[0:00] Well, our study is The Precious Things of God by Octavius Winslow. Pastor Jason, did we get a sign-up sheet out in the foyer?
[0:12] Well, he's out there now, but I believe so. He told me that that was what he was going to do. So if you'd like to purchase the book, there's a sign-up sheet out there. I believe it's a paperback, and you can see if the price is listed there.
[0:27] So we saw last week as we began that what we hold as precious is a very revealing thing about us, perhaps the most significant thing about us.
[0:39] Because according to Jesus, in Matthew 6, 21, it's what we give our heart to, that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also.
[0:50] And so our treasure holds a shaping influence upon us. It's what we pursue. It's what we live for. We've invested our time in it.
[1:02] Our money, our very selves are circled around that which we treasure. So that our very lives are being poured into the mold of what we hold precious.
[1:14] Now, Winslow's book just takes us through the scriptures and draws out 10 or 12 different things that God says are precious.
[1:27] And the first, I believe, in order and in preeminence to God as to what is precious to him is his own son. And he verbally weighed in on that, didn't he, when our Lord was on the earth.
[1:42] This is my son of whom I love. In him I am well pleased. He counted him precious. And he is precious not only to Christ, to God, but Christ is also precious to you who believe.
[1:59] And we saw last week he's precious because of who he is and what he does. He grows in preciousness as we get to know him better and especially as we study his suitability and how he perfectly matches our need.
[2:13] And not just in the study, in the den, in the Sunday school, but in the midst of life. As we come up with need and we keep bumping up with our need and we see the suitability of Christ to our need, he grows increasingly precious to us.
[2:33] So as we live, let's be fixing our eyes on Jesus, his names, his offices, his attributes.
[2:47] Challenge you to just go through the ABCs. Think of all the attributes of Jesus that begin with A and think how it fits your need for such a savior.
[2:58] And I found him suited to my needs this week as I did that. Christ is precious to you who believe. So today we turn to 2 Peter chapter 1.
[3:10] Last week it was 1 Peter chapter 2. Now we start in 2 Peter chapter 1. The next thing that is precious.
[3:22] So when we open our Bibles, we are being taken on a treasure hunt. And God is going to show us the things that are truly precious and worth running after.
[3:34] 2 Peter 1. 1. Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, What is the next precious thing?
[3:59] It is our faith. And wonder of wonders. Here's Peter. Who's Peter? Well, he identifies himself as a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ.
[4:09] You remember he was privileged to be in the inner band of those who lived with Jesus for three years and saw him, touched him, listened to him, were with him after the resurrection, saw him ascend into heaven.
[4:24] And yet he says, dear Christian, that through the righteousness of Christ, you have a faith that is just as precious as his. The apostle Peter has nothing on you with regard to faith.
[4:37] Your faith is as precious as Peter, James, and John's faith. It lays hold of the same riches that are found in Christ.
[4:50] So chapter 2 then is the preciousness of faith. And at once we can see the relationship of chapter 2 and chapter 1 and what we saw last week. Winslow says, Having in the preceding chapter considered the preciousness of the object of faith, it seems proper that our thoughts should next be directed to a consideration of the preciousness of faith itself.
[5:15] To whom is Christ precious? What did we see last week? To you who believe. To you who have faith. He is precious.
[5:26] Winslow says, The only spiritual faculty that discerns Christ and realizes his preciousness is faith.
[5:37] Faith is the optical faculty of the regenerate. It's the spiritual eye of the soul. And that enables us to see Jesus as he really is.
[5:50] And oh, how lovely and how glorious is Jesus to the clear, far-seeing eye of faith. So faith, you see, derives a preciousness from the preciousness of its one supreme object, Jesus Christ.
[6:09] Faith is precious because it lets us see a precious Christ. Precious faith dealing with a precious Christ enriches the believer with the two most precious things of God, Winslow says.
