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This week, Pastor Jose Lopez answers a few questions concerning the Principles of Faith. What is faith? What is it for? What does it do? Why do I need it?
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Details
This week, Pastor Jose Lopez answers a few questions concerning the Principles of Faith. What is faith? What is it for? What does it do? Why do I need it?
Comment
This week, Pastor Jose Lopez answers a few questions concerning the Principles of Faith. What is faith? What is it for? What does it do? Why do I need it?
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Faith is an important aspect of the believer's life. It is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is specific, tangible, and firm. It is the reality of what we hope for. There are two kinds of hope: the world's hope, which is uncertain, and the Bible's hope, which gives absolute certainty. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. Without the word of God, hope is incomplete. Faith is believing in the promises of God and asking in prayer according to His will. It is about living in the word and letting the word live in us. Welcome to CCI Fellowship's podcast. Thank you for joining us. At CCI Fellowship, we are reaching God, reaching each other, and reaching our community. We pray that this week's message challenges you in your walk with the Lord, causes you to grow in your faith, and encourages you in your love for the Word of God. So if you'll open your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 11, Hebrews chapter 11, the title of this sermon is Principles of Faith. When we talk about faith, one can say that sometimes it seems like it's hard to understand, it's hard to grasp, it's a little complex, it may be at times even a little mystical, so we can wonder, what does it do? What is the purpose of faith? What does it accomplish? Does it accomplish in the life of a believer? Why do I need it? How important is it? And if it's important, then what do I need to do so that the principles that work in faith work not only in my favor, but in the favor of the expansion of the kingdom of God? So all these are fair questions, and it is my goal to answer all these questions so that we will have a better understanding of what faith is. Let's go over a few reasons of why the Bible says that faith is so important. The Bible says that we are saved by faith. By grace you have been saved through faith, Ephesians chapter 2. The Bible says that we live by faith, and the just shall live by faith, Hebrews chapter 10. The Bible says that we understand God by faith. By faith we understand that God made the universe, Hebrews chapter 11. The Bible says that we receive the promises of God by faith. Hebrews 6 says that we should follow the example of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. The Bible says that we overcome by faith. And this is a victory that overcomes the world, even our faith, 1 John chapter 5. The Bible says that we defend from enemy attack by faith, taking up the shield of faith by which we can extinguish the fury darts of the enemy, Ephesians chapter 6. The Bible says that we receive the word of God by faith. Hebrews chapter 4, talking about the Israelites in the wilderness, said that the word that they heard did not profit them because they did not mix it with faith. The Bible says that we walk by faith, for we walk by faith and not by sight, 2 Corinthians chapter 5. The Bible says that we please God by faith, for without faith it is impossible to please Him, Hebrews chapter 11. The Bible says that we fight with our faith. The Apostle Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 6, fight the good fight of faith. The Bible says that we are healed by faith and the prayer of faith shall heal the sick, James chapter 5. I think we can conclude that faith is pretty important in the life of the believer. Faith is really everything. Amen. So if faith is so important, then we do well in doing everything that we can to continue to learn and understand how it works. So I want to talk to you about four things today, if we have time. First I want to talk to you about what faith is. I want to talk to you about what faith is not. I'll talk to you about how faith works. And then if we have time we'll see an illustration of faith in the life of a believer in the Bible. So let's start with what faith is. Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Let's pray. Father, we approach you, Lord, at this moment with hearts of gratitude, with hearts of expectation. We ask, Lord, that in this time that we have to partake of your word, that you would open our hearts, Father, and give us understanding of the things that you have reserved for us today. Lord, I know that you want us to grow in our faith. And I know that you want us to continue to grow in our faith until the day that we leave this world. So we ask, God, that you would help us see the things that we need to see, that every person today would receive a portion from you, and that we would leave this place, Father, with a deeper understanding of how faith works. May it be for your glory and for your honor. In Jesus' name, amen. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Out of all the definitions that God could have thought of in the universe, this is the definition that God gives us. And so in order to understand it correctly, I think that we need to examine all the different parts of it, mainly three elements that we see in this definition. We're going to look at substance, we're going to look at hope, and we are going to look at evidence. Because I believe that if we look at these elements, we will know exactly what faith is and never wonder again, what is that thing called faith? So the first one, substance. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for. The word substance in the Greek is the word hypostasis, which means a support, it means assurance, and it means confidence. It's something that refers to something that is specific, that is tangible, and that is firm, not something that is out there mystical. Specific, tangible, and firm. Substance also means reality. So we can say faith is the reality of things hoped for. Just by this short definition, we can see that faith is something that is sure, something that is secure, and something that is tangible. Now let's look at the next element, it's hope. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for. The word hope means to wait. Waiting is not normally something that we associate with hope, but it means to wait. It means to wait expectantly. Now when we talk about hope, there are two kinds of hope, and I think we need to make a difference or a distinction between the two. There is the kind of hope that is the world's, and the kind of hope that is the Bible kind of hope. The world's kind of hope is the equivalent of saying, I wish. Oh, I hope I don't miss my connecting flight. I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow. I hope my team makes it to the playoffs. It's the equivalent of saying, I wish. It's like saying, I cross my fingers, but there is absolutely no certainty in that kind of hope. The Bible kind of hope, on the other hand, gives us absolute certainty. It means to actively wait for the fulfillment of something God has already expressed. The Amplified Version adds something that has been divinely guaranteed by God. That is the anchor that hope gives us. There is an absolute certainty in this kind of hope. Now, hope is necessary to faith, but in and of itself, hope is not faith. It is an important element, but in and of itself is not faith. It needs substance in order to become faith, and we'll get back to that. The third element is evidence, the evidence of things not seen. And when it says not seen, it refers to not being seen or perceived by the natural senses. The word evidence means proof. It means that by which something is tested. And after it has been tested, it proves that it is worthy to be trusted. So if hope isn't enough to become faith, what kind of evidence or what kind of substance is required? Well, the answer to that question, we get it in Romans chapter 10 and verse 17. So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. This is how faith comes. It doesn't come any other way. It doesn't come by having heard. It says it comes by hearing. The word hearing denotes a continual hearing, a continual learning. That's why it is important that we talk about certain topics in the Bible over and over and over again because the more we hear it, the more our faith has an opportunity to grow. It doesn't say that it comes by praying for it. It says it comes by hearing. You can turn red, green, and purple and pray to God every day until the day you die, Lord, increase my faith, and He is never going to increase your faith that way because it says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. That is the only way. There is only one account in the Bible, and you can find it in Luke chapter 17 where disciples come to Jesus and say, Jesus, increase our faith. And Jesus didn't say yes. He said, if you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mountain, be removed and be cast into the sea. Faith comes by hearing. Faith starts where the will of God is known. Where the will of God is not known, there is no basis for faith. Now, the Bible talks much about attaining to the knowledge of God. In Colossians chapter 1, just to give you an example, there is a prayer that believers should be filled with the knowledge of God. Ephesians chapter 1, another prayer that believers would receive the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. Colossians chapter 2 says, Attaining to all the riches of the full assurance of understanding to the knowledge of the mystery of God. We are to have knowledge of God and to have knowledge of His great plan of redemption for us. What are our rights? What are our privileges as children of God? All these are disclosed in the Bible. That is the evidence. That is the substance that hope needs in order to become faith. Without this evidence or without this substance that is the Word of God, hope is no more than something that is incomplete. The Bible kind of faith is birthed in the Word of God. Now, faith says, based on the evidence that I see in the Word of God, I believe that it is