A Daily Walk

Guest (Male): Pastor John Randall reminds us of the ability of God far greater than any challenge or difficulty we may face.

John Randall: Got any obstacles you're dealing with tonight? Got any big things you're concerned about, overwhelmed by? Do you know who your God is? Just so you know, it says here that He weighed the mountains in scales. Himalayas, got it. It's nothing, nothing.

Guest (Male): Well, maybe like so many today, you relate faith to the beginning of the Christian life. After all, we know that it takes faith to become a Christian, right? Well, today on A Daily Walk, Pastor John Randall will show us that biblical faith is actually so much more than that. It's a key to being and doing all that God intends for us. Turn if you would to Hebrews 11 as Pastor John points out the importance of faith.

John Randall: The Old Testament Saints had plenty of obstacles. We'll get into those when we study through this. Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, all of them had obstacles to their faith. All had to fight through things and live by faith through steps of faith, trusting in God. But listen, through it all, it says here they obtained a good testimony. They had a good testimony. What was so great about their testimony? They trusted God. That was what was so great about their testimony. They believed God. Their lives bore witness of the fact they trusted God. They were active.

There was activity within their faith. They did what they were asked to do even when it did not make sense. Have you ever noticed that? We have the benefit of knowing the beginning and end of the story, but in their story, this makes no sense. How could that even be possible? That is humanly impossible. That's right, it's humanly impossible. But God would ask them to do things that didn't make any sense. I love what one person said concerning faith. Listen to this. This is a great quote. Faith is trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse.

Have you ever noticed that to be true? It makes no sense. You think, "I can't believe I'm doing this. I feel like God wants me to, but I don't really understand how it's all going to work out. This is crazy. Why am I doing this?" And then you do it and you're like, "You know what? That was cool how that worked out. That makes a lot of sense now." Not in the midst of it. You're doing it, you're stepping out, God's telling you, and it makes no sense. I don't even understand.

People are asking, "Why are you doing that?" "I just sense the Lord is calling me to do this. I feel like God is leading me to do this. I can't explain. I'm just reading in His Word and it feels like He's leading me. Doors are starting to open. I don't know, I know it doesn't look like you think it should look." And then God does it and you think, "Wow, God, You are so wise. You are so wise. It makes perfect sense now." Maybe that's your story.

One of my favorite stories in the Old Testament concerning a testimony of faith is found in 1 Samuel chapter 14. I'll just tell you the story. It's of Jonathan, who was the son of Saul, and his armor bearer. His unnamed armor bearer. Mr. Armor Bearer. There you have a battle between Israel and the Philistines. They're at a standoff. Nobody's doing anything. Saul is a poor leader. He's got 600 guys not doing anything. In fact, it says he was sitting under a tree. We're at war. What are you going to do? "I'm going to sit under this tree."

Nothing's happening. He's not doing anything. He's a terrible leader. The Spirit of God has departed. It's just a mess. But Jonathan wasn't like his dad. The apple fell far from the tree, thankfully. He became David's best friend, but he had this faith about him. So Jonathan one day turns to his armor bearer, nothing's going on, and he says, "You know what? Come let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised Philistines." That was a major diss, by the way. "It may be that the Lord will, listen, listen to his words, It may be that the Lord will work for us."

Now, you read that and you think, "Well, it may also not be." But that's faith. He's saying, "It might be. Let's go check it out. Why don't we go see?" And then he says this. Why would he even say that? Because he said, "Nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or few." That's somebody who understands God. Somebody that says, "You know what, let's just go check it out." Why are we going to do that? Because nothing stops God. The two of us could take on a garrison if we have God, we're the majority. Let's just go see. Let's go check it out.

So Jonathan comes up with this plan. He and his armor bearer go, and what they're going to do is they're going to reveal themselves to the Philistines. So here's the test. Here's what we're going to do. Let's show ourselves to them and if they say, "Stay there, we're coming down to you," then we'll know the Lord's not in it. We're just going to run. We're going to leave. We're not going to engage in combat. Now, on the other hand, if they say, "Hey, why don't you come up here and we'll show you a thing or two," Jonathan's like, "Oh yeah, that's the Lord. We're going to do it. You in?" "I'm your armor bearer, yeah, I better be. I mean yeah, we're going."

