Jeff Gelineau – Beyond the Book – Class 2 – Doubt

1
00:00:01,400 –> 00:00:05,520
Maybe it hasn’t happened to you,
but many of us have come to

2
00:00:05,520 –> 00:00:08,520
doubt.
Here are some of the thoughts

3
00:00:08,520 –> 00:00:10,600
that you shared with me from
yesterday’s class.

4
00:00:10,600 –> 00:00:14,320
Thank you everybody.
We had 22 people who were able

5
00:00:14,320 –> 00:00:16,360
to figure out a QR.
That was really nice.

6
00:00:17,720 –> 00:00:20,320
Paul needed help, but otherwise
we got it.

7
00:00:22,360 –> 00:00:25,800
One person said doubt is the
other side of the coin of faith.

8
00:00:26,840 –> 00:00:28,880
Both are necessary with
certainty.

9
00:00:28,880 –> 00:00:32,040
You don’t need faith.
Doubt is what shows the need for

10
00:00:32,040 –> 00:00:36,160
faith.
Someone said my doubts come from

11
00:00:36,160 –> 00:00:39,480
expecting everyone to be nicely
wrapped up in a parcel.

12
00:00:42,840 –> 00:00:44,760
I’m actually going to talk about
that today because it’s one of

13
00:00:44,760 –> 00:00:48,480
my issues.
I’m also more apt to seek God

14
00:00:48,480 –> 00:00:51,520
when having doubts.
Having the feeling of

15
00:00:51,520 –> 00:00:56,280
uncertainty before had me
fearful of being alone, but I

16
00:00:56,280 –> 00:00:59,440
realized to stand alone before
God made my faith my own.

17
00:01:00,320 –> 00:01:04,319
I realized I wasn’t truly alone.
God was with me in my doubt.

18
00:01:07,120 –> 00:01:09,560
Talking about thoughts and
feelings of doubt has made me

19
00:01:09,560 –> 00:01:14,440
vulnerable.
Try standing up here and doing

20
00:01:14,440 –> 00:01:17,840
it.
But the insight and thoughts

21
00:01:17,840 –> 00:01:20,280
from others were the most
memorable of moments from which

22
00:01:20,280 –> 00:01:26,640
I learned and I will cherish.
I have learned to not see doubt

23
00:01:26,640 –> 00:01:29,400
as a bad thing.
Doubt in our society is viewed

24
00:01:29,400 –> 00:01:32,200
as a weakness.
Truth be known, we all have our

25
00:01:32,200 –> 00:01:33,480
doubts.
Just admit it.

26
00:01:33,800 –> 00:01:38,440
Talk to God about it.
The doubt lane can merge onto

27
00:01:38,440 –> 00:01:40,400
the freeway of faith and a
heartbeat.

28
00:01:41,800 –> 00:01:43,640
That’s almost like a bumper
sticker right there.

29
00:01:44,680 –> 00:01:47,560
The doubt lane can merge under
the freeway of faith and a

30
00:01:47,560 –> 00:01:53,040
heartbeat.
When you when you come to doubt,

31
00:01:53,040 –> 00:01:58,120
you know, really honestly
doubting what you were always so

32
00:01:58,120 –> 00:02:03,880
certain about is it’s probably
the hardest thing you’ll, you

33
00:02:03,880 –> 00:02:05,200
know, one of the hardest things
you’ll do.

34
00:02:06,560 –> 00:02:10,400
Kelly and I always laugh about
whether things are actually

35
00:02:10,400 –> 00:02:13,600
changing or whether we’re just
getting older and realizing that

36
00:02:13,600 –> 00:02:15,400
things are changing.
You know, it’s like, oh, wow,

37
00:02:15,400 –> 00:02:18,440
that’s kind of weird.
And I don’t know which one it

38
00:02:18,440 –> 00:02:23,280
is, but it sure feels like
lately there’s a trend in our

39
00:02:23,280 –> 00:02:27,680
community of people leaving the
Christelphian faith and joining

40
00:02:27,720 –> 00:02:31,640
other churches.
We’ve always had people leave in

41
00:02:31,640 –> 00:02:34,320
the past.
We’re all been used to that.

42
00:02:34,520 –> 00:02:37,760
But in my experience, it was
typically someone who was just

43
00:02:37,760 –> 00:02:41,600
disconnected from the faith and
they were just leaving the, you

44
00:02:41,600 –> 00:02:44,240
know, the religious life
entirely.

45
00:02:44,520 –> 00:02:48,080
The you might say the cares of
life cause them to drift away

46
00:02:48,080 –> 00:02:51,720
and and they weren’t involved in
any other religious service.

47
00:02:52,160 –> 00:02:56,320
And today it seems to be more
and more of our loved ones whose

48
00:02:56,320 –> 00:02:59,600
faith is strong, but they feel
compelled to pursue their

49
00:02:59,600 –> 00:03:03,240
religious walk in a different
community and and they and they

50
00:03:03,240 –> 00:03:06,160
leave the Chris elephants and
join a different church.

51
00:03:07,480 –> 00:03:11,600
Of all the catastrophes and
calamities that can shipwreck

52
00:03:11,600 –> 00:03:15,800
your faith.
It’s this continual assault of

53
00:03:15,800 –> 00:03:19,880
news of friends who are no
longer fellowshipping with us,

54
00:03:20,440 –> 00:03:23,840
fellowshipping with us that’s
really rocked my faith the most.

55
00:03:25,920 –> 00:03:28,680
Everyone’s different, you know,
you’re all on your own personal

56
00:03:28,680 –> 00:03:30,640
journey.
You’re affected differently by

57
00:03:30,640 –> 00:03:34,120
different things.
And it may not bother you, but

58
00:03:34,120 –> 00:03:38,400
it’s, it’s bothered me, My own
wife, we, we, it doesn’t bother

59
00:03:38,400 –> 00:03:42,800
her as much as it bothers me.
It’s AI understand that that’s

60
00:03:42,800 –> 00:03:44,880
it.
We’re different and, and, and

61
00:03:44,880 –> 00:03:48,160
philosophically, like
academically, emotionally,

62
00:03:48,160 –> 00:03:52,040
spiritually, I not emotionally,
spiritually, I kind of agree.

63
00:03:52,040 –> 00:03:56,320
I understand that, you know, I
understand why some of my

64
00:03:56,320 –> 00:03:58,840
friends are no longer attending
a Christophian meeting.

65
00:03:59,320 –> 00:04:01,760
And, and for some of them and
some of the circumstances, I

66
00:04:01,760 –> 00:04:04,000
agree with it.
I would have made the same call

67
00:04:04,000 –> 00:04:12,120
myself.
I also understand that I miss

68
00:04:12,120 –> 00:04:16,240
them and and I’m not, I’m not
like a, you know, overly social

69
00:04:16,240 –> 00:04:17,920
person.
I’m what you call an extroverted

70
00:04:17,920 –> 00:04:20,880
introvert.
So you see me performing and

71
00:04:20,880 –> 00:04:24,040
making a joke and you think I’m,
you know, I’m an extrovert.

72
00:04:24,040 –> 00:04:27,680
But really I kind of enjoy being
alone, prefer just to be alone

73
00:04:27,680 –> 00:04:28,720
right now, actually, matter of
fact.

74
00:04:31,880 –> 00:04:34,560
So it’s not, it’s not like I’m
not like I’m really socially

75
00:04:34,560 –> 00:04:36,480
connected and I miss them in
that sense.

76
00:04:36,480 –> 00:04:39,480
It’s just, and I, and then I
start to wonder, Well, maybe

77
00:04:39,480 –> 00:04:43,800
it’s is it making me question my
belief?

78
00:04:43,880 –> 00:04:46,400
Like, why am I here?
You know, Gee, that guy was

79
00:04:46,400 –> 00:04:48,880
pretty smart and he left.
How come I’m still here?

80
00:04:56,290 –> 00:05:00,810
Something else might be
affecting you and I don’t know

81
00:05:00,810 –> 00:05:03,890
what it is.
But the point is that things

82
00:05:03,890 –> 00:05:08,850
come along in life that make you
question, that make you feel

83
00:05:09,050 –> 00:05:13,800
less certain than used to be.
Feeling something that we’ve

84
00:05:13,800 –> 00:05:17,080
been familiar with our whole
life start to unravel is

85
00:05:17,080 –> 00:05:19,880
upsetting.
It’s frightening, it’s

86
00:05:19,880 –> 00:05:24,360
unsettling, it’s disorienting.
Maybe.

87
00:05:24,880 –> 00:05:30,920
Maybe I’m not smart enough.
Maybe I’ve been faking it for 22

88
00:05:30,920 –> 00:05:34,680
years.
Maybe I haven’t memorized enough

89
00:05:34,680 –> 00:05:37,000
Bible verses.
Maybe I need to go to a Bible

90
00:05:37,000 –> 00:05:39,760
class more often.
The assumption is when you start

91
00:05:39,760 –> 00:05:42,960
to feel doubt is that you are
doing something wrong.

