Thank you all for coming. Thank
you for the invitation to be here. I was telling Joe last
night that I was surprised when Drew first brought up the possibility
of me coming. I didn't even know anybody else
other than about three or four people knew I was preaching anywhere
else. So I was very surprised and humbled
that he would present me as a possibility to
come over. Hebrews chapter 11. My subject
this afternoon is saving faith. Hebrews 11 verse 1. Now faith
is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen. For by it the elders obtained
a good report. Through faith we understand that
the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which
are seen were not made of things which do appear. By faith Abel offered unto God
a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness
that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts, and by it he being
dead yet speaking. By faith Enoch was translated,
that he should not see death, and was not found, because God
had translated him. For before his translation he
had this testimony, that he pleased God. For without faith it is
impossible to please him. For he that cometh to God must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him. There was a time when a man pleased
God. This man's name was Adam. He
was the man that was created in the image of God. He was righteous,
perfect, and he stood in his own righteousness before God
for a time. In that peaceful, perfect environment
of Eden, God gave to Adam a single command. And in time, Adam transgressed. He sinned against God and he
died to the ability to perform that which is pleasing to God.
All of us, being the children of that man, are born in his
likeness and with his nature. Our nature is enmity to God. We cannot please Him, we are
continually at war with Him, and we are determined to force
the Almighty God to accept us because of some good thing that
we profess ourselves to have done. It is not possible for
the dead to please the living. Enoch, by faith, pleased God. Would you please God? Would you
be pleasing to God? Every single one of us in here
should have that as our utmost desire, to please God. The consequence of not pleasing
Him is eternal wrath and separation from God. I want to please God. I want you to be pleasing to
God. There is but one way to please
God. Through faith. So shouldn't we
be interested in seeking this saving faith? What is saving
faith? What is faith's object? And what
does faith provide? Saving faith is defined in verse
1. It says, now faith is the substance
of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. That seems
like deep language. A five year old child can't understand
it, so let's simplify it a little bit. In my Bible there is a reference
column and it gives a different translation that says ground
or confidence. A person with saving faith has
confident expectations of things that are hoped for. Please don't confuse this word
hope with that word we use so flippantly today. We often say
I sure hope I pass that test now. I didn't study for it. I've got no reason to hope that
I might pass it. But I sure hope somehow I pass
it. Generally when we say hope, we don't actually expect it to
come to pass. We're throwing that word around,
just flipping, just by some miracle I hope this happens. This hope
is an expected hope. This hope says I know what I'm
looking for is going to come to pass. Turn over to Job. Job chapter 19. And you don't
need to hold your place here in Hebrews. In fact, any place we turn, I'm
probably not going to go back there. So you can just turn and
not have to hold your finger anyway, anywhere. Job chapter
19. Job had this type of faith. Verse
25. Job speaking and he says, For
I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the
latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms
destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. Whom I shall see for myself,
and mine eyes shall behold, and not another, though my reins
be consumed within me." Notice how many times Job uses
that word, shall. I shall. It will come to pass. I'm going to die. I will perish.
I shall perish, but I shall see my Redeemer with these eyes. That was the hope that Job had. Father, faith is the evidence
of things not seen. Faith provides proof of things
that cannot be seen with the natural eye. Very early on, I
was challenged by a man who wanted to know if I had seen Christ. after a message I brought. And
I responded, yes, I have seen Christ. Not with these eyes. Not some picture of John Wayne. I've seen Christ. He is revealed
in this world. On every page. Something of my
Lord is revealed. Something of His glory. I have
seen my sinful nature. That has been revealed to me.
