What Demas Didn’t Know About This Present World

2 Tim 4:10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.

Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Paul surrounded himself with fellow laborers; people who shared his life in the gospel.  Demas was part of the team.  Imagine them rolling out a map and charting their directions.  Imagine breaking new ground for the gospel!   Hear the exciting talk of establishing churches and witnessing great miracles!  Taking the truth where people had never heard of the name of Jesus before.  No doubt, Demas was initially swept up into the visionary excitement that drove the Apostle Paul.

But Demas had an itch that he wanted to scratch. He saw the giddy laughter, the fine colonnaded homes with marble porticoes, heard the talk and the music…Fashion, style, pleasure, excitement.  Intellectual stimulation, career opportunities.  Wealth, fame, approval, acceptance.  Demas became so fascinated, so awestruck, so captivated by everything that was “out there” that he made a critical decision: Demas forsook Paul because he loved this present world.

You always gravitate towards whatever or whoever you love.  An irresistible pull, a subconscious or even unconscious draw, a mandated motion beckons you on.  You can chart the course of Isaac and Rebecca, or Jacob and Rachel and see the unmistakable pattern;  You can also plot the movements of Samson and Delilah or David and Bathsheba and you will see the same, familiar drama unfold.  Be careful what you love; you will go there and live…or die.  Be careful who you love; those are the arms that will embrace you…or crush you.  Be careful whose roses you accept. They will lay claim to your heart.

Demas had expectations of this present world.

• Fulfillment: I’ll be the man I never was; 
• Happiness: Everyone looks so happy, they’re having so much fun;
• Security: They know who they are; they know what they want;
• Love: I can see love written all over their faces.

Do you know why boys are scared to death of liking girls?  They are afraid of being rejected.  They know guys who got their hearts broken by letting themselves fall in love.  It really hurts to see someone you like looking at someone else.  All of us want someone to love us back. It matters if someone loves us.

When all the world is young, lad,
And all the trees are green;
And every goose a swan, lad,
And every lass a queen;

Then hey for boot and horse, lad,
And round the world away!
Young blood must have its course, lad,
And every dog his day.

When all the world is old, lad,
And all the trees are brown;
And all the sport is stale, lad,
And all the wheels run down;
Creep home, and take your place there,
The spent and maimed among;
God grant you find one face there,
You loved when all was young. -Charles Kingsley

What Demas didn’t know was this: That this present world wouldn’t love him back!

Hey, Satan! I gave you my virginity. Why are you rejecting me?  I threw away my morals, my reputation for you. You don’t even care.  I hurt my parents, my pastor and my friends for you. And now you laugh at me.  I sacrificed my dreams and goals for you. Why are you kicking me in the teeth?

This is how the world operates: First, you come in search of whatever turns you on…It’s that mirage…that elusive dream…that shadowy figure just ahead, out of reach…

My Mirage

Scattered lavishly across the road ahead,
It glistened. I know what I saw.
I don’t care that the water is radiated heat.
What is radiated heat, anyway?
Who cares about radia—-Who cares?

I know what I saw…
Reflections in the water…
Distant clouds, grey-blue mountains…
Hazy skies with red scribblings…
White silos and the thick uneven border of trees on the horizon,
Cool water.

I know what I…saw…What happened?
Now, it’s gone.
Strange. It was there, I promise. Really.
Oh! Up there, farther on.
I lost it, momentarily. Something made it move.
But, it’s still there…bigger and better than ever.
I just have to be patient. People will try
To talk me out of it, but they don’t know.

I see love up ahead. Unconditional acceptance.
I will never be any happier. My way, my say.
My choice, my body, my life. The real me.
Get out of my way.
I know where I’m going.

One day it will stop moving.
I will drink that water, one day.
I promise. I don’t care what you say.
I know what I saw.
Mirages are real…aren’t they? -JMJ

Come on…I know you took a drink, but that’s not enough. You’ve got to do more.  I know you smoked one, but that’s not enough. There’s the rest of the pack.  I know you fooled around sexually a little, but you gotta do more…But the world never loves you back; it only asks for more and more and more.  Phony friends, fleeting moments of fun…The good times are really going to happen this weekend, next weekend…Always then, never now.  Always coming, never arriving.  Always promising, never fulfilling.  Always asking, never giving.

This is why your pastor, your youth leader, your Sunday School teacher keeps preaching at you. They know the nature of the beast.

Does God love you back? Not really.

Surprised? Jesus doesn’t love you back because he loved you first.  God always takes the initiative in love.  Rom 5:6-8  6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.  8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

1 John 4:18-19  18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.  19 We love him, because he first loved us.

Taking Charge of the Change

Job 14:1-2 Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. 2 He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.

