FAITH IS

FAITH IS

Sunday, July 12, 2020, the Year of Our Lord

Pastor Carolyn Sissom

Last week I preached on the “hope” we have as an anchor for our soul sure and steadfast through the rent veil into the Holiest of All.  That it is impossible for God to lie and that through faith we are able to lay hold of the hope set before us.

In Colossians 1:23, there is an “if.” 

If you continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

“If you continue in faith?” Faith is too wide, too high and too deep for the human language to describe.  It can only be felt and experienced.  It believes the promise, though the promise is not yet manifested.  It is the absolute knowing there is a God; that His Word is sure; and that which is unseen in the realm of the Spirit is as real as that which we see and feel with our natural senses.

How do we know this?  Faith is a from our Spirit.  It is conviction that arises from the Holy Spirit Himself.  The source of conviction is the Holy Spirit.  Faith is a Fact!  Hope is a Certainty!  Love is a Reality!  Without Faith it is impossible to please God.  Faith is the opposite of fear. 

“Abraham believed who contrary to hope, in hope believed”. This "hope" made Abraham’s faith outstanding. God’s promise awakened a supernatural hope in him, a hope based on God’s ability (Ro. 4:18). Church this is the FAITH the LORD is bringing His overcoming church into during these fiery trials and tribulations.

Rom. 4:17 – God calls those things which be not as though they were.

Faith speaks what God says.  What does God say?  There are over 7000 promises for us in the Holy Word of God.  All we have to do is meet the condition and step up and claim the promises.  We speak and declare the promises of God not what the world system (kosmos) tell us.

11:2-3:  For by it (Faith) the elders obtained a good report.  Through faith we understand that the worlds(aion/ages) were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”

O Lord Jesus, As surely as you have made a way in the sea, and a pathway for your people through the mighty waters, and brought us to your Presence and glory; so surely will you O’ God guarantee a safe conduct for His ransomed Church in all ages.

Isa. 43:19:  Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

You O’ Lord overthrow the fury of the oppressor in accordance to your covenant to us of your pledge to give us victory over all our spiritual enemies

Church, America and the nations of the earth, “it is the Lord who comforts you; who are you, that you should be afraid of men who shall die, and of the sons of man which shall be made as grass.  Put your trust in the Lord your maker who stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth.  Why do you O’ nations of the earth fear and cower down continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? And where is the fury of the oppressor?  (Isa. 51: 12-13)

We as a nation are facing the “fury of the oppressor.”  The great dragon of the Apocalypse is here represented as “the fury of the oppressor” preparing to destroy. This is another name for Satan and the unholy trinity who has come to kill, steal and destroy.  It is the beast (world system), dragon and false prophet.

“I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember your wonders of old.”

“The Lord’s arm is never shortened that it cannot save, nor His ear heavy that it cannot hear.” 

As surely as the King of Jeshurun has made a pathway for His people through the mighty waters, and brought them to the Promised Land; so surely does He guarantee a safe conduct for His ransomed Church in all ages.

Jehovah now answers His people’s invocation.  He immediately endorses their words.

“I, even I, am he that comforts you.” 

We can see that these are special days.  We have been brought into the Kingdom for such a time as this.  The world system, including the religious world system is cracking at the seams.  The Voice (Word) of the Lord is shaking heaven and earth.  Only that which is part of this unshakeable Kingdom cannot and will not be moved.  The Kingdom is going to stand.  The next world government is the Kingdom of God.  Like Noah of old, there will be a people who will inherit the earth…a people who will remain after the days of shaking.   

Christ in us is to be released through the spoken Word, His Word (Eph. 4:29-32).  God is going to have a community of prophets to stand in the earth and proclaim His word.   

Heb 12:25:  See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven,

This is Jesus speaking to us from His throne in heaven to bring forth His glorious, overcoming, Bride.  The Church is Christ’s vehicle to release His Kingdom on earth; to cover the whole earth with the Glory of God.  A glorious, overcoming Bride will arise to join our heavenly Bridegroom as we continue to usher in His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.   

 When the Lord speaks whether by rhema or logos, we can rest in the performance of what He has said.

The principle of Faith is confessing from a believing heart from which Faith has been deposited.  We live on the level of our confession.  We cannot come into agreement with the voice of the world system.  We must speak and declare what God says and continues to say through His word.

