Today, what I'd like to share with you about, to speak to you about, is the meaning of faith. I find, and I'm greatly distressed to find, that in the churches today, many Christians still don't understand what faith means. I'm in many教会, many people, and they don't understand what is faith. If I ask you to give me a definition of faith, I should be very interested to know what you would tell me.
Our salvation depends on faith. Our faith in Christ. And if eternal life depends upon faith, then it is easy to understand why it is so important for us to know what faith means. 因為永恆的生命也是在於信心裡面得到，所以我們非常重要需要知道什麼是信心。 What is the definition? What does faith mean? 根據信心是為什麼呢？定義是什麼呢？ If I ask you today, could you tell me clearly, simply, what faith means? 假如今日我叫大家很簡單地說信心是什麼意思。 If you don't know what faith means, how do you know that you are saved, if seeing that faith is the means under God of salvation? 假如我們知道信心是從神也得到救恩，而我們不明白信心是什麼意思，那我們怎能夠相信呢？
Now in these days, we need to look in these few days, these three days that we have together. We want to look at the fundamental, the really important matters concerning the Christian life. 在這三天裡面，我們將會思想到在基督最基本的信仰裡面。 What is the secret of our communion with God? 究竟我們跟神之間那個相交的秘密在哪裡呢？ What is the secret of spiritual power? 究竟在神裡面支取屬靈的力量在哪裡呢？ What is the secret of spiritual joy in this world? 究竟在這個世界上得到在靈裡面的喜樂的秘密在哪裡呢？ What is the secret of this eternal life that is in me and in every true Christian right now? 究竟在我裡面和很多真正的基督徒裡面，他的信心和他的喜樂在乎哪個秘密裡面呢？
Now all of these things depend upon our faith in Christ. 所有這些東西都是基於在我們對基督的信心裡面。 Without faith in Christ, you have none of these things. 假如我們在基督裡面沒有信心的時候，我們完全沒有任何一樣東西。 Life, power, joy, peace, all of these things are in Christ and in Him alone. 我們知道單單在主耶穌基督裡面，我們才有這個生命，有這個力量，也都有喜樂和和平。 Without Jesus, you have nothing that is worth having. 假如沒有主耶穌基督的話，我們一切都徒然的，一切都沒有的。 You may be the richest person in Vancouver, but if you haven't got Christ, you've got nothing that is worth having. 或者你是在溫哥華裡面最有錢的人，但你沒有耶穌基督的話，你在裡面是空虛的。
When I was on my way from Hong Kong to Europe, I was sailing in a ship. 當我在香港去英倫的時候，我是坐船去的。 And there was in this ship a doctor. 在船上有一個醫生。 Now there were only eleven passengers, because this was a freighter. 就是說當時那個是一個包船，所以只有11個搭客。 And this doctor, you might say, has everything that this world had to offer. 這個醫生在世界上，他一切的東西都似乎是得著了。 Well, for one thing, he had great size to begin with. 他是一個非常龐大身軀的人。 I think he had about four times my waist or five times, I think. 但是我的四倍至五倍那麼大。 Even though he was about my height, but the dimensions were different. 雖然他是跟我那麼長的高度，但是他的倍數就比我有四、五倍。
Well, and then of course he had great learning. He was a doctor of medicine. 由於他是醫生的緣故，當然他受了不少的教育。 He had lots of money. 還有很多的錢。 He had three passports, which you can take which one you like. Every time we came to a harbor, I mean I hardly manage with one passport. He's got three to choose from. 他的三張護照。當他去了每一個港口的時候，他都是隨便可以拿一張來用的。 He was an Austrian by birth. 他的出生的時候在奧洲。 And then he was an American citizen. 他又得了美國的籍。 And on top of that, he was an Indonesian citizen, which he bought with money, of course. 而且他也是靠著他錢的緣故，購買了一個印度尼西亞的籍。 And of course, so he has learning, he has passport, he has size, he has money. 所以他是有學識，有錢，也都有籍，有地位。
And though he was some sixty years old, he also had a wife. His wife was twenty-one years old. 雖然他是六十一歲左右，他的太太只是二十一歲。 It's old enough to be his granddaughter. 可以說差不多是他的孫子的年齡。 But they say money can buy everything, it can even buy a wife. 所以他說金錢是萬能，我要買任何的東西，所以連太太都買了一個。 Well, truly, one thing he probably didn't have too much of was the good looks. 他沒有一個很好的外表。 But that doesn't matter, when you have lots of money, that covers everything. 但是這個也都不要緊要，當你好有錢的時候，錢是整個一切。 Because his wife was looking not at him, but at his money. 因為他的太太所望見的不是他，而是他的銀子。
