Faith IS!
Terry R. Baughman

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2 NKJ).

Faith in Jesus brings us into a right standing with God, and brings us into His glorious grace, granting access to receive all that God has in store for us. Faith is a powerful force opening the door into God’s miraculous possibilities. Jesus said, “All things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23 NKJ). 

Faith is a prominent theme in the book of Hebrews. The writer also revealed that Jesus, as the Son of God, fulfilled the role of our high priest and ascended on high. We now have even more confidence to “hold fast our confession,” and “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14; 16 NKJ). 

As the Good Shepherd, Jesus is also the access for the sheep to enter into the fold. He said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved” (John 10:9 NKJ). Faith in Jesus brings us access to salvation. 

Jesus also declared, “I am the way,” another expression of access into relationship with God, and He added, “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6 NKJ). Faith brings us into relationship with Jesus and He is our access into all God has in store for those who believe in Him. 

Theme passage:
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 NKJ).

Faith IS!
Terry R. Baughman

“Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6 NKJ).

The currency of the Kingdom of God operates on the faith exchange. Believing produces incredible returns while a lack of faith produces spiritual bankruptcy. Faith is that essential ingredient in our relationship with God that makes all things possible, and without it, nothing is possible.

Great faith produces amazing results. Numerous times in the Gospels Jesus commented on the great faith of some individuals and scolded others (often His disciples) for having no faith. The apparent lesson is that great faith is possible and attainable, and a shortage of faith currency should be avoided. 
Coming into Capernaum, Jesus met a centurion who intreated Him to heal his servant. Jesus agreed to come to his house and heal the servant. However, the Centurion asked only that Jesus would speak the word of authority and he believed the healing would be done. Jesus marveled at this confession of faith and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” (Matthew 8:10 NKJ). The great faith of the Centurion was commended by the Lord. 

On another occasion a Canaanite woman (a Gentile) requested healing for her daughter who was severely demon-possessed. Jesus stated that His purpose was to come to the lost sheep of Israel, but in her humility and faith she captured the attention of Jesus and gained the miracle she sought. Jesus said, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire” (Matthew 15:28 NKJ).

On the other hand, Jesus condemned those who refused to believe or were lacking in faith. He addressed the people who should have believed Him as being a “faithless and perverse generation” (Matthew 17:17 NKJ). Even His disciples were scorned when they were fearful of losing their lives in the storm on a boat. They awakened Jesus in desperation and He asked them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 8:26 NKJ). 

The implication is that faith is essential, we must have it. A lack of faith should be avoided and our intent should be to seek more faith. The potential is there, the possibilities are endless, and the promises are unchanging. We know faith is available, so seize the moment and grow our faith in the one who moves mountains, raises the dead to life, and calms the troublesome storms. All things are possible in Him.

It is not that God is placing an impossible challenge before us. Rather, He has given to everyone a measure of faith. It’s not something to be earned or anything difficult to achieve, but readily available and given when we simply accept His Word and believe His promises. It is His desire to give us the kingdom … all we must do is believe and approach Him in confident faith. 

Theme passage:
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 NKJ).

Faith IS!
Terry R. Baughman

“Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen. This testimony of faith is what previous generations were commended for. Faith empowers us to see that the universe was created and beautifully coordinated by the power of God’s words! He spoke and the invisible realm gave birth to all that is seen” (Hebrews 11:1-3 TPT).

Faith sees what is impossible to see, and accepts for reality the invisible realm of the Spirit. Faith defies logic and the laws of nature, creating material from immaterial, producing something physical where there was only imagination, revealing tangible evidence for what was wistfully dreamed. 

Faith moves God to act in response to our hopes and confident prayers spoken in childlike simplicity. Jesus said, “Everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:8 NKJ). As much as a father delights in meeting the needs of his children, even so our Heavenly Father loves to respond to our requests. Jesus made that comparison, and then stated, “How much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11 NKJ).

What we can imagine God doing often becomes the substance of our expectations and the blueprint of God’s design. As Paul wrote, “He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination!” (Ephesians 3:20 TPT). 

If we can dream it, God can speak it, and in His Word is creative power. The writer of Hebrews said that He is, “sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3 NIV). Another translation said, “He holds the universe together and expands it by the mighty power of his spoken word” (Hebrews 1:3 TPT). There is forward movement and active momentum through His creative Word. 

The Psalmist penned, “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth” (Psalm 33:6 NKJ). Paul expressed the power of Christ and said, “For in him was created the universe of things, both in the heavenly realm and on the earth, all that is seen and all that is unseen.” He went on to reveal that, “He existed before anything was made, and now everything finds completion in him” (Colossians 1:16-17 TPT).

Faith in God’s works provides all the proof needed as evidence of His reality. All of creation testifies of His existence. Paul wrote, “… from the creation of the world, the invisible qualities of God’s nature have been made visible, such as his eternal power and transcendence. He has made his wonderful attributes easily perceived, for seeing the visible makes us understand the invisible” (Romans 1:20 TPT). Only by denying what is visible all around us in nature can we deny the power of God’s presence, and only a fool can deny what is clearly seen in creation. 

“Faith empowers us to see that the universe was created and beautifully coordinated by the power of God’s words!” By faith we understand His existence. That’s all the evidence we need!
​
Theme passage:
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 NKJ).

Possibilities 
Faith IS!
Terry R. Baughman

“Jesus said to him, ‘What do you mean—if? If you are able to believe, all things are possible to the believer’” (Mark 9:23 TPT).

