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Understanding the Faith for Greater Works (Part 2) · Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons

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Welcome to NECF sermons. Each message here is
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designed to uplift and strengthen you in your
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walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until
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the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive
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right in. Welcome to church this evening. It's
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a blessing to have us once again. to fellowship
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together in the world and to enjoy the blessings
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therein in the world. So my desire is that we
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pay attention and be patient with me as we go
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step by step. It's very important that you pay
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due diligence to everything I say and And build,
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you know, how we build is we build step by step.
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You know, and by the time we reach the destination
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that I think is required, we'll be able to have
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a comprehensive understanding of the things that
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we have. We've been discussing all the things
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we've started discussing. So, as we all know,
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I don't think there's anybody new today, but
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if there's anybody new or listening to this,
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you know, For the first time in the recordings
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for the year, our theme has been Greater Works.
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Greater Works. And it's found in John chapter
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14. John chapter 14. John chapter 14 verses 12.
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John chapter 14 verse 12. Please, I don't want
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you to be distracted by anything. Let our attention
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be in one place, alright? John chapter 14, from
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verse 12 to 14. Most assuredly, I say to you,
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that he who believes in me, the works that I
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do, he will do also, and greater works than these.
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he will do because I go to my father. And we
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began on Sunday discussing a topic, understanding
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the faith for greater works. We said that from
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what we can derive from this text, faith is very
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important to doing great works. And for us to
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walk in what I would call the promise of God
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in this verse, it is essential that we understand.
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Without understanding faith, the kind of faith
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we are talking about, it's difficult for us to
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live out the promise or the instruction is a
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promise as well as an instruction to us. It would
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be difficult for us to live it out. So that is
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my goal in trying to help us to understand the
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faith. for greater works. And I want to be very
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contextual in my conversation here. You know,
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we're talking about biblical faith. Are we together?
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So whenever we're discussing faith, I'll take
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the context of our conversation is within the
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Bible, is within the Word of God. It's within
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the provision of the Word of God. So we said
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from on Sunday that the promise of doing greater
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works is for the church era. Isn't it? which
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we mean it is by the Spirit. And it is a work
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of faith. So even those whom Jesus was speaking
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to, the apostles that were listening to him,
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Philip, Peter, and others that were asking him
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questions, you know, him speaking to them or
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Jesus speaking to them was revealing to them
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a reality that will happen in the church era.
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When I mean the church era, I mean at the resurrection.
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Because the resurrection and the ascension of
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Christ give birth to the church. Are we together?
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So it is they who are in the spirit or who are
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of the spirit of God that can do great works.
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And we saw also similarly Jesus communicating
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the same thing or something similar in Mark chapter
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12. Mark chapter 12 from verse... Mark 11 rather
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from verse 12. Mark 11 from verse 12. And yeah,
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12 to 14. And then I jump as well as we did on
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Sunday to 20 and 24. Now the next day when they
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had come out from Bethany, Jesus was hungry.
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And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves,
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he went to see if perhaps he will find something
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on it. When he came to it, he found nothing.
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but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.
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In response, Jesus said to it, Let no one eat
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fruit from you ever again. And his disciples
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heard what he said. Now, verse 20. In response,
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verse 20. Verse 20? Yes. Now in the morning,
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as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried
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up from the roots. And Peter remembering and
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said to him, Rabbi, look, the fig tree which
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you curse has withered away. So Jesus answered
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and said to them, have faith in God. For assuredly,
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I said to you, whoever says to this mountain,
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be removed and be cast into the sea and does
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not doubt in his heart. but believes that those
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things he says will be done. He will have whatever
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he says. Therefore, I say to you, whatever things
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you ask, when you pray, believe that you receive
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them and you will have them. Hallelujah. So equally,
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what Jesus is saying here, what Jesus is speaking
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in this passage is also in line with what we
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saw in John 14, verse 12. what Jesus is teaching
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is the work of faith. What faith does, okay?
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What faith does in and through the believer and
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not necessarily how faith comes. We'll look at
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it on Sunday, hopefully, how, you know, faith
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comes to us. He's generally talking about, you
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know, how faith works, the activity of faith.
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Now, we say that Mark 22, From our study, I'm
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not going to go back to what we said on Sunday
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or study, you know, it's better rendered as have
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the faith of God or if you have the faith of
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God, you will be able to say to this mountain,
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be moved. And based on our conversation is that
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faith comes from God. Hallelujah. Faith comes
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from God. And God is the origin of faith. That
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is what we... established on Sunday. That faith
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does not come from man, but this faith for these
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greater works or for great works comes from God.
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And God, by His infinite mercy and grace and
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love for us, His children, who believe in the
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message of salvation, God has worked in us. Hallelujah.
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He has worked in you. He has worked in me. His
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faith So we have all it takes to do greater works.
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So now the faith we have, we have faith in us.
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We have faith in us and the faith we exercise
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is a gift that God has granted us. The faith
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of God we have in us. The goal is to show to
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us that God is a source of our faith and that
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we already have the faith of God in us. Therefore,
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we are prepared or we are equipped in all ways,
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you know, to do the greater works that you have
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called us to do. Oftentimes, you know, when it
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comes to the issue of doing works or greater
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works or performance or doing anything, ministry,
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preaching the gospel, healing the sick, you know,
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or even living out rightly, oftentimes think
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that it is an effort that we put in. For example,
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now we want to do the work of ministry as important
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as fasting is, right? We go into 40 days of fasting.
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Fasting and prayer, which is very essential.
