The Reality of the Invisible Sun AM 8-25-96

Hebrews chapter 11 this morning.

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

Thanks for being in church.

Hebrews chapter 11.

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

And also would you pick up Acts chapter 22?

Acts 22 · chapter mention

Hebrews chapter 11 and Acts chapter 22.

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention Acts 22 · chapter mention

Thanks for turning there.

Hebrews 11, Acts chapter number 22.

Have you ever noticed that those who do not believe in Christ from time to time look at us who do believe in Christ and the reality of Jesus as somewhat foolish?

Have you ever felt like somebody was looking at you like a fool?

Because of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ?

Brother, when you think about their logical reasoning to this, look up here just for a moment.

When you think about their logical reasoning behind that, you really can't fault them a great deal because of this.

We believe in a person that we've not yet seen.

We believe in a place that we've not yet seen.

Amen.

And we believe that that person can get us to that place.

Really, when you think about it, it's they have a reason because you know what we do?

We Christians believe in the invisible.

Is that right?

I don't know about you, but I believe in the reality of the invisible.

I believe in the eternal, immortal, the what?

Invisible God.

Amen?

He is the king, and he has not yet been seen by me, but I still believe in him as being real.

In fact, the more I read this Bible, the more I believe in the reality of the invisible.

When I think about from their standpoint, though, you know what they see me as?

They see me as someone whose imagination has been fed by a mythical book written by some clever men, and that probably I needed some type of crutch in my life, so I just grabbed onto this, and now I've saturated myself so much with this thing that I have a fantasy about this invisible thing, and I need that.

I'd rather have this than alcohol.

Amen.

I'd rather have this than drugs.

I'd rather have this than secular humanism.

There's a lot of things you could imagine that's much worse than this.

And what I say to you is this it's more than just a mythical book written by clever men.

As God reveals and gives you understanding, it is reality, but it's still yet invisible.

Look at Hebrews 11, stay with me.

And notice, if you would, verse 27.

Verse 27.

It's talking about Moses here, verse 24.

If you look at that, the first three words say, by what?

Faith, by faith, Moses.

And it goes on down in talking about Moses and what he did.

Verse 27.

By what?

Faith.

He, Moses, forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king.

For he endured as seeing him who is what?

Invisible.

And brethren, that's what we're doing.

We're enduring as seeing him who is still yet invisible, but he is a reality.

The more and more you walk with Christ, the more you understand he is a reality.

Now let me show you something.

Look at Acts 22.

Thanks for turning there.

Acts 22.

In Acts 22, I want you to understand something.

Not everybody can look or hear or see the same thing and see it.

And by that I'll show you.

Acts 22.

Oh, verse 6.

Acts 22, verse 6.

Acts 22:6

And it came to pass that, as I made my journey and was come nigh into Damascus about noon, suddenly there's shown about from heaven a great light round about me.

This is Paul speaking.

I fell unto the ground, and notice Paul says he heard a voice.

And this voice said unto him, What?

Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

And I answered.

Obviously, Paul answered because he understood the voice, and he said, Who art thou, Lord?

And he said, I am Jesus of Navarres, whom thou persecutest.

There's a conversation going on between Jesus and Paul.

Verse 9.

And they that were with me saw indeed the light and were afraid.

But they heard not the what?

The voice of him that spake to me.

What that tells me is God can speak to someone very plainly, but someone else standing right next to them, they won't hear it.

Amen?

I mean, I could preach this morning, and the word of God goes out, and someone's sitting there, and God's just showing them things, and showing them things, and so, and someone else sitting there is just kind of going, I'm not getting this.

Is it too unusual to understand that we walk in the reality of the invisible, but someone else looks at us and says, You're a fool.

Look at two more scriptures.

You're doing well.

Look at uh 2 Kings 6 in Ephesians 1.

And I'll illustrate something in just a moment.

2 Kings 6, laying a foundation, and Ephesians chapter 1.

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

What a great way to live in the reality of the invisible.

And I'm not talking about Star Trek, amen?

2 Kings chapter 6 in Ephesians chapter 1.

2 Kings 6 · chapter mention Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

Star Trek was created by some minds in Hollywood.

And may I say this?

I'm not trying to burst anybody's bubble, but they're unregenerate minds, amen.

2 Kings 6 and Ephesians 1.

In 2 Kings chapter 6, we've read this before, but I want you to see it.

2 Kings 6 · chapter mention

The prophet and his servant is at Dothan.

They're surrounded by horses and chariots.

Verse 15, look at it, please.

And when the servant of the man of God was risen early and gone forth, behold in host compass surrounded the city both with horses and chariots.

