toencourage August 27, 2013 Vol. 1 Issue 27

18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

Hebrews 11.18-20 

Approaching the subject of Isaac’s faith has for many years been a precarious undertaking.  Whereas Abraham’s faith is so greatly spoken of in the word of God, we find that in many ways Isaac’s faith presents itself in a more subtle, almost obscure manner.

While Abraham’s faith is exhibited as a determined faith, Isaac’s faith is viewed as Devotional.  We experience this devotional faith first, through Isaac’s unquestioning Confidence. This was not a confidence in himself, but rather in his father and therefore by proxy in God.  In Genesis 22:6, it is Abraham’s faith which is so prevalently remarkable: “And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son.  And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”.  But we must not forget the confidence shown by Isaac.  Not once is it recorded in the eternal ledger of God’s Word settled in Heaven that Isaac questioned his father’s motives, means or mentality.  He simply trusted in his father thus trusting in God.  

Abraham did not respond to his son’s question with a convoluted, three-pointed reply,

but rather with a simple one sentence statement:  ”My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering…”.  

Beloved, this devotion is seen in the only (Genesis 22:12) blessed and begotten son of Abraham, exemplified by the acceptance  of his father’s explanation at face value … just as we are with the Lord.

Isaac’s devotional faith is also experienced by way of his Character.  Imagine a son laboring side by side with his father for hours constructing an altar after hiking up the side of a mountain.  Once the altar had been built, several cords of wood were placed upon it in order for the fire, they set aside, to burn the offering after it had been sacrificed.  Suddenly, you are told to stand still so that you may be bound and tethered with rope.  Your own father then picks you up and lays you upon the wood on the freshly constructed altar.  Imagine doing all of this compliantly without a moment of doubt, without a word of protest, without fighting and without arguing, simply surrendering your will to that of the father and willingly laying down upon the altar.  This young man, Isaac, who was not a child by the way, reviled not, but his character was such that he trusted in his father’s decision in that whatever was about to take place was in his and everyone’s best interest.  Isaac’s character was that of submission unto the will of the father, so that God may receive the glory.

Lastly, this devotional faith is experienced in his Campaign.  Isaac knew full well of the promise given to his father Abraham.  He knew that God had promised his father that through him the entire world would be blessed and that by his seed, Israel, the great and chosen nation of God would come to exist.  Yet Isaac only fathered two sons, Ja-cob and Esau, both of whom he bestowed his blessing upon, (concerning things to come), although only one would receive the promised blessing of becoming God’s chosen nation.  One would have thought, as the years passed, that Isaac would have come to question the promise and would have grown to doubt the words of his deceased father.  Here he was with only two sons, polar opposites of one another, wondering how from them the world would be blessed.  Earthly speaking it would indeed have made no sense, but being Heavenly minded, Isaac trusted that God could do all things.  Therefore, Isaac, in the elderly years of his life and blind in his old age, blessed Jacob as the son to be the chosen one.  Despite being blind and incapable of fathering any more children, unsure of the ultimate outcome, he remained confident in the promise given to his father Abraham which was to be passed down to him.   

In many ways, Isaac can be seen as a picture of Jesus Christ.  He was the son of Abraham and the bridegroom of Rebekah (picture of the church), was willing to be bound and laid upon the altar of sacrifice, submitting faithfully to his father’s will.  Remaining silent, he opened not his mouth as he became the foreshadow of the One who would come to die for the sins of the world.  Isaac confirmed to us on that day that if the Lord made a promise, He was powerful enough to fulfill it.  Isaac learned that if the Lord calls us or commands us to do something, that He will also carry us through it.  

Friend, we can be encouraged today that no matter what our calling or command in life may be, if the Lord has brought us to it, He will also certainly bring us through it!  Know that the Lord will provide for us to complete assigned tasks at hand.  While I can not imply that He will do everything for us, I will say that He is good enough to call and command us and, in His love, good enough to continue us! 

