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Faith Works by Pastor Rick Libby
Sermon transcript of Souls Harbor
Program 1692, Air date 05.22.2011
I HOPE TODAY THAT AS WE HAVE PROGRESSED IN THIS SERVICE, THAT YOU'VE
BEEN REMINDED OF SOME THINGS THAT THE LORD'S DONE FOR YOU. YOU SEE, IT'S
GOOD TO REMEMBER THOSE THINGS THAT GOD HAS DONE. BECAUSE, THEY WILL HELP
TO STRENGTHEN YOUR FAITH AND TO LET YOU KNOW, THAT IF GOD HAS DONE IT
ONCE, HE CAN DO IT AGAIN. TODAY, YOU MAY BE IN NEED OF A MIRACLE. THE GOOD
NEWS IS, IS THAT YOU CAN HAVE THE MIRACLE THAT YOU HAVE NEED OF. ALL YOU
HAVE TO DO IS EXERCISE SOME FAITH. PUT YOUR TRUST IN THE LORD. AND THEN WATCH WHAT THE LORD WILL DO. NOW, AS WE TURN TO THE WORD OF
GOD, THAT MAY BE THE ISSUE THAT HINDERS, OUR FAITH. I WANT YOU TO HEAR ME TODAY AS I SHARE WITH YOU THIS MESSAGE THAT
SIMPLY IS ENTITLED: "FAITH WORKS". YOU ARE LISTENING TO A PREACHER TODAY,
THAT STILL BELIEVES, FAITH WORKS. THE REASON I BELIEVE THAT IS BECAUSE I
BELIEVE GOD STILL PERFORMS MIRACLES. AND ALL WE HAVE TO DO TO RECEIVE A MIRACLE, IS TRUST THE LORD. PUT OUR
FAITH IN HIM. IT'S AMAZING TO ME HOW MANY TIMES, WE DO THINGS THAT HINDER
OUR FAITH. THAT ROB US OF OUR FAITH. IT'S QUITE POSSIBLE TODAY, THAT YOUR
FAITH IS DIMINISHED BECAUSE YOU'VE JUST NOT MADE THE EFFORT TO STRENGTHEN
YOUR FAITH. NOW AS I ASK YOU TO TURN WITH ME TO THE BOOK OF PHILIPPIANS,
CHAPTER 4. WE'RE GONNA READ A FAMILIAR PORTION OF SCRIPTURE. BUT AS WE TURN THERE,
LET ME JUST REMIND YOU, THAT FAITH, IS ASKING GOD FOR HIS HELP. FAITH IS
BELIEVING, THAT WHEN YOU ASK HIM FOR HIS HELP, HE WILL HELP YOU. FAITH IS
BELIEVING THAT GOD CAN PERFORM THE KIND OF HELP THAT YOU HAVE NEED OF, IN
THE MIDST OF WHAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH. SO ANYTHING WE CAN DO TODAY TO
ENCOURAGE OUR FAITH AND TO BUILD UP OUR FAITH, TO MAKE IT STRONG. WE OUGHT
TO DO. NOW HAVING SAID THAT, THE BOOK OF MATTHEW TELLS US, THAT ALL WE HAVE TO HAVE IS THE FAITH AS A GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED. AND
WE COULD SAY TO THE MOUNTAIN BE CAST INTO THE SEA AND IT WOULD BE CAST INTO THE SEA. WELL, THAT'S NOT MUCH FAITH. IN
FACT, IF I HAD A GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED IN MY HAND. UNLESS THE CAMERA
ZOOMED RIGHT IN VERY CLOSE TO IT, YOU WOULDN'T EVEN SEE IT IN MY HAND,
THAT'S HOW SMALL IT IS. YET WITH THAT KIND OF FAITH, WE CAN SPEAK TO
MOUNTAINS AND MOUNTAINS WILL BE REMOVED. SO AS I TALK TO YOU ABOUT FAITH
TODAY. I WANT TO REMIND YOU OF A PROMISE THAT GOD MAKES TO US IN THE BOOK
OF PHILIPPIANS. PHILIPPIANS CHAPTER 4, VERSE 19 SAYS THIS, NOW, THAT IS A
BOLD STATEMENT. THAT GOD WOULD SUPPLY ALL OF OUR NEED. WHEN YOU READ THAT
WORD, ALL, IT SPEAKS TO WHATEVER MAY HAPPEN IN OUR LIFE WHERE A NEED IS
MANIFESTED. IT MAY BE A PHYSICAL THING, IT MAY BE A DOMESTIC THING. IT MAY
BE SOMETHING ON THE JOB, IT MAY BE SOMETHING AT HOME. IT MAY BE SOMETHING
IN THE PLACE OF CONFINEMENT WHERE YOU ARE TODAY. MAYBE YOU'RE LISTENING TO
THIS SERVICE FROM A PRISON CELL. MAYBE YOU'RE LISTENING FROM A HOSPITAL
BED OR A NURSING HOME BED. WHERE EVER YOU ARE TODAY, HOWEVER THOSE NEEDS
MAY PRESENT THEMSELVES, GOD HAS MADE US A BOLD PROMISE, THAT HE WOULD
SUPPLY ALL OF OUR NEEDS. WHAT THAT SIMPLY MEANS IS, IS THAT GOD HAS AN ANSWER FOR THOSE NEEDS IN
OUR LIFE. HOW IS GOD GOING TO DO THAT? I CAN'T BEGIN TO ANSWER THAT
QUESTION. THAT ANSWER ENCOMPASSES TOO MUCH, FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO
CONTEMPLATE AND DISCUSS IN THIS SERVICE TODAY. I CAN ONLY TELL YOU THAT
GOD WHEN HE WORKS, HE WILL WORK ACCORDING TO A PERFECT PLAN. THAT'S RIGHT.