I have seen Christ suffering for me on the cross. I have seen
Him die for me and be laid in that tomb. I have seen Him resurrected
I have seen Him ascending on high, and I have seen Him seated
at the right hand of the Majesty on high. I've seen Him. Not with
these eyes, but with this heart, I've seen Him. He wanted to know,
that man that challenged me, he didn't really want to know
if, well actually I think he did want to know if I had physically
seen Him. But that's not what we're concerned
about. I don't need to physically see. Peter, James, and Paul saw
him physically. But it had to be revealed to
them who he was. That he wasn't just a man that
walked on this earth. That he was, he is, God Almighty. Faith has substance, has proof,
and it has an object. Natural and spiritual faith simply
point to or describe the fact that you have confident expectations
in the subject. Now this area has several lakes,
a few rivers. I know several of you come from
Michigan and Wisconsin and I've been there. It's got a few lakes
around. And you've been on a boat. You
go out on the boat dock, and there are two boats tied to that
boat dock. You've never been in either one
of them. You've hired a fishing expedition for the day. You're walking out on this boat
dock, and as you approach the boats, you take stock of those
boats. One of them is brand new. It's
floating high in the water. The other one has some age on
it and looks a little bit like it might be held together with
duct tape, sitting a little lower in the water. As you approach those boats,
your first thought's going to be, I sure hope my boat is the
new boat and not that one sitting low in the water. Why? Because you've looked at those
boats and without seeing yourself step foot on those boats, you
by faith have greater hope in that boat that is sitting high
in the water and is brand new. So as you approach, is it your
faith keeping that boat afloat? Of course not, it's the nature
of the boat. Your faith gives you confidence to step aboard
that brand new boat that's sitting high in the water. It doesn't
hold you up, but you've got faith in that boat. Having not seen it keep you afloat,
you know that it will when you step into it. Saving faith also
has an object, and that object is our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Lord of Glory. What does our faith believe concerning
Christ? Your faith in that boat believed
that it was going to float and support you. What is it that
our faith believes concerning Christ? Saving faith. Turn to
Matthew chapter 8. Matthew chapter 8. Matthew 8 beginning in verse
1 When he, when our Lord, was come down from the mountain,
great multitudes followed him. And behold, there came a leper
and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make
me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand,
and touched him, saying, I will, be thou clean. And immediately
his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See
thou tell no man, but go thy way, show thyself to the priest,
and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto
them. And when Jesus was entered into
Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy,
grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will
come and heal him. The centurion answered and said,
Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my root,
but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For
I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me, and I say
to this man, go, and he goeth, and to another, come, and he
cometh, to my servant, do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard
it, he marveled and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto
you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you that many
shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the
children of the kingdom shall be cast out into utter darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion,
Go thy way, and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto
thee. And his servant was healed in
the selfsame hour. These two men, the man with leprosy
and the centurion, they both revealed their faith in Christ
and they both had the same belief. They both believed that Christ
could provide that for which they sought. The leper felt that
Christ could heal his leprosy. The centurion believed Christ
could heal his servant. Second, they believed that Christ
is sovereign. The leper worshipped him, saying,
Lord, if thou wilt. He knew that Christ was not obliged
to heal him, but he came anyway. He had confident expectations
that coming to Christ, acknowledging him as Lord, that Christ being
able to heal, would heal him. The centurion, he had traveled
to come to Christ. The servant was grievously tormented
and none other could help. And he came, as the leopard had,
and said, Lord, Now our Lord said that everyone that saith
unto me, Lord, Lord, will not enter into the kingdom. But, so how do we know that this
centurion had faith, believed that Christ is Lord? Because
when Christ said to him, I'll come to your home and heal your
servant, the centurion revealed to him, revealed that he believed
Christ to be King of kings. and Lord of Lords. In effect,
the centurion said, you have many servants at your command,
and what you command is done. All you have to do is speak the
word, and I know my servant shall be healed. There is one other commonality
between these two men, and that is when is saving faith most
freely revealed? It's during our times of greatest
need, during our distressful times, when we have no place
to turn, and we have no earthly means to turn to. They needed,
both of these men needed someone of power and willingness to heal,
and they fled to Christ. Now am I saying that During trials,
every believer, everyone who confesses Christ to be their
Savior, to be their Lord, they're going to act in a way during
these trials that any other man watching is able to say, wow,
that man has great faith. I wish I could be like him. He
honors his Lord with his faith. I wish it were so. But I must say that when these
times of trials come upon me, my reaction isn't generally so
honoring to God. Generally speaking, I'm afraid
my reaction is much more closely related to those in Matthew 8.23. And when our Lord was entered
into a ship, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose
a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with
waves. But he was asleep. And his disciples
came to him and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us, we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are
ye fearful, O ye of little faith? And he arose and rebuked the
winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. These fearful men had received
commandment from our Lord on the other side before they entered
the ship. And Luke 8 says that He said
unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. Christ
commanded, Let us go. Was there any doubt that he would
bring it to pass? Had that ship gone down, it wouldn't
have mattered. They were going to the other
side. These men had the command and
with it the promise that they would arrive. But the storm tested
their faith. And they flew to him and said,
Lord, save us. We perish. We're not going to make it to
that other side. Why are ye fearful? And as so
often with our Lord, he answers his question, O ye of little
faith. Asking us that question. You
and me. Why are you fearful? Because we have little faith.
