The Life of Faith

One of my favorite books is the biography of George Mueller, the man of faith, who ran an orphanage in Bristol, England, for over 1,000 orphans, on nothing more than faith in his Bible and trust in his God. God would work miracle after miracle in feeding those orphans through that dear man's anguished prayer life and walk of faith. One of my favorite stories of George Mueller, friends, is how his orphans needed breakfast one day, and he had no food to feed them, all 1,000 of them.

It was already morning and time for breakfast, and he locked himself in his study and dropped to his knees in prayer. Within the hour, there was a knock on the door of the orphanage. It was a delivery truck, a food delivery truck.

The driver unloaded tray after tray of bread and pastries and brought them into the orphanage with the following story. He said that about three miles away, his truck had to hit the brakes to avoid an accident, and his back doors flew open for they were not latched tight enough, and most of the bakery goods tumbled out into the street. As he scratched his head in wonder at what to do with the tainted goods, a stranger on the street walked up to him and said, why don't you take them to the Bristol orphanage of Mueller? And he did just that.

George Mueller's Life of Faith is a study worth your time, friend. If you don't have that biography, go out and get it at all costs. Now we must ask ourselves a question.

Either we believe our Bibles, or we do not. Either we believe God is the God of the Bible, or we do not. We must believe that the word of God is true and that God is true to his word.

This is where the life of faith commences, for there may be times in your life, friend, when everything is dangling by a thread, and all hope is gone, and all you have to stand on is the word of God and his promises. In my Bible, in the book of Hebrews, in chapter 11 and verse 1, it states, now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. I want us to think a while on that, friends.

This message is on faith. My Bible describes faith as the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. In other words, you take God at his word and believe his promises to you, and you stand on those promises and hope, even though you do not see the thing hoped for as of yet.

It is not seen, but your faith sees it. That's what I want to talk to us about today. The title of my message is The Faith Life, and my text can be found in Matthew's Gospel in chapter 6. You can turn in your Bibles there now, friends.

We will be in verses 25 through 34. Now, some of you may be thinking that's an odd passage of scripture to use as a faith passage, but, oh, friends, it's one of the best I have found. Allow me to read us this portion of God's word at this time.

Therefore, I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink, nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat and the body more than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you, by taking thought, can add one cubit unto his stature? And what take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin.

And yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothed the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow's cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore, take no thought, saying, what shall we eat or what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek, for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for things of itself, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. The faith life, friends, is a thrilling life, for in it we get to see God work. A life of faith is like a text from Hebrews.

It is believing in the substance without yet seeing the evidence of it. I like the story about the elderly missionary couple who lived deep in the bush of Africa. An American traveler stumbled upon their little hut one day and was curious how they existed way out there in the bush so far away from any major city.

They told the visitor that they lived by faith and God took care of their every need. The American traveler commented that they spoke about God with such familiarity that it was as if they expected God himself to walk down the dirt road beyond their hut, carrying under his arm all they needed. The life of faith, friends, is one of believing God to be who he says he is and standing upon his word and listening to it and trusting it and believing it as being good as gold.

God tried Abraham's faith with the offering of his dear son Isaac and I truly believe, friends, that God will strengthen your own faith by trying it, by placing you in difficult circumstances as well to prove what is in your heart, to see if you will believe him or not. I chose our passage from Matthew's Gospel today for a purpose. In our passage, Jesus makes the comment, O ye of little faith, those who have little faith will be allowed to grow their faith into bigger faith.

And I want to encourage you, friends, with the following story, an example from my own life where my own life of faith has been recently challenged. My daughter and I were completely out of money and had no food in our home to eat. We had no money for gas or groceries.

All we had was food for breakfast in the morning, but nothing for the rest of the day or weekend. And we knew we had no money for that next day when we went to bed that night. In the morning, in our devotional time, I read a passage from Matthew's Gospel in chapter six and verses 25 through 34 where Jesus is speaking about the birds being fed and the flowers of the field being dressed better than old King Solomon and how God the Father would take care of his children's needs and feed them.

