12 Evidences of Faith (Part 1)

Trials come in different shapes and sizes.

For example, a medical trial can be a short-term illness or it can be a lifelong chronic condition today and leading the way. Dr. Michael Yousef looks at the place where they meet life and how times of trial and that are what they are in your life and the evidences of the reality of Jesus to those around you. The first evidence that a person who claims to be a Christian to be a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. The first evidence that that person could show is what the not what they say when we face first disappointment, setbacks 12 how you respond to that situation is the first evidence that your faith is for you. Thank you for joining Dr. Michael Yousef for leading the way we are today begins a life changing teaching series called the 12 evidences of faith you'll hear practical but more importantly biblical words from the book of James to listen with me as Dr. Michael Yousef begins words like face or love are used. To me in all sorts of things other than what they intended to mean some use the word phrases having confidence in yourself.

Have faith in yourself and others use faith to mean just having a blind faith.

Yet others think faith means just being gullible and trusting and believing everything and yet the Scripture makes it very clear the definition of faith is very clear and it is simply this, having a complete trust and absolute confidence in God's promises. That's what faith means. The Bible speaks about three kinds of faith, not in the systematic way but you see them in different context. The Bible speaks about saving face saving faith comes when an individual comes to the realization that he or she is a sinner and heading straight for Chrysler's maternity without Jesus Christ being the only Savior and Lord of your life. That's a saving face. It's trusting an absolutely believing in the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ when he said whoever comes to me and believing me shall never die.

That moment a person is transformed from death to life, from darkness to light from hell to heaven when the Bible speaks about daily face living faith every day. Faith, moment by moment face now obviously there is an order of this that you have to have saving faith before you can really experience daily face. The first step is to have a saving faith after your experience saving faith. The Holy Spirit is going to come and dwell in you and he is the one who's going to empower you to have daily faith to face the difficult circumstances of life to trust in the promise of God that regardless of how tough things may get that he is with you trusting in him to work through the circumstances trusting him and obeying his word that you gonna receive a blessing. Sooner or later trusting in him that no matter what befalls you in life that he's working his purposes that he will never leave you nor forsake you.

And the list goes on and on. The third face. The Bible talks about is that faith in attendance.

The moment I close my eyes, and death. I know as I know, I'm standing here before you that I will be in the presence of Jesus. Not possible you might be when I'm not sure, absolutely.

That is the faith.

The third kind of faith. Now the problem arises when somebody comes in claims that they have faith and yet all of the live exhibits no evidence ofreliable claims. Everything based on this amazing what people claim. Just having faith and faith. But anyone who claims to have faith saving faith must prove it day by day in living faith. Now there are people who have no time for God, not ongoing but they think because they do some good things God under obligation is going to let them into heaven now that's what you call living in a full's paradox, and millions of people living in fools paradise and that is why today I'm commencing a series of messages on the 12 evidence of faith 12. Evidence of faith from the book of James. Now I want to just imagine growing up in a home where your older brother is Jesus.

Just think about this because you really will not understand. Neither Jude nor James. Those two epistles, particularly more than any of the others until you understand this, and everything was James fault Jesus can do no wrong is perfect right it's it's all James Paul. It's also uplifting to know the James later on not only considered it a privilege to call himself the servant. Actually, the slave of Jesus, but he died a martyr's death for Jesus and so he begins his letter. Chapter 1 verse one calling himself born slave due to loss of God and the Lord Jesus Christ not listen if I was half-brother of Jesus and am introducing myself to people who don't know who I am meant I would've milked that relationship with Jesus for us truly on my letterhead. James's half brother of Jesus on the seal of culprits it man James half-brother of Jesus on the door of mob output assign James half-brother of Jesus. But that's not how change begins epistles verse one chickens born slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ wasn't me what he saying he is saying just as a slave obeys the will of his master are monitored to obey the will of the Lord Jesus in my life. Just as a slave lives in total submission to his master. I am honored to live all my life, and submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Just as a slave does not have a divided allegiance.

I'm look out for his own interest. I'm totally sold out to Jesus when he goes on to give us the first evidence of faith. What is, is it facing Jesus is that unshakable faith in the face of trials facing Jesus is that it will will faith in the tough times of life.

Now there are some people can be called fair weather Christians that some people become real Christians when they need something from God to go to church. They think they do. God little favors. Still others think of themselves to be Christians because they confused the first evidence that a person who claims to be a Christian to be a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. The first evidence that that person can show is what they do, not what they say.

