South Shore Pentecostal Church

Guest (Male): Welcome to the Apostolic Truth Radio program with Pastor Craig Ouellette, a radio ministry of South Shore Pentecostal Church located in Whitman, Massachusetts. At a time when many Christians do not know what to believe, South Shore Pentecostal is honored to bring you clear biblical teaching on which you can confidently build your faith. Thank you for joining us.

J. Craig Ouellette: Praise God. Well, let's read these scriptures here this morning. We're going to talk about the faith of Abraham. Say "the faith of Abraham." The faith of Abraham. In Romans chapter four, Romans 4:8-13, we're going to read that.

Romans 4:8 says, "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Cometh this blessedness then only upon the circumcision only, or upon uncircumcision also? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? When he was in circumcision or uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of his faith, which he had yet being uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed unto them also; and the father of circumcision to them who are not of circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had yet being uncircumcised. For the promise that he should be heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith."

Just to draw your attention to verse 11 there just for a moment. Notice that Abraham received a sign from God of the righteousness of his faith. All right. So, notice that God gave something to Abraham that could be seen by others that showed that his faith was right, righteous. Right? That's the Holy Ghost. When you get the Holy Ghost speaking in tongues, God is giving you a sign of the righteousness of your faith.

See, we can't see your faith, but God sees your faith. And when our faith arrives at the point where we have yielded to God like Abraham had at that point, God will give you an outward sign. It's called the baptism of the Holy Ghost. You'll speak in tongues. It's a sign that everybody can see you have yielded to God. Amen. Now, that's off-topic, but just felt impressed to touch that there.

Galatians 3:6 says, "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, 'In thee shall all nations be blessed.' So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham."

Then skipping down to verse 14, "That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." Now, the Spirit's invisible, isn't it? So, how do you know you got it? Well, you speak in tongues when you get the Holy Ghost. That's the sign. Okay. So, before that, people didn't know. If you don't speak in tongues, how can you say your faith is any different from an Old Testament faith? There's no sign. There's no sign that there's any difference, but the New Testament faith says we receive the Holy Ghost, which is a new work of God in us.

Then Ephesians 2:8 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." So, we're going to talk about the faith of Abraham. And when we look in the Bible, we see that Abraham is one of the great examples of faith. His faith allowed him to have such a deep relationship with God that in a couple of places, he's called the friend of God. The friend of God. I don't know about you, but I'd like God to call me a friend. Amen? You know, if you're a friend, you've got access that other people don't have. Amen.

In a controversy with the Pharisees, they asked Jesus if he was greater than Abraham, showing how they esteemed Abraham. And like many other examples of people of faith in the Bible, Abraham was not perfect. He had some times where he didn't tell the truth. He had some times where he got out of the way that God wanted him to be, but he was able to hold on to his belief and be faithful and obtain the promise that God had for him and for us. And so Abraham's life gives us an example. An example.

And again, today you've got a lot of people dismissing the Old Testament. They're trying to apply the New Testament without the principles of the Old Testament. The Old Testament gives us a principle foundation of who God is, and how God works, and what God is going to do. Now, we talk about the Holy Ghost in the New Testament, but that's back there in the Old Testament where God said, "I'm going to do this. I'm going to write my laws in your heart. Okay. I'm going to give you a new heart, and I'll put my spirit within you."

All right. So, the Old Testament, when we're talking about the Holy Ghost, it talked about it, but God said it's not there yet. The whole New Testament is about getting the Spirit of God. Okay. Without the Spirit of God, you can't live for God. You cannot live for God without God's Spirit. You can be cleansed of your sins, but you will not have the strength or the ability to overcome the spiritual things that will confront a person trying to live for God. We need supernatural power to deal with supernatural forces. Right? The devil's real. The devil is real. And you're not going to beat the devil out of your own intellect or your own ability, or just because you prayed a thousand prayers. You need something inside of you that's bigger than you, that's bigger than him, to beat the devil. You need the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Amen. So, let's look. We're going to take some time and look at some of the elements that Abraham had in his faith. And there's at least three major elements that stand out. He had an obedient faith. He had a patient faith. And he had a worshipful faith. So now, Abraham's an example. So, if Abraham has to obey, why do I think I don't have to obey? Right? Okay. If Abraham had to be patient, why do I think I don't have to be patient? If Abraham had a life of worship, why do I think I don't need to worship? Amen.

