Obedient Faith
Carl Thomas
Summer of Faith / Luke 8:10; Acts 5:32; Acts 19:11–12; Romans 1:5; Romans 16:25–26; Hebrews 5:9; Hebrews 11:8–10
In the final message of the Summer of Faith message series, Pastor Carl taught on Obedient Faith. Saving faith is the faith we have to believe that Jesus Christ has been risen from the dead and now reigns as our Savior. Trusting faith is the faithfulness we show to God by being diligent in our faith.
Obedient faith is the miracle working faith we need for today. This world needs a sign that Jesus is alive and that only happens through obedient faith.
In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul wrote that we have all received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith. We need both the grace of God and the church of Jesus Christ to fulfill the call of God on our lives.
Obedient faith is productive faith. Hebrews 5:9 shows us that Jesus is the Savior of all those who obey him. Luke wrote in Acts 5:32 that the Holy Spirit is given to all who obey Jesus. We desperately need the Holy Spirit to see the kingdom of God and be obedient to the call of God on our lives. Holy Spirit illuminates our path so we can walk in the light as children of God. And it’s the Holy Spirit who gives us power to obey Jesus and walk a life of victory.
Obedient faith is a mysterious faith. In a world that is desperate for certainty, Holy Spirit invites us into a mysterious relationship where we trust God for each step not always knowing the destination. We only actually need to know the next step but way too often we ask God to tell us the destination so that we can chart our own journey. Mature faith looks like seek -> trust -> obey. Reproduce the fruit of righteousness because Jesus has been so good to us that we have learned he is worthy of our trust.
Obedient faith is moving faith. Just as Abraham was called out into the land he did not know, God is calling us out of our comfort zone into the realm of faith so that we can produce fruit that gives him glory. We each desire to live in the land of promise and we can only get there when we step out in faith, trusting God for each step.
Obedient faith is trusting faith. Luke recorded Jesus saying that we have been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. He didn’t promise that we would understand them only that we would know them. Salvation is a mystery but it’s a mystery that has been revealed to those who know Jesus.
Obedient faith is miracle working faith. The apostles learned to trust God even with the impossible. We to need to listen to God’s voice and trust when he tells us to walk out on the water.