Building on the Foundation

What Jesus Believed and Taught

PREMISE REVIEW:

Jesus, who has NO SELF, came to SEEK, FIND, and REDEEM (reconcile, reclaim, restore) that which was LOST - all for the great pleasure and will of our Father, all for the Glory of God, and to display to all of creation God’s absolute goodness.

The Nature of Saving Faith

John 6:28-29

“Therefore they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.’”

The ONLY work God requires: BELIEVE IN JESUS

John 3:16-18

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

John 3:36

“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Mark 16:16

“He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”

Faith as a Gift from God

Ephesians 2:8-9

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

John 6:44

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

John 6:65

“And He was saying, ‘For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.’”

Philippians 1:29

“For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake”

FAITH IS:

- A GIFT from God
- NOT from ourselves
- NOT a work we produce
- GRANTED by the Father
- Given so we can seek and find Jesus

The Object of Faith: Jesus Alone

John 14:1

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.”

John 14:6

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’”

Acts 4:12

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

John 11:25-26

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?’”

FAITH MUST BE IN:

- Jesus ALONE
- Not in ourselves
- Not in our works
- Not in our religion
- Not in our goodness
- ONLY in Christ

Examples of Great Faith (According to Jesus)

1. The Centurion - Matthew 8:5-13

Matthew 8:10

“Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, ‘Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.’”

What made this faith great:

- Recognized Jesus’ authority with just a word

- Humility: “I am not worthy for You to come under my roof”

- Trust without needing to see

- Gentile who believed when Israel did not

2. The Canaanite Woman - Matthew 15:21-28

Matthew 15:28

“Then Jesus said to her, ‘O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed at once.”

What made this faith great:

- Persistent despite apparent rejection

- Humble: willing to take crumbs from the Master’s table

- Confident in Jesus’ mercy and power

- Desperate need drove her to Jesus

3. The Four Friends - Mark 2:1-12

Mark 2:5

“And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’”

What made this faith great:

- Active faith - they tore through the roof
- Faith for another person
- Overcame obstacles
- Brought their friend to Jesus

4. The Woman with the Hemorrhage - Mark 5:25-34

Mark 5:34

“And He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.’”

What made this faith great:

- She believed just touching His garment would heal

- Came in desperation after 12 years of suffering

- Faith in Jesus when all human help had failed

Little Faith vs. Great Faith

Matthew 6:30 (Worry about provision)

“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!”

Matthew 8:26 (Fear in the storm)

“He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?’ Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.”

Matthew 14:31 (Peter walking on water)

“Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’”

Matthew 16:8 (Disciples worried about bread)

“But Jesus, aware of this, said, ‘You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread?’”

LITTLE FAITH is characterized by:

- Worry and anxiety

- Fear

- Doubt

- Forgetting what God has already done

- Focusing on circumstances rather than Christ

GREAT FAITH is characterized by:

- Desperation that drives to Jesus
- Humility (knowing we deserve nothing)
- Trust in Jesus’ authority and power
- Persistence despite obstacles
- Believing without needing to see
- Confidence in Jesus’ compassion

Faith Like a Child

Matthew 18:3-4

“and said, ‘Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’”

Mark 10:15

“’Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.’”

Luke 18:16-17

“But Jesus called for them, saying, ‘Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.’”

CHILDLIKE FAITH means:

- Complete dependence
- No self-confidence
- No self-righteousness
- Trusting without understanding everything
- Receiving freely without earning
- Knowing you need help
- Humble and lowly

The Power of Faith

Matthew 17:20

“And He said to them, ‘Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.’”

Mark 9:23

“And Jesus said to him, ‘’If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.’”

Mark 11:22-24

“And Jesus answered saying to them, ‘Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be taken up and cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.’”

THE POWER IS NOT IN THE FAITH ITSELF, BUT IN THE OBJECT OF FAITH - JESUS

Faith and Works

James 2:17-20 (James, the brother of Jesus)

“Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, ‘You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’… You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected.”

CRITICAL DISTINCTION:

- We are NOT saved BY works (Ephesians 2:8-9)

- We are saved FOR works (Ephesians 2:10)

- True faith PRODUCES works as evidence

- Works do NOT produce salvation

- Works DEMONSTRATE genuine faith

Matthew 7:16-20 (Jesus speaking)

“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit… So then, you will know them by their fruits.”

Faith Comes By Hearing

Romans 10:17

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

John 5:24

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

JESUS’ SHEEP HEAR HIS VOICE:

John 10:27-28

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”

This is why we share the Gospel - so His sheep can HEAR His voice

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JESUS AND TRUTH

Jesus IS the Truth

John 14:6

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’”

John 1:14

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:17

“For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”

JESUS IS:

- THE Truth (not just truthful)
- FULL of grace AND truth
- The REALIZATION of truth
- The EMBODIMENT of truth

The Truth Sets Free

John 8:31-32

“So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’”

John 8:34-36

“Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.’”

