Welcome once again to Faith
Chapel. My name is Gordon Arruda
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I'm the head elder at the
Roseville Seventh-Day Adventist
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church in Sacramento. Today's
topic is one that I think is
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worthy to be mentioned and its
called genuine faith. Why do I
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mention genuine faith? Its
because there's many kinds of
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faith out there in the world
today. Even people who go to
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church who claim to be
Christians they have a faith
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they say they believe in God but
is it biblical genuine faith?
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Before we get into this study
I'm going to ask God's blessings
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to be upon this study as we open
His word. Lets bow our heads for
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a word of prayer. Our Father
in heaven it is only through
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the Holy Spirit that your word
becomes clear it is only through
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personal presences of Jesus that
we can understand and so Jesus
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dwell in the hearts of all
the listeners today. Empower us
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with insight so that we
might behold and believe.
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And thank you for this
opportunity to share with those
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who hunger and thirst after Your
righteousness. Be with us now
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and our efforts we
ask in Your name. Amen.
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To begin this study lets
turn to the gospel of John 14
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This is a fascinating teaching
and statement by our Lord
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He says the reason why
individuals cannot receive the
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Holy Spirit is because they do
not behold and they do not see
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the glory of God. You see to
understand the character of God
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is to know Him and to believe
upon Him and when faith has
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taken hold it opens up to the
Spirit that comes to represent
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the very love and the very God
of whom they've come to believe.
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That's the missing ingredient
here is people do not receive
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the true Holy Spirit because
they do not believe or behold
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the one who gives it. In order
for the Holy Spirit to truly
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open the heart one must believe
that God is that good and that
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purposeful in His plan for you.
The Holy Spirit endeavors to
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reveal to us the love of Jesus
Christ. Tenderizing the heart
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and making it ready to receive
the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
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Until the revelation of God
explodes in our hearts until
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it is made clear, something only
the Holy Spirit can do, faith
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will not take hold and
when faith cannot take hold
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we cannot receive the
Spirit either. Genuine faith
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receives the Holy Spirit because
genuine faith is based upon the
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truth of God and the Spirit has
come to represent and reveal God
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Genuine faith is so powerful
because it never asks what can I
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do it will only now what God can
do and puts our trust in that
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reality and that fact and
so this thing of beholding
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and believing is not something
of merely gazing upon something
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of idle curiosity it is
something that arrests our
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attention and grabs our hearts
and opens our mouth and says
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can this be true? Does God love
me this much that He would go
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through what He went through
and give up what He gave up
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to reach me? Oh brothers and
sisters this kind of faith that
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beholds and believes is the kind
of faith that will receive that
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testimony and that life within
your heart. The first thing that
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the scripture brings out is that
genuine faith receives the Holy
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Spirit and genuine faith
puts no confidence in the flesh.
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Another thing that genuine
faith does is bring conviction.
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Lets turn to 1 John 4:16
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One of the powerful elements
of genuine faith is it believes
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that God truly loves you.
This love is so powerful and
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overwhelming it has the ability
to turn and over power a human
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heart a sinner seeped in
darkness and self and transform
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him to a God centered human
being. The belief that God loves
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us is not based on fantasy,
is not based on wishful thinking
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but its based on the solid
evidence of the gospel of Jesus
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Christ that it is brought to us
by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit
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drives deep into our hearts
and helps us to see that all the
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activities of Jesus Christ all
the activities and the humbling
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and the turmoil and the toil He
went through is because He loved
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you. When such faith
beholds the person of Christ and
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realizes this is who the God
of heaven is this is the God who
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loved me this is the God
who sacrifices for me, when we
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believe this to be true it has a
transforming effect in our life
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we will never be the same. This
faith cannot be intellectual
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and it cannot originate in our
thinking remember the scripture
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that says, and to know the
love of Christ which surpasses
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knowledge, and so this
faith goes beyond human thinking
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is because it didn't
originate with human philosophy
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and so the Holy Spirit now
teaches us the depth and the
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width and the breath and
the length of the love of God.
