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Main Theme

True faith in Jesus will be evident through how we live our lives.

Outline

  1. Faith leads people to obey God. (1-10)
    1. Key Verse - The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” (v. 5)
    2. These ten verses are a collection of Jesus’s teachings on how faith in Jesus leads to faithfulness to God. Genuine faith in Jesus means we will watch out for false teaching (1-2), be willing to forgive others when they repent (3-4), and serve God and others joyfully and humbly (7-10). Faithfulness and obedience to God isn’t about the quantity of faith; it’s about the genuineness of faith.
  2. Faith leads people to worship God. (11-19)
    1. Key Verses - “Was not one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”  And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” (v. 18-19)
    2. In another miracle, Jesus heals ten lepers, but only one returns to thank and praise God. This section highlights how people respond to Jesus's mercy. The Samaritan man returned to Jesus and was commended for his faith. Genuine faith leads to genuine worship.
  3. Faith leads people to persevere until the end. (20-37)
    1. Key Verses - Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” (v. 20-21)
    2. No one knows when Jesus will return. It will be sudden, and many people will not be prepared. In verse 32, Jesus says, “Remember Lot’s wife.” In Genesis 19, God rescues Lot from Sodom, but as they are fleeing, Lot’s wife takes a longing look back at Sodom. She would have rather returned to the abominable city than be rescued by God. True faith means we do not look back and wish we could go back to the life we had before God saved us. Genuine faith brings about perseverance in honoring God until the end.

Gospel Connection

Jesus didn’t suffer, die, and rise from the grave to make bad people good. He is so to make sinful people holy. Salvation is a complete transformation of the whole person. From what we believe and share with others, what we approve of and condemn, whether or not we are quick to forgive and willing to forbear, to our attitude of either joyfully serving others or selfishly focusing on ourselves, every aspect of the life of a Christian must be transformed by grace and come under the authority of God’s Word.

Whole Bible Connection

The Old Testament provides multiple pictures of what it looks like to follow God in faith and the consequences when a person or a nation refuses to do so. Even in the lives of certain people, we see times when they walked by faith in God and times when they didn’t. Abraham is a great example. In faith, he left all that he knew to follow God’s call. However, he also had times when he lacked faith and took matters into his own hands, which never turned out well. Though it is a battle each day whether we will walk by faith in God or trust in ourselves, we must always fight the battle and discipline ourselves to trust in God rather than ourselves.

Key Takeaways

Place your faith in Jesus. As Jesus warned, the end will come when you do not expect it. It is foolish to say, “I will follow Jesus later,” because later is never guaranteed. Repent of your sin and place your faith in him today. Embrace God's grace and love today.

Faith in Jesus is revealed through actions. You may have heard the oppression, “Talk is cheap.” The Bible commands us to confess Jesus as Lord with our mouths, and it warns us against denying Jesus among others. However, evidence of true faith is shown through actions. What do your actions reveal about your faith?

Don’t give up and turn back. When a person comes to faith in Jesus, that person dies to their former way of life. All of our sinful habits, desires, and pleasures should not appeal to us anymore because they were the very things that separated us from God and that Jesus had to die for. Christians must not long for and grieve what they gave up. They must long for what they will one day receive: dwelling in the presence of God for all eternity.

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