So, the Bible tells us that the events in the Old Testament are given to us so that we can learn from them. And I have parts of the scripture up there, but we're going to read them out of the Bible. So, go to Romans 15:4. And Paul is writing to the church at Rome, the Christians at Rome. He's not writing to the whole city, but he's writing to the Christians there. He says, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."

He's talking about the Old Testament. He's not talking about the New Testament because when Paul writes this letter, they don't have all the pieces of the New Testament yet. They might have some of the gospels and they might have some of the epistles, but they do not have it all put together. So, Paul is talking about the Old Testament. He said God has given us that to give us learning. Learn what? Learn how God operates. Learn how God works. Learn how I need to work if I'm going to respond and interact with God. That we might through patience and comfort of the scriptures have hope. Understand that sometimes God takes a long time to accomplish his will in our lives. And sometimes it has nothing to do with how much we're yielding; it just has to do with other elements that God is working in our life. Amen.

And that we might have hope. And then again in 1 Corinthians 10:6. And Paul is relating to them about the common salvation experience. In verse one of chapter 10 there, Paul is explaining to the church of Corinth that Israel's departure out of Egypt through the Red Sea and following the cloud was a type of water baptism and Holy Ghost baptism. This is what Paul is saying here in verse one. "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea." Notice they're not just baptized unto Moses in the water, but also in the cloud. Cloud and sea. Cloud is spirit.

You go back and read Exodus, it says God was in the cloud. God was in the cloud. He's leading them by day and night. The cloud represented the physical presence of God. So, when the cloud passes over Israel to separate them from the Egyptians before the Red Sea is opened, they have a type of Holy Ghost baptism. And when they pass through the Red Sea, they have a type of water baptism. Now, isn't it interesting that God would use those events to give a picture of what he wants to do in the New Testament?

So, Egypt is a type of the world. So, now let's think about it. They've already seen God work miracles, haven't they? Before they go through the Red Sea. Before they go through the Red Sea. Listen, okay, I think some of you are going to sleep. Okay. And maybe you worked late all night, okay, and if you did, you got a reason. Okay. All right. It's okay. All right. Okay. If you need to sleep like that, God knows, and it's okay. Absolutely it is. Praise God. Okay. Amen. He'll put it in subconsciously. You'll have a dream. Amen.

But God is leading them. They're in Egypt. They've experienced God. They've come through the plagues. So, they believe in God, but they're not out of Egypt yet. Just because Pharaoh said let them go, he's not really going to let them go. That's why they're at the edge of the Red Sea and Pharaoh's chasing them. All right. So, that's the same thing that happens to a lot of people today. They get a belief in Jesus, they confess their sins, they see some miracles, but they don't get born again. Okay. Then all of a sudden, the devil lets them go for a period, but all of a sudden the devil says, "Hey, I'm not letting them go," and he starts to chase you again.

So, they had to go through the Red Sea, and the devil was cut off. Or Pharaoh was cut off; he could not come through that Red Sea. When they came through the Red Sea to the other side, they are now in a different land, and they are not in Egypt anymore. They have been delivered from Egypt by the water and the Spirit. Amen. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

And again, that's a type for us. So, he's talking about all of this, and in verse six, he says, "Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted." And then again in verse 11, he says, "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples," and ensamples are an example with a warning. It's not just an example; it's an example with a warning. So, he's saying them getting idols, making the calf; them asking for bread and different things, God to give them food; them asking, murmuring in the wilderness; he said these are examples that need to be a warning to us. Don't murmur. Don't get idols in your life.