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As He fills it for us. When
faith embarrasses this truth
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nothing else matters, our life
will be transformed and nothing
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will ever be the same. This
is what Satan doesn't want us to
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know once a soul is grounded
into belief that God loves them
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and that God puts such a value
on us that He gave His only son
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nothing now can stop us.
We welcome the Holy Spirit we
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welcome His judgments
we welcome His work and His
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insights and His truth we
welcome everything that He
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wants to do. Why? Because He
loves us. Genuine faith believes
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that God loves you.
Another element of genuine faith
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is found in the
gospel of John chapter 16
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This scripture clearly shows
us genuine faith embarrasses
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the Holy Spirit and what
the Holy Spirit comes to bring
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in conviction. The conviction
that He brings is the conviction
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concerning sin righteousness
and judgment. If there is an
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experience religiously speaking
that does not bring and come
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with these convictions chances
are its not brought about or
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prompted by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus clearly said that these
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convictions are absolutely
necessary to convict the heart
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of its condition and to
receive Him as Lord and Savior
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The conviction of sin here
is the conviction of unbelief.
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When all the evidence of
scripture of the Holy Spirit of
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personal witness and
testimony has been presented and
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individuals harden there hearts
to the gospel that hardening
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will darken their souls and only
further entrench them in their
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ways. Their hearts will have
even more access to the realm of
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darkness and to Satan and
his temptations rejecting the
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gospel is a serious issue. It is
the only way that God can save
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you. It is rejection of God
himself and everything He is
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We are essentially saying
we do not care if you love us
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we do not care what you
did for us, we don't need you
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and we don't need your
truth we want to be who we are.
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That rejection is called
unbelief. It hardens the heart
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and it darkens the mind. This
is a very similar situation to
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what happened to many of
the Jewish leaders after the
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resurrection when He ascended
into heaven. Steven gave
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a pointed testimony of
their history and there current
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condition. They were so enraged
their minds were completely
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darkened and their hearts
were hardened cause of unbelief
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The Holy Spirit has come
to convict us of the danger
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of unbelief and to turn us
around and provoke us to belief
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this is the first thing that
the Holy Spirit convicts us of
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is our unbelieving hearts
and the hardness of our hearts
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Jesus also said when He
comes that He will convict the
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world of righteousness this
is because He said I go to the
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Father. Jesus is no longer with
us in the flesh. While He walked
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with the disciples He constantly
showed them what constituted
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true righteousness. He pointed
to peoples hearts so that they
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could see their need of
salvation. True righteousness
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was revealed and practiced
by Christ but it was also taught
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and pointed out in His teachings
Jesus was constantly revealing
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the righteousness of God
and bringing the conviction of
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righteousness to His hearers and
to His followers. But when Jesus
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has left who will take His place
this is where the Holy Spirit
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now comes to fill the void that
happened when Jesus went back to
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heaven. The Holy Spirit
faithfully takes up the same
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witness of Jesus Christ
and bares out the righteousness
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of God and points us the way of
righteousness when He abides in
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the heart. The conviction of
righteousness that it is so much
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higher than any human
achievement that it is a quality
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that resides in the heart of God
and Him alone. This conviction
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brings humility to the soul and
opens the eyes to see how much
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we need the God of heaven and
the provision of salvation He
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offers last but not least
is the conviction of judgment.
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The judgment here that Jesus is
talking about is the judgment of
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the world. And the judgment of
Satan because he has been cast
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out. People in the world do
not see this perspective. Many
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people don't even believe
there's a devil. But for those
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who do they see the
devil as a very formidable foe.
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This is why many movies
that portray the devil have a
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horrifying affect on people
because they feel the power of
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evil, they fear it and they
believe that it is encompassing
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but with the crucifixion of
Jesus as He died for our sins
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as He revealed the perfect
and pure character of God and
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His system and government
of love conviction revealed to
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those who beheld the
crucifixion that God was the
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God of love and Satan was a
liar from the beginning. When we
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beholding the gospel through
the power of the Holy Spirit
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we also see in our convicted
that Satan is a defeated foe
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He now longer has any power for
those who believe. We now longer
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think that his kingdom
will go on forever. We no longer
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believe his kingdom has a future
we believe exactly what it says
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in the word that the god of the
world, Satan, has been cast out
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he has faced the judgment
and he has lost. Praise God
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that through faith we can know
that Satan is a defeated foe.