92
00:05:43,840 –> 00:05:47,040
You’re failing in some manner
because it’s working for that

93
00:05:47,040 –> 00:05:49,400
guy and that guy and that guy.
Why is it not working for me?

94
00:05:51,720 –> 00:05:54,680
We’ve spent our entire lives
thinking we can fix things.

95
00:05:54,680 –> 00:05:57,600
Especially guys you know, you
think you can fix things, so of

96
00:05:57,600 –> 00:06:00,960
course you try to fix this.
Our faith is broken.

97
00:06:00,960 –> 00:06:06,320
It needs to be fixed.
I would submit that.

98
00:06:06,320 –> 00:06:07,840
There’s a different way to think
about it.

99
00:06:09,600 –> 00:06:14,040
I would submit that doubt is not
the enemy of faith.

100
00:06:15,360 –> 00:06:19,640
Doubt might be uncomfortable,
but don’t look at it as your

101
00:06:19,640 –> 00:06:24,760
enemy.
I’m not going to say that doubt

102
00:06:24,760 –> 00:06:29,360
is good.
I wouldn’t go that far, but I

103
00:06:29,360 –> 00:06:33,360
will definitely say that it can
have a very good effect upon

104
00:06:33,360 –> 00:06:39,400
you.
An explosion is a powerful

105
00:06:39,400 –> 00:06:43,520
thing, and explosions are not
comfortable.

106
00:06:44,400 –> 00:06:46,680
They’re not enjoyable.
You don’t look forward to ever

107
00:06:46,680 –> 00:06:53,760
being involved in an explosion.
But if you have to move a

108
00:06:53,760 –> 00:06:57,680
mountain, there’s no better way
than a stick of dynamite.

109
00:06:59,400 –> 00:07:02,120
And that’s what doubt is.
Doubt is powerful.

110
00:07:02,640 –> 00:07:06,840
It can have a powerful effect
upon your life, upon your faith.

111
00:07:07,880 –> 00:07:11,400
It can push you to places that
you wouldn’t have gone on your

112
00:07:11,400 –> 00:07:14,880
own.
Doubt can force you to develop a

113
00:07:14,880 –> 00:07:17,800
deeper trust in God than you
thought possible.

114
00:07:21,800 –> 00:07:26,080
If you can’t be certain, then
all you have left is trust.

115
00:07:29,360 –> 00:07:31,800
I want to be clear.
Doubt is not something that you

116
00:07:31,800 –> 00:07:35,320
want in your life.
Don’t go looking for doubt.

117
00:07:36,040 –> 00:07:38,720
Don’t push it and try to get it
to arrive before it wants to.

118
00:07:39,840 –> 00:07:43,200
Doubt is sacred.
Doubt is one of the tools that

119
00:07:43,200 –> 00:07:46,560
God uses to work in your life.
Now, if you were a little bit

120
00:07:46,560 –> 00:07:50,120
more pliable and less of a jerk,
he wouldn’t have to.

121
00:07:55,240 –> 00:07:58,160
It’s not coincidental.
There are tons of Bible

122
00:07:58,160 –> 00:08:01,720
characters who expressed doubt.
I made a quick list and I’m not

123
00:08:01,720 –> 00:08:05,640
a very good, you know, student
Adam, Eve, Abraham, Sarah,

124
00:08:05,640 –> 00:08:09,440
Moses, David, Elijah, John the
Baptist, and this guy that we

125
00:08:09,440 –> 00:08:16,520
literally call doubting Thomas.
God uses doubt to pull these

126
00:08:16,520 –> 00:08:20,440
people closer to him.
God doesn’t get upset when you

127
00:08:20,440 –> 00:08:22,600
doubt.
That’s the thing.

128
00:08:22,600 –> 00:08:24,240
And that’s what you’re most
scared about.

129
00:08:24,560 –> 00:08:27,760
You know, you don’t want to
anger God and you’re most scared

130
00:08:27,760 –> 00:08:29,520
about you’re going to damage
this relationship.

131
00:08:29,640 –> 00:08:33,520
If I started doubting my love
for my wife, you know it

132
00:08:33,600 –> 00:08:35,559
wouldn’t last long.
She wouldn’t put up with that,

133
00:08:36,000 –> 00:08:43,320
but God can.
God likes to wrestle, and in my

134
00:08:43,320 –> 00:08:45,120
formative years, I was a
wrestler.

135
00:08:46,160 –> 00:08:49,520
I wrestled 126 lbs, by the way,
which is quite amazing, I know.

136
00:08:52,200 –> 00:08:55,080
But you know, God likes it when
you challenge him.

137
00:08:57,000 –> 00:09:01,440
He’s not afraid.
The other day I heard a talk and

138
00:09:01,440 –> 00:09:03,080
it was a lovely talk and I love
the brother.

139
00:09:03,080 –> 00:09:05,320
And he said we need to guard the
truth.

140
00:09:06,000 –> 00:09:09,360
And I was reminded of what Saint
Augustine said.

141
00:09:09,920 –> 00:09:13,760
The truth is a roaring lion.
It does not need to be defended.

142
00:09:14,280 –> 00:09:16,240
Let it loose.
It will defend itself.

143
00:09:17,400 –> 00:09:20,680
And and it’s that way with God,
like you can bring whatever you

144
00:09:20,680 –> 00:09:23,320
want to God because he’s God.
He can handle it.

145
00:09:24,360 –> 00:09:28,560
You’re the one that’s going to
get it a change, a, a, a feeling

146
00:09:28,560 –> 00:09:33,240
and emotion, a charge from that
experience, not him.

147
00:09:33,880 –> 00:09:35,960
You’re not going to come up with
some good reason.

148
00:09:36,120 –> 00:09:38,440
And God say, oh, I never thought
of that.

149
00:09:38,440 –> 00:09:40,040
Hell, yeah, I guess you’re
right.

150
00:09:40,080 –> 00:09:42,000
You know, I mean, it’s not the
way it works.

151
00:09:46,800 –> 00:09:50,920
He knows that he can stand up to
it, and He knows that if you

152
00:09:50,920 –> 00:09:53,360
work your way through it, you’re
going to come out it on the

153
00:09:53,360 –> 00:09:56,040
other side much stronger and
much better.

154
00:09:56,200 –> 00:09:58,160
And that’s the beauty of dealing
with God.

155
00:09:58,160 –> 00:10:04,840
God is 100% at best.
On my good days, I’m like 42%.

156
00:10:05,600 –> 00:10:10,440
You know, God is 100 percent,
100% true, 100% real, 100% pure.

157
00:10:12,240 –> 00:10:15,120
Nothing in his life even comes
close to comparing it.

158
00:10:15,480 –> 00:10:17,720
And God can stand up to your
doubt.

159
00:10:18,400 –> 00:10:21,280
He can handle your toughest
questions, your biggest

160
00:10:21,280 –> 00:10:25,320
concerns.
That doesn’t mean it’s not

161
00:10:25,320 –> 00:10:29,480
scary.
It feels like, Oh no, I thought

162
00:10:29,480 –> 00:10:32,360
I was a religious person.
Now I’ve, I’ve, I’ve lost that

163
00:10:35,400 –> 00:10:38,240
losing your religion.
That’s what it feels like.

164
00:10:39,960 –> 00:10:43,560
And I’ve defined myself as a
crystal and I’ve defined myself

165
00:10:43,560 –> 00:10:48,080
as a as a Christian.
Is my best friend still going to

166
00:10:48,080 –> 00:10:55,960
like me if I’m no longer that?
So doubt is scary.

167
00:10:57,600 –> 00:10:59,480
It feels like you’re abandoning
God.

168
00:10:59,960 –> 00:11:03,680
In reality, what you’re
abandoning is all those old

169
00:11:03,680 –> 00:11:08,560
ideas about God that you
developed in Sunday school, you

170
00:11:08,560 –> 00:11:11,640
know, and you developed in, in
just poor and weak

171
00:11:11,640 –> 00:11:13,880
understanding.
And, and, and it’s now a

172
00:11:13,880 –> 00:11:16,560
tradition in your life.
You’re leaving behind this, the

173
00:11:16,560 –> 00:11:18,880
ideas about God that you
surrounded yourself with your

174
00:11:18,880 –> 00:11:23,000
entire life, that that you
understood God, that you knew

175
00:11:23,000 –> 00:11:26,760
what he was like, that that God
is like you, that God agrees

176
00:11:26,760 –> 00:11:29,600
with you.
God is somehow within your own

177
00:11:29,600 –> 00:11:32,000
grasp.
He’s within your own personal

178
00:11:32,000 –> 00:11:40,160
field of control and God most
clearly and definitely exists

179
00:11:40,280 –> 00:11:45,560
outside of our field of control.
And you know what happens

180
00:11:45,560 –> 00:11:50,360
quickly after that, you realize
very few things exist inside

181
00:11:50,520 –> 00:11:54,160
your own field of control,
especially your 11 year old son

182
00:11:54,160 –> 00:11:56,160
or your, you know, 3 year old
granddaughter.