“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob…”

toencourage August 24, 2013 Vol 1 Issue 26

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. Hebrews 11:11

Through our studies over the past several weeks, we have seen faith exemplified through the characteristics, actions and situations in the lives of several prominent Biblical characters. The Hall of Faith, as Hebrews chapter 11 is so eloquently referred to, records the events of a diverse people throughout hundreds of years of history.  Today, the bottom line for us is that it will be our faith which will provide the needed encouragement in times of trials, testing, trouble and tribulations.

In the case of Abraham, previously called Abram before God changed his name in Genesis 17 and made him the father of many nations, we find that his faith was Tested very early.  Abraham had been living with his family in Haran engaged in the daily struggles of anyone else in this rugged land.  One day, however, God spoke to Abraham and called him to leave his home and come out from among his people.  Abraham had no idea where he would be going, but trusted God in His promise that he would receive an inheritance which, from that vantage point, he could not yet envision.

This would be a great test of anyone’s faith!  Abraham was 75 years old when he departed Haran and travelled to Canaan where the Lord appeared to him and promised him that this land would become an inheritance for him and his descendants.  Practically speaking, the inheritance of a land that would one day become his and passed down to his descendants required no faith whatsoever.   In his current state, Abraham was lost and outside of God.  The apostle Paul makes reference to this in the eighteenth verse of the fourth chapter in the book of Romans: Abraham was “against hope”.  Yet the test of his faith brought him out of the comfort of his own land and took him hundreds and hundreds of miles toward an inheritance promised by God.  

By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son. (Hebrews 11:17)

The testing of Abraham’s faith was measured by his separation from his family and his comfort zone.  But now, the Trial of his faith became the sacrifice of his only begotten son.  Whereas the test of separation may have been grave, the trial of sacrifice must have been grievous.  One could only imagine the thoughts passing through Abraham’s mind as he trudged up the hill of Mount Moriah with Isaac, the promised seed, along side (Genesis 22:1-20).  Now well into triple digits of age, Abraham by this point in his life understood that only by faith could he please God.  

Abraham was tested by separation from his family.  He was tenacious in his attempts to save Lot from the impending destruction of Sodom.  He was tested in believing that God would provide him a son when he and his wife were well into their elderly years.  In all these areas, even though Abraham made mistakes within the Hall of Faith, those mistakes are left unmentioned.  Abraham’s faith is the picture of a saving faith.  His faith is what gives us hope that even though we have sinned, those sins will be completely forgotten when covered by the blood of Christ.  We can be encouraged today when we evaluate Abraham’s faith with the intent of exemplifying his trust and dependence upon God.  

Picture Abraham with me, if you will, as he walked up that hill with his young son Isaac asking him, “Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”.  We all know the end of this story.  We know that just prior to Abraham and Isaac’s departure from the servants, Abraham’s faith was fortified by the precious promise that through Isaac, his seed would be multiplied.  It was Abraham’s words to the servants that morning that gives us a glimpse into his heart and the incredible faith he had in our Lord.  For he told them that day, “Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.”  Most would have thought that Isaac’s fate was sealed, but on that day it was not a fatality that was seen, but rather a future.  Abraham’s trial of faith proved to God that there was nothing between him and his Maker.  Rather than arguing with God or making excuses, Abraham simply obeyed Him.  Abraham made the journey up Mount Moriah with the full intention of sacrificing his son, Isaac, but trusting that the Lord would resurrect him from the dead solely to fulfill His own promise to multiply Abraham’s seed.

Abraham answered Isaac’s question about the lamb required for a burnt offering by assuring him that the Lord would provide Himself a sacrifice, which would ultimately be a ram caught nearby in a thicket by his horns.  I am fully convinced that as Abraham and Isaac walked up one side of Mount Moriah, the ram was walking up the other side!  The picture we are given in this episode of Abraham’s life is that of a ram caught in a thicket, a gathering of thorns wrapped around his head and the sacrifice of a son, a picture that God gave us of the sacrifice He would make one day in that very same spot on Mount Moriah, which would eventually become the city of Jerusalem where our Lord and Saviour, the living Son of God, was crucified for our sins at Calvary.