So, he says in verse 11, "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." So, what am I trying to say? I'm trying to say the Bible's telling us that the Old Testament is there to teach us, to instruct us. You can't just dismiss it. You can't just have this idea, well, it's all under all law. First of all, it's not all under law. Law doesn't start till Exodus 20. So, the whole book of Genesis is not under law. And when we're talking about Abraham, he's not under law. When we're talking about Noah, he's not under law.

So, those are things where God is dealing with them, and God is applying principles that he expects for us to apply in our lives. Amen. Now, the examples of those people in the law, a lot of types and shadows, and there are some things in the law, the moral part of the law, we still have to keep. Amen. But let's look at Abraham's promises. In Genesis 12:1-3, God records a sevenfold promise to Abraham. This is the promise that God had given to Abraham. And in Genesis 12:1, he says God says, "Get out of your country, from your father's house, from your kindred, unto a land that I will show you."

So, even though God's got a promise, there's some requirements that are needed if Abraham is going to obtain the promise. Do you see that? Get out of your country. You can't stay where you're at even though you believe me, Abraham. Even though you've heard from me, in your case, Abraham, you've got to get out of your country. And you're going to have to leave your family. Now, this doesn't mean we all have to leave our family, but what I'm trying to say, these are requirements that God gave to Abraham. If you want what I've got for you, this is what you must do. This is what you must do. This is what the Bible does to us. If we want what God has got for us, there's some things we must do, even if we've got faith.

So, he's got to get out of his country. He's got to leave Ur of the Chaldees, kind of in Iraq today. He's got to leave his father's house. And he's got to go from his kindreds. So now, if you read the Bible, you see that this is a process that God works out in Abraham. So, even when we read it in Genesis 12:1-3, if you go to the book of Acts where Stephen talks about it, it says that God talked to Abraham back in Ur. So, Abraham heard this promise before he got to the land. And when he first leaves Ur, he goes with his dad, his father, and the rest of the family.

When his father passes away, he goes into Canaan, but he takes Lot, and Lot is a cousin. Eventually, he has to separate from Lot because God said get away from your kindred, your family. Again, now I'm not saying that's what God says to all of us, but if your kindred or family is going to keep you from living for God, you might have to get away from them. That's true.

Amen. And so, sometimes we are not able to live for God because we're not doing what God asks us to do. And then when you've done that, Abraham, it's not just leave where you're at and leave your family, go to the land I will show you. And it doesn't tell you where that land is. So, when we look at it, we see that Abraham's got some requirements. Then we look at the sevenfold promise. If you'll do what I said, Abraham, if you'll leave your kindred, leave your country, leave your father's house, go to the place I'll show you, here's what I will do for you. I will make of thee a great nation. I will bless thee. I will make your name great. You will be a blessing. You know, when you live for God, you become a blessing to people around you even if they don't like you.

Listen, sometimes God will preserve a company that you are working in because you're there. Sometimes God will preserve a city or a situation because a Christian is there. You will be a blessing. Amen. He said, "I will bless them that bless thee, and I will curse them that curse thee, and through you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." This is the real key. By Abraham doing this, God is going to through Abraham bring the Messiah. See, so again when God asks us to do something, we need to understand by not doing it, we're not just missing ourselves. But oftentimes we are missing things that God would do because we did it for others. Amen.

So, when I yield to God, there's things that God will do for others because I have yielded. When you yield to God, there's things that God through you will do for others because you have yielded to God. Amen. So, we're laying down a little groundwork here. And so we know that God's promises come because of grace. Now, listen, people get all messed up with grace. Grace doesn't mean you don't have to do anything. Grace just means God's given you something; he's presenting something that you can have that you can't earn. But it doesn't mean there's no requirement, just like for Abraham, that we have to do in order to obtain what God has made available.

So, God coming to Abraham, it doesn't say grace, but listen, God didn't have to do that. Abraham didn't deserve that. Abraham couldn't have earned that relationship with God. Right? So, in effect, even though the word grace isn't used, it is God's grace that is presenting this opportunity to Abraham. Do you understand grace is something we do not deserve? So, when the sun comes up, it's God's grace. When the rain comes, it's God's grace. Even if you're saved and you wake up and you breathe another breath, it's God's grace. We're getting something that we don't deserve, but that God has allowed and ordained for us. Amen.