And so he had all these things. Now, on top of that, he had religion. 不單是這些東西，而且他也都有宗教。 What else do you need? I mean, can you think of anything else? You got the wife, you got the money, you got passport, size. And now on top of that, you also got religion. 你還要求什麼呢？You have a wife, you have money, you have such a kind of地位, you have such a kind of身材, 也有太太，還有什麼需求呢？ 宗教也有了。
He had religion, that is to say he had a certain kind of religion. 但這個宗教意思是他有某種的宗教。 He had what is called Mohammedanism. 他所有的是回教。 But I think the Mohammedans would have been quite ashamed of him. 我相信穆斯林對他來說也都非常羞愧。 因為我們在船上是一個月的時間，當時穆斯林有守齋期，在日後就是不可以吃東西的。 但他完全不能忍受。 他非常肯定他的錢可以連神都能買通。 因為他知道穆斯林也曾經把他自己的奴隸換取神的祝福，以至於他覺得錢可以買通他的神。 所以這個人覺得他可以全可通天亦都通地了。 這個人有一切的東西，甚至宗教都有把握。 當他非常之低沉的時候，他有宗教來安慰。 當他需要的時候，他覺得他有其他人。
因為當他自己心情不好，錢對他來說是沒什麼用的。 當他在這個船上整段路程去香港，去歐洲去的時候，當他了解我多一點，他就更加覺得內心裡有些不妥。 因為我當時還沒結婚，也沒有錢，也沒有很多學識，因為我當時是在他尋求學問的途中。 現在這裡有一個人，他是世界上可以說什麼都擁有的人，而跟我比較上，我就是什麼都沒有的。 但他慢慢地覺得他對我來說是非常羨慕的。 他就覺得我有這麼多東西，他沒有的。
You see, what I had was very simply this. I had Christ, and I had faith in Christ by the grace of God. 其實我有的是什麼呢？是基督，以及在基督裡面的信心。 他沒有基督，也沒有這個信心。 那是為什麼我說到在開始的時候，without faith in Christ, you have nothing that is worth having. 所以我正如剛才最初講過的，如果假如沒有基督的話，我們在世界上一切都是徒然的，空虛的。 You don't have Him, that life is empty. 假如我們沒有他的話，我們的生命就是空虛的。 And somehow I made this poor man, or rich man, whatever you like to call him, in my eyes he was very poor, but he became very very thirsty. 這個可憐的或者是富人，在我眼裡覺得他非常地飢餓。 And he just longed to have what I have. 他是非常地飢渴，能夠得到我所得到的東西。
One day I was standing on top of the ship, the ship was plowing through the sea. 當這個船乘風破浪地航行，我在這個船頭那裡。 I like to stand up high on top of the ship, watching the ship go through the sea. 我站在船最高的地方，可以看到整個海。 And he came up beside me. 那他就來到我旁邊。 He said, "Eric," he said, "do you really, really believe in Jesus?" 他就說，Eric，你是不是真的相信主耶穌基督？ I said, "I do." 我說，我是。 He said, "You really believe you have eternal life?" 他說，你真的相信你有永恆的生命？ I said, "Yes." 我說，是。 He said, "You believe you have resurrection from the dead?" 你是不是相信是在死裡面有復活這件事？ I said, "I do." 我也說是。 "You can talk with Jesus and know this living Jesus?" 難道你可以跟耶穌這個活的耶穌聊天嗎？ I said, "That's right." 我說，沒錯。
Oh, he said, "You know, I just admire you so much. I just admire what you have." 我實在太羨慕你了。我太羨慕你所得到的了。 I said, "You don't have to admire me. What I have, you can have too." 我說，你不用羨慕我。我所得著的，你也可以得著。 "Everything I have, I am willing to share with you." 我所有的，我願意跟你分享。 I don't think he was willing to share with me what he has. 但他所有的，我相信他不是想跟我分享。 But I said to him, "Everything I have, I am willing to share with you." 我說，我有的一切都願意跟你分享。
And he was very interested. 他非常有興趣。 He was a man who lived deep in sin. 這是一個在罪深淵的一個人。 That man was full of sin. 他整身都是罪。 Some people say, "Your education makes people better." You're wrong. 有的人說，教育好的時候，一個人一定會有所改進的。 I have seldom seen a man so evil as that man. 但是我相信這個是錯的。我甚少見到一個人，好像這個人這麼敗壞。 This man could hardly open his mouth without saying several swear words. 他每一個說話裡面都有幾句粗口。 And this man, yet deep down, was so desperately ill spiritually and desperately hungry. 我相信這個人在內心的深處裡面是有非常地盼望，因為他在心裡面有非常地渴望。
I remember how he came to my room and he saw the John's Gospel, a small John's Gospel on my table. He asked, "Can I have this?" 跟他來用我房間的時候，他見到有一個約翰福音，他就問，我可不可以得著這個。 "I'm sure you can have it. You can have my address with it, so that when you come to Christ, you can write to me." 我說你可以拿這個福音，也可以拿我的地址。假如你願意接受基督的話，你可以寫信給我。
