Real Faith — Dai Patterson

It's lovely to be here, I'm not sure whether die or to join Guy down in the tent, but here I am, I think I wouldn't mind retreating and joining him. I want to talk about faith, I want to talk about overcoming faith, triumphant faith, victorious faith, faith that we see, faith that wins, real faith, the kind of faith that Jesus Christ has come to impart, to give to me and to you, and I really believe this morning with all my heart that he really does want to give that kind of believing to you and to me, so that I can know within the rising of a faith that overcomes, and we need to overcome, and it's been commented this morning, it was certainly suggested last night, that many people, and many in this room, have had a tough twelve months, I wouldn't be surprised if I were to say okay, on your feet all those who've had a tough twelve months, most of you would be on your feet, I don't know what it is, everywhere throughout the UK it seems as if we're fraught with difficulties, struggles, trials, and yet scripture talks very clearly about a faith that overcomes.

Considering Christ in Times of Discouragement

Let me begin in the Hebrew letter, and in the twelfth chapter, there's a little phrase in the third verse of chapter twelve that says this, you and I are to consider him. Difficult to do that when you're caught up with the things that are problems and difficulties and trials to yourself, but says the writer, consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your mind.

That's the first place where discouragement and weariness will afflict you in your mind. Somehow you can no longer think like you used to, somehow you can no longer lift your mind a gear and feel as if I can handle this.

And you know the first thing that happens when the mind is afflicted? This is what takes place. In the same chapter, you and I read this, we are to strengthen the hands which hang down and the fetal knees.

You can tell somebody who's not living in triumphant life and victory simply by the posture they hold. Do you ever notice it? Somehow this happens and the knees go down and once that happens you can't look up.

You try it. It's difficult on the neck. But you do this and it's a real struggle because the whole posture is declaring, I'm not believing, I'm not looking up, I'm not considering nor beholding him. Jesus Christ has come and I was thrilled last night to hear Norman say that we should start off the in victory and go from victory to victory to victory, from glory to glory to glory.

Not wait till Friday night and just about straddle home with something done. It evaporates by Monday morning. Strengthen the feeble knees. Strengthen the hands that hang down. Isn't that a wonderful statement?

And you and I are to live in victory. Live as overcoming men and women. Overcoming in the midst of the difficulties. Not presuming they don't exist. Not burying our head in the sand. I've never done this before.

Can you all hear down the back? I'm very glad. And I hope that those of you who are foreigners can understand a slightly different accent. You can? Yes. It has a twang to it. Amen. Now Jesus Christ has come and I really believe it to give you and I an overcoming faith.

The Work of God Is Continually Believing

Let me take you into John's gospel. I remember reading these words a long time ago now and they have been words which come back to me which are constantly a source for me of real encouragement. Where in chapter 6 of John's gospel Jesus has fed the 5 ,000.

They've collected over and above the needs of everybody. Isn't that marvellous? There is no shortage here. Jesus didn't just about meet the need. It was over and above everybody's need. Everybody partook and there was leftovers.

You could go for seconds if you wanted. And then Jesus sends his disciples away. He goes. He prays. And we come to this. They, in verse 25 of chapter 6, they find Jesus on the other side of the sea where he had been feeding the 5 ,000.

And they said to him, Rabbi, when did you come here? Jesus answered them and said, most assuredly I say to you, you speak me not because you saw the signs but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.

It's a good reason to speak him, isn't it? To go and get filled. Nothing wrong with that. He wasn't telling them off. He wanted them to be filled. But then he said this, do not labour for the food which perishes but for the food which endures to everlasting life which the Son of Man will give you.

Because God the Father has set his seal on him. Then they said to him, what shall we do that we may work the works of God? And then Jesus answered and said to them, now listen to this, and please read it with me real slowly and carefully.

This is, not these are, in the singular. This is. That takes away everything else and reduces us down to one thing. This is the work of God. Now, if you didn't have a bible, I wonder what you would say was God's work.

What would you argue? How would you have written if you had written this gospel? What would you have said is the work of God? This is, says Jesus, now these aren't the words of any man other than the Son of God.