[6:24] So faith is precious because it's what makes Christ precious to us. It's what lets us see his preciousness. I assure you, the world sees nothing of the preciousness of Christ.
[6:36] And why is that? Because they do not have faith. And so what is Christ to them? Oh, he's just a stone of stumbling, a rock of offense. He's an obstacle in the way. Wish he'd be gone so I could get on with my life.
[6:48] And that's how you would view him. Precious Jesus that he is. You would view him as an obstacle were it not for faith.
[7:00] Does that not make faith precious to you? That it makes, that it perceives the preciousness of Christ. Now, Winslow says one reason that faith has a bad rap today and it's viewed as a commonplace thing, as if it were nothing special, nothing precious about faith at all, is because of the superficial views of faith and the erroneous views of faith.
[7:25] Errors concerning faith contribute to this discounting of its value. One error is that as if a person can believe when and where he wants and whatever he wants, rather than seeing that faith is a gift of God.
[7:43] As if faith is nothing more than a mental assent to biblical truths and facts and doctrines of the Bible. These and other errors concerning faith greatly diminish its value to people.
[7:56] If that's all faith is, well then it's really not much to write home about. So, Winslow cures such a diminishing of faith with half of a verse of scripture. That's all it takes, just a half.
[8:09] And it's Hebrews 11, 6a, that without faith it is impossible to please God. Oh, oh, what is the value of faith if without it nothing we do pleases God?
[8:29] But springing from it, the lowliest action, the faintest desire, the gentlest throb of a soul is infinitely precious in the view of God.
[8:43] So we see faith is nothing to just take for granted, but it's something precious. So we'll examine faith's preciousness from the same two angles that we looked at the preciousness of Christ.
[8:56] First, what it is, and then what it does. So faith is not only precious because of what it does, it is intrinsically precious in itself because of what it is.
[9:10] And here, Winslow reminds us that faith is a divine grace. It's a divine grace. In other words, it doesn't originate in the man who has it.
[9:22] Some plants are not indigenous to Indiana, which means that they did not spring forth from the soil natively, but were introduced into it, brought over from this country, that state, and transplanted into Indiana.
[9:42] And in the same way, faith is not indigenous to fallen man. It doesn't spring up in man. Now, Winslow says, to be sure, there is a kind of faith.
[9:54] There is a faith. A faith in things created that can spring up from fallen creatures. There's faith in self. That springs up quite well in fallen human nature.
[10:06] Faith in others. Faith in other things. But faith in God that believes his word and trusts in his son originates with God, not with man.
[10:19] No one is born a believer. We have to be born again to become believers. That's how we get faith.
[10:30] It is the gift of God, as Ephesians 2, 8, and 9 says. Faith, the gift of God. It's God's own making. It's his own handiwork. And if it's the work of God and the soul of man, that makes it most precious just for what it is.
[10:47] It's his work. Because all of his works are precious. And that is never more true than with this work of faith. Faith. Faith.
[10:58] Faith. Faith. That he poured out on me abundantly along with grace and love. 1 Timothy 1, 4. There's another passage that shows that faith is a gift.
[11:12] That God poured out abundantly to the Apostle Paul along with the other gifts of grace and love. So faith is precious because of what it is.
[11:23] The gift of God. And it's only because he's given you that faith that you see the preciousness of Christ. So secondly, we want to come and ask, why is faith precious?
[11:36] Well, because of what it does. Its actings. Its results. Its fruits. And surely we can start with the fact that faith is precious because it saves from sin and wrath.
[11:50] Let's just start there for starters. Why is faith precious? Because it saves us. I was reading it again this morning in Acts chapter 16.
[12:00] The Philippian jailer. At his wit's end. What must I do to be saved? And Paul says, believe. Have faith.
[12:11] Trust. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Faith saves us. Jesus says, just said to Nicodemus, just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the son of man must be lifted up.
