He said to them, But whom say you that I am? It turns out that Job’s true faith in God was caused from his knowledge of God’s sovereignty. “And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried” (Zechariah 13:9). His names tell us who he is. Credit: CNN Because Jesus died and rose again, we can face our own death with confidence, knowing that the Lord will not abandon us when we need him most. Can You Trust God With the Details of Your Life? Job’s faith is indeed worth our emulating! Under comfortable environments, with our works going well and family lives being peaceful, many of us will have the faith to follow the Lord, actively reading the Bible and attending meetings; however, once something unpleasant happens, we will become weak immediately. So, when trials befall us, we should seek God’s will, either…, By Zhang Jin In Matthew 16:18-19 the Lord Jesus said: “And I say also to you, That you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Under comfortable environments, with our works going well and family lives being peaceful, many of us will have the faith to follow the Lord, actively reading the Bible and attending meetings; however, once something unpleasant happens, we will become weak immediately. There’s room for you and there’s room for me. Only this can be called true love and faith.” From these words, we see that true faith is the belief that we should possess when God’s work is not in accordance with our notions. There are those who have faith and those who don’t. I felt that the prospects of my faith in God were bleak, thinking: If only I could see the Lord Jesus and ask Him about that. DYNAMIC FAITH (20-26) A. Fang Liang: Okay. All of those were not obtained by his own hard work and effort. It is normal that we have this confused and contradictory state. They tell the story of a young soldier in Italy who jumped into a fox hole just the seat-of-his-pants ahead of a bullet. Only by experiencing trials and refinements can our sins be cleansed. … What Peter cared about was the true love within his heart, and that which was practical and could be achieved. So we will keep praying, get closer to God and dare not leave Him even for a second. There is no pit so deep that the love of God is not deeper still. This was inextricably linked to his paying attention to knowing God through practical experiences in his daily life. Previously, I had the same question as yours. Christians love children because God loves children. What is faith? The stories of Isaac, Jacob and Joseph show us what faith looks like at the end of life. January 3, 2021 Friendship – Week 1. So, when God blessed him, he praised God’s name; when his property and livestock were robbed of and his servants were killed, he didn’t deny God or forsake God’s name, nor did he try to take them back. They are called to have faith in the One who is among them sent from God. Read the latest on “The Anchor Project” and how you can be support our work. The lesson is that… Faith overcomes enormous obstacles, enduring by seeing the unseen God. WHAT KIND OF FAITH IS THIS? Jia Yin Sister Jia Yin: Hello! Noah spent 120 years building an ark—all because he trusted God's promise to destroy everything on the earth with a flood. Reply. Faith is the law of the kingdom. But I still could not figure out why the Lord approved of Peter’s faith, and didn’t know how I should pursue to receive the Lord’s approval of my faith. Hebrews 11 is God’s “Perpetual Plaque” of those who lived by faith. Sermon Series: Encouragement for the Journey of Faith. Thus, from Jesus he learned many lessons that he was supposed to learn, and by the time Jesus was about to be nailed to the cross, he had gained some knowledge of Jesus—a knowledge which was the basis of his lifelong loyalty to Jesus, and of his crucifixion upside down for the sake of Jesus.” “Though there were three times when Peter denied knowing Christ, and though he tempted the Lord Jesus, such slight human weakness bore no relation to his nature, and did not affect his future pursuit, and cannot sufficiently prove that his temptation was an act of antichrist. Why Did the Lord Jesus Approve of Peter’s Faith. Faith Sermon Illustrations . Stories of Faith and Hope – This Star Was Blessed By God When He Stood Up For What Was Right 2. And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Whenever I read these two verses, I would think: Why did the Lord Jesus give Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven? But we will not quit, give up or go back because our home is in heaven. (illustration) During an especially trying time in the work of the China Inland Mission, Hudson Taylor wrote to his wife, “We have twenty-five cents—and all the promises of God! Leave a Reply Cancel Reply. The more God’s words we practice in this way, the more corrupt dispositions we can change. During his experiences, he did not merely come to know himself, but also focused on observing the actions of Jesus, from which he discovered many new things; namely, that there were many expressions of the practical God in the work that God did through Jesus, and that Jesus’ words, actions, the ways He shepherded the churches and the work He carried out differed from any ordinary man. These are inextricable. God sees into the depths of mankind’s hearts and He arranges trials and refinements in order to purify our improper motivations and desires. And it clearly shows us that obeying God doesn’t always work out the way we think it will. From the story of Abraham offering Isaac, we learn that God calls us to yield our dearest treasures to him. His names tell us why we worship him. When God allowed Satan to test Job, He used trials to perfect Job’s faith. Thus, after that, Jehovah God formally used him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When she is rebuffed at first she continues in tenacious faith to entreat Jesus for his help. “So Abram went, as the LORD had told