WEBVTT 00:00:00.170 --> 00:00:03.470 At the disposal of the consecrated child of God, 00:00:03.690 --> 00:00:08.449 there's been placed the resources of a faith, 00:00:08.710 --> 00:00:14.150 of a strength, which God alone can provide. Always 00:00:14.150 --> 00:00:20.149 know that. He's made provision for you. He's 00:00:20.149 --> 00:00:26.210 made provision for me. For a faith. And remember 00:00:26.210 --> 00:00:29.609 something. He is the author and the finisher 00:00:29.609 --> 00:00:34.250 of our faith. I have no faith of myself. Neither 00:00:34.250 --> 00:00:37.570 do you have faith of yourself. It's something 00:00:37.570 --> 00:00:43.450 that you cannot manufacture of yourself. He has 00:00:43.450 --> 00:00:49.590 made possible. He has placed the resources of 00:00:49.590 --> 00:00:54.289 a strength for each one of us that only he alone 00:00:54.289 --> 00:01:00.210 can provide. you and i are dependent upon jesus 00:01:00.210 --> 00:01:04.450 for everything absolutely everything and the 00:01:04.450 --> 00:01:08.269 more i grow spiritually the more i realize the 00:01:08.269 --> 00:01:13.769 truth of this fact and he gives freely and whether 00:01:13.769 --> 00:01:18.469 or not you and i avail ourselves of these opportunities 00:01:18.469 --> 00:01:25.430 which his presence offers is dependent entirely 00:01:25.430 --> 00:01:28.069 upon whether or not you and I have learned the 00:01:28.069 --> 00:01:33.489 lesson of drawing on the Master's strength, his 00:01:33.489 --> 00:01:37.010 faith, these wonderful resources that he has 00:01:37.010 --> 00:01:40.590 made provision for. Go back in the pages of the 00:01:40.590 --> 00:01:45.010 sacred word. Get a glimpse of the stupendous 00:01:45.010 --> 00:01:48.069 revelation in God's dealing with Abraham the 00:01:48.069 --> 00:01:54.120 faithful. The first verse The 17th chapter of 00:01:54.120 --> 00:01:57.700 Genesis brings us into an understanding of the 00:01:57.700 --> 00:02:02.019 faithful purpose of the divine heart in a lesson 00:02:02.019 --> 00:02:07.359 so beautiful, so marvelous, so absolutely magnificent 00:02:07.359 --> 00:02:13.620 that men must stand in awe and angels must wonder. 00:02:14.719 --> 00:02:20.800 Now, the faith of Abraham was being tested. And 00:02:20.800 --> 00:02:25.560 is there... One of us. But what will I have to 00:02:25.560 --> 00:02:30.180 admit that sometime or another all faith has 00:02:30.180 --> 00:02:34.139 been tested? If the faith of Abraham was being 00:02:34.139 --> 00:02:42.819 tested, surely we are no exception. God had made 00:02:42.819 --> 00:02:46.800 a promise. Never in all of time or eternity did 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:50.580 he ever make one promise that he was unable to 00:02:50.580 --> 00:02:54.810 fulfill. whether it was to abraham whether it 00:02:54.810 --> 00:03:00.810 was to you god has never made a covenant god 00:03:00.810 --> 00:03:06.430 never made a promise that he was unable to fulfill 00:03:06.430 --> 00:03:11.330 and from the loins of that glorious ancient patriarch 00:03:11.330 --> 00:03:14.569 was to come the seed through whose life and service 00:03:14.569 --> 00:03:17.349 all of the nations of the world to be blessed 00:03:17.349 --> 00:03:23.180 he'd been promised a son And upon that child 00:03:23.180 --> 00:03:27.180 was to be placed the hand of the Lord in benediction 00:03:27.180 --> 00:03:32.939 and in power. And night after night the dear 00:03:32.939 --> 00:03:36.020 old man dreamed of the happy day when that promise 00:03:36.020 --> 00:03:41.620 would be fulfilled. Oh, he thrilled to the promise 00:03:41.620 --> 00:03:47.900 that God had given him. But days passed, months 00:03:47.900 --> 00:03:52.129 passed. the sands and the hour -glass on the 00:03:52.129 --> 00:03:58.189 mantel measured the passing of time and the boy 00:03:58.189 --> 00:04:04.169 did not come abraham was ninety but still no 00:04:04.169 --> 00:04:07.930 fulfilment of the promise to buy ninety -five 00:04:07.930 --> 00:04:14.469 and still sarah and her husband waited in vain 00:04:14.469 --> 00:04:20.540 then came the year in which he looked forward 00:04:20.540 --> 00:04:25.240 to the turning of the century. He was 99, and 00:04:25.240 --> 00:04:31.720 yet there was no boy. If you thought that your 00:04:31.720 --> 00:04:34.980 faith has been tested, look at the faith of Abraham. 00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:40.779 Look how that dear saint's faith was tested. 00:04:42.100 --> 00:04:46.220 99, and yet there was no boy, and all that he 00:04:46.220 --> 00:04:49.459 had was God's promise. That's all that he had 00:04:49.459 --> 00:04:53.860 to stand on. Reason commenced to whisper things 00:04:53.860 --> 00:04:58.240 of fear in his ear. The ground began to tremble 00:04:58.240 --> 00:05:02.100 beneath the old man's feet. His faith began to 00:05:02.100 --> 00:05:05.680 slip. Up to this time, his walk had been perfect, 00:05:05.759 --> 00:05:11.120 not in self, but in his Lord. But now he was 00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:15.060 getting miserable. His faith was beginning to 00:05:15.060 --> 00:05:20.050 shake a little bit. i presume that more than 00:05:20.050 --> 00:05:23.870 once he had looked up at those same stars which 00:05:23.870 --> 00:05:26.389 he had seen on the night in which god had given 00:05:26.389 --> 00:05:30.529 him the promise and the misty eyes spread themselves 00:05:30.529 --> 00:05:35.829 like a fume across his vision until the stars 00:05:35.829 --> 00:05:41.110 seemed to dissolve in a sea of sorrow and disappointment 00:05:41.110 --> 00:05:50.980 reason said Abraham, this thing is absolutely 00:05:50.980 --> 00:05:56.540 impossible. Reason has said the same thing to 00:05:56.540 --> 00:06:02.459 me. Reason has said the same thing to you over 00:06:02.459 --> 00:06:10.319 and over again. It's impossible. Under the circumstance, 00:06:10.720 --> 00:06:16.240 this thing is absolutely impossible. and reason 00:06:16.240 --> 00:06:20.180 stood right there and stared Abraham in the face 00:06:20.180 --> 00:06:26.519 at ninety -nine and said, Look, this thing is 00:06:26.519 --> 00:06:32.339 absolutely impossible. He thought of Sarah's 00:06:32.339 --> 00:06:37.019 age. He pondered over his own advanced years. 00:06:37.339 --> 00:06:42.300 How could this thing be? And yet, there was that 00:06:42.300 --> 00:06:48.589 promise. long and fierce raged the battle in 00:06:48.589 --> 00:06:52.470 the old man's heart and mind and only god knows 00:06:52.470 --> 00:06:57.209 what a battle he had within himself but there 00:06:57.209 --> 00:07:04.329 was the promise from god himself have you ever 00:07:04.329 --> 00:07:09.629 been in that position i have over and over again 00:07:09.629 --> 00:07:20.160 oh abraham i know Play how you felt. Then one 00:07:20.160 --> 00:07:23.839 night, a voice spoke to Abraham's heart. And 00:07:23.839 --> 00:07:26.060 he knew that voice. It wasn't a strange voice. 00:07:27.180 --> 00:07:30.579 He knew that voice. And he lifted up his eyes 00:07:30.579 --> 00:07:34.420 in weakness and listened with his failing ears 00:07:34.420 --> 00:07:38.060 to the awesome intonation of the voice which 00:07:38.060 --> 00:07:43.420 had spoken to him years before. And God spoke. 