Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Hope Against Hope

Hallelujah! Amen. A couple of quick announcements-the Alumni Night on Friday night-we'll be starting at seven o'clock. Wear your alumni shirt with the graduation year on it. We're going to have some refreshments, a good time of fellowship and games. We're going to have a number of different things taking place and then also recognizing the different accomplishments in the athletics this year for a sports banquet: food, good fellowship, and food, a lot of fun, and some food, and so it should be a good time. So we're looking forward to that.

We got a call from Chuck this morning. He said things are just going tremendously in St. Kitts and just wanted to thank everybody for their prayers. He said we actually found the ministry there in better shape than we were hoping, and that's great. Elston in these last few trips has really grown and imbibed, and taken it back, and the fruit is there.

Elston, he said, just stood in amazement the other night. You have to-any of you who have been to St. Kitts, I don't know that a lot of you have, knowing the culture, it's a lot of the same tendencies that they have in Africa with affluence. The people are very private, with a lot of gossip. They are very closed in their own personal lives, and they are seeing the need of body ministry that Elston has been bringing, and knowing the prayer that we have. As the folks were there sharing that this isn't a doctrine it's the way we live, many of their lives were touched and some of their testimonies said, "This is what we have to have, this is the gospel. It is not religion that we are wanting."

Chuck said that he took two or three runs and let the people know, "We're going to be here all week and we know that this is an off night service from seven o'clock to nine o'clock and then those of you who have to go can, but if anybody wants to stay we'll be here until you all are through." Elston, he said, just stood there grinning, as at eleven o'clock everybody was still there, praise God. Unheard of, he said, just unheard of.

The testimony of one of the men is, we come to services and we see each other and are friendly and whatever, but no one even talks to anybody else from the church through the week. Seeing them being knit together-it's some exciting things that are taking place, great, great things.

He was very positive on Elston's children, their growth in the Lord, their commitment to the ministry and some things that we had some concern with, and so just a good testimony. So keep praying. We are very, very excited about that.

A couple of things to share with you from Africa-this is a great e-mail from Charles. There are some things that we need you to pray about, though. [A young man of the fellowship] has run away from home, he has defected. He actually had to be marked in the fellowship. Things are looking somewhat better, some folks had run into him and he has already experiencing some very good pigpen experiences and many things that we are believing God just to really touch this young man's life. Charles and Rachel are standing strong and just trusting God so pray with them. These are very difficult things, as you can imagine, when your children are in this kind of condition. So we're looking forward to that.

He says,

"Today, Wednesday the twenty-second, I jogged with Rachel. We did a few physical exercises; our love for each other is growing each day; we thank God for this. [Oh baby! Great things have taken place in their life. They have always loved one another, but culturally, it just totally opposes everything that the Scripture teaches us. As they have begun to apply biblical principles and see the fruit, it has been such a great example to the flock and the ministry that is going on].

Two ladies, Senior Education Officers from Nairobi, attended our service and told me they were very blessed and challenged by the teachings. They came to ‘check us out.' Five Senior Education Officers from Kenya Institute of Education in Nairobi were visiting all non-formal education (NFE) centers in Kakamega. They were directed by the Provincial Adult Education Officer [these people love titles, man] who normally help us to register our kids for the KCPE as private candidates through her office. The officers are from the NFE Department of the Ministry of Education, which they said is still under the Ministry of Culture and Social Services. [He said all that to say these were official folks.]

They were very pleased, and actually impressed, by what they saw here both the spiritual, academic, and vocational aspects of our ministry. They said they have not seen anything like this before. They asked, ‘How did you do this?' We said, by the grace of God and the sacrifice of all the members here and abroad. One of them said, ‘Where did you get this idea?' I told him from God through our apostle. They shook their heads in amazement. They said the government has now recognized and accepted a more flexible and practical NFE program and are no longer against it as they are seeing the value of it now. They've worked on a primary level curriculum, taking six years instead of eight, which will include vocational training. They are now working on the secondary level curriculum to include vocational as well. They saw what we were doing and stood in amazement. They said we are so far beyond where they are. Thank God for Apostle and his visionary status. He sees far ahead of us.