I want to say this also by way of encouragement to those of you, because I see most of you are young people. 特別在我們當中，我們今晚是很多年輕的人，所以我希望有些鼓勵的話。 I want to show you that I witnessed to this man although I had no theology at that time. I had never been to a Bible school. 我和這人作見證的時候，我根本就是沒有神學上基本的背景。 I didn't know my Bible terribly well. 我也不是認識本聖經很深。 But I was able to help this person for one thing, because I had faith by the grace of God in Jesus. 我能夠幫助這人，但是單單我是有耶穌基督裡面的信心。 Through faith, I was able to see the glory of Christ. 透過信心，我會見到神的榮耀。 Through faith, I had the living relationship with Christ, even as a very young Christian. 甚至是一個非常初信的基督徒，我透過信心，能夠和神有一個非常好的關係。 I was able to talk with Him and listen to Him talking to me. 我可以和神講的話，也知道神向我講的話。
So precious, when you can fellowship with God in this close, this sweet way. Do you know this kind of Christian life? 當你和神有這麼緊密的團交的時候，這是多寶貴的事情。 Have you got this sweet fellowship with Jesus? 譬如你和耶穌基督有一個這麼緊密的團交。 This sweet fellowship with Jesus doesn't depend on you knowing theology. 這個和耶穌基督的關係並不是表示你在神學裡面有多少認識。 It doesn't depend on you being five years or how many years in a Bible college. 或者不論你自己在神學院裡面有五年或者多少年的訓練。 So what does it depend on? 僅基於什麼呢？僅僅是信心。 僅僅是信心。
I say, well, okay, what is faith? You've been getting me hungry now, you're getting me thirsty, so what is faith? 好了，講了這麼久，什麼是信心？ Yes, without this faith, you just cannot have this free, this living fellowship with Jesus. 當然沒有了這個信心，我們根本就不可以和耶穌基督有這麼甜蜜的團交和他的關係。 I want to share with you, and I hope that everyone of you just sees as a result of these two meetings that we have together, being superficial Christians and becoming real Christians in the deep sense of living with Jesus day by day. 在這幾晚的聚會裡面，我打算和大家研究一個表面的基督徒和一個在靈裡面的真實基督徒，那種的生活是如何不同。 The fellowship of walking with Him, as I said, talking with Him, listening to Him, talking to you. 我們在與神的緊密的團交，那是與神同行，並且與祂有好的關係，以至祂可以跟我們說話。
Just like Abraham, walking with God. 就像亞伯拉罕一樣，與神同行。 That was the father of faith, the man of faith. 祂就是信心之父，是一個有信心的偉人。 Have you never, when you looked in the Old Testament, wondered, how is it that these men have such wonderful fellowship with God, even in the Old Testament? 我們看舊約聖經的時候，甚至舊約聖經裡面竟有些這樣的人，有這麼大的信心與神同行的人。 Enoch walked with God day by day, isn't that wonderful? 每一天都與神同行是多麼奇妙的事情。 Not to mention Abraham and Jacob and all these men, right through to the prophets. 甚至我們可以看到亞伯拉罕、雅各與其他的先知，每一個人與神的關係。
If they can have that kind of fellowship in the Old Testament, what about us in the New Testament? Are we behind them? 假如那群人在舊約裡面有這樣的正常關係的時候，為什麼我們那群新約時代的人不可以呢？ I wonder why these people in the Old Testament live so near to God. 為什麼我們落後呢？為什麼那群人能夠那麼接近神呢？ Why is it in the New Testament there are so few people who live near to God? 為什麼在新約時代那麼少人與神有這麼好的關係呢？ When I read in the New Testament that God has opened for us through Christ a new and living way to God. 當我們看新約聖經的時候，我們發覺神透過耶穌基督打開給我們一條很新的路，以致我們可以去到神那裡。 How is it that those who did not have this new and living way can walk closer to God than those people in the New Testament who have a new and living way? 我又奇怪，為什麼在舊約裡面這些人沒有耶穌基督，而他們能夠跟神有這麼好的關係，而今天我們有卻不能夠呢？ That's a mystery to me. 這是一個奧秘。
How is it that these people can talk with God and listen to God talking to them? 為什麼這些人可以跟神講話，跟神裡面支取力量呢？ And when I say that I talk with God and God talks with me, people think I have said something very unusual. 當我跟神講話，或者神跟我講話的時候，那些人覺得我有點不正常。 When I say that God talks with me, I don't mean that He has chit-chat with me the whole day long. 我所說，神跟我講話並不是說祂跟我整天聊天。 I don't mean to say He's saying to me, "Eric, it's nice weather today, eh?" 我的意思並不是說今天天氣怎麼樣呢。 我的意思就是當有些事情還要發生的時候，神要跟我講話。 On several occasions, God spoke with me. 很多不同的環境裡面、情況裡面，神要跟我講話。
