Latest / Scripture Central / ”Stand Forever” Ep. 21 | The Truth—Faith in Christ | Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge
Transcript
- 0:00If you don't believe in monsters you should fear and its cousins
- 0:07worry and shame, are the terrible trio.
- 0:10They are the monsters which will eat you alive if you let them.
- 0:15Usually when your faith is weak, it is not because you don't
- 0:20believe in God, rather you don't believe in yourself.
- 0:26Of all of the laws of the gospel, is there one which, if
- 0:29more fully understood and applied, will generate the
- 0:33greatest return and benefit? Yes.
- 0:51Of all the principles of redeeming truth, of all the laws
- 0:57of the gospel, is is there one which, if more fully understood
- 1:01and applied, will generate the greatest return and benefit?
- 1:08In the last episode, we discovered what the Lord has
- 1:11described as His gospel, His doctrine, His Word, and the
- 1:17commandment, beginning with faith in Jesus Christ, alignment
- 1:22with His teachings, which is essentially repentance,
- 1:27ordinances and covenants beginning with baptism, receive
- 1:32the gift of the Holy Ghost and endure to the end, building up
- 1:35the Kingdom of God. Those are the waypoints along
- 1:40the course that leads to eternal life and every good thing
- 1:43between here and there. Hello, I'm Larry Corbridge and
- 1:49this is episode 21 of Stand Forever.
- 1:53The focus of this episode is the first of those waypoints, Faith
- 1:59in the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that the first
- 2:05principles and ordinances of the gospel are first faith in the
- 2:11Lord Jesus Christ, 2nd repentance, third baptism for
- 2:17the remission of sins, 4th the laying out of hands for the gift
- 2:21of the Holy Ghost, first faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
- 2:28This brings us back to what I call ABC, what seems to me to be
- 2:35the central message of the Old Testament.
- 2:38I think this was in episode 4 and and this is this is what ABC
- 2:45is A only God can bless you B He will bless you if you remember
- 2:52him to keep his commandments. Therefore C remember him to keep
- 2:57his commandments. ABC is essentially equivalent to
- 3:04Thou shalt have no other gods before Me, which is essentially
- 3:09equivalent to Remember Him always, which is essentially
- 3:14equivalent to 1st faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as defined in
- 3:23the Bible dictionary. Faith is is to hope for things
- 3:28which are not seen, but which are true, and must be centered
- 3:33in Jesus Christ in order to produce salvation.
- 3:38Faith is to look to Him, learn of him, trust him.
- 3:52Joseph Smith taught in the lectures on Faith that three
- 3:56things are necessary for faith, quoting from him.
- 4:02First, the idea that God actually exists.
- 4:08Secondly, a correct idea of his character, perfections and
- 4:13attributes. Thirdly, an actual knowledge
- 4:20that the course of life to which he is pursuing is according to
- 4:23his will. 1st, The idea that God exists is not knowledge or even
- 4:32belief, rather only the idea of God's existence.
- 4:39You can't exercise faith in a God about whom you are either
- 4:43oblivious, ignore, or deny. 2nd, a correct idea of God's
- 4:50character, perfections and attributes.
- 4:53This This is a step up from the first.
- 4:58Your idea or understanding of God's character, perfections,
- 5:02and attributes must be correct in order to exercise faith.
- 5:08You can't exercise faith in a God who is incomprehensible or
- 5:12unknowable, or a God who is remote, inattentive, or
- 5:16uncaring, or a God whose job is to grant your every wish, or a
- 5:21God who will excuse sin because of his unconditional love for
- 5:25all of his children, or any other other of the false notions
- 5:30in a very long list of false notions about who God is.
- 5:36A correct idea of God's character, perfections, and
- 5:39attributes is the second step toward knowing God, which
- 5:44ultimately is eternal life. In the Bible dictionary we have
- 5:50this the Lord has revealed Himself and and His perfect
- 5:55character, possessing in their fullness all of the attributes
- 5:59of love, knowledge, justice, mercy, unchangeableness, power,
- 6:05and every other needful thing so as to enable the mind of man to
- 6:09place confidence in Him without reservation.
- 6:15Paul said, But without faith it is impossible to please God, for
- 6:21he that cometh to God must believe that He is and that He
- 6:26is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
- 6:32That is the combination of of those first two elements.
