So you say you have faith. Good. But does that faith give Yahweh permission to do the impossible in your life? Not the impossible focused on you but the impossible focused on Father's will and the mission you have been given. Do you have faith that Father will work his will through you even if it requires the impossible? Faith is living what you say you believe. Do you believe Yahweh is the God of the impossible?
The evidence presented in the Scriptures and through many people's testimonies declares that Yahweh is indeed the God of the impossible. Abraham is a clear example of this fact, and this man is considered the father of our faith; a faith that puts our beliefs into action:
So Abraham is our father in the eyes of God in whom he had faith, the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that don’t exist into existence. (Romans 4:17)
The impossible. And because Abraham lived such faith, he had hope when it looked impossible:
When it was beyond hope, he had faith in the hope that he would become the father of many nations, in keeping with the promise God spoke to him. (v. 18)
The impossible. Are you so convinced of Yahweh that you cast aside all doubt and live by his promises?
Without losing faith, Abraham, who was nearly 100 years old, took into account his own body, which was as good as dead, and Sarah’s womb, which was dead. He didn’t hesitate with a lack of faith in God’s promise, but he grew strong in faith and gave glory to God. He was fully convinced that God was able to do what he promised. (v. 19-21)
In the flesh it looked impossible for Yahweh to fulfill his promise but Abraham had come to know him as "the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that don't exist into existence." So Abraham was "fully convinced that God was able to do what he promised". It wasn't just that he believed Yahweh but he believed in the face of physical evidence that declared it impossible. Not only did he believe in the face of his reality but he acted on this belief so that it became faith. And this pleased Yahweh:
Therefore, it was credited to him as righteousness. (v. 22)
It is with this same faith that we receive the promise of salvation and act on that promise. It is by faith that we are saved, not by works. It is believing Jesus and what he has done for us and living that promise as our reality today. As Isaac was the deposit guaranteeing what was to come, so is the Holy Spirit to us. This is also the faith that is applied to every promise given to us by Jesus, even in the face of a reality that declares it impossible. Does this describe your faith? For you, is he the God who calls things that don't exist into existence? Do you live this reality of the Kingdom of Heaven?
Showing posts with label Abraham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abraham. Show all posts
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
You Don't Pay For A Gift Given To You
Your grandparents come by for a visit. During their visit they present you with a beautiful gift. You are moved by their love for you and put great value on this wonderful thing they have done for you. Imagine now that you turn around and offer them money for their gift. How do you think that would make them feel? Would it not cheapen their gift of love? Could you even imagine doing this? It is what we do with Father almost every day.
Salvation is a gift. It is a gift of grace offered to us, the enemy of Yahweh. Even though we were in rebellion against his authority, he reached out in a great act of love and offered us an escape from the power of sin and forgiveness for all of our offenses including any future ones. As his enemy, we have deserved none of it, yet in grace he offered it.
This is fantastic but then we cheapen it in our attitude in accepting it. We don't seem to believe it as we continue to cry out for forgiveness, as we try to atone for our sins, as we try to bribe Father with our goodness. We confuse the fruit of righteousness with the price of salvation. There is no price for salvation because Jesus paid it for us.
Paul the apostle, the great teacher of this grace, used Abraham as an example. In fact, Paul refers to Abraham as the father of our faith because he is the first to have lived such faith:
So what are we going to say? Are we going to find that Abraham is our ancestor on the basis of genealogy? Because if Abraham was made righteous because of his actions, he would have had a reason to brag, but not in front of God. What does the scripture say?Abraham had faith in God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. (Romans 4:1-3)
It was credited to him. The simple fact is that Jesus saved you because there is nothing you could do to save yourself. Nothing. All of your sin has been covered, even the future stuff. That is hard for us to grasp but it is the reality of our salvation. It does not mean that we cannot lose our salvation. If we were ever stupid enough to deny Jesus, to turn our back and to enter into rebellion again, we would be lost. But sin alone does not affect our salvation when we are of such a heart to confess it because we don't want it to abide in us. We don't need to seek forgiveness because it has been forgiven but we do need to confess it to be free from it.
