I Walk by Faith, Not by Sight, Part 2: Jesus Recognizes Faith

To walk by faith, not by sight, is to build a faith of your own that Jesus recognizes, instead of living off someone else’s. In this second message of the series, the speaker teaches from Hebrews 11 that faith is the substance of what we hope for right now, and then shows three people whose faith drew Jesus to them: Zacchaeus in the sycamore tree, the woman who touched His garment and blind Bartimaeus by the road.

It continues from I Walk by Faith, Not by Sight: Entering God’s Rest Brings Eternity Into Time. Below you will find the full video, a structured summary of the sermon, every key Scripture (linked to the New King James Version on Bible Gateway), a timestamped outline, and practical steps for this week.

Sermon at a Glance

This Sunday morning message was posted by NTC Ministries on September 22, 2021, and runs about 63 minutes, ending in prayer for those with needs. The speaker had just finished a short series on having the mind of Christ and dealing with the thoughts that come into our minds. He presents this message as its natural partner: the just shall live by faith, not by feelings.

His central refrain, repeated many times, is simple: Jesus recognizes faith. To walk by faith, not by sight, is to live as though that is true. Crowds pressed around Jesus all the time, but it was the person who reached for Him in faith who received.

A Faith of Your Own in the Last Days

The speaker opens by saying we are living in the last days and that Satan knows it, walking about seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). He sees more sickness, more accidents and more strange events, and he does not think it is over. His response is that it takes the church to get radical and say the buck stops here: Satan cannot steal, kill and destroy what God has already blessed (John 10:10).

In this world there will be trouble, but believers can be of good cheer because Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33). By my God I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall (Psalm 18:29).

It is easy to say you are a Christian at the church picnic, he notes. But the church is facing more open attack, and Satan has trained for such a time as this, so the body of Christ must be just as trained and strong. That means pressing into the faith God has given you, not someone else’s faith on your behalf.

He repeats a point he credits to the senior pastor: the pastor is not a priest you come to in order to receive faith. Every joint supplies, and the church needs every member, whether you feel low on the totem pole or near the top.

Then he speaks personally about what it means to walk by faith, not by sight. He grew up in church, knows how to shake hands, hug necks and say the right words, and could fool a few people. “But I can’t buffalo God,” he says. He cannot live off his dad’s faith, his pastor’s faith, an elder’s faith or a sibling’s faith. He has to do this himself, and so does everyone listening. To walk by faith, not by sight, starts there.

Now Faith Is the Substance

The core text for how to walk by faith, not by sight, is Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” The speaker leans on the first word. Now faith is not later, not one day, not in the sweet by-and-by. It is the substance of something you are hoping for today.

So what are we hoping for, and what does Jesus recognize as faith? Health for ourselves and our families, he says, provision and bills paid, a good life on this earth. Faith is the health and healing he needs right now, the provision he needs right now, and the evidence of what he cannot yet see. He can trust it because he knows who God is. If God is his healer, then by the stripes of Jesus he has been healed (1 Peter 2:24).

The same goes for wisdom and peace. How often do we say we do not know what to do? Because God is our source of wisdom, we have the mind of Christ, and God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). By faith we receive the love, peace and joy we need.

Maturity means Jesus is the first person you go to. Before calling anyone else, get alone with Him in the prayer closet. When peace is missing at home or at work, let the joy of the Lord, which is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10), rise up and bring peace.

He urges the church to be more confident in who God is than in any crisis, because Satan is not done yet. Scripture warned of a time when people call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20), and he sees it openly now. That is exactly why the church must be faith-filled.

Without Faith It Is Impossible to Please Him

Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever comes to Him must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. The speaker warns against complacency, against deciding that a sickness or a hard season is simply your lot in life. If God can save your soul, he says, He can heal your body and make a way where there is no way.

God already knows what we need before we ask (Matthew 6:8), so we do not chase the thing we need; we chase God. “We pursue the blesser, not the blessing,” he says. God is our Father, and we are His heirs, not black sheep who never get a visit or a call.

We are in the world but not of it (John 17:16), so our thinking must rise above the natural and expect the supernatural: saying to the mountain, be removed and cast into the sea (Mark 11:23), and watching the hills melt like wax at the presence of the Lord (Psalm 97:5).

Jesus recognizes faith, not attendance. Coming to church is not enough, he says, and neither is watching online. No one can stir up your faith for you. You have to get hungry, set aside time and say no to your flesh, even when a special meeting falls on a weeknight.

