To be with you brothers and sisters here
in Richmond, and to remember the Lord together,
and to worship Him.
That's why I was sitting there and meditating
the goodness of the Lord, how He removed
our stony hearts and gave all of us
a heart of flesh that we can respond
to Him.
Our unclean lips He touched, and of His
lips of clay we can sing praises, songs
unto Him that we know by faith are
acceptable in His sight.
Only He can do it, and He done
it, because our God has faith in Himself,
and He did it.
Therefore, we can respond, we can sing, and
we can rejoice together in Him.
Sweet power in it.
Lord, we are so thankful that we are
not alone here by ourselves.
We are so thankful to You.
It is Your longing to be with Your
people.
We thank You.
By faith we know You are with us.
You are our portion.
You are everything.
And when we know You are with us,
we say, it is enough.
And to You, give all the praise and
all the glory.
We ask it in Lord Jesus.
Amen.
When I was here last time, a few
weeks ago, I shared this matter of faith.
And as I told you, every time I
come to visit Richmond, I always get caught
up here.
But thank the Lord.
Every time I am given an opportunity to
serve the Lord, I always consider it as
a learning situation to experience the Lord in
a fresh way.
And thank the Lord for such opportunity.
Well, last time we mentioned this faith.
And faith is the foundation of our Christian
life or Christian living.
If we look through the whole Bible, it's
full of this word belief and trust.
Faith.
It's just full.
The Gospel of John, that they might believe.
Even the Book of Romans.
Faith and belief.
Almost in every page.
And throughout the whole Epistles of Paul.
And the Bible begins with this wonderful statement
or announcement.
In the beginning, God.
It is a statement of faith.
Not for our faith in Him.
But He has faith in Himself.
And that's what Brother Sparks says.
Because He has faith in Himself, therefore He
did what He did.
And that's what we are today.
Because God has faith in Himself.
And He will redeem us if He transforms
us.
And He will keep us to the end.
Because God has faith in Himself.
That's why this faith, this matter of faith,
is so rare.
And God is for ever looking this faith
in mankind.
So I share last time with the Lord.
He has found His faith in the people.
He was greatly rejoiced.
You remember the centurion's faith.
The Lord falls and He looks around.
And He says, I have never seen such
great faith even in Israel.
And the Lord called that faith a great
faith.
Because that faith released the great God to
speak His word.
To express His love.
And to accomplish His work.
So faith is the link to heaven.
Faith is the way by which you appropriate
or enter into all of His hours in
the Lord Jesus.
So without faith there is nothing.
Without faith there is nothing.
But with faith there is like everything.
So shall we just look at a few
verses of Scripture.
Brothers and sisters.
Let's first turn to the book of Hebrews
11.
We will read that portion.
Hebrews 11.
And we will read verse 1, 2
and 3.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped
for and the evidence of things not seen.
For by it the elders obtained a good
testimony.
By faith we understand that the worlds were
framed by the word of God.
So that the things which are seen are
not made of things which are visible.
And verse 6.
But without faith it is impossible to please
God.
For he who comes to God must believe
that He is and that He is the
rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
And let's turn to 1 Peter.
Read a few verses from 1 Peter.
This is Peter 1.
We will read from verse 3.
Peter 1 verse 3.
Blessed be the God and the Father of
all Jesus Christ who according to His abundant
mercy has begotten us again to a living
hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled
and that does not fade away reserved in
heaven for you.
You are kept by the power of God
through faith for salvation ready to be revealed
in the last time.
In this you greatly rejoice though now for
a little while it may be you have
been grieved by various trials.
Let the genuineness of your faith be much
more precious than gold that perishes though it
is tested by fire may be found to
praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of
Jesus Christ whom heaven not seen you love.
Though now you do not see Him yet
believing you rejoice with joy in the unexpressible
and full glory receiving the end of your
faith the salvation of your soul.
And let's just turn to one more portion
because when we talk about this man of
faith we can't get away from Abraham, can
we?
He's the father of faith.
He's the father of the circumcised as well
as the uncircumcised.
So let's turn to Romans 4.
Let's read a few verses from Romans 4.
Romans 4, 16.
We'll begin with 16.
Romans 4, 16.
Therefore it is faith that it might be
according to grace so that the promise might
be true or certain to all that see.
