Grace Pipeline, The

The Author And Finisher Of Our Faith

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Shelley Quinn

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Series Code: GPL

Program Code: GPL000016


00:01 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn.
00:02 Have you ever wondered
00:04 why it is impossible to please God without faith?
00:06 How can we better define faith anyway?
00:09 Join us now on "The Grace Pipeline,"
00:11 as we see what the Bible has to say about this.
00:32 Welcome to "The Grace Pipeline."
00:34 In our journey through scripture thus far,
00:36 we have spent considerable time
00:38 examining God's three greatest gifts of grace
00:41 and their effects on our life.
00:43 We have identified Jesus Christ
00:45 as God's greatest gift to humanity
00:48 along with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures.
00:52 And their effect on our life is salvation,
00:55 both justification and sanctification
00:58 as well as the empowerment to live the abundant life
01:03 that God wants to give us
01:04 as He recreates His image within us.
01:08 We know that every good and perfect gift
01:11 comes to us from our Heavenly Father
01:13 through His grace pipeline. It is the love of God
01:16 that is the compelling force behind the grace of God.
01:20 Today, we will learn
01:22 how to tap into His grace pipeline by faith.
01:26 Of course, first, we must define faith
01:29 and recognize it is faith itself
01:32 that defines a genuine Christian experience.
01:35 If you were following along in the series companion book
01:38 also titled "The Grace Pipeline,"
01:40 we are beginning on Chapter 9 today.
01:43 Now let me share a personal story with you.
01:47 Long ago and far away,
01:49 I took a loved one's picture using for the first time
01:52 a Polaroid camera with self developing film.
01:56 The technology absolutely amazed me.
01:59 As I considered it, I recognized
02:02 an interesting parallel between the development process
02:06 of Polaroid film and the sanctification of our souls.
02:11 With the camera, I had simply focused
02:13 on my loved one and pressed a button.
02:16 The subject of my focus was instantly reproduced
02:20 on a single snapshot film
02:22 that had been previously treated with chemicals.
02:26 Now passing through the camera,
02:27 it was exposed to a polarizing light
02:30 which began the development process.
02:33 And when it first emerged,
02:34 I had to accept by faith
02:37 that the image had actually been captured
02:40 because all I had in my hand was a dark negative.
02:45 But as the polarizing light
02:47 continued to pass through the transparent film,
02:51 an image developed right before my eyes
02:54 and it bore a striking resemblance
02:57 to the subject of my focus.
02:59 Now let's make the spiritual application.
03:02 We need to consider our eyes as the camera of our soul
03:07 and our hearts as the film.
03:09 The word of God is the special chemical treatment
03:13 and the Holy Spirit is the polarizing light.
03:16 When our hearts have been treated
03:18 by the gospel of God's grace,
03:20 if we make Christ the subject of our focus
03:24 and take appropriate action, we're born again.
03:28 Instantly, His image is captured within our heart by faith
03:33 and the polarizing light of the Holy Spirit
03:36 penetrates the heart
03:37 and begins the process of sanctification by grace.
03:42 If we're unfamiliar with this development process,
03:46 we can experience initial disappointment.
03:49 The underdeveloped image
03:51 of our new spiritual nature appears to be
03:54 shrouded in the shadowy darkness of our old sin nature.
03:58 But if by the patience of faith
04:01 we remain focused on Christ and His word,
04:04 the Holy Spirit lights up our heart
04:07 and continues the development of the divine nature within us.
04:12 The result is an amazing family lightness
04:15 to the image of Christ.
04:17 Look at what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17.
04:22 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,
04:25 he is a new creation, old things have passed away,
04:30 behold, all things have become new."
04:36 The problem sinners have who are bound up
04:38 by the chains of sin is that someone is always
04:42 trying to reform their old nature.
04:45 The old nature can't be reformed.
04:47 Our only hope is to be born again with a new nature
04:51 that is united with Christ.
04:54 This brings not reformation
04:56 but regeneration and transformation
04:59 as the indwelling Holy Spirit creates divine life within us.
05:04 To save it, when we are a new creation,
05:08 all things have passed away,
05:10 that's a statement of faith
05:12 and it must be received by faith.
05:15 God knows the end
05:16 from the beginning and He declares it.
