Hebrews 11 — Manley Beasley

Faith Comes by Discovering God's Will

Have your Bibles now, turn with me please to the 11th chapter of the book of Hebrews. And we're going to continue where we left off night before last, and it's a real blessing to get back into this particular area tonight, and I pray that you'll let God speak to your heart and show you what I'm saying.

Now I'm going to give you the whole message in one statement, or in a thought that I think is the most profound I've ever read outside of the Bible. And that is simply this, if you want to be successful in this life, find out what God is doing in relationship to you, and join Him.

I've never read or heard of a statement more profound than that. If you want to be successful in your life, right now, find out what God is doing in relationship to you, and join Him. Now that's what I'm going to preach on tonight.

Now that's the principle, and I'll spend the next few minutes doing nothing but developing that principle. Now one of the things that I will answer is, where does faith come from? How do you get faith?

This is the big question. I have made the statements, I don't make them anymore, and I'm making this for your benefit and this is what I'm going to say now is for your benefit, that if I just knew God's will about a given situation, I could believe Him.

If I just knew the will of God about something, I could believe God. But I don't make that statement anymore, because folk, it's a little more difficult to believe God than you think. Now it shouldn't be, but it is.

In fact the most difficult thing I know to do is to believe God. And then I ask myself the question sometimes, how stupid can I be, when all I've got to do is put my confidence, my faith, my confidence in Jesus, the person of Jesus.

And how in the world can I be so foolish not to trust Him? But it's still the hardest thing in this world I know to do is trust Jesus. Of course you may be a little different, but I sort of doubt it. And so tonight you pray that the Lord will open each of our eyes, each of us, open us up and let us see spiritually what we're saying.

And I pray that tonight He'll do this for you. The second verse of the 11th chapter, and you listen to this with these words, For by it the elders obtained a good report. Now that little verse is one of the most baffling verses in the whole Bible.

For a long time in my own personal life I thought that the Lord was saying in that little verse, for by it, and of course the it is obvious, it's talking about faith, the elders obtained a good report.

And I thought that this verse was saying by faith the elders lived a life that's mentioned, you know, these great saints of God, it's mentioned here in this chapter and others. They lived by faith and because they did live by faith they were able to do great things for God and God gave them an A or a B or a C, you know, a good report.

And this is the way that most people believe that verse is speaking. One day I was reading a book by J. Gordon and I ran across his thoughts concerning this verse and all at once I realized that there was something more in this verse than what King James revealed and if even if you have an amplified New Testament you get home tonight you read it out amplified you'll see that there's something more in this verse in the original than right here.

And of course when you see it in the whole context it's something else and this is what I want you to see tonight. Now let me give you a human illustration that will make sense to you humanly and that is this about where faith comes from.

If you walked into this building tonight and you looked over this auditorium and you could see that all of these pews were rotten, all of them now but one, and you remember that I'm speaking this message in the context of a message night before last and you folk that weren't here I'm sorry but I can't go back and pick you up.

So that's just something I can't do wish you could we don't have time but if you walked in this service and you could see all these pews were rotten but one and realizing now that faith is acting remember the pew and you you literally which pew would you sit on which pew would you place your body in which pew would you go and use and let that pew do for you what it's designed to do would you use one of the rotten pews or would you use the pew that's not rotten.

Now you come in you look over the pews all of them are rotten but one which one would you take. So a preacher I'm not stupid I'd take the one that I could see would hold me up. Well obviously in a human sense then your faith to deposit your body at that pew came from seeing right.

Now Paul says we do not walk by sight but we walk by faith but he didn't say that faith didn't see. Now faith is never a leap into the dark it's always a leap into the light. Jesus didn't say I'll push you he says follow me and he is the light of the world amen.

Now I didn't say in the light of understanding but I'll tell you because understanding is of the sense world but in the light of truth. Now this little verse here really brings us into some beautiful things and I want us to just pray earnestly that God will open our hearts and let us see.

