God's Promise And Our Tried Faith

God’s Promise and Our Tried Faith

By

Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.

OPENING: - Let me say it is easy to trust God when everything is going well, when everything is gentle, smooth, peaceful, and you are looking at and enjoying life with a balcony view looking at the clam waves gently cascading across the oceans of life. However, when our world begins to fall apart, when the winds begin blowing and the waves start to rage, when things are spinning out of control, when the hellhounds of racial, political, and spiritual ravenous wolves have been released against you, when we face significant changes in our worlds of work, social gatherings, religious affiliations and when we face the this should not be happening circumstances of life then it becomes easy to find ourselves questioning God, doubting His sovereignty and goodness because we don’t understand His plan. Isaiah 55:9 says, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts”.

Yes, it is true that trials come to strengthen our faith. We know and understand that the trying of our faith worketh patience causing us to grow spiritually, become stronger and for the developing our character shaping us into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ and ultimately giving honor and glory to God. However, in the midst of the trying of our faith we will question God and even doubt while going through our circumstances because we don’t understand the how. It is imperative that we understand God is not intimidated by our questions nor is He disappointed in our doubts, but we must learn how to hold onto God’s Promise in the midst of our tried faith realizing that a faith that is not tried is a faith that can’t be trusted. If I never had a problem, how would I know that God could solve them.

So today I want to talk about God’s Promise and Our Tried Faith.

PRAYER

SCRIPTURE: Galatians 3:6-7 “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham”.

James 1:2-6 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed”.

Genesis 15:17 “And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces”.

The trying of our faith although at the time is hard for us to understand will result in praise, glory, and honour bringing glory to God’s name, strengthening your faith, developing your character, and encouraging others. Although while in the midst of the trying of our faith we struggle to understand the promise of God, we struggle to realize the purpose, but we understand “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” Romans 8:28. James 1:2-4 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing”. However, when we come through the trying of our faith God is glorified, we are strengthened, and our faith has grown.

PURPOSE: - There can be no faith without testing and trying of your faith; we can’t say we have faith, yet we do not pass the test. All faith must be tested. God tries our faith so that we may grow spiritually stronger and that our character develops into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ, trials are a means through which God refines, strengthens, and purifies His people. Ephesians 4:15-16 says, “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love”.

It is during this trying of our faith that doubt and questioning rise. I stated God is not intimidated by our question nor disappointed in our doubts when you understand that this is the place God wants us to be to begin building our strength and character of faith. This is not doubting believing that He will NOT DO it but struggling with HOW will it be done, because with man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible. WATCH THIS:- Mark 9:17-24 says, “And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief”. This man believed that Jesus would heal his son, he had faith that He could heal his son for that is what brought him to Jesus it was faith, but his faith needed to grow and be strengthened because he didn’t know how it would happen, so he had faith that Jesus can but he struggled with how that’s why he said help my unbelief. He wasn’t that he doubted Jesus he struggled with understanding HOW – because I took him to your disciples, and they couldn’t do it. I know you can but I need you to strengthen my unbelief. When Sarah heard that she would give Abraham a son she laughed WHY because she struggled with the HOW her and Abraham both were old, she knew God could but with what He has to work with How. Her faith had to be strengthened. When Mary was approached by the angel Gabreil her faith had to be strengthened and she questioned the HOW - in Luke 1:31-35 “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God”.