that in James 2, the devils believe
in one God, but they don't believe in him, they believe in God.
The word faith occurs in this chapter 24 times, so that's the
subject. And I'm going to speak tonight
from the first 10 verses, Sunday morning from the middle part
of the chapter and Sunday night, the last third of the chapter.
The key verse is certainly verse six, since it's a chapter of
faith. It declares in the sixth verse
that without faith it's impossible to please God. Impossible. Without faith it's impossible
to please God. He that cometh to God for any
purpose at all or for any blessing at all, must, must believe that
he is. And secondly, must believe who
he is. He is a rewarder. He is a merciful
God. He's a gracious God. He's a rewarder
of them that diligently, on purpose, with all their hearts, seek him.
Confidence in his mercy and grace. By way of introducing the chapter,
I'll make three statements. Number one, faith is the gift
of God. Don't try to produce faith from
your garden by planting works and experiences and feelings.
Faith is the gift of God. It's the gift of God. The two
verses I'll give you upon that point, Ephesians 2, if you care
to look at it, faith is the gift of God. Ephesians 2 verse 8 says,
For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. Faith is not of yourselves. It's
the gift of God. It's not of works, lest any man
should boast. For with his workmanship created
in Christ Jesus, face the gift of God. And over here in Philippians
1, It says in Philippians 1 verse 29, For unto you it is given
in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, believe
on Christ. That's a gift of God. Repentance
is a gift of God. It's the goodness of God that
leads us to repentance. No man can come to me except
it be given him of my Father, Christ said. So it's given unto
you in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but
also to suffer for his sake, to bear reproach and affliction
for the sake of Christ. That's his gift too, to count
us worthy to bear in our bodies the marks of the Lord Jesus Christ. The second thing concerning faith
is the gift of God, and faith rests in Christ alone. Christ
and him crucified. And faith doesn't come to Calvary
to do anything. Faith comes to Calvary to see
something, to see the Lamb of God suffering and accomplishing
our salvation, to see, not to do, but to see. Faith comes to
Calvary to hear something, to hear him say it's finished. To
see the Lamb of God bearing our guilt in his body on the tree
and to hear him say, it's finished, and faith comes to Calvary to
say something, I believe. To see him, he that seeth the
Son and believeth on him, to say, I believe. Lord, help my
unbelief. Where faith begins, work ends. where faith begins, rest rules. We cease from our labors and
enter into his rest as he ceased from his labor and entered into
his rest. Now I have an outline if you
want to, if you're taking notes and want to jot something down.
I believe these first ten verses have seven definite things that
they show us, reveal to us. One is the definition of faith.
Two is the foundation of faith. Three is the sacrifice of faith. Four is the conduct of faith.
Five are the works of faith. We just read about that, the
works of faith. Six is the trial of faith. And
seven is the end of faith. So let's look at the definition.
This first verse has given folks a little difficulty through the
years, but I think I can give you some help with it. Now faith
is. That's a good way to start it.
Faith is. This is what faith is. Faith is the substance. Now you can write in there, that
word is confidence. The confidence. The ground, the
basis, the confidence. of things hoped for. Faith is
the confidence of things hoped for. What are the things hoped
for? Well, it's the things God has
promised. That's what we hope for, the things that God has
promised us. He said, let me just read this to you. I need
to turn to it. He says in Titus, in hope of
eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised. before
the war began. So the things hoped for in hope
of eternal life. What are the things hoped for?
It's something he promised. That's what it is. In hope of
eternal life, which God promised. It's eternal life, it's the forgiveness
of sin, it's to be like Christ. Well, faith is the confidence
that those things are man. The faith in Christ and belief
in Christ that gives me the confidence that those things God's promised
are mine. Like Paul said, I know whom I
have believed. And I am persuaded, I'm confident
that he's able to keep that which I've committed to him. So that's
what faith is. Faith is the confidence that
that hope of eternal life, which God promised, belongs to me.