him” ( Genesis 12:4). The insecurities of other types of faith will be contrasted by the consistency a faith in Jesus provides. Zheng Xun, the moment I entered the forum I saw your post. This point can also be seen from the fact of God’s work—People who gain the approval of God are the ones who have experienced trials and refinements, such as Abraham. It is through forty years of refinement that Moses achieved this kind of faith. Fang Liang: A grain of sand, your acceptance is pure. I cannot promise you an easy road if you decide to follow Jesus Christ. We Don't Need Crucifixes. I asked all the preachers I knew these questions, but no one could give me a satisfying answer. How can the work of God be fully fathomed by man?” “Peter was made perfect through experiencing dealing and refinement. Faith is the genuine belief and the sincere heart that humans should possess when they cannot see or touch something, when God’s work is not in line with human notions, when it is beyond human reach. Learn From the Story of Job. … Though the many years of painful experiences of Peter are not recorded in the Bible, this does not prove that Peter did not have real experiences, or that Peter was not made perfect. This is how corrupt people’s flesh is; they can only receive benefits if they experience trials” (Practice 8). Pastor: Rev. 335 Ann St., Concord. When he lost his cattle and sheep all over the mountains, his untold wealth, and even his sons and daughters, he didn’t sin through his words blaming God, and he stood witness to God. So he could stand witness to God in trials. Hebrews 11:30 says that “by faith” the walls of Jericho fell. January 10, 2021 Friendship – Week 2. To everyone’s surprise, in those tough years, Moses, through praying to God and relying on Him, survived in the wilderness at last. What to Do When You Lose Faith in God in Setbacks, What Should We Do When We Face Trials? And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” I read these verses repeatedly and pondered them carefully: Did the Lord Jesus approve of Peter because, of His disciples, only Peter recognized He was the Christ? When you come to the end of your earthly journey, you still hold on to what you believe. If God allows me to encounter trials in the future, with such faith how can I stand testimony to satisfy God? Our text tells of the faith of Moses and the people of Israel when they came out of slavery in Egypt. God delights in saving notorious sinners. Facing all this, Job didn’t complain against God, because he had seen a lot of God’s deeds through all things and thus deeply understood that everything he owned was bestowed by God. As for this question, there are two passages of words that speak clearly, “What does faith refer to? And if you look closely, you can see... Miracles Come in Many Varieties. Live worship 11 a.m. at Ann Street Church. Why did the Lord Jesus say that Peter was blessed and give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven after he answered Him by saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”? In the end, he saw the back of Jehovah God and heard His voice. And in the end, you will discover that the life of faith is full of adventure, and you will be glad you weren’t a couch Story. Because Christians are aliens and strangers on earth, we are destined to live and die feeling slightly (and maybe more than slightly) out of place. No matter what God does, you must submit to His design, and be more willing to curse your own flesh than to complain against Him. And I say also to you, That you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you, but my Father which is in heaven. And this environment can prompt us to pray more often, get closer to God, read His word and seek His will, which lets us know how to rely on God and not go away from Him. The amazing faith of Moses’ parents shows us the high value that God puts on children, including those children that are born in less than ideal circumstances. (Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, W. Wiersbe, p. 242) … Jump, The House is On Fire (illustration) This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Thomas Aquinas. If time allowed, I could tell other stories of overcoming faith on the part of courageous missionaries. What Mark reveals up to this point is that Jesus has stepped onto the stage of human history, proclaiming a message of … He uses flawed people to accomplish his will so that when the victory comes, he alone gets the glory. Ours is true pro-family religion. Dynamic faith involves the WHOLE MAN a. In the trial he even said words with weight and testimony such as, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21). This was what Job was quite certain about in his heart. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand” (Daniel 12:9-10). When you are faced with trials you must satisfy God in spite of any reluctance to part with something you love, or bitter weeping. We can see from these facts that every environment we encounter is arranged specifically for each of us by God, and that God’s intention is to…. And Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. So they’re all good for us no matter what persecution or adversity, trials or refinements we meet. Previous Sermon Link Faith Stories – Week 1 Next Sermon Link Faith Stories – Week 3 More sermons. For example, when we are facing living difficulties because of losing our jobs, when our families lose peace due to something against our wishes happening, or when we are always refused a new job in spite of our praying, we begin losing our faith in God. Job acknowledged from his heart that no matter whether he received good or evil, it was dominated and arranged by God. – “ Whoever transgresses and does no harm to us Egyptians were destroyed contradictory state the... “ Whoever transgresses and does no harm to us you an easy road if look... 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