THE PRINCIPLES OF FAITH by Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
"And when they were come to the multitude, there came to Him a certain man, kneeling down to Him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for often he falls into the fire, and often into the water.
"And I brought him to Thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? Bring him hither to Me. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
"Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said: Why could not we cast
him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I
say unto you, 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. Howbeit this kind goes not out but by prayer and
fasting." (Matt. 17:14-21)
In this concise work we will consider Five Principles of Faith and How They Function:
1) Read and Hear God's
Word.
2) Think and Meditate
on God's Word.
3) Believe God's Word.
4) Speak or articulate
God's Word.
5) Act upon God's Word!
Thousands have been saved and healed by our Lord Jesus Christ in our crusades listening to the preached WORD and through reading or having someone read these inspired messages to them.
You can do the same because
God is no respecter of persons and what He will do for one, He will do for all
who accept His promises and act upon them!
Although I preached these messages several decades ago, they are as valid and important today, as ever! Amen. Max Solbrekken, Edmonton, 1993
CHAPTER ONE: BACK TO BASICS
"Without faith it
is impossible to please God" (Heb. 11:6), but with faith "all things
are possible." (Mark 9:23)
Faith and unbelief are
diametrically opposed, because faith comes from God's Word, while unbelief germinates
where "there is ignorance" of the Scriptures!
Faith is born of God
but unbelief is the product of satanic invention for faith is a positive power,
while unbelief is a negative force! Faith is a divine gift, but unbelief
has its origin in superstition, fear and unrighteousness!
Faith is rooted in
trust, sincerity and truth, while unbelief is anchored in skepticism,
resentment and deception!
Faith touches the heart of
God and opens Heaven's store - house to believers. Unbelief closes
the "channels of blessing" and sets the soul on a
rebellious course of self-will and transgression!
Faith works, and so does unbelief. Both bring forth an abundant harvest; one good and the other bad. One produces life, the other death - for time and eternity!
The best example of ‘living faith’ is found in the dynamic life of Jesus Christ. He did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth. He obeyed His Father's will so implicitly that "a voice came from Heaven, saying: This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him". (Matt. 17:5)
No wonder Jesus could heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons, multiply the loaves and fishes, walk on the water, commandeer the elements and raise the dead! He always did those things that pleased His Father!
THE KEY TO MIRACLES!
What is the Key to total Victory, answered Prayer and Prosperity? If we are to see the power of God in our lives, we must follow the example of Jesus in obedience, dedication, consecration and submission to God. We must follow the Master in a life of holiness, humility and single-mindedness of purpose!
Jesus said, "I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent Me." (John 5:30); "For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me." (John 6:38); "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work." (John 4:34); "I always do those things that please Him." (John 8:29)
Our Lord stated, "I
must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day..." (John
9:4); "Not My will, but Thy will be done." (Luke
22:42)
We must do the same, if we want the
SAME COMMUNION with "the Father". If we do not have
that fellowship, we cannot do the same works!
Jesus said, "As
My Father hath sent Me, so send I you". (John 20:21) "The
works that I do shall ye do also, and greater works than these shall ye do,
because I go unto My Father". (John 14:12)
The Holy Scripture
emphasizes, "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we
keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
“And this is His
commandment; That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and
love one another, as He gave us commandment. And he that keeps His
commandments dwells in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He
abides in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us." (1 John
3:22-24)
Here are the two essential things the Church of the Living God must possess, to do the works of God: First, believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and Redeemer. Second - to have fervent love (Gr. agape) one for another!
OUR ATTITUDE TO OTHERS REFLECTS OUR RELATIONSHIP TO GOD!
St.
John declared, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to
love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love
one another, God dwells in us, and His love is perfected in us.
"Hereby know we
that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit. And
we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of
the world.
"Whosoever shall
confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God.
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. GOD IS LOVE;
and he that dwells in love dwells in God and God in him.
“Herein is our
love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment: because
as He is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:11-17)
The Bible says,
"And now, little children, abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we
may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His
coming. If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that
doeth righteousness is born of Him." (1 John 2:28-29)
There are three hindrances to receiving the
power of God!
1.
SINS OF CARNALITY OF THE FLESH & MIND!
