"YOUR FAITH WILL MAKE YOU WISE"

From the series, "What Faith Will Do"

"Your Faith Will Make You Wise"

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17

Our faith in God comes from hearing the truth of the gospel through the word of God! We have heard leaders all over the world expressing popular beliefs, opinions and philosophy in recent years, but the Bible says that we will receive the faith that we need by the hearing of the word of God. It appears that Paul is asking himself in the book of Romans,"Has all of the earth heard this message of faith?" and then he answers his own question in the same verse. Let's look at this,

But I say, "Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world". ~ Romans 10:18

Into all the earth! Their words went to the ends of the world as they knew it in their day! Every nation had heard the Gospel by way of disciples, apostles, kings and servants. The message had been spread to everyone that lived and they didn't even have Internet or cable television! Isn't that amazing!
God has always made a way to get His word to the people of the earth. We don't have to take it all on ourselves to reach every man. God is at work in the hearts and lives of each person who believes and accepts Him by faith. Knowing this takes a huge burden off of me as a forgiven and compassionate child of God. When I look around, it's easy for me to become overwhelmed with the masses that are following the idols of this world and people of all ages that have bought into the lies of advertising while on their quest to satisfies their inner longing.

One of the best sellers on the music charts even told the world for almost 50 years, "I can't get no satisfaction!" and still people go out in groves searching for satisfaction week after week, month after month, year after year until their lives have literally slipped through their fingers and finding themselves at the end of their life without the satisfaction they had been promised by this world.

The satisfaction that we long for and search for all of our lives is experienced in faith, faith in the living God of our universe and this faith is found in the hearing of the message found in the word of God. Paul was a very educated man who had been in positions in government that required him to make many tough decisions, but the best decision that Paul ever made was the decision to believe and follow the Messiah who had come to save the world and to accept His message by faith!

It was the same man,Paul, that wrote this passage in Romans that had also, at one time, persecuted the Christians and their families.

The challenges we face today don't even begin to compare to the challenges Christians faced before Paul accepted Christ! Christians were scattered all over the globe, trying to escape this man and his wrath! His name was Saul and God changed it to Paul. His business was to wipe out every Christian alive because he believed man, but God stopped him and he heard the word of God.
Paul went from a proud murderer to an humble servant of God overnight! His eyes were opened and he could see the wisdom of the word and the satisfaction filled his heart; that satisfaction that he had longed for every night when he closed his eyes and heard the screams of those he had persecuted.

It is evident in Paul's writings that he had faith by the hearing of the word of God! Paul had gained a wisdom that couldn't be found in biographies and philosophy. This wisdom couldn't be found on the porches of Athens or in meetings with the King's counsel. This wisdom that Paul found came only through the word of God. The faith that Paul found gave him the satisfaction that we all have longed for in our lives, even today!

Paul is talking to the Gentiles in chapter eleven and he is telling them that it is because of the Jews lack of repentance that the gospel went out and had spread to their Gentile nations. It was because of the lack of faith in the Jewish nation that the Jewish believers were directed by God to go into all the world, so that the Jews would become jealous of the mercy that the Gentiles had obtained through God and come back to receive their faith in God. The Jews were going to see the wisdom of the rest of the world through their receiving of the word of God by faith. They would long for the mercy, Paul says, that the Gentiles had obtained!

Even so have these(Jews) also now not believed, that through your(Gentiles) mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all (all nations) in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counsellor? ~ Rom 11:31-34

We can learn so much from the word of God and it is clear that Paul feels just as I do today! I feel that the wisdom and knowledge found in God is beyond anything else that I can get my hands on in this world! So let's treasure what we have found in His word and in communion with God; the wisdom and knowledge that starts with faith in Him.

When we come to realize how great a God we serve, the fear (reverence), forgiving (mercy) and faith (wisdom) will be so incredible that it not only changes us, but others long to know and have what we have! Listen to how Paul described this at the end of chapter eleven of Romans.

For of him(God), and through him(God), and to him(God), are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. ~ Romans 11:36

Those are words of wisdom!

It is my prayer that you have this FAITH THAT WILL MAKE YOU WISE!

If you find you don't have the faith I spoke of today, but would like to know that you do; please contact me by phone or email and I will be glad to help you begin this wonderful, satisfying experience in your life today! The experience of God's forgiveness and mercy by faith in Him!