Epistle Of James
Battle Of The Time-Lapse | Standing Firm In Faith 07
[ Music ] >> Please, Holy Bibles, the first Corinthians chapter 16. Let's go to our foundation scripture and then we'll bounce forward to where we need to be today. We are doing a series called How to Stand Firm in Your Faith. Hallelujah. I'm sure you all had opportunity to do so. And the Apostle Paul, let's begin here. The Apostle Paul writes here and he says, "Watch. Stand fast in the faith. Be brave. Be strong." The new revised standard version says, "Keep alert. Stand firm in your faith. Be courageous and be strong." So we see the Apostle Paul saying, you know, "Watch. Keep alert." He says, "Stand firm. Stand fast." He says, "Be courageous. Be brave." Do you think he's trying to tell us something? Okay. You know, you only tell people this when there's a reason to be this way, when there are things coming against you. Today, what I want to do is look at another side of standing firm and that is patience. Now, last time we looked at scriptures to stand fast on, amen, and that you do need scriptures to stand on. You can't just stand on nothing. You have to, you know, you need to have the Word of God undergirding everything. Your faith is in God and His Word. And to have faith in God, you need to know what He said. Amen. You can't have faith in me unless I've said something to you. If I've said, okay, you've got a problem. I will meet that need. Then you go, okay. Pastor said he'll meet that need. So that's where your faith stands. And in the same way as God speaks to us, he gives us his word and he, you know, the reason why we can use this word regardless what age it is, because he never changes. What he said yesterday stands today, amen. And so we don't have to go and check and see if he still feels the same way. Hello, okay, we might change from day to day, but he stays the same every day. Hallelujah. So what he said back then still counts today. Praise God. So we just need to find out what he said and then stand on that. And this is where I think a lot of the problems begin. I've said here, you know, someone said that between amen and there it is. There's something called the battle of the time lapse. This is where most of the problems take place where people just give up, fall away, you know, just they've had enough standing. Let's just go do something else now. We'll do some sitting, no. But this is what you have to do as the Apostle Paul says. First of all, in 2 Corinthians 5, 7, he says, "For we walk by faith and not by sight." This is such a key verse family. I mean, I could preach weeks on this verse, but let me just say this. This verse tells us that when we're standing firm, we can't be persuaded by what we see or feel or anything out here. All right. He says that we stand. Notice again, he says, we walk by faith, not by sight. We stand firm when we walk by faith. This is the same place that the Apostle Paul also says in 2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verses 17 and 18. I'll catch up to myself in a minute. He says, and I want you to see this in light of what we've just read in 2 Corinthians 5, 7. He says, "For our light affliction," I always go to verse 18, but today I want to back up one verse. I want to start at verse 17. Notice, he says, "For our light affliction," you're going to have an affliction. It's going to be light compared to what is coming. In fact, he says here, "For our light affliction," which is but for a moment, don't make it a lifetime, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. All right, so compared to the weight of glory, notice there's a weight here. Okay, one's light and one's heavy. Our affliction isn't the heavy. Our affliction is light compared to the glory. That's the weighty thing. Amen. And I want you to notice, he says, "For our light affliction is but for a moment." If we allow it to be a moment, it will be a moment. If we want it to last a lifetime, well, you know, that's a choice we make. We need to be careful about what we say and how we conduct our lives between amen and there it is. Okay. As I said to you before, it's a time lapse, that time, unless the thing happens immediately, you got to wait. You know, and this is where a lot of problems begin because people have this wrong mentality that God can do anything. And so as soon as you say, amen, he should do it straight away. If he doesn't do it straight away, then it's not his will. Would you all get that? And so that's why I said, you know, we really need to be careful who you listen to, what you listen to, because if anything comes and takes your faith away from you, it will stop you from receiving the thing that God actually has your name on. Somebody said this to me once and I don't know if it's true or not, but, you know, it made an impression. They said that there are a lot of people when they get to heaven, there's going to be this warehouse of stuff with their name on it, and they're going to go, what is all of this, all the stuff that God had for you? And every time you believe or something, and then you quit halfway along the way and went to the warehouse, it couldn't be delivered because the person didn't take possession because their mouth rejected it. Somewhere they said, we'll look at that