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Guest (Female): Welcome to PowerPoint with Jack Graham. When Jesus died on the cross, he exclaimed, "Tetelestai! It is finished." That was not the cry of defeat; it was the cry of victory! Jesus won the victory at the cross. On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message on how to have an active, dynamic, and powerful faith. Now here's Dr. Graham with his message, The Power of Faith.

Jack Graham: Take your Bible and turn to Hebrews chapter 11. How can you speak of Christian living apart from faith? Someone described faith as the golden key that unlocks all of the provision and promises of God in our lives. Yes, faith. And when we speak of faith, we turn to Hebrews chapter 11, which you may know if you've been around your Bible for a while as the faith chapter.

Now the Bible is a book of faith. This is a faith book. And there are many great chapters in the Bible. If you want to speak about faith, though, you would turn to Hebrews chapter 11. It's been described as God's Hall of Faith. And so what you have in Hebrews chapter 11 are the heroes and the heroines of the faith because faith is very hard to define at some levels, but it is most beautifully described.

Faith is not something we say; faith is something that we live. And in these days, in these days when we are terrorized by wars and fears, and there's so much anxiety and depression, and many people want to give up on their faith, but this is not a time to leave your faith. This is the time to live your faith.

And the Bible says the just, the righteous, says it multiple times, the righteous will live by faith. And so we live this faith. It is active; it is dynamic; it is powerful. And so in chapter 11, beginning at verse one, we're going to read the first three verses and then we're going to scroll down to verse six and preach from there.

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible." And then look at verse six: "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists, that he is, and that he rewards those who seek him."

This is faith, and faith is foundational to the Christian life. We live by faith. And what does that look like? What does it mean right here from Scripture when it says we are to live by faith? That faith is substantive? Faith is real? Faith, though unseen, is not temporal, but it is eternal. We, of course, are saved by faith.

We receive eternal life by believing and receiving Jesus Christ by simple faith. It is not complicated. There are many complicated things in life and truly in the theology of the Bible, but it is not complicated. A small child, in fact, Jesus said unless you believe and come to Christ like a small child, you'll never be converted.

So our faith can be childlike. It can be simple. It can be small. But saving faith... Paul put it this way when asked what must I do to be saved: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." Paul put it this way in Romans 9 and 10: "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved." To be saved from our sin, all of it, to receive Christ into our lives.

The Scripture says in John chapter 1 verse 12: "But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become the children of God, even to them that believe on his name." So the believing and trusting in Jesus Christ... And when you read the word faith here, it could be translated trust or it could be translated confident. I like that word confident.

The apostle Paul said, "I know whom I've believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep what I've committed unto him against that day. I know what I believe, not just what I have believed, but I know in whom and whom I have believed." We have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. And as a result of our faith in Christ, we're told here that this faith gives us hope.

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for." It is hope. I've always defined hope as the certain, the sure confidence that our future is in his hands, the assurance that we are with him now and that we will be with him forever. And in this time in which we face so many problems and so many pressures in our lives, not only just worldwide but the personal problems that you're facing—problem with your kids, marital discord, strife in our streets, all that's going on around us—how can we live in this pressure cooker of a world?

My mother used to cook green beans in a pressure cooker. And if you've ever seen one of those things, it's quite a contraption. And every now and then—we had a very small house—but every now and then she would put beans in the pressure cooker and I would hear that thing start rattling. And when it started rattling, it was just a matter of time till the lid blew off of that thing and beans were all over the ceiling.

And I always, when I think of the pressure that we're under, maybe you feel like you're in a pressure cooker right now. And of all things, you need to have faith in God. I'm not talking about faith in faith or faith in the flesh. It's not faith in me, but faith in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is only as valid as its object.

I mean, you can believe a lot of things that are fanciful and mystical and so on, but our faith is in what God's word, God's promise has provided for us in Jesus Christ. Our faith is in Christ and Christ alone. And so we have this hope in him. We are saved by faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 is an essential passage for believers.

It says, "For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." And so grace through faith. You know what grace is. I learned it as a small child, but grace is the gift of God. A little acrostic: God's riches at Christ's expense. God's riches at Christ's expense.