For if he fed his birds, he surely would not starve his babes. And when I was through reading that passage of God's word, my daughter and I held hands to pray to the one who hears our prayers and desperate petitions. And when we were through praying, this is what I told my daughter.

I said, God is not dead. He reigns on a heavenly throne. And there's an old hymn that states God is still on the throne and God will take care of his own.

Though trials upset us and troubles beset us, God is still on the throne. And I made the following statement. I said, I'm going to believe my Bible and I'm going to trust my God.

I believe what his word declares and I'm standing on it. You can call me crazy, but I really believe that God's word is true and that God is true to his word. And I'm going to stand on his word and trust him to do what he says he's going to do.

And then I shut my Bible and we went about our day. The morning went by and we had no money for lunch. Our vehicle was quickly running low on gas.

There wasn't enough gas in the tank to last another day. The afternoon drew on and still no word from God. What made matters worse, it was a Friday afternoon and the banks were getting ready to close.

So if I even received a check, it would do us no good for there was no way to cash it. Things were growing pretty hopeless by 5.30 that afternoon. As we looked at one another and my daughter asked, Dad, what are we going to do? What are we going to eat for dinner? I went to my study and I dropped to my knees in prayer and I asked God to be whom he declared himself to be.

I was wrestling with him on my knees and telling him that although he was proving me and trying my faith, I was going to do the same to him and prove him to show himself strong and be true to his word and about what he declared about himself in our passage from Matthew's gospel. Well, time slipped on and my daughter said, Dad, I'm hungry. What are we going to eat? I said, I'm hungry, too.

I don't know. I'm just trusting God to do something. Don't you worry.

He's not going to let us starve. Well, about half past six, I received a telephone call from a friend who said, Someone just came by my office and gave me some money for you. I'm leaving now, but I'll put it in my mailbox.

If you can come across town and get it within the hour, you can have it. The amount is $500 and it's in cash. It's in an envelope with your name on it.

And as I hung up the phone, I told my daughter the news and we thanked our God for being who he says he is. By the time we ate dinner that night, it was late, but we had food to eat and money for gas for a car. God was faithful to his holy word.

Now, when we went to bed the previous evening, God knew all about our cares. He also knew he had who he had to be the human instrument of his work in giving us the $500. In other words, when we went to bed that previous night in desperate need and want, God had an envelope with my name written on it with provision already in there for us.

God is still on the throne, friends, and he will take care of his own. Do you believe that? It's true. The life of faith is really nothing more than a walk with God.

Abraham walked with his God and he believed what God promised him and he was willing to sacrifice everything he had for his God. And God referred to Abraham as his friend. Jesus is a friend to sinners.

He came to seek and save that which was lost. Jesus is called the Good Shepherd in John's Gospel and he exercises great care over his sheep. Do you believe that friend? It's true.

A sheep is one of the dumbest animals on God's green earth. If one runs and jumps into a ditch, three more will follow it. Then the shepherd has to go and rescue them and heal them and restore them to his side.

If you are runaway sheep, if you have been doubted God's care over you and his love for you, then listen to me, dear friend. God is still on the throne and he will take care of his own. I want to read you a familiar passage of Scripture and do not allow its familiarity to dull your hearing of each and every promise contained in its truths.

Jesus loves your friend. He redeemed you by his precious blood. He cares for you.

He wants to build faith in you. Yes, he will test you and try your heart to see what's in you, but it's for your own good. He is working in you and developing you for a closer walk with him.

Listen now to our passages. I close this message on faith and every believer should believe every word of what I'm going to relate to you now, friend. Every word of God is true and he is true to his word.

And as I read this portion of Scripture, it is my prayer that you won't hear this poor preacher's voice so much, but that you will hear his voice as it comes in with Majesty and power and authority as the Spirit of the Lord attends the reading of his holy word. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil for thou art with me.

Thy rod and thy staff that comfort me. Thou preparest the table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil.

My cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Let us now go to the God of our Bibles and believe him to be who he declares himself to be.

Let us pray.