The first time was when He told me that He was taking me out of China. 第一次就是祂跟我講，祂說要將我帶離中國。 So wonderful. As I knelt down before the Lord, and I said, "Lord, I don't know what the future holds. I don't know what You want to do with me. You can do with me whatever You like. I'll stay in China if You want me to stay in China." I wasn't asking to be taken out of China. 我並不是說要求將我帶離中國。 But I prayed, "Lord, if You want me to stay in China, tell me what You want me to do." 我說神，假如你要我留在中國的話，就告訴我聽，我應該是怎樣去行。 "If You want to take me out of China, only You can do it." 假如你要將我帶離中國的話，只有你一個可以做這件事。 And the voice of the Lord spoke to me, as clear as you can hear me speaking to you now. And He said, "I am taking you out of China." 當時神跟我講的說話，正如今天我和大家講的說話一樣。祂說我要將你帶離中國大陸。 That time everybody said, "This is impossible, such things don't happen." 每一個人都說，這是不可能發生的事。因為當時這樣的社會，好像我這麼年輕的人，是完全不可能離開中國大陸的。
第二件事發生的是，當我在倫敦的時候，神要警察我去幫一個人去歸順他。這是一個從台灣來的教授。他來倫敦只是兩天的時間。而神當時警察我去到倫敦，去到YMCA。當時我去到倫敦的市中心的YMCA。當時我住在倫敦的北部。當我去到那裡的時候，祂就顯示給我知道，哪一個人我需要跟他說出來。當我跟他說的時候，他就接受了基督耶穌。您覺得這很驚奇？沒什麼驚奇。在那裡的事件事實上已經發生了。其實不是很奇妙的事，因為在《使徒行傳》裡已經發生過不少一次。您記得當腓力被聖靈感動去遇見這個埃塞俄比亞的太監。
當另一件事發生的時候，又我要離開瑞士。當時我要睡覺的時候，當時主對我說，你今晚不是要離開這裡。因為我打算坐這個包機，從這個晚上離開，清晨的時候。因為這個時間是最便宜的。但是主對我說，你不可以離開。因為我已經辦好所有手續，辦好我倫敦的事項了。我一定要離開了。但是主是這麼奇妙，這麼清楚的，告訴我，你一定不可以離開。因為我已經跟大家說了晚安，晚安，再見了。第二天早上又見回我。如果假如我已經說了晚安，再見了，然後又回來，這樣就不太好。但是我留下了。因為神要我幫一個人相信他。所以我留下了。第二天我就幫了一個人相信主。
How do we enter into this sweet and wonderful fellowship with God? Through faith. Have you got this faith? I want to share these things with you so that you know that when I am preaching to you I am not just preaching from a book or preaching from theology or from my knowledge. I am preaching to you from my heart with the love of Christ. Because Christ loves you each one and He wants to draw you to Himself.
When we say Jesus loves us, what does that mean? If you love somebody, you want to talk with somebody. You want to have fellowship with somebody. The apostle John says in his first letter, "Our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." Our fellowship is with Him. Do you have fellowship with Him? Or is your prayer life some kind of an artificial business in which you get on your knees and you mumble through some prayer? Or maybe it is a very sincere prayer and you do all the talking and you go on and on for ten minutes, a quarter of an hour and then you say Amen and you're up. I am sure God didn't even have time to say hello to you. Fellowship doesn't mean that you do all the talking. It is fellowship with Him. It goes both ways.
Where are the Christians today who have fellowship with Christ? I tell you in any church the number of this kind of Christians are very very few. That's why I am speaking to you now, that the barriers may come down, that you come into sweet fellowship with Him. Why do I preach Jesus? Because religion is important? I am not terribly interested in religion. Maybe that will surprise you, but I am not very interested in religion. I preach the gospel because I know Jesus is alive.
And when we say He is alive, what is He alive for? Most people just preach that Jesus died for our sins. It is only important for us that He died. So that He can take away my sins. Really, whether Jesus rose from the dead or not, it doesn't matter to most Christians. What does it matter to you whether Jesus rose from the dead or not? So long as He died for you, that's enough. So what does it matter to you that He is alive? Can you tell me why it's important that He is alive?
