HOLY SPIRIT ANOINTS: YOKE IS BROKEN 

                                                      by: Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D. 

 “And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.” (Isaiah 10: 27)

 In this Scripture Isaiah conveys a prophetic truth concerning the coming of the Messiah and the liberation of His people from the powers of darkness, by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The Bible states: “But unto the Son He saith...Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.” ( Heb.1: 8.9). 

The prophet Zechariah delivers the same message of the workings of the Holy Spirit of God: “...Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts.” (Zech. 4; 6) The yoke of satanic bondage is removed from our neck and the burden off our shoulder by the blood of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. 

The yoke of fear, torment, guilt, condemnation, pain, disease and unrest is broken because of the anointing of God the Holy Spirit.  Jesus Christ said: “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32). 

Jesus Christ Himself is the truth and He is within us, therefore He makes us free! He declared: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8: 36) 

 I am therefore healed by the person of Jesus Christ himself. I am saved, forgiven, freed and liberated from sin, sear, sickness and disease by the WORD Himself, who is very GOD! 

 The Holy Scriptures declare: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was Life and the Life was the Life of men. 

 “He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth.” (John 1: 1-4,10, 14) 

 The Holy Bible is the written Word of God and Jesus Himself is the Living WORD of God! He gives us the assurance: “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He (Jesus) hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” (Heb.13:5) 

 Here, Jesus used a double imperative. He actually said, “I will never, no never leave thee. I will never, no never forsake thee.” St. Matthew records our Master: “...and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world (age).”  (Matt. 28: 20)

 The term always is a measure of time and the word alway is a measure of distance. Jesus promised to go the distance with us, all the way until we meet Him face to face! 

 An old Sunday school chorus says, 'With Jesus in the vessel, we can smile at the storm, smile at the storm, smile at the storm. With Jesus in the vessel, we can smile at the storm, until He calls us Home.’ That chorus is abundantly true. Whatever enemy we face, we will overcome. 

We have ultimate peace, assurance and victory through the blood of the Everlasting Covenant, the Eternal Word of God, the Blessed Holy Spirit and the matchless name of Jesus Christ. He, Who is the liberator of lost humanity, the emancipator of the human race, the Saviour of the world and the great physician, has already won the battle for us! 

 We are fully armed with the precious promises of God, the Sword of the Spirit, purged by the Blood of the Lamb and endued with the Power and presence of the Holy Spirit and hidden with Christ in God the Father Almighty, one true God, world without end. 

 The Bible says: “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise 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.” (Is.54: 17)

 ANOINTING OF GOD BREAKS THE YOKE

 It is most assuredly the Holy Spirit's anointing that destroys the YOKE. He equips us with the anointing of God that breaks the yoke of satanic power and bondage and frees us to live in victory to serve the Lord with gladness and fruitfulness.

 The Bible states: “But we have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.” (1 John 2:20). “Now He which stablisheth with you in Christ, and hath anointed us with you is God.” (2 Cor. 1: 21) 

 Jesus declared: “And He said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning FALL from Heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10: 18, 19)

 I stand foursquare on God's Word and the promises of Jesus Christ! He said: “Come unto Me all ye who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30) 

 Satan's yoke is heavy. It is hard to bear and takes his slave to eternal death. He promises an exciting time with no strings attached, but he is a Deceiver and a Liar. Satan enslaves those who follow his pernicious ways and ultimately leads them to destruction and Hell. 

 Christ's yoke is different. He carries the heavy load. His yoke frees us to live a life of righteousness, peace and joy. He shatters sinful habits, destroys sickness and disease and ultimately carries us to be with Him in His glory! He is the heavy lifter, He who bore our sins and sicknesses to the Cross. He carried our pains, fears and sorrows to Golgotha where He paid for them all for us!

He made the supreme sacrifice for us all. He met the demands of Divine Justice in payment for our eternal salvation, through His vicarious (substitutionary) death for us! The Holy Bible states: 

“Surely He hath borne our sicknesses (heb. makob), and carried our pains (heb. nasa): yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. 

 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.” (Is. 53: 4-6) When Jesus cried: “It is finished”, He had purchased our salvation from sin, fear, sickness, disease and death. (John 19: 30). 