today. Let me get to that. Okay. So he says again here for our light affliction is but for a moment, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory while we do not look at the things that are seen. See, this is the whole problem. We look and then we persuade it, but see what the Apostle Paul says. He says, well, we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. What are the things that are not seen at the beginning? God's promises, the thing that says this will work out. The word that says I am with you. Amen. Wherever you go, I'm with you, regardless of what situation that you're facing, I'm there. I've got the provision and I'm not stingy. For God's soul of the world that he gave the useless little angel he could is not what he says. He gave his absolute best. He's only begotten son. If he's willing to do that family, then do you think that he's willing to do anything less after you get saved? Especially now that you're in the family. So he says again, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen watch, he says, for the things which are seen are temporary family. We really need to get a revelation of that. Whatever is going wrong in your life is temporary. It won't last forever. You know, the worst it can do is last till you die. It goes, well, that's forever. Is it no, no, forever is after that. You don't realize how much time is ahead of you. We have no idea. We have no concept of what a billion or six billion years is. We think our little hundred years down here, and if we make it to a hundred hallelujah, is all there is. And then you take a dirt nap. That's how some people think. And so let's get it done now. Let's be everything now. Because when you die, that's it. It's all finished. You enter into blackness. Well, actually something else happens after that. And if you ain't right, you're going to have problems with that. No, it's not that we take that and shove it down. People throw it either. We need to, you know, somebody was one of the courses I was doing was very interesting. One of these people said something. They said without grace and without love, you can take the good news and make it bad. And so we really need to watch out how we bring the good news to people, how we ministry to people. It needs to be done in love and in compassion. Amen. The only people that Jesus was upset with was religious people, but all the sinners, he had dinner with them. He hung around them. In fact, the Pharisees were upset about that. They complained to his disciples. You know, your master doesn't have very good taste. He's eating with sinners and hanging around with prostitutes. And I saw the woman at the well, that woman ain't married. She was about five times. No, she's going, why bother? And he spoke to her when our master crosses the road. And everybody sees one of those, hello. You know, we really need to learn how to present the good news in a way that is, what's the, what's the word? Enticing. Amen. Anyway, back to this. Understood. So this is some, again, things that I've seen are not seen. All right. Understand something that anything that is going on right now is temporary. Anything that is happening right now in your life is temporary. And you need to understand that in light of amen, to there it is. Whatever it is that you're believing for is more sure. Notice it says, but the things that are not seen are eternal, are unchangeable. They will last forever. Whether you believe it or not, they will last forever. When you believe it, it will work for you. Are you with me? But the thing is still there. You know, it's like the, the law of lift, it always existed. We just had to figure out how to work the thing. When people were jumping off a cliff and died, the law of lift was still working. They just didn't put it to use. Okay. They didn't know how to understand. Just that's why I said, you know, there is truth. If you jump off a cliff, you die, but then there's the truth that if you, you, you engage the law of lift, then you jump off a cliff. You don't die. You fly. Amen. So what's truth do you want? Do you want to jump and die? Truth or you want to jump and fly truth? I'm always looking for the jump and fly truth. Okay. I'm always looking for the thing that will allow me to cruise over all the canyons, all the problems. Hallelujah. I still got armor. Okay. Don't forget it's still there. Hallelujah. All right. So we're coming back to this now, you know, as much as you get your scriptures, like I said, you need to get the first part before I can talk to you about this. Remember, you've got your scriptures now. Remember that you are standing on God's word, you know, regardless of what your situation is. Are you all with me? All right. So you've, you've prayed the word of God. And now you are, you've finished with your amen. And what comes right after that may not be the answer. It will be, I don't know if that's going to work. The devil will come immediately try and steal this because he knows now, can I give you a revelation once you speak something, it goes into the atmosphere and it will start to work. That's why Jesus talked about you don't know when you plan to see, you don't know how the thing is going to grow, but it will grow. When you speak a word, God watches always