Not because of what I've done, but because of what Christ did.
Our confidence is in Him. Faith is the confidence of the
things hoped for, that they are mine in Christ. All right, the
next thing he says is the evidence of things not seen. Well, there
are some things I see, and I know because I see them. The power
of God I can see in creation. The wisdom of God I can see perfectly
well in the things that are made. The majesty of God I can clearly
see by the things that are made. Let me show you that in the scripture,
Romans chapter 1. The power, wisdom and majesty
of God is clearly seen by the things that are made. That's
what he says in Romans 1, listen. That's the reason the world is
condemned because they don't believe him, when God's given
them ample evidence. Romans 1.19, because that which
may be known of God is manifested to them. Manifested to them. God showed it to them. God showed
them his power and his wisdom and his glory and his majesty.
Listen. For the invisible things of God from the creation of the
world are clearly seen. We're talking about the evidence
of things that are not seen. In that look, faith is the evidence
of things not seen. But this is the evidence of things
seen. Here's eternal power, here's
eternal Godhood, so they're without excuse. I don't need faith to
know there's a God. I don't need faith to know that
God's almighty. The heavens declare the glory
of God. I don't need faith to know that
God is powerful and wise and great and omnipotent and omnipresent. I know those things by the things
of the moon. The earth and its treasures of
growth, the people and life on this earth, the birth of a baby,
the continuation of all things as they are, thousands, maybe
millions of years. The earth is enlarged and the
fullness there is evident. It's a fool that says there's
no God. He's a stupid fool that says
there's no God. Everything around you says that.
But faith is the evidence of things not seen. I haven't seen
the covenant of mercy. I haven't seen the incarnate
I have seen the Holy Spirit. I have seen the mercy and grace
and love of God to sinners. Well, what's the evidence? What's
the proof? Turn to Romans 8, the evidence
of things not seen. I'm a heap more interested in
the things that are not seen than the things that are seen.
The things that are seen, I'm going to leave room behind one
of these days, but I'm going to the things not seen. Romans 8, verse 14 says this,
As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God. But we have not received the spirit of bondage again to
fear, but we have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we
cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bears witness
with our spirit that we are children of God. That is the evidence.
God's Holy Spirit in you, using his word to you, is evidence
that he loves you, and he's done a work of grace in you, and a
work of redemption for you. That's what the Spirit tells
you. Let me give you some more evidence. Turn to 1 John. John just really works on this
evidence thing. The evidence is within. The evidence
of things seen is without, the evidence of things not seen is
within. The Spirit of God is in you. 1 John 2 verse 5, listen. Whoso
keepeth his word in him, verily, is the love of God perfected,
and hereby know we that we are in him. The love of God shall
be brought in your heart, your new creature, your new person. Look at 1 John 3. Verse 14, we
know we've passed from death unto life. How do you know that?
Because we love the brethren. God has given us a love for him
and a love for the brethren. He that loveth not his brothers
in death, he's got ample evidence of that. But God gives his love
to you for others, for him and for others. Look at verse 24,
1 John 3. He that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him,
and he in him, and God in him. And hereby know ye," hereby we
know that he abides within us, by the Spirit he has given us.
The evidence of the things not seen is the Spirit of God in
you, the love of God in you, the word of God in you. 1 John 4. John really does work
on this particular word. Hereby know we that we dwell
in him, and he in us, because he hath given us his Spirit.
And 1 John 5, verse 19, and we know that we are God. The whole world lies in wickedness.
We know that the Son of God hath come, and hath given us an understanding. when Brother Frank was reading
about Abraham being justified by works and Rahab being justified
by works. Everyone here that has an understanding
of the grace of God knows exactly what that's saying. That Abraham's
soul was justified by faith, his faith is justified by works. Well, you didn't dream that,
God revealed it to you. You have evidence. So faith is
the confidence. that what God has promised is
mine in Christ. And faith is the evidence of
these things that are not seen. And we're going to see them someday.