New Birth and the Capacity to Know God

You see the one of the greatest things that happens to a person when they get saved born again is they take on a capacity to know God. That's the greatest thing that happens to you not that you're going to heaven.

Most people think one of the greatest things happen but praise God I'm going to heaven. No folks the greatest thing that happens to you when you get saved is you take on a dimension to live in two worlds at one time.

You see there is a spirit world and there's a physical world and when you get born of the spirit you get born again and you take on a capacity to live and commune and fellowship in a spirit world as well as a physical world and that's the greatest thing in this world can happen.

And I'll tell you take on a capacity to know God and that capacity can't be beat. And you say well I don't know what you're talking about you ever get born of the spirit of God you'll know what I'm talking about and I don't try to explain it I'm just to proclaim it.

Jesus had a man by the name of Nicodemus to visit him and he simply said Nicodemus you must be born again. Nicodemus said I don't understand it. Jesus didn't try to help him to understand he just proclaimed he said there's two worlds physical and spiritual.

He said you've been born into the physical you must be born again to get in the spiritual. Told him said if you're going to get born again you have to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and my friend said of course we could get in that and it takes a long time to get out but the thing that happens to a person when they get saved is folks they take on a capacity to know God and that's why I say that about 85 of your church members have never been saved because when God moves and God talks and God reveals they sit there and look out the window they don't even know what you're talking about.

And by the way some of the folk I've heard one or two comments that I just don't understand what that preacher is preaching. Have you ever read Job 2828? I'll tell you what you may have read it but I'll tell you what you ought to go back and look at it again.

Real outstanding lady had about five degrees heard me preach one night on the crucified life in Memphis Tennessee and she went home so she had a little more discreteness about her and so on and so forth than most people.

They didn't go around and talk she didn't go around and talk about her her misunderstanding she went to the Lord and she said now Lord I just don't understand what that preacher is saying. And so when she said Lord I don't understand what that preacher is saying she had a Thompson chain reference Bible so she looked on the word understanding and started running the references and the first one was Job 2828 and if I remember correctly it says to depart from evil is understanding.

Know what I said? She said thank you Lord. She said the reason I didn't understand that preacher is I'm full of the devil. She got down and got right with the Lord and God gave her a revival and she was one of the greatest instruments in that meeting for souls that week.

Now my friends if you do not have understanding about what I'm talking about it's obvious that you have never been born of the Spirit of God or Satan has you bound up as a child of God and you're not liberated.

Yes sir. Because I'm not I don't preach to get you to understand I preach that the Holy Ghost may show you what I'm saying. I'm not one of these preachers that are interested in being so simple that a child can understand what I say.

I think that's stupid. I'm not more interested in being any more simple than God was. Boy this fella said man I want to make it so plain and simple. Now I'm interested in making it plain but not simple.

So the Holy Spirit has to show you what I'm talking about tonight and I'm trying to get you with me because I want to take you somewhere. And you say where? Out of this world. Paul said I look not at the things which are seen but to the things which are not seen.

That's a beautiful verse isn't it? Second Corinthians 4 18. He said I look we look not at the things which are seen but we are looking and this is my paraphrase at the things which are not seen. You see when a person gets saved by the grace of God they're made alive to God and they can literally they know the voice of God.

They can see God. They can hear God and it's not with these naked eyes and it's not with these naked ears and it's not my dear friends with their emotions that they feel God. But some way somehow God has the capacity when a person is born again to speak to that person and they know it's God.

And people say brother Manley how do you know you know it's God? Well friend as long as there's any doubt there's either one of two things wrong. Either you have never been born of the Spirit and do not have the capacity to know God or my friend listen God hasn't spoken.

Because when God speaks to one of his children they know it. They know it. They really know it and how God speaks. Now what I want to do is just simply take you out into the spiritual world for just a moment and show you that what I'm saying is not so ridiculous because Paul says we look not at the things which are seen but we look at the things which are not seen.