But what's crazy about it, the more difficult thing to do was to climb up the hill to get to them. The easier thing to do would be to say, "We'll come down to you." "Okay, they're coming down to us. Okay, you get over there, I'll get over here." But he's saying if they tell us to climb, and they would have to climb up, it's very interesting when you read the passage because it says they have to climb up this steep hill on their knees. Interesting. Climbing up on their knees to get up to the very top, and then they engage in combat.

It was more difficult to climb up than it was for their enemies to come down to them. But they figured this is the test. If God tells us to do the more difficult, then that's what we're going to do. Then He's in it. I would say, "Let's maybe it's the easier. Maybe if they come down we'll know it's the Lord. Not if we have to come up." But Jonathan had faith. And so, sure enough, they showed themselves and they said, "Come on up! We'll show you a thing or two."

And so it says Jonathan said to his armor bearer, "Come up." And listen to this. Jonathan said, "Come up after me, for the Lord has delivered them into the hands of Israel." And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and knees and his armor bearer after him, and they fell before Jonathan. What I'm saying to you is their faith was active. It was active. Let's check it out. Is God in it? We won't know unless we check it out. Let's go see. And if God's not in it, He has every right to shut the door and lead me a different direction.

Listen, don't be afraid to check it out. Don't be afraid to knock on the door. Well, what if it doesn't happen? Okay. So it doesn't happen. At least you checked it out. The other question is, what if it does happen? I never thought about that. Yeah, you probably should. Like you might want to check it out. There are certain things in my life where I felt like the Lord said, and I was fighting Him on it, "I don't want to check that out." And then I did, and it was the Lord.

And then other things that I was like, "This is the Lord," and it wasn't. I don't know how that works. I just know I want to be the guy that's active. I just want to be active in my faith and I'm going to knock on the door and if God shuts it, shut it, but I'm not going to be the guy that sits idle. I'm going to have my faith be active. And that's something that you see, we have to be active in our faith. There is a quality to our faith that has substance and evidence which leads to activity of your faith.

Demonstrate the faith that you have. Live by faith. Obtain a good testimony like those in the Hall of Faith. They've already run their race. I want to be in the Hall of Faith. Who cares about the Hall of Fame? Who cares about Canton? I want to be here. I want to be in this Hall of Faith right here. This is the one. But also there's the certainty of faith. The certainty. There's quality which leads to activity, but there's a certainty of faith. Look at what it says in verse 3.

By faith we understand something, that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of the things which are visible. It's through faith that we understand that creation was made by God. The word understand means to perceive not with physical eyes, but it's the perception of the mind through faith. In the New Testament, the word is never used of mere physical sight. When you go to your Bible in the very first part of it, Genesis 1:1, it says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," and we believe it.

Can I just say to you, if you can get by Genesis 1:1, you have no problem with the rest of the Bible. If you can deal with that and you can accept it, you're good. You can make it through the rest and trust God. But the Bible tells us we understand something by faith. Paul said in Romans chapter 1, verse 20, "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse."

Do you understand what that says? The invisible attributes of God that you cannot see are revealed in what He has created, even to the point of His eternal power and Godhead, so that you're without excuse. "I don't believe that God exists." Hey, do me a solid, go look at that tree. Check it out. Go look at an atom, if you can, through a microscope. Go any direction and see the Creator behind creation. See design, the designer behind the design. It's all around you. You have to literally shut your mind off and close your eyes and shut your ears and tell yourself, "I'm not going to believe it," because it's all around you. You're without excuse.

It takes far more faith to believe what atheists put out today concerning the origin of the universe and mankind than it does to believe that God created it. I've got no problem with that. I don't know if you've ever seen or read any of the things that these guys believe in. If you have that much faith to believe that, you should check out God. But we believe that not only did God create the material universe, but everything else included. From putting the stars into space, to planets into their orbit, to the laws of gravity, to the speed of light, atoms, all of it.

He did it all. The writer of Hebrews says He framed them by His Word. He just said it, "Let there be light." You know, we don't fully understand everything about light. We know a lot of things about it, like the speed of light, but there's a lot about light we still do not understand. The smartest individuals in the world don't understand it. They come short. And what does it say about God? He just said it. "Let there be light." He just spoke it. It was that simple.

And it was. And all the complexities of it that we don't understand, God just said it and it was. When it says that He framed it, it means to fit or equip so that a person or thing is equipped or fitted to serve its purpose. That's what God has done with time and space. The Lord spoke it into existence. He said it, it was. David spent a lot of time considering the heavens. In the Psalms, Psalm 8 says when I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers.