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I'm not in any way downgrading and in any way
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saying fasting is not important. It's an important
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Christian discipline. But oftentimes, if we don't
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fast and pray, we think that we can't teach the
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word of God, all right? We can't heal. For example,
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now you are in a place where somebody, maybe
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there's a demonic manifestation, right? And as
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a child of God, you're supposed to do what is
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necessary. What do you do as a child of God?
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You cast out the devils, right? But sometimes
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we think that there's a special exercise we need
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to do. First of all, we need to have fasted,
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you know, 40 days and we're in the mood. You
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know, by the fasting that we fasted, then we
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now have the required faith in order to do that
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which God has enabled us to do. So there's a
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lot of emphasis, emphasis on human effort, emphasis
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on what you can do, emphasis on your discipline.
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Now, we are not calling you to a life of indiscipline.
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But what we are telling you is that God has created
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everything in you. The ability in you. The power
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is within you by the power of the Spirit of God
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that lives in you. The faith that is in you,
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God has worked out perfectly. The believer has
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no faith issues. Are we together? The believer
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does not have a faith issue. The believer has
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all it takes to do all that God has created him
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to do. The believer has everything it takes to
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do all that God has recreated him in Christ to
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do. We are his workmanship. Workmanship simply
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means we are his masterpiece. We are the perfection
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of the creation of God in Christ Jesus. So we
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have all sufficiency. Hallelujah. We have only
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text to do what God has called us to do as believers,
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as Christians, as those who are of the household
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of faith. So we ask the question, what about
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the text that says without faith, it is impossible
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to please God? You know, and oftentimes, as we
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always will say, we assume, That the faith to
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please God comes from us. The moment we don't,
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you know, activate the faith towards God, we
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don't please God. But we forget that our identity
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is that of faith. We forget that we have already
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pleased God in Christ Jesus. We forget that God
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has already created in us the ability, not only
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that we are going to please God, But we have
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already pleased God in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah.
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Positionally, the believer has pleased God. So
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what we see us doing is a product of what God
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has already done in us. Amen. So let's turn to
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Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11 from verse
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1 to 6. We read this passively on Sunday. Now
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faith is a substance of things hoped for, the
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evidence of things not seen, for by it the elders
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obtain a good testimony. So the elders obtain
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good testimony because of faith. By faith we
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understand that the walls were framed. Which
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walls? The walls, are they different walls? The
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walls were framed by the word of God so that
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the things which were seen were not made of things
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which were visible. By faith Abel offered to
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God a more excellent sacrifice. A more excellent
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sacrifice? Or rather we will say a more excellent
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offering? than Cain, through which he obtained
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witness that he was righteous. God testifying
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of his gifts. Now you see, that sacrifice is
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a gift. Means that Abel offered a gift. Sacrifice
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will mean that he offers something for something,
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but it's a gift he offered. Through it, he been
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dead. Yet, speak right, by faith Enoch was taken
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away. So that he did not see death. And was not
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found because God had taken him. For before he
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was taken, he had this testimony. There is a
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testimony. And the testimony is that he pleased
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God. Verse 6. But without faith, it is impossible
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to please God. For he who comes to God must believe
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that he is. And that he is. the rewarder of those
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who diligently seek him. Hallelujah. And then
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we asked, or rather we saw that the context of
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this conversation is from chapter 10, all right?
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Because the Bible was not written in chapters.
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It was not written in verses. It was a letter.
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Even though the chapters and the verses are important
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to help us to identify part of scripture, But
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the chapter in all this, the verses of scriptures
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are not an inspiration of the spirit of God.
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All right. They are not an inspiration of the
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spirit of God, but they help us. Sometimes if
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not properly used, they can mislead us. So we
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say that the conversation did not start in chapter
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11, right? Right from chapter one, the conversation
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started. But particularly speaking of faith,
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we see in verse 35. In verse 35 to 39 of chapter
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10. Give me Hebrews 11 verse 35. No, rather Hebrews
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10 verse 35. Hebrews 10 verse 35. Therefore,
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do not cast away your confidence, which has great
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reward. For you have need of endurance, so that
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after you have done the will of God, you may
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receive the promise. And the next verse explains
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this promise. For a little while and he who is
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coming will come, our Lord tarry. Now they just
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shall live by what? By faith. They just shall
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live by what? By faith. And I ask, how does a
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man become just? In God's sight. How does a man,
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how is a man justified? A man is justified by
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what? By faith. So now the just shall live by
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faith, by faith. But if anyone draws back, my
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soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of
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those who draw back to partition, partition,
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partition, but of those who believe to the saving
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of the soul. And we said these verses were a
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reference of Habakkuk 2, verse 3 -4. Habakkuk
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3, verse 2 -4 was where the writer of Hebrews,
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got his text from to explain. And in the original
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text, particularly verse 4, you know, I mentioned
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that in the Septuagint Bible, the faith here
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is not talking about the faith of the person,
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but it's talking about the faith of God. Alright?
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It states that, but the righteous One by my faith
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shall live. And I gave us instances of translations
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that particularly interpreted this verse correctly
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and accurately. And we also saw some texts such
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as Romans 1, verse 17, that also quoted from
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that same Habakkuk. Romans 1, verse 17 says,
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For in the righteousness of God is revealed.
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From faith to faith. And the context here is
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that the writer here is describing two kinds
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of righteousness. Two kinds of righteousness.