And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master, how shall we do?

All this servant did was he looked up, and all he could see what was surrounding him.

And he answered, Fear not.

The man of God says, Fear not, for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

Now look at verse 17.

And Elisha prayed and said, Lord, I pray thee, say the next three words.

Open his what?

Open his eyes, why?

That he may see.

Now look at Ephesians 1.

Ephesians 1.

Open his eyes, Lord, please.

If you don't open them, Lord, he won't see it.

Open his eyes, Lord, that he may what?

See.

Now look at Ephesians 1.

And notice verse 17.

Verse 17.

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation.

That's revealing.

In the knowledge of Him.

The what?

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened.

You ever see this little cartoon where the light bulb goes on?

And the guy goes, Oh, now I understand.

The eyes of your understanding be enlightened.

It comes through the door of faith that we might understand, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of his glory are.

The idea is our eyes, the eyes of our understanding, our mind must be enlightened, our mind must be open to understand, or we don't get it.

Well, how does that come?

It comes through faith, the door of faith, and Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith.

Now, look at Romans chapter 1, almost to the place where I can give you this illustration now.

Romans 1 · chapter mention

Romans chapter 1 and all start making sense.

Romans 1 · chapter mention

Romans chapter 1.

Romans 1 · chapter mention

Romans chapter 1.

Romans 1 · chapter mention

And think with me just for a moment.

If Jesus were here right now and began healing people, opening the eyes of the blind, or causing someone that could not walk to be able to walk again, or doing all the miracles that he had done, wouldn't you also then begin to believe his words?

He said, Don't believe me just for my words, but believe the works.

Believe what I've done.

And if Jesus were here, brethren, right now, and he said, Listen, here's someone, and I want to just show you what I can do, and I want to show you what I can do.

Now I want to tell you there's a heaven, there's my Father in heaven, and if you believe on me, you can rise again from the dead.

I mean, many of us would just say, man, if he can heal, if he can do all those miracles, he must be God.

And people did believe that, and they did receive him as Messiah.

Is that right?

Jesus did not walk the face of the earth, so to speak, physically during our lifetime, although he's here through the spirit of the Holy Spirit.

But he's left us some things that we can see.

Look at Romans 1.

Look at verse 20.

Verse 20.

For the what?

Invisible things of him from the creation of the world are, say it, clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made.

I'm one of those things, you're one of those things.

Being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are what?

Without excuse.

Somebody says, well, what about the person who's never had the opportunity?

That scripture says, invisible things are seen.

He created them so that those things that were made see them very clearly.

And they're without excuse about being able to say there's a God.

All you've got to do is look up in heaven, you know there's a God.

Well, you say, now wait a minute, what about evolution?

You know how, you know how many years evolution has been in existence as a theory?

Listen, I've been to the Galapagos, I've seen where it all took place.

I've watched them watch march around the statue of Darwin.

Evolution is not that old as a theory.

For years and years and years and years, people looked up and said, There's a God.

There's a God.

Somebody says, No, you've got to understand.

They say it's going to start.

It all started with a big bang.

They got it wrong.

They got it backwards.

It's all backwards, amen.

You say, I don't understand.

They say it started with a big bang.

No, the Bible says it ends with a big bang.

They just missed it.

They just got it, they just got it turned around, amen.

The idea though is this: why do we believe?

Why did our faith get generated?

Because when we started reading things about the Bible or hearding things about scriptures, it began to show us about ourselves.

It began to convict us about ourselves.

And as we read the Bible or heard someone speak, we said, you know what?

That's right.

That's true.

And brethren, the many things that are written in this Bible that are going on in this day and age and that have been going on, we look at this and say, that Bible is true about that.

It must be true about heaven.

It must be true about God.

It must be true about Jesus Christ.

And I'm going to believe it.

Amen.

And when we do, many, many things begin to happen.

The reality of the invisible.

Now, look at 2 Corinthians 4.

You're doing well this morning.

2 Corinthians 4.

And Romans chapter 10.

Romans 10 · chapter mention

And you're looking and saying, what are these chairs?

I'll show you in just a minute.

2 Corinthians 4 and Romans chapter 10.

Romans 10 · chapter mention

You're doing well.

Romans 10.

2 Corinthians 4.

2 Corinthians 4 first.

2 Corinthians 4.

And then Romans 10.

And thank you for turning there.

In 2 Corinthians 4, it says this in verse 16.

For which cause we faint not.

But though our outward man perish, that means our body, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

That's the internal man, if you would.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

Look at verse 18.

While we look not at the things which are what?

Seen.

