Do You Believe God?

Q: What does the Bible say about believing God?

The Bible emphasizes that believing God leads to justification and righteousness, as exemplified by Abraham. The Bible teaches that to believe God is to trust in His Word and His promises. In Romans 4:3, Paul highlights Abraham's faith, stating that 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.' This belief is not merely intellectual assent but a deep-seated trust in God, which results in justification and acceptance before Him. Abraham's faith illustrates that righteousness is imputed by God to those who actively believe Him, signifying a profound relationship based on trust and obedience.

Q: How do we know that justification by faith is true?

Justification by faith is validated through Scripture and exemplified in the life of Abraham. The doctrine of justification by faith is grounded in Scripture, specifically in Romans 4, where Paul recounts Abraham's experience. Abraham was not justified by works, but by his belief in God, which was 'counted for righteousness' (Romans 4:3). This truth underscores that salvation and acceptance before God are not earned by human efforts or rituals but are granted through faith in God's promises. Throughout Scripture, God's faithfulness to His covenant confirms this doctrine, illustrating that faith, like Abraham's, is the means by which believers are justified.

Q: Why is faith in God important for Christians?

Faith in God is essential for salvation and a rightful relationship with Him. Faith in God is crucial for Christians as it forms the foundation of their relationship with Him. In Romans 4, Paul points out that Abraham's faith led to his justification, demonstrating that belief in God is integral to salvation. Without faith, one cannot properly understand God's mercy, grace, and His promises for eternal life. Believing God shapes a believer’s identity and guides their responses to life's challenges, reinforcing trust in His divine plan and purpose. As stated in John 17:3, knowing God is eternal life, which hinges upon faith.

