Princip ofFaith#2-Princip ofFaith

Now, remember that the word of the Lord needs revelation. The reality of the great truths of the word of God are missing. And I cannot conceive for one moment that one man had it all and then he died and it went with him. I'm

just telling the brethren tonight that I didn't suppose it was their good fortune to have met men like Jonathan Goforth. Not that I really met him and knew him. But the Lord made it possible for me to be in a meeting just before he died when he came back from China, blind and deaf, about 91 years of age, and then he died shortly in Toronto, Canada. And I saw in him Christ. I saw in Bailey of South Africa what I admire so greatly. I suppose I admire it because I'm at fault in lacking what he had. He told how that when he was on the mission field in Africa, He had written a letter home to his mission board in America. And the Lord woke him up one night and said, Bailey, I have somewhat against thee. And he said, What is it, Lord? And he said, It was that letter that you wrote home to your mission board. It wasn't what you said, but it was how you said it. I want you to get up and rewrite the letter and apologize. You can do it right this time. He got up and he rewrote the letter and apologized and sent it on home. He went back to sleep and the next night the Lord woke him up and said, Bailey, I have somewhat against thee. What do you have against me, Lord?

And he said, when you made your last tour of the field, what you said was right to your fellow man, but how you said it was wrong. I want you to go and tell them that you're sorry to apologize. And he went back and apologized. God gave him the revival that you and I talk about but are never going to see because we're too hard to apologize.

God gave Gophort the revival in China. It literally shook Christendom by its impact, beauty and grace, where men confessed how rotten they were, but they confessed that we have an awful job saying we're sorry. I saw a very tender thing once. It was in a Methodist camp meeting. They were Westerns. Now, doctrinary, far apart. But

in that meeting, whether it was God or emotions or what it was, it was working.

I saw men go up and weep and hug their wives and tell them they were sorry. I don't know if I saw a woman say she was sorry. It just suddenly struck me. I don't

mean to be particularly humorous, but women are more tender than men, and I can't figure it. But I was humbly gratified to see that people could apologize. The

three hardest words in this world, I believe, to say and yet are the greatest, I was wrong. So

we justify ourselves and... go on miserably. The Philadelphian age expired with men like Goforth and Bailey. Brother

Brannan came on the scene and in him was gathered up just about all the Christian graces that could be manifest and seen in one person. And

the rest of us are all dry milk cows because the milk of human compassion and Christlike compassion is all gone. You

know, the bride was a full -breasted woman. And she said, our little sister has tiny breasts. We're very tiny breasts to feed. I'm

criticizing you. Just more or less apologizing to God for all of us. Not

too good shape. They're

called girdles. All they do is move the fat up or down for both men or women. You can put on your girdle all you want. No, just move the fat around. Just move the lumps here and there. It's time to rid of the lumps. I

liken everything to this age we live in. The church is a woman, isn't she? She's got no breasts, but she's fat and lumpy. She's doing her best to hide it.

It's time to get rid of the hypocrisy and all those things.

I am disturbed to see one man have just about all the graces.

Absolutely. I'm not talking about these men with big brown eyes like a cat. They're so soulful. They're so sweet in human nature. Chips are down. They haven't got reality. The

only thing that's going to bring it back to us is a revelation. You

don't get that revelation. Not

when he is. Today

is a new revelation.

God showed me the second coming of Jesus Christ. For

months. Literally months I

expected to see Jesus. Every night I looked up in the stars to see the signs to see if he was coming. I walked with the holy hut almost 30 years ago. His coming must be closer than when I first believed. And I believed when I was 18. Tonight

the second coming of Christ is no more real to me than almost anything else. That is far off is distant. He

is coming. I

also know there's a God because of his spirit. And that which held me, which was the true baptism with the Holy Ghost, held me all these years, will continue to hold me because I am sealed. But I am not satisfied. And I believe satisfaction can only come by revelation. I don't believe it's any other way. There are many things in this word and from this word which we know are irrevocably ours, such as the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. God being of one mind, he cannot change his mind. God being omniscient, he cannot add to his knowledge. He always has had the same knowledge and nothing can be added to it or taken from it because he is omniscient, because he is God. These things I have no doubt of in an academic manner.

Academically speaking, no problem. Spiritually speaking, I have a great problem. We need a revelation from God. That's all I know. If I could come to you with another word, I would be glad to do it. Rather

than to say we need to assemble ourselves and pray for revelation because if you separate yourselves, You will get a revelation, but you'll go down the drain with it. I said, I shall now present you the scripture and show you that I am correct in my exegesis. How is it then, brethren, when you come together, not stay at home? Did you hear what I said? I said, when you come together and don't stay at home, have

an interpretation. All things being undeadified. I am very skeptical of lay members who stay home and get revelation. Only

skeptical do

not say thus of the five. membership of the body of Christ, who are given the leaders, the apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors, and evangelists, because it is their job to have ahead of time the revelation and be prepared to bring God's word. I do not say, however, that one cannot as a lay member receive a revelation, but then the revelation must be brought before the judges in the church, and it must be judged. It must not be taught privately. Even the apostle Paul did not teach privately. So no man can ever cheat privately. It must be thoroughly exposed to public view and to those who are somewhat of authority that it might be judged. I do not mean to accuse anybody here, for indeed I do not even know you.