WHEN YOU PUT YOUR TRUST IN THE LORD, YOU CAN TRUST HIM. WHEN YOU PUT YOUR
FAITH IN HIM, YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED. BECAUSE AS FAITH AND TRUST WORK
TOGETHER, GOD, THROUGH HIS PERFECT PLAN, WILL MEET THE NEED OF YOUR LIFE.
THE WONDERFUL THING I'VE NOTICED ABOUT HOW GOD MEETS OUR NEEDS IS THIS,
THAT WHEN GOD MEETS ONE NEED, MANY TIMES, HE'S MEETING MANY NEEDS. SELDOM
IT SEEMS TO BE, THAT GOD JUST DOES ONE THING AT A TIME. MANY TIMES WHEN HE
COMES, HE HAS COME WITH MULTIPLE BLESSINGS IN HIS HAND. MULTIPLE MIRACLES.
MIRACLES BREED MIRACLES. NOW THAT MAY SEEM LIKE A STRANGE STATEMENT TO
YOU. BUT I BELIEVE, AS GOD PERFORMS ONE MIRACLE, IT ENCOURAGES FAITH FOR
THE NEXT MIRACLE. AND THAT MIRACLE COMES AS A RESULT OF THE MIRACLE GOD
HAS JUST PERFORMED. WHEN GOD WORKS IN YOUR LIFE TODAY HE'S NOT WORKING
JUST FOR THAT VERY SINGULAR MOMENT. GOD IS WORKING FOR YOUR TOMORROWS.
WHAT GOD DOES TODAY, HAS A DIRECT IMPACT ON TOMORROW. WHAT THAT MEANS IS,
IS TOMORROW'S NEEDS, MAY NOT BE THE SAME AS TODAY'S NEEDS. BUT WHEN
TOMORROW'S NEEDS COME, FAITH WILL MEET THOSE NEEDS HEAD ON. BECAUSE OF
WHAT GOD HAS DONE TO HELP YOU, TODAY. NOW THE BIBLE HELPS US WITH THIS
THING CALLED FAITH. FAITH IS MENTIONED 246, AH, EXCUSE ME, 264 TIMES, IN
248 DIFFERENT VERSES OF SCRIPTURE. NOW IF THE BIBLE TALKS ABOUT FAITH THAT
MUCH, I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT FOR YOU AND I TO PAY ATTENTION TO IT. WHAT
IS GOD SAYING? GOD IS SAYING THAT FAITH WORKS. THAT FAITH ACCOMPLISHES
WHAT WE NEED GOD TO DO. NOW HEBREWS 11:6 HELPS US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT FAITH
IS. FIRST OF ALL, FAITH MUST BELIEVE THAT HE IS. WHO IS? FAITH MUST BELIEVE THAT GOD IS. WHEN WE TURN TO JOHN CHAPTER
ONE, VERSE ONE. WE'LL READ THAT IN THE BEGINNING, WAS GOD. WE UNDERSTAND
WHAT THAT VERSE OF SCRIPTURE MEANS WHEN IT SAYS "WORD," IS IT'S TALKING
ABOUT THE LIVING WORD, TALKING ABOUT GOD. WHEN WE LOOK AT THAT, WE MUST
BELIEVE FIRST OFF ALL, THAT GOD IS. THAT BEFORE TIME BEGAN, GOD WAS. NOW
THAT WE ARE HERE, GOD STILL IS. AND SHOULD THE DAY EVER COMES WHEN HEAVEN
AND EARTH PASS AWAY. GOD WILL BE THE ONE THING THAT REMAINS. TODAY, WE
MUST BELIEVE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. WE MUST BELIEVE, THAT HE IS. WHEN
JOHN 1:1 SAYS IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE READ
DOWN THROUGH UNTIL WE REACH VERSE 14. WHERE JOHN 1:14 SAYS, "AND THE WORD
BECAME FLESH". NOW THE QUESTION THAT, THAT BEGS IS, WHY? WHY DID THE WORD
BECOME FLESH? WHY DID GOD BECOME FLESH? MANIFESTED IN THE LIFE OF JESUS
CHRIST. WELL, IT'S QUITE SIMPLE. WHEN YOU CONSIDER WHO GOD WAS, GOD NEVER
KNEW WHAT IT WAS TO BE TIRED. GOD HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED THE FEELING OF
WEARINESS AND WEAKNESS. GOD NEVER KNEW WHAT IT WAS TO BE HUNGRY. HE NEVER