By faith Abraham, when he was called

toencourage August 17, 2013 Vol. 1 Issue 25

This is the final of three installments concerning Noah’s faith.  I hope this series has been especially meaningful to you and that you will continue to enjoy new topics in the upcoming weeks!

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

Hebrews 11:7

As we approach the final marks in the story of Noah’s Determined Faith, we see it’s results in Fruit.  Fruit is always the product of something planted and prepared.  In our lives as Christians, we strive to exhibit the fruit of the spirit as listed in Paul’s writing to the Galatians.  Paul wrote in verses 22 and 23 of Chapter 5 that “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance…“.

Fruit, being the product of the Christian faith, results in a Determined faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  That determined faith, if fed and nurtured on a daily basis, produces the fruit of the Spirit which are, as mentioned above, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.  The apostle Paul lists nine fruits of the spirit which are the products of a determined faith in Christ.  Nine is the number of fruitfulness, which is a result of that faith being planted in our Saviour.  However, fruit since its creation has always been for the benefit of others, not the bearer.  

This fruit can be clearly seen in the life of Noah where verse 7 of the 11th chapter of Hebrews records it as nothing less than the “saving of his house.”  The fruit of Noah’s Faith, his Fear and his Foresight was the saving of his family!  The question we must ask ourselves today is, “Is OUR family saved?”  Are they born again?  Are our children, husbands, fathers, wives, mothers, brothers and sisters saved?  If they are, praise the Lord!  The greatest fruit ever produced in this world was from the Seed that bore our sins on the cross which was then planted in a garden tomb only to rise and bloom three days later into eternal salvation for all who believe.  We must strive to share the fruit of the spirit from the salvation seed planted in our hearts so that others may also benefit from receiving this life changing gift. 

As we have seen, this fruit was to the saving of Noah and his family who became beneficiaries of an additional blessing: a Future!  We read in Hebrews 11:7 that Noah became an “heir of righteousness”.  For the man of Faith and Fear with Foresight and Fruit is a promised Future fortune awarded by Christ beyond the heavens.  As human beings, we do not have a righteousness of our own,  but as born again believers in Jesus Christ, we become an heir to His righteousness.  

Noah spent his life’s work building an ark and every bit of it was accomplished through faith.  While others were buying and selling, eating and drinking, indulged in lusts of the flesh,  Noah committed to the Work of God.  Noah spent all to build a ship in a place where rain, much less a flood, was unheard of and unknown to humanity.  To that time, there had been no historical record or evidence of any rains or floods, yet Noah sacrificed all to build an ark as commanded by God in order to assure a future for the world.  His future was fortified so that he became an ‘heir of righteousness through faith…’ (V.7).

Brothers and Sisters, the ark is a picture of Jesus Christ.  The ark had but one entrance, one door.  Jesus Christ said in John 10:9 that, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”  The Bible says in John 14:6 that “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.“

In Genesis 7:1, notice that the Lord issues a simple command to Noah: “come.”  God was already in the ark  and it was He, not Noah, who closed the door as the rains began to fall.  Noah and his family were as safe as God was inside that ark!  In the ark was eternal security.  The only handle that Noah had to hold on to inside those walls of gopher wood was his faith in God who had invited him to “come in”… and then God shut the door!

Be encouraged today when you think of having a determined faith in Christ, knowing that you are as safe in the eternal view right now as you will be the moment Christ descends from Heaven with a shout to exclaim, “Come up hither!”  Paul writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 1:13, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”  

My friends, Noah was held safe inside the ark and never fell out.  It is inside Jesus Christ where we are held safe and are made righteous.  Knowing that by faith you are secure today on earth, you are secure tomorrow in glory.

By faith…. Noah

toencourage August 10, 2013 Vol 24

This is the second of three installments concerning Noah’s faith.  I hope that this will be especially meaningful to you and that you will look forward to part 3 next week! 

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. Hebrews 11:7

We do not always have to see an approaching tragedy in order to prepare for it.  In verse 7, “things not yet seen” indicates that there was as yet no evidence of any rain whatsoever.  So why was Noah’s faith so Determined?  It was a result of his Fear!  