[12:27] That everyone who believes in him, has faith in him, should not perish but have everlasting life. You remember back in Numbers 21 that the Israelites bitten by the serpents, the poisonous snakes because of their complaining.
[12:44] And they're dying. And they're dying. And God says, here's the only remedy. Put up a bronze serpent on a pole and everyone who looks will live. That's all.
[12:55] Just look. A look of faith that believes that that's God's provided remedy for my sickness. You see, it's a looking away from self onto the object of faith that God lifts up for our salvation.
[13:11] And in the same way, Jesus says, I must be lifted up. That whoever looks, whoever believes, that's what faith is. It's a look away from self to him. A dependent look.
[13:22] An entrusting look. Will not perish but have everlasting life. What is the preciousness of faith? That just a look of faith will save us from everlasting torments.
[13:36] And will bring us into that inheritance that is reserved for us in heaven. You who through faith are shielded by God's power unto salvation.
[13:48] And it's not that you need tons of faith. It's not that it's not the strength of your faith that saves. But it's the strength of Christ on whom your faith rests.
[14:01] Even faith the size of a mustard seed is enough. So how much faith does it take to walk across the lake of the woods in February when the ice is 16 inches deep?
[14:13] How much faith does it take? Well, just enough to keep you walking. However much that is. Because at the end of the day, it's not your faith, but the ice that holds you up, right?
[14:30] So you can walk across that 16 inches. There's plenty enough to hold you up. And you can walk across that trembling and fearing with just a little bit of faith and wondering if the next step you're going to go down.
[14:43] But you have enough faith to keep going. You're going to make it across just as surely as the one with great faith boldly walks across knowing that it's going to hold him up.
[14:54] Both make it. Because in the final analysis, it's not faith that saves. Faith is the empty hands that receive Christ, the Savior. And he is the ice.
[15:05] He's what holds us up. He's what saves us. So what is the preciousness of faith that just a little bit of it, if it is real, will save you from everlasting destruction and change your eternal location from hell to heaven?
[15:24] It's faith in Christ that makes all the difference. Precious faith. Remember in Luke 7, that woman who had lived an immoral life and she comes to Jesus where he was eating and she gets down on her knees and washes his feet with her tears and dries them with her hair and pours perfume upon them and kisses them.
[15:48] And Jesus says to her, woman, your faith has saved you. Go in peace. Winslow says, not her tears, not her love, not her liberality, but bypassing all of these, Jesus says, your faith has saved you.
[16:07] What is the preciousness of faith that saves us? When just the smallest amount of it is cast his way. Just a look of faith.
[16:21] And so we could look at so many aspects, really all aspects of our salvation come down to this, don't they? Down to faith. Think of justification, just one.
[16:32] How are you justified? Romans 5.1. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God.
[16:43] So justification is in the court of heaven. God brings the gavel down after he's searched you with his all-seeing eyes and he brings the gavel down and he says, not guilty, but righteous.
[16:57] And we're all as guilty as sin. And yet he's able, in truth and in justice, to bring the gavel down and say, not guilty. Why?
[17:07] Because faith receives what? The righteousness of Christ. Faith receives the perfect obedience of Christ.
[17:19] Romans 1 and verse 17. For in the gospel, a righteousness from God is revealed. A righteousness that is by faith from first to last.
[17:30] Romans 3.23. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. And so with Christ's righteousness made mine, I'm enabled to stand before the throne with boldness and confidence because I'm counted as righteous as God himself, as Christ himself, as if I was the one who did all the believing, all the obeying, all the commandment keeping.
[18:02] It's there on my record. Perfect righteousness. How did I get that? By faith. Doesn't that make faith precious to you? That it brings the righteousness of God to your account in heaven and makes you acceptable, justified before God.
[18:18] So we're looking at the preciousness of faith because of what it does. It makes us right with God. It saves us from hell to an eternal heaven. Well, the second thing that faith does is it receives the promise of the Holy Spirit.