But at the things which are, say it.

Now, not seen means they're invisible.

You see, when I say I believe in the invisible God, I just believe in the God that I've not yet seen.

When I say I believe in heaven, I just believe in the heaven I've not yet seen.

Faith is the substance of things what?

Hope for, the evidence of things.

I've just not seen them yet.

For the things which are seen are what?

Temporal.

Please look up here.

You see this body.

I've got to be honest with you and tell you this.

This body is temporary.

I've got something waiting for me in heaven that's much more permanent.

Now, when I say this, you're going to say, oh come on, you're wacko.

I believe more in that future body than I do in this present body.

I'm more convinced about that future body reserved for me than I am about this temporary body that is just here for a while.

You say, Oh, I don't know about that.

Wait till you get older.

You will be convinced more and more and more as God gives you more and more years that you know what?

He's right.

I'm not putting much trust in this body.

It's just a temporary vessel to carry me in.

If you uh if you think about it even further, uh, well, this earth, brethren, this earth that we see is temporary.

That's why we don't worship it.

Well, I worship the earth, it's temporary.

I'm not gonna go out and hug a tree.

I'm not for destroying and you know, tearing it up and you know, and all that kind of stuff, man.

I still pick up my trash and I don't throw throw it along the freeway.

Get find, amen.

I'm not but you know what?

I'm I'm not so into nature that I, oh son.

Thank you for your warmth.

Are you crazy?

Oh God, thank you for putting the sun up there and the fact that I'm warm, amen.

Because the earth is temporary.

This earth, the Bible says, will pass away with a fervent heat.

Big bang.

And then he said, there's a new heaven, new earth.

I trust more in the new heaven and new earth than I do than this one.

Why?

Because the things that are seen are temporal, the things that are not seen, not yet seen.

Those are invisible yet.

They're more permanent, they're eternal.

Look at Romans 10.

Romans 10.

There we go.

Oh, you're holding your place in Romans 12?

Romans 10 and Romans 12.

You don't have to hold your place too much.

It's only two pages apart, amen.

Romans 12.

Look up here just for a moment.

Romans 12.

I'm going to illustrate something.

I hope this comes across pretty well.

Uh, Romans chapter 12, as you're holding your place there.

Romans 12 · chapter mention

I am I'm a person who is an unbeliever.

And I'm kind of looking into this, I'll use this word sphere of Christianity here, and I'm looking at them in that sphere, and I'm going, you know what?

I don't know about all that, you know.

I uh uh seeing is believing, and because I can't see it, I don't know if I can believe it, and you all have a bunch of mythical, you know, fantasies and imaginations in there, and you look happy and all that, but it's just a crutch, you know, and I just, you know, if I can't see it, I don't believe it.

And the word of God comes through, and I hear the word of God, which I did at 24 years of age, and you know what starts working on me?

Because faith cometh by what?

Hearing.

And hearing by the what?

The word of God.

So here's the here's the story.

The word of God comes in, and even though I hear it with my ears, am I not hear it with my heart and understand it?

But the more I begin to understand it and believe in it, the more that word begins to work on me and starts telling me there is something after this life.

And if you would, this is the first door that I must enter in.

It's called salvation, and it comes by faith.

Yes or no?

Salvation does start by faith.

Faith is the door that allows me to enter in, if you would, to salvation.

I understand Jesus is the door, but it's faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, and it's receiving his faith in me, the author and finisher of my faith.

And I come to the place where I believe and I act upon it, please.

I act upon it by confession with my mouth and receiving in my heart and repentance.

Faith and believing in the word begins to work, and I go, you know, I do need forgiven.

I do want eternal life, and I am willing to repent, and I do with humility, and I receive salvation, and I enter in through the door of Jesus Christ, and I'm into this sphere here.

Now listen, I remember something.

In the first sphere, I'll call it, and don't make this doctrine uh, I'm saying in the first few months, few years, really, I gotta tell you something.

Faith and doubt battled each other.

If you just got saved, faith and doubt battle each other.

I say, what do you mean?

Well, faith and doubt, they battle each other.

Is it really real?

Is it not real?

Is that really true?

Is it not true?

Is it really real?

Is it a man?

Is there really a heaven?

Do you know what I'm talking about?

Have you ever did you go through that?

How many went through something like that?

Sure.

I mean, you were faith and is that word of God really true?

Is it is it is it really invisible?

Is there a heaven?

I mean, streets of gold?

Is there really a hell?

Is there really a lake of fire?

I mean, do I really believe that?

I mean, does God of love, does he have to punish and judge and all that?

Do I really want to believe what's in that Bible?

