The Life of Faith | Jabin Chavez | City Light Church

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Life of Faith | Jabin Chavez | City Light Church

Podcast: City Light Church Las Vegas
Host/Speaker: Lead Pastor Jabin Chavez
Date: April 13, 2026
Series: By Faith (Week 1)

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Episode Overview

In this powerful message, Pastor Jabin Chavez launches a new series, "By Faith," focusing on Hebrews 11 and what it means to live a life of faith. Chavez unpacks foundational principles of faith, emphasizing that true faith is not about adding religious works or morality to our lives, but entering into a new way of living and thinking, wholly dependent on Jesus. Drawing on scripture, personal anecdotes, and relatable metaphors, Chavez encourages listeners to adopt a childlike trust in God’s goodness and promises. The episode is rich with practical insights and memorable moments that make the concept of faith tangible for listeners.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Defining Faith: Foundation and Nature

• Scripture Focus: Hebrews 11:6 – "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."
  (02:12)
• Quote:

  "Faith is acting like and living like God is telling us the truth. That's faith. Faith is living in a way and acting in a way that what God told us through the word of God, he's telling us the truth." (02:25 – Jabin Chavez)

Characteristics of Faith

• Faith is the "substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (04:10).
• It is tangible—something you can "see, hear, and feel" (04:32).
• Faith is evidenced by our posture, expectation, and the way we lean into God's promises (04:45).

Memorable Analogy:

• Zinc Gummies Story (05:38 – 08:02):
  Pastor Jabin compares faith to ordering zinc gummies on Amazon: You haven’t received them yet, but the receipt is the evidence they’re coming.

  "If I'm going to believe Jeff [Bezos], I hope that I'm going to believe Jesus... I'm talking about faith that says, ‘My family will serve the Lord. My body will be healed. God can provide in any economy.’ Haven't seen it all yet, but I got the evidence." (07:11)

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2. Faith Is a New Way of Life

• Faith is not about religion, moralism, or self-improvement—even though those can be good. It's a new foundation for your entire life. (08:02–09:10)
• Quote:

  "Faith cannot be an addition to my life, but a brand new definition of life, a new foundation that now redefines every area of my life." (13:30)

Dying to the Old Way (Galatians 2:20)

• The Apostle Paul was moral and religious, but had to 'die' to his former way in order to live by faith in Christ (10:55–12:56).
• We can't just fit Jesus into our existing lives; we must be willing to radically reorient around Him.

Overcoming Legalism & Self-Doubt

• Many carry religious baggage that makes them feel unworthy or like they must work harder for God’s approval.
• Faith is about dependence on Jesus, not our works.

  "I have to die to that, to walk by faith." (15:22)

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3. Childlike Faith: Trust and Expectancy

• Jesus challenges us to become like children to enter the kingdom. (18:06)
• Childlike faith is marked by innocence, joy, and expectation—not striving or desperation.
• Memorable Story:
  Pastor Jabin describes his daughter's effortless request for a waffle, illustrating how faith trusts in God’s goodness without anxiety or elaborate pleas.

  "Her ease had everything to do with my character and my track record... She hasn’t missed breakfast in nine years." (19:32) "How do you pray? How do you worship? My faith has to be in the goodness of God. Like a child." (20:29)

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4. Faith Is All About Jesus

• Faith is not just another requirement; it is a gift from God (Ephesians 2, Romans 12).
• "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ." (Romans 10:17) (21:41)
• Desire and desperation are not necessarily faith; only what is grounded in God’s word is true faith (22:21–22:25).
• Works matter (“faith without works is dead,” James 2), but “works without faith is dead religion.” (22:41)

  "You can be moral without faith. I’m talking about something greater than that." (22:43)

Examples of Great Faith

• The only two people Jesus praised for “great faith” in the Gospels had no religious heritage—they simply heard Jesus and believed, unmarred by religious trauma (24:52–25:41).
• Real faith comes from hearing and responding to Jesus, not from religious pedigree.

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5. Receiving God’s Promises

• "He is a rewarder." (Hebrews 11:6)
  God honors faith and rewards those who put their trust in Him (27:42).
• “All who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12, 28:46)
• Growth and change come not from striving, but from believing and receiving from God continually (28:52–29:52).