We will see him and know him as we have been known. And right
now his spirit within us, his grace, his word, his love, understanding
of his word, understanding of his gospel. And it was by this
faith Verse 2, Hebrews 11, that the elders obtained a good report. All of God's spiritual blessings
to all people, whether it's Abraham, or we talk about Abraham being
somebody special. He was special to God, God made
him special. He's just the son of Adam by
nature. Moses was a special man because God made him special.
His hatred made him special. They obtained a good report because
they believed God. Do you know that four times in
this Bible, four times, I'm not going to have you turn to all
of them, you can jot them down if you're taking notes, Genesis
15.6, Romans 4.3, Galatians 3.6, James 2.23, says, Abraham believed
God and it was counted to him for righteousness. Four times.
The Lord is impressing upon us. that the difference in Abraham
was made by God, his faith the gift of God. And he believed,
and it was counted to him for righteousness. That is the definition
of faith. Verse 3, here is the foundation
of faith. Through faith we understand that
the worlds were framed by the word of God. So that the things
which are seen, we're talking about those things which are
seen now, were not made of things which do appear. The things which
you now see, the things which you see, heaven, sun, moon, stars,
earth, people, how were they made? They weren't made from
things that you see. There wasn't anything there.
They were made by the will of God. God said let there be light,
and there was light. He didn't make light out of something
already here. That's what the evolutions believed,
that he made man out of something that was already here, he made
the world out of something that was already here. But the worlds
were framed by the word of God, so the things which are seen
were not made of things which now appear. How were they made? They were
made by the word of God. Well, the things that are not
seen are made the same way. and things that are not seen,
forgiveness, mercy, grace, justification, life, new heaven, new earth,
wherein dwelleth righteousness, that is made also by the word
of God. The same word of God that spoke
creation, God who created the light out of darkness, have shined
in our hearts to give us the knowledge of the glory of God
in the face of Christ Jesus by his word. The same word turned
to 2 Peter. The same word that created the
things that are seen out of nothing also will bring forth the things
that are seen, that are not seen. Not out of nothing, but out of
Christ. Take 2 Peter chapter 3. 2 Peter 3, verse 5. Let's read verse 4. There they
say, verse 3, 2 Peter 3, 3. Knowing this first, that they
shall come in the last day stoppers, walking after their own lust,
and saying, Where is the promise that is coming? Since the fathers
fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning
of creation. This they willingly are ignorant
of. They're not deceived, they're
willingly ignorant. They've shut their eyes against
evidence and proof and clear revelation of God's creation. But they're willingly ignorant
of this one thing, that by the word of God, the heavens were
of old, and the earth standing out of the water, in the water.
Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water,
perished. But the heavens and the earth which are now by the
same word of God, are kept in store, reserved under fire against
the day of judgment and perdition of the last day. Everything that's
seen, God knows it by his word. Now look at verse 13. Nevertheless
we, according to his promise, look for new heaven and new earth. We haven't seen it, we can't
see it. Wherein dwelleth righteousness,
how is it going to come to pass? Wherefore the leper, seeing that
ye look for such things, be diligent that ye be found in him, of him,
in peace, without spot, and blameless. That new heaven and new earth
is going to come by the word of God. By the word of God. So that's the foundation of faith. If I could just get across to
the generation to which I'm preaching the importance of this word.
I believe more people would study it, they would read it, they
would come to hear it taught and preached if it just could
dawn on them and point to the way. Everything you see was created
by the word of God. God's faith and things of that.
And everything not seen that we covet and desire and long
for, yearn for, is going to be ours by the word of God. the
word of God. God is going to speak it into
being, and we are going to believe him. Listen to John, you don't
need to turn to him, just read this, our Lord talking, our Lord
speaking. He says in John 12, verse 47,
If any man hear my words and believe not, I judge him not. I didn't come to judge the world,
I came to save He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words,
has one that judgeth him. The word will judge him. The
word that I have spoken, the same will judge him in that day.