I want you to open your Bibles
with me today to the book of Romans. The book of Romans, chapter
4, verse 3. Now, the title of this message is,
Do You Believe God? Do You Believe God? Now, I want
to talk to you today. I want to talk to you very frankly,
very plainly, and very personally. And I'm asking this question.
I'm asking the question, of myself to, do you believe God? Do you believe God? Paul asked
this question first. Let's take a look at this first.
In Romans 4, that chapter that you're looking at there, in Romans
4, the fourth chapter, verse 1, Paul asked this question.
Look at it. What shall we say then that Abraham, our father,
as pertaining to the flesh, hath found." What has Abraham found? Well, I'll tell you this, he
found justification before God. Abraham was justified, that is,
declared not guilty. His sins were remitted. His sins
were forgiven. His sins were put away. Pardon.
He found justification. justified before God. All right,
he found acceptance with God. I know that. Abraham found acceptance
with God. He's called the friend of God.
The Scripture says God spoke with Abraham as a man speaks
to a friend, a friend of God. Now, two can't walk together
except they'd be agreed. And so Abraham walked with God.
He found acceptance with God. And then thirdly, What hath Abraham
found? He found righteousness, holiness,
true holiness, true righteousness in God's sight, not in the sight
of the church or man or your neighbor or friend or yourself,
but God's holiness, God's righteousness. He found righteousness. He had
a perfect holiness, a perfect righteousness imputed. Now, this chapter 4 of Romans,
that word's used about 10 or 11 times, counted, reckoned,
imputed. Abraham had charged to him, imputed
to him, reckoned to him by God in God's sight, righteousness,
holiness. Abraham was a sinner like you
and me. Abraham was a man of like passion like you and me.
Abraham lived on the earth. Abraham sinned. Oh, yeah. He was flesh, frail flesh. And yet, he walked with God. And yet, he had righteousness
and holiness in God's sight. That's what he had. He was accepted
of God. He was justified. God could look
upon him and see no sin, no sin. How in this world did Abraham,
who was a sinner like you and me, find such treasure? How did he find it? Where did
he find it? Who gave it to him? How did he find justification
before God? Not guilty. I have no sin. That's what he could say. I have
a holiness in God's sight. God accepted him. God walked
with him, talked with him as a man talks with his friend.
How do you find this before a holy God? Well, Paul answers it in
verse 3. That's where I told you to turn,
Romans 4, 3. He answers this question. He
says, what saith the Scriptures? What shall we say then that Abraham
hath found? Holiness, righteousness, acceptance,
justification with God. Well, what saith the Scriptures?
That's all you have to go by is the Scriptures. The Scripture
says, listen, Abraham believed God. Abraham believed God. He didn't
say Abraham joined the church, Abraham tithed, Abraham kept
the Sabbath day, Abraham wore certain kind of garments, Abraham
counted beads, Abraham went to confessional, Abraham was baptized,
Abraham had an experience, Abraham went to an old-fashioned altar.
No, Abraham believed God. He believed God. And it was counted
to him for righteousness, justification, acceptance, holiness. He believed
God. That's it. Abraham believed God. Do you believe God? I don't ask
you, my friend, and I'm not asking myself, I'm not asking do you
believe there is a God. The fool has said in his heart
there's no God, and you're not a fool. I'm not asking if you
believe there's a God. The devil believes there's a
God and trembles. I'm not asking if you believe
in God. I hear people say, well, I believe
in the Bible. Yeah, but they don't believe the Bible. I'm
not asking if you believe in God or there is a God. I'm asking
you this. Do you believe God? Do you believe
God? Do you believe Him? Not about
Him or in Him or there is a Him. Do you believe Him? You see, God has been pleased
to reveal himself. He's been pleased to reveal his
will, his covenant, his purpose, himself, his mercy, his salvation. He's been pleased to reveal himself.
A man can know God, you know. Eternal life is to know God.
A man can know God because God has not left himself without
a witness. He has revealed Himself two ways, by His Word, by His Son. That's right, by His Word, by
His Son. The Lord gave us His Word. That's
what the Bible is, the Word of God. Thus saith the Lord. All
Scripture is God-breathed. All Scripture is given by inspiration
of God. It's God-breathed. And it's profitable,
all Scripture, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness, all Scripture. Holy men of God. See, the Word
didn't come by the will of man in old time, but holy men of
God speak as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Our Lord
Jesus Christ said in John 17, I have given them thy Word, thy
Word. And they have received it. Do
you believe God's Word? Everybody has a Bible. Do you
believe it? That's what I'm asking you. Do
you believe it? Is it just a book of proverbs
or a scrapbook where you keep locks of hair and old pressed
flowers and photographs and old poems that you like? Or do you
really believe God's Word? Is it God's Word and do you believe
it? Isaiah said, if they speak not according to God's words,
because there's no light in them. So God's given us His Word. I
believe the Word of God. Abraham believed the Word of
God. He believed God would do everything He promised. God spake
to Abraham. He believed His Word. All right, the Lord God has been
pleased to send His Son into the world. He's given us His
Word. He's given us His Son. The Scripture says, God, who
at sundry times and in divers manners spake to our fathers
by the prophets, by His Word, hath in these last days spoken
to us by His Son. Actually, His Son came into the
world. He came into this world and spoke
to us. He said, I have manifested thy
name unto the man which thou gavest me. You see, Christ said
no man had seen God at any time. The only begotten Son had declared
Him. In I John 5, 20. I love this
verse. I John 5, 20. I want you to look
at it. Listen to it. I John 5, 20. We
know that the Son of God hath come and hath given us an understanding
that we may know God That is true. And that we're in Him. That is true. Even in His Son,
Jesus Christ. This is the true God. And this
is eternal life. And that's what I'm saying. That's
what I'm asking. Do you believe God? The way that
God has chosen to reveal Himself. I know the heavens declare the
glory of God. I know the stars, the sun, the
moon, the things that are made declare the wisdom glory and
power of God. David said, When I consider the
heavens, the things which thou hast made, what is man that art
