Increase Our Faith 2

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Increase Our Faith (2)

• (Luke 171-6)

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Review

• our faith may need strengthened to face certain
  commandments of God
• our faith can be strengthened
• reasons why we need to increase faith
• to hold what we have
• to remain true
• to accomplish greater things
• to fortify ourselves

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In This Lesson

• PRIMARY FOCUS to note how our faith can be made
  stronger

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1) Not By A Miraculous Measure

• when many think of religion they think of some
  mystical experience that must be experienced
• taught faith is received in a miraculous way
• faith is sustain in a miraculous way
• many want sensationalism
• Luke 1627-31

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2) Not by Osmosis

• cannot increase faith by merely attending a
  church service/bible study
• some attend but dont grow
• these services require active participation for
  growth
• preparation before (remove wickedness)
• participation during (hear/receive word)
• application after (exercise/doers)

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James 121, 22

• 21 Wherefore, putting away all filthiness and
  overflow of baseness, in meekness, welcome ye the
  word fitted for inward growth, which is able to
  save your souls 22 Become ye doers of the word,
  and not hearers onlyreasoning yourselves
  astray (Rotherham)

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1) Feeding Our Faith
1 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all
guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2
like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the
word, that by it you may grow in respect to
salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of
the Lord (1 Pet. 21-3, NASB)
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1) Feeding Our Faith
1 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all
guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2
like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the
word, that by it you may grow in respect to
salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of
the Lord (1 Pet. 21-3, NASB)

• malice ill-will, desire to injure
• guile deceit
• hypocrisy stage player, flattery

• envy jealousy
• slander evil speaking, defamation

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AUGUSTINE
"Malice delights in anothers hurt envy pines at
anothers good guile imparts duplicity to the
heart hypocrisy (flattery) imparts duplicity to
the tongue evil-speakings wound the character of
another"
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1) Feeding Our Faith
1 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all
guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2
like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the
word, that by it you may grow in respect to
salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of
the Lord (1 Pet. 21-3, NASB)
EAT GROW! EAT ???
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1) Feeding Our Faith

• So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by
  the word of God (Rom. 1017, NKJV)
• Faith is developed
• Increased with hearing (trans. report, Matt.
  141 ears, Mk. 735)
• must be according to the anecdote of Jas. 121
• substance must be of God

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Feeding On The Word

• by listening
• not doodling during services
• active listening/note taking/looking up verses
• by personal study
• causal reading versus investigative study
• group study

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James 125
But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty
and continues in it, and is not a forgetful
hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be
blessed in what he does (NKJV)
stooping down and looking into(cf. Lk. 2412)
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With Angelic Fervor!
To them it was revealed that, not to themselves,
but to us they were ministering the things which
now have been reported to you through those who
have preached the gospel to you by the Holy
Spirit sent from heaventhings which angels
desire to look into (1 Pet. 112, NKJV)
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2. Exercising Our Faith
For everyone who partakes only of milk is
unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is
a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are
of full age, that is, those who by reason of use
have their senses exercised to discern both good
and evil (Heb. 513, 14, NKJV)
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3. Testing Faith
Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the
faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know
yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? unless
indeed you are disqualified (2 Cor. 135, NKJV)
WE NEED TO TEST OURSELVES BECAUSE OUR FAITH WILL
SURELY BE TESTED!