The first great hindrance is the sins that we allow in our lives! Sins of
carnality and worldliness of the flesh and the mind rob believers of the
intimacy necessary to function as the true Body of Christ!
The Bible says: “For they that after the flesh do mind the things of the
flesh, but they that are after the Spirit the things that are after the Spirit.
For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and
peace.” (Rom.8:5,6)
Living in continual sin
automatically creates GUILT in a Christian’s spirit, straining the sweet
fellowship between God and that individual! Sin causes a blockage in the flow
of the Holy Spirit, because guilt brings condemnation and fear!
St. John wrote: "Beloved, if our hearts condemn us not, we have confidence to ask what we will and it shall be done unto us..." (1 John 3:20)
Guilt also brings DOUBT with it, thus hindering the ability to pray the "prayer of faith". Satan, the originator of sin, fear and doubt, is the winner in that situation. The only way back into fellowship with the Father is through REPENTANCE and TRUST.
The Scripture
says, "...but if our hearts condemn us, then God is greater than
our hearts and knows all things". (1 John 3:21) Our Lord knows
that sin in our lives will rob us of faith and bring condemnation, but the shed
blood of Jesus Christ is the remedy for sin and removes the guilt and
condemnation!
The Bible states, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from ALL sin.” (1 John 1: 7)
JESUS’ SHED BLOOD BRINGS PEACE!
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them
which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit". (Rom. 8:1)
St.
John stipulated, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". (1
John 1:9)
Repentance brings immediate relief through
God’s forgiveness. Condemnation leaves and faith rises in our hearts opening
the door to God’s miracles in our lives!
The Bible states:
“Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward 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 John4: 21, 22)
Our hearts rejoice as we
meditate upon the great salvation Christ purchased for us on Calvary's
Cross! Jesus is even now seated at our Father's right hand in Heaven,
making intercession for us as our High Priest.
And as our Advocate Jesus is pleading our case before the Father: "Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them." (Heb. 7:25)
SATAN:
ACCUSER OF GOD'S PEOPLE!
The Holy Bible says: "And I heard a loud voice saying
in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and
the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethen is cast down,
which accused them before our God day and night.
"And they
(believers) overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of
their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Rev.
12:10-11)
How to overcome:
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you. Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you.” (James 4: 7,8); “Be sober,
be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh
about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith…” (1
Peter 5: 8, 9)
God desires to forgive
every sin and bring us into fellowship, so that our prayers may be
answered. The Bible says, "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them
according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel,
and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not
hindered". (1 Peter 3:7)
(II) – LACK OF TOTAL COMMITMENT TO CHRIST!
Many Christians are not
fully committed to Christ and His Gospel. They have very little desire to see
His agenda go forward! They have not experienced His saving grace or
sanctifying power, therefore, have no real understanding of spiritual things.
Or, they have - over the
years - lost their focus of why Jesus came to earth in the first place. They
have forgotten the awful price He paid in order to redeem fallen man! Like the
Church at Ephesus, they have “left their first love.” (Rev.
2: 4)
Following His program
is not their Number One priority. Some have ulterior motives and others
are not willing to dedicate themselves sufficiently to the task.
Therefore, the work of Christ has suffered!
I have noticed in
recent years, a lack of real desire and dedication in the lives of God's people
to emulate JESUS! He must be our example and role model! We must
obey Him totally, and put forth effort commensurate with His Person and Mission, which can be nothing less than Top Priority!
There is, however, hope for
all! Jesus said to the Christians at Ephesus: “Remember therefore
from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works: or else I
will come unto thee quickly and remove thy candlestick out of His place, except
thou repent.” (Rev.2: 5)
The candlestick or light
stand bringing light speaks of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God and the
Gospel! Ephesus today lies in ruins and the Church is gone. The
Muslim hordes overran the area years ago and the Gospel light went out! How
sad!
The question is: “Will
that also happen to our beloved nation, because of the backsliding of our
clergy and the worldliness of the Church in general?” I pray
fervently, that such a tragedy will not happen. Rather, that God will be
merciful and send us a grass-roots-revival that will change
our spiritual landscape!
The word Christian means, "Christ-like
ones" and also has the connotation that we are members of "The
Family of Jesus"!