[18:36] Turn to Galatians chapter 3. And the Apostle Paul gives a pop quiz to the Galatians. And he's got a question for them.
[18:49] Galatians 3 and verse 2. And we'll put the question to you. I would like to learn just one thing from you.
[19:02] Did you receive... There's only one question on the quiz, okay? I would like to learn just one thing from you. Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law or by believing what you heard?
[19:15] By believing. Not by obeying. The promise of the Holy Spirit did not become yours because you obeyed enough of God's commands. No, it came by believing on Christ.
[19:26] You put your trust, your faith in Christ. And because of that, the Spirit was given to you as the gift of God. To live within you the rest of your life here on this earth.
[19:40] Look down at Galatians 3, 13 and 14. Familiar words in verse 13, but perhaps not as familiar. Verse 14 is as precious as verse 13 is.
[19:52] For Christ redeemed us. We were under the curse of the law because of our sin. But Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. As it is written, cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.
[20:05] He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus. So that by faith we might receive the promise of the Holy Spirit.
[20:20] You see, Paul comes to answering his pop quiz. By faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. I'd like to know one thing from you. Did you receive the Spirit by obeying or by believing?
[20:33] And here he tells us it was by believing. By believing the curse was removed. By believing the gift of the Spirit. The promise of the Spirit was given.
[20:46] So faith that looks to Christ and receives Christ is the same faith that receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. So if you would value faith aright, think of all that the Holy Spirit does in your Christian life.
[21:03] Let's just take inventory for a moment. Let's just have some popcorn. What does the Holy Spirit do in your life? He convicts of sin.
[21:17] He gives us discernment. He's called the comforter, isn't he? Another comforter. He points us to Christ.
[21:27] That's his joy. That he glorifies Christ by taking the things of Christ and making it real to us. Holding up Christ as we read in the Scriptures.
[21:39] As we are convicted of sin. He points us to our Savior. The power to display the fruit of the Spirit. Illuminates the Word.
[21:51] He is the light that shines upon the Word that we can understand it. Refines our spirit. Sanctifies us. Makes us holy.
[22:02] He is the Holy Spirit. He dwells within us to make us holy. He brings to our remembrance the things of Christ.
[22:13] The Word of God. And often at the very moment we need it. Right? That's the Spirit. That's his blessed work in our lives. He gives us peace.
[22:30] If you by the Spirit, Romans 8, 13, put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. It's by the Spirit we're able to kill sin in our lives. What else is he doing every day for you?
[22:42] What's he doing? He's interceding for us. And he's helping us to pray in that same verse, Romans 8, 26. He's helping us pray.
[22:53] And he is praying for us with groans that cannot be uttered. What else is he doing for you? He sheds abroad the love of God in our hearts.
[23:04] He assures us that we are believers. He bears witness with our spirit that God is our Father and we are his child. Isn't that a wonderful ministry?
[23:16] That he assures us that this great God is your Father, John. Go talk to him. He seals us for the day of redemption. He's the guarantee of the full inheritance in heaven.
[23:30] He indwells us. He's the presence of God in our lives. He empowers us for witness. He gives you boldness and words to speak.
[23:42] He preserves us. He renews our faith in repentance. He revives us. He causes us to walk in God's statutes. Ezekiel 36, 27.
[23:56] God puts the Spirit in us to make us careful to obey his commands. He transforms us into the likeness of Christ. He gives us desires and thoughts and actions of holiness.
[24:13] Every virtue we possess and every victory won and every thought of holiness are his and his alone. He's active in us. He unites us to the fruitful vine, Christ.
[24:27] All this and more. And we owe it to the Holy Spirit in our lives. And how did you receive the Holy Spirit, by the way? By faith. By faith.
[24:39] Empty hands. God gave you the gift of the Spirit. How precious is faith when it brings to us the Holy Spirit? We have him. We've received him.
[24:52] By faith. We could take time to look. We preached recently on peace in the Christian life. Let's just turn to Romans 15 and verse 13.
