Unbelief — Bill McLeod

God’s Love and the Call to Believe

But indicates that God's going to sing to us. Did you know that there is Zephaniah chapter 3 317 the Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty. He will save. He will rejoice over thee with joy. He will rest in his love.

He will joy over thee with singing. And it'll be a trio right. Listen after after God sings. After God sings, I don't know who'd want to sing after hearing God Sing to his children. The picture I get is the redeemed of all the ages and held in the arms of God.

And it's kind of God's lullaby. He's gonna sing to his children. Boy, you know something love is the language of heaven. You better learn how to talk it before you get there. You know, it's the language of heaven for a text.

The Evil Heart of Unbelief

I want to take Hebrews 3 12 and 13. It's one of the many many take heed in the Bible. Take heed brethren. He's addressing us as Christian believers lest there be any in any of you an evil heart of Unbelief in departing from the Living God, but exhort one another daily.

This is the antidote. Exhort one another daily while it's called today. Let any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. So Christians may be filled and sometimes are with unbelief. I Think it's probably the greatest Problem we have in Christian work around the world.

There's just straight unbelief remember there are seven thousand four hundred and eighty seven promises in the Bible and Promises are meant to be believed and trusted and stood upon. We sing about it.

Sometimes we don't really do it. Now faith hope and trust are words that are closely related and between the three of them I think there's four hundred and sixty-eight references in the Bible altogether.

Faith is basically a New Testament word occurs only twice in the Old Testament. Trust is basically an Old Testament word. It occurs several times a number of times in the New Testament and hope is found in both Testaments.

Now there's a little phrase two words that occurs 33 times in the New Testament. It's the phrase the faith the faith and Earlier times a person might meet another person and say are you in the faith? He meant are you saved you a Christian you a believer?

Are you in the faith? Why is like the two words the faith refer really to the entire? Christian theological thing and the whole Christian enterprise the whole package the faith. Paul said he was now preaching the faith which once he destroyed.

He didn't mean he was drawing around just preaching faith. He was preaching the faith. Everything the Word of God had to say and When Paul said that in the last days or later days some would depart from the faith he meant from the whole Christian revelation the faith and I think one of the reasons why This term is used is because faith is really at the core of everything on man's side.

Faith as the Foundation of the Christian Life

For example, we all know we're saved by faith right. Ephesians chapter 2 how many know we're kept by faith in 1st Peter chapter 1. 2nd Corinthians 1 says we stand by faith. 2nd Corinthians 5 says we walk by faith.

Hebrews 12 1 and 2 says we run the Christian race by looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. 1st John 5 says we overcome the world through faith. Ephesians chapter 6 says above all taking the shield of faith.

Where if you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one, so we overcome Satan by faith. We draw near to God by faith in Hebrews chapter 10. Let's draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith.

We receive the righteousness of God by faith in Philippians 3 we receive the Holy Spirit by faith in Galatians chapter 3. We're sanctified by faith in Acts chapter chapter 24 and we live the Christian life Galatians 2 20 the life I now live in the flesh.

I live by faith in the Son of God the whole thing. There are 24 different things in the New Testament that happen to us Christians through faith. It's at the core of everything and This is why unbelief was our greatest problem.

Now Spurgeon said that unbelief was the bottom line of all sin. And he based that in 1st John 5 10, which says he that believes not God has made him a liar. Who would dare to call God a liar? None of us would.

But every time we doubt God we're calling him a liar. Ever notice how the four Gospels and the last chapter. Or the last two chapters. Matthew last chapter and they worshiped him, but some doubted mark He reproached them with her unbelief and hardness of heart.

Last chapter last chapter of Luke all fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken ought not Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory and beginning at Moses and all the prophets he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself and the second last chapter of John doubting Thomas Thomas.

Be not faithless but believing Thomas because you've seen you believe blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed. So You see face at the core of everything unbelief is obviously our greatest problem.

