We'll begin the message, go to God in prayer again. I've got a message this week. It's about the sincerity of worship. I thought it was a wonderful message preached a long time ago. Apostle says in Hebrews 10, let us draw near with a true heart. thoughtful assurance. Thought of religion. Religion today is fake.

It's not real. People coming in with all this piety and self-righteousness and most people just putting on a show. Most people just putting on a show. One thing God doesn't allow his people to do is put on a show. We don't get to pretend. Everything's rosy, everything's wonderful. We struggle, we hurt, we fear, we doubt. God paints his saints, warts and all. Very specific purpose so that when we come to him, we come with a true heart. Here I am. Here I am with all my sin, with all my strife, with all my trouble. And the believer comes to the Word of God seeking peace, seeking help, seeking strength. The only way to come to this Word is to come honest. We can pretend in front of other people, but you can't pretend in front of God. You just can't do it. We can't do it. I don't... I'm sure I do it. I'm sure I try to pretend.

The only peace for every affliction is Christ. There's just no other place. For the believer, There is no other peace. There's no other strength except to know what we just sang. Christ died for me. There's just no other peace. You're looking for something else, you're not going to find it here. There's no peace here. The peace we have is to know that I belong to Christ.

If I belong to him, regardless of how things appear, everything's mine. Everything belongs to me because I'm an heir and joint heir with him who owns everything. And his will is that I should dwell with him forever. That's his will. So nothing in this world is going to stop that. In fact, everything is moving toward that. All the afflictions, all of the trials do one thing. They testify that this world is vanity. That's all they do. Every day. Testifies it's vanity. What does the Word testify? The Word testifies that Christ is all. in him is all I need, all I want. Does that stop the old man? No. You found that to stop him from being obnoxious, rude, interrupting your peace? No, he's going to do that until he dies. I like what our Lord said, in the world you have tribulation. not your heart be troubled.

What's the remedy? You believe in God, believe also in me. There's the remedy, isn't it? Trusting Christ. That's what we'll be preaching today about faith. True God given faith. Remember, God's people in other places. Let's not neglect to remember those churches who are suffering without pastors. Many are still doing that. I met a pastor this last week.

I didn't know him, but I enjoyed speaking with him. He's out in Florida. Wonderful. I think Gene and Glenn know him and was out there with him, Bill. It's good to hear that, that there are other preachers. Pray for them. Ask God's mercy on them. I hope it's our desire to further the gospel in this world and not ourselves and our earthly joys and things. The gospel! Isn't this why we're left here? I mean, is there any other reason to be here? That's what the church is for.

To declare the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I do ask that God would do it in this place as well as every place where the gospel is preached. Pray for them. Pray for Moose, and as he goes through his chemotherapy and radiation, pray for him. Again, I ask your prayers for me as I desire to preach the gospel to you. Without Him, I can't do it. I can't do it. And if I could, you couldn't hear it without Him either. Ask.

And He'll give us these things He promised. Let's go to Him in prayer. Gracious Father, thank you again for a day Another day of grace and mercy. Another day that we might look unto Christ and find in Him all our mercy, all thy forgiveness and grace. I beg you to set our eyes upon Him. Faith should look only and always to Him.

We're so full of trouble. We're so full of trials. We're so full sin of this flesh, misery of this world. We ask for this moment, time, that we should come to you with a true heart, full assurance, trusting in Christ that you would feed us, that you would instruct us and encourage us, that you would teach us.

I beg you for grace upon those that are sick, that you might touch their bodies and minds, quicken them, bring them again to health, that they might worship and praise and glorify thy name. Father, those who are worshiping today, we pray for them as we pray for ourselves, that the gospel go forth in power throughout the world, Christ would be preached in every place that you would call your people to life. I pray, Father, this day that you'd give us grace and mercy to see that Christ is all and by faith cling to Him. We do this daily, constantly, holding fast to Him. Father, forgive us our sins. Cleanse us. We pray these things in Jesus' name and for His sake. Amen.

All right, Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11. How this message, our calling and rule of life. Our calling and our rule life the first is going to be found in verse 8 of Hebrews chapter 11 scripture says by faith Abraham when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance obeyed and went out not knowing whither he went by faith He sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.

For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Now, I want you to see about four things in this concerning faith, and as I told you before, this chapter, this chapter of faith, the Apostle has to set forth that faith is the substance of things hoped for, evidence of things not seen.

