(Om Orientation) Our Weapons Faith - Part 2 — George Verwer

Suffering Need and Dependence on God

Is to suffer need. Some people, in years gone by, have become embittered with God because this particular thing wasn't supplied, or they had a hard time, or they went through days in which they didn't have everything they wanted.

But I believe, after the little I've studied of the Western culture, of the Western evangelical and Christian Church, is what, perhaps, we need, more than anything else, is to suffer need. I would ask you to think about that.

Think about it. Perhaps it's new to you. What we need is to suffer need. Now let's turn on to the Book of Colossians, as time goes by, and let's look at the prayer of the Apostle Paul, in the Book of Colossians, there in the first chapter, starting at the third verse.

Paul's Prayer for Spiritual Knowledge and Strength

We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you. How many people can you say that about? How many people can you write a letter to tonight and say, these words, we give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you?

How many people can you say that about? And then as we jump over and look at the ninth verse, the prayer of Paul, for this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not seek to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, in all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and with joyfulness, giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in life, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness into the kingdom of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.

For by him were all things created in that earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created by him and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

I want to beg of you to meditate upon those verses. How revolutionary! The Word of God, the depth of those verses, the depth of that prayer of the Apostle Paul, as he was inspired of God, should thrill our souls, and should challenge us to the great fact that the depth of the knowledge of God will be revealed to us as we go to prayer.

The depth, the infinite depth of the power of God and of the grace of God and of the mercy of God will be revealed to us as we enter into our prayer closet, as we remain alone with him, as we wait upon him, as we're still in his presence.

And from our heart will come peace and love and joy like unto that which we have just read. In him, in Jesus Christ, all things consist. And it's Jesus Christ who said, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I shall give you rest.

Thanksgiving, Prayer, and the Will of God

Oh, my God, witness with the reality of these words. Now let us go on to Thessalonians. First Thessalonians, the fifth chapter. We read these words starting at the 16th verse. What a challenge, short and yet powerful.

Rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Many of us are constantly concerned about knowing the will of God. Constantly we're interested in knowing what God wants us to do.

And some young people go through all kinds of gymnastics trying to find out the will of God. Many times running ahead of God, wanting to know about things long before God desires to reveal them to us.

But here in this passage of Scripture we see something that we don't have to debate about, something that we don't even have to pray about. Clearly and bluntly we are told what the will of God is concerning us.

Here's something you don't need to go through all kinds of gymnastics to find out about. And yet how many of us are obeying this? Look at that 18th verse. Here it is. Here's the will of God concerning you.

In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. This verse and so many other verses from the Word of God, we might as well take our scissors and cut them out of the Bible and throw them into the trash can.

How many of us can say that we are giving thanks in everything? How many of us have learned that secret, that powerful secret of learning what it is to rejoice in all situations, to give thanks for everything?

There's a tremendous danger in our day in negative thinking. And we become murmurers and complainers. We don't like the way the food is served. And we don't like the way the classes are taught. And we don't like the way this person dresses.

And we don't like the way he does this or he does that. And we judge people and we criticize people. We don't like the way Sammy prays. We don't like the way Sally talks. We don't like the way Joe eats.

We don't like the way Mr. Smith preaches, etc., etc. And after we go to our chapel service, we come out and we talk about the preacher and what he did wrong and what he said wrong. And many people, as Billy Graham once said, all they have for Sunday dinner is roast preacher.

But God said, God came booming in with this revolutionary teaching that would strip us of all the slowness and of all the negativity and of all the unbelief. If we began to practice it, he comes in and he says, in everything, defense.

What a revolution. Oh, that challenges my heart. Oh, what a negative thinker I was. Even now, how easy it is to become negative and to look at the bad and to look at the problems. Oh, I tell you, if there's anything I like to have with me on one of the teams when I'm out on the road or out in the crusade is people who know how to give thanks.

Rejoicing hearts. The fruit of the Spirit says the Word of God is joy. Oh, how we need to be joyful and thankful. How our prayer sessions need to be flooded with thanksgiving. Our hearts should leap in thanksgiving to God for his grace, for his care, for his mercy to wretches and worms like us.

In everything, for this is the will of God concerning you. Now let us turn on to 1 Timothy. 1 Timothy, the second chapter. Paul is giving instruction to Timothy and he says, Look, I exhort therefore that first of all, we're interested in first what Paul says to Timothy.