As to the clarity of understanding that this is a free gift that cannot be earned or purchased by good living and sacrifice, Paul uses this illustration:
Workers’ salaries aren’t credited to them on the basis of an employer’s grace but rather on the basis of what they deserve. But faith is credited as righteousness to those who don’t work, because they have faith in God who makes the ungodly righteous. (v. 4-5)
If we could finally grasp this we might actually discover the quality and depth of the peace that Jesus has given to us. Only don't rest at the foot of the cross but instead press on to grow in maturity and power. We are called as warriors, to lay down our lives for the enemy of Yahweh because he wants to see everyone saved. Knowing our salvation is sure, go out today to do good for the sake of others.
Salvation is a gift. It is a gift of grace offered to us, the enemy of Yahweh. Even though we were in rebellion against his authority, he reached out in a great act of love and offered us an escape from the power of sin and forgiveness for all of our offenses including any future ones. As his enemy, we have deserved none of it, yet in grace he offered it.
This is fantastic but then we cheapen it in our attitude in accepting it. We don't seem to believe it as we continue to cry out for forgiveness, as we try to atone for our sins, as we try to bribe Father with our goodness. We confuse the fruit of righteousness with the price of salvation. There is no price for salvation because Jesus paid it for us.
Paul the apostle, the great teacher of this grace, used Abraham as an example. In fact, Paul refers to Abraham as the father of our faith because he is the first to have lived such faith:
So what are we going to say? Are we going to find that Abraham is our ancestor on the basis of genealogy? Because if Abraham was made righteous because of his actions, he would have had a reason to brag, but not in front of God. What does the scripture say?Abraham had faith in God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. (Romans 4:1-3)
It was credited to him. The simple fact is that Jesus saved you because there is nothing you could do to save yourself. Nothing. All of your sin has been covered, even the future stuff. That is hard for us to grasp but it is the reality of our salvation. It does not mean that we cannot lose our salvation. If we were ever stupid enough to deny Jesus, to turn our back and to enter into rebellion again, we would be lost. But sin alone does not affect our salvation when we are of such a heart to confess it because we don't want it to abide in us. We don't need to seek forgiveness because it has been forgiven but we do need to confess it to be free from it.
As to the clarity of understanding that this is a free gift that cannot be earned or purchased by good living and sacrifice, Paul uses this illustration:
Workers’ salaries aren’t credited to them on the basis of an employer’s grace but rather on the basis of what they deserve. But faith is credited as righteousness to those who don’t work, because they have faith in God who makes the ungodly righteous. (v. 4-5)
If we could finally grasp this we might actually discover the quality and depth of the peace that Jesus has given to us. Only don't rest at the foot of the cross but instead press on to grow in maturity and power. We are called as warriors, to lay down our lives for the enemy of Yahweh because he wants to see everyone saved. Knowing our salvation is sure, go out today to do good for the sake of others.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
It Really Is A Joy To Be Alive And Free
Sometimes we get so involved in the living of our day that we forget to put it in the context of our life. Today may seem horrible and so we think we have a horrible life, but that is only how we feel for this moment. Last week we felt much different as the sun was shining, the birds were singing and everything was great for us. The same with 2 years ago and so on. We have had great days in the past and we will have great days in the future. This moment is just a brief thing that will pass because we have a great life. This is putting things in the context of our life.
We need to do this with God as well. Sometimes we get so caught up in our present-day struggle that we forget to put it in the context of his great plan. We have to remember that he created man to have a relationship with him. Man rebelled against him. God had a plan to bring man back into fellowship. He chose Abraham to be the beginning of a nation of priests through whom he would reveal his glory to the world. When this people had become a nation he gave them a law so that they would see how miserable we really are and gave them a system of sacrifices as a temporary way of administering his grace. But his plan was to raise up one priest who would become the one great sacrifice to cover man's sin so that God's grace would be available freely for those who wanted it. He sent Jesus to be that priest and revealed his great plan of redemption through him. Now today, anyone who believes is immediately covered by that one sacrifice and God adopts them as his children. It's a wonderful plan that should explain to us why the law was given and why it no longer applies to those who are covered by the grace of Jesus Christ:
Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. (Galatians 3:19)
Take note that it says "until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come". That seed is Jesus Christ. The Law was given because of man's sin. God needed a way to reveal sin to man so he would understand his condition. He gave them a temporary system of sacrifices to cover them as they realized their condition, because he knew that man could not live this law. When Jesus came, he fulfilled the law and replaced the system of sacrifices with his one sacrifice on the Cross. No sacrifice can save us but the one Jesus Christ did for us. Does that mean the law is now sinful? Not at all:
Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. (vv. 21-22)
If any law could have saved us it would have been this law but we are too imperfect for this law; sin is too powerful in us. The only thing that can break our marriage to sin is the most ultimate, powerful sacrifice of Jesus. The power of what was done on the cross cannot even be fully understood this side of eternity, but we can see the effects of it.
