I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED
2 Tim. 1:12
A. The philosophy of Humanism deplores our tendency to put our
faith in something or
someone other than ourselves. But whether we like it or can explain
it the fact remains
there is nothing any more characteristic of the human being than
to try to find something
outside of himself that can be counted on something that is completely
dependable.
Nearly everything has been tried as a source of ultimate security.
Other people, Money, power, pleasure, science, aberrant forms
of immorality, every philosophy imaginable. But, nothing has ever
proved to be 100% trustworthy. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle
Paul says, in 2 Tim 1:12, I know whom I have believed and
am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to
Him until that Day. Here is to the only source of true security.
What is the meaning of Faith? Understand, first of all, The faith
it is possible to have in God is not blind faith. Faith is confidence
in the reality of something unseen. Faith is confidence
based on that which either we, or some credible witness has experienced
firsthand. We talked about The Certainty Of Faith
three Sunday nights ago. And we saw that this kind of faith is
absolutely credible and trustworthy.
(A) Heb. 11:1, says, Now faith is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of
things not seen. Unseen does not equal unreal.
There is a significant
difference between believing in the existence of England and in
the Land of Oz
Believing in the trustworthiness of your father and mother and
that of a total stranger.
(1) God has never asked anyone to trust His word without having
furnished
more than ample evidence of His credibility. Matt. 9:1-8. Ultimately,
God
is asking us to trust what He tells us about things that we are
not yet in a position
to verify because He has shown us that His character is
perfectly
dependable. Everything we have seen teaches us to trust what God
says about
anything we have not seen!
We need to have a faith in God that is both real and active. We
need to put our confidence in God Himself. We need to believe
everything God says to us and believe it enough to obey it and
take whatever risks may be involved its simply described
as Trust and Obey.
Many Bible examples. Heb. 11:7. By faith Noah, being divinely
warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared
an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned
the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according
to faith. Abraham, Heb. 11:8-10,17-19. Gen. 15:6, says,
Abraham believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him
for righteousness. Speaking about that, Paul tells us in
Gal.3:6-9, Just as Abraham believed God, and it was
accounted to him for righteousness. Therefore know that
only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture,
foreseeing that God would justify the nations by faith, preached
the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, In you all the
nations shall be blessed. So then those who are of faith
are blessed with believing Abraham.
We need to commit ourselves to God in the same way. As Christians,
we know better than to put our faith in the undependable things
people of this world trusts. Their trust is in the temporary physical
things of life.
But do we do any better when we put our faith in the church, tradition,
the absolute rule of elders, preachers, brethren? The only thing
we can safely put our ultimate trust in is God Himself. Our faith
needs to be in the Creator, and not in anything created by Him.
Paul warns about the fickleness of mankind in Rom. 1:25, They
are the ones Who exchanged the truth of God for the lie,
and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator,
who is blessed forever. We need to
commit ourselves to Him Not to humans who can lead
us astray. Heed
the Spirits warning. 2 Tim. 1:12, For this reason
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 what I have committed to
Him until that
Day. 1 Pet 4:19; 5:7, Therefore let those who suffer
according to the
will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful
Creator
....Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
We need to learn to
trust God for how things are going to work out in the future if
we obey Him in
the present.
(2) Since the beginning of time, God has been giving evidence
that tells us, He can be counted on. The most powerful of that
evidence was given at the Cross: Thats what Paul is referring
to in Rom. 8:31-32, What then shall we say to these things?
If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare
His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not
with Him also freely give us all things?
(1) The evidence of Gods dependability is so strong that
there ought to be nothing that could shake our confidence, no
matter how contradictory it appears.
(1) We need to have the faith Job had in God, Job 13:15, Though
He slay me, yet will I trust Him. True faith like that always
brings the courage that enables us to stand victorious in Gods
presence.
(2) One of the greatest evidences of that is seen in the faith
of Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-Nego, Dan. 3:16-18, when they courageously answered
the king.
(2) What God desires on our part is the obedience of faith. Through
whom (Paul says) we have received grace and apostleship for obedience
to the faith among all nations for His name. Rom. 1:5.
(1) Do we know whom we have believed and are we persuaded
that He is able to keep what we have committed to Him until that
Day?
(2) Acts 20:32.
Spur - 05/12/2002 pm
|