But lest I do not have fruit among you, and that's the only reason I am here, believe me, or let us put aside the major reason, I want some fruit amongst the people of God. I would say these things not with a barbed tongue. but that no man could stand in the judgment and say that he was not forewarned, or that no man can ever be in my presence as a minister of the gospel and say that I did not teach the word of God, because I have no word of my own or another man's to teach but the word of the Lord. We need revelation. We're going to have to gather ourselves together and believe God for it. We have already had great revelation, but we seem to need a sorting of the revelation. and a revaluation in the sense of an application of the revelation which we have had. Our doctrine is correct. It has been vindicated because of the vindicated prophet. We have no doubts there whatsoever. But there are certain doubts in our minds as to where it leads and how it will lead. But I believe God will show us, and that is our great need, a revelation. Even in the message which I am bringing you on faith, we need a dynamic revelation. in order to have the rapturing faith of Enoch. Because he had this testimony before he was raptured, that he pleased God. But without faith, it's impossible to please him. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is in his rewarder of them who diligently please him. Let's bow our heads in prayer. Heavenly Father, we come again to your presence, knowing, Lord God, that we have only one word, and that is thy word. We have one spirit, and that is one with your word. Therefore, tonight, Lord, we are believing because of the assurance of the truth, not just the conviction, but the actual reality of this Holy Spirit living and abiding within us. Therefore, thou must anoint, O God, the tongue, deliver the mind from any thought which is his own, but every thought and every word in correct tone, correct expression, because the Spirit is in control. Everything, therefore, must be said in such a way, O God, to be bread to those who might hear, and understanding applied for the glory of God. Feed us tonight, O Lord, until this word becomes a very part of us. For you have said man shall not live by bread alone. We must admit we are not living too well these days, O God. We are not living too well because somehow that bread has not become a part of us and that wine has not exhilarated us and somehow it seems as though the oil had not anointed us. But we know that that is in itself wrong because it must do these things for you said it would. Therefore, Lord, we're trying to believe tonight. Yea, we are believing tonight. Because you said it has got to come to pass. Therefore, in thy hands, O Lord, we commend ourselves. Take charge. Not only in this meeting tonight, but every moment of our lives, we pray it and believe it in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Now, our text, of course, is faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen. And we understand how important it is because the Bible says without faith you cannot please God. It says that the shield of faith whereby we quench the fiery darts of the wicked one, is the weapon of defense which must be applied with every one of our armaments, or they are ineffective. It is also true that though this word of God is creative, that this word of God is powerful, for by his word God created the heavens and the earth, and all the things we see, and by this word all things are maintained. Yet this word in the believer's life is absolutely devoid of power unless he believes it. This word becomes a dead book, a letter of the law which does not justify but which condemns if a man does not mix it with the living faith of the living God. Again in 1 John 5 and 4 it says that this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. A man cannot be victorious apart from the use of his faith. Try as you might, exercise all you want, develop every skill in this world, you will go down as a failure before Almighty God and perhaps the world, and in your own eyes you'll fail all the more. because you have not developed and used your faith. The cry and conviction within your heart tonight is not a harassment from God, although many times it could be an accusation by the devil. But God in his convicting power wants us to use our faith, and he leads us and begs us by his word and by his voice to walk in those paths of faith whereby we come into a place of supreme victory. Again, the scripture says we walk by faith and not by sight. Men are not called to have everything laid at their disposal and thereby make a choice by reason. But men are disposed by God in his sovereign grace to ask you to believe him in darkness and walk by faith. The scripture also says the just shall live by faith. That does not mean a halfway measure because the scripture refers to abundant life. And the abundant life of God cannot be had except as we rely upon the instrument of faith that God has given us. And again the scripture says whatsoever is not of faith is sin. So therefore even though you are a Christian when you refuse to walk by faith. You turn away from believing God. You are literally walking in sin and the darkness of the imagination to the reasonings of your own heart. So you can see how important this subject of faith is. How important it is. If I were to stop here, you might say, Brother Bale, I'm going home to pray for faith. And I would say that's the last thing that you must do because you must not pray for faith. And the reason you must not pray for faith is because you already have faith. In the first place, you have human faith. Everybody has human faith. But human faith does not save you. Human faith does not make you a Christian because if you could rely upon your human faith, then every single person, a Protestant, Catholic, everyone who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that he died, that he rose for your sins and justification, every single person would be a believer and therefore a true Christian. But everybody is not. They are not. And the scripture tells us distinctly this is not so. Not only is this so, but... The word of God tells us in the book of Thessalonians that wicked and unreasonable men do not have faith. There is a special kind of faith then that wicked men do not possess. If that is true, there must be some scripture that indicates that the righteous do have a faith that the wicked do not have. And that is true because it says in the book of Romans, the 12th chapter, that God has granted to every brother, every believer, the measure of faith. God has given every single believer. The, not a, but the measure of thee. When did you get that faith? You got that faith according to the book of Ephesians 2, 8 and 9. By grace are you saved through faith and that faith is not of yourself. Human faith cannot save you as I told you. It takes the faith of Almighty God himself to save you. When the Spirit of God called you from my sheep, hear my voice. You would not have had the faith to follow him. You couldn't do it. But God put that faith in your heart. that you may believe to such an extent that his spirit could come on down and baptize you into his body, the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. But what is that faith we're talking about? The faith we talked about is found in James, the second chapter, and in verse 1. My brethren, notice he's talking to brethren, even as Paul was talking, brethren, God has held to every one of you the measure of faith, and Paul said it, and now James says it, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, not faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't put that in your Bible. It's not faith in, it's faith of. It's the faith of Jesus Christ himself. And you are not to have it with respect to persons. In other words, you must not rely upon the arm of flesh any longer. You must not trust in man. But you put your faith in God because it's the faith of Jesus himself. The faith of Christ, as it were, the homing pigeon, flies toward Jesus Christ. It doesn't go toward man. It relieves your man fear. Of prejudice and the futility of hoping in an arm of flesh. Because people will disappoint you. But God won't. And James says, my brethren, don't you dare now having the faith of God put your trust in man or what man can do for you. It's very simple to do it. It's very easy to hint and want people to help you. But God says that's not the way to do it. The way to do it is to put our trust in him. In the book of Galatians, the second chapter in verse 20. Chapter 2, verse 20, Paul speaking and says, I live by the faith of, not in the Son of God, but the faith of the Son of God. And you know that the word of this is in the genitive, and it means possession. In other words, I live by the faith which is a possession of Jesus, but he gave it to me. Jesus gave Paul the measure of his own faith. And in the book of Acts, the third chapter, in verse 16, where... where Peter is speaking concerning the healing of the man. And they said, How was this healing done? And he said, It took Jesus' name and the faith of Jesus. For he says in this verse, And Jesus' name, through faith in Jesus' name, has made this man strong whom you see and know. Yea, the faith which is by or from Jesus has given this man this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. You can see here tonight that it was Jesus' name and Jesus' faith. They go hand in hand. And God does not want it otherwise. And I'm not saying human faith in Jesus' name doesn't work miracles. I'm not even saying that human faith in God cannot work miracles. But it does. But salvation itself and the use of the real gifts of the Holy Ghost depend upon the faith of God himself in the vessel. And that's exactly another reason. Because faith is also a fruit. Faithfulness. And that's exactly why you see today that many people are employing human faith. And then even the Holy Ghost will anoint and do great things, but their lives are shoddy, showing they don't walk by faith.