Those who turn to Jesus are changed forever. The power of sin over them is broken. For the first time in their lives they have the ability to breathe, move about, make decisions and to respond to God. That is the freedom we have been given back through Jesus Christ. He breaks all sin that keeps us in bondage; violence, drunkenness, drugs, sex, pornography, thievery, lying, selfishness, and the list goes on. All these things we were enslaved to and they have kept us from God. The law showed us how far we had fallen short of God's glory, that we are not worthy to look on his face. But Jesus changed all of that so that we are washed clean, freed from those chains and now have the ability to look on God's face any time we want. We are his people, redeemed from our filth and adopted as his children.
This is the context in which we need to live our lives. This is the context that tells us our days are no longer miserable but are opportunities of God's grace. Each day is destined to be a day of victory. Each day is a day of revealing more of God's grace and love. Each day is a day closer to eternity. Each day is the potential of declaring more of God's glory to the world. This is our life and it is wonderful to live it in Jesus.
We need to do this with God as well. Sometimes we get so caught up in our present-day struggle that we forget to put it in the context of his great plan. We have to remember that he created man to have a relationship with him. Man rebelled against him. God had a plan to bring man back into fellowship. He chose Abraham to be the beginning of a nation of priests through whom he would reveal his glory to the world. When this people had become a nation he gave them a law so that they would see how miserable we really are and gave them a system of sacrifices as a temporary way of administering his grace. But his plan was to raise up one priest who would become the one great sacrifice to cover man's sin so that God's grace would be available freely for those who wanted it. He sent Jesus to be that priest and revealed his great plan of redemption through him. Now today, anyone who believes is immediately covered by that one sacrifice and God adopts them as his children. It's a wonderful plan that should explain to us why the law was given and why it no longer applies to those who are covered by the grace of Jesus Christ:
Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. (Galatians 3:19)
Take note that it says "until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come". That seed is Jesus Christ. The Law was given because of man's sin. God needed a way to reveal sin to man so he would understand his condition. He gave them a temporary system of sacrifices to cover them as they realized their condition, because he knew that man could not live this law. When Jesus came, he fulfilled the law and replaced the system of sacrifices with his one sacrifice on the Cross. No sacrifice can save us but the one Jesus Christ did for us. Does that mean the law is now sinful? Not at all:
Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. (vv. 21-22)
If any law could have saved us it would have been this law but we are too imperfect for this law; sin is too powerful in us. The only thing that can break our marriage to sin is the most ultimate, powerful sacrifice of Jesus. The power of what was done on the cross cannot even be fully understood this side of eternity, but we can see the effects of it.
Those who turn to Jesus are changed forever. The power of sin over them is broken. For the first time in their lives they have the ability to breathe, move about, make decisions and to respond to God. That is the freedom we have been given back through Jesus Christ. He breaks all sin that keeps us in bondage; violence, drunkenness, drugs, sex, pornography, thievery, lying, selfishness, and the list goes on. All these things we were enslaved to and they have kept us from God. The law showed us how far we had fallen short of God's glory, that we are not worthy to look on his face. But Jesus changed all of that so that we are washed clean, freed from those chains and now have the ability to look on God's face any time we want. We are his people, redeemed from our filth and adopted as his children.
This is the context in which we need to live our lives. This is the context that tells us our days are no longer miserable but are opportunities of God's grace. Each day is destined to be a day of victory. Each day is a day of revealing more of God's grace and love. Each day is a day closer to eternity. Each day is the potential of declaring more of God's glory to the world. This is our life and it is wonderful to live it in Jesus.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Something Worth Celebrating
What a beautiful day! To wake up to the reality of God's love and his presence can't help but put a song in our heart. He loves us! That is the reality in which we live; He loves us! And because he loves us we have nothing to fear or worry about. Apostle Paul put the truth of it quite simply when he wrote that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Try to name one thing that you think God's love is not strong enough to overcome. It has overcome sin and death so what little insignificant thing do you think is more powerful than sin and death?
