Monday, January 2, 2017

Do you BELIEVE?







Many Christians confess
their faith in Jesus but their faith is not real. They do not really
have faith. They believe that they have salvation because they say
that they believe in Jesus Christ, but faith without works is dead.
If our faith does not produce works of faith, things that we do in
obedience to God, because we believe in Him, then that faith cannot
save us, then that faith is worthless.
We read in Hebrews chapter
11 verse 6 "And without faith it is impossible to please God,
because anyone who approaches Him, must believe that He exists, and
that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." Many people say
that they believe in Jesus, but do they really believe. Do you really
believe in Jesus? Do you believe that if you pray that He will answer
your prayer? Will you do what Jesus tells you to do if He speaks to
you? Is Jesus that real to you? Because if Jesus is not that real to
you then you do not really believe, then your faith is null, void and
empty.
We read in Hebrews chapter
11 verse 7:"By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet
seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he
condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes
by faith." When God spoke to Noah and warned him about the big
flood that would come, what did Noah do? He built an ark to save him
and his family. If God speaks to you and to me and tells us to build
an ark or to move away from where we are; will we do it? Will we
believe that God's spoke to us? Do we really know Him? Will we obey
Him? Why was Noah justified? Because he obeyed God. He believed what
God told him.
The same with Abraham. We
read in Hebrews chapter 11 verse 8:"By faith Abraham, when
called to go to a place he would later receive us his inheritance,
obeyed and went without knowing where he was going. By faith he
dwelled in the promised land as a stranger, in a foreign country. He
lived in tents as did Isaac and Jacob who were heirs with him of the
same promise; for he was looking forward to the city with foundations
whose architect and builder is God." God spoke to Abraham and
He told him to move to a distant country far away. He did not know
where he would arrive at, he did not know what it would be like when
he arrives there. Did he doubt God? No, he obeyed God, and that is
why God justified him, because his faith was real.
We also read in verse
11:"by faith Sarah even though she was barren and beyond the
opportune age was enabled to conceive a child, because she considered
Him faithful, who had promised, and so from one man, and he was as
good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky,
and as countless as the sand on the seashore." Sarah believed it
when the messenger of God came and said to her that she will have a
boy. She was barren and Abraham was an old man. Did they they doubt
Him? No, they did not. They believed in God. They believed that He
would do what He promised. He promised Abraham that his descendants
would be as many as the stars in heaven and as the sand by the
seaside. Abraham believed Him.
If God spoke to you and
me, would we believe Him? Would we leave everything that we have,
that we've worked for all our life,and go where Jesus sends us? Do
you really believe? Most people do not believe in Jesus. If they
believed in Jesus, they would obey Him. Do you really believe that
Jesus Christ is God? Do you really believe that He will judge all
men? Do you believe? So, if you believe, do you obey His words? Jesus
said:"Repent and be baptized." Most believers do not obey
the words of Jesus. They say:" I cannot stop sinning."
Jesus said:"If the Son of God has set you free, you will be
free, and free indeed." But they say:"I cannot stop
sinning." Do they really believe? Obviously they don't. Do they
believe that if they pray Jesus will answer their prayer and supply
in all their needs." If Jesus tells you today to quit your job,
leave everything that you've worked for all your life and go
somewhere else, that you do not know. Will you go? Will you obey Him?
How real is your faith?
"The righteous one
will live by faith and if he withdraws, says the Lord, My soul will
have no pleasure in him." We cannot follow Jesus Christ, if we
are not willing to live by faith, if we are not willing to leave
everything and go after Him. Many want to know:"If I follow
Jesus, must I stop watching TV?" "Will I have to give up
this, or that, or the other? What will happen to me? What kind of a
job will I have to do? Will I become homeless?" Do you really
believe? Do you believe that He's God Almighty, and that all things
belong to Him? Do you believe that He has prepared a place in heaven
for those who love Him, who follow Him, and who obey Him? Do you
really believe that? Or do you just believe that you have salvation
because you confess that you believe in Jesus? But you do not believe
because you will not obey Him. You are only fooling yourself, dear
friend, because you do not believe. Your faith has not produced any
works. The works that Jesus requires of us, is obedience. We have to
obey His words the, gospel of Jesus Christ, repent and be baptized,
and then He promised that He will give His Holy Spirit in us, to
guide us, to be with us, to teach us, but people don't want it. They
rather go after people, they believe in the preachers. They believe
in the Bible, their interpretation of the Bible. They don't believe
in Jesus Christ. The Pharisees believed in the Scriptures, the Torah,
and when the King of Glory, the Messiah came; did they believe that
He truly was the One that would come? No they did not. They crucified
Him.
Do you really believe that
Jesus Christ is Lord? Do do you believe He is alive? If you do, you
will take action. You will leave everything and you will go after
Him, but if you don't your faith is worthless. Because if you do not
go after Jesus, if you do not obey His words and do not repent and be
baptized, and do not receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, so that
Christ dwells in you and guides you, then you will never know Him.
You will never follow Him, and you know? Jesus will say to you:"Go
away I never knew you, you worker of wickedness." You were never
justified, because you never believed, you never put action to your
faith, you never went after Jesus Christ. Do you understand, dear
friend, what it means to be justified by faith? You have to go after
the One in whom you believe, because as it is written in Hebrews
chapter 11 verse 6: Without faith it is impossible to please God,
because the one who goes to Him, must believe that He is, and that He
is a rewarder, of those who seek Him and who go after Him.
Do you believe that? Do
you believe that Jesus Christ will reward you with eternal life, do
you believe that He has a place prepared in heaven, for those who
follow and who obey Him? If you really do believe, then go after Him,
because without Jesus there's no hope, there's no future.
Dear friend, do you
believe?
May Jesus bless you.

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