Faith provided by God does not demand explanations; instead, faith provided by God rests on God’s promises. When we do ask God for explanations, we reveal that we really don’t know ourselves as good as we should, and we certainly do not know God as well as we should. Like Abraham, we have to learn to live by promises, not by explanations. Abraham did not know HOW God would do it, or WHY God would do what He did, or WHEN God would do it, BUT HE BELIEVED GOD that whatever needed to be done, GOD WOULD PROVIDE. There are lessons to be learned, and one of them is that WHEN GOD WANTS TO PROVIDE OUR NEEDS, many times we must face the test alone. IT IS ONLY THEN THAT WE CAN SEE WHAT OUR HEAVENLY FATHER REALLY CAN DO FOR US.
Jewell, Iowa
COMMITTED to train men and women
to have minds for the Lord Jesus,
hearts for the truth, and
hands that are skilled to the task.
to have minds for the Lord Jesus,
hearts for the truth, and
hands that are skilled to the task.
"Faith" Tagged Sermons (Page 4)
Sarah’s faith was not placed in the promise, but in THE ONE WHO IS FAITHFUL; GOD HIMSELF. Abraham and Sarah made some mistakes, they had some occasional failures in trusting God all the way. However, both of them endured to the end BECAUSE THE BELIEVED GOD. When Isaac finally arrived as promised, ABRAHAM AND SARAH SAW GOD’S POWER AT WORK. Ishmael was an obedient son, UNTIL ISAAC entered the family. It was then when the “flesh” began to oppose “the Spirit”. God gave them the fleshly blessings, the black oil which lubricates the world’s economy.
Isaac, however, received the spiritual blessing, the Holy Spirit, which is symbolized in the Bible with OIL. According to Galatians 4:21-31 Sarah represents grace, (the heavenly Jerusalem) and Hagar represents Law (the earthly Jerusalem under bondage). In other words, law and grace cannot live peacefully together. God’s children, born of the Spirit are to live under the blessings of grace and not the bondage of the law. Hagar gave birth to a slave. Ishmael was a slave. If you decide to live under the law, then you become a child of Hagar, a slave; for the law produces bondage and not freedom.
“..that the Christ might finally settle down and feel completely at home in your hearts through your faith”. (Kenneth Wuest)
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. (Proverb 27:1)
People think that Genesis is simply an ancient history book. Living by God’s promises means living by faith in the one who made the promises and believing the promises He made to us. From God’s viewpoint, this trial was a character forming event. When circumstances are negative, we are more concerned about the promises of God than the GLORY OF GOD. Abram and Sarah did not break any laws, but they did deviate from God’s Word and through it were unable to have peace and joy in their family. Our God is never caught by surprise when we forsake the Main Road. He is eventually showing up to bring us back where we belong, unto the Main Road.
Genesis 15:1-21 1. Faith does not ELIMINATE FEELINGS Genesis 15:1 Psalm 46:10 2. Darkness does not ELIMINATE LIGHT Genesis 15:2-6 1 Peter 5:7 Romans 8:14-17 Isaiah 53:12 2 Corinthians 5:21 3. Lack of Possession does not ELIMINATE OWNERSHIP Genesis 15:7-21 Hebrews 5:9 Hebrews 9:12-15 1 Peter 5:10
They take promises given to Israel and claim them today for themselves. They proclaim that all sickness and poverty is from the devil.
For Judas, truth did not matter at all, money did. He loved money more than he loved Jesus. Judas believed that the world he lived in offered him more than what Jesus had to offer. He did not know nor did he understand the world he was living in. That’s not an excuse for his action, it is simply an honest evaluation of what influenced this man when making life-decision. The world we live in evaluates life-styles not based upon if it’s true or false, but rather by asking IS IT FAIR? How do you live? The World we live in has replaced Truth with fairness. The World we live in has replaced Truth with mysticism. Jesus prayed for unity among his true followers. Not between his followers and those who have replaced truth with fairness or truth with mysticism.
What is the reason for your faith? What is the source of your faith? Faith is nothing more and nothing less than absolute trust. And there is not a single human being on this planet that can demand such trust. No one but God himself is worthy of absolute trust. The reason for your faith must be GOD HIMSELF. FAITH IS A RESPONSE TO PROVEN TRUTH.