In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of faith in pleasing God. He references Psalm 37:5 and Proverbs 3:5-6, which encourage believers to commit their ways to the Lord and trust in Him. The speaker highlights that faith allows Christians to have access to God, receive Christ, and be saved. He also mentions the power of faith and how it can bring about positive outcomes in our lives. The sermon concludes with a reminder to believe in God's promises and not lose faith, even when faced with challenges.

Hello, good morning, this is Bill McLeod speaking from Winnipeg, Canada. I'm bringing a message on the supreme importance of faith. And my text would be Hebrews 11, 6, that without faith, it is impossible to please God. This tells us how important faith must be. If we cannot please God apart from faith, then certainly it must be an extremely important matter. Now, there are numbers of things that happen to us Christians through faith. We're going to look at some of these. We have access to God by faith in Ephesians 3, 12. We've found the earth of God by faith in Hebrews 10, 22. We receive Christ by faith in Galatians 3, 22. We're saved by faith in Ephesians 2, 8 and 2 Timothy 3, 15. We are justified by faith, Romans 3, 28. Galatians 2, 16, Romans 5, 1. We become children of God by faith in Galatians 3, 26. We receive the Holy Spirit by faith in Galatians 3, 14. We receive the Spirit of God by faith in Galatians 3, 1 to 5. Miracles brought by faith in Galatians 3, 5. We receive the Resurrection of God by faith in Romans 3, 22 in 4, 5 and 9 and so on. We're kept by faith in 1 Peter 1, 5. We're sanctified by faith in Acts 26, 18. We purify our hearts by faith in Acts 15, 9. We establish our hearts by faith in Colossians 2, 7. We stand by faith in 1 Corinthians 16, 13 and 2 Corinthians 1, 24. We walk by faith, 2 Corinthians 5, 7. We run by faith, Hebrews 12, 1 and 2. We overcome the world by faith, 1 John 5, 4. We overcome Satan by faith, Ephesians 6, 16. We get boldness by faith, Hebrews 11, 23, 27. We inherit the promises through faith, Hebrews 6, 12. We are risen with Christ by faith, Colossians 2, 12. We pray in faith, Matthew 21, 22, Mark 11, 24, James 1, 5. And we live by faith, Galatians 2, 20, 3, 11. The life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. We look very quickly at 24 different things that happen to us Christians by faith. There are many other things to consider as well. Because we find, especially in Hebrews 11 and in other places as well, but we find things that people did. Through faith we understand that the world is reframed by the Word of God. So the things that you've seen were not made of things which do appear. In Hebrews 11, verse 3. By faith Enoch was translated, he should not see death, 11, 5. By faith Abraham obeyed, chapter 11, verse 8. In chapter 11, verse 7, Noah prepared an ark to the saving of his house. Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain, Hebrews 11, verse 4. Abraham obeyed then, 11, 8. Abraham sojourned in tents with his sons by faith, 11, 9. Sarah received strength to conceive seed when she was past age, because she judged some faithful who had promised, Hebrews 11, 11. Abraham offered Isaac, was willing to take his life even, to please God, Hebrews 11, 17. Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau by faith, in 11, 20. Jacob blessed and worshipped others, 11, 21, by faith. Joseph gave a commandment about the Israelites taking his remains back to the promised land, which they carried out. He believed God would do that, and it happened. Moses' parents hid him for three months when they saw he was a comely child. They did this by faith, it says. When Moses come near, he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction of the people of God than to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches and treasures than Egypt, because he had respect for the recompense of the reward. Moses, Hebrews 11, 28, and on. Then we have Israel that went to the Red Sea by faith, chapter 11, 29, it says. Israel, the walls fell down at Jericho, chapter 11, 30, verse 30. Then the harlot rep didn't perish by faith, she believed God and she was spared, 11, 31. By faith people subdued kingdoms, it says, 11, 33. They wrought righteousness, 11, 33. They obtained promises, 11, 33. They stopped the mouths of lions, 11, 33. They quenched the vials of fire, 11, 34. They escaped the edge of the sword, 11, 34. Out of weakness were made strong, 11, 34. And so, the 11th chapter of Hebrews is one of the most important chapters in the Bible. It has to do with faith. I read it quite frequently. Matter of fact, I like to read the whole book of Hebrews in one sitting because I get more out of it that way than if I just read part of it one time. But the 11th chapter is such a marvelous chapter. The record of these people who understood faith. What is faith? Well, faith is believing God. Particularly believing the promises by which there are 7,487. Dr. Herbert Locke wrote a book on it, cataloged, indexed them all, the work's all done. You can buy his book, Believing the Promises. So, in Romans chapter 4, it says of Abraham that he didn't stagger at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, being fully persuaded of what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And so, that's given to us as a wonderful example. The father of John the Baptist, when he heard he was going to have a child, he was past eight. He didn't have the same faith that Abraham had. As a consequence, he was struck deaf and dumb for a period of time because of his unbelief. It's a gift from God, of course, faith is. We understand that too. Ephesians 2, verse 12, 9. And it's a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, 22. It follows true repentance. In Matthew 21, Christ said to the Pharisees, when John the Baptist came unto you in the way of righteousness, you didn't believe him, the publicans and the harlots believed him, and you, when you had seen and after it, did not repent, that you might believe. So, if you don't have any repentance, you won't be able to believe. Repentance comes first. And repentance is just getting in line with God and his word and his will. How can you believe? John 5, 44 says, How can you believe who receive honor one of another and seek not the honor that comes from God only? How can you believe? Then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. I think it has special relevance to the promises of God, as we mentioned before. 