He shares that bible college was not easy for him; night classes came with heavy eyes. But he pressed through, and now an hour-long message feels short because he has built faith inside himself. A double-minded man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord (James 1:6–8).

Come to Me Like a Child

In Matthew 11:25–30 Jesus thanks the Father for hiding these things from the wise and prudent and revealing them to babes. The speaker loves that it does not require a doctorate or a theology degree. A baby knows only one thing: I need you, Mama; I need you, Daddy. That is the kind of faith God wants: Abba Father, I cannot live without You.

Then comes the invitation: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Jesus does not say wait your turn. He says come, like a small child running to a parent, and let Him embrace you with grace and mercy. His yoke is easy and His burden light, and He gives the wisdom and steps needed to fulfill what He has called you to do.

The more we press into Him, the more faith rises, as He takes us from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). God has already dealt every believer the measure of faith (Romans 12:3); it is up to us to grow it.

The ministers he names, Oral Roberts, Reinhard Bonnke, Billy Graham and Smith Wigglesworth among them, did not wake up one day with a miracle ministry. They were given the same measure of faith and chose to press in with hunger and determination.

He uses himself as an illustration. He is not a track star because he does not train like one. If you want to see the hand of God moving mightily, train for it, and lay aside the weights that so easily ensnare (Hebrews 12:1).

The church is called to arise and shine (Isaiah 60:1), ready in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2), at a food bank, at work or at a family reunion. What he hopes for is family members saved and the North Woods on fire for Jesus.

Jesus Recognizes Faith: Three Stories

To show what radical faith looks like, and how Jesus recognizes faith in a crowd, the speaker turns to three familiar Gospel stories, beginning with Zacchaeus. The table below follows his reading of each.

In Luke 19:1–6, Zacchaeus, a rich chief tax collector, sought to see who Jesus was. He could have said the crowd was too big, he was too short and too busy, or he could buy his way to the front. Instead he ran ahead and climbed a tree, which is not easy for a short man. With a multitude pressing in, Jesus looked up. “Jesus recognizes faith,” the speaker says; faith drew His eyes into the air. Jesus did not see a sinner when He looked at Zacchaeus, only faith.

Like Zacchaeus, the next person had every reason to stay away. In Luke 8:43–48, a woman who had suffered for twelve years came from behind and touched the border of His garment, and immediately her bleeding stopped. Everyone was pressing against Him, yet Jesus asked who touched Me, because He perceived power going out from Him. There was no healing line. She came trembling and told everything, and Jesus said, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

The speaker sharply rejects the idea that a long affliction is simply God’s will for a believer; he calls that deception. Jesus recognizes faith, so stir up your faith, he says, and pursue the blesser.

In Mark 10:46–52, blind Bartimaeus cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many told him to be quiet, but he cried out all the more. People may call you a radical or a holy roller, the speaker says; will you back down or cry out louder? Jesus stood still and called him, because Jesus recognizes faith.

Bartimaeus threw aside his garment, not caring what anyone thought, and ran to Jesus. Jesus asked what he wanted, not because He did not know, but because He wants us to ask boldly. Then He said, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” The speaker has the church say it in the first person: my faith. You have the same measure of faith as the great evangelists; what are you doing about it?

Walk by Faith, Not by Sight or by Culture

To walk by faith, not by sight, also means staying with Jesus after the answer comes. Too many people receive their blessing and walk out the door for good, he says. Bartimaeus received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. The church needs radical transformation, believers who are bold witnesses because greater is He who is in them than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

Romans 12:2 says, “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” He reads it from The Passion Translation as a call to stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you. He will not let a rock take his place in worship (Luke 19:40), and he will keep laying hands on the sick. If someone does not recover, he will press into God even more.

He adds that whatever is not from faith is sin (Romans 14:23), and that the moment we think we have arrived and can coast, we open the door to Satan. God does not change (Malachi 3:6); if He healed then, He heals now. Every believer should long to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).

His last passage is Luke 8:49–55. Word came that Jairus’s daughter was dead, and Jesus said, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” Jesus said she was sleeping, and they ridiculed Him. In the speaker’s reading, Jesus put out everyone who lacked faith, took her by the hand, and her spirit returned. Where there is no faith, he says, the miraculous is hindered; where there is faith, the door opens.

