Words of Encouragement - Olu Talabi & David Lane - January 26, 2020
http://rlcfchurch.org/words-of-encouragement River of Life Christian Fellowship 1306 N Lincoln Avenue Loveland, Colorado - 80537, USA
Summary
The central message emphasizes that the Christian life must be lived by absolute faith and confidence in God's goodness and trustworthiness, rather than by personal feelings or circumstances. The speaker repeatedly cites Hebrews 10:38, reminding the audience that 'the just shall live by faith,' which is necessary to please God daily, not just at conversion. True faith requires leaning fully on God's Word even when things are uncertain.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Why recurring verses deserve our attentionWhen a verse appears multiple times across the Old and New Testaments, such as verses on humility and trusting God, it signals something important we need to pay attention to.
The just shall live by faithThe biblical principle that the just shall live by faith appears repeatedly in Scripture, showing that the only way to walk with God is through absolute confidence in his goodness and trustworthiness.Hebrews 10:38
Without faith you cannot please GodTrue belief requires a fundamental confidence in the absolute trustworthiness of God's word, because without faith it is impossible to please him.
Little faith is like no faith in the stormWhen Jesus rebuked the disciples during the storm in the boat, he equated little faith with having no faith, calling us to rely completely on him instead of our fears.
Walking by faith and not by sightA true Christian must walk by looking at the unseen eternal God rather than temporary circumstances, or else risk having no pleasure from God.
Do not harden your heartScripture warns us repeatedly not to harden our hearts like the Israelites of old, but rather to keep a soft heart and rest in the Lord who never fails.
Applying what is written to our own livesJesus declared that what is written must be fulfilled in him, a principle we can apply to our own lives by believing that God's promises will be fulfilled in us.
Faith comes by hearing the word of ChristFaith is not about working up enough strength or righteousness on our own and presenting it to God; rather, faith comes by hearing the word of Christ because God backs up his own word.
Let it be done to me according to your wordLike Mary responded to the angel's message, our faith is rooted in who God is and what he said, allowing his word to be accomplished in us.
Sin shall not be master over youInstead of merely managing or hiding our sin, we can rely on the promise of grace that sin shall not be master over us because God himself presented this possibility through his word.
Relinquishing control and running to winThere is tremendous freedom in relinquishing control, taking our hands off, and whole-heartedly running the race to lean heavily on the Lord.