They took the data, gave us their contacts, and said, ‘Can we come back and study you again as a sample and model as to how this is practically working?' I gave them two of Apostle's books on Prevailing Prayer and The Rapture, and also the Vanity tracts, a cup of tea, and blessed them in the name of Jesus. They said they would return.

So praise God, some great things that are taking place and we're excited about that.

Tony is in need of prayer; they're facing riots in their church. As you know, the last marriage that they had virtually bloodshed took place. They are now facing five marriages within a week. "Amen" and "Oh me," right? He says, "We are very grateful for all that you have done. Thank you for your quick response to my questions. We are in need of that wisdom at all times. I thank God for your counsel."

He wanted to know what to do concerning the potential riot every time these traditions are opposed and their idols are brought down. He said, "One thing you shared really hit home, many that profess themselves to be saved, how do they respond to the biblical methods that we're presenting that clearly oppose their traditions and tribalism? If they are truly God's they will see the wisdom and know the truth of what we are doing. It is by the fruit that we will be able to make this discernment. We will hold only to honor those who are ‘in the Lord.'"

There is that typical honor your parents, honor your parents. That is not what the Bible teaches. The honor of the parent, as you look at true biblical exegesis and the context of honoring your parents, was honoring covenant parents. It wasn't pagans; it was honoring those that are honoring God. That is where that principle comes from. It is so missed, and it is so secularized that for some reason there seems to be a thought that somehow parenthood in and of itself is honorable. Not if you are leading people the wrong way. So this is the thing that the Scripture speaks so clearly to.

He does respond and says, "We will honor those only who are ‘in the Lord.' The distinct uniqueness of that foundation and the method applied are what is building the Eldoret church. Thank you for reminding me that we are looking to the 300 and not all who call themselves believers."

I mentioned to him too, I said, there are those who are Christians, they are truly Christians, but they didn't all partake like the 300. Many of them were sent home and told, ‘we recognize you as part of us, but you can't do what we're doing here. This is for this group alone!" This is helping him a little bit in that area. "Thank you, Pastor, for helping us to glory in nothing but the cross. All the truths you shared are so straight to the heart of the matter with uncontaminated truth. These are very helpful; I will share them with all of our people and the pastors. Your spirit so often reminds me of Paul when he said in Galatians, ‘to whom we gave place by subjection, no not for one hour. Thank God for the stand for the pure gospel.'" "On the other side Busia had a tremendous Sunday ministry with 68 adults and 25 kids." That's the new church, can you said praise God for that?

We actually gave them their building. These people came to oppose us, had not been to see him for three years. Didn't put one dime toward the building, never helped him. They got word, of course, that he was going to be joining us, came and said they wanted that building. So we gave it to them because buildings aren't the church, amen? And we said, "Everybody who wants to stay with the building stay with the building, everybody who wants to go with the pastor goes with the pastor." And everybody came with the Pastor. So they have a building and no people, we have people and no building. Praise God.

We have rented a place there. God is moving and that testimony got out through the town. Because, see, everybody is about stealing from everybody else, that's what the whole thing is, they couldn't believe that somebody did that. And he says, and this is so obvious, too, "The mamas and mzee in the town are still talking about the ministry that came forth. New converts and coming and people are being added daily to the flock. They are experiencing true revival." Praise God for that, amen? You might as well give them something to talk about, but there will always be those, no matter what, that don't have anything good to say about you, so, praise God! We just keep doing what the Lord is telling us to do, amen? The one thing I've never had to worry about is being aware that all men would speak good of us. If you ever run into that get concerned.

Lets turn to Hebrews. We want to pick up where we left off in the session. Hold us up in prayer; we're battling whatever this is that has been going around here for awhile. Jumped on me-tried to start showing up this afternoon, so I'd appreciate your prayers and believe God for strengthening there.

