Transcript: Faith in Jesus Christ: The Foundation of Eternal Life

Good afternoon, everyone. Let's bow our heads and open this word with prayer. Father of all glory, most merciful God to whom all praise and honor is due, it is our prayer today, Lord, that you would send and release your Holy Spirit to lavish us with your grace and abounding love as we have gathered together in the name of your dear Son, Jesus Christ. Father we pray that you would open our spiritual eyes and ears To both see and hear the truths in this word today As your Holy Spirit ministers life to our hearts So that we may as your children grow in wisdom Revelation and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ And mature into the kingdom of priests that you have called us to declaring the praises of him who ransomed us out of the kingdom of darkness and translated us into the marvelous kingdom of light. Heavenly Father, we ask this all in the wonderful and most precious name of Jesus. Amen. Let's open our Bibles to 2 Timothy 1.9. Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Lord and Savior who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel to which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher of the Gentiles. Verse 12 For this reason I also suffer these things, and nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep what I have committed to him until that day. These words of Paul's For I know whom I have believed Were not idle words That he offered off the top of his head But they were words by which He had a track record to be able to say them Because he had actually practiced What he had preached without fear And he had no shame in the mention Of the name of Jesus Christ and his testimony of Jesus telling who he is and what he has done and what he has provided and promised. Paul's faith was rooted in the person of Jesus Christ and he was established in the love of God and his passion was pleasing in doing the will of the Lord and his master. This is truly a bold statement of Apostle Paul's faith. But let us understand that it is more than just a statement of his faith. Paul's faith arose out of his believing someone who was greater than he. And his faith and contentment in this statement arose not only out of his hope or his heart being set on his heavenly home, nor on his faith alone. but he had experiences which tried him. Paul's painful experiences gave strength to his contentment in this statement for I know whom I have believed. And these trials taught Paul as well to say when I am weak then I am strong and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. you see in these trials Paul learned by experience a sensitivity to the divine hand of God and the moving of the Holy Spirit as he was in the midst of the testing or trial as he was serving God Paul always saw God in his trials and said thy will be done oh Lord he always saw these trials as God's divine commission or appointment and submitted to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We don't read, precious ones, that he ran away from God or complained or went and sat under a tree and sulked. He knew God to be the God of all wisdom, of goodness and grace. Dear ones, this man hoped in God. no man or woman can have the contentment in a statement that Apostle Paul did when he was at the end of his life speaking the words I know whom I have believed and he is in effect saying I know him I know him by personal experience and the love I have for him is deeply rooted in intimate fellowship with him Paul knew his treasure awaited him in heaven and he knew the abounding riches were just ahead as he finished his commission on this earth and his experiences we read about tried and tested him but Jesus Christ always remained the object of his faith and are obvious when he spoke I know whom I have believed. Dear Church, if you will allow me to provoke you and encourage you today in this word by asking the question, Have you made Christ Jesus the object of your faith? Do you know whom you have believed? Who have you believed? Have you believed anyone other than Jesus Christ and his gospel? Do you believe a mix? Do you live a mix? That is having one foot in the world and one foot in your Christian profession. Many Christians do. Many people justify living this double standard. The most recent statistics regarding a survey of the church, which was published in the USA today. These statistics showing that Christians everywhere have compromised their faith by living a double standard. I'm not saying all, but it is showing, according to these statistics, that these people have fallen for an apostate lie, either by saying that there is more than one path to salvation or other path than through Jesus Christ. or that they are saved by their good actions and deeds. And the number of those who have said there is more than one way to heaven or another than through Christ is 52% of those who call themselves Christians. That's astounding, and that's appalling at the same time. The number of professing Christians who claim they are saved by their good deeds and actions are 29%. Living a double standard or lie will eventually lead down the wrong road or path called the broad way, which is the pathway to perdition. These people did not make Jesus the object of their faith. They did not know him whom they should have believed. Jesus Christ is the covenant head of his church And Paul said, I have believed him. Jesus said in John 3.36, He who believes in the Son has everlasting life. And he who does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. Can we understand here that where there is no believing of a saving knowledge upon the person of Jesus Christ, There is no salvation. It is just like that. Jesus