And there's this element in here, please, where it seems like faith is yet weak.

And sometimes doubt overrides, and sometimes you look back and say, What did I do?

Faith cometh by what?

Hearing.

And hearing by the so I hear the word of God more, and I hear the word of God more, and I understand the word of God more, and I get to the place where I said, you know what?

It is true.

This word of God is telling me about myself, it's telling me about things around.

My mind is now regenerated, I'm understanding it more and more, and you know, I'm believing more and more in this invisible stuff.

You know what?

There probably really are angels.

I mean, there probably really was a man named Moses.

And evidently he showed up and talked to Jesus.

I just got to believe that.

And as I believe and understand more and more, I pass through some faith and even pass through, if you would, into another realm.

And I'm not talking this doctrinally, I'm trying to illustrate something to you.

You say, well, show me what you're talking about.

Look at Romans 12.

And look at verse 3.

For I say, through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think how?

Soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the what?

The measure of faith.

The measure of what?

You mean God can measure it out?

Oh yeah, he measures it with what we're able to handle.

He authors our faith and he begins to mature it in us because he wants to finish it, but he measures out that faith.

Now, the more faith, faith is the door that gives way to more understanding, and understanding gives me more ability to believe in the invisible.

Let me say it again.

He measures more faith, he measures out more understanding.

It comes through the Word of God, and he gets it to the place where I can understand more and believe it more, and I operate more in the realm of the invisible.

I'll use this as an illustration.

I get into this sphere here, and you know what?

Doubt and faith are almost equal.

Over here, doubt far outweighed faith at many times, but as I passed in this thing where my faith grows and my major faith grows, and again, don't take this as show me doctrinally about those fears.

I'm just using it as an illustration.

Doubt and faith kind of equal out, and you know what?

There are days when I don't even doubt.

We're back here over in this realm.

There are many days I doubt.

I mean, I come to church and kind of doubt.

Amen?

You don't want to admit that, do you?

I am.

I'll guarantee you if there's a new Christian in here this morning, they're growing and everything, but there are days you doubt.

What am I doing?

Am I in a cult?

Are they gonna ask me to go to Waco and drink Kool-Aid?

No, we're not.

Now stay with me.

We get over in this realm where faith has grown.

You say, well, I don't know if I look at verse 6.

Verse 6.

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us or the prophecy, let us prophesy.

According to the what?

Proportion of faith.

He measures it out with understanding.

Now you say, well, well, I don't think that's fair because why would God give someone more faith than he gives someone else?

It's not so much a matter of us being favors, favorites of God.

He's no respecter of persons.

It's a matter of how much time we spend in this book.

It's a matter of how much time we give to this word because faith cometh by hearing, hearing not just hearing, but understanding the word of God.

Is that right?

So the more time I spend in my book, the greater my faith grows, the more God gives me this faith.

And now I'm in this realm where you know what?

Faith and doubt, I mean, they're almost equal.

In fact, it seems like faith's beginning to win out, and I live more in faith in the invisible than I do in the temporal.

I grow more and more and more.

Stay with me.

And you know, I pass through a sometimes you know when you are, and sometimes you don't.

You just look back and go, wow, I've grown.

And you get over into this realm where this takes place, and this is where it gets good.

Where faith far outweighs doubt.

I mean, where the invisible is more a reality than the visible.

Where you trust more in that book than you do in any better writings on the face of the earth.

I mean, somebody else writes this story and they have this great list of credentials, and you say, you know what?

This, what is written by this great credentialed man, is exactly opposite from the Bible.

I tell you what, I'm believing the book.

And faith gives way to where you live in the invisible.

You know what happens?

Over in this realm where faith is stronger than doubt, prayer life gets really good.

Back over here, prayer is fair, and back over here, you kind of say, Who am I talking to?

God, I want to believe you're there, but I feel real strange.

I feel like I'm just, you know, talking to myself.

Uh Lord, if you're really there, uh please help me with this.

How is that?

What am I asking Matt for?

He doesn't, I don't even know if he's there.

Do you know what I'm talking about?

Then you get over here in your prayer life, it's like, okay, uh boy, I have some good seasons of prayer.

When you get over in this room where faith far outweighs doubt, I'm in you talk to him like he's real.

Like he's listening, like he's gonna answer.

You get in the realm of the invisible and you say, God, and you know he's listening.

I'll guarantee you there's Christians in here today.

You're kind of right in here.

Well, yeah, I have good days, you know, where I really believe, and when I'm in church, and you know, and everything, but I have other times when I'm away.

There are people that are here.

I don't know why they're so fanatical.

