It Takes Faith to Walk in the Promises of God
The writers of Hebrews and James teach us, that if we have faith to believe, we will receive those things that God has promised. But they also warn us, that we must choose faith, in order to be able to receive them.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double–minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
James 1:5–8
“For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.”
Hebrews 4:2
The writer of Hebrews also tells us, to be diligent, that we may, indeed, cease from our own works to enter His rest. God does not want us to be like the Israelites, who wandered for forty years in the same desert, because of their unbelief.
“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest.”
Hebrews 4:9 – 11
“And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”
Hebrews 3:19
Obtain a Good Testimony by Having Like Faith
The Apostle Peter writes,
“Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
2 Peter 1:1 – 4
The Apostle Paul describes those, who, with like faith as Abel; Enoch; Noah; Abraham; Sarah; Isaac; Jacob; Joseph; Moses; Rahab; Gideon; Barak; Samson; Jephthah; David and Samuel and the prophets; will continue to subdue kingdoms, work righteousness and obtain the promises of God. With like faith, the elders will obtain a good testimony.
“And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong.”
Hebrews 11:32–34
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.”
Hebrews 11:1 & 2
- Our faith is essential to the promises of God.
- Out of our weakness – we are being made strong!
Moses as an Archetype of Christ
God used Moses to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. Moses was an archetype; being modelled or patterned after; or having similar characteristics as those of Christ. Like Christ, through the power and leading of God, Moses led the Israelites out of a place of bondage and into the place of freedom. On this great journey, God’s presence remained with them – in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. It was through Moses, that God parted the red sea, so that all the Israelites could walk through on dry land. This is why the Scripture says, the Israelites were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.
“Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.”
1 Corinthians 10:1 & 2
Just like the Israelites who crossed the red sea, every believer in Christ who repents and receives Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, passes through from death to life. This is why, when believers in Christ are baptized, they are baptized into the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
God’s Provision is made Complete
God provided the Israelites with everything they needed for their journey. Each day in the desert, they received food in the form of manna from Heaven, and a miraculous supply of water, when by faith, Moses struck the rock. Though this took place many years before Christ was to be born; speaking of these same Israelites; the Apostle Paul says,
“They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual Rock that accompanied them, and that Rock was Christ.”
1 Corinthians 10:3 & 4 NIV
The Rock that accompanied the Israelites on their wilderness journey, was this same, Lord, Jesus Christ! And just like His provision for the Israelites then, God gives every Christian believer today, everything we need to live a Godly and sanctified life. Reminding us again, the Apostle Peter says,
“His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
2 Peter 1:3 & 4
Enter into the Fullness of all that God has Given You
Though Christ had provided for all of their needs, God was not pleased with most of them. Out of that original generation of Israelites, only Joshua and Caleb entered into the Promised Land! Moses himself only saw it from a distance. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
“Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in.”
Numbers 14:30
Like the Israelites who did not enter into the promised land, many Christian believers today, have yet to enter into the fullness of the freedom that Christ has provided for them. The Apostle Paul tells us, that the Israelites did not enter in for four main reasons. Idolatry, sexual immorality, tempting Christ and complaining against God. The Apostle Paul says these things occurred as examples to us, so that we would not make the same mistakes.
“But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.‘ Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
1 Corinthians 10:5 – 12
Flee from Idolatry
Idolatry is the worship of idols or other gods and is an abomination and wholly offensive to God – See Deuteronomy 27:15 and Deuteronomy 7:25 & 26. The Apostle Paul speaks to us as wise men and women of God,
“Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say.
1 Corinthians 10:14 & 15
For this reason, God tells us we are to worship only Him. The act of worship is the expression of reverence, love, devotion or adoration appropriate to a deity. Idolatry, or the worship of idols in the Bible, is the worship of any created thing; or anyone who is not Yᵉhôvâh, or Jehovah God. An idol may be an actual carved or molten image, or a picture or likeness of anyone or anything. It includes any created thing that we worship and place before God. It may even be the worship of material wealth, beauty, position, success, power, and even the ungodly admiration of others. But God tells us clearly, we are to have no other gods before Him. Quoting from Deuteronomy chapter six, Jesus says,
“The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.”
Mark12:29 & 30
The Lord also said through Moses,
“You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image–any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.”
Exodus 20:3 – 5
Creator or Created?
Everything has been created by God and for God. Speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who created the heavens and the earth, the Apostle Paul says,
“He (speaking of God) has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him (again speaking of Jesus Christ) all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the pre-eminence.”
Colossians 1:13 –18 – See also Genesis 1:1 & 2 & Deuteronomy 6:4 for more on the triune God
Mankind was created by God, for God! He created us because He chose to create us and He chose to give us life. When Adam and Eve sinned and disobeyed God, He further chose to redeem us from the law by the blood of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in order to reconcile us to God. This is why it is such an offence for us to worship any part of His creation, or to seek to obtain the worship of men. The Apostle Paul describes the foolishness of idolatry, saying,
“Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man–and birds and four–footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonour their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, Who is blessed forever. Amen.”
Romans 1:22 – 25
Worship God!
