The Promise

Q: What does the Bible say about faith?

The Bible states that faith is essential for pleasing God and is the means through which we receive salvation. Faith is a foundational concept in the Bible, crucial for a believer's relationship with God. Hebrews 11 emphasizes that 'without faith, it is impossible to please Him' (Hebrews 11:6). Romans 4:16-25 further illustrates that salvation is by faith, allowing believers to trust in God's promises. Faith involves believing not just in God, but believing what God says, acting on His promises and trusting in His sovereignty. This relationship with God through faith is what enables believers to navigate life's trials and persecutions, growing their faith and love towards one another as mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 1:3.

Q: How do we know salvation by faith is true?

Salvation by faith is affirmed in Scripture through the example of Abraham and the promises of God that are trustable and fulfilled. The truth of salvation by faith is strongly supported by scriptural examples, particularly in the life of Abraham. In Romans 4, Paul explains that Abraham was justified by faith before the law was given, demonstrating that it is not by works that we are saved but by faith in God's promise. Abraham's belief that God could raise Isaac from the dead signifies profound faith in God's power and promise (Romans 4:20-21). Additionally, 2 Corinthians 1:20 declares that all the promises of God find their 'Yes' in Christ, confirming that faith in Him leads to salvation. This act of believing is not a passive acknowledgment, but rather an active engagement with God's revelation.

Q: Why is believing God important for Christians?

Believing God is vital because it is through faith that we receive His promises, ensuring our righteousness and salvation. For Christians, believing God is paramount as it establishes the foundation of their faith and relationship with Him. Romans 4:20-22 illustrates that Abraham 'staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief,' which marked him as righteous in God’s eyes—'it was imputed to him for righteousness.' Believing God means accepting His promises and trusting in His character; it reflects a personal reliance on the One who holds authority over all creation. As Christians confront trials and tribulations, faith in God's promises provides the assurance that He works all things for good (Romans 8:28). Ultimately, faith exemplifies the believer's commitment to God and the assurance that His word is true and trustworthy.

Q: What does the promise of God entail?

The promise of God encompasses salvation, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the assurance of eternal life through Christ. The promise of God is multifaceted and central to the believer's faith. In Romans 4, the promise is shown as a sure assurance of salvation, extended not just to those under the law but to everyone who believes, just as Abraham did (Romans 4:16). This promise is realized in Christ, as Acts 2:38-39 indicates that the promise is for those who repent and believe in Him, receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, Galatians 3:16 emphasizes that this promise is ultimately fulfilled in Christ, the seed through whom all nations will be blessed. Therefore, God's promises are foundational for understanding salvation, community in the Holy Spirit, and the believer's hope for eternal life.

