The Origin, Exercise, Development, and Outcome of Faith

As the events develop leading to the return of Jesus Christ, we're going to face some very difficult trials and tests. God has given us the power to overcome this world through faith. 1 John 5, 4 states, And this is a victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.

Yet very few people really understand what faith is all about. You've heard about faith all of your life, and perhaps you really know what it's all about. In Hebrews 10 and verse 38, the apostle Paul writes, The just shall live by faith. Now, Paul is quoting from Habakkuk. That's the first place that you find this phrase. The just shall live by faith, and it's repeated twice by the apostle Paul. The last time being Hebrews 10 and verse 38.

The just shall live by faith. Have you written that down? Do we really understand what that means? Some are still trying to work up faith and look for signs. I got faith. I got faith. As if faith was merely a positive feeling that one has inside, and if you just believe strongly enough, it will happen.

Now, there might be some benefit in the power of positive thinking, and you surely want to look on the positive side, but can you just, in your mind, believe something so much that it's going to happen? So many people want to isolate faith and reduce it to small areas of life in which the outcome of something is uncertain. For example, will God heal me? And apparently, some think in almost every case, if I had enough faith, or if the congregation had enough faith, God would heal me. Is that always the case? Will I find a mate? Will I ever find a suitable person to marry?

What about a job? Will I ever find the right job for me? So when you reduce faith to isolated elements of life, you're not viewing faith as a total way of life. See, the just shall live by faith. Faith encompasses all areas of Christian living. Let me say that again. Faith encompasses all areas of Christian living. Some want to measure faith and righteousness by outward appearance. Now, all of this, they confuse with faith, righteousness, and character.

Whereas real faith, the way of your matters of the law, encompasses all areas of life. Once again, the just shall live by faith. The Pharisees were careful to fast twice a week. They kept the Sabbath very strictly. They made it into a grievous burden. They paid tithe of Annas, and its mint and coming.

Yet, they neglected the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith. Christ states in Matthew 5, 18, If your righteousness does not exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. So, we could ask ourselves, does our righteousness exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees? Faith is a springboard to all things spiritual.

Let me say that again. Faith is a springboard to all things spiritual. Not all things physical, as some teach in this world's churches. The prosperity gospel has basically taken over charismatic evangelical Christianity, in which one of their terms is, name it and claim it.

You name whatever it is you want. You want a new car, you want a new house, you name it, claim it, believe it hard enough. And it's just going to happen. And so, as they are dripping and rolling with Rolex watches and other things, their thousand-dollar custom-made suits and on and on it goes, they lead people to believe that the gospel is about physical prosperity. And if you just believe hard enough, it's going to happen. Let's turn now to Hebrews 11, verse 6, the scripture that all of us should have memorized. I've mentioned it two or three times already in sermons here. It is the first article of faith.

Without faith, Hebrews 11, 6, without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for He that comes to God must believe that He is. Believing that God is has a faith element, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Now we go to 1 Corinthians 13, verse 13, and we'll see here that there are three things that abide forever. And the first one that is mentioned here is faith. Once again, faith is the springboard to all things spiritual, not physical. The springboard to all things spiritual. Without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for those who would come to Him must believe that He is, and a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Now we come to 1 Corinthians 13, verse 13, and now abides, lives, abides faith, hope, charity. These three, but the greatest of these is charity, agape, spiritual love. Now let's look at this. Faith is the basis of hope. I'll say that again. Faith is the basis of hope.

Why do I have hope? Because I know, and I know that I know, I have faith in God who is promised, who cannot lie. Therefore, I have hope. I have hope that no matter what happens, whatever situation I face, that God will deliver. And then, love is the greatest, but faith and hope are the precursors. In other words, they go before. They're like prerequisites. Faith through the word and the Spirit are the enablers. Love is the greatest, but faith is a precursor.

Faith through the word and Spirit enable us. Love is a motivating force. God is love. Thus, love is a personification of God's character. Let's say that again. Love is a personification of God's character. And love should be the outcome or result or product of faith. Love should be the outcome, the result, the product of faith. I hope you'll see that very clearly as we go along here today. So today, we're going to examine the origin, the exercise, the development, and outcome of faith.

The origin, the exercise, the development, and outcome of faith.

