Six Principles to Fortify Faith | Part 1

We'll be right back. The best way to pray is saying, Lord, this is your will, and I thank you for it, and I stand on it. Welcome to Love Worth Finding, featuring the dynamic insights of acclaimed pastor and Bible teacher, Adrian Rogers. This month we've learned about the Old Testament prophets and men of God who held fast to their faith and obeyed God's will for their lives. Today, we are reminded of the legacy of Abraham, who was called by God in his old age and became a champion of the faith. Abraham's example gives us six principles to fortify our faith. If you have your Bible, turn to Hebrews chapter 11, look at verse 8, as Adrian Rogers shares six principles to fortify faith. How would you like to have great faith?

I trust that's what you want. And when you came to Jesus Christ, God enrolled you in the school of faith. Life is the classroom. The Bible is the textbook. The prophets and the apostles are the professors, and Abraham would have to be the dean in the school of faith. We're going to learn about Abraham. Abraham, what a great man was Abraham.

He's called the father of them that believe. And most of this 11th chapter of Hebrews that speaks of champions of the faith is given over to the life of this man, Abraham. Let's look in Hebrews 11, beginning in verse 8. 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 whether he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and she was deliberate of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promise. And therefore sprang there even of one of him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the seashore innumerable. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Now I'm going to stop the reading right there, except to also reference to you Romans chapter 4 and verse 11, which calls Abraham the father of all them that believe. So Abraham has more or less cornered the market when it comes to teaching faith. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of faith.

We're not talking about something that is incidental. Remember that Hebrews 11, 6 says without faith it is impossible to please God. Without faith it is impossible to please Him. Now you want to please God don't you? I've told you before if you please God it doesn't matter whom you displease, and if you displease God it doesn't matter whom you please. And there is no way to please God without faith.

We're not talking to you about things that are incidental. Faith is the mark of a Christian. Christians were called believers before they were called Christians. It is our chief duty to believe God. John chapter 6 verse 29, Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God that you believe on him whom he has sinned. You want to serve God?

Your chief duty is to believe him. The supreme evil is unbelief. The greatest sin is not murder, rape, arson, pillage, tyranny. The greatest sin is the sin of unbelief. When the Holy Spirit of God comes into the world, He comes into the world to convince men of sin because they believe not. The reason that men are lost, doomed, damned and go to hell is not because of some sin that they have committed.

It is because they will not believe. The Bible says in John 3 verse 18, He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Unbelief is the source of all other sins. Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden.

Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden because they did not believe in him. The Christian life according to Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 38 is to be lived by faith. The Bible says the just shall live by faith. I am telling you that without faith it's impossible to please God. You will never, no never, no never ever succeed in your Christian life without believing God.

And that is the reason that we're in these studies, champions of faith. Now Abraham was a pagan. I mean an absolute pagan, an idolater. He lived in a place called Ur of the Chaldees when God spoke to him, when God met him, when he himself enrolled in the school of faith. 2,000 years before Christ.

He was a pagan and furthermore, listen, he was 75 years of age when he enrolled in school. Now don't you tell me that you're too evil and don't you tell me that you're too old. Today if Abraham became the father of them that believe, can you not step into this wonderful glorious life of faith?

Indeed you can. Think of it. A man over 70 years of age. He's in a strange land. He's settled there. He has a beautiful wife. He has a business.

He has kin folks. He leaves it all as we're going to see. To go to a country he has never seen and he's marching under sealed orders as we're going to see. God doesn't tell him where he's going to go. God doesn't tell him what he's going to do when he gets there, how long he's going to stay there or what's going to happen to him. God just says, get up and go. And he left, enrolled himself in a school of faith and the scripture that we read said that Abraham and Sarah were strangers and pilgrims in the land of Canaan.

Now so are we. Abraham was not a fugitive. He was not running away from home. Abraham was not a vagabond.

He was not looking for home. He was a stranger away from home and he was a pilgrim headed home. And that's what we're going to learn about him because what was true about Abraham is not mere history. Friend, it is written for our sake. Why do you think God put this here in the 11th chapter of Hebrews except to be an inspiration and informational tool to you? Now I want us to learn six powerful principles and I pray God the Holy Spirit will write them on your heart. They're going to come right out of this passage of scripture to help you to have that dynamic faith that will bring heaven to your soul.

First principle is the voice principle. We must hear God. Now look, if you will, in verse 8. 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 whether he went. The operative phrase here is he heard the voice of God.

He was called. Remember our scripture that we come back to over and over again in Romans 10, 17? It comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

There is the voice principle. You must hear God. If you read the story of Abraham in the book of Genesis, you'll read a phrase that will come over and over and over and over again. The Word of the Lord came to him.

Let's just take a significant passage. Take your Bibles now. Put your bookmark there in Hebrews 11 and then go all the way back to the first book of the Bible and go back, if you will, to Genesis chapter 12 because that's what the writer of Hebrews is talking about. I want you to notice now how God comes to Abraham. This is Genesis chapter 12 and we're going to read the first three verses. Now the Lord had said unto Abraham, there it is, the Lord had said unto Abraham, get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house into a land and I want you to pay attention now and get ready.