Part of the problem we have is that we do not understand just how strong God's commitment is to us. If we consider it in legal terms, we all understand what a contract is. If I enter into a contract with some person or some company we have come into agreement with terms that spell out the responsibility and obligation of both sides to each other. No one can add to that contract and no one can take away from it. If either tries then there are consequences spelled out in the contract. This is how Apostle Paul explained it to the Galatians:
Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. (Galatians 3:15-18)
What God promised to Abraham he fulfilled in Jesus Christ and he signed that covenant with us in blood. There is no way that God is going to break that covenant because our God is not a man that he would say yes today and no tomorrow. Our God is the God of "yes" and "amen". He is the promise keeper, the Rock, the only one we can fully depend on. Come on now, he has even defeated sin and death to get to us with his love, so what is a little morning blues to that?
We need to find a way to get rid of our doubts, shake ourselves up, realize his love and purpose for us, and live in the grace and power of that love. We have no reason to face this day with fear or worry. We have no reason to feel defeated or overwhelmed. We have no reason to feel weary and burdened. We are loved by our faithful, loving, powerful God who has promised us all things. We have been told that whatever we need we only have to ask for it in the relationship we have with Jesus Christ. Through Jesus we have become the children of God and as children we have access to the throne.
The access I speak of is not revoked because of our unfaithfulness and sin. Are you kidding? God's grace is so amazing and so plentiful that when we sin grace is immediately applied as we repent. Look at Abraham. He was far from perfect. In fact there were times that he was a terrible man, giving up his wife to another man to save his own skin. But God's grace constantly covered Abraham and Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.
Come on my friend, don't allow this spirit to stay on you. You are not defeated and you are not weak. You are a mighty warrior, victorious in all things because God is on your side. More than that, through the Holy Spirit in you, Jesus himself is with you today and in his authority all darkness is vanquished from your sight. You have no reason not to smile, laugh and enjoy this day. You are loved with a love that no force in all of creation or outside of creation can touch, disturb or destroy. You belong to the great Covenant Keeper and that is worth celebrating.
Part of the problem we have is that we do not understand just how strong God's commitment is to us. If we consider it in legal terms, we all understand what a contract is. If I enter into a contract with some person or some company we have come into agreement with terms that spell out the responsibility and obligation of both sides to each other. No one can add to that contract and no one can take away from it. If either tries then there are consequences spelled out in the contract. This is how Apostle Paul explained it to the Galatians:
Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. (Galatians 3:15-18)
What God promised to Abraham he fulfilled in Jesus Christ and he signed that covenant with us in blood. There is no way that God is going to break that covenant because our God is not a man that he would say yes today and no tomorrow. Our God is the God of "yes" and "amen". He is the promise keeper, the Rock, the only one we can fully depend on. Come on now, he has even defeated sin and death to get to us with his love, so what is a little morning blues to that?
We need to find a way to get rid of our doubts, shake ourselves up, realize his love and purpose for us, and live in the grace and power of that love. We have no reason to face this day with fear or worry. We have no reason to feel defeated or overwhelmed. We have no reason to feel weary and burdened. We are loved by our faithful, loving, powerful God who has promised us all things. We have been told that whatever we need we only have to ask for it in the relationship we have with Jesus Christ. Through Jesus we have become the children of God and as children we have access to the throne.
The access I speak of is not revoked because of our unfaithfulness and sin. Are you kidding? God's grace is so amazing and so plentiful that when we sin grace is immediately applied as we repent. Look at Abraham. He was far from perfect. In fact there were times that he was a terrible man, giving up his wife to another man to save his own skin. But God's grace constantly covered Abraham and Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.
Come on my friend, don't allow this spirit to stay on you. You are not defeated and you are not weak. You are a mighty warrior, victorious in all things because God is on your side. More than that, through the Holy Spirit in you, Jesus himself is with you today and in his authority all darkness is vanquished from your sight. You have no reason not to smile, laugh and enjoy this day. You are loved with a love that no force in all of creation or outside of creation can touch, disturb or destroy. You belong to the great Covenant Keeper and that is worth celebrating.
Monday, March 26, 2012
So Where Is This Faith You Claim To Have?