Not only to those who are of the
law but also to those who are 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 in the presence
of him whom he believed even God who
gives life to the dead and causes those
things which do not exist as though they
did.
That is the foundation of Abraham's faith.
The God who gives life to the dead
and causes those things which do not exist
as though they did.
Who contrary to hope in hope believed so
that he became the father of many nations
according to what was spoken.
So shall your descendants be.
And not being weak in faith he did
not consider his own body already dead since
he was about a hundred years old and
the deadness of Sarah's womb.
He did not waver at the promise of
God through unbelief but was strengthened in faith
giving glory to God and being fully convinced
that what he had promised he was also
able to perform.
So we will end our reading there.
So we shared last time faith is really
faith in a God who is faithful to
himself or God who is full of faith
in himself.
Now when we discover that is true and
that is fact we can be at rest.
We don't need to struggle anymore.
Faith brings us to a real rest in
our soul.
And the problem with many of the believers
is that we don't really have that pure
faith in a great God.
Therefore we have so many anxieties agitation, restlessness
in our soul because we fail to see
who he is.
Once we discover who he is then we
enter into rest.
Well this morning when it comes to this
matter of faith the way the Lord teaches
this matter of faith he often brings us
into impossible situations to test our faith, to
try our faith whether the origin of our
faith is from ourselves or the origin of
our faith is from God.
If the origin of that faith is from
ourselves it will be what?
It can easily be shaken.
But if the origin of that faith is
based on God God is the foundation of
faith and God is the one who gives
that faith then we are on a solid
rock.
Then our life as the Lord's people will
not be easily shaken.
So oftentimes the Lord is always oftentimes he
brings us to a situation that seems impossible.
In other words, he wants us to believe
the unbelievable.
Do we dare to believe him?
You know, believing God is an unbelievable thing.
Have you ever witnessed people asking to believe?
Have you?
I am sure you have.
And you discuss how impossible for them to
believe.
How hard?
How impossible?
So when we ask people to believe in
the Lord Jesus we are asking them to
believe in the unbelievable.
If it is believable, I mean they will
all believe in him.
So unless God does something that's why Paul
says faith comes from hearing and hearing comes
from what?
The Word of God.
The Word of God generates faith in us
to believe God's Word.
Faith unto faith.
So, you know, that's how when we have
a gospel meeting and witnessing and try to
reach out and sometimes we face impossible situations.
You know, some people they are so almost
to the on the verge of believing and
yet somehow they still are not able to
make it.
And so faith is believing the unbelievable.
And God wants us to God wants us
to exercise that kind of faith.
Now I will give you an example.
We know in the scripture how the Lord
brings us to impossible situations to discover our
faith and at the same time for us
to know that he is faithful.
What he has promised he will what?
Do.
Now the 400 years of the Israelites in
Egypt we know it was predicted way back
that they will be taken into Egypt and
so forth.
But you remember the Lord sent Moses to
Egypt to deliver the Israelites out.
You read those accounts.
It was an impossible situation.
There were slaves in Egypt under bondage and
Pharaoh was their what?
Their master, their king.
He would not let them go?
He said no.
And you know how they argue how they
try to how Pharaoh tries to negotiate with
Moses.
He said well okay the men can go.
And you know the story.
And it took ten times for Moses to
confront Pharaoh.
Finally Pharaoh gave in.
Impossible situation.
And that's why that's why because through all
this and through Pharaoh the Lord's name was
what?
Magnified.
And glorified.
So faith is not something for people to
boast.
Faith is simply a opportunity for God
to manifest who He is and what He
can do.
Now when they came out of Egypt now
there are other ways for them to get
out.
And they somehow they circle around and they
get stuck in front of the Red Sea.
Not only in front of the Red Sea
but when they look back in front of
them was the Red Sea and when they
look back what they saw?
The troops what?
Of Pharaoh.
The best equipped troops of Pharaoh.
And they were caught in between.
What can they do?
Impossible situation.
They met the Lord Himself.
The Lord was faithful to Himself.
That's all.
The Lord was responsible for bringing them out
of Egypt and the Lord ultimately was responsible
for bringing them into what?
The land.
The Lord was faithful in spite of the
unfaithfulness of His people.
Now in the New Testament we encounter this
problem too with regard to the Lord Jesus.