183
00:11:56,160 –> 00:12:02,360
You know, it’s a God is not like
us.

184
00:12:05,760 –> 00:12:08,240
You know, it’s reasonable for us
to think that way because that’s

185
00:12:08,240 –> 00:12:12,120
the only way we can think.
I only know how people think and

186
00:12:12,120 –> 00:12:14,720
that’s how I think.
So I think God must think like

187
00:12:14,720 –> 00:12:19,560
that.
That’s the lesson that I had to

188
00:12:19,560 –> 00:12:23,000
learn.
And God can often teach you that

189
00:12:23,000 –> 00:12:26,760
lesson through times of doubt.
I want to take a look at how

190
00:12:26,760 –> 00:12:29,960
Abraham and Sarah learned it
because I just love their

191
00:12:29,960 –> 00:12:31,720
example.
Abraham and Sarah were already

192
00:12:31,720 –> 00:12:36,600
old when God promised them He
was going to make a great nation

193
00:12:36,600 –> 00:12:39,160
from them.
A very clear understanding that

194
00:12:39,160 –> 00:12:41,920
even though you’re barren now,
you’re going to have so many

195
00:12:41,920 –> 00:12:43,400
descendants you wouldn’t be able
to count them.

196
00:12:44,080 –> 00:12:48,320
The message right there would
have taken some faith to hear,

197
00:12:49,160 –> 00:12:56,560
just just hearing it.
But then they had to wait and

198
00:12:56,560 –> 00:13:01,840
wait and wait.
Abraham was 75, Sarah was 65

199
00:13:01,840 –> 00:13:08,080
when God confirmed that a son
would be born to them 25 years

200
00:13:08,080 –> 00:13:12,200
later.
They waited and they waited and

201
00:13:12,200 –> 00:13:14,760
they waited.
Most people would get

202
00:13:14,760 –> 00:13:16,680
discouraged, I would think,
after a year or two.

203
00:13:17,960 –> 00:13:20,560
I know one of my sons had a He
and his wife had a hard time

204
00:13:20,560 –> 00:13:25,000
having a baby and it took seven
years and it was very hard on

205
00:13:25,000 –> 00:13:30,240
their faith.
Try living your whole life,

206
00:13:30,520 –> 00:13:34,320
Baron.
Then be miraculously promised a

207
00:13:34,320 –> 00:13:39,080
child and then not get pregnant
for 25 more years.

208
00:13:40,520 –> 00:13:43,960
The strain on their face must
have been incredible and we get

209
00:13:43,960 –> 00:13:47,840
a glimpse of that when we read
about it in Genesis 17.

210
00:13:48,040 –> 00:13:51,480
When Abraham was 99 years old,
the Lord appeared to Abram and

211
00:13:51,480 –> 00:13:54,400
said to him, I am God Almighty,
walk before me and be blameless.

212
00:13:54,680 –> 00:13:58,720
He was 99 years old and look
what happens.

213
00:13:59,640 –> 00:14:02,120
And God said Abraham is for
Syria your wife.

214
00:14:02,120 –> 00:14:04,760
You shall not call her name
Syria, but Sarah shall be her

215
00:14:04,760 –> 00:14:07,000
name.
And I will bless over bless her

216
00:14:07,000 –> 00:14:08,960
and over I will give you a son
by her.

217
00:14:09,200 –> 00:14:11,360
I will bless her and she shall
become nations.

218
00:14:11,520 –> 00:14:13,160
Kings of people should come from
her.

219
00:14:13,600 –> 00:14:17,600
And Abraham fell on his face and
laughed.

220
00:14:23,040 –> 00:14:27,880
What is that in, in text Speak
ROFL.

221
00:14:28,240 –> 00:14:29,440
Rolling on the floor laughing.
Right.

222
00:14:29,440 –> 00:14:32,200
You know, like, literally this
isn’t.

223
00:14:32,360 –> 00:14:41,160
This isn’t Yeah, this is just
blown away, like falling on the

224
00:14:41,160 –> 00:14:46,040
floor laughing.
And he said to himself, shall a

225
00:14:46,040 –> 00:14:48,200
child be born to a man who’s 100
years old?

226
00:14:48,360 –> 00:14:50,800
It’s never happened in the
history of the world.

227
00:14:52,280 –> 00:14:55,160
Shall Sarah, who’s 90 years old,
bear a child?

228
00:14:56,280 –> 00:15:00,080
I mean, come on.
I think it’s a very

229
00:15:00,080 –> 00:15:04,400
understandable response from
someone who’s so old, has been

230
00:15:04,400 –> 00:15:06,760
waiting so long, and it’s never
happened.

231
00:15:08,960 –> 00:15:11,560
I can’t even, I can’t, I can’t
imagine myself in that position.

232
00:15:11,560 –> 00:15:15,200
I’ve never waited 25 years for
anything, you know?

233
00:15:15,800 –> 00:15:18,840
You know, if Amazon’s not here
by 10:00 AM, I’m, you know,

234
00:15:18,840 –> 00:15:21,000
checking the app like what’s
going on, you know?

235
00:15:26,240 –> 00:15:32,000
And on top of it, God is like,
physically standing there before

236
00:15:32,000 –> 00:15:36,120
you represented an Angel.
You know, I mean, that I would

237
00:15:36,120 –> 00:15:38,840
have hopefully been on my best
behavior when the Angel is

238
00:15:38,840 –> 00:15:40,920
standing there talking to me
inside.

239
00:15:40,920 –> 00:15:44,880
I’m going, yeah, right, right.
But at least I wouldn’t, you

240
00:15:44,880 –> 00:15:46,920
know, fall on the floor and
start laughing.

241
00:15:48,080 –> 00:15:51,320
And Sarah has the exact same
response in the next chapter.

242
00:15:52,600 –> 00:15:55,040
The Lord said I will surely
return to you about this time

243
00:15:55,040 –> 00:15:56,720
next year.
And Sarah, your wife should have

244
00:15:56,720 –> 00:15:58,400
a son.
And Sarah was listening at the

245
00:15:58,400 –> 00:16:00,680
tent door behind him.
And we all know what happens,

246
00:16:01,960 –> 00:16:04,280
Abraham, we’re old.
Everyone say we’re old, advanced

247
00:16:04,280 –> 00:16:05,960
in years.
The way of women had ceased to

248
00:16:05,960 –> 00:16:12,480
be with Sarah years ago, had had
a period in 10:15, 20-30 years.

249
00:16:13,800 –> 00:16:17,440
So Sarah laughed herself.
I always kind of thought Sarah

250
00:16:17,440 –> 00:16:19,640
was worse than Abraham in this
until I looked at it closely.

251
00:16:19,640 –> 00:16:21,680
She didn’t even fall on the
floor, like, you know, she just

252
00:16:21,680 –> 00:16:24,960
laughed to herself.
After I’m worn out and my Lord

253
00:16:24,960 –> 00:16:28,160
is old, shall I have pleasure to
wait so long for anything?

254
00:16:28,160 –> 00:16:31,880
It’s just amazing to say nothing
about something this important,

255
00:16:31,880 –> 00:16:34,800
this big in their life.
I think they obviously would

256
00:16:34,800 –> 00:16:37,080
have given up on the idea of
having children years ago.

257
00:16:37,720 –> 00:16:40,320
And then, you know, after
menopause, it was completely

258
00:16:40,320 –> 00:16:45,040
over.
And then God promises that it is

259
00:16:45,040 –> 00:16:47,840
going to happen.
And they wait and they wait and

260
00:16:47,840 –> 00:16:50,680
they wait.
Their doubts very, very real,

261
00:16:50,760 –> 00:16:54,800
very understandable, very
palpable to actually laugh when

262
00:16:54,800 –> 00:16:58,600
God tells you something they had
doubt played such a big part in

263
00:16:58,600 –> 00:17:00,640
their life.
I think they had obviously

264
00:17:00,640 –> 00:17:03,120
learned a lot through that
experience.

265
00:17:04,200 –> 00:17:06,839
To have something that big in
your life and then have it all

266
00:17:06,839 –> 00:17:09,560
change overnight and you’re
bouncing a little baby look at

267
00:17:09,560 –> 00:17:17,520
each other like they believed it
was going to happen and that’s

268
00:17:17,520 –> 00:17:19,240
what was counted to them for
righteousness.

269
00:17:19,240 –> 00:17:22,680
No matter how crazy it sounds,
no matter how implausible it

270
00:17:22,680 –> 00:17:28,680
seemed, they believe God.
And that right there is the most

271
00:17:28,680 –> 00:17:32,200
encouraging thing to me.
That faith is believing things

272
00:17:32,200 –> 00:17:36,240
that are implausible, things
that sound crazy, things that

273
00:17:36,240 –> 00:17:38,000
you wouldn’t, you know, think
could happen.

