PREFACE | Lessons: 1 | 2 | 3

PREFACE - 9/27/05
Doubt is debilitating, often destructive, and I had not realized how afflicted I was with this malady until I began to ask myself, “What is Faith?” Really, what is it? How do we obtain it, practice it, hold onto it? We who are born again by the blood of Jesus Christ certainly exercised faith when we accepted His salvation, but we were totally without hope otherwise.

So, does this mean that real faith—Godly, biblical faith can only come when we reach the end of ourselves and have no other Hope but Him? Or, do we, by His grace, begin to grow in our faith, unveiling it’s mysteries through experience?

Why is it so difficult to just believe in His Word, His promises, without question? These are valid questions that everyone asks at on time or other, and I, for one, need some Bible based, learned answers.

Paul tells Christians of Rome, and everywhere “how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher” (Romans 10:14) Then he says, “so then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. (Romans 10:17).

That is what this series is all about; preachers who will teach us lay people about faith. Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, and Hebrews 10:38 say the same thing: “The just shall live by faith.” This sounds very important. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please him. We must—it is imperative that we, as God’s children, be thoroughly furnished in the doctrine of faith.I pray that each man of God will write as the Holy Spirit inspires. I pray that we, who read these teachings will find some of the clouds of mystery, concerning this deep and powerful subject, begin to lift, increasing our faith and enriching our lives.

~Kyla Rowland

Lesson #1 - "A MINOR PERSON WITH A MAJOR FAITH"
9/25/07 by Rev. Bruce Graham

He is called a “Minor Prophet,” but there is nothing minor at all about the faith Habakkuk had in God. When you read Habakkuk 1:1-4, you notice that, like some of us today, Habakkuk bore a burden concerning the social and judicial injustices of his day. Much like us, Habakkuk questioned if God was aware of the suffering, if God would answer prayers, and if God would save His people from all the violence. Have you felt like Habakkuk?

God assured Habakkuk through His Word (1:5-6) that He was aware, that He cared, and that He was orchestrating an unbelievable, marvelous, divine plan for His people, which would involve the Chaldeans. God’s plan was to allow the Chaldeans to invade Israel. To most of us, the thoughts of a foreign power invading our land and conquering us are not very comforting.

Habakkuk was not comforted in this either. The news was devastating and hurtful. But his faith really began to manifest itself during the time of impending doom. While the wound was still aching, Habakkuk chose to see the bigger, Heavenly perspective (1:12). Habakkuk’s faith saw that God was implementing the Chaldeans as a rod of discipline against Israel. Habakkuk resolved within himself, that he would abide by these famous words (2:4), “THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” Do you choose to succumb to the fear of impending terror and doom, or do you resolve to trust God and live by faith?

Habakkuk’s faith reminded him that even though the Chaldeans were unmerciful tyrants, and that the nation of Israel would face great suffering in the hands of the Chaldeans, the suffering would not last forever. Habakkuk believed that the great trial facing him and his earth would be filled with the knowledge of God’s glory (2:14). Faith reveals to us that present suffering is temporal, but the glory of God is eternal.

Faith does not demand that we live in some metaphysical trance while the maladies of life unfold around us. Habakkuk was a realist. He knew the terror of the Chaldeans was real. His heart was heavy for the judgment that was upon Israel. What did Habakkuk do? He prayed. In his prayer (3:1-2), Habakkuk admitted his fear. He requested that God’s purpose would be accomplished in the years that followed. Finally, Habakkuk prayed that in His wrath, God would remember mercy. Faith helps us overcome our legitimate fears. Faith seeks for God’s will to be accomplished. Faith requests that God remember mercy.

Undoubtedly, every believer at some point, in some crisis, at some critical moment in life, has questioned God’s strategy. Why this financial reversal? Why this broken relationship? Why this devastating illness? Why the death of someone so dear? Why now? Why me? We wonder why God uses certain strategies, methods, or ways, to accomplish His divine plan and its ultimate end. Habakkuk spoke in faith (3:6) that God’s ways were everlasting. He also spoke in faith (3:13) that God’s strategies, however inconvenient and uncomfortable to us, are all part of a great conflict between the forces of Good and Evil.

Faith rejoices that God has stepped out on our behalf and secured salvation for us all through His “Anointed,” Jesus Christ. The Enemy and the forces of evil have suffered a mighty blow to the head. Have you placed your faith and trust in the “Anointed” One for salvation? If so, rejoice! You are more than a conqueror through Christ, Who stepped forward to defeat the Devil and secure salvation for you and all who would receive it.

This realization came to Habakkuk (3:16): despite the turmoil, he could because of faith, “rest in the day of trouble.” Even when (3:17) there were no figs or grapes (no food); there was no olive oil for cooking or lighting lamps (no utilities); the crops failed and there was no harvest (no income); the animals used for food and clothing were gone (no supplies), the just shall live by faith.

Habakkuk determined that even in the worst of circumstances, when desolation and despair prevailed, he would rejoice in the Lord (3:18) and joy in God. For the believer, faith transcends the circumstances and despair. Faith determines that “the LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.”

The minor prophet, Habakkuk, possessed a major faith. Most of us are just simple, minor people, who often fell like victims of social injustice, living in a great big world of chaos. But with faith the size of a grain of mustard seed, we are not victims, we are major victors.

