6-10-2020 TRANSCRIPT OF WEDNESDAY EVENING SERVICE BY BRO. LAWRENCE RICHARDSON.

Note: This is a computer generated transcription. It is about 90% accurate. You will be able to obtain the essentials of this evening’s message.

Well we greet each of you this afternoon in the name of the Lord were glad to be able to be with you by this means of giving the gospel out and being able to meet with folks. Thank you for tuning in and being with us tonight on our Facebook live. I’ve enjoyed the day the Lord gave us today. The Lord is always good to us and everything he gives us is always right and is always good for us. We are here on the Wednesday night service prayer meeting tonight. Most churches the Wednesday night service emphasizes prayer requests with the different needs that folks have that we can pray one for another, as the Scripture tells us to do. It gives us instructions that we are to pray one for another, and pray with each other and then pray for each other many times as difficulties come to life and I'm glad that we can share that to be able to have our burdens shared with others.

Pray for each other. I have a couple of prayer requests that I will mention tonight for folks that are listening. This coming Thursday, Bro. Jake Rich is going to be having open heart surgery. He had a heart attack earlier in the week. Pray God give him healing to his body. I just talked with Melvin Sisson we had prayer request for him earlier. He had the procedure yesterday on his heart. He had to have a pacemaker put in. The doctor said his battery was just totally dead, and so they did the procedure yesterday. I talked to him just a few minutes ago, and he said he was feeling pretty good and just had to have time now to heal and so he certainly appreciates your prayers.

Thank God for his friendship down through many, many years. I met Melvin in 1972 I believe it was, and we've had good friendship ever since then and so do pray for him and asked the Lord to give him healing and be able to be back preaching and doing the work that the Lord called him to do. Do remember those two requests. I'm sure there are others. There may be those that are listening tonight that have prayer requests that the Lord knows about. So tonight let's go the Lord in prayer and we will be looking at the subject of faith tonight. A very important subject for the child of God and that will be looking at that here just few moments.

All right tonight were going to be reading three different passages of Scripture and these are passages that have the little phrase “the just shall live by faith.” What true words the Lord has given us as believers. We certainly cannot live by sight. Our sight and focus many times are wrong. . We have many problems around us. Our dear Lord gives us the ability to live. Believing and trusting in him, and by faith we do live so there's three times in the Scripture that that little phrase is given to us in.

When I first studied this sometime back I thought there would probably would be in there more than two or three times, but the phrase the just shall live by faith is only found three times in the word of God and we will read those three passages tonight. What is in Romans one is in Galatians and then one is in the book of Hebrews. So, in Romans chapter number one and I will read verse number 16 in verse number 17, and that would be the first occurrence of this phrase.

Paul writes, For I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for is the power of God and salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For herein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written that just shall live by faith.

The book of Galatians chapter number three and verse number 11, but that no man is justified by the law and the sight of God is evident, for the just shall live by faith. In the book of Hebrews begin reading in verse number 38 of chapter 10, and then will read on into chapter number 11 Hebrews chapter 10 verse 38 is now the just shall live by faith. But if any man draw back my soul to have no pleasure in him, but we are not of them that draw back to perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. Verse one of chapter 11 says. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen for by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

In these three passages tonight that we've read we have the phrase the just shall live by faith, and that you can't deal too much on the subject of faith. Unless you go into the book of Hebrews chapter 11 that last portion of Scripture that we read we find that Chapter 11 is called many different titles. I like to call it God's Hall of Fame. The passages that give us and calls out names of those men and women that lived by faith. And this was called God's Hall of Fame or God's honor roll. When we look at it carefully we will see that Chapter 11 of Hebrews is probably the strongest chapter in all the Bible on that subject of faith that just shall live by that. These people the letter was addressed to of course they were Hebrew. They were Jews and they had been tempted and some of them were being tempted to go back into the old way of life, to go back into Judaism and to put their faith in the law. It is very clear in the Scripture that we are saved by faith, not by the works of the law is, neither by the works of the flesh, is not by anything that we can do with just simply putting no confidence in ourselves and putting all confidence in Him. And so we find that we see the realities of life and that last verse of Scripture and says those things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. And so, faith is that which we only see the results of how we see the actions of faith we see they are the work of faith we see all those things but to see faith. It's only in what we produce, it is only what we proclaim and the and give out to other folks; and so in these first three verses that we read in Hebrews chapter number 11. It gives us that faith pleases God and tells us he gives us a definition here in this these first three verses of Hebrews chapter 11 we have the description of thing that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. And so there is a description of faith, and that while we focus on that. Then we find that I'm from chapter 11 verse four on that we did not would not read those many verses it gives us the demonstration of faith in all the way that we can know that someone has faith is by the demonstration is by how they live is by what they do is what they say. The reactions and actions to the processes of things around them in daily life. But you and I as a believer, as a Christian is very clear that the Bible declares that we are to live by faith We are to live by those things maybe that we do not understand. We may not have everything in order in our mind, but by faith we believe certain things and so that's that. That's the description that God gives us that faith is the substance. Having substance that means you can hold it and if you can touch it. And so faith is that which we, as a believer, as a Christian can grab a hold of in our life and to live to Him to begin with.