Unbelief Limits God’s Work

In Psalm 7841 it says they turned back and they tempted God and they limited the Holy One of Israel. That is they limited what God could do and God said the most in Numbers chapter 14. How long will his people provoke me how long will it be.

And he believed me for all the signs which I've done among them unbelief and so Take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of Unbelief, and you know, it's one sin we can hide nobody knows.

When we're committing this sin, you know if our people came to church every Sunday believing That God was going to work. What would happen? Yeah. Wow was right and if we preachers Always preach believing that God is going to bless what might happen.

Do you know George Mueller co-pastored Bethesda Chapel in Bristol, England with a man called Henry Craig and Mueller noticed that when Craig preached people got saved. When he preached they didn't get saved.

So I went to talk to Craig and said brother Craig. I see it this way. What do you think the problem is. And Craig said brother Mueller when you preach you expect God will use you and save people. Well, he said not.

Not really he said I do. So Craig or Mueller began to believe God and then he found that God was using him in the same way He was using brother Craig. Billy Sonny said the average preacher he spends all week preening the feathers of his sermonic peacock.

Then he stretched it out from Sonny for the admiration of the public. Instead of really believing from our heart of hearts That God's going to speak through us. God's going to bless his people. He's going to refresh us.

He's going to restore soul. That's the problem unbelief. Psalm 78 41 we gave you now New Testament. Mark chapter 6 It says about Jesus Christ in his hometown Nazareth. He could there do no mighty work because of their unbelief.

So whether it's Old Testament or New Testament, the problem is the same. It's unbelief that stands in the way our people are not believing God and many times we are not believing God and Consequently God is tied up.

It's incredible. But it's true that we can actually tie God up and prevent him from working by our wicked unbelief. It's frightening to think of. But it just happens to be the way that it is now unbelief grieves God greatly because it denies his attributes of love and faithfulness and other things besides an.

Aggravated unbelief leads to agnosticism and atheism. This grieves God greatly. Do you know that Moses? Moses was denied entrance to the promised land because of unbelief. Did you know that? Do you remember what happened?

They needed water. So God said I'll stand on the rocks. You smite the rock with your rock and water will come. Well, whoever heard of hitting a rock with a wooden stick and expecting water to come for a million and a half people.

I mean, it's crazy. But Moses believed and it happened another occasion they needed water this time God said Moses speak to the rock and Moses didn't believe that speaking to the rock would do it. So he smote it twice with his rod and God says because you did not believe me.

You will never enter the promised land. Even Moses failed at that point through wicked unbelief. There's a story in Matthew 17 Parallel accounts in Mark 9 and Luke 9 about a father with a demon-possessed child.

You have to read all three accounts to get the whole story, but basically it went like this. Jesus and three of his disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration the rest were down here the Pharisees were needling the disciples because they were trying to cast a demon out of a child and it didn't work and Christ came on the scene.

What's going on here? And the father a child told Jesus Well, I my child's got a demon and I brought him to your disciples and they couldn't cast him out. Now here's a funny thing in Luke chapter 9 verse 1.

Jesus had just given the Apostles power to cast out demons. Now they try to do it and it doesn't work. See and they're really embarrassed so the father said to Jesus if you can do anything have mercy on us and help us and Christ said if you can believe.

All things are possible to him that believe. So people it went like this. He was saying Jesus Jesus do something do it. I'm sorry I can't do anything unless you believe all things are possible to him that believes and Immediately the father the child cried out with tears and said Lord.

I believe help my unbelief. I mean unbelief was rising but faith was in the ascendancy and the child was healed by the Word of Christ. Afterwards the disciples in the they talked to Jesus privately. Why couldn't we man?

It was so easy. Why couldn't we eight of us? Nine of us whatever and Jesus said because of your unbelief. That's why they didn't believe that demon wouldn't go and they weren't disappointed. He didn't go.

Because they didn't believe the power would be there in spite of the fact that Christ had given them this power. Then also in Mark and Luke chapter 9 They were further embarrassed because they met a guy who wasn't even an apostle and he was casting demons out.