So, understand that grace doesn't mean you don't have to do anything. It doesn't mean there's no requirements. That's the biggest lie from hell. In fact, Jude said in the book of Jude, he talks about that there were men that had crept into the church, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. What that means is they were using grace as an excuse to live the way they wanted to live and still claim to be a Christian. That's what that means. And there's a lot of examples. So, grace is the offer of something we don't deserve and can't earn. Salvation comes through the grace of God. I think everybody believes that. God's offer, grace is God's offer or promise, but it's accessed through faith.

It's faith. Okay. Notice here's what the Bible says. "For by grace are you saved through faith. By grace are you saved through faith." If I don't have faith, even though the grace has made it available, I can't access it. I have to have faith to access it. Again, in Romans 5:2, "We have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand." So, he starts in verse one, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And not only so, but we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand." So, what he's saying is we have this salvation because we access it by faith in God.

Now, that's a good reason to read the Old Testament. The Old Testament will build up your faith in God. The Old Testament will let you know that God is faithful to keep his promises. The Old Testament will let you know that God is always just and right. And he may not come in our time, but he will show up on time. Hallelujah. Praise God. So, the Old Testament gives us stories, amen, where we can look and say this guy, Job didn't know why he's going through what he's going through, but God had a reason and God is faithful. David didn't know why anointing has driven him into the wilderness and made him an object that the king wants to kill. But God has got a reason why he's doing that. Amen. And as David continues to find God, he gets to the place that God has got for him. So, Abraham couldn't earn God's offer, but God through grace made it available.

So, the Bible says we looked at three things. We said he had an obedient faith. He had a patient faith. And he had a worshipful faith. Obedience. The Bible in the New Testament plainly says that Abraham obeyed. So, if we look over in Hebrews 11:8 in the roll call of faith, it says, "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, he obeyed. He obeyed." In other words, he had to do what God said if he wants to receive the promise. Amen.

Okay. It says when he received the promise, so he's back there in Ur of the Chaldees and God says you've got to leave your family, got to leave your kindred, got to leave your father's house, and you've got to go to the land I show you. And it says in verse, goes on to say and he went out not knowing whither he went. So, sometimes we delay doing what God has told us to do because God didn't tell us all the steps. Abraham said, "I don't know where I'm supposed to go, but I do know that God said I got to leave my father's house." Check. "Got to leave my kindred." Check. "Got to leave my country." Check. So, I can't stay here. So, let's just start journeying to some other country because it's not this country. I've got to do something.

So, a lot of times people sit in church asking God, show me, God, show me. And they're not doing the things God's already showed them to do. So Abraham had an obedient faith. Now, when we look at the life of Abraham, we see that this obedience continues throughout his life. When Abraham is given circumcision as the sign of the covenant, what does he do? He obeys. The next day he circumcised the whole house. He doesn't just say, "Well, I believe God can do that. That's kind of painful, but I don't see why I need to do that. I believe in God, and here I am. I've come out of my country and I'm by myself here." But he obeys and does what God says to do. Amen.

When Abraham is told to send Ishmael away, he obeys in Genesis 21:9. And by this time, Ishmael's about 14, 15, or 16 years old. He's been like a son to Abraham. And the Bible says it grieved him to do that, but God said that's what you need to do, and Abraham obeys. When Abraham is asked to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham attempted to obey God. I say attempted because he was going to do it, but God held back his hand. Amen. God said, "Now I know, Abraham, that you are going to do what I've asked you to do."

And later on, when God speaks to Isaac and passes the promise onto Isaac, God tells Isaac, "I'm passing the covenant onto you because your father Abraham obeyed." We'll read it. Genesis 26:4-5. So, in Genesis 26:4-5, there's a famine in the land. God tells Isaac don't go down to Egypt, stay in the land here. And in verse four, he says, "And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and I will give unto thy seed all the countries, all these countries, and in thy seed shall the nations of the earth be blessed because, because, because that Abraham obeyed my voice."

