Power Through Faith
CHAPTER 5: POWER THROUGH FAITH
WE have already seen that there is a seven fold secret of divine friendship. At each appearance God revealed to Abraham something of this secret, in a step-bystep revelation.
If you have steps in your home your home you will not jump over them. But climb them step by step. So it was with Abraham. God appeared twice to him in Genesis 12, 13, 14 and 15. Chapter 17 records the sixth time. He appeared to Abraham, when a man could expect a son. Both he and his wife had become like dry trees. At that time he had to believe that though he was old and his wife equally old, God was able to fulfill His promise (Romans. 4: 19-24).
It was only at this time Abraham got real faith, and for this kind of faith in him God had been waiting for 25 years. When God first appeared to him he had faith, but it was not a strong faith, (Heb.11:8)
He obeyed God and straightway left his country, kith and kin, and went away to a strange and new country. Even though it required much sacrifice and faith to obey like this, God was not satisfied. Step by step He was preparing Abraham for a stronger faith till he and his wife had become too old for childbearing. Until God put new life into their bodies they could not have a child. In other words they had to receive new life because they had both become like dry trees. That was the great secret of faith through which they understood something of the power of resurrection; and by that same power we also can conquer temptations.
We find Apostle Paul in Philippi saying with desire, " that I may know him and the power of His resurrection". Even though he had seen many miracles performed through his ministry during the past years, and though God had worked through him mightily, yet he was saying here in his old age, " I count all things but loss…. That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection", which is the highest power available to believers. Many believers go on scheming and planning for many years, seeking to have power in their lives. Even though they face up to many failures in their lives, they remain barren spiritually, and then began to scheme as to how they can have power over their temptations. They think that by seeing dreams, or by having certain experiences and visions they will obtain power. But they still remain weak. They do not realize that their power of resurrection is at their disposal. If we believe that our Lord Jesus Christ died in our stead for our sins, and also believe that He rose again for our justification and to live in us by His Holy Spirit, then by faith we can receive into us day by day the power of resurrection for every situation, every temptation and every need.
To give us such a faith the Lord the Lord will take us through many painful situations and trails. We can see that thought in 1cor.1: 11 gold has to be refined by fire. It cannot be cleaned by soup and water. The gold is refined again and again till every little impurity is burnt away. In the same way to deliver us from doubts and unbeliefs we have to go through refining fires. We are made to have faith and we think it is a strong faith, but the question is: Is the Lord satisfied with our faith to appropriate the power of His resurrection day by day, the Lord satisfied with our faith? Unless we gave faith to appropriate the power of His resurrection day by day, the Lord is not satisfied. Paul said in Galatians 2:20 " Christ liveth in me", because He is the living Christ that lives in us to conquer our temptations every day by faith in the power of His resurrection.
Even though the Ephesians were taught by Paul and Apollos and Timothy, yet Paul prayed for them (Ehes.1: 16-20) that they might know the exceeding greatness of His power, even the same power that God wrought in Christ when He was raised from the dead. Why should he pray like that? In Ehesians 1:3 he says: "Blessed be the God and the father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." For such a blessing we must know how to receive into us the power of His resurrection, and to gain that knowledge and faith, the Lord will take us through trails, and sufferings, hardships and difficulties.
Just as God appeared ten times to Abraham, so the Lord appeared ten times to His disciples after the resurrection. He first appeared to Mary at the sepulcher, then to the men, and then to peter, then to the disciples on the way to Emmaus and in the evening to all the disciples in the upper room. Then He appeared to five hundred, then to James, then to Thomas, then at the Sea of Galilee, then at the Bethany went He went to heaven. On the Easter day there are five of His appearances, and again five appearances before the day of ascension. There we have the ten-fold secret of the power of the Resurrection. We find it really helpful if we study these appearances together, that is the appearances of God to Abraham and the appearances of the Lord to His disciples. In Genesis 17:1 the Lord said:" I am the Almighty God." This he said to enable Abraham to enjoy God's mighty power.
“I am the Almighty God, there is nothing too hard for me." Nothing is impossible with God; He can do all things. The God of love and mercy wants us to have the faith that can experience and enjoy the power of Christ's resurrection. At the time when Abraham was old he may have walked with a stick, for when we become weak and old and feeble we become helpless. So Abraham may have walked with a stick feeling very disappointed and thinking to himself: " God said to me He would give me a son, but there is no child yet." So with many doubts in his mind and leaning on a stick he was feeling weak and feeble. Then God said to Abraham, as it were: " Throw away the stick and walk upright and don't look old anymore. You are a young man and old. To other people you may seem you are very old, but in my sight you are still young". So Abraham threw away the stick, the stick, which indicate unbelief and disappointments and speaks of human weaknesses. Abraham walked straight like a young man. God was saying as it were: " I am the Almighty GOD and I am going to pour power into you"(vs.2&6) Abraham was asking for the one son for the most. But the Lord said to him," I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee".
Apart from this experience Abraham would never have known what was in the heart of God for him. Even so in our sufferings we will never know what God has in His heart for us, how much God wants to give us. It is only by faith we can realize our blessings. The devil tries to weaken our faith again and again. Rather than trust God we look to man for everything. Even though God's servants talk about the Almighty God in their preaching, we find that we find much more time in begging. They beg for money, milk powder, and for shoes and for many other things, through their letters, pictures and photos and by other means. They are beggars in God's service. But we have got to prove that our God is an Almighty God. The one whom we believe and preach is living Christ, and the one who is willing to give us every thing. As Paul says in Philippians. 4: 19" My God shall supply all your need". It is by glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives that we manifest the power of His resurrection by faith.
Because God wanted to reveal His power of resurrection in Abraham He came to make a covenant with him (vs. 11). Galatians 1 says, "strengthened with all might"; Abraham did not get a child with human strength, for he and his wife were very old. God has to put new life into both their bodies. That is the power of resurrection, the death conquering power of divine life. It is by that power they were able to get a child. Why was Abraham circumcised? Circumcision is the symbol of fact that the power of God is available to man. By faith we receive that power by appropriating it for every trail and temptation and test. Sometimes it takes us many years to receive that faith. In the beginning we depend on Bible knowledge for victory. Then we depend on long prayers and fasting, or will power or dreams and visions. All these things fail. All that we have to say is " Lord revel to me that secret." Then we know how foolish we have been. The same Lord died for us, and who comes to live in us, can give us that power. We can have Him for all our needs. So God in sovereign way uses many means to give us faith.
The Lord gave Abraham a new name because of his faith in God's promise. He changed his name from Abram to Abraham: " A father of many nations have I made thee." (Vs. 15). He and his wife had been tested by God till they were free from their doubts and unbelief (Vs. 19). How lovingly and patiently the Lord gave both of them strong faith. All of us have the same problem. The enemy creates in our mind doubts in many circumstances, but God lovingly keeps on rebuking and helping us. God knows our human limitations (Gen. 17:17), so He sends messengers again and again to give us strong faith and to take away our fears and doubts (Psa. 103:14).