BIBLE READINGS ON THE SECOND BLESSING
CHAPTER 10 -- FAITH
Today I wish to give you a little reading on the subject of
faith. I am certain there is nothing more essential and perhaps nothing we know
so little about as faith. I do not propose to give any exhaustive treatise on
this subject, I simply desire to offer a few practical and I trust helpful
thoughts. We will first read Hebrews 11:6:-- "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." You see that
nothing can take the place of faith. A man may have morality
and have good works and many commendable qualities, but
"without faith it is impossible to
Please Him." As a definition of faith you may read
Hebrews 11:1:-- "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen." You see that faith is a substance and is the
substance of the very things hoped for and is itself an
evidence -- "the evidence of things not seen." If I were to give the
definition of faith, I would say, "Faith is believing what God said and
believing it because God said it."
I will give you an acrostic of faith that has helped me. You
will see the word has five letters, -- f-a-i-t-h. "F" stands for the
word FORSAKE. "A" stands for the word ALL. "I" stands for
myself, "T" stands for the word TAKE, and "H" stands for
the word HIM. -- "FORSAKING ALL I TAKE HIM." Whenever you reach the
place where you are prepared to forsake all as the hope of your justification
and take him, you have faith. Whenever you forsake all as the hope of your
sanctification, and take Him, you have faith. Seeing that faith is so
important, the question naturally arises-is faith inherent or is it a gift of
God. I answer, it is both. Faith is the gift of God
just as your breath is the gift of God. God has given you
the power to breathe and He has given
you something to breathe, but He will not breathe for you.
So God has given to us the power to believe -- the faith
faculty, and has given us something to believe, but will not believe for us.
You will have to do your own believing. Please read Romans 10:10:-- "For
with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation." By the term heart, we understand the affections,
the sensibility and the will. I want you to see that the will enters into this
matter of faith. A man can will to believe certain things and can will not to
believe. There is no need of a man saying, "I cannot believe," for we
are so constituted that we can believe if we choose to do so. Our faith might
be said to represent our right hand, and our will to represent our left hand.
God proffers me His grace on condition that I lay hold upon it with my right
hand, which represents faith, but I discover that
this arm of faith has been paralyzed by sin, and that I am
unable to reach up and take the blessing
He offers me.
What must I do? Oh, I remember, -- I have another hand, my
will. I still have the free use of this arm and hand, so I place my left hand,
the will, under my right arm, which has been paralyzed by sin, and sing, --
(pushing my right hand upward with my left hand) "I can, I will and I do believe."
You see that I have obtained the blessing and have obtained it by my hand of
faith, or by the use of or exercise of my will. So when Satan whispers to you
that you have not enough faith and cannot believe, instantly turn from him and
say, "I can believe. I will believe." Remember the definition I have
given of faith. It is simply believe what God has said and believe it because
God said it. I will give you a little thought here that has been worth many
hundreds of dollars to me; indeed, I would not be willing to sell it for any
consideration, could I not have the use of it hereafter, and that is, that
God's word is a creative word. When God wanted light, what did He do? Did He
set up a dynamo somewhere back yonder in the secret chambers of eternity and go
to manufacturing light. No, He simply said, "Let there be light," and
there was light. His word made it so; it was so because God said so. As the
little boy said of his mamma, "What my mamma says is so even if it ain't
so." God's saying so makes it so.
You may now read Romans 10:17:-- "So then faith cometh
by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Here is the secret of faith.
"Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God." Persons who
know how to exercise faith, know the word of their God. The word of God is
the fulcrum upon which faith must rest; faith is simply the
lever. I am quite sure that we frequently confuse seekers at the altar when we
urge them to simply believe, only believe. The poor souls not knowing what to
believe, are trying to believe they have something they know they do not have. This
would be very difficult Believe you feel awful good when you know you feel
awful bad, another very difficult task. Believe you are all right when you know
you are all wrong. This in like manner they cannot do. Then what must they
believe. Believe what God says about your case; but how can they believe what
God says concerning their case, if they do not know what God says.
