Confession B4
We’ve been teaching on the subject of faith and confession and I want to pickup where we left off last time.
I) Last time we looked at some examples in the Word of God, this showed us the importance that God placed on the words we speak.
A) First of all we looked at the children of Israel murmuring and complaining about Moses leading them to the Canaan land, which was the land of promise.
1) The Israelites knew there were giants in the land and they said that they would be defeated, where God told them they would be victorious.
a) In their murmuring and complaining they said, “Has God brought us out here to die in the wilderness.”
b) Because of the words they spoke, God said, “As you have spoken in my ear so shall be unto you.”
(i) All who were of age died in the wilderness according to their words.
B) We also looked at Zacharias in Luke chapter 1 where an angel appeared to him telling him that he was going to have a son.
1) Zacharias couldn’t believe it because Elisabeth was barren and both of them now we’re well up there in years.
a) Because of his unbelief the angel said to him, “Thou shall not be able to speak until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words.”
b) (Proverbs 18:21) says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”
2) Zacharias would have spoken his unbelief and the angel had to stop him from speaking.
a) Otherwise he would have stop the miracle from happening.
b) How many times have we stopped the miracle because of the words we have spoken?
C) We also have the miracle of the walls of Jericho falling down.
1) When the children Israel faced the enormous fortress of Jericho, doubt and unbelief surely would have been in the hearts of many.
a) Joshua, under the inspiration of God, would not let the people speak for seven days.
b) Finally, on the 7th day when they walked around Jericho once again they let out the shouts of victory and the walls came tumbling down.
D) We also saw how Jesus spoke to the fig tree and because of it the fig tree withered up.
1) Again how many times has our miracle withered up and died because of the WRONG WORDS we have spoken?
II) Now turn with me to HEB 11:1-3.
A) We could word (HEB 11:3) this way, “We understand that it was through faith that the worlds were framed by God’s Word.”
1) That’s how God framed the worlds. It was through the spoken Word of God.
a) God spoke the words that brought everything into existence.
b) All things were made by words.
2) JOHN 1:1-3.
a) “Without him”, “was not any thing made that was made.” Who is the “HIM” that we’re talking about?
(i) It’s actually talking about the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God.
b) Without the Word, nothing was made.
(i) In the beginning, all creation was made by the Word.
(ii) John said that the Word was God in (V 1), and God is all-powerful. If that’s true then the Word is all-powerful to change your situation.
(iii) (Hebrews 4:12) says, “For the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword.”
B) But I just want WARN YOU that sometimes when you start confessing the Word of God people will say, “All that faith stuff doesn’t work” or they’ll just sit back and say, “We’ll just see how long they keep up that faith and confession stuff.”
1) Don’t let their thoughts and comments shake you. Stay with it no matter how long it takes. Keep on doing what you know that the Word of God says.
2) Say what the Word of God says about the situation.
a) Now not saying that we should ignore the circumstances, we should do all we can do in the natural, but you also need to do all that you can do in the spiritual.
b) When you confess God’s Word and place your faith in His Word you’re beginning to change the situation.
III) Back in HEB 11:1 let’s just turn there.
A) It says that faith is the “SUBSTANCE” of things hoped for.
1) The word “SUBSTANCE” means “ESSENCE, ASSURANCE, CONFIDENCE, CONFIDENT, SUBSTANCE.”
a) FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE what causes the things you’ve prayed for to manifest. (Godly things).
b) This verse also tells us that “FAITH IS CONFIDENCE.”
(i) Faith is always confident that the Word of God is bringing the answer.
2) I like to read (HEB 11:1) like this, “Faith is the substance of things.” In other words, FAITH is what CAUSES THINGS TO COME INTO EXISTENCE.
a) God did not see the world when He created the earth.
3) But God had faith in His Word that what He spoke would happen.
4) He framed the worlds with His Words.
a) You can’t build something without substance.
b) Faith filled Words was the substance that was needed.
5) God never does anything without saying it 1st.
a) In (Genesis chapter 1) God didn’t create anything until he first spoke it. (GEN 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26.)
b) Even in the Gospels Jesus did the same thing.
(i) In (Luke 5:24) Jesus told the crippled man to walk and he was healed.
(ii) Jesus did the same thing to another crippled man in (John 5:8).
(iii) Jesus always spoke it out 1st and said, “Be whole, or rise up and walk.” These were statements of His faith, confessions of His faith. He spoke it 1st, then the person was healed.
(iv) It doesn’t only have to be God the Father or the Lord Jesus Christ to speak out the Word and see the results.
c) Acts 3:4-6.
(i) Faith filled words are a powerful spiritual force, it will cause the thing that you’re believing God for, to manifest in the natural realm.