So, we understand that again, living for God, I can have faith, but the proof of faith is will I obey what God says? Will I obey what God says? That's the proof of faith. Amen. So, we see that Abraham had an obedient faith. He's doing what God says to do. So, living by faith, living faith is more than just belief in God. Amen. Living by faith is more than just believing in God and his ability to do things. You can believe that God can do it; you can believe in God. That doesn't mean you've got the faith that's a saving faith.

James said the devil believes. The devil believes. The devil believes in God, who he is. That's why when the demons show up and Jesus shows up, they say, "Are you here to send us into torment before the time?" They know that when God says it, they're done. Amen. It's not a struggle. God just says it and they're done. They're sent to the pit. That's the end of it. Amen. They believe. We've got to have a belief that goes beyond that. I've got to have a belief that brings some action out of my life. I've got to have a belief that causes me to say hello. God says I need to do that. I'm going to try to do that. Amen.

If the Bible says I need to live holy, I'm going to try to live holy. If the Bible says come out from among them and be separate, I'm going to try to figure out what do you mean by come out, God. And that's why James said faith without works is dead. Amen. He's not saying you earn it. He's saying that if you really got faith, it's going to promote some action in you. It's going to promote you to do something. Amen. Don't tell me you got faith in God, you don't have a prayer life. Don't tell me you got faith in God and you don't make the church, the house of God, a regular commitment. Don't tell me you got faith in God and you don't support the house of God. Don't tell me you got faith in God and you won't let God change who your friends are, where you go, how you think, and what you want to do. Do not tell me that. Amen. That's a faith without works. Amen. The faith of God, the saving faith, will cause you to obey what God says to do.

He's saying if you truly have faith in what God says, it's going to motivate you. If I got faith that God answers prayers, I'm going to pray. Right? Amen. If I got faith that God blesses believers, I'm going to pray and I'm going to try to do that. I'm going to give. If I believe that God blesses those that give, I'm going to give. That's why we give to the missionaries because God will bless when we support the work of God. God will bless us. You support God's work, God will bless you. Amen.

If you believe you must be saved from your sins, you're going to do what the Bible says to get saved. Not what your church says. Not what the denomination says. Not what the group says. Not what's popular. Not what Facebook says, but what the Bible says. And the Bible says you must repent. Amen. That means turn away from sin and make a commitment to God. Amen. That means turning away from everything that God doesn't like and doing your best to live the way God wants you to live. That's repentance.

God, if you don't like it, it's got to get out of my life. I might like it myself, but you got to help me. I know it's got to go. If I got to repent and get it out, I've got to do it your way, God. It's not whether I like it. It's not whether I don't like it. It's if you say I'm not supposed to do it, it's got to come out. Lord, I need you to help me. Thank you, Jesus. It's not if it's convenient. Lord, it's going to be hard. Yeah. Living for God has got some struggles, but I got to repent of my sins. And the Bible says if you believe, you're going to get baptized in Jesus' name. Don't tell me you believe in God and won't get baptized. Amen.

Amen. A lot of people might buy it, but God doesn't buy it. And the Bible doesn't buy it. Amen. You got all people arguing, well, saved doesn't mean saved. Well, then what does it mean? He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. He that believeth not is damned. Oh, I don't have to get baptized. Well, I thought I just said if I believe and get baptized, I'll be saved. Well, saved doesn't mean saved. Well, what does it mean? Come on. Praise God.