[25:06] We'll just look at one verse here. That brings together a couple of the fruits of the Spirit. And identifies that these things are indeed the Spirit's work.
[25:22] And it comes by way of faith. So the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. And on it goes. But verse 13 says, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you, what?
[25:40] Trust in him. So that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Again, just as a side note, we see that the Holy Spirit gives us hope in life.
[25:54] Hope for that coming future good. But notice as well that we have all joy and peace as a result of trusting in the God of hope.
[26:06] So faith, trusting, brings to us joy, brings to us peace. Winslow says, Oh, for a higher tone of holy joy among the Lord's redeemed.
[26:19] Who in this vast universe has such reason to make the valley resound and the mountain echo with the glad notes of praise as you who are freed from slavery, who are delivered from hell, and who are on your way to heaven to spend your eternity forever with the Lord, is not faith precious that brings the fullness of joy and peace?
[26:42] So, faith is precious because it saves us and because it brings to us the promised Holy Spirit. And lastly for this morning, we'll have to reserve the others for next week.
[26:56] Faith enables you. It's precious because it enables you to see things that the world can't see. Faith is precious because it enables you, the believer, to see things that this world cannot see.
[27:10] Turn to Hebrews chapter 11. It's been some time since we made our way through this chapter, but I found it a helpful review as we look at the preciousness of faith and what it does.
[27:28] Faith enables you to see things. Hebrews 11.1. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
[27:45] So, there's two ways of knowing. You can see things. I know you're there because I see you.
[27:58] That's one way of knowing. Through the senses, we know things. But there's another way of knowing, and it's called faith. Because faith is that certain conviction.
[28:10] It's not a hunch. I got a hunch that this is so. No, it's not a hunch at all. It's a certain conviction. It's being sure of something. It's being certain that I am as certain of these things as I am that you're sitting there.
[28:26] I'm as certain of these things that I can't see as I am of the things that I do see. So, faith is another way of knowing reality.
[28:36] And in His Word, God defines the reality. It tells us of things that we cannot see. And we have not yet seen. And faith is the conviction that says, Amen.
[28:51] That is real. That is sure. That is sure to happen. That is certainly the way it is. Faith is that certainty. It's a way we know for sure.
[29:05] As certain as if we did see. Remember Jesus' words to Thomas. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.
[29:17] There's two ways to know. By seeing and by believing. Faith enables us to see reality as it really is.
[29:28] And as it's defined in the Word of God. So, from verse 1, what is it that faith is sure of? There's two things.
[29:40] What are they? What we hope for. What's the other thing? The things we can't see. Can't see with our physical eyes.
[29:52] Faith is the certainty of those things we can't see with our eyes. Remember, Winslow says, Faith is the optical faculty of the soul.
[30:04] We see by faith what the eyeball cannot see. And it sees these two things. Unseen things and future things. The things we hope for.
[30:15] Because those are future things, right? Isn't that what Paul says in Romans 8? What do you hope for? There aren't things you have. It's things in the future. Hope has that forward, future look.
[30:26] So, faith enables us to see the future when God speaks of it. And it enables us to see unseen things when God's Word speaks of it.
[30:38] So, like what? What does faith let you see that the world can't see? Well, verse 3, for starters. The forming of the universe at God's command. You see that.
[30:50] But did you see it with your eyeball? Were you there when God created the heavens and the earth? That's what he asked Job, isn't it? No, you weren't.
[31:01] Then how do you know? How are you sure that this universe was created at God's command? How do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt? How do you know that that is as true as the bench you're sitting on is real?
[31:13] How do you know it? By faith. Can you see the preciousness of faith that enables you to know things that the world doesn't know?
[31:24] There are PhDs that don't know what you know. Because they don't have faith. And they weren't there when God, when the world began. But God was there when the world began.
[31:37] And he tells us in his word. And faith believes it. And faith says, it's true. That's reality. That happened. Faith doesn't need to be there to see it.
[31:49] Faith in what God's word says makes it understood and real to us. So faith enables us to go back. All the way back to creation. And to see.
[31:59] To see with the mind's eye, the soul's eye of faith. God forming the universe by his command. And we're going to see that it also enables us to fast forward and go into the future.
[32:14] And see God creating a new heaven and a new earth. Because his word tells us of it. Does that not make faith precious to us? To enable us to see what we otherwise wouldn't see.
[32:28] Verse 6. Faith enables us to see the unseen realities of prayer. Verse 6. Without faith, it is impossible to please God.
[32:40] Because anyone who comes to him. That's prayer. Coming to him. Must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. So when we close our eyes.
[32:54] Say we're closing our eyes this time when we pray. What are the unseen realities of prayer? Well, there's a God that exists.
[33:06] Have you seen him? No. Neither have I. Does he reward those who seek him in prayer? Yes. Have you seen him?
[33:18] Have you seen him? Have you laid hold of him? By faith we have. Not with the eyeball. And so you see, faith opens up the unseen realities of prayer.
[33:29] And we see that God exists. And that's why when I come before him, I talk to him as if he's real. What a friend we have in Jesus. All our prayers to hear.
[33:40] He hears all of our prayers. And so we cast our cares before him. We make petitions. We praise him. He's real in our lives. Do you remember the Vons letter that talked about the teenage girl that just laughed hysterically when the Vons closed their eyes and prayed before a meal?
[33:56] She couldn't imagine. Who are they talking to? I don't see him. But faith sees him. Faith says God exists and he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
[34:07] So what have you received in your life from believing prayer? Everything. What do you have that you've not received?
[34:18] And how much of it we've received by asking? And does that not make faith precious to you? Because by it, you're able to see invisible things that the world can't see.
[34:32] Verse 27, by faith Moses left Egypt. Not fearing the king's anger, he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
[34:48] Isn't that strange language? How do you see that which is invisible? He saw him who is invisible. I mean, isn't the fact that he's invisible mean that you can't see him?
[35:04] And isn't that the reason the world lives as if there is no God? Because they can't see him. And they have no faith to see him.
[35:14] So why do you not live as if there's no God since you can't see him? Because you do see him. As Moses saw him.
[35:26] He saw him who is invisible. By faith. By faith. Faith is the eye that perceives unseen things.
[35:41] And you see him. And you see him, don't you? You see him, not with the eyeball, but with the eye of faith. You see him throughout your day. I have set the Lord always before me.
[35:56] Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. I see him there. He's right there. He's right with me. Every day. I set him there.
[36:06] Every day. How, David? How did you see him? How, humanity of Jesus? How did you see your God? By faith.
[36:18] Faith in his word. That says he is present. And will never leave us. What a difference faith made in Moses' life. It enabled him to persevere doing God's will.
[36:30] Why? Because he saw him who was invisible. And what a difference it's making in your life, Christian. Because you see what the world doesn't see. God.
[36:42] You remember that story. I love it and have my faith sparked every time I turn to it. In 2 Kings chapter 6.
[36:53] The king of Aram is just mad. Because somehow the king of Israel finds out all the places his army attacks him. And he thinks it's one of his own generals that's passing information to the enemy.
[37:08] And they said, no, it's this man of God called Elisha. And he knows everything. He even knows what you whisper to your wife in your bedroom. Well, he says, then go get him. And he sends out all of his forces.
[37:20] He says, I want that man. Elisha, bring him to me.
[37:31] And so Elisha and his servant are down in Dothan. And he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.
[37:43] And when the servant of the man of God, that's the servant of Elisha, got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. And he runs to Elisha and says, oh, my Lord, what shall we do?
[37:58] Don't be afraid, the prophet answered. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them. Do you get the humor of that?