You're not going to realize much about faith and you exercise that gift of faith that God gives us in order that we can believe on the Lord as our personal savior, and so we find that God gives us here that faith is many times what we do not see that faith is very, very powerful because it tells us here that the worlds were framed by the Word of God and you and I tonight is a believer.

We believe that because the Scripture tells us what God did in the very beginning there in the book of Genesis chapter 1 God spake the Word and the world came into existence. God said, let there be light and there was light. And God divided the day into the night. The light in the darkness. He did all that by the power of his might and we believe that, according to the word of God, and we believe that by faith in that Scripture, the Bible here says that those men of old are they the elders, they obtained a good report because they had faith. They were able to accomplish the things that they did, they were able to do those things by faith. They were able to believe a go forward because they had faith in God and so we we know these things about faith. Things happen and people were stirred by his word. They obeyed his word. Now they bear witness of the word of God. God's Word and God's faith are inseparable.

If were going to accomplish anything, in our Christian life that we just simply must believe the word of God and take it at face value. Don't try to explain it away or explain it some other way. Just take it for what it says and if you run up on a passage that maybe don't understand. Well, guess what somewhere else in the word of God. God gives us understanding God gives us the answer to our questions. I said so many times there is not a question that God cannot or would not answer. There's not a problem that he cannot solve. And so all of these answers are found in the Word of God and by faith we believe those the Bible tells us in Romans chapter 10 and verse number 17 says so then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So you cannot separate believing faith and the word of God.