First of all, he says, first of all, Let supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and for all that are in authority, that we may meet a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time.

All praise be to God. First of all, says Paul, let's have supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks. Give faith and turn that verse on in our life, that it might light up in our hearts as a thousand watt bulb that never burns out.

Spend hours on any one of these passages. Oh, and our hearts should be thrilled as we go into the word day after day. These little one hour sessions a week are nothing compared to the times you can have each day as you go into God's word and as you seek out these revolutionary New Testament principles.

Young Believers as Examples of Faith

My God grant. Now let us look at 1 Timothy for a verse that we should not forget. 1 Timothy 4 .12. Especially a word for those of us who are young. Let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

Perhaps there's some that are listening to my voice, and perhaps you think, well those things are good for him. He's way over there in Europe. He's over there making this tape recording in Rome, and he's a missionary.

But we're young. We're back here at school, and we've got to live it up a little bit. We've got to have a little fun. We just can't be militant all the time. We just can't be praying and witnessing and just rejoicing and giving thanks all the time.

We need to get involved in other more loose activities. We need to relax and to play games, etc., etc. I want to tell you that probably many of you who are listening to my voice are older than I am. As I make this tape I'm only 25.

I just turned 25. And my very nature tells me that I need to live it up. I'll be very frank with you. Many a time in the last years I've had the desire to throw it all over. Go back to the rock and roll joint.

Go back to the nightclub. Go back to the old life. Live it up. Have some fun. After all, I'm only young. But praise be to God if there's anything that he's had to teach me. It's that I cannot trust my feelings.

We're not called to walk by feelings. We're not called to trust our emotions. We're called to walk by faith. And unless you learn to die to your feelings, unless you learn to die to the cravings of your flesh, you'll never see victory in the Christian life.

And most of the young people who I have seen defeated in the work of God and in their Christian life is because they never learned the fact that we're called to live by faith, not feelings. Many a day you will feel like studying the Bible.

Many a day you will feel like praying. Many a day you will feel like leading a disciplined, dedicated life for the Lord Jesus Christ. But God says you're called to live by faith, not feeling. And he says, look, young person, let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example.

Oh, might this be the cry of our hearts on our campus as we work with people who are much older than we are, who know more than we do, who've done more than we've done, who've lived greater and more pure lives than we ever thought of living, might we just find in his Spirit, as we rest in him completely, an example that our youth might not be despised.

Faith Over Fear in Christian Service

Now turn over to 2 Timothy 1 .7. 2 Timothy 1 .7. And as we think of this verse, we need to remember that one of the main enemies, one of the main enemies of faith is fear. And if there's anything at all that God has been hitting me on, even in the last month, is this thing of fear.

The Bible says the fear of man bringeth a snare. The fear of man bringeth a snare. And if we're going to move into communist lands, if we're going to move into Muslim lands, if we're going to move into difficult towns and villages, we're going to have to come to grips with the fact that as it says in this verse, God hath not given up the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

There's not time to comment on that verse, but let us remember it as we move forward, as we pray for funds, as we ask God for souls, as we pray concerning all of the tremendous mountains that are facing us in this day.

God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of a sound mind. Whenever I read that, I think of the fact that our mental hospitals, and I'm sure there's at least some people listening to my voice now who are suffering from emotional problems.

Maybe you've even had a nervous breakdown recently, and you haven't learned the secret of Hebrews chapter 4. Turn to Hebrews 4, will you? Hebrews 4, we read these words in the 16th verse. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.

And perhaps there's some, perhaps there's many, who haven't learned to find help in the time of need for any emotional problem, any physical problem, any problem whatsoever. We can come boldly to the throne of grace and find help in the time of need.

Entering God's Rest Through Faith

For you see, God has promised us, as we see in verse 9, a rest. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath seen from his own works, as God did from his.

Let us labor, this is interesting, I'd love to talk on this for an hour. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest. Let any man fall after the same example of unbelief. You see, in this tremendous battle, in this tremendous struggle for the souls of men, we at all times can be rested.

We're laboring, we're battling, we're struggling, we're striving, we're reaching out. All of these verses are found in the word of God and are biblical. And yet, in the midst of it all, we're resting on Jesus Christ.

We're resting on what Christ has done on Calvary. We're resting on the finished work of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. I want to ask, have you entered into that rest of faith? This is what we need in this day.