(ii) Begin to change your situation with your faith in His Word that you speak.
7/18/90 WED PM & WOLCC SUN AM 8/23/92
d) You may have heard people say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me.”
(i) Nothing could be further from the truth.
(ii) Words can kill you.
e) If you don’t know what you’re doing with words they can destroy you.
f) PRO 11:3.
(i) The word “PERVERSENESS” according to the Wilson’s O.T. Word Study, means “SMOOTHNESS, FLATTERY, HE THAT IS TURNED IN HIS TONGUE.”
(ii) This verse is telling us that those that have a turned tongue, those that speak contrary to the Word of God, those that speak out the negative, it will destroy them.
B) You may have heard people say, “What you don’t know won’t hurt you.”
1) There are some things that if you don’t know about them it could kill you.
a) Jesus said in (John 8:32) “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
(i) I take that to mean that if you don’t know the truth you will be in bondage even death.
b) (ISA 5:13) says, “Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because {they have} no knowledge.”
(i) (HOS 4:6) says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
(ii) If you don’t have knowledge of the Word of God you’re in trouble.
2) As we already said (Proverbs 18:21) says that death and life are in the power of the tongue.
a) If you don’t have knowledge of that, you’re going to face the consequences of it.
3) We need to get our words in line with the Word of God.
a) God’s Word conceived in our heart, then formed with the tongue and spoken out of the mouth becomes a spiritual force, which releases the ability of God.
(i) Where do you conceive God’s Word? In the human spirit or as the KJV puts it “THE HEART.”
C) You can also conceive and speak out other words.
1) If it’s the Devil that you’re quoting, you are releasing the power of the Devil. It’s that simple.
IV) ROM 10:17.
A) Hearing God’s Word causes you to have faith in God and in His Word to come to you.
1) Faith is the spiritual force, which is released out of your mouth when we speak the Word of God.
2) That’s why Paul said in (PHI 4:13) “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
a) Paul understood that the Word conceived inside him and spoken out of his mouth would set the course of his whole life.
B) Turn with me to JOSH 1:8.
1) Do you want to know how to make your way prosperous?
a) 1st of all you have to do things God’s way.
b) The key is right here in (V 8), 1st of all don’t let His words depart from your mouth and do them.
2) God is telling you right here to be a doer of the Word and confess them.
a) The words that you speak are more important to you than anyone else.
b) There’s going to have more affect on you than any one else.
c) The whole direction of your life is changed according to your words.
V) Sometimes people wonder why Jesus had so much faith.
A) It wasn’t because He was the Son of God. He set aside all His deity when He became a man.
1) So how did Jesus get so much faith?
2) Again (ROM 10:17) Says, “So then faith {cometh} by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
a) Look at JOHN 12:47-50.
b) Jesus spoke the words of His Father. When He did it caused faith to come inside of Him.
(i) (ROM 10:17) it says, “So then faith {cometh} by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
(ii) Faith that is in God’s Word gets into your spirit when you speak it.
(iii) That’s the spiritual force that we’re talking about.
B) There has been some medical research, which has discovered that the part of your brain, which controls your speech, is connected to every nerve of your body.
1) What you speak about yourself can affect your health.
2) The Word of God is more powerful in your life when you hear it spoken out of your mouth.
a) Words will affect you more when they are spoken out of your mouth.
b) MATT 12:34.
(i) What you speak out is what you believe. It will affect you much more if you already believe it in your heart than if you hear something for the 1st time.
(ii) Sure some faith will come if you here me speak the Word, But even more will come if you speak it out of your mouth.
c) That’s why God told Joshua in (JOSH 1:8), “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth.”
(i) If you went around speaking everything God said, you would be highly developed in the God kind of Faith.
(ii) Put God’s Word in your mouth.
(iii) Once you begin to get this revelation and you start confessing God’s Word for yourself you’ll begin to see God’s hand move in your life and in your situations.
7/25/90 WED PM TFC & WOLCC 3/27/96
Taken from CONFESS.DOC and CONFES.DOC 7/11/90 and CONFESA WED PM TFC & WOLCC 6/6/91 THURS. PM. WOLCC 3/13/94 SUN AM and Sun AM 3/20/94
Taken from CONFESS.DOC and CONFES.DOC 7/11/90 WED PM TFC and WOLCC 6/6/91 THURS. PM and WOLCC 3/6/94 SUN AM and Thursday 7/9/98 Order of sermons: Confession, Confession A, Confession B, then Confession #2 (This message is taken from the message called “Confession.” It is part 2 of that message which I didn’t finish.) Thursday, August 06, 1998. This message is the same as Confession AAA.Doc. Which I still didn’t finish. Thursday, August 13, 1998. Thursday, August 27, 1998 and Thursday, September 10, 1998.