Lucifer (the devil) was thrown out of heaven because he desired to be enthroned and to be like the Most High God. But he failed at his attempt. The prophet Isaiah says,
“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High. Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.”
Isaiah 14:12 –14
Satan even wanted Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, to worship him, but He was defeated by Christ’s obedience to the word of the God. Amen!
“Again, the devil took Him (speaking of Jesus) up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.‘”
Matthew 4:8 – 10
God Gives Grace to the Humble
The devil is so desperate to be worshipped, that if he cannot get us to blatantly worship him, he will try to entice us away to worship other things. But what Satan offers as an object of worship is always a counterfeit in exchange for the promise of God. When we face temptation, God is faithful. He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear, but will provide us with the way of escape. The apostle Paul says,
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, Who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
1 Corinthians 10:13
James tells us to rely on the power of God’s grace. When we humble ourselves and acknowledge that we need the Lord’s help, we are submitting our hearts to God. Having first submitted to God, we can then resist the devil and he will flee!
“But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double–minded.”
James 4:6 – 8
Flee Sexual Immorality
The Apostle Paul also warns,
“Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty – three thousand fell.”
1 Corinthians 10:8
Our sexuality was God’s idea, designed by God as a gift to both men and women, not just for the purpose of procreation (producing offspring) but for the mutual enjoyment and bringing together of husband and wife. God designed the sexual relationship to be exclusive; protected within the context of a lifetime commitment to marriage between one husband and one wife.
Sexual immorality is when a sexual relationship functions outside of the context of marriage. ‘Sexual immorality’ in the Bible is translated ‘pórnē’; ‘porneúō’; ‘ekporneúō’; or, ‘porneia’; in the Greek, is also translated as ‘harlotry, whoredom, idolatry and fornication.’ Its Biblical usage includes adultery (sexual intercourse with someone that is married to someone else), fornication (sexual intercourse outside of marriage), homosexuality and lesbianism (sexual intercourse with another person of the same sex), bestiality (sexual intercourse or sexual gratification gained through animals) and incest (sexual intercourse with close relatives). – See Strong’s Concordance. But Jesus Christ has raised this standard for sexual purity even higher, saying,
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Matthew 5:27 & 28
- Sexual immorality is something that takes place first in the heart.
- Sexual immorality includes not just someone’s actions, but their thought life as well.
Glorify God in Your Body
The Apostle Paul sets sexual immorality apart from all other sins because it causes a person to sin against their own body, saying,
“Flee sexual immorality! Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.”
1 Corinthians 6:18
The book of Genesis also tells us, that when we have sexual intercourse with someone, we become one with that person.
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
Genesis 2:24
Each one of us is made up of spirit, soul (our mind, will and emotions) and body. When we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we become one spirit with Christ. Our bodies become God’s temple as the Holy Spirit then dwells within us. The Apostle Paul tells us we are to glorify God with our spirit and our body. Both our spirit and our body, now belong to God. Therefore, the Apostle Paul tells us, to “flee sexual immorality.”
“Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For ‘the two,’ He says, ‘shall become one flesh.’ But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit Who is in you, Whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
1 Corinthians 6:15 – 20
We Become One with What we Worship – so Choose the Way of the Lord
The Bible tells us that the marriage bed, or sexual intercourse within marriage, is pure and undefiled. Meaning, that sex within the context of marriage is sanctified. In contrast, the Bible tells us, that fornicators and adulterers, or any unclean sexual engagement outside of marriage, will be judged by God. The writer of Hebrews says,
“Marriage is honourable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.”
Hebrews 13:4
When someone has sex with another outside of the sanctity of marriage, they enmesh themselves, or make themselves one with someone else, in such a way that was never part of God’s plan. In the same way, the Old Testament prophets, at times, described the Israelites as prostitutes, harlots and adulterers because of their spiritual unfaithfulness towards the Lord. In the same way that physical adultery makes mankind one with the person they have sexual intercourse with, spiritual adultery makes mankind one with the demon, or false god, that they worship. Both idolatry and sexual immorality involve mankind becoming one with what they have wrongly joined themselves to. If we have ever done either of these things, we need to repent and to turn back to God. The Apostle Paul speaks of the importance of our communion with Christ, saying,
“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread. Observe Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; You cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?”
1 Corinthians 10:16 – 22
- We become one with what we worship!
- We can ‘drink the cup’ of demons, or we can ‘drink the cup’ of the Lord, but we cannot partake of both.
- Make sure you choose the Lord!
Prayer of Repentance:
“Lord, I come to You today with the understanding of why idolatry and sexual immorality both grieve Your heart. When we do these things, we are joining ourselves with something that is not of You. I now repent and turn away from all sexual sin and of worshipping any other gods before you, whatever form they may have taken in my life. Please forgive me for grieving Your heart in these things. When I am tempted, I will not rely on my own strength, but I will submit myself first to You. I will then resist the devil and he will flee! I acknowledge You today as both my Lord and my Saviour and as the protector of my heart. In Jesus’ mighty name I pray, Amen.”
Have you prayed for this ministry today?