Practical Faith Steps

• Pattern: Get in the Word → Believe the Word → Speak the Word (29:52–30:50).

  "It begins in my heart, but it always comes out of my mouth... I go to God not with my pedigree, but with His promises." (30:50)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Defining Faith:

  "Faith is living like acting like God is telling us the truth." (02:25)

• Amazon/Zinc Example:

  "...If I'm going to believe Jeff [Bezos], I hope that I'm going to believe Jesus... I'm talking about receipts. I'm talking about evidence. Come on, somebody help me preach a little bit.” (07:11)

• On Religious Pressure:

  "Religion will always demand more of you. You're not worshiping enough...And you know what? You could look right back at that spirit of religion. Go: 'You're right. But my faith isn't in me.'" (16:48–17:14)

• On Childlike Faith:

  "Some of you are too old, rigid, grumpy, religious. You got to become like a child. You want to enter the kingdom. You want to experience the kingdom. You want to enjoy the kingdom. It's going to take childlike faith." (18:06)

• On Faith and Works:

  "Faith without works is dead. Yes. But works without faith is dead religion...I'm talking about something greater than that. I'm talking about faith." (22:41)

• On Receiving from God:

  "I go to God not with my pedigree, not with my list, not with my works, but I go to God with His list. I go to God with His pedigree. I go to God with His promises. I go to God according to His character. Faith." (30:50)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:38 – Hebrews 11:6 and launch of the "By Faith" series
• 04:09 – Faith as tangible substance: you can see/feel/hear faith
• 05:38 – Zinc gummies/faith as evidence analogy
• 08:02 – Faith as a new way of life, not religion/moralism/self-help
• 10:55 – Paul’s transition from religion to faith (Galatians 2:20)
• 13:30 – Faith as a new definition and foundation of life
• 15:22 – Overcoming legalism and self-doubt, dying to old models
• 18:06 – Childlike faith: embrace simplicity and expectancy
• 19:32 – Daughter and waffle story: faith trusts God's character
• 21:41 – Faith is a gift; it comes by hearing God’s Word
• 22:41 – Faith and works; true faith leads to action but isn’t empty effort
• 24:52 – Examples of great faith in the Gospels
• 27:42 – Faith as receiving God’s promises; reward for those who believe
• 29:52 – Practical faith: believe and speak God’s Word

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Final Takeaways

• Faith is not just theological assent, religious duty, or personal improvement—it is a radical trust that God is true, good, and a rewarder of those who seek Him.
• Live with childlike trust in God’s character, come to Him expectantly, and base your confidence on His promises, not your performance.
• Allow faith to redefine your life, moving from striving to receiving, and letting God’s word shape your actions and identity.

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Transcript

[Host/Minister]

Hey, what's up, family?

[Lead Pastor]

Ja. Ben here.

[Host/Minister]

And we are about to jump into God's word. I'm so excited about this sermon. I believe it's going to speak to your heart and be a blessing to you, to your friends, your family, just your whole world as you are following Jesus. Listen, if you have not done it yet, would you please like and subscribe and I don't know, do all the things that they tell us to do, Hit the. Hit the ring notifications. All of that would be such a blessing as we're just trying to spread this message that God is doing here in Vegas to the world. You're going to love this sermon. I'm going to talk to you at the end of the message as well. So let's jump in together.

[Lead Pastor]

Let's go to God's word. Hebrews chapter 11, verse 6. We are beginning a series entitled By Faith. This is the command of scripture and the.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

The pro.

[Lead Pastor]

Really the promise of scripture that we can live a life by faith, that we can walk by faith and not by sight. And that the scripture said in Romans one that just live by faith. 23 times in the New Testament, you see this little phrase, by faith. 18 of those 23 times are actually in the book of Hebrews, chapter 11. And so really, what we're going to be doing over these next five weeks is studying the book of Hebrews, chapter 11. Today we're going to talk about the life of faith. But next week we're going to talk about the feet of faith. We're going to talk about the obedience of faith. We're going to talk about the generosity of faith. It's going to be a really fun series, a great series. I'm really just going to give you kind of my life message over this next few weeks. Hebrews 11. 6. Let's define faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. We're only reading one verse today, so I think we should read it out loud. Y' all ready? Y' all ready to read it with me? Two of you? Will anybody else read the Bible with me?

