Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen
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August 27, 2023 |
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 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
(Hebrews 11:1)
With the belief in God the Creator there is nothing impossible. As a master key can open any door, so true faith in God can solve all kinds of problem calling down the power of God in any kind of dire reality. Let’s look into what true faith is and what kind of works it causes.
1. We must believe that all the worlds were framed by the word of God
Yeas ago a world-recognized Korean astronomer and professor gave a parable to refute the falsehood of evolution.
He said, “Suppose a strong storm blew away a car factory into the sky. A car is made up of tens of thousands of parts. In midst of that incident, torn parts fell from the sky and came together to form a complete car.”
Is there anyone who believes this? We humans are an intelligent living organism but what a pity it is that so many people believe in the theory of evolution in which man was made by chance and has been evolved! Even the simplest screw is made by someone but how then could a living creature or the universe come to existence by chance? Fortunately, with the advancement of science and civilization, they say how complicated and delicate the universes including the solar system and all living creatures are and the falsehood of theory of evolution is revealed. How did then God the Creator make such vast universes and all things in them?
Hebrews 11:3 says, “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” It means that God created the heavens and the earth and all things in them out of nothingness by His words. If we open our hearts, we can easily find the evidence.
There are many different races living on earth, but regardless of skin color, they all have two eyes, two ears, one nose, and one mouth. They also have the same facial structure. It applies even to many kinds of animals. Despite a slight difference according to species, most of animals have the same facial structure and position. An elephant has a long nose, but the nose is not under the chin but under the eyes, above the mouth, and in the center of the face like humans. It is the same with birds flying in the sky, fish living in the sea, and insects on the earth but only with some exceptions according to species.
Next let’s look into the process of eating and excreting. Food enters the mouth, passes through digestive organs, and comes out of the excretory organ. It is the same to humans, animals on the ground, birds in the sky and fish in the sea. They all have the same structures and positions, and it proves that there is only one Creator, not many, and all creatures were designed and made by Him.
How could this happen by chance, and how could tens of millions of living things have the same structures and functions through evolution? I hope through this message you will come closer to God the Creator and reach the level of perfect faith that God desires of you.
2. Dimension of faith where nothing is impossible
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” By the spiritual faith God recognizes what you harbor and hope for becomes a reality and what is not seen appears as evidence. In other words, it is God-recognizing faith that makes what you cannot do possible, brings what you cannot have on you, and enables you to do what you cannot achieve.
Today knowledge is increasingly accumulated and science and medicine is advancing day by day so that what was previously unimaginable are made possible and it seems that all things are possible with human power. However, despite the advancement of science and medicine, there are many more things impossible with human ability than before. It applies to illness or disability. There are many effective medical treatments for diseases but still not a few are dying of newly-found diseases and incurable diseases.
We as humans cannot predict unexpected accidents or disasters that are to happen in 5 minutes and we cannot keep our lives from them. Some people enjoy wealth and honor but may lose all they have in an instant. Likewise, there are so many things impossible within human limits. If we could do whatever we desire, who in the world would have to suffer disease and live in poverty?
In this physical world we cannot do anything beyond human ability and have no choice but to give up before human limit. No matter how eagerly we hope for something we cannot fulfill our desire beyond human limit. But it is a totally different story in the spiritual world through faith.
The spiritual world is the fourth dimension in which what is impossible to hope for is made possible and what is not seen appears as the evidence by faith. In geometry, point refers to no dimension, line to one dimension, face to two dimensions, and cube to three dimensions.
However, dimensions in the world of faith have different meanings: that which can neither breathe nor move such as stone and soil has no dimension; plants that breathe but cannot move by themselves belong to the first dimension; animals which breathe and move but have no spirit to the second dimension; and humans who can breathe and move and have a spirit to the third dimension. Up to this point, all belong to the physical world.