Barnard used to say a man is going to be responsible for what
he heard, and what he could have heard, and wouldn't hear. What he read, and what he could
have read, but he wouldn't read. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth
not my words, has one that will judge him. The very word will
judge him in that day. I didn't know that. He could
have. Verse 49, For I have not spoken
of myself, but the Father that sent me, he gave me a commandment,
what I should say and what I should speak. And I know his commandment
is life everlasting. His word is life everlasting.
That's what the Apostle said to Christ, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of life. His word is the word of life,
life everlasting. Therefore I speak, even as the
Father said unto me, so I speak. The foundation of faith is the
Word. A person's not going to have
faith by reading books on positive thinking and how to overcome
depression and how to think positively and have positive thinking if
you want. He says what? Faith comes by
hearing, hearing by the word of God. All right, the third
thing of the sacrifice of faith, verse 4. By faith Abel offered
to God a more excellent sacrifice than King. by which he obtained
witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts,
and by it he being dead yet speaking." Let's turn to Genesis 4, verse
3, and let's look at these two men. Here are two men. Both men come to worship God.
Both men believe there is a God. Both men build an altar. Both
men bring a sacrifice. One man brings a sacrifice of
works and fruit and labor of his own hands. The other man
brings a lamb, slays the lamb, puts the blood upon the altar.
Verse 3, in the process of time, Genesis 4, came to pass that
king brought the fruit of the ground and offering unto the
Lord. That's what he had raised by
his efforts and works. Abel, he also brought of the
first thing of his flock, and of the fact that he brought a
lamb, slew the lamb. And the Lord had respect unto
Abel and to his offering. Why did God have respect to Abel's
offering and not to Cain's? One reason. Abel's offering was
an offering of blood. And in the death of that lamb
and the shedding of this blood, he acknowledged several things.
Number one, he acknowledged God's holiness. He acknowledged his
own sinfulness. He acknowledged that God's justice
demanded death for his sins. And he brought a lamb which pictured
and pointed to the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who died on the
cross. That's the reason God had respect
to his orphan. It was the orphan which was typifying
Christ in his blood. Turn to Leviticus chapter 17.
Leviticus 17, this is a verse that should be marked in your
Bible. Leviticus 17, verse 11. You know, Peter wrote, we are
not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold or
works of our hands or labor of our bodies. We are redeemed by
the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish or
without spot, who very is foreordained before the foundation of the
world, but was manifest in these last days unto you. who are kept
by his Spirit. Look at Leviticus 17.11. The
life of the flesh is in the blood. I have given it to you upon the
altar to make an atonement for your souls. What's the word atonement
mean? Reconciliation, reconciled to
God, accepted of God. It's the blood that makes it
an atonement for the soul. That's so clear. That's Abel
brought the sacrifice of faith. We come to God with the sacrifice
of faith, Christ's precious blood. Christ's precious blood. Look
across the page at Hebrews 10, what we read Sunday, verse 12. This man, after he'd offered
one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of
God. From henceforth expecting to his enemies be made his footstool,
for by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified."
It's the blood that makes his atonement for the soul. There's
no conflict there. Without the shedding of blood,
there's no remission. He who knew no sin was made sin
for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
All right, verse 5. Here's the conduct of faith.
Here is the conduct of faith. By faith Enoch was translated
that he should not see death. And he was not found, because
God had translated him. But before his translation he
had this testimony, he pleased God. And the next verse 6 says
without faith it's impossible to please God. So how did Enoch
please God? He pleased God. That's how he
pleased God. Let's read about Enoch. Let's
go back to Genesis 5 and read a little bit about Enoch. Enoch
in Genesis chapter 5. Here's some information. He was a well-known name in the
scripture. Enoch was the great-granddaddy
of Noah. He's the daddy of Methuselah.