There are endless possibilities through faith in God. As a matter of fact, Luke wrote, “For with God nothing will be impossible!” (Luke 1:37 NKJ). That is an amazing concept, just to think that there are no limits to God’s ability and nothing He does not have the power to do. Paul said we can pray with the assurance that God is able to do, “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20 NIV).

We often categorize things that are easy, hard, more difficult, and some that are impossible to accomplish. Within our own power those distinctions are definitely warranted. However, we err when we place the same restrictions on God’s activity in earth. There is just one category with God … POSSIBLE! Headache? Healing possible! Disappointed? Encouragement possible! Back pain? Relief possible! Marriage conflict? reconciliation possible! 

What about those really big, seemingly impossible, things? Kidney failure, terminal cancer, heart malfunction, and type one diabetes may all find a spot on our impossible list. However, with God nothing is on His impossible list. Nothing is more difficult than something else. All things are on His list of possibilities. 

Just because something is possible, doesn’t mean that it is also His purpose. Some miracles are planned for His purpose and His glory. Other times God says, “Wait,” or “Not yet,”  or “trust me!” That’s where we may find ourselves questioning, “Why?” Our greatest challenge is finding the difference between possibility and purpose, between faith and trust. We may have faith for a miracle, but can we trust Him when there is no miracle? We may have great expectation for what is possible, but struggle to discover His purpose when the possible is not performed. 

Trust, is believing in God even when the miracle doesn’t happen; knowing God can, even when He doesn’t. Jesus faced this very paradox in His most trying hour. As He spent the night in prayer before His arrest, trial and crucifixion. He prayed intensely that He might avoid this gruesome death, “if it were possible.” In humanity He prayed with the certain knowledge of God’s omnipotence, “Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will” (Mark 14:35-36 NKJ). Jesus knew all things were possible, but ultimately He surrendered to the Spirit’s purpose, “not what I will, but what You will.”

Can we pray the nevertheless prayer? We may voice our desire, but will we surrender to His divine purpose when we do not see the desired outcome. That is the ultimate faith, believing in One we cannot see and trusting in a plan we cannot know. As the classic Fanny J Crosby hymn, Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus, concludes, “O for grace to trust Him more!” 

The possibilities are limitless and we should have the conviction that God can do anything. Ultimately, we must simply trust that He does all things well and His purpose is greater than our wishlist prayer list. Faith is … trusting God through it all! 
​
Theme passage:
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 NKJ).
​

Back to Worship!

Terry R. Baughman
“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18-19 NIV).
Many Americans who feel they have been served an injustice by our legal department and wrongly convicted will seek a pardon from a Governor or perhaps even the President of the United States. Often it is one of the final acts of a leading public official before leaving office, to grant pardons to individuals in those cases that merit the attention of these leaders of state. By waiting until they are about to leave office, they avoid any negative political ramifications of granting such a pardon. An unpopular act could influence the outcome of their reelection. However, those who are on the receiving end of a pardon are especially grateful and will often write letters or send messages of great appreciation for their freedom and opportunity to be restored to home and family, sometimes after months or even years of incarceration. 
We may not feel that we have ever been guilty of such a crime that would cause us to be concerned about receiving a pardon. We are free to come and go whenever we choose. We have not been charged or sentenced with an unjust verdict. In reality, we are all guilty of sin and deserving of the death penalty according to God’s righteous judgment. Paul observed that, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 NKJ). This highlights the fact that we all live under the condemnation of our sins, and we all need forgiveness and pardon. 
Fortunately, one outstanding quality of God is His everlasting mercy and great kindness. As Micah stated in the text, He is One who pardons sin, forgives transgressors, shows mercy, and has compassion. Only He can truly pardon our guilt and remove the condemnation of our sins. He will remove our sins “into the depths of the sea,” and banished them, “As far as the east is from the west” (Micah 7:19, Psalm 103:12 NIV). The extent of His mercy is a demonstration of His amazing grace. Paul said, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8 NIV).
When the pardoned persons are set free, they walk away from the guilt of the past and step into a new day of light and opportunity. It takes longer for other acquaintances to accept the freed people back into their lives, but according to the law, they can no longer be held responsible for the crimes committed or charged with guilt. 
Even for the person granted freedom, it takes time for the reality of a pardon to sink in. Perhaps there is the dread of a knock at the door revealing officers and a messenger to say there was a mistake. Maybe it’s the constant feeling of looking over the shoulder to catch the pursuer, or the nagging self-doubt of not being good enough to deserve a second chance. It takes time to adjust to new found freedom and experience the legal liberty granted. 
When it comes to our debt of sin, we know we were guilty. We deserved to die, but Christ took our place, dying on the cross to redeem us from sin. He is the only One who could grant freedom and declare us to be innocent. His sinless blood provides covering for our sins and clothes us in His righteousness. It was not our good deeds or hard work that makes us deserving of salvation. It is Christ alone, grace alone, and His sovereign act that assures us of pardon for all our sins. Paul wrote, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us” (Ephesians 1:7-8 NIV).
The freedom Jesus gives is permanent, we are never to return to repeat the paths of the past. Paul said, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1 NIV). God’s grace is not temporary or limited. He has unlimited ability to save and set free. Thankfully. our God is full of grace and, “… He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7 NKJ).
Theme passage:
“Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7 NKJ).