Grace is what God has done for us. We do not save ourselves. We do not earn our salvation. Not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to his mercy he has saved us. And so there's nothing that I can do to save myself, nothing you can do. Most people on the streets of America and around the world would say if you ask them what does it take to go to heaven, they're going to talk about good character, good works.

And all of these things are good and to be admired, but none of them get you to heaven. I wouldn't trust the best five minutes I ever lived to get me to heaven. Our good deeds, our good works cannot satisfy the holy and perfect righteous demands of a loving God. And so what God has done is provided for us the gift of eternal life.

And so grace is God's riches at Christ's expense. He paid the price. He died; he rose again. And what is faith? F-A-I-T-H: Forsaking All I Trust Him. That's what faith is. And just picture God's hand of grace reaching down to you and by faith you reach up and forsaking all—self and sin—you turn from your sin. That's repentance.

And receive Christ into your life. That's when the transaction is done. When Jesus died on the cross, he exclaimed, "Tetelestai! It is finished." That was not the cry of defeat; it was the cry of victory! When Jesus said, "It is finished," he wasn't nearly finished. Satan was finished. Salvation's plan was finished.

Tetelestai! The victory is won. Jesus won the victory at the cross, paid the price, took the penalty, took the sin, the shame, the death, the hell. He died for us. He went to the grave. On the third day he came out of the grave. He ascended on high. He reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords.

He is coming again in great glory to take us all to heaven. Jesus won, and therefore we win! Therefore we win because we are in Christ and we share in his victory. So this is faith. This is just the beginning of faith. Salvation at the start when you receive Christ and certainly salvation when we are glorified in his presence.

But what happens in between? What happens in between? Well, by faith I choose, I realize God's presence in my life. If you're taking notes, that's the first point. By faith I realize God's presence. That's why verse one is in chapter 11 at the start. "Faith is the assurance, the conviction, the substance of things hoped for, the evidence, the conviction of things not seen."

Words like substance and evidence and conviction and confidence and assurance and this hope that we have in him. You see, we know God's presence. We know God because God has given us something very wonderful. It is the faculty of faith, the ability to believe. Animals do not have this. The trees and the wonders of God's creation do not possess this.

This is something that God, when he breathed the breath of life in us, gave to each one of us and that is the ability to believe. We have physical senses of taste and touch and sight and smell and hearing, but we have the ability, a faculty, a sixth faculty, which is the ability to believe in God. This is something God gives you.

And we then have a responsibility and that is to believe in God. Faith enables us to experience God. Faith helps us, enables us to know that God is real.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, The Power of Faith. July 4th, 2026, will be a day of great celebration for the 250th birthday of our great country. 250 years of celebrating the freedoms, liberties, and rights we enjoy as Americans.

However, there has never been a more important time in our 250 years as a nation where we need God to move in power and heal our land. That's why I'm inviting you to join Dr. Graham in a prayer challenge for our nation. To join, simply text the word CRY to 59789. Again, text CRY to 59789.

Remember that your support of PowerPoint Ministries helps people encounter Jesus through clear biblical teaching. Through the support of friends like you, lives are being strengthened, faith is being renewed, and seekers are discovering the hope only found in Christ. Your partnership is so vital that when you give this month, we'll send you Dr. Graham's book, *Life According to Jesus*, as our thanks.

It's a powerful journey through the Gospel of John that shares wisdom from the life of Christ to help you respond to real-world struggles. To give your gift, text APRIL to 59789. Again, text APRIL to 59789. Now, let's get back to today's message, The Power of Faith.

Jack Graham: Now why must we believe for God to reward us? I mean, why couldn't God just say everyone is in the family, everyone is coming home? Why must we believe? Because God has given us this capacity to love him and to believe in him, to choose him. It's not automatic. You must become a believer. You get that?

You must become a believer. Now there is a brand of theology—call it Calvinism, Reformed Theology, whatever you choose—that Jesus died only for the elect. "For God so loved the elect." Is that what it says? No! "For God so loved the world that whosoever, anyone and everyone who would believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life."