And this is important because we're living in a physical sense world as I mentioned this morning and if we say we're living in a spiritual world too and we're going to have to realize that that the real truth is the spiritual things that God says in his word.

And here's the spiritual world and here's the physical world the sense world and here in between is the word of God and here's the Holy Spirit that makes the word of God real and personal to you as if God was speaking it audibly visibly right before your eyes.

And this is important. And a child of God has the capacity to see some things. Job said in Job 42 5 in the original there was a time when I heard you with the hearing of my ears but he said now since I've gone through all I've gone through he said I see you with my spiritual eyes.

I believe it's John I wonder how the pattern was in the spirit on the large day and I believe he got such a glimpse of things that was going to happen that theologians haven't figured out yet what all he saw but he did see something didn't he amen.

I don't think he saw that with those natural eyes you see I don't believe your natural man can stand the glory of God. The Bible proves that it could not stand the glory of God. How could your natural ears hear the voice of God.

I put very little confidence in these folks who feel things and see things and hear things with a natural man why should God stoop to become so human my dear friends when he's God and yet I know he can go on and reach out into the human area and do these things.

But God can speak to the spirit of man. He is spirit he is true. And you go on and there's another incident in the Bible I'd like to call you to your attention about an old prophet and a young prophet in the Old Testament.

Elisha and the Opened Eyes of Faith

And the young prophet walked out of the out one morning and saw the area covered with a mighty host that had come to take them captive and he came up frightened back into the place where the old prophet was.

And the prophet old prophet said Lord in essence open his eyes let the scales fell fall from his eyes. And the scales fell from his eyes. And he looked out there with spiritual eyes. And what did he see.

He saw the mighty host of Israel and men they were encamped about on the clouds the hills and everywhere else. And he got so excited about it. Praise God man he got really excited. He saw that which was not seen.

I'm sure John saw that which was not seen. I'm sure that Paul on the day the Damascus road. He saw him who was not seen. He heard him who was not heard. That other bunch didn't know what was going on.

Did he just Paul. Now folks you said preach. I don't understand where you get saved or get right. You'll get with it after a while. One of the two now you say what are you talking about. Well I've just been a matter of fact about it.

Both as not only did not only does a child of God have the capacity to hear and see God. Like for instance faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. You've read scriptures over a thousand times.

And then one day in a state of dilemma state of desperation my friends thought you read the Word of God and all at once you could see it. All at once it spoke to you all at once that verse became real to you.

Has that ever happened to you. Only you've read a verse for thousands of times and all at once one day that same verse of scripture became alive to you. And God spoke to you. Not all the believe but you could see it.

It became alive it became life to you. And boy just thrilled your heart changed your life. Now this is what I'm talking about. You see some things that are not seen. You hear some things that are not heard.

There are some things to be seen that are not seen. The Bible says this in Matthew 16 19. I'll just share one portion of scripture. We we take you through many. But this is real good. And the Romans 16 19 Jesus said to Peter he said.

And the rest of them there with him. On the 19th verse I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. Whatsoever thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Now watch it. Now the King James says whatsoever thou shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. Whatsoever thou shall loose in earth shall be loosed in heaven. That's what the King James says. But folk I'll tell you what.

I'm not belittling the King James. But I want you to know one thing that's a long ways from being correct. I didn't say now. Now the Greek interlineal New Testament in the same verse says this. And I want to read it.

And this is as near as far as I'm concerned as you can get to it. I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens. And whatever thou bindest on the earth. Now what's this shall all having. King James says whatsoever thou shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.

But this says. And you're amplified says it. In a number of other translations says this whatever thou bindest on the earth down here down here shall in the heavens. Do you remember what I said when I started out.

If you want to be successful find out what God's doing. Joining. You see that principle. It's there now watch it. I'm taking a little more time tonight hoping praying. And that you'll get some understanding now whatsoever thou shall loose on the earth shall be having been loose.

Let me give you another illustration. Tie this in. Hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is being done. Where. Oh there's something up there being done. You say what is it.