KNEW WHAT IS WAS TO BE COLD. HE NEVER KNEW WHAT IT WAS TO EXPERIENCE
LONELINESS. HE NEVER KNEW WHAT IT WAS TO EXPERIENCE AFFLICTION. HOW COULD
HE UNDERSTAND WHAT HIS CREATION WAS GOING TO GO THROUGH. IF WE WERE TRULY
MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD AND WE WERE, THEN GOD HAD TO BE ABLE TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT WE, AS HIS CREATION, WAS EXPERIENCING. HE COULDN'T DO THAT
IN HEAVEN'S THRONE ROOM. HE SENT JESUS CHRIST. YOU SEE, THE BIBLE HELPS US
TO KNOW THAT JESUS WAS SLAIN FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD. WHICH
SIMPLY MEANS, BEFORE THIS WORLD WAS CREATED, IT WAS THE PLAN OF GOD, THAT
JESUS CHRIST THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD, WOULD COME TO EARTH. ONE OF THE
THINGS HE EXPERIENCES WHEN HE COMES TO EARTH, IS ALL THAT MAN GOES
THROUGH. TODAY IF YOU'RE TIRED, YOU'RE WEARY, YOU'RE WORN, YOU'RE WEAK,
GOD UNDERSTANDS THAT. IF YOU'RE LONELY AND IN DESPAIR, GOD UNDERSTAND
THAT. IF YOU'RE AFFLICTED BY MANY, MANY THINGS, GOD UNDERSTANDS THAT. IF
YOU'RE ON THE EDGE OF DEATH AND YOU HAVE BUT JUST HOURS OR MAYBE DAYS TO
LIVE, GOD UNDERSTANDS EVEN WHAT THAT FEELS LIKE. HOW? HE UNDERSTANDS IT
THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. NOW WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THAT, WE HAVE TO ALSO ACCEPT
THIS, THAT BECAUSE JESUS CHRIST UNDERSTANDS WHAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH, WHEN
HE PROMISES THAT HE WILL MEET ALL OF OUR NEEDS. THERE IS A REALITY TO THAT
PROMISE THAT FIRST OF ALL HE UNDERSTANDS WHAT OUR NEED IS. THIS MAY BE THE
HARDEST THING YOU'VE HAD TO GO THROUGH. THE TRIAL, THE CIRCUMSTANCE, THE SITUATION THAT YOU'RE IN. MAY BE
GREATER THAN ANYTHING THAN YOU'VE EVER EXPERIENCED. BUT GOD UNDERSTANDS
WHERE YOU'RE AT TODAY. HE KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE FEELING. HE KNOWS
EXACTLY THE EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER THAT YOU'RE ON. HE KNOWS WHAT YOU'RE
GOING THROUGH AND BECAUSE HE DOES, HE HAS A MIRACLE JUST FOR YOU. WHEN HE
GRANTS THAT MIRACLE, THAT MIRACLE WILL BE CUSTOM MADE FOR YOUR SITUATION.
NOW THE REASON I SAY THAT IS THIS, THAT WHEN GOD MEETS YOUR NEED, IT WILL
FIT THE NEED THAT YOU'RE IN. IT WILL FIT THE SITUATION THAT YOU'RE
ENDURING. GOD WON'T GIVE YOU SOMETHING THAT WON'T WORK. GOD WON'T DO
SOMETHING FOR YOU THAT WON'T FIT YOUR UNIQUE SITUATION. NO, GOD DOESN'T
WORK THAT WAY. FAITH HELPS US TO REALIZE THAT WHEN GOD RESPONDS TO THE
PRAYER OF OUR HEART. HE RESPONDS WITH THE EXACT THING THAT WE HAVE NEED
OF. NOW, WHEN WE LOOK TO THE WORD OF GOD, WE UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN MAN
BELIEVED GOD. WHEN MAN EXERCISED FAITH, MIRACLES HAPPENED AS A RESULT. YOU CAN GO FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION.