St. Paul declared: “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5: 6, 7) “But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.” (Rom. 8: 11)

 The BIBLE teaches that, “God hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son: In Whom we have redemption through His blood the forgiveness of sins.” (Col. 1: 13, 14). 

 As He had promised, Jesus sent the Blessed Holy Spirit upon His disciples on the Day of Pentecost and His Church was born in fire and great power: 

 “And when the Day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven as of a mighty rushing wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave utterance.” (Acts 2: 1-4)

 THE CHURH WAS BORN IN FIRE 

 Through His vicarious death for us all and His glorious resurrection from the dead, Jesus totally defeated Satan and the kingdom of Darkness. By His precious Blood, our Saviour has purchased all mankind for Himself and has given His church authority to take His Gospel to all who will believe on His name and repent of their sins.

 Here is His great commission: 

“Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe: “In My Name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.” (Mark 16: 15-18)

 The Church was born on the Day of Pentecost and ever continues in His Name to carry out the mandate given us by our Lord Jesus Christ. Here is the example set by Christ's early followers: “And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, confirming the WORD with Signs following. Amen."

Max Solbrekken World Mission Box 44220 RPO Edmonton, AB T5V 1N6. Donations can be made by e-Transfer. Make your donations to max@ maxsolbrekken.com. Thank you so much. May God richly bless you. 

 

RUSHING
TOWARDS SODOM
by: Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.

"And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto Me, and if not I will know.  And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham stood yet before the Lord." (Genesis 18:20-22)

Judge Robert Bork who was nominated to the US Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan and rejected by the Liberal left-wing Democratic Congress, was considered the most honest, intelligent and conservative Judge is recent times!

Robert Bork wrote the book, 'Slouching towards Gomorrah', in which he documents the downward escalation of the degenerative, corrupting and perverted morals in America.  It is an excellent book and not only catalogues the fallacy of liberalism and the sick liberal mind, but also issues a stern warning of dire consequences of such perversion!

The Holy Bible records the destruction of SODOM and GOMORRAH because of the wickedness of their sins.  So vile were the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah that the cries of those who were wounded and harmed by the perversion, had reached heaven itself.

Evil predators had been sexually abusing little boys, causing pain, heartbreak and anger and turned those tormented young men into sexual predators also.  It was a known fact that it was lawful to gang rape any newcomer to Sodom. (Genesis 19:4-9)

The ancient Jewish Babylonian Talmud states that the horrible, filthy SIN of homosexuality was not only condoned but had become a legal, normal lifestyle, until God's mercy ran out and He destroyed those cities!

UNDER THE JUDGMENT OF GOD !

It is a tragedy that for the first time in 5,000 years, civilized nations have chosen to oppose God’s Laws by legalizing 'man-on-man' same-sex marriage.  How shameful that even Christian nations are actually flaunting this perversion and boasting about their corruption by publicly thumbing their noses at Almighty God’s laws of righteousness!

IN MY OPINION, no sane individual, unless under the spell of drugs, hypnosis or Satanic power or having been mentally manipulated by a sexual predator, could truthfully say that man-on-man or woman-on-woman sex is normal activity.  The same is true of bestiality and pedophilia!

And even as perverted as Sodom and Gomorrah were, God gave Abraham the privilege to plead for their lives.  Almighty God's love, mercy and grace shone through as He patiently listened to Abraham's intercession on their behalf.  The Bible states: "And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt Thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?" (Genesis 18:23)

We know that the answer to that question is NO!  God says: “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.” (Ezek. 33:11)  Here we learn the art of Intercession:  The Righteous pleading for the wicked! 

Abraham began by asking the Almighty if He would spare Sodom if there were 50 righteous people in the city.  The LORD answered that He would NOT destroy Sodom if there were 50 righteous living there.

Abraham continued interceding and each time he lowered the bar in order to spare the city - his request was granted - proving the mercy of God!  How long he continued pleading for Sodom and Gomorrah we do not know.

Here is his final request: "And he said, Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure TEN shall be found there.  And He (the Lord) said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.  And the Lord went His way, as soon as He had left communing with Abraham."  (Genesis 18:24-33)

ABRAHAM’S GREAT COMPASSION!