Chapter 11 of Hebrews-talking about that rest that God has given us in this hour, the spirit of antichrist, this secret power of lawlessness that is manifesting itself. When the enemy comes in like a flood, God raises the standard up against him. We were talking about what that standard is. The corporate standard of course, is the church. He that now letteth us will let, the power of the Holy Spirit through the Body of Christ universal, holding at bay this power of sin.

We talked about the danger of getting outside the body. When you are outside, into that secular realm you're no-in any way you're no match for the devil out there and you will be overcome. We talked about that safety. That's why turning people over to Satan for the destruction of their flesh works. There's a safety in here when we unite together and we're holding up one another's hands and comforting with the same comfort wherewith we've been comforted.

We're talking now about that daily warfare. As children of light not letting once be named among us those things that bring a reproach on the gospel, the need to keep the purity here. We talked about Noah and the building of the ark and how God is preserving us here and each of us has to make the decision to get on board. One of these days, man, that door is closing. Amen? No one else can come.

We're to labor while it is day, because the night is coming when no man can work. So let's be busy out there about Father's business, let's be sharing the gospel, believing God to touch lives and freely we have received, freely give. Let's be diligent to love our brothers and sisters that are here and bring the reproof, and the rebuke, and the instruction. To be gentle, and to take heed, and to do it in the spirit of humility lest we're tempted, the Scripture says.

We're looking at all of these principles over these last couple of sessions. And it is all about preservation; it's about preparing us for this hour because in the last days many are going to depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. So we have to protect ourselves in our doctrine, in our living together. Our doctrine has to stay pure; our application has to stay pure. And it is going to take all of us working together. The way this is going to happen, of course, is by the continued renewing of our minds, because we're being attacked by that secret power of lawlessness, the antichrist spirit.

Now remember what that is, it's the spirit that is not just secular or evil, its in opposition to Christ. Where it would normally let things alone, if Jesus is involved it's going to attack it, it's going to oppose it. That is why all of the other religions are out there without all of the hassle that we as Christians go through. They'll wink at Islam; they'll wink at the different occultic practices, etc. But just name the name of Jesus and every power in the kingdom of darkness rises up.

We have got to prepare ourselves for that battle and to realize that our weapons are not carnal, they are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. We need to strengthen one another and prove ourselves in this weaponry, and then having done all to stand as the enemy will continually counterattack and come as a flood. But what do we do? We stand in rest because God is going to raise that standard against him.

Where does that come from? It comes by this power that we have talked about in the last couple of sessions, that force called faith, that sister force called hope, that power called patience. Faith, hope, patience: working by love. Let's talk about a couple of these different forces.

We were talking about Noah, and in the study we said that "By faith Noah, being warned by God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith" (Hebrews 11:7). Noah was warned of God of things not seen and was moved by fear.

Now in the context of the eleventh chapter, of course, we said just preceding this, that sixth verse, one of the most important verses that you will every learn and apply, "Without faith it is impossible to please God." You're not going to do it in your own strength. You are not going to do it by natural means. So we need to then begin to understand, "What is true biblical faith?" What is that? Faith is not diligently applying your own natural abilities and believing that somehow God will make up what is lacking in that to provide you victory.

Faith is the capacity to move out when you have no idea how this thing is going to work. You don't understand it, you don't see the resources, and in fact it absolutely looks impossible. We want to talk about that a little bit tonight. How we can hope against hope. Now, remember what hope is. We've given this definition over the years; hope is [what?] favorable expectation. Hope is favorable expectation. I am believing that what God has promised He is able to perform. Not only able, but those that come to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. God is not only able, He is not only willing-faith and hope says He has. You just haven't seen it yet, amen? It just hasn't manifested yet.

A man of faith, a man of hope, goes around and calls things that are not as though they were. And that is why people look at us very strangely; because we say, "We don't care what you're seeing, we don't care what these circumstances appear to be, God has said, and I am fully persuaded that what God has promised He will perform." And I begin to speak what God has spoken; I begin to move in the direction of what God has said, even though I've exhausted all of my natural resources.