It's a complete coverage we're talking about tonight. We want the whole of it. These Jews came to Peter and said, by what power do you do these things? By what name do you do these things? And he said, yes, there is a power, and there is a name. The power is the power in faith. And the name is the name of Jesus Christ. And he said, we do this. Not only have we seen the mouths of three witnesses, Is this the faith of Jesus Christ? But this faith of Jesus Christ in our lives. And here's where we need a revelation. This faith is so dynamic. It's so absolutely all -consuming, purposeful, and consummating in the life of a Christian that it expresses a perfection of our ability to receive from God in prayer. For if I were to say to you tonight, what would you like to have as your experience as a Christian? in your communication to God, you would say, oh, that I might be able to always come into his presence, that I might be able to come with assurance, confidence, belief, knowing that I have the petition in my heart. And that's exactly what God said we've already got. For it says in Ephesians, the third chapter, verse 11 and 12, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness, which means freedom of speech, access with confidence by the faith of him. What does it mean? It means I can come to say, my God, here I am. I need something. And then it says I've got access. Never turned away. Always works. And then it says confidence. And what does John say about confidence? This is the confidence we have in him. That if we ask anything concerning his will, we know that he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, we know we have the petition we desired of him. That is exactly what the word of God says is our condition before him tonight. On the grounds of the measure of faith which we now possess. One

of us tonight is able to say this is exactly right because God says so. This is exactly what I am employing because I am. Tonight we can all say I have it, but we can't say we're employing it. What is wrong? The revelation is not there.

You'll never spend it. If

you've got money somewhere and you know where it is, but you can't get your hands on it, never spend it.

Granted by God somewhere along this line to make us to see that what he purchased through Christ's death and gave us by way of the resurrection shall not be in vain. We

must be real utilitarians. If Christ died and thereby did not accomplish If he arose and thereby did not accomplish, then even God is in vain.

Christians, which

cannot be consumed, the

process of metabolism, not ingest and then utilize the food your body takes, you'll die by starvation, even though you fill your bowels with food. It

contains every element, yet you die with the full stomach of starvation because your body could not use the essentials that

were there at its disposal.

Right tonight, we are in the very same position. The reason we cannot use this faith is because we have not been made alive to it. It has not been made alive to us.

Galatians, very same thought, Paul speaking again, in the 16th verse, knowing that a man is not justified or declared righteous by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus. Jesus

Christ, on what ground? Because that faith was given to you.

might be justified by the faith of Christ. Notice that. Twice it's used there. Faith of Jesus, faith of Christ. And not by the works of the law. Law shall no flesh be justified. Now man might quibble and say, you see, Jesus has the faith and all we do is look passively at it. No, sir, because God has granted or dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Passive, it is active, it is real. In Romans, we find the very same thought. In the third chapter and in verse... 22, even the righteousness of God which is by the faith of Jesus. Your

faith never saved you. You know your sin? Positivity. You know you've been declared righteous by God? Positivity. We accept it. There's no doubt. The

scripture says, upon what grounds? Upon having received the deposit of the measure of faith of Jesus Christ. The book of Revelation in the Pergamian age. The second chapter, in verse 13, Christ is commending them, and he said, I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is, and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith. And you know we're right at the place where Satan is going to be crowned as king of this world. This was just Satan's seat here in Pergamos, but now Satan is about to take over the whole world, and we're in that age. And notice the parallel. He said, you've not denied my faith. And perhaps God has raised me up for this last day message. To cry out, you've got the faith of God. Don't deny it.

Because if I preach this message many a place, I've seen them seal their lips and harden their hearts. And I say, repeat after me, I've got the measure of the faith of God.

They'll deny. You sealed your doom, child. You'll take the mark of the beast.

You'll go to hell. You'll bend or break because anti -Christ means anti -word.

But I thought it became of you myself. Talk like that.