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

Okay.

[Lead Pastor]

Okay, good. It's not illegal. We can do it. It's not Canada. Here we go. Hey, easy.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

Y' all ready? Here we go.

[Lead Pastor]

And without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

All right.

[Lead Pastor]

Can you say amen to God's Word? Let's talk about the life of faith. The life of faith. Father, bless this moment. Thank you for the invitation from heaven to live a life of faith. Our response is yes, in Jesus name, amen. Amen. Amen. Faith is acting like and living like God is telling us the truth. That's faith. Faith is living in a way and acting in a way that what God told us through the word of God, he's telling us the truth. God is not lying to us. God is not tempting us. God is not teasing us. God told us the truth when he gave us these promises and when he gave us these commands. We believe this is the truth of God's word. And we believe that if we will live in such a way that we actually believe, that we actually act that way, we actually live that way, that God is telling us the truth. I believe on the other side of that is the rewarding life of faith. Faith is living like acting like God is telling us the truth. Faith does not mean that we get everything we want. I wish it did. But it is the conviction that if we're going to get anything from God, if we're going to receive anything from God, if we're going to have any kind of God connection, it will require faith. So faith doesn't give us everything. But if we expect to get anything, experience anything with God, it's going to require faith. Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for. This is what faith is. Faith is.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

I want you to catch this.

[Lead Pastor]

Faith is a substance that's like you can sense it.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

You can actually see faith.

[Lead Pastor]

Mark chapter two. The Bible says Jesus saw their faith. You could see faith, you can experience faith, you can hear faith. Y' all ever heard somebody, you can hear their faith and you know this is true because you've heard fear, you've heard doubt.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

Y' all know any negative people.

[Lead Pastor]

You've heard unbelief. You could hear faith, you can experience faith, you can feel faith. Faith is more than a. More than a feeling and more than an emotion. But you can feel it, you can sense it. Faith has a body posture to it.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

Faith has an expectation to it.

[Lead Pastor]

Faith has a lean in to it.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

There's something about faith. Faith is a substance. Now watch this. Of things hoped for and the evidence. What is faith? It is the evidence, the proof of the thing that is not yet seen. I haven't seen it yet, but I got the evidence that I will see it.

[Lead Pastor]

And the evidence that I'll see it is faith.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

It's the proof that what God put in My heart and the promise God gave me, I shall see it. It shall come to pass. I shall hold it in my hand. How do I know that I'll see it? I know that I'll see it because God gave me the faith for it. And the faith is the evidence that I'll see it. Yesterday I walked into my dry cleaner. I've been going to the same dry

[Lead Pastor]

cleaner for eight years, ever since I moved here. And I talked to this same lady every week. And she's an older lady, Eastern European lady, and she's a little bit tough and a little bit rough. And I walked in yesterday and she said, how are you? That's my Eastern European accent. How are you?

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

And I said, I'm okay.

[Lead Pastor]

This wind, though, these allergies.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

Oh, my God, these.

[Lead Pastor]

She starts yelling at me, zinc, zinc, zinc.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

I said, what? She said, you need to take zinc. It will help you. I said, okay, okay, okay. So I pick up my clothes, I

[Lead Pastor]

go in my car, and I open my little Amazon app and I buy my zinc. Bought my little zinc gummies.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

Some of you take other gummies. You know, I'm not here to judge. I'm glad you're here. Amen. Some of you popped a gummy before you got here. That's why that little smile. You're like, I like this guy. So I took my. I ordered my zinc gummies

[Lead Pastor]

immediately. I got an email from Jeff Bezos, not really, but from Amazon, saying they're on the way.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

I don't have them yet. Haven't taken them yet. Haven't seen them yet. Haven't felt them yet. Not in my stomach yet. Not working on my allergies yet. But I got them. I got them because I got a receipt. I got them because I have evidence that they're on the way. Don't got the gummies yet, but I got evidence. I got the faith that I'm going to get my zinc, zinc, zinc gummies because Jeff Bezos told me they're coming. Now, if. If I'm going to believe Jeff, I hope that I'm going to believe Jesus. I'm talking about receipts. I'm talking about evidence. Come on, somebody help me preach a little bit. I'm talking about faith. That says my family will serve the Lord. That says my body will be healed. That said God can provide in any economy. That says heaven is my. Haven't seen it all yet. Haven't felt it all yet. Haven't held it yet. But I got the evidence that says it shall come to pass. Come on, faith is the evidence. Give me a good amen right there. This is faith. Without God we cannot.