So he calls the church to rebuke every thought that says a situation or a person is hopeless. Nothing is too difficult for God, and he says it is wrong for believers to call anything impossible. That is what it means to walk by faith, not by sight.

Living by Faith This Week

The speaker closes by asking the church to stand, thanking God for the measure of faith, and praying for every need in the room. Here are practical steps drawn from this message:

• Own your faith. Stop leaning on a parent’s, pastor’s or friend’s faith and build your own with daily prayer and Bible reading.
• Go to Jesus first. When you lack wisdom or peace, take ten minutes in the prayer closet before calling anyone else.
• Pursue the blesser. Like Zacchaeus, make the effort to see Jesus; seek God Himself rather than chasing only the miracle or the answer you need.
• Lay aside the weights. Name one hobby, screen habit or task that steals your time with God and give that time to Him instead.
• Ask specifically. Jesus recognizes faith that asks. Like Bartimaeus, tell Jesus exactly what you need instead of praying only for a smooth day.
• Refuse the word impossible. When a hopeless thought comes, rebuke it in Jesus’ name and declare that nothing is too hard for God.

To walk by faith, not by sight, he says, is a daily choice. He ends by praying that the church would be a habitation for God’s glory and would press in like Zacchaeus and the woman who touched His garment, just to see Him and touch Him.

Timestamped Outline

• 0:00 Living in the last days
• 0:54 From the mind of Christ to living by faith
• 3:35 Hebrews 11 and a church under attack
• 5:31 You cannot live off someone else’s faith
• 6:28 Now faith is the substance
• 8:37 Wisdom, peace and a sound mind
• 10:18 Without faith it is impossible to please Him
• 12:28 Pursue the blesser, not the blessing
• 17:33 Stir it up yourself
• 20:37 Matthew 11: revealed to babes
• 22:56 Come to Me and find rest
• 24:09 The measure of faith
• 26:21 Training like an athlete
• 28:45 Zacchaeus seeks to see Jesus
• 33:04 Jesus recognizes faith
• 34:51 The woman with the flow of blood
• 40:42 Blind Bartimaeus cries out
• 45:50 What do you want Me to do for you?
• 48:25 Romans 12:2: do not be conformed
• 51:28 Whatever is not of faith
• 52:48 Jairus’s daughter: only believe
• 57:48 Nothing is impossible: closing and prayer

I Walk by Faith Series

This is the second of two messages under this title at NTC Ministries:

• Previous: I Walk by Faith, Not by Sight: Entering God’s Rest Brings Eternity Into Time
• You are here: I Walk by Faith, Not by Sight, Part 2: Jesus Recognizes Faith

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it wrong to come to church just for a miracle?

The speaker does not turn anyone away, but he describes a pattern that troubles him: people receive prayer, borrow someone else’s faith, get their miracle and are never seen again. He contrasts them with Bartimaeus, who received his sight and then followed Jesus on the road. His point is that the miracle should lead to a lasting pursuit of Jesus, not a quick visit.

Why did Jesus ask Bartimaeus what he wanted?

According to this message, Jesus already knew what Bartimaeus needed and asked partly for the sake of the crowd. But He also wants us to ask. The speaker says believers should mature beyond praying for a day with no speed bumps and instead ask God plainly for what they need, because faith is the substance of something specific you are hoping for.

Does the speaker say faith depends on being a minister?

No. He says he must build his faith not because he is called to be a pastor but because he calls himself a Christian. Every believer has been given the same measure of faith as well-known evangelists. What made the difference for them, in his view, was hunger, time and determination to press in, which anyone can choose.

Scripture References

All passages open in the New King James Version on Bible Gateway:

• Hebrews 11:1 — now faith is the substance
• Hebrews 11:6 — a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him
• Matthew 11:25–30 — revealed to babes; come to Me
• Luke 19:1–6 — Zacchaeus in the sycamore tree
• Luke 8:43–48 — the woman who touched His garment
• Mark 10:46–52 — blind Bartimaeus
• Luke 8:49–55 — only believe
• Romans 12:2 — be transformed by the renewing of your mind
• 2 Timothy 1:7 — power, love and a sound mind

How this summary was made: written with AI assistance from the sermon’s own transcript and checked against the Scriptures listed above.

Watch More Messages

If this message stirred your faith, there are hundreds more teachings from NTC Ministries ready for you. Browse the full sermon archive and keep building a faith that Jesus recognizes.