Faith Illustrated

Q: What does the Bible say about faith illustrated by Paul?

The Bible shows that Paul's faith is illustrated through his unwavering trust in Christ, even in the face of suffering and death. In 2 Timothy 1:12, the Apostle Paul expresses profound confidence in the Savior, stating, 'For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.' This illustrates a powerful aspect of faith, where trusting in Christ transcends earthly struggles. Paul's situation in prison, anticipating execution, did not undermine his faith; rather, it highlighted the depth of his commitment to Christ. He focused on encouraging Timothy, demonstrating that authentic faith is not merely personal but extends to the community of believers.

Q: How do we know that Christ is able to keep us?

We can trust in Christ’s ability to keep us because of His power, love, and faithfulness as shown in Scripture and personal experience. Paul's confidence is rooted in his understanding of Christ's power and love. He states in 2 Timothy 1:12, 'I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him.' This reflects the assurance believers can hold, not only from Scriptures that affirm Christ's redemptive work but also from personal experiences where Christ has proven faithful through trials and adversities. The love of Christ, as seen in his sacrifice, assures believers of His ongoing commitment to their salvation. Furthermore, Jude 1:24 supports this by declaring that God is able to keep believers from falling and to present them faultless before His glory.

Q: Why is the doctrine of total depravity important for Christians?

Total depravity emphasizes the necessity of grace for salvation, as it teaches that no one can save themselves due to their sinful nature. Understanding total depravity is crucial for recognizing the extent of human sin and the total reliance on God's grace for salvation. This doctrine reveals that all aspects of humanity—mind, will, emotions—are affected by sin, rendering individuals incapable of achieving righteousness on their own. As Paul reflects in Philippians 3:4-9, he once relied on his works and heritage for salvation, but after encountering Christ, he understood that righteousness comes only through faith in Him. Thus, acknowledging total depravity leads to a deeper appreciation of God’s grace, ensuring that salvation is viewed as a gift rather than a merit-based achievement.

Q: How does Paul's imprisonment illustrate Christian commitment?

Paul’s imprisonment illustrates unwavering commitment to Christ, remaining steadfast in faith despite trials and persecution. In 2 Timothy 1:8-12, Paul openly declares his situation as a prisoner for the gospel, yet he remains unashamed. His willingness to endure hardship for Christ highlights a commitment that transcends personal freedom or safety. He used his experience in prison to encourage Timothy to hold fast to sound doctrine and maintain his faith. This steadfastness reflects a core principle of Christian teaching: true faith often faces trials that test its authenticity. Paul exemplifies how believers are called to endure suffering with the assurance that their commitment to Christ is validated through those very challenges.