I tell you what, your faith grows, the measure of faith, you get to know the word of God more and you live in it, and you live in the reality of the invisible, and all of a sudden you get fanatical.

This is where you begin to give up houses and homes to go to the mission field.

This is where you begin to give up ball games to come to church.

They say, I started doing that back over there.

Then you're far along, amen.

Wait till you get up here, you're gonna give up everything.

This is where you get where your family says, I don't know, I think Doug's going off the deep end.

I mean, he's down at that church all the time, and you know, he just really thinks it's real.

And you know, I'm a good, you know, I have my religion, but I don't do all that.

Hello?

Man, when you get way over here into this thing of faith, and you start doing some things, and you actually go out and tell other people about your faith and your invisible God and invisible heaven and invisible salvation, and you get excited about it and you plead with him and say, You've got to get saved because you really do believe in hell.

Even though you've never seen it.

You really do believe in the lake of fire, and you really do plead for their soul, not just because you're told to, not just because the preacher stand up, because you really believe it, and God has sunk it in your heart, and you say, I'm not just doing it for my guilt, I'm doing it because they're gonna be away from God forever.

Why?

Because the measure of faith has increased.

And faith allows for the reality of the invisible.

I mean, this is when you go into surgery and the doctor says, Well, you may not come out and you say, I may be better off if I don't.

You're scared, but you'd be honest.

You say, Well, if it doesn't work, doc, thank you.

You say, That's morbid.

No, that's faith.

Amen.

Any doctor would like you go into surgery with a positive attitude.

I'm not saying arrogant, I'm just saying faith.

Now, I want to show you something else.

Look at Hebrews 11.

You're doing well.

I told you to turn to Romans 10, forget that.

I already gave you the scripture.

Hebrews 11.

You say, what was there?

I didn't know that.

Faith is sub I'm sorry, faith cometh by hearing, hearing by the word of God.

Look at Hebrews 11.

Now, now stay with me.

This is good.

Not because I wrote it, not because I'm preaching it, because the Bible wrote it.

The Bible, the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 11 and John chapter 20.

John 20 · chapter mention

Oh, watch this very carefully.

John 20 and Hebrews chapter 11.

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

John 20 in Hebrews chapter 11.

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

Now, I know you know this scripture, but now you need to relate it to what we're at.

Hebrews 11 and John 20.

You're doing great.

Hebrews 11.

Now look at verse 6.

Verse 6.

You say, well, you could have just quoted it.

I know you know it, but other people need to see it.

But without what?

Faith, it is what?

Impossible to do what?

For he that cometh to God must believe that he is.

I mean, right now, presently, he is.

And that he is right now, presently, a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

So I want to ask you a question.

If it's without faith, it's impossible to please him, then I want to ask you a question.

What pleases him?

Faith pleases him, is that right?

Come on, yes or no?

Faith pleases him.

Alright?

So I want to make you a statement to you.

When I entered into this realm, if you would, where doubt and faith, and doubt was a little bit more than faith, you know, and I kind of, he was pleased that I did this.

Salvation is pleasing unto God.

Many of you already are saved.

Many of you are already blood bought.

Many of you are already Christians, right?

How many are already saved?

Oh, yeah.

Many of you.

Now, wouldn't it be terrible and tragic if I just stayed right here?

And just kind of looked into the next one and said, no, I don't think I want to go over there.

No, you know, you've got to study your Bible, you gotta pray, you gotta come to church.

They might even ask for your money.

I don't want to go over there.

God doesn't want any money, God wants you.

If he gets you, he's got everything.

So the idea is some people just, well, I'm comfortable right here.

You know, I'm not gonna, I know enough, you know, what's the big deal?

I'm going to heaven.

But this is only pleasing him a certain amount.

As our faith grows, then isn't it possible for us to give him more pleasure?

Let me say it again.

As our faith grows, isn't it possible for us to give him more pleasure?

And that's what we are created for, Revelations.

So as my faith grows through understanding his word more, as my faith grows, I can give him more pleasure.

To now it's faith equals doubt, and I'm kind of in there, but faith is winning out sometimes more than doubt.

And I'm in that struggle and say, you know what, I want to move off for this one, and I want to get over into this realm where faith, believing in the invisible, overshadows and overtakes television and what's on the media and what I see.

And I just live in the spirit and walk in the spirit.

And I'm gonna say this to you.

I honestly believe that he's more pleased over here than when I was back over there.

Statement it is possible for me as a Christian to go back this way.

It's called backsliding.

I get out of the Bible, you say, no, no, no.

Once you're here, then your faith is always that way.