[Lead Pastor]

And without faith, God will not faith. So let's talk about faith a little bit. I'm just gonna, I'm only gonna scratch the surface today, but I'm just gonna try to help you with a few thoughts. And here's the first thought. Faith is a new way of life. The life of faith, I want this to get in your spirit, is a new way of life. I can't take my old ways of doing life and try to fit it into this new life called faith. This new life is a rat. I say faith, not religion. Faith not moralism. Faith not self improvement. Now, I don't think all religion is bad. I think it's good that you're here. I think it's good if you have a, you know, if you've got the discipline of, you know, here's our tradition. We go to church. Okay, that's good. I don't think moralism is bad. I think it's good to be a moral person.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

I think that's good.

[Lead Pastor]

I don't think self improvement is bad.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

I watch podcasts all the time.

[Lead Pastor]

I'm trying to improve my thinking and my thought life and my behavior. That's good. That's all good.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

But that's not faith.

[Lead Pastor]

Don't get it twisted.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

That's not faith.

[Lead Pastor]

This is faith. Hebrews 11:6. Let's go back to it. He is. That means there is a God. God has a name, and his name is Jesus. One more time. He. He is. I. I have to believe that. I think this will come up on the screen for us. He is. There is a God. God has a name, and his name is Jesus. If you're wondering what God is like, if you're wondering how God acts, if you're wondering, I need a picture of God. Jesus is God in a body. Jesus is God with a face. If you want to know who, who God is, look at Jesus. Here's what we know about Jesus.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

He is a rewarder.

[Lead Pastor]

God is good. He's a rewarder. He is good.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

And now here's my response to that reality.

[Lead Pastor]

I will earnestly seek him. I'm going to give him my life. I'm going to live my entire life based around this amazing, good God. I said the life of faith is a new way of life. And I want to get into this with the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul was a good, moral, religious person. I want you to just track with me. He's a good, moral, religious person. And here's what he says about his life with Christ. Galatians 2:20. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. Watch this. The life which I now live in the flesh, in our earth suit. I live by faith.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

I didn't live by faith.

[Lead Pastor]

Though I was good and moral and religious, I now live by faith. This is huge because Paul had to

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

crucify and die to

[Lead Pastor]

what he was in order to live a life of faith.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

Because what I want to do is

[Lead Pastor]

I want to bring my background and my culture and my race and my Americanism or my Western isms or my. All of this stuff into my walk with God. And I want to build a walk with God around who I already am.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

But Paul said I actually had to crucify all that. I'm not saying you can't be proud to be an American or you can't be proud to be. You know, I'm a Mexican American. I'm proud of that. I eat a tortilla with everything.

[Lead Pastor]

Come on, somebody. I. I love my culture. I'm not.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

I'm not telling you to lose. Paul never lost his.

[Lead Pastor]

His Jewishness.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

He was always a Jewish man. But as it pertained to connecting to God, he had to die to some things so that he could walk by faith. Because if you're not carry, you'll just. If you're not careful, you'll just bring all of who you were to Jesus. And then you're gonna try to fit Jesus into who you are instead of dying to who you are to fit into this new thing called faith. I'm not trying to be deep for deep sake. I'm telling you this is a big deal. This is a big deal because there's so many things that I can think about God and think about myself and think about that I'm trying to force into my walk with God. And I actually have to crucify that so that I can actually live by faith in the Son of God. And here's who he is. Here's who my faith is in the one who loves me and gave himself for me.

[Lead Pastor]

Big deal. Big deal.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

Because this is not Paul going. I stopped going to the strip club and I stopped gambling and I stopped doing cocaine and I stopped cussing and I stopped beating people up. And I.

[Lead Pastor]

This is Paul going. I had to die to being good because all of that was focused on me. And faith is taking my eyes off of myself so that I can actually live for God and trust God.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

So I want to say it like this.