My goodness, you could go a long
time in John 17. Line upon line, word upon word. Oh, the blessed Word of God.
All the years I've been preaching, it seems like it just gets bigger
and bigger and bigger. I ain't even scratched the surface,
just what needs to be said and how to say it. Tell me the old,
old story. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ
by the will of God, according to the promise of life which
is in Christ Jesus. To Timothy, my dearly beloved
son, grace and mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ
Jesus our Lord. I thank my God whom I serve from
my forefathers with pure conscience that without ceasing I have remembrance
of thee in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see
thee, and listen, being mindful of thy tears." Evidently he wept
over Paul, wept over his situation. "...that I might be filled with
joy. And when I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in
thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and in thy
mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that in thee also. Mother, grandmother,
son, grandson, all believers, all heard the gospel, all believed. And I'm sure his grandmother
and mother preached the gospel to him. Wherefore I put thee
in remembrance, that thou stir up the gift of God which is in
thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given
us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a
sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed
of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but be
thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the
power of God, who hath saved us, and called us with a holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to His own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before
the world began. but is now made manifest by the
appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death
and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
For unto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher
of the Gentiles, for the which cause I also serve these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed,
for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I have committed. unto him against that day. Now, what we have here in the
Apostle Paul is faith and illustration of faith, or faith illustrated.
What faith is and how it's illustrated by this man's life, by his commitment
to Christ. The Apostle at this particular
time was in prison. He was in prison. Ain't that
what he says in verse eight? Don't be ashamed of the testimony
of our Lord. nor of me, his prisoner." Don't
be ashamed of Christ's testimony. Don't you dare be ashamed of
it. And don't you be ashamed of me, the prisoner of the Lord
Jesus Christ. And you know, he was in prison.
You look in the back of this epistle and you see where it
was written from. He was in Rome and Paul was about to be brought
before Nero the second time. So he'd been in prison for a
good while. He's up in Rome. His death is imminent. He's been
in prison. Maybe it's the paper time. Maybe
it's the fraternity. But wherever he was, he's cold
and wet, and the guards were cruel, and the guards were rough.
And here he is. He's in this prison. He's surrounded
by a great fight of affliction. He's oppressed with sorrow. He
thoughts about Timothy. Timothy, I remember your tears.
I'm mindful of your tears. When they carried me off, put
me in prison, you come and see me. I'm mindful of your tears.
I'm mindful of your tears over me, over the people you preach
to. I'm mindful of them. And he was
oppressed with sorrow. He was oppressed with trouble.
And he suffered within, and he suffered without. And he was
not only chained to a guard night and day, but all of his friends
had forsaken him. His friends had forsaken him.
Look over here in chapter 4 with me just a moment, in verse 16. All of his friends had forsaken
him. You know, he's not only chained
to a guard day and night, but his friends had forsaken him.
Look what it said here in verse 16. And my first answer, when
I stood before Caesar, before I stood before Nero, in my first
answer, no man stood with me. Nobody stood up beside me. Said,
I know this man. I want to be identified with
this man. This man preached the gospel to me. But all forsook
me. And he's like his master. He
said, I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.
Like Stephen, when he said, O Lord, forgive them, for they know not
what to do. Notwithstanding, they all may
have forsook me. Notwithstanding, the Lord stood
with me. And not only did He stand with
me, but He gave me strength. And He did it that by me the
preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might
hear, and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And
the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and preserve
me unto His heavenly kingdom, to whom be glory for ever and
ever. Amen. And then back over in this
chapter one where we're looking at. Look who else turned away
from us. In verse 15. This thou knowest, that all they
which are in Asia be turned away from me. All of them. Of whom are I by jealous and
hermogonous Turned away from me, called him by name. So here's