This is the work of God. So that means this morning you and I can forget every other work. As long as this work is done, all the other works will follow in the wake of this one. This is the one, the only one.

This is the work of God. Therefore, this morning, God is using all his eternal power, his energy, all that he has done in and through Christ, everything that he can possibly apply himself to bringing this about, he's doing it now.

This is the work of God. It's not something that he's putting off till tomorrow. He's not delaying in his work. He's not waiting, thinking about it, planning or scheming it. He says, this is it. Doesn't that do something in your heart?

Well, if this is it, I'm for it. If this is it, I'm going to have it. If this is what he can do, why am I going to delay? If this is his work, I'm going to expect him to do his work in me. Wouldn't you think that was fairly reasonable?

More than fairly reasonable, absolutely great. Don't you think so? If that's his work, then why should I delay one moment? Why could I not come and have this work done in me? This is the work of God. Isn't that marvellous?

Have you ever thought about the statement before? Wonder whether you have. Wonder whether you've ever dwelt on it, and let it just sink in. It's so addictive, this one. I thought it was this, or that, or the other.

I thought I should be more holy, a little more sanctified, a little brighter and whiter than I was yesterday. A little more powerful to be a witness, a testimony. My friend, all those things are part of what Jesus Christ intends, but this is the work.

Now you think about it. Go on, think about it. Whatever you do, don't sit there and let it drift over your mind. Think about it. This is it. Isn't it great when you get to the bottom line, and you know you've come to it.

This is it. This is where I really do business with God. This is the work, and it's not mine, and it's not yours. It's God, and I'm delighted just to think on it, that he this morning... I don't know whether you can talk about God coming up all his energies.

Excuse me if it doesn't sound quite so theological. I'm not too bothered whether it does or not. Well, I'm going down to the youth tent after this, you see, so it's okay. So think of it. This is it. It's not yours, nor my work.

God's here. I wonder whether you really believe it, because if you did, if you really did, you would go out of this place a different man or woman. I am quite sure some went out last night, different men and women, because they knew that the Spirit of God had come to meet with them.

And there's only one thing, ultimately one thing, that can keep you and I out of the blessing of God, and it is this, that we don't let God do this work. We find some excuse, we find some alternative, but if you and I will let him do this work, then my friend, glory be to God, you and I can enter into the things that we may have longed for, longed for, ached for, found ourselves frustrated over.

Let's finish reading the statement, shall we, of Jesus. He answered and said to them, this is the work of God. They had said, what shall we do? And maybe you're in this room and you're saying, Lord, what do you want me to do?

What am I supposed to do? What attitude of mind am I supposed to take? Is there something that I'm missing out on here? Jesus said, listen, listen, listen, listen, this is the work of God. He immediately took them in their thinking away from what they should do, what they could do, and he brings them down to this, my father's at work.

This is the work of God, that you believe, that is, that you believe on him whom he has sent. You may be sitting in this tent saying, oh, there's no point in my being here, do I? I'm already a believer.

I believe that God sent his son into the world. I believe that Christ died on a cross. I believe he bore my sin there. I believe he was raised from the dead, that I should be justified. I believe all those things.

I'm a believer. And if you believe those things with your heart and not your head, you believe them because God brought you to that place of believing. But that doesn't mean to say that God has ceased working since then.

He's at work now. It's a continuous working of God that I should continually believe, because if I don't, I will drift and believe something else. I will resort to some other power. I will depend upon another, most likely myself, because I think I can do it as well as he can.

I mean, you shouldn't say that kind of thing, but people live as though they believe that. They act as though they believe it. I can do just as good a job as you can. This is the work of God that you believe now, now, and in the next moment, and in the next moment, and this is constantly the work of God.

Therefore, you and I, the moment this dawns on us, and the moment we come into the reality of it, we cease in that moment from depending upon any other. And I would suppose that's our greatest difficulty.

We look to another man, we look to a system, we look to perhaps a set of doctrines, some idea, some philosophy, some theology. This is God's work, said Jesus. And I want to ask you before I go any further, has God done his work in you?

