Believing God Can Perform Those Bigger Than Life Promises (Part 2)
Psalm 77:9-15 "Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah. And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God? Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people. Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah."
- Is God so angry that He has dismissed grace just to take out His anger on us? Is he bitter? Or does He no longer do good things? Has He forgotten how?
- Instead of accusing God, the author, though, chooses rather to assigns God’s inactivity on his personal weakness. (I’ve got issues, not God.)
- Rather than to allow himself to believe that atrocity, he chose to reflect on the times of God’s favor in his life. This way bad information would not become a lie that he believed.
- You have to choose what you will believe, and you will believe what you rehearse in your own mind.
Ephesians 5:19 "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;"
- If God is not performing in your life—the things He has promised, rather than what you have ordered Him to do—take personal responsibility. Then get back to the basics of rehearsal—and talking to yourself.
- Rehearse history so that it will give strength to your faith for the future.
- The difference in God and your ability is that God does not lose strength with age. He is always the same.
- Then praise God to God. Speak to God about Himself. It does you good to hear these things out loud rather than just to read them or hear someone else say them. You become what you rehearse and believe. Since you like to hear your self talk, to some degree, talk to yourself. Abraham rehearsed what God said to him about fathering a son, despite his and Sara’s age. Had he not done that, he might never have become the father God desired him to become.
- Faith comes by hearing, and sometimes you need to hear things come out of your own mouth—especially if it is true. You are crazy if you DON’T talk to yourself.
John 14:11 "Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake."
- Jesus wanted the people to believe Him and His status with the Heavenly Father. Such faith would open the door for what Jesus could do for them and afterwards through them.
- And because they had trouble believing Jesus was in the Father and the Father was in Him, He wanted them just to believe what they knew He had already done before their eyes.
- What you see is a fact to you. Embrace that, even if you cannot embrace the Scriptures. It might help you to believe what God said. God is seen in the things He created. (Rom. 1:20)
- Faith can only be established on facts, not hope itself. You must have a reason to believe what you hope for. We are people of reason.
- History strengthens our faith for the future.
1 John 1:1-3 "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you,"
- Why not believe what has been manifest, seen and handled—by you?
- You can’t make me doubt Him. I know too much about Him.
- And once it is in our hearts: Psalm 112:7 "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD."
Acts 17:10-13 "And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people."
- The word of God made an uproar in the city. Men chose not to believe it. It was a new wine or some new thing to them.
- Noble men do not criticize what they do not know enough about.
- The people of Thessalonica received it first, and then they searched it out.
- It is important that we want to believe rather than to be quick to discredit it. Often we take the Scripture of trying the spirits to the extent that we are suspicious first. We are not set to believe so that we then have to be convinced. These people received first and then read the Word to strengthen or prove what they had heard.
- Many of them believed, even the Greeks that were known to be deep philosophers.
- Still you have people that are quick to come in to stir up doubt.
2 Timothy 1:12 "For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."
- Paul believed that there would be reward for his suffering. Therefore he chose to suffer and wait for deliverance because it would surely come.
- He was not embarrassed by his present state because he knew it would change.
- He knew God would keep His word.