[Lead Pastor]

Faith cannot be an addition to my

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

life, but a brand new definition of

[Lead Pastor]

life,

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

a new foundation that now redefines every area of my life. Faith is a brand new, radically different thing. I used to live this life in the natural, and I used to live this life all on me, and I used to live this life all focused on what I could do. But now faith is entering this new life that is all about Jesus and what he's done. And this is so radically different. And for some of you, this won't be very challenging because you don't really have a religious background. But for someone like me, born and raised in church, born and raised in a very legalistic, very angry style of church, man, I was under that. And I've experienced that. And I saw the terrible fruit of that. That was all about us and how we need to. What we need to do, what we need to do, what we need to do, what we need to do. And there was so the pressure and the weight of the world was on our shoulders. And I think sometimes even for some of you who are more churchier, you want me to be harder. You want me to preach the truth. Like, this isn't the truth. And what we really want is we want a. Because we don't like ourselves, we want a preacher to come in and beat us up for an hour, to somehow appease our own guilty conscience, as if that could transform our heart. And I have to. I have to die to that. Because, see, even I'm 42, and I still carry this in as much as I'm preaching it and believe it.

[Lead Pastor]

I. I still carry this in.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

I still walk in feeling unqualified. I still walk in going, I don't think I have enough faith. I still walking in going, man, I could be doing better. And though those things are true, I don't live that way. I actually have to die to that, to walk by faith. This week, I was with a friend,

[Lead Pastor]

and he was being so kind to me, so honoring of me, and he was saying, man, you've paid the price. And, man, you've lived a life for God. And you've, you know, no one knows the price you paid. No one knows the walk with Jesus. And he was being so kind. And I was like, oh, man, thank you.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

Well, and I think I, you know, all right, I like that.

[Lead Pastor]

But you know what?

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

There was such a side of me

[Lead Pastor]

that was just going, oh, this is all grace. Like, if you think I paid for this through my works, I'm still the Most shocked person in the world that God would allow me to do this. See, faith in Jesus will make you look like a genius. But you know the real you, and

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

you know I'm not. Again, I'm not talking about secrets. I'm talking about, you know, how big

[Lead Pastor]

God is and how good God is and how weak you are.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

And I like living there because I. I've got to take the pressure off of myself because religion will always demand more of you. You're not worshiping enough, you're not giving enough. You're not reading the Bible enough, you're not praying enough, you're not giving enough, you're not. You're not good enough. And you know what? You could look right back at that spirit of religion.

[Lead Pastor]

Go.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

You're right.

[Lead Pastor]

But my faith isn't in me.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

I even have to chill out sometimes.

[Lead Pastor]

I come into church and I'll be standing right there in worship, and they're singing, jesus, be the name. And I'll find I go back to that old little Pentecostal kid in the 1990s of American craziness, evangelicalism, charismatic chaos that I was raised in. I was raised in this season of, like, it was called the God chasers.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

Like, you gotta chase God. You gotta be hungry for God. Are you desperate for God? Do you really. Are you really serious about God? So I'll still find myself in worship like a Jesus be thy name. And I'll feel it like God, I'm really serious. And then I have to like, ah, easy.

[Lead Pastor]

A child of God. Jesus be the name. You get all the glory. As if, like, the uglier I can make my face, the more faith I have in God, the more you smile, the less holy you are. Oh, my God. So Jesus demands change of us. But I want to show you the change he demands because going to freak you out. Truly, I tell you, unless you change and become like little children. This is where we get the phrase childlike faith. Some of you are too old, rigid, grumpy, religious. You got to become like a child. You want to enter the kingdom. You want to experience the kingdom. You want to enjoy the kingdom. It's going to take childlike faith. Childlike faith is simple. Just think about children for a second. They're innocent, they're joyful.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

And here's something I've learned about kids.

[Lead Pastor]

They're expectant. Yesterday I was making my coffee at home. I'm on a budget. Come on, somebody. I'm on a budget. I'm making my coffee at home. Praise the Lord. And I Hear my nine year old daughter.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

Hey, dad. Yeah? Can you make me a waffle? Yeah, thanks.

[Lead Pastor]

What do you want on it?

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

Syrup? No syrup. Maybe just some butter. Okay, cool.

[Lead Pastor]

So chill. Never looked up from her iPad. The entire conversation. Just so, so easy, so relaxed. And her ease had everything to do with. With my character and my track record and the way I've taken care of her because she hasn't missed breakfast in nine years. You know how sad it would be if I'm making my coffee and there she is in the kitchen on her knees.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

Oh Father, if it be thy will, would thou feed this you're serving on today?