Open your Bibles with me first
to John chapter 6. Brother Walter Gruber is here
with us today, he and his wife Betty. He'll be speaking in the
service tonight. But he taught my Sunday school
class this morning, and he quoted this verse of Scripture over
here in John chapter 6, verse 28. in John 6, 28, it says, Then
said they unto him, What shall we do that we might work the
works of God? Tell us what to do. This is a
group of religious people addressing the Master himself. They said,
Now you just tell us. Tell us what to do. that we might
work the works of God. And Jesus answered and said to
them, this is authority speaking now, this is our Lord speaking,
non-spake like this man, he spake as one with authority, and he
has that authority, all authority in heaven and earth. And he said,
this is the work of God, this is it, that you believe That's
the work of God, that you believe, you personally, individually,
that you believe. That you believe on Him, this
is so important right here, on Him, whom God has sent. That's the essence of faith,
the substance of faith, the heart of faith, the foundation of faith,
the object of faith, Him. Him. Now I want to see if I can
help us, and I mean us, I didn't say see if I can help you, I
want to see if I can help us. You and me, today on the subject
of faith. What shall we do that we might
work the works of God? I want to work the works of God,
don't you? Well, what better authority can
we have than our Lord himself who said, this is it. This is
the work of God. Before you get too actively engaged
in the treadmill of religion, pause and consider the supreme
work of God, to believe. To believe on him whom God has
sent. Now the disciples cried unto
the Lord Jesus, Lord, increase our faith. Increase our faith. I do believe. Lord, help my unbelief
to send to an end. I do know him. I want to know
him. One of the scriptures turned
to 2 Thessalonians, chapter 1. 2 Thessalonians. I think Paul had a special heart
for this church at Thessalonica. And he says here in 2 Thessalonians
1, verse 3, we're bound to thank God always for you, brethren, for you, as it is meek. Because that your faith groweth
exceedingly. That's what I'm talking about.
Your faith groweth Oh, may that be said of us. Listen, that your
faith groweth. Let me help us this morning with
the subject of faith. That it might grow exceedingly,
and the love, the charity of every one of you all toward each
other abounding. Your love, your faith grows and
your love grows, and as faith grows, love will grow, and every
other grace. So that we ourselves, glory in
you, rejoicing you in the churches of God for your patience, your
long-suffering, your faithfulness, your faith, your perseverance,
your faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure. Did not our Lord say to that
centurion, if you can believe, all things are possible to them
that believe? Now, I don't need to take time
in this introduction to impress upon you the place of faith.
You know the place of faith, the importance of faith. Without
faith, it's impossible to please God. We're saved by grace, not
apart from faith, but through faith. We're even kept by the
power of God through faith. And I don't need to spend the
time talking about the place of faith or the importance of
faith or even the power of faith. I heard a message this week from
Hebrews 11. Look over here a moment in Hebrews
11. Hebrews 11, verse 29. Hebrews 11, 29. The writer of the book of Hebrews
says it was by faith that they passed through the Red Sea. It
was by faith. as by dry land, which the Egyptians
are saying to do with drowning. But they, the Israel went through
by faith. They passed through this Red
Sea on dry land by faith. Look at the next verse. By faith
the walls of Jericho came down. After they were compassed about
seven days, verse 31, is by faith the harlot Rahab perished not
with them that believe not when she had received the spies with
peace, it was by faith. Oh, the place of faith, for by
grace are you saved through faith. The importance of faith, without
faith it's impossible to please God. The power of faith, by faith,
they passed through the Red Sea. Old John Claypool preached a
message many, many years ago on this subject. And he had this
to say, he said there were four things that he had to say in
that message. The first of which was that everything
that God has for a sinner, whomever that sinner may be, is in Christ.
Whatever God has spiritually, eternally for a human being is
in Christ Jesus. in him dwelleth all the fullness
of God bodily. All the promises of God are in
him. The second point in his message
was this. Those blessings, heavenly blessings
in Christ are ours by union with Christ. We're heirs of God and joint
heirs with Christ. Whatever God has for us is in
Christ and therefore it's ours by being in Christ. The Father
loves the Son. Now get this, the Father loves
the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. Now if you're
loved, and if you participate in all things, it'll be because
you're in the Son, in him. What is mine belongs to my wife,
