Secondhand Faith
Secondhand faith is derived from what someone else has said, and not what we listen
for God to tell us.
In Hebrews 3:7-4:2 we see that the Holy Spirit speaks with us, and we are warned not to
harden our hearts as in the provocation in the day of temptation in the wilderness. You
see they were afraid of God, but not reverences to Him.
We either believe God’s Word with all our heart or we believe in self. If people would
remember that our God is a consuming fire, they would live closer to the Word of God.
In John 2:23-24 “now when He (Jesus) was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast
day many believed in His name, when they saw the miracles which He did. But Jesus
did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men”. Jesus knew they were
impressed outwardly. Their faith was based on what they saw, however, it was not in
their heart. God said “they love Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me” (Isaiah
29:13, Matthew 15:8). People who serve God for what they can get and not because
they love Him, will streak back when things don’t happen as they think it should do
(Hebrews 10:35-39).
The Israelites saw God deliver them from Egypt with a strong arm and even witnessed
the parting of the Red Sea, however when they didn’t have water they murmured and
wanted to go back to Egypt, their hearts did not trust God. We have to know our God
(Hebrews 11;17-19). God has no grandchildren, we must trust God for our self. We
have to learn the voice of God for our self. The Bible says in Psalms 103:7 “He (God)
made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel”. The children of Israel
choose second hand faith when they refused to hear God for themselves and told
Moses to speak to God and then tell them and they would do it (Exodus 20:19) “and
they said to Moses, speak you with us, and we will hear, but let not God speak with us,
less we die.” The people of Berea on the other hand heard Paul preach and “these
were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all
readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so”
(Acts 17;11).
The Bible tells us to “study to show yourself approved to God, a workman that needs
not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15). Also in I Peter 3:
15 “but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to
every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and
reverence.” Like the Israelites, God has sanctified us and wants to talk directly to us
and does so as we go through His Word.
Faith is the substance of things we do not see. In Hebrews chapter 11 we see what real
faith is. They heard God’s Word, believed God’s Word and acted on God’s Word.
Sometimes the only action needed is for us to speak God’s Word.
People that come to Jesus because of their family’s faith and don’t read their Bible and
develop their own relationship with God will fall away when trouble comes.
The 7 brothers of Sceva tried to cast out a devil in the name of Jesus who Paul preach,
“and the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?”
(Acts 19:14-15). They were trying to adopt someone’s else faith.
Paul tells us in Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of
God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is
your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be you transformed
by the renewing of your mind,, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable
and perfect will of God”. As one is born again, their spirit is immediately renewed,
however, their mind has to conform to the Word of God. Remember faith comes by
hearing and hearing the Word of God.
The danger of living with secondhand faith is you don’t know the Word of God and
someone can tell you something contrary to the Word of God and pull you off into
idolatry. I heard a tape about the queen of heaven movement that going on and they
say that millions of people are believing that Mary can save them. The Bible says there
is only one name in which you must be saved and it is not Mary.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: March 24, 2006