INTRO:  Eden shows that human beings don’t trust God FULLY …for His Leadership of their lives. Israel shows this in the desert, during judges, kings, prophets, pharisees, and right up to NOW. Clearly the lesson of ALL history is the same partial trust of God.

BENEFIT STATEMENT: In short: Humanity does NOT have Christ’s Vision of reality since HE provides FAITH as the Author and Finisher of Faith. So …since this is a historically PROVEN existence of humanity …how do WE stack up in the Faith OF Jesus Christ? Are WE fully trusting of God through Christ?

SPS: Christ examples Active, Living constant, ongoing Trust in GOD – rather than in Himself, even though HE is God. Being a Perfect Sacrifice, Enabled by the Father with a God-given FUTURE Focus – The Faith of Christ, the Author and Finisher of Faith.

BODY:

1. God is working through Christ to bring us out of OUR short-sighted way to God-Life. Christ and the Father have been revealing from the beginning – HOW His True Vision of what the God-Head is doing works. He has explained where Faith leads …the Kingdom! That is the FULL realization of FAITH. 

Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) 11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

2 Peter 1:2-11 (NKJV) 2  Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3  as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4  by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5  But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6  to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7  to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8  For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9  For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. 10  Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11  for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) 6  But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

(((1 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV) 9  to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,

(((Galatians 5:22 (NKJV) 22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NKJV) 16  Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18  while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Hebrews 5:8-9 (NKJV) 8  though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9  And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,

Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV) 2  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Christ trusted God over Himself, Lived this Trust to the point of His death, therefore showing us WHAT His Vision IN us may produce …being Guided by the Superior, not our incomplete self-will.

2. Our reasoning is, in reality, uselessly incomplete. God’s Mind, Heart, Way is Eternally Perfect.

Vain things of THIS life experience:

Proverbs 14:12 (16.25) (NKJV) 12  There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

Genesis 8:21 (NKJV) 21  And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.

God’s Contrasting Attitude:

John 5:19 (NKJV) 19  Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. John 5:30 (NKJV) 30  I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

(((John 8:23 (NKJV) 23  And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

HOW to Follow Him:

Philippians 3:7-11 (NKJV) 7  But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8  Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9  and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11  if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

We have a LOT to lose:

• OUR Primary Self-Assigned Value
• OUR Judging of Good and Evil
• OUR closely Valued Personal “Correct” Decisions
• OUR Unique Experiences as OUR Proof of being Able to Manage our lives
• OUR RIGHT to BE …and be Valued by mankind
• OUR Importance
• OUR Self-Valuing (OUR …so insightful view of our life)
• OUR old Incomplete life of chemical and decaying existence.

Within God’s Body, we may find God being patient with our LACK of Faith. He KNOWS we are incomplete in following Christ. BUT we may not KNOW that we NEED more of Christ’s Faith!

John 11:1-8 (NKJV) 1  Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." 4  When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." 5  Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. 7  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." 8  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"

John 11:20-22 (NKJV) 20  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21  Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22  But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."

John 11:27 (NKJV) 27  She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

John 11:32 (NKJV) 32  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."

John 11:41-42 (NKJV) 41  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."

Not Vain:

Isaiah 45:18 (NKJV) 18  For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: "I am the LORD, and there is no other.

3. BE in and of Christ’s Faithful Vision WITH Him. He will enable continuing Faith IN us.

John 15:6-11 (NKJV) 6  If anyone does not abide [living] in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7  If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 9  "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10  If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. 11  These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

(Heb 12.2 …for the “Joy” set before Him …)

John 12:25 (NKJV) 25  He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

John 12:44-50 (NKJV) 44  Then Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45  And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. 46  I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. 47  And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48  He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. 49  For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 50  And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak."

1 John 5:4-5 (NKJV) 4  For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. 5  Who is he who overcomes [negates] the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

HOW?

(((Colossians 3:2-4 (NKJV) 2  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4  When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

(((Luke 18:8 (NKJV) 8  I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"

(This Place we call “Home” is distractingly underinformed …by Satan’s design)

CONCLUSION:

Christ’s Faith and Vision FOR US is fully realized in God’s Kingdom. He exampled a human keeping THAT Vision with God’s goodness – which is ABOVE human personal struggle. Christ is THERE now …bringing us to be FINISHED by the Finisher of Faith.

1 Corinthians 2:9-11 (NKJV) 9  But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." 10  But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11  For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

Isaiah 64:4 (NKJV) 4  For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him.

CLOSE:

God is to be Trusted ABOVE personal and therefore limited understanding.

((((Ecclesiastes 12:1,8,13-14 (NKJV) 1  Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, "I have no pleasure in them":      8  "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "All is vanity."     13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. 14  For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.

God’s Exposition of the Culmination of Conversion Through Christ’s Perfect Faith in God.

Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV) 17  No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me," Says the LORD.

Isaiah 55:1-13 (NKJV) 1  "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price. 2  Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. 3  Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you-- The sure mercies of David. 4  Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, A leader and commander for the people. 5  Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, And nations who do not know you shall run to you, Because of the LORD your God, And the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you." 6  Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. 7  Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. 8  "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. 9  "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. 10  "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, 11  So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. 12  "For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; [“GO” …so BE It – from here!]  The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13  Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the LORD for a name, For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

• God is working through Christ to bring us out of OUR short-sighted way to God-Life.
• Our reasoning is, in reality, uselessly incomplete.
• BE in and of Christ’s Faithful Vision WITH Him.

So …what now? Be led as a little trusting child instead of a life expert, which, all our evidence to the contrary, we are NOT. Deny our self-willed self-valuing, and sacrifice our self-will for God’s Purposes

John 14:31 (NKJV) 31  But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.

SO, ALL of US, together …MOVE Forward WITH God – From OUR Priority Ways to HIS True Ways. LET This Be from here ON! (Amen!)

GO  - By Following Christ in HIS Perfect, Fully-Informed Faith!

THE Faith of Christ – from the Author and Finisher of Faith.