- 6:37Believe that He is that first element and believe that He will
- 6:42bless you as you diligently seek Him.
- 6:46God reveals His character and his relationship to His children
- 6:52that they may have faith in Him. He said to Moses, Behold I am
- 6:59the Lord God Almighty, and endless is my name, for I am
- 7:05without beginning of days and end of years, and is not this
- 7:09endless? And behold, thou art my son, and
- 7:14I have a work for thee, Moses my son, and thou art in the
- 7:17similitude of mine only begotten, And mine only begotten
- 7:22is and shall be the Savior, for he is full of grace and truth.
- 7:27But there is no God beside me, and all things are present with
- 7:31me, for I know them all. The Lord also revealed that God
- 7:38comprehendeth all things, and all things are before Him, and
- 7:43all things are round about Him, and He is above all things and
- 7:48in all things, and is through all things things, and is
- 7:52roundabout all things, and all things are by Him and of Him,
- 7:57even God forever and ever. The Jews had false hopes and
- 8:05expectations for the Messiah. They look for a political king
- 8:10as much as spiritual to free them from Rome's bondage.
- 8:15Their suffering under under the heavy boot of Rome, coupled with
- 8:19some of the prophecies of the Messiah, gave rise to false
- 8:24hopes and expectations. The Psalmist, for example,
- 8:28recorded that the heathen and the uttermost parts of the earth
- 8:32would be the inheritance and possessions of the Messiah, who
- 8:36would break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces
- 8:41like a Potter's vessel. Isaiah prophesied the government
- 8:47shall be upon his shoulder. Daniel said his Kingdom would
- 8:51fill the earth and break in pieces and consume all these
- 8:55kingdoms and stand forever. So, understandably, the Jews
- 9:01foresaw His Kingdom as their Kingdom also, raising them in
- 9:06power and glory with Him to dominate and rule the earth
- 9:10instead of Rome. When Jesus of Nazareth appeared
- 9:15in their midst, they would not accept or exercise faith in Him
- 9:19even as He stood before them, because He did not fulfill their
- 9:24flawed expectations of His character, perfections,
- 9:29attributes, and mission. Our expectations and beliefs
- 9:35must also be correct or true. Faith is not to have a perfect
- 9:41knowledge of things. Therefore, if you have faith and
- 9:44ye hope for things which are not sane, which are true, there is a
- 9:53stubborn arrogance, turning away from God because of
- 9:56disappointment, of not being blessed as hoped.
- 10:01It is a broken hearted, miserable arrogance that wets
- 10:05its pillow with tears at night, but arrogance nonetheless,
- 10:10losing faith in God and His Word.
- 10:15That kind of thinking is reasonable only if you know
- 10:19everything, only if you know better than God.
- 10:25But if you don't know everything, then you must allow
- 10:29for disappointment and trust in God who does know everything,
- 10:36which is faith. Christ did not get everything he
- 10:42asked for either. He prayed.
- 10:52He prayed 3 times that the bitter cup pass from him.
- 11:02It didn't happen. It didn't happen and he drained
- 11:07the dregs of that awful cup. It wasn't because his faith was
- 11:13weak. It wasn't because the God did
- 11:17not hear him. Rather, God had another purpose.
- 11:24Many righteous petitions have not been granted and suffering
- 11:28has gone unabated, sickness prolonged and lives not spared.
- 11:34Not for the want of faith, rather the will of God who
- 11:39exercised in the bright light of his love for all his children
- 11:44and his knowledge of all things. Elder Jeffrey R Holland said
- 11:50this. The point is that faith means
- 11:54trusting God in good times and bad, even if that includes some
- 12:06suffering until we see His arm revealed in our behalf.
- 12:14That can be difficult in our modern world when many who've
- 12:19come to believe that the highest good in life is to avoid all
- 12:23suffering, that no one should ever anguish over anything.
- 12:29But that belief will never lead us to the measure of the stature
- 12:34of the fullness of Christ. So faith is not necessarily the
- 12:40power to get your way rather than the power to go on when you
- 12:47don't. It is not the means to bend God
- 12:51to your way of thinking, rather the means to bend your thinking
- 12:55to His. It is submission.
- 12:59It includes submission. People persist in measuring God
- 13:05against the standard of themselves.