One of the great indications of this, fishermen, seasoned many years, they're out fishing, the Master shows up on the seashore and He says, "Children, have you caught anything?" "No, we've toiled all night, we haven't caught one thing." "Well just cast your nets over here and bring in..." not a fish, the abundance. He does exceeding abundantly above all that we could ask or even think.

Now the natural mind-we sound so often like Peter. Now, stop and think, whatever your abilities are, whatever your experiences are-many of us have varied abilities, many of us have varied experiences of success. Most of us have been successful to a degree in certain areas that have us where we have been in life; we've all been able to make it. Through that process we begin to know what our skills are; we begin to know what are limitations are; we begin to know what to expect in any given situation-those of us who have had experience, that have been around for a while. But when none of that seems to be working and we hear, "I know you've toiled all night, and I don't know how many times you may have thrown your net in that exact spot, but I'm telling you right now, cast your net over there and bring in the drought." "Lord, we know how to fish, we've fished this area [what does the man of hope, what does the man of faith say?] But nevertheless at Your word." Amen?

Have you been able to get quiet enough to hear that word, or are you still busy with your own plans? How noisy, [listen to what I'm going to say] is all of that thought in dealing with the fear, "What are we going to do if this doesn't work?" "I don't know." It's all going down, we're going to lose them, we're going to lose the child, we're going to lose the business, we're going to lose our lives, and we're going to lose our health, whatever it is. All that noise that keeps you from hearing, "I will never leave you or forsake you, I will not leave you comfortless." What have you done to quiet yourself to be able to hear that voice? So often Father lets us exhaust ourselves and all of our resources before He moves in.

We just received word from Tony [not Pastor Tony] that the doctor said that very likely he's not going to be able to go another year. It's in these hours that God moves, amen? Just continue to believe with Tony, believe that God is going to heal those kidneys. They've expanded from a normal size to like four times their size. If you were wondering whether Tony was a miracle and he was pregnant, its not, it's the kidneys that are swelling in him. I'll just put that out so he doesn't have to listen to you saying, "Oh, Tony's getting a little fat here, he needs to start working out again." Believe God, and when you see him back with a 30-inch waist you'll know God has moved, amen? If you see me with a 30-inch waist you'll truly believe in miracles.

We call things that are not as though they were. The circumstances look worse, but God said by his stripes we are healed. Amen? We say what God says and we hope against hope. We quiet all that noise down about everything else that would exalt itself against the knowledge of God. We bring every thought into subjection to the obedience of Christ, the Scripture says.

But that takes discipline many times. It's easy to worry, it's easy to fear, it's easy to become anxious, but it takes discipline to sit down and to meditate upon the Word day and night; mutter it, say it over, and over, and over. Every time a thought rises, you pull it down in the name of Jesus. That's what it means to be fully persuaded, that's what it means to hope, against hope as Romans, Chapter 4 speaks.

"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen..." (Hebrews 11:7). It had never rained and God said, it's going to rain and I need you to build this ark. I'm going to save the world; I'm going to destroy man by a flood. Being opposed, mocked by his generation who had one ambition, and that was evil continually, very similar to this generation that we are living in. Just come down and pull up a chair and six-pack and make fun of Noah.

People look at us and they think that we're fools. We just read the letter from Kakamega, do you remember-they said, "You'll never stay as a Westerner in Kakamega, you can't have a church in Kakamega. You'll be run out of that town, lives threatened, every lie and manipulation, and it's still working. They came and they stood there a year ago and said, "You can't start this type of a program. We're going to shut you down, we're going to have you locked up," whatever it is. You stand up, and you speak the Word of God, and now they want to copy what you're doing, amen?