The question is how can it be?
How is it possible?
You remember Nicodemus came to the Lord by
night and the Lord talked about being born
from above without being born by the Spirit
you cannot enter into the kingdom.
And what was Nicodemus response?
Born again, born from above.
He said how can this what?
How can these things be?
See the Lord wants you to believe that
what?
The unbelievable.
That's all.
It's impossible.
He's had a reason now.
Forget it.
And then the next chapter, the fourth chapter
of the Gospel of John with the Samaritan
woman.
You remember the Samaritan woman?
And the Lord said, now if you know
who is talking to you if you ask
him, he will give you what?
Living water.
And once you drink that water you will
never what?
Be thirst again.
Then she looked at him.
She said sir, you have nothing to draw
the water with and yet the well was
what?
Deep.
Nothing and yet the well was what?
Deep.
How is that possible?
And he said, this well that our father
Jacob give it to us.
Are you greater than what?
Our father what?
Jacob.
Unbelievable.
And the Lord wanted the Samaritan woman to
believe they what?
The unbelievable.
Believe the impossible.
Now did she believe?
She did.
Because she what?
She heard the word.
The living word was communicated to her.
And she believed.
Now Nicodemus heard the word.
Did he believe?
Yes he did.
And he became a what?
He became a secret follower of the Lord.
Do you remember?
You cannot come to Lord Jesus yet not
something happens to you.
So Nicodemus believed.
Do you remember when the Lord was crucified
and was to be buried?
He was the one who brought the ointment
for the burial.
He was a secret follower.
So the Lord Jesus always wants us to
believe the unbelievable.
And we cannot do it.
He can do it.
Now we cannot talk about this matter of
faith without mentioning the father of faith Abraham.
Now did Abraham have that great faith all
throughout his life?
No.
In fact on many occasions Abraham was what?
Was utterly faithless.
So that gives us hope.
You see?
That's why he's the father of faith.
It gives us hope.
Do you remember a couple of times he
told the people that he was sojourning with
he said, Now Sarah, my wife, he said
she's not my wife but really it's my
sister.
Now when he said those things he was
just completely unbelief.
Faithless.
And you remember the trouble he got himself
into?
Not only himself but the people involved.
See what unbelief did to a person and
not only to a person but all those
who were involved with him.
He did it twice.
And twice he went south.
The scripture he said he went south.
And once he went into Egypt.
And because there was no food what?
In the land.
The law called him into what?
The land.
And that was promised to him and to
his seed.
Right?
To be his possession.
And then he went to Egypt for food.
Now that's unbelief.
The law sends you to that place don't
you think he will provide for you?
If he sends you there he will be
what?
He will be fully responsible for you.
But Abraham was weak in faith.
You know, weak in faith?
Several times he was weak.
Many times he was what?
Weak.
Very many times weak.
So Abraham was actually before he had faith
he was up he was faithless.
He was faithless.
What does that give us for brothers and
sisters?
Well, faithless.
Now this matter of faith, hope and love
always go together.
Faith will generate hope.
Hope we can possess because there is love
there.
Something propels.
Love is a powerful thing.
You know, powerful.
I always think that faith is the foundation
and hope is the superstructure and love is
the what?
The roof.
The cover.
That's right.
So we need all those three things.
We need the foundation of faith.
We need hope as our superstructure and we
need the covering what?
Of love.
So in Hebrews in Romans 4 it says
He believed even God who gives life to
the dead and calms those things which do
not exist as though they did.
That was Abraham's foundation for faith.
God himself.
Now many of us we put our foundation
of faith in God's promises.
There's a difference between putting our faith in
God's promises and in God himself.
God's promises is always linked with God himself.
It's his word.
Now if we take it we take God's
word out of God's mouth and make it
our own.
God said I'll not back it up.
It's not my word anymore.
It's your word now.
But if it's God's word spoken by God
to Abraham's arm that's my foundation of faith.
You saved it Lord.
You saved it.
So Abraham's faith his foundation is God himself.
The word that God has spoken to him.
So for instance I believe our foundation for
faith is this matter of knowing God.
It's when you know a person you can
have faith in that person.
You don't trust a person you don't even
know about, do you?
How can you?
So Abraham's faith was because he knew God.
He communed with God.