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One righteousness that comes from the effort
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of man, which we will call the righteousness
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by works, and that which is from God, which is
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a product of what? Of faith, which is a gift
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from God. So for in it, the righteousness of
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God is revealed from faith to faith. The righteousness
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of God is what? From faith to faith. The just,
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as it is written, the just shall live by faith.
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And we know exactly, particularly, what this
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faith is. Which faith, specifically, this is
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talking about. Galatians 3, verse 11 also. Galatians
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3, verse 11. Galatians 3, verse 11. But that
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no one is justified. Okay? That no one is justified.
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By the law. The law has to do with performances.
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The law has to do with what humans will do. The
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law has to do with the performance of men. But
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that no one is justified by the law in the sight
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of God is evident. For the just shall live by
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what? Shall live by the faith. Particularly,
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we talk about the faith of God. So we concluded
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that it is by the faith of God that the heroes
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of faith, the people we call the heroes of faith
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in Hebrews 11, that it is by the faith of God
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that they did the mighty works that they did.
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That they did. Hallelujah. So Hebrews 11 verse
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1 says, Now faith is the substance of things
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hoped for. Right? Faith. is a substance of things
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hoped for. So which faith are we talking about?
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The faith of the men that have lived before us.
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Because he's trying to describe the effect of
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faith in this man's life. All the activities,
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all the works of faith in their life. Now, oftentimes
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we try to clarify that the Bible is not an English
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dictionary. Okay? Where when you're looking for
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words, you go to the Bible to get the meaningful
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words. So, Hebrews 11 .1 is not an English definition
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of faith. But rather, it is a description of
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what faith does. It's important that we note
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this. Alright? The verse shows what faith does.
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The works of faith. The description of or faith,
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or what I would say, the activities of faith
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in men. It says, faith is a substance of things
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hoped for. The conviction about what they have
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not seen. The conviction about what these men
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have not seen. It is a substance of things. And
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oftentimes, we also think that the things we
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are talking about here are material things or
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our wants. or the things we want for ourselves.
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For example, my school fees. So, because I have
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not seen my school fees, so I use this verse,
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and I say, faith is a substance of things not
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seen. I have not seen the school fees. But of
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course, we trust God, and we exercise our faith
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in God, alright? Perceiving things. But contextually
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here, the things here, he's talking about the
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men. Abraham, okay? Enoch, Abel, and all of them.
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And the things I've not seen, listen, it's not
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talking about material things. Alright? The verse
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here is not, the faith here is not talking about
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material things. Because if it's material things,
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Abraham was rich even before God called him.
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Alright? So it wouldn't be talking about material
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things. Faith is a substance of things hoped
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for, the conviction about what they have not
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seen. It is a substance of things. You know?
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Hebrews 11, 14 and 16 talks about, talks about
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it, gives us an explanation. Hebrews 11, give
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me verse 14 of verse 16. It says, For those who
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say such things, declare plainly that they seek
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a homeland. These are the things. This is the
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explanation of the things that they hope for.
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That they seek a homeland. And truly, if they
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had called to mind that a country from which
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they had come out, they would have had opportunity
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to do what? To go back. But now they desire a
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better, okay? So what they have not seen is something
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better. They desire a better, a heavenly country.
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Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their
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God, for he has prepared a city for them. So
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what they see is something beyond them natural.
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God spoke his word to them concerning what he
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will do. And they believe the word of God. And
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the Bible says it accounted to them as righteousness.
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So their faith, or rather faith here, gives present
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substance to something that is in the future.
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The sense here, when I mean the sense, I mean
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Those that the Hebrew is speaking about, the
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saints had nothing but the promise of hope. The
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promise of God to hope for. Okay? They have nothing
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tangible, but they believe the word of God. Invisible
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evidence of the Messiah, but yet they believe.
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Now, these promises were so real to the Old Testament
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men, that they build their entire life on. If
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you read Genesis 12, you see that God spoke to
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Abraham. And Abraham believed God and what? And
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he moved. He left his family. He left everything.
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And then he embraced the word of God. And he
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moved. who see that some of them were willing
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to die for the sake of the word they receive.
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They have strong conviction. They have strong,
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you know, conviction in what the word of God,
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in what God said to them. In verse 39 and 40,
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we will see, they believe in a promise of what
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they did not receive. Look at verse 39 and verse
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40. Verse 39 and verse 40. He says, and all these
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have, having obtained a good testimony, Their
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testimony is true faith did not receive the promise,
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all right? God having provided something better
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for us, that they should not be made perfect
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apart from us. Hallelujah. So they did not receive,
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right? But they believe. They did not receive,
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but they believe. They believe the word of God.
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The Bible said they died in faith. Verse 13.
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Verse 13 says they died in faith. These all died
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in faith, not having received the promises, but
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having seen them from afar off, were assured
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of them, embraced them, and confessed that they
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were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. So
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we see that by this faith, right? The elders
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obtained this good report. They obtained good
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report. The elders obtained a good report. Of
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course, we know who these elders are. Referring
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to, you know, the kind of people we see in Hebrews
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chapter 11, in Israel, and listed in subsequent
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verses, we see they had a good report. For example,
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Abraham. Abraham in Genesis 15 verse 6. Genesis
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15 verse 6. I was saying. And he believed in
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the Lord. He believed in the Lord. After God
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had spoken to him. And he accounted it to him.
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That is God accounted to him. As righteousness.
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We will see it explained in Genesis. In Galatians
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chapter 3. Hallelujah. Verse 3 of Hebrews 11.