Love, believe of all things. Say you love God, you believe all things. You believe you've got the measure of the faith of Jesus Christ. The Bible says you have not denied my faith. It didn't say you denied faith in me. It says you have not denied my faith. We'll

see why this is so important as time goes on. Now let us go further. Did you know that the faith, this faith, which we are talking about, which is the supernatural gift of God. I repeat, this faith, which is the supernatural gift of God, was predicted by Jesus Christ himself in Matthew 11, 22. And Jesus answering said, Have faith in God. No! A decided mistranslation. He answering said, Have the faith of God. Who

is Jesus? Is he not God?

have the faith of Jesus, what do you have? You have the faith of God.

You will notice that Jesus was going to give his children in the faith an object lesson. And it says that on the morrow after he'd come from Jerusalem, he came to Bethany, they were hungry. And

he saw a fig tree and there were no figs on it, so he said, no man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever. And you notice it says his disciples heard it. He intended that they hear it. And no doubt they were a bit amazed, but they were with him so long and had seen and heard so many strange things, they weren't upset. They just thought, isn't that strange? He stilled the storm. He broke loaves and fishes. And now here he's talking to a fig tree. Might wonder about it and pass on. Well, Jesus came to Jerusalem. He finished his work. out to go back and he deliberately led them by the very tree that he had cursed. And he no doubt just walked over that way and they just followed him. He looked at the fig tree and as they looked they gazed wonderingly and they said, well look, the fig tree is dead from the roots up. Now a tree dies from the top down because the sap goes down. But this one was literally dead from the roots because he had cursed it. And they said, well how was it done? Amazing! And Jesus said, I'll tell you how it's done. What you need is the faith of God. I've got the faith of God. Use that faith of God. A lot of people would stop here and they'd say, now Jesus is an animal trainer. And he's having a bit of trouble with his donkey. So he puts a carrot on the end of the leash. The whip and the donkey takes his death. And the whip goes forward and takes another death. And there he gets the carrot.

The scripture says in Deuteronomy. The secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for a thousand generations that we may do all the works of the law. This is something revealed. The faith of God has been revealed, so therefore it has now become obtainable to the children of God. Oh,

come on now. Wake up your mind. Those

things which have been revealed belong unto us. Jesus has revealed that a faith of God was somewhere. The fact of his revelation proved it was available. And the next words proved that it could be and would be there because he said, Therefore I forbear the eyes unto you. Now notice, they had said, How was this done? And he said, This takes the faith of God. How did he say this? I'm showing you something interesting. The

demonstration. of faith to God. Of course, you can't have too bad. Oh, that's Simon Legree, a little topsy. It's not God and his children. Because he turns right around and he connects them with that faith. And he says, you have the faith of God. For therein I say unto you, you

shall say to this mountain, not just this tree now, but this mountain, be plucked up from the roots, be cast in the sea, not doubting in your heart. Human faith will make you doubt because it's not strong enough to move mountains. The faith of God can move mountains. He shall not doubt in your heart, but shall believe that whatsoever things he says shall come to pass. He shall have to notice he said, because this is true, I say to you whatsoever things you desire, when you pray, use this faith of God which is now available to you. And you'll have what you want. Are you

reading something into the Bible? Not at all. Why

did God make heaven for himself or for you? Why did he make hell for himself or for you? I'm talking about world now, men in general. God made a heaven for his elect. He made a hell for the devil and his followers. He will destroy them and they will make a fire. In

heaven there is a revelation of hell. There is a revelation of the faith of God and it is absolutely ours according to what we have here. This is the faith of Almighty God. So

prove tonight that this, what Jesus Christ was talking about, is the very same thing that Paul and James, And Peter spoke up. They knew that he was God. And this measure of the faith of Jesus Christ is the faith of Almighty God. And Jesus said, I am now putting you in position to receive my very own faith, whereby you can and will be able to pray with such power, boldness, access, confidence. I got it.

is this faith of God defined

in the word of God? Romans, the fourth chapter, verses 16 through 22.

Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace to the end, it might be sure to all the seed, not only to that which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. As it is written, I have named thee Abraham, a father of many nations. Before him whom he believed, whom Abraham believed, even God, quickeneth the dead and calleth those things which are not as though they were. When hope was gone, hope dawned in faith that he might become the father of many nations according to that which was spoken. So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered not of the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving God the glory and being fully persuaded that what God had promised God was also able to perform and would do it. And therefore was imputed Abraham for righteousness. Now, listen to me. Before you can put your faith in anything, the object of your faith or the recipient of your faith must possess those qualities inherent in it. which makes it worthy to be an object of faith. Now, I cannot held up my handkerchief and say, I'm going to speak in this handkerchief here, and it's going to go through the wiring and loudspeakers, and you're going to hear my voice, because this handkerchief does not possess the quality inherent in it to make it the object of my faith. It'll act as a microphone. It hasn't got it. I can take this microphone here, and this microphone does possess in itself the qualities which justify my faith. That is a microphone, you follow me? The same thing holds good about God. What do we know about God from Scripture that justifies our faith in Him? Why or how can God be the object of our faith? Now, before anything can be the object of anybody's faith, There has to be two things in it, two principles. One, it must have the ability to do what needs to be done, right? And it must have that ability to such an extent it will always do what needs to be done. Now, if I've got a watch here and I say this watch has the ability to give me the time, but tomorrow I know the spring's going to break, I can't put faith in that watch to always give me the time. It doesn't have what it takes to be the object of my faith, to be an eternal timepiece. Therefore, when I look at God, I find two great qualities in God that he must have inherently, that his own word must reveal above anything else in this world to make him the object of my faith. And those two qualities are ability, and immutability. And that's exactly what God said about himself.