Let me just give you some Scriptures to counteract what some of you may have been reading regarding this wonderful salvation and that we have no choice, we have no part in salvation. Yes, God is sovereign. He is powerfully, beautifully sovereign, but he chooses his will to be our will.

And in Isaiah 53:6, it says: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." Jesus died for all. Romans 8:32: "He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us"—who?—"all! Will he not now also with him graciously give us all things?"

1 John 2:1 and 2: "My little children, I'm writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation, that is the satisfaction of and for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

Jesus died for all. Every person is a candidate for his salvation. You must personally respond to Christ. It's not automatic. It comes when you put your faith in God personally. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son." So the unseen happens, the powerful thing happens. We realize God's presence by faith and then by faith we release God's power.

That's what verse two is about: "For by it the people of old received their commendation." And when you read chapter 11, the heroes of the faith, you meet these one by one, Old Testament saints and believers. Did you know Christians were called believers before they were called Christians?

So these are Old Testament believers. And one by one we meet them in the Scriptures. It's a walk through the Bible. And whether starting with Abel, who offered by faith a more acceptable sacrifice, or by faith Enoch was taken up as he walked with God, or by faith it was Noah, being warned of God, constructed an ark, or by faith Abraham obeyed when he was called out to a place out of Ur of the Chaldees, he received the promise from God—that is the beginning of the Jewish nation—by faith Sarah...

And read the Scripture one by one from Abraham and Isaac to Jacob to Moses to the great champions that we meet here in Hebrews chapter 11. All of them did one thing: they lived by faith. They were activated by faith. And because of it, God released power in their lives. And did you know that same God, who is all-powerful, who can do anything but fail, is still able to release his power in your life and mine?

And when we believe God, when we trust in him, then God begins to work in ways that we can't explain. When we believe God—and I would simply ask you a very personal question—what are you believing God to do in your life right now? Are you believing God and trusting him with all your heart to do what only he can do?

Faith releases the power of God in our lives. And it's a wonderful thing when it happens. And so your children aren't too far gone. God can do a miracle in their lives. You start believing God for your children. You say, "Can I believe God for someone else?" Absolutely. We find that in the Gospel accounts: people coming to Jesus on behalf of someone else.

Is your marriage breaking apart? It's going to take a miracle for God to restore your marriage? Yes, God can restore your marriage, but you must believe and trust God and his word. You're financially broken and insecure, fractured? Will God take care of you? Yes, he will.

And you can believe God for his provision in your life in ways that you won't even expect. I showed up here today just to remind you that when you believe God, when you pray and ask and trust in God, that God does wonderful things in our lives, wonder-working things in our lives that we cannot explain.

And just read what happened in the Old Testament, read what happens in the New Testament because faith comes by hearing, Romans 10:17, and hearing by the word of God. I'm here to preach God's word and to pour some faith into your lives today, to encourage you and equip you to start trusting God at a whole new level in your life.

Yes, faith. By faith we realize God's presence. By faith we release God's power. And by faith we recognize God's purpose for our lives. That's verse three: "We understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of the things that are visible." And when God created the earth, when God made, his purposes fulfilled and are being fulfilled.

You know, Jesus made it all. Jesus paid it all; he also made it all because in the book of Colossians it says that he is the Christ of the cosmos, that by him all things consist. Everything holds together. Jesus is in control. He is our Creator God.

And so he has a purpose for this world. That's what that verse is saying. And he not only does he have a purpose for the world at large, he has a purpose for you. He has a plan for your life. And when God's power is released in you, you begin trusting God and walking in his word and in his will, then you begin fulfilling God's purpose.

You are given understanding. We have an understanding here that the worlds are made. We have a biblical worldview. It's not science; science can't do this. Philosophy can't do this. Only God can do this. By faith we believe the creation was made by the word of God. An awesome wonder.

By faith we recognize God's presence. By faith we realize God's power. By faith we understand and realize God's purpose. And one other thing: by faith we receive God's reward. By faith we receive God's reward because without faith it's impossible to please God, verse six, but God rewards those who diligently seek him. That's another verse, by the way, about our choice and our connection with God. We choose; we seek God. And he seeks us. He comes after us, and we respond in faith. He rewards those who seek him.