Amen. And the Bible says you can have the Holy Ghost; you need to seek the Holy Ghost. Come on. The Holy Ghost is an anointing of God's Spirit. The Holy Ghost is when God makes you a temple for him. The Holy Ghost is when you really truly become a child of God because he sends forth the Spirit of his Son into us, causing us to say Abba Father. Amen. And you know you got the Holy Ghost you speak in tongues as the Spirit gives you utterance. Listen, it's a transition from a natural life to a spiritual life. Amen. It's a resurrection power. The Holy Ghost is resurrection power. Amen. You were dead in sins, but now God is raising you up in the power of the likeness of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost will make you alive to God. The Holy Ghost will make you want to praise God. The Holy Ghost will make you want to go to church. The Holy Ghost will make you want to tell somebody else. The Holy Ghost will make you feel so good you'll say God, let me get everything out of my life that's interfering with the Holy Ghost because I got to have more of the Holy Ghost. Oh, give him praise. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

So, there's got to be obedience. Abraham had a faith of obedience. He had an obeying faith. We listed a whole bunch of different things. If you look at his life, he obeys. When God says this and he's got to do something, he goes and does it. That's why he's a man of faith. But he's also a person of patient faith. Amen. And that kind of came up on the Friday morning Bible study. Three of us were there: Brother Ernie, and Brother Todd, and Marc-Cisere were there. And patience came up a little bit and the Holy Ghost went "ding."

Patience is important in living for God. Look at these scriptures. They're on the screen there. It says that you be not slothful, that means spiritually sluggish or lazy, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Hebrews 6:12. Faith and patience. Faith means I'm believing, I've done what God's asked me to do, and I'm believing God can do it, but I'm willing to wait till he does do it. I'm going to continue. I'm going to continue. A little bit further down that same chapter, it says, and it's talking about Abraham now, too, it says, "And so after he had patiently endured," meaning Abraham, "he obtained the promise."

Abraham had to be patient to obtain what God had promised him, even though he was obeying what God had said. He still needed to be patient to receive what God had for him. And again, in Hebrews 10:36, he's admonishing the people he's writing to, the Hebrew Christians, "For ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." So, sometimes we will pray and fast, and we've done all that we know how to do. We've done everything that we know that God said to do, and we expect God's going to turn around the next day and do what we're asking him. But the Bible says after I have done the will of God, I need patience. I need patience. I need patience to receive what God has got for me.

Amen. Again, this is the analogy of the children of Israel in the wilderness. They're on their way to the promised land. But it's not on an Eagle bus or some kind of jet plane going to just fly you over the desert and get you there. You're going to walk through that. There's going to be some repetition. There's going to be some things you don't like. You're going to go without a few things. But he said, "I'll never leave you and forsake you. I'm watching, and everything you need I'm going to give it to you. Amen. I'll give you what you need, but you got to be willing to go through the wilderness. It's going to take a little time to get there for the promise. I've got to teach you. I've got to train you. I've got to make you a people. I've got to organize you. I've got to give you a law. I've got to tell you how to approach me. I've got to show you how to worship. I've got to show you how to live. I've got to give you a way to do it, God my way, before you're ready to go in and get the inheritance." Hallelujah. Yes. Hallelujah.

And God does the same things in our lives. Amen. Hallelujah. And so after we've done the will of God, we need to have patience to trust God. Abraham had a faith that was patient. Amen. Jesus himself said in Luke 21:19, "In your patience possess ye your souls." Now, in Luke 21, he's talking about end times. He's talking about Jerusalem being destroyed and him coming back. And he's saying things are going to happen. You're going to have to have patience. You're going to have to be patient to wait for me. You're going to be tempted to do things otherwise. You're going to be tempted to give up, tempted to do things your own way. You need to have patience, because in your patience you possess your soul. In other words, in your waiting on me, your soul is linked up. You need to learn to wait on me. Amen. God's got the right thing at the right time. Amen. We don't always know. So, I need to learn to be patient. Amen.

So, again, Peter said, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time." In other words, he's saying be patient. You think you got a calling, be patient. You think you got a purpose, be patient. You got a dream, be patient. You got a prophecy that I've given you, be patient. So, God wants to know, am I running on my visions and dreams, or am I running on my relationship and obedience and faith in him? Hallelujah. What kind of fuel do you have in your tank? Is it excitement fuel, or is it the fuel of patience and faith? Hallelujah. Amen.

