Dare to Believe: Hear, Obey, Persevere

Introduction: do you have saving faith, or only believing faith?

Out on the street, almost everyone will tell you they believe in God. Some even know the Bible, they've read the Scriptures, they've been to church once for a baptism or a wedding. And yet their life is not transformed. Bruno Astier, pastor in Draguignan, asks a direct question: why isn't your life changing, if you really believe? When you truly believe, the Gospel transforms you. If you remain a slave to your sins and old habits, maybe something about your faith has never actually been lived out with God.

The starting text is Hebrews 11:6: "Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him." Faith doesn't need to be huge, Jesus speaks of faith like a mustard seed. But it must be real faith, the kind that saves, not the kind that stays only in your head.

In this message, you'll discover the difference between two Greek words translated "believe" in the Bible, and above all the three marks of a living faith: it comes from the word, it drives you to obedience, it produces perseverance.

Article outline

1. Two ways to "believe": John at the tomb vs. real faith

2. Faith comes from the word of Christ (Romans 10:17)

3. Faith leads to concrete obedience

4. Faith produces perseverance to the end

5. Dare to believe: what do you want Jesus to do in your life?

1. Two ways to "believe": John at the tomb vs. real faith

Bruno Astier opens John 20. Mary Magdalene arrives at the tomb, runs to find the apostles. Peter and John take off running. John, faster, arrives first but doesn't go in. Peter goes in, then John. The tomb is empty. And Scripture says John "believed." But the next verse clarifies: "for as yet they didn't know the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead."

So what exactly did he believe? He believed because the tomb was empty, the evidence was right in front of him. But he didn't yet believe in light of the Scriptures. In Greek, there are two words for "believe." The first, more intellectual, refers to admitting something as true, you can be "a believer" at that level. The second, pistis, is genuine faith: strong conviction, personal commitment, a response of the heart to God.

There are many believers who remain slaves to their sins. They believe God exists. Bruno Astier recalls James 2:19: "The demons also believe, and shudder." Believing God exists isn't enough. You have to draw near to him. Real faith is the faith of the apostle Paul when he says: "I know him whom I have believed" (2 Timothy 1:12). A faith resting not on the words of a man, but on the words of Scripture.

2. Faith comes from the word of Christ

First point of the message. Romans 10:17 says it clearly: "So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ."

Faith isn't a family inheritance. It's not because your parents are Christians that you're saved. When the Philippian jailer asks, "What must I do to be saved?", Paul answers him: "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household" (Acts 16:31). Faith and salvation aren't passed down by bloodline. It's always a personal experience.

Bruno Astier shares his own story. As a child, he was taken to healers, fortune-tellers, magnetizers, acupuncturists. His health and his mental state kept getting worse. Violence was his everyday life. Then one day, at eighteen or nineteen, on a hospital bed, pastor Louis Martinez came to speak to him about Jesus. "When he prayed, I felt he was living something I wasn't living. I felt he had something I didn't have." Religion hadn't given him that. Neither had his parents. But hearing the word gave birth to faith. He passed "out of darkness into his marvelous light."

Faith, then, comes from what you hear. It's Christ, the Word made flesh, who plants the seed of faith in your heart. Paul speaks of a "measure of faith" given to each one (Romans 12:3), not necessarily the same measure for everyone, but enough to discover how great God is. Faith isn't a learned slogan, or a religious veneer. It's a seed of life planted in your heart by the word of Christ.

3. Faith leads to concrete obedience

Second point. Real faith won't let you sit and warm a pew. It moves you to act, to respond to the word.

Bruno Astier takes the example of the ten lepers (Luke 17). They stand at a distance and cry out, "Jesus, have mercy on us!" According to the law, they should have cried "unclean." Jesus doesn't touch them, doesn't pray in some dramatic way. He simply tells them: "Go and show yourselves to the priests." The preacher admits: in their place, he would have preferred a prayer, a laying on of hands, something more visible. But the word of Christ isn't dramatic, it's something to receive and act on. "As they went, they were cleansed." Healing comes in the obeying.

Same thing with the woman with the flow of blood (Mark 5). She could have cried "unclean" and kept her distance. Instead she says to herself: "If I just touch his clothes, I will be made well." She pushes through the crowd, comes near, touches him. Power goes out from the Lord. She is completely set free.

And Bruno Astier remembers the services with Louis Martinez. When the altar call was made, something wouldn't let you stay put. You got up, you came forward, because you had understood you needed Jesus and that only by drawing near to him in faith would you receive the help you needed. Faith that stays theoretical doesn't save. Faith that obeys the word of Christ puts you in motion, and it's in that moving forward that God does what he said.

