From Faith to Faith – Strength to Strength – Glory to Glory Part 2
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Discover how believers grow from faith to faith, strength to strength, and glory to glory through worship, trials, and an ever-deepening knowledge of God.
Description
Faith to Glory Overview
In this powerful sermon from NTC Ministries, the pastor continues a series exploring the progression from praise to worship and from faith to glory. Drawing from Romans 1:16-18, Psalms 84:4-7, James 1:2-4, and 1 Peter 1:6-8, the message unpacks what it truly means to grow spiritually not by performance or legalistic striving but by cultivating an intimate relationship with God. The pastor contrasts Israel, who knew the acts of God, with Moses and David, who knew the ways of God, illustrating that true worship produces revelation, revelation produces intimacy, and intimacy births the will of God in a believer’s life. With 42 years of pastoral experience, the pastor shares personal testimonies of pressing through dry seasons, legal opposition, and public persecution, all while anchoring in the Word of God. The sermon calls believers to lay aside spiritual filthiness, receive the engrafted Word with meekness, and allow patience to do its full work. Through the valley of Baca, through trials and testing, believers are equipped to go from faith to faith, strength to strength, and ultimately into the glory of God, becoming more like Him with every season.
Faith to Glory Outline
- 0:00 – Praise vs. Worship: Understanding the Distinction: The pastor opens by revisiting the series on becoming worshipers, contrasting praise as acknowledging what God does with worship as knowing who God is, drawing from Psalm 8:2 and Zephaniah 3.
- 8:30 – Moses and David: Knowing the Ways of God: Using Moses and David as examples, the pastor explains that worshipers who know God’s ways experience a different relationship with Him than those who only seek His acts.
- 17:00 – The Danger of Performance-Based Religion: The pastor addresses legalism, the burden of the 613 Jewish laws, and how this mindset infiltrates the church, contrasting it with salvation by grace through faith.
- 25:00 – From Faith to Faith: Romans 1:16-18: An exposition of Romans 1:16-18 reveals that the righteousness of God is progressively revealed as believers grow from faith to faith through daily engagement with the Word.
- 33:30 – The Valley of Baca: Strength Through Dry Seasons: Psalms 84:4-7 is explored to show how believers who dwell in God’s house and pass through seasons of weeping and dryness make those places a well, growing from strength to strength.
- 42:00 – James 1:2-4 and the Gift of Trials: The pastor unpacks James 1:2-4 through multiple translations including the Message and Weymouth, teaching that trials force faith into the open and produce patience, maturity, and completeness.
- 50:00 – Personal Testimony: Pressing Through Public Opposition: The pastor shares his own experience of being sued, investigated by state authorities, and featured on the news, and how steadfast faith ultimately brought vindication and harvest.
- 57:00 – Glory to Glory: The Crown Awaiting the Enduring Believer: Closing with James 1:12 and 2 Peter 2:9, the pastor affirms that God knows how to deliver the godly and that enduring temptation leads to the Crown of Life and increasing glory.
Scripture References
Psalm 8:2, Psalm 68, Zephaniah 3, Psalm 104, Psalm 84:4-7, Romans 1:16-18, Romans 10:17, Romans 12:1-2, James 1:2-4, James 1:12, James 1:21-22, 1 Peter 1:6-8, 2 Peter 2:9
Key Takeaways
- Praise acknowledges what God does, but worship deepens into knowing who God is, and that distinction transforms your entire walk of faith.
- Faith grows from faith to faith as believers consistently immerse themselves in the Word of God, and righteousness is progressively revealed through that process.
- Trials are not obstacles to spiritual growth but the very mechanism God uses to force genuine faith into the open and produce maturity and completeness.
- Going through dry and barren seasons is not a sign of God’s absence but a time when spiritual roots grow deeper, preparing believers for greater fruitfulness.
- Legalism and performance-based religion rob believers of the grace-filled relationship God desires, replacing trust with fear and striving with condemnation.
- Strength to strength is built in community, through mutual encouragement, accountability, and refusing to abandon the assembly of believers even in difficult times.
- The path of the righteous shines brighter and brighter, and every believer who endures faithfully will see the glory of God manifest in their life, family, and calling.
Faith to Glory Notes
Praise and Worship Are Not Synonymous
One of the foundational distinctions in this sermon is that praise and worship, while related, serve different purposes in a believer’s life. Praise is exuberant, outward, and focused on what God has done and is doing. Worship, however, is quiet, intimate, and directed toward who God is in His nature and character. The pastor uses Moses as the model worshiper, a man who pitched a tent far from the camp just to be alone with God, while the rest of Israel only wanted to experience His acts. This distinction matters because it determines whether a believer merely seeks blessings or genuinely pursues the Blesser.
