Real Faith Rises

Introduction

I advise you to be turning your Bibles to the book of Hebrews in the 11th chapter. It will be a jumping off point for our study here in just a moment. Hebrews chapter 11, and we’ll be looking at that text in just a minute. Again, to all those who have visiting with us, we thank you. We appreciate you being with us as we come together to worship our God, to remember his great love for us. The sacrifice that his son made and his awesome power and even raising him from the dead. And now as we have another opportunity to study from his word, I hope and pray that it’ll be profitable to you. I’m going to just take a minute, as I did last Sunday, to remind our congregation about our team weekend that’s coming up in just two weeks.

Brother Antoine Holloway from the Wildercroft Congregation is going to be with us. Now, I did not know that Brother Barfield Sr., Brother Rufus Sr. was with us this morning until he led the prayer. But if you’re interested in knowing a little bit about the qualities of Brother Antoine, well, he is the evangelist, where Brother Barfield is one of the elders of that congregation. He speaks to say glowingly would to be to tamper to dampen down really even what he says about his qualities. We’re looking forward to a wonderful weekend. Again, for our congregation, that weekend begins Friday night. We’re going to have some time to sing, and Brother Antoine will bring his first lesson, and that’s for everyone. We invite everyone to come out Friday night, April the 12th at 7 o’clock as we sing songs of praise and as we listen to the Word of God and make application of that.

But that’s all for now regarding that. This month we’ve been focusing on the matter that real faith does that. Going all the way back to our gospel meeting that we have with Brother Sewell Hall and his lessons focusing on what real faith does. And I cannot recommend those lessons enough. If you were not able to listen to those, if you’re visiting and you want to listen or watch those, go to our website, Bumby.org, and you’ll find all of those wonderful lessons, faith-building lessons. And we’ve been looking at that matter of what real faith does throughout this month. Of course, today is Easter Sunday. It’s not a holiday that we’re commanded to observe in the scriptures. And if you’ll notice, if you were here last Sunday, our observance this Sunday has been the exact same.

As Brother Duncan mentioned, though, that we are fairly certain about the time of which Jesus rose because it is tied to the Passover. As the Jews have continued to observe the Passover, so we too know the time of year when our Lord rose. So even as I was thinking about this week and I was wondering, can you tie those two things together? The resurrection of Jesus, tying it to what real faith does. And I think we can. And so this morning we’re going to look at the matter that real faith rises. Now we might think in that regard about our faith, but I want to first of all ask the question do you think Jesus needed faith? And I thought about that for quite a while this week.

1. Did Jesus Need Faith?

Did Jesus need faith? I ask you to turn to Hebrews chapter 11, because of course it’s in Hebrews 11 that we often define what faith is. And it may be that there’s a way in which Jesus didn’t need faith, and which at least oftentimes what you and I think of regarding faith. For instance, in verse 1, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the convictions of things not seen. Well, if we think about our faith in heaven, being in the presence of God, we’ve not seen that. But of course, Jesus had. We think of verse 6. Without faith it is impossible to please him. For he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.

You and I have not seen God face to face, but we have faith that he is. Jesus, of course, had seen God. In fact, John 1 and verse 1, in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God, is God. So, from that standpoint, we would say, no, Jesus didn’t need faith like you and I need faith. But if we think of faith in regards to the confidence and the assurance and the trust that you and I have that God will do what he says, I could think we could say, and rightfully so, that Jesus had faith. Again, there in Hebrews 11 and verse 6, not only are we to believe that God is, but he rewards those who seek him.

And in verse chapter 4 of Hebrews, let me go back a little bit, chapter 4, and we read about our Lord and our high priest in verse 15, that we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. He is like us. He can sympathize with our weaknesses. And let me ask you, what is one of the greatest weaknesses that we’ve had even from the beginning? A lack of faith, a lack of trust in God. And so when we think of Jesus, I think we can rightfully say that he had faith. He didn’t need faith that God exists. He knew that. He’d been in his presence. But he had faith and assurance and confidence that whatever the Lord said would happen would in fact happen.

2. Jesus Had Faith in Those Promises

Now let’s just think about some of the things that in the prophecies of old that our Lord had said would happen in regards to the Messiah, even in regards to his son. Certainly we recognize that the Lord had said he would suffer. Many passages, and of course, our mind instantly goes to Isaiah 53 in regards to the suffering of the coming one, his servant. In Isaiah 53 and verses 5 and 6, that he was pierced through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening of our well-being fell upon him, and by his scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned his own way, but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him.

That’s something that the Lord said about the coming one, about the Messiah, that he would suffer, that our iniquities would fall on him. We would be healed by his stripes, even. But the Lord had also said, our Father had also said, that he would rise, even in the prophets. In Psalm 16, speaking in the Psalms in a prophetic sense.

