By the Word of God
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March 04, 2018 |
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 Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).
Just because you say you believe God, it does not bring about the work of God. You need to go through the process of showing your faith until you gain unattainable things you hoped for and make invisible things visible.
The 11th chapter of Hebrews recounts the faith of the forefathers who received God's answers and blessings by following the 'path' named 'the Word of God'. We are going to delve into the faith to live perfectly by the Word of God through that of Abel, Enoch and Noah.
1. The forefathers of faith who acted by the Word of God
1) By faith, Abel obtained the testimony that he was righteous.
Adam and Eve were sent out from the Garden of Eden to the earth as a result of their failure to bear in mind the Word of God and their disobedience. So, they earnestly taught the Word of God to their loving children. They repeatedly told them that they should offer up sacrifices of blood by putting animals to death for the forgiveness of their sins (Romans 6:23; Hebrews 9:22).
However, with the passage of time their son Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to God, while Abel continued to obey the Word of God and brought the firstlings of his flock and their fat portion, which was the offering of blood.
So, God had regard for Abel and his offerings, while no regard for Cain and his offering. Cain felt envious of his brother Abel and eventually killed him. Concerning this incident, Hebrews 11:4 reads, "By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks." The sacrifice offered up in the Old Testament time is now replaced by the worship service, and as the people in those times had to offer up the sacrifice according to the Word of God, we should also offer up worship services according to the will of God (Romans 12:1; John 4:24).
Today, some people seem to offer up worship services that God would have no regard for similar to the offering of Cain. They may pray or praise, but it is just with their lips. They may have idle thoughts and doze off while listening to the sermon. They may not offer up a tithe and offerings, or they may only give as much as they want to give (Malachi 3:8). Though they confess to keeping the Lord's Day, but they attend either the Morning Service or Evening Service with an excuse of being too busy to attend both. Yet they believe they keep the Lord's Day.
It does not cause you a loss that you live according to the Word of God just as the case with Abel. Rather it is the wise path leading to God's blessing (Deuteronomy 28).
2) By faith, Enoch obtained the witness that he was pleasing to God.
Enoch was holy and perfect enough to walk with God for three hundred and sixty-five years (Genesis 5:21-24). He was even taken up alive without dying. It is because he had cast off all sin and become sanctified. The spiritual law, which stipulates "The wages of sin is death" in Romans 6:23, was not applicable to him. He acted according to the Word of God in every matter. By obeying the Word and achieving holiness, he obtained the witness that he was pleasing to God.
Some believers may wonder how it is possible for a man to live only by the Word of God and cast away all sin, but it is the will of God to resemble Him and become perfect and holy by throwing away sin and becoming sanctified (1 Peter 1:15; Matthew 5:48). If you truly love God, you cannot but practice His Word (John 14:21). Only when you act according to the Word in every matter as Enoch did can you obtain the witness that you are pleasing to God.
3) By faith, Noah became an heir of righteousness.
Around 1,500 years after Adam and Eve were sent out from the Garden of Eden by their transgression and began to live on the earth, the world had already become full of sin and evil. In the wicked generation, Noah hadn't been stained by the world and had reverence for God (Genesis 6:9). So, God planned to renew the world through him.
God planned to save his family from the judgment of flood and let his offspring multiply. So, He had Noah build a gigantic ark to preserve his family and all males and females of living things (Genesis 6:13-22).
While building the ark, Noah cried out and urged people to repent and prepare for the impending judgment. But they still sinned, and rather than repent, they laughed at him. They mocked him saying he had been building the big ark though it wouldn't rain. Although their sin had gone beyond the limit of nullifying the judgment, God gave seven more days so that the people could turn away from sin and would not reach the judgment. But no one but Noah's family repented, and they ended up meeting with death during the flood.
In the same manner, as people try to live by the Word of God, they may be faced with persecutions or hardship. At first, they may try hard to overcome them, but some of them may give up and compromise with the world or even leave God when things do not get better though time passes or when things become worse.
When situations cause disadvantage, they may lose the fullness of the Spirit, cease to pray, and neglect their God-given duty. They may fail to practice the Word of God until the end. However, only when you practice the Word unchangingly, even if you are under persecutions or mockery, can you gain God's love and recognition and be led to the way of blessing.
2. To possess faith in which you can practice the Word of God completely
1) You must demolish all speculations and thoughts that cause doubts about the Word.
To do so, first of all you should remove evil in your heart. If such evils as arrogance, pride, stubbornness or deceitfulness remain in your heart, it is not easy for you to destroy your thoughts and speculations and they cause you to have doubts about the Word. When you have conflicts with the Word, you have to check if your thoughts and knowledge are really right and have to practice goodness continuously. Then, God will give you the grace by which you can believe from the heart.
2) You must read, listen to, and learn the Word of God.
Romans 10:17 says, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." You should hear the Word of God and make it the bread of life. Then, you can find and obey the will of God. In other words, the Holy Spirit will help you obey by bringing it into your remembrance. When you keep the Word in mind you will be led to prosperity in all matters and enjoy the blessing God gives (Isaiah 1:19).
3) You must obey the Word in actions.
No matter how much you listen to the Word and you store it as knowledge, it is of no use unless you practice it (James 2:22, 26). Thus, you should practice the Word telling you to do, not to do, to keep, and to throw away things. And you should completely obey without using your own thoughts. Then, God will recognize your faith.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I urge you to obey the Word of God and please God. I pray in the name of the Lord that by doing so you will receive answers to whatever you ask for and walk with God all the time.
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