THE DEMANDS OF FAITH
October 21, 2001 AM
Sermon Outline
Heb 11:6 - 1 Jno 5:1-5
INTRO: In a book I am reading I came across the expression, the demands of faith. Although I have used that expression myself, something about seeing it written in a book, the theme of which is worship, jolted me a bit. We are people of a culture which does not take kindly to demands. We prefer suggestions or nicely asked requests. But faith is demanding. Faith often (usually?) offers no options. Faith is narrow. This morning lets think through some of faiths demands.
I. THE DEMAND OF BELIEF
A. Jno 8:24 No option ... believe in Jesus
1. there is no middle ground of Im not sure
2. here is a statement of Jesus without nice embellishment - without any softening
3. ... ye shall die in your sins - no ifs, no ands, no buts ... straight forward
4. Jno 6:29
B. Jno 14:6 Jesus - the only way to God
1. I hear people talk of the many ways to the one true God
2. but if the Bible is truth, there is no other way
3. its believe in Jesus ... or not ... and accept the consequence of the or not
4. its a black and white issue ... no middle ground (Mt 12:30)
II. THE DEMAND OF PENITENCE
A. Lk 13:1-5 No option ... repent of sins
1. sin is taken far too lightly
2. I wonder how many folks really believe that sin is so bad that it will cause the loss of souls
3. oh, maybe the big sins ... but not the normal sins
4. the people whom Jesus addressed had the big sin/little sin mentality
B. Sin is sin ... and faith demands repentance!
1. Acts 17:30 this is not a suggestion
2. recognition of sin; concern about sin; understanding that sin wounds God, seeing sin as serious
3. then, the change of course ... this is the demand
4. look at 2 Pet 3:9 ... what will happen to those who do not repent? perish!
III. THE DEMAND OF BAPTISM
A. Mk 16:15,16 Here are belief and baptism together
1. saved is the objective to be gained
2. belief and baptism - equals, yet in sequence - bring one into that objective
3. but people have been troubled by the absence of baptism in the latter part of this verse - no problem
4. it is absent because refusal to believe is a refusal of faiths demand ... refusing to believe is automatically refusal of all of faiths demands!
B. Or, note Acts 10:48 Believers commanded to be baptized
1. a command is not a suggestion; nor is it an option
2. if we note 1 Jno 5:1-5 we see clearly the relationship between believing and obeying the Lords commandments
3. to relegate baptism to a place/time other than a demand of faith (response of faith) is a tragic mistake
4. here is the narrowness of faith
IV. THE DEMAND OF OBEDIENT LIVING
A. 2 Tim 2:45 Striving lawfully
1. the only way to the crown is obedient living
2. the writer of Hebrews clearly understood this by giving examples of obedient living as the means of diligently seeking God (Heb 11:6)
B. Faith, true faith, cannot be manifested in disobedience
1. all of the emotion and emotional arguments in the world will not change this essential fact: faith demands obedience
2. Christian living is obedient living
CLOSE: Faith is very narrow. I believe we must look carefully at the demands of faith ... lest we fall at the judgment as did the unbelieving Israelites who fell short of the promised land!
Cecil A. Hutson
21 October 2001