because we're That's right. It's not my car, it's our car.
It's not my house, it's our house. It's not my food, it's our food.
It's not my children, it's our children. Everything that's mine
is hers, because we're one. Christ prayed that we may be
one, even as he and the Father are one. So whatever, what God
has for sinners is in Christ. It's in Christ, and it's ours
by a union with Christ. If God spared not his own Son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely
give us all things? You understand? If all things
are in him and I'm in him, then I have all things. Now, that third thing, Flavel
said, that union is by faith. We're in Christ by the will of
God, but we're in Christ by faith. He that believeth on the Son
hath life." It's by faith that we receive Christ. It's by faith
that we believe Christ. It's by faith that we come to
Christ. It's by faith that Christ is ours. Lay hold of him by faith. In other words, this water will
quench my thirst. And not looking at it, not talking
about it. and not admiring it and not knowing
the different components of which it's made up. How does this water
quench my thirst? By receiving it. Now it's in
me. And now it does its work. It
goes to every blood vessel, every part of my body because I've
received it. I've received it within me. And
Christ is the water of life. We receive him. He's the bread
of life. We eat of that bread. Christ
in you is the hope of glory. That's the summary. If I wrote
a thesis on hope, it'd be Christ. That's just one word, Christ.
He's my hope of glory. Well, write a paper on life. Christ, who is our life. He's
my life. Salvation is Christ. The Word
is Christ. And I receive it, that's, I receive,
here, you know, we're talking about, I believe, I believe Christ
is Son of God, I believe that water is water. I believe Christ
came to this earth, I believe that water came, somebody went
and got it and put it there. I believe that water will quench
thirst. I believe Christ will save. I know you believe it, I'm going
to drink it. Now I'm not thirsty anymore. I received Him. That's right. Receive Christ.
Believe Him. That's what Mr. Flavel says.
It's all in Him. God put it in Him. And if it's
in me and part of me, then He'll do what it was designed to do.
So I believe. Somebody said, well, show me
and I'll believe. You believe and He'll show you. Well, for example, how do I know
that water will quench my thirst? You pour it to me, it'll quench
my thirst. I can't do it. I cannot do it. You've got to
experience it. You can't explain it, you experience
it. And you can't expect the results
before they act, can you? See, I want my thirst to be satisfied. Well, impossible. The moment
I drink it, I see what you're saying. He said that water will
quench your thirst. Prove it. I can't do it. You
drink it. I see what you're saying. I see
what you're saying. And the fourth thing he said
was that faith comes by believing the word. It comes by hearing
the word of God. Faith comes by hearing the word
of God. Now turn to Romans 4, and I want to consider this this
right here, Romans chapter 4, Abraham. This is something that
is just, you know, you read this scripture, and I've preached
from this many times, but the Lord gave me, through the reading
of the word, preparing this message, a powerful thought that I want
to pass on to you that I think will help you a great deal, as
it has helped me. Let's read, beginning with verse
16 of Romans 4. Therefore, it is of faith. It,
yeah, redemption, salvation, eternal life, is of faith. That
it might be by grace. To the end, that the promise
might be sure to all to see. If it was any other way, it wouldn't
be sure. If it was any other way, it wouldn't be grace. You
see, salvation is by faith. that it might be the gift of
God, that it might be grace, not of works, but grace, and
that it might be sure to everybody whom he hath called. Not to that
only which is of the law, that is not the Jew only, but to that
also which is of the faith of Abraham, who's the father of
us all, whether bond or priest, barbarian, Scythian, Greek or
Jew, male or female. Abraham's the father of faith
to everyone who believes like Abraham. Now here's how he believed.
As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,
before him whom he believed, even God." He believed God. Listen,
Abraham didn't just believe there is a God. The devil believes
there is a God. Abraham believed God. May I camp
there just a second? Well, I believe in God. He didn't
say Abraham believed in God. He believed him. He believed
what God said. He believed what God revealed.
He believed God. It's one thing to believe in
someone, it's another thing to believe them. When you believe
them, you act on it. So he believed God, before whom
he believed. Even God, who quickened it to
death. This God, whom he believed, is
a sovereign God, is a life-giving God. is the God of life, who
quickens the dead, who speaks in men live, who speaks in men
see, and speaks in men hear. This is the God, Abraham believed,
who quickens the dead, and the God who calls those things which
be not, as though they were. Who can do that? Only God. There's no way in this world