THE TRUTH (JESUS) SETS US FREE FROM:

- Slavery to sin
- Bondage to self
- Deception
- Lies
- Religion
- Self-righteousness

The Spirit of Truth

John 14:16-17

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”

John 15:26

“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me”

John 16:13

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”

THE HOLY SPIRIT:

- IS the Spirit of Truth
- Guides us into ALL truth
- Testifies about Jesus
- Cannot be received by the world
- Abides in believers forever

Worship in Spirit and Truth

John 4:23-24

“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

TRUE WORSHIP:

- Must be in SPIRIT and TRUTH
- Not just outward religion
- Not just following rules
- From the heart, in truth
- This is what the FATHER SEEKS

Truth vs. Lies

John 8:44 (Jesus speaking to the Pharisees)

“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

THE DEVIL:

- Is the father of LIES
- Has NO truth in him
- His nature is to LIE
- He is a murderer

JESUS (by contrast):

- IS the Truth
- Cannot lie (Titus 1:2)
- Speaks only truth
- Gives life

Those Who Love Truth Come to Jesus

John 3:19-21

“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

John 18:37 (Jesus before Pilate)

“Therefore Pilate said to Him, ‘So You are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’”

THOSE WHO LOVE TRUTH:

- Come to the Light (Jesus)
- Are not afraid to have their deeds exposed
- Hear Jesus’ voice
- Receive His testimony

THOSE WHO HATE TRUTH:

- Love darkness
- Do evil deeds
- Avoid the Light
- Fear exposure

Sanctified by Truth

John 17:17 (Jesus praying for His disciples)

“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”

John 17:19

“For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.”

WE ARE SANCTIFIED (made holy) BY:

- The TRUTH
- God’s WORD (which is truth)
- Jesus sanctifying Himself for us

The Truth About Human Nature

John 2:24-25

“But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”

Mark 7:20-23

“And He was saying, ‘That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.’”

Matthew 15:18-19

“But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.”

THE TRUTH ABOUT US:

- We are sinners by nature
- Evil comes from WITHIN us (our hearts)
- We are defiled from the inside out
- We ALL need a Savior
- No amount of external religion can fix the heart

Religious People Reject Truth

John 8:40 (Jesus to the Pharisees)

“But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.”

John 8:45-47

“But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

Matthew 23:13 (Jesus to scribes and Pharisees)

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”

RELIGIOUS SELF-RIGHTEOUS PEOPLE:

- Reject truth when it exposes them

- Do not believe even when confronted with truth

- Are not “of God”

- Do not hear God’s words

- Shut off the kingdom from others

- Will not enter themselves

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FAITH AND TRUTH TOGETHER

Belief in the Truth

2 Thessalonians 2:13

“But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.”

1 Timothy 2:4

“who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

The Gospel is Truth

Colossians 1:5

“because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel”

Ephesians 1:13

“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise”

THE GOSPEL IS:

- The word of TRUTH
- The message of TRUTH
- Not a lie
- Not man-made
- From God Himself

Living in Truth

1 John 3:18

“Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”

2 John 1:4

“I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father.”

3 John 1:4

“I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.”

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CONNECTING TO THE FOUNDATION: FAITH TO SEEK AND FIND

God Gives Faith So We Can Seek Him

The beautiful paradox:

- We cannot come to Jesus unless the Father draws us (John 6:44)

- God GIVES us faith as a gift (Ephesians 2:8)

- This faith enables us to SEEK Jesus

- When we seek, we FIND (Matthew 7:7-8)

- We find because HE WAS SEEKING US FIRST (Luke 19:10)

Jeremiah 29:13

“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Matthew 7:7-8

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

Truth Exposes Our Desperate Need

The TRUTH about us:

- We are LOST without Christ
- We are SINNERS by nature
- We are SICK and need a physician
- We are DEAD in trespasses and sins
- We are HELPLESS to save ourselves
- We DESERVE nothing but judgment

Confessing this TRUTH aligns us with reality:

- Religious people deny this truth
- Humble sinners confess this truth
- Heaven rejoices when we confess the truth about ourselves
- This confession opens us to receive GRACE

Faith Receives What Grace Offers

GRACE offers:

- Forgiveness
- Redemption
- Reconciliation
- Restoration
- New life
- Eternal life
- Sonship
- The Holy Spirit
- Everything we need

FAITH receives:

- Not by earning
- Not by working
- Not by deserving
- Simply by BELIEVING
- Simply by TRUSTING
- Simply by RECEIVING like a child

Romans 5:2

“through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”

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CONCLUSION: JESUS’ MISSION THROUGH THE LENS OF FAITH AND TRUTH

Jesus (Who Has NO SELF) Operates in Perfect Faith and Truth:

PERFECT FAITH - Jesus perfectly trusted the Father in everything

PERFECT TRUTH - Jesus IS the truth and spoke only truth

NO SELF - Jesus had no self-interest, self-promotion, self-preservation

TOTAL SURRENDER - To the Father’s will and pleasure

COMPLETE OBEDIENCE - Even to death on a cross

Jesus Came to Restore Faith and Truth to Humanity:

FAITH - Giving us the gift of faith to believe in Him

TRUTH - Revealing the truth about God, about sin, about grace

SEEKING - Using faith and truth to seek the lost

FINDING - Those who receive truth and respond in faith

REDEEMING - Bringing them back to the Father

For the Glory of God:

All of this demonstrates:

- God’s ABSOLUTE GOODNESS
- God’s COMPASSION for sinners
- God’s SOVEREIGNTY in salvation
- God’s PLEASURE in finding the lost
- God’s GLORY displayed in redemption

Everything works BY FAITH through GRACE for the GLORY OF GOD

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