Saturday, August 8, 2009

CERTAIN OF WHAT YOU DO NOT SEE


Hebrews 11:1 Gives us a definition of faith that we can wrap our minds around: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

This definition is applied to both faith in the one true God (not only His existence, but His sovereignty and plan of Salvation for fallen mankind) and unbelief (atheism, pantheism, humanism, etc.). To put your faith in a lie is an exercise in futility. If there is no substance, then it is both empty and a waste of time. An empty faith is a useless faith and all hope is gone. But that is exactly what “unbelief” is ... hopeless. Nothing is more unthinkable then that the things we care about don’t matter; that all our labor is a waste of time and all of our love ends at the grave. Nobody wants to throw their life away on a myth, a dream or a fantasy. John 3:17-21 explains unbelief in God & Christ: “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." Non-Believers think that if God does not exist and Jesus Christ is not His plan of salvation, then they shall not be judged or condemned for their dark, immoral, sinful desires and deeds, which they love. If there is no law-giver with commandments to live by, then there is no One to answer to for their decisions and actions. They are a god unto themselves, with no responsibilities, and not responsible for what they do; subject to nobody; free to live a sinful lifestyle. They pray that God and Hell are not real and do not exist. It’s more than not believing in God, just because they can not see God. True “Character” is how we act if nobody was looking and you know that you would never get caught, judged or punished. Though knowing the consequences of unbelief, the darkness of unbelief in individuals attacks the light of true Christianity and attempts to silence, bury and eliminate the True Creator God; first in public then completely. Darkness can not exist with light. Satan rejoices at their pride and belief of the big lie "you will be like God" (Genesis 3:5).


True Christians do not play the “What if ... “ game, but knows & understands that God is real; made everything, sees all, knows all, and can do anything. God exists, and all the implications are true. What God promises in His Holy Word, we believe and trust it! His grace abounds. Forgiveness is available, redemption is for the asking, and eternal live in Heaven as a Child of God is the reward of the true Believer. If Jesus Christ (our Lord and Savior) said it; I have faith in it and shall faithfully follow until He comes for me. John 14:1-4 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.". A Christian is not someone who merely believes that Christ died for our sins. A Christian is somebody who repented of their sins and asked Christ into their heart to be their Lord and Savior. We don’t earn our way to heaven. We can't because the standard is absolute perfection for us to go to heaven, but our sins are forgiven and we can enter through the finished work of Jesus Christ. Our performance has no merit to our salvation, but Christ’s merit and substituting death in our place, to pay the penalty of our sins, can only redeem us – Jesus is the Way. John 14:6-7 “Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well." Acts 16:31 “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.” At the moment we trust Christ as our personal Savior, we are eternally saved, eternally secure, and God begins to work on us. When you give your heart to Jesus Christ, (give your life to the Lord as a living sacrifice & commit your life to Christ), He takes control of your life and begins to form you into the person He wants you to be, for His purposes. Not like some mindless robot, but like a parent teaching and forming their child utilizing their unique gifts and personality. You are a Child of God! Acts 17:28 says "We are his offspring." How awesome is that!

God shall provide for our lives (Matthew 7:7-11), but real faith is not just receiving the things that we want. Our expectations are not the goal and, most of the time, we have the wrong intentions behind our desires. Remember what Jesus said concerning what we pray to God for, as He gave us the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:8your Father knows what you need before you ask him”. James explains further in Chapter 4 / Verses 2-3: “You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures”. Real faith is accepting from God the things He gives us. Those God calls, He equips and we can not even imagine what He has planned in store for us, as we serve Him (not in vain) and influence others for Christ’s sake. God is good! - All the time! That which is “spirit’ is unseen. John 4:24 tell us that “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." We do not see the wind, but see the affects of the wind. We do not see love, but see the affects of love. Do we not see the affects of God? And do we not see the affects of belief & unbelief today? Yes to both! Ephesians 6:16 “Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one”.

2 Corinthians 3:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight”. Got Faith in what you can not see? In John 20:27-29 Jesus said, “Stop doubting and believe." Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Keep giving. Keep praying. Keep praising. Keep servicing, Keep witnessing. Keep worshiping. Don’t fail to be faithful.


2Peter 1:2 “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord”

In Christ, Brian

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