Has he done it in you? I'm told sometimes I've got a very rude habit of pointing. Well, if I do, I'm sure you'll all forgive me, won't you? But is it true? Is it true that you know that God has done this work in you?

You may say, well, I know he's done other things. Well, if he has, wonderful, and praise God that he has. And he may have brought you a long way along the road, but here is a great thing that God is after, that you and I live in a state, an attitude, a condition of constantly believing.

Not necessarily doing. There will be doings that come out of believing. But to live in an attitude, well, I'm believing, Lord. I believe. And my believing, my confidence in you brings me right above all the conditions in which I live, the difficulties which are going on in my church, in my home, in my family, maybe in my own heart.

I believe, but how can you unless God has done the work? And I think there are many who live on a false basis. And I say that because as soon as the difficulties come, down they go. Now, please, I don't want anybody to think that I never have a downer, because I get them.

I get days and I think, here. And I take a look at my own life and my own ministry and I think, you're not doing a very good job, Di. Maybe we all of us need that sometimes, just to realise that we're not anything particular.

But it's this place of dependence upon God and what He has done. And I'm thrilled this morning just to think, I don't know whether you are. If you're not, well, there we are. I'll be on my own. But I'm thrilled.

God's at work. This is God's work. But I should believe, okay, Lord. If no one else does, you come and do your work in me. So what I want to do, I want to believe on Him. I used to be a school teacher a long time ago.

People keep telling me it shows. I don't know whether it does or not. So if I suddenly shouted at you in the middle of the hall because you've nodded off, don't be surprised. And I used to have a good technique.

If you come up very quietly like that, you see. And you sit, you go, whoa! Gets the back row awake pretty quick. So I used to have, I used to take the assemblies in school. I used to love taking them.

Faith Requires Abandoning Every Other Foundation

And I remember I had a big table and I put the table down and I put a chair on top of the table. And I got one of the girls in this particular year group that I was responsible for to stand on the table.

And this was at the time of the Incredible Hulk. He was a great green monster that had muscles on his knuckles. And this Incredible Hulk was supposed to have immense strength and so on. So I kind of painted a picture for the kids in the assembly.

Here you were inside your burning home. And there you are, top floor, near the window, no way out. And down below is the Incredible Hulk. Now I had the cheek to pretend that I was the Incredible Hulk.

I don't quite match up to it. In fact, somebody said or suggested that maybe they should provide me a box this morning so I could stand up here and be seen by everybody. Just because he was six foot four.

And I said to this girlie, now come on, jump. They were disobedient lads. And she said, no I'm not. I said, well just imagine, here I am, you know. Wouldn't you have great confidence to jump? I couldn't persuade her.

But I think they got the message. But there comes a moment when I've come to the end of everything. I stop believing in what I believe in. I cease putting faith in my point of view. I come off all other ground.

I come to an end of it all. And the work of God is done. And this is it, said Jesus, you can believe on me. And I can remember my early days in a particular denominational church. I could not understand this thing of faith.

It eluded me until God one day just opened my eyes to it. And I saw the complicity of just trusting him. But you cannot as long as you have got confidence in anything else. I remember reading a book on the Welsh Revival.

It's not surprising, is it? And there was a statement in it written by a man called R .B. Jones. You should get familiar with some of the Welsh Revival writers. They're wonderful. And this little phrase appeared in his book.

It began, afraid of weakness, never afraid of weakness. Well I tell you what I've been doing for years and years and years, praying for power, praying for greater ministry, praying of God to do something with me.

And I read this, afraid of weakness, never. It's the way in to everything. Paul said it, when? Then. And not a moment before, not a moment before I come to weakness can I know strength. When I am? Well when are you?

When am I? Now? Now. Go on now. Pray for it. Long for it. Yearn for it. Lord to be weak so I can have that strength. Now that I can go for. I'll go for that. That gets something in me. That's what I want.

And that's what Jesus is talking about. That's what faith is all about. This is the work of God that you believe on Him. So you're believing on nobody else and on nothing else. You're not believing on your gifting.