00:07:43.920 --> 00:07:53.600 and said to Abraham, I am the Almighty God. Walk 00:07:53.600 --> 00:08:01.800 before me and be thou perfect. That's all you 00:08:01.800 --> 00:08:09.420 have to do, Abraham. Just walk before me. Be 00:08:09.420 --> 00:08:14.509 thou perfect. I'll take care of the rest. I'll 00:08:14.509 --> 00:08:17.670 take care of the fulfilling of the promise, the 00:08:17.670 --> 00:08:26.670 covenant. I am almighty God. God almighty, all 00:08:26.670 --> 00:08:30.129 -powerful. You don't have to worry about that. 00:08:30.670 --> 00:08:33.789 You don't have to be concerned about that. You 00:08:33.789 --> 00:08:37.950 don't have to lose sleep over that. All that 00:08:37.950 --> 00:08:45.360 you have to do is to just walk before me. just 00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:52.120 a steady gait and be thou perfect o hot words 00:08:52.120 --> 00:09:06.980 hot words the strong one god was saying i am 00:09:06.980 --> 00:09:17.440 the strong one abraham might be weak Men might 00:09:17.440 --> 00:09:20.000 be moved with the power of circumstances and 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:25.139 the falseness of life. But never God, never. 00:09:26.320 --> 00:09:30.940 He's the strong one. Oh, what does that do to 00:09:30.940 --> 00:09:36.539 us? Suppose God is strong while we are so weak. 00:09:36.820 --> 00:09:39.399 To sit in our weakness, our misery, our failure, 00:09:39.440 --> 00:09:42.799 and look at His strength only aggravates our 00:09:42.799 --> 00:09:46.750 lost condition. god is strong no doubt about 00:09:46.750 --> 00:09:50.009 that but what about our poor weakness and need 00:09:50.009 --> 00:09:54.370 then god spoke to abraham he said the glorious 00:09:54.370 --> 00:09:58.590 and wonderful words that like a rainbow of glory 00:09:58.590 --> 00:10:04.889 bridged the chasm between the helpless man and 00:10:04.889 --> 00:10:11.009 the strong one god almighty i don't know what 00:10:11.009 --> 00:10:14.889 that does to you But it thrills me from the top 00:10:14.889 --> 00:10:17.809 of my head to the soles of my feet because he 00:10:17.809 --> 00:10:22.149 is my strong one. In spite of my weaknesses, 00:10:22.570 --> 00:10:28.789 in spite of my failures, in spite of my lack 00:10:28.789 --> 00:10:33.289 of confidence, he still remains the strong one. 00:10:33.879 --> 00:10:38.220 And I'd never go down in defeat, never, as long 00:10:38.220 --> 00:10:42.659 as I continued to follow him and remain the perfect 00:10:42.659 --> 00:10:48.720 one in Christ Jesus. What God meant was, draw 00:10:48.720 --> 00:10:54.120 from me, Abraham. I am your strength. I am your 00:10:54.120 --> 00:10:59.919 sustenance. I am the strong one. there's no need 00:10:59.919 --> 00:11:02.179 for you to falter abraham there's no need for 00:11:02.179 --> 00:11:07.019 you to tremble and shake your faith draw for 00:11:07.019 --> 00:11:10.240 your weakness from the fountain of my strength 00:11:10.240 --> 00:11:15.240 no need to stumble over unbelief abraham but 00:11:15.240 --> 00:11:22.000 walk before me and be thou perfect thus saith 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:30.360 the lord that's the lesson is the lesson. God 00:11:30.360 --> 00:11:36.679 is the source. The unfailing source of the supply 00:11:36.679 --> 00:11:39.159 that is more than sufficient for all of our need. 00:11:39.559 --> 00:11:44.179 A grace to cover all of our sin. Love that pardons 00:11:44.179 --> 00:11:48.539 all our iniquity. Sufficient for our healing. 00:11:48.759 --> 00:11:54.059 Strength for all of our weakness. We believe 00:11:54.059 --> 00:12:00.580 that. but herein we have failed we believe that 00:12:00.580 --> 00:12:05.100 god gives it but we have not learned how to receive 00:12:05.100 --> 00:12:09.419 it the mother gives the milk to her babe but 00:12:09.419 --> 00:12:14.059 the little one must receive it the infusion of 00:12:14.059 --> 00:12:19.399 the divine strength and nature is dependent upon 00:12:19.399 --> 00:12:26.279 two things first your knowledge that god is willing 00:12:26.279 --> 00:12:34.879 to give and then your learning how to receive 00:12:34.879 --> 00:12:46.539 those are the two things you must learn as untailing 00:12:46.539 --> 00:12:50.200 as the law of the seed -tine and the harvest 00:12:50.909 --> 00:12:54.769 as irrevocable as the marching of the days and 00:12:54.769 --> 00:12:58.629 nights in their order is the great truth that 00:12:58.629 --> 00:13:05.129 god is always ready to meet your need if only 00:13:05.129 --> 00:13:15.570 you are ready to receive doesn't that part admonish 00:13:15.570 --> 00:13:20.870 us to become partakers of the divine nature So 00:13:20.870 --> 00:13:26.049 why be discouraged? Why be defeated? Back yonder 00:13:26.049 --> 00:13:30.610 we see Elijah sitting in defeat and spiritual 00:13:30.610 --> 00:13:39.230 disgrace. He'd quit. Oh, Elijah. He has quit. 00:13:41.750 --> 00:13:45.269 He of the lion heart has been beaten on the battlefield 00:13:45.269 --> 00:13:49.450 of the soul. And that after he had faced an army. 00:13:51.389 --> 00:13:56.830 after such great and glorious victory one minute 00:13:56.830 --> 00:14:00.870 so strong the great spiritual giant and then 00:14:00.870 --> 00:14:05.350 something happens and we watch him he goes for 00:14:05.350 --> 00:14:09.350 forty days and nights without food in whose strength 00:14:09.350 --> 00:14:16.070 did he go who told david to advance in his natural 00:14:16.070 --> 00:14:22.480 weakness against the giant Who guided the stone 00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:28.700 which sped unerringly on its way? Who gave his 00:14:28.700 --> 00:14:33.039 arm the strength and his heart the courage? Who 00:14:33.039 --> 00:14:39.100 pushed down the walls of Jericho? Who? Who delivered 00:14:39.100 --> 00:14:45.000 Israel and who led them into the Exodus? who 00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:48.340 opened the prison doors for peter and who pulled 00:14:48.340 --> 00:14:52.419 back the curtains of glory for step who gave 00:14:52.419 --> 00:15:00.059 him grace to pray for his murders who dried the 00:15:00.059 --> 00:15:05.279 tears of martha and poured oil into the broken 00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:22.019 heart of mary who God Almighty. Strength for 00:15:22.019 --> 00:15:27.039 thy labor the Lord will provide. Then draw upon 00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:31.159 his life. Take the grace that he so freely and 00:15:31.159 --> 00:15:36.019 gladly imparts. He's more than sufficient for 00:15:36.019 --> 00:15:40.500 your need. And it is possible to walk before 00:15:40.500 --> 00:15:43.399 him and be perfect, not in self, but in Christ. 00:15:44.169 --> 00:15:52.289 i know whereof i speak hear it christ can be 00:15:52.289 --> 00:15:59.509 your all in all he admonishes you to test him 00:15:59.509 --> 00:16:05.450 why be empty when you can be full to overflowing 00:16:05.450 --> 00:16:09.990 why be hungry when you can be fed why wander 00:16:09.990 --> 00:16:14.039 like a lost child on the desert wastes of life 00:16:14.039 --> 00:16:19.100 crying because you know not the way of your tomorrows 00:16:19.100 --> 00:16:26.580 better by far it is that you put your hand in 00:16:26.580 --> 00:16:29.799 his and hear the whisper of his divine voice 00:16:29.799 --> 00:16:43.759 follow me follow me i am Almighty God, I am your 00:16:43.759 --> 00:16:49.679 strength. I am your victory. And if his eye is 00:16:49.679 --> 00:16:57.840 upon that little falling sparrow, how much greater 00:16:57.840 --> 00:17:08.339 is his concern of you. There's no defeat in him.