I received a letter from a very
good friend Friday. None of you know him except Shelby,
but good friend. And in that letter, he had an
article he had written rather lengthy expressing concern about
the behavior of others. Concern about the behavior of
others. is almost always wrong. It's almost always wrong. Now,
without question, his concern is in measure valid. When those
who profess faith in Christ live inconsistently with that profession,
they bring reproach upon the gospel and the name of Christ
and the cause of God in this world. But his letter also expressed
a horribly evil thing to which we are all terribly susceptible,
the proud, self-righteous notion that we ourselves are the standard
for godliness. When you start to judge the behavior
of another, of your brother, your sister in Christ, You judge
his behavior usually by the standard of your own behavior. And that's
horrible. That's horrible. This proud self-righteous
notion that we have the right to dictate to others how they're
to dress, what they're to eat, what they're to drink, not eat
or not drink, what recreation, what entertainment, if any, is
allowable, is altogether horrible. I recall years ago, Brother Henry
Mahan, myself, and Farrell Griswold were out in Hartsville, Ohio
at a Bible conference, and I didn't happen to go, but some of the
preachers, don't tell anybody, some of the preachers attending
the conference went to see the St. Louis, who plays in St. Louis? One of the baseball teams, the
Cardinals, is that who it is? Went to see the Cardinals play
ball, and somebody heard about it. Oh, what a terrible thing. And the fellow who did all the
yakking, Brother Mahan asked him, said, you don't like baseball,
do you? He said, no, never did. And that's usually just exactly
how we behave in judging others. That's usually just exactly how
we behave in judging the conduct of others. In the course of his
letter, my friend asked this. Should we not be distinctive
and separate to some degree? If not, will not others around
us simply think we are the same as everyone else and that faith
in Christ stands for nothing, really? You know, right down
the road here, there's a whole community of folks who dress
real funny. They wear overalls and women
wear long dresses and it looked like they just got out of a mud
bath and forgot to wash the mud off. And they intend to do so. And folks look at that and say,
my, aren't they devoted. They must really be Christian
people. They must be fine Christian people. And they have arrived at what
they sought. They've received praise from
men, esteeming them to be godly, because of what men look at and
esteem to be godly. You know, I have no use for nuns,
but I've never seen one that was dressed immodestly. Have
you? I've never seen one in a mini
skirt or in a thong bikini, to my knowledge. Not that I'm aware
of. Not that I'm aware of. That doesn't mean they're godly.
That doesn't mean they know God. They don't know God. from a monkey. Don't have any idea who God is,
but they dress like folks who do, according to most people,
according to most people. Next, my friend went on to express
concern about what is determined as worldly behavior, unbecoming
to Christians, too much sports, too much television, going to
the movies, such things as that. Now this is how I responded to
it. While it's altogether right and proper for believers to conduct
themselves in their lives to adorn the doctrine of God our
Savior in all things, it's always wrong to display godliness or
to attempt to. It is always wrong to display
godliness or to attempt to. Now everyone sitting here this
morning, you've heard me countless times over the years bring various
expositions of Titus chapter 2 on adorning the doctrine of
God. I may do so again tonight, but
you've heard the messages countless times. Nobody, nobody here, nobody
who's familiar with this congregation, with this preacher, with our
doctrine, would ever imagine that we suggest that if you believe
on Christ, just go do anything. It doesn't matter how you behave.
Oh, no. Oh, no. Nothing of the kind. But it is always wrong to attempt
to display godliness to ungodly people. It's always wrong. You
see, the world always substitutes self-righteousness for godliness. Because the world never understands
what godliness and righteousness is. It is the world, it is the
world who beholding perfect godliness, beholding perfect godliness. Do any of you know of any example
of perfect godliness, perfect righteousness, perfect holiness? Well, yes, pastor. Jesus Christ
was that example and when the world beheld perfect godliness
perfect righteousness Perfect holiness in the flesh the world
said he's a madman He has a devil He's a drunk He's a winebibber
He's a friend of publicans and sinners. He must be just like
him Look at that. While there's a harlot washing
his feet. Reckon where he spent night last night. That's how
the world judges godliness. That's how the world judges ungodliness. Godliness is living for God. Godliness is living for God. Godliness is devotion to Christ
who loved us and gave himself for us. It cannot be measured. It cannot be recognized. It cannot
be seen. It cannot be understood by the
world. The world, unregenerate men,
unregenerate people, unregenerate people can never see measure,
recognize, or understand godliness to any degree. I know he's a
Christian. Look how he dresses. I know he's
a Christian. Look how he wears his hair. I
know he's a Christian. Oh, he's a godly fellow. He doesn't
do this. He doesn't do that. He doesn't do that. She doesn't
wear this. She doesn't wear that. She doesn't
wear the other. More than that, I said. While
we may and must each decide for ourselves what we should and
should not do, we must never make for or impose upon others, even in our thinking, rules for
living which are not plainly stated in Holy Scripture. That means, Bill Raleigh, I have
no right to tell you you can't eat catfish. Or to tell somebody else they
can't eat a dog. I've got no right to say that.