Very interesting, in the Bible study I ask you, why is Jesus alive for? What is He alive for? What does it matter to you that He has to rise from the dead? Why is it so important that He has to rise from the dead? Well, certainly one of the reasons for this is that He can have fellowship with us. Very important thing is that He can have fellowship with us. He broke the power of death and that He is alive now. The Bible tells us right now we are united with Christ. We are one body with Him.
Have you ever heard of an arm that has no connection with the head? There must be paralyzed. How can it be that my head cannot communicate to my arm? There must be something wrong with my arm then, if I can't control my arm. Or else there is something wrong with my head. Now if we are one body with Christ, then either there is something wrong with Christ or there is something wrong with me that I cannot communicate, I cannot have fellowship with Him. And all of this, how is it that we are united with Christ? Through faith.
What does faith mean? You say, okay, just wait a minute, I will get the Oxford Dictionary. Or we will check the Oxford Dictionary to see what faith is. Trust. In the Oxford Dictionary, it says trust. I trust in Jesus. I can trust in Jesus. Well, I can ask you, what does trust mean? That is what faith is, trust. You wait a minute, I will look at the Oxford Dictionary again. Trust means to rely upon. That's fine. Can you tell me what rely upon means? You see, this understanding of faith, what does it mean that I believe in Jesus, I trust in Jesus, I rely on Jesus?
And so many Christians say, well, that means you believe that Jesus died for you. There are many Christians who say you just believe that Jesus died for you. You see, all you need to believe that Jesus died for you, that's what matters. He died, that's what's important. And so, I am saved because He died for me and I believe that. That He died. And that He died for the sins of the world including me. Because after all, He died for the sins of the whole world and I am in the world, so it must include me. That's easy to figure out.
To believe that Jesus did something. To believe something about Jesus. Is that going to save you? Let me ask you, do you think that the devil believes that Jesus died for the sins of the world too? I can assure you he believes it too because he knows it's true. The devil believes that Jesus died for the sins of the world. That is when the Bible says you believe in God, you are doing quite well, because the devil also believes in God. Simply to believe that something about Jesus and think that is faith. Oh, brothers and sisters, we haven't started yet on what faith is.
The Bible teaches us that we are justified, we are forgiven our sins by faith. We are saved through faith. We do not earn our salvation. We cannot earn eternal life. Eternal life is far too valuable to earn. It's like trying to buy a Cadillac in this part of the world with my pocket money. There's no way to do that. Only through faith can we receive God's grace.
Let me ask, how much faith do you need to have before you can be saved? Is that a fair question or not? If I were a non-Christian, I would like to ask you this question. I would like all these mature Christians, all the Christians here to answer me, how much faith do you think I should have before I can be saved? You say, "I'm saved by faith." I say, fair enough. You tell me how much.
What is faith in the Bible? Let me answer to you first and foremost. Faith in the Bible is nothing less than obedience. In John chapter 3 verse 36, you will see that faith and obedience are seen to be the same thing in the Bible. And then you might say, if that's the case I can still ask the same question. How much obedience should I have before I can be saved? That's a fair question. How much obedience? Halfway or 90% or 80%? How much obedience is sufficient to be called faith? Is 50% enough? Immediately you will see that this question is impossible to answer, unless you know the Bible's answer.
The Bible's answer tells us that faith is nothing less than this: total commitment to Himself. Faith is 100% commitment to Christ. Not 80% or 90% or even 99%. It is complete total self-commitment to Christ. In God's eyes there is no middle ground between obedience and disobedience. The Lord Jesus said, "He that is not with me is against me."
And so I would, as our time is going fast, share with you some words in John chapter 8 verses 39 to 47. We will read to verse 43.
I'd like you to notice verse 39. It says here, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do what Abraham did." Look at this and think carefully. They claim, the Jews claim to be Abraham's children. You know why they claim to be Abraham's children? Because God's promise was to be in Abraham. If you want to get the promises of God, you have to be the children of Abraham to get those promises. How do you become Abraham's children? He says, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do what Abraham did."
Now why do I quote this verse? Because I'd like to quote to you another verse in Romans chapter 4. Because I want you to see that everything I say is firmly founded upon the word of God. I don't want anyone to accept my opinions. You've got to have your faith in the word of God, not in what I say.
Let us read verse 3. He believed in God. How did he get righteousness? It was through faith. And we find that we have become, as the whole of Romans chapter 4 tells us, the children of Abraham through faith. And just as Abraham was justified by faith, so we also are justified by faith.
