september Sermon of the Month:
Contending For The Faith
Rom. 10:8-10, 17

I was hired at a large company to work as an executive representative. In less than one year after employment, my employer started talking to me and other coworkers about other job opportunities throughout the company. It has been incredible – this company has actually encouraged employees to seek other opportunities within the company. It sounds almost too good to be true. In fact, they even gave it a fancy name with their sanction. They called it career-path planning. Why would a company hire you for a particular job and then encourage you to seek other jobs in the company? Well, as you may have figured out already, this company wanted to keep good people and to encourage these people to continue to grow and, most importantly, grow with the company, so that all of their talents remain with and benefit the company! You, on the other hand, as an employee, find yourself in a win-win situation. The company receives the benefits that you bring to the job and you receive the benefits of job advancement and financial compensation! So the company wants each employee to contend for advancement in the company. Our employment is not with Kraft Foods, Allstate Insurance or any of the other Fortune 500 companies. Instead, we work for a greater company, and most importantly, we work for a Boss who happens to be the Boss-Man of this world. Not only does He want us to stay with the company, but we as believers are also encouraged to grow and contend for the faith. In you and me, He has His witnesses. For you and me, the benefits are literally out of this world! Webster defines the word “contend” to mean “to strive for,” or “to fight for.”

The question that we are going to deal with today is, “How do we earnestly contend for the faith?”  The key verse is Romans 10:17, “Faith cometh by hearing... the Word of God.” Your faith is strengthened as you read the Scriptures. No matter how uncomfortable it makes one feel when the preacher mentions coming to Sunday School or Bible Class, these opportunities are necessary for your spiritual growth. There are three steps involved in faith. It begins with the process of hearing. The Bible says in Matthew 13:16:

"But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear," and in Matthew 13:23, "But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

Now let’s look at what happens when we hear or read the Word. Once a man hears or reads the Word, he must agree that the message is true. What a man believes will not always determine how he acts. Many smokers will say that they agree smoking is bad and can cause cancer. Many alcoholics will agree that alcohol is bad and can cause liver disease; but this is not enough. Mere agreement does not lead to action. Many folks know that something is true, but they will not change their behavior to match their knowledge.

True faith does not take place until there is the step of commitment. Commitment is the second step! In the New Testament, when it speaks of faith, it speaks of commitment. This is the faith that says when I hear the truth and agree that it is true, I ought to do something about it. The truth becomes a part of my very being, when it becomes a part of my behavior and life. This is the power of saving faith, for saving faith believes in the name of Christ and in committing one's life to Him. Now let me explain what this means. It is not just saying, "Yes, I believe in Jesus." See, there are a lot of cults that will tell you that they believe in Jesus as a great prophet. But when we read and understand our Bibles, we find that Jesus is much more than that. He is the Son of God. However, saving faith is trusting Jesus Christ completely. Our trust is in Who He is and what He has done. It is putting our life in His hands, with the belief that there is no other name under the heavens whereby we can be saved, other than the name of Jesus (Acts 4:12). As a result, we believe that He will take care of our past, our present and future sins. And in so doing, He delivers us from death to provide eternal life!  This is what John 3:16 is all about: "…That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

 After there is a true commitment, we then move to the next step, which is obedience to the Word. Obedience to the Word is not what you do to get saved because if that were the case, then salvation would be based on works and not grace. However, once we have accepted Christ and received His grace, we should become obedient to His Word. When you obey God’s Word, you are making the Word a part of your very life. That’s earnestly contending for the faith!

When we apply God’s Word in our lives and begin growing, our belief is put into action and we have a desire to obey Him. As we grow in our relationship with Him:

• Our lives become more yielded to Him.
• A yielded life produces a life that will obey His Word.
• A yielded life will produce a faithful follower of Christ.

We must live out in our lives the faith that we have in our hearts.  James 2:22 says, “Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?” Faith must be expressed not only by words but also by actions. As you live for the Lord, you are contending for the faith. You also contend earnestly for the faith as you pray in the Holy Spirit.  Jude 20 tells us, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.”  Those who have been filled with the Spirit have the privilege of spiritual prayer, in which we intercede with God, communing with Him in the Spirit. Often, the Holy Spirit will bring to mind a friend or a loved one for whom we might be led to intercede in prayer. Praying this way, in the Spirit, builds our faith as we later find out how God used that prayer in delivering that friend or loved one! In this way, you are contending earnestly for the faith. Now, there is power when we pray with faith. You see some people ritualistically pray, not really believing that God will hear or respond to their prayer. But when we pray with faith, the Word tells us in James 5:15,16,  “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”  The prayer of the believer has power! It saves the sick. It saves the lost. It contends earnestly for the faith.

D.L. Moody said, “I prayed for Faith, and thought that someday Faith would come down and strike me like lightening. But Faith did not seem to come. One day, I read in the tenth chapter of Romans, ‘Now Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.’ I had closed my Bible, and prayed for Faith.  I now opened my Bible, and began to study, and Faith has been growing ever since.”

Won’t you make a commitment to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior today?
Ephesians 2:8-9 explains how, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” If you are willing to put your trust in Him and believe that Christ died for your sins, you can receive His salvation right now! If you’ve made a commitment to Him, please let me hear from you and we will send you some material that will help you in your walk with Christ!