 

The sad fact is that there were not ten righteous people in Sodom.  Two angels brought Lot, his wife and two daughters out of the city before the judgment of God destroyed Sodom, Gomorrah and the cities of the plains.  The angels warned them not to look back, but Lot's wife turned to look back and became a pillar of salt. The Bible says:

"And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place: for the Lord will destroy this city.  But he seemed as  one that mocked unto his sons in laws.  And when the morning arose, the two angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity (punishment) of the city."

"And while he lingered, the men (angels) laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him; and they brought him forth and set him without the city.  And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; LOOK NOT BEHIND THEE...."

"Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from heaven; And He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But his wife LOOKED BACK and became a pillar of salt." (Genesis 19:7, 22-29) 

Her heart was in the city.  She had children and other relatives there.  She made a fatal mistake by disobeying the Angel of God, by looking back to Sodom.  And Jesus Christ warned: "Remember Lot's Wife!" (Luke 17:32)

What is the lesson for us today?  We must not look back or go back into the filthy sins from which we have escaped through the mercy of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. WE MUST NOT TAKE OUR EYES OFF OF JESUS!

In His condemnation of Jerusalem, God equated their sins with that of Sodom.  He stated that Jerusalem's sins were twice as grievous as those of Samaria.  The Holy Bible states:

"Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.  And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me, therefore I took them away as I saw good." (Ezekiel 16:49-50)

THE FIVE SINS OF SODOM

SIN #1 – WAS THE SIN WAS PRIDE! They considered themselves so great, powerful and intelligent that they are ABOVE THE LAW.  They would make their own laws, which led to perversion!  They left God out and filled the Courts with perverted, tainted Judges!

SIN #2 -  WAS FULLNESS OF BREAD

They were so prosperous that they had too much of everything.  They had their fun and games and feasts with reveling and drunkenness! Get everyone on food stamps, whether they need it or not!  And..VOTE for me next time around!

 SIN #3 -  WAS AN ABUNDANCE OF IDLENESS

They were getting handouts from their perverted leaders to spend more time pursuing doing their violence!  What about today?  In the USA more than 50% are on disability, welfare or food stamps.  Who will work? Not to worry.  Have FUN, “Borrow & spend.” – Seventeen trillion dollar deficit man!

SIN #4 - WAS A LACK OF COMPASSION FOR THE POOR & NEEDY!

No time for anyone but themselves.  Selfishness, jealousy, envy, hatred, lying, stealing, killing, gambling and raping.  Sodom was a city given over to deceit and corruption, with no though about those that they hurt and neglected!

SIN #5 – THE SIN OF SEXUAL PERVERSION!

Finally they spiraled out of control and wallowed in the sin of sexual perversion!  And God said: “Game Over.  It is time to pay for your sins, Sodom and Gomorrah!”

GOD IS MERCIFUL & FORGIVING            

God is merciful, good and kind.  He doesn't  immediately judge sinners, but gives everyone the grace to turn back to Him. They were NOT thankful, neither did they honour, praise or worship the Lord!

Tragically, people often backslide and fall into sin.  In his powerful letter to the Romans - who had earlier come out of pagan worship -  St. Paul enumerated the downward slope people took into apostasy and perversion:

"For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be KNOWN TO GOD is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them.  For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead so that they are without excuse:

"Because that, when they knew GOD, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing themselves to be wise they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things;

"Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into  a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever.  Amen.

"For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections; for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

"And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working that which is unseemly (grossly improper), and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet (due penalty of their error)."

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient (not appropriate).  Here is the downward progression that can take a person to lowest depth of perversion and demon possession:

No. 1:  THEY KNEW GOD - Almighty God had revealed Himself to them through His creation.  He had shown them the truth, but they had rejected the truth and did not glorify Him as God and were not thankful.  They became vain (empty) in their imaginations.

No. 2:  THEIR FOOLISH HEARTS WERE DARKENED - Professing themselves to be wise they became fools.  They forsook the light of God's Word and rejected their Creator, believing they knew more than He.

