Firm Foundation with Bryan Hudson

“How to Stand Victorious in Faith by Grace in Times of Compromise”

At the beginning of this series on faith, we defined faith in two ways: 1) Faith has belief, trust, obedience and acting on God word and promises. 2) What we believe, the doctrines that guide our actions, our understanding of the Bible.

By grace we stand in faith, but make no mistake, WE NEED TO STAND.

Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Jude 3:3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

1 Timothy 4:1, Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron

2 Tim 4:1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

2 Thessalonians 2

The Great Apostasy

1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

 Apostasy:  A total desertion of or departure from one’s faith, principles, and cause. People turning away from the principles of the gospel

John 6:66 - From that [time] many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

2 Cor. 13:5 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. 6 But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.

How do you test yourself? How would you test yourself as a driver? Operation of vehicle, understanding of rules of the road, physical capability.

Testing your faith involves:

Corresponding actions (Words and deeds)

Attention to the one who saved us an to Whom we belong

Obedience to basics: Prayer, reading the Bible, doing the word (obedience), worship (vertical love), fellowship with believers at church meetings (horizontal love), giving and serving.