Perspective

Perspective: Walking by Faith I. Introduction A. The purpose of this message is to remind us of the truth (JOH 14:6) that we are prone to forget in the normal course of life by way of distraction. MAT 13:22; LUK 21:34; MAT 7:13-14 B. We tend to think about the things that we are currently experiencing with our natural senses, but we need to be reminded of spiritual things that God has revealed, to keep our focus in the right place. MAT 14:22-33; MAT 4:4 II. There are spiritual realities that exist which we cannot see with our fleshly eyes, but we can see with our spiritual eyes. 2CO 4:17-18 A. Consider some examples of spiritual realities normally beyond our sight. 2KI 6:16-17; LUK 9:28-36 B. “The opening of our eyes will be the silencing of our fears. In the dark we are most apt to be frightened. The clearer sight we have of the sovereignty and power of heaven the less we shall fear the calamities of this earth.” (Matthew Henry on 2KI 6:17) C. To walk by faith is to trust what God has told us in his word and apply it in our daily lives, being mindful of spiritual things beyond our sight. ROM 10:17; 2CO 5:7; ROM 8:1,5-6; GAL 5:16-18 D. Seeing is not always believing. “Faith cometh by hearing”. JOH 20:29; 1PE 1:8; JOH 17:20; LUK 16:31 E. We do well to focus our heart and mind upon these heavenly things. COL 3:2; ISA 26:3 F. We should invest (resources, time, energy, thoughts) in heavenly things. MAT 6:19-21 III. Consider some facts about our God to help us keep a proper perspective. A. God is our Father. MAT 6:9; ROM 1:7; EPH 1:2 1. As God’s children we are his heirs. ROM 8:14-17; GAL 4:7 2. As his heirs, we have an inheritance awaiting us. This inheritance is eternal, incorruptible, and undefiled. What better inheritance could we hope for? 1PE 1:3-5 B. God loves us. He proved his love for us by dying for us. ROM 5:8; 1JO 4:9-10 C. As our father who loves us, God cares for us. 1PE 5:7 D. God is our King. He is the King of kings. He wins. REV 15:3; 1TI 6:15; REV 17:14 E. The kingdom of God is very real, and it is greater than all the kingdoms of this world. 1CH 29:11-12; PSA 103:19 1. God’s kingdom is the first and ultimate kingdom. All kingdoms of men derive their existence and power from God. DAN 2:20-21 2. Don’t let the kingdoms of this world scare you into desiring a lesser king. 1SA 8:4-9, 19-22; 1SA 12:12,14,24; PSA 118:9 3. If we esteem the kingdoms of men to be great, we should esteem the kingdom of God to be so much greater. 4. If you think it would be incredible to dine with a great king at his table, consider how much greater it is to dine with the King of kings at his table! LUK 22:30 F. The kingdom of God should be our first priority. MAT 6:33; MAT 19:27-29 G. God’s word is of greater value than all the world’s riches. PSA 19:7-10; PRO 8:10-11; PRO 3:13-18 IV. Suffering in this life is the lot of faithful Christians. 2TI 3:12; ACT 14:22 A. suffer: experience or be subjected to (something bad or unpleasant) Page 1 of 2 Perspective 3/19/2023  Perspective: Walking by Faith B. tribulation: a cause of great trouble or suffering; the state of great trouble or suffering C. Our Lord Jesus Christ set the example for us to follow. 1PE 2:18-24 D. Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory (1CO 2:8; JAS 2:1) took upon himself the form of a servant and humbled himself and became obedient unto death. PHP 2:5-8 1. Note his mindset of humility. We are to have the same mind. PHP 2:5,8 2. If the Lord of glory humbled himself like this, how much more should we! 3. Just as Jesus was exalted out of his humility, so shall we be if we duly humble ourselves before Almighty God. JAS 4:10; 1PE 5:6 4. Our aim should be to please, honor, and praise God, not ourselves or anyone else. JOH 8:29; ACT 5:29; 1TH 4:1 E. What should our attitude be when we suffer for well doing? 1. Consider yourself happy when you suffer for well doing. 1PE 3:14 2. We are blessed when we suffer for righteousness’ sake. MAT 5:10-12 3. We should be patient and continue in well doing. 1PE 2:20; GAL 6:9; 2TH 3:13; 1PE 4:19 4. We should not render evil for evil. 1TH 5:15; 1PE 3:9; 1PE 2:23 a) If you’re reviled, don’t revile back. b) If you’re suffering, don’t threaten your sufferers. 5. Jesus taught us in word and in deed that we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us. MAT 7:12 6. We should forgive our debtors. Nobody has trespassed against us more than we’ve trespassed against God. Yet he’s forgiven us. We ought to forgive those who’ve trespassed against us, especially when they ask forgiveness. MAT 6:12; COL 3:13; MAT 18:21-35 7. We should deny ourselves, not our God. LUK 9:23 F. However much you may suffer, keep in mind that you will never suffer as wrongfully as our Lord Jesus Christ did. 1. He was innocent of the charges laid against him (LUK 23:14,22) but the chief priests and rulers of the people (LUK 23:13,23) cried for his crucifixion and desired a murderer to be released instead. LUK 23:13-25; ACT 3:14 2. He is the only self-righteous man who ever walked the face of the earth, yet he was falsely accused of wrongdoing, mocked, spit upon, smote on the head, cast out of cities (LUK 4:29), marked for death on multiple occasions (MAT 26:4; LUK 22:2; JOH 5:18; JOH 7:1), and eventually nailed to a cross. His body was pierced and his blood spilled violently in public for multitudes to see. MAT 27:29-31; JOH 19:34 3. Even if we were to suffer the same fate, we would deserve it. Our Lord did not. LUK 23:39-41; 1PE 2:22; 2CO 5:21 a) If you suffer for evil doing, you should confess your sins to God and repent. 1JO 1:9 b) Don’t blame God for your own folly. PRO 19:3 G. When we are submitting ourselves to God in humble, faithful obedience we have every hope of deliverance from evil. PRO 28:18; PRO 3:21-26 H. When you suffer for well doing, suffer by faith, reckoning that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. ROM 8:18 V. If you find yourself struggling to believe God, pray this prayer, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” MAR 9:24 Page 2 of 2 Perspective 3/19/2023