- 13:10They wonder why God doesn't do what they think best, why there
- 13:15is suffering in the world, and why bad things happen to good
- 13:19people. They turn the truth on its head.
- 13:24The people are the standard by which God then is measured.
- 13:29How much better if we measured ourselves by God?
- 13:36One who has faith in God may say I don't know why things didn't
- 13:42work out better. But I know God is good.
- 13:59I know my heavenly Father is loving and wise there.
- 14:05Therefore there must be a good reason.
- 14:09I will continue to trust in God, hold to my faith and not slang,
- 14:16slack in my pace. When Shadrach, Meshach, and
- 14:23Abednego refused to worship the golden, golden idol of King
- 14:27Nebuchadnezzar at the threat of a horrible death if they refuse,
- 14:32they said, And you know these words, they said, If it be so,
- 14:37our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning
- 14:41fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thy hand, O
- 14:45King. But if not, be it known unto
- 14:49thee, O King, that we will not serve thy gods nor worship the
- 14:56golden image thou has set up. Faith in God the Father and in
- 15:03His Son Jesus Christ is not faith that they exist, rather
- 15:11faith to follow them, not knowing exactly how things will
- 15:16unfold. The highest expression of faith
- 15:21is faithfulness in uncertainty, faithfulness not knowing the
- 15:28outcome, faithfulness regardless of the outcome, faithfulness
- 15:35when things go wrong. God declared His purpose for the
- 15:41creation of the heavens and the earth, saying And we will prove
- 15:45them herewith to see if they will do all things whatsoever
- 15:50the Lord their God shall command them.
- 15:54The question is not whether we will be faithful when things go
- 15:58well, rather will we be faithful when they don't?
- 16:02That's the question, and that is faith.
- 16:08The third foundation element of faith is an actual knowledge.
- 16:13The course you are pursuing is according to God's will.
- 16:19This is a big step up from the first two requirements, which
- 16:24involve only ideas, the idea of God and a correct idea of who
- 16:31God is. Here we are at the level of
- 16:35actual knowledge. The first two requirements that
- 16:40is the idea of God and a correct idea of who God is blend
- 16:45together as believe in God. While to have an actual
- 16:52knowledge. The course you are pursuing is
- 16:55acceptable to to God is listen to this is believe in yourself.
- 17:05It is not enough to only believe in God.
- 17:08You must also have a correct understanding about your
- 17:12relationship with Him. You must know you are not only
- 17:17His child, but you are worthy to receive His help and blessings.
- 17:23You must know you are OK in your imperfection and weakness.
- 17:31Usually when your faith is weak, it is not because you don't
- 17:36believe in God, rather you don't believe in yourself.
- 17:43That's the greater challenge. Oh yes, you accept God and His
- 17:47power to bless others, but you may doubt He will bless you, a
- 17:54man with a long and dark history said.
- 17:58I did not ever lose my testimony of the church or the restored
- 18:02gospel, but I did lose any confidence in being able to live
- 18:08those standards and opted instead for a different
- 18:12lifestyle. He he could not exercise faith
- 18:17necessary to reform his life because he did not have an
- 18:22actual knowledge the course of life he was pursuing aligned
- 18:26with the will of God because it didn't.
- 18:29As a result, he did not believe in himself and couldn't have
- 18:35faith. From whence does this assurance,
- 18:41this actual knowledge, spring? It comes from two sources.
- 18:47The 1st is the Holy Ghost, sometimes referred to as the
- 18:51Holy Spirit of promise, which cannot dwell.
- 18:55Listen to this which cannot dwell in an unholy temple.
- 19:01The companionship of the Spirit is evidence of 1's worthiness to
- 19:07receive the blessings promised by ordinances received and
- 19:12covenants made. That gives rise to hope, even
- 19:16the hope of eternal life. Thus, the Holy Spirit of
- 19:20promise. The second way to know you are
- 19:25acceptable to God and and, and that you are pursuing the course
- 19:30that is acceptable to Him is simply to honestly be able to
- 19:34make this statement. I'm a fool.
- 19:39I've made mistakes I wish I could undo.
- 19:43I am weak and imperfect. But one thing I can say, I'm on
- 19:50the path of the gospel and I'm pressing forward with all my
- 19:55heart, my mind and strength. That's not superhuman.
- 20:02That's just everything you have and are.