You're not believing on the ability of an eldership or a team or a whatever. But Him. Him. Him. Him. Marvellous. This is the work of God. Now I believe with all my heart God wants to do lots of things.

He wants to heal the sick. I believe that. He wants to set people free. He wants to fill us with the glory of His power and presence. I really believe it. But I've discovered for my own self I can't have it.

It's not possible until I come to this place where this work is done. Where the work is done. Now how about that? This is it. I wonder whether maybe there are people in this room you've been asking for all kinds of things.

Seeking for all sorts of things. Have you ever thought for this? Have you ever in your life said to Jesus Christ, well I see it now. I see this is the work. This is it. Everything else is subservient, is an outworking of this.

This is the work of God. I think it's marvellous that God, He brought all His energies to bear, all His power to bear to achieve this in my life and in yours. Now, do you believe that? I wonder whether you do.

I wonder whether you've ever said to the Lord, Lord this is it, come and do this in me. This last night you didn't enter in. The one reason you did not enter in was because of this. It's the one thing that keeps men and women out of the fullness of the blessing of God.

It's the one thing. It's not the devil and it's not just circumstances. It's this. I won't believe on him. I'd rather keep what I've got. I'd rather stay where I am. I'd rather settle down and be at ease here.

Well I want to tell you something. I'm not. I want this work done and done again and done again and done again and again and again in my life. So this is the work that's being manifested and when it is, the only one who gets any glory out of it all is Jesus Christ.

And we're taken away from men and gifting and power and all the other things that can so captivate our minds. This is it. Oh Lord, if you should come and do your work. Faith the marvellous thing. What a release it is.

Faith Under Authority in the Centurion's Story

You remember the story in Luke's Gospel. Let me just touch upon it. I'm not going to stay there long. It's in the beginning of the chapter where you read about the centurion who was obviously a Roman because he was a centurion soldier.

I would presume he must have been a convert to Judaism. He certainly seemed to be a very upright man and he was most unusual in that in verse 2 of chapter 7 you read that he had a servant that was dear to him.

When you read something of Roman history, those who had control and power of those who were servants exercised that power very badly and had the power of life and death over them. But this man loved his servant.

He was sick and ready to die. And so when he heard about Jesus he sent elders of the Jews to him pleading with him to come and heal his servant. And when they came they said this to Jesus. And let me say I don't believe for one moment that the words which the elders spoke to Jesus were the words of a centurion.

I think they were their own words. And they said this to him. He loves our nation. He's built us a synagogue. In other words, Jesus you ought to do what you're going to do as a reward. Now let everybody in this room make it be sure it's nothing to do with reward because you come to this conference God is not going to reward you on the basis that you're going to put up with rain and wind and hail and snow or whatever else.

But that was the thinking behind the Jewish elders who came to Jesus. He's done this. He's done that. You ought to do that as a reward. Jesus doesn't do that kind of thing. What he does he does because he's full of grace and love and mercy and delights to do it and wants to do it for every one of us.

Do you believe that? Oh good I'm not on my own. It's wonderful. It really is wonderful. Now Jesus went with them. Verse six. And when he was already not far from the house the centurion sent friends. I think he must have had a suspicion that the Jewish elders would misrepresent him.

So he thought the best thing to do is to send some real friends. You know who your real friends are. They will represent you properly. The others will misrepresent you. They, his friends, said to him, Lord do not trouble yourself for I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.

Well two completely different approaches. The one saying you ought to do it because he's worthy. The other saying he's told us he's not and he doesn't really need you to come. He's not worthy that you should come.

Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to you. I wonder whether you're like that. Lord I really messed up. It's been a grim time. I don't know what's gone wrong and I'm not worthy to come.

Well let me tell you something. Jesus Christ can speak his word into your heart this morning and it can all be done in a moment. Say the word and my servant will be healed for I also am a man placed under authority.

I want you to take note of this. Faith does not work where you want to exercise your right. Where you are demanding. It operates only where you are like this man prepared to be subject to the authority of one who is almighty.