a man forsaken, alone, troubles within, troubles without. Deserted
by his friends when they, he needed them the most. Deprived
of his liberty, held in chains, treated as a criminal, in danger
of being executed every single day. He expected death every
day. But yet, instead of being discouraged,
you know what he said in verse 12? For this, for the wish cause
I suffer these things because I'm a preacher, a teacher, and
an apostle to the Gentiles. Now what's what he says? Nevertheless,
I'm not ashamed. For I know whom I have believed.
And I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have
committed unto him against that day. Expecting to die every day. They're going to come and get
me. I'm going to hear that soldier coming down through here and
say, it's time, or you're going to go before Nero. And Nero said,
it's time. Today's your last day. You got
anything you want to say? You want to recant your faith?
But instead of being discouraged, he said, I'm not ashamed. Why
are you not ashamed, Paul? Because I know, ooh, whom I have
believed. And I'm persuaded, talking about
faith, that whatsoever I've committed unto him against that day, he's
able to keep it. I'm persuaded of that. And in
fact, when he was here in this situation, he wasn't even thinking
of himself, but he was thinking of Timothy. Look what he told
Timothy here in verse 13. He told Timothy, he said, Now,
Timothy, you hold fast a form of sound words. which thou hast
heard of me in faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus. And
that good thing which was committed unto thee by the Holy Ghost, be keep thee by the Holy Ghost
which dwelleth in us." So here he was, he was thinking about
Timothy, thinking about him. Now I know nobody, and you know
as well as I do, there's a lot of people that we would like
to, we envy the gifts they have and the abilities they have.
But do you ever hear anybody talking about how they envied
Nero or how they envied Caesar? No, but how many times have believers
down through the ages envied the Apostle Paul's love, the
Apostle Paul's zeal, his courage, his faith, his commitment, and
the sufferings of this blessed Apostle? Nobody's envied Nero
or any of the Caesars. But how many envied this love
and faith and commitment of this dear apostle, his love and zeal.
But what was the reason this man had this courage here at
this time? What was the reason? What was the cause of his confidence
when he said, I'm not ashamed? What was the reason he wasn't
afraid to face the end and the death? What was the foundation
of his faith? What had he done? Well, the first
thing he'd done, he made a commitment. Look what it says there in verse
12. He says, Nevertheless, I am not ashamed, for I know whom
I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep. What's
this? He made a commitment, which I have committed unto him against
that day. You see, the margin says there,
believed means trusted. He said, I trusted. I trusted
the Lord Jesus Christ. I committed everything that I
am, everything that I intend to be, and everything of my eternity
into the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ. I've committed it to
Him. I trust Him with it. And beloved,
His soul, His soul with all of its eternal interest, He said,
I've committed it to Christ. And can a man do that with all
the confidence that Paul did? We better. We better. And beloved, he committed his
soul with all of his sins. With all of his sins, he committed
it to Christ. He committed his soul with all
of his hopes and all of his fears. He committed it to the Lord Jesus
Christ. He committed his brothers and
his sisters and Israel and Timothy and all those that he loved,
he committed them to Christ. He made a deposit If I could
say it like that, into the hands of Christ, and He says, I know
whom, He trusted a person. He gave all over into a person. And what He had done, beloved,
in His wise faith, and this is why it's such a glorious illustration,
He had taken Himself just as He was. Not the way He wanted
to be. Not the way He thought He was.
Not the way He wanted to, hoped He would be. But just as he was
at that time, and from the day he first met Christ, he had taken
himself just as he was and committed himself to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Not dressed up. Not no braggadocio. Just said,
Lord, here I am the way I am. Here I give myself to you. I
give myself away. Here I am. I commit myself just
as I am. Without one plea. No plea, but
that thy blood was shed for me. In my hands no price I bring,
and here he comes just as he is. Take me, Lord Jesus, I'm
giving myself to you." And the apostle, when he committed himself
to Christ, it meant three things. And I believe this is all, and
you see if you don't agree with these things. These three things.
When he committed himself to Christ, the first thing it meant
was this. He gave up all efforts to save himself. When he committed
himself to Christ, he quit trying to save himself. He had been
trying to save himself until he committed himself to Christ.
I can show you that. Look, you keep saying, 2 Timothy. Look over in Philippians, chapter
3. He had tried hard to save himself. All when he committed