- 20:04That's your best. And, and I'm not covering
- 20:08anything. I'm not hiding anything in my
- 20:12life. If you can honestly say that you
- 20:17may know, you must know. You are OK, you are on the path
- 20:27acceptable to God, and you will arrive at its destination, which
- 20:32is eternal life, God's life, provided you don't stop,
- 20:37provided you don't get off. What more could you ask?
- 20:45A woman who suffered severe depression became involved with
- 20:48a man who was not her husband, ultimately resulting in the
- 20:52dissolution of her marriage. She repented and later said
- 20:58this. I no longer blame myself for his
- 21:02decision to divorce me. There is no part of me that
- 21:06wanted that. But I am responsible for my own
- 21:10choices and moving forward. I'm turning over my heartache to
- 21:15the Savior. I am grateful I don't need to
- 21:20feel ashamed and that Heavenly Father is patient, kind of
- 21:28loving. This year, she said, has been
- 21:31much better as I've transitioned out of a marriage into being the
- 21:36best, single, confident mom I can be.
- 21:41She knows she is on course, which enables her faith.
- 21:48You don't have to be perfect to believe in yourself.
- 21:52Not hardly. Believing in yourself is to know
- 21:56that you are imperfect but worthy.
- 22:01It is to know that even in your weakness and imperfections, you
- 22:05are on the path of the gospel, pressing forward, doing the best
- 22:10you can do without covering sin. That's it.
- 22:16The first book of Nephi's, it seems to me at least, may be the
- 22:20greatest book written on the subject of faith, particularly
- 22:24when read with those 3 foundational elements in in
- 22:28mind. That is the idea that God
- 22:30exists. Secondly, a correct idea
- 22:33regarding his attributes, character and perfections.
- 22:37And thirdly, an actual knowledge that the course you were
- 22:41pursuing is acceptable to God. For example, on one occasion
- 22:47Nephi brothers, presumably Lehman and Lemuel, were arguing
- 22:51about a matter their father Lehi had taught.
- 22:55Nephi asked them have he inquired of the Lord?
- 23:01To which they responded, We have not, for the Lord maketh no such
- 23:07thing known unto us. They were right.
- 23:12They were right. The Lord did not make such
- 23:16things known unto them. Not because He refused them,
- 23:21rather because they lacked the faith to ask and get an answer.
- 23:26They lacked the faith to ask because they did not have an
- 23:30actual knowledge. The course of life they were
- 23:33pursuing was according to God's will.
- 23:36Because it wasn't. They at least lack the third
- 23:41foundational element for faith to receive an answer from God.
- 23:47One other example. There's Nephi's famous
- 23:50declaration. I will go and do the things
- 23:53which the Lord hath commanded, For I know the Lord giveth no
- 23:57commandments under the children of men, save He shall prepare a
- 24:01way for them, that they may accomplish the thing which He
- 24:04commanded them. That statement has all three
- 24:10elements, the idea of God, a correct idea of His power and
- 24:17willingness to prepare away, and thirdly, Nephi's knowledge.
- 24:23He was on the Lord, the Lord's errand.
- 24:28If you read the book of Nephi, the first book of Nephi, with
- 24:33those three elements in mind, you will discover how frequently
- 24:37they appear. Faith springs from believing in
- 24:42God and His power to enable you to do whatever He calls you to
- 24:46do, trusting He knows better than you and believing in
- 24:51yourself, knowing the course you are pursuing is acceptable to
- 24:55Him. The greater your understanding
- 24:59of the character of God and the greater your confidence in the
- 25:02course you are pursuing, the greater your faith.
- 25:15If you don't believe in monsters, you should.
- 25:21One of the worst is fear. Fear and its cousins, worry and
- 25:28shame, are the terrible trio. They are the monsters which will
- 25:34eat you alive if you let them. They will rob you of peace,
- 25:41happiness and success. The measure of good that has
- 25:47gone undone because of fear is monumental.
- 25:54The measure of words never spoken, the things which are
- 25:57never taught, the talents that are buried and never developed,
- 26:01the knowledge that has never gained, the development and
- 26:04progress that are never realized because of fear are immense.
- 26:11Do you remember the parable of the talents?
- 26:14Of course you do. Do you remember why the third
- 26:18unprofitable servant hit up his talent and did nothing with it?