God's will for me to have it. So when we talk about the promises of God that are in the Bible, all of us have been given promises. It's important that what you are believing for, that you have Scripture to back up your case. Because if you don't have Scripture to back up your case, then you are not on solid ground and the faith that you have is going to be shaky. John chapter 15 and verse 7, the Lord Jesus said, If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you. It is asking in prayer according to the will or to the Word of God. But it even goes beyond this. It's about the Word living in us and us living in the Word. It's about giving the Word of God the rightful place that it deserves in our hearts. The Word has to have the supreme position in our hearts. When we say Jesus is Lord, we are saying the Word of God is Lord. In John chapter 1 verses 1 and 14, Jesus is the Word of God. So if we say Jesus is Lord, that means the Word is Lord. That means I'm going to live my life, I'm going to make decisions in my life based upon the Word of God. That is what it means when I say that the Word needs to have supremacy in the believer's heart. The Word gives us evidence. It gives us assurance. It gives us confidence. It feeds our faith. 1 John chapter 5 verses 14 and 15 says, Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked for. The key of our confidence is asking according to the will of God. And when we know what the will of God is, then we know that we have the petitions that we have asked for. That is why it's so important to grow in the knowledge of the Word of God. Now let's briefly review what faith is not. Turn with me to John chapter 20. John chapter 20. We'll start reading. We'll jump around. We'll start reading verse 25. The Lord Jesus had already risen, and for the first time He appears to His disciples. The disciples were gathered together. Jesus appears to them, then leaves. Thomas wasn't with the disciples when Jesus appeared to them. So Jesus leaves. Thomas comes in, and the rest tell Thomas, We have seen the Lord. And this is what Thomas answers them. John chapter 20, verse 25. He said, Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. In other words, unless I see with my natural eyes, I refuse to believe. Now eight days later, Jesus appears again to the disciples. They were gathered together again. Thomas this time is with them. Jesus says, Peace be with you. Looked at Thomas, and said to Thomas, verse 27, Reach your finger here, and look at my hands, and reach your hand here, and put it into my side. Jesus is indulging Thomas' request to be able to experience with his natural senses. Now it seems that Jesus is rebuking Thomas, in a way He is. But what's more important is that He was about to teach him one of the most important lessons in his life regarding faith. Then He says to him, Do not be unbelieving, but believing. Depending on your natural senses to believe, Jesus is saying, is unbelieving. Jesus said, Don't do that. Be believing. And Thomas answered and said to him, My Lord and my God. And Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and have yet believed. Thomas represents the believer that says, Unless I see the money in the bank, I'm not going to believe that God provides for my needs. Unless every symptom in my body leaves, I'm not going to believe that God, that God's provision is to heal me. This type of believer is driven exclusively by what they see and what they hear and what they sense in the natural. Believing something just because you see it is not faith. Unbelievers can do this. And it requires no faith at all. In my research and study, I ran across this phrase in one of the concordances that says, Faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses. With our eyes of faith, we believe before our actual natural eyes can see it. Now let's talk about how faith works. Turn to Mark chapter 11. And we are going to basically sit at the feet of Jesus as he gives us this explanation of how faith works. In my opinion, this passage that we're about to see is the passage of the entire Bible that best explains how faith works. Mark 11, starting in verse 22. So Jesus answered and said to them, Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that whatever things he says shall come to pass, he will have whatever he says. Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. The first thing I want to point out in this passage is that Jesus starts by saying, Have faith in God. The correct translation from the Greek to the English of this phrase would be, Have the faith of God, or have the God kind of faith. Wait a minute, Jesus is saying that believers are supposed to have the same kind of faith that God has? Yes. In fact, in Ephesians, we already briefly saw this passage. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 8, it says, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God. Romans chapter 12 and verse 3, it says, Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought to, but according to the measure of faith that God has dealt each one. The faith that every believer has, not unbelievers, but unbelievers, the faith that every believer has is a gift from God. It has been dealt to us by God, and that faith is the God kind of faith. So when Jesus says, Have the God kind of faith, every believer can raise their hands and say, I have that kind of faith, because the Lord gave it to me. So we're good there. Let's move on. Verse 23, it says, But believe that whatever things he says shall come to pass. But believe that whatever things he says shall come to pass. I want you to notice that believe, or believing, is a verb. Faith is a noun. Faith and believing are not the same thing. They are closely related, but they are not the same thing. Faith is something you have. Belief is something you do. But without the having, I cannot do the doing. Or let me flip it around. I cannot do the doing until I have the having. I cannot do the believing until I have the God kind of faith. The God kind of faith has to come before the believing. Now the word belief means something that is active. It does not mean something that is idle or stagnant. It means an exercise of the will. It means a choice. Now we read the account of Thomas. He refused to believe. He said, Unless I see, I will not believe. That is an exercise of the will. Just because a believer has faith, it doesn't guarantee that they will believe. You still have to make the decision. You can say, Well, I have faith. I can see it in the word of God. And at that moment, you have to make a decision because believing is an exercise of the will. It is a choice. At that moment, you can say, I choose to believe or I choose to not believe. We believe based on the evidence that we find in the word of God. A police detective walks into a crime scene, analyzes all the evidence, everything that is in there, and then comes to the conclusion and says, Based on the evidence that I see in the crime scene, I believe that this person or that person committed suicide or was murdered or died of an overdose, whatever. Based on the evidence, I believe. Believing is 100% dependent on the evidence. The more we believe, the more our faith has an opportunity to grow. Faith doesn't depend on believing, but believing does add to our faith. Let's look at the next element. Verse 23. Whoever says to this mountain, Be removed and be cast into the sea, it does not doubt in his heart. Stop there for a second. It does not say in his mind. It says, It does not doubt in his heart. Why does it say the heart? Because faith resides in the heart. It resides in the human spirit. Romans 10.10 says, For with the heart, man believes unto righteousness. With the heart, man believes. We don't believe with our mind. It may come into our mind, but it goes down to our heart, to our spirit, and that is how we believe. For with the man, with the heart, man believes. Ephesians 3.17 says, That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. In other words, through faith that dwells in our hearts, Christ dwells in us. Think of faith in your heart as a little plant. The more you take care of it, the more you water it, the more you prune it, the more time you devote to it, the more it will grow. How do you take care of your plant of faith? By meditating in the Word of God. I know that is a theme that I mention a lot, but it's so important. By meditating on God's Word. Meditating is to your faith what water is to the plant. The more you water the plant, provided you don't drown it, but the more you water a plant, the more it will grow. The more you meditate on the Word of God, the more your faith has an opportunity to grow. Psalm 1 verses 2 and 3 says, And his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night, and he will be like a tree planted along the rivers of water, bearing good fruit in every season, whose leaf also shall not wither, and everything he does shall prosper. What is the prospering dependent on? Meditating in the Word of God. What does meditating do to give that man the ability to prosper? Faith. It is, again, living your life according to the Word of God, and that is going to cause you to be prosperous in every facet of your life. Meditating in God's Word is so important. The next element is the saying, or the confessing. Again, in verse 23, And does not doubt in his heart, but believes that whatever he says shall come to pass. Whatever he says... Did you know that in this passage, the word saying, or any variation of saying, is basically two to one to the believing? In this passage, saying is mentioned four times, and believing is mentioned twice. I wonder if the Lord is trying to tell us something. As many times we fall short because we are believing in our hearts, but we are not saying. But believes that whatever he says shall come to pass. It doesn't say, but believes that whatever he has in his heart, it is whatever he says. Faith has a voice. Whatever you believe, you will say. If you ever want to know where somebody's faith is, sit down with them, start talking about the issues of life, and before not too long, you're going to see where their faith is, because faith has a voice. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. And our saying and our asking needs to be rooted in the Word of God. In verse 24, it says, Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them. I know we already talked about believing, but this time, it mentions believing in connection to receiving. It says, believe that you receive. Believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Believe that you receive. This type of believing is believing with conviction. It is absolutely trusting in God to do something. Now this passage leaves no room for doubt. Sometimes we read a passage like this, and we're like, oh man, I have doubt. You know, who doesn't doubt? Jesus said of John the Baptist, that there was no man born of woman that was greater than him. And there's a moment in the life of John the Baptist where he is in prison, and he starts having doubt. And he sends his disciples to Jesus to ask him a question. Are you the one that we have been looking for, or should we look for another? And Jesus very graciously said to the disciples, go and tell John what you see, and what you hear, that the lepers are cleansed, that the deaf hear, that the blind can see, that the dead are raised. He was quoting scripture. Doubting isn't the problem. Everybody doubts. The problem or the issue is where you go or what you do with the doubt. What did John the Baptist do? He went to the Word of God. And that's how his doubt got eliminated. So, when we say everybody doubts at one point or another, I don't want to downplay doubt. Doubt is something that is very dangerous. It is not good for the believer. But it's very easy to deal with doubt. Think of doubt as a spiritual disease that attacks believers. But think of the Word of God as the immediate cure. If you ever have doubt in your heart, get in the Word. That's how you take care of it. Believe that you receive them, and you shall have them. Therefore, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them. When do we believe? Before or after the having. When do we believe? Believe that you receive them, and then you will have them. We believe before we have. There was a time that, it was before we got married, but I was struggling with something. I was in the waiting of a promise of God, and I was really struggling in my faith. Doubt had creeped in my heart. And I remember I was in the terrace of my old apartment, and I started talking to the Lord, and the Lord said, the problem, He said, your problem, is that you want to have before you believe. And He said it doesn't work that way. And just like that, I saw it. It's like trying to, have you ever heard the expression of putting the cart before the horse? If you put a cart before the horse, you're not getting anywhere. The horse needs to go before the cart. The horse is the believing, the cart is the having. The believing causes us to have. Believe that you receive them, and you shall have them. It doesn't say that you might have them, it says that you shall have them. The waiting is extremely important, and I hope you have time to look at a, at a passage in the life of Abraham, where he, where God shows us, how, what to do in the waiting. Believe that you receive. The word receive is in the present tense, and it means to actively, lay hold of what is being freely offered. An example of this is when, the angel of the Lord appears to Joshua, and says to Joshua, See, I have delivered Jericho into your hand. Now Joshua, at that moment, could have seen Jericho and said, What do you mean you have delivered it to me? It's still possessed by the Jerichoans, whatever you call it. They are still possessing the land. What do you mean you have delivered it into my hand? Instead of staying in unbelief, Joshua heard the words of the angel of the Lord, and said, I believe. Regardless of what my natural eyes are seeing, I believe that I receive. And so he followed the instructions, that the angel of the Lord gave them, to march around the city seven, seven days, and then the sound of the trumpet, and the walls came crashing down. This is an example of agreeing with God, about what He is freely offering. It is not going out there on the tangent, and saying, I claim this in the name of Jesus. That doesn't work. It has to be documented in the word of God. And you will have. Believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Believing is having. This type of believing. Jesus said, Whoever believes in me, has eternal life. He didn't say, whoever believes in me, will have eternal life. He said, whoever believes in me, has eternal life. Believing is possessing. Believing and receiving, is acting upon the word of God, like Joshua, acted upon the instructions. And they received the promise. Now let's look at an illustration of faith. So turn with me to Romans chapter 4. This is a great illustration of faith, and we're going to look at some elements, so that we can understand, and see how one is to wait, for the promises of God. Romans chapter 4, we'll start reading in verse 16. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. As it is written, I have made you a father of many nations, in the presence of him, whom he believed, God, who gives life to the dead, and calls those things which do not exist, as though they did. Just by that sentence, we can see that God is the faith God. He calls those things that are not, as though they were. Verse 18, who contrary to hope, in hope believed. Here we see the two types of hope, that we were talking about. Contrary to the hope, to the I wish, I'm not certain, in Bible hope, he believed, so that he became the father of many nations. According to what was spoken, so shall your descendants be. Verse 19, and not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead, since he was about 100 years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not waver at the promise of God, through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced, that what he had promised, he was also able to perform. The first thing I want you to notice, in this passage, is that God says to Abraham, I have made you, a father of many nations. Not I will make you. He said, I have made you. At that moment, Abraham had no descendants. Isaac had not been born yet. And God said to him, I have made you. In other words, it's already yours. It's done. With the eyes of faith, Abraham apprehends that word, and lives his life accordingly. And in verse 19, it says, in not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body. The word consider, means to dwell upon. It means to consider decisively, or conclusively. It means to fix your eyes, or your mind, upon something. It does not mean to ignore. When he says, he did not consider, it doesn't say he ignored. If you're sick, you can acknowledge that you're sick. So we're not ignoring, what the physical senses tell you. But that's not what we are going to consider. Let's keep on going. Or in other words, he did not consider, the overwhelming physical evidences, that were saying, Abraham, what you're believing for, is completely impossible. We're going to talk about, what he considered. But before that, in verse 20, it says, he did not waver at the promise of God, through unbelief. There's two types of unbelief. The first one is not as damaging. The second one is very damaging. The first one is, lack of knowledge. The Bible says, in the book of Hosea, my people are destroyed, because of a lack of knowledge. A lack of knowledge, will cause you to not believe. The good news about that, is that once you have the knowledge, then you can believe. You can talk to an unbeliever and say, if you believe in the Lord Jesus, that He died and took your sin, upon the cross, and you can be reconciled to the Father, you can say, well, I didn't know that. Now that I know it, I can believe. And just like that, that problem of unbelief is resolved. The first one, like I said, is not as damaging. The second one, is very damaging. And it means, unpersuadableness. It is a refusal to believe. Kind of like Thomas. It means to actively withhold belief or trust, in the promises of God, or in His power. So what did Abraham consider? We know what he didn't consider. What did he consider? What did he choose to dwell upon? What did he fix his eyes and his mind upon, that caused them to be strengthened, and to not waver at the promise? He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced. Another version says, and being fully persuaded, that what he had promised, he was also able to perform. So how was Abraham able to not waver? How was he able to be strengthened? How was he able to be fully convinced? Wouldn't you like to have this kind of faith? I know I would. How can we? I believe the answer to that question is in the portion that we just read. Let's look at it more closely. There's three elements, that in this verse 20 and 21, are worthy of mentioning. One is strength in relation to faith. Remember, faith is based on the word of God. So strength in relation to faith. The second one is that, it says that he gave glory to God. This is huge. And then he was fully convinced. This is what Abraham considered. He gave glory to God, because he saw the solid evidence of God's word, and he chose to fix his mind and his eyes upon it. And this strengthened him, and caused him to be fully convinced, and not waver at the promise through unbelief. He saw his own body. He saw the deadness of Sarah's womb. And he said, I see it. I acknowledge it. But I consider. I'm not going to consider the impossibility, just like David when he went against Goliath. I mean, it's not that he didn't see Goliath. Everybody's terrified. He sees Goliath, but he didn't consider Goliath. He considered God. And this is what Abraham is doing here. He saw his own body, and the inability of Sarah to be able to have children. But he didn't consider that. He didn't dwell upon it. He didn't cause his mind to be fixed on that. He said, I will fix my mind on what God has said. Remember the centurion who came to Jesus. Jesus, he came to Jesus on behalf of his servant. Can you guys hear me? Because it's pretty loud. Yeah. He came on behalf of his servant to Jesus, because he was sick, and said to Jesus, I'm not worthy that you should come under my roof. Just say the word. And Jesus marveled, and called that kind of faith, great faith. He said, I have never seen in Israel such great faith as this. Just say the word. Peter had been fishing all night, and caught nothing. In the morning comes, Jesus sees him, and says, Peter, cast your nets out on the deep. And Peter