himself to Christ. And that's why he wasn't ashamed.
He had tried hard to save himself. He was like that rich young ruler.
He came running and said, good master, what shall I do to inherit
eternal life? And he said, well, keep the commandments.
He said, well, I've done that. He said, well, sell everything
you have and give it to the poor. And he couldn't do that. But
look what Paul said here in verse 4. Though I might also have confidence
in the flesh, And this flesh means it is what he did, and
the acts and works and things that he had done. If any man
thinks that he have worth, he might trust in the flesh. I have
more reason to trust in confidence in my flesh, or in my nature
as it is. I was circumcised the eighth
day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin. You know
who Benjamin was? That was the son of Jacob's love. That Benjamin was his last baby,
and he didn't want to let him go down to Egypt. And Judah stood
good for him, said, I'll stand good for him. That was the son,
the baby. That was the one he loved. He
said, he's the son of his love. And all of the tribe of Benjamin.
I was a Hebrew of Hebrews. I mean, he praised Jesus, Jim
Oliver. As touching the law, I was a Pharisee. I was one of
those who said, who is this Jesus of Nazareth? This blasphemer. Who is this man coming in here
telling us he's the Son of God? Not keeping the law of Moses,
and not washing his hands, and eating on the Sabbath day, and
healing on the Sabbath day. And all he said concerning zeal,
you're talking about zeal. You tell me somebody that had
more zeal than me when it come to the flesh. Persecuting the
church. Touching the righteousness which
is in the law. Keeping the commandments. Keeping
all the ties, keeping all the things that the Lord required
of me. He said, blameless. And then, then, God is sovereign. Mercy opened his
heart. He found out that he couldn't keep the law. And look what he
says next. But what things were gained of
me? Something, everything that made
me somebody, They've lost for Christ, and yea, doubtless I
count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I've suffered the loss of
all things, and do count them but done, that I may win Christ,
not only win Him, but be found in Him. He just talked about
his own righteousness after the flesh, and he says, Be found
here and now not having mine own righteousness, which is of
the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness
of God by faith. Oh, he's found out. He's obviously
found out. When he gave himself to Christ,
he gave up all efforts to save himself. No more my God, no more
I boast. Of all the duties I have done,
I quit the hopes I had before to trust the merits of thy Son. The best obedience of my hands
dares not appear before thy throne, but faith can answer thy demands
by pitying what my Lord has done." Huh? Our Lord Jesus Christ says,
deny yourself. And boy, that's what Paul's doing.
He denied himself. Denied himself. And I tell you,
beloved, we've got to come out of self, turn loose of self,
and turn to Christ with all of our heart and soul, commit ourselves
to Christ. And I know this. Believers do
this over and over and over and over again. And the second thing,
not only did he give up when he committed himself to Christ,
all of his interest to Christ, his soul to Christ, gave up all help and effort of
saving himself, he had the utmost confidence the utmost confidence
that Christ could save him. Ain't that what he says there?
He said back over here in our text in verse 12, For nevertheless
I am not ashamed, for I know who I have believed, and I am
persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed
unto him against that day. You know, he had confidence that
Christ could save him because of the Lord Jesus Christ power.
Christ had the power to save. He had the authority to save.
He had the right to save. And secondly, he had confidence
because of the love of Christ. The love of Christ. Look over
in 1 Timothy chapter 1 just a moment. You know, he said, Christ loved
me and gave himself for me. Henceforth, the life I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me
and gave himself for me. And all because of Christ's love.
And he just read down there to go. He says, Father, you've loved
me. You've loved them as you've loved
me. Ever how God loved his son, that's what Paul understood,
that God loved him. That Christ loved him. He said,
you know, when he was on the Damascus Road, and he had those
warrants in his pocket to go arrest people. Now, if the sheriff
comes to my house with an arrest warrant, I've got to go with
him. And if he comes with a search
warrant, I've got to get out of the way and let him come in
there. A warrant gives him all the legal rights to do what he
wants to. And Paul had the legal right to go and arrest people
who was calling on Jesus Christ. So you imagine what a shock it
was when Christ our Lord put him down that day in the dust. And he says, I'm Jesus whom thou
persecutest. And then the love and the mercy
that overwhelmed that man's heart after he had been such a blasphemer,
after he had been such a persecutor, after he had been so injurious.