He said I am a man placed under authority. There was no false humility in this. He didn't come and say oh you humble servant you got through this for me. I've been placed under authority and you're not under it until you've been placed under it.

And I've got closes under me I say to one go he goes to another come he comes and my servant it's one who's second night to death through this and he does it and when Jesus heard these things he marveled at him.

You don't read that word too often in the bible do you? Do you? You don't. He marveled at him. I wonder whether Jesus Christ could come into this conference and marvel at you and me. Well go on do you think he could?

Would you be a marvel to him? There's not much response here. Are you thinking? Wondering? Maybe that's why there's not much faith. Maybe. I know my place. I'm set under authority. I exercise it because I'm under it and I know you Jesus that you're set under it and you can exercise it and you can come into this place and exercise your right in my life this day.

Say the word. Maybe you're sitting there thinking to yourself I've been coming here for the last 20 years. I've made responses and gone away and by the middle of August it's all gone. I know that there are young people sitting in this room.

They have told me on many occasions that's just what happens and I wouldn't be surprised if it's true for you oldies the wrinklies as the younger call you. I'm getting there. He said to the his friends we'll go and tell Jesus all he has to do is to say the word and Jesus marveled at him and he turned around and he said to the crowd.

Now there's quite a crowd here. I wonder whether there might be just one. It would be wonderful if there was more like a thousand and one but if there were but one who had such faith he marveled at it and he said I say to you I've not found such great faith no not even in Israel.

To the very ones he came to the lost sheep of the tribe of Israel but he didn't find faith like this amongst them. This is the work of God that you believe on him. This man believed on him. He didn't come into his presence didn't think himself worthy withdrew sent representatives one that misrepresented him the next spoke honestly declared the man's heart.

It's good to have real friends isn't it who speak honestly on your behalf and will not misrepresent you and they said this is what he's really like Lord this is his heart and they spoke the words that the centurion had put into their mouths they spoke it to Jesus and he marveled at him.

What faith! I wonder what would be done in the course of this conference if maybe you my brother my sister had faith what for yourself oh yes but for another whether you could believe God to do something for your brother your sister down in that youth tent maybe that they down there could believe you up here that God could do something who knows what he could do but if this work is done it's guaranteed that God is going to display his power his person when you and I know that this is done.

The Spirit's Power Working in Believers

When Paul wrote to the Ephesians and I thought this morning Norman was going to pinch my thunder. Well he did a bit. Um I was recently preaching in a place and I read these verses and I misread them on purpose.

I misread them because they get misquoted. Um I'm not going to well you know where it is because they've already been read but I'm going to misquote them. Listen now answer him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think to him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus and to all generations.

Um forever and ever. Amen. Now I left a bit out. You know what I left out. Don't you. Yeah now go on look look down. What did I leave out according to the. Yeah that what. Okay now here you are. This is not some power out there over there in that place but the power that works in us working.

We just said it. This is the work of God that you believe. This is the working of the power of God in us. This is what the Holy Ghost will always do. He'll bring us ever constantly to Jesus that we draw ever from him that everything that he is and has achieved is ministered by this power that works in us.

It goes beyond our thinking beyond all the limitations we set by our minds by our humanity. And as human beings we all do it. God knows we do it. But he has provided a power that's greater than it so that that can work in us causing there to be a great rising in our hearts so that we can come above everything and see him do what is impossible to us in um that same section in chapter four.

Uh chapter three. Uh we read. Uh and sorry I want to go back. Yeah wrong chapter in chapter one. Um this is the the first prayer that Paul prayed for them. The one that Norman read was the second. He is the first one.

Great when people pray. Um if you're going to pray for me and you're going to pray for the bible study leaders. And you're going to pray for the the youth meetings. Will you please pray this. Don't kind of pray to.

Well will you all bless them down there. Um please don't do that. Will you pray this. Here we are. He says I um do not cease in verse 16 to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers. And I want to tell you something.

You will not pray for me. You will not pray for them. I trust that they give thanks to God for me. But what a wonderful position to be in to pray because you've given thanks Lord. I love this man this woman this company this church.

