We Can Make It With Faith

Venturing Into The Unknown in 2020

We find ourselves at the end of another year. Some have experienced personal loss, loss of loved ones and heartache and pain. It seems like the days run by quicker and quicker and humanity grows colder and colder. Sometimes to understand what is going on today we need to look back. Often we need to remember that God hasn’t changed and He is is this place.

Within the first 12 Chapters of Genesis (except Chapters 1 and 2), we see one failure of man after the other, failures that are being repeated today.

The first man and woman disobeyed God and were cast out of the garden (Chapter 3).

Cain murdered his brother and lied about it (Chapter 4)

Humanity became so corrupt that God cleansed the earth with a flood (Chapter 6-8)

Noah got drunk and exposed himself to his son Ham (Chapter 9).

So when you look at the sinfulness of time even back then, it’s easy to conclude that there is nothing new under the sun.

Look at the sin, it’s 2020 now… look at the sin. And ask yourself if you were God, what would do with the sinful creation that you’ve made.

Ask yourself, would you destroy mankind? Would put an end to its existence?

I hope your response would be like God’s, a response that says, I’ll find one person that will follow me.

Church, we are living in perilous times. Truth of the matter, times have always been bad. Now, they are just worse.

Now as we approach the text, here enters in Abram (not Abraham yet). A man that was 75 years old when he was called.

I’m sure he had arthritis in the bones, felt tired when he woke up and his hair was grey.

I would venture to say to some he was probably tired. Many would say he was closer to the end than the beginning.

Many of you today have illness, sickness and lower stamina and the usual things that come with aging with grace.

I’ve come to tell you that age doesn’t need to be an obstacle to faith.

King James Version Chapter 2

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Abraham trusted God for 100 years and pleased the Lord.

I’ve come to ask the question… how will you answer your call in 2020?

Facing the Unknown

King James Version Chapter 12

12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

At midnight, we will face a new year, a new tomorrow with all of its expectations.

Many have goals to achieve and things to accomplish.

Some may just want to be around for another year, but able to hug their loved ones and see the kids and grandchildren do well is good enough for them.

The first steps and facing the unknown is not always easy. I encourage you to take the first step in this new year and let God help you along the way.

We need to remain single minded and do exactly what God says to do.

How will you respond when God calls you to advance His kingdom?

Realizing man is not perfect, we still should strive in our hearts to be perfect.

We need to face the call God has for us and sometimes we must do so alone.

If that be the case, God will give us what we need to make it along the way.

We simply cannot compromise the call that God has on our lives as believers.

This life of faith demands absolute and total separation from what is evil and total devotion to what is holy.

In 2020, we must comply with what the word of God says:

King James Version Chapter 6

14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

In this new year, we have to take the preemptive stance to choose wisely who we hang out with.

We also need to be mindful that we represent the light. Also, it’s time that we stop hanging out with everyone… the problem is the Church is starting to look, act and feel like the world. We sin like the world and now.

The world doesn’t have the resemblance of light to fall back to when darkness overtakes them.

The word says what agreement that the temple of God with idols. We now live in a day where it’s commonly preached that following God will give people all the items that people turn around and let them become idols in their life.

Saints, we need to come from among them and be separate… this isn’t Rev. Howard talking… the scripture says, “saith the Lord”, it goes forward to say, “touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and be a Father to you”.

If you want to see the promises fulfilled in your life, cleanse yourself from all filthiness of the flesh and perfect yourself in holiness in the fear of God.

But we do fall short, from the beginning of time mankind always has.

As we head back to our primary text, we find that as God in our primary text while God told Abram to get out of his country, and from his family and from his father’s house and God will take him to a land that God will show him:

Instead:

GOD’S WORD Translation The Lord’s Second Promise to Abram

4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. 5 Abram set out for Canaan. He took along his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions they had accumulated and the servants they had acquired in Haran.

Abram took his wife, nephew (Lot) and his father with him. Not only that… all the servants they had gotten in Haran.

Saints, in this coming year, we will be tempted to yield to compromise. God tests us in order to build our faith and bring out the best in us.

Abram took his nephew Lot and his father with him. Not only that… all the servants they had gotten in Haran.

The devil tempts us in order to destroy our faith and bring out the worst in us.

As result, we must learn to lean on God alone: His Word, His character, His will and His power. We don’t isolate ourselves from family and friends. We consider God first in everything that we do.

King James Version Chapter 14

26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

King James Version Chapter 14

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

What Is the Great Call?

I say all that to bring us to this conclusion: We must not forget our great collective call as a Church:

King James Version Chapter 28

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

All of us have a role to play in sharing our faith, our value system, God’s opinion and God’s stance on what has been clearly defined as sin.

We have to be ready when He calls and be ready to make that commitment to do what God calls us to do.

Like Abram, we have to be ready to go… and things won’t be perfect when we go. We won’t have everything together. The devil will be sure to have as much chaos around us while to try to do what is right.

King James Version Chapter 4

16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:

20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;

24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

At the age of 12, and after the festival of the Passover, three days had passed and his parents found him sitting with the teachers and asking questions.

He had to be in His Father’s house when He could...

They made Him walk down the Via Dolorosa… He became so tired, they made Simon of Cyrene carry His cross.

They stretched Him wide and hung him on the cross… but he rose up with all power in His hand.