Faith is the evidence of our election. Faith is the evidence of our redemption. And without faith, he says, it is impossible to please God. Faith in Christ is most necessary. But what he does by this text is he sets forth what true faith looks like and he uses the illustration of the Old Testament saints to give us a vivid picture of what faith is. And here in this text he uses Abraham and we see three things about faith. Everyone who believes on Christ is called. And he says, by faith, Abraham, when he was what? Called. And everyone who calls obeys. That's the second one. He says, he was called to go out of a place which he should have to receive for inheritance. What did he do? He obeyed. Everyone who is called believes. And everyone who believes obeys.

Not knowing that he should receive foreign inheritance, obeyed, and he went out not knowing whether he went, and by faith he sojourned in the land of promise. You see, we are called to faith, we are obedient to faith, and we sojourn by faith. We live by faith. And then there's the result of faith, you see this, as a strange as in a strange country dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob and the heirs with him of the same promise for he looked for a city which foundations whose builder and maker is God. Faith makes us strangers. Faith makes us strangers.

Weirdos. That's what it does. It'll make you look strange in the eyes of this world. And you know what? They look strange to us. They do. So let's see these things. Now in this text here we see Abraham was called of God to go out into a place that he should afterward receive.

He was promised something that he didn't actually have in possession. This is faith. To be promised something that you don't really see or even experience. Faith is a promise of God concerning things not seen. And he was called to go out into this place.

Now this calling of Abraham was not according to the merits of Abraham. Now listen, Abraham when he was called was 75 years old and steeped in pagan religion. For 75 years he had lived in this land of Ur of the Chaldees and out of nowhere God called him. He didn't know anything at all about God, didn't even look for God, wasn't looking for God, and God called him. He was called.

Now the Word of God is very clear on this point that no man will ever seek after God of his own volition. Romans chapter 10, no man can earn Romans chapter 3 verse 10. No man could earn or merit the favor of God. Why? There is none righteous, no not one. That excludes all merit. Listen to this. This excludes all will worship. There is none that seeketh after God. And listen, there's none that understandeth. That excludes all academic ways of learning God or knowing God. There's no way to merit God's favor. There's no way to seek Him.

And there's no way that a man could understand what He is or what God requires by nature. This was Abraham's position. And even so it is with everyone who is called of God. We understand this. That we by nature never would have sought God. Have you considered the depravity of man is so great.

There's nothing more I desire than to be a plain spoken preacher. I desire plainness of speech. I desire that everybody understand what I'm saying very clearly. I don't want to use high academic words so that people would have to look it up. I want you to plainly understand what I'm saying.

But no matter how plain I am, no matter how clear, no matter how zealous I am that you should understand and believe, if I were capable of preaching the plainest, clearest and most beautiful sermon you'd ever heard, If I could plead with you until my tears flooded the earth, you would never come to Christ unless God draws you. If I were to put proofs in front of you, I mean solid proofs like they did before, right?

There were many times that the apostles proved it by miracles. Our Lord Jesus himself proved it. If we could perform miracles, if we could possibly open heaven and show you the throne whereon Jesus Christ said you still would not believe unless God called you. This is how depraved Abraham was, this is how depraved we are. Unless God give the sinner life and teach him and call him, he will never come to Christ. Go to John chapter 6.

You know this very clearly. Our Lord makes this very plain. I love this text. It's probably one of my favorites. After showing them that miracle of feeding the 5,000, right? They still didn't believe. Then He preached to them, I'm the bread of heaven. I'm the one that came down from heaven. And it's the work of God. If you believe on me, it's the work of God.

He tells them that. And then they start murmuring. This is what religion does. When you tell them the gospel, what do men do? They begin to bicker and debate about it. I don't care. Our Lord didn't care. He said, why murmur among yourselves? Look at verse 44. He said, as I said in you, wait, it's verse 44. He said, No man can come unto me.

Now can you get any plainer than that? There was no way for Abraham to come to God by faith except God calling. And there is no way for you or me to come to God by faith except God call us. Except the Lord which has sent me draw him. See, we, by nature, are dead. We could never come. And God must draw us as an object that cannot move itself. God must draw us by the power of His Spirit to Christ. Otherwise, we'd never come. Except the Father would just send me, draw Him, and I will raise Him up at the last day, as it is written in the prophets.

They shall all be taught of God. When a man is taught of God, when a man is called of God, he is taught something. He is drawn, and then he is taught. What is he taught? He's taught to come to Christ. That's what he's taught. Look what Christ says. Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father, what does he do? He cometh unto me.

