The Cross and Crowns Ministry Nairobi

The Just Shall Live by Faith-Part-21D-20260531

1.  Testing has a CONTEXT. 1. Having created Man to rule the earth in place of Satan who had since disqualified himself through rebellion, God TESTED him to prove his worthiness to realize this purpose−Gen. 2:16-17; 1:26-28. 2. Joseph had two dreams, both of which were REGAL in nature−Gen. 37:5-11. The Lord TESTED Joseph by orchestrating events which seemed to contradict the REGAL dreams that he had−Ps 105:8-12. 3. The Lord TESTED the nation of Israel after their deliverance from Egyptian oppression and on their journey towards the land of their inheritance−Ex. 15:25-26; 16:4. In TESTING the nation of Israel, the Lord sought to establish the nation’s worthiness to rule as the head over the nations−Deut. 28:1, 13. 4. The context of TESTING is RULERSHIP, the goal being to ascertain the worthiness and subsequent approval of the individual being tested. 1. When the Lord tested Abraham, his response was IMMEDIATE! There was NO DEBATE, NO HESITATION, NO RESERVATIONS, NO PUSHBACK, NO DELAY, NO NEGOTIATION−Gen. 22:3-5.

The Just Shall Live by Faith-Part-21C

God TESTED Abraham 1. Gen. 22:1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 1. It is God’s prerogative to TEST and He does so with the RIGHTEOUS−Ps 11:5 The Lord tests the righteous… 1. Prov. 17:3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts. 2. Ps 7:9 …For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. 3. There are different Hebrew words for ‘test’ all of which mean to try, to prove, to tempt, to prove, to examine/assay, to scrutinize. It carries the idea of testing or proving the quality of someone or something. 1. The ONLY basis by which God TESTS His people is His Word! 1. Ex. 15:25 So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, 26 and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.” 2. Ex. 16:4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. Judges 2:20 Then the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My voice, 21 I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, 22 so that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the Lord, to walk in them as their fathers kept them, or not.” 23 Therefore the Lord left those nations, without driving them out immediately; nor did He deliver them into the hand of Joshua.

The Just Shall Live by Faith-Part-21B

1. The Lord kept His Word, in His time and style, and did as He had promised Sarah who bore Isaac−Gen. 21:1-3. 1. As time elapsed, Isaac grew and he was subsequently weaned, much in every way a baby was−Gen. 21:8-9; 1 Sam. 1:22-24; 1 Kin 11:20; Hos. 1:8. 1. Weaning conveys the idea of bringing to an end, the time a child comes to the end of need for nursing, because he/she has matured. 2. In the Septuagint, ‘weaning’ conveys the picture of ‘to remove from milk.’ Weaning marks the time when a child is introduced to solid food. 1.  On the same day that Isaac was weaned, Sarah saw Ishmael scoffing! Although this may pass as any other gesture, it is fraught with significance. 1. In Hebrew, scoffing means mocking, and in the Septuagint, it means to make sport of or to mock and is in the present tense, describing Ishmael as continually mocking Isaac. 2. As long as Isaac was taking milk, Ishmael had NO problem with him but the moment he was weaned, scoffing began. 1. Sarah did NOT take Ishmael’s scoffing lightly! She told Abraham to cast out Hagar, the bondwoman, and Ishmael, her son! According to Sarah, Ishmael would NOT be heir with Isaac−Gen. 21:10. 1. Sarah had finally understood the Lord’s Promise concerning Isaac, Abraham’s chosen heir−Gen. 15:4; 17:19, 21. 2. Sarah’s statement aligned with God’s Word even though it was grievous in Abraham’s sight−Gen. 21:11-12. Abraham obeyed God’s Word by sending Hagar and Ishmael away, something that he did early in the morning−Gen. 21:14.

The Just Shall Live by Faith-Part-21A

1. The Holy Spirit moved the writer of Hebrews to provide a record of specific individuals, who lived by faith, to communicate spiritual truths to bible students like us. Although this list is not exhaustive per se, the truths communicated therein are. Our response must therefore be one of faith IF we are to profit immensely from this revelation, as with the rest of Scripture−2 Tim. 3:16-17; Joh. 6:63. 1. The account of the first three individuals recorded in Heb. 11:4-7 provides a clear chronology of events in God’s calendar as well as His focus according to His divine counsel. What do we mean by this? 1. Abel is a type of Jesus Christ while Cain is a type of the nation of Israel−Heb. 11:4. This foundational record typifies the treatment of Jesus Christ by the nation of Israel i.e., the nation of Israel killed Christ during His first advent−Matt. 16:21; 27:1-25. 2. Enoch is the 7th Man from Adam and his account of being taken away is a type of the future resurrection/rapture of the Church− Heb. 11:5; 1 Thess. 4:15-17. 3. Noah is the 10th Man from Adam and the flood he underwent, where both Man and beast were destroyed, is a type of the future Tribulation that the nation of Israel will undergo yet future−Heb. 11:4. His safely going through the flood with his family typifies the salvation of the nation of Israel during the Tribulation despite many Jews perishing−Matt. 24:1-39; Dan. 9:27. In summary, the account of the first three listed individuals in Heb. 11 provides a sequence of events in God’s calendar i.e., the death of Jesus Christ in the hands of His brethren, the Jews, will be followed by the resurrection/rapture of the Church before the nation of Israel undergoes the Tribulation! All these will happen according to God’s perfect timing!

The Just Shall Live by Faith-Part-20-20260503

1. The individuals recorded in Heb. 11 are commended because of their faith, to the saving of the soul–Heb. 11:1-2, 39-40. 1. The reality of the matter is that none of these individuals are alive today. 1. Thankfully for each of them, God bore witness that they died in faith i.e., they were still living by faith when they died and/or they died still believing what God had promised them−Heb. 11:13. 2. Our choice to live by faith, to the saving of the soul, ought to be for the entire of our lifetime here on earth! It MUST never be a path we take intermittently, on part-time basis or only when it suits our present circumstances! This MUST be our lifestyle both in the highs and lows of life; the ups and downs of life; the light and dark seasons of life; the sunny and rainy days of life; the hot and cold seasons of life etc. 1. These men DID NOT receive the promises of God, all of which were regal−Heb. 11:13, 39. 1. Although they DID NOT receive the regal promises, the individuals in view SAW THEM afar off, were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 2. At the time of their individual deaths, they had not realized the fulfilment of God’s promises. They understood by faith that God’s Promises would be fulfilled, but not in their lifetime! These promises awaited the 7th Day! 3. They were confident and convinced about God’s regal Promises which they welcomed. This persuasion caused them to agree with God that they were only but strangers and pilgrims on earth, a period when those promises would not materialize! Paul had this same type of persuasion, expressing his hope regarding the 7th Day−1 Thess. 4:15-17; 2 Tim. 1:12.