274
00:17:39,200 –> 00:17:43,280
That’s what faith is.
I’m sure they had doubt, but

275
00:17:43,280 –> 00:17:45,520
their faith was stronger.
They they were able to work

276
00:17:45,520 –> 00:17:47,960
through it.
Rather they allowed it to work

277
00:17:47,960 –> 00:17:51,480
through them.
And we need to do the same

278
00:17:51,480 –> 00:17:53,040
thing.
When doubt arrives in your life,

279
00:17:53,040 –> 00:17:55,000
don’t try to resist it.
Don’t try to run from it.

280
00:17:55,400 –> 00:17:58,080
Just patiently and honestly work
through it.

281
00:17:59,520 –> 00:18:04,120
Trust is the key, right?
Trusting that God is there, that

282
00:18:04,120 –> 00:18:06,760
he’s brought it for a reason and
he wants something to happen

283
00:18:06,760 –> 00:18:09,080
through it and allow that to
happen.

284
00:18:10,560 –> 00:18:14,080
Transformation takes time, so
allow God to transform your

285
00:18:14,080 –> 00:18:16,440
heart and mind through whatever
means possible.

286
00:18:17,440 –> 00:18:22,040
Faith grows when it’s tested and
stretched and bent and twisted

287
00:18:22,320 –> 00:18:24,960
and hammered.
That’s how faith grows.

288
00:18:25,360 –> 00:18:29,200
It’s not that cute little
picture of the water bucket and

289
00:18:29,200 –> 00:18:33,040
the flower and you know, making
your faith grow.

290
00:18:33,640 –> 00:18:37,800
It’s it’s the complete opposite.
Your faith grows when you’re

291
00:18:38,720 –> 00:18:42,840
grabbed and shook, like how Paul
describes it.

292
00:18:42,840 –> 00:18:46,040
And he was 11.
He said by faith, Sarah herself

293
00:18:46,040 –> 00:18:49,600
received power to conceive, even
when she was past the age, since

294
00:18:49,600 –> 00:18:51,880
she considered him faithful who
had promised.

295
00:18:52,920 –> 00:18:58,360
Therefore, from one man and him
as good as dead were born

296
00:18:58,360 –> 00:19:00,920
descendants, as many of the
stars of heaven, as many as the

297
00:19:00,920 –> 00:19:03,200
innumerable grains of sand on
the seashore.

298
00:19:04,240 –> 00:19:07,440
Notice how it says that through
faith she received power to

299
00:19:07,440 –> 00:19:10,120
conceive.
That’s what she’d been looking

300
00:19:10,120 –> 00:19:13,200
for.
It’s something they were trying

301
00:19:13,200 –> 00:19:14,440
for.
They hadn’t given up.

302
00:19:14,880 –> 00:19:19,040
They were still trying to have a
baby because they live by faith.

303
00:19:21,200 –> 00:19:23,400
What a goal to be that kind of a
person, the kind of person that

304
00:19:23,600 –> 00:19:26,040
looks forward.
I love David’s thought today

305
00:19:26,040 –> 00:19:27,920
about, you know, to build a
bridge, you need to look

306
00:19:27,920 –> 00:19:30,480
forward.
If you’re looking back, you’re

307
00:19:30,480 –> 00:19:32,160
not going to build any bridges
in your life.

308
00:19:33,000 –> 00:19:36,520
You need to look forward.
Don’t focus on the failures and

309
00:19:36,520 –> 00:19:39,280
the downfalls of the past.
Live by promise.

310
00:19:39,800 –> 00:19:45,000
We’re people of promise.
Not dwelling on the years that

311
00:19:45,000 –> 00:19:47,760
your prayers were not answered,
but living by hope.

312
00:19:48,560 –> 00:19:50,720
Trusting that God will do what
He’s promised.

313
00:19:51,040 –> 00:19:54,120
Making daily decisions based on
your trust in God.

314
00:19:54,840 –> 00:19:58,560
Not worrying too much about the
the facts that oppose God’s

315
00:19:58,560 –> 00:20:02,040
plan.
Every single logical, reasonable

316
00:20:02,040 –> 00:20:06,720
thing you can think of is going
to oppose this plan, but you

317
00:20:06,720 –> 00:20:08,880
have to have trust that it’s
going to happen.

318
00:20:10,000 –> 00:20:13,080
Not concerned about their
personal comfort or their ease.

319
00:20:13,200 –> 00:20:15,280
Look at the rest of Hebrews 11.
You see this pattern in

320
00:20:15,280 –> 00:20:18,320
Abraham’s life.
By faith, Abraham obeyed when he

321
00:20:18,320 –> 00:20:20,640
was called to go out to a place
that he’s going to receive as an

322
00:20:20,640 –> 00:20:23,200
inheritance.
And he went out not knowing

323
00:20:23,200 –> 00:20:27,920
where he was going.
And by faith, he went to live in

324
00:20:27,920 –> 00:20:30,920
the land of promises in a
foreign land, living in tents

325
00:20:31,480 –> 00:20:33,880
with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with
him with the same promise.

326
00:20:33,880 –> 00:20:37,000
For he was looking forward to
city as foundations, you know,

327
00:20:37,000 –> 00:20:40,960
uh, where he was living was a
pretty nice place.

328
00:20:42,520 –> 00:20:46,960
ER was civilized and cultured.
Archaeologists have shown that

329
00:20:47,160 –> 00:20:52,040
ER actually had running water
and theaters and markets.

330
00:20:54,440 –> 00:20:59,520
And God tells Abraham to pack it
up and go camping for the

331
00:20:59,520 –> 00:21:01,840
indefinite future.
How long we going to be gone?

332
00:21:02,040 –> 00:21:03,640
And how many pairs of underwear
should I pack?

333
00:21:04,240 –> 00:21:07,920
It’s an indefinite future.
He doesn’t tell him where he’s

334
00:21:07,920 –> 00:21:11,440
going to go, he doesn’t tell him
how long he’s going to be gone,

335
00:21:12,440 –> 00:21:15,600
and Abraham goes.
He does it.

336
00:21:17,920 –> 00:21:20,480
What’s greater than that?
He stays there once he gets

337
00:21:20,480 –> 00:21:25,120
there.
Over 30 years, living in tents,

338
00:21:28,040 –> 00:21:31,800
he could have returned to Earth,
but he was more concerned about

339
00:21:31,800 –> 00:21:34,560
what was before him, not what
was behind him.

340
00:21:35,840 –> 00:21:37,240
That’s the attitude God is
looking for.

341
00:21:37,240 –> 00:21:40,200
God wants people of promise.
God wants people who live in

342
00:21:40,200 –> 00:21:44,480
hope, who live in faith, who
look forward and not looking

343
00:21:44,480 –> 00:21:46,720
back.
If your faith is based on

344
00:21:46,720 –> 00:21:51,080
trusting in God, whether or not
you understand why he’s saying

345
00:21:51,080 –> 00:21:54,160
what he’s saying or doing what
he’s doing, then your faith will

346
00:21:54,160 –> 00:21:57,440
stand strong because you’re
trusting in something that is

347
00:21:57,440 –> 00:22:02,120
strong, stronger than you.
You believe what he says.

348
00:22:02,880 –> 00:22:06,840
I want to talk a bit about that
word believe, more specifically

349
00:22:07,080 –> 00:22:13,000
belief with an F.
We often talk about our beliefs,

350
00:22:14,440 –> 00:22:17,680
but I think that belief in the
Bible is really talking about

351
00:22:17,680 –> 00:22:23,280
trust.
So yesterday I was talking to a

352
00:22:23,280 –> 00:22:26,720
few people that I don’t like
the, I don’t like the concept,

353
00:22:26,720 –> 00:22:30,680
the word of statement of faith,
because it’s really a statement

354
00:22:30,680 –> 00:22:35,080
of what we teach.
And, and you really I don’t even

355
00:22:35,080 –> 00:22:39,640
like saying it’s our beliefs
because believe is about trust.

356
00:22:40,360 –> 00:22:43,680
It’s not about teaching.
And we use that word believe

357
00:22:44,080 –> 00:22:47,040
when we talk about our faith,
like we talk about our, our, our

358
00:22:47,600 –> 00:22:49,560
doctrines and what do you
believe in?

359
00:22:50,600 –> 00:22:55,040
I, I don’t believe that.
Here’s what I believe, boy.

360
00:22:55,120 –> 00:22:57,680
And what you believe and I
believe are quite different.

361
00:22:58,800 –> 00:23:00,920
You can be a member of my
ecclesia if you believe like

362
00:23:00,920 –> 00:23:04,280
that.
We tend to use the word belief

363
00:23:04,280 –> 00:23:08,600
in regard to a what?
This is what I understand the

364
00:23:08,600 –> 00:23:11,240
Bible uses the word belief in
regard to a who.

