Carter Conlon from the historic Times Square Church in New York City. Without faith, it's impossible to please Him. Impossible. Go to church seven times a week. Clap your hands until they're red and raw.
Sing until your voice is hoarse. But without faith, it's impossible to please Him. Welcome to A Call to the Nation with Carter Conlon. In Hebrews chapter 11, we find many living examples of faith and prayer displayed throughout the Bible. Trust and obey, focusing on assurance that is not seen. The other people mentioned in this chapter lived by faith until they died. God had planned something far better for them, which would result in perfection. If you choose to walk with God by faith, you too will leave a testimony behind you to be remembered and cherished after you have left this earth. Let's join Carter now. I want to share thoughts on faith and prayer, and I think you're feeling what I'm feeling in my heart. The Lord God is calling us to something deep. It's a very, very dark time that you and I are now living in, and it's not going to be won by an argument. It's going to be won by the presence of God being realized in your life and in my life. It's going to be won by you and I getting up and laying hold of the full inheritance that Christ died to give us. Of not being ashamed of what he's called us to be or what he's called us to do, not being afraid that it's not going to be able to be accomplished because we're looking away from ourselves in totality and we're looking to him to do what only he can do.
Let that be the cry of your heart. You see, you don't really know what faith is until you have actually stepped into that place of saying, Lord, here am I, send me. Take my life and whatever you want to do with it, I invite you to do with it and let your name be glorified through me. Hebrews chapter 11.
I'm just going to scan a few of the verses in the book of Hebrews chapter 11. Father, I thank you, Lord, for quickening your word and making it alive to our hearts. God, you are calling us as your people to something so much deeper than we've known. You're calling us, Lord, to glorify you by letting you glorify your own name through us. Lord Jesus Christ, we yield to you.
We give place to you in our hearts and in our lives. And we ask you, Lord, to plant deep within us an abiding trust in every promise you've ever made to us. Help us, Lord, not to turn back because of unbelief. Help us to go forward, Lord God, especially now at this time. And we ask it in Jesus name. Hebrews chapter 11, verse one. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it, the elders obtained a good testimony. In other words, there have been many, many have gone before us who laid hold of God by faith. I've walked with God in this way since I was about 24 years of age.
And I'm more excited now than I've ever been in my lifetime. I have less physical strength than I've ever had, but that doesn't matter because I've never been of any consequence anyway. When God calls through a door, you go through the door, he provides the strength, he gives the wisdom, he does what only he can do. And I've lived a life of just watching him do one thing after another, never having to put my hand to the plow in the sense of trying to create my own path, but just going through every door that he opens.
I thank God for it. It makes it easy in that sense. His will is not a needle in the haystack that we spend our lives trying to find. We just walk with him and where he walks, we go. Whatever door he goes through, we go through it. Whatever he says he wants to do through us, we simply agree with him.
It's no more difficult than that. By faith, verse three, we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God so that things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. In other words, the essence, the foundation of faith is understanding that God makes things out of nothing. That's where faith finds its foundation. That's where my hope is. That's where your hope is. I might have nothing in my life in the area in which he calls me to honor his name and he looks at me and says, That's exactly what I need.
Nothing. And I'm going to make something where nothing is. And the testimony will not be of you. It will be of me.
I'm going to put a song where you don't have a song. I'm going to give you freedom when you can't get out in your own strength. I'm going to give you strength where you're the weakest in your life. I'm going to call you to do what you're the least able to do.
By faith, we understand the worlds were framed by the word of God so that things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. So don't look in your resume. Put it away. God does not need your resume. He does not.
Go ahead and clap. He doesn't need it. Thank God he doesn't need it. Doesn't need your abilities. Doesn't need your lack of ability.
Doesn't need any of it. He's God. He will do what he wants to do.
All he needs from you is a heart. This is your mind, Lord. Glorify your name. Glorify your name through my life.
However you choose to do that. God Almighty. And you'd be amazed where it's going to lead you. When I went to an altar and when I was about 26 in a small Pentecostal church yielding my life to him in a service one day, I never would dream that I would ever be on a platform in New York City or traveling through parts of the world and God just keeps opening doors everywhere.
I never would have dreamt. Just giving him the little bit that I had. I had less than nothing in my life, in my opinion. By faith, verse 4, Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice, and that's his brother Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous. God testifying of his gifts and through it, he being dead, still speaks. Now this sacrifice speaks of a measure of faith had to be involved in Abel's sacrifice. Like his coming to God, which was primitive in those days.
It was right in the beginning after the fall in Eden. But coming to God, coming to worship God, and it speaks about he came to God with faith. Because the chapters about faith, it would appear that his brother Cain didn't think it was necessary to worship God with faith and brought something to God. Maybe he just thought, my presence is good enough or I'll give a little bit of what I've got and really had nothing in his heart to say, Lord, you are God.
You created me and by faith I'm coming to you to worship you and to praise you and I'm believing that you're going to be God in my life and through my life and that you're going to be able to take me and make me into whatever you want me to be. Abel, because he had faith in his heart, the scripture says, though he's dead, he still speaks. It's his story.