4. Faith produces perseverance to the end

Third point. A faith that tries once, says "I went, it didn't work," and gives up, that's Russian roulette, not real faith. True faith comes from Christ, it leads to obedience, and it generates perseverance.

Bruno Astier takes the example of the blind man of Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26). Jesus prays for him, lays hands on him once. The blind man says: "I see men, but I see them like walking trees." Partial sight. The preacher pictures the scene: the first time, the man is looking around him, not at Jesus. The second time, Jesus lays hands on him again, and this time he sees clearly, it's Christ he's looking at. Perseverance means not staying stuck with that first blurry sight, and fixing your eyes on Jesus.

And the example of Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52). Sitting by the roadside, he hears Jesus passing by. He cries out: "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!" People try to silence him. He cries out even louder. He is determined. Jesus stops, calls him. They tell him: "Cheer up. Get up. He is calling you." In one leap, Bartimaeus throws off his cloak and stands up. And Jesus asks him a question that sounds almost obvious: "What do you want me to do for you?"

Bruno Astier turns the question back to the reader. In twenty-six years of ministry, he has met so many people who wanted "some improvement," something, but who didn't really know what they wanted. Do you know what you want from Jesus tonight? Perseverance in faith begins with knowing what you're asking for, and with not stopping at the first obstacle. Jesus himself said: "He who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 24:13).

5. Dare to believe: what do you want Jesus to do in your life?

In conclusion, faith according to Hebrews 11:1 is "assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen." It rests on a Christ we cannot see with our eyes, on a work accomplished two thousand years ago, on a resurrection that is foolishness to the world but the power of God for us. The world may call us fools, but we are the happiest people, because together with Paul we can say: "I am not ashamed of the Good News, for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16).

So dare to believe. A simple faith. Not the faith of a champion, not a three-tier faith. A faith that rests on what God says, that accepts, that comes to him. The Master is here. Only the Holy Spirit can convince you. It's up to you to draw near.

Key takeaways

• Believing isn't always the same as having saving faith. The demons believe God exists, and they shudder (James 2:19).
• Real faith (pistis) is a conviction that commits you. It moves from the head to the heart and shows up as a personal response to Christ.
• Faith comes from the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). It isn't passed down by family, it's born when you hear the Gospel.
• Faith obeys. Like the ten lepers who walked before they were healed, faith puts you in motion on the Lord's word.
• Faith perseveres. Like Bartimaeus who cried out louder when people tried to silence him, it goes all the way and sees Jesus stop.

Personal application

1. Does your faith transform you, or is it an intellectual conviction that leaves you stuck in the same sins as yesterday?
2. What have you actually heard from the word of Christ lately? Is your faith resting on the words of people, or on the Scriptures?
3. What word from Jesus do you need to obey today, without waiting for some dramatic sign?
4. Where have you given up too soon? What prayer did you stop praying because it "didn't work" the first time?
5. If Jesus asked you Bartimaeus's question right now, "What do you want me to do for you?", what would you tell him, exactly?

Scriptures cited

• Hebrews 11:6 · Without faith it is impossible to please him.
• John 20 · Peter and John at the empty tomb.
• James 2:19 · The demons believe, and shudder.
• 2 Timothy 1:12 · I know him whom I have believed.
• Romans 10:17 · Faith comes by hearing.
• Acts 16:31 · Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.
• Romans 12:3 · The measure of faith given to each one.
• Luke 17:11-19 · The ten lepers.
• Mark 5 · The woman with the flow of blood.
• Luke 5 · The miraculous catch: "At your word, I will let down the net."
• Mark 8:22-26 · The blind man of Bethsaida.
• Mark 10:46-52 · Bartimaeus.
• Matthew 24:13 · He who endures to the end will be saved.
• Romans 1:16 · I am not ashamed of the Good News.
• Hebrews 11:1 · Faith is assurance of things hoped for.

FAQ

What's the difference between "believing" and having saving faith?

Many people say they believe in God, but their life doesn't change. Bruno Astier points out that in Greek there's a more intellectual "believe" (admitting God exists, which the demons also do, according to James 2:19) and real faith, pistis, which is a strong conviction and a personal commitment to Christ. Saving faith isn't an opinion, it's a response of the heart to the word.

Can you inherit faith from your Christian parents?

No. Faith and salvation aren't passed down by family. Acts 16:31 tells the jailer: "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household," but each member still has to believe personally. Salvation is always a personal experience with God.

What should you do when a prayer "didn't work" the first time?

Real faith produces perseverance. Bartimaeus was rebuked and cried out even louder. The blind man of Bethsaida only saw halfway the first time. Don't give up. Jesus said: "He who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 24:13). Keep coming, keep asking, keep obeying his word.