said, He who believes in me shall have eternal life. This means on the day that you personally were saved. Jesus reached out and redeemed you. He saved you. His redeeming hand ransomed you from the clutches of hell. And he told Satan you were marked with a seal and to get away from you. Jesus Christ has paid a high price for you and me. And this beautiful act of salvation began the process of change in your life. Mine too. This act was to begin as a reversal of all things in your life, precious ones. And you were called out of Babylon, which is called confusion and darkness. and you were given the call, the clarion call, the clear call at that time to arise and come forth and come to Christ. And you've been redeemed from the earth and delivered from the long captivity of bondage in which you had grown. And we must understand that salvation is not from Jesus Christ, but salvation is in Jesus Christ and Jesus wants to be in you precious one he wants to become your life he wants to be your life you see Jesus is not our savior because he's in heaven he is our salvation when he lives in us but when people do not live in Christ they really do not know him Paul said I know I know whom I have believed too many Christians talk about what they know but they do not talk about the one who was given to them to bring about the wonderful transforming change in their life producing the same fruit of love and evidencing the new and royal family they now belong to you see it is really futile to talk about the knowledge I have and may know about someone it is written I can have all knowledge but if I have not love I am nothing I can have a good philosophy about the one I know whom I have believed but it will just be a prideful boast and I will be called a pretender of the faith and will only have paved a road to hell for myself because my practice did not conform to my profession. There is no such thing as salvation, no such thing as assurance for safety anywhere else for time and eternity but by believing on and in the Son of God. I know whom I have believed. this is not a mental remark or a mustering up by positive self-effort it is not a statement of I hope or I trust or I can or I may or I shall believe but dear one it is a real statement of assurance by my experience that I know that I know that I know whom I have believed Do you know for yourself By personal experience From hearing the gospel and reading the word That God is faithful And he never changes Do you know that you know That God is a God of love And he is merciful and kind Do you know by personal and honest experience That you can say Yes, I do know him. Or do you say, Yes, I know him, when you only know about him? And if you say, Yes, I know him, then if I may provoke you by saying, then what really do you know of him? You might say, Well, I know that Jesus is eternally God, and I know him to be one who came from God and he was sinless and he died to become my Savior and I know that he is mediator between God and man and I know that he is the head of the church. But still precious one, can you say that you really know him personally? And this is what Paul challenges us with. I know whom I have believed The word believe speaks about placing one's trust in God's truth It is one who takes God at his word and trusts him for salvation You must believe what God Word tells you before you can have faith And your faith is born out of your believing in God's truth and Christ's finished work on the cross. This is not mental assent, dear one. But this is truly trusting in God alone for salvation. this believing is entrusting your will as well as your mind and your heart your eyes and your ears to God's Holy Spirit so that he can renew you and make you into the creature he purposed you to be this work is ongoing and progressive Romans 1.16 Romans 1.16 Paul declares for I am not ashamed of the gospel, the good news of Christ for it is God's power working unto salvation for deliverance from eternal death to everyone who believes with a personal trust and a confident surrender and firm reliance to the Jew first and also the Greek. Verse 17 For in the gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed both springing from faith and leading to faith disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith as it is written the man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith. Well this believing in which Paul speaks of so confidently is personal confidence in God and his son Jesus Christ. This believing or trusting in God and being faithful to him is the evidence or fruit in the believer's trust in God and his promises. This believing has produced the fruit of righteousness which comes from God through his son Jesus and produces a steadfastness in the believer. This believing that Paul speaks of is firm reliance upon the person of Jesus Christ This is also called trust Trust and believing are synonymous This believing has produced a sanctifying faith That comprehends the knowledge of God's word And trust in your position in Christ by your personal experience by living in that position. This sanctifying faith, or we could call it as well, this sustaining faith or belief, it appropriates the power of God in conforming to the nature and character of Christ by which means you will enjoy the blessings and promises of this position in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. So we can sum up and say that believing is trusting and trusting is believing. They are so interchangeable. In our opening scripture in 2 Timothy 1, Apostle Paul declares, For this reason I also suffer these things, but I'm not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed. and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. Well, Paul