He said, I can do it and my word which never changes. That's ability and immutability. God

is the object of our faith and you don't need to worry because it's perfect. If you wonder if this is exactly according to the word, turn to Joel, the second chapter. That's

the book before Amos. Joel, the second chapter, verse 11. And notice what it said. And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army, for his camp is very great. Now notice. For he is strong that executeth his word. Ability and immutability. God can do it, and it says he wouldn't lie about it. There

you see it. Now. Going back to Romans, the fourth chapter, and reading this again, I

want to show you something. Let us say, which we are doing tonight, we are studying this subject of faith, and it is a very good subject to study. Human

beings understand

by precepts, but we are also taught and understand by example. It's not enough to say it, we have to illustrate it.

Now, can we find somebody in the Bible?

was so involved in the processes of faith toward God, study

him. He therefore could illumine us and give us a deeper understanding concerning this same faith which we have. That is exactly right. And that man is Abraham because he is known as the father of faith, the father of the faithful, the father of us all in whose footsteps we are to follow. So we are going to look at this once more. And we are going to see what Abraham understood about God in relation to faith and thereby understand the process or principle of faith in our own lives. Is that simple? You understand what I'm trying at? All right. Let's read it again. Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace. To the end the promise might be sure to all the seed, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is the faith of Abraham. Who is the father of us all. As it is written. I have made thee a father of many nations. Before him whom he believed even God. Now what did he believe about God. As concerning this faith and himself as he put his faith in God.

Who quickens the dead. Those

things which are not as though they were. The two things we talked about. Ability. Self

and a God. who is going to raise the dead. I

know you don't think we can't. God

gave us the time. God

gave us the time. We descend up on high and I think we can blow other paths to smithereens.

Never become so strong and ingenious you'll ever raise the dead. It just can't be done.

That's the ultimate.

And notice he calls those things which are not. That's imbutability. It

wasn't. It's going to be future tense. Brother, sister, that's the height and the depth of the whole thing.

scripture and find out exactly what these phrases mean. This

is the dead. Turn to 2 Corinthians, the first chapter.

I'm in voice tonight and I'm yelling. So you pray to pray I get a sore throat and I'll calm down. See, all things work together for good. He's calling, he's a little sore throat and I gotta calm right down. Talk

to my brother. Do

not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure above strength. in so much that we had despaired even of life. We had the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not, what? Trust in ourselves any more than James said, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ in respect to persons. We

didn't trust in ourselves, but in God who, what? Raises the dead. Thus from so great a death, and thus deliver us from so great a death. in whom we trust he will yet deliver us from death by the resurrection. What is Paul saying here? Paul said we came to a place that we were absolutely up against the wall. All that faced us now was death. There wasn't any way out. There wasn't any way down. There wasn't any way this or that way. There was nothing facing us but death and we knew it. But he said it didn't bother us any because we believe in a God who takes the dead and raises him. And that's exactly what happened to Paul because before his work was finished, they left him for dead outside the city, but he raced up by the power of God. He went on his way. What is Paul trying to show the people here? Now, here is where you've got to listen and get this. Because our illustration is Abraham, see, and the association of this. faith and understanding toward God in the life of Abraham, you've got to now see what Paul means and Abraham means and bring it right home to yourself. It

means this. There is no position. There are no circumstances. There are absolutely no involvements, no matter how complex or distressing in this life concerning you is

going to deliver and

will yet deliver.

This son's name was Isaac. And God said to Abraham, take now thy son, thine only son. Well, just a minute, he had several sons. Two at least, we knew of them.

See, that's the new man can only stand is the old man can't. Take now thy son, thine only son. Take him up to Mount Moriah and there give him to me for a sacrifice. Our mental picture, because we've seen it in Sunday school, is a long bearded, white haired old fella. trudging with the staff, got a beast of burden laying down, got a little boy by the hand, goes up to the mountain. The next picture we see is the angel in the cloud. We see a ghost caught in the thicket. We see the man's hands upraised. We see the boy lying upon the altar. But we forget there's a little brazier of fire that Abraham is not only going to take his son's throat and cut it,

ashes and bones and say, raise him, Lord. That's

the kind of faith you and I got tonight. The

same faith. Got

the faith of Abraham. You haven't gotten all his children. You're all liars and all made in. Lost

your salvation.

Took that faith and he associated with himself like Paul did. What I'm trying to get across to you tonight is this. You and I have got to learn to put ourselves in that condition. Or let God put us in the condition. whereby there's nothing but death. It's collapsed. Stand there and say, God, raise it. How

many people tonight can stand by

this as having stood and all to stand?

You can be as prepared as any school can ever make you prepared. You can have an understanding which is wide and broad as any man ever learned. The revelation of the shield of faith. There's nothing in your life in mind. You

read about Abraham and the men of faith. When it comes to you, until you yourself and I myself. Get a revelation of this truth. In

darkness we

got. A lady came to me in Ohio. Why she came? Because everybody in America who hears me preach has got to hear this story. She came up the aisle for prayer. I set her in the chair as I usually do. Stood behind her, laid my hand on her and said, Sister, you have trouble in your right arm or your left arm, I forget which. I said, you cannot raise it. She said, that is true. I prayed for her. I said, raise your arm. She raised it. But she said, Brother Vail, I did not come for that. I said, I know it. I don't need any revelation to tell your eyes are bad because your glasses are so thick I couldn't miss them if I tried. I said, your problem is your eyesight. She said, that is correct. I prayed for her and something dark swept over my soul and I hadn't got to God for one minute. I prayed the second time that darkness became deeper and more involved. I prayed the third time as though I were praying for a lump of lead to turn into a pot of gold or to take a kangaroo and turn him into a racehorse or something equally as ridiculous. It was so dark and so abysmally frustrating that I said to God, Lord, what is it anyway? And something like a conversation whereby I was hearing myself speak. I can't explain it to you how it was, but it came about something like this. And I said, Sister, you have been to a doctor. And she said, Yes. And I said, the doctor has said you are going blind. She said, yes. I said, furthermore, the doctor said you will be blind. And she said, that is true. And I said, sister, when you are willing to believe God that you will get well as thoroughly as you have believed the doctor that you are going blind, you will be healed. I said, pray this week and come back and I will pray again. She never came back because she said, I am going blind. And when I am blind, It is all over. My brother, my sister, God heals blind eyes, or I don't even know my Bible. People say I'm getting old and crippled, and I get that wheelchair of arthritis, I will never come out. God heals cripples. People say when my husband treats me so -and -so, it's all over. I understand that God can change the darkness in a time. But