365
00:23:12,000 –> 00:23:15,600
It’s.
This is who I believe in, not

366
00:23:15,600 –> 00:23:19,320
academically, but having a
belief in God.

367
00:23:19,320 –> 00:23:24,120
Not not having a belief that God
exists, but believing God.

368
00:23:26,440 –> 00:23:30,800
Believing should be a who word
in your head, not not a what

369
00:23:30,800 –> 00:23:33,080
word.
If you forget that, then you

370
00:23:33,080 –> 00:23:37,080
read into the Bible a tendency
to put what at the center of of

371
00:23:37,080 –> 00:23:42,080
your beliefs and not who.
It’s tricky, of course, because

372
00:23:42,360 –> 00:23:44,360
believing is never empty of
content.

373
00:23:44,520 –> 00:23:48,080
The Israelites turn to God
because of what he had done for

374
00:23:48,080 –> 00:23:52,000
them, but typically the Bible
isn’t thinking about a what.

375
00:23:53,200 –> 00:23:58,320
The Bible’s trusting in a who.
Bible characters didn’t have as

376
00:23:58,320 –> 00:24:01,880
much preoccupation with what to
believe as we do today.

377
00:24:03,120 –> 00:24:06,760
For US, religion faces
intellectual challenges that

378
00:24:06,760 –> 00:24:10,320
weren’t on people’s minds
thousands of years ago.

379
00:24:10,560 –> 00:24:13,520
Today it’s quite different.
It seems that the predominant

380
00:24:13,520 –> 00:24:18,400
thought today, please, you know,
including your comments, you

381
00:24:18,400 –> 00:24:20,360
what you think.
But for me, it seems the

382
00:24:20,360 –> 00:24:24,120
predominant thought is the more
you know, the harder it is to

383
00:24:24,120 –> 00:24:28,680
believe in God, that the the
belief in God is for the the

384
00:24:28,680 –> 00:24:30,920
poor and the ignorant and the
unlearned.

385
00:24:32,880 –> 00:24:36,280
College students often find a
resistance to believing in God.

386
00:24:37,400 –> 00:24:42,480
Any kind of higher education
removes a higher power.

387
00:24:44,520 –> 00:24:47,680
We like to explain things in
scientific rather than

388
00:24:47,680 –> 00:24:51,600
supernatural means, which makes
it harder to believe that God

389
00:24:51,600 –> 00:24:54,720
actually exists.
So when we see believe or belief

390
00:24:54,720 –> 00:24:58,120
in the Bible, we shouldn’t
export our intellectualized

391
00:24:58,120 –> 00:24:59,760
meaning onto these Bible
characters.

392
00:24:59,760 –> 00:25:03,160
That’s why I think we replace
these words with trust.

393
00:25:03,640 –> 00:25:05,880
You come close to understanding
what the Bible is really getting

394
00:25:05,880 –> 00:25:08,280
at.
It’s not about what we believe.

395
00:25:08,280 –> 00:25:10,880
It’s about who we believe in.
It’s about who we trust.

396
00:25:11,400 –> 00:25:13,520
So let’s look at some examples.
One of the first ones comes in

397
00:25:13,520 –> 00:25:18,320
my mind is the verse who quoted
yesterday, Genesis 15.

398
00:25:18,560 –> 00:25:21,320
Abraham believed the Lord and
accounted him as righteousness.

399
00:25:21,480 –> 00:25:25,080
That’s not a what?
It’s not that Abraham believed

400
00:25:25,080 –> 00:25:28,560
that God exists, right?
Not that Abraham believed that

401
00:25:28,560 –> 00:25:31,400
God is omnipotent.
Not that Abraham believed that

402
00:25:31,520 –> 00:25:35,640
God is not part of a Trinity.
All those things are true.

403
00:25:36,640 –> 00:25:40,760
But that’s not the point.
The verse isn’t trying to teach

404
00:25:40,760 –> 00:25:42,600
us that Abraham wasn’t an
atheist.

405
00:25:43,440 –> 00:25:48,440
The point of the verse is that
this 90 year old barren couple

406
00:25:48,680 –> 00:25:51,760
was told by God they’re going to
have a baby and they believed

407
00:25:51,760 –> 00:25:53,360
it.
They trusted it.

408
00:25:54,120 –> 00:25:55,800
So if you read that verse, you
know differently.

409
00:25:55,960 –> 00:25:59,840
Abraham trusted Lord, and he
counted for righteousness.

410
00:26:00,360 –> 00:26:03,240
Believe in the Hebrew.
Here is the word Amman.

411
00:26:04,240 –> 00:26:08,640
It’s the verse that Dan quoted
from Psalm 119, verse 66 this

412
00:26:08,640 –> 00:26:10,400
morning about trusting in God’s
commandments.

413
00:26:10,400 –> 00:26:13,320
It’s Amman.
The word has made its way into

414
00:26:13,320 –> 00:26:15,680
English.
How do we finish our prayers?

415
00:26:16,520 –> 00:26:21,200
Amman.
It’s a common word in the New

416
00:26:21,200 –> 00:26:23,200
Testament.
They trusted the Lord.

417
00:26:23,200 –> 00:26:30,120
They trusted in Jesus.
You might find the word believe,

418
00:26:30,120 –> 00:26:32,760
but what’s really important is
that what they’re talking about

419
00:26:32,760 –> 00:26:34,720
is is trust.
Here’s a good example.

420
00:26:34,720 –> 00:26:39,680
In Mark 9, Jesus said if you
can, all things are possible for

421
00:26:39,680 –> 00:26:42,920
the one who believes Immediately
the father child cried out.

422
00:26:43,160 –> 00:26:46,240
I believe help my unbelief.
What’s he talking about here

423
00:26:47,200 –> 00:26:50,600
that I understand a lot of these
biblical principles, but I’m I’m

424
00:26:50,600 –> 00:26:52,640
missing a few.
No, that’s not what he’s talking

425
00:26:52,640 –> 00:26:54,520
about.
It’s not that the Father didn’t

426
00:26:54,520 –> 00:26:56,920
100% believe that Jesus was the
Son of God.

427
00:26:57,080 –> 00:27:00,160
There wasn’t any question here
about his, his academic

428
00:27:00,160 –> 00:27:03,160
doctrinal understanding.
He wasn’t asking Jesus to help

429
00:27:03,160 –> 00:27:07,280
him understand better.
He needs help trusting Jesus.

430
00:27:07,760 –> 00:27:11,560
So what he’s saying is I trust,
help my, my lack of trust.

431
00:27:12,920 –> 00:27:14,920
I trust you.
At least I’m trying to trust

432
00:27:14,920 –> 00:27:16,920
you.
Help me to trust you more.

433
00:27:18,920 –> 00:27:21,200
Now these words believe and
trust are very close in their

434
00:27:21,200 –> 00:27:24,040
meaning, but I think it’s
important, it’s been important

435
00:27:24,040 –> 00:27:29,120
for me to use the word trust
instead of believe because it

436
00:27:29,120 –> 00:27:32,840
can’t be confused with a belief
system, you know, a system of

437
00:27:32,840 –> 00:27:36,720
doctrines.
It’s trust and trust can’t be

438
00:27:36,720 –> 00:27:41,240
confused with knowledge.
The times the Bible uses the

439
00:27:41,240 –> 00:27:44,240
word believe, it’s not referring
to a set of doctrines that you

440
00:27:44,240 –> 00:27:47,160
hold onto.
It’s referring to the, the faith

441
00:27:47,400 –> 00:27:51,680
and the trust that you have in
God and in Jesus.

442
00:27:52,160 –> 00:27:54,760
Another example is in Luke 8.
Remember Jairus, his daughters

443
00:27:54,760 –> 00:27:58,920
died and Jesus says, but Jesus
on hearing this answered him, do

444
00:27:58,920 –> 00:28:01,640
not fear, only believe and she
will be well.

445
00:28:02,880 –> 00:28:08,920
Well, he’s not asking Jairus to
believe clause 22 or the clause

446
00:28:08,920 –> 00:28:12,680
7, right.
By the time Jairus gets there,

447
00:28:12,720 –> 00:28:16,120
Jesus gets there, she’s dead.
It’s not a matter of how what

448
00:28:16,120 –> 00:28:20,120
you know at that point.
It’s a matter of whether or not

449
00:28:20,120 –> 00:28:24,400
you trust that Jesus is able to
raise her from the dead.

450
00:28:28,720 –> 00:28:32,280
Knowledge is is vital.
Jairus needed to understand that

451
00:28:32,320 –> 00:28:36,640
Jesus is able to raise her from
the dead, but he had to trust

452
00:28:36,640 –> 00:28:40,120
that we have to know and
understand important things in

453
00:28:40,120 –> 00:28:43,160
our life, important things in
the Bible that the Bible

454
00:28:43,160 –> 00:28:46,120
teaches.
And the only way we come to that

455
00:28:46,120 –> 00:28:47,920
knowledge is by reading the word
of God.