Romans 5:2 states the death and resurrection of Jesus has given us a new standing before God.  Through whom we have access by Faith and in to this grace and rejoice in the hope of the Glory of God.

What is the “hope of the Glory of God?”  That His glory will cover the whole earth.

Eph. 4:13-16: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we are no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Christians can be very harsh with one another.  Those who live in the letter of the law become dry, wordy and spend their time in splitting hairs, and talking.  The prophets have started to argue with one another over the Word of the Lord. 

1Co 13:9:  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

None of us have the whole big picture of God.  His picture is too big for our finite minds to comprehend.  But if we come into love, unity, respect and prefer one another we will not only “see” but be included in what God desires for His Church during this season. 

Faith is needed to embrace something one cannot logically explain.  With all the prophets and scribes on earth, none have been able to explain what God is doing at this time.  But, this one thing we do know, God is the one who is in charge and He is exposing and overturning all wickedness in the earth.  We have cried out for Him to do this.  The Holy Writ makes it clear there will be an a head-on, end-time, supernatural confrontation between the corporate son of hell and the corporate Son of God, the Church.

Church our faith is being tried.  Why would that be?  We need a greater faith to become that glorious end time church.   

Moses’ faith was tried by complaining, murmuring, doubting, critical people.  They were always causing trouble.  But when Moses went up to the Mount, and God unfolded to him the ten commandments, the glory fell.  The law of the letter was brought by Moses and it was glorious, but all its glory at Sinai paled before the glory of Pentecost.  Those tables of stone never brought life to anyone.  This new law of the Spirit of Life in the Holy Spirit fills us with such love and liberty that we shout for JOY.

Oh! that God’s people might comprehend this glorious fact!!!!  With Faith in this appropriation of son-ship we should all be aglow like torches lighting and purifying the atmosphere wherever we go and moving back the forces of wickedness.

Paul makes it clear, however, that it is not testings alone that condition our Faith to the end.  It that were so, reaching the day of Glory would depend entirely on us.  Our faith is based on more than our reactions to testings. It is based on the Holy Spirit.  He does a progressive, creative work in the sons of God to complete the Christ nature within.  This manifestation and unveiling are revealed in Revelation 12: 1-5 with the birth of the man-child company of overcomers who are in the image of Jesus.  (Rev. 12: 1-5; Is. 43:1; 1Ti. 2:13; Pr. 26:10; Phil. 2: 6-7)

Smith Wigglesworth says, “Temptations will come to all.  If you are not worth tempting, you are not worth powder and shot.” (page 94).  Job said, “When he tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”  In every temptation, the Lord allows us to be tempted to the hilt.  But, if our prayers are daily before Him, He will not allow us to be defeated.    We cannot be to the praise of His Glory until we are ready for trials, and able to triumph in them.  A powerful and strong remnant will be birthed out of this pandemic, the violence of the protesters, the overturning of our justice system, the attack on our freedom of assembly, and freedom of worship.

Tested Faith gives us confidence.  When we have triumphs over our flesh, our fears, our foes and Satan’s assaults, we know that our Faith will take us all the way

Faith is:  

1. We receive our Salvation by Faith.
2. We receive Christ’s righteousness by Faith.
3. We believe the Word of God by Faith and walk in obedience to His Word by Faith
4. We receive the Holy Spirit by Faith.
5. We prophesy and operate in the Gifts of the Spirit by Faith.
6. We obey His spoken Word.  As we walk by Faith in that Word, then we

      receive the promises.

7. We are led by the Holy Spirit by Faith.
8. Faith is the substance of things hoped for.
9. Faith is the evidence of things not seen.
10. Faith has the invisible backing of the great cloud of witnesses.
11. Faith trusts in an unknown future.
12. Counts things that be not as though they were.
13. Assurance of God’s faithfulness.
14. Confidence in things to come.
15. The life-blood of the just.
16. Faith is the shield of the Christian armor
17. Faith is the down payment of things desired.
18. Faith is our guarantee of answered prayer.

Carolyn Sissom, Pastor

Eastgate Ministries Church

Sermon texts from 40 years of preaching on Faith.  If I have quoted from someone, I no longer know who it was.