=======================================================
----- THE PREACHER'S NOTEBOOK -----
Ecclesiastes 12:10
-------------------------------------------------------
A Free Email Newsletter Sent to 454 on
List
IN THE FAITH - THE SAFEST
AND
* THE BIBLE TALKS A LOT
ABOUT BEING IN THE FAITH --
2Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in
the faith;
* PAUL CALLED TIMOTHY HIS SON "IN
THE FAITH"
1Ti.1:2
Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith:
* WE LOVE EACH OTHER "IN THE
FAITH"
Tit.3:15
Greet them that love us in the faith
* WE ARE TO BE SOUND "IN THE
FAITH"
Tit.1:13 uses that phrase
"sound in the faith;"
* WE ARE TO BE ESTABLISHED "IN THE
FAITH"
Col.2:7
Rooted and built up in him, and
stablished in the
faith, as ye have been taught, abounding
therein with
thanksgiving.
* WE ARE TO CONTINUE IN THE FAITH
Col.1:23
If ye continue in the faith grounded
and settled, and
be not moved away from the hope of
the gospel, which
ye have heard,
* UNFORTUNATELY, SOME ARE WEAK "IN
THE FAITH"
Ro.14:1
HIM that is weak in the faith receive
ye, but not to
doubtful disputations.
ABRAHAM WAS STRONG IN THE FAITH
ROMANS
20
through unbelief;
but was strong in faith,
giving glory to
God;
21 And being fully
persuaded,
that what he had
promised,
he was able also to
perform.
* WE ARE TO HAVE GREAT BOLDNESS "IN
THE FAITH"
1 Tim.3:13 speaks of
"great boldness in the faith which is
in Christ Jesus."
* WE RESIST THE
DEVIL "IN THE FAITH"
1 Pe.5:9
Whom resist stedfast in the faith,
knowing that the
same afflictions are accomplished in
your brethren
that are in the world.
"IN THE FAITH" IS THE
IT IS THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE.
THAT IS WHAT WE ARE
GOING TO CONSIDER
FOR OUR MESSAGE IN
THIS SERVICE.
Preachers love
to talk about faith,
& why shouldn't
they?
Faith is a very
important subject
Ep.2:8
For by grace are ye
saved through faith;
and that not of
yourselves:
it is the gift of
God:
FOR THIS MESSAGE,
I WANT TO ATTEMPT TO SHOW YOU
THAT BEING IN THE FAITH
IS THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE.
TURN WITH ME TO AN OLD TESTAMENT TEXT:
— Psalm 57:1.
"In the shadow of thy wings will I make
my refuge."
OUR FAITH IS NOT IN OURSELVES.
We don't take
refuge in ourselves
Nor in our
goodness.
We dare not boast, "I cannot fall."
Falling is what we are good at.
1Co.10:12
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth
take heed lest he fall.
1Ti.3:6
Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride
he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
2Pe.3:17
Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these
things before, beware lest ye also, being led
away with the error of the wicked, fall from
your own stedfastness.
OUR ENEMIES MISREPRESENT US ON THIS POINT:
"You Christians don't believe you can fall."
You miss it altogether, my friend.
Actually, we're quite good at it.
We just believe that being
"in the faith," we are always caught
By the one IN WHOM
we have placed our faith.
We have not placed our faith
in ourselves.
Our faith is that
We have no faith in ourselves.
Our faith is that "being in the faith"
Means placing all of our faith
In Him . . . and In Him Alone.
We believe being "in the faith"
is the best possible place to be.
I'll share a couple of reasons with you:
I. BEING IN THE FAITH MEANS
YOU
WHEN YOU ARE
UNDER ATTACK.
Col.3:3
For ye are dead,
and your life is
hid with Christ in God.
OUR FAITH IS
THAT "IN THE FAITH"
IS THE SAFEST PLACE
TO BE.
— Psalm 57:1.
"Be merciful
unto me, O God, be merciful unto me:
for my soul
trusteth in thee:
yea, in the shadow
of thy wings
will I make my
refuge."
ILL. - Picture a hawk in the sky.
A mother hen and her chicks are below.
The hawk dives in attack.
The chicks get under the Mother's wings.
The Hawk will literally have to go through
Mother to get at the chicks.
In the case of a hen,
That might not be difficult for the hawk,
But in the case of God,
It is difficult for the devil.
To get at me,
He has to go through God.
