Volume 2001/7
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(From a radio sermon of Bro. Julius Adewumi).
Heb.11: 7 "By faith Noah being warned of God about things not seen as yet moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith."
The bible talks here about the faith of Noah. We know the story about the world that was drowned in the days of Noah, wherein only eight souls were saved in the flood. The bible said similarly that we are to be saved by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. What happened in the days of Noah, will happen again in this world. (2Pet.3: 9) "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be? In all holy conversation and godliness"
Apostle Peter said the heavens we see right now shall be dissolved.
(2Pet.3: 4) "There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was being overflowed with water perished: But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word , are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and pedition of ungodly men."
That is, the world in the days of Noah was destroyed by flood. The world that we are in now is reserved for fire, against the day of pedition. You better prepare for this.
As in the days of Noah, only one ark was provided by God for anyone to be saved; Today, the ark of safety is in Jesus Christ. Not in your religion, but in Jesus Christ. The ark of safety is in one person, Jesus Christ. Let Jesus come into your life and lead you out of this danger.
"By faith Noah being warned of God about things not seen as yet moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." (Heb.11:7).
This is faith: God told Noah what was coming to happen and he believed. God told him how to escape and he acted on it. In similar version we have been told in the scriptures what is about to happen to the world. We just read it in 2 Pet 3: 4 above, that this world is reserved unto fire. We that believe in the Lord Jesus are the only ones to be saved, in one form or another. (Jn.3: 16-18). The bible is full of the explanations and prophecies concerning this. The book of Revelation told us that only those, whose names are in the Lamb's book of life, will be saved. No matter what is your religion, if your name is not in the Lamb's book of life, you will be thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev.20: 15). You see, the ark of safety is in Jesus Christ. The bible said our names have been written in the Lamb's book of life from the foundation of the world. That is, God is calling those, whose names are written in the book of life. By the gospel we are preaching, he is calling you. Come and partake of the sacrifice God has made to redeem mankind. All you need to do is to accept his offer. Invite Christ to come and take residence in you. The Spirit of Jesus has to come and take residence in you. That is the way you eat his flesh and drink his blood. The sacrament some religious groups do in their church is only a symbol. The Spirit of Christ has to come and take residence in you and take charge of your life, so that you can say with the saints: "It's no longer I that liveth, but Christ that liveth in me".
People in the days of Noah heard the preaching of Noah and did not believe him. They thought their own religion would save them. They despised what Noah was telling them, that his ark was the only way to escape the flood. God has told us in the bible also that Christ is the only way, and that "neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven, given among men whereby we must be saved" (Acts.4:12). Being in Christ Jesus and letting Christ be in you, is how you are going to be saved from the wrath to come. Our good works will not save us.
Anyone that does not believe this gospel of Jesus will face the wrath when it shall occur.
"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place, which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went." (Heb.11: 8)
"For he looked for a city which hath foundation, whose builder and maker his God." (He. 11: 10)
God spoke to Abraham. God is speaking to you also right now, through this preaching, through this literature, and through the bible which was written and passed down to us, that "Christ is the way of salvation." When God called Abraham to follow him to a land he would be given for inheritance, he believed and followed the God that he perhaps only heard his voice but did not see. We also may have been ridiculed for following the invisible God, in a world where the scientific world is trying hard to prove God non-existent.
We that are Christians are following Christ Jesus who is still alive today. We are following the God-man, who walked on this planet, on the streets of Galilee, and died for us and rose again, and is still alive today. He said, "the world seeth me no more but ye see me, and because I live ye shall live also." Christ can still manifest himself to anyone today, because he is alive for evermore.
This is the gospel: Christ is filling the heart of those who receive him with his Spirit to make us live the life that will be pleasing to the Father: "For as many as receive him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God; even to them that believe on his name." (Jn.1: 12).
Abraham heard God and he believed. You are also hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ as we preach it to you. If you believe and follow, Christ will manifest himself to you, just like God manifested to Abraham, after he had followed God to the land of promise. (Gen.18: 1-3).
Abraham sojourned in the land of promise as strangers and pilgrims and pleased God. The bible said we are to count ourselves also as pilgrims in this world. We are not of this world. We belong to another kingdom. Once you have accepted Christ, the scripture says, "love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him". (1Jn 2:15).