14:11-15 As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: 12 So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. 13 O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! 14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. 15 Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.

Job wrestled with the prospect of imminent death. His body was covered with boils; he lost his family, his wealth, everything. He sat in the ashes, scraping his sores with a broken piece of pottery. He had no insurance company. He had no miracle medical cures. Life was miserable, pain-filled and totally depressing. All he could look forward to was death. You know life is bad when the only thing that sounds good is death!

Change or Die! (Article in FastCompany Magazine, http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/94/open_change-or-die.html )

What if you were given that choice? For real. What if it weren’t just the hyperbolic rhetoric that conflates corporate performance with life and death? Not the overblown exhortations of a rabid boss, or a slick motivational speaker, or a self-dramatizing CEO.

We’re talking actual life or death now. Your own life or death. What if a well-informed, trusted authority figure said you had to make difficult and enduring changes in the way you think and act? If you didn’t, your time would end soon — a lot sooner than it had to. Could you change when change really mattered? When it mattered most? Yes, you say? Try again. Yes? You’re probably deluding yourself. You wouldn’t change.

Don’t believe it? You want odds? Here are the odds, the scientifically studied odds: nine to one. That’s nine to one against you. How do you like those odds? We are constantly bombarded with messages, commercials, public service announcements, warnings, scare tactics, and pressure to change the way we live. Change your diet. Change your exercise. Change your spending habits. Change stations. Change channels. Change models. Change phone companies, insurance companies, supermarkets. Change houses, furniture, decorations. Change your vocabulary. Change your lifestyle.

Some changes are easy. Some are hard. Some seem to be impossible. The easiest changes also happen to be the least important changes. The hardest ones are the most important changes.

Then the knockout blow was delivered by Dr. Edward Miller, the dean of the medical school and CEO of the hospital at Johns Hopkins University. He turned the discussion to patients whose heart disease is so severe that they undergo bypass surgery, a traumatic and expensive procedure that can cost more than $100,000 if complications arise. About 600,000 people have bypasses every year in the United States, and 1.3 million heart patients have angioplasties — all at a total cost of around $30 billion. The procedures temporarily relieve chest pains but rarely prevent heart attacks or prolong lives. Around half of the time, the bypass grafts clog up in a few years; the angioplasties, in a few months. The causes of this so-called restenosis are complex. It’s sometimes a reaction to the trauma of the surgery itself. But many patients could avoid the return of pain and the need to repeat the surgery — not to mention arrest the course of their disease before it kills them — by switching to healthier lifestyles. Yet very few do. “If you look at people after coronary-artery bypass grafting two years later, 90% of them have not changed their lifestyle,” Miller said. “And that’s been studied over and over and over again. And so we’re missing some link in there. Even though they know they have a very bad disease and they know they should change their lifestyle, for whatever reason, they can’t.”

Five Myths About Changing Behavior

Crisis is a powerful impetus for change. 90% of patients who’ve had coronary bypasses don’t sustain changes.

Change is motivated by fear. It’s too easy for people to go into denial of the bad things that might happen to them.

The facts will set us free. We are guided by lifelong habits, not facts. We reject facts that don’t fit our habits.

Small, gradual changes are easier to make.Radical, sweeping changes are easier because they bring fast results.

We can’t change because our brains are “hardwired” early in life. Our brains can change. When we put forth the effort, we can learn new things.

One of the greatest things I know about Jesus is his ability to change lives!

John 8:32 “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”

1 Cor 6:11 “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

We preach the new birth experience.

John 3:3-7 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Why do we preach this so strongly? Because every element in the new birth is a positive catalyst for change! Repentance changes your self-image, your conscience, your relationship with the world. Baptism changes your standing with God; it wipes your record clean. The Spirit baptism changes your weakness into strength, it empowers you, it connects you with God. You may not be able to change yourself. But God can change you.

2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Tom Whitmore.

“As of May 16, 2002 , I have not touched a drop of alcohol since (all praise and glory to Jesus). I was still doing drugs and selling them during this whole time. I didn’t have a regular job and I was looking to make more money. The people that I was dealing with ask me if I wanted a promotion (beginning of 2003). Instead of selling (I would have to stop), they wanted me to transport. After thinking on this for a while and doing some research and planning, I agreed to the promotion. After one trip was made, my wife (my girlfriend at the time) and I took a trip to Fresno , CA , in the truck. While we were there we went looking for some cocaine, and the jealousy rose up in me once again. She left me in a motel room and took off. I didn’t know anyone, or where she might be; but the next afternoon I found her at the Greyhound bus station getting on a bus for Houston , Texas . I was devastated beyond belief.

While I was in that motel room for the next two days, waiting on a load back home, I began to pray. Not knowing how to really pray, I just told God that I believe that he had put us together for whatever reason; and if that were true, then he would bring us back together. I got a load back to Toledo and left California .