Is it the amount of our faith that saves us? No. These men were just as saved
as those who called Him Lord. The leper and the centurion who
approved their faith modeled faithfully. These men, scared
to death, they're going to perish. Were they saved? They were saved. The amount of their faith didn't
matter. They believed Christ. It's who we believe. whom we
rest on. Our saving faith object is the
Lord Jesus Christ. He alone can save us. You that
have this faith, how did you obtain it? You that don't, how
would you obtain it? Don't you want this faith? Don't
you want the faith that pleases God? Turn over to Romans chapter 10. Saving faith looks to, relies
upon, and places all confidence in Christ Jesus. Why? Why does our faith look to Christ? Place all confidence upon Christ?
I'll ask anyone that. Someone will answer, well, the
Bible tells me so. The Bible tells me to believe
on Jesus Christ. Another says, I've heard, believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Yes, to
both answers. They are correct. But if that's
your only purpose, if that's your only reason for saying that
you have faith in Christ, that seems a lot like law to me. Do
this and live. Don't do this and die. My faith. What has God done for
me? My faith looks to, relies upon,
places all confidence in Christ Jesus because I know Him. I don't know things about Him.
I know the person, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I trust Him implicitly
with everything. And I love Him. Therefore, my
trust, my faith is on Him. Romans 10 beginning with verse
13. For whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall How then shall they call on Him
in whom they have not believed? How shall they believe in Him
of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without
a preacher? And how shall they preach except
they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful
are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring
glad tidings of good things. But they have not all obeyed
the gospel, for Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God. Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved. What is the name of the Lord?
Is it to say Jesus saved me? Is that calling upon His name? The name of the Lord is who He
is. His person, His character, His
might, His glory, His power. It's to know Him. There is a vast, vast difference
between knowing some things about a person and knowing that person. I met Audrey as you came in.
Audrey has Down syndrome. And when she was born, we spent
the first month of her life in the hospital, in the neonatal
ICU, the NICU. She was under an oxygen mask
for most of that time, basically an oxygen bucket. Couldn't see
her, couldn't do much with her. And I hope none of you have had
to experience the NICU, but if you ever do, nurses do everything. You don't care for your child
while they're in the NICU. The nurses do everything. And one day, Stacia had stepped
out, and my mom was there with me. And Audrey was getting fussy. And so the nurse came around,
and I got her attention. I said, Audrey needs her diaper
changed. And the nurse kind of glanced
at her chart and said, no, she doesn't. We just changed it a
little bit ago. As a young father, I almost lost
my patience at that point, but I managed to hold it together.
I persisted with that nurse. I said, you're going to change
your diaper. Finally, the nurse changed the
diaper. I think it was to prove me wrong
to say I didn't know what I was talking about. She changed Audrey's
diaper, put a clean diaper on, and Audrey calmed down immediately.
Now, the NICU, they weighed everything. They measured everything about
Audrey. Blood pressure, temperature, how much fluid she got in, how
much fluid came out. Everything was measured, everything
was charted. That nurse knew more about Audrey's vitals than
I ever hoped to know. But that nurse did not know my
daughter. I knew what she knew. I was her
dad. She needed her doctor's attention.
The nurse waited and was like, well, she did have a little bit
in there. Yes, she did. A person can know this book forwards,
backwards, inside and out and miss Christ Jesus. My faith looks to, relies upon,
and places all confidence in Him because of what He has done
for me. And not just for me, but for
all those that He calls and causes to believe upon Him, to have
faith in Him. Turn over to Luke chapter 23. I know we're turning a lot. I
didn't know what time we met. And I was thinking it would be
later in the evening. And I was like, we'll keep everybody
awake. We'll turn to a lot of places.
