Faith

Search Me

April 29, 2021 By LMW

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.
Psalm 139:1-6 NIV

Every day, multitudes of people around the world hear the news that they have cancer or some other disease that puts their lives at risk. In many cases, no symptoms presented themselves to warn the people that something was wrong. In the majority of cases, though, specific symptoms led the doctors to their diagnoses. Still, other individuals who are obviously sick go undiagnosed for years despite a battery of tests.

While x-rays, scans, and other marvels of modern technology reveal much of what is underneath our skin, doctors still find it necessary sometimes to perform exploratory surgery. In exploratory surgery, a doctor opens a person up for the purpose of seeing clearly what cannot be seen otherwise. This is the only way to get to the root of the problem.

Psalm 139 is an exploratory journey of sorts. In it, David celebrates the omniscience and omnipresence of God. He proceeds to discuss how wonderfully and carefully we are made by our Creator who loves us deeply and forms us according to His glorious plan for our lives. Then, suddenly, David jumps to a different subject: his hatred for his wicked enemies. Having established that God knows everything about us, David closes with a strange request: he asks God to explore him within to reveal if he has any hidden sins, any secret sins he may not be aware of. In essence, David asked God to perform spiritual exploratory surgery on him, to probe him deeply and painfully to reveal any spiritual cancers or disease within him.

Scripture states a frightening truth: we cannot fully know the wickedness and deceit that lie within our sinful hearts. We are totally capable of thinking we are right when we are actually wrong. We do not always recognize the sin in our own lives. Furthermore, we may think we have suppressed and even defeated certain feelings and desires when they are destroying us without our being aware of them.

For all these reasons and more, we need to follow David’s example and open ourselves up to God, earnestly desiring that He search us within.

Moses’ Self-Denying Faith

January 29, 2019 By LMW

Moses' Self-Denying Faith

The faith of Moses was a sacrificial faith, a faith that chose God and God’s people rather than this world and its pleasures. Moses was reared as a prince in Pharaoh’s court. This means that he had everything that a person could ever want. But ultimately Moses gave it all up. He sacrificed everything for God and His promises, the promised Seed and Promised Land. The day came when Moses had to make the most critical decision of his life. He faced as large a crisis as any individual could face. Was he going to be identified as an Egyptian all the days of his life, or was he going to become identified with the people of God? Was he going to pursue the pleasures of Egypt and this world or pursue God and His promises? When Moses was forty years old, he faced the crisis and made the decision.

Moses had often seen the Israelites abused during his forty years as an Egyptian prince. But apparently this most recent incident (Ex.2:11–12) was the final straw; he had seen enough of the mistreatment of his people. He made the decision that launched a number of decisions—decisions that were to show that he was rejecting Egypt and the world and identifying himself with God’s people.

The point is this: Moses gave up all the pleasures and enjoyment of Egypt and the world—gave it all up. He sacrificed everything for God and God’s people, the very people who had been given the hope for the promised Seed and the Promised Land.

Following Christ is never easy, not if you are truly following Him. Why? Because His call is contrary to what most people think. His call is a call to love, joy, and peace; but it is not a call to a life of ease, comfort, and plenty. The call of Christ is not to physical and material health and wealth. To the contrary, the call of Christ is to a life of self-denial and sacrifice. If you are going to follow Christ, you have to be willing to sacrifice everything you are and have (Lk.9:23; 18:22). Moses is a prime example of a believer who gave up all that the world has to offer in order to follow God and His promises. His faith was a self-denying faith.

Why do you think it is so often hard to identify with Christ?
Is self-denial and self-sacrifice hard for you? Why do you think that is?
Is there something going on in your life that is contrary to what you believe? How have you handled that?
Is there a specific call from God you are avoiding?

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Joseph’s Undying Faith

January 29, 2019 By LMW

Joseph's Undying Faith

With his family finally settled and rooted in Egypt, Joseph was now dying in a foreign land. Yet he believed the impossible: that God would be moving his family back to Palestine and eventually give them the Promised Land. Therefore, he commanded that his bones be taken back once his people returned to the land. Joseph’s faith was an undying faith. His body was dying, but not his faith in God or His promises. He knew that he would rest in the promised land of God.

Perhaps more than ever before in our lives, we need to have unwavering faith in God’s promises when we are standing at death’s door. If we have genuinely received Christ as Lord and Savior, we need not be uncertain about what will happen to us when we die. God has promised that we will be with Him in heaven, in the land He has promised to all who are His children through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. As believers, we have no reason to fear death. God will be with us as we cross through death’s dark valley, and He will carry us to heaven, just as He has promised.

Do you believe God’s promises?
Do you act according to your belief in His promises?
Do you fear death or feel uncertain about what will happen to you when you die?