So they forbade him because it made him look so bad. Then in chapter 10 Jesus sent 70 men out. He did not give them power to cast out demons as some articles tell us. He didn't give him that power. He just said heal the sick preach the kingdom and they returned with joy saying Lord.

Even the demons are subject unto us through your name and the 70 could do what the 12 could do because they had faith to believe. What a lesson to men for us today to believe just to believe God and so It cripples God.

It prevents God from answering prayer. It robs the Word of God of its power. The gospel is a power of God unto salvation to everyone that what? That believe in Mark 1 15. Jesus Christ said the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand repent and watch and believe.

Then in Hebrews 4 it says the word preached did not did not profit them because it was not mixed with faith in Them that heard it. There was nothing wrong with the gospel. It was preached. It was the attitude of the hearers.

They didn't believe so it did nothing for them. I think of two brothers raised in the home. No favoritism by the parents. One's in penitentiary on a seven-year stretch. The other fellows in missionary in Indonesia, I think I Mean what made the difference?

One believed the gospel and one didn't believe and that applies to us as Christians in Christian work. Do we believe God's gonna lead us. He'll lead us. Do we believe God's gonna bless us. He'll bless us.

We believe God's gonna use us. God will use us if we don't believe nothing happens and then this goes on for a while we retreat into a shell and We've become almost impervious to any kind of appeal because we're saying it just doesn't work.

Oh, yes, it does if I believe. All things are possible in the believes. In Ephesians chapter 1 Paul prayed a prayer. There are three points to it and the third one was that God's children would know the exceeding greatness of his power to us were who?

Believe. Then in chapter 3 kind of put the icing on the cake. Unto him that's able to do exceedingly. Abundantly above all that we ask with these. What does that say? People arise open to see the greatness of God's power to us who believe.

Faith in God’s Promises

When Jesus Christ raised Lazarus from the dead. You might not agree with this. I'll try and prove it. He did it because Mary and Martha believed. What did he say to Martha? He said didn't I say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God.

What she hadn't believed. What if she hadn't believed? In Hebrews chapter 11 The writer says through faith women received their dead raised to life again. I Just have a feeling he was talking about Martha and Mary.

He may have been we don't really know but even there it's faith. So just to believe God. Nathan the Prophet came to David and said David here's some things God wants to do for you. I listed in there's ten of them.

So, how did David handle it you remember he went into a temple and he sat down and here's what he said. He said more than this, but this is what he said. Basically Lord. He said do as you said. Do as you said.

You've given me these wonderful promises now Lord do as you said, let's see it. He believed. God said to Abraham your childless your hundred years old, but. Your seed will be like the stars of the heaven and the sand by the seashore.

What did Abraham do? Well, really what he said in the Hebrew he amened God. He believed. He had nothing to base his faith on but the Word of God, that's all. Then God came to Zacharias the father of John the Baptist and told him the same thing.

He was an old man. You're gonna have a son. You're gonna have a son his name will be John. And he says well, you know how I mean how in the world can this happen? Look at my age. God says you'll be dumb.

You won't be able to speak until the child is born because you didn't believe there it is. I mean all through the Bible you find this kind of thing. Blessed is she that believes for there should be a performance of those things.

You believe God performed the most high. God who performs for me Psalm 57 too. There it is. I believe I trust and sometimes of course God will try our faith right down to the last wire. He loves to do that.

God loves to do new things, you know, Abraham had Isaac tied on the altar everything ready to light the fire. He had the knife in his hand ready to plunge it into the Sun before the voice from heaven called.

But it says in Hebrews 11 that Abraham had so much faith that he actually believed that if he killed Isaac God had resurrected him from the dead. That's how far his faith went and our song sometimes is so shaky and so snaky, you know.

Oh, and we wonder why the Spirit of God is grieved by a wicked unbelief unbelief and Nothing else sends sinners to hell. He that believes not is condemned already because he's not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

He that believes in his baptized shall be saved. He that believes not shall be damned. There it is. Sinners think they have to commit, you know murder or something in order to go to hell. No, no, it's straight unbelief.