No, no.

Now faith is.

I'll guarantee you, if your faith was strong at one time, if you backslide, faith begins to weaken.

Come on.

You ever backslide?

How many of you have ever backslid away from God, away from the Bible, devotions of the church?

Doesn't faith weaken?

And when faith weakens, doubt comes.

And when doubt comes more and more, the ability to give him pleasure like we used to is not there.

Look at John 20.

I'm watching the time.

You don't have to.

John 20.

Have faith in me, amen.

John 20, stay with me.

Doing well, John 20.

And brethren, this just begins what I want to get to tonight.

And then Wednesday night.

John 20.

Look at this, please.

Little statement.

Jesus shows up to the apostles.

Thomas is not there.

Thomas says, you know, except I see the print of the nails in his hands and put my finger through those prints and thrust my hand inside, I won't believe.

Verse 26, 27, verse 26.

After eight days again, the disciples were within and Thomas with them.

Then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, Peace be unto you.

Verse 27.

Then said he to Thomas, this is the doubter, reach out of thy finger and behold my hands.

Reach out of thy hand and thrust it in my side.

And be not what?

Statement.

Here was Thomas over here when he heard, you know what?

Thomas the Lord showed up.

Oh, and we saw the prince, and we saw, I mean, his side, it was really him.

And Thomas says, I don't believe that.

Not unless I can see it.

Doubt was still there.

Amen?

And Jesus said, Thomas, I'm gonna move you from here where you doubt, to way over there where you don't doubt a bit.

And Jesus showed up to Thomas and said, All right, go ahead.

Stick your finger in.

Go ahead, put your hand in.

Thomas.

You know, Thomas jumped quickly over here.

Very quickly.

Amen?

I mean, seeing is believing.

But notice the little statement that Jesus said.

Verse 28, Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

Hey, did the invisible become visible to him?

Verse 29, Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast what?

Seen me, thou hast what?

Then he says this blessed are they that have not seen and yet have.

Now what does he say those people are?

He says they're what?

Say it?

Blessed.

Come on, what are they?

Blessed.

Blessed.

Because they've not yet seen, they believe.

Could I make a statement to you and say this?

As God measures out more faith and we receive it, and we act on it, and we study his book, and he gives us more faith, and we grow in faith, and we grow more in the reality of the invisible and we give him more pleasure.

Could I make a statement and say he's able then for us to receive bigger blessings?

I say, I don't believe that.

God can bless.

Yeah, God can bless you at a certain extent right here, as saved.

God does bless his children right here to a certain extent.

But please look up here.

Greater blessings can be received because they can be accepted from the invisible as we grow in faith and get over here to where God says, Man, I tell you what, you've given me so much pleasure.

I really want to bless you now.

Now, some of you right now are going, I don't know if I believe that.

Study your book.

He is a rewarder.

And it is possible if I go this way to suffer loss and not reach my potential for God.

Amen.

Yes?

1 Corinthians 3.

The idea is I grow in Christ, and as you grow in Christ, we come into the reality of the invisible, and we believe God.

We believe his promises.

A promise is something not yet seen.

And I believe his promises, and I trust his promises, and I give him pleasure.

And he says, you know what?

I think I can bless him more now.

And he's able to receive it because he knows where it's coming from.

One more statement.

As my faith that God authors in me, as the faith that's offered in me grows, please stay with me.

So do my actions based on that faith.

Faith without what?

Is what?

And say what's the works?

Action based on the faith.

As my faith grows and the measures measured out, and I understand and I study the book and receive more and believe the individual, I act more by faith.

I do more things by faith, trusting him.

Because I do trust him.

And he's pleased.

And he says, I'm going to bless him for his actions.

You say, Brother Fisher, what's this last door?

Well, that's where faith becomes sight.

That's where faith becomes sight.

Because now we look through a glass.

But one of these days faith is going to become sight either through death, graduation, or I kind of like the rapture part, amen?

Twinkling of an eye, no casket, no, you know, all that stuff.

So I says, well, don't you want to?

No, I don't want to go.

I'd rather go gone.

Why not?

Why walk when you can take a jet airplane?

No, whatever God wants, I'm willing to do.

But if it's a difference between I don't want to do that.

Amen?

I'd rather just.

Done.

And one of these days, we will step on through.

You say, what about somebody that's way over there?

They'll step back through while they're right there.

When the rapture comes, if they doubt, they're already saved, they're going up.

If they're at this level, and I'm just using this as an illustration, we're not talking about three heavens here.

We're not talking about whether you live in the city or not.

I'm just talking about where you at.

We could go upright from this point.