In his letter to
Timothy, St. Paul throws light on this problem. We see shades
of FEAR developing in young Timothy, which the apostle seeks to dispel.
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of love and of power
and of a sound mind." (1 Tim. 1:7) Again He speaks of the fact that
Onesimus, "was not ashamed of my chain." (2 Tim. 1:16)
Evidently, Timothy was
feeling the pressure of St. Paul being in prison, wondering, "Who
will be next"? "Will I also be beaten, striped, imprisoned and
martyred for the name of Jesus and because of my fellowship with 'this
outspoken man' who always seems to be getting into trouble?"
Jesus emphazised:
"Except a corn of wheat fall to the ground and die, it abides alone: but
if it die, it brings forth much fruit". (John 2:24)
St. Paul taught us ‘How to Become a Man of God’. This was my premier message to 5000 preachers at the ‘Assemblies of God Conference’ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1987 and also at the ‘Christ For the Nations Bible Institute’ in Dallas, Texas.
THE KEY IS TO DIE TO SELF!
The old nature and the ‘old man’ in us, our ego, pride and stubborn will must die, so that God’s life will come to the forefront in our lives! We must be in total submission to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God!
Like St. Paul, we also
must be captive to the Word of God! The great Apostle stated: “…I am ready not
be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord
Jesus.” (Acts 21: 13) “…For the hope of Israel, I am bound with this
chain.” (Acts 28: 20); “Woe is unto me if I preach not the Gospel.” (1
Cor.9:16)
Defending his courageous
stand for Christ and His Gospel against the evils of the Roman Church, Dr.
Martin Luther stated: “I am captive to the Word of God. Unless I
can be instructed and convinced with evidence from the Holy Scriptures or with
open, clear, and distinct grounds of reasoning ... then I cannot and will not
recant, because it is neither safe nor wise to act against
conscience." Then he added, "Here I stand. I can do
no other. God help me! Amen."
WILLIAM TYNDALE was a student
in Cambridge when Martin Luther posted his 95
Thesis on the door of the Wittenberg Church. He was troubled
about the problems within the Church. In 1523 taking advantage of the recent
invention of the printing press, Tyndale began to cast the Scriptures in the
current English. His aims were simple but ambitious, as expressed to an
educated man.
William Tyndale
said: “I defy the Pope and his laws; and if God spare my life, ere many
years I will cause a boy that driveth the plow shall know within his lifetime
more of the Scriptures than thou dost.”
He was born in
Slymbridge in about 1496. After being educated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, he became a chaplain. While studying at
Oxford he became very interested in the ideas of John Wycliffe and the Lollards. Tyndale became
convinced that the church had become corrupt and selfish.
Like Wycliffe, Tyndale
thought it was important that people had the opportunity to read and interpret
the Bible for themselves. Tyndale wanted to translate the Bible into English
but at that time Henry VIII and the English church were very
much against the idea.
In 1524 Tyndale went to
Hamburg where he met Martin Luther and the following year moved
to Cologne where he managed to arrange for his translation of the Bible to be
printed.
In 1535 William Tyndale was
betrayed by Henry Phillips and arrested in Antwerp and imprisoned in a castle
near Brussels. He was found guilty of heresy and on 6th October, 1536, he was
strangled and burnt at the stake.
Tyndale did not die in vain. Two
years later Henry VIII gave permission for the
publication of the English Bible. However, people were not allowed to read it
aloud to another person; nor were people below the rank of gentleman allowed to
own a copy of the English Bible.
St. Paul
understood that the Gospel of Christ and fellowship with Jesus is more
important than one's own life - which is only temporary! Eternal life
through Christ is much more important! That is why he wrote, "For
me to live is Christ but to die is gain". (Phil. 1:21)
Many Christians have
not learned that, "It costs something to be a man of God".
There is a price to pay - in order to have God's faith and
power, operating in our lives!
And unfortunately many are not willing to pay that price, so they have only the message - without the power! Preaching faith, but having only presumption. How sad! This combination produces sensual, fleshly believers, with the "yuppie attitude" - WHAT CAN I GET OUT OF THIS FOR MYSELF? instead of the true Christian spirit of "What can I give?"
LORD, DO IT AGAIN!