I've got no right to think that. You say, well, Brother Don, those
things are ridiculous. I also don't have any right to
tell you whether you can wear your hair down over your ears.
That's not what's going to happen with you. I don't have any right to think
that. When I catch myself thinking
it, I ought to confess my sin to God. It's wrong. It's not just indifferent, it's
wrong. Who are you? Who am I to set in judgment over
God's people? Who are we? How dare we do so? How dare we do so? Yes, we must
determine how we will behave, what we will do, what we will
wear, where we will go. Every man must determine it for
his family as the servant of God and the king of God in his
house. He must determine it for his
family, but not for anybody else, not for anybody else. For example,
drunkenness is a horribly evil thing. The book says so. And I have no hesitancy in saying
to you, drunkenness is evil. Don't engage in it. Don't engage
in it. But the use of alcohol as a beverage
is perfectly all right in moderation. Just as perfectly all right as
eating steak rare or eating it well done. Whichever you prefer. Perfectly all right. Gluttony
is wrong. Gluttony is wrong. Adultery is
horrible. Fornication is horrible. But
the very same acts between a man and a woman who are married,
perfectly honorable. God says so. That's the difference. That's the difference. What does
God say? Nothing else matters. The opinions
of men don't matter. I think I was able to help my
friend. I want to help you in this matter. Godliness is not
something that can be seen with the eye. Godliness, I repeat,
is devotion to God. Holiness is not something you
can say. It's not something you can say. Most of you are old
enough to remember that Gandhi fellow in India. And he, you
know, he's such a devoted man. He walked like we do when we
get old. And folks, that's devotion. No,
that's show. That's show. Don't you see the
difference? Holiness is not something you
can display to the world. Holiness, are you listening? Holiness is Christ in you. Holiness is Christ in you. and your lost child can't see
it. Not even in your household. I
know my daddy was a godly man. He lived it. What you think was
godliness is just your opinion unless you know what godliness
is. You understand that? If you can display it, it's not
holiness. If the world can see it, it's
not righteousness. If one who is unregenerate can
do it, it's not godliness. It just isn't. In the religious world, we practice
regional and time sanctification and holiness. Where I was raised
down south, I was raised where tobacco was king. That was just
king. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.
was Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The town was named in accordance
with what it produced, Winston's and Salem's. That's where I was
raised. And you know the preachers about
always kept their mouth shut about it. But buddy, did they
come down on alcohol. And mixed bathing. Boys and girls couldn't go swimming
together, even in a wading pool. That was ungodly, as ungodly.
In the north, in the north, those fellas, man, they cussed smoking
and chewing and spitting. Man, they worked it over. But
drink whatever they wanted to. And man, you should see them swim. Call it godliness. No,
it's just a display of arrogant self-righteousness. Nothing else,
nothing else. Well, this was all right back
in the 20s, but here in the 1920s, here in 2015, we've grown up
now, things are different now. No, if it was wrong in 1914 or 1915, it's
wrong in 2015 or 2014. And if it's right in 2015, it was right in 1915. No,
there's no such thing as an outward display of godliness. Perhaps we're thinking, and rightly
so, but Brother Don, aren't we to show our faith? Doesn't James
tell us that faith without works is dead? He does indeed. Yes, we ought to. We must, if we have faith. We will, if we have faith, show
our faith. But never the way folks think. the way folks think. You can't
show your faith to the world only to God. You can't show your faith to
the world only to God. Open your Bibles again to Romans
chapter 4 and let's see if I can make good on what I've just said.