What can you do with your fingers? Little things, pick up little things. But it's the stars. That's the work of His fingers. Galaxy over there, and galaxy over there. And here's another billion galaxies over there. He just throws it out there. The Bible says He flung the stars into space. Amazing. He said when I look at the moon and I look at the stars that you've ordained, what is man that you're mindful of him, and the son of man that you visit him? In Psalm 19, he said the heavens declare the glory of the Lord, and the firmament shows His handiwork.

Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night it reveals knowledge. He's like, "I just watch the sunrise, I watch the sunset, I watch the moon go up, I watch the moon go down. I see it all and I just think day into day, night into night, it just reveals who You are." I'm in awe of who You are. He said in Psalm 33, "By the Word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth." He just breathed and the host of heaven was created.

I love Psalm 90, verse 2, when it says, "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God." Guys, listen, faith in a real God is powerful. It's amazing to think. And when you begin to study these things and you look at it, it's so obvious, as Isaiah said, the Lord our God. Listen to what the Lord did. Isaiah said this concerning the Lord: "The Lord our God measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, measured the heaven with a span and calculated the dust of the earth in measure, weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance."

Got any obstacles you're dealing with tonight? Got any big things you're concerned about, overwhelmed by? Do you know who your God is? Just so you know, it says here that He weighed the mountains in scales. Himalayas, got it. It's nothing, nothing. And here it says in verse 3 of Hebrews, by faith we understand it. By faith we understand the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of the things which are visible.

Since the universe was framed by the Word of God, it follows, as the writer points out here, that which is seen was not made out of that which was visible. Again, think of how big our God is and then compare it to what obstacle stands in front of our faith tonight. Be reminded, I need to remind myself tonight, by faith, that nothing is impossible for the Lord. That He is God, and that settles it. The quality of our faith, the activity, the certainty of it all.

But then also in verse 6, and this is where we will conclude on this point, is the necessity of faith. It's necessary, guys. Look at verse 6. "But without faith it is, notice the word, impossible to please God. For he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." The writer of Hebrews, having written the description of faith, then declares without faith you can't please God. I have to believe that He is and who He has revealed Himself to be within His Word.

Anyone can come to God, in case you didn't know that. The door is open, whoever you are, no matter what you've done. Salvation is available to you. But if you're going to come to God, you have to believe that He is and that He has accomplished the work on the cross. You have to believe two things. God exists, and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. Folks, genuine faith does not simply believe that a divine being exists out there, because the Bible says that even the demons of hell believe that there is a God and they're fearful of Him.

James chapter 2 tells us that. But the God of Scripture is the only real and true God who exists. The nation of Israel had the evidence of the existence of God, but they wandered through the wilderness and it was obvious they didn't believe God. Because they didn't trust in God, their actions didn't please God. Their constant complaining was evidence of their lack of faith and trust in God. So when it comes to the necessity of faith, it's a requirement that we diligently seek Him.

What does that mean to diligently seek the Lord? For one thing, I believe that it's a desire of your heart if you're a believer, a follower of Jesus. The psalmist said it this way: "One thing I have desired of the Lord, and that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, and to behold His beauty, and inquire in His temple." Psalm 27, verse 4. And this desire to seek the Lord is also motivated by love for the Lord. Why seek Him?

Because I am loved by Him and I want to reciprocate that love back to Him. Proverbs 8:17 says, "I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me." Who finds those who seek the Lord? Are you seeking the Lord? Do you seek the Lord? It's to seek Him wholeheartedly. Psalm 119, verse 10 says, "With my whole heart I have sought you. Oh, let me not wander from your commandments." Seeking the Lord diligently, earnestly seeking Him.

And there's a blessing. Did you know there's a blessing that follows those who seek the Lord? The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 29:13, "You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart." That's the blessing. Matthew 6:33, Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you." Do you seek the Lord? Are you seeking Him? If you are, He wants to be found by you. And it's not hide and seek.

God's like, "I'm right here. Check me out, I'm right here!" He's available. He's always there. So the quality of our faith, what do we know? There's substance and evidence. The activity of our faith, it affects the way that we live. The certainty of our faith, we can see the things we couldn't normally see. The necessity of our faith, it's important. Lastly, and this isn't everybody's favorite but it comes with the territory, the testing of your faith. The testing of our faith, guys.