456
00:28:48,960 –> 00:28:51,000
But it’s not that knowledge
that’s going to raise that

457
00:28:51,000 –> 00:28:56,960
little girl from the dead.
It’s trust that Jesus can do it.

458
00:28:58,160 –> 00:29:01,800
Our faith-based on trust is what
saves us.

459
00:29:02,160 –> 00:29:05,560
James captures it great.
James says you believe that God

460
00:29:05,560 –> 00:29:06,640
is 1.
You do.

461
00:29:06,640 –> 00:29:12,160
Well, even the demons believe
and shudder believing that God

462
00:29:12,160 –> 00:29:17,680
is X or God is Y or God is the.
It’s important and it’s crucial

463
00:29:17,680 –> 00:29:20,920
and our understanding of who the
person is we’re worshiping and

464
00:29:20,920 –> 00:29:24,200
serving.
But it’s so Even so easy that

465
00:29:24,200 –> 00:29:26,320
literally a trained monkey can
do it.

466
00:29:28,080 –> 00:29:33,360
There was a wives tale that I
heard growing up and I used to

467
00:29:33,360 –> 00:29:35,640
laugh about.
It was a cute little wives tale,

468
00:29:35,800 –> 00:29:38,400
old wives tale.
The term is, you know, a

469
00:29:39,720 –> 00:29:42,680
tradition that we heard about
growing up, and it taught a neat

470
00:29:42,680 –> 00:29:47,920
little lesson in Christadelphia.
And then last week, I had dinner

471
00:29:47,920 –> 00:29:50,880
at Rocky Mountain Bible School
with a brother who was there

472
00:29:50,880 –> 00:29:53,400
when it happened.
And it wasn’t a wife’s tale.

473
00:29:53,400 –> 00:29:56,520
It was really true.
He was in Baltimore, Ecclesia.

474
00:29:56,800 –> 00:30:02,040
And one day six young men come
walking in and they asked if

475
00:30:02,040 –> 00:30:08,640
they could have Bible classes.
You know, we had one young man

476
00:30:08,640 –> 00:30:10,680
walk into our ecclesia want to
have Bible classes.

477
00:30:10,680 –> 00:30:12,520
And we thought it was the best
year we’ve ever had.

478
00:30:12,680 –> 00:30:16,200
You know, 6 young men from the
nearby college all went to the

479
00:30:16,200 –> 00:30:17,680
same school.
They came and they want to have

480
00:30:17,680 –> 00:30:21,440
Bible classes.
And for three months they took

481
00:30:21,440 –> 00:30:27,160
Bible classes and they got
examined and they got baptized

482
00:30:27,800 –> 00:30:30,760
and they passed the fraternity
haze and were able to join their

483
00:30:30,760 –> 00:30:33,200
fraternity and they never saw
them again.

484
00:30:38,760 –> 00:30:44,400
A trained monkey can do it.
Even the demons do can do it.

485
00:30:44,400 –> 00:30:48,400
Even the demons can understand
that God is 1.

486
00:30:50,800 –> 00:30:55,400
Moving that belief from your
head to your heart is the hard

487
00:30:55,400 –> 00:30:58,600
part.
That’s something else entirely.

488
00:30:58,960 –> 00:31:01,360
That’s the part that you can’t
lose sight of.

489
00:31:01,600 –> 00:31:08,320
When we talk about believing,
it’s not about our beliefs, it’s

490
00:31:08,320 –> 00:31:11,600
about our trust.
Knowledge is important to

491
00:31:11,600 –> 00:31:16,040
growing faith, but faith has to
be based on trust for it to save

492
00:31:16,040 –> 00:31:20,160
us.
Wilford used to tell me you’re

493
00:31:20,160 –> 00:31:25,040
going to fall 10 inches short of
getting into the Kingdom.

494
00:31:30,640 –> 00:31:35,760
When we say someone has faith,
we run into a similar problem, I

495
00:31:35,760 –> 00:31:38,360
think is with belief.
We might say, tell me about your

496
00:31:38,360 –> 00:31:41,080
faith.
And the answer might be, well, I

497
00:31:41,080 –> 00:31:43,840
believe that Jesus is the Son of
God who died for our sins and,

498
00:31:44,080 –> 00:31:47,640
and he’s not God himself, but
he’s the Son of God and on and

499
00:31:47,640 –> 00:31:48,960
on and on.
And there’s nothing wrong with

500
00:31:48,960 –> 00:31:53,280
that.
Faith, like belief, includes

501
00:31:53,280 –> 00:31:54,760
content.
It includes the what?

502
00:31:55,880 –> 00:31:58,000
But you can’t stay on that
level.

503
00:31:59,080 –> 00:32:01,120
If you do, you’re going to miss
out on a lot.

504
00:32:01,360 –> 00:32:03,800
Typically when we see faith in
the New Testament, it isn’t

505
00:32:03,800 –> 00:32:07,920
about the content of what to
think, it’s about trusting in

506
00:32:07,920 –> 00:32:11,400
God and acting upon it.
Faith is an active word.

507
00:32:13,240 –> 00:32:15,480
It’s not a, it’s not a a what
word, right?

508
00:32:15,600 –> 00:32:19,040
Faith is a, is a trust word.
We just saw in the 2 examples

509
00:32:19,280 –> 00:32:21,400
with the with the parents, with
the with the children, right?

510
00:32:21,600 –> 00:32:26,080
I believe, help my unbelief only
believe and she will be saved.

511
00:32:26,240 –> 00:32:29,680
In both those verses.
The Greek word there is pistos.

512
00:32:30,080 –> 00:32:34,960
Pistos means to have faith.
He’s saying, you know, I believe

513
00:32:35,160 –> 00:32:39,040
I have faith.
Help me with the part I’m I’m

514
00:32:39,040 –> 00:32:41,480
lacking on the part I’m
doubting.

515
00:32:42,720 –> 00:32:45,080
So when you see believe or faith
the New Testament, it’s not

516
00:32:45,080 –> 00:32:49,880
talking about something that we
believe about God or Jesus is

517
00:32:49,880 –> 00:32:53,600
talking about the sense of
believing in God or Jesus that

518
00:32:53,680 –> 00:33:01,400
all in trust and God in Jesus.
Faith describes a parent letting

519
00:33:01,400 –> 00:33:04,960
go of the fear for the child and
handing that over to Jesus.

520
00:33:06,160 –> 00:33:08,840
That’s hard to do.
Faith is not easy.

521
00:33:08,840 –> 00:33:12,960
Faith is a tough word.
Faith requires us to be faithful

522
00:33:13,040 –> 00:33:15,800
to each other.
Galatians says for in Christ

523
00:33:15,800 –> 00:33:18,360
Jesus, neither circumcision or
uncircumcision counts for

524
00:33:18,480 –> 00:33:27,200
anything.
They killed people over it, Paul

525
00:33:27,200 –> 00:33:33,480
himself killed people over it.
And yet circumcision

526
00:33:33,480 –> 00:33:37,040
uncircumcision doesn’t count as
anything, only faith working

527
00:33:37,040 –> 00:33:40,360
through love.
Read faith in that verse as

528
00:33:40,360 –> 00:33:43,280
faithfulness and I think you
better understand it in English

529
00:33:43,280 –> 00:33:46,080
right?
You get faithfulness working

530
00:33:46,080 –> 00:33:49,480
through love.
Faith isn’t just something

531
00:33:49,480 –> 00:33:52,760
between God and us.
Faith is an action between each

532
00:33:52,760 –> 00:33:55,440
other.
You want to be a faithful

533
00:33:55,440 –> 00:33:57,920
husband.
You want to be a faithful

534
00:33:57,920 –> 00:34:02,760
brother, a faithful messenger, a
faithful representative.

535
00:34:05,280 –> 00:34:07,560
Faith is also described as
something that God does.

536
00:34:07,760 –> 00:34:10,320
That’s a big clue.
That is, it’s not talking about

537
00:34:10,360 –> 00:34:13,080
having faith, but being
faithful.

538
00:34:15,840 –> 00:34:17,440
It doesn’t matter how long
you’ve been in the faith.

539
00:34:17,600 –> 00:34:19,600
How long you’ve been in the
faith doesn’t matter.

540
00:34:19,880 –> 00:34:21,960
It matters how long have you
been faithful?

541
00:34:23,120 –> 00:34:26,520
That’s what matters.
It’s not about whether or not we

542
00:34:26,520 –> 00:34:29,280
believe in a statement of faith,
it’s whether or not we are

543
00:34:29,280 –> 00:34:33,880
faithful people.
Having faith is is believing in

544
00:34:33,880 –> 00:34:38,280
something, but being faithful is
acting upon those beliefs.

545
00:34:40,600 –> 00:34:42,639
Galatians 2 talks about
faithfulness.

546
00:34:42,920 –> 00:34:45,159
It says.
Yet we know that a person is not

547
00:34:45,159 –> 00:34:48,719
justified by works of law, but
through faith in Christ Jesus.