you see, we don't want to be put in the position like Paul, where his faith moved mountains. We want a mountain -moving faith to move toothpicks. We

want a God who can... changed from the uttermost to the uttermost who just changed as much as I did. Because it's much easier. And

yet God is a God without limits. You

see, we have got to learn. Going

to raise the dead, somebody's got to.

Did this man sin that he became blind later in life? Or did Aaron sin that he was born blind? He said neither, but for the glory of God was this man born blind. He

said off and off this daughter of April was this way low these 18 years and God healed her. But somebody had to be crippled. to be palsy. Somebody had to be devil possessed. Somebody had to go to the grave. Lazarus had to stink. The widow had to lose her son. Maybe

it's our fault. Because we don't want the sentence of death.

We must associate ourselves with the conditions and trust God not to take away those conditions but to take us through the conditions thereby removing them. I'll explain that later, not just now. I don't mean you're going to stay blind. I mean you're going to get free from being blind. But the woman stopped. She said, I'm getting blind. I'm going to be blind. And when I am blind, it's all over. It isn't all over. God can heal blind eyes. We're so scared of what takes place, we destroy ourselves and things of God. Don't be afraid of what is going to take place. Let it take place, but go with God. I see it coming down my road, the road. I've seen it. You see what your kids are doing. It's hard for me. I haven't learned it myself. The revelation is too indistinct. But I've got to say, let's go do it. Oh,

God. I don't even know what it's all about. God

is. The

principle we're involved in. God, we need a revelation tonight. It's by suffering we enter. I'm

not talking about the morbidity of suffering. I'm talking about triumphant, triumphant suffering. Abraham taking his child, not clipping for a moment, but saying, here. That's all right, Lord. I'll put him there. Burn him up. He raised him from the dead. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadows, thou art with me. Why?

Because God is our provider and our protector. When thou walkest through the waters, they shall overflow thee, but their waters to swim in,

brother Baal. One of those waters you're talking about to swim in is the waters of spirit. My Bible said Jesus was led in the spirit to be tempted.

Waters to swim in, my brother and my sister. There's waters of friction, too, because of spirit. He's leading in all these trials. And God led Abraham to take his own son. And God led Paul to the place of death. And it's time you and I quit setting limitations on God and fear him. Oh, what the church is like. Oh, my. Here's where I can help these dear pastors, because I'll tell them what happened to me and happens to them, and you'll understand it, perhaps. But just as soon as things start to get a little bit tough, all the dear, lovely people desert the ship like rats, don't they? Oh, when things get rough and the crowd goes, they say, cut the preacher's salary. We already cut his throat. Now we'll cut his salary. We

need to talk to any pastor I pastor for years. I know who always gets the blame for everything, but never the credit. It's the pastor. What do you think? As

many of these days, except for a bunch of old stumble -bum preachers, because in the congregations I've seen, I haven't seen too much of anything. Not

my subject tonight. I may teach on that sometime. Open your eyes so wide you can never get them shut again. How in

the world can you ever see a God in you's faith if that faith and that God depends upon extremities, possibilities?

I

can hardly wait to get engaged in this fight of faith. We say like a good old coward, I can hardly wait to run away before I get involved in what looks like maybe a risky proposition. Faith is a calculated risk. It calculates God's cash. He'll do it. And he steps out on the water and walks. Hearing

a big mouth up here. When I went preaching, people, I didn't know where I was going and had nothing to get there if I didn't know where I was going and I got there. I can pack my grip and walk down there.

No, no, no.

I know whom I have believed in. You see tonight? Let me give you some scriptures on this. Turn to Psalm 46, 1 to 3. And I won't keep you much longer. because I'm going to take my time free, so if I don't finish it, I'll stay on. If I don't feel like staying on, I'll go home and finish it another time. I'm not bound. I've

got no problems at all. And Brother Lavin said, you don't need to worry about the money, because I'm not. Thanks for your offering. If you give me some, it's good. If you don't, that's all right. I'll get it someplace else. Go to James Dunn. He said, give him a $20 bill and give me a prayer answer, and I'll say, how do you rob that bank card getting caught? Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Oh, wouldn't that form if I said that? Oh, those money seekers with their big talk. Give them a $20 bill, you get your prayer answered. You give God your faith, child, you get everything you need. Pie past Mr. Dung. Go right to Jesus. Hallelujah. Don't go to leave there either, because he'd leave you wrong. Now listen, Psalm 46, God is our refuge and strength. Well, that's encouraging. That's your protector and your provider. A very present help in time of no trouble. Hold just a minute here. In time of trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried to the midst of the sea. That's his last day. All power is going to fall. People are going to be upset. They are in their report. The waters roar and be troubled. That's today. There never was a time of trouble amongst men as today. And though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof, governments are toppling. See? Now, compare that now with Isaiah 40, 54. It says, I won't be afraid, though, or in case of, or if they do it. Oh, come on. I can't get this Bible open here. The 54th chapter and in verse 10, it says, for the mountain shall depart. And they're going to. This is real now on the earth. And the hill shall be removed. But my kingdom shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my what? Peace. Imagine I've got real peace.