You can't show your faith to the world but only to God. The title of my message today
is Abraham's Faith, Believing, Seeing, Showing. Abraham's Faith,
Believing, Seeing, Showing. And in this fourth chapter of
the book of Romans, God the Holy Spirit tells us two very distinct
things about Abraham's faith. These two very distinct things,
let me give them to you and then I'll come at it from every direction
I can. These two things, number one, Abraham believed God, verse
three. Number two, in verse 12, all
the children of Abraham, all who are born of God, all who
are regenerated, all who believe God, all who have been circumcised
in their hearts, all the children of Abraham walk in the steps
of that faith of our father Abraham. You see that? That means Don
Renneri, if Don Renneri and Don Fortner are the children of Abraham,
we behave in faith as Abraham did. We walk in the steps of
the faith of our father Abraham. Now here's a miracle of grace.
Abraham believed God. What a statement. Abraham believed
God. This faith that is exemplified
in our father Abraham is a thing that no man can perform. It is not the result of man's
will Decision or moral or mental determination? Faith is the gift
of God the operation of God the work of God in you that means
if Abraham believed God God did something for Abraham before
he believed him If Abraham believed God God performed a work in Abraham
that caused him to believe it If Abraham believed God, Abraham
was raised from the dead, quickened by the Spirit, given faith in
Jesus Christ. Christ was revealed in him. Otherwise,
he would not believe God. You see, faith is the gift and
operation of God. Faith in Christ, believing God,
is the fruit of the Spirit. It is not the produce of the
flesh. It is not the produce of the preacher. It is not the
produce of religion. Faith in Christ is the fruit
of the Spirit. When God the Holy Spirit plants
life in you, the fruit is faith. You believe on the Son of God. Romans chapter 4 verse 3 is a
direct quote from Genesis 15 6. He refers us to the experience
of Abraham recorded in that chapter. Faith believes. Faith believes. That's the first thing I want
you to see. Faith believes God. Let's turn back to Genesis chapter
15. Hold your hands in Romans 4. We're going to be going back
and forth between them. Genesis chapter 15. Hold your hands in
Romans chapter 4. When the Holy Spirit declares
that Abraham believed God, at least this much is included.
Number one, Abraham believed the gospel as the very revelation
of God, as the word of God directly to him. Paul tells us that the
word of God spoken to Abraham was the gospel of Christ that
was preached to him. preached to him by God himself.
God said, fear not, Abram. I am thy shield and thy exceeding
great reward. And upon the heels of this revelation,
Abraham asked God to give him a sign. He said, I don't have
a son. All I've got is this man in my house, Eliezer. And God
said, that's not going to be your heir. That's not the one
that's going to be your heir. Oh, no. Step outside. Look up
in the heavens. Look at the stars. Count them
if you can. Your seeds could be that many
and it's gonna come from one of your own loins You shall have
a son of your own like Paul Abraham was a man who could declare I
certify to you that the gospel I believe is not after man For
I neither received it of man. Neither was I taught it but by
the revelation of Jesus Christ The gospel came to Abraham not
as the word of a man, but as the word of God. The gospel, when it comes to
sinners, by which we have life, we are born again, not of corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God that lives and
abides forever. When the gospel comes to you
in life-giving power, creating faith in you, It is much, much
more than the word of a man. It comes in the demonstration
and power of God the Holy Spirit. That's the language of 1 Thessalonians
1. If what you believe, you believe
only as the result of the words of a man. Let me clarify what
I'm saying. You believe because the preacher
is so, he's so learned and he's so logical and he's so precise.
You believe because the preacher, he showed you where you was wrong
and you had to acknowledge it. You make a profession of faith
because you were in a meeting and there was a stirring in the
congregation and you just felt compelled to come forward and
somebody led you down a path through the scriptures and read
you some verses and made you some promises and said, do you
believe in Jesus? Say, I believe in Jesus. Whoopee,
now you're saved. If that's what your faith is,
it just stands. in the word of a man, and another
man can talk you out of it, and you'll lose it. It's not worth
the slap on the back that you got when you made it. It's all
it is. It's just the word of a man.