No. 3:  THEY BEGAN WORSHIPPING CREATED THINGS - They exchanged the glory of the Living God for an image of created things and began worshipping the creature instead of the Creator.  Rather than worship the Creator, they worshipped animals and creeping things, as well as their own bodies!

No. 4:  THEY BECAME PERVERTED IN THEIR MINDS -   They dishonored their bodies through unnatural and perverted sex; men on men and women on women, bringing God's judgment upon themselves!

THE NUMBER ONE SIN WAS PRIDE

THE FIRST SIN was the sin of pride - They considered themselves so great, powerful and intelligent that they were ABOVE THE LAW.  They would make their own laws, which led to perversion!  

THE SECOND SIN was fullness of bread.  They were so prosperous that they had too much of everything.  They had their fun and games and feasts with revellings and drunkenness!

THE THIRD SIN was an abundance of idleness.  They were getting handouts from their perverted leaders to spend more time pursuing pleasures!  More time to spend at the casino, in the bars and bath houses and doing their violence and thuggery!

THE FOURTH SIN was a lack of compassion for the poor and needy!  No time for anyone but themselves.  Selfishness, jealousy, envy, hatred, lying, stealing, killing, gambling and raping.  A City given over to deceit and corruption with no thought about those that they hurt and neglected.

Finally, they spiraled out of control and wallowed in the sin of sexual perversion!  And God said - Game in over - It is time to pay for your sins, Sodom and Gomorrah!

JUDGE ROBERT BORK wrote about America, 'Slouching Toward Gomorrah'.  If he were alive today, I'm sure he would agree with me that the world is "Rushing Towards Sodom'.  May God help us to turn our faces to the wall like King Hezekiah and cry out for mercy and forgiveness for ourselves, our neighbours and our Nation before it is everlastingly too late!  Amen.

Max Solbrekken World Mission Box 44220 RPO Edmonton, AB T5V 1N6. Donations can be made by e-Transfer. Make your donations to max@ maxsolbrekken.com. Thank you so much. May God richly bless you. 

 

                                                         Pastor Max & Donna Solbrekken

WHAT IS FAITH?

By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.

“Is there any reason why you should not have faith in God?  Has God ever broken one of His promises?  I defy any infidel or unbeliever to place his finger on a single promise God ever made, and failed to fulfill.  Satan is a liar.  Jesus said so.  I can open the Bible and show you, how for six thousand years Satan has lied to men, telling them God’s Word is not true.  The devil has denied God’s Word, and promised men everything, but has broken every promise he ever made.”   - D.L. Moody   

Faith is a believing attitude, an abiding trust, an expectant outlook and a positive declaration.  Faith is a quiet confidence and a receptive spirit, an inner Strength and a vocal proclamation of assured victory!

Faith believes the words of Jesus Christ, discounts the challenge of the enemy, puts to flight the spirits of fear, lust, torment and sickness!  Faith reaches out to God for the impossible in the midst of the storm, in the eye of the hurricane, in the face of persecution, repression and betrayal!

Faith is born of the Holy Spirit, grows by the Word of God and operates through a life that is purified by the blood of Jesus Christ!  Faith is a gift of God and a fruit of the Holy Spirit!  It operates through love and when mixed with God’s Word, brings answers to prayer!

Without faith, it is impossible to please God.  With faith, however, nothing is impossible!

Bible says: “But without faith, it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (Heb.11: 6).  Faith, essentially, is three things:

1. Coming to God with your request!

2. Believing that God exists, and that He is Who He says He is!

3. Expecting an answer when you pray!

First - You wouldn’t come to God if you didn’t believe that He is greater than you are and has the ability to help you. Coming to God with your request, proves that you do have some faith.

Second - You must believe that God exists! And that He is the eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent Lord of the universe. And that He is able and willing to meet your need and keep His Word to you! Third - The faith that ‘does the job’, is a vibrant belief or faith, which EXPECTS an answer when you pray!

Jesus said: “What things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them.” (Mark 11:24); “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Matt.21: 22);     “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” (Mark 9: 23); “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” (Mark 10: 27)

Dr. Ole Hallesby (1879-1961), Norway’s great theologian and the founder of the Evangelical Lutheran Seminary, expounds on Matthew 21:22 in God’s Word for Today:

“Here Jesus draws aside for a moment the veil which separates the visible from the invisible world. He desires to give us a little glimpse into the eternal realm, which surrounds us on every hand.