548
00:34:49,000 –> 00:34:53,400
Change that verse too.
They’re justified not by works

549
00:34:53,400 –> 00:34:57,080
of law, but by faithfulness of
Christ Jesus.

550
00:34:57,960 –> 00:34:59,920
Paul isn’t talking about what
we’ve done.

551
00:35:00,320 –> 00:35:05,280
He’s talking about what Jesus
did, how Jesus was faithful and

552
00:35:05,480 –> 00:35:09,440
to us and dying for us, and
about how God is faithful to us

553
00:35:09,440 –> 00:35:12,640
and giving us His Son.
And we need to be faithful as

554
00:35:12,640 –> 00:35:17,560
well, not just to God and to
Jesus, but to each other in self

555
00:35:17,560 –> 00:35:20,880
sacrificing love.
We need to act like God, be

556
00:35:20,880 –> 00:35:24,880
faithful like God is.
Because in all this, being like

557
00:35:24,880 –> 00:35:29,920
God is the goal.
Being faithful is the goal.

558
00:35:32,680 –> 00:35:36,400
And everything we do becoming
more like God should be our

559
00:35:36,400 –> 00:35:40,320
goal.
We’re most like God not when

560
00:35:40,320 –> 00:35:48,560
we’re certain that we’re right.
We’re most like God when we are

561
00:35:48,560 –> 00:35:54,880
faithful, when we trust in him,
when we act toward one another

562
00:35:55,440 –> 00:36:03,480
like God would act.
Humility, love and kindness our

563
00:36:03,560 –> 00:36:07,560
our our acts of faithfulness.
That’s how we show it.

564
00:36:09,840 –> 00:36:12,440
John tells us we’re like God if
we act like him.

565
00:36:12,440 –> 00:36:14,360
He says no one has ever seen
God.

566
00:36:15,480 –> 00:36:19,880
If we love one another, God
abides in US and His love is

567
00:36:19,880 –> 00:36:23,320
perfected in us.
At the end of the day, love is

568
00:36:23,320 –> 00:36:29,400
the goal.
At the end of the day, love is

569
00:36:29,400 –> 00:36:32,480
the goal.
Having God abide in US is is

570
00:36:32,480 –> 00:36:35,600
much more than the belief
systems that we hold onto, the

571
00:36:35,600 –> 00:36:38,520
doctrines we recite, or the
statement of faith that we

572
00:36:38,520 –> 00:36:40,960
adhere to, no matter how
important they are.

573
00:36:40,960 –> 00:36:43,960
And they are important.
But being obsessed with making

574
00:36:43,960 –> 00:36:46,880
sure that you have all your
thoughts about God properly

575
00:36:46,880 –> 00:36:50,200
arranged and classified and
defended and supported isn’t

576
00:36:50,200 –> 00:36:57,120
faith.
It’s Bible study, trusting in

577
00:36:57,120 –> 00:37:01,560
God in the day-to-day and the
experiences that happen to you

578
00:37:02,040 –> 00:37:05,600
in the good and the bad and in
the terrible.

579
00:37:08,200 –> 00:37:15,880
That’s faith.
Living godly and showing love to

580
00:37:15,880 –> 00:37:20,680
those that we live around every
day is faith.

581
00:37:21,800 –> 00:37:24,560
We all know that faith without
without actions is dead right

582
00:37:24,560 –> 00:37:26,080
good.
What good is it my brother’s?

583
00:37:26,080 –> 00:37:28,800
If someone says he has faith but
does not have works, can faith

584
00:37:28,800 –> 00:37:30,680
save him?
Her brother or sister is poorly

585
00:37:30,680 –> 00:37:32,920
clothed and lacking in daily
food and one of you says to him,

586
00:37:33,160 –> 00:37:36,720
go in peace, be warm, be filled
without giving them the things

587
00:37:36,720 –> 00:37:38,080
they need for the body.
What good is that?

588
00:37:38,600 –> 00:37:42,920
So also faith by itself doesn’t
have works, is dead.

589
00:37:43,520 –> 00:37:45,760
Some will say you have faith and
I have work, show me your faith

590
00:37:45,760 –> 00:37:47,840
apart of your works.
I’ll show my faith by my works.

591
00:37:48,200 –> 00:37:50,760
I think we miss out a lot on
what the biblical writers are

592
00:37:50,760 –> 00:37:54,120
trying to get at if we think of
belief and faith as correct

593
00:37:54,120 –> 00:37:58,280
thinking words.
They are deep in meaningful

594
00:37:58,280 –> 00:38:03,200
words, even hard words, but
they’re beautiful and they move

595
00:38:03,200 –> 00:38:05,400
us deeper into the presence of
God.

596
00:38:05,760 –> 00:38:10,920
Trust God no matter what is a
common theme through the Bible.

597
00:38:12,160 –> 00:38:14,240
But I don’t have a verge to
support that.

598
00:38:14,240 –> 00:38:16,560
I have, you know what, what,
what is exactly to say?

599
00:38:16,560 –> 00:38:20,000
What’s the Hebrew?
Is it 5472 or is it 5473?

600
00:38:20,000 –> 00:38:21,920
Which, which one is it?
I have to understand that

601
00:38:21,920 –> 00:38:23,160
properly.
No, you don’t.

602
00:38:25,000 –> 00:38:28,880
You just trust God no matter
what.

603
00:38:29,240 –> 00:38:31,440
Oh, but this argument over here
says this and I read this book

604
00:38:31,440 –> 00:38:33,160
over here and I heard a podcast.
So the guy was saying this.

605
00:38:33,360 –> 00:38:37,480
It doesn’t matter.
Trust God no matter what.

606
00:38:38,680 –> 00:38:45,400
Whether you’re a 90 year old
couple promised a baby, a

607
00:38:45,400 –> 00:38:51,480
captive looking to God for
deliverance from a hellhole, or

608
00:38:51,480 –> 00:38:59,720
a parent and trusting your dying
child to God, trust Him.

609
00:39:04,520 –> 00:39:08,840
What you learn quite quickly in
the Bible is that trusting God

610
00:39:09,080 –> 00:39:11,280
isn’t just for those times when
you’re hunkered down in a

611
00:39:11,280 –> 00:39:14,080
foxhole with bullets flying over
your head.

612
00:39:14,800 –> 00:39:19,800
Trusting God is for every single
moment of your day.

613
00:39:23,560 –> 00:39:31,280
I used to laugh at the modern
day Christians in my

614
00:39:31,280 –> 00:39:34,920
neighborhood who would make
comments about how you know God

615
00:39:35,120 –> 00:39:37,600
helped them find a good parking
space for the they weren’t late

616
00:39:37,600 –> 00:39:40,560
for their dentist appointment.
I don’t laugh anymore.

617
00:39:41,880 –> 00:39:45,560
I don’t know if that’s what God
does, but that person was

618
00:39:45,560 –> 00:39:50,440
trusting God for everything.
Trust God in every moment.

619
00:39:50,720 –> 00:39:52,320
Trust in Lord with all your
heart.

620
00:39:52,320 –> 00:39:53,960
Do not lean into your own
understanding it.

621
00:39:54,320 –> 00:39:57,480
It won’t make sense to you is
what he’s saying.

622
00:39:58,120 –> 00:40:00,360
Trust God with all your heart,
even though it doesn’t make

623
00:40:00,360 –> 00:40:03,160
sense to you.
In all your ways, acknowledge

624
00:40:03,160 –> 00:40:05,680
God.
Realize that God is in control

625
00:40:05,680 –> 00:40:08,640
of your life, not you, not your
best thinking, not your

626
00:40:08,640 –> 00:40:11,360
willpower, not your strength,
but God.

627
00:40:13,240 –> 00:40:15,040
In the Old Testament, the word
heart.

628
00:40:15,640 –> 00:40:18,440
It’s not only use where your
emotions reside, but it’s also

629
00:40:18,440 –> 00:40:20,880
the seed of your thoughts and
your moral compass and your

630
00:40:20,880 –> 00:40:22,880
will.
And he’s saying trust God with

631
00:40:22,960 –> 00:40:28,920
all of your heart.
It means all of you, every part

632
00:40:28,920 –> 00:40:33,560
of you, what you feel, what you
think, what you do, the complex,

633
00:40:33,560 –> 00:40:39,040
the important, the trivial.
Trust God all the time.

634
00:40:43,520 –> 00:40:45,000
Now, there’s going to be times
when you doubt.

635
00:40:46,600 –> 00:40:50,160
That doesn’t mean you need to
lose your trust in God when you

636
00:40:50,160 –> 00:40:52,760
doubt.
Actually, those are times you

637
00:40:52,760 –> 00:40:54,400
really come to trust God the
most.

638
00:40:56,560 –> 00:40:59,000
Those times that David
describes, that Solomon

639
00:40:59,000 –> 00:41:01,960
describes, and the Job
describes, when you simply do

640
00:41:01,960 –> 00:41:05,160
not understand what is going on.
What is God getting at?