When Abraham was called, he was called concerning Christ. He looked for a city whose foundations, which hath foundations. I'm not talking about a literal city. The foundation is what? It's Christ. Christ is the foundation upon which the whole church of God is built.

So when a man is taught of God, what does he do? He abandons his own way, and he comes to God by Christ. He comes unto me, that's what Jesus said. Not any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am the bread of life. This is one who is called. One who is called sees that Christ has come down from heaven. He is the bread of life. And whosoever eateth his flesh and drinketh his blood hath everlasting life. And what did the Jews say? They said, oh man, how can we eat his flesh?

You see, they're not called. They're carnal. They still think this thing is carnal. They still think it has to do with this eating his literal flesh like cannibals. That's what the Catholic Church believes. They're cannibals. They believe that some cracker turns into the literal body of Christ and they eat his flesh. They ain't been called. None of them have been called. If that's their salvation, they have none. This is spiritual, friends. Jesus says this later. He said, These words I say unto you, they are spirit and they are truth. They're not carnal.

And so what it is to be called, it is to believe on Christ. It is to receive Him as one starving for righteousness, as starving for redemption. We receive Him and we eat His flesh by faith. We drink His blood and He says this, we have everlasting life. This is what it is to be called. It is to believe on Him. You see, we believe He is God, manifest in the flesh. Isn't that what He said to Timothy? He said, without controversy, this is without debate, great is the mystery of Godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. That's not a controversy, is it?

We who have been called, we are called to see him, who is God, came in the flesh as a representative man, and as he did, he came to save all that the Father had given him. And this is the glorious gospel, that all that the Father giveth him shall come to you. You that are called, it is no accident that you are called. Isn't that glorious? Everyone who is called, it is by design and purpose.

It was the Father's will that you should be called. Therefore, the Son came and he died in your stead. He paid the price for your sins. He obtained righteousness for you. And at the appointed time, the Spirit of God came to you. Just like he did Abraham. You see, this is the same. Has God called you? Has God taught you? How does God call? How does God teach? Well, we know this is through the preaching of the gospel, isn't it? The declaring of this gospel. This is the means. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Isn't that wonderful that that breaks down every barrier everywhere? It really doesn't matter where you came from. It doesn't matter if you were raised in morality or steeped in sin and pagan idolatry like Abraham. It didn't matter, did it? When God called him, was it going to stop him from believing? No. His pagan idolatry had no power to stop him.

Just like my pagan idolatry, I worship myself. I worship my wisdom. I worship my knowledge. You know what? That didn't hinder God. When God called me, I heard this, whosoever should believe, call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Isn't that? Well, that was wonderful.

But how are you going to call on him in whom you've not heard? Can you call on somebody you've not heard? How can you believe on him if you haven't heard him? And how shall you believe without a preacher? The purpose of preaching is that God would use the message to call his people. So all who are called believe. And they believe what? They believe Christ is all our salvation. Not part of it. It's not a cooperative effort. We who are called understand this. When he said he looked for a city whose builder and maker is what? God. Who made your salvation? Who built it? Who designed it? Who made it? Who gave it to you? Who keeps it? We who are called, we trust Christ completely. Absolutely.

That is all my hope and standing before God is His righteousness and His blood. His resurrection is all my justification I need. All the proof I need. What's the proof I have? That I'm saved. He's risen. He who died for my sins is risen. And I know this, that all that the Father gave Christ is going to come to Him, and none of them is going to be lost.

Why? Jesus said that. He said, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me. Why? I'm going to call them. I'll call them. He said, of all that the Father giveth me, I should lose nothing, but raise it up again at the last day. And so who are those that are called? They are they that believe. That's the evidence, by faith. By faith, go back to your text, look at this again.

By faith, Abraham, when he was called, went out. He didn't go out before. He didn't go out before he was called. You never believed before you were called. And when you were called, what else could you do but believe? You didn't believe. Can you do anything else? Can you do anything else but believe? Now I know your faith is weak. Our faith is, at times, we don't even get, we don't even believe we have any. But when you are at your lowest, what do you want? You want more. A believer never wants less faith.

Wow, we've been called to believe. We've been called to believe. The second part of this is obedience. Look at that. By faith, Abraham, when he was called to go out to a place which he should have to receive for inheritance, what did he do? Obeyed. Now then, imagine Abraham called to go out and he just stayed in Ur.