“No one can live in the realm of the eternal without faith. As soon as faith is present, the realm of the eternal becomes accessible to us. Through the gate known as the forgiveness of sins we step into a new environment.

“Here we experience remarkable things: new sorrows and new joys, new

struggles and new tribulations, new victories and new defeats, new friends and new enemies. In this realm of the invisible we make new discoveries continually. Not always great discoveries, but many of them. Both humiliating and exalting!

“Now and then we make discoveries, which ALMOST TAKES OUR BREATH AWAY, namely, when we see what great powers are present in this realm of the invisible. This is especially true when these powers are put at our disposal, when God performs a mighty miracle simply because we ask Him to do so.

“In our text today JESUS SURPRISES US by informing us that these heavenly powers are at our free disposal, that we cannot only cause a fig tree to wither, but even cause a mountain to be taken up and cast into the sea, simply by praying that it be done.

“And then He unveils faith’s secret unto us in these words: “Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Who among us can hear these words without being ashamed of our lack of faith? However, we can, as the disciples did, make supplication to Him in our poverty, to Him Who is the originator and perfecter of faith: “Lord, increase our faith.”

D.L. Moody stated: “I prayed for faith, and I thought that some day faith would come down and strike me like lightning. But faith did not seem to come. One day I read in the tenth chapter of Romans, “Now faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” I had closed my Bible, and prayed for Faith. I now opened my Bible, and began to study, and faith has been growing ever since.?

 WHAT JESUS SAID ABOUT FAITH!

1.  Woman with issue of blood – “Daughter be of good comfort;  Thy faith hath made thee whole.” (Matt. 9:20-25)

2.  Man sick of the palsy –“And Jesus seeing their faith (the cripple and those who carried him) said, son, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee.” (Matt.9: 2)

3.  Two blind men – “Believe ye that I am able to do this? …According to your faith, be it unto you.” (Matt.9: 27)

4.  Roman centurion and servant – “When Jesus heard it, He marvelled…

Verily, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel.” (Matt. 8: 10)

5.  Disciples in Storm:  Jesus asleep in boat – “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith.” (Matt.8: 26)

6.  Jairus:  Daughter dead – “Fear not.  Only believe.” (Mark 5:36)

7.  Thomas doubted Jesus’ resurrection – “Be not faithless, but believing.” (John 20: 27)

8.  Healing of deaf and dumb boy – “Oh faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I suffer you? Bring him unto Me…Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” (Mark 9: 17-23)

9.  Peter walks on water: Then sinks – “O, thou of little faith. Wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Matt. 14: 31)

10.  Faith as a grain of mustard seed – “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain,  Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Matt.17: 20)

11.  Jesus to disciples – “How is it that ye have no faith? “ (Mark 4: 40)

12.  Jesus to father of sick child – “Have faith in God.”(lit.Greek -“Have the faith of God.”) (Mark 11: 22)

13.  Jesus on His coming –“Neverthless, when the Son of Man cometh shall He find faith on the earth?”(Luke 8:18)

14.  Jesus to Saul of Tarsus – “But rise, stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;  Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me.” (Acts 26: 16-18)

 WHAT THE APOSTLES SAID ABOUT FAITH!

PAUL - “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But without faith it is impossible to please Him;  for he that cometh to God must believe that God is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (Heb.11: 1,6)

“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Rom.1: 17);  “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by faith.” (Hab. 2:4)

 “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not mixed with faith in them that heard it.” (Heb. 4:2) “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor un-circumcision;  but faith which worketh by love.” (Gal.5: 6)

“And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as He did unto us;  And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.” (Acts 15: 8,9)

“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;  Even the righteousness of God Which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God;  Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:  Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation (mercy seat) through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed, through the forbearance of God.

THE LAW OF FAITH!

“To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness:  that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.  Where is the boasting then?  Is it excluded?  By what law?  of works?  Nay, but by the law of faith.