And certainly the apostles used that to great effect in proving the resurrection of Jesus and how even God had foretold long before he lived that he would not undergo decay. Just going to take a moment here. Yesterday was the memorial service for Brother Marty Pickup, longtime teacher and preacher of the word. His lectures that he would give every year at Florida College and their annual lectureships were always wonderful. And his last lecture this past year was about this matter of why three days in the tomb. And proving, even from a Jewish standpoint, that it was at the fourth day that it was viewed that decay set in. But Jesus rose on the third day. Proving the scriptures once again, and if you have opportunity, I think you can purchase that or find someone who has it, I would emphasize that you should you should listen to that.

But God had said, He will rise. And God had also said that he would be exalted. Psalm 110 and verse 1, the Lord says to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. Of course, many other things were said about the Messiah and the prophets, but these are the things that our minds often go to. That yes, the coming one would suffer, the coming one would rise, and the coming one would ultimately be exalted to the very right hand of God. And while living on this earth, Jesus had faith in those promises. He had confidence, assurance, trust that all those things were going to come about. John chapter 2, in response to the questions of his authority, even to cleanse the temple, Jesus said in John 2 and in verse 19 and 21, destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

An allusion not only to his death, the destruction of his temple, but the allusion also to the fact that it would rise on the third day. And Jesus in his life and oftentimes speaking to his disciples about how he would, in fact, rise. Three times, in fact, in the in Matthew’s account of the gospel, he tells his disciples that not only would he die, but he’d also be raised on the third day. I’m going to Matthew chapter 16, Matthew chapter 16, and verse 31 as just one of those occasions of when he was saying to his disciples what they were going to do. Matthew 16 and in verse 31. You know what? There is no Matthew 16 and in verse 31. But how about if we try verse 21?

That may work.

From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed. He trusted that what God had said in regards to his being killed was true. But not only that, that he be raised up on the third day. You could say that’s faith. That’s the assurance that what God had said would happen. And when on the last night in John chapter 13, and also in John chapter 14, we remember John 14 and verse 2 about how he says, In my Father’s house are many mansions or many rooms. I go. I go. He knew his death was coming. But he had faith, assurance, trust, confidence. That even though he die, he would be raised and ultimately go.

Be exalted even to the Father’s right hand. That faith was ultimately rewarded. You might say that that faith was put to the ultimate test by the cross. Perhaps if we think of our Lord needing faith, trust, assurance, and maybe helps us to contemplate even his agony in the garden. If it be possible, let this cup pass from me. However, not my will, but thy will be done. He believed in God. He was assured that what God has said would come true, but yet there’s still the element that it has not yet occurred. So he’s going to have to have trust in God. And that trust is displayed there in the garden. He does not wish for this anguish, this torture. But thy will be done. Perhaps even an allusion to his words on the cross in Mark 15 and verse 34.

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? But even in that, and if we go back to the Psalmist, there is even there the faith that he is not ultimately forsaken. If he was forsaken there on the cross, he will not ultimately be forsaken. And yet on the cross is where that faith is put to the test. And I find it significant that in Matthew’s account, as the different categories and classifications of mankind are going before the cross and they are mocking him. The soldiers have mocked him, even the thieves, those who are being crucified with him will mock him. It is the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders that when they come to Jesus, they say, He trusts in God. He has faith in God.

He trusts in God. He has his assurance in God. Let God rescue him now if he delights in him. Hearkening back even to Psalms 22 and in verse 8. This was the crucial moment. Was Jesus’ faith in his father misplaced? If it was, it was about to be revealed. If he had been going about and saying that I’m going to die, but I’m going to be raised on the third day, and as they are mocking him on the cross, he trusts in God. Let God deliver him. What keeps them from coming down? What keeps them from calling that legion of angels to his side? It is that trust. But yes, it is the Father’s will that I die. But I trust that it is also the Father’s will as he has said that I will rise.

3. And Rise He Did

And rise he did. The historical reality of the resurrection is found throughout the Gospels. Mark 16 is where I’m going at this time. Mark 16. Because I think if we just understood what is said in Mark 16 in the beginning of verse 9 and going through the end of the chapter, that can set firmly in our mind that yes, Jesus did rise from the dead. After he had risen early on the first day of the week, he first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went out and reported to those who had been with him while they were mourning and weeping. And when they had heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it.

After that, he appeared to two in a different form. And while they were walking along on their way to the country, and they went away and reported it to others, but they did not believe them either. Now, if we just took that, what do we know from the disciples of our Lord? They would not believe even the earliest reports of his resurrection. But if you skip down to the end of the chapter, verse 20. They went out and preached everywhere while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word by the signs that followed. What explains Christianity? What explains the fact that those apostles went out throughout the world and preached the gospel, lost their lives for preaching the gospel. They were unbelievers. It’s what’s found in between those verses that explains it.

They would not believe the report of Mary Magdalene. They would not believe the report of the two that were walking in the country, but ultimately they would believe. Why? Afterward, he appeared to the leaven themselves as they were climbing at the table. And he reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who had seen him after he had risen. What explains it is the only possible explanation. What makes unbelievers who are fearful for their lives go out and proclaim the gospel, they had seen him.

This does not mean that he became the Son of God by the resurrection. No, he’d always been the Son of God. But it was this. This declaration, above all, you can know he is my son. His faith in God had been strong. His faith in God allowed him to go to the cross with the assurance that he would rise and would ultimately be exalted. It’s no accident that this played so heavily in the preaching and the teachings of the apostles. In Acts the second chapter, and in verse 24, this fact is emphasized about his resurrection, even in the first sermon, if you will, after his resurrection, spoken to those who were lost and in need of their Savior. Peter says in verse 24 of Acts chapter 2 that God raised him up again, putting an end to the agony of death.

As the Apostle Paul goes out on his missionary journeys and he proclaims the gospel first to the Jews and then to the Greeks, we know the resurrection is heavy in his preaching. Acts 13, the beginning of verse 33. That God has fulfilled this promise to our children, and that he raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm, you are my son. Today I have begotten you. As for the fact that he raised him up from the dead, no longer to return to decay, he has spoken in this way.

Therefore, he also says in another Psalm, you will not allow your holy one to undergo decay. The resurrection. This proves, this shows beyond a shadow of a doubt, Jesus is the Son of God. Real faith rises.

4. Believers Will Rise

He did it and proclaimed by that fact that Jesus is in fact the Son of God. Do we have faith that rises? Believers will rise. Back in the book of John, we noticed this passage, I believe it was last week. In John the 11th chapter. Going to Mary, Mary and Martha after Lazarus had died, and in this case, he’s speaking to Martha. He has said to Martha in John 11 that your brother will rise. She professes acknowledgement that, yes, he will rise again in the resurrection in the last day. And Jesus says to her in John 11, verses 25 and 26, I am the resurrection of the life. He who believes in me will live, even if he dies. We could go back to the fifth chapter in verses 28 and 29, where two resurrections are spoken of there.

The resurrection of those who are raised to life. The resurrection of those who by their deeds are raised to a resurrection of judgment, of condemnation. So when he says that if you believe in me, you will rise even though you may die. Well, it’s a fact that all will rise. But in a sense, there’s only one true resurrection. Resurrection, you think of going up, you think of going to God. The other resurrection is taking you in the opposite direction. You’ll be departing from God. But they’ll be rised, they’ll raise in you. They will be raised. Get the terminology correct. They will be raised regardless. But those who believe in me will live, even if he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.

Do you believe this? Your soul will live. Your soul will never be separated from God. Even if you die, you will live again. Believers will rise.

5. Our Faith in the Resurrection Is Based on His Resurrection

Our faith in the resurrection is based on his resurrection. I’m going now to 1 Corinthians 15. I invite you to turn there with me because we’ll be looking at this passage on this point and also the following point. We know, we believe that we will rise because he arose. Verse 20 of 1 Corinthians 15. Now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits are those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all died, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order. Christ the first fruits. After that, those who are Christ at his coming. Then comes the end. When he hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when he has abolished all rule and all authority and power.

Firstfruits are the harbinger of things to come. We’ve had citrus season, and I guess we’re still in the midst of strawberry season. We had a little celebration for Jana last night. Her birthday is today. I won’t tell you how many.

She loves strawberry pie. I don’t make strawberry pie. Brother Lindy Baker makes strawberry pie, though. He makes a very good strawberry pie. The idea that when the strawberries come in, there’s strawberry pie to be had. It gives you the assurance that when the first strawberries come in, there’s more strawberries to heart could come. We’d be disappointed if there weren’t. Our Lord arose. The first fruits. He didn’t rise in a figurative sense. He rose literally. His body was not in that tomb anymore. And Paul says, here’s how you know you’ll arise. Because he rose. He’s the first fruits. And after that, those who are Christ at His coming. Those who believe in Him. As Jesus said, even though they die, they will live. It is this that gives meaning to our walk.

It means that what we’re doing here is not in vain. In the context of 1 Corinthians, Paul is asking them to radically change their behavior and their conduct. He has given himself as an example of one who is radically following the Lord, who has deprived himself of liberties that he could have had as an apostle, but he’s doing it all for the sake of God and for the sake of Christ. If Christ is preached, he says in verse 12. If Christ is preached that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain.