He that believes on the Son has present-tense everlasting life. Thank God for that, but he that believes not shall be damned. Unbelief Stands in the way. It says of Stephen in Acts chapter 6 that he was full of the Holy Ghost.

Then in the same chapter, it says he was full of power. But in both cases it first says he was full of faith and the Holy Ghost. He was full of faith and full of power people. It just simply has to go together now the world says seeing of believing.

They said let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross who we may see and believe. Well, that's the way the world is. I'm from Missouri. Show me, you know and that the old say Hope there's nobody here from Missouri.

God says Believing is seeing and He actually said that Psalm 27 I have fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living and then in John chapter 11 Said I not unto thee that if you would believe you would see the glory of God.

So believing is seeing. Believing is seeing. Many years ago. I bought 140 acres of land up in the Canadian wilderness for a Bible camp beautiful beautiful campsite. Only about eight acres cleared the rest was in force rock hills and everything and we had two rivers that came together they're just a gorgeous place and We had oh we had for years we had People there many people saved their wonderful time and in one winter We had very little snow and in the spring no rain and the forest was so dry every half hour on the radio programs.

No open fires in the forest. No open fires in the forest and One day there was a 50 mile an hour wind blowing and some. What should I say some fellow? He lit a fire. He lit a fire and the wind blew it into the forest.

That was nine miles south of our camp. And by the time it got down near Bird River where our camp was it was burning on a two-mile front with a 50 mile. An hour wind pushing it there goes the camp. I Heard about it.

I get down to pray. My first thought was Lord. It's your letter burn. I mean this and then I thought wait a minute now a lot of people have been saved down there. Jesus hasn't come back yet. I know he can come back anytime.

Maybe I should pray for God to save the camp. So I did and I remember I said Lord, I believe you with all your. I don't know how you're going to do it, but I know you're going to do it and he did we never lost a tree.

Not even a tree. You know what happened. I talked to a fellow they cleared everybody out of the area. But one fella hid and they didn't find him. He stayed to try and save his house and he was pouring buckets of water on the roof and he managed to save his house.

And I said hands what happened? He said it was the strangest thing he said that fire was just a roaring and suddenly the wind stopped dead like that and Turned around to the west and blew the fire to the east.

So. And then you read one of these books that says God doesn't do nature miracles anymore. Apparently God hasn't read their books. If you believe you'll see. If you don't believe you'll not see. What's the core of the Jewish problem.

Israel’s Unbelief and God’s Discipline

It's unbelief, isn't it? Yes, it is. They made their hearts as an Adam and stone. Unless that you hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts is sent in his spirit by the former prophets. And then three things happened as we pointed out yesterday.

And the first one was God refused to answer their prayers. I During the last war He said Jewish people. Relatives of mine. We prayed by the hour to the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and he never answered.

He said I'm an atheist. There is no God. I read that thought Oh God if I could just have an hour with that man, I could show him from his own Bible. Why? God didn't answer. Paul said in first Thessalonians chapter 2.

They don't please God. They're contrary to all men they forbid us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be safe to fill up their sins always for the wrath has come upon them to the uttermost and that praise dear people is in point of time to the end of time the wrath of God is on this people because.

What they did to the prophets and finally their crowning sin what they did to Jesus Christ. So standing rebuked to sin everywhere and a warning to the rest of us. You see in Romans chapter 11 Paul said they were broken off their own olive tree by unbelief.

That was the problem unbelief. That every reason to believe. No nation on earth was blessed the way they were. God said you only have I known of all the nations of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for your iniquity.

God expected more from them and he had a right to expect more from them because he poured out his spirit on him in such a way. Those miracles in Egypt no nation ever saw miracles like that. Yet they weren't in the wilderness very long before they were doubting and complaining and murmuring and all the rest of it.