for me to tell you what's going to happen in the next five minutes,
or the next day, or the next decade, or the next year. God
can, but it hasn't happened yet, but he'll make it happen. He's
the only one who can make a promise because he's the only one who
can keep his promise, because he's the one who has all authority
and control over all things. God says to me, Now, everything
that happens in your life will be for your good. I wish I could
say that to my children, or to my grandchildren. I can't say
that, because I can't make everything work out for their good. Can't
do it. But God can, because he has control
over things, and over people, and over events. God controls
all things. He said to Pharaoh, I raised
you up for this purpose. He said even the wrath of man
will praise the Lord. He said God permits certain things
to happen and restrains the rest. He declares, that's what he says
here, this is the God Abraham believed, who quickens the dead and who
caused those things which be not as though they were. Known
unto God are all his works from the beginning. And he doesn't just know what's
going to happen. He makes it happen. See, the
people who crucified Christ did what God determined before to
be done. You know, we're just saying,
thy will be done. That's what I'm talking about.
He worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. Nebuchadnezzar
said, God reigns in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants
of this earth, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. Hannah
said, he maketh rich, he maketh poor, God giveth life, God taketh
life. God exalts people, puts them
on the throne, and takes them down. All right, read on. To Abraham,
verse 18, who against hope, believed in hope that he might become
the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, so
shalt thy seed be. And being not weak in faith,
he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a
hundred years old." Here's a man a hundred years old, God promises
him a son. Now, yet the deadness of Sabaoth
won't. Now what's this? He staggered
not at the promise of God through unbelief. He staggered not at
the what? The promise of God. The promise
of God. I know what you're thinking now,
the same thing that I think and all men think. There are many
promises of God. The Bible calls them precious
promises. many promises. He said, I'll
never leave you and forsake you, promise. He said, all things work together
for good to them that love God, promise. Come unto me all you
that labor heavy laden, I'll give you rest, promise. I will keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on thee, promise. This doesn't say promises,
it says promise. The promise of God. The faith
that saves has to do with the promise of God. The promise of God. That's what
I read a while ago when those Jews asked our Lord, they said,
what shall we do that we might work the works of God? He said,
this is the work of God that you believe the promises of God.
No, that you believe on Him. Him. It has to do with Him. It
has to do with the promise of God. Turn to Acts chapter 2 a
moment. The promise of God. Acts chapter
2. Listen to this. What I'm saying
is that Abraham's faith had to do with a person. With the promise of God in regard
to a person. Look at Acts 2, verse 38. Then
Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of
you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and
you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise
is unto you and your children, and to all that are far off,
even as many as the Lord our God shall call." What promise?
To receive the Holy Ghost? No, the promise of Christ, the
Redeemer. This is the promise of God. Abraham
staggered not at the promise of God, redemption in Christ. You know, those Jews said to
our Lord, they said, we have Abraham. We have Abraham. We're proud
of Abraham. We're proud of our relationship
with Abraham. We're proud of our heritage from Abraham. He
said, before Abraham was, I am. They said, Abraham's our father.
He said, if Abraham were your father, you'd believe in me.
Abraham saw my day and rejoiced to see it. Abraham staggered not at the
promise of God. Turn to Genesis 15. Let's see
where that promise started back here in Genesis 15. Genesis 15. And you know, Paul said that
that promise was to Abraham and his seed, not to seeds, but seed,
which is Christ. Look at Genesis 15. Genesis 15.1. After these things the word of
the Lord came to Abraham in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am
thy shield and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said,
Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I grow childish? I
don't have any children. I'm nearly a hundred years old.
I have no children. And the steward of my house is
this Eliezer of Damascus. And Abram said, Behold, to me
thou givest no seed, lo, one born in my house is my heir,
a servant is my heir. Everything I have goes to this
servant when I die. He's the only heir I've got.
I don't have any children. And behold, the word of the Lord