But wouldn't it be better if we've got time yet to study our book and let our faith grow and measure, increase to where the invisible is a reality.

You know what comes over here?

Joy.

Now I'm not saying there's not some joy over here, but I'm telling you, if you were, if we were white here one time and living in this joy, please, and we start backsliding into this realm, boy, I tell you what, a lot of that joy goes with us, and we say, man.

Now I want to say make a statement.

You can't go back through this door.

Once you're in and through salvation, this door shuts.

Amen?

Try all you want.

You can't go to hell.

That's right.

You say, well, I don't know if I believe that.

Well, study your Bible.

Give me an hour, and I'll show you.

Let me increase your faith and your understanding.

Well, I don't know if I believe that or not.

Give me an hour with the Bible, and if you believe the Bible, you will be assured.

From Scripture.

If I used to be over there and I'm back here, I'll tell you what, some of the joy I used to have is not there.

Why?

Because I'm not giving him pleasure the way I used to.

And you know, I'm not getting the blessings I used to.

You say blessings.

Now I want to know about those blessings.

Is that money?

I mean, when you get over here, do you have a lot of money in your pocket?

It's all dollars, amen.

And not necessarily.

Well, do you have a lot of things?

Because if you let I have a lot of things, that's what I want to do.

Not necessarily, because they're just temporary.

You have a lot of peace, you have a lot of joy, you have a lot of confidence in God.

You believe He can, and He's able.

You get to the place where Caleb said, we are well able.

We can do this thing with God's help.

And there's a lot of actions, and there's a lot of fruit.

And you just know you're giving God pleasure.

Oh, by the way, that'd be a good question.

Where are you at today?

Well, which direction are you heading?

Are you facing this way at least?

Or are you kind of this way?

Because when we get twisted a little bit, you know, that's about where we're at.

Kind of go back and forth right in here.

Or are you?

Or if you're right here, you're not enjoying this message.

I want to tell you that.

If you're facing this way and you're going this way, you're kind of going, when is this guy going to be done so I can get out of here?

I don't believe a word he's saying, I don't like it.

I'm not coming back here again.

Or maybe today God's doing this.

And it's hurting.

Let me do that again.

You say, I can't believe I come to this church and this guy's, it's an object lesson.

This is the way my mind thinks, you say, you have a simple mind.

Yeah.

Yeah.

But you're getting it.

Maybe today you're like this.

You came in like this, and God is slowly going, and it's hurting.

Oh, oh.

That's enough for today.

Come back tonight.

That's enough, that's enough.

Come back Wednesday night.

Amen.

Give God a chance.

And don't listen to what the world says about you.

You can't do this, you can't do that.

You have this in your past, you have that in your past.

Have you ever killed a body?

Have you killed somebody?

If you haven't, you're better than Moses.

You're better than uh Paul.

You're even better than David.

Now, even if you have killed somebody, God used David, God used Moses.

Didn't David kill Goliath?

Yeah, but he also killed Uriah the Hittite.

Who'd Moses kill?

Egyptian, buried him in the sand.

Who'd Paul kill?

Many.

Christians.

So this idea about, well, so-and-so said this about me, I can never do that.

Forget about so-and-so.

Live in the invisible.

Because maybe so-and-so didn't know their book very well.

I meet a lot of Christians that don't know their book very well at all.

And by the way, you know what you get to?

You don't try to say, okay, well, I know my book as well as so-and-so.

No, you don't worry, worry about that.

You say, I've got to get to know my book better.

I must get to know it better.

Now, you know, this would be so easy if there weren't principalities and powers.

If there wasn't an opposition, this would be just simple.

We'd all be over here just kind of waiting at the door saying, Come on, blow the trumpet.

Come on, blow the trumpet.

Let's go.

I'm ready.

But there's principalities and powers.

They sow the seed of doubt.

How do we know?

The seed was sown, the fowls of the air, principalities and powers?

Catch it up.

Choke the word.

There wasn't a opposing.

Oh, you really believe that there are devils and that there's Satan.

You really got this thing in your imagination, don't you?

Yep.

Because you can't take half the book and part of the book and not take the other part, too.

It's not something you just say, well, I'm going to chomp this out and this is not Jehodi's penknife.

You read the whole thing, you study the whole thing, you understand the whole thing, and you believe the whole thing.

Not just the parts that sound good to you and to me.

Well, I kind of like this thing about heaven, but you know what?

I just don't know if I believe that thing about, you know, God casting them away.

Then you don't believe the book.

Amen.

And who you've been listening to?

Now I'm not trying to put you on the spot, but y'all just believe the whole thing.