Anywhere from two weeks to a month went by, and the phone rang. It was my girlfriend. Her dad had had a heart attack and asked me if she could come home. I thanked God for the answered prayer and flew her home. Her dad recovered, and I still had not had anything to drink. On May 29, 2003 , she and I went to Las Vegas and got married.

Now I’m getting ready to do the third trip for my ruthless employers; and unexpectedly God audibly spoke to me and said, “IT’S NOW OR NEVER—THE END’S AT HAND !” It shook me so bad that I dropped to my knees and said, “Lord, You know where I am, and what I’m doing, and who I’m involved with. If you will keep me safe; and bring me back, my life is yours! Everything I have, and all that I am is yours.” I went on the trip, and on the way back I put down all the drugs and cigarettes; and the Lord delivered me from them all with no withdrawals! Glory is to Jesus!

But, just when you think the story is over and will end happily ever after, the flesh raises up! God brought me back safe and sound, but when I called the people to tell them that I was done, they asked me if I could still transport their money. Without even thinking I said, “Yes.” (This was approximately July 6, 2003 !) As soon as I hung up the phone, I cried out to God, “How can I serve you if I am still working for them?”

By this time, I was going to church and seeking the Holy Ghost and trying to learn all God wanted me to learn. On July 20, 2003 , I was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of my sins. Up to this point my wife had not ever been to a church, let alone an Apostolic Pentecostal church. So, one Sunday morning, she attended for the first time. Sunday night, she went back again. Afterwards she wouldn’t talk to me for two days; all she did was cry. Then, one Saturday night I was going to prayer service, she said that the whole family needed to go, so we all went. (By the way, once I came to the Lord, my mother gave her heart and life back to Jesus and was refilled as well!)

On August 10, 2003 , during the service, a wonderful lady in the church sang a solo. From the first note to the last note, God filled me with the Holy Ghost! At the altar call, while I was looking for this lady to tell her that God had filled me, another sister in the Lord came over to me. She said that my wife wanted me to call my mother because she wanted her there when she was baptized in the name of Jesus. Why? Because God had filled her with the Holy Ghost during the altar call! Now, we not only share the anniversary of our wedding day but also of the new birth! Exciting things had begun in the Whitmore family. Then the Lord filled my wife’s nine-year-old daughter with the Holy Ghost on August 31, 2003 . The Lord is so great and greatly to be praised!

Right after this, God performed a genuine miracle for me. Phone calls started coming from the drug people. They wanted their money. I informed them that I didn’t want to do that anymore, but they threatened me with things that they would do if I didn’t continue to work for them. I kept praying about it. One Friday night at 3:00 AM , the phone rang. The voice on the other end said, “I don’t know who you talked to, or how you did it; but you are free and clear of your obligation.” Praise the Lord! I trusted in Him, and He has never let me down!

Since then many things have tried to get me down and cause me to go back to the world, but there I know that there is nothing out there for me. A short time after the new birth experience, I felt strangely impressed that I would preach the gospel. I immediately told myself that I could never preach because of my past, and, besides, I had never been a public speaker in my life. I sat on this feeling and tried to make it fade away. I continued to pray, telling God that I wanted to be used of Him in anyway that he would use me. Three more times, this impression that I would preach came to me, each time getting stronger and stronger. I tried to pass it off as just myself. The fifth time that this happened I realized that this might actually be the answer to the prayers that I had been praying. I went to the Lord; and asked that if this was Him that He would direct my steps and give me the courage to do what He has called me to do.

So, let’s look at these five myths about changing behavior:

Crisis is a powerful impetus for change. 90% of patients who’ve had coronary bypasses don’t sustain changes. The crisis won’t do it, but the crisis leads you to God—-he can do it!

Change is motivated by fear. It’s too easy for people to go into denial of the bad things that might happen to them. I’m not into telling you all the bad things that will happen if you don’t. I am going to tell you of the good things that will happen if you do!

1 Peter 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

The facts will set us free. We are guided by lifelong habits, not facts. We reject facts that don’t fit our habits. The facts may be more depressing than liberating. My God is the Lord over the facts! He can change you in the face of the facts.

Small, gradual changes are easier to make. Radical, sweeping changes are easier because they bring fast results. Nothing is more radical than being born again.

We can’t change because our brains are “hardwired” early in life. Our brains can change. When we put forth the effort, we can learn new things. You become a new creation. The God who created your DNA can change your spiritual DNA.

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

It’s time to take charge of your change! With God, all things are possible.