Anybody can claim anything, and what do they do when tough times hit when trials come when testing takes place when the inexplicable circumstances appears on the horizon and we done nothing for that. When we face hurt, disappointment, setbacks and sorrow. How you respond to that situation is the first evidence that your faith is for real. Look at verses two and three consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. The great British philosopher CS Lewis.

Many of you read his books. And you know the Narnia series and he was going through a tough time in his life for trial in his life of the really trying time somebody came to him and looked at him and was harvested. Why does God let righteous people suffer. His response was very simple. Why not the only ones who can take it is like somebody said genuine faith is like a bag of tea, a bag of tea has its greatest impact when it finds itself in hot water as genuine faith that today's Western Christians would not be recognized in the first century Christianity see when James wrought about this evidence with of joy in the midst of trials, Christians were being persecuted they were tortured for Christ that were killed. That will put in boiling oil. They were lit on fire for simply believing that Jesus is the Lord actually is more than that they only consider joy. They actually considered it a great honor to be chosen to suffer for Jesus.

Imagine this in our day today will thank you Lord that you given me the privilege to suffer for you. Listen to me. I know this is a foreign language to Western Christians in the 21st century. I know that and I know some of you probably asking your words that need to be joyful in the middle of drop does it mean James suggesting that we should think it is he saying that we go around and pretend everything is wonderful when there's not consumer garage that all praise the Lord have got cancer.

Somebody say good we have got a heart attack or is not wonderful.

I lost my job, no, no, no, no, none God does not want us to display hypocrisy or false emotions. God is not suggesting wants us to hide behind our Christian masks. God does not want us to pretend that we not hurting, not at all. But God wants us to reach the point in our lives when we face trials in difficult circumstances and tragedies not of our own making and at the middle of it, we would have unflattering hearts and stable faith. I know there are people at the first sign of trouble in the first time of trial and testing times in Israel. God get me out of this God do this. What was wrong with me God, why are you mad with me not really ideal.

So God must be met with me must be punishing me for some sins that I committed 20 years ago, so as not God can I get a witness know God wants those who have genuine faith to look to heaven in the middle of the tough times in the middle of the difficult circumstances and say Lord sent me this is painful but I'm completely confident that you are working your purposes out thinly Lord.

It might not be making sense to me right now, but I know you will give me joy in the midst of my pain to give me joy in the midst of it all off, and God uses these trials to change us, did you hear that we always want to change the circumstances.

I mixed all change her change him change them.

Change in my ball change occur to you that God is using this to change you to grow you up often. God uses these trials to display our trust in him in the midst of those tough times and that is why verse four says perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything. What set me it means don't fight God's perfect working in you allow the testing process to run its full course. Why so that you may receive maximum benefit. Listen, if you give up if I gave up. Every time there was a test of never have graduated or how you do things. How do you do this again. The Scripture gives a sense of verse five by asking God for wisdom in these terms. Testing payment I please. This is important. If I give you a secret code and I said this is a secret code to a safe that is full of resources is going to help you in every way.

When you grab it from me on come on now is natural right to get to me in tough times of life in the testing times alive in the trials of life, you can display the evidence of faith.

How by asking for God's wisdom using God's wisdom will give you the strength that you need God's wisdom will give you the power that you need God's wisdom would give you the resources all the resources that will help you pass through the test with flying colors. God's wisdom is like that wide-angle lens that would help you see in the tough times. Things you could never see otherwise God's wisdom is that the fog that the frogs that your lens when you going through rough tough times but listen God's wisdom does not fall from the sky like rain not James said you have to ask for it is a matter of fact there is a qualifier for the way you ask for is it going to ask for you to believe that he's going to give it to you not mangle possibly that he will let you have faith that when you trust him to give it to you.

He will do it how you asked for wisdom in the middle of your crushing circumstances versus 678 but when you ask for when he asks he must believe and not doubt. When I ask for God to give me wisdom and on fluctuating between want to go it alone and doubting whether he's going to give it to me and I go from one extreme to the other and constantly fluctuating from one thing to the other, to get American experience. You get God's wisdom. When you have complete confidence that he keeps his word, and you never go back on his promises.

And that is why halfhearted commitment.