And he said, yeah, I believe. No. Everyone who is called to believe, listen to this, they will believe. Not just as a check mark in life. A lot of people say, well, I believed. That's it. I remember when I was 10 and I made a profession and I was baptized and I took the Lord's Supper and I joined the church. They remember. And they say, yeah, I believed.

But you see, Abraham, when he went out, he started this journey of faith and it was evident he believed. He abandoned everything in obedience to God. And so does everyone who truly believes. We abandon all our self-righteousness. We abandon all that would hinder us from worshiping Christ or believing in Him. We cast it all out. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and then return to the Lord. Now what you do? You forsake all that? What do you think about your past religion?

What is that? Is that anything? Nothing. That's what Paul counted his, right? He listed all of that wonderful religion that everybody should admire him. And he said, you know what I think about that? That's crap. That's what I think about that. You know what I think about all my religion?

Garbage. that I might be found in Him. I have to have Him and I will not stop believing until I see Him. This is what it is to obey. It is not only to believe but it is to continually believe. It is to It's not, you know, a lot of people read that text. Jesus said, I am the door. And then they spend all their time measuring the door, but they don't go in. They learn about Him. They don't go to Him.

When we believed Him, this was not just some academic thing. This was intimate. It was personal. I was dying and He's my life. The wrath of God was on me and now he's my refuge. He said come in. I came in. Abide in me. And I in you. Remember that parable of the vine and the branches. I am the vine and you are the branches. What a wonderful picture of us abiding in Christ. This is what Peter said. Peter said this in First Peter, chapter one, he said, elect according the foreknowledge of God, the father through sanctification, the spirit and unto obedience.

Now, listen, there's some and I'm going to get to this in just a minute, there's going to be people say, well, that's that's talking about obedience to the law. No. He's talking about obedience of faith. What is the law of the believer? Faith. Paul calls it the law of faith. You that believe, believing is obedience, isn't it? That's our law, to obey. Believe on me. Trust in me. That's his law.

And the believer says, yes, of course. I believe. And so to believe is to obey the gospel of Jesus Christ, and not just once, but continually. True faith always moves the sinner to wholly, completely believe on Christ, not as an option, but as a command. And His command to us is not grievous, is it? Again, like I said, when He commands you to believe, is that grievous? Or do you want to believe more? We want to believe more because we recognize our faith is weak. Now is this your faith?

Have you been called like Abraham? Have you obeyed in receiving Christ like Abraham? Then listen to the promise, even as, this is what Paul said in Galatians 3, we're going to get to this text in just a minute. Even as Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. Know you therefore that they which are of faith are the children of Abraham. Just as Abraham is an heir of promise, even so you who are called and obey. You who believe.

So we see this, faith is by calling. And true faith always believes, always obeys. Now then, look at this, go back to your text and see that faith then is the rule of the believer's life. Look at this in verse 9. By faith Abraham sojourned in the land promise. And he was called and he went forth and he obeyed.

But how did he live daily? What was Abraham's rule of life as he walked in this world? Was it the law of Moses? What did Abraham know about the law of Moses? Nothing. Scripture says it was 430 years later. Really, 430 years after Jacob. really closer to 600 years after Abraham, before Abraham was. Abraham didn't know anything at all about the law of Moses. Well, how did he live? He lived by faith. By faith, he sojourned in the land of promise. Now, in the book of Galatians, The apostle testifies that Abraham is a preeminent type of every believer.

Yet there are many today, like the Galatian church, who are bewitched, who are duped. into believing that salvation is begun by grace, it's begun by grace through faith in Christ, yet it is somehow made perfect by obedience to the law. That was the error, that was the heresy of the Galatian church. Some today are still duped. Go to Galatians chapter 3. Galatians chapter 3, he says in verse 1, O foolish Galatians, who have bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth. There it is.

Obedience to the truth is what? It's faith. Why are you moved from faith? That's what he's saying. Before whose eyes Jesus Christ had been evidently set forth, crucified among you. I preach Christ. Now why are you moved from him? This only what I learned of you received you the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith. Now, how did you, how were you called? That's what he's saying. How were you called? Were you called by the spirit or by the law? Well, the answer is simple. We were called by the spirit of God, not by the law.

Are you so foolish having begun in the spirit? You're now made perfect in the flesh. Have you suffered so many things in vain, if it yet be in vain? He, therefore, that ministered you the Spirit, worketh he the miracles among you? Doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? How does this? When these guys came to you and they were preaching the gospel, at this time they had many miracles that they were performing. Was this by their obedience to the law? Did they merit these miracles? Was this by the power of the Spirit?