Faith is a combination of what I call the three C's, and we'll see this from Scripture, but first of all, I'm going to name them conviction. What are the convicting agents? The convicting agents are the Spirit of God and the Word of God. You're not going to have spiritual faith apart from the Spirit of God and the Word of God. That's why it is so important that the Gospel be preached to all nations, because God does not miraculously zot something into a person's mind apart from those that He has commissioned, ordained, sent forth to preach the Gospel of the coming Kingdom of God. The second C is commitment. After you have been convicted, you must be committed.

The word committed, as used in the Bible, really means to place in sacred trust, and then you have to have the courage to obey. So that's a little bit of the summary up front. Now, let's notice this through the Word of God in John 6, verse 44.

Where does it all begin? It all begins with the Father. Spiritual faith begins with the Father. Now, in this life, in physical terms, we have what I call physical faith, and we learned it on our mother's knee, we learned it in a mother's lap, and we learned it from many different sources. We learned it through being taught and through experience. We learned that if we fall off a high place, jump off a high place, it's probably going to hurt. We learned not to jump off high places, and we have faith that if we jump off, we're going to hit the ground or whatever it is.

We also learned that the stove is hot, and we have faith. We know that the stove is hot, so we stay away from hot things the best we can. And so there are many kinds of physical faith that you, through being taught and experienced, you come to believe and to know certain things. But that's not spiritual faith. A person who has never heard about the Bible or the Law of God, who's never been drawn by the Holy Spirit, can have many elements of physical faith and knows several different things. But we're talking about, mainly here now, is spiritual faith. John 6, 44. No man can come to me, Jesus Christ, doing the speaking. No man can come to Jesus Christ, except the Father, which has sent me. Draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day. How does he draw him? He draws him through the Holy Spirit. Now we go to John 16 and verse 7, and we really begin to zero in on the convicting agents. John 16, verse 7. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is expedient for you that I go away.

For if I go not away, the Comforter, and in John 14, 28, the Comforter is identified as the Holy Spirit. For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you. But if I depart, I will send him unto you. Now in this situation where the Comforter is masculine in the Greek, and therefore the referent pronouns would be in the masculine gender. So it is grammatically correct to say him.

We talk about the ship, she, and all that. It doesn't make it a person. The Comforter is the Holy Spirit. The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, is not a person. We know that. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin. Now the word reprove here is a very key word. In the Greek, it is elyncho. E-L-E-N-C-H-O. Elyncho means to convict.

Convict. If you're convicted of something, it's like a weight is placed on your mind. A knowing within yourself that this is true. When it is come, it will convict you of sin. To be convicted of sin, of course, you've got to read the Bible or hear the Bible preached. The Word of God preached. Because Paul says in Romans 7, if the law had not said, don't do such and such, I would have never known that. So we know that the Bible defines, identifies what sin is, and that introduces another part that we'll get to. That the Spirit of God works in conjunction with the Word of God to convict. To lay a weight in your mind. A knowing within yourself that such and such is true in the spiritual domain. So it will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. So the convicting agent here, the Holy Spirit. Now we continue. Verse 12, I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now. How be it when it, the Spirit of Truth, Spirit of Truth is talnuma. When it has come, the Spirit of Truth has come, it will guide you into all truth, for it shall not speak of itself, but whatsoever it shall hear that shall he speak or it speak. It will show you things to come. The Spirit of Truth. John 1717 says, Your Word is Truth.

John 1717 says, Your Word is Truth. So we begin to introduce that the Spirit of God works in conjunction with the Word of God because the Spirit doesn't just audibly speak to you. How does God speak to us? He speaks to us through His Word. John 1623 says, The words I speak, they are Spirit and they are Truth.

So the Word of God has to be preached. We go now to Romans chapter 10 verse 14.

Remember the Great Commission of the Church, the last two verses of Matthew 28, the last two verses of Matthew's Gospel. Go you therefore into all the world. Teach all nations to observe all things whatsoever I've commanded you and lo, I'm with you until the end of the world. So go, disciple the nations. You do that through taking the Word of God through them. And God does His part through the Holy Spirit of opening the mind, convicting the heart and mind of that truth.

Romans 10 verse 14. How then shall they call upon Him of whom they've not believed?

And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things. So once again I refer to the Commission of the Church to take the gospel to the world. And in the emblem of the United Church of God we have preparing a people and preaching the gospel. But they have not all obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah said, Lord, who has believed our report.