Young people who are resting on the promises of God, not sleeping on the premises, resting on the promises. There's a big difference. We need this in our day. Young people with an emotional balance. Young people who know how to handle the problems and the difficulties and the strains of life because they've entered into that place of rest.

That place where everything is cast upon the Lord our God. And we know how to go in prayer to the throne of grace and take hold of that which we need. Oh my God, open our eyes. And I'd like to read Hebrews 11, but I'm not going to take the time.

Hebrews 11 and Faithful Endurance

Where it tells us so clearly what faith is. That faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. And read, I'd ask you, read that chapter this week. Read about how those men, how those men quenched the violence of fire and escaped the edge of the sword.

How their weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the alien. Read how they went through trials of school, mockings and scourgings of imprisonment. How they were stoned, how they were sawn asunder, how they were tempted and slain with a sword.

Read about how they wandered in deserts and in mountains and in dens and in caves of the earth. All having obtained a good report through faith. And yet, they did not have the promises that we have. Yes, faith and faith believing prayer are mighty weapons in this warfare.

And through them we can do great and mighty things. Now in closing, let us just look at one or two verses in Peter and in John. That, in a real way, summarize the thoughts that we've been giving out. I had some verses jotted down from James, but there's not time to give them.

Faith in Action and the Prayer of Faith

But read the first chapter of James when it tells that the man who doubts should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. And then read that last chapter about how the prayer of faith can raise the sick.

And about how the fervent prayers of a righteous man can avail much. Read that chapter, the whole book of James. Some people call it the book of works, but I call it the book of faith because it shows faith in action.

Indeed, it's true, faith without works is dead. Because all good works spring from faith. And when we have faith, we have works. They always come together. But in closing, I want us to look at 1 Peter 3 .12.

For the eyes of the Lord are open and his ears are open unto their prayers. But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. Some people don't agree with this, but I am convinced that answered prayer is hinged directly with our walk with God.

It's hinged so closely to our communion with God and the life in Christ that we are living. The eyes of the Lord are open. We come in the cleansing blood of Christ. And we come in brokenness to the cross of Christ and ask God to cleanse us of our sins.

The Christian life isn't a life of perfection. It's a life of brokenness and cleansing. Might we be gripped with a magic Calvary road that shows us how we can walk in daily revival through the cleansing blood of Christ and through learning what it is to break and to be cleansed by the Lord Jesus.

Repentance, Cleansing, and Revival

It's the way of repentance. It's going to mean going to some brother in Christ and saying, look, Sam, I'm sorry. I've sinned against you. It might mean going to your wife and saying, look, honey, I'm sorry.

This is what it's going to mean. And it's going to hurt. And if this began to happen in some of our campuses, some of our schools, revival would sweep in a realistic revival. Not just a sweep of emotion, not just a hot prayer meeting, but a deep, realistic revival as we walk Calvary's road with Jesus Christ and with one another.

The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous. Because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And each time I read this, I think of the words in Hebrews where it says he that cometh to God must believe that he is.

And where it says without faith it is impossible to please God. Yes, it is true concerning the coming crusade in Europe. It's true concerning the crusade in the communist world and in the Muslim world.

It's true concerning the coming crusade in Mexico that whatsoever we ask, we receive of him. That's God's part. How it should rejoice our hearts. But let's look at our part. Because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

Jesus said, my meat is to do the will of the Father and to finish his work. And as we keep his commandments, as we do his will, as we walk daily in the life of discipleship, as we walk daily on Calvary road broken and bent, filled and running over, we're going to pleasing him.

And we'll be the joy of his heart. And he'll be the joy of our heart. And he'll give us whatsoever we ask. For it will no longer be our will, but it will be his. We'll be one with him. Our mind will be his mind.

So as we pray, it'll be the Holy Spirit praying through us as it says in Romans 8 .26. For we know not how to pray, but the Spirit of God helpeth our infirmities and prays through us. Yet, we'll ask what he granted us to ask.

Because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we come before thee as sinners. We have sinned against thee. The sin of prayerlessness.

The sin of unbelief. The sin of seeking honor one of another. The sin of seeking our own way. Of undisciplined living, of jealousy, of striving. So many things, oh God. We are just undone. And all we can do is bend before Calvary and claim the precious cleansing of the blood of Christ.

Oh God, bring the revolution. That we might have dreams in this life of faith. That faith and love might be a heartbeat in our heart cry. As we walk day by day with Jesus. Who is our life. In whom all things have their being.

In his name we pray. Amen.