AND YOU WILL SEE, OH, SO MANY TIMES, WHERE ALL MAN DID WAS BELIEVE GOD.
AND GOD CAME TO MAN'S RESCUE. I BELIEVE TODAY, THAT THOUGH THE CRISIS
YOU'RE IN, IS WORSE THAN ANYTHING YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH THAT THE ANSWER IS
SIMPLE. THE ANSWER IS, BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST. IF YOU WILL EXERCISE
FAITH, GOD WILL SHOW YOU, THAT FAITH STILL WORKS. WHEN YOU READ THE STORY
OF MOSES AND YOU READ HOW GOD WAS WITH THE ISRAELITES, BRINGING THEM OUT
OF BONDAGE. GOD PERFORMING MANY MIRACLES TO ACCOMPLISH THAT TASK. FRIEND,
YOU ARE NO DIFFERENT TODAY. YOU MAY BE IN A PLACE OF BONDAGE. IT MAY BE,
THAT SITUATIONS AND CIRCUMSTANCES HAVE COME AND IMPRISONED YOU. YOU MAY
FEEL LIKE YOU'RE A CAPTIVE TO THE CRISIS THAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH. BUT IF
GOD DELIVERED A PEOPLE FROM THE BONDAGE OF EGYPT. I BELIEVE GOD KNOWS HOW
TO DELIVER YOU FROM THE BONDAGE THAT YOU ARE IN TODAY. HE KNOWS HOW TO
DELIVER, NO MATTER HOW STRONG THE CAPTOR. NO MATTER HOW STRONG THE
CAPTIVITY. GOD STILL, CAN BRING YOU OUT OF THAT LAND OF BONDAGE THAT
YOU'RE IN. WHEN WE TURN TO THE NEW TESTAMENT AND WE SEE THE WORKS OF
CHRIST. OH, HOW MANY TIMES DID THE LORD COME BY SOMEBODY WHO WAS SICK AND
AFFLICTED. AND WITH ONE TOUCH OF HIS HAND OR ONE WORD FROM HIS LIPS, WERE
THEY DELIVERED FROM THEIR AFFLICTION. WITHOUT A DOUBT TODAY, THERE ARE SOME OF YOU THAT ARE GOING THROUGH
LIFE THREATENING AFFLICTIONS. MAYBE THE PHYSICAL THING THAT HAS COME TO
YOU, IS ABOUT TO ROB YOU OF LIFE. BUT FRIEND CAN I REMIND YOU THAT,, THAT
WAS THE CASE MANY TIMES, WHEN PEOPLE IN THE WORD, CAME TO CHRIST. BUT,
CHRIST DELIVERED THEM. HE HEALED THEM OF ALL THEIR AFFLICTIONS. OH, I'VE
GOT TO STOP RIGHT HERE FOR A MOMENT, BECAUSE THERE'S SOMEBODY LISTENING
YOUR AFFLICTION IS NOT OF A PHYSICAL NATURE. THE AFFLICTION HAS BEEN UPON
YOUR EMOTIONAL MAN. THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT YOU'RE FACING. SOME THINGS
THAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH, SOME THINGS THAT YOU'RE CONTENDING WITH, YOU'RE
FIGHTING A BATTLE TO SURVIVE. BECAUSE OF SOME THINGS THAT WERE SAID TO
YOU. OR SOME THINGS THAT WERE DONE TO YOU. HEAR ME MY FRIEND TODAY,
THERE'S EVEN A MIRACLE FOR YOU. FOR GOD KNOWS HOW TO REACH WHERE NO MAN
CAN REACH. GOD KNOWS HOW TO SPEAK TO YOU, THE WORDS THAT NO COUNSELOR
COULD EVER SPEAK. HE KNOWS HOW TO BRING LIFE AND REPLACE IT,, REPLACE
DEATH THAT SEEMS TO BE OVER TAKING YOU. YOU MAYBE EVEN THOUGHT OF ENDING
YOUR OWN LIFE THINKING YOU'D BE BETTER OFF DEAD THAN ALIVE. BUT DON'T GIVE
INTO THAT TODAY. NO, EXERCISE YOUR FAITH, TRUST IN THE LORD. FOR GOD KNOWS HOW TO HEAL EVEN THOSE TYPES OF AFFLICTIONS. YOU SEE,
WHEN HE SAID WE WOULD SUPPLY ALL OF OUR NEEDS, HE REALLY MEANT IT. ALL, OF