Questions for the Judgment

Friday night, December 29, 2006, at about 10:00 PM, EST, Saddam Hussein, the Butcher of Baghdad, was led to the gallows. Accused and convicted of murdering hundreds of Kurds in 1991, he was sentenced to death by hanging. Dressed in a long, sleek dress coat, he remained ever defiant. He refused the hood that is typically placed over the head of a hanging victim. Moments later, his dead corpse hung from the end of a rope, an execution carried out by the democratically elected Iraqi government. It is said that the only people who pitied his fate were those who never knew the depths of his savage brutality.

The propriety of the trial and hanging are not at issue here. What is important, is that it represents the day of reckoning for every person who has ever lived. The concept of a day of judgment, a point in time when a person is called into question about his or her life, is set forth in the scriptures in a dramatic way. It is the only answer to the idea of justice.

There are wrongs that happened that need to be made right.  There are right things done that need to be rewarded.  There are crimes committed that need to be punished.  There are facts about situations that need to be revealed.  A particular day of judgment is a date on the calendar for every soul who has ever lived.

Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

2 Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

1 John 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

One of the truly amazing things about human nature is that we tend to deny the reality of those things we cannot see or that we do not believe is a present reality. We procrastinate, we equivocate, we take lightly those events that hold the potential for something negative. Someone has said the there is nothing quite as productive as a deadline.

There is a judgment coming.

You cannot delay it. You cannot avoid it. You cannot stop it. Being a no-show is not an option. There are no make-up exams. Results are immediate and final.

Our modern culture has not prepared this generation well for God’s judgment. With outcome based learning, adjusted grading scales and extended preparation times, we believe anything can be manipulated to our advantage.

But, the Bible says, As a tree falls, so shall it lie. Once the midnight hour is sounded, nothing can change.

Revelation 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

If this is the case, if this day is so final, then we should be given as much information as to the nature of the examination as possible. And that, indeed, is exactly what has been provided us in the word of God.

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The closest thing to knowing what the judgment is all about is to carefully read the Bible you now hold in your hand. If you don’t own a Bible, you can either buy one or I’ll provide one for you for free. If you don’t know how to read English, we’ll get a Bible for you in your language. If you don’t know how to read at all, we’ll get a Bible for you on CD. If you don’t have a CD player, we’ll see that you get one and teach you how to use it. You must be prepared now for the great day of judgment that is coming.

Here are the questions that you will be asked in some form or fashion on that day. How do I know that these questions will be asked? Because they come directly out of the text.

Question #1: Do you have a personal, viable relationship with God? Is your claim to Christianity based on your love for Christ, or do you claim to be a Christian for ulterior reasons?

You can have a personal relationship with God. Throughout the New Testament, we read about the new birth experience, about salvation, about living for God. (John 3:3-5; Acts 2:38, Acts 4:12)

Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

“Lord, Lord” means you think Jesus is a great man.  “Lord, Lord” means you are not an atheist.  “Lord, Lord” means that you have some feeling, some sentiment, some identification with him.  There is a difference between love for Jesus, and love for power…prestige…praise.  Somewhere, deep in your heart, there must be a love for truth.

2 Thess 2:7-12 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.  8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:  9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:  12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

You need to know the answer to this question now. Are you saved according to the scriptures?

Question #2: If you have committed any sin, have you fully repented and made your heart right with God?

Matt 11:20-22  Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:  21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

The judgment doesn’t demand that you never did anything wrong.  Clearly, the Bible says that “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

1 John 1:8-9 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

It is time now to confess, stop and forsake your sins. God is looking for a humble attitude. He wants you to understand his offer of remission for your sins at Calvary.

Question #3: Have you held the Spirit of God in such contempt that you have blasphemed against the Holy Ghost?

This is the most frightening question in this life or the next. It’s one of those scriptural truths that we know relatively little about, but we make sure we don’t even get close to doing.

Matt 12:31-32 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.  32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

The Holy Ghost experience is no laughing matter. Revere it, respect it, love it.  The operation of the Holy Ghost in your life must not be quenched or ignored.

Question #4: The words you speak.

Matt 12:35-37 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Question #5: Worldly gain.

Matt 16:24-27 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

2006 ends at midnight tonight.  Anything that needed to be done in 2006 cannot be pushed off until 2007.  The end of the year is a time for evaluation.  You need to evaluate your spiritual life for a lot of reasons.  It is also a time to determine how you fare when measured against the demands of the Word of God.  What do you lack? What needs to be changed? What amends need to be made?  Until the trumpet sounds, you have time to do something about your situation.

2 Cor 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

Rev 22:16-17  I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.  17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

A Place for You

1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. John 14:1-4

(Read hurricane plan from the State of Florida.  Reference cited at end of this article.)