[Lead Pastor]

It would prove brokenness.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

How do you pray? How do you worship? I have.

[Lead Pastor]

My faith has to be in the goodness of God. Like a child. She got her waffle. She probably got another one this morning. I was already gone by the time they woke up. She'll have another one tomorrow. I'm not bragging on myself. It's a waffle. Amen. It's an Eggo. Okay, don't. I'm not bragging on myself. I'm telling you. I have to get there with God. It's a new way of thinking. Number two. Faith is all about Jesus. Faith is all about Jesus. Faith is not about you see, I think we think about like grace. Grace is God's part. Faith is your part. Don't think that way. Faith is all about Jesus. The very faith we have is a gift from God. According to Ephesians 2 and Romans 12, it is a gift from God. Faith is a gift from God. The foundation of faith must be God and his character. You cannot produce faith, manufacture faith or create faith. Faith comes by hearing Romans 10:17. Faith comes by hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ. As I hear the Word, the seed of the Word of God produces in me faith. I can't manufacture faith. I can't make up faith. I can't produce faith. I can only receive faith by the Scriptures. So faith is not earning. Faith is not trying. Faith is not even desiring. Because all desire that I produce that is not founded on and finding its sourcing in the word of God is not faith. So desire is not necessarily faith.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

Desperation is not necessarily faith.

[Lead Pastor]

Faith is hearing and believing.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

Faith leads to works.

[Lead Pastor]

But it's not a work, see, because there are nervous people in here right now. But what about James? What about James?

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

But James said faith without works is dead.

[Lead Pastor]

Faith without. You're right. You're right. It's there. It's there. We'll get there. We will get there in this series. But let me remind you of this. Faith without works is dead. Yes, but works without faith is dead religion. And you can have works without faith. You can be moral without faith. I'm talking about something greater than that. I'm talking about faith. Two people in the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Two people in the New Testament who had great faith. Jesus looked at them and he marveled, jaw dropped, dumbfounded, shook. He looked at him and said, you have great faith. Two people. Not Mary. Shout out to Mary. Amazing. Not Mary, not Elizabeth, not John the Baptist, not any of the disciples. Not Lazarus, not Mary or Martha. No one in Jesus inner circle. Did he say had great faith. This is crazy. Let me just say something. They were all. They all had deeply religious upbringings and backgrounds and none of them had great faith. Actually, the opposite for most of them. Jesus would say, where is your faith? What happened to your. Why don't you have faith? Two people in scripture have great faith. One was a Canaanite woman and one was a Roman soldier. Two things you need to know. They were not Jewish. They did not know the law, and they had no religious background. They were both Gentiles. And because they didn't carry all of this religious baggage and trauma into their walk with Jesus. This is. See, I can remember being six and my mom quoting an Old Testament scripture that says, if you dishonor your parents, birds will come and pluck your eyes out.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

That's why I still wear sunglasses sometimes in the lobby just in case I gotta.

[Lead Pastor]

You know what that does to a 6 year old? Two people didn't have any of that. All they had was the words of Jesus. All they had was the story and the testimony of Jesus. In front of him. They saw Jesus and they heard Jesus. And it produced in them great faith. And I want to remind you, when you come to Jesus, all of your. You don't come to Jesus with a list of all of the reasons why he should do something for you. That's not faith. I come to Jesus and I simply respond to who he is and his goodness. This is how the people, the multitudes came to Jesus in Luke 5. The crowds of people, they came to hear him and be healed. Hear and be healed. Hear and be healed. Hear and be set free. Hear and be delivered. Hear and be saved. Hear. Let your broken heart come back together.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

Hear.

[Lead Pastor]

And let your mind be here and be healed. It's so powerful. So I'm not actually coming to church to prove anything. I'm coming to receive something. Always come to church with the expectation that you will. That you will hear and be healed. Now, do we serve? Of course. Do we give?

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

Of course.

[Lead Pastor]

Do we help? Okay, we do all that, but we first come not to check a box, but to hear and be healed. That's childlike faith. That's what I'm talking about. Faith is all about Jesus.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

So my prayer is less.