Look at Genesis 5 verse 21. Enoch lived 65 years and begat Methuselah. And Enoch walked with God after
he begat Methuselah 300 years and begat sons and daughters.
And all the days of Enoch were 365 years and Enoch walked with
God. He was not, but God took him.
Enoch was a man who walked with God. And he was translated, God
took him. But here is his richest legacy,
he walked with God. You know, let me show you something
in Jude 14 about Enoch. Enoch believed in Christ. In
Jude 14. Enoch goes back a long ways,
but listen to what it says here about Enoch. In Jude 14, And Enoch, also the
seventh from Adam, that goes back a long ways, prophesied
of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand
of his saints to execute judgment, and to convince all that are
ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have
ungodly committed. And of all their hard speeches,
which ungodly sinners have spoken against him." Enoch prophesied
of the return of Christ. The second coming of Christ in
judgment. Enoch believed Christ. Now I could say this is his richest
legacy. He walked with God. Well, it
wasn't by sight he walked with God, because no man can see God
and live. God told Moses that no man can
see my face and live. So he didn't walk with God because
God gave him a special revelation of himself physically or materially. Secondly, it wasn't by the ceremonial
law that he walked with God because it wasn't given. It wasn't in
a tabernacle or priesthood or ceremonial law at all. It wasn't
by works because no books were written by Enoch and no deeds
are recorded that Enoch did. His great-grandson built an ark
but nothing said about what he did. There's not a thing in the
Bible that talks about the works or the books or the deeds that
are in them. It says he looked for Christ,
he prophesied of Christ coming. He walked with God. How did he
walk with God? He believed God. That's how he
walked with God. Every day. It was not his creed
with which he walked, it was not his profession with which
he walked, it was not his denomination with which he walked, it was
his union and relation with the living God, who was his life,
his continual existence. Christ walked with God. Enoch
walked with God. Can a man walk with God today?
Of course he can. Men do. All men do who believe
him. They believe him all the time,
not just some of the time. They walk with God. All right, that's the conduct
of faith. It's a godly walk. It's a walk
with God, believe in God. Fourthly, verse 7. Verse 6 goes
with verse 5. He had this testimony. He pleased
God without faith. It's impossible to please God.
He that cometh to God must believe that he is. That he's a rewarder
of them that diligently seek him. Alright, here's the works
of faith. That's what we read about in James 2 a while ago.
By faith knower. Now listen carefully. And note this while I'm reading
this. Works do not produce faith. Faith
produces works. It's not true that the more you
serve God, the more you'll love God. That's not true. It's true
the more you love God, the more you'll serve him. It's not true. The more you work, and the more
you labor, and the more you go to church, and the more you do
things, the more you're going to believe God. Now, the more
you believe God, the more you do those things. Faith is not
born of works. Works is born of faith. So watch
this right here. Listen. It says Noah being warned
of God. So Noah didn't build the ark
till he first heard from God. He heard the word of God. He heard the warning of God.
He heard the testimony of God. Noah heard, he heard, and then
he worked. Secondly, God spoke to him of
things not seen. What does it say? Noah being
warned of things not seen. That's the very thing we're talking
about here. Whom have him seen, not seen. Whom have him not seen,
he loved. And whom now you see him not,
yet believe him with joy and speak of him, not seen. We're the Noah's of 2000. Noah heard, God spoke to Noah. And God spoke to Noah about things
that he never had seen. There had never been a rain on
this earth at that time. There had never been a flood
on this earth at that time. Noah had never seen the rivers
go out of their banks at that time. The earth was watered by
dew, by water that came up. It's like the dews of Hermon.