Oh, but if God speaks to you like God spoke to Abraham, you'll
hear God's voice. And when you hear God's voice,
the gospel comes to you, not in word only, but in power. and in the demonstration of the
Holy Spirit and in much assurance. If ever a sinner is saved, he's
saved because he hears the gospel as the Word of God himself to
him. Second, Abraham believed the
Word of God specifically concerning his son, the seed, that one in
whom and by whom redemption would be accomplished. Paul tells us
this in Galatians chapter 3. Abraham believed the message
that God gave him was concerning not just his son Isaac that was
to be born of him, but concerning that one who would come through
Isaac into the world, that one of whom God spoke in Genesis
3 15 to our fallen parents Adam and Eve when he said, the woman,
the woman, The woman, she's going to have a seed and he will crush
the serpent's head. And Abraham said, God promised
me a redeemer. God promised me his son. He believed
God. You see, faith in God is faith
in his son. Faith in God is faith in Jesus
Christ. Faith in God is believing the
testimony of God concerning his son. Number three, Abraham believed
that God could do and would do that which was humanly impossible. He heard God speak and God gave
a promise concerning his son. And he said, I believe that God
calls things that are not as though they were. And I believe
that God is able to do that which is impossible. I believe God
is able to perform his word regardless of circumstances. I believe God
is able to accomplish what he said he would do no matter how
things appear to be and being fully persuaded it was so. He
didn't consider the deadness of his own body nor the deadness
of Sarah's womb. He said God can raise the dead. God can bring life out of death.
God. He's God. That which is impossible
with men is possible with God. Abraham believed God. His word spoken to him. His word
about his son. And believed God was able to
do what he had promised he would do. Able to perform the thing
he promised. Here is God our Savior. He causes
dry bones to live. He causes men to be raised up
from the dead. That's what the new birth is.
It's a resurrection from the dead. It's the first resurrection. Our Lord spoke of it just that
way. The hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the
voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live. Blessed
are they which have part in the first resurrection on such the
second death hath no power. We've been raised from the dead
That's what the new birth is. It's not a decision. It's a resurrection. It's not a reformation. It's
a resurrection It's not a change of life. It's a giving of life. It's life from the dead and forth
Abraham believed the promise made to him by God in the gospel
Though vast and sublime beyond calculation, was a matter of
absolute certainty because God spoke it. God said, I'm going to give you
a son. Abraham believed God. I'm going to give you my son
through your son. I'm going to give my son in whom
all the nations of the earth shall be blessed through your
son. And Abraham said, God, do it. God, do it. He believed it
to be a matter of absolute certainty. God, before the world began.
Blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ. Many of those blessings we have
come to experience in time. Some of that blessedness. Is
out yonder yet to come. God promised to keep me. And
he kept me thus far, but I've still got another hour a day,
a month, a year or two to go. I believe God will keep me. And
God promised to make me exactly as his son in the experience
of my own life. And I believe God. It's as sure
as God is sure. As sure as God is sure that's
what it is to believe God number five Abraham believed the gospel
Distinctly as the Word of God to him Look at another text Ephesians
chapter 1 Ephesians 1 God said to Abraham I'm a shield
I'm a great reward. I'm a savior That's not what
God said to Abraham, is it? Back in Genesis 15, God said,
Abraham, I am thy shield. I am thy great reward. I am thy savior. That's how the gospel comes to
sinners in power. Ephesians 1 13. In whom you also
trusted after that, you heard the word of truth. Listen to
this. The gospel of your salvation. The gospel comes in power to
you when it comes from God declaring your salvation to you. The gospel of your salvation.
I've said to you many times, and I will say many times yet
in days ahead if I have them, I can't tell you whether or not
you're saved, and I won't make an effort. I won't do it. I get calls, emails, letters,
almost on a daily basis from folks all over the world wanting
me to tell them whether or not they know God. I won't express
an opinion. I'm not going to tell you because
I don't know. I don't have the ability to know.