We all have a place in life. Hispanic, African-American, Caucasian. Rebel, Yankee, Buckeye, Toledoan. Student, Employee, Boss, Home-owner, Renter, Shopper, Consumer. Single, Married, Divorced, Conservative, Liberal, Democrat, Republican. Believer, Agnostic, Atheist.

The labels we wear tell who we are, they define our identity, they represent a place for us.  All of us here are members of some sort of family. Dads, moms, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmas, grandpas…somewhere you fit in.  You live somewhere…an address, a street number, maybe an apartment number.  When you get off work, or out of school…you have a place to go.  It’s nice to visit other people, but there comes a time when you gotta get home.  If you go on vacation, or on a business trip, after a few days, you start itching to go home.  Why? No reason in particular. It just feels good to get home.

There’s no place like home for the holidays…
Home sweet home…
Home is where the heart is…
A man’s home is his castle…

But, beyond home, something else is important in life. It’s called the need to belong. It hurts when you can’t belong. Like being left standing after the last player is picked for the team. Like not getting picked for the last part in the play. Like not getting invited to the party that everyone else is going to.  You know what hurts even more? When you feel rejection from the people who are supposed to love you. When your safe and secure home falls apart. When you’ve done your best for God and you feel he leaves you hanging.

Let me set this text up for you quickly. Jesus came into this world and started a ministry that changed everything. His disciples were Jewish peasants who had left everything to follow the Master. Peter, James and John left their fishing nets; Matthew left his tax tables; they all left their families. In a sense, they were in no-man’s-land. Economically, socially and religiously, they had forfeited their place in life. Jesus understood that they were a little concerned about the things they had given up. That’s why he said, “Let not your hearts be troubled.” “I know you think you are out here, lost, scared, insecure…” But, believe me, there’s a place for you.”

Three questions:

1. Is there a place for you in the hereafter?
2. Is there a place for you in the here and now?
3. What do you have to do to reserve that place?

Yes, there is a place for you in the hereafter.

It is called heaven.
Some call it paradise; the New Jerusalem; the city where the lamb is the light.

There’s a man called Enoch there; and a prophet named Elijah; and a beggar named Lazareth.

Rev 21:1-4 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.  4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Rev 21:10-14 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Genesis	Revelation
Heavens and earth, 1:1	New heavens and earth, 21:1
The sun created, 1:16	The sun not needed, 21:23
The night designated, 1:5	No night there, 22:5
Rivers on earth, 2:10-14	A river in heaven, 22:1-2
No access to tree of life, 3:24	Access to tree of life, 22:14
A curse, 3:14-17	No more curse, 22:3
Death, 3:19	No more death, 21:4
Sorrow, 3:17	No more sorrow, 21:4
Marriage of Adam, 2:8-23	Marriage of the Lamb, 19:1-8
The serpent deceives, 3:1ff	The serpent judged, 2

There is an old hymn, When We All Get to Heaven

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace.
In the mansions bright and blessèd
He’ll prepare for us a place.

When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!

While we walk the pilgrim pathway,
Clouds will overspread the sky;
But when traveling days are over,
Not a shadow, not a sigh.

Let us then be true and faithful,
Trusting, serving every day;
Just one glimpse of Him in glory
Will the toils of life repay.

Onward to the prize before us!
Soon His beauty we’ll behold;
Soon the pearly gates will open;
We shall tread the streets of gold.

But the question that weighs heavier on us to day is the second one.

Is there a place for you in the here and now?

Jesus said, Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Jesus is still building his church. I want to remind you today, or say to those who never heard that it is the church of Jesus. It’s not an exclusive club; it’s not an elitist’s circle; it’s not formal or contemporary. It’s not a white man’s invention; not a ghetto church; not an uptown or country thing. It is love sought, blood bought, Spirit-filled, truth-preaching and sinner reaching. It was conceived in the mind of God; paid for by the blood of Jesus, built by the Holy Spirit and cherished by the holy saints. It is a “whosoever will” church. Every believer has a place in the church.

There is a place in the church for children.

Matt 19:14-15 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. 15 And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.

There is a place for girls and young women.

Acts 2:18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

There is a place for boys and young men.

1 John 2:14 I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

There is a place for older women.

Acts 17:12 Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.

There is a place for men.

2 Tim 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

There is a place for women who have had troubled relationships.

John 4:17-18 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: 18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

John 4:39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.

There is a place for thieves.

Luke 23:42-43 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

And there’s more. There’s a place for the leper, the halt, maimed, blind, deaf. For the demoniacs, the downtrodden, the weak, the weary, the hungry, the thirsty. For widows and widowers; the depressed and sick; the poor and destitute.

Isaiah 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

There is a place for people who have totally messed up their lives.

1 Cor 6:9-11 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

There is a place for you in the prayer room; at the altar bench; in the worship service.
There is a place for you in the healing lines; in the miracle blessings; at the disciples’ table.
This is brought to you by the words of Jesus: I go to prepare a place for you.