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It says, through faith we understand that the
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worlds were framed by the word of God so that
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things which were seen were not made of the things
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which do appear. And oftentimes, as again, the
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worlds here, we interpret it as a universe. And
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I try to look at the context. First of all, contextually,
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the communication here is not about creation.
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He's not speaking about creation. He's talking
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about the work of faith in the life of these
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men. All right? And we saw earlier the description,
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or rather the source of this faith. And even
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the words in this text, I mean, in the Greek,
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is the word aeons. It says true faith, we understand.
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And this word worlds does not mean that God created
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the earth. That is what I want to stress here,
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by faith. But it is by faith that we understand.
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The word worlds or ages here in some translations,
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ages, is translated from the word aeons. Aeons
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is different from the word cosmos. And I want
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us to note clearly, in the course of our, what
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do you call it, cell teachings, we discuss the
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issue of the end of the ages, isn't it? And what
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did we say are these ages? The word aeons translated
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from the ages, the foundation of the world, right?
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What did we say is the explanation of that particular
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word? What did you say was it? Aeons? Hmm? Who
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forgot him? Huh? Huh? Okay, we're talking about
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the end of the age, especially Matthew 24. Hmm?
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Hmm? What? The word age, not the N. We're talking
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about the word age, aeons. What does it mean?
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Time, all right? Time, okay? What? Era, right?
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So I'm much, much convinced, right, that the
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words here, aeons, listen to this carefully,
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is speaking specifically about the generation
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of these men. Through faith, we understand that
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their walls were framed by the word of God. God
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spoke a word, right? They believed the word of
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God and their reality, right, was followed by
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the faith of God. Hallelujah. So that the things
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which were seen were not made of the things which
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they saw or the things that appear. So the word
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worlds or ages in verse 3 was translated from
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this Greek word aeons, which means a time or
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a period. And this contextually, when examined,
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I say it clearly, will mean the time or the generation
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of the elders. That is, in the time of Noah,
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right? In the time of Abraham, in the time of...
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of Abel, for example, that is an aeons, right?
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That is a time, a time frame. So, for example,
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in Hebrews 1, verse 1 to 2, we see that God,
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who has sundry times and in diverse manners,
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spoke in time past. What time past? How to do
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it? Specific communication of God at different
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times and in different seasons to different people.
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Are we together? So God, who at sundry times
31:33
and in diverse ways, diverse manners, spoke in
31:36
time past unto the fathers by the prophets. So
31:40
the means by which God spoke to that generation,
31:43
that particular eons, right, is by the prophet.
31:48
Had in these last days spoken unto us by his
31:52
son. So in our own generation, in our own time,
31:57
God speaks to us by who? By His Son, by Jesus
32:01
Christ. Alright? So I see consistency in that
32:05
communication even in Hebrews 11 verse 3. Each
32:10
dispensation has a revelation of God. So verse
32:15
3 is talking about the dispensation of time for
32:18
every person as we mentioned in Hebrews 11. I
32:22
will see that each of their experiences in their
32:25
dispensation as seen from this text is defined
32:31
by faith. By faith. It's defined by faith. The
32:37
experience is defined by faith. By faith, verse
32:42
4, Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice
32:46
than Cain. through which he obtained a witness.
32:55
That witness is also the word testimony. He obtained
32:58
a testimony that he was righteous. God testifying
33:03
of his gifts. And through it, he being dead still
33:07
speaks. So we see consistently that the testimonies
33:11
they receive is a testimony of faith. They believe
33:14
in the word of God. They believe in the promise
33:18
of God. And it was an account to them. a testimony
33:22
that they were righteous men. Genesis chapter
33:25
4 verse 1 to 7 speaks of the times of Abel and
33:31
Cain. Let's look at it briefly. Now Adam knew
33:37
his wife and she conceived and bore Cain and
33:41
said, I have acquired a man from the Lord. Then
33:44
she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now
33:47
Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller.
33:51
of the ground. And in the process of time, it
33:56
came to pass that Cain brought an offering of
33:58
a fruit of the ground to the Lord. So who first
34:01
offered? Cain first offered, right? Abel also
34:05
brought of the first of his flock and of their
34:08
fat. And the Lord respected Abel, right? The
34:14
Lord has respected Abel and his offering, but
34:19
he did not respect Cain. And it's often, and
34:23
Cain was very angry and his countenance fell.
34:28
So the Lord said to Cain, why are you angry?
34:31
And why have you your countenance fallen? If
34:35
you do well, how do men do well? If you do well,
34:40
will you not be accepted? How do we get accepted
34:44
before God? How is man accepted in Christ? By
34:49
faith, right? And if you do not do well, sin
34:52
lies at the door and its desire is for you. But
34:56
you should do what? You should rule over it.
34:59
So the offering of Abel was done in response
35:03
to faith. So the testimony that Abel received
35:07
was not because he offered. Are we together?
35:11
Oftentimes in our Bible schools or Bible Sunday
35:14
school, they taught us with pictures the different
35:17
offerings they brought. All right. And they will
35:20
say, okay, Ken brought something that is rotten.
35:25
Okay. And Evel brought something that is alive
35:28
and is beautiful. I mean, this picture will not
35:33
communicate effectively what really happened
35:35
there. One brought offering in faith, out of
35:39
faith, the other out of works, that is in unbelief.
35:45
All right. Let's look at Genesis 4 .4 in the
35:48
Good News Translation. Let's see. Good News Translation.