says, I'm convinced. I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted or committed to him until that day. And this statement is not a one-time statement, dear one, but a daily practice that has come again by Paul's personal experience and his trusting and committing everything to God. Think of the bountiful joy that we would have as God's children if we would learn to give God the reins in our lives. Paul is actually saying here, God, I commit my soul and my soul's concerns to you this day. my soul's concern would be for the need for assurance of God's safety his salvation eternal life and also my soul's concern in regards to my spiritual existence and spiritual prosperity and this is what Paul was actually convinced of when he spoke the words in our scripture when he said I'm convinced that he's able to guard what I've entrusted to him until that day He's saying, in effect, I commit and entrust my soul to you, O God, my rock, and I know whom I have believed. And this is more than a saving faith, dear church. What Paul is speaking of here is a serving faith. And this serving faith is explained as that faith that acts upon the truth and divinely granted spiritual gifts. And this serving faith maintains confidence in all of the facts of divine ability and power given for the service you've been entrusted with. And this is plainly saying, I have committed all to Christ Jesus, my life, my hands, my feet, my eyes, my ears, my entire self. and it is only in you, Lord, that I can do anything without you or apart from you, Lord. I can do nothing. I am nothing. Paul had committed his entire life, all of his affairs to the Lord. And the Lord had truly conquered Paul. This as well shows us the pathway to God's heart by way of our apostles' example of actually laying down his life in order to truly be able to say, I know whom I have believed. There's a scripture that always warms my heart when I read it. And it's found in Isaiah 30, verse 18, and it says, Yet the Lord still waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love. He will conquer you to bless you, just as he said, for the Lord is faithful to his promises. Blessed are all those who wait for him to help them. And this is a place where we need to come to, dear ones, where we commit all of our affairs and concerns to Christ Jesus and his guarding and keeping so that we too may be able to say, I know the one whom I believe. and we can trust that Jesus is able to keep and guard what we have entrusted to him, just as Paul said, but he will conquer us, precious church to bless us. And dare we forget it is Jesus Christ who tells us in the Gospel of Matthew that all authority and all power of rule in heaven and on earth have been given to me. so giving all of our concerns and affairs to Christ means we can trust him that he is able to guard and keep them all he cares for you precious one he cares for you he loves you and he fixes his eyes upon you and he is interested in every aspect of your life and he is willing and he is able to guard everything that concerns you One of Paul's concerns in serving his Lord Were the concerns for his safety He entrusted his safety to the Lord Look with me please In Acts 18 verse 9 Acts 18 verse 9 And one night the Lord said to Paul in a vision Have no fear but speak and do not keep silent For I am with you and no man shall assault you or harm you. For I have many people in this city. So he settled down among them for a year and a half teaching the word of God concerning the attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God. Well see, after Jesus spoke to Paul assuring him of his safety and protection verse 11 says that Paul settled down among the people and preached the word of God. And the Lord himself surrounded Paul and he knew that he was in the divine keeping of the Almighty One. No enemy or dangers would loom over Paul in this place of safety because the Lord had commissioned him to preach and teach the word of God to these people. And the Lord had given and entrusted Apostle Paul with great truths and mysteries of the gospel. And we must understand as well that more than being concerned for his own safety and other temporal concerns, Paul was concerned for the church and her well-being and safety. And this serving faith that Paul demonstrates here arises out of his assurance that God is faithful and more than able to keep him in that appointment or assigned task that he was given until he finished the great commission that was entrusted to him. And he knew the time would come that he would actually give his life for Christ's sake. He did not doubt, but he committed to him, as the scripture says, I committed to him my soul's concern and do not doubt that he is able to keep or guard that which I have entrusted into his hands. How about you, dear one? Have you entrusted the concerns of your soul in the Lord's hands? Do you trust him for your safety and your family's safety? And what about the concerns of your family or your business? Are you harassed by anything? If you are harassed, then probably you are in the place of learning to hand these concerns to your Lord and trust that He is able to keep them. He loves you. He loves you. You see, the Lord's providence in your life means that He's more than able to guard and keep and provide everything you need and are concerned about. And the divine providence of God is His continuous activity in our lives. The divine providence of God is His absolute lordship over His creation, that is, over you and me and all that He has created. And this is what Apostle Paul believed and acted on when he spoke the words, I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that he is able to guard or keep what I have entrusted