I Walk by Faith, not by Sight
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Walk by faith, not by sight — a bold, Scripture-filled message on building radical, personal faith that draws the attention of Jesus and releases the supernatural.
Description
Walk by Faith Overview
In this powerful sermon from NTC Ministries, the pastor delivers an urgent call to radical, personal faith in a world increasingly hostile to the Gospel. Drawing from Hebrews 11:1, he establishes that faith is the very substance of what believers hope for — healing, provision, wisdom, and peace — and that without faith it is impossible to please God. The message moves through three compelling biblical narratives: Zacchaeus climbing a sycamore tree just to catch a glimpse of Jesus (Luke 19:1-6), the woman with the issue of blood pressing through the crowd to touch the hem of His garment (Luke 8:43-48), and blind Bartimaeus crying out relentlessly until Jesus stood still (Mark 10:46-52). Each story illustrates the same truth: Jesus recognizes faith. The sermon also addresses the danger of spiritual complacency, conforming to cultural pressure, and living off someone else’s faith. Rooted in Romans 12:2 and Matthew 11:25-30, the pastor challenges every believer to stop playing church, stir up the God-given measure of faith within them, and pursue the Blesser rather than the blessing. This is a stirring, conviction-filled message for anyone ready to walk by faith, not by sight.
Walk by Faith Outline
- 0:00 – Opening Declaration and Prayer: The pastor opens with a bold declaration that we are living in the last days, that Satan is actively seeking to devour, and that the Church must rise in radical faith. A heartfelt prayer invites the Holy Spirit to speak and open hearts to receive.
- 8:30 – Defining Faith from Hebrews 11:1: Faith is defined as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. The pastor explains that faith is not abstract but is the present-tense reality of healing, provision, and wisdom for those who believe God is who He says He is.
- 18:00 – Without Faith It Is Impossible to Please God: Unpacking Hebrews 11:6, the pastor warns against complacency, double-mindedness, and living off another person’s faith. He emphasizes that each believer must personally cultivate and grow their own faith through prayer, the Word, and diligent seeking.
- 27:00 – Jesus Recognizes Faith — Zacchaeus: Through the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-6, the pastor illustrates how radical pursuit of Jesus — running ahead, climbing a tree — drew the attention of Jesus Himself. Faith takes effort and moves past every obstacle to catch a glimpse of the Lord.
- 35:30 – The Woman with the Issue of Blood: Luke 8:43-48 reveals a woman who spent everything, was shunned by society, yet pressed through the crowd in quiet desperation. Her touch of faith caused Jesus to stop and declare that her faith had made her whole, not His sovereign choice alone.
- 44:00 – Blind Bartimaeus Cries Out Relentlessly: Mark 10:46-52 presents Bartimaeus who refused to be silenced, crying out all the more despite being rebuked by the crowd. Jesus stood still, called him, and declared that his faith had made him well — a model for believers who press through opposition.
- 51:00 – Be Transformed, Not Conformed: Drawing from Romans 12:2 and the Passion Translation, the pastor urges the Church to stop imitating the ideals of culture and instead be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of thinking — thinking supernaturally, not naturally.
- 57:00 – Jairus’s Daughter and the Danger of Unbelief: In Luke 8:49-55, Jesus removed those who ridiculed Him before raising the girl, because unbelief closes the door to the supernatural. The pastor drives home that complacency and fear are open doors for the enemy and that faith must remain active at every level.
- 1:01:00 – Final Exhortation to Stir Up Faith: The message closes with an urgent call to get hungry, get desperate, and pursue Jesus the way Zacchaeus, the woman with the issue of blood, and Bartimaeus did. Faith is already given — the choice is what each believer will do with it.
Scripture References
Hebrews 11:1, Hebrews 11:6, Luke 19:1-6, Luke 8:43-48, Mark 10:46-52, Luke 8:49-55, Romans 12:2, Matthew 11:25-30, 2 Timothy 1:7
Key Takeaways
- Faith is not passive hope but the present-tense substance of what you are believing God for right now — healing, provision, peace, and purpose.
- Without faith it is impossible to please God, which means complacency and double-mindedness are not neutral states but active barriers to your relationship with the Father.
- Jesus recognizes faith wherever it is found, and radical pursuit — like Zacchaeus in the tree or the woman pressing through the crowd — draws His direct attention and releases His power.
- You cannot live off your pastor’s faith, your parents’ faith, or your church’s faith; the measure of faith has been given to every believer and must be personally stirred up and grown.
- Conforming to the world’s thought process — accepting sickness, lack, or defeat as your lot in life — is a form of unbelief that closes the door to the supernatural work of God.
- Pursuing the Blesser rather than the blessing is the biblical pattern: seek God with all your heart, and He adds everything you need as a reward to those who diligently seek Him.
- Unbelief in the room can restrict what Jesus does, just as He removed those who ridiculed Him before raising Jairus’s daughter, showing that a faith-filled environment matters.
Walk by Faith Notes
Faith Defined in Practical Terms
The pastor grounds this message in Hebrews 11:1, refusing to leave the definition of faith as a theological abstraction. Faith is the substance — the actual tangible spiritual reality — of what a believer is hoping for right now. If a person is sick, faith is the healing. If a person is struggling financially, faith is the provision. This means faith is only activated where there is genuine hope and expectation. Believers who have stopped hoping have inadvertently shut down the operation of faith in their lives, and without faith, pleasing God becomes impossible according to Hebrews 11:6.