05:18 In Romans 4:17, it explained that "God gives life to the dead
05:24 and calls things that are not as though they already existed."
05:29 Currently, we must consider the contradiction
05:33 between the two polarized natures within us
05:36 pointed out by Paul in Galatians 5:16, 17.
05:42 He says, "I say then, walk in the Spirit,
05:46 and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
05:50 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit,
05:53 and the Spirit against the flesh,
05:56 and these are contrary to one another,
05:59 so that you do not do the things that you wish."
06:04 The desires of our human nature are opposite
06:08 of the desires of our new spiritual nature.
06:11 And it cross purposes the one is diametrically
06:15 opposed to the other
06:17 and there is this ongoing struggle of strong desires
06:22 that are contrary to one another.
06:24 Nevertheless, if we make it our habit
06:27 to respond to the Holy Spirit
06:29 and so the word of God into our hearts,
06:33 the Godless human nature within us
06:36 will eventually be overpowered by Christ's righteousness.
06:41 This happens when we walk in the spirit
06:44 as Paul points out in Galatians 5:24, 25.
06:49 He says, "Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh
06:54 with its passions and desires.
06:57 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
07:05 Paul's expression of crucifying the flesh
07:07 is another way of saying snuffing out
07:10 selfishness in the old carnal nature.
07:13 Or in other words, dying to our natural unholy interest.
07:19 This takes a day-by-day surrender of our heart
07:23 and will to our Lord.
07:25 When Paul uses the expression,
07:27 "Live in the Spirit and walk in the Spirit,"
07:31 he is referring to the sanctifying work
07:33 of the Holy Spirit in our lives as believers in Christ.
07:38 Paul was God's ambassador of grace called by Christ
07:43 to preach the gospel of grace.
07:45 He wrote a lot about dying to self
07:48 by crucifying the old nature.
07:50 Let's look at Galatians 2:20.
07:53 He says, "I have been crucified with Christ.
07:58 It is no longer I who live,
08:00 but Christ lives in me,
08:03 and the life which I now live in the flesh
08:06 I live by faith in the Son of God,
08:09 who loved me and gave Himself for me."
08:12 As Paul picked up his cross
08:15 in a determined effort to die to self
08:18 daily sanctifying grace anchored
08:21 his union to the Savior.
08:23 Have faith, God will do the same for you
08:27 as you live and walk in the Spirit.
08:30 The life that you live in the flesh
08:34 will be lived by faith in Christ who lives in you.
08:38 Your flesh nature will be crucified
08:41 if you simply cooperate, cooperate with the Holy Spirit.
08:46 You know, Paul speaks of this cooperative effort
08:49 in Romans 8:13 where he says,
08:51 "If by the Spirit you put to death
08:55 the deeds of the body, you will live."
08:58 Notice there that it is the work of the Holy Spirit and of you.
09:04 It is only by the Spirit's power
09:06 that you can put to death your misdeeds
09:09 and crucify your old sin nature.
09:12 You will, of course, recall that death by crucifixion lingered.
09:18 It was not immediate.
09:19 Therefore, you must choose to pickup your cross daily
09:24 or the old nature will go unconquered
09:26 only to rear its ugly head and crawl down off its cross.
09:31 Paul warns us in Galatians 6:7, 8.
09:36 "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked,
09:40 for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap."
09:44 And he says if we sow to the flesh
09:47 will reap of the flesh, corruption.
09:51 But if we sow to the Spirit, we will reap everlasting life.
09:57 God promises to provide us with everything
10:01 that we need for godliness
10:03 but He leaves the choice to us to determine
10:06 if we will partake of His provision.
10:11 The spiritual conflict within our born again hearts
10:16 can be subdued by God's promised power of sanctifying grace.
10:21 We need to lay hold of His deliverance
10:24 by putting our faith into action.
10:28 Paul's summary of faith in action
10:30 was to put on and put off.
10:34 Let's read his message on this combined
10:36 from Romans 13, 14, Ephesians 4:22-24,
10:43 and Colossians 3:14.
10:45 Paul says, "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
10:49 and make no provision for the flesh,
10:52 to fulfill its lusts.
10:54 Put off, concerning your former conduct,
10:57 the old man.
