The Crossroads Of Faith and Unbelief - 03/07/2021

GIVE THANKS - GOD, PASTOR HOLMES, WIFE

PRAYER

BIBLE CONFESSION

I. INTRODUCTION:

Saints of God, my primary focus is to encourage your hearts today in the midst of everything that’s happening in this world today that are out there that could really discourage you.

Today, I’m revisiting a message called “THE CROSSROADS OF FAITH AND UNBELIEF”.

The number one discouragement; not just in our neighborhood but globally, is THIS PANDEMIC!

First of all, I’m not here to glorify it any way. But I will state the obvious. It has disrupted a few things around here.

Saints, I have a few years in age on me and some of you are older than me!

In all of my years on God’s green earth, I’ve never had to where a mask in the store to buy a loaf of bread!

Look at us saints - We look like we’re at a BURGLARS CONVENTION with these masks on!!!

It has claimed the lives of over 500,000 people and millions are unemployed.

It has shaken up our governments around the world.

If I’ve never seen it before, I certainly see it more clearly now than I ever have before. PEOPLE ARE WAXING COLDER AND COLDER BY THE DAY!!!

The CHURCH on the other hand has been exposed!

The pandemic has given the church an excuse not to come back to church and many has bought into it.

Many across the nation have not been back to church since the pandemic started, but they’re at cookouts and birthday parties though!

And the government is financing it by giving them stimulus checks and an extra few hundred a week.

I’m not knocking the money, but don’t forsake the assembly in the process.

II. BODY:

Saints we’ve all had victories and defeats, successes and failures, ups and downs, good days and bad days.

Regardless of what goes on, regardless of the outcome; in our rising up and in our laying down; decisions in life are going to have to be made.

Every decision we make should be based on our faith in God.

That is a critical reason why we should not be forsaking the assembly. When we do, our decision-making slowly starts conforming to that of the world.

When your decision-making starts resembling that of the world, you have taken what’s known as a crossroad.

DEFINITION:

A crossroad is a road that crosses a main road or runs cross-country between main roads.

The place of intersection of two or more roads.

A crucial point especially where a decision must be made.

In regards to faith, Abraham is the person that came to mind.

He is know as The Father of Many Nations, The Father of Faith, A Friend of God

We as believers have even been referred to as children of Abraham, because of the covenant God established with him.

GOLDEN TEXT

GENESIS 12:1-3

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:

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

THIS THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT

The Lord established this covenant with Abraham, as this was the means in which He would bless all the families of the earth.

VERSES 4 AND 5

King James Version Chapter 12

4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.

Abram, in this great word he received from the Lord, had his share of challenges and crossroads that he had to overcome to stay on the main road of faith.

Just because God said it, did not mean it was going to be easy nor automatic.

He had to walk it out by FAITH!!!

GENESIS 11:27-32

King James Version Chapter 11

27 Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.

28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.

29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.

30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child.

31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.

32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

First Challenge: His brother, Haran died.

Hardship comes with death.

Whatever responsibilities left, someone else has to take up.

Second Challenge: His father, Terah died.

Now, the full weight of becoming the leader of the family fell upon Abram.

This cold, cruel doesn’t stop because of hardship or difficult circumstances and the devil must certainly is not going to stop!

All of these things can be a temptation to veer off the main road of faith.

In spite of all these things and other things that may come up, God has not changed his mind about the destiny nor the calling He has for your life.

The wonderful thing about the Lord is this, during those times of difficult circumstances, hardship or otherwise; He gives us that GRACE to endure those things.

The word of God declares that a good soldier endures hardness.

This doesn’t mean that hardships are not going to come, but in spite of it I’m going to stay on the main road of faith.

Because we have charge to keep and a God to glorify!

A. THE MAIN ROAD OF FAITH:

FAITH, CALLING, DESTINY, VICTORY, DIRECTION, PROVISION, FAVOR, BLESSINGS

This is going to cause you to be more than a conqueror.

B. CROSSROADS:

DISTRACTIONS, INTERRUPTIONS, EXCUSES (Crutches of the uncommitted), LOSS AND DEFEAT, TEMPTATIONS

Don’t let the devil deceive you into taking the shortcut! That’s where the crossroads are.

Temptations are the greatest when we are weak in our faith or you’re more sensitive to them because of your weakness.

C. HOW WE CAN OVERCOME:

2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV 1900

7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

2 Corinthians 4:17–18 KJV 1900

17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Light affliction compared to what?

God’s eternal weight of glory.

His unconditional love for us.

Compared to his power to deliver us in the time of trouble.

Check this one out:

Psalm 34:19 KJV 1900

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: But the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

III. CONCLUSION:

We must respond to everything going on differently than the world does! When we don’t, we become no different than the world!

Church, this is not the time to fold the tent. This is not the time to waver!

This is not the time to give in and give up!

This is the time to stand up and FIGHT!!!

WRAP UP:

LIFT YOUR HANDS AND GIVE HIM PRAISE

PRAYER

ALTAR CALL

Romans 10:9–10 KJV 1900

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

DECLARATION OF FAITH

BENEDICTION