These are rhetorical questions. To the believer, these are questions that don't really need to be and not meant to be answered. You know the answer. Now look at the illustration he uses. Abraham. Even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness, know you not, therefore, they which are of faith are the children of Abraham. The scripture foreseeing God would justify the heathen through faith preached before the gospel, before the gospel unto Abraham. Before what? Before the law. He preached the gospel unto Abraham when? Before the law.

Saying, then in thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. So then they which be of faith, not law, are blessed with faithful Abraham. Everyone who would be brought from faith to law, Paul then testifies, you're removed from Christ. If you go from faith to law, you are totally removed from faith. Look at verse 10 of chapter 3 in Galatians.

For as many as are of the works of the law, listen to this, any part of the law. As many as are of the works of the law are under what? Blessing or curse? They're under a curse. For it is written. It's not debatable. This is not a debatable subject. Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them.

Now I've got, you can find multiple books on the law, and they're always dividing the law. Men do this, I guess, some do it for just ease of memorization or thought. They divide it into ceremonial law. They divide it in the dietary law. They divide it in the governmental law. They divide it into the moral law. And so they say that by saved by grace, therefore, The dietary, the ceremonial, the governmental law have all been removed. The only thing that remains is the moral law. Where do you find such divisions? You won't find them in this.

The law is the law, is the law, is the law. Paul said, cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law. Listen to do them. Don't give me lip service if you want to be under the law. If you want to be under the law, you have to live under all of it.

Here's a conclusion, but no man is justified in the sight of God by the law is evident. That's just clear, isn't it? That's just plain. Now listen to this, you're gonna get, here comes reform religion, they're gonna come in here and they're gonna say, yeah, but, what they're gonna do, they're gonna say that. I'm not being justified by the law, I'm being sanctified by the law. Idiot. Excuse me.

What man is justified that's not sanctified? Tell me. How can a man be justified if he's not holy? How can a man be justified if he's not righteous? How can a man be justified if he's not redeemed? All of these things are necessary. You can't have one without the other. And Christ is not my wisdom, my righteousness, and my redemption, and somehow it's a cooperative effort for my sanctification. No, you're reverting back to the law. No man is justified, sanctified, righteous, or redeemed by the works of the law. No man.

It's evident. It's clear. Why? For the just shall live by faith. Listen to these words. And the law is not of faith. The minute you go to the law, you exclude faith. The minute you go to the law for any part of your salvation in your life, your rule of life, your sojourn, you have moved from faith to law. Why? The law is not of faith. But the man that doeth them shall live in them. Here is the law of faith. Here is the object of faith. Verse 13, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law.

He did what I could not do. I could never redeem myself from the curse of the law. The law was right to curse me. I was guilty. I could not be justified by the law in any way. Here's the object of faith. Christ hath bought me, redeemed me. paid the price of the law for me by being made a curse. He bore my sin in his own body on the tree. Scripture said he was made sin for us who knew no sin, that we should be made the righteousness of God. And when God punished him, my sins were punished.

I didn't get out of this. This wasn't a loophole in the law. My sins did not escape punishment. They were punished, just not in me. This is the glory of living by faith. It's that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. Being made a curse for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth upon a tree.

Now why? That the blessing of Abraham. The blessing of Abraham. What was the blessing of Abraham? God promised him righteousness. God promised him eternal life. God promised him a kingdom. He was an heir of the promises of God and you who live by faith, you are an heir. Now you go to my house and you're not going to see anything like an heir. An heir of what? What have I inherited here? Follow Abraham around a little bit.

Do you realize this man walked throughout this world owning nothing but a tent and an altar and a grave? You understand that? The three things he owned, the three things he possessed was a tent to dwell in, an altar by which he worshiped God, and a grave. And yet he walked this land like he owned it. Now, how could he do that? He believed God.

Now, look at yourself. What do you see? You're promised righteousness. You're promised be made in the very image of the Son of God. You promise peace and joy, eternal happiness. Is that what you see now? When you look within, do you see holiness? When you look around you, do you see peace? Do you see joy? Do you see contentment?

John tells us that, you know, the things that it doth not yet appear what we shall be. Isn't that right? I mean, Abraham, it did not appear what he should be or he would be. And so it is with us as we walk through this world. We still have this rotting corpse of the flesh about our neck. Does anybody not have that? Any believer not have that? Are you all free from that? I've met some people who claim to be believers, and they say, well, I'm free from that. Paul wasn't. I sure ain't.