So then faith comes by hearing, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

And the Holy Spirit is a convicting agent. It convicts you. It places this weight on your mind. Now we go to 2 Timothy 2 verse 1. After that weight is placed on your mind and you come to understand some truth, God is committing to you the pearl of great price. Jesus Christ, He gave His life for the whole world.

And He is the one that makes it possible for us to have our sins forgiven, of course. Then we come to 2 Timothy 2 verse 1. You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit you to faithful men. And that phrase there means to place in sacred trust.

You see, to ever to be called into God's marvelous light is of His amazing grace to quote the special music. Of course, we're not going to Romans 9 now, but in Romans 9 it talks about how the calling is of grace. Grace is not just free, unmerited pardon. Grace has to do with God's divine favor. Why did He call you now and didn't call your mother or your daddy or a brother or sister or a neighbor? I don't know why God committed to me His precious pearl of great price, the truth. I don't know for sure, but I know that He did. And I know that apart from His Spirit and His Word, I would never have spiritual faith and understand the truth.

The same commit you to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. Then we come to courage to obey to do the truth. Courage is an outcome of the first two. In other words, to the degree that you are convicted and you're committed, you will obey. To the degree that you are convicted and committed, you will obey. If the conviction and the commitment are strong enough, you will obey. Let's go to Acts 5 and verse 29. In Acts 5 and verse 29, the first few chapters of Acts taken up with the great persecution that came upon the apostles, the 12, and then beginning about chapter 10 or so, maybe chapter 8, much of the book of Acts is taken up with the persecutions that Paul endured in taking the gospel to the known world at that time, to the western world, especially. In Acts 5 and verse 29, then Peter and the other apostles answered and said they were before the council, the Sanhedrin, because they were preaching the name of Jesus Christ. We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you slew and hanged on a tree.

Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses of these things, and so also the Holy Spirit, whom God hath given to them who obey him. So God gives his spirit to those who obey him.

So faith is a gift of the spirit and a fruit of the spirit. Rock that down. Faith is a gift of the spirit and a fruit of the spirit. It's the only one of the gifts that is mentioned as both. We go to 1 Corinthians 12, where the gifts of the spirit are enumerated.

In 1 Corinthians 12, verse 7, the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit everybody.

For one is given by the spirit the word of wisdom to another the word of knowledge by the same spirit to another faith by the same spirit to another the gifts of healing by the same spirit to another the working of miracles to another prophecy to another discerning of spirits to another diverse kinds of different kinds of tongues to another the interpretation of tongues. But we focus on verse 9 to another faith by the same spirit. Faith is a gift of the spirit and the fruit of the spirit. Now we go to Galatians chapter 5 verse 22 and we see that faith is the fruit of the spirit. Galatians chapter 5 and verse 22.

But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.

A gift of the spirit, a fruit of the spirit.

Now let's stop and use a physical analogy to try to explain where we are at this point.

Okay, we have talked about being convicted through the word of God and the spirit of God.

That a weight being placed upon your mind that you know that this is the truth. And God has convicted you of it. And if you have faith and also if you have commitment, I mean if you have faith, conviction, commitment, you will act courageously.

So let's use an analogy of this whole thing we've talked about so far of a tennis game.

I basically hate tennis, but anyhow, I've had a tennis racket. I had to take a course in tennis in college.

I hit more home runs than most people do. I hit it over the fence usually.

And the rest of the time I hit it into the net. Anyhow, tennis is a pretty difficult game and it takes a great deal of endurance. But that's another subject. If we use the example of the serve, God is the one who calls us and through his spirit and through his word being preached, it's like he serves the ball over into our court. It's a nice, fat, lob serve.

It's like he places a racket in our hands and says, okay, you return the ball over the net. He doesn't make you do it. The conviction is there.

Hopefully the commitment is there. He places it in sacred trust in your care. And he says, okay, return that nice, fat, lob serve back over the net to me. In doing so, see, he's the initiator of it. So he is where he initially gives you the opportunity. And then, if you will, hit that thing back over the net, you can use the analogy to say, well, you're beginning to exercise faith and to bear fruit. That's somewhat of a crude analogy.

Of what hopefully is taking place in the spiritual sense.

Faith stems from the law, and it's verified by Matthew 23 verse 23. Let's go there. Now, immediately, what should come to your mind when you say that faith stems from the law?

Well, perhaps Romans 7.14, which says that the law is spiritual. The words I speak, they are spirit and they are life. So notice what Christ says. He's in a big debate, as it were. He's really raking the scribes and Pharisees over the colds for what they have done and what they're doing in Matthew 23 and verse 23.

Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees and hypocrites, for you pay tithes and men and it's in coming and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith.

These ought you to have done and not to leave the other undone. So if faith is a weightier matter of the law, it springs or stems from the law. Now, let's illustrate this judgment, mercy, and faith.

I'm just going to use the example of the woman who was caught in the act of adultery that's recorded in the Gospel of John. They brought the woman to Christ and said, we caught this woman in the very act.

And they say the law of Moses says that she should be stoned. But what do you say?

And Christ did the writing on the ground. And then they say a little more, I guess, and he writes some more, probably writing some of their sins. And after he did that, they went away quietly. He looked up at the woman and said, where are the your accusers?

And she said, they're gone, my Lord, they're gone. And he said, go and sin no more. In other words, go live by faith. Now, how did judgment, mercy, and faith play into this?

The judgment was clear. She had broken the law. She was caught in the very act.

The mercy was extended because Jesus Christ could tell her heart. He could read her heart and mind.

And then he told her, as a result of your repentance, go and sin no more. So on a continual basis, we are to be living that life of judgment, mercy, and faith in our personal relationship with God and in our personal relationship with each other.

For example, if I sinned, I judge myself, come before God, and say, I have sinned.

1 John 1 says, if any man says he's without sin, he's a liar, and the truth is not in him.

But if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us of all unrighteousness.

So we judge ourselves, I have sinned. We cry out for God's mercy. He's faithful and just to forgive us. What is his requirement? Go and sin no more. Go live by faith. The just, or the justified, shall live by faith. So we can conclude that faith is inextricably, inextricably means it is hopelessly entangled. You can't separate one from the other. They are interlocked. Faith is inextricably linked to obedience. You can't have one without the other. It's like the love and marriage. Love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage. Well, faith and obedience go together inextricably linked together.

The methods of increasing faith are the same as increasing the Holy Spirit.

I've already stated that you must be convicted, committed, and act courageously.

In addition, you must pray. God gives His Spirit to those who ask for it.

That's talked about in the Gospel of Luke. Even us uses the example that when we, our son or our daughter, ask us for bread, will we give them a stone or a serpent? And how much more will God give His Spirit to those who ask for it? And remember that faith is a gift of the Spirit and a fruit of the Spirit. You have to study to increase. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. The words I speak, their spirit, their life. All of these things are tied together. So you have to pray. You have to study. Now, in Acts 5.32, He gives His Spirit to those who obey Him. So obedience, fasting helps us draw nearer to God. And fellowship is so very important. We draw strength and, to a certain degree, courage from one another. From one another.

Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, and so much the more, as you see the day approaching, as written in the book of Hebrews.

Now we go to James, chapter 2. Obedience, we're going to zero in on, is a perfecter of faith.

Obedience is the perfecter of faith. Let me say something here. I know we got the, and we're going to come to this. You have the Hebrews 11.1 definition of faith that we're, that I'll quote now.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. We're going to explain that more detail just a little later. But just to put it in the simplest language. What is faith? Faith means to believe God and do what He says. Believe God and do what He says. In James, chapter 2, very clearly points this out.

James, chapter 2, beginning in verse 13.

For He shall have judgment without mercy that have shown no mercy, and mercy rejoices against judgment. How does mercy rejoice against judgment? Because when you judge yourself and come before God and He extends mercy, you rejoice in that. But of course, those who don't show mercy are on the opposite side of the coin, as it were, because the Scriptures say, if you won't forgive your neighbor, then God won't forgive you. That's another part of judgment, mercy, and faith. We walk in a reconciled position before God, because we go before Him and ask for forgiveness. And we do the same with our neighbor. We make a judgment. I have I offended you. I didn't mean to or whatever. You ask for His forgiveness, His mercy. He extends it to you. Go walk in faith. Verse 14, what does it profit my brethren, though a man say he has faith and have not works? Can faith save him? To just believe. Remember what I said?

Faith and obedience are inextricably linked together. A simple definition of faith is to believe God and do what He says. Let's see if the Scriptures bear that out.

If a brother or sister be naked in destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto him, Depart in peace, be you warmed and filled, notwithstanding you give them, knock those things which are needful to the body. What does it profit? Even so, faith, if it has not works or obedience, is dead, being alone. Yes, a man may say, You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. Once again, you really can't have one without the other. You believe that there is one God. So here, if you just say, OK, I just have this faith dimension. You know, I really believe that God exists. And yeah, I believe parts of the Bible someone might say in the world.

