There are certainly many answers to that question, as faith causes many things to happen (or not happen). Sincere faith, especially, leads to corresponding attitudes and actions.
On Sunday morning, Lord willing, I will be continuing through our Who’s Your One? sermon series, taking a look at Luke 5:17-26 and talking about how “Believing Is Receiving.”
As I prepare for that message, I would like to challenge you to consider the faith of the men in that story – the man Jesus forgave and healed and the man’s friends, who lowered him down to Jesus from a roof. Jesus saw their faith (verse 20), and as a result, he both forgave the paralyzed man of his sins and also healed the man.
From that story, I believe we can learn a couple of important lessons about sincere faith in Jesus Christ.
1. FAITH LEADS TO SEEKING JESUS.
Why were the men in that story so persistent that “they went up on the roof and lowered him on the mat through the roof tiles into the middle of the crowd before Jesus” (Luke 5:19)? That is a lot of effort. That is persistence in the midst of great obstacles!
These men and their paralyzed friend obviously had faith. They believed there was something special about this Jesus, and so He was worth their effort and persistence. Their faith led to them seeking Jesus.
What about your faith? Are you seeking to get closer to Jesus? Sincere faith leads to seeking Jesus.
2. FAITH LEADS TO LOVING OTHERS.
Today is Valentine’s Day, so we will probably hear a lot about love this weekend. What kind of love, though? The Bible tells us that “love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7). In fact, we cannot know love apart from God. “We love because God first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Furthermore, “God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!” (Romans 5:8).
The one with faith in Jesus has love for God and love for others. There are no exceptions to this. Again, see 1 John 4:7-21. I am not saying this to take away from Valentine’s Day and the romantic love between a husband and his wife, as that is certainly included in the Word of God. Rather, I am challenging you to consider how your faith impacts your love. Your love says a lot about your faith.
The men in the story in Luke 5:17-26 cared enough about their friend to go to great lengths to do what? Well, they wanted to get their friend to Jesus! Is there a better way for us to love others than to bring them to Jesus?
Genuine faith leads to seeking Jesus and loving others. Is there proof of genuine faith in your life? Do you love others enough to do whatever you can to bring them to Jesus?
DrakeCity 