to him until that day. Apostle Paul's main and chief concern was that the church would be prepared to be presented to the Father, a perfect church without spot or wrinkle, and that Jesus Christ should have the reward of his suffering and claim his own, those he died for. I wonder how many leaders in the church today carry this burden of concern that Paul example for us all to be concerned about. I wonder how many who stand behind the pulpit and look out over their congregations and feel the weight of responsibility of feeding their flocks good and wholesome food that is edifying them according to the truth in Scripture that will build the kingdom of God within them and not some new doctrine or theory about angels or mystical New Age ideas that have popped into people's minds that seem to be affected in gathering numbers in their churches. maybe the statistics of the unhealthy state of the church that was previously presented gives us the answer to the question that I have just posed and I believe we can see the impact of double mindedness in the world and the impact of pluralism which is diversity of doctrine and secularism that has crept into God's precious church this is apostasy and this leads to perdition if not repented of. And dear church, this is what concerned our chief apostle. And he expresses his heart in Acts 20. And indeed now I know that you all among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God will see my face no more. And therefore I testify to you this day That I am innocent of the blood of all men For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God And therefore take heed to yourself and to all the flock Among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers To shepherd the church of God which he purchased with his own blood Verse 29 For I know this that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves, men will rise up, speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears And I believe that Paul heartfelt concern was actually the Holy Spirit cry through Paul in verse 29 For I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. And also from among yourselves, men will rise up speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after themselves. and this is what Paul had committed to the Lord he was more than convinced that God was able to keep that which he Paul had committed to him and what Paul had committed to the Lord was his treasure Jesus had entrusted Paul with the divine mysteries concerning the church and the divine mysteries of the church which he had given Paul to pass on and teach Paul had given his life to this cause. And he many times had been assaulted by the malicious insinuations of false apostles and beaten and accused of his own motives being wrong. We call this character assassination. And the warning of the ravenous wolves who would come into the flock which he, Paul, had so carefully fed would be entrusted now to those whom he was leaving in charge. but this is what had dominated his thoughts and attentions and it was this that he had given up to the Lord for safekeeping which he was persuaded that Christ was able to keep and Christ being the head of his church would keep all the assaults until that day when the secrets of all the hearts would be revealed and every man and woman would either stand faithful and or sing praises to God and stand faithful or they would fall into the hands of the evil one and perish because they did not know the one whom they had believed. We learn from Paul's life that when the guilt of sin would come up upon his conscience that it would be for the salvation of his soul. Remember that temptation is not a sin. It becomes sin only when you partake or indulge in the temptation. Temptation is the offer to your mind to partake of something that is perverted and against godliness or God's way of righteousness. This is your way of living in the integrity of God, and that is, when temptation comes, you do not accept its offer, but you serve God and you commit all of your concerns into his care. the devil will leave you alone in time, but you must always be on guard using discernment and discretion. Dear Church, the same fountain that was opened to Apostle Paul is open to you and to me as well. We learn by these words of Paul, I know whom I have believed, the deep fellowship and personal acquaintance and experience with Jesus that Paul had shared. And this was his source of strength. And this is why he could endure through all the suffering and abuse that he went through. He drew on this fountain of strength every day. And this is what supported him when he was under the discouragement of his trials and persecutions and temptations. Knowledge of his Lord was a substance of his power. And he would never have been entrusted with power or the knowledge that was given him if he had not known intimately his precious Lord. We all, as I have said, have this fountain open to us as Paul had experienced. We may not have the same high call that our chief apostle had. but nevertheless we all have the same access to our wonderful creator and savior and the knowledge that he had imparted to Paul. Never think for a moment that this is out of reach for you. Never let the enemy called saint and the devil tell you that you will never attain this place in Christ that Paul spoke of when he declared I know whom I have believed. And if we do not come into this place, it is because we did not make the effort. Jesus said in the book of John 14, 21, The person who has my commands and keeps them is the one who really loves me. And whoever really loves me will be loved by my Father. And I too will love him and show him and reveal and manifest myself to him, I will let myself be clearly