The devils believe and tremble. The devils seem to be recognized Jesus Christ more readily than the scribes and Pharisees. They knew that he was the Son of God. You believe there's one God? You do well. The devils also believe and tremble. But will you know vain man that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham, our father, justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? What if Abraham had said, you know, this is an unreasonable request. I cannot possibly do this. What rational God would ask anyone to sacrifice his son, especially the son of promise, one that you had promised me and Sarah after we were past the age of childbearing.

But Abraham did obey in verse 22, see you how faith wrought with his obedience.

And by works was faith made perfect. If you want to have perfect faith, believe God and do what he says. It's as simple as that. But there are people who are so caught up in, I want a sign. I want evidence. I want to be healed when I pray to God for healing or when the minister lays hands on me. I want to be healed and I want to be healed then. Does that mean that you or the minister doesn't have faith at that particular time? Not necessarily. Perhaps that is true, but it's not necessarily true. And you could have faith. The Apostle Paul saw the Lord thrice to remove the thorn out of his flesh and God did not remove it. Then he came to the conclusion that in my weakness I am strong because I rely more on God. Verse 23 in the scriptures was fulfilled which said Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to his account for righteousness and he was called the friend of God. You see then how that by works or obedience a man is justified and not by faith alone, inextricably linked together.

So how sad it is that faith and belief have been stripped of their life by the religions of this world. The word believe in the Greek is spelled P-I-S-T-E-U-O P-I-S-T-E-U-O means to adhere to, to trust, to rely on, to obey. So believe has the connotation of obeying or doing. You cannot truly believe what I say unless you're willing to do what I say. Research says an experience shows, the medical records show, that smoking is very injurious, dangerous to your health. Do you believe that? Well, you could say, well, I believe it.

I believe it intellectually. The evidence is there. But will you refrain from smoking and not defile the temple of God? Or will you say, well, I just believe. That's called intellectual assent to the truth. A lot of people have intellectual assent to the truth who attend services in the churches of God around the world. And somehow they think that knowledge, knowledge puffs up. Paul said, charity edifies, that knowledge is going to save them.

But it won't. You have to have both. I could tell you, based on research, my experience, that it would be wise for young people to pursue education with all their strength and might, if possible, get a college education in order to live a fuller, more abundant life.

And you could say, well, I believe that. But you drop out of school. You're not willing to pay the price. So can you really say that you really believe it? Now, the word faith in the Greek is pistis, p-i-s-t-i-s, spelled the way it sounds, pistis, from pit, though, to assent to evidence or authority, to rely on by inward certainty, agree, assure, believe. So that's one reason why James wrote that through obedience, our faith is perfected. Once again, in simplest terms, faith, believe God, do what He says. We have charismatic evangelists, evangelicals, and many people in the Church of God who try to measure faith by signs. Let's go to 1 Corinthians 12.

1 Corinthians 12, once again, back to the chapter that covers spiritual gifts.

In chapter 1, Paul said that he was thankful that the Corinthians came behind in no gift.

And then he, in chapter 12, addresses spiritual gifts.

He talks about the unity of the body, that there be no schism in the body. Then he comes down to a summary in 1 Corinthians 12.

Verse 26, "...and whether one member suffer, all be members, all the members suffer with it," just as the analogy of the human body.

"...or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members in particular. God has set some of the Church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, third teachers. After that, miracles, gifts of healings, helps governments, different tongues.

Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?

Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?

Well, the answer of course is no. We know that. We don't have equal talents and gifts.

We have different gifts, but everyone is given the gift to profit all.

And he says, "...coven earnestly desire the best gifts." That's fine, to desire these gifts, yet I show unto you a more excellent way. Now that more excellent way is chapter 13. There really shouldn't be a chapter break.

That more excellent way is chapter 13.

In verse 1, chapter 13, "...though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, have not charity, of Godly love, becoming as God is, I am become as a sounding brass or a tinkling symbol.

Though I have the gift of prophecy, understand all mysteries, all knowledge, and though I have all faith that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing." In other words, if your faith is not leading to you becoming as God is, Paul says it doesn't profit anything.