Abraham lived as a stranger in the land of promise because he looked for a city that has foundation. We also looked for a city that is not of this world. A city built by God. (Rev.21: 2). As a Christian, we are to set our affection on things above, and not on things on the earth.
Abraham was said to have sought a city built by God. We Christians are not of this world, and we are to seek a city, New Jerusalem, that is built by God.
v.11 "Through faith, also, Sarah received strength to conceive seed …."
Here it talked about the faith of Sarah, even though Sarah laughed when God manifested and repeated the promise of a child to them who are past child-bearing. (Gen.18: 9-12).
Sarah believed God would do what he had promised to do. Faith is "believing what God said". If God said it, it shall happen, and I am going to rest my case on it. God promised Abraham that he would have a child. For over twenty five years after the promise was first mentioned, when they were now past bearing, ninety nine years old for Abraham, God showed up and repeated the promise that by next year the child would arrive. The woman first laughed, as if to say, they have almost forgotten about the promise of a child. However faith is "believing what God said". When the promise was repeated, they believed it and the child arrived as God said.
Therefore rest your life upon the word of God. No matter what, rest on it. Stand upon the promise of God. Let me give you another example of what faith is.
There was a man who was very old, Simeon by name, in the days when the Lord Jesus was born as a baby. God told Simeon that he would not see death until he had seen the Messiah. (Luke 2:25-32).
In that generation, people had been revived that the Messiah would come soon but they knew not when, nor how he would come. False political messiahs had come and gone. However, this old man Simeon had a word from God, that he would not see death until he had seen the Messiah. Because Simeon believed the word of God to him, no matter how old he was becoming, he just had to believe. No matter what disease or sickness attacked him, and people thought he would die, if he had not seen the messiah yet, he should just believe the word of God to him. Amen! No matter what the devil threw at Simeon, he should remind himself of the word of God to him that he would not die since he had not seen the messiah yet.
That is how to anchor your faith upon the promise of the word of God. God promised it, I believe it, and that settles it. God promised that I shall not see death. No matter what sickness the enemy threw at me, I should just confess the promise that I shall not see death, and victory is sure.
This is how faith works. Faith is "believing what God said". No matter the circumstances. Don't shake. Rest your life on his word. When it looks as if there is no job, or no money, remember the word of God, and if God has additionally given you visions of future success and provision, bring those visions to your mind and confess them as the word of God to you. Faith is "believing what God said". You can apply this precept in every way of life.
Abraham believed the word of God to him. When he was in that land of promise, he went to battle against five kings and won. All he had to bring to his mind is the promise of God that he would have a son, and therefore would not die until he had that son. (Gen.14). No matter the swords and shields against him. Faith is "believing what God said".
Noah believed the word of God that the ark would survive the flood. No matter how the mighty flood rock the ark back and forth, he only needed to bring to mind the word of God, and that the ark would not sink. Faith is "believing what God said". Amen!
Whatever is the promise of God that is written in the scriptures! One may say, "well, God did not speak to me directly". I tell you, you can believe the promises in the word of God that has been written for the righteous in the bible, and anchor your faith on those promises. Just make sure you can be classified as the righteous. How do you become righteous to claim those promises? By accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and walking with the Lord as the scriptures prescribed.
God gave a promise to those who are serving him. It is written "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise up against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord." (Isa.54:17).
It means, all those weapons of war shall not have effect upon you if you are the righteousness of God. Through Jesus Christ we have become the righteousness of God. What am I saying then? I am saying, if you can just believe that single verse and claim your position in Christ as the righteousness of God, you shall witness overcoming miracles in your life.
Rest your faith in the word of God, no matter the armed robbers that surround you! No matter the weapons of war against you. Believe what God said to you in that bible verse. Anchor your faith on the word. Faith is "believing what God said".
Christ said, "when the son of man shall come, shall he find faith on the earth?" The damn-the-consequence faith is the faith for the end-times. What faith will the Lord find in you?
Words of the Wise
Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.
If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.
He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.
In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good." (Eccl.11: 1-6).
May the Lord give you wisdom to run the race and to sow into his kingdom.
Bro. Julius Adewumi
Gospel Distribution Ministry
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