35:51
It says, Then Abel brought the first lamb born
35:55
to one of his sheep, killed it, and gave the
35:58
best part of it as an offering. The Lord was
36:02
pleased with Abel. Alright? The Lord was pleased
36:06
with Abel and his offering. So we saw or we will
36:10
see that God was pleased. Okay? How can a man
36:15
please God? Except by what? By faith. Abel pleased
36:19
God first. Then his offering was accepted. Alright?
36:23
It was not his offering that made God accept
36:26
him. But rather that he pleased God. Alright?
36:30
And then his offering was accepted. But Cain
36:33
did not come by faith. So his offering was not
36:37
accepted. Let's see how John commented on this.
36:42
Ephesians chapter 3 verse 11. 1 John 3, verse
36:45
11 and 12. For this is a message that you heard
36:53
from the beginning, from Genesis. We should love
36:57
one another, not as Cain, who was of the wicked
37:02
one and murdered his brother. And why did he
37:06
murder his brother? Because his works, okay,
37:10
his works were evil. You see, his works were
37:15
evil and his brother's works righteous. How does
37:20
man work the work of righteousness? Righteousness
37:23
is a gift. Hallelujah. So that comes by the faith
37:30
of God. When we believe the word of God, God
37:32
said it, right? We accept what God said. We have
37:38
faith and we please God. So Hebrews 11, 39 to
37:51
40. And all of this, though they gained divine
37:55
approval, I'm reading from Amplified. Though
38:00
they gained divine approval through their faith,
38:04
through faith, they did not receive the fulfillment
38:07
of what was promised because God had us in mind
38:13
and had something better for us. so that they,
38:19
these men and women of authentic faith, okay,
38:22
they are of authentic faith, will not be made
38:26
perfect, that is, completed in him, apart from
38:29
us. And we continue the reading in chapter 12.
38:32
Therefore we also, okay, therefore we also, since
38:38
we are surrounded by so a great cloud of witnesses,
38:43
now the witness is here. speaks of all these
38:48
people and their exploits. Right? Now, we're
38:51
not saying that, oh, they're in heaven cheering
38:53
for us. Come on, come on, come on. No, that's
38:55
not the picture here. But since we have these
38:57
examples of men that in their time, all right,
39:00
they believed God. And we see through their lives,
39:04
you can read through all, you see, even Rahab.
39:08
Rahab that we know, her name, the only name we
39:11
know is Rahab. And her son named her Lord. Okay?
39:15
She believed the message. What did she believe?
39:18
She believed that God was going to save the nation
39:21
of Israel. She believed the word of God's salvation.
39:25
All right. And she was listed among the heroes
39:29
of faith. What about Samson? And all and all
39:32
and all of them that we'll see in the Old Testament.
39:37
So the cloud of witness is here referring to
39:40
all these people. And it says, let us. let us
39:45
like verse 2 looking unto Jesus therefore we
39:50
also since we are surrendered by so great a cloud
39:52
of witnesses let us lay aside every weight and
39:56
the sin which so easily ensnares us and let us
40:00
run with endurance the race that is set before
40:03
us looking unto Jesus okay the author and the
40:10
finisher of our faith who For the joy that was
40:15
set before him endured the cross, despising the
40:18
shame, and has sat at the right hand of the throne
40:22
of God. He says, let us. A specific set of people
40:27
reading. Right? Those to whom the epistle was
40:32
written to. And of course, an extension to us.
40:35
Let us. Let us lay aside. So faith begins in
40:42
Jesus, right? And it ends in Jesus. Jesus is
40:47
a boundary of our faith. Outside Jesus, we don't
40:52
have faith. Outside Christ and what he has done
40:57
for us, we don't have faith. There is no faith
41:00
for us. The essence and the substance of all
41:04
truth is Jesus Christ. That was what they saw
41:08
from afar and they believe. That was what God
41:12
presented to them in types and in shadows, in
41:16
activities, in diverse manners, in diverse ways,
41:21
in different, even in the works of the law. Moses
41:27
embalmed it with the truth about the reality
41:31
of Christ. So the essence and the substance of
41:37
all truth is Jesus Christ. Faith is perfected
41:41
in him, in Christ. Faith is all self -generated.
41:47
It comes from God. The faith of the Bible comes
41:52
from the person of Jesus Christ. It comes from
41:56
the revelation of Jesus Christ. It comes by hearing
42:03
of the word of God, the message of God. The message
42:11
of Jesus Christ. Romans chapter 10, verse 17.
42:16
Romans chapter 10, verse 17. It says, so then
42:21
faith comes by what? By hearing. We're going
42:24
to spend quality time on this text on Sunday.
42:28
We'll understand how we receive faith. Somebody
42:32
said, are we now saying that the unbeliever does
42:39
not have faith, well, if the unbeliever has faith,
42:45
that is not the kind of faith we are talking
42:47
about here. It's not the faith of Jesus. If he
42:50
already has faith, he doesn't need the faith
42:52
of Jesus. Because faith comes by hearing and
42:55
he has to hear. And what will he hear? The gift
42:58
of faith. And that makes him an unbeliever. A
43:06
man is only an unbeliever when he's presented
43:09
the message and he rejects it. That's what makes
43:11
him an unbeliever. That's where he exercises
43:15
his will and his own choice to not receive what
43:20
God has given. So, faith is in Christ. The understanding
43:30
of the scriptures comes from the person of Jesus
43:32
Christ. Because it says, faith comes by hearing,
43:35
right? So the understanding of scriptures comes
43:38
from the person of Jesus Christ. John chapter
43:40
1 verse 45. We see where Jesus was speaking.
