Because you are here this morning, I trust that you believe in God. Is that a safe assumption? People who don't believe in God don't often attend church. So, since you believe in God, let me ask you a very important question: What does God expect from you? Does He expect anything? I would have to say that most Christians live as if God expects nothing from them. What does God want from us? We could name a lot of things, but what is number one? What does God want from us more than anything else? It is a one-word answer. In one of the truly great statements of the Bible, the writer of Hebrews tells us:
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6 ESV
There is no way our relationship to God can be pleasing to Him unless we trust Him. God wants us to trust Him. Apart from faith we cannot please God. So, apart from faith it doesn't much matter what we do.
A very basic and simple fact of life is this: All of our valuable relationships in life are built on trust. When a husband and wife stop trusting each other, they may continue to be married, but they can no longer have a happy marriage. When two friends stop trusting each other, they may continue to see each other, but they no longer have a true friendship. If that is true in our human relationships, how much truer is it in our relationship to God?
"And without faith it is impossible to please him."— Here the writer lays down an axiomatic truth. He uses the aorist tense in the infinitive "to please." The statement is universal and timeless in its application. The idea is that without faith it is impossible to please him at all.
It is not belief in the existence of a god that is meant but, rather, belief in the existence of the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible is Holy, Just, Good, Loving, Wrathful, Merciful, and Sovereign. We must believe that God is who he says he is.
"He rewards those who seek him"—God rewards those who seek Him. Do you seek Him? Why not? Do you not want to be rewarded? Or is it that you don't believe Him? You think the reward is greater if you live your own way. "Seek Him"— is to seek to know Him in an intimate way. Walking with God is rewarded both temporally and eternally.
I think that it should be obvious that we can't live by faith unless we understand what faith is. Do you know what faith is? If someone asked you to define faith, could you explain it to him? Before we look at what faith is, let's dispel some myths. Some say that we live by faith every day. You turn on your faucet, fill a glass with water, and drink it—that's faith. You open a can of food and you eat it—that's faith. Or you fly in an airplane—that's faith. Those things are not faith! That is simply putting into practice what is called the law of mathematical probability. You are acknowledging that thousands of people fly every day and everything turns out all right, so you decide to do the same. I've grown up seeing people drink out of the faucet—that is not faith.
Faith is not superstition. It's not a sort of sixth sense, or some intuition into the spiritual realm, or an "Open Sesame" sort of thing.
Faith is not wishful thinking. It's not simply saying "I want a certain thing to happen, so I'm having faith that it will." Many people are like the girl who was asked to define faith. She said, "Faith is believing what you know isn't so." That is what faith is to many. They think it is some sort of gamble. That is not faith.
Faith is always intelligent; it knows what it is doing. Biblically defined, FAITH IS: UNDERSTANDING AND ASSENT TO A PROPOSITION. If you were to ask me, "Where is my money?" And I said to you, "The check is in the mail," you are either going to believe me (which is faith because you are trusting in what I said), or you are not.
A person is said to have faith in something if he believes it without having had a physical demonstration of it or a logical explanation of the truth behind it. In other words, a person who believes something without having it proven to him, has exercised faith. Faith is, therefore, distinguished from the two other methods of learning—empiricism and rationalism.
Empiricism is a technical word which refers to the using of scientific methods to learn something or to prove something. The scientific method relies on the five senses for the proof of propositions. And each experiment produces either verification or refutation of the idea or point of view. A child who does not believe his mother's word that the stove is hot may seek empirical proof by touching the stove himself. He receives immediate experimental verification of the truth of his mother's statement.
The term rationalism is used to describe the method of arriving at proof through the logical method. This is proof through the logical process of reason. In rationalism, logic produces either documentation of or refutation of a point of view. Both empiricism and rationalism are very useful in learning, but neither is equivalent to faith.
We enter the Christian life by believing what God has said to us in His Word about salvation. We can't prove we are saved by empiricism or rationalism. We simply accept it by faith. Trusting God for salvation is just the beginning of our Christian life. We need to learn to live by faith—trusting God in each and every area of our lives. Apart from faith, we cannot please God. So, apart from faith, it doesn't much matter what we do. Many Christians go to church and some even give money to the church. They may even read their Bibles and try to live in accordance with God's will as it is outlined in the scriptures, but they don't trust God. And because they don't trust God, they are not pleasing Him. Trusting God is of major importance in the Christian life. God was angry with the Israelites because they would not trust Him.
Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob; his anger rose against Israel, [22] because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power. Psalm 78:21-22 ESV
All believers have faith, but not all have strong faith because too many do not trust God daily to care for them. Faith is something that we are all to grow in. How can we grow in our faith? There are two main factors which determine the strength of our faith. First, is our knowledge of God. The main explanation of the troubles and difficulties which most Christians experience in their lives pertains to a lack of knowledge about the character of God (Theology Proper). We need to study the revelation that God has given of himself and of his character. That is how to develop strong faith. The more you know God, the more you will trust Him.