The Progressive Nature of Spiritual Growth
The sermon presents spiritual maturity not as a one-time event but as an ongoing progression. Drawing from Romans 1:16-18, the pastor shows that righteousness is revealed incrementally as believers move from faith to faith. Like trees in winter whose roots grow deep underground without any visible fruit, believers in spiritual dry seasons are still developing. The fruit of worship is revelation, the fruit of revelation is intimacy, and the fruit of intimacy is the conception of God’s will in a believer’s life. Cutting short any of these seasons by impatience or discouragement interrupts the full work God intends to accomplish.
Legalism Versus Grace-Fueled Obedience
A significant portion of the sermon addresses the damage done by legalistic religion, drawing on historical context including Martin Luther’s struggle under Catholic works-based theology and the weight of 613 Jewish laws. The pastor makes a sharp distinction between will worship, trying to perform one’s way to God’s approval, and grace-empowered obedience that flows from knowing God intimately. James 1:21-22 is used to call believers to lay aside spiritual filthiness and receive the engrafted Word with meekness, not as a law to perform but as a living seed that produces transformation when received in humility.
The Valley of Baca and Communal Strength
Psalms 84:4-7 provides a vivid picture of believers passing through the valley of Baca, the valley of weeping, and turning it into a well that even fills pools. The pastor applies this personally, recounting seasons of ministry where fresh revelation seemed distant yet pressing on in obedience produced unexpected harvest. The concept of strength to strength is also tied to the body of believers gathering together, where mutual encouragement, prayer partnerships, and accountability prevent the isolation that leads to spiritual decay. No believer is meant to press through the wilderness alone.
Endurance Approved and Crowned
The sermon closes with a call to endure, grounding the exhortation in James 1:12 and 2 Peter 2:9. The pastor affirms that God knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and that the man who endures will receive the Crown of Life promised to those who love Him. The personal testimony of being investigated, sued, and publicly opposed, only to see every opponent face legal consequences while the ministry flourished, serves as a living illustration that faith to faith, strength to strength, and glory to glory is not merely theological language but a tested and proven reality.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to go from faith to faith in the Bible?
Romans 1:17 teaches that the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, meaning believers grow progressively in their trust in God as they consistently engage with His Word. It is not a static position but a dynamic journey where each season of obedience and trial deepens a believer’s confidence in who God is rather than just what He does.
What is the difference between praise and worship?
Praise acknowledges God for what He has done and is doing, expressed through exuberant singing, dancing, and thanksgiving. Worship goes deeper, focusing on who God is in His nature and character, and often involves stillness, listening, and surrender. Both are essential, but worship produces a level of intimacy and revelation that praise alone does not.
What does the valley of Baca mean in Psalm 84?
The valley of Baca is the valley of weeping or tears, representing seasons of hardship, dryness, and spiritual difficulty. Psalm 84:6 promises that those whose strength is in God will make that dry valley a well, meaning their steadfast faith transforms places of trial into sources of life and refreshing for themselves and others.
What does strength to strength mean for Christians?
Strength to strength, drawn from Psalm 84:7, describes the progressive empowerment that comes as believers remain in the house of God and press through difficult seasons together. Rather than weakening under pressure, those whose strength is in God emerge from each trial with greater capacity, deeper roots, and a clearer revelation of His character.
Why does the testing of faith produce patience according to James 1?
James 1:3-4 teaches that trials expose the genuine quality of a believer’s faith and, when endured rather than escaped prematurely, produce patience that leads to spiritual maturity and completeness. The testing process furnishes the believer entirely, removing deficiencies and developing a character that reflects the image of Christ.
How does legalism damage a believer’s relationship with God?
Legalism replaces trust with performance, creating a cycle of fear, striving, and condemnation that obscures the grace God freely offers. The pastor teaches that God never desired law-keeping as the foundation of relationship but always wanted a humble, open heart willing to receive His ways. When believers remain bound to a performance mindset, they beg God for what He has already provided and struggle to experience the intimacy that transforms them.
What does it mean to be a doer of the Word and not just a hearer?
James 1:22 calls believers to act on what they hear from Scripture, not merely accumulate knowledge without application. The pastor frames this not as legalistic duty but as faith expressing itself through practical obedience, such as reading the Word daily, pressing into worship, serving others, and maintaining steadfastness through trials, all of which are the natural response of someone who truly knows who God is.
What is the Crown of Life promised in James 1:12?
James 1:12 promises the Crown of Life to those who love God and endure temptation until they have been approved. This crown represents the fullness of life and reward God gives to believers who remain faithful through hardship rather than shrinking back, affirming that every trial endured in faith produces an eternal and glorious outcome.