They claim the dews of Hermon, sometimes the dew drops are big
as grapes. And we may see that on the new
earth. There's not going to be any snows and blizzards and ice
and hail and storms and torrential rains. God will water the earth
like he did the Garden of Eden. But Noah heard from God. And he heard from God about things
he never had seen. You know what he did? He believed
him. And he moved with faith. He moved. Noah didn't move and then believe. He believed and he moved. His
movement was motivated by faith. Don't do nothing till you hear
from him. You remember that old song, don't
do nothing till you hear from me? That's a good song. Don't
do nothing till you hear from me. Noah heard it. about things not seen. Oh, I've
heard about some things that are not seen, and I move. That's what motivates me to preach. That's what motivates you to
believe. That's what motivates you to
love God. That's what motivates you to
have a good hope. He moved with fear, and he prepared
an ark to be saved in his house, by which he condemned the world.
by which he became an all righteousness, which is by faith. He believed
God. His building that ark didn't
have a thing in this world to do with his righteousness. Not
a thing in this world. He did that because God told
him to. That's the only reason he did it. God told him to. And
he believed God. That's just so. Let me show you
an example of faith. Turn to Exodus 9. This is just
it. If you believe him, you will. If you do, you will. If you don't,
you won't. That's the whole thing. That's
the whole thing. Your works are evidence of faith.
What you do is an evidence of what you believe. As a man thinketh
in his heart so is he, out of abundance of the heart the mouth
speaketh. It says here in Exodus 9, verse 18, Behold, to Mahler
about this time I will cause it to rain of their grievous
hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation there,
even unto now. So send therefore now, and gather
thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field. For upon every
man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall
not be brought home, the hail will come down upon him, and
he will die." What did they do? He that feared the word of the
Lord, he that believed the word of the Lord among the servants
of Pharaoh, made his servants and his cattle flee into the
houses. That's what he did. If he believed it, he took them
all inside. What about everybody else? Listen
to the next verse. He that regardeth not the word
of the Lord, let your servants and his cattle in the field. He that believes the word of
God, believes Christ, confesses him in baptism, unites with his
people, walks with God, takes his cattle into the refuge, puts
them in the stall, he believes God. He that regardeth not the
word of God, Well, he goes on his merry way and meets God at
the judgment, and that very word, the only thing God is going to
give him, you say, I want a sign. It won't be. There won't be any
sign given but the word of God. That's what our Lord said. Show
us a sign. No sign will be given but the word of God. That's all. Here is the trial of faith, verse
8. Why did Abraham, when he was
called to go out to a place which he should receive after receiving
an inheritance, obey? When God called him, he obeyed,
and he went out. But he didn't know where he went.
He didn't know where he was going. See, Abraham believed God not
knowing where he was going. And by faith he sojourned in
the land of promise as in a strange country. He never did own a foot
of land. He dwelt in tabernacles with
Isaac and Jacob in a strange country, the areas with him of
the same promise, because he looked for a city. Abraham believed
God, not knowing where, not knowing how that God was going to give
him a seed, not knowing why he told him to sacrifice Isaac,
not knowing when he would inherit the land. Abraham is an example
of faith and he's an example of trials. Abraham is an example of faith
all the way through the word, and if you want to read about
a man who knew what trials were all about, read Abraham. One
right after the other. And when he was over 100 years
of age, he had his toughest trial of all put together, the sacrifice
of Isaac. All believers are tried and the
trials are not explained. God gives no account of his matters
to the creature. But these trials are for his
glory, to accomplish his purpose, and for our good. That's why they're given. All right, number seven, the
end of all faith. The end of all faith. Verse 10
says he looked for a city. which hath foundations, whose
builder and maker is God. We know that if this earth, the
tabernacle, be desired, we have a building of God, a building
of God, builder and maker is God, a building of God, not made
with hands, eternal in the heavens. That's the end of faith, the
salvation of our souls. And we might forever dwell with
him. The Lord willing, we'll pick
up there Sunday morning and and study this subject of faith a
little more. I just really enjoy it, don't
you? Thank God for his word. Get into
the word, no matter how much you've been into it. Get into
it some more. It's the word that comforts.
It's the word that brings faith. It's the word that teaches us.
It's the word that brings rest and peace.