And you're talking about overwhelmed with the love of Christ. And look what he said over here
in 1 Timothy 1.14. And the grace of our Lord was
abundant with faith and love, which was in Christ Jesus. Not
just a little bit. You know, kids used to do, how
much do you love me? That much? How much do you love
me? That much? How much do you love
me? That much? You know, they just
keep saying, well, we can't measure the love that Christ has for
his people. And Paul understood that he couldn't measure that
love. And watch what he goes on to say. And this is a faithful
saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners, now listen to it, of whom I am chief. And because of this grace was
abundant with faith and love, and because Christ came to save
sinners, howbeit for this cause I obtained a mercy, that in me
first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering for a
pattern to them which should believe on him to life everlasting."
And oh, you see, beloved, here's the apostle. He had the utmost
confidence that Christ could save him. And oh, beloved, and
he not only had confidence in his power and his love, but because
of his mercy and grace. He understood that everything
he had from God, everything he had from Christ, was not earned,
not deserved, not merited. It was all of mercy and it was
all of grace. Because if he had got what he
deserved, he would have went to hell just like Judas did.
Was he any different than Judas? Only in God's purpose and God's
will. We all got the same nature. But God's the one that makes
the difference. And, oh, beloved, and he knew,
and he had the confidence in Christ's willingness to save,
and he was new. He knew that the Lord Jesus Christ
was worthy of his confidence. And so he gave up trust in himself,
and he put his trust in Christ. Can you do that? You know, people
run into churches, and they always have, and they still do. They
use them for sanctuaries, criminals do, and people hiding from the
law. And as long as they stayed inside
that church, they could escape punishment, could hide there.
And this offender was running one time, hard to get to the
church. And all the law was hard, close behind him. And he gets
right up to the steps. And I mean, they just fixed the
trap him, slayed him. They wasn't even going to kill
him. Well, the preacher comes out. And he holds up a cross. And he tells them guards to get
back. And that fella that's going to
get slayed, he got over behind that priest. Stood behind his
robes. And I tell you that to tell you
this. We must hide behind Christ. We must hide behind Christ. And
I'll tell you why. Because when God looks at us
and asks anything for us, Christ shows His wounds, shows His sufferings,
shows His side, and says, just as you came at Him, Wrath, you
can't have them. Law, you can't have them. Manslayer,
you can't have them. And here's the reason you can't.
I'm going to hide behind Him, bless His name. And I'll hide
behind Him. And I'll listen. And I'll tell
you the third thing He does. He doesn't always give up trying
to save himself. He had confidence in the Lord
Jesus Christ. He knowed whom He had believed.
He was persuaded that He was able to keep. And he made a full
and free surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. He became the property
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't that what he said? He said,
don't be ashamed of me, the testimony of the Lord, nor me, of his prisoner. He said, whatever I am, I belong
to Christ, whether I'm in prison or out of prison, whether I'm
standing up preaching the gospel, whether I'm in chains. I belong
to the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, I know whom I have believed. He said, I've been bought with
a price, with the blood of Christ. He was the Lord Jesus Christ's
servant. And that's what he said in the beginning, Paul an apostle
by the will of God according to the promise of life which
is in Christ Jesus. And he must, and beloved, he
gave up all to the Lord Jesus Christ. He kept back no sin,
no pleasure, no property held back. He gave it all up. And not only must we do that,
as he did that, but we got to give up our goodness as well
as our badness. People can give up their badness. People have
no problem giving up their badness. But what about giving up your
goodness? And that's what Paul had to give up. He had to give
up his law, his righteousness, his works, and all. It's easy to give up your badness.
But, boy, to give up that goodness, to turn it all over to Christ.
Let me show you something. And here's what Paul meant. Look
in Exodus with me in chapter 21. Talking about the servant. Talking about the servant. And
all through a servant's year. You know, let me show you this.
In Exodus 21. You know, Paul didn't dare try
to keep himself or hold anything back from the Lord Jesus Christ. He didn't try to keep himself.
He didn't try to hold anything back. And look what it says here in
verse 1. Exodus 21. Now these are the
judgments which thou shalt set before them, if thou by a Hebrew
servant six years shall he serve, and the seventh year he shall
go out free for nothing." Seventh year representing the Sabbath.
You get to go free. And if he came in by himself,