Ten times wiser, ten times wiser. "I don't want to eat the king's dainties, I don't want the king's wisdom. Just let me eat what I'm used to, the Word of God." Amen? "If I am ever not capable of doing ten times better than what you're able to produce, then I'll consider doing it your way." Then people manipulate circumstances and try to have you put under judgment, and have you destroyed. They will begin to made edicts, and they're going to say "man, we're going to throw you in the fire." You come and stand before it, and now you need to make a decision, are you going to compromise and bow your knee? You look them in the face and say, "I want to tell you something. My God is well able to deliver me, and even if He doesn't I'm not serving your gods!" Amen? They don't know what to do with folks like that.

Are you ready to make that stand in our generation? Are you ready to become one of these that God has put His hand on, His spirit within that can reach out and touch this remnant of folks that are out there, that all they are looking at is a bunch of mixed multitudes that are speaking half this language and half that language? Half world, half secular, half religious, but God is raising up a people that have a voice, that say, "This is the way, walk in it." God is raising up a people that are a light to a world in darkness. We are the light of the world; we are the salt of the earth. But we can only do it one way, they'll never be able to recognize us as distinct, absolutists if there is any compromise in us. The one thing you're going to see about the men in this eleventh chapter is there was no compromise. I'd rather die in faith than live in a reproach to God.

As the Scripture speaks and we see these that are being called, these great champions of the faith, Enoch, the great grandfather, translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him. He had this testimony, that he pleased God. You'll see that the Scripture says, "Enoch walked with God and was not." He walked with God, he pleased God.

I shared with you before, I went up Monday to the cemetery again-and by the way, if any of you are interested in some plots, the prices are going up next month. There's a section up there where a bunch of folks, all the pastors and deacons are. And the lady said, "Why don't you just send some more of your church people up here and buy these things." We're right across the street from the Muslims, man and we torment them constantly. So if anybody is interested you can call the office and get some information.

But it's a very-it's a strange thing, every time I go visit the graveside there and I walk up-it's a strange thing when I look at my headstone. I'm not in there. It's a very humbling thing because I look at that headstone and it says, "He walked with God." I conferred with Janet, "What do you think I ought to put on there?" We were-we're weird, man. We're picking out her casket and say, "Hey, this is cool." She and I together, designing the headstone and just having a good time, enjoying the presence of God and getting business taken care of.

We discussed some different things and I told her, "Here's what I want for you, this is who you are; the virtuous woman. What do you think I should put on my headstone?" We conversed for a while on that. She was actually the one that came up with this. "I can't think of anything that describes you better than this phrase: he walked with God. You just hung out with Him and you talked. Then, when Father gave you an assignment you just went and did the best you could do to pull the thing off."

I've shared with you that we talked about the two phrases, the other one was: "he pleased God." I said, "You know-my life, I just don't see it that way. But I'm so thankful for His grace, that He let me walk with Him, and fellowship with Him, and come into His presence."

It's not our behavior or our performance that pleases God-it's our trust. Amen? See, that's what He is trying to get to us here. All of these men had feet of clay, just like you and I. But these are a people that believed that God was able to take vessels of clay like you and I and put His glory in there and use it for His own purposes. A people that didn't trust in the natural heritage of their father, Adam, but now in the redemptive work of Jesus, proclaiming the finished work. A people that believed that God is and that He is a rewarder if we'll diligently seek Him.

Diligence, not giving up, that's what diligence is all about, you don't give up. The good man falls seven times and does what? Gets up, praise God. When you sin, you confess your sin and He is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Then you continually are strengthened, and you begin to grow, and you begin to take His image on. We're more like Him this year than we were last year, and yet the refining process is still taking place as we're becoming like Him. "For every man that has this hope in Him purifies himself even as he is pure."

We've been talking about trust and obey; we've been talking about hope in God. Verse 8 says, "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing wither he went." Are you ready to go not knowing what the outcome is going to be? So many of us want guarantees; we want assurances that it is all going to work out all right. You might die out there; are you ready to go if God calls you?