I kind of doubt it. What I'm talking about now. I don't want to insult anybody now. But I'm talking about that piece where everything's all right. Just go right along. They club me here. Just go right along. The roof falls in. Just go right along. The bottom falls out. Just go right along. You lose your job. Now, I'm not saying you don't have it. I believe we all ought to have it. If you got it, good. I want it. I don't experience it yet. I keep too nervous. And if you're nervous, you're not at peace.

shall be removed, but my kindness shall not be pardoned, neither that shall the covenant of my peace be removed. What's the covenant? I am your protector and your provider. It's all right long as I'm with you. Well, that takes care of it. Except

the Lord that hath mercy on thee. Psalm

119, 87. Psalm

119, 87.

They have almost consumed me upon earth. That's

what he said.

I got mad and I walked out. If I'd had enough, I'm quitting. No, I forsook not thy precepts.

17

to 19. 18 to 19. The Lord hath chastened me sore, but he hath not given me over unto death. I'm

scared this is the end. I don't think I can take it anymore. Open

to me the gates of righteousness. I will go in with them and will praise the Lord. Verse 17 to 19. Read it all together. I should have read that too. I shall not die but live and declare the works of the Lord. She said, the Lord has chastened me sore, for grief, sore, but he has not given me over to death. Open to me the gates of righteousness, and I will go into them and will praise the Lord. Notice that this man speaks of death, but he speaks of overcoming in the Lord Jesus Christ. We go to Romans, the

eighth chapter, and 35 to 39, and it says, who shall separate us from the love of God? Wasn't Jesus Christ the love that came to us? In other words, this union. With us proves God's love. Wounds of their praise and love of Christ. Shall tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, perilous sword. As it's written, for thy sake we are what? Killed all the day long. Keep

for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors to him that loved us. For I am persuaded. Notice this woman I talked about was persuaded she was going to get blind. She was persuaded when she got blind, it was all over.

Why do we always want to quit? The Bible says quit yourself like men, but it doesn't say quit. I've

got the word in my mind, but just can't get it out here. To be to quit yourself like men and be sure that you are men. I

am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers. nor things present, nor things to come. Aren't the things to come those that bother us? We're always worried about the future. It says neither height, that's something too high for us, nor depth, that's something too deep for us, nor any part of any creation. And if it's not created, then you don't need to worry about it because there's nothing there. But there's a lot of things created right now that are going to give you pause for thought. But it says not none of those shall be able to separate me from this love of God. which is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Do we believe that? Understand

the depths of this until we deliberately associate ourselves with those circumstances which demand the utmost from God.

Assume that it is great and live up to that mark. And the people who will be great must assume, take for granted what God says, and step out in the jaws of death because God will protect them. Turn to John. John

11. Verse 21 through 22.

Jesus, in

that case, my brother had not died. But

if the case was, then heck

of God, God will give it to you. He

says, even if he dies, this

faith God gave you, you die a million deaths and so do I. And

defeat. But

Jesus said, that this man believing this

measure of faith, living this believing life, he doesn't die.

Destroyed his race. He can see his hopes crumble. He'll go right on. He can see tragedy strike, but he goes on.

This faith and the object of his faith is an able, you see, immutable God, one with ability and immutability. But he must associate himself with this by saying, there is no circumstance, there are no conditions in which either God places me or by my faith I place myself in obedience to his word. But I'm more than conquer right now.

You go up there and die. You

think you're people that trust all anything about your wife and family. God will take care of them. Because

he that liveth and believeth and he that lives that believing life, he's not going to die. He's going to live. They said to Job, Job, everything's gone. Your fortune's gone. Your family's gone. Your life, your health is gone. His wife said, why don't you curse God and die? Now that's a funny word in the Hebrew. It means either curse or bless. Remember, Jacob, bless God, drew his feet up and died. She knew that. So she was saying, why don't you just now turn over, draw your feet up and say a prayer to God and expire. And he said, you talk like a foolish woman. I'm going to live.

These comforters came by and said, Job, now just suppose you do die. He said, well, so what if I do die? My Redeemer is going to stand upon this earth and I'm going to stand with him.

The doctor said, I'm going to be blind. The

answer to her was, when you will believe God. that you're going to get your sight as thoroughly as you had believed the doctor that you will be blind. You will get your sight.

She said, I'm going to be blind. That will end it. I'll never see again. ...has

been and never will be. Turn over to Mark. I believe it is. The ninth chapter in verse 23. And she said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. Is his and death pretty final? It certainly is not final. The second death is, but death isn't final. Oh, no, no, my brother, my sister. Oh,

death isn't final. Absolutely not. Death is merely a cessation in one form. But if you're born again child of God, it's going on in the spirit body just waiting to receive you. So

prone to find barriers and then put a mark on the floor perhaps and say, if that preacher or that person says one more thing, he'll

say it. He

won't even say it, but you'll hear it. A lady down in Florida got so mad at me because I preached the truth. One

day she made a remark, I guess, to somebody about her brother Baal Daston, so she's going to go. Of course, she was going to take her friend with her, you know, sort of mutton Jeff scheme.

Not Damon and Pythias, but more or less mutton Jeff. So, I said it. I really didn't say it. She thought I said it and she was gone.