To say it's all about faith is an understatement. Either you believe God, everything he has said and everything he has done, or you don't. If you believe and act upon that belief then you have faith but if you don't then you don't. It is not all that complicated, but we make it complicated. We are willing to have faith until the possibility it may cost us something, look a bit risky, or may leave us looking like a fool. If we feel any of these things when it comes to acting on the promises of God, we do not have faith and without faith we cannot please God:
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
Why serve a God who you do not believe desires the best for you, who you do not think wants to bless you and increase you? It is amazing how many people think they serve a mean-spirited God. So it goes beyond having faith to believe and also encompasses what you believe.
We are told that Abraham is our father because he was the first to have this faith in God, so in this sense he is the father of our faith. This is important to take note of because then we know what faith is. Faith is simply to believe God:
So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Galatians 3:6)
God's promise to Abraham was simple: Do what I tell you and I will make you into a great nation that will be a blessing to all nations. No proof offered, simply God's word on the matter. That was good enough for Abraham. But it was a faith that cost obedience. Abraham didn't get to do what he wanted to do. He was in a covenant of obedience to God now, so when God told him to pack up, leave everything that was familiar to him and move to a strange land with strange people, Abraham did exactly that.
Some of you even call God a liar. You say, "I tried faith and it didn't work". You would never come right out and say "God's a liar" but you may as well say it. Most of us have the patience the size of a gnat. When you sign on with God then you sign on to his time table. Do you realize how many years it was between God's promise to Abraham and the birth of Isaac? Twenty-five years. That's a life-time for some people. In fact, some people can't even wait for a day. No stamina to their faith. They have conditional faith. "Do it now God or I'm jumping ship."
Do you realize that it took 20 years between David's anointing as king by Samuel and him finally becoming king over Israel? And in that time he faced giants, became a legion, was turned into a fugitive, became a leader of misfits and an enemy of the king. Even when the opportunity was at hand for David to take the kingdom by force he refused until God's appointed time. We, who claim to have faith, often mess up our lives by our impatience and doing things according to our own timeline. Then we blame God and accuse him of being a liar.
Here are the facts:
Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. (Galatians 3:7-9)
We rob God of his glory when we refuse to live in victory according to his promises, based on the same faith Abraham had. We make God out to be a liar. It doesn't matter if it takes a few years for God to do what he promised; his timing is perfect. Our part in it is to continue in faith, believing that what he promised is coming. "Those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith." Would you dare look at Abraham and say that he was not a blessed man? Of course he was blessed, beyond our imagining. However, faith is not for the weak:
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)
You have to have faith that Jesus Christ loves you and due to that love he pours out his compassion on you. His blessings flow for you every day and he desires to build you up not tear you down. That's the important thing to understand; God is interested in your good so that he will be glorified through your life. You have to be convinced of this or you will not have the perseverance you need for a life-time of serving Jesus Christ:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Faith will do you no good unless you go to the end with it. You can afford to lose everything else in your life but you can't afford to lose your faith. Without faith we cannot please God and I don't think any of us what to come to the end of our life in a condition where everything we have invested in is thrown away. It is not good enough to have faith for a period of time. Salvation is by faith and faith must be ours to the end.
So no matter the storms we face or the condition we find ourselves in; no matter if everything has been robbed from us or if we have been told to take 100 years to build a boat; no matter if God removes us from everything that is familiar or takes a while in fulfilling his promises; we have to have faith that the promises are being fulfilled, that God has our best interest at heart and that he will glorify himself through us. It is not enough to have faith for today, we must have the determination to persevere in our faith no matter what tomorrow holds for us because Jesus has promised better things are on the way. I leave you with the words Paul wrote, inspired by the Spirit of God and born of his own faith and experience:
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. (2 Corinthians 4:17)
.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
Why serve a God who you do not believe desires the best for you, who you do not think wants to bless you and increase you? It is amazing how many people think they serve a mean-spirited God. So it goes beyond having faith to believe and also encompasses what you believe.