10:58 Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
11:02 Put on the new man
11:03 which was created according to God,
11:06 in true righteousness and holiness.
11:09 Christ is all and in all. Put on love,
11:14 which is the bond of perfection."
11:17 Now let's unpack those verses.
11:21 By faith we must persevere
11:24 in the process of sanctification
11:27 knowing that it is a progressive work
11:30 that God accomplishes in us. But we must make an effort
11:35 to put on the characteristics of Lord,
11:39 our Lord Jesus Christ.
11:41 This is a spirit empowered effort that transforms us
11:46 one step at a time. In our day-to-day experience,
11:50 this would include prayer and Bible study
11:54 to renew our mind so that we may grow in grace
11:58 and in the knowledge of our Lord,
12:01 daily we must put on Christ.
12:04 And the only way to put off our former conduct
12:08 is to make no provision for unholy fleshly desires.
12:13 What do I mean?
12:14 Any alcoholic that is in recovery knows
12:16 that he can't stock his shelves with alcohol
12:20 or spend time at the bars with old drinking buddies.
12:23 Now maybe alcohol is not your temptation,
12:27 maybe its gossip and backbiting
12:29 especially when you're on the phone with your best friend.
12:32 Make a mutual pact with your friend not to gossip.
12:36 And if that doesn't work,
12:37 quit talking on the phone with the one
12:40 whose attitude snares you.
12:43 Make no provision for the flesh.
12:48 We must make a daily effort
12:52 to live a life of obedience and purity
12:55 so that we don't fall back into our former way of life.
12:59 We put on love by asking God to fill us with His love
13:05 by the power of the Holy Spirit.
13:08 And we must recognize by faith
13:12 that we can be strong in the Lord
13:14 as Ephesians 6:10-12 tells us,
13:18 "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
13:22 Put on the whole armor of God,
13:25 that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
13:29 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood,
13:32 but against principalities, against powers,
13:36 against the rulers of the darkness of this age,
13:39 against spiritual hosts of wickedness
13:43 in the heavenly places."
13:45 Let me share a promise
13:47 with you that you need to hold on
13:49 to found in Deuteronomy 33:27, it's one of my favorites.
13:54 And it says, "The eternal God is your refuge,
13:57 and underneath are the everlasting arms.
14:00 He will thrust out the enemy from before you,
14:03 and he will say, destroy."
14:06 We're not the first generation to wage war
14:09 in this spiritual battle.
14:11 Every descendent of Adam has been through it.
14:15 Those who recognize that the battle belongs to the Lord
14:19 have stood fast in active faith
14:22 and have seen the enemy vanquished by God's power.
14:27 Spiritual victory is ours by grace.
14:31 Oh, thanks be to God who gives us
14:34 the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
14:37 Now let's turn our attention to defining faith.
14:42 It's important that we develop our understanding
14:45 because faith is the faucet. It is the instrument
14:49 by which we tap into God's grace pipeline.
14:52 Our faith regulates the release of blessings
14:56 from His great reservoir of grace.
14:59 Through Christ, we have access by faith
15:03 into the marvelous grace of God
15:05 as Paul affirms in Romans 5:1, 2.
15:10 "Therefore, having been justified by faith,
15:14 we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
15:18 through whom also we have access by faith
15:23 into this grace in which we stand."
15:28 Faith is another systematic and practical truth
15:31 that is often under defined and therefore under appreciated.
15:36 And because of this lack of understanding,
15:38 well-meaning Bible scholars frequently misapply this truth.
15:42 Faith is critical to our Christian walk
15:45 and worthy of our study.
15:47 So let's examine the depth of its meaning.
15:51 How is the word faith defined in Bible dictionaries?
15:55 It's another one of those elastic words
15:58 and it stretches over a special scope of meaning.
16:02 Faith means to be firmly persuaded,
16:05 to be convicted, and convinced of God's truth.
16:09 To walk in reliance on God's promises
16:12 and His works of salvation and to continue in assurance
16:16 of our beliefs obeying the word of God.
16:20 Now from my study on the topic,
16:22 here's the definition that I have to write.