Now very quickly, in closing down this message, just by way, you say, "How can I get more faith in my life? How do we get there?" Well, one, exercise the faith that you have. Start there. It may be small, but start working on that. Faith is like a muscle. It needs to be exercised in order to grow. So activate your faith.

Use the faith you have. And then elevate your prayers. Faith is a gift. And if it's a gift, we can ask for faith. If you need more faith, ask God to give you more faith. A man came to Jesus and he said, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief." And so when you have questions, come to the Lord with your questions and ask him to give you the gift to believe.

Start—I like to say start—stop doubting your faith and start believing your faith. Doubt your doubts and believe your beliefs. We do that by faith. So elevate your prayers. And then saturate your mind with God's word. As I said, faith comes by hearing and God's word. And so if you want to be a man, a woman of faith, get into the word of God and let the word of God get into you because God's word is the tool that builds our faith.

And then dedicate yourself completely to Christ. Right on the heels of chapter 11 in Hebrews chapter 12 verse two, it says: "Looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith." Looking away and unto Jesus. That's commitment to Jesus Christ that you would completely trust him because when you do, your faith is going to go and it's going to grow all the way to glory.

And one day it will be worth it all when you see Jesus. To live by faith, one day we're going to see it by sight. Peter said, "Though we haven't seen him, we love him." I don't mind telling you, you're looking at a man who loves Jesus. I love him. And one day we're going to see him.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, The Power of Faith. Let me remind you that your support helps bring the life-changing truth of Jesus Christ to people across the world through PowerPoint Ministries. And this month, we'd love to send you a powerful resource as our way of saying thank you for your gift.

It's Dr. Jack Graham's book, *Life According to Jesus*. In this transforming journey through the Gospel of John, you'll discover not just what Jesus might do, but what he actually did when facing life's hardest questions. And we'll be excited to send you this resource because your generosity helps place this kind of biblical teaching into the hands of seekers and believers alike, equipping them to live according to Jesus' example every day.

To give your gift, just text APRIL to 59789. Again, that's APRIL to 59789. July 4th, 2026, will be a day of great celebration for the 250th birthday of our great country. However, there has never been a more important time in our 250 years as a nation where we need God to move in power and heal our land.

That's why I'm inviting you to join Dr. Graham in a prayer challenge for our nation. To join, simply text the word CRY to 59789. Again, text CRY to 59789. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today?

Jack Graham: Life can be hard; there's no doubt about it. But when difficulties come your way, God doesn't want you to give up. In fact, God is cheering you on to victory. When we read the tremendous stories of faith in Hebrews 11, God reminds us that his word was written for real people facing extraordinary challenges.

And these people overcame their difficult circumstances and demanding challenges through their faith in God. And what you need to remember is that God has given you this same kind of faith if you know Christ as your Savior. Now God's not asking you just to have faith in faith alone. We're not talking about blind optimism.

But Mark 11:22 says, "Have faith in God." This is the faith you can count on. This is the faith that never fails. Real faith means putting your faith in Christ and Christ alone. And this is the faith that will withstand life's most painful and challenging times.

You see, anyone can trust in God after they have received the answer or direction they needed. But faith calls us to believe the promises even when we're stuck between a rock and a hard place and especially when we're tempted to give up. But that's when you have to keep pressing in and walk by faith and not by sight.

The faith that wins at life keeps on believing in God before his promises have actually come to pass. God wants you to keep on believing even if it seems like the thing you're waiting on is never going to happen. You just keep believing. Keep trusting God.

This is faith. This is genuine faith. And if you practice this kind of faith, there's no limit—hear me now—there is no limit to what God can do with your life. If you want a faith that will be victorious over life's circumstances, then keep looking to Jesus. Stand on the rock who is Christ and his love and don't dare move. Trust in him. Whether you win or lose individual battles, you win in life when your trust and faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Guest (Female): And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember when you give a gift to PowerPoint, we'll send you Dr. Graham's book, *Life According to Jesus*. Just text APRIL to 59789. And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about how you can find Jesus at the end of your broken road. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.