I walk by Faith, not by Sight

Walk by Faith Overview

In this powerful fifth session of the series ‘Help God, I Want to Change,’ the preacher explores how entering into God’s rest brings eternity into time. Drawing from Genesis 3:17-19, Hebrews 3-4, Psalms 19:7-8, Proverbs 18:21, and Matthew 13, the message reveals that humanity was created from the ground — adama — meaning we are designed to receive seeds and produce a harvest. Whatever we sow in word, action, and attitude, we will reap. The sermon confronts the modern tendency to blame others for life’s struggles and calls believers to take responsibility by sowing the right seeds through consistently hearing God’s Word. A vivid illustration about a grandmother and her grandchildren shows how words spoken over people — whether life-giving or destructive — shape their future. The preacher reminds the congregation that time does not heal all wounds; in fact, time wounds every heel. Only the incorruptible seed of God’s Word, continuously received and acted upon, can transform the soil of the human soul and bring the abundance of eternity into the corruption of this present time. Walking by faith, not by sight, is the key to lasting change.

Walk by Faith Outline

• 0:00 – Series Recap and Foundation: The preacher recaps the first four sessions of the series, establishing the theme that man was created to change and that entering God’s rest brings eternity into time.
• 7:30 – Eternity vs. Time: A deep exploration of the difference between eternity and time, referencing Ezekiel’s wheel within a wheel and Ephesians 5 on walking circumspectly, seeing as God sees.
• 16:00 – Man Created as Ground: The sermon unpacks the Hebrew word adama, showing that humanity was formed from soil with the capacity to receive seeds and produce a harvest — for good or ill.
• 24:30 – The Fall and the Curse of Toil: Genesis 3:17-19 is read in the Living Translation to show that God was not cursing Adam in anger but revealing the harvest of the seeds Adam had already sown.
• 33:00 – The Parable of the Sower Explained: Matthew 13:3-9 and 18-23 are opened to show that the condition of the soil — not the quality of the seed — determines whether the Word of God produces fruit in a believer’s life.
• 43:00 – Death and Life in the Tongue: Proverbs 18:21 is applied through a sobering personal illustration about a grandmother whose words of condemnation over her grandchildren contributed to one ending up in prison.
• 51:30 – Time Wounds All Heels: The preacher challenges the cultural saying that time heals all wounds, arguing from Genesis 3:15-16 that time actually wounds every heel, and only sowing God’s Word brings true restoration.
• 58:00 – Water into Wine — Eternity Invading Time: John 2:1-10 is introduced as an illustration of eternity breaking into corrupted time, showing that miracles often unfold over a process of obedience and consistent action.
• 1:03:30 – Walk by Faith, Not by Sight: The sermon closes with an exhortation from 2 Corinthians 5:7 and Psalms 19, urging believers to keep hearing, keep speaking the Word, and trust the harvest even when feelings suggest otherwise.

Scripture References

Genesis 3:17-19, Ezekiel 1, Ephesians 5:15-16, Exodus 20:8, Hebrews 3, Hebrews 4:9-10, Hebrews 10, Hebrews 12:2, Psalms 19:7-8, Psalms 90:12, Proverbs 18:21, Matthew 13:3-9, Matthew 13:18-23, John 2:1-10, John 10:10, Romans 12:2, 1 Peter 1, 2 Timothy 3:1-5, Deuteronomy 30

Key Takeaways

• You were created from the ground — adama — meaning every seed you sow in word and deed will produce a harvest, whether good or bad, so choose your seeds wisely.
• God did not curse Adam out of anger; He simply revealed the harvest that would come from the seeds Adam had already chosen to sow through disobedience.
• The quality of the seed is never the problem — the Word of God is incorruptible; it is the condition of the soil of your heart that determines whether fruit will be produced.
• Time does not heal all wounds; only continuously sowing the incorruptible seed of God’s Word can transform your soul and bring lasting change to every area of life.
• Walking by faith and not by sight means you keep hearing the Word and speaking it over your marriage, children, health, and community even when your feelings and circumstances say otherwise.
• Entering God’s rest is not a one-time event but a lifestyle of ceasing from self-reliant striving and allowing the eternal life of God to flow through you into this corrupted time.
• Death and life are in the power of the tongue — the words you speak over yourself and others are seeds that will produce a harvest you and they will eventually eat.

Walk by Faith Notes

Faith That Acts on the Word

A central teaching in this message is that faith is never merely spoken — it must be acted upon. Just as God both spoke and formed man with His hands, believers are called to both confess the Word and do what it says. James 2 is echoed when the preacher declares that he will show his faith by his works. Confession without corresponding action leaves the seed on the surface of the soil, where the enemy can snatch it away before it takes root. True faith initiates an empowerment from God that moves the eternal into the practical circumstances of everyday life.

The Grandmother and the Seeds of Death

One of the most arresting illustrations in the sermon involves a grandmother who brought her two grandchildren — abandoned by their parents — to the preacher’s school. Despite counsel and care, she was overheard in a hallway telling the children they were no good, just like their parents, and that they were the problem. The preacher later learned the boy ended up in prison with a sentence of twenty to twenty-five years. This real-life story viscerally demonstrates Proverbs 18:21 — that death and life are in the power of the tongue — and that the words sown into a child’s soul will produce a harvest that outlasts the moment they were spoken.

Why Time Does Not Heal All Wounds

The popular saying that time heals all wounds is directly challenged in this sermon. Drawing from Genesis 3:15, the preacher points out that God told the serpent his seed would wound the heel of the woman’s seed. Time, operating within the corruption of the fallen world, wounds every heel. Marriages, friendships, church relationships, and careers are all subject to the wounds that time and the enemy inflict. The only answer is not to wait out the pain but to actively sow better seeds — seeds of God’s Word, forgiveness, and faith — so that a different and better harvest can grow in the same ground.

Entering Rest as a Daily Lifestyle

Hebrews 4:9-10 is central to this message’s application. The sabbath rest God calls believers into is not a Saturday observance but a daily posture of ceasing from self-reliant toil and trusting the eternal life within them to produce what no amount of human striving can achieve. The preacher connects this rest to walking circumspectly as described in Ephesians 5 — moving through life with eyes that see as God sees, redeeming the time rather than being enslaved by its corruption. This rest is active, not passive: it involves continuously sowing the Word while releasing the outcome to God.

The Soil Determines the Harvest’s Quality

Throughout the exposition of Matthew 13, the preacher repeatedly emphasizes that the seed — the Word of God — is never at fault. It is incorruptible, living, and powerful. What determines whether a believer produces thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold is the condition of their heart soil. Rocky soil represents a person who receives the Word with immediate joy but has no depth of commitment. Thorny soil pictures a person whose attention is choked by the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches. Good soil is prepared by humility, consistent hearing, and willingness to keep receiving the Word no matter how circumstances appear.

Eternity Breaking Into Corrupted Time

The miracle at Cana in John 2 is presented as a picture of what happens when believers walk in obedient faith: eternity invades the corruption of time. One hundred twenty to one hundred fifty gallons of water became the finest wine. The servants did not understand the process, but they obeyed every instruction. This is the pattern for every miracle the preacher describes — not always instant, but always real. When believers keep hearing the Word, keep speaking it, and keep acting on it over their families, communities, and workplaces, eternity comes in and what appears to be a natural process yields a supernatural result that can only be called a miracle.

Frequently Asked Questions