Where did he go?
He went to wash away our sins.
He went to sanctify us by his blood.
He went to justify us by his baptism of fire.
He sweat as it were great drops of blood in the garden of Gethsemane.
He was scourged in Pilate’s judgment hall; slogged up Calvary’s hill bearing an old, splintered cross; crucified by three nails; driven through by a soldier’s spear; and died between two thieves.

What is he doing? Ask him. Washing. Sanctifying. Justifying.
“Preparing a place for you.”
Here’s the thing…We had no place! None of us has an inherent right to be here.

Eph 2:11-22 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth…12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

NIV

The last question is: What do you have to do to reserve this place prepared for you?

This is a family. In order to get into a family, you have to be born into it.

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. John 3:3-7

Repent. Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

When you come in and find your place, here’s what you’ll have.

• A new name.
• A new garment.
• A new inheritance.
• A new mind.
• A new heart.
• Authority and power over the enemy.
• Your name written down in the Lamb’s book of life.
• A new hope for today and tomorrow.

There is a place for you at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
There is a crown for you at the judgment seat of Christ.
There is a palm for you to wave in the New Jerusalem.
And today, there is a place for you at the feet of Jesus.

Rev 22:16-17 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Fabulous Faith

For verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Matthew 17:20

Faith, faith, faith…just a little bit of faith.
You don’t need to have a lot…just use what you’ve got.
Faith, faith, faith…just a little bit of faith.

Faith can move mountains; Mountains of fear and of doubt; Faith can move mountains; So why don’t you try your faith out?

The old songs are right.

Faith is fabulous.

Turn faith upside down, inside out…you won’t find the word “impossibility” anywhere in it…And, when you link faith up with the name of Jesus, you have an overpowering combination.

“And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.” Acts 3:16

Faith saves. Faith heals. Faith delivers. Faith is the trigger that sets providence into motion.

"We live by faith or we do not live at all," wrote Harold Walker.

"Either we venture--or we vegetate. If we venture, we do so by faith simply because we cannot know the end of anything at its beginning. By faith, we move mountains of opposition or we are stopped by molehills."

All of us have faith.

Unfortunately, we often have more faith in the devil than we do in God.

Max Lucado writes: “He was a PROFESSIONAL THIEF. His name stirred FEAR in the hearts of the people. He TERRORIZED the Wells Fargo Stage Line for 13 years. He spooked even the most RUGGED FRONTIERSMAN. During his reign of TERROR between 1875 and 1883, he is credited with STEALING the bags away from 29 different STAGECOACH CREWS. And he did it all without FIRING a shot. His WEAPON was His REPUTATION. His AMMUNITION was FEAR and INTIMIDATION. A HOOD hid his face. No VICTIM ever saw him. No artist ever SKETCHED his features. No SHERIFF could ever track his trail. BLACK BART was his NAME and FEAR was his GAME.

But the interesting thing about BLACK BART, when the HOOD finally came off, there was nothing to FEAR. After the authorities finally tracked him down, they didn’t find a BLOODTHIRSTY BANDIT—they found a mild-mannered DRUGGIST from Decatur, Illinois. The man the newspapers pictured storming through the mountains on HORSEBACK was, in reality, so AFRAID of horses he rode to and from his ROBBERIES in a BUGGY. His name was Charles E. Boles—the BANDIT who never once fired a SHOT, because he never once LOADED his gun.

Everyone has faith. A Houston Pastor named John Bisagno put it this way: "Faith is the heart of life. You go to a doctor whose name you can’t pronounce. He gives you a prescription you cannot read. You take it to a pharmacist you have never seen. He gives you medication you do not understand --- and yet, you take it."

Now, that is living by Faith!

I. The Bible Describes Faith for Us (Hebrews 11:1–3)

Heb 11:1-3 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

This is not a dictionary definition of faith, but what faith does and how it works.  True Bible faith is not blind optimism or a manufactured “hope-so” feeling. Faith is not an intellectual assent to a doctrine. Faith is not believing in spite of evidence! That would be superstition.

A.W. Tozer said: “Faith is seeing the invisible, but not the nonexistent.” Some people think faith is believing in something that is not actually there. Biblical faith believes God when He tells us there is a reality, which we cannot see. Faith means that we keep our eyes on God who controls circumstances --- not on the circumstances themselves.

Don’t get confused about faith. Knowing, believing, and having faith in something are all different things. How do we know that God is real? Good question. How do we know that Light is real? Scientifically, we may not know. We think we know because of what we believe. We believe things with our minds.

You see, beliefs are ideas. They paint a picture of reality that others may agree or disagree with. Beliefs are thoughts put into words and these words can be communicated to others.