16:25 "Faith is placing our total trust in God
16:29 and what is known to God but unseen by us,
16:33 believing in to be living in God
16:37 and His word with absolute assurance,
16:40 no doubt and eager expectation
16:44 that His unseen promises are ours
16:46 and will come to us relying on His love and His power
16:50 to keep us in the meantime
16:52 as we walk in obedience to His will."
16:56 Okay. Now can you repeat that to me, please?
16:59 I do admit that was a little bit long winded
17:02 but faith is difficult to reduce to a short definition.
17:06 Greek scholar and expositor Marvin Vincent
17:10 who lived in the 1800s did a little better
17:13 in providing a succinct definition.
17:16 He says, "Faith apprehends as a real fact
17:20 what is not revealed to the senses.
17:22 It rests on the fact, acts upon it,
17:25 and is upheld by it
17:27 in the face of all that seems to contradict it.
17:31 Faith is a real seam."
17:35 Well, I like this poetic description
17:38 but it still leaves me
17:40 with an incomplete understanding.
17:43 The importance of faith is evidenced
17:46 by the emphasis the New Testament
17:48 writers placed on this topic using the word nearly 250 times.
17:54 Only the writer of Hebrews
17:56 attempts to reduce the concept of faith to a definition.
18:02 And in the translation of Hebrews 11:1,
18:06 various Bible scholars have looked at this definition
18:09 and they have selected a variety of words.
18:12 So for ease of reading,
18:14 I've combined a number of these scholars'
18:16 word choices for you and let's look at what they say.
18:21 "Now faith is the substance and assurance, being sure of.
18:27 It is the foundation and trust
18:29 and title deed of things hoped for, things expected,
18:35 the evidence and conviction, being convinced of,
18:39 and proof of the reality of things not seen,
18:43 the things we do not see
18:46 and cannot see with our eyes."
18:50 Wow.
18:51 If faith is how we access the gifts of God
18:55 and it's the instrument we use to tap into God's grace,
18:58 we need to understand it.
19:01 Righteousness, justification,
19:03 and sanctification are available to all
19:07 who will reach out and seize them by faith.
19:09 Then as we are joined to and abide in Christ,
19:13 we gain God's approval
19:15 and He fulfils all of His promises
19:18 which are waiting to be released to us
19:21 when we tap into His grace pipeline by faith.
19:24 Now I want to make a distinction here
19:27 and I pray that I can articulate this in such a way
19:30 that it can be understood.
19:32 The reward of faith is God's approval.
19:36 His gifts of grace are not a reward for faith.
19:40 They are released by faith.
19:43 Faith is the assurance, the act of confidently
19:49 believing within our hearts
19:51 and the act of purposely reaching out
19:54 to lay hold of God's promises
19:57 which we rightfully possess in Christ.
20:01 Some Bible teachers imply
20:03 that if we can only work up on a faith
20:07 that God must reward us with His promises.
20:11 What these are doing is placing their trust in faith
20:16 making faith the object of their faith.
20:19 That's misleading and dangerous.
20:22 We must make God the object of our faith
20:25 understanding that He is ready, willing,
20:27 and able to release His promises
20:30 when we act by faith.
20:32 If we look at the earth as a universal theater
20:36 and our lives as being lived out on stage,
20:40 God's promises are waiting in the wings
20:43 ready to be ushered in by our faith.
20:47 Now Hebrews 11:6 demonstrates how important this faith is.
20:53 So let's read this together.
20:55 In Hebrews 11:6 it says,
20:57 "But without faith it is impossible to please God,
21:03 for he who comes to God must believe that He is,
21:08 and that He is a rewarder of those
21:10 who diligently seek Him."
21:14 Faith is the essential ingredient for spiritual life
21:19 and we are obliged to respond in faith
21:23 if we are to please God at all.
21:26 It is the necessary action to meet His requirements.
21:31 Faith honors God and God honors faith.
21:34 He is in the habit of rewarding
21:37 by His acceptance and His approval
21:40 anyone who pursues Him earnestly by faith,
21:43 even those who do not possess the full truth.
21:47 You know, we are only accountable
21:50 for what we know or for what we could have known
21:53 had we made a reasonable effort.
21:56 An apathetic attitude toward the study of
21:58 and the resources available to us
22:01 will not excuse us from being held accountable
22:04 for the knowledge we easily could've gained and understood.