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In the struggles that we go
through in life, the struggle
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with faith the struggle to
believe the struggle to live our
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life in submission to the Holy
Spirit we can always have the
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assurance and the conviction
that Satan is defeated and he
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has been cast out to the carnal
eye this does not seem to be the
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case. We see the works of Satan
all over the world through wars
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and through famines, hatred, and
prejudices, brother rising up
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against brother, nation against
nation, where does it end?
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And to the eye it seems that
it is only evil that pervades in
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the world but faith helps us
see past that and knows that the
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end of all things are near.
Jesus has brought the truth to
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our hearts as well as His
kingdom and has cast out the
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evil one and judged him for
eternity. Faith now through the
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power of the Holy Spirit genuine
faith brings the conviction of
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sin, righteousness, and
judgment. These three elements
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need to be together for the
faith to be genuine. Moving on
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the next thing that
genuine faith does is that faith
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enters into rest. Lets
turn to the book of Hebrews 4
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This is probably one of the most
profound activities of genuine
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faith. The process in which
a believer learns to enter into
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rest and to place his heart his
mind and his life sourly in the
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hands of Jesus Christ. When
we enter into rest we learn to
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to give up the works of the
flesh also for righteousness
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and hypocrisy. You see there's
two things Satan tempts us with
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He can tempt us to sin or
he can tempt us to be good.
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Its the flip side of the
same coin because on both self
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is at the center. When we sin
of course we encore judgment of
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righteousness but when we
do good but only in the name of
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self when self is in the center
of it, it does something very
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dangerous. It builds up
self righteousness and pride
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and spiritual arrogance. Many
people because they know a lot
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about the Bible are very
prideful about their knowledge
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this is not what God had in mind
the word was supposed to lead
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us to the truth in Jesus
Christ but instead we accumulate
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the knowledge in order to make
ourselves look better. This is
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not what faith is supposed to
do. Many people who purport to
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half faith. Really only
have a head knowledge of faith
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similar to what it says in
another portion of scripture
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the devils also believe and
tremble. Such a faith is not
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genuine. That's why genuine
faith enters into rest. The
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process of entering to rest is
also the process of letting go
00:17:26.33\00:17:30.01
of self. Rest by its very nature
means letting go of work and
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relaxing and resting. Where does
faith lead us to rest in? That
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only can be to rest in Jesus
Christ. He is the one who offers
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us rest He is the one that will
give us rest and He is the one
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that will sanctify us in
our rest. And so the Holy Spirit
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never tries to provoke an
individual to try to use his
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human energies to produce a
righteous life. Faith does not
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motivate self Faith trusts in
God and God then resurrects the
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heart and motivates the heart
and empowers it. Faith will
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always lead us to trust
ourselves even our works in the
hand of Jesus Christ.
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this is the process of
sanctification that quite
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frankly escapes many people.
Some people are under the belief
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that Christ forgives me and
now as I ask the Holy Spirit to
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empower me I'm going to live
righteously. Faith leads you
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to give up the works of
the flesh and leads us to
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rest and abide in Jesus Christ.