came unto him, saying, Eliezer shall not be thine heir, but
he that shall come forth out of thine own bow shall be thine
heir. And he brought him forth abroad,
and said, Abram, look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if
thou be able to number them, he said unto them, so shall thy
seed be. And Abraham believed in the Lord,
and he counted it to him for righteousness." This promise
of God to Abraham goes far beyond one son, and his grandson, and
his great-grandson, and all of this line of Jews. It goes to
this great promise of the people of God, believers of every tribe,
kindred, nation, tongue unto heaven, to thy seed. The promise
was made to thy seed. Turn to Galatians. Let me show
you that. Galatians chapter 3, verse 16. Listen to this. Galatians 3 verse 16. Now to
Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not unto
seeds as of many, but as of one, unto thy seed who is Christ. Abraham saw the day of Christ. And you know when God told Abraham
to take Isaac up on the mountain, and I know this was a great trial
and a great test of faith. I know it was a, God said to
Abraham, take your son, your only son, whom you love, and
take him up on the mountain and offer him as a burnt offering.
And you know Abraham, without hesitation, without objection,
took that son on a three-day journey, never said a word. about that commandment, went
right up to that mountain and turned to the men keeping the
donkeys. He said, now you fellas stay
here, Isaac and I are going up on the mountain and worship God,
and we'll be back. He didn't have a doubt in this
word, we'll be back. I'll tell you why he said we'll
be back, because he knew that Isaac was the seed. And through Isaac, Christ would
come. And through Christ, there's going
to be a multitude of believers. Abraham looked for a city whose
builder and maker is God. He believed the promise of God.
He had no doubt. He said, we'll be back. And he
started up the mountain. And Isaac was carrying the wood
and carrying the fire. And his daddy would walk along
beside him with that knife. And said, we're going to worship
God. And the boy said, Father, he said, here's the wood and
here's the fire, and where's the lamb? Abraham didn't break down and
cry and say, well, son, I ain't tell you this, but you're going
to be the lamb. No, he's not going to be the lamb. There's
a lamb that's laying at the foundation of the world. There's the promise
of God, of redemption. There's Christ coming. Abraham
rejoiced to see my day. He saw it. He saw the day of
Christ. He said to that boy, my son,
God will provide himself the lamb. I didn't doubt that back
yonder, and I don't doubt it here. Nothing changed in this. He believed the promise of God
regarding Christ. And it doesn't matter how slim
the thread gets or how few the kingdom of which the kingdom
is made up, it doesn't matter how dark the days get, God will
provide. Jehovah's, Jehovah Sikhinu, God
will provide. He's my righteousness. And they
got up to the top of the mountain, and look at Hebrews. Let me show
you this in the book of Hebrews, chapter 11. Hebrews 11, verse
17. Listen to this. By faith, Abraham, when he was
tried, Hebrews 11, 17, he offered up Isaac. He said he didn't offer
him up, he did in his heart, didn't he? And that he that had
received the promise offered up his only begotten son, of
whom it said that in Isaac shall thy seed be called. He knew,
accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the
dead, from whence also he received him in a figure. He knew God
had to raise him up. He knew he didn't
conceive Isaac. He was miraculously born. He
knew that Sabaoth's womb didn't produce that boy. God did. He
knew God's promise was in that boy. And he knew God's promise
was Christ. And that's believing the promise
of God. It can't fail him. It didn't
matter to Abraham when here was the son Isaac was born, and here's
Ishmael and Isaac. They don't get along. God said,
all right, Abraham, get rid of Ishmael. He didn't hesitate. He knew the promise of God was
in Isaac. One of the hardest things Abraham
ever had to do was send Ishmael away. But he had to send him
away, because he knew the promise was in Isaac. I was walking along
beside a preacher's brother one time years ago, and he said,
you know, he said, I've been listening to this Church of Christ
preacher and said, he kind of shakes me up. Does he shake you
up? I said, no. You mean, he said, when he talks
about the necessity of being baptized, the necessity of being
a member of the Church of Christ, that doesn't bother you? I said,
no, it's in Christ. Nothing's going to change that.
Abraham's taken out at the promise of God, who is Christ. That's
the whole thing. It's in Christ. And anything
that doesn't agree with that, and Abraham knew that this son
dying didn't agree with that. It couldn't be. Well, maybe you
ought to keep Ishmael in case Isaac fails. Isaac's not going
to fail. He's turned back to my text again,
Romans 4. He staggered not, he reeled not. He didn't stagger, he didn't
reel, he wasn't disturbed, he wasn't troubled, he wasn't shaken
at the promise of God. You understand what I'm saying? And I know, I've got a, all through