7,487, isn't that amazing? Well, you might say, well, I'm sure they're not all for me. Well, suppose we just take a thousand for you. A thousand promises? Why are you worried? How can you be full of unbelief? A thousand promises. I'm sure at least half of the 7,000 and more are for ordinary Christians everywhere. And there's one or two promises that cover them all. Casting all your care upon him for. He cares for you. We know he cares. Hereby we perceive the love of God because he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Does God care? Certainly he cares. We see that. We love him because he first loved us. That's how it happened. That's how it is. So, through the spirit, a gift of God, it follows true repentance. We have to give up honor seeking, seek the honor that comes from God only. Get into the word of God deeply. And then we're told in Luke 18 that men ought always to pray and not to faint. And so prayer has something to do with building faith as well. And then trials sometimes will make you stronger. If you want great faith, somebody said, then ask God for great trials. I remember a fellow, he told us how he prayed this prayer. And he said, since I prayed it, I was waiting for the hammer to fall. I don't think that's a good way to look at it. God will not allow us to be tried above it. We're able, he told us that also. However, we need to think of it. Trials. Trials. The trial of your faith may be much more precious than the gold of parishes, though it be tried with fire, let be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Now remember at the beginning of this message, we gave you 24 different things that happen to us Christian believers through faith. I don't know what you're doing with that. It would be a good thing to write them all out. Look them up. Write them out. Wonderful. Faith. The power it brings. Over the years, you know, we've often talked with people. They'll tell us stories like this. None of my kids have five children. The youngest is 22, and none of them are Christians. And somehow God failed me. I don't know how he did this or why it should have happened. He certainly failed. So we're blaming God for what took place. You can't blame God for that. The fault always lies in our faith, our weak faith. One of the most powerful promises in the Bible is Psalm 37.5. Commit your way, whatever your way is. Commit your way to the Lord. Trust also in Him. And the word trust you have to join with Proverbs 3, 5, and 6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don't lean to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. Okay? Commit your way to the Lord. Trust also in Him. And He'll do what? He'll do it, one translation says. Another translation says, He shall bring it to pass. But you have to give the problem to God. Give the whole problem to God. Put it in God's hands. Don't take it back out of God's hands. If nothing happens immediately, don't be surprised. You may have to wait a while. Now when people have done this matter of committing their problems to God, we've seen them get answers within 24 hours, within 3 days, within 3 weeks, within 2 months. In my mother's case it was 14 years. Don't rush God. Don't try and hurry God up. You see, my mother and my father didn't get along. My mother left when I was a child, maybe 8 or 9. She was gone quite a while and then she got saved and she came back. And she told us many years later the first thing she did was commit us 4 boys and her husband, my father, to God for salvation. And nothing happened for 14 years. That must have been hard for her, very hard for her. But she just hung in there, kept believing God. When God was through with it, none of us boys were saved until we were past 20. I was 22, my brother Don was 23 or 24. My brother Bob was probably 22 or whatever. My youngest brother Keith was 36. And my dad was saved when he was 75. Listen, commit and trust. Commit and trust. Walk with faith. Without faith it's impossible to please God. Just believing Him, praising Him, thanking Him, abounding with thanksgiving the Word of God says. So we walk by faith, not by sight. Not by sight. Thank God for that. Are you saved? Have you received Christ? Well, I've had people tell me they've asked Christ in their heart 25 or 50 times. One lady said 50 times. And no evidence, no assurance of salvation. The problem here is a very simple problem. They've asked Christ in their heart, they haven't believed, He came in. And people say things like this. Well, I asked Him to come in and never felt a thing. He didn't say if you open the door of your heart I'll make you feel something. He said I will come in. So you have to believe Him. If you've asked Him to enter your life, believe God for that. Do it right now if you've never done it before. Lord Jesus Christ, You died for my sins on the cross. You died in my place. I thank You for doing that. I repent of my sins. I turn away from them. I give myself wholly to You. Please come into my heart and become my personal Savior right now. Then after you've done that, just thank Him by faith. Don't wait for a feeling. It's a faith thing. Thank Him. Why think whatever you desire when you pray? Believe that you receive them and you'll have them. That's found in Mark chapter 11. Faith, mighty faith. The promise sees and looks to God alone. Laughs at impossibilities and cries it shall be done. And cries it shall, it shall be done. And cries it shall be done. Laughs at impossibilities and cries it shall be done. Grace and peace to every listener.