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Sermon Notes on:

The Quality of Faith
Expected of a Christian

Motivation

We believe that Jesus is the Son of God
We believe that Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins to satisfy God's justice on our behalf.
Eternal life is obtained now through faith in Christ. (John 5:24)
This is the content of our faith, but what is the quality of faith that saves?
Let me try this Christianity thing out and see what happens - Experimental Faith?
Is that quality of faith acceptable to God to reckon a person righteous in God's sight?

The Parable of the Sower

Matt 13:3-8;19-23; Mark 4:3-8;14-20; Luke 8:5-8;11-15

Seed			Word of God
Path	Trampled Birds ate	The ways of the world philosophy of the world	Taken away (Didn't understand)
Rock	Withered No Moisture	Religously shallow	Believed but fell away after testing (Not rooted)
Thorns	Chocked	Distracted Christians	Worries, Riches, Lusts
Good Soil	Yielded 100 X	Spritual Believers	Noble & Good heart Retained Produced through Perseverance

Which kind of a person are you?

How Can You Develop Good Soil?

Humility is the most essential characteristic that a person must have before he can believe with the quality of faith that saves..

Is 66:2b This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.

But this humility is not the same as low self esteem. And neither is it a false humility often practiced in social relationships. [Tax Collector & Pharisee Luke 18:9-14] The Pharisee was concerned about what other people thought of him. He measured himself by other people. Tax Collector was concerned about what God thought of him. If you don't care what other people think of you, that will help you a lot to live the Christian life.

Benefits of Biblical Humility
1. Social Relationships
2. Courage
3. Frees from Peer Pressure
4. Objectivity Truth - of the Bible Conviction of sin

1. Social Relationships - Allows you to tolerate abuse & Forgive sin

2. Courage

3. Freed from Peer Pressure (Rom 12:2)

4. Objectivity

Truth - of the Bible
Conviction of sin

How does God develop humility? Through Humiliation, often by bring the person through difficult or humiliating circumstances.

De 8:3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Num 12:3 Now Moses was a very humble man - (It took many humiliating circumstances to prepare him for his leadership role)

Consider the many outstanding people in the Bible and what humiliation they faced - David, Peter, Paul even Jesus

Php 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!

The Quality of Faith that God expects is also application oriented

Imitating Jesus and his apostles
1Th 1:6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering,

Evangelism
1Th 1:8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia— your faith in God has become known everywhere.

Repentance
1Th 1:9 you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

Good Works
Eph 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

The Quality of Faith that Saves
is Characterize as:

A Conviction
Fully Assured, Confident	Rom 4:20,21; Heb 3:14
Persevering under Trial	1Th 1:6; Matt 10:22
Obeying the Word	1Jn 2:3-6
Producing Fruit Hope Christlike Character Righteous Works	1Thess 1:3 1Jn 3:2-3

Confident

Heb 3:14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.

Persevering

Mt 10:22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Producing

1Th 1:3 We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

1Jn 3:2,3 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources