Title: Strong Faith
Contents
Hebrews 11:30-31 Strong Faith
Today, we live in an era of automation where you can get what you want at the push of a switch. But the convenience of automation has also brought dysfunction, and the dysfunction extends to faith. Many believers believe that 'even faith can be completed with the push of a switch.' But this is a huge delusion. Faith is never built in an instant with automation.
In order for us to have strong faith and receive abundant fruit from it, we must thoroughly repent of our sins, firmly believe in God's Word, and pray persistently. Today, we are going to look at this practical faith in the Old Testament and learn valuable lessons from the religious life of Joshua and the prostitute Rahab.
1. Joshua destroyed Jericho with his persevering faith.
Joshua succeeded Moses and led the Israelites to the land of Canaan. Joshua and the Israelites crossed the Jordan River by a miracle of God. But again the city of Jericho stood in front of them. The castle was so strong and heavy that it was very difficult to destroy and take over by human force.
But God spoke to Joshua. “Behold, I have given Jericho, its king, and its warriors into your hand; all your soldiers shall go around the city once a day, and go around it for six days. The seven priests shall hold the seven trumpets and walk before the ark of the covenant. On the seventh day, you will go around the city seven times, and the priests will blow their trumpets, and the priests will blow their trumpets long and when you hear the sound of the trumpets, all the people will shout with a loud voice. Then the wall will fall down, and the people shall go up, every man before him” (Joshua 6:2-5).
Joshua believed and obeyed God's word. In the first line of the Israelites was an armed army, followed by the priests blowing the seven trumpets, followed by the ark of God.
The bare priests followed, and the Israelites lined up behind the ark and began to circle Jericho.
At that time, the people of Jericho were thoroughly prepared to fight against the Israelites and were waiting for them. But the Israelites who appeared in their eyes were just walking around the city of Jericho. The people of Jericho thought it was strange at first, but the next day, when they saw the poor appearance of the Israelites who continued to circle the city, they mocked their march. But the Israelites continued to march despite all the ridicule. Even though their eyes could not see anything, their ears could not hear anything, and their hands could not hold anything, they held on to the word of God as the leader Joshua led them and continued their march of faith.
But until six days had passed, the wall of Jericho did not move even a single brick. From an environmental point of view, it was inconceivable that the castle would collapse. But they held on to their last hope and did not stop walking. The strength of their faith, even seemingly reckless, was due to the leadership of Joshua's strong faith. Until six days passed, the city of Jericho did not change.
It's finally been seven. This is the day to go around Jericho seven times. After going around the seven laps on which the hope of all the people hung, Joshua finally made a declaration of faith. “Cry! The LORD has given you this city.” According to this declaration of faith, the priests blew the trumpets in unison, and at the same time as the trumpets sounded, the people shouted and shouted in unison. Then the strong Jericho fortress collapsed in an instant. At the same time, the momentum of the people of Jericho, who had been weak, was broken, and the people of Israel were able to occupy the city with their morale.
Ladies and gentlemen, we can learn a valuable lesson from this incident. In other words, we must believe that the word of God is fulfilled and do not give up on the march of faith. God's answers sometimes come with signs. When the prophet Elijah had not rained for three and a half years and the land of Israel burned down, he prayed earnestly that it would rain on Mount Carmel. However, no matter how much he prayed, there was no sign of an answer. It wasn't until the seventh time that a small cloud of omen the size of a palm appeared. However, the small cloud turned into a dark cloud, and finally the torrential rain fell.
However, in the battle of Jericho, there was no sign of a cloud the size of a palm. Any small sign would have given me courage... but without even the slightest sign, it was easier to get discouraged. At this time, if anyone vomited their disappointment with their lips, the people of Israel would have been divided into quarters and might have given up on their march before they even went around Jericho. But they followed Joshua's command, and no one spoke of discouragement. Rather, they continued to march to the end, trusting in God's word, even though there were no signs.
Everyone, don't forget. Sometimes God's answers come in an instant without any sign. Therefore, do not be discouraged because there are no signs and the future is bleak. The less there are signs, the more God's miracles shine, the greater the glory of God appears, and the greater our emotion can be. Especially here in foreign land, the sign of God's answer may appear quite late, and sometimes the sign may not appear. Therefore, do not be discouraged because there are no signs, and I pray that you will continue to believe in the word of God and continue your march of faith until the end.
2. Rahab the prostitute saved her whole family through her persevering faith.
We can also learn the faith of Rahab the prostitute from the article in the main text. Rahab the prostitute was a person who was despised in the world. However, God does not choose people based on their appearance or profession. Salvation comes only through faith. Although the prostitute Rahab was in a despised position, she was saved through faith.
Through rumors, Rahab believed that the God of Israel was the true God, the God of heaven and earth. That is why Rahab risked her life to hide the two spies of Israel. And he confessed his faith to the spies, and made a strong request to them for the salvation of his family.
Before the city of Jericho was destroyed, Rahab seized the spies and said: “The LORD your God is God above and below. Therefore, I beg you, since I have been good to you, you also do good to my father's house, and make a true mark on me, swearing by the Lord that you will save my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who have them, to deliver our lives from death. Joshua 2:11-13)
We can see the strong faith of the prostitute Rahab here. Rahab got a promise from the spies. It was a promise that if a red string was hung over the spear from which they had escaped, no one would see the sign of the red line and destroy Rahab's house. Rahab was a prostitute and disrespected, but she did not lose her faith until the end. As a result, when the city of Jericho fell and all the people of Jericho were annihilated, they could be rescued from disaster. And Rahab, who had such strong faith, married Salmon, one of the spies, and became the father of Jesus Christ.
Ladies and gentlemen, the incident where a red line was put on the window of Rahab's house and her family was saved symbolizes the blood of Jesus Christ working in the church today. Even today, God can save anyone who comes to church and trusts in the blood of Jesus Christ. help him I hope you firmly believe in this fact.
3. Why do we need strong faith?
Until we enter the promised land of God,
The devil's hindrance is always there. But Jesus Christ conquered and disarmed demons and demons through the blood shed on the cross. Therefore, we must cast out demons and demons. The Bible says, “We cast out demons in my name” (Mark 16:17).
Of course, the devil is also a spiritual being, so we cannot see it with our physical eyes. But there are demons, and there are certainly demons who are his minions. And they always oppose God and His people, trying to steal, kill, and destroy. Therefore, we must resolutely oppose the devil and demons and cast them out in the name of Jesus Christ.
But if we don't go out with strong faith, the devil tries hard to stay attached. Therefore, we must start walking around the city of Jericho of unbelief by moving in faith. If we pray persistently, eventually, the resistance of the devil like Jericho will crumble without strength.
Ladies and gentlemen, in the world we live in, the devil, sin, and unbelief are everywhere. In order to fight and overcome this evil force, we must rely only on Jesus Christ. When we oppose the devil in the name of Jesus Christ, the devil has come in one way, but it goes back and forth in seven ways. Moreover, in foreign lands, the devil can attack us in ways we did not know or thought of. However, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will not be afraid of such a camp of the devil, but have strong faith and persevere and achieve victory.