Again, in verse 7, we learn that Noah was scared of God’s wrath, “…being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear…”. 

This verse presents fear in its proper context, a Godly fear, reverential and ordered of the Lord.  Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 12:13, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

The world we live in today revels in being “entertained” by fear and of being frightened by crazed, sadistic and murderous people as well as the supernatural.  This fear is synthetic in structure, but Satanic in nature.  A godly fear of the Lord, however, moves one to Service, Sacrifice and Sanctification.  Jesus Christ stated in Matthew 10:28, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”  Solomon said in Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”  Do you know where Solomon learned that?  From his father, David, who wrote in Psalms 111:10 that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”

Noah was Determined in his Faith by his fear which came from his Foresight.

Verse 7 tells us that Noah “prepared an ark” which was a container ship built in preparation for the saving of his family.  For years on end, I have taught in church and in business the “5 P’s”: Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance!  My friend, Noah did not start constructing the ark as the skies darkened with gathering clouds and the rain drops began to fall.  He started the second he was warned of God!

The passengers and crew aboard the RMS Titanic that dreadful night of April 15, 1912 waited on a doomed vessel for almost two hours before moving to save anyone.  They  performed poorly because they failed to plan for the prevention of such a disaster prior to embarking on their maiden voyage across the Atlantic.  If Noah would have waited until it began to rain, he would have been too late and he and his family would have perished.  We must take care to prepare right now, today.  Unfortunately, millions upon millions of people daily neglect to make that life-changing decision regarding their salvation and to serve a holy and loving God.  We must move with fear by foresight, for when we stand before Christ, it will be too late.

The purpose of Foresight is to prepare.  The Bible says to, “…prepare to meet thy God…” in Amos 4:12.  Too many people are not, nor will ever be, prepared to meet the Lord.  The passengers who partied, played and sang on the Titanic were the very ones who continued to party, play and sing until the water began to rise and the ship began to descend into the frigid waters of the ocean.  Beloved, there are still people today who are intent on waiting until the last minute and that final hour to prepare.  Sadly enough to say, that does not work and we must prepare today.  The man who waits to find the Lord until the eleventh hour may die at 10:30!

Matthew 24:36-39 states, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

Doctrinally, these Scriptures apply to the 2nd Coming of Christ occurring at the end of the Tribulation.  Spiritually and practically, one can very easily apply it to those living in the Church age who are eating and drinking, who are given in marriage and are simply not concerned when Christ will return.  Notice first how these people are marked with:

Disregard – V.38 – They are careless, only thinking of material things rather than spiritual.

If you look around today, you will note that Sundays are filled with children playing in the yard while their mothers mow the grass and their fathers are seated in front of big screen TV’s watching ballgames.   These people are apathetic.

Decadence – V.38 – marrying and giving in marriage…

This refers to multiple marriages. We live in a promiscuous society just as it was in the days of Noah.  “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.” (Luke 17:26)  Our world today is engaged in adultery, promiscuity and indulgently feeding of the flesh.

Delusion – V.39 – “knew not”.  It was not like the people in Noah’s day were not warned.

Too often in our world today, we see the worship of self, personal achievements and material gains.  But there is a day coming when all of that will fall by the wayside and the only thing that will matter will be that which we have done with the foresight the Lord has given us.

Hosea 4:6 admonishes,  “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge…”

The Lord has given us the Foresight of His return in the air.  We can possess a determined faith today and move with a godly Fear to serve and sacrifice for our Lord Jesus Christ to the saving of ourselves and our families, in addition to hundreds and thousands, if not millions, of souls across the world.

…being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house…

 

toencourage August 3, 2013 Vol 1 Issue 23

This is the first or three installments concerning Noah’s Faith, so keep reading the upcoming weeks.

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. Hebrews 11:7

By faith, Noah constructed and prepared an ark. Although “ark” can be defined as a box or a container, it was in no way just an ordinary box or container.  Noah built a container ship after being warned by God that a mighty flood would come upon the face of the earth and cover land that had never even seen rain.