Part-time allegiance will not take you anywhere and then James goes on to say. In fact, that's why in verses 9 to 11. He explains to us the trials of life is a great leveler of human race is a great level. The rich go through it on the floor go through illness and disease, show no partiality that hit the ridge and hit the pool. But when a godly Christian sufferance whether he's rich or poor, and cling to the promises of God and trusted God would give them wisdom in the middle of it will pass through the test. The bus pass through the test, the beloved, I don't think it comes as a surprise to many of you, if not all of you that earthly possessions sometimes clouds of vision wealth often claims out affection, but that is why when trials hit those with earthly possessions must remember that those earthly possessions can be a snare, as will James say what happens is this.

We worry about losing the things we have their accumulations and we forget our spiritual priorities and that is why James said in times of trial, the rich should glory in what is riches know that it should glory in the fact that is not enough money doesn't have to worry about no or that the rich should glory in the fact that they don't need anybody to sell satisfied the self-contained now. He said when the trials hit the rich should glory on his or her dependence on God that he is the only one to get them through tough times. Material possessions are temporary, but our relationship with the Lord is for eternity?

Why should we consider it all joy when you go through these trying times. Verse 12 Blessed is the man or the woman who perseveres under trial, why because when they stood the test to receive the crown of life. God not only strengthens your truth not only gives you wisdom to get through with them past, but also going to give you a crown for going through it I said earlier the deal. The church would look upon Christianity and they just wondered if we really are talking about the same thing I want to give you an example from history and the first 300 years of Christian faith. The church went through tough times.

They fought heretics and heresies about the nature of Christ. The divinity of Christ.

The fact that Jesus the only way will be going through today is not new in the church leaders were so concerned that people are being misguided in the sled and not believing the truth of the authority of the Scripture. So they gathered all the leaders of the churches from all over Egypt and North Africa, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine old Missy. The church was spread everything all of the leaders of all these churches together together in a small town called Garcia is in modern-day Turkey from where we got the Nicene Creed brought this to help the church not to fall into the heresies and in the false teachings that was going on is what I really want to tell you about that counsel. There were 300 delegates that have attended the Council of Nicaea in 300 only a dozen of them.

12 of the 300 came with whole bodies all of the rest of the all of these Christian leaders care men tortured Burns mutilated for their faith in Jesus Christ. Some came with one eye missing some came with one hand missing some came with one leg missing some came with birthmarks on the box hall and attempt to force them not to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Trials can be your teacher not your undertaker.

Whatever your whatever trials he going through whatever stays you ran whatever you're about to give up were about to give in or about or your standing firm in his or for how long, standalone, remember this counter joy when you trust his wisdom, he will give you joy in the midst of it all. He will give you victory ultimate and so for your heart to the Lord. So here I am on the strengths and you are listening to leading the way with pastor and author Dr. Michael you Seth explore your faith questions with one of the leading the way. Team members are filling out a short contact form go to LTW.org/Jesus.LTW.org/Jesus, I hope you able to listen to each message in this series. It's called the 12 evidences of faith and its practical words from the book of James living a victorious Christian life.

I wanted tell you to. If you miss any episode. Don't worry because you can catch up and listen to any of Dr. cassettes messages@ltw.org, or by getting subscribed to the podcast intact speaking podcast recently. Dr. you Seth ask his son, Jonathan, you, Seth, who serves as a pastor to young couples in his local church to work on the podcast geared to tough topics that Christians of all ages are facing in our changing culture well. Jonathan tackles theology, parenting, sexuality, engaging a post truth world with the truth of Christ, and so many more topics I know you can allege that it's an engaging podcast. It's called candid conversations with Jonathan you Seth, we would encourage you to subscribe to whatever platform you listen to podcast share with your family and friends. It's candid conversations with Jonathan you Seth hello and welcome to candid where we never settle for less than the truth. I'm your host Jonathan you Seth each week working to tackle some tough interview thinking of a way to save the world.

That's not probably have do it when we live in this world of non-this marble University had these injuries are talking about law and gospel. There there are groups out there that would separate those two things and say they don't really have anything to do with one another. The product facet is that Jesus said that the law is good and the Bible can tell the top five resolutions nationwide are first exercising get in shape second diet to lose weight third save money. Fourth, eat healthier in general and I think people often don't think about what happens after they take their lives they see you now and ending to their pain that they don't think about the loved ones that they leave behind anything that is a podcast from leading the way with Dr. Michael you Seth if you like today's episode, please share it with a friend leave a review and subscribe. I hope you subscribe to today. Jonathan has a passion to reach many with the truth of the gospel and engage those struggling with confusion in our culture today to learn more@ltw.org. This program is furnished by leading the way with Dr. Michael you sent passionately proclaiming uncompromising truth around the world for more than 30