Luke chapter 23. Beginning in verse 13. Luke 23,
13. And Pilate, when he had called
together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, said
unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me as one that perverteth
the people. And, behold, I, having examined
him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those
things whereof ye accuse him. No, nor yet hear it, for I sent
you to him, and lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. I
will therefore chastise him and release him, for of necessity
he must release one unto them at the feast.' And they cried
out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto
us Barabbas. who for a certain sedition made
in the city and for murder was cast into prison. Pilate, therefore
willing to release Jesus, spake again to them, but they cried,
saying, Crucify, crucify him. And he said unto them the third
time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of
death in him. I will therefore chastise him
and let him go. And they were instant with loud
voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices
of them and of the chief priest prevailed. My case is the same as Beretta's. Born the son of Adam, I have
his nature, and in myself all that I know is entity to God. This enmity caused me to despise
his sovereignty, to hate his gospel and his son. Given the
opportunity, I would have gladly joined in with those men that
crucified him 2,000 years ago. Being guilty of rebellion and
treason against the King of Glory, the law held me bound, cast in
prison, awaiting the day of judgment when I would be slain. but Christ
Jesus before the foundation of the world. Before time began,
He looked upon me in all my sin, my rebellion, my unbelief, and
He said, I will have mercy on him. But the law stood firm. The law
said He is guilty and the guilty must be punished. cannot be let
go. My Lord said, I will take every
charge and pay it. Paul said, what are you going
to pay it with? You're God. You are life. You cannot die. And the penalty is death. My Lord said, I will set aside
my glory I will veil it in the likeness of sinful flesh. I will
walk as he walks under my law, and I will satisfy it completely. Good. That's good for you. You satisfy the law completely,
that makes you holy and just. It still does nothing for him. He's the condemned sinner. My Lord said, My Father will
take that sin that is His, that sinful nature, that depravity,
that death, and He'll put it on me. I shall be made sin. Vengeance will fall on you. The
soul that sinneth, it shall die. You shall be separated from your
Father. Yes, I know. But for the love
that I have for Him, I'll pay this sin debt. And when I satisfy
your law, and I satisfy the justice, He shall be made righteous. Our Lord offered His Holy Soul
a sacrifice, a sin offer for what we are. In effect, my Lord came to the
cell where I waited for my death sentence to be completed and
He said, let him go. He's free. He's done nothing. How do you know he's done nothing?
I did it. everything he's charged with.
I did it. You've got no right to hold him.
Let him go. I was released and freed from
my cell. He took my place. He bore the
penalty of my death. Is it just? Is it just for God
to slay his son instead of me. Yeah. I have no sin. Christ took it all. Am I a sinner here today? Oh
yes. All that I do is sin. But when
God looks upon me He sees His Son. He sees Christ. Jesus Christ our Lord, the Holy
Beloved Son of God, died upon the cross at Calvary for sins
I commit against God. Not only those things that I
do, but what I am. He died because I should have
died. He took my place, He took my sin, He bore the wrath of
God against me. With His stripes, He healed me. He did this for me. How can I
not love and trust Him? Now what does faith in Christ
provide to us? Turn over to Romans chapter 3. Romans chapter 3 verse 28. Let's begin in verse 27. Where
is boasting then? It is exclusion. There's nothing
for me to boast in. I've done nothing to satisfy
the law. By what law? Of works? Nay, but by the law
of faith. Therefore, we conclude that a
man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. What does
justified mean? Let's go back to my prison cell.
There's a variety of legal means with which I can be freed from
that cell. I could be pardoned. The governor,
the president, Could sign a pardon, say we're releasing, I'll pardon
him, let him go. That doesn't mean I'm not guilty. That just means I've been released
from the cell. I can be acquitted. That means
I'm not necessarily declared innocent, but the prosecution
wasn't able to prove the case against me. So, oh, let me go
free. Justified means I'm innocent. I never committed the act for
which I'm being held. It's gone. A man is justified, proclaimed
innocent by Almighty God, by faith, free from the law. Being justified, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By my nature, I am enmity
with God. I am at war continually with
God. By that nature, I inherited from
Adam. Being justified, I have peace with God. Isaiah 40 verse
2 says, Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her
that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned,
For she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her
sins." What warfare? The warfare we the children of
Adam declared against God in our father Adam. How is it accomplished? Christ, Jesus being made sin
for us, has died and paid the debt of our sins. Furthermore,
he has risen again and clothed us with his righteousness. Romans 1 verse 11 Paul says,
For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual
gift. To the end ye may be established. That is, that I may be comforted
together with you by the mutual faith, both of you and me. Faith, saving faith, provides
comfort to God's children. What is this comfort? Is it a
life of ease? Carefree from worries, trials? Oh no. You will smage on, you
know. constantly in trouble. Trouble
from our flesh, trouble from the world, not this comfort. This is the
comfort of faith. Faith is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. When troubles abound,
faith cries to us, we know all things work together for good
to those who love God, who are the called according to His words. Faith looks beyond what mortal
eyes and wisdom declare and see the purpose of God unfolding
to bring glory to the Father and to the Son. Faith leans upon
the knowledge that Jesus Christ is God and Sovereign. Sovereign. He rules over all things. Not just the big things. But
all things, a speck of dust, doesn't move without His knowledge
and permission. Doesn't that comfort your heart?