It may not come, it may not work out the way you think, it may have marked upon it some type of a temporal failure, but what appear to be temporal failures, many times in reality are eternal successes. Amen? Because they died in faith, not having received the promise, the Scripture says. Are you ready to go not knowing what the outcome is going to be, just because God called you, because God said?

We're being called into a time when everybody around us is wanting guarantees. Social Security-we want our portfolios guaranteed. We want health insurance benefits that are guaranteed by employers, the government or whatever it is. We're being raised as a people that have to see it, have it guaranteed, have an assurance that we're going to be protected, and everything opposes the walk of faith. Now, don't misunderstand what I'm saying. I'm not saying go out there and get rid of all this stuff. I'm saying don't trust in it, amen? Don't need it to obey God.

In the past we've had people that not even seeking people for our staff, but it is interesting; when young people get ready and they're going to graduate Bible colleges and stuff, and over the years we've received people sending us their resumes, preachers, young preachers. Here's their resume-and I used to really get a kick out of -this one kid came up to me and said, "Brother Scott, I'm so-and-so, and I'm an apostle." I said, "You are?" He said, "Yes." "I thought you just graduated college." He said, "Well yeah, but I'm an apostle, God called me and I'm an apostle." I said, "Where have you been? Apostle means sent; you stayed. You may be some day, but you are not now." It is not about titles, it is not about plans, it's not about ambition, it's about what we're doing for God, by God, at the moment-the fruit of our obedience.

Everything around us contributes to this dependence upon the secular, upon man. You would like to think as you sit in here right now, "Well that's not me, because I'm trusting God." This stuff is all going away, folks. I don't know exactly when, I don't know exactly how, but I know what the Scriptures teach. I know that the real financial powers and military powers are going to be Europe and China. Is it sounding familiar-the ten-nation confederacy of the Common Market, the King of the East? We hear people, jokingly, say today, and we hear it being said over and over, that all of the work now is being done by people that are coming over the border. There is a lot of truth to that. We are a generation of weak individuals living off the prosperity of our forefathers and think of ourselves far too highly.

Now, we're having that same thing, we're a people that have been vexed by the world. We've talked about it before, what do you need? How many of you are ready right now, if God speaks to you to just-some of you I know are not only ready, you're champing at the bit, but if God was to speak to you and say, "Okay, right now, I want you to sell everything you have; you're going to Tanzania." That's poorer than Kenya, so I just thought I'd give you something to think about. Are you ready? "Well, I have-Let me bury my Father first. I have stuff to take care of." The Master's response is "What have I done to you?"

Many of us think that we can cast that net in at the word of the Lord, "But it doesn't make any sense to just leave. I mean, you're talking about leaving without putting everything in order? Surely God wouldn't do that, it doesn't make sense to me, I don't understand; I don't know where that would lead me. I don't understand that." You think Abraham understood? Do you think Matthew understood when Jesus walked up to him at the table and said, "Follow me"? The guy walked away from his business. Lucrative, man; the dude was rolling in the dough and now he's broke.

Some of you right now, your heads are beginning to swim a little bit, your stomach is beginning to churn, and you're thinking, "Amen, Lord. Please don't do it. Yes, Lord. Lord, don't do it, please don't do it." Most likely you won't have to face anything like that. Everyone goes "Whew!" Are you ready? Really? What evidence is there? When is the last time you made a small decision to deny yourself and obey? The small ones as well as the great ones are made by grace and faith. "Well, see, I make all the small decisions in my own strength. It's through my intestinal fortitude, my diligence; it's through my natural resources." No, you can't take credit for anything that you've done correctly to this point. It's all by faith; it's all by grace. It's He that is working in us to will and to do His good pleasure.