This is the very heart and core in meat. If we could truly understand this, we would make a quantum leap with regard to our understanding of faith and what this life is all about, once you've been called in the marvelous light of His truth. "...And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and that this outcome that is agape spiritual love as God is, it isn't profit or faith.

It profits me nothing." These signs are for unbelievers. To a large degree, signs are for unbelievers. Look at 1 Corinthians 14.1. Follow after charity and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that you may prophesy, inspired preaching and teaching. Now you look at verse 22. Verse 22.

"...Wherefore tongues are for a sign, different languages, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not. But prophesying serves not for them that believe not, but for them who believe." In the early days when I was on the visiting program at the Big Sandy, long before I was ordained, I used to visit with various elders, and sometimes I visited by myself.

I wasn't ordained, so I didn't have a bottle of oil, but I had anointed claws.

I remember on a Sunday afternoon, about this time of year, it was in the wintertime, I went way out somewhere in the country and came to this couple's home, and they were really glad to see me. They said, come in, because our little child back here is burning up with a fever. I went back there, put my hands on her, and she was, as they say, hot as fire.

So I get out the anointed cloth, my hands on her, cloth on her, and within a few minutes, fever was gone. The fever was gone. I've had that experience on more than one occasion, especially earlier before I was even ordained into the ministry.

To me, that was great encouragement. It was like a sign that God is working with you.

Now, later in life, some of the people that you lay hands on, they're healed, and some aren't.

Is it because of a lack of faith necessarily on either party's part?

We go now to Luke 16, verse 27. The main thing I'm illustrating, hopefully through the scriptures now, is that to a large degree, faith... I'm sorry, that signs are for unbelievers, as Paul says. He says here, the gift of tongues, it's a sign for unbelievers. But prophesying, that spiritual gift of inspired preaching and teaching, that's for believers. That's for you and me. In Luke 16, and this is a very interesting section of scripture in verse 27, then he said, I pray you therefore, Father, that you would send him to my father's house.

This is the story of Lazarus and the rich man.

Lazarus was facing the torment, the flames of Gehenna fire.

So I want to go tell my brethren about this, you know, that the flames have held pretty high.

And I don't want them to suffer the same faith that I'm about to suffer. He says, I have five brethren that he may testify unto them, lest they also come to this place of torment.

In other words, just go give a live witness.

Abraham said unto him, they have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them.

And he said, no, Father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. In other words, give them this sign. And he said unto them, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

So let's go back now and note the three things that abide. 1 Corinthians 13 verse 13. Remember, we talked about at the front at the beginning that we are going to examine the origin of faith, and we have done that. The Spirit and the Word of God convict. We respond to it.

Faith is a gift of the Spirit. It's a fruit of the Spirit.

Just because signs don't occur, it doesn't necessarily mean you don't have faith.

We saw that faith and obedience are inextricably linked together. You can't have one without the other. And through obedience, faith is perfected. But there is much more. In 1 Corinthians 13, verse 13 again, and this will be a follow-up on the first three verses that we read earlier here from 1 Corinthians of becoming love as God is love. Verse 13 again, and now abides faith, hope, charity. These three, but the greatest of these is charity. So what should be the outcome of living by faith? Let's go to 1 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 5. The result or the outcome, we have talked about the origin, the exercise, the development. Now what about the outcome of living by faith? The just shall live by faith. 1 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 5.

Now the end, and that word in the Greek is telos, t-e-l-o-s. It means outcome, result. Unfortunate translation in the old King James. The outcome or the result of the commandment is love.

Remember 1 John 5 verse 3, where this is the love of God that we should keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous, but this has a little bit more added to it. The result or the outcome of the commandment is love out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and of faith unfeigned. In other words, if you are living by faith and if you are obeying the commandments, the outcome, the result, will be love because you will be exercising that which God is. So let's look at this a little more closely. Let's go to Galatians 5 verse 6.

Galatians 5 verse 6.

For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision avails anything nor uncircumcision, but faith which works by love. So the outcome, the result of where your faith should lead to, ultimately, is to become love as God is love. Can we count on that being the result or the outcome? Now we go to Hebrews 11 and verse 1. The oft-quoted Bible definition of faith. Do we really understand what it means? Hebrews 11 and verse 1. Now faith is a substance.

This word substance is hoopostasis. Hoopostasis became a popular word when the Greek scholar in the worldwide Church of God wrote his paper on the Trinity. Hoopostasis means ground of B.