And so tonight I want us to look at the reactions and the doings of faith that are given to us here in these next few verses of Hebrews chapter number 11. We have believing faith and that makes us a child of God. But then I believe we have doing faith we have faith that will accomplish things in our life we have faith that will make us do certain things in order that we can please the Lord Jesus Christ in order that we can follow the mandate that he gives us in his word that we can can be refreshed in him and follow his direction, so I was to look at these different ones that are mentioned and when I read all the verses but would just mention them by name and notice here they're doing what they accomplish because they had faith. Those first three verses describes it. Verse four on to the chapter demonstrates the actions of the doing of faith. The first man that is mentioned here in verse number four is says by faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous. Here's the doing of the action of faith. Cain and Abel were raised in the same home. They had the same instructions at the same words from parents but yet one believed a little differently than the other. The Scripture says here that that Abel offered a sacrifice unto God, that was acceptable more acceptable than that which Cain offered his I believe that Adam and Eve by firsthand knowledge understood that he was going to sacrifice a gift to God. You did that I buy a offering of a of an animal with a blood offering and sacrifice to God. And so Abel followed the direction that that he was given and he offered a sacrifice to God that was acceptable and him but came he heard the same message, he lived in the same home but yet he was a tiller of the ground and he took the fruit of the ground and he offered that as his sacrifice and God rejected that before, and without the shedding of blood there is no acceptance without the shedding of blood there is no remission or forgiveness of of our sin, and so from the very beginning in the book of Genesis, the God of heaven's painting is a picture of how that we can be right with God. How that we can have fellowship with the Lord and is the through a sacrifice of shed blood. Of course, that theme carries on all the way through the Old Testament of the offerings that were offered the sacrifices of the lambs, rams and the turtledoves all those different animals that God directed the Jews to offer a sacrifice that he went that was acceptable to him and and as they did that God is painting a picture all the way through the book of the old to the books of the Old Testament to one day there would be an ultimate sacrifice and it would be the son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ offering himself, shedding his blood that we might have forgiveness of our sin. So Abel’s sacrifice was by faith of witnessing and doing what God told him to do and following the direction that the Lord had had given to the next man that is mentioned there is in verse number five is says by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and that he would not fail because God had translated him for before his translation he had this testimony, and that he pleased God. What a great testimony. Here we find that he is walking by faith. The just shall live by faith and are walking and serving God. He is pleasing God and all the sudden God took him. I was doing some study even this week on that first translation of that first our rapture out of this world and it was a unique that was removed by the Lord and as he walked with God. God just took him and he was not and so by faith Enoch proved what he had in his heart and in his life by the way he walked I buy the things that he did in the fellowship in the service that he had unto the Lord and the Bible says he had this testimony, that he pleased God. He was translated he was removed from this earth and taken to heaven he was separated from the evil of his day in his generation and stepped in the very presence of the Lord. Without the process of dying and that is a perfect pointing picture of what we call the rapture of the believer here and I believe it will be a very short period of time. I believe Jesus is coming. I believe he's on his way and we seeing the affairs of man in the world I having so many things that we can relate back to the fulfillment of Scripture that the Lord said in these days will be perilous times in these days men's hearts would fail them for fear in these days struggles will be everywhere, pestilence and trials and earthquakes and wars and diver places diver things that happen in many different places and and so were seeing all that take place and we need to be like we need to be like not only enable that knows what kind sacrifice that has saved us, but to be like unique that we walk with God in this time in which we live. In verse number seven. We have the man by the name of Noah. those that are acquainted with the word of God know about Noah and that he is identified by not necessarily just his faith but and not by the way he walked, but he is identified and is given to us here by his work. What he did by faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen. Ones that refer you back to verse number one is the evidence of things not seen. That's faith and so Noah was warned of things not seen as yet move with fear prepared an ark to the saving of his house by which he condemned the world, and became heir of righteousness which is by faith. So here we have Noah and he is identified as the man that built the ark. He built according to God's blueprint. He built it according to God's plan. He built it the way God said even though probably at that time of history, there had been no rain and now all of a sudden here's a man building a huge boat out in the middle of nowhere and he's doing to the saving of his household wisely working wisely following the direction that God gives him because he believed in things not seen yet and come about him. But God said Noah, you build it, so long so wide, so high, three stories, one door one window all of those things representing the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way in and of the one window he's all the way that we look we look up and so Noah is identified in his faith by his work. Think about it. Noah building the ark and everybody around him probably busy doing everything else and they said Noah probably just lost his mind. Why is he doing that? The Scripture says, by faith Noah was warned of God and in that warning, God said you build this and Noah began to go to work the just shall live by faith and that faith will make you know what kind sacrifice. You need that faith well have you walk like unique that faith will give you ability to work like Noah living by faith. Then in verse number eight. We says here by faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive an inheritance, obeyed, that's an important word when Abraham received the message from God. It just simply means that he obeyed. The Bible says he went out, not knowing what was going but is being led by God. God told he and Sarah both of them that they will have a son and that son would be the heir of righteousness that son would be the one that would carry on the bloodline until to the end of time and so Abraham and Sarah. They waited by faith. They follow the Lord and they waited upon God. God had given them the promise of a son years before the son was born. God said you're going to have a child, year goes by year go by year go by and down there past the age of childbearing according to the flesh and and still have no child but all of a sudden God gave them that miracle child by the name of Isaac. Their faith is recognized and their faith is given to us by their waiting know sometimes we just have to wait upon the Lord, the Scripture says standstill and see the salvation of the Lord, the Scripture says that we are to wait upon him when he didn't know where he was going he still followed God when he did know how God's will was going to be accomplished. He followed God when Abraham and Sarah when they did know how that the promise would be fulfilled. They waited upon the Lord, and one day in their elderly years, one being 100, one being almost 100 all of a sudden, God gave them that miracle child and their waiting had paid off and they only could wait that way because they had faith the just shall live by faith. You could go on and on. These different once you have in verse number 20 you have Isaac we in verse number 21 you have Jacob in verse number 22, Joseph. Joseph of course a great ruler of Israel a great individual that God used when they were in Egyptian bondage God here, and delivered them from the bondage that they were in God gave them a way of having their their goods and having everything taken care of. All this is because of some people that lived by saying it's all because somebody was willing to say I will live by faith. After we live our life, we look back on it sometimes and say well I was a failure. But if we live by faith. God doesn't he doesn't judge failure like we do and we serve the Lord. We serve the living God, and by faith we can do these things that these men are given and yet women are given to us in the Old Testament and then recorded here in the book of Hebrews chapter 11 we can follow their pathway we can follow their direction and we can know how to have the right kind sacrifice only one way to heaven. And that's through Jesus Christ. Only one way to to get there and we find that people knew that that's were on our road as we serve the Lord we can be like unique and we can walk with the Lord. We can go on and serve the Lord in and we can be like Noah and work for God. We can be like Abraham and Sarah and wait upon the Lord, I we can be like Isaac and and that we have the blessings are given, we find that we have Jacob that worship God we have Joseph that that won the battle and it's all because of their faith in the God of heaven. You and I tonight, if we are going to go it will be by faith. It's all because of putting your faith which is by the way gift from God on the Lord Jesus Christ. He saves you and makes you a new creature thank God tonight. We can live by faith, as it was true in these verses that we read in the New Testament, the book of Romans. The book of Galatians, the book of Hebrews, the just shall live by faith I we serve the Lord and we walk for him and really follow the direction that he gives us and we live by faith. Just like every person that has ever lived, and in the end of their life. They are transported into the very presence of our God and God help us tonight to be that person that is just and live by faith.

My father, thank you tonight for your blessings upon us. Thank you for all that you have given to us. Help us Lord to work for you help us Lord to walk with you. Help us Lord to witness for you help us Lord to do all these things that show and demonstrate to the world that the just live by faith not by sight. You help us today to serve you until you come for us and we pray these things in Jesus name, amen. The Lord bless you and will meet again