my life has been a lot of difficulties, and I've been my main difficulty,
and always, but I tell you, like Abraham of old, God showed me
one day that his promise is in Christ. All the promises of God
are in Christ. It has to be that way. And he
showed that to Abraham, and Abraham didn't stagger at the promise
of God. And I'll tell you, people that have their faith in healings,
they say, well, they put hands on somebody and, you know, you
say, Brother Ann, do you believe they heal anybody? What difference
does it make if they do or don't? It's all in Christ. My faith and confidence in the
blood of Christ and the righteousness of God in Christ wouldn't change
if a divine healer went down to King's daughters and emptied
the place. wouldn't change God's promise.
Nothing changes God's promise. And Abraham didn't stagger. He
didn't reel. He wasn't shaken. He wasn't upset
over anything he saw or anything that happened. Boy, things went
bad for him sometimes. I mean, they got bad. But he
didn't shake his confidence. And here he is leading his only
son up to the top of the hill to put a knife in his heart and
offer him up as a sacrifice to God. Staggered not, he walked
as straight up that hill as he walked at any other time. Knew
in his heart that he and Isaac could walk back down that hill.
We'll be back. You know what he said, see? We'll
be back. That's what he said in that Hebrews.
Did I read all of that? Back over there, he says in Hebrews
chapter 11 there, verse verse 19, accounting that God
was able to raise him up even from the dead, from whence he
received him. And it figures he did receive him as raised,
because he took him off that altar and put that ram in his
place. All the promises of God. And
people who have faith in healings and visions and carnal, sensual,
material things, they're playing games. May I say to you, and
you remember this vividly, will you? True faith, saving faith,
redeeming faith, is to believe the record God has given concerning
his Son. Now, that's faith. That's Abraham. Moses, Christ said, willed of
me. Abraham saw my day and rejoiced to see it. And I say to everybody
from that wall to that wall, back there at the badger up there,
including this fellow here. We've got one hope, and that's
Christ. We've got one sacrifice, and
that's Christ. We've got one power priest, and that's Christ.
We've got one mediator, and that's Christ. We've got one sin offering,
and that's Christ. We've got one righteousness,
and that's Christ. We've got one promise, and all the other
promises are in him. Could I show you that in the
scripture of 2 Corinthians chapter 1? This is what I'm saying, and
this needs to be underscored in your Bible. 2 Corinthians
chapter 1, verse 20. We talk about promises, and I love
the precious promises, every one of them, but they don't mean
anything if the promise is not understood and believed and received. 2 Corinthians 1.20, for all the
promises of God in Christ are yes. And in him, amen, so be
it, unto the glory of God by us." Is that clear what I'm saying? Abraham staggered not at that
promise. He walked through this world
as a stranger, dwelling in tents, looking for a city, a city of
God, not made with hands, eternal in Christ. Let me show you something
else in our text. I've got to show you this, because
this is so important. Romans chapter 4, verse 19, verse
20 rather. He staggered not at the promise
of God through unbelief, but he was strong in faith, giving
glory to God. Was Abraham's faith perfect?
No, sir. He had some lapses, but he was
strong in faith on this point. This is what you were talking
about a while ago. He was strong in faith right here. He didn't
waver, right here, on Christ. Now, you're going to waver, and
I'm going to waver, and we're going to doubt and fear and slip
and fall and fumble, and no man ever ran the ball without fumbling
at least once, or twice, or several times. But I'll tell you this, our eyes are on Christ. He staggered
not at the promise of God, but was strong in faith. You say,
I wish I had strong faith. You know what it depends on?
Look at that next line. Giving glory to God. Giving all
the glory to God. Now I'm going to show you something
in the scripture that will illustrate this in an excellent fashion. Turn to Matthew 8. This is very
important that you turn over here. Very, very important. If
you want to understand the strength of faith, the strength of faith. Oh, I feel my faith so weak.
Well, here's the strength of faith. Here's the strength of
faith. It's giving the glory to God.
The strength of faith is in giving God the glory. And the more glory
you can give him, the stronger will be your faith. Now listen
to Matthew 8. Now listen to it, verse 5. And
when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion,
beseeching him and saying, Lord, my servant. My servant lieth
at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus said to
the centurion, I'll come and heal him. Now watch it carefully. The centurion answered and said,
Lord, I'm not worthy that you should come under my roof. Just