Ground of B-ing. B-e-i-n-g. To exist. Now faith is the substance, the ground of being of things hoped for, and evidence of things not seen.

Now you can look at this two different ways. Faith is the ground of being of things hoped for.

Faith is, spiritual faith is firmly rooted in the ground of being of God.

Because we have gone through that and shown that you can't really have spiritual faith unless God draws you, unless Christ reveals the Father to you, and the Holy Spirit and the Word of God convict you. So faith begins with God, and God is faithful who is promised.

So faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Now we could look at substance from another point of view, and this point of view of the substance of things hoped for. Well, what is the main substance? The main thing that you hope for in your life? Above all things, what are you hopeful?

Well, we could go to the very end and say, I hope for the kingdom of God. I want to be in the kingdom of God. But of the things that can result of being created in you at this time, what is the main substance? It's not substance in the sense of something you can put your finger on, that is to palpitate in the human sense.

The evidence of things not seen, obviously, that is the Spirit of God that is moving. Because you see in the very next verse, for by it, that is by faith, the elders obtained a good report. Through faith, we understand that the world were framed by the Word of God so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

So the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the dead of the deep. And we read about recreation in Genesis chapter 1. So we'll sort of leave that question hanging out there for a moment. What is the main thing that you hope for in your life? Now let's go to a concrete example in Romans chapter 4. Romans chapter 4.

And Abraham here, the father of the faithful, is described. In the life of Abraham, he came to this point when he was about 99 years old, and Sarah passed the age of childbearing, that an angel, well, and in this case, it wasn't an angel, it was Yahweh in person. It was a theophany, which is an appearance of God, the one who became Jesus Christ. The word also called Yahweh, and mainly Yahweh refers to the one who became Christ in the Old Testament.

Yahweh promised Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son. So they hoped for this son, the son of promise. Now how were they going to have this son? Well, to believe God, do what he says. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

You know, they waited quite a while and nothing happened, so Sarah encouraged Abraham to to have a to begat a child by Hagar, her handmaiden, and he did. Ishmael, father of the Arabs, the people we hear about now, and the prophecy of the Arabs is, he'll be a wild man, Ishmael, and his hand shall be against all of his brethren.

So let's continue here. In Romans 4 verse 16, therefore it is of faith that it might be of grace to the end, the result or outcome. The promise might be sure to all the seed, not to that only which is of the law, but that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.

As it is written, I have made you a father of many nations, before whom he believed, even God, who quickens or makes alive the dead, and calls those things which be not, as though they were, who against hope believed in hope. What does that mean? Against hope believed in hope. Well, the hope of this world would say, you can't have a child, you're 99 years old, and your woman, your wife has passed away a woman, as far as Shilberi.

He believed in hope. What hope? The hope that stems from faith in God, who against hope believed in hope that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, so shall your seed be. Now this father of many nations here, of course you can look at it in the physical sense, but the main emphasis here is in the spiritual sense, because Isaac is the son of promise, Isaac is the son by faith, and in Romans we're also likened to Isaac in the spiritual sense, because we are a promise and a faith.

And being not weak in faith, okay, listen to this, being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead when he was about a hundred years old, neither the deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in God giving glory to God.

So he's willing now to do what God says. So they have to come together and have intimate relations so that this child can be begotten. And being fully persuaded that what he had promised, that he being God, he was able also to perform.

And therefore it was reckoned to his account for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was reckoned to his account, but for us also to whom it shall be reckoned if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses, was raised again for our justification. So in this sense, what was hoped for? Isaac, the son of promise. That was the substance being hoped for. What was the evidence that things not seen? Well, the Spirit of God moved, making it possible for Abraham to beget Isaac and for Sarah to conceive and to have this child, the son of promise. We too now are the children of promise by faith in Jesus Christ. We have received the earnest of the Spirit, the down payment on eternal life. And if we live the life of faith, we too will receive that substance through that which is unseen, the Spirit of God. That leads us into chapter 5.

So we go to chapter 5 there. God has given us the power through His Spirit to overcome this world, and through His Spirit, He will create holy, righteous character within us.

Now, you say, no big deal. Yeah, it is a big deal because there are a lot of people who believe that through self-discipline and just will worship, that they can, that that develops holy, righteous character. Now, I've not ever seen a person develop holy, righteous character that didn't have self-discipline and able to control themselves. But if this other dimension is not there, it profits nothing. So I say it again. God has given us the power through His Spirit to overcome this world, and through His Spirit, He will create holy, righteous character within us.