The Bible says do all things love murmurings and disputings that you may be blameless and harmless the sons of God without rebuke. So sometimes we murmur and complain. Why me Lord? Why'd you how come I lost my job?

Hey God, how come my car got you know? You're driving a little while ago. I was in a parking lot and I came out from between a couple of cars. I got rammed the lady was driving. I don't blame her. I just never saw her coming, you know.

So $2 ,000 worth why me God, you know. We have to learn to take things in our stride and praise God. I Will bless the Lord. Oh my soul or bless the Lord. Oh my soul and all that is within me. Bless his holy name no matter what happens to your people praise God.

It's not that all things work together. For what? For good to them to love God sometimes God rebukes us by what he allows to happen to us. He loves us so much. He will not let us go our own way. Let me say this from the from the Word of God that if you're a Christian.

Or if you claim to be a Christian and you sin and get away with it, then you're not a believer. Because you can't get by with any parts. God is concerned. If you be without chastisement, we're off all our partakers.

Then are you illegitimate children and not son? Whom the Lord loves he chastens and scourges every son whom he receives. Hebrews chapter 12 makes it so clear. So we better line up with God. Don't complain when God spanks you.

Thank God that he's faithful. He loves you. That's why he spanks you. That's why he spanks me. I've been spanked too many times by my faithful faithful loving God. So Israel's problem then is unbelief and it's really frightening to think this has gone on now for 1 ,900 years.

Actually longer than that because it went back centuries before the days of Christ. But I mean from the time they said no to Christ. And I'm not overlooking the fact that thousands of Jews have found Christ.

I understand that worldwide about 8 ,000 Jews are accepting Christ every year mostly in the United States of America. Thank God for that and let's pray that a greater work will be done among them. But the problem is unbelief.

Joy, Peace, and Believing

Now Romans 14 17 18 remember it says the kingdom of God is not meat and drink. But righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost for he that in these things serves Christ as acceptable to God and approved of men.

Then Romans 15 13 it says now that it's like a prayer of Paul's if not a prayer strong Wish that God of hope fill you with all joy and peace. And where the next two words in believing. You don't get it unless you believe In believing.

And then Peter said the same thing in different words in 1st Peter 1 8 Speaking about Christ whom having not seen you love in whom though now you see him not yet believing. You rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

You know David came back to Ziklag and in his absence another bunch of guys that come bunch of ruffians and they they. They burnt the place and stole took all the women and children and they were gone with the spoils of war and David's men were so upset.

They spoke of stoning David. And you know what it says about David. It says David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. There's an old old translation. You know what? It says David tried it. David out of the dump.

It's an old English translation. He talked himself out of it. You can get under your problems. You're on top of your problems. It's up to you. It's in your hand and power. You can say oh man, I'm gonna have a terrible day.

Yeah, you'll have a terrible day. Hey, this is a great day. I don't care what. I got a few pains and aches. It's a great day. Just the same, you know, and it's so different. It's so different then God responds to faith.

Causes of Unbelief

God hates unbelief. And so All right, let's look at something else for a moment or two. Unbelief we see how God looks at it. What causes it? There's a number of things for example faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God if I neglect reading the Bible studying it carefully as It says in Psalm 1 and Joshua meditating in it day and night.

I'm not going to have much faith. If I neglect the means of faith that God has ordained for me, how can I expect to have faith? George Mueller the famous man of faith and prayer remember he read the Bible through 200 times.

He read it through a hundred times on his knees if you please not because he was worshiping in the book. But because he was kneeling before the God who spoke through the book 200 times and Some Christians after really putting a lot into it and struggling real hard.

They read the Bible through once in 25 years. You know and think of something great. In his law doth he meditate day and night, but you're going to have to turn the boob-tube off, you know spend hours watching that garbage.

I Remember a fellow saying to me one time I'd said something in a meeting about you know. If you watch that stuff, it'll put your mind and and he said brother bill that hasn't floated my mind. He said I watch all kinds of programs doesn't prove me at all.