But if God's given Mark Henson faith in Christ, Mark knows. If you hear God's voice, you
know you've heard God's voice. If God speaks peace to you, you
know you have peace. If I do, it doesn't mean a thing. It doesn't mean a thing. Now,
go back to Genesis 15 again. Here's Abraham, a sinner, believing
God, standing accepted before God. Accepted in Christ accepted
by faith accepted in grace This is the grace of God wherein we
stand in Romans chapter 5 verse 2 is stated. Oh What a blessed
place it was to stay standing justified before God accepted
in Christ Standing in the grace of God by faith believing God
the most uneducated illiterate soul sees with perfect clarity
what the most brilliant, most educated unbeliever can't see
or even imagine because faith understands all things. God's
giving you an unction from the Holy One. You know all things. That brings us to the second
point. Faith believes and faith sees. Faith sees. Our Lord Jesus said, Abraham
rejoiced to see my day. He saw it and was glad. Abraham
saw Christ. Abraham saw Christ. Now, I don't
really know what all that includes. But I can tell you what it does
include. Abraham saw Christ. God came down and spoke to Abraham. Who do you reckon that was? That's
Christ the Redeemer. God said to Abraham, I am thy
shield. I am thy exceeding great reward. I am thy savior. And our Lord
Jesus, standing on this side of it, looks back 2000 years
earlier and he said, y'all remember when God spoke to Abraham? That
was me talking to him. You remember when God said to
Abraham, I'm your savior. That was me talking to him. And
Abraham saw that and believed and rejoiced. Faith seemed Faith
is not blind. Faith is not a leap in the dark.
Faith sees. Our Lord Jesus told Nicodemus,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God. He cannot see the kingdom of
God. And he wasn't teaching us that
the kingdom of God is something you see with the physical eye.
The kingdom of God is not something physical or spiritual. It's righteousness,
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. But faith sees it. Except you're
born again, you can't perceive. You can't understand. You can't see the kingdom of
God. Our Lord Jesus said, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, If thou wouldst believe, thou shouldest
see. the glory of God. Now let me
show you some things faith sees. Some things every saved sinner
sees. Faith sees the value of God's
call. Look at Genesis 15, 7. He said
to Abraham, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the
Chaldees to give thee this land to inherit it. Faith sees the distinctiveness
of God's call, the blessedness of God's call, the efficacy of
God's call, and the result of God's call. God said to Abraham,
I called you, I brought you out. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest and causest to approach unto thee. Second. Standing in Christ, standing
in grace, standing justified before God, faith sees the glory
of God in blood atonement. Look at Genesis 15, 8. Abraham said, Lord God, whereby
shall I know that I shall inherit it? And he said unto him, take
me a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years
old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle dove, and a
young pigeon, and it took Unto him all these and divided them
in the midst and laid each piece one against another but the birds
Divided he not and when the fire wolves came down upon the carcasses
Abram drove them away You see the only grounds upon which God
will meet with sinners the only grounds upon which God can save
sinners is blood atonement and Even the precious blood of Christ
represented in these clean sacrifices. All the scriptures point to this
one sacrifice. And faith drives away every unclean
fowl that would turn us away from the sacrifice or take the
sacrifice from us. And faith sees itself involved
in the sacrifice. Faith is like Abraham. standing in the midst of the
sacrifice. Here he is on one side, one piece,
one side, the other piece, the sacrifice. And here stands Abraham
and God communing with him. Abraham saw the sacrifice as
Christ represented in those emblems and himself involved in the sacrifice
so that faith sees in the sacrifice Covenant redemption covenant
grace God is here in the covenant with
Abraham God here makes a covenant with Abraham Abraham standing
there and This the sacrifice and it stands there until the
Sun starts to go down and there comes over him a cloud of a great
terror And well, it might for he's beheld the cost of redemption.
He'd build the cost of the sacrifice. And then God spoke and made a
covenant to Abraham. He said to Abraham, your seed's
going to go down into Egypt and they're going to abide there
for 400 years. But after 400 years, they're
going to come out with great substance. And Abraham learned
something else. He saw something else that faith
learns and faith sees. Faith sees that every trial.
And every trouble. Every tribulation. We experience
in this world comes by the order of our God. For our good. And will result in our benefit. Who are these? John asked. Why? These are they which came
out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb. So it is with all God's
elect. Abraham, while your seeds in
this world, they're going to be in trouble and they're going
to be oppressed and they're going to hurt. And they're going to
be in pain. And they're going to suffer.
And they're going to have enemies everywhere. But at the appointed hour, I'm
going to come and bring them out of Egypt. And those who oppress
them shall be spoiled by them. And they're going to come out
with great substance, with greater substance than they could ever
otherwise have enjoyed. so shall it be with God's elect. Soon we shall come out of great
tribulation, and the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your
feet shortly, and you shall carry with you into heaven's glory
greater substance than you could ever have possessed and enjoyed
without the trial and the heartache and the great tribulation. Faith,
you see, sees that salvation is sure. Abraham believed God. He said, God's able to do this. God's able to give me a son and
God's able to bring my seed out of Egypt, exactly as he said.