43:44
John chapter 1 verse 45. It says, Joseph, which
44:07
means that what Moses wrote in the law, right,
44:10
was communicating Jesus of Nazareth, the son
44:15
of Joseph. Luke 24, verse 44. Luke 24, 44, we
44:21
see where Jesus summarizes. Then he said to them,
44:25
these are the words which I spoke to you while
44:28
I was still with you, that all things must be
44:31
fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses.
44:35
and the prophets, and the Psalms, concerning
44:38
who? Concerning me. So revelation in the midst
44:42
of revelation comes from the person of Jesus
44:45
Christ. All biblical faith, if we say, the faith
44:51
that we know, or the faith that we have in Christ,
44:54
comes from the same source. Okay? There are no
44:59
different sources of faith. 2 Corinthians 4,
45:03
verse 13 speaks of, The same spirit. 2 Corinthians
45:09
4, verse 13. And since we have the same spirit
45:18
of faith, according to what was written, I believe
45:23
and therefore I spoke. Now remember when Jesus
45:27
said today, Jesus was speaking in Mark 11, verse
45:30
12. If you have the faith of God, you shall say.
45:36
Are we together? That is to say, faith empowers
45:41
the mind to speak. Okay? You have faith in your
45:45
heart. Alright? Faith should also be far away
45:48
in your mouth. Are we together? That is, what
45:52
you say should align with the reality in your
45:55
heart. So oftentimes, there's a divergence between
46:00
what we have in our heart and what is on our
46:01
lips. So we don't see. The realities of the things
46:06
that we ought to see. Since we have the same
46:09
spirit of faith, according to what is written,
46:12
I believe. So when you believe, you do what?
46:16
You speak, I spoke. We also believe and therefore
46:21
we speak. Now the emphasis is that same spirit
46:24
of faith. Now whatsoever is out of faith, we
46:27
see the Bible will describe it as sin. Okay?
46:33
I'm just pointing out scriptures. Generally,
46:37
in the Epistles, it speaks about faith. Whatsoever
46:40
is not of faith, the Bible calls it sin. Okay?
46:45
Whatsoever is not of faith, the Bible calls it
46:50
sin. Romans chapter 14 verse 23. Whatever whatsoever
46:57
is not of faith is sin. Romans chapter 14 verse
47:00
23. But who doubts? It's condemned if he eats.
47:04
Talking about eating, washings and some ceremonial
47:07
things. All right? Because he does not eat from
47:10
faith. For whatsoever is not from faith, the
47:15
Bible calls it what? We call it sin. Now, be
47:19
patient. Don't worry. We'll come to details of
47:22
this later on. Faith is called the faith of God.
47:29
In the epistles, Romans 3, verse 1 to 3. Romans
47:34
3, verse 1 to 3. What advantage then has a Jew
47:43
or what is a prophet of circumcision? Much in
47:50
every way chiefly because to them they were committed
47:53
the oracles of God. For what if some did not
47:59
believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness
48:03
of God without effect? All right? Will it make
48:09
that faithfulness? It talks about the faith of
48:12
God. Will it make the faith of God? Can you give
48:14
me the all King James? The all King James, yes.
48:19
Say, for what if some did not believe? Shall
48:23
their unbelief make the faith of God without
48:26
effect? All right? Speaking of the nation of
48:33
Israel, their unbelief does not make the faith
48:40
of God void. And then we'll see in scriptures,
48:45
that same faith of God is called the faith of
48:48
Jesus Christ. And we are justified by the faith
48:52
of Jesus Christ. Galatians chapter 2 verse 16,
48:54
the old kingdoms. Galatians chapter 2 verse 16.
49:02
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works
49:07
of the law. The works of the law speaks of what
49:11
a man does. The works of the law speaks of what
49:14
originates from man. The works of the law speaks
49:17
of what the effort of man produces. So, knowing
49:22
that the man is not justified by the works of
49:25
the law, but by faith of who? By what? By the
49:31
faith of who? How is a man justified? By the
49:36
faith. The faith of who? His faith. By the faith
49:39
of who? Of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed
49:44
in who? In Jesus Christ. That we might be justified
49:49
by the faith of who? Of Christ. So the faith
49:54
is of who? It's of Christ. And not by the works
49:57
of the law. For by the works of the law shall
50:01
no flesh be justified. Okay? So we are justified
50:07
by the faith of Christ, of Jesus Christ. So anything
50:15
you can trace to you is works. By works shall
50:20
no man be justified. Any faith outside what Christ
50:25
has done, It's dead. You know? Faith is a noun.
50:33
Okay? Faith is what? It's a gift. Not a verb.
50:43
They're what? Pistons. So, believing is a work
50:50
of faith. Galatians 2 verse 20. We see also,
51:00
number one, it says the faith is of faith of
51:02
God. We've seen it that the faith is a faith
51:05
of Jesus Christ. And here we see he's also putting
51:09
it that the faith of the son of God. I am crucified
51:12
with Christ. Okay. I am crucified with Christ.
51:17
Not that you will be crucified, but you are already
51:19
crucified with Christ. Identification. Nevertheless,
51:22
I live. All right. I live. Yet not I, but what?
51:28
But Christ liveth in me. Okay? And the life which
51:34
I now live, which means that every single thing
51:38
you do henceforth is what? And the life which
51:44
I now live in the flesh, in the natural, alright?