he's going to go out by himself. If he were married, then his
wife shall go out with him. If his master had given him a
wife, and she had borne him sons or daughters, the wife of her
children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself.
And if the servant, now listen, And if the servant, like Paul
said here, I know whom I have believed and I have committed
unto him, if the servant shall say plainly, I love my master,
I love my wife, and I love my children that you gave to me,
and I will not go out free, I want to be your servant. Then his
master shall bring him unto the judges, he shall also bring him
to the door, or under the doorpost, and his master shall bore his
ear through with it all." To have evidence that, yes, I love
my master, this is where I'm going to stay. And you know,
our Lord Jesus said that about himself in the psalm, said, they
have digged my ear. That means they put a hole through
it. And look what he says, and he shall serve him forever. Lord, go ahead and put that hole
in my ear, master. Go ahead and put that over by
you. That's what Paul's talking about here. He says, you know,
he made a full and free surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. And
this act of faith, this act of commitment, it must be continued. Paul said, I've committed, he's
able to keep that which I've committed unto him. Every day
of my life until that day when I go to meet the Lord Jesus Christ,
until that day of judgment. And all beloved, it's continued.
It's not an isolated act of just trusting Christ one time. Simon
Peter says, to whom coming? To whom coming as a living stone.
And as long as we live, oh, we must have no confidence in any
other but Jesus only. And why did he make this commitment?
Why did he? Three things he did. He tried
to save himself. had the utmost confidence in
our Lord's ability and His power to save, and thirdly, because
He loved His Master full and free surrender. But why did He
do this? Well, the first reason was because
He knew Christ. That's the first reason. If you
know Christ, you won't have no problem trusting Him and committing
yourself to Him. Ain't that what He says? For
I know whom I have believed. He knew Christ. And then it says
there, and I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which
I was committed unto Him. He knew He was able to keep what
was committed to Him. Is He able to keep me? Is He
able to keep my soul? Is He able to keep my family?
Is He able to keep me eternally? Was He able to bear my sins? Was he able to satisfy God's
justice for me? And, O Beloved, he is able to
save to the uttermost them that come unto God by him." Abraham
believed God that he was able to perform what he had promised. Jude said that Christ is able
to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before His
glory. And you remember when in the lion's den. Or no, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. And oh, and the
king, he says, you think your God's going to save you now?
And you know what they said, whether He save us or no, said,
we know He is able. Whether He does or not, that's
just the same thing Paul said. I've committed unto Him, I'm
persuaded He's able to keep it. And they say, whether He saves
us here or saves us in eternity, it makes no difference. I know
He's able. Whether He saves us here or He
saves us there, I know He's able. I know that. And when it says
here He was persuaded, why do you reckon persuaded Him? The
first thing that persuaded Him was the Scriptures themselves.
That's the thing that, ain't that what persuaded me and you?
Was it not the scriptures that God used to persuade us to trust
Christ, to believe Christ, and commit to Christ? Look with me
over in Isaiah 43. I'm going to show you a few things
that Paul, just like some scriptures have. No doubt, and he quoted
these scriptures in his life and in his ministry. Isaiah 43. That's why I can say I'm persuaded. And you remember, Milton preached
on this here, you know, about Christ the stone, Christ the
rock, and who believeth on him, because thus saith the Scripture,
he that believeth on him shall not be confounded, shall not
be ashamed. And that's what he said, he that
believes God laid in Zion a stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure
foundation, he that believeth on him shall not make hay, shall
not be confounded, shall not be brought to shame. And Paul
said that in Romans chapter 10. He knew the Scriptures and the
Scriptures is what persuaded him. Look in here in Isaiah 43
and 1. But now thus saith the Lord that
created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, fear
not, I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name, Saul, Saul
of Tarsus, you're mine. And when you passed through the
waters, Paul went through the waters, he spent three days floating
around the deep. I'll be with thee. When you go
through the rivers, they'll not overflow you. And when you walk
through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall
the flame kindle upon thee. Why not? For I am the Lord thy
God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior. I gave Egypt for
your ransom, Ethiopia and Sebia for thee." And look over in Isaiah
