Example of Living by Faith
The sermon emphasizes the importance of living by faith, trusting God to fulfill His promise in His way and timing, rather than relying on our own abilities and intelligence.
K.P. Yohannan emphasizes the importance of living by faith through the example of David, who, despite having the opportunity to kill Saul, chose to trust God's timing and methods instead of taking matters into his own hands. David's journey of faith was long and challenging, yet he consistently opted for God's way over his own cleverness. Yohannan encourages listeners to apply this principle in their own lives, urging them to set aside their abilities and trust in God's promises. He shares personal experiences of resisting the temptation to manipulate situations in his ministry, highlighting the significance of faith over sight. Ultimately, the message is a call to rely on God's timing and methods rather than our own understanding.
Text
Even after this incident, Saul didn't change. He was soon after David once more. This time God caused a deep sleep to come upon Saul's army, making it possible for David and his men to walk right up and take the spear from near the sleeping king's head. The men with David urged him to kill Saul. One said (paraphrase), "God has delivered Saul into your hands. What are you waiting for? Weren't you praying that God would fulfill His promise that He made to you? And here he is, just one jab with the spear and you can kill him!"
To strike Saul at this point would not have required scheming or conniving on David's part at all. There would have been no manipulation or tricks. But still David would not do it. He would not do it because he believed God and His way of bringing things about. This journey of trusting God was not a one-or two-year struggle. It went on for many years. But David continued to live by faith, not by sight, choosing God's way above his own.
Now take that into your world. Take David's example of living by faith and apply it to your situation. I am saying this to you so that you would continue to lay aside your cleverness, abilities and intelligence. We must choose to walk by faith, trusting God to fulfill His promise in His way and timing.
I have my own experiences and lessons the Lord has taught me in choosing to walk by faith, trusting Him rather than my ability. For example, things don't always go the way I would like them to in some of my meetings. I remember distinctly a couple of past experiences while speaking in churches, when, toward the end of my message, I would think to myself, "If only I could just say a few more persuasive words. If only I could present the need in this particular way, then I could get the job done. I could get that fruitful response. I could see them make that commitment." But in those times, I also clearly remember how in my heart I felt, "If I say one more thing I will be operating in the realm of sight. I will be manipulating. I will be forcing it. If I say that, I will be using my God-given ability to convince people. I may get the job done, but it will be nothing but another Ishmael, my way of producing what God promised." And I back off. By God's grace, I let it go.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Importance of Living by Faith
- A. David's example of trusting God
- B. Choosing God's way above our own
- II. The Dangers of Living by Sight
- A. Manipulation and tricks
- B. Focusing on our abilities and intelligence
- III. The Benefits of Walking by Faith
- A. Trusting God to fulfill His promise
- B. Laying aside our cleverness and abilities
Key Quotes
“We must choose to walk by faith, trusting God to fulfill His promise in His way and timing.” — K.P. Yohannan
“If I say one more thing I will be operating in the realm of sight. I will be manipulating. I will be forcing it.” — K.P. Yohannan
“I will be using my God-given ability to convince people. I may get the job done, but it will be nothing but another Ishmael, my way of producing what God promised.” — K.P. Yohannan
Application Points
- We should choose to trust God and His way, even when it's difficult or doesn't make sense to us.
- We should lay aside our cleverness and abilities, and rely on God to bring about His will.
- We should be aware of our motivations and actions, and ask ourselves if we're trusting God or relying on our own abilities.