It's not mine, it's his story. And even though he's dead, he still speaks. The only thing we think about when we think about Cain is that he was a murderer. He eventually murdered his brother because of his hatred in his heart for him, having favor with God when he didn't have favor with God. Chapter 11 verse 5 says, by faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death. Now, if you understand it, it builds as you go through this chapter of Hebrews chapter 11 and talks about the world's being framed out of nothing but by the word of God. It talks about a man coming to God, believing this by faith and God giving him a testimony that still speaks. If you want a testimony that speaks to future generations, it won't come without faith. You have to have faith and if you become a man or a woman of faith, when you're gone, your kids, your grandkids, cousins, brothers, sisters will still be speaking about you. They'll still be speaking about, actually you'll still be speaking to them even though you're gone because God did something through your life that becomes a testimony. If you chose to live by faith, you choose to walk with God by faith, you'll leave a testimony behind you. People will talk about it for years to come. I tell the pastors in this church, everything we preach here is going to outlive us by a hundred years. Every message is now recorded and if God should choose to use this church for a divine purpose, then people will still want to hear years from now what was spoken. Matter of fact, what I'm speaking now will be listened to maybe 20, 30 years down the road. You don't know. But if I live by faith, I know that even after I'm dead, I'll still be speaking.
By faith, Enoch was taken away so that he should not see death. In other words, there's something in every one of your lives that is inevitable. It's coming your way without divine intervention.
But the good news is, it doesn't have to come your way. There's certain things like your dad was a drunk and your mother was this and your cousin was that. It's in my DNA and this is what I am. My family has always suffered from depression, so I'm going to suffer from depression.
My brother committed suicide, so I'm going to commit suicide. I know it one day. But by faith, what should come your way doesn't have to come your way.
That's what it means. It doesn't have to be your portion in life. You don't have to be what your whole family used to be. You can break that chain, whatever that chain is, you can break that chain and start a brand new lineage in Christ. As far as I know, in my family, there was not a believer in Christ the way I believe and the way you believe ever.
I don't know of one. I was the first in my home. Praise God, I'm not the last. Christmas morning, one of my grandsons raised his hand to receive Christ as Lord and Savior. By faith, Noah prepared an ark for the saving of his household, understood a day of justice is coming on the whole earth and moved with God and believed God that in spite of how foolish his work must have looked to that generation, he knew that what he was setting his hand to was going to save his own house. Praise be to God. I thank God he gave me the strength to press through the ridicule, to press through the threats, to press through all the counterarguments and to live to see my father bend his knee to God, live to see my mother bend her knee to God, live to see my children, live to see God do what only God can do. By faith, he prepared an ark to the saving of his household. Let the unrighteous laugh.
Let them ridicule me. I'm building a place for my family to spend eternity with God and I'm not ashamed to be called by the name of Christ. By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go and went out not knowing where he was going. You see, we can't figure it out when God calls us, calls us from where we are and says, come walk with me and we're going to do something together that's going to be a blessing in the earth. By faith, it takes faith to get up and go forward and leave sometimes the familiar. By faith, Sarah also received strength to conceive seed and she bore a child when she was past age because she judged him faithful who had promised.
You see, by faith, we begin to believe and understand that there is no limitations with God. There's no such a thing as my time has passed. I'm speaking to old folks here tonight. There's no such a thing as my time has passed. There's no such a thing as my time has passed with God. There's no such a thing.
You may have bought that argument somewhere along the line. Somebody spoke that to your heart or you spoke it to your own heart. But I tell you, there is no such a thing. God can do more through a surrendered life in five years than a religious life in 500 years. He can touch lives. He can do things through you. That life that he promises to you can come to the fore and you can become everything that God has said you would be.
Now I'm going to go back to verse 6. But without faith, it's impossible to please him. For he who comes to God must believe that he is. Must believe, may I paraphrase it? Must believe he's everything he said he is. Must believe that he's generous. Must believe he's victorious. Must believe that he's at the right hand of the Father. Must believe that he's the head and we're the body. Must believe that he is the one who promised to give us everything we need to be all that we're called to be on the earth. And that he's a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Without faith, it's impossible to please him.
Impossible. Go to church seven times a week. Clap your hands until they're red and raw.
Sing until your voice is hoarse. But without faith, it's impossible to please him. He who comes to God must believe that he is.
And he's a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. I can only speak of it to you. But it's your choice as to where you're going to live. You're the rest of your life as a Christian. You can live on the edge of the shores of promise. Always being told about what that land looks like. But never go in. Never, ever inherit that which Christ died to give you. Always living in a dry place, a barren place, an empty place.
A place that's not very fulfilling. Or you can go into that place that God has for your life. And watch what God will do.
It is truly amazing. This generation needs people that are filled with faith again. People who are appointed to Christ. People who are not afraid to be everything that God has called us to be. I believe that it's going to be a year of miracles. I believe that with all of my heart.
And so for those who are online as well as those that are here with us in the sanctuary, I want to pray a simple prayer with you and for you. Lord, help me to believe you. God, give me faith.
I don't want to live on the shores of promise, hearing stories about everybody else going in while I stay in that place of unbelief. I'm going to press through the unbelief of my heart. I'm going to press through all the words that have been spoken over my life. Whether they were spoken by human people or by powers that oppress me and try to stop me.