From this place of deep trusting
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in Jesus the Holy Spirit is now
given freedom to act and work
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in ways He could not before when
we try to be righteous on our
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own. We interrupt and obstruct
the work of the Holy Spirit
00:18:57.83\00:19:01.42
The Holy Spirit is not
going to bare witness to our own
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righteousness, He's not going
to bare witness to our pride
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He's not going to reinforce
spiritual arrogance and so
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the way in which He deals
with pride and deals with self
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righteousness is through us
entering into rest which is a
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deep trust in abiding in
Christ alone. There we confess
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and there we realize and
know that our works mean nothing
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that is only the working
of Jesus Christ as He empowers
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the heart something beautiful
will happen and that is the
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works that we do now come
from a heart that had been
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sanctified by Him. They do not
come from a heart that's trying
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to establish ones own
righteousness. The only way we
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can get rid of and
separate ourselves from self
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righteousness into truly
righteous acts is by entering
into rest. True faith
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leads us there. Faith will
always lead us to a trusting
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and dependant relationship
with Jesus Christ. And finally
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the last thing that genuine
faith does is it produces
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genuine works. Lets
turn to the book of James 2
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Martin Luther as some of you may
know had difficulty excepting
00:21:06.26\00:21:10.99
the book of James in Canaanite
scripture because it appeared to
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contradict his contention
that righteousness was by faith
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alone apart from works.
Indeed Paul says such a thing in
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his apostles but there is no
contradiction in the word of God
00:21:25.15\00:21:29.78
and there is no contradiction
here. James was railing against
00:21:29.81\00:21:34.64
workless faith and Martin Luther
was railing against faithless
00:21:34.67\00:21:41.30
works. They both have a place
and they both are intricately
00:21:41.33\00:21:46.20
tied together. Genuine
faith does work, genuine faith
00:21:46.23\00:21:51.35
does result in manifesting the
works and the doings of Jesus
00:21:51.38\00:21:57.60
Christ. But remember why
this works happen and who is the
00:21:57.63\00:22:01.77
originator of them. It is Christ
working in the heart. We can
00:22:01.80\00:22:07.39
only be assured that the works
that we do are a produced of the
00:22:07.42\00:22:12.48
grace of Jesus Christ renewing
our hearts is when we give up
00:22:12.51\00:22:16.74
our works as it says in Hebrews
4 and rest in Jesus Christ and
00:22:16.77\00:22:23.08
depend on Him to do the work
He has promised to do in the new
00:22:23.11\00:22:27.80
covenant from that renewed
heart comes forth an energy new
00:22:27.83\00:22:33.83
aspirations new desires that
the Holy Spirit Himself plants
00:22:33.86\00:22:38.26
there. Those feelings and new
aspirations to do good and to
00:22:38.29\00:22:42.54
bless are the very inklings
and impulses of Christ Himself.
00:22:42.57\00:22:47.88
It is from these impulses and
from these desires and yearnings
00:22:47.91\00:22:52.54
now to be a blessing to give
rather than receive that are
00:22:52.57\00:22:57.98
constituted the works of faith.
It has been said that faith
00:22:58.01\00:23:03.64
produces works. I'd like to say
that its faith that trusts in
00:23:03.67\00:23:09.81
the works of Jesus and that will
produce the works that will be
00:23:09.84\00:23:14.29
consistent with the faith
that we profess. It is only such
00:23:14.32\00:23:18.37
works that truly give genuiness
and authenticity to the
00:23:18.38\00:23:22.30
witness that we claim to believe
When people see our generosity
00:23:22.33\00:23:27.56
when people see the willingness
to give and to help even when it
00:23:27.59\00:23:33.10
does not give us recognition
or credit but comes from a pure
00:23:33.13\00:23:37.76
heart of love that can only be
from the heart of Jesus Christ
00:23:37.79\00:23:41.69
then people know that the faith
is genuine. Isn't this what God
00:23:41.72\00:23:46.33
wants? God does not want the
right hand knowing what the left
00:23:46.34\00:23:50.00
hand is doing. God wants
our works to be pure and Holy.
00:23:50.03\00:23:55.02
There are two places in
scripture one in Revelation and
00:23:55.05\00:23:58.63
one in Isaiah that describes the
righteous works of the saints
00:23:58.66\00:24:02.17
the one in Revelation describes
the works of the saints as a
00:24:02.20\00:24:06.40
pure and white garment
that is given for them to wear.