James chapter 1, verses 2 and 3 says, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." Your faith, my faith will always be tested. Always. Someone said, "Faith that can be trusted has to be tested." Everybody goes through tests of faith. What's a test for you may be different than it is for me, but you may be in a test right now whether or not you're going to trust God. Whether or not you're going to believe the promises of God. Whether or not you're going to rest in it or you're going to fight it.

Your faith is being tested. All of us go through it. Everybody does. And God's producing something in you as your faith is tested. You're learning and you're developing character and hope. These are high priorities for God: hope in your life and character and perseverance. These things don't just magically come to you, they come through the testing of your faith. But I also find that in this testing of our faith, it's a fight. It's a fight. It's a spiritual battle.

Paul said to Timothy to fight the good fight of faith. It's a good fight. It's real. The struggle is real. The battle is real. If you want to walk with Jesus, just know it's a fight. And if there's no fight, I'm wondering, are you walking? Because if you are, you're going to be opposed. If you're not opposed, are you in the fight? Are you in it? Are you a spectator or you in the ring? What's the deal? It's going to be a fight.

I love what Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." Folks, there is obviously, as we said, the quality, activity, certainty, necessity, and the testing and the fight of faith. But this is the final thing, and that is the end. What's the end of our faith? What's the end? 1 Peter tells us in chapter 1, verses 6 through 9. It says, "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, knowing that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to the praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love.

Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls." Hey guys, one day faith is going to be replaced by sight. What I see through eyes of faith, I'm going to see with my own eyes. Job, when he was suffering and struggling, he said, "I know that my Redeemer lives," and one day he had this confidence, "I'm going to see Him." One of the writers says we see through a glass dimly, but then face to face.

We know in part, but one day faith becomes sight. That is the end of our faith. The ultimate end: the salvation of our souls, seeing Jesus. It's going to be worth it. Whether it's the fight, whatever the struggle, the testing, it's worth it. In one second, one nanosecond, everything changes. Amen.

Guest (Male): Well, thanks for joining us today on A Daily Walk. To catch a replay of today's message in Hebrews from Pastor John Randall, simply go online to adailywalk.org. Also, look for A Daily Walk wherever you get your podcasts or download our free mobile app. Do a search for Calvary South OC in the App Store or Google Play. You know, we light up around here when a listener shares what God is doing in their life and how they're helped through the teaching of God's Word. If you feel led to write, here's our email address: adailywalk@gmail.com.

Very soon we'll be welcoming in a new year, and it's a great time to begin a daily devotion. We've got a good one to recommend for you today. It's Until He Comes, 365 daily devotions as we await His return by Amir Tsarfati and Barry Stagner. Each day, Amir and Barry offer helpful teachings from God's Word and guidance on practical ways to apply them to your life. They address topics on spiritual growth, everyday faith, and Bible prophecy. It's yours for the cost of just 12 dollars at adailywalk.org or call toll-free 877-242-0828.

And please remember, it is your faithful contributions to the Lord's work at A Daily Walk that allows us to bring Pastor John's studies to the radio every day. Please help us finish the year strong by donating today at adailywalk.org. And with these concluding thoughts, here's John.

John Randall: Let me conclude by saying if you are struggling in your faith tonight, and we all go through that. The Bible tells us in Romans chapter 10 and verse 17, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." If you want your faith to increase, get into the Word of God. That will solidify your faith. And I also want to remind you, if you're struggling in your faith, 1 Samuel 7:12, make a note of it.

It says that Samuel took a stone and he set it up by Mizpah and Shen and he called its name Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped me." Samuel set up a stone, and it was really a stone of remembrance for the people. He set it up in a place, and it was to be somewhere where he could look back and be reminded of the faithfulness of God. When he struggled with it, when he wondered, he came back and thought, "Wait a second, I remember when I put that rock there. God brought me thus far, and if He brought me thus far, I know that He'll continue to take me."

If you're struggling in your faith, just look back at the faithfulness of God tonight. Sometimes I have to do that. I have to jog my memory and ask, what has God done? Where were you a year ago? "Oh yeah, You're so faithful." Stone of remembrance. Last quote, promise. I love it. Little faith will take your soul to heaven, but great faith will bring heaven to your soul. May God give us great faith. Amen.

Guest (Male): Well, now that we have a good understanding of what faith is, we'll go on to consider what faith does next time. Join us tomorrow for a faith-strengthening study on A Daily Walk with Pastor John Randall.