Numbers 23:19 (NKJV) “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
Isaiah 55:11 (NKJV) So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
Abraham and Sarah were called to be a channel of blessings to all the nations of the earth. They needed to have faith in God because it was an impossible situation where both had passed the age of childbearing. Similarly, whenever God calls us to do something, the work will always be near impossible or outside our means, calling for our complete reliance on Him. Therefore, it will take faith in the word of God to accomplish the task He has entrusted to us.
One of the best ways to know someone is whether they will keep their word. This will reveal whether they are trustworthy and honour their word. Our word represents us. If someone’s word is not trustworthy, that person is not dependable, and if people doubt our word of commitment, our credibility is destroyed or worthless. We judge a person’s character by their word of commitment.
What pleases God is our faith in Him. We have faith in His character, which is revealed through His word. The two opening Scriptures reveal God’s character. God is a man of his word. He will always honour His word because He and His word are one. God will ensure that whatever He has spoken will come to pass. His word always accomplishes what He has promised and spoken. We read in the Book of Genesis that the Holy Spirit created everything based on God’s spoken word. His words framed the world. Therefore, we can conclude that it is considered done once God has spoken, even though we do not see it with the naked eye yet. That’s faith—faith in the word of God and faith in God. Faith in God means having absolute confidence, without any doubt, that He will bring to pass what He has promised us in our lives. We know God when we know we have what He has promised once He has spoken to us. The word of God gives substance to our faith even though we have not seen it in the natural realm yet. The promise has been set in motion in the spirit realm and will come to pass in the natural.
What gives substance to our faith is the promise or call of God. We believe He is a God who honours His word to us, and through faith and patience, we inherit God’s promises in our lives.
Sermon Series: The Walk of Faith
信实与信靠
民数记 23:19 上帝非人，必不致说谎， 也非人子，必不致后悔。 他说话岂不照着行呢？ 他发言岂不要成就呢？
以赛亚书 55:11 我口所出的话也必如此， 决不徒然返回， 却要成就我所喜悦的， 在我发他去成就的事上必然亨通。
亚伯拉罕和撒拉蒙召成为世界万国的祝福渠道。因为他们都已超过生育年龄，生育一个孩子对于他们来说是完全不可能的事，因此他们必须信靠神。同样，每当上帝呼召我们去做某件事时，工作总是近乎不可能或超出我们的能力范围，需要我们完全依靠祂。因此，要完成神所托付的使命，就必须对神的话语抱有信心。
认识一个人最好的方式之一，就是看他们是否会遵守承诺。这将揭示他们是否值得信赖，是否尊重自己的话语。我们的话语代表了我们自己。如果一个人的话不可信，那么这个人就不可靠；如果人们对我们的承诺产生怀疑，我们的信誉就会毁掉，变得毫无价值。我们通过一个人的承诺来判断他们的品格。
上帝所喜悦的是我们对祂的信心。我们对祂的品格有信心，而祂的品格是通过祂的话语显明的。开头的两段经文揭示了上帝的品格。神是守信的祂会始终尊重自己的话，因为祂与祂的话是合一的。上帝会确保祂所说的一切都会实现。祂的话总能实现祂的应许和承诺。在创世记中我们看到，圣灵是依据神所说的话创造了万物。神的话语建立了世界。因此，我们可以得出结论，一旦上帝说了话，即使我们还不能用肉眼看到，也可以认定事情已经成了。这就是信心 —— 对上帝话语的信心，和对上帝本身的信心。对上帝的信心是意味着毫无疑问地拥有绝对的信心，确信祂会将祂在我们生命中所应许的带到成就。我们认识神，意味着我们知道一旦神对我们说了话，我们就拥有了祂所应许的。神的话语为我们的信心赋予了实质，尽管我们还没有在自然的领域中看到它，但这个应许已经在灵界开始运行，最终会在自然界中实现。
赋予我们信心实质的是神的应许或呼召。我们相信祂是那位守信的神，祂必定尊重祂对我们的承诺，并通过信心和耐心，我们将在生命中继承神的应许。
讲章系列：信心之路
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