- 26:22He said I was afraid. You don't have to live sinfully
- 26:29for Satan to win. He wins when you are afraid.
- 26:34Much of life is learning to overcome fear.
- 26:38Jesus said be not afraid, only believe.
- 26:44And yet, yet we're also commanded to be anxiously
- 26:50engaged in a good 'cause we often experience anxiety,
- 26:56especially in the Lord's service.
- 26:59The Lord through the church calls us to do things we are not
- 27:03comfortable doing, even fearful. Most callings are to do things
- 27:08and serve in ways we would not do if left alone.
- 27:13In so doing, the Lord stretches and pulls us in ways we do not
- 27:18want to be stretched and pulled and would not have left to our
- 27:22own devices. Facing fear, then, is often a
- 27:27natural consequence of doing what the Lord calls us to do.
- 27:34When I was called to be a state president, I was afraid.
- 27:38I did not want to be the state president, and I was filled with
- 27:42doubt and fear. I turned to the scriptures and
- 27:46made a list, 35 pages of scriptures, a list of all the
- 27:51scriptures that speak about fear.
- 27:55There are many. I was surprised by the singular,
- 28:00consistent message woven throughout the Scripture.
- 28:05Beginning with the Old Testament, down through to the
- 28:09Pearl of Great Christ and all Scripture in between, The Lord
- 28:13has revealed A singular message about faith and fear from the
- 28:18beginning of time down through the ages.
- 28:21It is this fear not, I am with it.
- 28:28It may be the most repeated command in the Bible.
- 28:34Here is one of the iterations spoken to Isaac.
- 28:38I am the God of Abraham. Fear not, for I am with thee in
- 28:44our day. Wherefore be of good cheer and
- 28:49do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and we'll stand by
- 28:56you, and you shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I
- 29:03am the Son of the living God, that I, that I was, that I am,
- 29:08and that I am to come. One of the most helpful
- 29:13instructions the Lord has given about fear I have mentioned
- 29:17before was given to the Prophet Joseph Smith after the 1st 116
- 29:23pages of the translation of the Book of Mormon We're We're Lost
- 29:28by Martin Harris. He simply said you should not
- 29:32have feared man more than God. This is at least helpful to me
- 29:39because although we may or may not totally conquer fear in this
- 29:44life, we can learn. At least we can learn at least
- 29:49to fear God more than man. What does it mean to fear God?
- 29:56It means the same as fearing man.
- 29:59You know what it means to fear man?
- 30:01To be concerned about what other people think about you.
- 30:05It is wanting to be accepted by others, trying to please other
- 30:09people. To fear the Lord is essentially
- 30:14the same. To be concerned about what He
- 30:17thinks of you. It is wanting to be accepted by
- 30:23Him. It is trying to please him.
- 30:30To fear God more than man therefore means that we choose
- 30:33to please God first. No other gods before him first
- 30:39faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. When your focus is to do what is
- 30:45pleasing to the Lord, the fear of man at least diminishes and
- 30:51sometimes dissolves away all together.
- 30:56If you are worthy and you know it, and you if you focus on
- 31:00pleasing God more than seeking the praise of man, then fear
- 31:06will not rule the day. So remember this, Think of this.
- 31:20It is dark in the early hours of the morning, and the wind is
- 31:25howling, whipping the Sea of Galilee.
- 31:30The ship is in the middle of the sea, tossed with the waves.
- 31:34The the disciples have been rowing most of the night.
- 31:38Through the darkness. They see what appears to be a
- 31:41man walking at a distance, crossing the sea.
- 31:46He's supported. He's walking on the water.
- 31:49He's supported only by the water on which he walks.
- 31:54It's too too dark to tell who or what it is.
- 31:58Those in the boat are amazed and afraid of what they see.
- 32:02They think they see a spirit. The man turns towards them and
- 32:07says, Be of good cheer it is. I be not afraid.
- 32:16It sounds like the voice of Jesus.
- 32:19Peter cries out, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on
- 32:26the water to go to thee. Jesus says, Come.
- 32:32With little thought, Peter steps out into the darkness and onto
- 32:38the water. He begins to walk toward the
- 32:42Lord. He takes a few steps, but when
- 32:46he looks at the wind and the waves rather than the Lord, fear
- 32:50rises up and he begins to sink. And he cries out, What we must
- 32:56all cry, Lord, save me. Jesus takes him by the hand and
- 33:05says, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
- 33:14Why do we doubt? Why do we doubt God?