says, Master, I have been toiling all night, and I have caught nothing. But at your word, I will let the nets down. I wonder if we should do the same also. Lord, I am waiting for the promise. I'm struggling. But at your word, I will choose to remain. I will choose to consider that, and wait expectantly for you to fulfill this promise. At your word. That is the key of Abraham. He gave glory to God. When you give glory, Abraham was saying, Lord, I thank you, and I praise you for the promise that you have given me. It is mine. I don't care what this says. I don't care what that evidence says. I'm going to stand on the promise that you have given, because you are faithful, and I know that you will perform it. It says that he was strengthened in faith by what he considered. Put yourself on Abraham's shoes for a little bit. Because we have read this story so many times. God gives you a wonderful promise that seems impossible. There may be many of you that are there right now. God has given you a promise that seems impossible. And the promise takes a long time to come to pass. My wife reminded me that Abraham's promise took 25 years to come to pass. Can you imagine waiting for 25 years for a promise? And it says that he didn't waver through unbelief, but was strengthened, and was fully convinced. Did God really say? How many times do you think Satan came to him to try to plant doubt in his heart, or in his mind? Did God really say, Are you sure you heard God? Is that what the Lord wants? Maybe you heard wrong. Maybe you were having a bad day that day. What if the promise doesn't come to pass? How many times do you think Satan came to Abraham in those 25 years? Taking every thought captive and submitting it to the obedience of Jesus Christ. That's what Abraham did. Every thought that came to his heart or to his mind that was contrary to what God had spoken to him, he took it captive and submitted it to the obedience of Jesus Christ. That means that he said, No, no, no. I will not consider that lie, Mr. Satan. God said. And that's how he did not waver at the promise. He didn't do it with reason. He didn't do it with human understanding. He did it with the word of God. He didn't let a thought that was contrary to what God has said to enter his mind and his heart. Or to dwell. It may enter. Like I said it, the problem is not that you doubt it for a minute. The issue is what you do with it. Immediately, take it out. Take it captive. Submit it to the obedience of Jesus Christ. How many times do you think in those 25 years, Abraham had to remind himself what God had said? Maybe that tells us something. This is how you deal with doubt. You have doubt in your heart or in your mind, get in the word. But was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God. As the worship team comes up, giving glory to God, faith has a voice. What you say matters. Revelation says, And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony. That's their confession. Not just by the blood of the lamb. It says by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony. The two are necessary to overcome. Proverbs chapter 6 and verse 2 says, You are snared by the words of your mouth. In other words, you are taken captive. When we decide to agree with the enemy and we say that, Oh, I don't believe I'm going to receive this. I don't believe this is going to happen. We are taken captive and trapped by our own words. So let me sum up what we have talked about tonight. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. The more we hear the word of God, the more we receive knowledge and understanding of what the will of God is. And that gives us basis to believe. Once we believe, believe that you receive, then we will be acting upon the word. In other words, our confession and our actions, our decisions are going to be based on what we believe. And then we can receive. Let's pray. Father, we thank you Lord for this beautiful day again and for the rain that you send. We pray Lord that this rain would refresh Lord. We pray that it will not saturate the ground. Father, keep Honduras. Keep watching over us Lord. We know that you are faithful. God, what a beautiful illustration of the life of Abraham. What a beautiful lesson of the Lord Jesus. And what a beautiful definition that you give us in your word. Lord, help us understand. The Apostle Paul commended the church in Thessalonica for their ever increasing faith. It was always growing Lord. We want our faith to grow. We know that you want our faith to grow. Lord, help us depend on your word more than anything in our lives. We love you Father. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to this week's podcast. If you are ever in the Tegucigalpa area and looking for an English speaking congregation, please join us on Sunday afternoon at 4pm in the main auditorium of Iglesia CCI in Colonial Trepichi, just off Boulevard Sollapa near Una. If you would like prayer or more information about our church, contact us at fellowship.cci at gmail.com. That's fellowship.cci at gmail.com. Or follow us on social media. We hope to see you or hear from you soon. Blessings.
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