We are told that Abraham is our father because he was the first to have this faith in God, so in this sense he is the father of our faith. This is important to take note of because then we know what faith is. Faith is simply to believe God:
So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Galatians 3:6)
God's promise to Abraham was simple: Do what I tell you and I will make you into a great nation that will be a blessing to all nations. No proof offered, simply God's word on the matter. That was good enough for Abraham. But it was a faith that cost obedience. Abraham didn't get to do what he wanted to do. He was in a covenant of obedience to God now, so when God told him to pack up, leave everything that was familiar to him and move to a strange land with strange people, Abraham did exactly that.
Some of you even call God a liar. You say, "I tried faith and it didn't work". You would never come right out and say "God's a liar" but you may as well say it. Most of us have the patience the size of a gnat. When you sign on with God then you sign on to his time table. Do you realize how many years it was between God's promise to Abraham and the birth of Isaac? Twenty-five years. That's a life-time for some people. In fact, some people can't even wait for a day. No stamina to their faith. They have conditional faith. "Do it now God or I'm jumping ship."
Do you realize that it took 20 years between David's anointing as king by Samuel and him finally becoming king over Israel? And in that time he faced giants, became a legion, was turned into a fugitive, became a leader of misfits and an enemy of the king. Even when the opportunity was at hand for David to take the kingdom by force he refused until God's appointed time. We, who claim to have faith, often mess up our lives by our impatience and doing things according to our own timeline. Then we blame God and accuse him of being a liar.
Here are the facts:
Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. (Galatians 3:7-9)
We rob God of his glory when we refuse to live in victory according to his promises, based on the same faith Abraham had. We make God out to be a liar. It doesn't matter if it takes a few years for God to do what he promised; his timing is perfect. Our part in it is to continue in faith, believing that what he promised is coming. "Those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith." Would you dare look at Abraham and say that he was not a blessed man? Of course he was blessed, beyond our imagining. However, faith is not for the weak:
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)
You have to have faith that Jesus Christ loves you and due to that love he pours out his compassion on you. His blessings flow for you every day and he desires to build you up not tear you down. That's the important thing to understand; God is interested in your good so that he will be glorified through your life. You have to be convinced of this or you will not have the perseverance you need for a life-time of serving Jesus Christ:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Faith will do you no good unless you go to the end with it. You can afford to lose everything else in your life but you can't afford to lose your faith. Without faith we cannot please God and I don't think any of us what to come to the end of our life in a condition where everything we have invested in is thrown away. It is not good enough to have faith for a period of time. Salvation is by faith and faith must be ours to the end.
So no matter the storms we face or the condition we find ourselves in; no matter if everything has been robbed from us or if we have been told to take 100 years to build a boat; no matter if God removes us from everything that is familiar or takes a while in fulfilling his promises; we have to have faith that the promises are being fulfilled, that God has our best interest at heart and that he will glorify himself through us. It is not enough to have faith for today, we must have the determination to persevere in our faith no matter what tomorrow holds for us because Jesus has promised better things are on the way. I leave you with the words Paul wrote, inspired by the Spirit of God and born of his own faith and experience:
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. (2 Corinthians 4:17)
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Saturday, February 18, 2012
Radical Christianity Exists On Faith Alone: Are You A Radical Christian?
Can we talk candidly about faith? We talk about a lot of things but one of the basic things that we take for granted is not all that often touched on. I know there are a lot of things that are said about faith but I am not sure that we grasp the profoundness or the importance of this thing. It is something we don't find a lot of even though we have so many mega-churches growing in the world.
The writer of Hebrews stated:
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
Paul stated in his great letter to the Romans:
"Everything that does not come from faith is sin." (Romans 14:23)
Jesus often corrected his disciples and listeners with the term, "You of little faith". An example was when Peter started sinking into the sea. Jesus reached out:
“You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31)
According to Hebrews 11 faith is the absence of doubt:
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)
Confidence and assurance of what we do not yet possess. This is faith. Faith goes beyond simply believing. It is not good enough to say that you believe in God's existence. It goes beyond just worship. James wrote:
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. (James 2:19)
The Word states that faith goes beyond believing. Faith is when we believe what God says is true and act on it. James possess the question:
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? (James 2:14)
And then he gives us this response:
You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. (James 2:20-22)
He also gives us this conclusion:
You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. (James 2:24)
So you can see that faith is required to please God and any action we take without faith is sin, but faith requires us to act on the promises and commandments of God. Such as when you see someone needing help and you only have a few dollars which you need for lunch. Faith is trusting God when he says he will supply your needs and taking the decision in faith to act on the commandment to love your neighbour. That is the faith that James talks about, the faith that Jesus demonstrated to us.