Apart from them, there are beings that are invisible but definitely present. They belong to the spiritual world that have four dimensions. With our spiritual eyes open we can see the spiritual world, and with our spiritual ears open we can hear voices of spiritual beings. There are many things impossible in this physical world, but the spiritual world is above reality and has no limitation so that everything is possible in it.
The world of faith transcends the limits of the flesh and makes the impossible possible. This is because it works by the power of Almighty God, not by human power. Therefore, in Mark 9:23, “... ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.”
In the biblical recordings are so many evidences of the spiritual world in which there is nothing impossible by faith so that we can believe and experience it. The Scriptures clearly tells us what kind of biblical figures were deemed to have faith by God and how they were guided to the path to answers and blessings. These things did not happen only in the Old Testament times or in Jesus’ times.
As recorded in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever.” the same biblical works can happen in this age. Those on the point of death within human limitation and those who had to live with disabilities for the rest of their lives were healed by faith. Many are healed not only by the laying on of hand but when I pray for the sick from the podium during the services. In addition, the same works happen to those who attend the services through the Internet and via GCN TV at local sanctuaries, branch churches, and at home all over the world. Various kinds of diseases are healed and all kinds of problems are solved, and they continue to send their testimonies to my church.
3. Faith is the passage of calling down the power of God
When faced with difficulties, even some believers often have a negative opinion and say, “I cannot do it. That applies only to those who have strong faith.” However, if we have true faith in God, His works will happen to us through our faith as well. It is because faith is a spiritual cord connecting us to God and the passage of calling down God’s power. A reality may seem impossible within our own ability but what seems impossible is made possible through our faith in God the Almighty.
True faith is accompanied with the same signs as recorded in Mark 16:17-19, “These signs will accompany those who have believed.” And as written in Matthew 21:22, “And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” whatever we ask for with faith will be given by God. If you say “I believe’ but your prayer is not answered, you have to check whether you have spiritual faith or fleshly faith.
Fleshly faith is called ‘dead faith’ or ‘faith as knowledge.’ It does not come from the bottom of heart but is simply based on the knowledge stored in the brain. With this fleshly faith you believe that which is in agreement with your own theories and thoughts and that something is made out of something. But within fleshly faith you cannot go beyond the limit of your own theory and thought and cannot believe something is made out of nothingness.
Some say with their lips, “I believe” but cannot believe in heart. When faced with some problems beyond human limit, they cannot solve them with the faith as knowledge. It is because no matter how often they have seen and heard what was impossible is made possible with the power of God they did not combine them with faith.
Apart from such fleshly faith, true faith comes from the bottom of heart and is called ‘living faith’ or ‘spiritual faith’. God wants us to have such spiritual faith. Those who have spiritual faith can fulfill the promise of God recorded in Mark 11:24, which reads, “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.”
By spiritual faith we can have the solution to all kinds of problems. It is because through the faith in God we can share the spiritual world in which there is nothing impossible.
However, there are some cases in which we cannot receive answers though we ask in faith. As James 4:3 says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures”, we fail to receive answers when we ask for our own pleasures.
When we ask for the sake of our own pleasures, it tells that we have not prepared vessels worthy to receive answers and it isn’t a God-pleasing faith. God can never answer such prayers no matter how much we ask with the confession of faith.
Dear brothers and sister sin Christ,
True faith is followed not only with the confession of faith but the evidence of faith. Our faith must appear with its evidence. True faith causes what is impossible to be a reality and what we cannot hope for come true. True faith enables us to believe in all the words of the Bible and is a clear signpost to the path of solution in a hopeless situation.
If we look at a reality, we cannot but doubt and give up in the middle in many aspects. But if we have true faith we do not look at a reality but we have the assurance of what we hope for and the evidence of what will happen in the future so that we will never change in any circumstances.
Therefore, as written in Romans 4:20, “yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God,” may you have the true and perfect faith in God you met and in the Lord Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday and today, and forever and show the evidence of your faith by the power of God in all things I pray in the name of the Lord!
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