641
00:41:05,160 –> 00:41:10,000
What could he possibly want?
When you actually feel, because

642
00:41:10,000 –> 00:41:11,680
you’re looking at it from a
human point of view, that’s the

643
00:41:11,680 –> 00:41:14,640
only thing we can do, you feel
that God must have gotten this

644
00:41:14,640 –> 00:41:17,600
wrong.
Clearly God has this wrong.

645
00:41:18,920 –> 00:41:21,680
As you see with David and
Solomon and Job, though, God

646
00:41:21,680 –> 00:41:24,480
doesn’t criticize us for having
those moments of doubt.

647
00:41:25,480 –> 00:41:29,280
He, he welcomes them because He
knows that once we eventually

648
00:41:29,280 –> 00:41:31,280
work through them, we’re going
to be closer to Him.

649
00:41:31,560 –> 00:41:34,600
This is going to help our
relationship in the long end.

650
00:41:36,080 –> 00:41:38,080
So doubt is important to the
process.

651
00:41:38,680 –> 00:41:41,320
Doubt means that you’re being
honest with yourself.

652
00:41:42,720 –> 00:41:45,720
Doubt means you’re not letting
your fear of letting go of

653
00:41:45,720 –> 00:41:49,400
certainty get in the way or rule
your life.

654
00:41:51,080 –> 00:41:54,320
Really appreciate your thoughts
yesterday so if you would like

655
00:41:54,320 –> 00:41:57,520
to share some before I read
every one of them and I’m

656
00:41:57,520 –> 00:42:02,520
attaching them to my notes in
case God forbid someone asked me

657
00:42:02,520 –> 00:42:06,040
to give this class again, I’d be
able to improve it with what you

658
00:42:06,160 –> 00:42:09,160
what you give me.
So this is some some thoughts

659
00:42:09,160 –> 00:42:14,120
for you to consider tonight if
you can grab that.

660
00:42:18,840 –> 00:42:24,600
I do want to close with a caveat
and I’m the kind of person that

661
00:42:24,600 –> 00:42:29,040
hates caveats so but I feel it’s
important for me to say this

662
00:42:29,960 –> 00:42:38,200
doubt has its place, but doubt
is not for times of persecution.

663
00:42:41,360 –> 00:42:44,040
I don’t want to get what I’m
saying here confused with a

664
00:42:44,040 –> 00:42:46,680
different circumstance when
where doubt is spoken of in the

665
00:42:46,680 –> 00:42:48,200
Bible because I think you’re
going to come up to me

666
00:42:48,200 –> 00:42:50,200
afterwards with this verse and I
want to, I want to hit this

667
00:42:50,200 –> 00:42:55,040
verse first.
Doubt is is in moments of

668
00:42:55,040 –> 00:42:59,240
personal retrospection.
It’s not for times when the barn

669
00:42:59,240 –> 00:43:01,880
is burning.
It’s not for times when the

670
00:43:01,880 –> 00:43:05,000
Creek is rising.
And that’s what James is talking

671
00:43:05,000 –> 00:43:09,800
about in James chapter 1.
He says let him ask in faith

672
00:43:10,040 –> 00:43:13,000
with no doubting.
For the one who doubts is like a

673
00:43:13,000 –> 00:43:15,400
wave of the sea that’s driven
and tossed by the wind.

674
00:43:16,160 –> 00:43:18,480
That person must not suppose
that he will receive anything

675
00:43:18,480 –> 00:43:20,440
from the Lord.
He’s a double minded man,

676
00:43:20,440 –> 00:43:22,000
unstable in his all, all his
ways.

677
00:43:22,160 –> 00:43:23,680
This is how doubt got a bad
name.

678
00:43:23,680 –> 00:43:29,320
This is how doubt got a bad Rep.
And I think what James is

679
00:43:29,320 –> 00:43:34,200
talking about, he’s talking
about those times when things

680
00:43:34,200 –> 00:43:38,640
are an emergency.
There are times when you need to

681
00:43:38,640 –> 00:43:41,360
hear.
God will not abandon you when

682
00:43:41,360 –> 00:43:43,360
you’re struggling and trusting
in Him.

683
00:43:43,880 –> 00:43:45,280
Now there are times you need to
hear.

684
00:43:45,720 –> 00:43:47,680
This is not the time to dwell on
your struggles.

685
00:43:48,640 –> 00:43:50,360
Get up and get out of here.
The barn is burning.

686
00:43:51,800 –> 00:43:54,360
Now.
Parents are very familiar with

687
00:43:54,360 –> 00:43:56,040
the difference between these two
times, right?

688
00:43:56,960 –> 00:44:01,120
You want your kids to grow, to
learn, to stretch the boundaries

689
00:44:01,120 –> 00:44:03,720
of what they think they can
achieve and to be a better

690
00:44:03,720 –> 00:44:06,760
person.
But there’s also times when

691
00:44:06,760 –> 00:44:10,120
they’re in immediate danger and
you bring out your parking lot

692
00:44:10,120 –> 00:44:13,480
voice, right?
And that means business.

693
00:44:13,680 –> 00:44:15,400
You have got to listen what I
say.

694
00:44:16,200 –> 00:44:18,160
You know, there’s a car coming.
Get out of the road.

695
00:44:19,240 –> 00:44:22,440
And there’s there’s times for,
you know, Yeah, go ahead,

696
00:44:22,560 –> 00:44:25,200
experience that, you know,
Sally, learn about that.

697
00:44:25,200 –> 00:44:26,400
Grow.
Yeah, go ahead.

698
00:44:26,400 –> 00:44:29,840
You know, But no, there’s also
times when it’s different.

699
00:44:31,360 –> 00:44:33,800
Sometimes you just have to trust
God and move forward.

700
00:44:34,360 –> 00:44:38,320
I was I was close to a sister
with a terminal illness who said

701
00:44:38,320 –> 00:44:41,480
that God had been preparing her
for the moment her entire life

702
00:44:42,720 –> 00:44:46,560
without her even knowing it.
She’d been in all sorts of

703
00:44:46,560 –> 00:44:50,320
situations where she needed to
let go of control and trust God.

704
00:44:51,720 –> 00:44:55,400
And then facing the biggest
letting go moment of her life,

705
00:44:56,240 –> 00:44:58,000
all those years of training paid
off.

706
00:44:59,560 –> 00:45:03,200
She really felt she was ready to
trust God in the hour of need.

707
00:45:05,880 –> 00:45:10,200
This really give those around
you an account of of the hope

708
00:45:10,360 –> 00:45:13,960
that’s in you.
It’s not a discussion of the

709
00:45:13,960 –> 00:45:18,040
Trinity, it’s not a discussion
of heaven or hell.

710
00:45:19,160 –> 00:45:22,800
It’s someone seeing that you
have a relationship with God

711
00:45:23,680 –> 00:45:26,680
that’s carrying through the most
terrible days ever.

712
00:45:29,120 –> 00:45:33,960
That’s what really changes
people’s views correctly.

713
00:45:35,280 –> 00:45:38,320
But a faith that’s described in
the Bible is based on trust

714
00:45:39,840 –> 00:45:43,240
rather than our trust in God,
not ourselves, and a

715
00:45:43,240 –> 00:45:47,040
faithfulness to God by being
humbly faithful to others.

716
00:45:51,600 –> 00:45:56,880
You look pretty good, your
shirts tucked in, your hair’s

717
00:45:57,040 –> 00:45:59,960
blow dried.
You look like you have things

718
00:45:59,960 –> 00:46:04,600
under control.
That’s the illusion we want to

719
00:46:04,600 –> 00:46:09,720
live under.
When things are out of control

720
00:46:10,600 –> 00:46:15,080
is when God speaks to you.
God allows things in your life

721
00:46:15,080 –> 00:46:18,520
to spin out of control so that
you can learn to trust Him.

722
00:46:19,760 –> 00:46:23,600
Trust is letting go and learning
to lean on God.

723
00:46:23,720 –> 00:46:28,080
Not on your own intelligence,
not on your own knowledge, not

724
00:46:28,080 –> 00:46:30,240
on your own willpower, your own
personal strength.

725
00:46:30,480 –> 00:46:33,920
There is no shortcut.
The only way out is through it.

726
00:46:36,120 –> 00:46:42,320
When faith leaves no room for
doubt, then all we have left is

727
00:46:42,320 –> 00:46:46,360
religion.
You don’t want religion in your

728
00:46:46,360 –> 00:46:54,280
life, you want God in your life.
Something that takes place in

729
00:46:54,280 –> 00:46:56,800
our lives along with all the
other things in our lives.

730
00:46:57,120 –> 00:47:04,280
Doubt is God’s way of helping us
not to go there, God’s way of

731
00:47:05,640 –> 00:47:07,760
teaching us what we need to
learn.

732
00:47:10,760 –> 00:47:14,000
Another way we’ll talk about
tomorrow.