Falling Into Unbelief — E.A. Johnston

Unbelief as the Root of Disobedience

There is a thread that runs through my Bible in lives after lives that are recorded there and that is the thread of Unbelief. It kept the Jews out of the promised land and their unbelief was Manifested in their worship of idols.

Abraham, Sarah, and the Sin of Self-Effort

It was unbelief that made Peter Deny his love for his master and it was unbelief that caused Abraham to turn away from the promises of God to Hagar and self-effort on belief always manifests itself in sin.

Disobedience is sin. Not trusting in the promises of God is sin. There are some truths regarding faith. I want us to explore today friends because unbelief is a lack of faith. How many times Did Jesus reprimand his disciples for their little faith their lack of faith?

Taking Our Eyes Off God

He kept asking them. Where is your faith? They had taken their eyes off of God and instead looked at the circumstances in their world. Turning your Bibles friends to the book of Genesis we will camp out in chapter 16.

Abraham’s Impatience in Genesis 16

Here now is the Word of God and made the Spirit of the Lord attend the reading of his Holy Word. Now Sarah Abram's wife bare him no children and she had a Handmaid an Egyptian whose name was Hagar and Sarah said unto Abram behold now the Lord hath restrained me from Bearing.

I pray thee go in unto my maid. It may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearken to the voice of Sarah that last line friends can be rewritten to read and Abram in his old age foolishness.

Listened to his wife Sarah rather than trusting in the promises of God. There are many things a man does in his old age. That are foolish and sinful. We don't have the physical strength. We once had. We no longer hold the position of authority of a career.

We once had now that we are retired and it's easy to lose one's identity in old age. But more grievous than that it is easier to fall into unbelief. Because time has passed and the Sun has set in our life so to speak and the promises of God as a reality in our life become mere black ink on white paper hearing our text.

Abraham acts foolishly. Through impatience with God and pressure from the world, which is manifested in his controlling wife. The title of my message today friends is falling into unbelief and There are several aspects.

I would like to draw out from our text today. I want us to see the time factor the trust factor. The weight factor and the faith Factor. Well, let's look at the first of these. The time factor. Time Passes on and God has still not shown up.

The Time Factor and Delayed Promises

Your loved ones are still unsaved. Your hopes are not realized. The promises of God to you have mothballs on them. So to speak like a mothball is placed up in a dark attic. It collects dust as it sits motionless there.

The reality of God in your life has lessened with time instead of strengthened with time because of unfulfilled promises. The time factor. Perhaps God has promised you brother pastor a thing in your life and ministry and so far it hasn't come to reality and You've gotten out your shovel and have dug your own trench by self-effort.

And it's just made matters worse for you. The time factor got to you where you stop believing in the Promises of God and you act foolishly by cutting out your own path through Self-effort and the sin of unbelief and you make your own way in an attempt to achieve the same ends.

But it's always less than the best God has intended for you. For when he moves he does things exceedingly abundantly. So you settle for second best or third best or fourth place? Whatever the case may be next We see the trust factor because of the seepage of time you gradually cease to trust in the promises of God and Thereby you gradually cease to trust in him.

The Trust Factor and the Consequences of Self-Reliance

You take matters in your own hands and you end up with your own ishmael. Staring you in the face as a constant reminder of your mistake and disobedience. Next we see the weight factor. Time and time again in scripture.

We are told to wait upon God. Go through your Bible's friends with a word search on the word wait and see how often it occurs. Psalm 27 14. Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart.

Wait I say on the Lord. Isaiah 4031. But they that wait upon the Lord Shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary and they shall walk and not faint sound.

40. Awaited patiently for the Lord and he inclined unto me and heard my cry. The key word there alongside wait is patiently, but some of us have run out of patience on belief is when we run out of Patience we give up on the promises of God.

Faith in God’s Appointed Timing

Lastly we see the faith factor. Jesus kept after his disciples. On the faith factor you have little faith. Where is your faith and the Lord said if he had faith as a grain of mustard? Seed you might say unto this sycamine tree.

Be thou plucked up by the root and be that planted in the sea and it should obey you. We see the faith factor answered in Genesis 1814. It's anything too hard for the Lord and the answer is no and then the text goes on to say At the time appointed I will return unto thee according to the time of life and Sarah Shall have a son.

The key sentence their friends is at the time appointed. For God knows the end of all things and his promises will play out in your life on his appointed timetable not yours. The deliverance of God's chosen people out of bondage in Egypt Was done because of God's promise made to Abraham.

But the fulfillment of that promise was played out in the phrase the self same day. Noting that God was bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt at the precise time That he had said. The faith factor is comprised of all the aforementioned the time factor the trust factor and the weight factor.

A Prayer for Faith in God’s Promises

My own prayer lately has been short and to the point Great God Forgive me for my unbelief Lord Strengthen my faith in your promises. I pray in the strong name of the dear son Jesus Amen.