I've got this rotting corpse about my neck, and it does not yet appear what I shall be. But living by faith, when he shall appear, I shall be like him. I don't even begin to understand what that's like. I got thoughts about what that's like, but I really don't know any experience of what that's like. I shall be like Him, for I shall see Him as He is.

Faith is constantly looking at Christ. It's not looking at what is around me. or what's happening to me. That's the flesh. The flesh is always looking at what's happening to me and what's around me and what's in me and what's going on. That's the flesh.

The new man is constantly looking to Christ and what shall be. Matter of fact, even though I don't see it, it is I have the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. Just like Abraham had the whole world in his possession. It was his. By promise, it's mine. How do you see that? How can you see that except by faith? You can't see that any other way but by faith. So how are we to live in this world?

The just shall live by faith. You wake up in the morning, you ask yourself, what is the rule of my life? It is this, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And when you eat lunch, what is your rule of life? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. When you go to bed at night and you lay your head down, what is your rule of life? It is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust Him, to lean wholly on Him, and not what you feel and what you think. You don't do it. That's not faith. If you're leaning on something that's tangible, it's not faith.

Leaning on him. So as Abraham lived, that's how we live. And we'll give you this in closing. Abraham was a strange bird. Look at that back in your text. By faith, he sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange country. Now once this world wasn't strange to us, you know, this world, it made sense. This world made sense. Sin made sense. Seeking my own pleasures, the riches of the world, that all made sense. But when God called us to obedience and faith in Christ, a life believing in Christ is weird to this world.

They don't understand it. Joanne, you are, to this world, a weirdo. Why? Because you desire to hear this same message again. I mean, this is just, I mean, lost people are bored out of their gourd hearing this stuff. They don't have any interest. They're dead. To me, that's strange. not have any interest in the things of Christ is strange.

My friends, just so you understand, everything belongs to you. You know that? Now, I'm not saying go to somebody's house and just walk in their house and say, this is mine. That's not what it means. It's talking about when you're an heir of all things. You know that, right? Not yet. It's not yet going to be in your possession, but it's yours.

How strange is it that we live by faith and not by law to this religious world? It's strange to them. And because of this, we're going to have trials. We're going to have troubles. You have that flesh that's still on you. You have the world around you.

What are they trying to do? They're trying to pull you from faith in Christ, aren't they? Trying to make you trust in something else. Anybody trusting in politicians or governments? Anybody trusting in that garbage? You think that's gonna sustain you? You think that's gonna be helpful, you got the right guy there or not or whatever? It's not gonna help. This world's full of trouble. Jesus said this, in this world you shall have tribulation.

But remember what he said to Peter. Peter, he said, you're going to sin. You're going to deny me three times. And Peter, in his pride, said, I will not. Can you imagine telling the Son of God that? You're lying. That's what he was saying. That's not going to happen. OK. When it does, listen, let not your heart be troubled. Remedy.

If you believe in God, believe also in me. Believe this, in my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. You hold on to this. I go and prepare a place for you. And if I go, I will come again and receive you unto myself.

See what faith looks for? Faith looks for the promise of his return. I don't look for the signs of his return. What a useless gesture that is. Look, he's coming. What do you need to look for signs for? When he comes, you'll know it. Won't you know it when he comes? You think it's gonna be secret? When he comes again?

No. When he comes, this is the object of my faith. He shall receive me unto himself that where he is, there I will be also. Now, if we could hold to that by grace, if God could give us to hold by faith to that, what is all this other stuff? What is all this other stuff? It's meaningless. It's meaningless. So what it is to have faith is to be called. You called? Called to what? You called to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you obeyed that calling and do you still obey that calling?

If you do, then how are you going to live? You're going to live by faith in Jesus Christ, just like Abraham. And what do you receive? You receive everything Abraham did. Where's Abraham now? Where is he? He's in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, isn't he? Doesn't that give you hope? That if your faith is like Abraham's faith, aren't you to receive the same thing Abraham received?

I pray God help us to look to him. Let's stand and be dismissed in prayer. Mitch, would you dismiss us in prayer, please? We pray that you would put it into our hearts and into our heads. Allow us to go out into this world and proclaim the glorious work that was finished upon the cross by your son and our savior, Jesus Christ. Make us look all we can, Lord. Leave us not to ourselves, but our own vain prospects. Give us your word. Give us your sight. Shine a light where we should travel. You all did awesome. Never heard of Pete. I know.