Faith

Romans chapter 4 and verse 13, Romans 4 and verse 13, for the promise that he should be heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law but through the righteousness of faith. Verse 23, now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him but he but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification who was delivered for our offenses but raised again for our justification. The book of Romans we have heard many times the doctrine of redemption is set forth not to see those in Rome that were already saved but to teach them the foundation upon which their trust in Jesus Christ came.

When it comes to the epistle of James, Martin Luther for many years wouldn't read it. He was a Roman Catholic monk that was converted in the monastery and there's so much emphasis on works that as a monk he didn't believe that the epistle of James should be part of the canon of Scripture but as he developed as a believer he realized it was absolutely necessary because in the epistle of Romans we read therefore being justified by faith now we cannot see faith. We look at an audience like this, it's not for us to say who is saved and not saved and you don't even know if I'm saved.

I've said it of myself and I believe it and I hope you do too. But when it comes to the epistle of James we see the manifestation of faith and that is very necessary. It's one thing to give lip service to the gospel but it's another thing to show in our life that we truly got to the person who died upon the cross and rose again.

Where James 2 tells us, you say you have faith without works. I'll show you my faith by my works. There must be a manifestation of divine work of grace in our hearts.

That's what the world sees. God sees faith, people see the manifestation of it. But I want to take us to the gospel of John and we'll just go to read of a few characters there.

That there is a danger brethren that we live on the death side of the Lord Jesus and not the resurrection side. The very fact that we have been born again gives us the potential to live the Christian life but it does not give the power. The power comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit working in our life.

That was the promise of the Father, tarry ye in Jerusalem until you be endued with power from on high. So we're going to look in John chapter 20 and we see a lovely character as Mary. Let's read together shall we in John chapter 20 and verse 17 or verse 11.

But Mary stood without of the sepulchre weeping and as she wept and stooped down and looked into the sepulchre and see it two angels and white sitting the one on the one hand and the other on the at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain. So he was already raised but not in the mindset of Mary. Notice and they say unto her woman why weepest thou? She saith unto them because they have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid them.

She was occupied with a dead Christ and maybe that's our problem brethren. I've enjoyed the conference very much even at an old age as I have there's still much to be learned and to enjoy of the things of God and Mary was a devoted saint occupied with the dead Christ therefore she was weeping. When you come down to the disciples down the chapter plays in verse 19 then the same day and evening see be in the first day of the week when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews.

Here they were bolted behind closed doors and windows. Look at what they have done with our Savior. They've nailed him to the cross and if they did that with him what will they do with us? And here were they were full of fear but notice as we read on when he had sowed and we read came Jesus and stood in the midst and saith unto them peace be unto you.

When he had so said he showed him their hands and his feet. Then the Bible says then were the disciples glad when they had seen the Lord. So there you have examples of true believers occupied with a dead Christ and the consequences.

But I like to go to the Old Testament and we're going to read a person like Joseph. Let's read shall we in Genesis chapter 45. We all know the background to this particular chapter.

You know the famine had come across the land and Jacob sent his brethren to Egypt to get corn to feed themselves. And as they were coming they come into contact with their brother Joseph but they didn't know him. Joseph saw immediately who they were.

Twenty years has passed now and he's an Egyptian garb and he speaks in the Egyptian language and he sees them coming and he recognizes them immediately but they don't recognize him. That's also in the preaching of the gospel. Christ knows us but we don't know him.

We need to be introduced to him. And so we read here that in chapter 45 Joseph makes himself known to his brethren. Notice what it says in verse 3 of Genesis chapter 45.

And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph. Of course they were shocked. The whole background of the history of their relationship with Joseph and their attitude towards him comes before them.

And he says in verse 9, haste ye and go up to my father and say unto him, thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me Lord of all of Egypt. Come down unto me and tarry not. And he gives them a message at verse 13.

And he shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt. When they went back they could have said, you know, we have been forgiven, occupied with the forgiveness rather than the forgiver. And brethren, that's something that we all need to get beyond our forgiveness and get home, get true, and get to the forgiver himself.

Tell of all my glory in Egypt. Now down the chapter because we want to get at Jacob here in verse 24. So he sent his brethren away and they departed.

And he said unto them, see that you fall not out by the way. And they went up out of Egypt and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father, and told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not.

Something's wrong here. Twenty years earlier they showed him the brethren, the brothers of Joseph, they showed Jacob the father, the coat of many colors. Joseph is dead in the estimation of Jacob.

And for twenty years, brethren and sisters, Jacob is living with a dead Joseph. And all the while God is bringing Joseph through circumstances that we have been just listening to, out of the prison, into the palace, and all power is invested unto him. Like Mary, like the disciples, occupied with a dead Christ, here Jacob's occupied with a dead Joseph.

He couldn't believe the messengers. Something's wrong here. You've given me the impression that some wild beast has taken his life.

So he didn't believe them, but what convinced him, brethren? Read on. Verse 27. And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he said unto them.

And when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. It wasn't the words of his brothers, it was those wagon loads of provision, the best wagons of Egypt, because Pharaoh loved Joseph. And he gave him not just ordinary carts with spoke wheels, it was the best of Egypt with the well supply in order to bring Jacob and his brethren back to where Joseph was.

Here we have it, brethren. Our brother has just been telling us of the need of preparation, training for raiding. Sixty-six wagons in the Bible, thirty-nine in the Old Testament, twenty-seven in the New, all about our heavenly Joseph.

Promises, prophecies, and the preaching of the gospel with one purpose, brethren, to bring us back to Joseph. Then that's what convinced, and that's what convinced sinners of the way of salvation is when we preach the Word of God, the gospel of the grace of God. What's going to help our younger brethren and sisters when we get them to the book, the Old and the New Testament? You need to be in the Old Testament too, young brethren.

These, the things that were written aforetime, were written for our learning, for the church age, that we through comfort of the scriptures might have hope. It's the Word of God that convinces Satan's sinner that these things are true. What do we read here? It says, and the spirit of Jacob their father revived.

Then we read, and Israel said, not Jacob. Jacob was his old name before Genesis 32. Genesis 32, as a prince thou hast prevailed before God and men, but he never walked in the good of his new name, brethren and sisters.

He acted like Jacob, but here the man of faith takes the ground. Israel said, it is enough. Joseph is yet alive.

How sad, brethren, for 20 years living with the dead Joseph. Mary living with the dead Christ. The disciples living with the dead Christ.

What side of the cross are we living and experiencing, brethren? Is it Christ and resurrection? That's where our power comes. When he has come, he will convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come. He'll take of the things of Christ and reveal them unto us.

There's more to Christian experience than just to say I'm saved and going to heaven. We need to get fresh views of the Lord Jesus. He's a living person, and I'm hearing about the assembly in the ministry.

I was away to Ben's Guards yesterday and this morning. We were down with five people meeting to break bread. Listen, we don't come together to break bread.

We can do that in our homes. We come together to remember the Lord and the breaking of bread, and that gives character to the meeting. So, brethren, in closing, what side of the cross are we living in? Is it the resurrection side? He lives in the power of an endless life, and because he lives, we shall live also.