00:24:06.41\00:24:10.44
Quoting it says for they are
the righteous acts of the saints
00:24:10.45\00:24:13.98
but then in Isaiah it talks
about a garment of filthy rags
00:24:13.99\00:24:19.23
that represent the good works of
the saints. You have good works
00:24:19.26\00:24:23.78
in Isaiah and you have
good works, righteous works in
00:24:23.81\00:24:26.80
Revelation but one is a filthy
garment, the other one is a
00:24:26.83\00:24:31.00
righteous garment Holy and
pure and clean. What makes the
00:24:31.03\00:24:35.00
difference? Its when Jesus
Christ is the originator and the
00:24:35.03\00:24:39.15
actuator of the works because
now our souls have received the
00:24:39.18\00:24:44.81
heart of Christ and allow
that to reign therein with the
00:24:44.84\00:24:49.11
reigning heart of Christ
it provokes you to the works
00:24:49.14\00:24:52.93
that He desires to do. A
heart of love a motive of love
00:24:52.96\00:24:58.25
a labor of love. When we do not
enter into rest but try to work
00:24:58.28\00:25:04.95
out our own works try to
be good try to be righteous
00:25:04.98\00:25:09.73
try to show or to prove to
people that we do have faith
00:25:09.76\00:25:13.47
that is not genuine faith. Faith
causes us to abide and rest in
00:25:13.50\00:25:20.91
Christ so that the works that
come from that heart are genuine
00:25:20.94\00:25:25.70
and truly reflect the heart
of the father now have you ever
00:25:25.73\00:25:32.31
noticed individuals who are very
active in the church and they do
00:25:32.34\00:25:37.62
a lot of good things but say
somebody this shouldn't happen
00:25:37.65\00:25:43.00
but it does, says something of
a criticism against that person
00:25:43.03\00:25:47.52
and that person now hears of
it. If the works in the ministry
00:25:47.55\00:25:54.82
that one does is generated by
Christ working deep in the heart
00:25:54.85\00:25:58.97
we will take no offence because
of the criticisms of others
00:25:59.00\00:26:03.57
it is because of pride when
we take pride in what we do when
00:26:03.60\00:26:10.37
we take pride in the good things
we do that we're so subjected
00:26:10.40\00:26:14.64
to the criticisms of others it
is pride that responds to that.
00:26:14.67\00:26:18.95
God doesn't want our works
to be a product of our self
00:26:18.98\00:26:22.90
righteousness and pride He wants
good works but He knows that the
00:26:22.93\00:26:26.55
only works that truly bring
a true witness and a true glory
00:26:26.58\00:26:31.49
and honor to Him are the works
that He Himself inspires and
00:26:31.52\00:26:36.22
does in the heart and so genuine
faith works genuine faith
00:26:36.25\00:26:43.24
reveals the life of Christ in
solid identifiable acts of love.
00:26:43.27\00:26:50.38
and charity. Isn't this
demonstrative to the heart of
00:26:50.41\00:26:56.01
God and His generosity? Isn't
this exactly what God is looking
00:26:56.04\00:27:00.00
for in His people? Works
that truly reveal Him and His
00:27:00.03\00:27:06.00
character? Oh I can't tell
you how much God is looking for
00:27:06.03\00:27:10.01
people who can do the works
of Jesus Christ without taking
00:27:10.04\00:27:13.76
pride in it. Faith allows us to
do that because faith brings us
00:27:13.79\00:27:19.40
into rest and trust in Jesus
Christ and in Him alone and when
00:27:19.43\00:27:23.99
the works come forth from that
heart sanctified by His graces
00:27:24.02\00:27:27.51
in our works that we will never
take credit for and we shouldn't
00:27:27.54\00:27:32.05
The only time works come into
play is if its to glorify and
00:27:32.08\00:27:38.00
honor God or if its for the
blessing of another. It is never
00:27:38.03\00:27:42.67
about us, its never about
us to look good and the only
00:27:42.70\00:27:46.69
way we can separate and
get pride out of what we do
00:27:46.72\00:27:48.58
is by fully trusting in
Jesus Christ. Thank you so much
00:27:48.61\00:27:54.57
God bless you.
00:27:54.58\00:27:56.92