And so notice verse 12, please. We see here that Abraham is the father of the circumcised, that is the Jews, who are not merely circumcised but also follow the example of faith which our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. And before that it tells us he is also the father of those who are uncircumcised through faith. So Paul says in Romans chapter 4 verse 16, that is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his, that is Abraham's descendants, not only to those of the law but also to those who have the same faith as Abraham had.
Now if you are a young Christian, you might say, oh no, this is getting too complicated for me. Let me put it to you very simply then. There is only one kind of faith that is acceptable before God, which God will accept as a faith by which you can be saved, that is justified. It means saved. And that faith is the same kind of faith as Abraham's faith. If you want to be justified by faith as Abraham was, then you must have the same kind of faith as Abraham had. Now that I think is not so difficult for you to understand. If you want to think about what faith means, then you think about the faith of Abraham.
That is the definition of faith in the New Testament. In the New Testament, faith is always explained, defined in terms of the faith that Abraham had. If I ask you a question, all of these are Bible study group leaders and so on. Let me ask you, do you know how many times Abraham is mentioned in the New Testament, not the Old Testament, in the New Testament? You know how important Abraham is? Do you know how many times he is mentioned in the New Testament? Or would you like to take a guess? I have asked before in the Bible study, and some people said 12 times. Maybe 20 times. Maybe 30 times. I tell you he is mentioned 73 times in the New Testament. That is to show us, if you want to know what faith means, then look at Abraham for the definition of faith.
That is why we close today on just briefly looking at Hebrews chapter 11, where the meaning of faith is made clear to us. We will see Abraham's faith.
# The Meaning of Faith (1) - Part 2
...commitments as seen in the life of Abraham. In Hebrews chapter 11, which is the famous chapter about faith, it tells us four things about Abraham. And if you want to know what faith is, you look at that and you will be absolutely clear about the meaning of faith. And as we look at these points, I want you to ask yourself, do I have faith? If you don't have these things, you will immediately see why you don't have this living fellowship with God. You will be able to see why your spiritual life is so weak. You will be able to see why your spiritual life is so poor. You will begin to understand the questions, the answer to the questions I asked before. You will begin to see why the Old Testament saints had such wonderful communion with God, even though the New Testament saints in the churches today very seldom have this kind of fellowship with God.
You want to know what is faith? Look at Abraham for an example. That is the example of faith we saw in Romans chapter 4 verse 12. And just as the Lord Jesus said in John chapter 8 verse 39, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do what Abraham did." So we can ask, what did Abraham do? Well the Bible gives us the answer. The first thing: when God called him, he left Haran and went out, not knowing where he was going.
The place where Abraham lived, Haran, was a place of very advanced civilization. Today the archaeologists are digging up this place and they have dug up so much. And we find that the place where Abraham lived was very advanced in science, in the arts, in culture, in every respect. Especially also in astronomy. Abraham was not called out of some backwater, out of the jungle somewhere. He came from a very advanced civilization, one of the earliest civilizations in the world. It was a prosperous civilization, a very advanced civilization.
And God called him out and sent him in the direction of Canaan. The Lord Jesus was calling him out from the advanced civilization to a backward place. We think of many missionaries. They went out to a place they didn't know what they were going to. It doesn't mean that they hadn't heard about it, they hadn't read about it, but they didn't know what kind of a place it was in their own experience. And the standard of living was so much lower than where Abraham had come from.
So the first point is God called Abraham out of the world. He came out of the world that he knew so well with his culture, with his knowledge, with his science, with his arts, and sent him out of this place so that he may stop loving the world and learn to walk with God. Unless you turn your back upon the world as a first step, loving this world, how are you going to walk with God? Your whole mind is occupied with the world. If our heart is turning to this world, our eyes are turning to this world, how can we see God?
I find that Christians are so occupied with the world, occupied with money, with business, with knowledge, with getting degrees and more degrees. Now there is nothing evil in those things themselves. What is evil is our heart. Because we start worshipping these things, they become our idols. And when you have idols in your heart, you cannot walk with God. So the first thing about faith we can learn in the definition of faith is to turn your back upon the world like Abraham did when God calls you from the gospel and says, "Come and be my disciple. Follow me." Say, "Yes, Lord, I am coming with you. Whatever it means, wherever you are going, I am going with you."
And the first thing we need to learn, like Abraham's faith, is to turn our back towards this world, so that we don't see this world, but to turn our face towards God. Jesus has called us. Are you willing to walk with Him? Have you got this kind of faith that turns its back upon the world to walk with Jesus? Wherever it goes, even to the lowlier places, that's fine with me. Where Jesus goes, I will go with Him.