So, God wants to know. So, he said humble yourselves. So, in other words, a lot of times we have to go through places we didn't ever think about. And if you come through them, you can say yourself, "Thank God he didn't show me before because I might not have come in." Amen. But if I wait on God, I'll humble myself to let do what he says, and once I'm doing what he says, I'm under his hand. His hand's controlling. I'm in his hand. Whether you're under or in, he's controlling. So, everything that happens, he's in control. And so in other words, I'm trusting in him, and it might not be what I like. It might be taking me down several notches in my esteem. But let God have his way. Yes.

Because in due time, if I live for God, God's not going to leave me down there always; he's going to bring me back up. And the reason we need patience, we need to understand that God's plans include a method, a time, and a place. Method, time, and place. When Joseph had his dreams, he had no idea that the place was Egypt. He thought it was right there in Canaan where his brothers were. He had no clue. He's going down to Egypt. He had no clue that 20-plus years is going to go by before it comes to pass. No clue about that. When Moses kills the Egyptian, he had the wrong method and the wrong time. Moses is going to go out 40 years in the wilderness before God says, "Come on, Moses, it's time to do this job."

He knows he's got a calling, but he's got the wrong idea about how to fulfill it. So, he kills an Egyptian, but God says, "No, no. It's not your strength, Moses. It's not your wisdom, it's not your knowledge, it's not your position. I'm going to do it. I'll work the works." Because it's not just about bringing you out, Moses and Israel. It's not just about bringing a people out and fulfilling a promise to Abraham, but it's also about showing that I am the only God. When I judge every god in Egypt and show that their gods are powerless against me, I will be glorified. You go back and read Exodus 12 and it tells you God says, "I'm judging the gods of Egypt."

So, sometimes God does certain things, not just to get us out or give us get us to a place, but he's also trying to show who he really is, so people can have faith in him. Hallelujah. Praise God. Again, Jesus is born. He's the promise. The promise from Genesis 3:15, a seed of a woman. But 4,000 years before God puts it into plain action. 4,000 years from the Garden of Eden to Canaan to Judea. Jesus is not born until everything is in place in the world to facilitate the spreading of the gospel. You got to be patient. Abraham had a faith of patience. Hallelujah. Amen.

We look at Abraham. We look at his life. And we see that he had to be patient and he went on. But we also have to be a worshiper. We need a faith, a worshipful faith. Now, look at this. When Abraham comes into the land of Canaan, says God appears to Abraham, and the first thing Abraham does is build an altar. In other words, I'm going to communicate with God. I'm going to have some worship. There's no church he can go to. So, he builds an altar.

He moves a little bit after that down to Bethel, and he doesn't say, "Well, I got an altar up there. If I need to go, I'll go back." He builds a new altar down in Bethel. He goes down to Egypt. God delivers him out of Egypt. When he comes back into the land of Canaan, he goes back to the altar at Bethel. Amen. Abraham, God talks to him after a number of years and says, "I'm going to give you an inheritance." He says, "Well, all I got is this steward in my house." He says, "No, I'm going to give you somebody out of your loins." "How am I going to know this?" "Build an altar, Abraham." He builds an altar. He makes a sacrifice. What happens at that? God gives him revelation. Amen.

And the final one of the final scenes in Abraham's life is at an altar. His promise is on the altar. Isaac is on the altar. He's taking the promise that God has given him that at this point he's probably 45 years. Because Isaac is probably 10, 20 years old, somewhere in that range. He's old enough to carry the firewood up the hill. And so Abraham's putting his promise on the altar.

What happens? At an altar you get communication with God. At an altar you get revelation from God. Genesis 15, when God said build an altar and put it here you got the sacrifices he split them in half and he waited for God to light the fire for the sacrifices, and God came and gave Abraham understanding of what was going to happen hundreds of years down the road. You'll get revelation at an altar. God will give you things of understanding at an altar that you won't get other places.