God revealed himself to him and that's why
Abraham was called a friend of us, of
God.
They knew each other.
So that was Abraham's foundation for faith.
So for instance I believe we have to
know God if we are going to have
any faith at all.
Because our faith is none other than him
God himself.
Now one of the things that happened to
us when we put our faith and trust
in him is that we he humbles us.
You know people try to live a humble
life you try, it's very difficult.
You try, you can try but you will
not succeed.
But when you come to an impossible situation
and all you have is your naked faith
in an invisible God and think that that
will humble you.
That will humble you.
You see the reason why people are not
willing to believe is because they are not
they don't have any spirit of humility they
are not humble there is still something in
them they can do.
That's why they don't believe anyone.
They believe in themselves.
But when you come to an impossible situation
you are completely exhausted with all that is
in you and all you have to do
is just cast and pick upon God.
That humbles you.
Because God brought you what?
To zero.
And to be brought to a place of
zero is to discover Him.
And faith becomes a living faith.
Without zero.
So that will bring us to a true
spirit of humility.
To know that we cannot trust ourselves we
cannot trust anyone and God alone is enough.
That humbles us.
So Abraham's faith was based on his personal
living knowledge of a living God.
A God who has faith in himself.
That was the foundation of Abraham's faith.
Then the next thing we notice is that
contrary to hope in some translation against all
hope when all hopes are gone when your
last hope is gone I mean there's nothing
now.
When the last is gone it's gone.
But with Abraham who knew God when the
last is gone it's not gone.
When all hopes are gone he said I
still have what?
Hope.
Not his hope in himself but God's what?
God's hope.
That's why later on in Romans 15 we
come to a verse we'll quote later on
God is called the God of what?
Of hope.
So when human hopes are all gone then
God's hope comes in.
That's what Abraham was experiencing.
When man's hopes are all gone and God
becomes the God of all hope.
And his hope comes in.
And that's what Abraham can say when all
hopes are gone against all hope yet in
hope he what?
Belief.
So you can say in God again he
what?
Belief.
Because God is the God of what?
Of hope.
It's God again.
You see.
Now with most of the people of the
world when your last hope is gone how
can you smile?
How can you?
You might as well as this.
What's the use for living?
What's for?
When your last hope is gone you just
say well that's it.
I'm finished.
But when the last hope was gone with
Abraham it was not finished.
It was what?
A new beginning for him.
God is the God of hope.
There's one verse in Romans 8 says hope
that is seen is not hope.
For why does one still hope for what
he sees?
Now when Abraham when he looks around and
he sees nothing is happening yet he can
maintain that hope in God.
That hope is not Abraham's hope.
That hope is God's hope in Abraham.
Praise God for that.
Let's return to Romans 5 This is a
very interesting verse there.
Romans 5 5 Now hope does not disappoint.
Now whose hope is that?
I mean if you hope for something and
then you will ultimately be disappointed.
Have we encountered that before?
Many of us did.
We hope and in the end we're so
disappointed.
Just so disappointed.
It didn't turn out to the way we
expected.
Many things in this life.
This life in fact is a life of
disappointment.
You know, excuse me for saying this.
I mean in all the world I would
believe our government is one of the best
governments in the world.
There's no question about it.
There is some decency and there's some fairness.
There's some God-fearing people in our government.
And thank God for that.
Now don't we often very disappointed with our
government that thinks they do?
The best in the world!
And people are flocking into this country.
They think this is a canine.
They do.
They think this is paradise on earth.
And some of them can get disappointed.
We have the best government.
And then we're disappointed.
Some of the laws they enacted.
We're disappointed.
And it says here now faith does not
disappoint because the love of God has been
poured out in our hearts by the Holy
Spirit who was given to us.
There's something.
The hope is within.
The spirit is the seal of God's promise.
Isn't that true?
The down payment.
God's guarantee.
So how can you be disappointed?
It's already in you.
Beautiful.
Amazing.
And so Abraham can hope because he knew
his hope would not be disappointed.
Why?
Because behind it is the Almighty God who
is faithful to himself.
Then we'll look at this verse.
Romans 15.
The God of hope.
Let's look at that.
Romans 15, 13.
Now may the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace.
In what?
In believing that you may abound in hope
by the power.
The power of hope is in the Holy
Spirit.
