Epistle for July 6, 2007
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E-pistle
Dr. Curt Scarborough, President FreeWay Foundation July 6, 2007
It Is Impossible To Please God Without Faith
(Hebrews 11:6)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I believe it was Mark Twain's character (Puddin'head Wilson) who said, "Faith
is believin' stuff you know ain't so!" Although this definition is off the mark, many
Christians today also miss the foundational practicality of living by faith.
I. Grounds of Faith (Hebrews 11)
1. Faith is seeking the invisible, verse 6 and 27.
Faith is the evidence of things not seen, verse 1.
Faith says, "God exists."
2. Faith is understanding the impossible, verse 3.
Faith is accepting the fact that by God's word, the
Universe came into being. Faith says God created."
3. Faith is embracing the future in the present . . .
in the "now," verse 6. Faith is the substance of
things hoped for, verse 1. Faith says God rewards/answers."
Verse 13 summarizes these ideas: "seen" . . . "assured" . . . "embraced" . . . "confessed".
II. Types of Faith
1. Intellectual faith involves the mind. I know that God is
able to do anything I request, Ephesians 3:20.
2. Emotional faith involves the heart. This is what, with all
my heart, I really want God to do! "He shall give you
the desires of your heart," Psalms 37:4 . . . if you
"delight yourself in the Lord."
3. Volitional faith involves the will. A person chooses to
believe a promise of God and acts as if it already were an
accomplished fact, I John 5:14-15.
The key is praying "according to His will." But "If any of you lacks wisdom, let her
ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given unto him,
James 1:5. God promises to reveal His will to us, if we ask.
III. Activities of Faith (I Kings 18)
1. First , God shows man His plan and man believes.
In I Kings 18:1-2, God told Elijah His plan and Elijah
accepted God's word by faith. Even Jesus operated
by first seeing the Father's will, then by doing what
the Father did. John 5:19-20; 28-29.
2. Secondly, man acts on God's plan and confesses it
(testifies to what God is going to do), I Kings 18:41.
Jesus taught us to "speak to the mountain" . . .
which will move at our word, even if we have only
small faith, the size of a mustard seed. Mark 11:22-24.
3. Thirdly, man perseveres until God acts, I Kings 18:42-46.
Between God's promised blessings and our receiving of
them, there always is a testing time, a period in which
our faith either "keeps on keeping on" or flickers out
and dies out. Elijah prayed seven times before the tiny
cloud appeared! (II Corinthians 1:20 & Hebrews 10:23,
45-46).
Elijah this illustration of faith, was a mere man, like us! See James 5:17-18. True,
Elijah prayed and it didn't rain, and he prayed and it did rain . . . but both these prayers
were based on his praying according to God's revealed will.
IV. Levels of Faith (Isaiah 43:1-4)
Isaiah in these verses speaks of the three levels of faith:
1. RED SEA FAITH: This type first sees God's miraculous power
at work, then moves out. Exodus 14:21-22 illustrates this
"kindergarten" faith.
2. JORDAN RIVER FAITH: This type hears God's word, believes,
steps out in faith, and them sees God's miraculous power at
work. This is "elementary school" faith, as illustrated in
Joshua 3:15-17. Red Sea faith sees God act, then moves;
Jordan River faith moves, then sees God act.
3. FIERY FURNACE FAITH: This highest type of faith is illustrated
in the story of the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace,
Daniel 3:16-18. They said: "God is able to deliver us,"
(intellectual faith). Further, "God is going to deliver us,"
(heart or emotional, "desiring" faith). Then the three Hebrew
children hit the pinnacle of true faith, saying, "But even if
God does not deliver us, we will remain true to Him!"
This is volitional faith . . . the highest level of faith!
According to the text (Isaiah 43:1-4), why does God honor the faith of His people?
Seven reasons:
1. He created us.
2. He redeemed us.
3. He called us.
4. He owns us . . . (all in verse 1)
5. In addition, God's people are precious in
His sight . . . highly valued.
6. We are honored . . . highly respected.
7. And we are loved . . . greatly loved, as taught
in verse 4 and in John 3:16.
"Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for He who comes to God must believe that
He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him," Hebrews 11:6.
"Come Before Winter"
(II Timothy 4:1-22)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on verse 21
"Do your utmost to come before winter."
II. Meditation: on "fulfilling your ministry" (v. 5)
1. By what you speak:
(1) Preach the word, v. 2.
(2) Convince, rebuke, exhort, with long-suffering and teaching, v. 2.
(3) Do the work of an evangelist, v. 5.
2. By how you live:
(1) Be ready in season and out of season; always prepared, v. 2.
(2) Be watchful (alert; perceptive) in all things, v. 5.
(3) Endure afflictions, v. 5.
III. Revelation: on the reasons Paul requested Timothy to "come before winter"
1. I am close to the end of my life on earth . . . "poured out"
. . . "the time of my departure is at hand," but I have "fought
a good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith," vv. 6-7.
2. I am grieving because a trusted co-worker (Demus) has
deserted me, "having loved this present world," v. 10.
3. I am short-handed . . . come and bring Mark, v. 11.
4. I am suffering physically and emotionally . . . bring
cloak, books, and writing materials, v. 13.
5. I am under attack from a rebellious, former friend
(Alexander) vv. 14-15.
6. I am lonely . . . no one stood by me, except the Lord;
and, of course, Luke, my personal physician, is with
me, vv. 11, 16-18.
7. I am concerned about all the churches I've started and
delegated to others; Thessalonica, Galatia, Dalmatia,
Ephesus, Troas, Corinth, and Miletus, vv. 10-13, 20.
(See II Corinthians 11:28 . . . "care of all the churches")
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. "Pour out as a drink offering" . . . give my life in sacrifical
service to God.
2. "Fight a good fight" ( I Corinthians 9:26; I Timothy 6:12).
3. "Run with endurance the entire race" . . . life isn't a 100 yard
dash or a sprint; it's a Marathon!
4. "Keep the faith" . . . maintaining the truth and integrity of
"the faith", keeping "the faith" by remaining faithful to God
and His calling on my life, and, with integrity, passing along
"the faith" to my successor.
What They Don't Teach In School
Harvey Mackay
As many college graduates are scrambling to find jobs, one of the most important
things for graduates to understand is that you're in school all you're life. In fact, your real
education is just beginning. I'd like to pass on a few lessons, which weren't necessarily
covered in school.
· Build your reputation: Nothing is more important than a good reputation in building
a successful career or business. If you don't have a positive reputation, it will be
difficult to be successful.
· Set goals: Ask any winner what their keys to success are, and you will hear four
consistent messages: vision, determination, persistence, and setting goals. If
you don't set goals to determine where you're going, how will you know when you
get there?
· Get along with people: Ask recruiters from various companies to name the No. 1
skill necessary for new hires, and many of them will say it's the ability to get along
with people.
· Be yourself: We all have areas that need work, but accepting who we are and making
the most of our good points will take us much further than trying to be someone we
aren't
Mackay's Moral: "The purpose of education is not to teach youth to make a living but to make a life."
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