Centuries later, in 1912, another ship was built and labeled as the ship of all ships, one that was considered to be unsinkable.  This mighty structure of the the seas was named after the mythological gods that supposedly ruled the earth known as the Titans and was christened as the Titanic.  Friend, from its earliest conception and through its completion, the Titanic was earmarked by:

• Conceit – because of its unique sealed compartments it was designed to be unsinkable.  Mr. J. Bruce Ismay, chairman of the White Star Line of steamships, declared haughtily, “I cannot see any disaster happening… even God cannot sink this ship…”.
• Carelessness – no one thought of this marvel sinking; not one soul considered in their mind the possibilities of this ship slipping into the cold dark waters of an ocean.  Therefore, only lifeboats for half of the passengers were installed.
• Catastrophe – at 11:40 PM, cruising at 22 knots, the famous and unsinkable Titanic collided with an iceberg, ripping a 300 foot gash in the ship’s starboard bow.  Five water-tight compartments had been ripped open by the jagged edges of a floating island of ice.

Most did not realize anything serious had occurred and many people continued to sing, dance and party on, completely oblivious to the precarious situation at hand.  At 12:45 AM, an emergency flare was fired into the night sky, one of eight attempts to notify any passing ships of the crisis and impending doom.  As the minutes passed, 1:30 AM arrived and dreams of an historic maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean were dissolving into an unthinkable watery nightmare.  Two hours after the fateful collision, over two thousand people on board began to make their way to the life boats.  In those early morning hours of April 15, 1912, one thousand five hundred and seventeen of the two thousand souls aboard the unsinkable Titanic slipped into a 31 degree watery grave and drowned in the cold waters of the Atlantic.

When the Titanic set sail, passengers were separated into three classes and were housed accordingly on the upper, middle or lower decks of the ship based upon their social status.  When the Titanic sank, however, there were only two classes: saved or lost!

Noah’s Cruise Line was a little different.  It had not been built upon the confidence of man, but rather a determined faith in God.  Noah’s understanding of the approaching storm that God had told him would soon occur compelled him as a righteous man of God to obey the Lord and build an ark which would save his family and preserve life on earth.  It would be this ark, a container ship if you will, that was to deliver mankind from the impending dangers of God’s wrath. 

Noah built an ark that required Faith.  

It has already been said that it was by faith that Noah prepared.  There is a difference in one person’s faith and another’s.  Noah’s was a determined faith that was also a:

• Laboring Faith – Noah’s faith led him to DO something.  Remember that James said, “Faith without works is dead.”  He said, “I will show you my faith by my works.”

You can tell me you have faith all day long, but until your faith is seen in labor, until your faith causes you to DO something, your faith is dead.

Noah’s was a determined faith that was also a:

• Leading Faith – No one had ever even seen rain, yet for 120 years Noah preached that it would rain upon the earth and that waters would come forth from the ground.  Noah backed up his words with labor, leading his sons to help construct the ark, the container ship meant to save mankind.

Noah had been “warned of God”.  He spoke with God and led the charge to build an ark after hearing directly from the Lord.  It was the voice of God which Noah heard.  Beloved, God must first speak in your life, for true faith is rooted in the Word of God.  Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  True faith is patient and able to wait on God.  Evangelist George Mueller prayed for two men for twenty-five years.  Twenty-seven years later, Mr. Mueller’s own brother died a lost man, yet shortly thereafter those two men were saved.  A determined faith will wait on the Lord.

Noah’s was a determined faith that was also a: 

• Loving Faith – “to the saving of his family”.  Mothers and Fathers, your children’s faith and their trust in Christ will not be any greater than what you display in the home.  Noah’s loving faith was seen and KNOWN by those of his own house.

There may not always be an impending crisis or emergency to prepare for.  In verse 7, it also says “things not yet seen” referring to the absence of any evidence of rain, past, present or future.  As it all unfolded, it was a determined faith that prepared Noah to save his home and his family.

…being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house…