51:50
I live by the faith of who? Who sponsored the
51:54
life you live now? Huh? The faith of the son
51:59
of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
52:04
So what should energize our works today? But
52:09
the things we do, all right, how we conduct ourselves
52:13
must be he in us. Are we together? Must be he
52:20
working in us. So the greater works we're going
52:24
to do. Who energizes? Who is walking through
52:26
us? Christ walking through us. Are we together?
52:32
So, we see the faith of the Son at work in us.
52:37
We see the faith of Christ at work in us. Christ
52:41
lives in us. Therefore, we live by the faith
52:44
of the Son of God. It's a gift given unto us.
52:49
Now, this faith is based on the love that God
52:52
has shown unto us. Isn't it? Further on, we see
52:56
in chapter 5, verse 6 of the same Galatians,
52:58
that it's because of love. Galatians chapter
53:01
5, verse 6. Not that we did anything to earn
53:04
it, but it's because of love. For Christ, King
53:08
James, for in Jesus Christ, neither circumcision,
53:14
what is done, and, alright, availed anything,
53:20
nor all circumcision. But faith, which worketh
53:27
by, which is worketh by what? By love. Which
53:32
worketh by love. And in Colossians 2, verse 11,
53:38
we'll go on to say that we are who we are by
53:44
the faith produced in us by the power of God.
53:48
Colossians 2, verse 11 and 12. Colossians 2,
53:53
11. In who also ye are circumcised with a circumcision
53:58
made without hands, which means that it is not
54:02
a circumcision, it's not a natural activity,
54:05
right? But in putting off the body of sins of
54:12
the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, verse
54:15
12, buried with him in baptism, wherein also,
54:20
wherein also rather, We are risen with him through
54:24
what? Through the faith. Now look at the faith
54:28
clearly. Through the faith of the operation of
54:34
God. The faith is what? Is of the operation of
54:40
God. Who had raised him from the dead. So we
54:45
see that this faith is of the operation of God.
54:48
We are who we are. By the faith that is produced
54:52
in by the power of God in us. Hallelujah. Ephesians
55:01
chapter 3 verse 10 talks about the boldness that
55:04
we have access with confidence. And the boldness
55:07
we have is not because we have faith on our own.
55:11
Ephesians chapter 3 verse 10 to 12. It says to
55:14
the intent that now unto the principalities.
55:18
and powers in the heavenly places might be known
55:25
by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according
55:32
to the eternal purpose which he proposed in Christ
55:36
Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and
55:42
access with confidence By our faith. By the faith
55:50
of Him. Are we together? By the faith of Him.
55:57
By the faith of Him. Now, we are not in any way
56:03
saying that we don't have a responsibility. We're
56:07
going to come to that subsequently. But what
56:09
I am emphasizing from Sunday and today is that
56:13
the source of our faith is God. It's that our
56:18
faith is a gift. Hallelujah. So it puts us in
56:24
a place of rest that we can live in the rest
56:29
of God. Okay? In the Sabbath of God. Alright?
56:34
That we don't begin to measure, do I have faith
56:36
or I don't have faith? Alright? So we all begin
56:41
to say, let's go out and preach. You know that
56:43
you have all sufficiency to go out and preach.
56:45
When we say lay out on the sick, you begin to
56:47
know that you have the ability to lay out on
56:48
the sick. Because God is in you, working out
56:52
his will and his purpose. So what we see expressed
56:57
through you is obedience in alignment to his
57:00
word. Hallelujah. So that is the emphasis. That
57:05
the faith for greater works comes from the gift,
57:09
or rather it's a gift that we've received in
57:14
Christ. Let's see what Paul was saying in 1 Timothy
57:18
4, verse 1 to 16, talking about, you know, let's
57:25
leave this one because it's going to take time.
57:29
James 2, verse 1, but you can write 1 Timothy
57:32
4, verse 1 to 16. He talks about faith as a teaching,
57:36
all right? The four teachers were taking people
57:39
away from the teaching of Christ. So he talks
57:41
about the teaching of faith, all right? So you
57:44
can read that one. But James 2, verse 1. James
57:47
2, verse 1. James 2, verse 1. It says, My brethren
57:59
have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.
58:07
Have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ,
58:10
the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. have
58:14
not the faith of God, alright, again, have not
58:18
the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord
58:21
of glory, with respect of Christ. He's talking
58:24
about partiality. Okay? What the emphasis that
58:28
I want to see from that verse is that James is
58:31
speaking concerning this faith. That this faith,
58:34
right, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.
58:38
That the faith is actually of the Lord Jesus
58:42
Christ. Alright? We can read in order translation.
58:49
So, the believer, okay, the believer is counted
58:59
faithful in Christ. The believer does not need
59:04
to do so that God will say he is faithful. God
59:10
has found us faithful, has founded us faithful
59:14
in Christ. Therefore, he has entrusted us in
59:19
order to do the works that he has called us to
59:24
do. 1 Timothy 1, verse 11 -12. You know, oftentimes
59:33
we think that faithfulness is when we are faithful.
59:37
Okay? Faithfulness is where you are faithful.
59:42
You see, I was telling Pastor Oluwadadi, I say,
59:46
see, when you go to apply for a job, you look
59:48
at your CV. You look at your ability in the past,
59:53
in the previous job, whether you were, you ask,
59:55
how did you leave the previous job? Some of you
59:59
that used to fight with your bosses before you
1:00:00
leave and go to a new job. May the next person
1:00:03
interviewing you not be your previous boss, in
1:00:06
Jesus' name. The system of the world is that
1:00:12
you have to be faithful, all right? And you'll
1:00:15
be given a reward or a tax or a responsibility.