Here is Billy
Graham’s prayer: "Lord, do it again! Do what You did
when the apostles were called. Do what You did following Pentecost! Do
what You did with Saul of Tarsus, Augustine, Luther, Calvin, John Wesley,
George Whitefield, D.L. Moody and William Booth. Lord, do it again. And
help us to reach the world for Christ.”
(III) AN
ALMOST TOTAL ABANDONMENT OF FERVENT PRAYER BY CHRISTIANS AND CLERGY ALIKE!
A number of years ago,
a survey taken among Christians in the USA revealed that the average Christian
spends 3 minutes in prayer daily and the average clergyman gives only 7 minutes
to God in daily prayer!
WHAT A SHAME!
They feast when they
should be fasting and the supper room has taken priority over the Upper
Room! Remember, the Early Church was born in a
prayer meeting!
One hundred and twenty
believers were closeted in a place of prayer and supplication - seeking God for
an endowment of power - when the Holy Spirit fell upon them!
In order for "the
Church of the 21st Century" to grow, advance and
occupy for Christ, an intense desire for prayer and seeking God must pervade
the believing saints. That was the SECRET of the success of the 1st Century
Church!
We must continue until
the fire of God falls afresh on the altar of our souls and WE AGAIN BECOME
LIVING STONES crying out to a dying world, that Jesus Christ is Lord!
John Knox prayed: “O
God give me Scotland or I die”! And the wicked blood-thirsty ‘Mary
Tudor - Queen of Scots’ agonized that she feared the prayers of John
Knox, more than the armies of England!
God heard and answered his prayers,
and that is why Scotland is Presbyterian today and NOT PAPIST!
We must take as our
models holy men and women of God who in past centuries, have shaken cities and
stirred nations for God through their selflessness, fearlessness, piety and
faith in God!
We must die so that He
can live through us! God has given us His blueprint for Revival and
Healing: "If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble
themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then
will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their
land". (2 Chron. 7:14)
There are four things
we must do, if we expect God to send a gracious spiritual awakening and healing
to this nation.
1) WE MUST HUMBLE OURSELVES!
One of the five sins of Sodom was pride!
“Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.” (Ezek. 16:49)
Humility is the opposite of pride and God "hates a proud look and a haughty spirit". (Prov.6:16-17) HUMILITY THEREFORE REQUIRES REPENTANCE AND CONFESSION OF SIN!
God's Word states, "For thus saith
the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, Whose name is Holy; I dwell in
the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble
spirit, to revive the heart of the contrite ones". (Isaiah 57:15)
The Bible says, “But He
giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth
grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the
devil, and he will flee from you. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord,
and He shall lift you up.” (James 4:6,7,10)
By humbling ourselves
we are saying, "God, take control of my life. I want You to
move into my life and set up Your throne in my heart. From this moment
forward, I desire You to take charge of my life".
Why is this so important? God delights in making something out of nothing so that “No flesh should glory in His presence”. (1 Cor.1: 29)
PRIDE WAS SATAN’S SIN!
Pride precipitated his
tragic, awful fall! The Bible says, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O
Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst
weaken the nations!
“For thou hast said in thine
heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt
my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the
mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend
above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most
High.” (Isaiah 14:12-14)
“Thine heart was lifted
up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by
reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee
before kings, that they may behold thee.” (Ezek. 28:17)
There is an old
adage: "Prayer Changes Things!" That's absolutely
right. Prayer changes people and situations, as well! Jesus said, “Ask, and
it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock,
and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth;
and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it
shall be opened.”
He admonished: “...Pray for
them which despitefully use you, and persecute you”. Again, He said,
"Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The
spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak". (Mark 14:38)
IT ALSO CHANGES THOSE WHO PRAY!
When we begin to pray in earnest, God communes with us and
speaks to us by His Word and the Blessed Holy Spirit. And it doesn't take
Him long to soften our hearts, penetrate our minds and affect our stubborn
wills.
One of the
characteristics of the life of Jesus, was the regularity and fervency of His
prayers to His Father, and the consistency with which His requests were
granted! And if we hope to affect our families, our communities and our world
for God, we must follow the example of Jesus and the admonitions of the
apostles.