mindful of him? But listen, the only way you can find out
God's relationship with you and whether God will forgive sin
and whether God will show mercy to the guilty and whether God
will pardon And whether God intends to save is not looking at the
sun, the moon, the stars, but by looking at His Word or at
His Son. So you can't know the mercy of
God and the justice of God and the righteousness of God and
the purpose of God and the will of God and the holiness of God
by looking at the stars. They're too impersonal. You find
that by God's Word, what He says about Himself, what He says about
you and me, what He says about mercy, and by His Son who came
to reveal Him. He said, He that has seen Me
has seen the Father. You see Christ in His compassion,
and yet you see Christ in His judgment. You see Christ in His
love and in His grace, and yet you see Christ in His holiness
and exactness. So the Father is revealed by
the Son. He hath given us an understanding. Now, my friends,
this is the very essence of salvation. And this is the substance of
eternal life, to believe God. Abraham believed God. He believed
Him. To believe His Word, to believe
His Son, not to believe there is a God, not to believe about
God, but to believe Him. Let me give you an example. Paul
on the ship. You remember when he was out
there on the ship and the storm had risen, the wind was blowing,
the waves, and the ship was about to sink, and all the men wanted
to get off that ship. They felt they stood a better
chance out there in the waves, you know, hanging on to a board
than they would staying on this ship going downward. Paul said,
Sirs, be of good cheer. There stood
by me this night the angel of the Lord, whose I am and whom
I serve. And he said to me, Paul, not
one person will be lost. The ship will be lost, but not
one person. And he said, Sirs, I believe there's a God. No,
he didn't say that. Sirs, I believe in God. No. He said, Sirs, I believe,
God, that it shall be exactly as He told me." You see what
I'm saying? You see the difference? I really
believe it. So we stay on the ship. We don't
move. We wait on God. I believe it
should be exactly as He told me. That's what I'm saying. True
faith, this is the essence of it, the substance of it, in the
heart, truthfully, that affects the actions, that affects the
walk, that affects the responses, that affects the experience,
It starts with this. I believe God. I believe His
Word. I believe His Son. That's it. That was demonstrated
in Egypt when God said to Moses, I'm coming through at midnight
and the firstborn in every home will die. He told him, he said,
kill a lamb, roast it with fire, eat the flesh, put the blood
on the door. When I come through the land
and see the blood, I pass over you. Now listen, those who believed
God's Word put blood on the door and they were spared. Those who
didn't died. It was a matter of believing
Him. Is this not true demonstrated by Rahab the harlot when God
would destroy the city of Jericho and she hid the spies, the men
of God, She said, I know God's with you, and I know God's going
to take the land. And she said, will you spare
me? They said, listen, God says for you to put a scarlet line
out the window, hang it out the window. And when we come to take
the city, you and your family stay in the house. Don't go outside.
Stay in the house. Go outside, you're done. Stay
in the house. Put the red line out the window.
She believed it. how you know she believed it?
She put the red wine in it, lying out the window. She stayed in
the house. She was spared. She believed
His Word. That was it. She believed Him. She believed. This is true of Lot. God told
him, "'Flee the city. I'm going to destroy the city
of Sodom and Gomorrah. Flee the city. Don't look back.'"
Well, Lot and his two daughters fled the city and didn't look
back. They believed God. His wife turned and looked back,
and she perished. Oh, I tell you, faith is to believe
God. And I'm trying to show you that it's not a believing there
is a God and believing certain things about God. It's actually
to believe His Word and to believe Him. And I really, let me be
honest now. You listen to me. Don't leave
me. Today's religion, with its excess, with its emotionalism. You know what I'm talking about.
I see some of these programs where all these folks are stomping
and yelling and screaming and waving their arms and running
up down the aisles and blowing in people's face and falling
out in the arms of other folks and outward demonstrations and
so-called experiences and the wealth of it and the the power
of it and the confusion of it, it just troubles and disturbs
honest people, honest people concerning faith, the language
these people use. I'm telling you this, salvation is to believe God,
to believe God in the heart. You see, it's a, faith is an
individual personal heart experience. It's a principle given by the
Holy Spirit in the soul and the heart where a man believes God.
He believes God's Word. He believes God in his soul,
in his mind, in his heart. He believes God. Paul said, we
are the circumcision who worship God in spirit, not in demonstration
and showmanship and excess and emotionalism. We worship God
in spirit. We rejoice in Christ Jesus. Not
in ourselves, we rejoice in Christ Jesus. Not in the fun, but in
Christ Jesus. And we have no confidence in
the flesh. You see, faith is not dependent on atmosphere. These folks don't act like that
at work. They don't act like that in the kitchen. They don't
act like that in the den when they're sitting around with their
friends. It's just when they come to this atmosphere of religion
pumped up by music and pumped up by some religious leader and
pumped up by some promoter. I call them cheerleaders. Faith
is not dependent on atmosphere created by music, men, and methods. Faith believes God at all times. These people in church say two
hours a week, two hours a week. And here they are with all this
showmanship and emotionalism and excess. Now, listen to me.
There's 168 hours in the week. What do you do the other 166? Well, I'll tell you what faith
does, all 168, whether in the kitchen or in the home or on
the job or on the street or on the creek bank fishing or at
the ballgame or down at the church. It walks with God. It believes
God. It's not up yonder one moment
and down here another moment. It believes God. Faith doesn't
need to be recharged constantly by music and religious leaders
and scoldings. I hear these preachers always
bow-beating people and scolding them and chastising them for
they don't do this and don't do that and can't get the power
and all that. My faith doesn't stand in the wisdom of men but
in the power of God. It's not my power. I need His
power. Faith believes God. It believes
God. I don't have to shout and scream