Lesson #2 - "FAITH: What It Is And Why We Need It"
11/16/07 by Rev. Mike Holcombe

The WORD of GOD declares to us what faith is in the book of Hebrews chapter eleven, and verse one, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” But to better understand what faith really is, we must also know what faith is not. There is virtually no faith in the “think so, hope, so, maybe so,” kind of persuasive thinking or believing. The kind of faith the Bible speaks of is real knowledge of truth, hands and hearts on experience, actual possession of things hope for! Biblical faith does not deal with what is unreal, imaginary, fanciful, visionary, superficial, or deceptive. True Biblical faith deals only with truth and reality. It is knowing what is real, experiencing what is real, and possessing what is real.

That great servant of God of a former generation, whom so many appreciate so much, Matthew Henry, makes some excellent statements that are well worth our thought: “Faith and hope go together; and the same things that are the object of our hope are the object of our faith. It (faith) is a firm persuasion and expectation that God will perform all that He has promised to us in Christ; and this persuasion is so strong that it gives the soul…possession…of those things.”

The word “substance” (hypostasis) means the foundation, assurance, title-deed, and guarantee of things hoped for. The word “evidence” (elegchos) means conviction. According to most commentators, this is what is meant by these two words. Therefore, faith would be defined as: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” What is being said is that faith is being described as an act, an act of the mind and heart. That is, our heart and mind believe something and we have assurance and conviction that it is true. This is certainly true; faith is an act of the mind and heart. But many of the earlier interpreters understood “substance” (hypostasis) to mean real being, substantial nature, and the real nature of a thing. This is not to argue with God’s dear servants who stress that faith is primarily and act of the mind and heart. It is only to say that Scripture seem to be saying that faith is more than an act. Scriptures seems to be saying that faith is the actual possession of reality. Is this not what the definition “title-deed” is saying? It is ours already! Certainly from God’s perspective, we already possess His promises; He has already seated us in the heavenlies, and already possesses eternal life. It is not that we are going to possess it; we already possess it. The point is this: holding the title-deed to property and possessing something is more than assurance and conviction. It is possessing reality, actually holding something that is substantial and real. It is possessing the land, the promises of God. Faith is possessing the substance of the promises of God, the evidence of things not seen. If we possess them, the substance is there; the evidence is there. The substance and evidence, the fact that we already possess them, is our assurance and conviction. And so, faith is the substance, the actual possession, of things hope for, the evidence and reality of things not seen. It is both an act and a possession of the thing believed. It is believing and trusting in that which actually exists—in that which we can process. We may not be able to see it, but it is real and existing, and we can possess it by believing and having faith in it. We can possess it now—we cannot see it, but we can actually possess the very substance of it by believing and entrusting our lives to it. Faith is trusting and possessing all that God is and says. And, faith is hoping for something and possessing it because God is (exists) and has promised it.

Faith, (that is Biblical faith) makes us courageous, bold, hopeful, contented and peaceful. We are made whole by faith. In fact, faith (Biblical faith) is the only way to be completely whole! Faith makes us to know that our labors are not in vain in the Lord, and that HE will never leave nor forsake us, but will be with us all the way even unto the end, and beyond; that we are in the palm of HIS hand, in HIS will, highly favored and submerged in love and compassions past our comprehension makes this soul, mind, and body shout “Hallelujah, what a Savior, what a God!” Bless HIS name! HE made me HIS, and now HE and all that HE is, and all that HE has, is mine!

Lesson #3 - "FAITH"
07/15/08 by Rev. Michael Soop
Pastor, New Canaan Baptist
Lawrenceville, GA

Plenteous mercy, amazing grace, great love: These adjectives seem so small. When we experience grace there is no word to describe it, and mercy is beyond all human understanding. And love; I defy human tongue to explain or describe God’s perfect love. These are His part, but our part is important because we must accept, by faith, what He wants to give.

Scriptures are merely beautiful words unless we are sensitive to what they are telling us, unless we absorb them; believe them so that our thinking and our behavior is adjusted to them.

Suffering is the most difficult aspect of Christian living for God’s children to deal with. We try to understand it but that is why we are so confused by it. We cannot understand suffering but must accept, by faith in His mercy, grace, and love that the scriptures concerning it are true. II Corinthians 12:8:10—Paul writes of his thorn in the flesh: “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

God knows this is tough for us, to glory in pain, to praise and thank Him when He does not remove our suffering. It is very difficult for faith to see grace. But, oh, when faith finally grasps the glory of suffering for Christ’s sake, when faith finally sees through the cloud of pain the sufficiency of God’s grace, then our hearts become sensitive to the truth in “for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”

How could we possibly realize the fullness of faith until we see clearly that we are totally, absolutely dependant on God. When His strength becomes evident and visible in us, our weakness is then evident and it is obvious that there is joy in our suffering for Christ’s sake. Then we can, as Paul did, “rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

God’s power is the REWARD for faith in Him and glorying in Him through our suffering. God’s power moves mountains, parts waters, stands on a stormy sea and says, “Peace, be still.” God’s power defeats enemies, heals bodies, saves sinners.

When we feel that we can do all these things within our own power, then we can choose to rebel against suffering. But if we feel we have no power, except from God, then we can glorify Him through every pain, every dark day. His power “resting” on us makes it all more than worth it.

When faith can begin to see the truth in Paul’s words, then we can gladly allow God to lead us to utter weakness.