St. Paul admonished, "I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting". (1 Tim. 2:8) "Pray without ceasing." (1 Thes. 5:17)
“Be anxious for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (Phil. 4:6)
And St. James
stated, "Confess your faults (troubles) one to another, and
pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer
of a righteous man availeth much". (James 5:16)
3) WE MUST SEEK GOD'S FACE!
To seek someone's face speaks about closeness and nearness! A personal experience is necessary. God desires our input - an earnest desire to WALK WITH HIM, so that we may see His face!
We cannot follow afar
off and expect to enjoy God's special favour and smile upon our lives! He
is our Heavenly Father and desires the special Father/Son relationship which
was purchased for us through the death of His Son!
Like a child sitting
upon his father's lap touches his heart, so we touch the heart of our Heavenly
Father when we draw near to Him. St. James said, "Draw nigh unto
God and He will draw nigh to you" (James 4:8)
Seeking the face of God
also implies intense and specific effort in focusing upon God and doing His
will! That is why Jesus said, "Strive to enter in", and
St. Peter declared, "make your calling and election sure". (2
Peter 1:10)
God's Word says,
"And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all
your heart." (Jer. 29:13) The word ‘diligence’ is often used in
conjunction with ‘walking with God’!
St. Peter writes: “Wherefore
the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure:
for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:” (2 Peter 1:10)
And St. Paul admonished: “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.” (1 Cor. 11:28)
WE NEED A REVIVAL OF EXPECTANCY & EXCITEMENT!
Below are excerpts of a speech made
by Billy Graham at the convention of the National Association of Evangelicals
in Denver, Col., USA, in the 1960’s.
His address was called, 'Spiritual
Expectancy & Revival'.
"Here we have a great deal to learn
from Pentecostalists and the Assemblies of God. They have enthusiasm for
Christ. I do not believe in cheap sensational emotions for emotions
sake. But I believe we have gone too far and we don't have the feeling,
the emotion, the tears and the compassion we ought to have.
"Our Lord wept
publicly. He was moved to tears. And who can
forget Gethsemane? Emotion! Dr. MacKay says that Naziism had
fire, Fascism had fire, Communism has fire - The Church needs to catch fire!
Grady Wilson and I were
in Moscow two years ago. We saw 50,000 young people in Red
Square, stomping their feet, clenching their fists and shouting, ‘We're going
to change the world. We're going to change the world!’ And they
looked like they meant it.
"Where are the young people
today - stomping their feet for Christ and saying, ‘We're going to change the
world’? There was feeling in Moscow. There was electricity
there.
"At Pentecost
people thought the 120 were drunk. People don't think we're drunk anymore
- they think we're dead!"
There is nothing more abhorrent to God our Heavenly Father, than the transgression of His laws. When we revolt against God's order, we sin against Him, ourselves, our neighbours and also the universe!
This universe
was created to accommodate order, precision and truth.
It operates on a tight schedule - planets orbiting in perfect precision,
according to the WORD OF GOD.
In this generation, there has again risen to the surface, the age-old time-worn, damnable doctrine of Gia or Mother Earth worship. The New Agers say that the earth has a spirit. This lie has been handed down from time immemorial and practiced by the ancient Hindus, the Vikings and Indians!
OLD SIN FOR NEW AGE MOVEMENT!
And God hates it. Hear His
Word: "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me". (Exodus
20:3) "...and there is no god else beside Me. Look
unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is
none else." (Is. 45:21-22)
Sin is an aberration
and brings disorder; in the spirit, mind and body! The word SIN, in the
Greek means "missing the mark". So sinning is
certainly nothing to be proud of - for it always brings shame, remorse, sorrow,
sickness and death!
In God's books, sinners
are categorically classified as Losers! Sin cannot
produce Winners! Since Satan, the eternally lost entity and author
of sin and rebellion, is a COSMIC LIAR and perpetual LOSER, why should anyone
in his right mind, follow him? That doesn’t make any sense at all!
Is it possible for a human being to know the Creator of the universe? The Holy Bible states, only through His Son Jesus Christ are we able to know God! And only Jesus Christ can SAVE us from sin and darkness, through His vicarious death for us on the Cross and His resurrection from the dead on the third day! Amen.