He controls nothing. But our Father, He controls all
things. Would you have this same faith? If only The words I speak could
give all of us a longing for Christ. A longing for this faith,
for without faith it is impossible to believe Him, to please Him. For those of you who have not
looked to Christ, who have not sued Him for mercy, what can
you do? What can you do? We read it in
Romans 10. How shall they believe in him
of whom they have not heard? How shall they hear without a
preacher? And verse 17, so then faith cometh
by hearing and hearing by the word of God. What can you do? You need to know Him. You need
to know Jesus Christ. If I came to your house off the
street, knocked on your door, and said, I am here to babysit
your children so that you can go out and have an evening out. It would be a sad parent who
would open the door and say, come on in, I'm ready to go. A friend of yours brought me
to your house and said, I know this guy. He'll be a good babysitter
for your kids. Go out and enjoy the evening.
You might, because of knowing your friend, you might would go out for a
short McDonald's run and back. But if you know me and you know
I'm good with children, I'm going to treat them correctly, you'll
willingly give them over to my hands and walk out and never
have a worry on your mind that they're going to be okay. You've got to know How are you going to learn of
him? First off, by doing what we're doing right now. Attend
where he is declared. For the Lord has given us his
promise that where two or three are gathered in my name, there
am I in the midst of him. Don't all churches preach the
gospel? No. Sadly enough, no. How do I know? Do they preach what's in this
world? And they don't take one verse,
John 3.16, and make it their gospel. God so loved the world. World, that means everybody. No. Take the word and you expound
it as it's revealed in the word. Every verse agreeing with the
other verse. And all of them saying the same
thing. Christ Jesus came to save sinners. And he succeeded. He did what
he came to do. I'm not to be excluded from this. In fact, no man that stands before
you should be excluded from this. Do like the Bereans who were
more noble than those in Thessalonica in that they received the word
with all readiness of mind and searched the scriptures daily
whether those things were so. Search the scriptures. You attend
where he is proclaimed, search the scriptures, read his word,
ask him to reveal himself to you through those scriptures.
And those of us with faith, whatever measure of faith we have, I know
that our prayer is the same as the apostles, Lord increase our
faith. Is it enough for us to just pray
that? Sit back and relax and wait for
some miracle to happen that my faith has increased? Our Lord
uses means. And for the same, we're not separated. Those who believe and those who
don't believe, they both need the same. We need to hear the
Word, to be reminded of the Word. The Lord uses means. Don't forsake
the assembling of yourselves together to hear the Word. Faith
cometh by hearing. We continually need to have our
faith refreshed by the hearing of the Word. And oh, may we be
in the Scriptures daily, continuing in His Word. Hi. I can't speak for y'all. I'm lazy. And it is an easy thing
to forsake this Word. Ball game, dinner with friends,
yard work, minus sheer laziness. Strive to make the reading and
studying of Christ's Word our priority. It doesn't come easily. to do
this. This is hard work on this old
flesh. We can sit down and read a novel
and not have any problems with it. Read two verses of scripture
and your eyes start to doze off, sometimes more. If I do these things, if I attend
faithfully, if I read the scriptures every day, Obi, can you guarantee
me I'll be saved? No. God is sovereign. He does as He will. He'll have
mercy on whom He will have mercy. But oh, if we don't come, if
we don't seek Him, we'll be cast out. Every child of Adam is guilty
of sin and condemned to death. Your only hope, my only hope,
is that Christ Jesus will have mercy upon us. Saving faith is
the gift of God given to men so that they may have life. Saving
faith looks to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ because of what
he's done for us, because of his precious shed blood. Come to Christ. Come as you are. Guilty. Vile. Helpless. Unbelieving. Come to Him. And beg Him to show you mercy. Ask Him to show you mercy. All
of those in scriptures that came and said, Lord have mercy upon
me. Not one was turned away. He may be pleased to bestow mercy
and grace for all those who come to him with faith. Those that
come with faith, the Son of God shall be saved. Give that faith
where it is still needed. And remember us, keep Obie and
his family safe as they are here this weekend. And remember Obi
also as he hopes to bring two more messages tomorrow. Give
us, Lord, a hunger in our hearts. Remember all our loved ones.
Thy will be done for Jesus' sake, alone. Amen.