Preacher the will of God concerning you. Amen. There it is. For the will of God in heaven are you. And Jesus says pray that the will of the Father that's done in heaven may be done in now. You couldn't want more than that.

Could you. I don't think you could. And that's exactly what he's saying in Matthew 16 beginning in the 19th verse. Whatsoever you lose or bind in earth make sure that it's being bound in heaven. Make sure that it's loose in heaven now.

I know we come up here with our two-bit plans and get on our knees and beg God to bless. But if they didn't originate in heaven folks you can beg God all you want to. You still haven't got a thing. Jesus is really saying.

He said I'm giving you the key. And the key is you find out what is the will of God going on in heaven. And if you look out here you see something going rampant. It's all loose and it's contrary to the will of God.

God's reveal will. He said it is loose down here. And it's contrary to God's will. God has it found in heaven. He said I'll tell you what you do. You bind it in earth. And said if you look out here you see something all bound up and heaven has set it free and loosed it.

He said then you lose it in earth as it's already loosed in heaven. In other words you find out what God is doing and joining now if he's really on your toes like you ought to be you'd already see the whole message.

Amen. Where does faith come from the will of God. You say brother manly that's hard. No if you have no controversy between you and God tonight the very desires of your heart should be the will of God.

My friends you never go out here and act in faith until you first know the mind of God. And when he speaks then you can act on it. And that doesn't mean that you run through the Bible and find some verse.

You can stand on. It means you run through the Bible and the Holy Ghost gives you some verse. You can stand on that the Holy Spirit gives you a verse that reveals the mind. A preacher came to a friend of mine one time said pray for my family they might get saved.

He said do you have a verse from God. Well my friends there's hundreds of verses that give you the mind of God concerning people getting saved. And this fella said well well well I got a bunch of verses.

He said no I won't do that. It's God spoken and giving you a verse. He said no. He said well when you get a verse from God you come back and see me. So a few days later the fella came back and he said I've got a verse completely out of context.

He said what's that not one hook will be left. And God took that one phrase out of the Old Testament spoke to his heart showed him that not one of his children would be left in Egypt to die and go to hell.

And every one of them was saved. He had no trouble with faith whatsoever when he got that word from God. Amen. Oh well what he did. Well that's very simply put right here in the 11th chapter of the book of Hebrews.

Very simply put it's so beautiful. It's so fantastic. It's so obvious that I don't see how we can miss it. And you said brother man it sounds easy. Well it's not easy to see the truth. And you have to get in a certain condition of worship and repentance and so on before the truth opens up to you.

But it's all right here and I want to share it with you and show you what the how these elders these great men of God in the Old Testament moved heaven in there. And you say well brother manly they were great great men.

I'll guarantee you. There's some of you men in this building tonight that never committed some of the sins that Abraham committed. I'm not belittling Abraham. I'm just wanting to show you my friends that there was some men that's not even mentioned in the 11th chapter of the book of Hebrews that were more holy than Abraham and more holy than Moses.

What about Enoch. Uh-huh. What about a few. What about Elijah or Elijah. You never see them mixed up in sin like you see these other fellas. But they weren't even mentioned in this right. Now what I'm trying to say is not justify your sins.

But I'm trying to show you my friend that listen if you're saved by the grace of God washed in the blood of the Lamb. You're qualified to trust God. You're qualified to trust God. In fact you're obligated to.

Faith's Sequence: Seeing, Embracing, Confessing, and Acting

Now what's this 13th verse. These all dying back in the 11th chapter book of Hebrews. These all died not having seen the promise not having received the promises. But now watch these words because words are very significant.

Watch them. Now these all died in faith not having received the promises. But now watch it. Now hit me. What's that next word. I should have brought my glasses. I'm over 40. Oh excuse me. But having seen them afar off now watch what happened when they saw they were persuaded of them embrace them.