I Said that one of two things is true. Either you're a liar or you're not a normal man, and you know what happened. He bowed his head said, okay, you're right. I Said I know I said because I've seen something on TV and I'm down praying on my knees not from my mind while I'm praying.

Or while I'm reading the Bible. My mind is flooded with some filthy thing. I saw. We're very vulnerable. It's like throwing throwing gasoline on a fire to watch that kind of junk. All right a Wicked heart an evil heart of unbelief.

We noticed in the scriptures read Hebrews 3 12 and 13 Let's any of you be hardened through deceitfulness of sin unconfessed sin. James 1 8. James 4 8. James 1 8 says That a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways, but James 4 8 says that double-mindedness is the result of unconfessed sin.

Cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded. So I'm double-minded. I'm up and down when it comes to faith and unbelief because of unconfessed sin. Nothing shoots us down quicker to people than sin that we know about.

There may be some sin. I'm not even aware of God will show that to me if I pray to this end. But when I sin, I know I've got sin. I haven't dealt with it or maybe I've confessed it, but I haven't made things right with some people that are concerned and Every time I try to believe God I find I can't.

It's just not there. I can't do it. But when everything is right and the channels are clear man, you can believe God for anything. It's so different then our heart is singing day and night. Because of the goodness and the greatness of God.

You know, I sometimes say to myself No, God is so great. He fills the universe. The Bible says he's still stretching out the heavens like a tent as well. And that the universe will never be big enough for God because he's infinite in size and everything.

So he keeps stretching the heavens out like a tent as well. You think of billions of light-years. You're thinking of God. It is greatness and power and then some little problem comes along and we're full of unbelief.

God can't do anything. God can't help me. And people get into this syndrome, you know poor little me. I'm just a little guy I haven't made any mark in the world. And when I die, nobody will ever miss me and God can't use me.

I'm just so small dear God. I know you can't use me and this is how people talk. They call it humility. You know what it is. It's pride of the worst kind. That's what it is. God can use anybody whose heart is right who believe him who walk with him.

I was telling some of the brethren the other day about two two brothers. They're 20 and 21. They've moved from Alfred, Saskatchewan to Winnipeg. They're in our church now and they're going after street kids.

They had 40 at the last meeting kids are being saved right and left and they drag them out to church on Sunday. You know, it's just beautiful and these kids will believe God for absolutely anything. I've never seen faith like it really just it's just so contagious.

But then you get some Christians have been Christians for 40 years and man. You know, it's like a 40 mile an hour wind from the northwest and 40 blows you. To get close to some Christians unbelief our greatest problem.

Calling Unbelief Sin

Now, how do we deal with it? Well to begin with dear people, let's call it what God calls it. I hear people say I Prayed many times for God to give me more faith and he doesn't give me any more faith.

So I guess he doesn't want me to have any more than I've got. Ever heard that ever thought that. Well, this is the way some people feel. They don't think unbelief is sin and that's a major problem in our churches today.

Nobody thinks that unbelief is sin. They think it's unfortunate. That's as far as it goes God calls it in Hebrews chapter 3 an evil heart of unbelief. Unbelief is sin of the worst kind. It's the bottom line.

Remember of all sins. We've got to call it what God calls it and It's not what you can't believe it's who you can't believe and that puts a totally different face on the whole problem. I Was a meeting with Sault Ste. Marie Canada one time and a lady came for counseling.

Well, she heard me preach on the prayer of faith in James chapter 5 and I pointed out. There's no such thing as the prayer of unbelief. There is the prayer of faith That God responds to. Well, anyway, she thought about this she went home here she has several problems one her husband he had stomach problems.

He couldn't eat anything but milk and soup. Then she was having these migraine headaches. She used to get them once a month then she got him once a week now. She's getting once a day or oftener and they were just killing her and she had a daughter eight years of age.

That had never professed salvation wouldn't talk about it and who'd never uttered one single word outside the house. She was going to school if anybody talked to her she had nothing to say. They took her to a psychiatrist.