Let us look at the second thing, verses 9 to 10. As he came to this backward place, you would think, wow, with your high standard of living and with your possessions, you can buy the whole place easily. Abraham could afford to buy a lot of this land. He was a man of learning. He was a man of position. Once he came to this place, he could really throw his weight around. But notice what Abraham did. He didn't want to buy any of the places. He didn't want anything in the world. We find, astonishingly, that Abraham had no possessions in terms of land except a small burial ground at the end where he could bury his wife when she died. He wanted God. He didn't want the world.
Notice how the words start. "By faith." By faith he lived in the world as though he was a guest. He didn't want to own anything. And how do we live? Have you got faith? Having turned your back on the world, having gone to the other place, now can you live as a guest in this world, looking with your eyes to the things which are eternal? By faith Abraham looked. Do you see that? It's faith that gives you spiritual eyesight.
Have you got that spiritual eyesight? When you haven't got faith, you're blind. You can't see where you're going. It's amazing how many Christians cannot see spiritual things. They can see material things. They cannot see spiritual things. They can even see intellectual things. But they cannot see spiritual things. I like to often say to Christians, there are three kinds of eyesight. There are physical sight by which you can see people and see things. There are intellectual sight by which you understand things. When I ask you, "Do you see it?" I don't mean necessarily, can you see with your eyes? I mean, do you understand what I say? And there is spiritual eyesight. The kind of eyesight Paul speaks about in 2 Corinthians chapter 3, where he says, "With unveiled face, we behold the glory of the Lord." How many of you see the glory of the Lord with the eyes of faith?
In Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 27, it says exactly the same thing. That Moses endured as seeing Him who is invisible. How many of you see what is invisible? How many of you see God who is invisible through the spiritual eye? That's how Moses endured. If you haven't got faith, your eye is blind. If you cannot see the spiritual reality, of course you have nothing else to look at except the earthly things.
But notice again, both these things involve total commitment. By faith, Abraham committed himself to God so totally that he left behind his home, his civilization, and went out following God. You can see you cannot do anything like this except you have total commitment. Unless you have total commitment, you can never see with the spiritual eyes the glory of Christ.
And then notice the third thing, verses 11 and 12. What God can do through a man of faith or through a woman of faith! By faith, both Sarah and Abraham, husband and wife, are wonderful to be united in faith. Because of their total commitment to God, God was able to do a wonderful thing for them. They had no child and God gave them a child in their old age. But God still tested their total commitment before He fulfilled His promise to them.
You say you have faith, you have total faith. Let me tell you, God wants to know whether that is really total faith or not. He is going to test it. Everybody knows that God did an amazing thing for Abraham and for Sarah. Abraham was an old man. When God made His promise to Abraham, he was 86 years old. And his wife was over 70 at the time. Now you think about this. And God, having made His promise to Abraham, most people do not know how long Abraham had to wait. God tested his faith. Tested his total commitment, whether he would shake, whether he would waver. You know how long he had to wait? 14 years more. 14 years.
Maybe by the time you think of that time, you are waiting for the miracle to happen. You waited 1 year, and 3 years, and 5 years, and you say, "Oh surely God has forgotten me. I am getting older every day. It gets less and less possible to have a son." 14 years, not a short time. We will realize that in the past, we will say, "God has forgotten us." So when he was 86, he got the promise. I think when he was 90, he was thinking, "Hey, Lord, I am getting older all the time. You know, this is getting less and less possible." When he was 90 years old, he said that God cannot do it because he was too old. And then when he got to 95, his wife was getting, oh, this old chance is gone. God cannot have remembered His promise to me. When his wife was 95 years old, he said, "Hey, what are we waiting for?" When he got to 98, and his wife was over 80 by now, oh, there is no chance now. It is all finished. God completely was testing his total commitment.
When Abraham was 100 years old, the child was born. You have total commitment? I see some Christians getting tested with the smallest thing. Oh, yeah, they are up and down. "I was going on holiday, and you know what happened? The rain came down. Oh, yeah. I pray to God, God give me good weather, and look what happened. I don't believe in God." Do you want total commitment with the slightest thing? How can you wait for 14 years? A little bit of rain will shake us more than once.
I'll say to you, God tested me in the same way more than once. I shared with you how God said to me He's going to take me out of China. And so when I waited one month, and I still didn't get my exit permit out of China, I was wondering, "Wow, Lord, I waited already one month." And after six weeks, I said, "Lord, six weeks already, long time." I'm ashamed of myself. I said I have total commitment to Christ. And after six weeks, only six weeks, but for me it was such a long time. Especially long time when your stomach is hungry. Have you ever felt hungry when you have to wait for lunch, and it's only half an hour to go? It feels like half a year. God was testing me, proving me. And I said to my shame, after six weeks, I said, "Lord, how come I waited so long? Six weeks already." Some people have been waiting six years. And then there were seven weeks. "Lord, seven weeks." The Lord was kind to me. I was a young Christian. And the eighth week, He let me out. And I was able to leave. Eight weeks after He gave me that word, He took me out. Of course, now looking back, you see eight weeks so fast, that's incredible.