Beliefs, however, are not absolute truths.

They are relative truths, not reality itself.  Having faith in something is different. We don’t put our faith in relative truths of man’s opinions but in absolute truths - truths that exist for all time. Faith connects us to a reality that’s bigger than us all, one that exists whether we believe in it or not. Beliefs are of the mind alone. Faith possesses both the mind and the heart. I am not talking tonight about what you believe. We could have lots of ho-hum discussions about what you and I believe. I am talking about what you want to see happen in your life! I am talking about fabulous faith!

I am talking about…
…the faith the leper had when he came to Jesus and said “If you will, you can…”
…the faith the Centurion had when he said to Jesus “Speak the word…”
…the faith the Ruler had when he said “Come and lay your hand on her…”
…the faith the blind man had when he cried, “Jesus, thou Son of David…”
…the faith the Syrophenician had when she said “Even the dogs eat the crumbs…”
…the faith the diseased woman had when she touched the hem of His garment.

Fabulous faith!

II. Faith begins in the mind.

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Heb 11:6

There has to be a beginning point. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The beginning of your walk with God calls for faith. But, before faith comes alive in you, you must believe there is a God. How do you draw that conclusion?

1. You look at the sky, and you see order.
2. You look at nature, and you see design.
3. You know that all things stay still, unless they are put into motion. But, all things start from a standing position, so something had to act upon something to create the universe.
4. Order cannot come from disorder. Order is the evidence of a mind.
5. Therefore, there must be a creator, and the creator must be powerful.

The truth of God is inescapable. As Scripture says, only the fool says in his heart,

“There is no God.” And since there is a God, and since He created beings that think, reason, and make choices, then he must have a purpose for people. Faith builds on that purpose.

True Bible faith is triumphant obedience to God’s Word in the face of circumstances and consequences. Let that sentence soak into your mind and heart.

Fabulous faith!

This faith operates on a simple equation:

• God speaks, we listen.
• We trust His Written Word and act on it no matter what the circumstances are or what the consequences may be.
• The circumstances may be impossible, frightening and unknown; but we obey God’s Word anyway and believe that he will do what is right and what is best.

Faith is that itchy, antsy, rambunctious force that starts in the inner sanctum of your brain, somewhere between the hippocampus and the posterior commissure. It commands attention, demands release and remands doubt to the sidelines. Slowly, it rises out of the darkness of your spirit. The ascent first promises to be easy. The initial thrust propels it out of the gravitational pull of fear and the status quo---it is on its way. I can fly! I can fly! Suddenly, faith smashes up against the ceiling of the real world. Counteracting forces come out of nowhere and beat it back.

This is where your faith energy has a head-on collision with your belief system. This is where you cry, “Lord, I believe. Help thou mine unbelief.” 
This is where the enemies of your faith begin to talk back to you,. You can’t do this. This is way too hard for you. Go back where you came from. Who do you think you are, anyway? You’re foolish---no, no,---you’re stupid! The facts are against you. Circumstances are against you. Family and friends are against you. History is against you. Logic is against you.

But faith, God-given faith, pauses, regroups and begins anew.  “I will not be stopped, it breathes.” “The power within me is greater than the obstacles that assault me. “

Fabulous Faith!

III. Faith is Tested in the Real World

Luke 5:17

17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. 18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. 19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude…Let’s stop right here for a moment.

This is the critical juncture of faith versus mere belief. Your belief system is good. It takes you to Jesus. It knows Jesus Heals. But faith, fabulous faith, says, “That’s not good enough.” I don’t just want to be in the neighborhood where Jesus is.  I want to be in the very presence of Jesus!

Now, let’s go on…

“They went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus…Skip to verse 24:

24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. 25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.

Faith is the courage to put your beliefs into action.
Faith fills in the blanks in the quiz of life.
Faith is the missing link between God and man.
Faith performs like night vision goggles, like cloud-penetrating radar, like extra-sensory perception.
Faith believes what it cannot understand, ventures where it cannot see and convicts what it cannot prove.
Faith is a song without music, a painting without picture, a poem without words.
Faith walks when it cannot crawl, runs when it cannot walk, flies when it cannot run.
Faith is building on what you know is here so you can reach what you know is there.
When fear knocks at the door and faith answers, no one will be there.

"Faith draws the poison from every grief, takes the sting from every loss, and quenches the fire of every pain; and only faith can do it"--J.G. Holland.

Fabulous faith!

Faith is not some “feeling” that we manufacture. It is our total response to what God has revealed in His Word.

Three words in Hebrews 11:1–3 summarize what true Bible faith is: substance, evidence, and witness.