Holy, righteous character is a spiritual creation. It requires our active participation.

As we've heard in the past, and we heard this quite often, God does not create holy, righteous character in us by field. I'll add a little, or say it in a little different way, God does not create holy, righteous character in us below the level of our consciousness with us playing no role in the process. We play a role in the process.

There is a process, a formula, that we go through and submit to in order for God to create His holy, righteous character within us. We must actually live by faith. The just shall live by faith. So now we pick it up from this example of Abraham and the Son of Promise, where it says, it was not written for His sake alone, but for us. So Romans 5.1, therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein you stand and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

And not only so, here begins the formula. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also.

How many of us glory in tribulations? I find it very difficult.

I find it very difficult. Knowing that tribulation works patience.

Now, a whole place there, please. Let's go to James chapter 1.

James chapter 1.

James begins this epistle with almost the same words as we'll see as we read a little more of Romans 5. But let's get this in our thinking as well. James 1, 2. I mean, James doesn't waste any time getting to the nitty-gritty. The second verse, my brethren counted all joy when you fall into different temptations or trials, knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience.

Now, this patience does not mean to do nothing. If you're out of work, you pound the pavement, wear out, read the print off the classified section, looking for a job.

If there is a grudge, you don't just wait hoping that someday, somehow, somewhere, that this person will come to you and ask for forgiveness or make it right. What about us going to them?

If you're sick, do not doubt God or become bitter. There are certain things that you can do.

The trying of your faith works patience, but let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. How's that possible?

Because if you have on the whole armor of God, and it says, and above all, taking the shield of faith this is Ephesians 6 16. Above all, taking the shield of faith, whereby you'll be able to quench all the fiery darts of Satan. So when the trial, the difficulty comes on, if you have patience, that perfect work will be performed because you'll know and know that you know that there is nothing that can separate you from the love of God.

So let patience have her perfect work, that you may be whole and entire, wanting nothing.

Now we go back to Romans 5. Back to Paul's formula.

Not only so, verse 3 again, we glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation works patience and patience experience. Now the word experience here is dokime in the Greek and it means proof testing, proof testing tried, patience experience. In other words, you have been there. You've been tried and you have been tested and you have come through. And experience works hope, and hope makes us not ashamed. Why? Because you have come to know and know that you know that the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts. Here's the outcome of the commandment. Here's the outcome of living by faith. Hope makes us not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by self-discipline. No, it's shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which is given unto us. Now, self-discipline and play a role. And, of course, obedience is the key rule. But Paul in three verses here gives us a summary of what we go through as God creates within us His love. The love of God, spiritual love, is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. God deeply desires to create godly character within us.

This is the primary substance. This is what we should be hoping for now, that we would become as God is. This is what we should hope for, yearn for. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, His character, His being. The Spirit of God is the evidence of things not seen. Obedience to the spiritual law results in us exemplifying holy, righteous character.

Exercising godly love is the exemplification of character in action.

Exercising godly love is the exemplification of character in action. So, what will we be like? What will we do?

1 Corinthians 13 verse 4.

You want to measure your faith? Some people talk about measuring their faith and want to have more faith. Here's the simple measurement. A measure of faith is the degree to which you place yourself in God's hands and internalize thy will be done. Another great measure of faith is exercising godly love in our lives. To the extent that you're exercising godly love in your lives, you are living by faith. Faith in action. 1 Corinthians 13 verse 4. So, what will you be doing? Living this life of faith. Charity suffers long, is kind, charity invades not, charity vaults not itself, is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil, rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endears all things, charity never fails. Then he talks about some things that will fail. Then we come back to that verse 13. The three things that abide. Faith, hope, charity, spiritual love.

The greatest of all these.

Signs of deliverance without substance are meaningless. It profits you nothing.

Faith is a total package and a way of life. Living by faith constitutes a process by which God will create his character in each one of us. So, you now understand a little more about the origin of faith, the exercise of faith, the development of faith, and the outcome.

The outcome of faith in simplest terms is to become as God is. As Paul says, we can have faith do all of these kind of things in the first three verses of chapter 13. But if the outcome is not becoming as God is, it profits nothing. So, brethren, I hope that we will really meditate on, study on, look at these things more deeply of what we have said here today. So, we come to a more perfect understanding of the just shall live by faith and also what the outcome of that life will be.