seen by him and make myself real to him. Oh, what a promise. What a promise. Hallelujah. But if you are too busy to come into the knowledge of Christ, you will miss out on knowing him intimately and the gifts and the graces he wishes to lavish upon you, to bless you and prosper his kingdom through you. This was Paul's heartfelt cry in Philippians 3.10. Philippians 3.10 For my determined purpose is that I may know him, that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of his person more strongly and more clearly, and that I may in some way come to know the power outflowing from his resurrection which it exerts over believers that I may so share his sufferings as to be continually transformed in spirit and to his likeness even to his death in the hope. And this is again why this man could boldly say I know whom I have believed. You see, Paul's knowledge was not of things, and he did not store up the knowledge that he'd learned for vain glory, but his knowledge was about a person, and this person was the one that he had grown to know intimately and had a deep and reverential love for. Paul had come to know his Savior and Redeemer. the redeemed of Jesus Christ must resemble a powerful reality of Christ himself dear church Jesus must be the hallmark of every true child of God this is the resurrection power that Paul desired to experience in Christ and it is found in the communion of fellowship in the very one who made salvation possible In Galatians 2.20 Paul declares I have been crucified with Christ And I no longer live but Christ lives in me The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God Who loved me and gave himself for me He had truly learned communion of fellowship Through the sufferings and the patient waiting As he journeyed through his commission and he demonstrated for us a true and mature dying to the fleshly and sensual desires of the old man or self and coming into the place where we can all say one day, I know by my own experience and knowledge, I know whom I have believed. Paul had willingly given his life just as Christ Jesus had given his life for us. He had been beaten, bruised, imprisoned for the gospel's sake. Why was this man willing to go through this kind of suffering for Christ's sake and say, I know that I know that I know the one whom I have believed. Well, one dear church, he knew that Jesus was faithful and trustworthy, and therefore he believed him in what he had said. and he knew Jesus as being more than able and willing to help him to carry out his great commission and assignment and he knew his Christ to be all wise and all knowing and would rescue him out of every trial and trouble to preserve his flesh in order to complete his commission though the clouds of darkness surrounded Paul he did not stagger at any of this this just seemed to invigorate his faith and trust in God. And he knew too well that this was God's way of dealing with his children. Adversity will always drive us closer to God when we come to the place of trusting and hoping in his almighty care, his power and providence. For Apostle Paul, like King David, He knew his Lord to be the sum of all joy and peace, and this was precious to them. Romans 15, 13 declares, May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing through the experience of your faith that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing, bubbling over with hope. Paul knew him to be the source of his strength and power and because of this his commitment to his Savior was demonstrated by his entrusting his body and soul and spirit into his care. What an example for us as God's children. Every generation of time since the days of Paul and the other apostles and disciples have demonstrated great faith and steadfastness in the midst of adversity. Their great faith was born out of trust and love for their Savior. And this is why our forefathers of old and disciples since the time of Jesus can say, I know whom I have believed. In their faith like ours, it started out like a grain of mustard seed. but as the spirit of God began to water it with his mercy and grace it germinated and began to spread and become like a great tree in Matthew 13.31 Jesus giving a parable declared the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and planted in his field though it was the smallest of all your seeds yet when it grows it is the largest of plants and becomes a tree. When your faith begins like this analogy of the tiniest of all seeds, the mustard seed, it grows and becomes the largest of all other plants in the garden. It becomes a tree. And faith grows simply by looking unto Jesus and believing what He tells you in His Word. Oh yes, dear one, you might have to fight through the cloud of doubt with the little light that you might have but when you press on the spirit of truth quickens your spirit to arise and lay hold of the truth that you have been feeding on and you know that you have been life by the spirit of grace and you too begin to say with Apostle Paul and all the other faithful ones in every generation of time I know whom I have believed this is a mature faith that has been nourished and fed in the Word of God by your personal experience that came to you by actually living in Jesus Christ, your Savior. And this mature faith is a result of practicing the Word of God as you would hear it. And your obedience to the commands of God grow out of your love for Him. And like all of our faithful forefathers, they wanted to please their God because they loved him with a passion. This mature great faith has grown to trust, to rely on and lean on the person of Jesus Christ, casting all your concerns and yes, even the burdens of sins and temptations and cares upon him. This great faith has