Tag: Faith

Just added , a new message preached from 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse by J Stewart Gillespie:

1 Corinthians chp 12 vs 9 – to another faith…- JS Gillespie

Outline notes are available from this message:

What differentiated the Corinthians old dead religious experience from the new experience of Christ was the genuine presence of God amongst them:

Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

That is the Christian gathering is not primarily a gathering:

• To talk about God
• To teach about God
• To debate about God
• To discuss about God

The distinctive feature of the Christian gathering is that here we meet with God

Where Gods presence is, that presence is knowable.

Subjectively:

• Gods presence is knowable by:

• Gods Peace – John 20

• Gods Purity – John 9

• Gods Pleasure – Psalm 16

Objectively:

• God spoke

• God revealed Himself

The Bible nowhere sets out arguments to prove the existence of God:

1. Gods non existence is not an argument worth debating – Psalm 14:1
2. The denial of God is a consequence of Gods withdrawal and abandonment – Romans chp 1
3. The existence of God is not dependent on an argument but rather the Apostle Paul, The Corinthians are utterly convinced regarding the reality of God, because God speaks.

Of course anyone could claim that God speaks, but it is an altogether different matter to prove it.

In verses 4 to 11 the apostle will present the proof of it

9 distinct spiritual gets and yet all are:

1. Consistent

2. Coherent

3. Coordinated

Between individuals and over time

Drawn together by unity of:

1. Origin (v4)

2. Order (v5)

3. Outcome (v6)

We noticed that as the Spirit of God gave:

‘Wisdom’ to Bezaleel in the tabernacle it was with the purpose of presenting the work of Christ as an elaborate parable, or more Germaine to 1 Corinthians chapter 12, when Joseph is given that ‘Word of Wisdom’ it is to complete an elaborate picture of the:

‘Person of Christ’

We would like to look at the 3rd of these gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:9 :

‘to another faith‘

When God has gifted ‘faith’, He has always done so with the purpose of drawing us to the Person of Christ.

It may be tempting to think with some commentators of ‘faith’ here in the context of:

• extraordinary faith

• supernatural faith

• miracle working faith

As the faith to:

1. Walk on water – Peter

2. Slay a giant – David

3. Destroy the temple of Dagon – Samson

This is undoubtedly contextually relevant, however when it comes to faith there is no substantive difference between what we call:

ordinary faith

and

extraordinary faith

In truth all faith is extraordinary and supernatural

Faith is not defined as faith by the nature of its outcome

If faith was outcome focused then the object of:

1. Peters faith would be that he could walk on water

2. David’s faith would be that he could Slay a giant

3. Samsons faith would be that he could destroy Dagons temple

Then we could be absolutely sure that:

• Peter would sink

• David would miss

• Samson would fail

Faith is measured not by the greatness of its outcome, but the defining feature of faith lies in its object: that is in Christ.

When Peter took his eyes off of Christ, he began to sink (Matt 14:30ff)

Saving faith and supernatural faith so called are in essence thus the same; defined by their object – Christ and not defined by their outcome.

“believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thought shalt be saved”

If there is one person we think of in connection with faith it must be Abraham (Romans 4:16)

Abraham is the father of the faithful

Abrahams Faith:

1. Personally (Genesis 15:1-6)

2. Practically (Genesis 14)

3. Prophetically (Genesis 22)

Abrahams Faith:

Personally

Genesis 15:1-6

Fulfilled in Christ; cf. Genesis 22; Genesis 17:4,7

Abahams personal faith brings him into a relationship with God, a relationship only possible through Christ (Genesis 15:6) – it is only by Christ that God is able to make anyone right by faith cf. Romans chapters 3, 4 and 5.

The terms of Genesis chapter 15 and 17 and 22 point clearly to Christ:

“everlasting covenant” (Gen 17:6)

“everlasting covenant” (Gen 17:13)

“stars of the heaven and the sand of the sea shore” (Gen 22:17-18)

Abrahams personal faith was a faith that:

Justifies

Brought everlasting promise

Produced offspring as the stars of heaven

blesses every nation

The apostle Paul is in no doubt as to how that is possible: Galatians 3:6; Romans 3:26

Practically

Genesis chapter 14

Abraham masters an army to go and recapture Lot from the grip of 5 victorious Kings

Practical faith would lead him to one of the greatest encounters of his life; Genesis 14:17ff

By that practical faith, Abraham encountered Melchizedek – King of Righteousness and King of Peace.

Here is a King / Priest – almost unique in the pages of scripture, until Psalm 110:4 and Hebrews 7:1ff – Christ is our Great High Priest (Hebrews 9:11)

Revelation 19:16

Prophetically

Genesis chapter 22

“Thine only Isaac” (22:3)

‘only’ : yahiyd – 12 times in the Ot

The last use of this word ‘only’ (yahyid) is in Zechariah 12:10

Note also it’s use in Psalm 22:20

Consider in Genesis 22:

• Person – Genesis 22:2 : ‘Thine only’ : ‘yahiyd’ – the Son and the Sacrifice – lamb and burnt offering

• Place – Moriah – the temple mount

• Picture – ‘wood’ = ‘tree’

• Provision (v8)

• Promise

Abrahams faith leads Prophetically to Christ