a word to perform it, especially like I said, you're using scripture now. It's not just your stuff. Amen. You use scripture. So it's a word. It's a word of God. It has gone in. God is looking at it. The angel is starting to work on it. Now the devil is seeing all of that and going, whoops, I've got a problem. They are now believing for something. I need to, the only way he can stop it now is to get you to retract it. Did you, did you just get what I said? And so he will do everything he can using what you see, what you feel, what the economy says, anything and everything around you to try and get you to take back what you said. Now can I just say this, if you didn't say it in faith to begin with, go back and pray. Don't stand on a faithless prayer. Because some people have done that. Well, I can't do, you know, because I prayed, you know, and so now I can't say anything else. Well, did you pray in faith? Oh, well, mind if I had to be there. Well, if you don't know, can we pray again? Isn't that bad? No, because God never heard the first one. There's nothing to watch over to perform. Hey, man, you know, this is where Word of faith kind of went off the tracks a little bit. And like I said, we need to find the middle ground. Okay. All right. And that's why, you know, sometimes things don't happen. And then people on the outside go see that stuff doesn't work, yadda, yadda, yadda, and then God gets a black eye. So we don't want that to happen. So we pray by faith. We say amen. Then we must not look at the things that are seen. We must understand that the things that are seen are temporal. Whatever is in front of you now is changing and you need to allow the thing to change. Yeah, but you don't know what's involved. Who cares? Do you think God is bigger? So many people have laughed at God. Abraham and Sarah. And they had to name their kid laughter after that. God is away. Doesn't it? Isaac means laughter. Why? Because they're both laughed. When God is anything too hard for the Lord. Let me read my notes. In other words, not only do you have to pray in faith according to Mark 1124, but also you all know Mark 1124. Therefore I send you whatever things you ask. Yeah, or desire when you pray. Believe that you receive them. Okay, you should have them. All right. Anyway, not only do you have to pray in faith according to Mark 1124, but also not be moved by what you see and remain firm in your faith until the manifestation comes. This is what is often referred to as patient endurance. This is where so many people fail. Okay. Many people believe again that because again, see this is the same. I want to bring this back to you before I move on to the next scripture because they believe God can do anything. Then if it doesn't happen straight away, it's not God. They have no idea that Hebrews chapter 10 verse 35 says. Let's go there. Because they become disappointed, discouraged question God in his word walk away. They start working on plan B. All of this because they don't know Hebrews at 1035. That says costs not away or abandoned. Therefore your confidence. One translation says your confidence trust in the Lord. I think I could call that faith. Okay. Which he says has great recompense of reward, not just a little recompense, but great recompense of reward. But wait, we're 36 for the steak knives to go in. He says for you have need of patience. Now this is patient endurance that after you have done the will of God, not that you're still searching to see what else you need to do. Please see these words. Okay. After you've done it. Now if there's something else you need to do, well, do it. But after you've done it, once you've known, you've done the right thing, you've stood on the word, you are believing and receiving. You know, you've cleared your heart of any unforgiveness. Mark 1125 1126. We need to take those all into account as well. All right, if there's anything in your heart that you need to get right with God, get right with God with it and hurry up about it. Okay. Because you're the one that's saying, hurry up, Lord, and he's going, well, you hurry up. So many of the time God's waiting on us. He wants to do stuff and we're taking a long time. We want him to hurry up getting into us while he's saying I can't get it to you until you do this. So hurry up. So he says, well, you have need of patience or literal again, literally patient endurance that after you have done the will of God that you might receive the promise. And I like the new living translation. He says, it says all that God has promised. Praise God that you receive all that he has promised. Amen. Patient endurance. I think the body of Christ thinks those are dirty words. Okay. Where's the McDonald's version of this? You know, the Chukaburger, the drive pass and they throw your blessing at you. You pray at the front end and by the time you get to the next window, it's done. There it is. That should McDonald's should say amen at the front and go there it is at the back. But anyway, what we must do now is hold fast to our confession of faith and why Hebrews 4 14 says seeing then that we have a high priest, Hebrews 4 14, see seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens. Jesus, the Son of God led us all fast, our confession. I love the