Smyrna Christian Church -- Lee Delbridge, Minister
910 Concord Road SE -- Smyrna, Georgia 30080 -- 770.435.1723
www.SmyrnaChristianChurch.org
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The Faith That Makes A Difference
Part IV
One of the best ways to learn about faith is to study the lives of people of faith. Today let’s look at six people who expressed great faith.
- SHADRACH, MESHACH AND ABED-NEGO - Daniel 3:1-30
- Review story
- King Nebuchadnezza made a golden image and gave a command that when you hear the “band” play you are to bow down to the image and whoever disobeyed would be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire
- Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego refused to worship the image
- When arrested they responded to the charges
Daniel 3:16-18 - Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
- They believed God would deliver them from the king
- But even if God did not deliver them they were not going to disobey God
- Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego were thrown into the fire. God rewarded their faith and they were not burned and they came out completely unharmed. (Daniel 3:19-27)
- THE THIEF ON THE CROSS - Luke 23:33, 39-43
- When Jesus was crucified, two criminals were crucified with Him
- One of the criminals mocked Him
- The other criminal admitted his sinfulness and asked Jesus to remember him when He came in His kingdom
Luke 23:40-42 - But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!”
- Pay special attention to this man’s faith. Jesus was suffering and dying just like he was. Would you put your faith and trust in a person who was dying just like you were to help you? This is an example of tremendous faith
- Meditate on this kind of faith -- this was fantastic
- Jesus promised that this criminal would be with Him in paradise
Luke 23:43 - And He [Jesus] said to him [the criminal], “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
- ABRAHAM - Romans 4:19-21
- Romans 4:18-21 - In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.
- All the evidence said “no way” but God said it is going to happen
- Abraham believed God because he knew that what God promises God can and will do
- We should believe God no matter what the circumstances are
- THE APOSTLE PAUL - II Corinthians 4:16-5:1
- II Corinthians 4:16 - 5:1 - Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
- Notice the quality of Paul’s faith
- His physical body was decaying
- He did not focus on the temporary things that are seen but on the eternal things that are not seen
- He knew by faith that when his earthly home (physical body) is gone he would have an eternal home in heaven
- This kind of faith is able to celebrate the promise in spite of the present circumstances
- II Corinthians 5:7 - for we walk [live] by faith, not by sight
One of the best ways to learn about faith is to study the lives of people of faith. Today we have looked at six people who expressed great faith. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, the thief on the cross, Abraham and the Apostle Paul. They believed what God said in spite of the circumstances -- in spite of what they could “see” with their eyes. Do you believe God no matter what your circumstances “say”? Do you live by faith and not by sight?
© 2002 Lee Delbridge
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