I can pray for them giving thanks for them. Not criticizing not judging not pointing the finger. Not Lord coming to you with that in him that in her. I'm not seeing anything in yourself. Thank you for the Lord.

What a marvelous thing. Uh have you got a heart like that huh. It's gone quiet again. Well have you got a heart like that. Is that what goes on. Lord. Thank you for them. Uh you know so. Well they're not perfect.

And you know for where they got faults. And you know for where they got failings. But you don't see those. Do you. Well do you. What is it. Oh thank you for them Lord. Thank you for them. Thank you for my brother.

Thank you for my sister. Thank you. Thank you Lord. Thank you. I can't think of being in a better place than we're there. You know he says this. I don't cease to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers that the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in knowing him.

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened. Now please keep it in mind. Won't you. He's writing to Christians in verse 13 he's already said you are those who have trusted in him. He's not writing to unbelievers.

He's writing to Christians. And but he's saying to Christians you need the eyes of your understanding open. Well haven't they been open. Yes. But they need to be opened all the wider so that the glory of the Lord might come flooding in.

But you have trusted. Yes. He didn't dispute it. He didn't question it. He said wonderful. We trusted. You trusted. But now I'm going to pray that God opens your eyes and that you have a marvelous enlightening.

What. For for three things here they are. Number one that you may know what is the hope of his calling. I don't want to talk about that. Number two what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.

And I don't want to talk about that. And what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us. Who. There it is. It's believing. Believing opens the doorway for exceeding great power to be manifested.

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe according to the working of his mighty power marvelous which he brought in Christ when he raised him from the dead. And in chapter 2 verse 1 and you he raised him from the dead and you.

And the same power that raised him has raised you. And the same power in all its exceeding greatness is directed towards you. And I who believe believing opens the doorway to it all. I'm going to do a demonstration.

You may not see it down there. I'll come back to it. In John chapter 7 there is a condition one condition only upon which real ministry takes place. One condition only Jesus on the last day of the feast the great day he stood.

He cried if anyone is thirsty let him come to me. In chapter 6 it was hungry. In chapter 7 it's thirsty. If anyone is thirsty let him come unto me. Let him drink. And then he said this. Let me read it to you.

John chapter 7. And we're in verse 39. Sorry 38. Um well let's read the three verses. On the last day the great day of the feast Jesus stood and cried out and he said if anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink.

He who believes in me that is he who believes in me. Sorry. He who believes in me as the scripture has said out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. And this he spake. Concerning the spirit.

The spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified this day he is glorified. The spirit is given. There is one condition upon which there will be a great outflowing of this life of the spirit.

Here said Jesus he who believes this is the work of God that you believe. You'll know whether you're a real believer. You'll know. Not because you make statements not because you claim to be a follower of this particular line or that particular line.

But because out of you flows rivers of living water. I'm going to do this over the flowers. They won't mind if it splashes tough. I think i can. Yeah just about do it. You see this thing. It has a one of these lips.

And i can control the flow of the water in this. Can i not. I can direct it. There may be love in there. It may be spiritual life. But it is under my control. I decide where it goes. Okay. We'll refill this for Norman by the evening.

There we are. I am directing it. But what happens when i fill this thing. There's no spout. There's no direction. I just fill it. Out of this flows rivers. They go all sorts of directions. No one direction.

Whoops. I hope this isn't sacrilege. Excuse me. But it flows here and there. It's not being directed by anything in my heart my life. I do not decide that i want to be a minister to this or a minister to that.

I do not make the choice i become available. And the only condition is i believe. Listen to it. Listen my friend. If you've been giving yourself to praying to fasting to seeking God it's only for this purpose.

He'll bring you to the place where you believe on him. And you stop believing anything else. You'll stop believing in the power of your praying and in the benefits of your fasting and in your whiteness and in your goodness.

It'll all go. And all you're left with is him. I believe on you lord. I'm holding you. I can't let you go. You're my life my power my reality my everything. I'm sick and tired of directing my life. No let it just flow everywhere everywhere.