“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” (Rom.3: 22-28) “But what sayeth it?  The Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Rom. 10: 8-10)

PETER – “Who (believers) are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Who by Him (Jesus Christ) do believe in God, that raised Him up from the dead, and gave Him glory;  that your faith and hope might be in God.

“…Behold I lay in Zion, a chief Corner Stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe He is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the Stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner.”(1 Peter 1: 5, 21; 2: 6, 7)

JOHN – “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God: that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.  And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us;  And that if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” (1John 5: 14, 15)

“And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book:  But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that ye might have life through His name.” (John 20: 30, 31)

JAMES – “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God…But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.  For he that wavereth is like the wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.” (James 1: 5-7); “Even so faith which hath no works is dead, being alone… Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness…For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (James 1: 17, 23, 26)

Martin Luther – “O’ when it comes to faith, what a living, creative, active powerful thing it is.  It cannot do other than good at all times. It never waits to ask whether there is some good work to do.” – Martin Luther’s Preface to the Epistles of Romans by John Dillenberger.

Charles Finney – “I am speaking now of the kind of faith that insures the blessing. Do not understand me as saying that there is nothing in prayer that is acceptable to God, or even obtains the blessing sometimes without this kind of faith.” – Revival Lectures by Charles Finney.

Moffat translates Hebrews 11:1 as follows: “Faith means we are confident of what we hope for, convinced of what we do not see.”

Faith is the conviction that God will grant what we ask of Him, even though we do not understand the mechanics of it!  Our duty is to petition Him in faith believing - to present our request before the throne of mercy - and His duty is to answer and meet our need;  in His own time, and in His own way for our good and the extension of His kingdom!

The Bible says: “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us:  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” (1 John 5: 14, 15)

Again the Holy Scriptures state unequivocally: “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence unto God.   And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” (1 John 3: 21, 22)

Let us pray until we know that all sin has been cleansed from our innermost being by the blood of Jesus Christ, until the condemnation and guilt is gone! Then and only then, will we have confidence or faith to approach the throne of God for a miracle!

WHY IS THIS THE CASE?  Sin brings condemnation and as long as guilt reigns in our hearts, faith will be missing because condemnation destroys faith and stops it from operating!  We can then in good conscience, ask God for a miracle of healing and deliverance because we are “keeping His commandments and doing those things that are pleasing in His sight.”

We can be absolutely certain that it is the ‘Will of God’ to forgive our sins, save our relatives, heal the sick, free people from demon power and bless His people! HOW DO WE KNOW THIS? It was for that purpose that Jesus suffered, bled and died for us. And rose in power and victory over all the power of the Evil One!

The Bible says: ‘The thief (devil) is come to steal, kill and destroy. I am come that ye might have life and have it more abundantly.” (John 10: 10);   

“…For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3: 8); “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth Who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil,  for God was with him.” (Acts 10: 38)

 Christ’s Victory plus Satan’s defeat equals our Liberty! The Holy Record states: “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He (Jesus) might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil and deliver them who were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Heb. 2: 14, 15)

Reading the Holy Scripture that had been given seven hundred years earlier - concerning Him - Jesus stated: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor;  He hath sent Me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4: 18, 19)

My dear friend, take this opportunity to get to know God on a personal basis, through his Son Jesus Christ, Who died for our sins and rose again for our justification! Then, you will really be living! Praise the Lord!

A PERSONAL INVITATION FOR EACH OF US!

Jesus invites us: “Come unto Me all ye that labour (burdened with sins, guilt, disappointment) and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” (Matt.11: 28); “Him that cometh unto Me, I will in wise cast out.” (John 6: 37)  What an offer from the highest authority in heaven and earth!

Our Heavenly Father, Creator and Saviour, calls us unto Himself.  We can come just as we are and He will receive us!  It is of no avail, to try to better ourselves before approaching His throne of mercy and grace.  Any changes that need to be done, He will personally attend to it by the power of His precious blood and His Holy Spirit!

Let’s not blow this great opportunity to be involved with the One who to know is Life Eternal!  Amen.

 Max Solbrekken World Mission Box 44220 RPO Garside, Edmonton, AB T5V 1N6; Email: [email protected]; comehometojesus.ca; YouTube; Facebook. Donations can be made by e-transfer. Make donations to [email protected]. God bless you!