“Substance” means literally “to stand under, to support.” Faith is to a believer is what a foundation is to a house: it gives his sound assurance that he will stand. So you might say, “Faith is the confidence of things hoped for.” Faith is God’s way of giving you confidence and assurance that what is promised will be experienced.

Evidence simply means “conviction.” This is the inward conviction from God that what He has promised, He will perform. The presence of God-given faith in one’s heart is conviction enough that He will keep His Word.

Witness is to obtain a good report. Hebrews 12:1 calls the list of heroes of faith in the eleventh chapter “so great a cloud of witnesses.” They are witnesses to us because God witnessed to them. In each example cited, God gave witness to that person’s faith. This witness was His divine approval on their lives and ministries.

So, faith is substance, evidence and witness. It is a very practical thing, in spite of what unbelievers say. Faith makes us understand what God does. Faith makes us to see what others cannot see. Faith does not panic, even when it appears that all is lost. As a result, faith makes us to do what others cannot do! 

Fabulous faith!

“Faith enables the believing soul to treat the future as present and the invisible as seen.” J. Oswald Sanders

Only faith has a future. Faith is the accelerator, doubt is the brake pedal. Faith is confidence that everything will work out, doubt is the sickening feeling in the pit of your stomach that everything will fall apart. Faith is not guesswork. It is assurance based on God’s character.

IV. The Bible Acts Out Faith for Us (Hebrews 11:4–40)

This is called the Faith Chapter. It is the Hall of Fame for the Heroes of Faith. People laughed at these great men and women when they stepped out by faith, but God was with them and enabled them to succeed to His glory.

Faith empowered Abel. Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

Abel knew that God required blood sacrifice so he offered a sheep rather than fruit and vegetables. Faith found for Abel the way of acceptance, and “by faith he was commended as a righteous man.” In fact, his obedience cost him his life.

Fabulous faith!

Faith empowered Enoch. Heb 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

Twice Old Testament says that Enoch “walked with God” (Gen. 5:21–24). One verse says that he walked with God for 300 years. His relationship was consistent.

Fabulous faith!

Faith empowered Noah. Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

Noah lived in a time when all had turned their backs on God. He alone remained faithful. God warned him of a coming flood, and Noah devoted 120 years to building the ark miles from any sea. Through faith, Noah cut through the contrary views of his contemporaries and accepted the warning of impending disaster as fact.

And faith enables us to withstand peer pressure and obey God’s command to build!

Fabulous faith!

Faith empowered Abraham. Heb 11:8-10 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

How do you spell faith?

R-I-S-K! The life of faith is a life of risk, of stepping out into the unknown with nothing more solid before us than God’s command. Abraham risked an uncertain journey, not knowing where he was going, but only that God had called him.

Abraham obeyed when he did not know where he was going. He obeyed when he did not know how God’s will would be done. He obeyed when he did not know when God would fulfill His promises. He obeyed when he did not know why God was so working.

Fabulous faith!

Faith empowered Sarah. Heb 11:11-12 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

At 90 years old, you’re going to have a baby. When Sarah first heard the promise, she doubted and laughed (Gen. 18:12–15). But first doubts were overcome. Faith swept in to empower her dead womb to bear children.

Fabulous faith!

Faith empowered Abraham. Heb 11:17-19 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his only son on an altar. Abraham never lost a step, and never lost confidence in God. He was even ready to believe that God could raise his son up, even if he were dead, for God had promised that Isaac was the key to his descendants (v. 19).

Fabulous faith!

Faith empowered Moses. Heb 11:23-29 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. 24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; 25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. 27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. 28 Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. 29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.

Faith led Moses to throw in his lot with the slave people of Israel rather than his adoptive royal family (vv. 24–26). Faith enabled him to defy Pharaoh rather than give into him, remaining obedient to the heavenly King (vv. 26–27). Faith led Moses to command the people to keep the first Passover, and to walk boldly into the Red Sea (vv. 28–29).

Sometimes faith is defined by what it will not do. Look at the negatives of faith:

Refused
Choosing to suffer affliction
Esteeming reproach
Forsook Egypt
Endured

Fabulous faith!

Faith empowered Rahab. Heb 11:30-31 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. 31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

We can easily believe that faith took the godly Moses and made him even more a man of God. But Rahab was a prostitute! Did faith enable her? Yes. This inhabitant of Jericho, a city marked for destruction, believed God. She acted in faith to save the Jewish scouts, and instead of sharing the fate of the disobedient, she became a member of the people of God.

Fabulous faith!

Heb 11:32-38 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: 33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; 38(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

Fabulous faith!

(Read Wynn Drost’s book, Dedicated to Revival, pp. 126-127)

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^[1] Richards, L., & Richards, L. O. (1987). The teacher's commentary. Includes index. (1012). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.