[Lead Pastor]

I'm not really praying.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

Lord, increase my faith. That's a Bible prayer.

[Lead Pastor]

You could pray, but that's not really my prayer. My prayer is, lord, keep my eyes on you. Because if I can keep my eyes on Jesus, I know I'll have all the faith I need for the season I'm in. Even if I don't like this current season, God will give me the faith to get through it and to pass

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

through the valley of the shadow of

[Lead Pastor]

death and to get through anything that

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

hell throws at me. Why?

[Lead Pastor]

Because my eyes are on Jesus.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

Come on, give me a good amen right there. Clap your hands. Faith.

[Lead Pastor]

I'm going to have the worship team come. We're almost done. Faith is thirdly receiving God's promises. Faith is receiving God's promises. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us, he is a rewarder. He is a rewarder. That there is a reward for your faith. That God is good. That faith honors God and God honors faith. He is a rewarder. How do I receive from God? I want to show you how to receive from God. John 1:12. Yet all who did receive him, you can't receive from God till you first receive God. All who did receive him, those who believed so, receiving and believing, what does he do? He gives the right to become. Now, my becoming, my growing, my changing, my developing comes from a place of believing and receiving.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

And the same way that I came to Jesus and received him as my Lord and Savior and believed in Jesus Christ the same way that I did

[Lead Pastor]

that, that's now how I live my entire life.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

The same way that I got saved is how I stay saved. The same way that I entered the kingdom is how I grow in the kingdom. I don't get saved by grace and saved by faith in his name and then stay safe through works. That's not it. I live this. I was utterly dependent. June 10, 1998. I'm 15 years old. I'm in Del Rio, Texas. And I'm utterly dependent on God's mercy and God's grace. And I said, jesus, save me. And here I am, 27 years later, 42 years old, saying, jesus, I need you. The faith that saved me is the Faith that is changing me. Complete dependence on God.

[Lead Pastor]

Okay, so how do I. How do I receive that? Practically Second Corinthians, chapter four, since we have this same spirit of faith according to what is written. So watch. Faith comes by hearing, right? So it's written. Now I believe it and I speak it. I get in the word. I believe the word, I say the word. That's faith. Get in the word, believe the word, speak the word. That's faith. Receive the word, believe the word, speak the word. That's faith. It begins in my heart, but it always comes out of my mouth. And this is the power of faith that I don't go to God with my list of God. Here's five reasons that you should answer my prayer. I go to God and I say, you said you did. You promised.

[Assistant Pastor/Teaching Pastor]

This was your idea. I didn't save myself. I didn't give myself these commands and promises. I didn't write this book. This came from you. And now I go to God. Not with my pedigree, not with my list, not with my works, but I go to God with his list. I go to God with his pedigree. I go to God with his promises. I go to God according to his character. Faith. Come on, somebody shout with me right there. Faith in God. Do you receive that today in Jesus name?

[Lead Pastor]

Hey.

[Host/Minister]

I'm hoping that today's message was a blessing to you. I know that God is speaking to you and I pray more than anything, ministering to you, to your soul, to your family, and talking to you about your walk with Jesus and your life in the future. So, man, I'm just so honored that you would take time to be with us today. I want to take a moment to just reach out to you. If this ministry has been a blessing, if my preaching and teaching ministry has ever spoken to your heart, I'd love to ask you to. To prayerfully consider partnering with us in this ministry. Las Vegas is one of the most unreached cities in America, in the most unreached state in America. And we're doing everything we can to tell everybody we can about Jesus. And again, if this ministry has been a blessing to you, would you consider partnering with us? You can go to citylightvegas.com and you can give there. You could send in checks, whatever you want to do. All the giving will be down below. But again, we can't do this without the faithful support of God's people. As the Apostle Paul said. He said in the book of Philippians, we're partners together in the ministry. And this ministry, seeing hundreds of people every week come to Christ. Hundreds of people water baptized every month. And more than that, man, we're just helping people and so serving people. And if you've got a heart for missions, if you've got a heart for unreached people, if you've got a heart to see the gospel, go to new places. And there's no better place that I could think of, especially in America, than Las Vegas. And so if you want to help us, that would be amazing. And I'm just so grateful for you. I'm so grateful you're following along on this journey. And I can't wait to see you next week. God bless.