and wave my arms and care on publicly to believe God. I believe
God. When I drove up here tonight
to this studio, I believe God. When I sat down to eat my supper
tonight, I gave thanks. Thank you, Lord. You gave me
the food and I appreciate it. When I came walking up here and
sat down over in that chair waiting for the cameraman and waiting
for the studio lights and waiting for the program to begin. I believe
God and I'm up here now. Now, do I put on a different
voice and a different frame of mind and a different attitude
because I'm in front of you in front of a camera? God help me
if I do. God have mercy on my hypocritical
soul if I change one iota here than what I was over there. I'm telling you the truth. Faith
believes God. Here, publicly, privately, faith
isn't dependent on atmosphere. It doesn't have to be recharged
constantly. Our faith doesn't stand in the
tactics, methods, persuasion, psychology of super rich evangelists
and revivalists and promoters of self. And that's what it boils
down to. And if God doesn't have mercy
on this country and turn it around in reference to Christ and the
gospel and the Bible and God, we're gone and our children are
gone. Because God's not in this carnival
of religion. God's not in this rich religious
prosperity organizations and all these things. God's in Christ. And every servant of the Lord
throughout the Bible were plain men and simple men and poor men
and down-to-earth men and sinners saved by the grace of God, who
recognized the needs of people, who recognized the grace of God,
who recognized the Lord Jesus Christ as their only Savior and
preached to them from his heart in love, not trying to build
a kingdom for himself or attain vain glory and praise and prosperity
for himself. God have mercy on him, but he's
not going to. Paul said, I know whom I have
believed. I know whom. Not in whom, not
about whom. I know him. I know whom. And I'm asking you the question
tonight, today, do you believe God? It comes down to this. Do you believe God? What hath Abraham found? acceptance,
justification, and righteousness. How'd he find it? He believed
God. He didn't have a television set.
He didn't have a church building. He didn't have an old-fashioned
mortars bench. He didn't have anybody with him. He walked with
God, and he believed God. And he walked on the hillside,
and he walked on the mountain, and he walked in the valley,
and he walked in some trying times, and he walked in the battle,
And he walked through the field, and he walked among his cattle
and sheep, but he believed God. He believed God. It comes down
to this. I believe what God says about
creation. I do. I believe God created the
heavens and the earth. What He says about creation beats
anything I've read today. I believe what God says about
Himself. I believe God's sovereign, almighty,
eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient. Don't you? I bow
before God. the Lord God Almighty. He's not
impotent. He's not failing. He doesn't
have a plan that he hopes will work. He's got a plan he knows
is going to work. He doeth according to his will
in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of this earth,
and none can stay his hand or say unto him, What doest thou?
Is anything too hard for God? I believe what God says about
men, about me, about you, about our fall. I believe that. I believe
by one man sin entered this world and death by sin, so death passed
upon all men for all sinned, dead in sin, helpless, hopeless,
unable, unwilling to come to God. I believe what God says
about His law. Cursed is everyone that continues
not in every jot and tittle of the law to do it. soul that sinneth
shall surely die." I believe what God says about His justice.
I believe what God says about His covenant of mercy in Christ.
He said, I've made a covenant, everlasting covenant in Christ
Jesus whereby I'll redeem a people, put away their sins, remember
them no more, give them a new heart, new mind so they'll love
me. I'll never leave them. They'll
never leave me. I believe that. David died believing it. He said,
God These are the last words David spoke on this earth. God
has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things,
ensuring this is my salvation and all my desire. I believe
what God says about the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe He's
God. I believe He's man. I believe
He's the God-man. I believe He's the only Savior,
the only Advocate, the only Mediator, the only Prophet, Priest, and
King. His blood cleanseth us from all sin. His death is effectual,
particular, sufficient. He put away the sins of all who
believe on Him. He died for our sin, was buried
and rose again, and He ever liveth to make intercession for us.
And He's coming again to receive His people under Himself. I believe
that. I believe God. I believe what God says about
the resurrection. Someday we'll all rise in His
likeness. I believe what He says about
the exaltation of Christ. I believe like the Roman centurion. He brought his son to Christ.
The boy was so sick. He said, Lord, can you do anything
for him? He said, the Lord said, if you can believe, all things
are possible to them that believe. Can you believe? Oh, he said,
Lord, I believe. I do believe. Help thou mine
unbelief. That's where I am. I believe
his word, I believe his son, and I pray, Lord, help my, help
thou mine unbelief. Increase my faith. You see, in
verse, if you read this fourth chapter, verses 10, 11 on down
there declares that salvation is by faith. And Abraham later
on was circumcised. Abraham left his father's house.
Defended the Kings brought lot back Abraham gave the best land
a lot Abraham sacrificed his son, but now wait a minute When
was he justified? He was justified when he believed
God and he did all these things because he believed God But his
faith counted for righteousness and that's what I'm asking you.
Do you believe God? To be that's where it starts.
That's where it ends Believe in God. Now, if you want this
message on a cassette tape, Do You Believe God?, I want you
to take it and listen to it again. I know it's plain and firm, but
I want you to listen to it. Well, there's two messages on
this tape. Here's the address. Send two dollars. We'll mail
it to you. Until next week, God bless you.

Do You Believe God?

What does the Bible say about believing God?

How do we know that justification by faith is true?

Why is faith in God important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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Do You Believe God?

What does the Bible say about believing God?

How do we know that justification by faith is true?

Why is faith in God important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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