Faith is based on the unseen and feeds the soul, an invisible thing only known to God, and draws the believer’s soul closer to its creator.
It was a hard thing for Moses to leave all the pleasures, profits and preferments of Egypt in exchange for the desert and the unknown trials that lay ahead.
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However, he did it though, choosing the afflictions of Pharaoh and siding with God’s people. Why? “He saw Him that is invisible,” says the Holy Bible in Hebrews 11.
But how did he see Him? By faith. “By faith, he saw Him that is invisible,” says the scriptures.
Faith opens the eyes to see that a man hath more with him than against him.
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And the works of God in Christ are not seen by the world God’s pardoning mercy is not seen by the world; the union with Jesus Christ and the privilege thereof are not seen by the world.
The satisfaction of Jesus Christ for a poor sinner is not seen by the world; the great power of God is not seen or if so, at a distance, where it does not manifest in the material world.
“Faith is the substance . . . of things not seen” (Heb 11:1)
It does not only show man things that are otherwise unseen but also brings them near: salvation near, pardoning mercy near, the privileges of union with Christ near, and Christ’s satisfaction near.
And so, when difficulties and discouragements do arise, the soul says through faith: “Why should I not be satisfied with any condition, seeing Christ hath satisfied for me? I am one with Christ. When Christ died, I died; when Christ rose, I rose; when Christ ascended, I ascended; because Christ sits in heaven, I sit there.” Thus faith raises the soul into heaven; it carries it over all the difficulties and discouragements that it can meet with.
“All things are yours;” says the apostle, “life or death, or things present or things to come; all are yours” (1 Cor 3:22).
Faith speaks the same language: all things are yours, soul, all things are yours: difficulties are yours, and natural impossibilities are yours; things present are yours, and things to come are yours.
Will you be afraid of that which is your own? Will the owner be afraid of his dog? A mastiff falls upon a stranger and worries him, and the stranger is afraid of him, but the owner is not afraid, the mastiff leaps and fawns upon him, but he does not worry him.
Says faith: All these difficulties and all these temptations are your own; they will not worry you; they may leap upon you, they may fawn upon you, but they will not worry you; they are all your own, part of the purchase that Jesus Christ hath made for you. Faith holds this steadily upon the soul, and so a man breaks through difficulties.
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Again, true, saving, justifying faith shows a man greater excellencies in Christ than all difficulties and natural discouragements can amount unto on the other side.
“Jesus did not commit Himself unto them, because He knew all men” (John 2:24).
Arguing that He did commit Himself unto others that did believe Him. And believers commit themselves to Jesus Christ. “Commit thy way unto the Lord” (Ps 37:5).
There is a mutual way of committing: Christ commits His grace, He commits His Spirit, He commits His truth unto a believer; a believer commits his estate and his name and himself again unto Christ.
Christ commits His work unto a believer, and a believer again commits the success of the work unto Jesus Christ. Faith now leaves the event and the success again unto Jesus Christ.
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True, saving faith is that grace whereby the soul takes up the yoke of Christ and the burden of Christ upon his soul. Christ’s burden does unburden all other burdens; the very taking of Christ’s burden upon a man does ease him of all other burdens.
This may seem strange to you, that the taking of a new burden should ease one of the former. If a man is carrying coals or wood, the taking of a new burden would not ease him of the former; but the burden of Christ, beloved, is of another nature.
“Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come” (John 2:4,5)
The next words that she says are to the servants, “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it”. They wanted wine; she came to Him for wine, and He answered her so. It may seem a hard answer, yet she says to the servants, “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it”.
For our Saviour had said, “My hour is not yet come”, implying therefore that He would do it. The implication is enough for faith – for Mary’s faith. Faith acquaints a man with the ways of God; it tells the soul that, when Christ seems to be the greatest enemy, He intends the greatest friendship.
He, says faith, does then intend to raise us when He seems most to cast us down. Whereupon, when difficulties and discouragements do arise, a believing soul asks, “Is this His way indeed? Why then should I be borne down with so many discouragements, though they are never so many?”
True, saving, justifying faith fills the soul with God’s infinity. God’s way is not as your way, says faith, nor His thoughts as your thoughts; but as the heavens are above the earth, so are His thoughts beyond yours, and His ways beyond yours.
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Faith lodges this principle into the soul, that God is infinite. Difficulties and discouragements arise which say, “You see now into what distress you are brought; now you see there is no hope at all for your deliverance”.
“True indeed,” says the believer; “through the strength of faith, I see there is no way in any one reason but that God is infinite.
I see many difficulties, but God is infinite.” The soul being filled by faith with the apprehension of God’s infiniteness is hereby carried through all difficulties and discouragements to Jesus Christ.