grown to the point and place like that of the maiden in the book of Song of Solomon where she declares, I am my beloved and he is mine. And this is saying that you will lay claim to all that Christ is and all that he has done for you and all the promises and blessings that he has made possible for you which come only by living in him. This great faith comes to the place in its full assurance and single-eyed focus that eternal life is in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is eternal life, dear church. John 17, verse 1. In John 17, verse 1, when Jesus had spoken these things, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify and exalt and honor and magnify your Son So that your Son may glorify and extol and honor and magnify you Just as you have granted Him power and authority over all flesh all humankind Now glorify Him so that He may give eternal life to all whom you have given Him Verse 3 And this is eternal life. It means to know, to perceive, to recognize, to become acquainted with and understand you, the only true and real God, to know Him, just as Christ, the anointed, the Messiah, whom you have sent. You see, when you repented and believed in Christ, your Messiah God then begins his renewal process in your spirit and soul and body By his precious Holy Spirit And gives the witness of his spirit within your heart That you have passed from death to life And he lets you know without a shadow of a doubt That you know, that you know, that you've been born again and this is saying that you know that eternal life lives within you and you become jealous over him. When Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit and he ascended to the throne and sits next to his Father in heaven he is now pouring his eternal life back into you and me and everyone else who chooses him as the hope of glory. Jesus says this is eternal life. It means to know, to perceive and become acquainted with and understand. You the only true and real God and to know Him, Jesus Christ, the one whom you have sent. And this comes again, dear one, by living in Christ and being vitally connected to Him and having a personal relationship with Him. you must have your own experience with your king and your beloved bridegroom to say like apostle Paul I know whom I have believed you cannot believe or have faith in anyone if you do not know them intimately and personally your great and mature faith grows just like that muster seed only when it is nourished and fed and watered and may I encourage you and leave you with a few points to strengthen your faith and cause your faith to grow and blossom even more than what it may be today remember that faith grows when we are consistent and we do not have fitful stops and starts this is a way of life and this becomes the way we are renewed and becomes strong like mighty oaks or a regal palm. Point one. Meditate on God's word daily. Faith grows this way. When you strengthen it by feeding it with the word of God, it grows. Meditate on it. Not just once a day, but let it become a point in spare time throughout the day that you would meditate throughout it over lunchtime or just as the Lord would have his way, but meditate on it. You read the promises of God in his book of life and you soon begin to have a wonderful transforming miracle taking place in your heart. That is, you begin to believe them and wrap yourself around them. Point two, the promises of God are yes and amen when we live in Jesus Christ, God's own son. and it delights God when we prove his promises. It shows that we are putting our trust in him when we are in a tight place or having a great trial or a little one. God likes us to take his promises and hold them up to him to see whether or not it's true. Well, they are true. Let me just say that. But he wants you to test. He wants you to try them. Please remember, this must be respectfully so there's no other way. And one of the greatest examples of what I'm saying here in the promises, improving the promises of God, in Malachi 3.10. Malachi 3.10 declares, bring all the tithes God's declaring here, the whole tenth of your income into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and prove me by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough for you to receive it. So God tells us through this scripture, through his word and others, but I believe this probably says it so much more boldly than any other, that prove me, prove me, test me. And God waits for us to test him. He waits for us to hold up his promises and wait on him for them. See, the more mature you are in your faith, which has come by knowledge of the Word of God and your personal experience by living in Christ, you have grown to know that you have many facts in the Word of God to support the promises. Every example or instance of God's love should make you believe in Him more and more. The third point is that watch who you associate with. Make friends and associations with people who are godly, and especially those who have gone through the fire by their being tried and tested. New believers will be encouraged and strengthened in their faith by being around these godly men and women by listening and learning from them. Point four. Work on and make every effort through the help of precious Holy Spirit given you to live a life free of seeking your own selfish pleasures and the applause and praise of man. The book of Romans chapter 8 is a good place to start in understanding the principle of walking in the ways of God's Holy Spirit versus walking in the ways of the flesh. And Proverbs 27, 21 declares, The purity of silver and gold can be tested in a crucible, but a man is tested by his reaction to men's praises. So, if our eyes are set on ourselves and the