Your faith also is vain. Why should they worry about what they were eating and whether or not that meat was offered to an idol or not? If Christ isn’t raised, go out. Live it up. Have fun. Go out to the idol’s temples. It won’t matter. Why should they be concerned with fornication as Paul had talked about in 1 Corinthians chapter 6? Why should that be an aspect of their faith about how they were living? If Christ is not raised, then your faith is in vain. My preaching is in vain. He goes on to describe more. Moreover, verse 15, we are even found to be false witnesses of God because we testified against God that He has raised Christ, whom He did not raise. If in fact the dead are not raised.

For if the dead are not raised. Then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless. You are still in your sins. And those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. Why would any of us subject ourselves to the will of God as expressed in the New Testament? One fact. We have faith that Christ rose. And by that we have faith that we rise too. And so in that sense, our faith rises. We can overcome this world. We can live in a way of pleasing and acceptable to our God. Because we have faith, assurance, confidence, and trust that just as our Lord believed, he would rise even though he died.

We too believe. That this life is not all there is. There is something more. There’s something to be had even at his coming. It is this, it also puts temporal suffering in perspective. The book of 1 Thessalonians, you’ll note just by reading it in contrast to 1 Corinthians, is different in tone. Well, in 1 Corinthians, Paul is over and over again rebuking the Christians in Corinth for their behavior. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul’s not rebuking. He is praising. He’s rejoicing over them because they are faithful in spite of their sufferings. But in both letters, Paul alludes to the resurrection. In 1 Corinthians, it was here’s why we conduct ourselves in this way, and here’s why we ought not to deny the resurrection. In 1 Thessalonians, it’s a message of hope.

1 Thessalonians 4 and verses 13 and 14 is all we’ll read. We do not want you to be uninformed, brethren about those who are asleep. So you’ll not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. Is there going to be suffering in this life? You bet. Will some suffer more than others? Probably. Will we all die if this world goes on long enough? In past weeks we’ve had those who have died in their 80s. Brother Pickup was 53.

And there are children who are well and whole. Suffering throughout. But what gives purpose and perspective to that? That this isn’t all there is.

Conclusion

Do you have that kind of faith? Now let’s go back to our point about Jesus. What kind of faith did Jesus have?

Jesus had the kind of faith that would believe God would do anything that God has said he would do. Do you have that kind of faith? Because you and I, we’re somewhat limited by our experiences here on this earth. And we’ve not experienced anything like a resurrection. We know this body and it decays and is becoming more corrupt and going downward day by day. And so the idea that it could be raised immortal, imperishable, in a spiritual manner, it just becomes hard to fathom. Jesus believed that the Father would do anything that he said. Do I have that kind of faith? That the impossible in our minds is possible and assured with God. Do I have the kind of faith that Jesus had? Because what did Jesus do?

Jesus did anything that the Father said to do. Go to the cross, die on that cross, not for your own transgressions, but for the transgressions of others, even the transgressions of your enemies, the transgressions of those who are walking by that cross and insulting you and mocking you, I’ll do it, Father. I may not wish to do it. I may have fear and trepidation in doing it, but I will do it, Father. Do I have that kind of faith? Lord, I don’t understand why you’re saying that this is how we ought to live, but I have faith, I’ll do it. I’ll follow you. I’ll live by your precepts and your commandments, trusting that all will be well. Do you have the faith to die now so that you could rise again?

In Romans the sixth chapter. Paul alludes to this in verses three and four. Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ have been baptized into his death? Therefore we’ve been buried with him through baptism into death. So that Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in units of life. Christ died, he rose. Do you have faith to die? I’m not meaning that you need to go out and kill yourself. I’m meaning do you have faith to die? Do you have faith to die in the way that Paul is speaking of here? That if I were to show you this baptistry that’s behind the screen, then I could tell you there is no magical properties of that water whatsoever.

I hope it’s warm. It may not even be warm, though. It may be cold. I didn’t check it this morning. I have confidence it’s warm, but I don’t know. But do you have faith that if you submitted yourself to what God said? That you died with Christ in baptism. That when you were raised, even though nothing magical happened, all your ills weren’t solved in this life. But because you put your faith in God, and God’s the one that said, You believe in me and are baptized, you’ll be saved. Jesus Himself says that. That you had that kind of faith. I died with him, and now I’ve risen.

You have that kind of faith? That kind of faith that just puts your trust in God, saying, I don’t understand how it works. All I know is that he said I need to do it. And if I do it, he’ll save me. Die now and rise again. So that when you die later, you will rise again. Verses 8 and 9. If we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again. Death no longer is master over him. Die now and live again. So that if we do die later, which is certainly possible, we will live again. Because your faith is in him, your trust is in him, you have put your soul confidence in him, and you believe that what he has said, he will do.

Can we aid someone in some way this morning? Then won’t you come as we stand and as we sing?