You're not going to stand in this faith. You'll hear it. You won't even be said, but you'll hear it. You

see tonight, the first definition of this faith? It's based in a God who raises the dead. But somebody's got to die. Use

blind eyes, please. Somebody's got to go blind. You

believe God heals sick bodies? Somebody's got to be sick. People

without jobs? And somebody's got to be without a job. You

believe God can save drunken husbands and beat their wives? A woman's got to get beat up by a drunk husband. That's not very pretty.

Say, here's my child. I'll put him on you. I'll burn him up. Get

the blood light to match? I'm talking about a devil -possessed fool. I'm talking about a man possessed of the Holy Ghost walking in faith. You

love somebody. Are you ready to put them on the altar? If

you want to seek God with all your heart. That's where it means death. If

true success is, then you'd better become expendable. Eat

fragrance, incense, and the godliness you're crushing. About

faith. Men refuse to be associated with the path of faith.

Married to one girl and around with another one. I use that because

if we've got faith and we whore around. with the little conditions of life that try to make us go to heaven on beds of roses, my brother, my sister. That's all we're doing. We're fornicating with the good things of God. The cities. With

the path of ease. When faith says that God raises them.

Go to sea and prosperity. We

kick against the bricks. All

the overtime.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Sounds kind of strange, doesn't it? Scripture

that says that Christ has left us sufferings that we've got to fill up.

That's big. I

like this. talk about Abraham got that big kind of faith. Oh, what I'm going to do, I'm going to climb on this step and go, hallelujah. Oh, glory. And when I get this much understanding, I said, hallelujah, glory. Oh, I

stood before the Father and he said, I'm ready for the cross. He said, glorify me. I said, ah, glorify you. Now I'm going to yet glorify you. Glorify him right on the cross. Well,

that's not my subject. I'm not covered in what I'm going to cover. I had permission to keep it a little later than usual because we didn't get started. I think I just write. I think I've done it just right otherwise. So, Lord bless you. Come back for some more tomorrow night. But

I'll tell you one thing. You can pay $3 .95 for a book on how to get crucified. If you want. But it won't cost you a nickel. Just listen. You come and hear me preach the word. You take that word. You'll be crucified. It won't cost you $3 .95 for the book. We won't even pass the offering plate. We just need to ask you to give yourself an offering to God. That's all. That's where it's going to take. Death. God raises. The dead.

You see what I'm driving at tonight? You've got to be in a position where something or somebody dies.

It's got to be taken from you so that God can give it back. He that leaves father, mother, sister, brother, and lands. It doesn't say a wife leaves a husband or a husband leaves a wife. It says you can leave your father and your mother, your sister and your brother, and lands. God will give you a hundredfold in this life and life everlasting. But you see, it's got to be that limit.

Raises the dead. We were pressed out of measure. In so much we despaired even of life that was gone. He said we even gave up on that. But we believe in God who raises the dead.

Abraham, when hope was gone, there

wasn't any use. He kept on believing. You've

got to see yourself that way. You've got to see this measure of faith that you've got connected with you puts you in a place where death does not stand impregnable, but it's simply a step forward. I'm

not preaching positive thinking. I'm preaching God's Word. I'm

not a modern pseudo -psychologist, pseudo -scientist, or pseudo -religionist. I'm a Christian teaching you God's Word like Paul said. It was death. Nobody got past 10

jobs now.

Negations in a row. Keep steady, but do get the fourth. If that doesn't work, there's a fifth and sixth coming. Or God's perfect number, seven.

What makes you so sure, babe? You don't pastor anymore. No, but I learned what it is. I kept on sowing and I took my step at a time. Because I don't have any church to go to. I don't have any connections. But I take step at a time. And now I am reaping as I have never reaped in my life. Because you just keep on going and going.

Righteous man shall fall seven times and the Lord will raise him up. I

am persuaded that neither high or low is death. It's not too high and it's not too deep. There isn't any creation. Not even death has

got the upper hand. Why? Because I've got it more than confidence. We need a revelation, don't we? Well, we're going to need to pray tonight, so let's run.

Glad you're here so I can talk to you. But if you weren't here, I couldn't be inspired to encourage my own faith. So come tomorrow night and I'll talk to myself once more using you for an excuse. I appreciate that. Father, we thank you again for the privilege of being in thy house together with this fat people. We know you're here because these good people brought you. As

it was when they carried the ark upon the shoulder, but now in every heart two and three gather together there or down the midst.

Also said, if to be agreed upon anything that's touching your kingdom, it should be done. Oh Lord, because you said we're going to just lay this thing right on the table. All agreed tonight we need a revelation of your faith in our lives. Especially

like Paul and Abraham. Oh God, tonight if we are really it, we know that there's one thing you're more interested in than even we are. Training us up in faith. Make

it so real. Let

it come.

I want to be made real.

where two or three are gathered together. You're here. You're here right here, so you're hearing us. Don't even have to yell because you're right here. Your ear is not deaf. If we be agreed on anything, it would be loose to us. Find therefore our unbelief, O God, and the laws which govern it. Show us, Lord, tonight the revelation of bound unbelief marked by the revelation of the Spirit, the faith of God that sees him who raises the dead. So thoroughly connected and joined and part and parcel of each life here. That we too will go right along with Paul. We accept nothing less, Lord. No, sir, nothing less. Nothing less. We're not even going to say, well, Paul was too big a man. No, sir. Because what he said is passed on to us. We're in the same boat. The

Lord will accept the revelation

of it. But with it, the revelation in

the sentence of death. Believe in a God who raises the dead. Our deliverer.

Now, Father, I can't pray any other way. I'm lacking anything oh God forgive me and make it up to us right now so you can have it because we're trying too hard not too good but at least we're here count a little towards the name of Jesus Christ

because we do want to glorify him