I'm going to press through. I can be everything that God's called me to be. That's got to be your prayer. Because He formed the worlds out of nothing. That's the basis of my faith. And so I don't need to have in my life yet what God requires. All I need is nothing and I have that.
But God can take nothing and make something beautiful out of it that will bring glory to His name. God, give me faith. I feel such a touch of heaven on my life to speak these words to you. That you have no idea where God will take you if you will pray this with an honest heart. God, give me faith. Give me faith to believe you.
Give me faith. Some of you will wind up as missionaries. Some of you will do things you never dreamt you were going to do in your lifetime. Some of you will just find yourselves with power as you go through your daily life that you didn't have before.
You have power to speak into people's lives. You'll be amazed at what God will begin to do in your life. And it will create a thirst in you for more of Him.
Once you begin to know His power, once you begin to know His victory, it does create a thirst to say, Lord, take my life and glorify your name. Do it again, O God. And do it again and do it again. Let me not live in the past. Help me to press through into the future. Give me faith.
Give me faith. You know, you've got to fight this now. You've got to fight it now. Do you understand?
You have to fight this. Everything in hell will come against you when you start praying that prayer. Every reason why you shouldn't believe God will come to the fore.
All your past failure will come up and stand right before your face. But do you understand it has nothing to do with any of that? You have the power to condemn all of those voices. That's your heritage and say get out and get away from me. Get away from me all these excuses, all these reasons, all these words that were spoken.
Get away from me. I am a new creation in Christ Jesus. There is no limit to what God can do through my life. There's no limit to where He can take me.
There's no limit to what God can do. And I'm going to ask Him for faith this coming year to believe Him. Give me the grace, Lord, to never say no to you. When you call me to go through a door, give me the grace to walk through. Not searching for a resume somewhere in my life thinking where do I qualify for this.
None of us qualify for anything that we're doing. That's how the Church of Jesus Christ finds its power, its strength again. Praise be to God. Fight tonight, okay? Fight. Fight the unbelief. Don't let the unbelief grip you.
Don't let your past failures and your present struggles be all that's before your face. Let God be there. God, I believe. God, I believe. I believe.
You can use my life. I believe. I believe, Lord. Whatever you've called me to be, I can be that. I believe. I don't have to try to figure it out, Lord.
You already have the plan for my life. I believe that you'll open the door and I can start stepping through it. I believe, God, that you will be honored, Jesus Christ, through my life in the days ahead. God, I believe. God, I believe. God, I believe. God, I believe. I believe, Lord. I believe, God. I believe that you are and that you are a rewarder of those who diligently, that means honestly, sincerely seek you. God, I believe. I believe that you can create something out of nothing in my life.
I believe, God. I'm coming as Abel did to that altar and I'm bringing a sacrifice and let my life speak long after I'm dead. Give me a voice, oh God, in my generation. Don't let me go down into silence. Give me a voice that will speak to my family, my friends, and the generations to come after me. Praise be to God.
Would you stand please? I'm going to ask you to lift your voice. God, give me faith. Nobody else can pray this for you. You have to pray it yourself. Nobody else can call out.
Nobody else can do this. It has to come from deep down inside. God, I believe. If that's all you can start by saying, God, I believe. God, I believe. God, I believe. Help my unbelief, Lord. I believe you, God.
I believe you can use me. I believe, Lord, in spite of my failures, you can use my life. I believe, God, you can save my family even if they're not under my roof anymore.
I believe, God. I believe, Lord. I believe, Jesus, you can use my life for your glory. I believe you can give me the power to preach. I believe, Lord, God. You can open my eyes to the miraculous again, Lord, in my generation.
God, I believe. I believe, Lord. I'm not going down into unbelief. I'm not going to sink in despair. I'm not going to die with this generation, God. I'm going to cause them to live because you're going to live through me.
I believe, God, with all my heart. Now, before we leave you today, here's Carter with his song, Calling My Name. I went back to the last place I'd known him to be.
Every promise he'd once spoken seemed only for me. I don't know just how it happened, but in the midst of all my pain, softly sweet, I heard Jesus calling my name. Calling my name, calling my name.
Never I'd heard it with such sweet refrain. Through the day all darkness vanished, I'll never be the same. Since the morning I heard Jesus calling my name. Touch me not till I've ascended to my Father, said he.
Go and tell all others fearful, they've no need to be. Be not faithless, but believing he's coming again. For I tell you that I've heard him calling my name. Calling my name, calling my name. Never I'd heard it with such sweet refrain. Through the tears all darkness vanished, I'll never be the same. Since the morning I heard Jesus calling my name. Calling my name, calling my name. Never I'd heard it with such sweet refrain.
Through the tears all darkness vanished, I'll never be the same. Since the morning I heard Jesus calling my name. Since the morning I heard Jesus calling my name. You've been listening to Carter Conlon from Times Square Church in New York City. For more information and resources to help you in your walk in Christ, log on to tsc.nyc. That's tsc.nyc. And be sure to be with us next week for A Call to the Nation with Carter Conlon.