To illustrate:-- Here is a sinner seeking pardon. We say to
him, "Only believe." Now what should he believe? Well, God hath said,
if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins. Now if he
has confessed his sins, he should believe that God does exactly what he said he
would do--not believe it because he feels it, but believe it because he has met
the conditions and because of the promise that God has made. In like manner, if
a believer seeks sanctification, what should he believe? Well, God has said,
"The altar sanctifieth the gift." "If we walk in the light... the
blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." Now when you
have conscientiously placed your all upon the altar and are walking in all the
light that God has given, so having fully met the conditions you should believe
that God is faithful and does just what be said he would do. Not because you
feel it, but because He has so promised. Remember this definition of faith.
Multitudes have trouble concerning the matter of feeling; I
certainly believe in a heart felt religion, but a man can not feel something he
does not have, and he can not obtain these blessings until he first exercises
faith for them. God never told us to feel, and no matter what your experience
is, you will not always feel the same. Your feelings may vary, but God's
promise ever remains the same. But, says some one, "I am seeking for a
witness;" we insist that the Holy Spirit cannot witness to something you
do not have, and you cannot receive the blessing until you believe God.
"He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself."
Faith precedes the witness. The witness is on the divine side of the question
and when you have met all conditions and trust God with all your heart, He will
attend to that matter. Persons seeking the witness usually have in mind a
certain emotion, a certain feeling, and the very fact of their seeking the witness
is an evidence that they do not believe God. To illustrate:
Now suppose that one of your brethren should relate some
matter to me and I should say, "Well brother I want to believe you and I
am trying to believe you, but I am such a doubting Thomas, I have such a
struggle with my unbelief, I want a witness to this matter." Would you not
be grieved? The very fact that I insist upon having a witness would prove that
I did not believe you:
but you say, "You may consult my wife in the
matter" and refer me to her as a witness. So I speak to your wife and she
confirms your statement. I now come back and say, "Brother I believe what you
told me now; I have the witness." Did I believe you? "No, I believed
the witness." And so if men could first have the witness, they would
simply believe their feelings or emotions instead of believing the word of God;
and the moment the emotion subsides their faith wavers and their experience is
gone. If I believe you, why should I insist upon having a witness? And right
here I desire to emphasize the thought that no person can always feel the same.
I doubt not but 90 out of every 100 who have lost the experience of
sanctification have lost it at this point. Satan takes advantage of our moods,
and when you are under "heaviness because of manifold temptations,"
he steps up and places his black wing in such a way as to throw a shadow over
your soul and whispers, "You don't feel as you used to. You don't feel as
brother Jones says he feels." And you give attention to that suggestion and
instantly your thought is diverted from Christ and his promise to yourself and
you proceed to analyze your feelings. Having gained your attention, he again
puts up his black wing and most adroitly whispers and insinuates, "The
probabilities are that you have lost your experience, for you know you do not
feel as you used to, or as others say they feel." Having consented to
entertain his suggestions and proceed to analyze your feelings, thus doubting God,
of counsel you begin to feel very bad, and at this point Satan will place his
black wing the third time between you and the light, casting a shadow and
placing you on your honor, will whisper, "You know you do not feel as you
used to, and the probabilities are that you have lost your experience. Now you
do not wish to be a hypocrite. You certainly do not wish to profess something
you do not have. Now if I were you I would say no more about this subject of sanctification
until you feel different." And so he robs you of your testimony. Having
given up your faith and having given up your testimony, you have laid down your
weapons of defense and are left in darkness and doubt.
Sanctified people need to remember that the spirit of
heaviness is entirely compatible with the spirit of holiness. You read 1st
Peter 1:5-6: "Who are kept by the power of God through faith
unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a reason, if need be, ye are in
heaviness through manifold temptations." Who is it that is kept by the power
of God? the very persons who are in "heaviness through manifold
temptations." These
temptations, which occasion heaviness may result from your
physical condition or your social
condition or your financial condition. Satan takes advantage
of such conditions, but you should
insist on believing that what God has said is true, even if
you do not feel so exuberant and
enraptured as you have at other times. You need to learn to
live in the exercise of a present tense
faith. When Satan says you did not obtain the blessing of
sanctification as you thought you had or insinuates that you have lost the
blessing, do not stop to argue the case with him. I would simply examine my
consecration and make sure that all is on the altar and say to Satan,
"Well if I did not obtain the blessing then and there, or if I have lost
the blessing, I am all on the altar and so trust the blood to cleanse me now.