The good news is that God does not expect this type of faith to pour out of you in bucketfuls, at least not to start with. Jesus gave us a very simple lesson about faith:
Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”
Faith never starts off in large quantities but the quality matters. Faith must be without doubt, even if it is a small thing that we act on in faith. It starts off small like a mustard seed. That seed, that first act of faith , will grow and become something of great significance that others will benefit from. Just like the small amount of yeast that is mixed in the dough, it will spread throughout our being, becoming part of our character, affecting every aspect of our lives. But is starts with one small action as we step out on one of the commandments or promises of Jesus.
By it's very definition faith requires action. Without action faith is only a belief that sits dormant in us and has no effect whatsoever. But faith is like a seed that is planted, that will grow and become so much more than we could have imagined. It will grow to the point where we can act on every promise and commandment of God without blinking an eye. We will cause mountains to leap just by walking into the situation. The sick and injured will be healed just by touching us. We will become such people of faith that others will be encouraged in their faith through us. We will have consistency of faith just as the dough has the consistency of yeast throughout.
We cannot please God without it. Don't claim to have faith and in the next breath speak words of doubt against God's promises. If we believe then act on. Proclaim the name of Jesus in the darkness and in the storm because you trust his promise of rescue. Reach out to address the need of your neighour even though you are in need yourself because you believe the promise of God's provision. When you pray over the sick believe that they will be well because it is the authority Jesus promised to us. Believe and do not doubt. Believe and take action. Live your faith and you will please God.
The writer of Hebrews stated:
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
Paul stated in his great letter to the Romans:
"Everything that does not come from faith is sin." (Romans 14:23)
Jesus often corrected his disciples and listeners with the term, "You of little faith". An example was when Peter started sinking into the sea. Jesus reached out:
“You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31)
According to Hebrews 11 faith is the absence of doubt:
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)
Confidence and assurance of what we do not yet possess. This is faith. Faith goes beyond simply believing. It is not good enough to say that you believe in God's existence. It goes beyond just worship. James wrote:
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. (James 2:19)
The Word states that faith goes beyond believing. Faith is when we believe what God says is true and act on it. James possess the question:
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? (James 2:14)
And then he gives us this response:
You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. (James 2:20-22)
He also gives us this conclusion:
You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. (James 2:24)
So you can see that faith is required to please God and any action we take without faith is sin, but faith requires us to act on the promises and commandments of God. Such as when you see someone needing help and you only have a few dollars which you need for lunch. Faith is trusting God when he says he will supply your needs and taking the decision in faith to act on the commandment to love your neighbour. That is the faith that James talks about, the faith that Jesus demonstrated to us.
The good news is that God does not expect this type of faith to pour out of you in bucketfuls, at least not to start with. Jesus gave us a very simple lesson about faith:
Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”
Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” (Luke 13:18-21)
Faith never starts off in large quantities but the quality matters. Faith must be without doubt, even if it is a small thing that we act on in faith. It starts off small like a mustard seed. That seed, that first act of faith , will grow and become something of great significance that others will benefit from. Just like the small amount of yeast that is mixed in the dough, it will spread throughout our being, becoming part of our character, affecting every aspect of our lives. But is starts with one small action as we step out on one of the commandments or promises of Jesus.
By it's very definition faith requires action. Without action faith is only a belief that sits dormant in us and has no effect whatsoever. But faith is like a seed that is planted, that will grow and become so much more than we could have imagined. It will grow to the point where we can act on every promise and commandment of God without blinking an eye. We will cause mountains to leap just by walking into the situation. The sick and injured will be healed just by touching us. We will become such people of faith that others will be encouraged in their faith through us. We will have consistency of faith just as the dough has the consistency of yeast throughout.
We cannot please God without it. Don't claim to have faith and in the next breath speak words of doubt against God's promises. If we believe then act on. Proclaim the name of Jesus in the darkness and in the storm because you trust his promise of rescue. Reach out to address the need of your neighour even though you are in need yourself because you believe the promise of God's provision. When you pray over the sick believe that they will be well because it is the authority Jesus promised to us. Believe and do not doubt. Believe and take action. Live your faith and you will please God.
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