You'll get the confirmation of your promise. Abraham all these years he's got the promise, God's saying it to him, but the day he offers up Isaac on the altar, God stops him and says, "Now I know you believe. and I will do it. I'm going to do it because you would do what I asked you to do. I will do what I said. I'm going to confirm the promise." At altars, a lot of times, that's where God confirms the promises in our lives. That's why it's good to come to the altar. Amen. When the altar's open, it's good to come. You don't know what God is going to do there. Amen. You can wait wait and wait in the seat thinking they may think I'm a sinner, they may think I did this. Is God's revelation more important or what other people think? By letting you hold back because somebody's thinking what you think they might think about you, you're not getting a revelation that God has got for you possibly.

So, the Lord offered to all people, he's offered to all people the promise of salvation. It's to whosoever. Grace has made it available, but it must be accessed by faith, just like Abraham. If you're going to have faith like Abraham, you got to have obedience. You're going to have to have patience. You're going to have to have worship in your life. Worship is even when I don't see the promise, I'm still praising you, God. Right? Amen.

Even when I don't see the promise and it seems like I'm going backwards and I'm not even saved and it seems like things are worse than when I was not living for God, I'm still worshiping you. You're God. Even though I don't understand, God, I'm worshiping you. Even though it's a night season and I don't see where the sun is and the sun hasn't shined in a long time, I'm still worshiping you. Hallelujah. Even though it feels like I can't go on, I'm still going to worship you. Amen. Like Job, though he slay me, yet will I trust him. Hallelujah. I'm going to worship him. Hallelujah. Come on. Sometimes we just got to praise him, even when we don't feel. That's the worship God wants from us. I'm going to praise him. Amen. I fell on my face, I'm still going to worship him. You're still God. I missed the mark, you're still God. I didn't do it right, you're still God. I don't understand, you're still God. I'm still praising you. I'm still giving you glory. Hallelujah Jesus. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

So, again, I'm going to say in this New Testament age, obedience to the gospel starts with repentance, water baptism in Jesus' name, and seeking the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Sometimes you got to seek it. Now, sometimes we read in the book of Acts, it seems like they get the Holy Ghost so easy, but I'm going to say this about that. Most of those people were already looking for it. They just didn't know what it was. They just needed somebody to tell them. They were primed and ready. Amen. And so when Peter spoke in Cornelius's house, they were looking. Cornelius is doing everything he knew how to do. Amen.

So, let's stand here today. We're going to live for God, we need a faith like Abraham. He's an example. If I want to obtain the promises that God has got for me, if you want to obtain the promises that God has got for you, we need a faith like Abraham. And a faith like Abraham includes obedience to the word. Faith like Abraham includes worship and it includes patience. Seeking God. This altar's open here this morning. If you just want to pray to the Lord, amen, and want to receive something from God, you can kneel or stand. Amen. It's up to you. Just come and worship him. Talk to him.

Lord God, we thank you here today. We thank you, Lord God. We ask you, Lord God, to help every one of us here, Lord God. Lord, we need all those things that Abraham had. Lord, we need obedience in our lives. Help us to obey, Lord God. Lord, we need patience in our lives, Lord. Help us to be patient, Lord God, and wait on you, Lord God. Lord, we need a worshipful faith, Lord God, a faith that worships you even when it seems like everything's falling apart, even when it seems like you're not even nearby, even when it seems like we don't know what's going on, even when it seems like we've done all we know how to do and it seems like we're not getting any place. Come on, if you'll lift your hands to God, amen, and just start to worship him and praise him. If you'll ask him, "God, is there something I need to do that I haven't done? Show me what that is." Hallelujah. Lord, if you want to give me the Holy Ghost, I want that Holy Ghost. Oh, Lord, come and fill me, Lord God. Anoint me. Give me strength here today, Lord God. Come on, he's here in a mighty way. Hallelujah.

Guest (Female): Thank you for joining us today as we have studied the word on Apostolic Truth Radio. My name is Tina Ouellette, wife of Pastor Craig Ouellette of South Shore Pentecostal Church, located at 58 West Street in Whitman, Massachusetts. If you love praise and worship, you will love services at South Shore Pentecostal Church, and we invite you to come and worship with us.

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