1:00:19
But God, first of all, he met us in Christ. He
1:00:25
marked us faithful before he gave us a responsibility.
1:00:30
Hallelujah. Now let's see 1 Timothy 11 verse
1:00:33
1, 11 rather, where Paul was speaking of himself.
1:00:38
It says, according to the glorious gospel of
1:00:40
the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
1:00:44
And I tell Christ Jesus, our Lord. What did he
1:00:47
do? Who had enabled us, enabled me. For that
1:00:54
he counted me what? He counted me faithful. Then
1:01:00
putting me into the ministry. Hallelujah. So
1:01:04
God counts him faithful. to do the work of ministry.
1:01:08
And this is in line with what God exemplified
1:01:12
in Christ Jesus when Christ came upon the face
1:01:14
of the earth. In Matthew 23, verse 17, we'll
1:01:18
see that at the very baptism of Jesus Christ,
1:01:21
right? There was a word that was given concerning
1:01:24
him. And lo, a voice from heaven saying, this
1:01:27
is my beloved son in whom I am what? I'm well
1:01:31
pleased. Jesus Christ have not even died on the
1:01:34
cross. Jesus Christ has not even healed the sick.
1:01:37
But God's testimony concerning Christ is that
1:01:41
what? Is that I am well pleased with him. Are
1:01:45
we together? So, he lived to prove the righteousness
1:01:52
of God. Jesus Christ on earth lived to prove
1:01:56
the endorsement of God. Now, we are not living
1:02:01
to please God. Alright? That's what I'm trying
1:02:03
to draw home to. We're not trying to live so
1:02:06
that God will try to do our effort, you know,
1:02:08
in order for God to be happy with us. Now, when
1:02:13
we say these things, people say, oh, we are giving
1:02:15
people the liberty to do it. We're giving people
1:02:18
the license to live life officially, right? We're
1:02:22
giving people the license to live a life of sin.
1:02:25
Okay? We are telling you that there's nothing
1:02:28
you can do, all right, to make God happy. Okay?
1:02:33
There's nothing you can do to make God happy.
1:02:35
The reason why God is happy with you is because
1:02:37
you are in Christ. Alright? So what do you do?
1:02:42
You hold on to what? Faithfulness of God in Christ
1:02:46
Jesus. We're telling you that what? There's nothing
1:02:52
you can do to please God except in faith. You
1:02:57
know you're telling people that they must do
1:02:59
in order for God to be happy. We are emphasizing
1:03:05
the efforts that they will do in order to make
1:03:07
themselves happy with God. When you go to preach
1:03:10
Christ to people, when you go out for evangelism,
1:03:13
it's important that you emphasize what Christ
1:03:17
has done. And what is of the one that you're
1:03:21
speaking to is to receive what Christ has done.
1:03:26
Are we together? Is to receive what Christ has
1:03:29
done. And then begin to live. in response to
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what Christ has done in his life. Hallelujah.
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So because of time, greater works are not produced
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by human effort. I'm summarizing everything I've
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said. Greater works are not produced by human
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efforts, but by the faith that originates from
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God and is revealed in Jesus Christ. Greater
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works are not produced by human effort, but by
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the faith that originates from God and is revealed
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in Jesus Christ. Scripture shows that faith is
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not self -generated, nor it is a human achievement.
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It is rooted in Christ, who is the author and
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the finisher of our faith. Now the heroes of
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faith, in Hebrews 11, lived, they acted, and
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pleased God by faith. How? They trusted His promises,
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even when they did not see its fulfillment. This
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faith is anchored in Christ, sustained by His
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Word, and perfected in Him. We are justified,
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speaking about us, we live, and we come alive,
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Our work by the faith of the Son of God. Not
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by works that originate from ourselves. In Christ,
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we are already approved and accepted by God.
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And our works becomes a visible expression of
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that faith. Therefore, the greater works Jesus
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promised are the hard working of his faith. active
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in us as we abide in him. Hallelujah. So when
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you begin to say we do great works, know what
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you are saying. You are giving an expression
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to a life that God has put in you. Conclusively,
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let us fix our eyes on Jesus. The Bible says
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he's a source, right? The boundary of our faith.
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We don't stop striving to produce results by
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human effort and human strength. Instead, what
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we do is that we rest in the finished work of
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Christ. We must rest in what? In the finished
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work of Christ. Lay aside every self -effort,
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unbelief, and performance -based thinking because
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always we think that it's based on what we're
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doing. that will earn the result that is ought
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to be seen. And boldly we live from the faith
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already given to you or to us in him. We step
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out in confidence when you go out to preach.
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Have this assurance in your heart that what?
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You go out with confidence. Okay? You speak in
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faith. You act in obedience. And trust the one
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who walks in you both to will and to do his good
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pleasure. The greater works are not ahead of
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you, but they flow from Christ in you. Hallelujah.
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Walk in him and let his faith find expression
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through your life. Let the faith of God find
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his expression through your life. What you do
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is that you permit God to walk through your life.
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Hallelujah. So, what about walks? We see the
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place of good walks. But good walks are a function
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of what? Of our position and our identity in
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Him. Alright? It's an outflow of the life of
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God that we have in us. Hallelujah. So, can we
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just open our mouth and thank God for this reality?
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We appreciate you being here today. We hope you
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carry this word with you throughout your week.
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Don't forget to check the show notes for additional
1:07:59
insights. Stay connected with us through our
1:08:02
website or follow us on social media. If you
1:08:06
are encouraged, share this message with someone
1:08:08
you care about. Until next time, stay blessed.