What we're saying right now is begin to cultivate yourself in these areas. Move in obedience. Don't say in the little things, "Well, see, I can understand how this would work." If you're in control of your life, if you understand everything and you're very comfortable with where you are, you're probably not walking in faith. Faith is not being foolish, faith is not making reckless decisions, faith is not presumptuousness. Faith is being out of control and trusting God. Faith is not having to be in control, not having to know. Faith is pursuing and cultivating that ability to hear that still small voice. It's done in the Word of God. It's done by analyzing different areas in our own lives. Are you a tither? You, say, "Yes." Are you a cheerful giver? Ahh. "Well, you know, it's my obligation, God said I had to do it so I'm doing it." That's not faith; that is obedience, but it's not faith. Faith is the capacity to recognize the reality of natural tendencies to hold on to, to retain, to be fearful. Faith is the capacity, even though we have those natural tendencies to go on and begin to be worshipful, to begin to be prayerful, and to begin to say, "If this is a problem with me then I'm going to give more until this thing has no power over me. I'm going to give to where I'm no longer in control, to where I can no longer analyze it, control it, I can budget that ten percent."

We're looking at these different principles. Now, there again, I have to qualify this because some people really-I'm not saying, "Okay, now I've really kind of been tight and it has concerned me and so now I'm going to give ..." I'm talking about the heart attitude. I'm talking about whether it's being done by God, for God. It's being done cheerfully. I can worship Him in my giving, even though there is a natural tendency toward anxieties or whatever, because it's the Word of God. It's not only obedience, its worship; it's thankfulness for being able to obey. That is where faith comes in, that's where the hope begins to manifest itself of that expectation favorably expecting this thing to be in the realm of the spiritual, of the supernatural to where it pleases God.

Turn over to Romans 4 and we'll end with this for tonight. Romans, Chapter 4 says it so well. Verse 18, "Who against hope believed in hope." In other words, there is nothing in the natural that indicated there would be a favorable response, a favorable outcome. The Scripture says then, "Against all hope, he believed in hope." He didn't believe in hope, he believed in hope. Okay? In other words, belief and hope are two different things. He believed, fully persuaded. Believe is faith, believe is putting corresponding action to your understanding of God's word and promises. Belief is faith, assurance, reliance, trust, and we do that in hope. We believe in hope, knowing that there will be a favorable response. He that promised is able to perform. If there is no hope, there isn't true belief or trust. "Well I'm just going to believe God and it's going to go down the toilet." That's not favorable expectation unless you're the Tidy Bowl man or something. We have to-our belief is not without direction, without a promise. We're believing in God, we're believing in the promise, we're not believing in belief. We're not just people that are optimistic.

You'll find that the great men of faith that are spoken of here, most of them were pessimists-my kind of guys. I used to be a natural optimist until everything went wrong. But you will find that in the natural-you see, many people are just optimistic, "It's all going to work out." How? Don't just tell me it's going to work out; how is it going to work out? Give me a Scripture; amen? "Don't worry, it's all going to work out." That isn't getting it for me. I've seen too many people say it's all going to work out and guess what? It doesn't work out without a plan, without a promise, without a course, without God having said, "This is the way, walk in it." Now, I can hope with that. But the natural circumstances may cause a natural hopelessness. You see, many-you are not moving in faith if you just think it's all going to work out. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

Abraham, going not knowing where he went, doesn't say he didn't know by whom he was sent. He didn't know where he went, but he knew who sent him, amen? His trust was in the One that sent him. Our hope is in God. Those that come to Him must believe that He is and that He is a [say it] rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. Don't trust in formulas; don't trust in certain spiritual concepts, trust in God. Don't learn about God; know God. The Scriptures are not to teach us about God, it doesn't teach us about God. The Scriptures are alive and powerful; the Scriptures are what bring us into the communion with God, the fellowship with God.

We don't know about God, we know God, amen? Those are the things that He is calling us to here. With Abraham, let's end with this for this evening, "Who against hope believed in hope, 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, [I don't want to get too far into this right now because of time, but you see, Abraham's body now had diminished. As long as Abraham's body was functional, he was able to cope with Sara's deadness, and with counsel, and believing that God would have other methods, as we know, got him into the Hagar fiasco, and Ishmael, and so many times in our lives God has to bring us to the diminishing of all resources. Not only was Sara's womb dead now, Abraham's body has now diminished. He considered not his own body] when he was about an hundred years old, neither the deadness of Sara's womb: [I love this passage] and he staggered not at the promise of God" (Romans 4:18-20). That word "staggered" is a very interesting word. It really means to judge between two things or to be double-minded. He was not double-minded; the double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways, the Scripture tells us.