Perhaps you have heard the stories
(I don't know if they are true)
of the burned Mother Hen caught
in a prairie fire . . .
Dying, while the chicks survived
Beneath her wings as the flames passed over.
YOU MIGHT NOT BE SAFE HIDING
UNDER THE PROTECTION OF A HEN,
BUT YOU ARE PERFECTLY SAFE
HIDING UNDER THE OUTSTRETCHED
WINGS OF GOD.
THE LORD INVITES YOU TO THIS PLACE OF SAFETY
Lu.13:34
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the
prophets, and stonest them that are sent
unto thee; how often would I have gathered
thy children together, as a hen doth gather
her brood under her wings, and ye would not
WHEN WE HIDE IN GOD,
WE ARE HIDING IN THE ROCK.
In the natural,
that is where they
build shelters,
deep in the rock.
GOD IS OUR ROCK.
He is referred to as the Rock of Salvation
in De.32:15.
2S.22:47
The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock;
and exalted be the God of
the rock of my salvation.
Ps.89:26
He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father,
my God, and the rock of my salvation.
1S.2:2
neither is there any rock like our God.
2S.22:32
For who is God, save the Lord?
and who is a rock, save our God?
Ps.94:22
But the Lord is my defence;
and my God is the rock of my refuge.
LET US CONSIDER AN ILLUSTRATION FROM NATURE:
Pr.30:26
The conies are but a feeble folk,
yet make they their houses in the rocks;
Heb. 8227
shaw-fawn'; from 8226;
a species of rock-rabbit
(from its hiding),
i. e. prob. the hyrax: - coney
ILL. - picture the wolf after the coney;
He runs to the rock.
Safely inside, his heart may pound,
But He is safe in the rock.
I cannot fight the wolf,
But I can snuggle in the rock.
BEING "IN THE FAITH" MEANS
YOU HAVE FOUND A SAFE PLACE TO HIDE.
II. BEING "IN THE
FAITH" MEANS
YOU HAVE
LAID DOWN YOUR BURDENS.
— Psalm 55:22.
"Cast thy
burden upon the LORD,
and he shall
sustain thee."
1Pe.5:7
Casting all your
care upon him;
for he careth for
you.
ALL MY SINS WERE
LAID UPON HIM
Is.53:6
All we like sheep
have gone astray;
we have turned
every one to his own way;
and the Lord hath
laid on him
the iniquity of us
all.
THE DEVIL COMES
AROUND ACCUSING
(He is the accuser
of the brethren - Rev. 12:10),
TRYING TO DUMP
GUILT ON YOU.
Tell him he'll have to talk to your lawyer.
You've turned it all over to Christ.
HE SAYS,
"You've sinned!"
YOU ANSWER,
"So have you,
but I've turned mine over to Christ,
you'll have to talk to Him about it."
He has no answer to that.
"BUT, YOU DESERVE DEATH"
could legitimately be his response.
AGREE WITH HIM:
Yes,
but that's already been taken care of,
JESUS TOOK ALL MY SINS;
HE EVEN TOOK MY DEATH.
NO WONDER JOHN THE BAPTIST
WAS EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE:
Jn.1:29
Behold the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world.
YOU ASK ME WHY I'M HAPPY,
I'LL JUST TELL YOU,
MY SINS ARE GONE.
Heb.9:26
he appeared to put away sin
by the sacrifice of himself.
BEING IN THE
FAITH IS A GOOD PLACE TO BE;
IT'S THE PLACE TO
BE
IT'S THE ONLY PLACE
WHERE YOU KNOW YOUR SINS ARE GONE.
WOULD YOU LIKE
TO JOIN US NOW
IN THE FAITH?
Ac.16:31
And they said,
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalt be
saved, and thy house.
===================================================
The preceeding is a sermon written by Ben Shepherd.
Copyright 1999 Ben Shepherd
Permission is freely granted to those who
minister
to use in public proclamation without
stating
attribution. All other rights
reserved.
Written and edited after reading &
rereading from the
sermon(s) cited below by C.H.
Spurgeon. Some of the
thoughts and ideas were inspired by Spurgeon's
sermons,
which are in the public domain.
THREE TEXTS, BUT ONE SUBJECT, FAITH.
METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE PULPIT, VOLUME 39,
NO. 2335, 2336
INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD'S-DAY, NOVEMBER
19TH, 1893,
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON,
ON LORD'S-DAY EVENING, SEP. 22ND, 1889.
-------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================
