4th Article of Faith Sharing Time
by Harriet
 

Can anyone tell me where are the articles of faith are located in the scriptures?  They are after Joseph Smith history and before the index.  So, they are after the Pearl of Great Price and before the index.

Who can recite the fourth article of faith?  (We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, second, Repentance, third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost: Articles of Faith 1:4 ( List the parts to this article on the board)

1st Faith on the Lord Jesus Christ
2nd Repentance
3rd Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins
4th Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost

The first four principles of the gospel are really important, they help us build our house on a rock.

We will be focusing on  the first part of this article of faith.  Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is Faith? (get something that looks shiny and pretty to pretend that it is faith -  I will probably use iridescent tinsel.)  What if you could see faith.  (Show them the tinsel) What if it could be picked up and held, would this help you use it?  What if you could store in your room, or keep it in your closet.  But faith isn’t like that.  Faith has to come from inside you, you never get to see it, you only get to see what happens when you have it.

What exactly is Faith?  (Hebrews 11:1 NOW faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence• of things not seen.)  (I will make a sign of this scripture to hold up).

Ok, now tell me in your own words, what is faith?  (Hopefully they will answer with something about how they have to believe in something and hope for it to be true and that it can happen and even though they can’t see it, they know that it can be)

You have to have faith to even get out of bed in the morning, you have to have faith that there will be a school when you get there or you wouldn’t even go.

Faith in Jesus Christ is how you build your house upon the rock.

Let’s take a look at some of the reasons to have faith in Jesus., because there are lots of reasons to have faith. Let’s find in each passage a reason that we would want to have faith. (I'll probably write these on the chalkboard way ahead of time.)

1st scripture:  Hebrews 11:3  Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

So what is in this scripture that we would want to have?  (We could have greater understanding of even how the worlds were framed.)

2nd scripture
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by
faith.

How does this scripture show you that you need to have faith. (Noah was warned of danger, a danger that could not be seen by anyone, only his faith told him what to do).

3rd scripture
Hebrews 11:11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

Looks like great blessings can be had by faith.

Ok, now we know what it is and we know that we want more of it, how do we do that? To understand a way to increase faith we are going to read a story from the scriptures, a story where Jesus tells the disciples how to increase faith.

Matthew 17:14-20 ( a hint on how to increase faith)

¶14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,

15  Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for oft times he falleth• into the fire, and oft into the water.

16 1And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief•: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain•, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and
nothing shall be impossible unto you.

So fasting can increase faith, as well as praying and studying.  Scripture study and prayer are good ways to increase faith too.  Also, living righteously will help increase faith.

What do we need to have faith in?

Heb. 12: 2 Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.

There once was a man that had such faith that he could see the Lord.  His name was Monhonri Moriancumr.  Ether 3:19   (let’s get to this point) Have picture of Brother of Jared.

19 And because of the knowledge of this man he could not be kept from beholding within the veil; and he saw the finger of Jesus, which, when he saw, he fell with fear; for he knew that it was the finger of the Lord; and he had faith no longer, for he knew, nothing doubting.

Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith.  If you have faith in Jesus Christ you will stand firm when the winds of evil stir around you.  Joseph prayed in the garden even though Satan tried to stop him, Moses and his people crossed the Red Sea even though it looked impossible, you can face school even if there are bullies around, you can face hard tests and mean friends and feelings of sadness, you need to feed your faith and keep your house built upon the rock.