- 33:23Why do we doubt ourselves? Why do we?
- 33:26Why do we fear? Often it's because we take our
- 33:31eyes off the Lord and focus on the threat, the problem, the
- 33:36obstacle. First, faith in Christ, Look to
- 33:43him. A desperate father looks for
- 33:47Jesus. He is one of the rulers of the
- 33:50synagogue. His name is Jairus.
- 33:54When he sees Jesus, he's falls at his feet and begs.
- 33:58My little daughter is at the point of death.
- 34:01I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be
- 34:05healed and she shall live. Jesus consents, and they leave
- 34:11for the home of Jay Iris. But there are many other people
- 34:15who follow. As they make their way through
- 34:17the streets, they are crowded by masses of people who press to
- 34:22see and hear and marvel at this singularly remarkable man.
- 34:29There's also one who has come in hopes of healing.
- 34:32She's a woman of quiet faith. She has been ill for many years,
- 34:36having suffered many things at the hands of many physicians,
- 34:41exhausting all her resources, and now she is worse than ever.
- 34:47She does not want to delay Jesus.
- 34:49As he passes by, she wonders, Can I just touch his garment?
- 34:57No one will notice. She quietly reaches out and it
- 35:02brushes her hand. As he passes by, she is healed.
- 35:09Jesus stops and asks, Who touched my clothes?
- 35:13His disciples are perplexed. They say, Thou seest the the
- 35:18multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou who touched me?
- 35:23But the woman knows she's frightened.
- 35:27She didn't want to be noticed. She didn't want to detain the
- 35:31Lord nor draw attention to herself.
- 35:34She only wanted to quietly be healed unnoticed.
- 35:38Has she done wrong? But she steps forward,
- 35:42trembling, and falls down before the Lord.
- 35:47She explains what she did. Jesus says, Daughter, thy faith
- 35:53has made thee whole. Go in peace and behold of thy
- 35:59plague. At this moment, servants of
- 36:02Jairus arrive with the dreaded news, the words which which
- 36:07Jairus most feared. Thy daughter is dead.
- 36:13It's all over too late. Maybe if they hadn't been
- 36:18detained, maybe if they had hurried faster, she might have
- 36:21been saved. Now she is dead.
- 36:25It is suggested that they trouble Jesus.
- 36:28No more. Jesus says to the heartbroken
- 36:32Father, be not afraid, only believe.
- 36:39Later the little girl is raised from the dead.
- 36:44Be not afraid, only believe. On another occasion Jesus said,
- 36:54Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you not as the world
- 37:01giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled,
- 37:06neither let it be afraid. Here is a doctrine of great
- 37:14hope. He says don't let your heart be
- 37:19troubled, don't let it be afraid.
- 37:24This means that we can learn how to control and conquer fear and
- 37:30worthy worry. Only believe.
- 37:43There are two ways to learn by observation, that is sight and
- 37:51by faith. Those who learn by faith learn
- 37:56more than those who learn by sight.
- 38:01Jesus taught that those who believe having not seen are more
- 38:06blessed, not less. He said to Thomas, Because thou
- 38:11has seen me, thou hast believed. Blessed are they that have not
- 38:17seen and yet have believed to the Nephite people.
- 38:23He said, Blessed are ye, if you shall believe in me and be
- 38:27baptized, after that ye have seen me, and know that I am.
- 38:32And again more blessed are they who shall believe in your words,
- 38:39because that ye shall testify that you have seen me, and that
- 38:44you know that I am. If Jesus were to appear to you
- 38:49this day as marvelous and sacred as such an experience would be,
- 38:55what would you learn? You would learn that He lives
- 39:00and that He has a body of flesh and bones.
- 39:04But you probably already know, or at least believe those
- 39:08things. More importantly, what would you
- 39:12not learn? You would not know His mind.
- 39:18You would not learn His heart. You would not learn what he
- 39:22thinks and what he feels. You would know he lives, but you
- 39:26would not know him. The process of coming to know
- 39:33Him as what you learn by faith, as you rely on Him, as you
- 39:40worship Him, as you try to think to do what He would do from one
- 39:45circumstance to the next, and from day-to-day, the Holy Ghost
- 39:50will reveal to you what He would do.