I'm going to give you four I wills. Four times God says I will and I want you to listen to it. He says, now get thee out and from thy father's house into a land that I will show thee and I will make thee a great nation and I will bless thee and make thy name great and thou shalt be a blessing and I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

Now, here's the voice. He hears the voice of God and God says, I will, I will, I will, I will. That's the root of faith. That's where faith comes from. Now, that's in Genesis chapter 12. If you were to go back to chapter 11 in contradistinction, you would find the people who tried to build a massive tower to heaven called the Tower of Babel and I want you to notice the difference between Genesis 11 one through four and Genesis 12 one through three. Now go to Genesis 11 verses one through four. And the earth was of one language and of one speech and it came to pass as they journeyed from the east that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and by the way, that's Babylon and dwelt there and by the way, Babylon is Iraq and dwelt there and they said one to another, go to, now watch this, let us. Now, if you don't mind marking your Bible, just mark let us make brick and burn them thoroughly and they had brick for stone and slime had they for mortar and they said go to let us underscore that again. Let us build us a city and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven. Now watch this and let us make us a name lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

Now, can you compare that? Compare Genesis chapter 11 one through four with Genesis 12 one through three. In Genesis 12, God says I will, I will, I will, I will. In Genesis 11, man says let us, let us, let us. Let us make us a name. God said Abraham, I will make your name great. Now I submit to you that most of the people in this city and the cities around the world are in the let us do this.

We're trying to build our high rises to hell. We're trying to build our utopias but faith, friend, here's the voice of God when God says I will. These people were going to make themselves a name.

Anybody know one of their names? We all know the name of Abraham because God said to Abraham, I will make your name great. Now listen, there's the voice principle. Comes the question, big question, how can we hear the voice of God?

That's what most of us are asking. You keep saying, pastor, I've got to hear the voice of God. I want to know how to hear the voice of God. How can I, a mortal, say this is the will of God and therefore I'm going to believe God. Now, so often when we pray this way, Lord, if it is your will, you ever pray that way? Lord, if it is your will, do this. Lord, if it is your will, do that.

Lord, if it's your will, heal. Lord, if it's your will, show us what to do. Lord, if it's your will, keep us safe, if it is your will. Now, if you don't know the will of God, that's a good way to pray but that's not the best way to pray.

The best way to pray is saying, Lord, this is your will and I thank you for it and I stand on it. You see, put in your margin 1 John 5 verse 14 and this is the confidence that we have in him. If we ask him anything according to his will, he heareth us. Do you have the confidence to say, God, this is your will?

I have confidence. That's where great faith comes. Great faith does not come from guessing at the will of God. Well, you say, Pastor Rogers, how then can I hear the voice of God? Well, we're going to have to admit something, first of all, that Abraham heard the voice of God in a way that none of us have ever heard the voice of God. At least I don't think we have.

I never have. God appeared to him and spoke to him. God appeared to Abraham and spoke to Abraham. He appeared obviously through an angel, the angel of Jehovah but the Lord appeared to him. Genesis chapter 12 and verse 7, at the Lord appeared to Abram. His name was called Abram then and said, unto thy seed will I give this land and there builded he an altar unto the Lord who appeared to him.

God never appeared to me like that. Or, for example, Moses. God spoke to Moses out of a burning bush. I've never seen a burning bush.

At least not one that burned supernaturally like that. God spoke to Moses supernaturally. I read in the Bible that God spoke to Saul. Saul, who became the apostle Paul, is on the road to Damascus to put Christians to death and the Lord appears to him in a vision, a brightness above the noonday sun, a voice from heaven. I've never heard that. I've never seen that. Simon Peter in the Bible is on a rooftop and an angel comes to him. He has a vision.

All of these people have heard the word of God in a supernatural way. Is that what we're waiting on today? No. That is not the norm for us today. Does that mean we cannot hear the voice of God?

No. Does that mean that we are less? No, it means that we are more. Do we have less advantage? We have greater advantage.

Don't miss this now. To know God, to know the will of God, we have the greater advantage. Hebrews chapter 1, verses 1 and 2. God, who at sundry times, that means various times, and in divers manners, different kinds of ways, spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the world. Well, how does God speak to us by his Son? The Bible teaches that we have two things, or really three things. We have the written word of God, we have the mind of Christ, and we have the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Now, that does not make us lesser than these Old Testament characters.

That is a greater advantage. Now, these Old Testament characters, before they had the Bible, before they knew what we know by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, they had to wait for God to break in with some open revelation, some vision, some ecstasy. We don't have to do that. Friend, I can open the Bible and hear the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God.

Don't let that go past. I, when I was born again, regenerated, I received what the Bible calls the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2, verses 14 and following, But the natural man, that is, the unsaved man, receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, that means he weighs things and makes appropriate decisions, yet himself is judged of no man. That is, people can't understand us. We understand them. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But now listen to this. But we have the mind of Christ.