Download a free PDF of this section of Hebrews from The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible® and continue your study.

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Jacob’s Worshiping Faith

January 29, 2019 By LMW

Jacob's Worshiping Faith

Jacob never saw God’s promise fulfilled in his lifetime. Yet he continued to worship God, ever believing and passing on God’s promise—even as he was dying. His faith was a faith that believed God’s promises so firmly that he died worshiping God for what God would do after he was gone.

Note two significant facts:

Jacob was dying when this event took place. He had lived a long life upon earth.
Jacob blessed both sons of Joseph; that is, he passed on the promises of God to them. He gave them an inheritance in the land of promise and in the promised seed. They had been born in Egypt; nevertheless, he passed the blessing of the promise down through them.

Jacob was so weak and frail that he had to support himself with his staff. He was almost bedridden, finding it difficult to walk and move about. But he continued to arise and worship God, believing in the promised land and promised seed up until the very end of his life. The point is striking. Here was a man who never saw the promised land given to him. In fact, he saw the reverse. He and his family were forced out of Canaan (Palestine) and into Egypt because of famine. Yet, he continued to worship God, ever believing and passing on God’s promises—even up to the very end of his life.

We need to remember that God’s work continues even after we are gone. The fact that not all prayers are answered in our lifetimes does not mean that they will not be answered. Our ability to see God do what we had hoped He would do or what He promised to do does not mean that He will never do it. We need faith like Jacob’s, faith so solid that we worship God not just for what He has done, but for what He will do in faithfulness to His Word.

Do you always believe God despite your circumstances?
Do you worship God in the hard times?
Do you believe that God will keep His promises, even if you do not see them fulfilled in your lifetime?

Download a free PDF of this section in Hebrews from The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible® and continue your study.

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Sarah’s Impossible Faith

January 29, 2019 By LMW

Sarah's Impossible Faith

Believing God can be difficult. Sarah had difficulty believing God at first. When she first heard the promise of God, she doubted and even laughed.

The promises of God sometimes do sound unbelievable. Just think how corrupt, sinful, evil, savage, violent, and doomed to death the human race is. Any daily news media is filled with illustrations of humanity’s corruption. Yet God loves the world, loves it so much that He has promised “the seed” of the Savior to the world. Just think how unbelievable this sounds.

Sarah began to consider the matter: who it was that was making the promise, God Himself, the Sovereign Majesty of the universe. When Sarah considered this, the change in her was dramatic. She began to understand that if it was God who was making the promise, then He could be counted faithful. God always fulfills His promises.

Sarah believed God. She switched from unbelief to belief. She trusted the promise of God. And, eventually, she bore a child at the age of ninety—a miraculous birth to say the very least. Yet God had promised, and He fulfilled His promise.

Sarah is a dynamic example of what it is to believe the impossible. She believed the impossible; therefore, she saw God do the impossible. We need faith like Sarah’s, faith that compels us to believe God in every seemingly impossible situation. Just as God kept His Word to Sarah, He will keep His promises to you.

Study Questions

Can you relate with Sarah? Have you ever found yourself doubting a promise God makes?
Is it hard for you to believe God? When do you find it easier/harder to believe God? Why do you think that is?
When you consider who God is, does that help you with your doubt?
What are ways you can turn your doubt into faith?

Download the free PDF of this section in Hebrews from The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible® and continue your study.

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Abraham’s Faith to Obey

January 29, 2019 By LMW

Abraham's Faith to Obey

"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God." Hebrews 11:8-10

Abraham demonstrates one of the greatest examples of faith in the Bible. He believed against all odds, and he endured in his faith. Abraham’s faith was an obedient, believing faith—a faith that genuinely obeyed and believed God.

Abraham obeyed God, left his home, and went without any directions from God as to where he was headed. When God called, Abraham acted. He did not hesitate, argue, question, or waver. He simply obeyed. As soon as he heard the call of God, he arose and followed God; he acted decisively.

Note a significant fact about following God: Abraham did not know where he was going. He did not know where following God would lead him. He just believed the promises of God; therefore, he acted upon his belief. He believed; therefore, he obeyed.

If you truly believe God, you will obey God. There is no such thing as belief without obedience, not genuine belief. Obeying God requires believing God. Even though you can never know exactly where your faith will lead you, you should not fear following God. God is good and He has only good things in store for you, His dear son or daughter. If you draw back and do not believe and follow God, then you will miss out on His promises.

Study Questions

Do you fear where God will lead you?
Do you truly believe that God will do what He promises?
Does your belief lead you to obey God?
Has there been a time in your life when obeying God led you to a difficult place? How can that experience serve as a testimony to others?

Download a free PDF of this section in Hebrews from The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible® to continue your study.

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