praises of men we will never have eyes for our beloved Jesus. It is written Fix your eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of your faith. We can't live like the iguana whose eyes can look all around in every direction never missing a thing. but we must have eyes like the dove who can only fix her eyes on one thing and the analogy of the dove's eyes in scripture is that the dove eyes have the ability to perceive things in the spirit and it is a prominent feature for these types of people who go on to maturity in their faith and at this point in place in our maturity our eyes have not grown to focus on ourselves and our own needs, but on the needs and concerns of others. Our prayers are prayers of heartfelt intercession and supplication for the brethren in distress, those suffering from loss of jobs and those who have need of reprieve from their plightful trials. Prayers for our brethren in other nations who are persecuted and thrown into prison and daily condemned and tortured for their faith and testimony in Jesus Christ. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Point five, remember and accept that great or mature faith comes by the trials that you go through. And this is God's way of refining you and me. It is said that good soldiers are not made by them remaining in the barracks, lounging around with their guns. No, dear ones, they go through great and vigorous training to become a good soldier. Point six. In what faith you presently have, exercise it. Remember, you must not despise small beginnings. and if you are lazy with your faith why would God increase you with more strength and ability? A runner does not become a good runner in a race without practicing and building up endurance to maintain his pace, his speed and lung capacity for greater distance. You must exercise what you have been given and look forward to growing in God's power his love and perseverance and knowledge. James 1.2 declares Consider it pure joy, my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance and perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything but if any of you lack wisdom he should ask God who gives generously to all without fault finding and it will be given to him but when he asks He must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like the wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all that he does. And number seven, our last point, fellowship and talk with your Jesus. Fellowship and talk with him every day. You cannot have an intimate relationship with anyone. Unless you've grown to know them by spending time with them. And this is why Jesus has given you his Holy Spirit who lives in you and magnifies Jesus and makes him real and living. And even though you do not see him visibly with your physical eyes, the Spirit of God opens the eyes of your heart to see him and know him with a witness of your spirit and a kindling of a fire within that longs to know him even more deeply with a great longing. And it is here that you cry out like King David in the book of Psalms 42 As the deer pants and longs for the brooks of water So I pant and long for you, O God My inner self thirsts for God, the living God When shall I come and behold the face of God? My tears have been my food day and night While men say to me all day long where is your God? David's spirit man was crying out for more and more of God. He was not satisfied nor could his thirst for God be quenched. Precious one, though you do not see him, you know him. And if you do not see him in this way, you stand subject to doubt him. And this is where the great adversary would like to keep all of our Lord Jesus Christ's inheritance in this place of doubt. And this is why our little faith must increase into a mature, great faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And this is why a mature man or woman in Christ can say like Apostle Paul, I know whom I have believed. And dear one, cultivate your faith. Water your faith. Nurture your faith through the help of God's Holy Spirit who lives within you so that doubt and fear will never have the advantage over you. Let the Holy Spirit have his way in you and bring you through every trial, through every test and every disappointment, every heartache, and put your trust in him and have faith in him. And surely your love for him will grow and flourish into an unquenchable thirst. and you will be one who will have grown strong and steadfast in your faith, declaring with all the other mature saints of God, I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able, that he is able to guard and keep what I entrust to him that day. Remember this confident statement of Paul's. It is in effect saying, I know him. I know him by personal experience And the love I have for him Is deeply rooted in intimate fellowship with him Paul's concern for himself Was in the Lord's hands His great and mature faith Had blossomed into a great love for the church Remember church is not a building But it is made up of God's holy people And the Lord Jesus Christ's inheritance whom he died for. And this love for the church had grown out of deep and intimate love for Jesus Christ. May our own faith mature to this same place of loving concern. Paul knew his treasure awaited him in heaven, and he knew the abounding riches were just ahead as he finished his commission on earth. Be convinced that Jesus Christ is able to guard and keep what you entrust to him. You have given him your life and every concern that goes with it. And he is more than able to keep you while you labor with the help of his Holy Spirit to grow in your faith. Trust him and believe in him as he holds all power and authority over all things concerning you and his church. Thank you.