OUR NEEDS. I COULD STAND HERE UNTIL NEXT WEEK AT THIS SAME TIME JUST
LISTING NEED, AFTER NEED, AFTER NEED. I HAVE IN MY OFFICE A STACK OF
LETTERS THAT THICK. I TOOK OUT THE ONES THAT WERE JUST COMPLIMENTING THE
MINISTRY, OR WAS JUST ASKING FOR SOMETHING FROM THE MINISTRY. I JUST KEPT
THE ONES THAT WERE ASKING FOR PRAYER REQUEST. THAT SOME WHERE IN THAT
LETTER SAID, PRAY FOR US. YOU MAY HAVE DISCLOSED THE NEED, YOU MAY NOT
HAVE DISCLOSED THE NEED. IT MAY BE, AS WE SAY IN CHURCH LIFE, AN UNSPOKEN
REQUEST. BUT IN THAT STACK OF LETTERS I BELIEVE THERE IS A MIRACLE FOR
EVERY SITUATION. TODAY, I BELIEVE THERE IS A MIRACLE FOR YOUR SITUATION. I
BELIEVE THE ANSWER IS FAITH. NOT JUST FAITH IN ANYTHING, BUT FAITH IN
JESUS CHRIST. FOR AS YOU BELIEVE IN THE LORD HIMSELF. YOU'RE GOING TO DISCOVER THE
REALITY OF PHILIPPIANS 4:19. WHERE GOD WILL MEET THAT NEED ACCORDING TO
HIS RICHES IN GLORY THROUGH CHRIST JESUS. JESUS CAME THAT HE MIGHT DIE ON
AN OLD RUGGED CROSS. HE DIED ON THAT OLD RUGGED CROSS AND ASCENDED TO THE
FATHER, THAT HE MIGHT STAND AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD MAKING INTERCESSION
FOR YOU AND I. HMM! HMM! OH, TURN TO THE BOOK OF ACTS AND READ THE STORY
OF STEPHEN. STEPHEN WAS ABOUT TO LOSE HIS LIFE. AS THEY HURLED STONE AFTER STONE, WHAT DID STEPHEN SEE, AT A MOMENT
WHEN DEATH WAS ABOUT TO TAKE HIM? THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT STEPHEN HAD A
LITTLE GLIMPSE INTO GLORY. AND THERE HE SAW JESUS STANDING AT THE RIGHT
HAND OF GOD THE FATHER. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THAT MEANS THAT, THAT MOMENT
WHEN STEPHEN NEEDED GOD THE MOST, HE HAD GOD'S ATTENTION AND GOD HELPED
HIM. EVEN THOUGH THAT THING TOOK HIS LIFE, I BELIEVE STEPHEN WENT OUT IN
GLORY, THANKING GOD THAT FAITH STILL WORKS. STEPHEN FULL OF FAITH AND FULL
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. SAW THE DIVINE INTERCESSION, EVEN AT THAT MOMENT WHEN
DEATH WAS ABOUT TO OVER TAKE HIM. YOU SEE, WE'RE ALL LIVING TO DIE. DEATH
IS GOING TO TAKE US OUT OF THIS WORLD. WE MAY GO THROUGH THE RAPTURE OF
THE CHURCH. BUT MANY OF US WILL GO BEFORE THAT MOMENT COMES, UNLESS THAT
MOMENT COMES RIGHT NOW. HOW WE GOING TO MAKE IT, HOW WE GOING TO SURVIVE
EVEN THEN, WHEN WE ARE FACED WITH LIFE'S MOST DIFFICULT TRIAL AND
CIRCUMSTANCE? WE'RE GOING TO FACE IT THROUGH FAITH. FAITH IN GOD STILL
WORKS. I WANT TO CLOSE IN A WORD OF PRAYER FOR YOU TODAY MY FRIEND.
HEAVENLY FATHER, YOU KNOWS THAT ARE STRUGGLING. YOU KNOWS THOSE IN GREAT
NEED TODAY. I ASK YOU TO REACH DOWN INTO THEIR LIVES TODAY AND HELP THEM
WITH THEIR UNBELIEF. ENCOURAGE THEIR FAITH, LET THEM KNOW FAITH STILL
WORKS. MANIFEST YOURSELF IN THEIR LIFE I PRAY, IN JESUS NAME WE ASK IT
AMEN.
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