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Romans 10:17 ESV
We need to study the Word so that we may know Him. It's hard to trust someone you don't know. I think that most Christians tend to base their personal relationship with God on their performance instead of on His grace. Most Christians are legalistic in their walk with God. We need to understand that all of the Christian life is a matter of grace. We are brought into God's eternal kingdom by grace, we are positionally and practically sanctified by grace, we are motivated to obedience by grace, we receive strength to live the Christian life by grace, and we receive both temporal and spiritual blessings by grace. The entire Christian life is lived by grace. Living by grace means that you are free from the performance treadmill. It means that you do not have to try to earn God's approval.
Do you understand the truth that nothing you ever do will cause Him to love you any more or any less. You are loved and accepted through the merit of Yeshua Christ. Yeshua the Christ rendered perfect obedience to God, and you have received His righteousness by grace through faith.
Knowledge of God, therefore, is the first main factor which determines the strength of our faith. The second is concerns the application of what we know.
At times, we do apply what we know, and we come through the problems and difficulties victorious (like David when he faced Goliath). And yet at other times, we become consumed with our circumstances, and we do not apply our faith (like David before Achish the king of Gath). David was scared to death, and he changed his behavior and pretended he was crazy. He began to scribble on the doors and drool all over himself (1 Sam. 21:13). What happened to the giant killer? He wasn't applying his faith. He forgot about his God. Have you ever done that? You think your faith is strong, but then a difficult trial or situation arises, and you panic and drool all over yourself. We are saved by faith, and we are to walk by faith each and every day.
We need to learn to trust in God because faith pleases God. God is angry when we don't trust Him. And we need to trust Him because life is uncertain. Who knows what tomorrow holds? You might feel good about your financial security, but how secure are you if you're only trusting in your money? The stock market could crash. You could lose your job. You could lose your health. Tomorrow your wife or husband could leave you. Tomorrow you or a loved one could be diagnosed with cancer. Tomorrow you could be robbed and killed. Tomorrow a hurricane could destroy your house and kill your family. Who has any guarantee of tomorrow? Many look at Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, and think, "If only l had his money, all my troubles would be gone." But despite all his money, Elon's future is also uncertain. He can't buy health or life.
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. Proverbs 27:1 ESV
Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." James 4:13-15 ESV
We do much to protect against uncertainties by purchasing insurance, but there are some things you can't insure against. What if meat you bought at the store is contaminated? The food you eat could kill you. What if the pool you are swimming in is contaminated?
Several years ago, over twenty children were hospitalized from E. coli that they caught from being in a wading pool at a water park. I saw a news special about a child who contracted E. coli from eating salad. With all the uncertainty in life, how do you keep from living in fear? David gives us the answer.
And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. Psalms 9:10 ESV
"Those who know Your name"—i.e., those who know God's character. To know God's character is to be able to trust Him. Do you know God well enough to trust Him? Do you know Him well enough to have such confidence in Him that you believe He is with you in your adversity even though you do not see any evidence of His presence and His power? Do you trust Him? God wants our trust. In order to trust God, we must always view our adverse circumstances through the eyes of faith. Faith pleases God. Without faith, it is impossible to please Him.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. Psalms 20:7 ESV
What the psalmist is saying is that we are not to trust in our own strength, but in God. We are able to trust in Him when we remember His name, i.e. His character.
Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. Isaiah 50:10 ESV
Isaiah exhorted the Servant's to walk by faith, trusting in the name of the Lord, trusting His character.
We talked earlier about faith when someone tells you, "The check is in the mail." If you believe that, you are exercising faith. You can't prove it. Now, what determines whether you believe the person when they say, "The check is in the mail?" Wouldn't your belief or disbelief of that statement be based upon the person's character? Sure, it would. You would believe some people who said that to you, but others you would not believe. If you knew the person to be of good character, you would believe him.
If we really know God's character, we will trust Him even when he chooses to send poverty, sickness, or family problems so that even while our hearts are aching with each beat, we will say, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
As we study the Word of God and learn of God's character, we will grow in our trust of Him. Most Christians don't trust God because they don't know Him! How can we trust Him and believe in His promises, if we don't know Him or His promises?
If we are going to walk by faith and thus please God, we must have our thoughts formed and our actions regulated by the Scriptures. We won't believe His promises if we don't trust Him.
and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me." Psalms 50:15 ESV
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 ESV
Who is the one making these promises? It is the Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe! And every promise of God is backed up by His perfect character, His name. Our thinking about His promises can be related to His divine attributes. For example:
* Sovereignty: God is in total control of every event that happens in time.
