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Sunday 12/14/25
Title: The Nuts & Bolts of Faith
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The Nuts & Bolts of Faith
We are currently in a series called, “From faith to faith” and we embarked upon this series for several reasons.
The first and foremost was because I strongly sensed this was the mana God has for us in this season, secondly because I know that there have been lingering questions regarding faith in our church for many years since our departure from the Word of Faith but I suppose also, it was due to the fact that I tend towards deep studies. I mean they don’t seem deep to me so much as thorough, but I know I can only hold your interest so long on a topic and we’d been on our topic of living witnesses in one form or another since January. Which to give you your due, is a much greater attention span than most in the church today.
We started two weeks ago with ‘Faith begins when Christ is revealed’ and last week with ‘By FAITH… Abel’. This week’s teaching I think we’ll call “By FAITH… some in Israel”.
Turn with me this morning to Romans 10 and I will be hoping around in my translations this morning between the ESV & perhaps the NET.
A basic overview of what we’ve covered so far can be found in these condensed statements…
- Reverence for God is foundational to faith.
- Faith is NOT hard.
- Faith is automatic if your heart is open and unprotected.
- Faith’s motive is always pure.
- Faith is God focused not ME focused.
- Faith ALWAYS bears fruit – has correlating action.
- Faith is always IN God as a person, not in what we know ABOUT His will.
- Faith is always IN God and not FOR a thing or outcome.
- Faith doesn’t need a shield, it IS one.
- Faith isn’t conjured, it comes!
Romans 10:1-21,
“(1) Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. (2) For I bear them witness that THEY HAVE A ZEAL FOR GOD, BUT NOT ACCORDING TO KNOWLEDGE.
(3) FOR,
Paul is about to explain the source of their zeal and ignorance.
(3) FOR, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. (4) For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
So you can immediately see that most of Israel possessed a passion for God to the point of zealousness, but it was not connected to Him relationally. It was more like a national pride in knowing they served the only true God, but with little pursuit of Him personally.
In many ways it is comparable to those who possess national pride and yet, know virtually nothing about the founding of our country. No sifting through history in hunger to know the thoughts and hearts behind the actions of our founding families. Nothing of the struggles and pure grit that was required to found this nation. No connection with the people, their stories or great sacrifices. Their diligence and almost anguished mental acuity that went into the drafting of our charter documents. Nor of the personal passions and visions they held like a burning furnace in their hearts.
I believe this was the Israel Paul grew up with. Paul was different in that he took his zeal to the next level – owning it, and pursuing “righteousness” but as an object or trophy to attain, rather than a condition of heart which pleased His God.
In any case, passion and zeal can produce confidence or spring from it but those who possess it can do so without ever really connecting with God at all. They can feel very strongly, and be zealous in their beliefs and still be COMPLETELY and ENTIRELY deceived which results in missing God altogether and this is a very real danger to be aware of! It’s nothing to fear. Nothing to keep you awake at night, but something to be aware of so that you never fail to make your passion about pursuing God for Himself, rather than what you want Him to be or give you. If you do THAT, you will be safe for that is an expression of the fear of the Lord.
“(5) For Moses writes about the righteousness THAT IS BASED ON THE LAW, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. [See Lev. 18:5]
(6) But the righteousness BASED ON FAITH says,
“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ [Messiah] down)
[See Deut. 9:4; 30:12]
(7) “or
‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ[Messiah]up from the dead). [See Deut. 30:13]
(8) But what does it say?
“The word is near you, in your mouth AND IN YOUR HEART” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);”[See Deut. 30:14]
Woe now, let’s slow down, there is a lot of unpacking to do here.
Here the righteousness from works which was according to the law is pitted against Israel’s true hope which was a righteousness based upon RELATIONAL TRUST.
The former Israel was comfortable with. It was familiar and very quid pro quo. Most of Israel historically were completely in agreement with the decision of their Jewish forefathers at the mountain. Don’t let God come and speak to us directly and intimately, let Him speak through a prophet or through the writings of the Law and we will obey.
God wanted His words in their hearts, NOT just in their mouths.
“These people draw near me with their lips, but their HEARTS are far from Me!” – Isaiah 29:13
Contrary to what many Jews believe now and believed then – the Old Testament points to a Messiah who FIRST and PRIMARILY redeems Israel from their sin – not just a conquering king.
Isaiah 59:20-21, “The Redeemer shall come to Zion, and to them that turn from transgression in Jacob,” which promises a covenant of His Spirit upon and His words within.
Isaiah 43:25,“I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more,”
Psalm 130:8 declares, “And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities,” foreshadowing Jesus’s role in saving His people from sin.
Key Passages & Concepts:
Isaiah chapters 40-55 speaks of a future redemption for Israel, using the imagery of the original Exodus from Egypt, but focuses on deliverance from both personal sins as well as foreign nations through the coming Messiah.
Isaiah 53 describes clearly to anyone not blinded by bias the Messiah’s redeeming Israel from their sins THROUGH His vicarious suffering and death, with an insanely detailed description of crucifixion.
