Give Your Faith Legs: Abraham, Rahab and the Doer of the Word

Sermon outline

Faith must have corresponding action: like Abraham and Rahab, you prove your faith by obeying, and by fixing your gaze on the word and continuing in it day after day until the harvest comes.

1. Abraham proved his faith: God will test you

   God tested Abraham, and He will test you too, often in private where only He sees how you respond, so that He can take you to another level. Abraham did not stop at having heard from God; he proved it, comfortable to have God at the steering wheel of his life. His faith led him to obedience, because every act of obedience is an act of faith, and Christians must demonstrate their faith.

   Illustration: The ram caught in the thicket: just when you have given up hope, God provides, and not a lean one but a nice fatted one.

   “You've got to add legs to your faith.”

   • Genesis 22:1-14

2. Rahab demonstrated her faith with works

   Rahab, a harlot who appears in the genealogy of Jesus, had heard what the Lord had done and believed, and she risked her life to hide the spies, let them down by a cord and tie the scarlet thread in the window. She was justified by her faith and by her works, and her whole household was saved.

   Illustration: Rahab on the roof 'preaching' to the spies about the Red Sea and the two kings of the Amorites.

   “So works must accompany your faith.”

   • Joshua 2:1-21
   • Matthew 1:5

3. Be a doer of the word, not a hearer only

   The Greek word for doers means performers: God wants you to perform the word, not only hear it. The hearer who does not act is like a man who glances at his face in a mirror and forgets what he looks like.

   “God doesn't want you just to hear the word. He wants you to become a doer of God's word.”

   • James 1:22-24

4. Whoso looketh: stoop down and gaze intently at the right thing

   The word for 'looketh' means to bend or stoop down to take a better look, an intent gaze without distraction, not a casual reading or a casual confession. But you must look into the perfect law of liberty, the new covenant and what Christ has done for you, not the law of Moses or things that keep you busy but distract you.

   “You could be looking intently, but looking at the wrong thing.”

   • James 1:25

5. Continue therein: a fixed, continuous gaze

   To continue means to stand by it, stay beside it and abide, giving constant attention. That is the difference between a Christian who is blessed and one still trying to get there. Confessing the word daily, even when pressure mounts, builds a faith image on the inside.

   Illustration: A woman at her mirror decorating herself: intent, careful, and doing it day after day, year after year, and if she cries and spoils her face, she goes back and fixes it all up.

   “When you are confessing the word of God, there's a faith image developing on the inside.”

   • James 1:25

6. The seed grows, he knows not how

   The parable of the sower shows how the kingdom of God works within you: the word is alive and can be choked by the cares of the world. A man casts seed and sleeps, and it grows though he does not know how, so asking 'how can it be so?' is scriptural. Do not dig up the seed, give up after a week, or reap it while it is still a blade; there are stages to growth, and quick manifestation comes only with fully developed faith.

   Illustration: Admiring a newborn baby and then running to the chemist to buy him shaving cream. Smith Wigglesworth answered someone who asked how to grow faith with 'first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear'.

   “So you're only going to have quick manifestation with a faith that's fully developed.”

   • Mark 4:13-29

7. The question is not whether you have faith but whether you exercise it

   When the apostles asked for more faith, Jesus spoke of faith as a mustard seed. You already have faith; the secret is exercising it and accompanying it with works, as Abraham and Rahab did. He gives eight notes: faith works like seed; the way to plant it is to say it; know how seedtime and harvest work; plan for a harvest; project your need; begin confessing the promises weeks and months ahead; know that it is a process; and the more developed your faith, the quicker the manifestation.

   Illustration: Someone still on public transport wakes up, confesses a BMW, and tells his wife that night it does not work. A farmer who wants oranges in a year does things now; if you want a house in three years, start confessing it now.

   “No confession, no planting, no harvest.”

   • Luke 17:5-6

8. Know who you are: called by God

   After the message he gives guidelines for guarding your faith. Not everybody likes you, and living for people's approval is airy-fairy, because Jesus did not commit Himself to people. Paul called himself an apostle called by God, not appointed by men, so know your calling, stay planted where God put you and do not leave because of people. Those who wrote you off will see you grow.

   Illustration: A woman left her church without God telling her to, to help another pastor, and her life was in turmoil for three or four years until he counselled her to go back; a few months later she said everything was working again.

   “Not everybody likes you, but there are some people that do like you. So thank God for those that like you and ignore the rest.”

   • John 2:24-25
   • Romans 1:1
   • John 15:13-15
   • Hebrews 13:5
   • John 1:46