BELIEVE …. DO YOU?
Welcome to Rapture Ready Part 3, we have discussed Salvation and Faith, now for question
Are you rapture ready?
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, and do you know God?
We human beings have a deep-seated need to believe in something, anything, majority of us believe in material stock, sports or even a person, we can only believe in what we can physically see, hear, or touch.
We should be allowing the spirit of love, truth and forgiveness rule our thoughts and deeds, but no, we are negative and focus on how bad it is, we listen to people who say we can’t, it won’t ever happen…yet we say no problem, no worries, God has got me, in the palm of His hand, yet do we really believe it.
NOTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN UNLESS YOU BELIEVE.
I want to speak you about the power of believing.
We have already heard that we must take the limits off God, to have our faith stirred up, so just maybe, we need to reprogram our computer, upgrade the software, remove the malware.
Have you ever felt like God showed up too late?
You quote the Bible, pray, you stood on God’s promise, yet you did not get that promotion, the company in fact let you go…
Do you remember the story of Lazarus?
His sisters blamed Jesus for being late, yet the Bible states He was on time. Jesus said to them, take me to the place where you have laid him. In other words, Jesus wanted them to take Him to the place where they stopped believing in Me, where you decided it was over.
I want you all to go to that place where you stopped believing, were you decided that is it…are you there, in that place, now ask yourself: is my God still on the throne?
Is my God still EL Shaddai, the God who is more than enough?
IT IS YOUR JOB TO BELIEVE!!!
To know God is to believe in His Son and to believe in the Gospel.
Turn with me to 1 Peter 1:20-21
Having been foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, He was made manifest in these last times for you, who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
There is an interesting theme throughout the Bible that many people overlook and that is believing in God, from Abraham and Sarah in the OT to the Roman Soldier, whose servant was dying in the NT, they believed.
We find ourselves in situations all the time, in which we have a choice, to believe the lies of the devil or to believe the word of God, majority of the time, we believe the biggest deceiver, the devil himself, we want those lies to be true and we fall for it all the time. LET THIS BE A WARNING TO ALL OF US: one way or another, whether through sin or no sin, we all will finally believe in the Lord.
Martin Luther once said: ‘Miracles take place not because they are performed but because they are believed’
So how do we reset our belief system?
- Believing God helps you overcome the impossible
He is more capable to do more than we could ever ask, just think of one time in your life when you cannot begin to think how you got through it, you cannot doubt, you must put all your trust in God, believe in the written word of God.
What do you want God to do for you?
Turn with me to 1 Thess 2: 13-16
Because of this we also give thanks to God unceasingly, so that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you received not the word of men, but just as it truly is, the word of God, which also is at work in you who believe. For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus, because you suffered the same things from your fellow countrymen, just as also they did by the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are against all men, forbidding us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but the wrath of God has come upon them to the uttermost.
What does it mean to believe in the Bible?
Paul uses two words in verse 13 that we need to look at:
- You received the Word of God
Whether it was by hearing or reading, you received it.
- You accepted it as the Word of God, even though it was done by man
You listen to a message and not be changed by it, or you can welcome it into your heart, by believing it and in it to transform your life.
Paul goes on to say “ which is at work”
Wow. There is power in the Word of God, it is energized within us as we believe and allow it to rule over every area of our lives.
I know that life has not gotten easier, it has in fact gotten harder, we need to have the discipline to have daily time with God and His Word.
In verse 14, it means to believe the Bible, you must accept the opposition it brings.
Now here is the bad news: if you firmly believe in the Bible, you are going to have some strong enemies, Paul uses the name ‘countrymen’ which means the people closest to you, they will not share your faith at all. Are you ever told not to speak about your faith where you go? Did it not happen with Jesus?
Our deepest commitment should be to the Word of God, to preach it, to teach it, to proclaim it, not to man.
Believing in the Bible means accepting its judgement on society, the next couple of verses Paul mentions four ways that the Jews opposed the early Christians
- They killed Jesus and the prophets
- They drove the disciples out of Jerusalem
- They are hostile to all men
- They hinder the preaching of the gospel
You see, it is one thing to say: ‘that is not for me, but it is ok for you, and another to say: it is not for me and not for you either. There is something wrong if a person stops you from believing.
IF YOU PREFER TO GO TO HELL, IT IS YOUR CHOICE, BUT DON’T TRY TO TAKE OTHERS WITH YOU.
Come on, we all know someone like this, they will never come to a meeting but will say anything to stop you from going, they will not accept Christ but will mock you because of your faith. In verse 16 it tells us about the judgement of God on such people.
There is a line, a limit, a point of no return, if you cross over it then you will face God’s wrath, oh yes God is patient, however the day is coming when it will be too late…
SUPPOSE SOMEONE WERE TO ASK WHY YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN?
It is not enough to say, I believe in Jesus because he solves all my problems, we must BELIEVE as the message is from God and is therefore true.
People do not understand that we are all born into sin, have a sin nature and therefore need the forgiveness of Jesus our Lord and Saviour. Once a person decides to follow Jesus, he has made the choice to live for him, God’s wrath is real and for4 everyone who turns away from God.
Let us take an example, the room needs to be cooled down, so we adjust the air con, yet the room is still hot, it takes a while for it to become a lower temperature, the same with us, do we believe what God says, or people. If you believe in God’s Word, you are not worried or frustrated, you know He is in complete control and works all things to your good. Your thinking is set on His promises, on faith, on restoration, on healing, on victory. That is when God goes to work, He is faithful and just.
So you may need to adjust your temperature.
Do you believe God can turn your situation around?
Retrain your thinking: I can’t = I can, it won’t happen = it will happen
God has the final say…
The good news is that the Bible is true and when we believe it, God’s power is released in your life
The sad news is that those closest to us will often oppose our Christian faith.
The bad news is that God’s wrath comes upon those who reject His Word.
Chose to believe in Him today…Let us pray