* Righteousness: God is perfect goodness, so anything that happens to us will be good for us.
* Justice: Guarantees that His plan for us is fair, that we will always be treated justly.
* Love: we know that every situation in life is governed by God's love for us.
* Omniscience: God knows all or our needs and pains; and He has already planned what to do about them.
* Omnipresence: God is always present and available to help.
* Omnipotence: God is all-powerful so He always has the capability to carry out his promises and to provide help in time of need.
* Immutability: God never changes in His attitude toward us, and all of His characteristics remain the same—forever.
* Truth: God never lies; therefore, what He has promised, He will perform.
The more we know God, the more we can trust Him, and the more we trust Him, the more He is pleased. Can you trust God in the uncertainties of life? Knowing God is not just a matter of theology—it is crucially important for the living of our lives. All conscious behavior is preceded by and arises out of our thoughts. Can you trust Him in the calamities of life? You can if you know Him. I believe that the first and foremost thing we must know about God is that He is sovereign. But most of the church today denies the absolute sovereignty of God. Christians speak of accidents or of things just happening by chance.
We will have a very hard time trusting God in the midst of trials and adversities if we don't understand his sovereignty. And the church today doesn't see God as sovereign. In 1981, Rabbi Harold Kushner's best-selling book, "When Bad Things Happen to Good People." swept the country. It was described as a book all humanity needs. I have a problem with the book just in reading the title because there are no "good" people.
And Yeshua said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. Mark 10:18 ESV
Since his presupposition that there are good people is wrong, the book is bound to be wrong. In the book, Rabbi Kushner concludes that the author of Job contends that Job, "forced to choose between a good God who is not totally powerful, or a powerful God who is not totally good, chooses to believe in God's goodness." Kushner says, "God wants the righteous to live peaceful, happy lives, but sometimes even He can't bring that about. lt is too difficult even for God to keep cruelty and chaos from claiming their innocent victims."
What do you think about that statement? If red flags don't go up and bells don't go off in your theological mind, then something is wrong with your theology. Kushner is in effect saying, "If God is both powerful and good, why is there so much suffering, so much pain, so much heartache in the world? God is either good and not all powerful, or He is powerful and not all good. You can't have it both ways." Well, Kushner is wrong. The Bible from beginning to end teaches the absolute goodness and sovereignty of God.
The Bible clearly teaches that God is Sovereign. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Almighty and the Possessor of all power in heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purposes, or resist His will. The sovereignty of God is absolute, irresistible, and infinite. God does as He pleases, only as He pleases, and always as He pleases. Whatever takes place in time is but the outworking of that which He decreed in eternity. Is this too strong for you? If it is, you do not understand the God of the Bible. The Scriptures affirm these truths.
Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. Psalms 115:3 ESV
How could He do whatever He pleases if He is not sovereign? Left to ourselves, we tend to immediately reduce God to manageable terms. We want to get Him where we can use Him. We want a God we can in some measure control. The control of God seems to be an underlying theme of the positive confession movement. Kenneth Copeland has said, "You don't have a God living in you; You are one." Ruth Carter Stapleton says, "God is wholeness; and you are God. In you He lives and moves and has His being." E. W. Kenyon teaches that we are to walk as Jesus walked, without any consciousness of inferiority to God. Copeland said, "We have all the capabilities of God. We have His faith." They have a wrong view of God. Their god is not the God of the Bible. Pink summed it up this way, "The god of modern religious thought no more resembles the supreme sovereign of the Bible than does the dim flickering of a candle resemble the glory of the noon day sun."
When we say that God is sovereign, we're saying that God has an absolute right to rule over everything.
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. 1 Chronicles 29:11-13 ESV
For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. Psalms 47:7-8 ESV
God did not simply create the world and then walk away. He constantly sustains that which He created. Seventeenth-century deism constructed a god who created a universe and then walked away to leave it running according to its natural laws and man's devices. Many Christians are practical deists. They act as if God has left the world to run on its own.
remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,' calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it. Isaiah 46:9-11 ESV
Every breath we breathe is a gift from God, every bite of food we eat is given to us from His hand, and every day we live is determined by Him. Did your car break down when you could least afford the repairs? Did you lose your job? Did a loved one come down with a terminal disease? The God who created and controls the world also controls the machinery on your car, your boss, and every virus, germ or disease. Yeshua taught that God exercises His sovereign control in very minute events—even the life and death of an almost worthless sparrow.
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31 ESV
If we are going to trust God, we must understand that He is in control of every aspect of our lives. The doctrine of God's sovereignty clearly affirms that we can trust Him.
Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? Lamentations 3:37-38 ESV
No one can act outside of God's sovereign will or against it. Centuries ago, Augustine said, "Nothing, therefore, happens unless the Omnipotent wills it to happen: he either permits it to happen, or he brings it about himself." God calls ALL the shots, He rules over all. Why is that? Because He is God. The sovereignty of God is asserted, either expressly or implicitly, on almost every page of the Bible.