49. I'm talking about what persuading
the Scriptures did. Isaiah 49, verse 15. All the scriptures preface. And
look what he says. Can a woman forget her sucking
child that she should not have compassion on the son of her
womb? My man, we've seen that happen so many times. It's just
common news now. Common news now. Yea, they may
forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, listen to me. I have craven thee up on the
palms of my hands, and thy walls are continually before me." No
wonder Paul said, I know that he's able. That's
why I've made this covenant. Look what the Scripture said.
Look what God said. He said, He crowed me on the
palm of His hands. He said, I believe on that foundation.
I believe on that stone. There ain't no other foundation
to be laid than Christ, and I believe it. And I'm not going to be ashamed,
I'm not going to be confounded. And oh my, everything I've been
through, through the fire, I ain't been burned. When I first, my
first session over, I stood with Him. If you don't stand with
Him, then the Lord stood with me. What did He do? He gave me strength.
And when I was before the lions, He saved me out of the mouth
of the lion. So I mean, beloved, and then not only that was He
persuaded by the Scriptures, but He was persuaded by His experience. experience. Oh, my goodness,
how many times did this man have trials? He was on that ship for
all those months and months, and then he was 14 days without
the sun, and the ship wrecked, and he was told all those fellows,
you're only going to be saved if you stay on the ship. And
he's floating around in the ocean I don't know how many times.
Put in jail at Philippi. Beat 39 times with stripes. At Corinth, he says, we had the
sentence of death in ourselves. We knew that we was going to
die this time. But I trusted in God who saves
us, and has delivered us, and will deliver us. He said he had
the sentence of death, and he preached a message on that here
a while back on the end of sentence. Sentence of death. He said, I
know I was going to die this time, but I trusted in God who
raises the dead. And He delivered us. Oh my, God
saved him so many times, so many times, so faithful to him. And
then, beloved, the scriptures persuaded him, his experiences
persuaded him, and most of all, Christ's faithfulness persuaded
him. He says, the Lord said, I'll never leave you, and I'll
never forsake you. Never, no, never, no, never,
no, never, no, never, no, never. Five negatives in it. Never. He wasn't persuaded of his own
power or sufficiency, but he was persuaded of Christ. Let
me show you a verse of Scripture in Matthew 9.28, talking about
Christ being an angel. Matthew 9.28, just a minute.
Here's a good question. Here's a good question. You know, he wasn't persuaded
of his own power. He wasn't persuaded of his sufficiency. And he married anything he done,
but in Christ. Verse 27, Matthew 9. And when Jesus departed, thence
two blind men followed him, crying and saying, Thou son of David,
have mercy on him. And he was coming to the house,
the blind men came to him. And our Lord saith unto them,
Now what's this? Believe ye that I am able to
do this? You believe that I'm able to
keep you? You believe I'm able to save
you? Do you believe I'm able to present you faultless before
God in His appearing? You believe I'm able? Look what
they said. Do you believe He's able to do it for you? You know
what they said? Yea, Lord. What's what happens? Then He touched their eyes, saying,
According to your faith, be it unto you. And look what happened.
Their eyes were opened. Do you believe He's able? I believe
He's able. Oh, bless His holy name. He said,
I'm persuaded that whatever I commit, the Scriptures persuaded His
experience in Christ's faithfulness. And He said in another place,
I am persuaded that neither life, nor death, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things now, nor things to come, nor anything
else in this universe shall be able to separate me. from the
love of God which is in Christ. I'm persuaded of that. They're
persuaded. Are you persuaded? Are you persuaded? I'm persuaded. Right this minute,
right this time, while I'm hearing the gospel and enjoying the gospel
and listening to this Word right now, I'm persuaded. And I'll
get up tomorrow, and my faith may be about like that there,
and I'll say, Lord, I'm going to trust you. I'm going
to trust you. Whether by faith or feelings or nothing, I'm going
to trust you. What else are we going to do? What else are we
going to do? What else are we going to do?

Faith Illustrated

What does the Bible say about faith illustrated by Paul?

How do we know that Christ is able to keep us?

Why is the doctrine of total depravity important for Christians?

How does Paul's imprisonment illustrate Christian commitment?

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Faith Illustrated

What does the Bible say about faith illustrated by Paul?

How do we know that Christ is able to keep us?

Why is the doctrine of total depravity important for Christians?

How does Paul's imprisonment illustrate Christian commitment?

Sermon Transcript

About Donnie Bell

Comments

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