The strength to endure in that hope is
in the Spirit.
And the Spirit, as I say, is the
down payment of God's guarantee that he will
accomplish and endure.
We have assurance.
So our hope is not a vain hope.
Our hope is what?
It is a sure hope.
Ernie Howard came to us and he also
mentioned this hope.
In this country we use this hope, the
word hope, very carelessly.
Or I hope so.
Or I hope it will be this way.
I hope it will be that way.
But that's not God's hope.
God's hope comes with certainty.
That's why in the hopelessness we still have
hope because we have that inward rest and
certainty.
And that's why because we have that rest.
Because who he is and what he promised
he will perform.
Therefore we can rejoice in hope and have
peace in hope.
How people are so frustrated and sickened in
their heart when their hope is gone.
When your hope is gone you have no
joy.
When your hope is gone you have no
peace.
How can you?
But this hope that we have from God
brings not just rest but what?
Joy and what?
Because we have that assurance that what he
has promised he will also perform it.
And then the next of this Abraham's life
it says he was not weak in faith.
Verse 19 in chapter 4 of Romans.
It says he was not weak in faith.
Let's read that verse again.
I'm reading from the new King James Version.
And not being weak in faith he did
not consider his own body already dead.
Since he was about 100 years old.
And the deadness of Sarah's womb.
Now my footnote here says this was not
in some of the manuscripts.
If you have the NIV translation I think
it says that not being weak in faith
he faced what?
He faced what?
The fact.
Recognizing knowing that he was as good as
what I did.
Now that fact when he looked at himself
and he faced the fact and knowing that
he was almost 100 years old and his
body and the womb of his wife Sarah
as both were as good as dead.
Now those facts are human facts.
You see?
Now they are facts but they are what?
They are human facts.
They are not God's facts.
Now brothers and sisters quite often we dwell
on human facts or on God's facts.
We dwell on human facts.
But Abraham did not look at himself that
way.
He looked at it from God's point of
view, from God's fact.
So Abraham did not look at the look
to God through certain senses.
He looked the certain senses through God.
And if you look at if you look
through God then you have a different thing
out there.
But if you look at certain senses it
will take you to something.
It goes all together.
It's two sets of facts.
Abraham was not denying that he was not
as good as dead.
He was confessing that yes I am as
good as dead.
That is a fact.
But God's fact is above what?
Human fact.
Now can we take that?
It's true.
On a human level you are as good
as dead.
But God says that I am the God
who what?
Quickens.
And gives life.
I am the one who engulfs things that
does not exist into what?
Into being.
That's God's fact.
What I promised I will what?
Perform.
Those are God's facts.
So in our view he looked at himself
in fact he faced the fact and knowing
all that.
But by New Translation he did not look
as though they were dead.
I think both translations in a way is
accurate.
All depends how you put it.
On the human fact, yes.
But the divine fact, no.
Thank God for that.
And then it says that he did not
waver.
Now when we encounter impossible situations the first
thing we our mind, our brain begins to
turn.
Is it or is it not?
Is it God's fact or human fact?
We try to work things out.
But it says he did not what?
He did not waver.
Because our faith is based on God's fact.
It gives us an inward stability.
It brings into our being a real unity.
Spirit, soul, and body.
In that proper order.
So in other words, Abraham was not a
divided person anymore.
His thinking and his conviction are now what?
What?
Many of us we are convicted in our
heart but we dare not to say it.
Just in case it didn't turn out to
be quite what it ought to be.
So we say, I believe, but I think
I better not say it.
Just in case it turns out the other
way.
It will bring shame into the world one
day.
Until it happens, then I'll say, okay, I
believe.
Anytime we try to say something, we don't
have a what?
We don't really quite believe it.
We don't have a deep conviction about it.
So we are a divided what?
Person.
Our conviction and our thinking, they are not
synchronized.
A divided person.
And that's what James says.
A divided heart.
Double-minded.
Doubt.
And because everyone's faith was raised on God's
path and God himself, who he is, what
he says, what he says he performs, and
that stabilizes and brings in such tranquility, oneness
within himself.
So there was no doubt in his mind.
So he was not a divided person.
His mind and his heart are one.
What he says is what he believes.
So he was not going to...
So brothers and sisters, that faith will bring
into our lives stability.