And what faith is acting. Right. And the next thing they did they confess. Well there's your sequence of faith. You see you're persuaded. You embrace. And you confess. And God performs. That's it. Right there at the whole scope of the faith wall.

Right there faith sees. Faith is persuaded. Faith embraces that means acts. And then what you believe in your heart you confess with your what amen. That's it. And what you confess with your mouth God performs a bunch of mass.

Jesus one time said Lord said now what about all this faith. Just speak to a fig tree and it goes away. Jesus said I tell you said you've got faith that you can say unto this mountain. Be thou removed whatsoever thou sayest and doubt not in thy heart shall you shall have whatsoever you want say say what's beautiful.

Now listen. Let's just give you a couple illustrations out of this chapter. I give you a bunch of them but there's just a couple. Do now about the 17th verse. Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaac that he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son of whom it was said that in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

Now watch this verse accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead. Now you anybody wants to read that that rest of that verse huh. If you're somebody brother you got it there. Right.

Right. That's revised standard. And in the King James it said he saw him. Are he received him in a figure. Now do you know the story. Boy this is some story. Great goodness. Here is God said to Abraham after God gave him that son after he believed God after doubting for 20 years.

And God gave him this son. God said one day now I want you to take him up and offering on an altar. Now some people have a little conflict with God saying how can God tell a man to stick a knife in his own son that his blood drain out and then burn him to ashes.

Isn't that murder. Well my friends you're looking at it in the sense world not from God's side. God knew what was going to happen from the beginning. God was only putting this man to a test. He knew what was going to happen.

And God reserves the right to be God regardless of what you think. And then God knew that man wasn't going to have to kill that little boy. But my dear friend he knew one thing he was fixed to put his faith to a test and see what he would do it enough.

And God knew the end from the beginning. So God wasn't worried about the fellows being guilty of murder. God was interested in a man being guilty of obedience to his word. And when God said to Abraham offer up your son beloved he was tried and in this dilemma he got so close to God folk that he looked into heaven.

He said preacher how do you know. How do I know. Well the Bible says so he said that the Bible says so yes. And they chapter the book of John Jesus is not preaching to a bunch of Jews one day. And they said we are of our father Abraham.

He said yes said I know. If you'd be of your father Abraham you'd be doing the works of Abraham. He said I know you. He said you're of the devil he then you know what Jesus said. Jesus said your father Abraham.

Rejoice boy listen that next word to see my day. You know what the next one says. Next phrase. And it says. And he saw it and was glad thousands of years before Jesus Christ was ever incarnated. Abraham had a problem and when he had a problem he didn't go to one of these little counselors all these preachers in their counseling today.

Great Scott. That's reason why you don't have any deacons that's got backbone like saw logs. You've got preachers who can tell them how to do it and they'll get them through the storm and in the next storm will put them under again.

When 15 16 70 years ago you didn't have a preacher to come around about once a month and preach to him. And when a man or woman had a problem they went off behind the barn stayed out there till they met God.

And when they met God folk that walked out of there with backbones like saw logs revelation of heaven and knew more about God. My dear friends in in 30 minutes. And most of us know the day in 30 years because we got a library full of books that can give our head full of understanding.

But it takes a state of repentance and desperation before a holy God before God can reveal anything to our hearts. I don't counsel with people. You say why. Because when I leave what I'll say a fade away I tell them to get along and counsel with the one person who can handle it.

And that's Jesus. And when I leave he's still there. And boy if they ever learned the way into his sanctuary and know how to fellowship with him I got news for you bless God. It doesn't make any difference whatever happens this preachers they still know the way in the greatest thing it ever happened to me brother and sister was the fact that I did not consult a bunch of theologians about what I needed and somehow some way I missed that whole bit.

I had to stay in the woods with Jesus till I he talked to me and I've been so grateful for that all of my life. You'll never know. I've got a secret amen. And folk that is I know the way. And that's him not man.

I used to go to no boy and I said man can't you help me. He said God can't do it son and never get done. I begged him I prayed for him. I'd get mad at him. I'd get upset and I'd end up in the woods. And boy I'd stay there till I had a living living experience.