Don't just miss that by nonchalance. We have the inspired, inerrant, written Word of God, and we have the mind of Christ. How can I know the will of God? Friend, when my heart is clean, my motive is clear, and I'm walking in the Spirit, I can assume that what I think and what I desire is the will of God. I can just assume it. You say, that's arrogance.

No, it's not. You see, the devil wants to put us under some sort of an idea that we couldn't possibly know the will of God. Of course we can know the will of God.

That ought to be the normal condition that we know the will of God. You say, well, what if I say to do something that's outside the will of God? The Holy Spirit will blow the whistle. He'll blow the whistle. He'll say, that's wrong. You sin.

Get back in bounds. If you're walking in the Spirit, friend, you will know when the Holy Spirit of God blows the whistle on you. And suppose you're in the Spirit and there's no sin, but God has a different plan for you. Then God will show you. God will turn you around. Paul is saved to go into Bithymia, but the Spirit forbade him.

And he heard a voice from Macedonia. But, friend, we can walk in the Lord. It is honoring to God to believe him and to live in confidence. Now, if you're in doubt about something, wait on God. Don't run ahead of God.

The Bible says in Proverbs chapter 4, verse 18, But the path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. It may be dark, and then it's gray dawn, and then there's deep shadows, but colors appear, and then finally it's high noon, and you say, Lord, this is the will of God. If there's something you're wondering about, and you're thinking God is speaking to you, say, Lord, if this is you speaking, just keep speaking.

Confirm it in my heart. That's the way God called me into the ministry. God, do you want me to preach? Lord, I think you want me to preach. Lord, if you don't want me to preach, you better let me know. Lord, you want me to preach.

Now, that took place over almost a year. The path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto a perfect day. What is the first principle of these principles?

It is the voice principle. You must hear from God. The word of the Lord came to Abraham, and God will speak to you. God is speaking to you, and before you're saying, well, I don't know the will of God, let me ask you this question. Are you living by what you already know in the Bible? If you're not, and you're asking God to guide you, you're a big hypocrite. Why should God give you more light when you're not obeying the revealed word of God that's right here in this book?

Think about it. There is the voice principle. We have something better than Abraham. Abraham did not have the revealed word of God like we have here.

Now, number two, there, the second principle is what I want to call the venture principle. Not only must you hear God, you must obey what you know. Now, look again in verse eight. By faith, Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, here's the operative word now, obeyed. And he went out, not knowing whether he went. He heard, and he obeyed. Now, he didn't know where it was going to end.

That was none of his business. Our responsibility is not to totally understand, but to readily obey. Now, remember, he was leaving all that he knew and all that he loved and was going out in sheer obedience. Let me give you a testimony. A little more than 30 years ago, a pulpit committee from this church spoke to me about coming to be your pastor. I was pastor, and Brother Jim, I and myself were on the staff down in Florida at a very wonderful church, a growing church, a loving church, a happy church. But your pulpit committee came and began to speak to me about coming to this church. Now, we did not want to come to Memphis, Tennessee.

Nothing negative about Memphis, nothing negative about Bellevue. I was just happy where I was and felt that God was blessing and He was blessing, and I could see no earthly reason except that as George and I began to fast and pray and seek the face of God, God spoke to our inner being, and I am so glad we obeyed. I'm so glad that we listened. Now, folks, I don't know where you are right now, but you have to be willing when God speaks to obey whether it makes sense to you or whether it doesn't make sense. Very frankly, coming up here made no sense to me, none whatsoever, but I was impelled in the Spirit to go. Now, friend, God gives you the choice. If you do not obey what you know, don't ask God for more light.

God is not going to give it to you. And coming up tomorrow, we'll hear part two of this vital message, but maybe today you have questions about who Jesus is, what He means to you, how to begin a relationship with God through Christ. Go to our website, lwf.org slash radio, and at the top, you'll see a tab that says Find God's Love. You'll see some resources and materials there that will answer questions you may have about your faith.

Again, click Find God's Love at lwf.org slash radio. Now, if you'd like to order a copy of today's message in its entirety, you can call us at 1-877-LOVE-GOD. Mention the title, Six Principles to Fortify Faith.

This lesson's also part of the insightful series, Champions of Faith. For that complete collection, all 18 powerful messages, call that number, 877-LOVE-GOD, or go online to order at lwf.org slash radio, or write us at Love Worth Finding, Box 38600, Memphis, Tennessee, 38183. You can also purchase our new Bible studies, much like this message, in our online store. Find out more about that at lwf.org slash radio. Thanks for studying in God's Word with us today. Be sure to sign up for our daily heartbeat emails. You'll get daily devotions and message links sent straight to your inbox.

You can find out more at lwf.org slash radio. And join us tomorrow for the conclusion of Six Principles to Fortify Faith, right here on Love Worth Finding. Here's a brief testimony we recently received from a listener. Thank you for spreading God's Word across this great nation.

I've been an inmate for the last three and a half years, and I'm able to listen to your broadcasts daily. I am truly free when immersed in God's Word and prayer with our glorious Creator. I count it a blessing just to be able to thank you for providing instruction in God's Word.

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