Living By Faith Or By Chance?

Transcripts for Dr. Wiersbe's sermons are forthcoming. Below is an outline of his message.

The Christian life begins with and depends on faith.

Believers are effective servants of the Lord by faith.

Habakkuk 2:4 says, “The just will live by faith.”

Four tests of faith see by explanation, illustration, and application.

• Explanation of the tests of faith:
  • The first test of faith is, “Am I doing this for God’s glory?”
  • The first test of faith deals with our motives, the very heart of our Christian faith.
  • God created us for His glory and saved us for His glory.
  • The second test of faith is, “Am I willing to wait?”
  • If we are really trusting God, we are willing to wait for His direction.
  • The third test of faith is, “Is this grounded in the Word of God?”
  • The will of God is revealed in the Word of God.
  • If we are going to walk by faith, it must be based on the Bible.
  • The fourth test of faith is, “Is there spiritual joy and peace in my heart?”
• Illustrations of the tests of faith
  • Abraham got scared and lied about Sarah being his wife, and he married Hagar because he doubted Sarah was going to give him a child.
  • In each of these situations Abraham’s actions weren’t based on the Word of God.
  • Jesus is the greatest illustration of walking in the will of God.
  • Jesus walked by faith, and we are called to walk like Him.
• Applications of the tests of faith
  • We must know the Word of God.
  • If we don’t know what God says, we won’t know how to act.
  • We must test our decisions.
  • If we cannot answer yes to the four tests of faith, we should wait to act.
  • Walking by faith means we aren’t dependent on outward circumstances.

If we are not walking by faith, we aren’t walking in the will of God.