We'll end with this for tonight. Are you so brainwashing yourself that you never consider the other sources: the world never enters it, you don't even think about it? "Well, I never even thought of that." It's the one thing-I didn't read all of Tony's letter, but it's the one thing he was speaking toward. He said, "I'm just so thankful that you never give place to even considering the natural way out. It's so refreshing when we get the counsel, because you're in the midst of this and you're thinking, "Well, maybe if we do this maybe it will take a little heat off of us, or if we do this, it's not a compromise of biblical principles, and maybe it's just a more palatable way to do it." He was just saying, "You don't ever think that way, you just think down the middle, man." He said, "It's so refreshing, and it keeps us on course."

Are you staggering at the promises of God? Can you make them better? Do you think that by somehow manipulating them and putting syrup on it will make it more palatable? The kingdom of darkness hates the kingdom of light. They will always say all manner of evil against you. You are not going to have fellowship with mammon, amen? So why try, why even consider it? Faith lets your yea be yea and your nay be nay. Faith calls what God calls truth-calls things that are not in the eyes of others, the things that are not in any way seemingly possible-as though they were. Faith stands up when they're surrounded by a million other people and says, "There's more for us than there are for you, praise God, and there's only two of you. People look at you and go, "You're whacked, man." But we see something they don't see; we see the chariots of fire on the mountaintop, amen? Our God is able to deliver us.

Where are you today in your planning? Where are you today in the long run? What are you-how do you see the future; do you know where you're going? Then you're not in faith. I don't have a clue what I'm doing tomorrow, next month. I don't have a clue; I don't know that I'm not going to be in China, or Africa or someplace else. I'm excited. Just like God says, man, just let that whirlwind come down and grab me and pick me up and take me somewhere else and dump me wherever you want. I don't have any plans except to be about Father's business, to trust Him. I just want to encourage us as we're being rocked to sleep by a world that assures us "Big Brother is going to take care of us. It's for your good."

Did you know those little things they want to implant in you now to know where you are at all times, and your children? They're doing them for our dogs now; in case somebody dognaps Fido you'll be able to know where he is at all times. "Dear God, you keep bringing him back; I was trying to get ride of him, man."

We've talked to you about what they were saying in the same-sex marriage thing, this is a quote, "This is too important for the people to decide, we know what's best for them." We have a whole generation just walking around believing that a few people that are elitists in their own minds know what is best for everybody. They build straw men, and they tell you they're going to take care of you. If you stop and look at reality, Social Security is bankrupt, and dear God, if we count on this generation to take care of us they'll enact using euthanasia in a moment, man, to keep their plasma TV's. Do you think they're going to forego a plasma TV to keep your old hide around? There is no way this generation is going to lose their comfort to keep you around. Dear God, if every old codger over thirty-five has to be killed, so be it. That's where we're living today. What are you trusting in?

We want to encourage you to begin to create now a trust in God. Don't look-we think we're not, but you're trusting-some of you are trusting in the false equity in your homes. Some of you are trusting in credit cards. Some of you are trusting in this nation's power. It's a straw man. Some trust in horses and some in chariots, but we trust in the Lord our God. Don't be lied to. Don't be weakened, begin to exercise your strength. Don't use all of these resources that make you weak. Strengthen yourself and trust in God so that when everything looks hopeless you have the capacity to hope, amen? That's what God wants in our lives.

Father, we thank You for Your word tonight and we just ask that You would strengthen us that You might be glorified. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Just turn to somebody next to you and say, "It's time to hope," praise God. Amen. Go in peace, God's love go with you.

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