Not just rest, joy, and peace, but what?
Stability.
Now what if one thing is lacking among
God's people?
Is this matter of stability?
In every fellowship, we need brothers and sisters
that are stable in the Lord.
Let the Lord Jesus rock and shake.
No matter what, stable.
Now, we experience some measure of rest.
Once we know our sins are forgiven, we
know we have peace, we have rest, we
have joy.
But sometimes, we're still living a up-and
-down life.
We are not stable in this matter of
faith, on God's path, not on our feelings.
So we need to handle it.
And then, let me just say something on
the lighter side for you.
You remember in Genesis 17 and 18, we
have two of the accounts of the Lord
came to Abraham.
In 17, the Lord came and said, Now
I want you to circumcise all the males
in your household.
And then Abraham's name was changed from Abraham
to Abraham.
Sarah was also changed.
Remember?
And the Lord said, Now I'll give you
a son.
That time Ishmael was already born.
And when the Lord told Abraham that he
and Sarah were going to have a son,
you remember Abraham what?
He fell down and worshipped the Lord, and
yet he was what?
He laughed.
Now I don't know whether that laugh is
a laugh on belief, or that laugh is
a laugh of belief.
He said, Lord, I laugh because I know
it's impossible, but I believe what?
It's going to be possible.
He laughed.
I believe when we go to heaven, we're
going to laugh.
God said we will have a feast for
a thousand years.
I think that thousand years we'll have a
big laugh.
Because all the impossibles down here, we know
they are what?
All possible up there.
That will blow our minds.
And then chapter 18 of Genesis, and you
remember just before the destruction of Sodom and
Gomorrah, the three names came, and Adam received
them with such warmth and hospitality.
And then the Lord said, now where is
Sarah?
And he said, she's in a tent.
And the Lord said, by next year, this
time, you're going to have a baby.
And what Sarah was doing, she was laughing.
And interesting, the Lord said, now Sarah was
laughing.
Sarah said, no.
How can you say no to the Lord?
He knew everything.
You know?
So I don't know whether to laugh or
no, I didn't laugh, whether it's really unbelief
or fair to believe.
The Lord says, okay, I'll believe.
But as for me, I don't think it's
possible.
But if he says so, okay, I believe.
And you laugh.
Because he says so, because you laugh at
yourself, it's impossible, but he says it's possible.
So I don't know whether
to laugh or really that I'm believing laugh.
I think those things just happen.
It's impossible.
The Lord says so, so it must be
what?
It must be possible.
They laugh.
So I think we should be laughing Christians,
not just rejoicing.
Because things are not possible, and the Lord
says what?
It's possible.
You have a big laugh.
How can it be?
And it is happening.
Right.
Well, one brother said it this way, he
came to talk, he said, when the Lord
told Abraham, he said, now by this time
next year you're going to have a baby,
Abraham in his faith, he got so excited,
he said, Eliezer, that's his steward, he said,
gas up the camel.
He said, the Lord told me that Saturday
night we should go for our second honeymoon.
Don't laugh.
Abraham believed.
That's what he did.
And next year, they had a son.
And they called him what?
Isaac.
Now what does Isaac mean?
He laughed.
The father laughed, the mother laughed, and the
son, the baby what?
Laughed.
And I did, the whole house of Abraham,
they all what?
Laughed.
Because impossible now has what?
Happened.
Thank God.
And not only give us rest, peace, joy,
stability.
And it says, Abraham strengthened in his faith,
and give glory.
So now rest, joy, peace, stability, and worship.
Give glory to God.
Well, lastly, brothers and sisters, let's turn to
a quick concluding portion of Scripture.
Listen to Joshua 14.
Now we mentioned, faith will give us rest,
faith will give us joy, peace, stability, and
worship.
And finally, brothers and sisters, faith will give
us courage.
And from courage, we experience the victory that
thousands will see.
Faith does not spring back from impossible situations.
That's courage.
Well, you know the story.
I will not read the whole passage.
This is from 11 on.
Joshua 14 11 As yet I am as
strong this day as I was on the
day that Moses sent me.
Just as my strength was thin, so now
is my strength for war, both for going
out and coming in.
What power, what strength, what courage.
And then verse 12.
Now therefore, give me this mountain of which
the Lord spoke in that day.