Rather than being offended by the Bible's assertion of God's sovereignty in both good and ill, believers should be comforted by it. Whatever it is that we are going through, we may be sure that our Father has a loving purpose in it. We need to learn to trust God even when we don't understand. Faith pleases God. Do you know Him well enough to trust Him no matter how painful or catastrophic a situation may be?
Let me give you a biblical illustration of a man who trusted God in the midst of his darkest hour. Eli was the high priest of Israel. In 1 Samuel 3, we learn how God revealed to the young child, Samuel, that He was about to kill Eli's two sons for their sinfulness. The next day Samuel communicated this message to the aged priest. It is difficult to conceive of a more difficult message for a parent to receive. The message that his child is going to be suddenly killed, under any circumstances, would be a great trial for any father. Yet, this was the message to Eli. What was his response when he received these tragic words from Samuel? What did he say when he heard the awful news?
So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the LORD. Let him do what seems good to him." 1 Samuel 3:18 ESV
Believers, that is faith! He knew God and he trusted God. He didn't argue with him or try to talk God out of his plan. He simply bowed to God's sovereign will in humble trust.
Another biblical example would be that from the life of Job.
There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. Job 1:1 ESV
This was a guy who is "blameless and upright," according to God. If ever there was a man who might reasonably expect Divine providence to smile upon him, it was Job. For a time, things went great for him. Yahweh blessed him with seven sons and three daughters. He prospered him in his business until he owned great possessions. But suddenly things changed. In a single day, Job lost not only his flocks and herds, but his sons and daughters as well. News arrived that his cattle had been carried off by robbers, and his children slain by a cyclone. How did he receive this news? Notice carefully his reply to a catastrophe that is beyond what we could even imagine:
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. Job 1:20-22 ESV
Have you ever suddenly received real bad news? I have. On August 5, at 3:00 in the morning I was awakened by a phone call. When I answered the phone, my brother said, "David, Dad died." I was devastated! I hurt worse than I ever had. I had just lost my father. But, Job lost ten children and all his wealth.
Notice, that Job traced his afflictions back to their first cause. He looked beyond the Sabeans who had stolen his cattle and the winds that had destroyed his children and saw the hand of God. He said, "Yahweh has taken away." But not only did Job recognize God's sovereignty, he rejoiced in it. Job trusted God because he knew God. He knew that God was sovereign, and in this, he rejoiced.
When loss after loss came Jobs way, what did he do? Did he cry about his "bad luck"? Curse the robbers? Murmur against God? NO. He bowed before Him in worship. Believer, we, like Job, must learn to see the hand of God in everything. But for that, faith must be in constant exercise. Faith is resting on the sure Word of the living God, and therefore says, "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God." (Romans 8:28); and therefore, faith gives thanks "always for all things."
Let me give you a non-biblical illustration of a man whose knowledge of God allowed him to trust God in the midst of a very dark time. Adoniram Judson was the first American missionary to be sent overseas to Burma. Fourteen years after leaving America, all he had to show for his labor were graves of his wife and all his children. He was alone, he experienced imprisonments and life-threatening situations, and he contracted diseases of a dangerous nature. Yet he was faithful to remain; he never quit. He said, "lf I had not felt certain that every trial was ordered by infinite love and mercy, I could not have survived my accumulated sufferings." He didn't see his situation as "bad luck" or an attack of the devil. He saw all of his trials as "ordered by God." His theology gave him strength. He understood God's sovereignty and he trusted Him.
Years ago, a military officer and his wife were aboard a ship that was caught in a raging ocean storm. Seeing the frantic look in her eyes, the man tried unsuccessfully to alleviate his wife's fears. Suddenly she grasped his sleeve and cried, "How can you be so calm?" He stepped back a few feet and drew his sword. Pointing it at her heart, he said, "Are you afraid of this?" Without hesitation she answered, "Of course not!" "Why not?" he inquired. "Because it's in your hand, and you love me too much to hurt me." To this he replied, "I know the One who holds the winds and the waters in the hollow of His hand, and He will surely care for us!" The officer was not disturbed because he had put his trust in the Lord.
Strong faith trusts God in the worst circumstances because of an understanding that all occasions of pain and sorrow are under the absolute control of God. Strong faith has the confidence that our suffering is under the control of an all-powerful and all-loving God. Our suffering has meaning and purpose in God's eternal plan, and He brings into our lives only that which is for His glory and our good.
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. Of David. Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah Psalms 61:1-4 ESV
David found comfort in the character of Yahweh and so will you. Get to know your God by spending time with Him in the Word. As you grow to know Him, you will grow to trust Him.