new living translation. It says, let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. Both of those are good. We need to hold fast to our confession and we need to cling to him and never stop trusting him. Are you all with me? Amen. Remember the game. We look down to the things that I've seen, but the things that are not seen, we see Jesus Christ. We need to look beyond our circumstances. We need to look beyond time and anything else that is getting in the way, anything that is concerning us, we need to look beyond that and understand that God's way is perfect. And if we're messing up some way, our way is imperfect. We need to fix our way. So it's perfect with God and he can do that for us. You know, he can get our way quote unquote perfect. How is that possible, 1 John 1 9, a lot? Every time you mess up, if you acknowledge us in his faith on the just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us of all and righteousness and put us back into perfect righteousness, which means totally sinless before God. I think that's incredible. Amen. That's where the last rites come from, you know, I mean, just, just, you know, you're that close to dropping dead and you, you, you 1 John 1 9 and you get in because God is faithful. You can't play games with God either. Like somebody said, I'll just wait until the last second, live my life like the devil down here. And then the last moment, oh, we got hit by a bus. He didn't have time to repeat, you know, don't play games. Amen. You know, if we all know that you're insincere, so does God who sees the hearts of people. Hello. And you may not be very sincere by the time you get to that point. So don't play games. Anyway, back to this, people are always looking for the loophole, you know, what can I do to get away with this? You know, pass the say is 1 John 1 9. So I'll do that. Don't don't do that stuff. Okay. But what a lot of people do is the exact opposite of this and then wonder why things aren't working out. Malachi is very clear about this and says that what we must not do is question God and complain against him. I'm going to go to Malachi chapter 3. I'll give you the heads up verses 13 and 14. And he says here again, don't complain against God like they did in his day. Because God says to everybody, listen to what God says. Your words have been harsh against me. Ouch. Says the Lord. This is the new King James. Yet you say, what have we spoken against you? Verse 14, you have said it is useless to serve God. What profit is it that we have kept his ordinances or obeyed his commands and that we have walked as mourners before the Lord, our hosts, the newling translation is very good here. He'd say showing the Lord almighty that we are sorry for our sins. He says, what's the point in doing all of that? Where's the profit? I've said here, this seems to be the chorus. Many people sing when things don't go their way within the timeframe that they think it should, but it is important to understand that there is a timing to everything as long as you have prayed in faith, remain in fellowship with God and trust him with all your heart and have done the will of God, then you need patient endurance. Very long sentence we play it later. I'm not going to leave you without one scripture. This is what we'll go on to next week. Ecclesiastes 3 1. We're going to look at something next week. God's time. I want to leave you with this first scripture where it says to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven, and I will add to that next week. There is a lot more. Just know that there is a timing. There is a season and we need to learn to recognize those timings and those seasons and flow with them instead of hitting up against them constantly. Hallelujah. Amen. All right. Anyway, let's have a read about it very close. So much more to come. Father, we just thank you today for your word and thank you, Lord. This this message may not be the easiest message to swallow, but I thank you father. It is one of the most powerful things we can learn. Father, if we learn to walk by faith and not by sight, if we begin to understand the timing of God and the seasons of God and father that we don't speak negatively along the way, that we don't retract what we have prayed over, what we have believed for, what you have promised in your word. And you never change. We can be sure of you and your promises. And Lord, you need to be sure of us. And our prayers that we don't retract and don't take them back and don't speak negatively after we've prayed. And help us father to stand firm in our faith. Help us to patiently endure through those times when the enemy just throws everything at us and cause tries to make us see what he wants us to see, not what you promised. So I just come against distractions right now in the name of Jesus. I just thank you father that we put all of our focus, our gaze on you, that we look at you, we keep our eyes on you and we thank you. We refuse to exalt the enemy, refuse to exalt the devil, we refuse to give him any glory. Hallelujah. We thank you Lord that we understand your majesty and your greatness. Is anything too hard for you? No. Hallelujah. And if God is for us, who can be against us? We thank you for all this in Jesus name. Amen. [MUSIC] [MUSIC]