Why Personal Faith Cannot Be Borrowed
One of the most convicting threads running through this sermon is the impossibility of living on borrowed faith. The pastor is transparent about his own journey — growing up in church, learning the right words, but eventually realizing he could not survive spiritually on his parents’ or his pastor’s faith. Every joint in the body of Christ must supply its own measure. The double-minded man, the Bible warns, should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. This makes the daily disciplines of prayer, Word study, and seeking God not optional additions to Christian life but the very engine of a faith that pleases the Father.
Three Biblical Models of Radical Faith
Zacchaeus, the woman with the issue of blood, and blind Bartimaeus each represent a different expression of the same relentless faith. Zacchaeus overcame his limitations — his stature, his reputation, the crowd — by running ahead and climbing a tree. The woman overcame shame, poverty, and twelve years of suffering by pressing quietly through a multitude. Bartimaeus overcame public rebuke by crying out all the more. In every case, Jesus was drawn toward their faith, stopped, and responded personally. These are not random miracles; they are invitations to the same quality of pursuit from every believer today.
Complacency Opens the Door to the Enemy
The warning in the final section of this sermon carries real weight. The pastor teaches that the moment a believer becomes complacent — content with their current spiritual state, no longer pressing in, no longer hoping for more — they have stepped out of faith. And anything not of faith is sin, according to Romans 14:23. This is not a call to anxiety but to active, alive trust in God. The illustration of Jesus removing the unbelieving mourners before raising Jairus’s daughter is striking: unbelief in the room restricted access to the miraculous. A living, active faith keeps the door open for God to move.
Transformation Over Conformity
Romans 12:2, quoted both in its traditional rendering and in the Passion Translation, anchors the call to reject cultural conformity. The pastor names the specific pressure: churches imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around them rather than being transformed by the renewing of the mind. The supernatural life God intends for believers requires a total reformation of how they think — from natural expectations to faith-filled anticipation of the impossible. This is not spiritual escapism but the practical daily choice to let the Word of God, not circumstances or culture, define what is possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to walk by faith and not by sight?
Walking by faith means basing your decisions, your words, and your expectations on the promises of God rather than on what your natural senses observe. Second Corinthians 5:7 states this principle directly, and it is reinforced throughout the New Testament. It means that when circumstances say one thing and God’s Word says another, the believer chooses to act on the Word. This sermon illustrates that posture through Zacchaeus, the woman with the issue of blood, and blind Bartimaeus, each of whom acted on an unseen promise.
What is the biblical definition of faith according to Hebrews 11:1?
Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. This means faith is not wishful thinking but a present spiritual reality — the actual substance of what a believer is trusting God to bring to pass. It operates where there is genuine hope and expectation directed toward God. Without that active hope and trust, the substance of faith has nothing to give form to in a person’s life.
Why does Jesus recognize faith rather than simply healing everyone?
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus consistently credits the faith of the individual when a miracle occurs, saying phrases like your faith has made you well. This is not because Jesus was unable to heal without faith, but because faith is the means through which a person positions themselves to receive from God. Hebrews 11:6 confirms that without faith it is impossible to please God, and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. Faith is both the act of pursuit and the open door through which the power of God flows.
How can a Christian build and strengthen their faith?
Romans 10:17 teaches that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Practically, this means consistent daily engagement with Scripture, a committed prayer life, and choosing to act on God’s promises even before the answer is visible. This sermon emphasizes that the measure of faith has already been given to every believer, but it must be intentionally developed. Attending church, studying the Word daily, prioritizing time with God over entertainment or busyness, and stepping out in obedience are all part of building a mature, active faith.
What is the danger of spiritual complacency for a believer?
Spiritual complacency occurs when a believer stops hoping, stops pressing in, and accepts their current condition as their permanent lot in life. According to this sermon, complacency is a form of unbelief because it removes the active hope that activates faith. James 1:6-8 warns that a double-minded person, unstable in all their ways, should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Complacency also opens the believer to spiritual attack, because the absence of active faith removes the shield that protects against the enemy’s schemes.
Can I live off the faith of my pastor or my parents?
No. While the faith of spiritual leaders and family members can encourage and even temporarily support a believer, it cannot substitute for personal faith. The pastor in this sermon is direct: he cannot be a priest through whom others receive faith, and he himself cannot live off his father’s or his pastor’s faith. Each believer must develop their own relationship with God through personal prayer, Scripture reading, and pursuit of Jesus. The biblical pattern in Hebrews 11 shows individual men and women of faith who each personally trusted God at great personal cost.
What does the story of Jairus’s daughter teach about unbelief?
In Luke 8:49-55, Jesus removed all those who were mourning and ridiculing Him before He raised Jairus’s daughter. This demonstrates that an atmosphere of unbelief can restrict the access point for the supernatural. Jesus did not raise her in front of a crowd of skeptics but in the presence of those He deemed capable of faith. The lesson for believers today is that surrounding yourself with faith-filled community, guarding your own thought life, and refusing to conform to a culture of doubt creates the environment in which God moves freely and powerfully.
What does it mean to pursue the Blesser rather than the blessing?
Pursuing the Blesser means making God Himself — His presence, His character, His will — the primary object of your seeking rather than pursuing the specific things you need or want. Matthew 6:33 supports this principle by teaching that when believers seek first the Kingdom of God, all other things are added to them. This sermon uses the example of Hebrews 11:6, which says God rewards those who diligently seek Him, not those who chase the reward. When the relationship with God is the priority, His provision, healing, and guidance flow as natural outcomes of that intimacy.