And so Abraham didn't hesitate to go down into Egypt. He didn't
hesitate to go down into Egypt. He wasn't bothered by it. God
will bring me here, and God will bring me through here, and God
will bring me out of here to possess the land he's promised
me. Abraham saw a city whose builder
and maker is God. Abraham saw the promise afar
off, and he believed God, seeing that God's salvation is sure. Folks ask me, You don't believe
once saved, always saved, do you? Well, that depends on who
does the saving. If you've got anything to do
with it, no, not a chance in the world. If I've got anything
to do with it, not even a possibility. But if salvation is God's work,
oh yes, that which God does, he does forever. And nothing
can be put to it and nothing taken from it. And God does it
that men should fear before him. Now, turn to James chapter 2.
Faith believes, faith sees, and third, faith shows. Abraham showed
his faith. Abraham showed his faith. Faith
shows itself by two magnificent works. By two magnificent works. Abraham shows itself by wholehearted
consecration to God. Faith shows itself by wholehearted
consecration to God. James chapter 2 verse 20. Wilt
thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Now look
at there if you if you say you believe God you still go to the
picture show If you say you believe God you still wear gold on your
wrist if you say you believe God and you still wear Whatever
you wear If you say you believe God and you do that and your
faith is dead. That's not what it's talking
about If you say you believe God and you still smoke your
cigarettes, you say you believe God and you still chew your tobacco,
you say you believe God and you still drink your wine, your faith
is dead. That's not what he's talking
about. Now what's he talking about? Let's see what the works
are. Was not our father Abraham justified by works? Justified
before men. That is, he justified his claim
to faith by that which he did. What did he do? when he offered
Isaac his son upon the altar. Now there's faith. Abraham, take
your son, your only son Isaac, that one in whom all that I promised
you is. Take your son Isaac, that one
in whom everything stands. Take your only son, Isaac. If
Isaac dies, everything God promised dies. If Isaac dies, every hope
you have dies. If Isaac dies, you've got nothing. Take Isaac, your only son, Isaac. Well, Abraham had another son.
He had one named Ishmael. Ask him about him. That's just
flesh. Take Isaac, your only son, whom
you dearly love. Go to a mountain, I'm gonna show
you three days from now. Think about it for three long
days. Can you imagine? Can you imagine
that, David? That's a test. It'd be one thing
to take him and kill him right now, maybe in the heat of passion,
but you sit and look in that boy's eyes for three days. And then when you get to the
mountain I tell you about, offer him as a sacrifice to me. What's
this? See is now how faith wrought
with his works and by works faith was made perfect and the scripture
was fulfilled that say if Abraham believed God. Let's see if you believe me.
Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness
and he was called the friend of God. Now all of this didn't
show God anything. And all of this didn't show anybody
else anything. There was nobody on that mountain
except Isaac, Abraham, and God. Eliezer and his servants were
down at the foot of the mountain. Nobody was there except Isaac,
Abraham, and God. Nobody could see what went on
except Isaac, Abraham, and God. But God said, Abraham believed
God. And it was imputed to him for
righteousness. And he was called the friend
of God. You see, then, have it by works a man is justified,
and not by faith only. Faith, that which believes God
and sees God, works in a man, works in a woman. It causes utter
consecration to God. Take up your cross and follow
me. Hate your father, mother, brother, sister, your wife, yea,
and your own life also, or you can't be my disciple. Number
two, faith shows itself in obedience to God. Look at Rahab the harlot. Verse
25. Likewise, also was not Rahab
the harlot justified by works when she had received the messengers
and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit
is dead, so faith without works is dead. Faith. Causes many women. Who are by nature. rebels who
will never obey. To live in obedience to God. That means, Rex, it won't do
me one bit of good standing here and beat you over the head and
tell you what you ought to do. I might get you to do those things, but
that's not faith. Faith obeys God. Faith obeys
God. And all the acts of pretended
obedience motivated by something else are just a sham and a show. Faith believes, faith sees, and
faith, oh faith, shows. God give us faith. in Christ. Amen.