“He was wounded for our transgressions,” Isaiah 53:5.
These passages along with Daniel paint a picture of a future divine agent, the Messiah, Who would bring about a spiritual deliverance, removing sin and establishing a lasting covenant with His people, fulfilling the promises of redemption.
Why bring this up here? Because it is PIVOTAL to understanding faith as it is described in scripture. Faith is not a simple mental agreement to a set of facts. It isn’t even placing your trust in those facts. It is to surrender to God. An evacuating of all your thoughts, motives and desires in order to be swallowed up into His. To throw up the white flag in surrender and allow a loving and final invasion into your heart. You now think His thoughts and desire His ways. Like a bride you conform to Him, take on His name, live in His house and look to Him. You lose your identity in Him and embrace a new one which is found in Him alone. Your trust is intimate and relational, not academic and mechanical.
So let’s read verses 6-8 again and hear what they are truly saying. They are pointing out the same thing I did to you all those years ago. Israel approached God religiously and mechanically and God would not stop until He possessed their hearts!
“(6) But the righteousness BASED ON FAITH says,
“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ [Messiah] down)
[See Deut. 9:4; 30:12]
(7) “or
‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ [Messiah]up from the dead). [See Deut. 30:13]
(8) But what does it say?
“The word is near you, in your mouth AND IN YOUR HEART” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);” [See Deut. 30:14]
“(9) because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (10) FOR WITH THE HEART ONE BELIEVES and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
As the scriptures say, “We believe THEREFORE we speak” [See Psalm 116:10; 2 Corinthians 4:13] NOT “We speak to believe” or “we speak and believe” no, no, no a thousand times NO! Our speaking is a RESULT of our belief. It springs out the mouth due to its pervasive abundance in our hearts. We don’t mentally decide to confess, we FIND ourselves confessing what our hearts truly believe, what our hearts have completely abandoned themselves to!
In fact, it is THIS type of confession Jesus was talking about when He said, “If you will confess me before men”. Which means that the failure to confess is not just the words themselves, but the heart behind the words! In other words, Jesus is saying “If before men it is not clear that you adore Me, are devoted to Me and that I own your hearts…etc.”
The past several generations have been at great pains to rob the gospel of all relational components and they did this in order to make the gospel more approachable and accessible to the common man. The ironic result is that it turns the Gospel of Jesus Christ into another gospel altogether which promises everything BUT true relationship. This is because REAL relationship is ALWAYS free-willed and bi-directional!
What does this have to do with Faith regarding direction in my life? Or salvation for a loved one? Or provision? Or healing for my body?
EVERYTHING!!!!
So long as it is external to you, it will never produce life!
Like all the writings other than the 10 commandments were attached to the OUTSIDE of the Ark of the Covenant. They were NOT under the lid of the Mercy Seat or the covering of the Cherubs nor the presence of God. It was affixed to the outside and this represents much of what passes for faith and relationship in Christ today!
“(11) For the Scripture says,
“Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame.” [See Isaiah 28:16]
(12) For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him.
(13) For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[See Joel 2:32]
(14) How then will they call on Him in Whom they have not believed?
And how are they to believe in Him of Whom they have never heard?
And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
(15) And how are they to preach unless they are sent?” [See Isaiah 52:7; Nahum 1:15]
This again reveals the relational nature of faith. You DO NOT GET relationship from a book – regardless of how special, holy or even God inspired that book may be. It is still just a book!
Jesus confirmed this when He said,
“(39) You study the scriptures thoroughly because you think in them you possess eternal life, and it is these same scriptures that testify about me, (40) but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.” – John 5:39-40
THAT is how you get faith! Faith is relational trust and trust is formed over time and through revelation. It is not academic and it is not worked for or conjured and it is NOT always even intellectual for the natural mind finds God’s wisdom foolish!
So it is the Spirit of God Who reveals Christ and it is the revelation of Christ that fosters the first light of faith in the heart. Furthermore, it is in the ardor of that relationship that faith grows from the mustard seed variety to something of true proportions!
Notice how the intrinsic value of the revelation makes even the feet of the messenger beautiful!
“As it is written,
“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
(16) But they have not all obeyed the gospel.
For Isaiah says,
“Lord, WHO HAS BELIEVED WHAT HE HAS HEARD from us?” [See Isaiah 53:1]
(17) So FAITH comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
(18) But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have! For “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” [See Ps. 19:4]
(19) But I ask, did Israel not understand?
First Moses says,
“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.” [See Deut. 32:12]
Oh, NOW they want to treat it like a relationship! Isn’t that just human nature!
But I want you to see just how hard faith really is… according to Isaiah, God was found by those who were not even LOOKING for Him! But Israel, who had the prophecies and the law did not have the relational eyes to perceive or recognize Him when He came IN THE FLESH and lived among them!
“(20) Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,
“I have been found by those who did not seek Me; I have shown Myself to those who did not ask for Me.” [See Isaiah 65:1]
(21) But of Israel he says,
“All day long I have held out My hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”[See Isaiah 65:2]
Blessings!
Tri