22:08 Anyone who suppresses the truth
22:11 in unrighteousness is without excuse.
22:15 So our search to know God
22:18 and to know His truths requires diligence.
22:22 We must ask and keep on asking,
22:25 seek and keep on seeking, knock and keep on knocking.
22:29 And as we continue to seek Him with all of our hearts,
22:33 we gain intimate knowledge of Him.
22:36 And He reveals His plan for our lives
22:39 which, let me tell you,
22:41 is a whole lot better than the one that we're living.
22:44 Why is it impossible to please God without faith?
22:48 If we do not accept His testimony and act upon it,
22:52 we're regarding Him as a liar.
22:55 Here's proof found in 1 John 5:10-12.
22:59 John writes, "He who believes in the Son of God
23:02 has the witness in himself.
23:04 He who does not believe God has made Him a liar,
23:09 because he has not believe the testimony
23:12 that God has given of His Son.
23:15 And this is the testimony that God has given us eternal life,
23:20 and this life is in His Son.
23:23 He who has the Son has life.
23:26 He who does not have the Son of God does not have life."
23:32 Do you realize that anyone
23:34 who hears the truth and rejects Jesus Christ
23:38 rejects God's testimony about his son
23:41 as if His words were untrue?
23:44 According to the Apostle John that person is doomed
23:48 to a judgment of condemnation
23:51 for God's wrath abides on the unbeliever
23:54 and he will die in his sins.
23:58 But even belief in God by itself is not sufficient for salvation.
24:04 In James 2:19, the Apostle says,
24:07 "You believe that there is one God, you do well.
24:11 Even the demons believe and tremble."
24:14 The devil and his fallen angels know of God's existence
24:19 and they shudder at the thought of their judgment to come.
24:23 James continues in verse 20 where he says,
24:27 "Faith without works is dead."
24:30 Mere mental assent,
24:32 just simply believing in our mind is not a saving faith.
24:38 A saving faith includes trust and obedience.
24:43 So how do we develop faith?
24:45 Paul tells us in Romans 10:17
24:49 "Faith comes by hearing,
24:52 and hearing by the word of God."
24:57 Hearing is the way that the seed of God's word
25:00 is broadcast into the soil of our hearts
25:04 and the Holy Spirit is the one who teaches us
25:07 and gives us understanding.
25:09 Divine faith is achieved by grace
25:13 and by definition it is belief put into action.
25:18 The Lord of love requires us to have active faith
25:23 that draws us into a right relationship with Him.
25:29 You know, if we were to take the thought
25:31 from 1 John 5:10-12, if we were to take
25:35 that just a little bit further about anyone
25:39 who disregards God's testimony is regarding Him as a liar.
25:46 Think about this for a minute.
25:48 If we refuse to believe His inspired scriptures
25:53 regarding His promises
25:55 and our needful compliance to them
25:58 and to His revealed will,
26:01 then we are in essence calling God a liar.
26:05 You know, some of His promises
26:07 sound just far too marvelous to accept
26:11 regarding who we become
26:13 now that we're new creations in Christ.
26:16 But remember God knows the end
26:19 from the beginning and He declares it.
26:22 So we have to accept by faith.
26:25 We are heirs of God. We are co-heirs with Christ.
26:31 And the Bible tells us that when we are in Christ,
26:35 all of God's promises are ours.
26:38 Christ won the inheritance for us.
26:42 Now we're gonna make this application of truth
26:46 more practical in our next program.
26:49 We have barely scratched the surface of this topic.
26:53 But I hope that you will join us on the next program
26:57 where we're going to take a stroll
27:00 down faith's hall of fame
27:02 as we continue to develop our understanding
27:06 of this crucial ingredient of Christian living.
27:10 You know, when we see,
27:12 sometimes it is the life of people
27:15 who better define faith than mere words.
27:20 Our language is so limited
27:23 and faith is such a huge concept
27:26 that it's faith in action that helps us to understand
27:31 what the real meaning of the word is.
27:35 So please join us next time
27:38 and we'll look at some of these people from the Bible
27:41 whose characters whose life have shown
27:46 to the world for generations
27:49 that faith in action is a saving faith.
27:54 Until then, grow in grace
27:56 and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.


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Revised 2014-12-17