O, For a Faith That Will Not Shrink

O, for a faith that will not shrink O, for a faith that will not shrink, though pressed by every foe, that will not tremble on the brink of any earthly woe! That will not murmur nor complain beneath the chastening rod, but, in the hour of grief or pain, will lean upon its God. A faith that shines more bright and clear when tempests rage without; that when in danger knows no fear, in darkness feels no doubt. That bears, unmoved, the world’s dread frown Nor heeds its scornful smile; That seas of trouble cannot drown, Nor Satan’s arts beguile. A faith that keeps the narrow way till life's last hour is fled, and with a pure and heavenly ray lights up a dying bed. Lord, give me such a faith as this, and then, whate'er may come, I'll taste, e'en here, the hallowed bliss of an eternal home. William Hiley Bathurst 1831

Introduction Wouldn’t we all desire more faith? –Mark 9:24 – the father of a possessed child –Luke 17:5 – the apostles David is a good example of a man of faith –Psalm 56 What kind of faith should we have? How can we achieve that kind of faith?

A Faith Without Fear Most of our fears are our own imagination –Ps 53:4-5 The Israelites felt there was no hope, consumed by their fear If they would examine their fears, they’d see, as David does, that God is in control We fear the wrong thing –Prov 29:25; Matt 10:28 –Ps 56:4; Acts 4:5-13

A Faith Without Fear We fear because we feel guilt –Prov 28:1 –If we trusted in God’s salvation, there would be no fear Isa 12:2 1 John 2:3-6; 5:1-5, –At least, not if we are obedient

A Faith Without Complaint “Life’s not fair!” –To most, “fairness” means “everything goes my way” –The Israelites lost faith in God and complained – Heb 3:7-12 They turned against the One who could have helped them – 1 Cor 10:9-13

A Faith Without Complaint “Life’s too hard” –God didn’t promise an easy life – Heb 12:4-13 Do You Fear the Wind? Do you fear the force of the wind, The slash of the rain? Go face them and fight them, Be savage again. Go hungry and cold like the wolf, Go wade like the crane; The palms of your hands will thicken, The skin of your cheek will tan, You’ll grow ragged and weary and swarthy, But you’ll walk like a man! Hamlin Garland

A Faith Without Complaint “Life’s too hard” –God didn’t promise an easy life – Heb 12:4-13 –Rejoice in persecution – Matt 5:10-12 –Job 2:10 Trust that God knows what we need

A Faith that Shines It is when life is darkest, that faith shines brightest –Matt 5:14-16 –Eph 5:8; Phil 2:15-16 –It shines, even when others pretend not to see – Isa 58:6-8; 60:1-3

A Faith that Lasts Even when hated by all, we must endure –Matt 10:22 –James 1:12 –2 Tim 4:7-8 – it will be a fight

O, for a faith that will not shrink O, for a faith that will not shrink, though pressed by every foe, that will not tremble on the brink of any earthly woe! That will not murmur nor complain beneath the chastening rod, but, in the hour of grief or pain, will lean upon its God. A faith that shines more bright and clear when tempests rage without; that when in danger knows no fear, in darkness feels no doubt. That bears, unmoved, the world’s dread frown Nor heeds its scornful smile; That seas of trouble cannot drown, Nor Satan’s arts beguile. A faith that keeps the narrow way till life's last hour is fled, and with a pure and heavenly ray lights up a dying bed. Lord, give me such a faith as this, and then, whate'er may come, I'll taste, e'en here, the hallowed bliss of an eternal home. William Hiley Bathurst 1831

Conclusion Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have such faith? –We can, if we... Cast aside our fear Cease our complaining Let our faith shine Make sure our faith lasts