- 39:54The Scriptures repeatedly revealed that Jesus Christ will,
- 39:59quote, manifest Himself unto all those who believe in Him by the
- 40:06power. Of the Holy Ghost He will
- 40:09manifest Himself unto those who believe in Him by the power of
- 40:15the Holy Ghost within the intimate context of your
- 40:20experiences, and by that process you may not only know He lives,
- 40:28but come to know Him. Therefore, the greater miracle
- 40:34is the less dramatic to one day stand in His presence.
- 40:40And to know Him as He knows you is only the natural consequence
- 40:45of exercising faith to follow Him as He is revealed to you by
- 40:51the power of the Holy Ghost from one situation from to the next,
- 40:56day-to-day. Those who learn by faith learn
- 41:01more than those who learn by sight.
- 41:06As you come to learn of Christ by faith, you will learn more by
- 41:10the Holy Ghost than Thomas ever knew.
- 41:15As a result of Christ's appearance, you will be blessed
- 41:20as one who has not seen and yet believed.
- 41:34Faith, then, is premised on the knowledge of truth.
- 41:40Faith is premised on the knowledge of truth as to God's
- 41:44character, perfections and attributes, and your
- 41:49relationship to Him. It gives 1A vision above that of
- 41:55His fellows, the power to see and know Him for whom He is
- 42:01looking. You must know who you're looking
- 42:05for to recognize Him when you find Him.
- 42:11Faith is not only the first principle of the gospel, it is
- 42:15also our greatest need of all of the principles of redeeming
- 42:21truth. Of all of the laws of the
- 42:24gospel, is there one which, if more fully understood and
- 42:28applied, will generate the greatest return and benefit?
- 42:33Yes, faith in Christ. If there is a single key, If
- 42:42there is a central foundational principle to the gospel, it is
- 42:47faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. If there is a single key that
- 42:53opens the door to every other redeeming truth and every other
- 42:56good thing under heaven, it is faith in Christ.
- 43:00If there is a single principle which will ensure success,
- 43:04happiness and peace, it is greater faith in Jesus Christ.
- 43:11Do you want to be happier? Focus on faith in Jesus Christ.
- 43:17Do you want Peace of Mind? Focus on faith in Christ.
- 43:22Do you want to overcome fear? Focus on faith in Jesus Christ.
- 43:28Do you want to be more successful?
- 43:30Focus on faith in Christ. Do you want to be a better
- 43:34person? Focus on faith in the Lord Jesus
- 43:37Christ. Is there any problem or any
- 43:42dilemma the Lord cannot resolve? Is there any wound or heart he
- 43:48cannot heal? Is there any pain He cannot
- 43:53remove or make you able to bear? Is there any truth He cannot
- 43:58reveal? Is there any soul He cannot
- 44:02reach? No, no, no one else can.
- 44:14But He can, and He will if you will have faith in Him.
- 44:22He is the answer. He is the key.
- 44:26He is the way. Why knock on any door?
- 44:30But he is why? Why walk any path?
- 44:34But he is. He is bread and water, light and
- 44:40life. He is the summa bono, alpha and
- 44:46Omega. He is the beginning and the end.
- 44:54He is the way offsetting chaos, He is the truth offsetting
- 45:01darkness, and He is the life offsetting death.
- 45:09Finally, let's just take our bearings as to where we have
- 45:14been and where we are going in the Stand Forever series.
- 45:20So again, just to remind you, the essential problem in life is
- 45:24separation from God our Father. The consequences that flow from
- 45:30that separation are chaos, darkness, and death.
- 45:35Jesus Christ bridges the gap and qualifies us to be endowed with
- 45:41divine power and return to God's presence if we will believe and
- 45:46follow Him to the end. He is the way offsetting chaos.
- 45:53He is the truth offsetting darkness.
- 45:56He is the life offsetting death. We have considered to this point
- 46:02Christ as the way. We are now in the middle of
- 46:09looking at Him as the truth. In this episode, we have looked
- 46:15at faith in Christ, the first waypoint along the path that
- 46:20leads to God's Son, His Spirit, and His life.
- 46:24In the next episode, we will consider the second repentance
- 46:29and forgiveness. I invite you and hope that you
- 46:34will join me then. Thank you.