And so the third point, we have noticed the total commitment to Him. God wants to examine it. It's important to Him whether you are totally committed or not.
And the last point, then we have to close. And we have to make it very short. Because the fourth point, we see God putting Abraham now to the ultimate test of his total commitment. Here we read from verses 17 to 19, what happened by faith, how Abraham came through. His faith and total commitment was seen.
Total commitment, brothers and sisters, remember it. Total commitment. Remember that the faith to which God promised righteousness is this kind of faith. The faith of Abraham. Notice what happened. God now takes Abraham. Thanks be to God, He doesn't take us that far right at the beginning. But He wants to say, if you say your faith in Me is total, He's going to prove it. God promised Abraham this son, and now he got this son. And then He said to Abraham, when this boy was already a teenager, He said, "Now you take Abraham and you offer him up as a sacrifice to me on the altar."
If God said to you, "I want your son," I wonder what you think about it. I am surprised that so many Christian parents, they call themselves Christians, and when their son wants to serve the Lord, they say, "No." I had a person who wanted to be a co-worker with me, a medical doctor who wanted to work with me in preaching the gospel. This was only very recently. And he wanted to leave behind medicine to go out and preach the gospel. And his mother was supposed to be a very, very strong Christian. At least she was supposed to be. And when her son said he wanted to go and preach the gospel, oh, she was almost up on the ceiling. She did everything to stop him. Advanced Christian, mature Christian. This is the kind of Christian that we find so often in the churches, don't we? Examine yourself. If God tested your faith, what kind of faith have you got?
But what was Abraham's attitude? Abraham took his son, took him out to the hills, made the altar, took out the knife. That is faith. You want to know what is faith? That is faith. Abraham thought to himself, "All God's promises to me are in my son. My son dies, I have no more promises from God. I have no other sons. When he dies, everything is finished for me." Because God said so, he would do it. That is total obedience. He might have said to himself, "This is immoral. God can't ask such a thing from me. It's not fair. He knows I'm an old man. I can't have any more children. I mean, if I were a young man, you can take this son. I can have more sons later on. But I am an old man now. I can't have any more sons."
Or he might say, "God, you are contradicting yourself. You just said that all your blessings to me would be through the son. And now you're taking the son away. This is contradiction." Funny. I have to do a lot of counseling with people. It's amazing how many people come to me and say, "Isn't there a contradiction in God, doing things this way? Why does God do this thing like this, and then He seems to be doing something opposite again?" Well, you have never come across Abraham's problem yet. He gives you a son, and then He tells you to offer him up on the altar.
When Abraham says, he remained loyal to God. "God, You said it. I will do it." But Abraham's faith is this. He takes out his knife. He's taking this knife. The pain in his heart, I dare not think about it. But his obedience, his devotion to God is total. And because of that, God's blessing upon him was just poured out upon him. Of course you know, God stopped him at the last moment. He said, "Abraham, stop. Now I know your heart towards me." You can read this whole wonderful account in Genesis chapter 22. It is one of the most moving passages in the Bible. If God had said to Abraham, "I want your life," Abraham would have been so easy to say, "My life, You can have it." But not his son's life. But God didn't want his life. He wanted to take his most precious thing.
And yet, many times when people hear the challenge, the call of Christ, "Oh, this is too precious to offer to God." That's too precious. What do they want to offer to God, the leftovers? When they are asked to come to the meeting, "Oh, I'm too busy." If God were too busy for you, then you're really in trouble. They have only the spare time for God. So many students, exam time, they never turn up in church. In holiday time, that's also not spare time. That's time for myself. The only time is when they're so bored and they're too tired to study. That time they can go to church. The spare time Christians. Their God is a spare time God. But that is not the God of the Bible.
Yes, we want to have faith and know these things. I hope that everyone today understands that faith that saves in the Bible is a faith like Abraham's. And the faith of Abraham is the faith of total commitment. Have you got that kind of faith? Remember the importance of what we are talking about. Salvation depends on it. Eternal life depends on it. God does not offer things cheaply to you. He gives you His best. He gives you His own Son. But we have to give all in our return too. God gives to us everything, but we have to give Him everything. If you don't give Him everything, then don't expect anything from Him. That is the secret of the Christian life. The secret of total commitment.
If you go home and you kneel down tonight and say, "Lord, I commit my life totally to You as Abraham did." Something wonderful is going to happen. There will be very strange things. You are going to find you are going to have wonderful fellowship with God that you never knew was possible before.