It is immaterial whether He sanctified me ten years ago or not, I believe He
sanctifies me now," and then by your testimony declare your faith.
"They overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the lamb and by the word of
their testimony." (Rev. 12:11).
Please read Mark 11:22-24:-- "And Jesus answering saith
unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall
say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be
thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart,
but shall believe those things which be saith shall come to pass; he shall have
whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire,
when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." I
want you to notice in the 24th verse, he does not say, "believe that you
did receive nor believe that you will receive," but "believe that ye
receive. A present tense faith-I believe He does it now. A present tense faith
will bring present tense victory.
I will now call your attention to seven aspects of faith
though we may not have the time to
enlarge upon or fully explain the same. They are viz: 1st,
receptive faith; 2nd, active faith; 3rd, passive faith; 4th, retentive faith;
5th, conquering faith; 6th, assurance of faith, and 7th, the gift of faith.
As an illustration of receptive faith, please turn to
Hebrews 4:2:-- "For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them:
but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them
that heard it." A moment ago we read that faith cometh by hearing, and yet
here is a people who heard the word preached and yet it did not profit them.
They lacked this first element of faith; while they heard it they did not
receive it as having any reference to themselves. Multitudes hear the gospel
today in whom it does not generate faith, because they do not receive it as
having any reference to themselves. They hear the gospel for other people, and
the very message that they should receive for their own heart they hand over to
their neighbor. They use the shovel instead of the rake. The only sermon that
ever profited you was the sermon that meant you. To illustrate: Suppose while
we are seated here today some one should sound the alarm of fire. While you
might believe in a general way that there is a fire, you would not receive the
alarm of fire as having any reference to yourself, and yet it may be your home
that is being reduced to ashes. What did it profit you that you heard the alarm
of fire? So long as I heard the preacher say "sinner" to those around
me, it did not profit me, but upon a certain occasion as he was speaking of the
sinner, I discovered he meant me; that I was in peril and needed a Saviour,
that it was for me that Jesus died, and I at once became alarmed. It would seem
to me that a sinner who will believe that what God says in this book concerning
the sinner has reference to himself, must at once have all the conviction he
will need. This principle of receptive faith must continue with us through
life. This is why some persons get more out of a sermon or more out of the
Bible than others; whatever they read or hear they appropriate to their own
hearts, while others will say, "This is what God said to Moses or to the
Israelites or to the Apostles, etc.," and so fail to appropriate it to
their own hearts. Every promise in this book is for me.
Now as an illustration of active faith you may read Luke
17:12-14:-- "And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten
men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted
up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
And when he saw them, he said unto
them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to
pass, that, as they went, they were
cleansed." They might have answered, "Of what use
is it that we should show ourselves to the priests, they can only pronounce us
unclean and banish and isolate us" and insist that they must first be cured:
but Jesus had said, "Go show yourselves to the priests," and "as
they went they were cleansed." They obtained the blessing
"a-wenting," and every blessing I have yet obtained, I have obtained
it "a-wenting." That is one advantage of this mourner's bench. You
notice the people who sit back and look on with questioning do not obtain the
cleansing. It is the people who are "a-wenting." To return to my
former illustration of having heard the alarm of fire, the next thing to do is
act as though you believed your house was on fire and in so doing you may save
your furniture or your home. It was not sufficient that you receive the alarm
and sat there in agony and wrung your hands in distress, but believing that
your own building is on fire, you would instantly rush to your home and so act
as though you believed. So by going forward in obedience to His word, you are
sure to obtain the blessing.