One second with him brother solved the whole problem. Sam didn't go to a counselor. He went to God. And when he was out there folk God pulled back the curtain and he saw Jesus Christ incarnated. And when he saw Jesus Christ he he saw my friends not only Jesus Christ incarnated.

He realized he had just had playing the head since enough to know that his son had to live. He had to. And you talk about things brother. Boy when he saw Jesus his faith became so real and dynamic. They believe that God.

You talking about resurrection. Well I'll tell you what. Abraham believed that God would not go up in ashes because for him to sacrifice that boy meant a knife in his body drain all the blood from his body burn his body to ash.

And yet he counted him as resurrected. Boy isn't that something. Now what is truth. What God says or what we think of feel smell taste of you. What is truth. And he acted on that truth. You know what he did.

He said to him. He went got his servants and said get fire wood knife. About sacrifice. He said God handle that part. Amen. That's what it is. And when he got to the front of the mountain where he was to go up and offer up that sign.

You know what he said to those men that standing at the bottom. He said you stay here to serve us with the animals. And I like this. And he said we will be back. He said we will be back. He saw. He was persuaded.

He embraced. He confessed. Hey focus in the left chapter book of Hebrews where did his faith come from huh. I'm hearing the voice of God see the will of God knowing the mind of God. Very simple. It's all right there.

Moses: Faith That Sees the Invisible

Look look. If you don't think it's there just let's just look at this one. This one fascinates me. And the 11th chapter was back there again. Oh man there's so much of this book fascinates me. I guess you get tired of me or me say that.

Look at this. It's all right here. 23rd verse. Read it with me by faith. Moses when he was born was he had three months of his parents. Because they excuse me I'm still need my glasses. What's that next word.

Oh they saw something. He was a proper child. And they were not afraid of the king's commandment. Now what's up. What's the opposite of faith here and say folk they lost their fear. You know why I preach.

They saw something. What they see that this boy was a proper child. You know the dilemma this mother and dad was in. They wrote sent out a decree to all the midwives that when a little male baby was born killing this was born.

They've been your little boy. What. What kind of predicament would you have been in. And I'm sure folk they saw God. And in that experience of seeking God they saw he was a proper child. What does that mean.

They saw who he was. And when they saw who that little old fellow was they didn't have any fear. My mom and daddy locked their hearts in with God. Amen. Lord we see your glory we see your will. We know what's going on.

So we're doing. And they join God by faith. And you're talking about God folk. Man someone said God. And one man believing God is a majority. God man together is a majority. That's right. Because they I mean God even made the devil his slave in this sense.

Here they put that baby out there and an old crocodile snake infested river in a little old basket. And here the Egyptian Queen King's daughter came down by the riverside. And folks she loved that Jew.

And that was a miracle. Amen. And then God turned around and made that Egyptian woman. My friends hired that baby's old mama to be the baby. You couldn't beat that. You don't get paid like that. And then God pays a diaper bill.

Bless God. It's true. Into the university of hell and he still came out glorifying God. Now isn't that right there in that portion of Scripture. Amen. How did that happen folk. Because there was a mother and dad who saw something.

Now if you don't think it's all the way through there. It's all the way through there. I'll just read the other one to you and I won't see it. I'll give it to you. 21st 27th verse says by faith he forsook Egypt not fearing the wrath of the king.

For he endured as there's that word again as seeing him who is invisible. Where did Moses get such faith. He looked in. Amen. Now where does faith come from. Going to mind of God doesn't have thing do with feeling.

And folks before you can believe God for something you have got to know. And when you know you know you know there's no doubt about it that God has spoken. Now don't start looking for him in the whirlwind and the thunder and the light and in the storm.

Because he may be in the still small voice. But folk when he speaks you'll know he said you hadn't told me a thing. Yes I've told you enough that the thing that's necessary for you to get desperate enough that God will have to speak.