The what you consider to be good, and even what you consider to be bad, because it's not our decision, it's his, and we just read it, study it, understand it, and say, if that's the way he set it up, I believe it.

It's his book.

It's his world.

We are his.

We ought to understand who he is and grow in Christ.

Why?

So we get over here to where we give him pleasure, we walk by faith, we act by faith, we believe by faith, we get blessed.

And the key is, brethren, to try to stay right here.

Oh, if you'll come tonight, I'll help you.

Not not me, the book.

If you've never received Christ as Savior, I want you to know something.

The door is not closed.

If you've never received Christ as Savior, It's wide open right now.

You come through faith, through believing, trusting only.

You say, why is it so narrow?

There's only one way through Jesus Christ.

Trusting, believing Him.

What do I have to do?

Accept?

Repent.

Confess, I believe, Lord.

You mean you don't have to pay any money?

Don't cheapen it.

You mean you don't have to be perfect?

Well, when I live right, then I can enter in?

No.

We can't live right enough.

Amen?

It's His grace, His mercy, our acceptance, repentance, confession.

Lord, forgive me.

I am now ready to receive you, and it's time for me to enter in.

If you're right here as a Christian and you're new, there's going to be faith doubt.

Faith doubt.

And by the way, some people stay new for 20 years.

They never go past this.

They just stay new.

They're saved, but they never go past this.

Doubt, faith, doubt.

Church twice a year, three times a year.

Maybe five times a year if it's a good year.

Well, Christmas and Easter for sure.

And, you know, a couple other times when they beg me and plead me and send me letters.

It's okay, laugh.

Laugh, I'm almost done.

Are you thinking?

But it would be better for us to move this way and keep on going for God and keep on going and keep on going to where the invisible now captures our mind to where.

This stuff down here, we say, you look at television, you'd say, you know what?

It's fake.

It's not real.

It's unreal.

It's not reality.

Why should I even waste my time with it?

All of a sudden, all that glitter on television gets to be the place where you go, it's fake, anyways.

How do you give it up?

Get over here in the invisible.

I mean, they even messed up Moses and the Ten Commandments.

And live in the reality of the invisible.

Let's all stand.

You've done well this morning.

Let's all stand.

Look right up here.

Thank you so much.

And I asked you a question this morning, with you looking right up at me.

If your faith is stagnated and it doesn't seem to be growing, it's because the eyes of the understanding need to be further enlightened through the knowledge and understanding of the Word of God.

You know why we have Bible Institute?

To increase your understanding about God's Word.

And I hope I haven't sound arrogant.

I've said you a couple of times and me almost like I've got it together.

I still am growing and still am learning.

But it's nice when you pass into that realm where faith very rarely gives way to doubt about the things of this book.

I don't know when it was the last time that I doubted whether there was a Savior or not.

It's just so real.

I don't know when the last time I doubted whether there's a heaven or not.

It's just so real.

I'm not talking about because I dreamed about it, I just read about it.

But I still got a ways to go.

If your faith is stagnating, maybe it would be good to say, Lord, maybe I ought to go check out one of those classes, or maybe I ought to come back to church tonight and give my faith a chance to grow and the author and the finisher of my faith.

And may I say this: if you used to come to church and used to be heavily involved in your word, if you back out of it, your faith will begin to diminish too.

And we can play out.

We can play like everything's okay, but inside we know, and God knows, that our faith that used to be strong is diminished.

And with that goes the degree of pleasure that we can give Him.

And I believe the degree of blessing that He will give us in using us in our lives.

If you've never been saved and never received Christ as your Savior, you're welcome among us today.

We appreciate you being here.

And we'd like to take a Bible and show you how you could be saved.

We can show you how to enter into that door.

And if you're over here doubting and kind of swimming around that faith doubt, faith, doubt, faith, doubt, don't be ashamed.

Just realize that you can get out of that and move on by understanding the Word of God more.

You say, preacher, it seems like you're basing a whole lot on the Word of God.

That's right.

You're right.

In fact, our faith grows by it and by the Holy Spirit.

Maybe this morning you know someone that used to be in this realm and they've backslid.

Wouldn't hurt to pray for them.

Maybe you know someone that's not even entered into the door yet.

Wouldn't hurt to pray for them.

This morning, rather than we have an old-fashioned altar call.

Whether you do something publicly or privately.

I hope this morning you'll see that what we need to do is grow in faith and understanding and wisdom.

And then tonight, if you could come back, because really we just started something that I want to take you much, much deeper into tonight through the Word of God.

With your heads bowed now, please, and your eyes closed just for a moment.