As an illustration of passive faith, you may read Hebrews
10:34:-- "For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the
spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better
and an enduring substance." Passive faith will enable you to acquiesce in all
the will of God, and amid the afflictive providences look up in confidence and
say, "Thy will be done." We have a most excellent illustration of
passive faith in the case of Job: after his all had
been swept away, we hear him say, Job 1:21:-- "The Lord
gave, and the Lord hath taken away;
blessed be the name of the Lord." The secret of passive
faith is losing sight of second causes;
although Satan was the indirect cause of Job's calamities
Job refuses to recognize Satan at all and
says, "The Lord hath taken away: " Job is simply
doing business at headquarters and recognizes
the fact that if God did not send these calamities, He did
permit them. You do well to remember
that Satan could not touch Job until God granted him
permission. Nothing can overtake you or I
without first passing through Father's hands for inspection.
Our Father knows, and he has a check rein on the devil, and assures us in 1st
Cor. 10:13, that He "will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are
able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be
able to bear it." When you reach the experience of Col. 1:11:--
"'Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all
patience and long suffering with joyfulness;" you may know you have passive
faith. Not only "all patience and long suffering," but "all
patience and long suffering with joyfulness."
By retentive faith, we mean the faith that enables you to
stand. Just as you obtain the blessing by faith, so you must retain the
blessing by faith. You may read 2 Cor. 1:24:-- "Not for that we have
dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye
stand." And 1 Peter 1:5:-- "Who are kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." We stand by
faith and are 'kept by the power of God through faith.' Faith is to the soul
what your breath is to the body. It is not simply an act but as you breathe and
keep on breathing, so you need to believe and keep on believing. A man who is
resuscitated from drowning, may, at first, experience some difficulty in
breathing, but directly it will become very easy and natural. I have gotten so
I can breathe while asleep. I have done it on several occasions; and so it will
be with faith, it will become the natural habit of the soul.
By conquering faith, we refer to that faith that enables you
to do exploits. Read 1 John 5:4:-- "For whatsoever is born of God
overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even
our faith." Also read Ephesians 6:16:-- "Above all, taking the shield
of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the
wicked." This does not say we shall quench some of the fiery darts, but
all of the fiery darts of the wicked. We should be
more than conquerors; no artillery in earth or hell can
penetrate the shield of faith. It makes you
invulnerable and invincible. Faith is the victory over every
difficulty.
As a reference on assurance of faith, you may read Hebrews
10:22: "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience." You will observe
that this assurance is the result of having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.
It is conditioned upon experience:-- or rather the result of experience.
By the gift of faith, I understand a special or
instantaneous quickening or illumination of the faith faculty for given
purposes, which comes as one of the gifts of the Spirit. While a man may have
saving faith at all times, he may not have the gift of faith at all times. In
closing please read Romans 5:1:-- "Therefore being justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Here we are justified
by faith. Also read Acts 26:18:-- "To open their eyes, and to turn them
from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may
receive
forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are
sanctified by faith that is in me." Also read Acts 15:8-9:-- "And God
which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even
as he did unto us; and put no difference between us and them purifying their
hearts by faith." Here you see that precisely as you were justified by
faith, so you are sanctified and purified by faith. Turn again to Romans 4:5:
"But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the
ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
Did you ever receive one of these blue post-office money
orders? In presenting it for payment, the clerk having compared it with his
advice, returns it to you, asking you to sign your name on a blank line. Just
above that blank line, you read the words "Received payment in full."
"But," you say, "how can I affix my signature to this as having
received payment in full when as yet I have not received it." But he will
insist that you affix your signature and refuses to pay one cent until you do.
But the moment you begin to sign your name, the amount of your order is
"counted" to
you and instantly you will hear something jingle. So affix
your name to God's promise and the
blessing will be counted to you. It is very interesting to
note the case of Abraham, Romans 4:18,
20:-- "Who against hope believed in hope... And being
not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about
an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: He staggered
not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory
to God." Against hope he believed in hope and refused to
"consider." If you believed God you would not stop to consider some
points. He refused to consider the very things that one might naturally suppose
must be taken into consideration. He considered not, and "staggered
not," but went to shouting ''giving glory to God.'' Abraham was not only
saved from sin but he was saved from the staggers.
You have doubtless observed these large arc lights. There
are two carbons, the one supplies what we will term the negative and the other
the positive current. God's promise represents the positive current, your faith
representing the negative current. A recent message from the power house
assures me the current is on:-- so you simply need to back your faith up
against the promise of God and instantly there will be light.
THE END