For you heard it, for you heard in
that day how the Arnachins were there, and
that the cities were great and fortified.
It may be that the Lord will be
with me, and I shall be able to
drive them out as the Lord says.
And Joshua blessed him, and gave him Hebron,
Caleb, and the son of Jephiel as inhabitants.
Hebron therefore became the inhabitants of Caleb, the
son of Jephiel, the penitent to this day,
because he wholly followed the law of Israel.
For instance, there we have a mountain, and
there are giants there.
And Caleb, because of his experience in the
law, because of his knowledge of the law,
he said, give it to me.
And he took it away.
And that place became Hebron.
For instance, oftentimes we have obstacles, like a
mountain.
We go around it to avoid it.
He dared not to say this, but Caleb
said, I'll take it.
And that's courage, and that's victory.
Because he said, I'll be able to drive
them out, as what the law says.
And he took it.
He did not take it for himself.
So what happens is that faith, ultimately, is
a triumphant faith for the Lord.
There's one quotation I just want to read
somewhere in connection with Joshua and Caleb.
It says, Faith directs the vision of the
soul.
Faith directs the vision of the soul.
It does not reason.
Faith does not reason.
It does not ask for evidence.
In fact, all the evidences are contrary.
When they went into the land to explore,
all they saw were what?
Giants.
Of course, they bought some good food.
But the rest, they saw giants.
So it does not rely on evidence.
It does not seek the collaboration of sides.
Send forward to explore the land.
Because eight of them said, it's no good,
we cannot go in.
Two said, what?
We are able.
They did not collaborate.
Those who said no, they said no.
Those who said yes, they said yes.
So faith does not collaborate.
Because faith is based on aspect, not on
human feelings.
So send the Lord as we are approaching
this conference.
We have been praying much in our fellowship.
And I think we have to pray in
faith believing.
Since God is going to bring so many
for the first time, we should not just
have faith believing that God will meet somehow
those who are seeking Him.
Those who come with a longing, they will
be met by the Lord.
We have to enlarge our faith.
Even those who come casually, out of curiosity,
not looking for anything, and yet the Lord
somehow will meet them.
That should be our faith now.
I don't know why the Lord sent over
a thousand to us.
Why?
There must be a purpose.
We may not know what we are doing,
but we have to believe He knows what
He is doing.
So don't say, okay, those who come with
a heart, the Lord will meet them for
sure.
But can we believe God that everyone who
enters, comes to this conference, the Lord somehow
will meet them.
We have to do that.
We have to believe that God will supply
abundantly, fully, give us an open heaven, so
our three brothers will have the anointing I
have never experienced before.
Something will change all of us, make us
a new creature all over again.
We need that.
We need to pray for those three brothers
and pray for the others, ministering to the
young people.
They are no less important.
And I believe the next two weeks we
have to pray, believe Him.
Not look at human facts.
They hint some of the rooms will have
no air conditioning.
We don't know where are going to have
things.
We don't know all these human facts.
Yes, there are facts.
It's true.
We have to face them.
It's true.
But we are going to look at a
different set of facts and put it all
together.
It's God's fact.
God said, they come because I brought them
here and they brought here our real response
for today's meeting.
Every one of them.
And that should be our faith.
That's why this conference is God's conference.
Not our conference.
It's God's drawing of His people.
God wants to say something to them.
Not just to a small portion, but to
everyone who comes.
And thank God.
What is impossible is what is possible.
And God wants us to be unbelievable.
When I heard from the brothers talking over
the phone, 900, oh, I said, oh no.
Then a thousand?
Unbelievable!
But it was.
It's true.
And the Lord will meet all our needs.
He will meet our needs.
More than what we need.
So let's look to the Lord.
Our Father, we are so thankful that we
do not need to look at our circumstances.
We don't even need to look at ourselves,
our feelings.
What we know, what we don't know.
The Lord, we thank You.
We can turn our hearts just to You.
Lord, You know all about us.
You know everything about us.
So we do pray for the local brothers
and sisters that are responsible for this conference.
Give grace.
Give grace, give strength.
Above all, give faith.
Lord, to believe that what is impossible with
us is possible with You.
You always say, if we only believe, all
things are possible.
And to You we give all the praise.
All the glory.
We ask it in the name of Jesus.
Amen.