speak the word and my servant will be healed. For I'm a man
under authority. I'm a man with authority. I'm
a man who understands authority. I'm a man who understands power.
Because I have soldiers under me, and I say to this man, you
go, and he goes. And I say to another man, you
come, and he comes. And I say to my servant, you
do this and he doeth it. I'm a man who has authority,
and I'm a man who understands authority. And I'm a man who
recognizes you've got authority. And you don't have to go to my
house, you just say the word, and my servant will be healed. Giving glory to God. recognizing
his power. That's not what I'm hearing preached
today when they say, oh, Jesus wants to save you, but he can't
unless you let him. He wants in your heart, but he can't get
in unless you open the door. Jesus is, he just wills to do
this and wants to do that and desires to do this and folks
won't let, that's not what this man is saying. He's saying, Lord,
you don't have to go, they were miles from that man's house.
He said, you command even the demons, you command germs, you
command diseases, you command people. I know what that means.
I say to a soldier, you go and he goes. He better go. I say
to one, come and he comes, he better come. I'm a man with authority. Now you got authority. You just
say the word and he'll be healed. When Jesus heard it, he marveled
and said to them that followed him, I'll say unto you, I have
not found so great faith. No, not in Israel. Great faith?
Yes, sir. Based on what? Believing his
authority. You want faith? Great faith?
The only place you'll find great faith is in a great God. The
rest of that faith is junk. That that you have to whip up
with feelings and preachers have to whip it up with enthusiasm
like a bunch of cheerleaders and choir singing and all this
visual aids, candles burning and crosses everywhere and stained
glass windows and sweet talk and all that mass psychology.
Faith believes God, G-O-D, God, God, who's able to do what he
pleases. That's right. And when you pray
for a little child, you know who has authority over that.
When you pray for a door to open, you know who can open it, and
no man can close it. And who can close it, no man
will open it. And that's the reason you can
sing that song where I go, thy will be done, because you know
it's going to be. He can't fail. Oh, that man said, Lord, you
don't have to just stay right where you are and say the word.
I'll skedaddle on home and put my servant back to work. And
when he got there, he was well. And our Lord said, that's faith.
Abraham staggered not at the promise of God and Christ, because
he He knew that what God, look at that next verse, he was fully
persuaded that what God promised, God could do. And that was in Romans 4 there,
Frank, look at that, verse 21. He was fully persuaded, he didn't
even doubt that. If God promised it, God will do it. God will
do it. And that gives God the glory.
And that's faith. And therefore, verse 22, you
say Abraham was a friend of God. Yes, he was. Abraham was righteous
with God. Yes, he was. Abraham was accepted
of God. Yes, he was. Abraham was called by God a man
of faith. Yes, he was. Why? He believed God. It says in verse
22, and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. You
mean just because he believed? Just because he believed. just because of it. And what's
that got to do with me? Now, verse 23, it was not written
for his sake alone. This is not put in here just
to brag on Abraham, that it was imputed to him, but for us also,
to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised
up Jesus our Lord from the dead. That's what faith has to do with,
Jesus our Lord, the promise of God. Walter, that's it, that's
the promise of God. That's the deep promise of God,
Christ Jesus. He was delivered for our offenses
and raised for our justification, and any other promise or any
other benefit is mine only through him. He's the promise. Let Israel
hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there's mercy. You want
God's mercies and grace and forgiveness, then lay hold on Christ. fall
at the feet of Christ, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Nice
job, he said. Abraham, that's where he was.
He believed the promise of God. Well, I've got hold of something
there now, and I hope you'll get hold of it, because this
gives me great rest and great comfort and great peace, because
I do believe Christ. A lot I don't do and don't understand
and And can't comprehend, but I can comprehend this. I need
a Savior, and Christ is that Savior. And God, what God promised,
God will perform.

The Promise

What does the Bible say about faith?

How do we know salvation by faith is true?

Why is believing God important for Christians?

What does the promise of God entail?

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The Promise

What does the Bible say about faith?

How do we know salvation by faith is true?

Why is believing God important for Christians?

What does the promise of God entail?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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