[38:10] He's looking around. It's you and me, Elisha. And there I look at all the soldiers and chariots. What do you mean more with us than with them? Elisha sees things that the world can't see.
[38:26] Indeed, that his unbelieving Gehazi servant cannot see. And so he says, Elisha prayed, oh, Lord, open his eyes that he may see.
[38:38] And then the Lord opened the servant's eyes. And he looked and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. There indeed are more with us than are with them.
[38:53] How do you know that, Elisha? Because God's word tells me he is the Lord Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts, all the armies of heaven and earth.
[39:08] And he is with me. And I see that with my mind's eye. I see that with faith, that that is reality. I see it as certain as if I could reach out and touch them.
[39:21] But Lord, my servant doesn't see. Open his eyes so that he can see with his eyeballs what I see by faith. And he opens his eyes and he sees the reality.
[39:33] So you see what faith is. It's another way of knowing. It's another way of seeing reality. That which God says is true, faith lays hold of and says, it is as certain as anything is certain.
[39:46] Hebrews 2, 8 and 9. At present, we do not see everything subject to man, but we do see Jesus, who is made a little lower than the heavenly beings, now crowned with glory and honor.
[40:00] That's a present tense, the writer says to us Christians. We see Jesus now crowned with glory and honor. Have you seen him? Yes, you have, Christian. By faith. You know that when he ascended, he didn't stop there in the clouds that took him out of view.
[40:14] He went right on up and was seated at God's right. We see him by faith, now crowned with glory and honor. Whom having not seen with our eyeballs, we love.
[40:30] And having not seen, we believe in. We have faith that he's there, that he's real. And so we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
[40:42] Or there's that Gentile's faith. That Gentile centurion in Luke chapter 7 had a highly valued servant. And we must quit with this. He was sick and dying and he had heard about Jesus.
[40:58] And what he could do and he believed. And so this Gentile centurion sends some Jews to go ask a favor of Jesus to come and to heal his servant.
[41:09] Thinking the Jews will maybe get further with him. But also because he didn't view himself as worthy to come into the presence of this one, Jesus. So he sends the Jews and they say, come and do this for this man.
[41:22] He's a friend of the Jewish people. And Jesus goes with him. And as he's starting to come close to the house, the centurion sends out his friends to say, don't come any further.
[41:32] I don't deserve to have you come into my house. Just speak the word and my servant will be healed. Because I too am a man under authority. And I have soldiers under my authority.
[41:46] And when I say go, they go. And when I say come, they come. And Jesus was amazed. It's one of the two times in the Bible we learn of Jesus' humanity being amazed, shocked, surprised.
[42:04] What took him by surprise? The humanity of Christ now, not his deity. I have not found such faith even in Israel.
[42:21] Not found such great faith even in Israel. And the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well. What was it that was amazing? It was faith. This man saw what most of the world was not seeing.
[42:37] The authority of Jesus Christ over all things created. That everything that he has created has an ear to respond just to his word.
[42:49] So he may be here and some sickness may be there. But if he here says go, it will leave the person. He sees the connection between this Jesus and everything created.
[43:03] Very few saw that. And even fewer saw it so clearly as this man. And Jesus says, I have not found such great faith. But you see what faith does.
[43:14] It lets us see things that are invisible. You can't see Jesus' authority this morning. You can't see that he reigns over you and everything that concerns you.
[43:27] Every sickness, every problem, every person in your life, every situation. He reigns over it and all he has to do is speak the word and things change. Faith is the eye of the soul that sees that.
[43:42] Sees Jesus for who he is. And what a difference it makes in our lives. So we've got to end there. Faith is precious then because of what it enables us to see. Unseen things.
[43:54] Next week, Lord willing, we'll look at how it helps us see future things. And other reasons, faith is precious to us. Let's fix our eyes on Jesus as we worship him today. And rejoice that we have been given this precious gift of faith.
[44:08] As precious as the faith of the apostles. We're dismissed. Thank you.