Abraham – An Example Of True Faith By H. C. Van Wormer One of the great lacks today among us is a vital, gripping, active faith – a faith that takes God at His Word. The devil does not care how much we fast and pray, nor how earnestly we pray, just so long as we never bring ourselves to the place where we believe God to do what is being asked. We are in a day of decay of vital, gripping faith. We can understand a little better what Jesus meant when He said, "When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8). Faith lifts us up into the realm where God lives and operates. Today it seems as if the majority of our religious work is nothing more than what educated, cultured, trained men can give. The supernatural is lacking in our midst. The people see nothing but what man can bring or do. We seem to lack the faith that brings us up into the realm where God operates. We plan, scheme, work, criticize and talk to others about things, rather than get down to the business of real prayer and trust in God to work the matter out. In this day, when faith seems to play so little a part in the life of the average professor of religion, it is refreshing to turn to Romans 4:16-21 and read of a man who was shut up to a vital, active faith in God: "Abraham who is the father of us all, (as it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before Him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were: who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. "And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded, that what He had promised, He was able to perform." If Abraham could have such a faith in that period, what ought we to have in this day of the Holy Spirit’s operation? Shut up to Faith First, we have the character of his faith (vv. 17-18). With every door in nature closed, he is at last shut up to faith. He has ceased from the efforts and strivings and manipulations of the flesh. His eyes have ceased to look upon causes, upon conditions, upon consequences, upon supplies. Out of this very despair a superhuman hope was born for a supernatural son. Faith works better when there is no natural hope. As long as one thinks he can manage, manipulate, promote, pull wires, or put it over, there will be no real faith. As long as one trusts in his learning, ability, or his eloquence to put it over, there will be no faith. For if there be but a straw for sight to cling to, then faith finds difficulty. George Müller says, "Remember it is the very time for faith to work when sight ceases. The greater the difficulties, the easier for faith. As long as there remain certain natural prospects, faith does not get on as easily as where natural prospects fail." Finally, when ninety years old and nine, with his own vital powers withered and decayed and Sarah apparently barren, "under utterly hopeless circumstances, [Abraham] hopefully believed." Why? He believed in a God who could bring life out of death – a God of resurrection – and who could declare that to exist which as yet had no being – a God of creation (Rom. 4:17). In other words, his God was bigger than his problems or his difficulties. What if he were old and Sarah were barren? In the face of a God such as this he could believe where no ground for reason or hope existed. What about our God? Is He larger than our problems, our difficulties, our afflictions and our sorrows? Faith Based on God’s Word Second, he had a ground for his faith. He relied on the Word of God which definitely referred to "thy seed." With undaunted faith he looked at the facts – his own impotence (he was practically a hundred years old, with one foot in the grave at the time) and his wife Sarah’s apparent barrenness. Yet, he refused to allow any distrust of a definite pronouncement of God to make him waver. He drew strength from his faith, and, while giving glory to God, remained absolutely convinced that God was able to implement His own promise (4:19-21). Read this until it gets into the very warp and woof of your soul. He relied on the Word of God which definitely referred to "thy seed." This was his ground for hope and faith. Real, vital faith has to have an intelligent ground, a warranty, upon which to operate. We cannot believe just by trying to make ourselves do it. Such is not faith but credulity. It is a make-believe affair. Here is the point at which many go astray. They base their faith on some emotion, some feeling or some vision but not on the Word of God. Faith has to have a ground. What is the ground for an intelligent faith? God’s Word. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17). The faith that is built upon the Word of God is an intelligent and a receiving one. To pray the prayer of faith, then, we must study the Word of God, find out what He has promised, get it in mind and approach God to ask Him for the thing which He has promised. George Müller, the mighty man of prayer and faith, would search the Scriptures for days until he found the promise from the Word to fit the need. Then, he would get down upon his knees with his open Bible, put his finger on the promise and hold it up to God and say, "Now, do what You have promised." He had a ground for a confident faith. Faith Though All Seems Contrary Third, we have the activity of Abraham’s faith here – "who against hope believed in hope"; "who under utterly hopeless circumstances, ...hopefully believed" – that is, against all the arguments of sense, of reason and of experience, feeling, opinion of others, all human possibilities whatever – against all inducements to the contrary, he hopefully believed. Real faith at times is contrary to sense, reason and experience. If you doubt this, study Noah’s faith in building the Ark (Heb. 11:7); Joshua’s in ordering the priests to step into the swollen Jordan River (Josh. 3:8), and the marching around the walls of Jericho instead of bringing up instruments of war (Josh. 6:3). Our difficulty today is that we are so full of sense, reason and experience, we cannot step out and trust God to do what our little sense, reason and experience cannot take in. So we go on promoting, manipulating, managing, pulling wires, trying to put it over, depending upon our training, learning, ability or eloquence. Abraham’s remarkable faith here is based upon what God had said (Gen. 15:1-5). Because of this, he dared to believe in the midst of hopelessness – believed in that which was promised to excite his hope. His faith had the foundation of God’s Word. He believed in a Person. It was not what human faith is, belief in some idea, or scheme. His faith was in God. For God had taken him out under the stars and told him that his seed would be as the stars. God spoke of it as already accomplished because it would surely take place. The things that God promises are so sure to be fulfilled that He speaks of them as already existing! Therefore, Abraham could have the utmost confidence in his cause and the course of his life. It might take years to come to pass, but faith reckons it already accomplished. In fact, it took twenty-six years to bring it to pass. "And being not weak in faith, he considered not...." His faith never quailed. His faith considered the facts, for faith does not close its eyes to reality; does not seek to evaporate difficulties by piously ignoring them; does not minimize the difficulties. But it magnifies God! He looked at himself and at Sarah, and saw the impossibility that was there, but he looked away to the God of creation and of resurrection who had promised the child. Sense, natural reason and experience say, "It can not be done," but faith said, "It both can and will be done." So Abraham "staggered not [faltered not, wavered not]...but was strong in faith." The word translated "staggered" means "to discriminate; then, to learn or decide by discrimination; then to dispute or contend inwardly; then, to be at variance with oneself, to hesitate, doubt." But Abraham did not hesitate, or contend inwardly, through want of faith. There were no uncertainties, inward balancing and struggle of faith with unbelief. Having committed himself to God’s promise which was wholly beyond human possibility, he went steadily forward without staggering, faltering, wavering or hesitating. Abraham did not dispute with himself, or hold any self-consultation, did not hesitate nor stumble at the promise – but by a resolute and preemptory act of his soul, with a holy boldness, ventured upon the promise. This had the double result of giving glory to God whom he believed, and of making himself stronger and stronger in faith. That is, faith put a spiritual stamina in him. The longer he waited the stronger his faith became. Usually circumstances, difficulties, reasonings stagger one. Peter staggered and sank in the water. But Jesus said, to him, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" (Matt. 14:31). Abraham’s faith poured vigor into his understanding, his judgment, his affection and his will. Faith grows by experience and use. John and Charles Wesley were once conversing about an important project which they agreed was desirable, but Charles thought they could not do it. John thought they could, and should attempt it. At length Charles said, "When God gives me wings, I’ll fly." John replied, "When God tells me to fly, I’ll trust Him for the wings." "And being fully persuaded...He was able to perform" that is, being thoroughly and entirely convinced, he ventured all on God’s Word. It is a full assurance that God will do what He has promised. It does not depend upon feeling, some emotion, some ecstasy, some vision, etc., but upon the confidence in what God has promised. It is to believe without hesitation or reserve. Our waverings rise mainly from our distrust of divine power, our lack of taking God seriously. We should uncover our hearts to God, uncover the unbelief that is robbing us of the things that God wants us to have. Faith transcends human limitations and ties us on to God. youtube/watch?v=c-YwpfESjzI
Posted on: Sun, 04 Aug 2013 13:00:33 +0000
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