. It's not how awesome you are. It's not that your family are Christians or that you grew up a Christian. All you bring to the table is that you believe Jesus raised from the dead. That's it. But that belief is not that you know about that. It's that you believe in that. [01:05:36] (60 seconds) Edit Clip

That causes me to have a trust in him that leads to a commitment in him. And that's what the Bible teaches us. So how do you know if you believe? And if you're taking notes, you can write this down. Like, the first thing I think you can know if you believe is, has it changed your life? Has a relationship with God changed you in any shape or form? And we get this, right? Because it says, if you believe in your heart, and guys, the heart is just a bodily organ. But in the Bible, when it talks about our heart, it means the center and the core of who you are. So the question is, does the center and core of your life believe in Jesus in such a way that it leads you to trust him and be committed to him? See, guys, that changes how you live. [01:07:59] (58 seconds) Edit Clip

That changes how you interact with other people. It changes how you act. It changes what you do. Because now all of a sudden, you're not just following your own way. You're following Jesus's way. Like, it literally changes your attitude. It changes your perspective. It changes how you see things. And then it says, confess with your mouth. Guys, it's going to change your behavior. It's going to change how you say things, how you live, what you do with your life. See, guys, the gospel, believing in Jesus, changes everything about us. It changes our attitude. It changes our actions. Changes our attitudes. It changes our actions. The gospel of Jesus, when you believe in Jesus, it changes our attitude and it changes our actions. [01:08:59] (53 seconds) Edit Clip

And what we have to understand is that there are so many people walking around claiming to be a Christian. And the fact is, never can they point to a time that God has changed their attitude or their actions. That the way they live does not resemble any difference or change of someone who believes in Buddha or Muhammad or Mother Earth. And see, guys, the gospel actually changes our attitude and our actions. Think about it like this. There's a quote by a guy named A .W. Tozer. And I think that this quote kind of brings into summation why we're even studying the aspects of the Apostles' Creed. It's kind of a long quote, so I think I've got it up here, but you guys kind of bear with me as we read this, okay? [01:09:59] (54 seconds) Edit Clip

He says, the history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion. And man's spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God. For this reason, the gravest question before the church is always God himself. And the most pretentious fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God. This is true not only of the individual Christian, but of the company of Christians that composes the church. Always the most revealing thing about the church is her idea of God. [01:10:26] (73 seconds) Edit Clip

Because a lot of times we come to church and we walk out and we blame a lack of experience of God on how good the worship team did, or if there were any distractions, or if the preacher was good enough, or if the people were friendly enough, or if the facility was nice enough. And guys, our experience with God is dependent on our view of God. What type of view of God did you bring into church with you today? What God are you worshiping today? But it goes deeper than that. What God do you actually believe in? Do you believe in the God of the Bible? The God that took down Goliath? The God that parted the Red Sea? The God that saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery pit? The God that saved Daniel from the lion's den? [01:12:05] (59 seconds) Edit Clip

Do you believe in the God that killed his own son to love us so we could be in relationship with him? The God who then raised his son up three days later from the dead? The God who has saved people from every nation, language, and tribe for the last thousands of years? Like, who's the God that you walked in to worship today? Or is it a God you said, yeah, I know about him, and maybe today will be the day something sparks? But church, I want you to know that my desire for us over the next few weeks is desperately to meet with God, to know him, to know about him, and to lead us to know him. [01:13:23] (47 seconds) Edit Clip

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