<TITLE>15. Par -</TITLE>L-23-5 Against hope, yet believed in hope. Hopes was all gone, yet he believed in it. When hope was done dead to him, hope was dead to every scientific search, every resource of wisdom; hope was gone, but still he believed in it. What was it? Faith in it, faith in hope when hope wasn't there. Hmmm, I'd like to linger on that awhile. Faith in hope, when there wasn't no hope there. Yet he still believed in hope (See?), 'cause he said, "He told me, 'So shall thy seeds be.'"
Now, 19th verse:
And being not weak in... (wisdom? knowledge? had his degree? No, no, no!)... being not weak in faith,... (Ah, there you are!)... he considered not his own body now dead,... (Hope was gone, his body was dead. Listen next:)... when he was about a hundred years old, neither... the deadness of Sarah's womb: (Hope was dead; his body was dead; Sarah's womb was dead. What did he do? Next verse:)
He staggered not... (Oh, my.)... He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief... (wisdom);... but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; (Oh, my. What?)
And being fully persuaded that, what he has promised, he was also able to perform.

L-24-1 Hmmm! No matter how... There's no reasoning to it at all; it just takes the--the Word and holds on to It. Now, if this is the Word of God (you believe it?), then why doubt any word of It, any promise of It? How can you say that this is part, and this is no good, and this is that; pick out what you want? You can't do it. It's either all good, or It's none of It good. That's right! So as soon as you see that It's the Truth, take ahold of It. Don't turn It loose, no matter what circumstances, how they try to reason, "Why, you can't..." Don't, don't do that at all. Stay right with It; God promised it.

L-24-2 If I'm going now to take my stand for Christ, and He's give me the Holy Spirit, His Spirit bears record of His Life in me, then when I come to die, Satan tries to say, "Now, you see, you didn't belong to an organization." Stay right with the Word! "You didn't do this; you didn't do that." No matter what that... Satan's got no reasoning about it; It's God's Word. Stay with the Word. See? It casts down all reasonings. See? You don't have any reasoning, just holds on to the Word. See?

L-24-3 Now, faith simply trusts in His Word. See? That's what He wanted them to do. That--that... Now, you get the background now. That's exactly what God wanted the human race to do: to trust in every Word He said. And Eve trusted a whole lot of It, but one little thing. She accepted, "Well, if I'll become full of wisdom, maybe--maybe it was that way. Maybe it's supposed to be this way." See? Then right there's where she lost her hold. That's where she started sinking, right there. That's where the whole human race went right down to the grave from right there, because she doubted one word.

L-24-4 Some of them say, "Well, I believe this is true. I believe that's true. I believe God can save, but I don't believe He can heal. I believe the Holy Ghost, sure, fell on the day of Pentecost, but there's no place where there's anything that says the Holy Ghost fell after Pentecost."
Oh, brother, that's the way they say it. Call themselves the Churches of Christ. See. See? Having a form of godliness, but denying the Word thereof. Uh, huh! That's it. See? Must believe; don't reason; believe. Don't try to have wisdom; just believe the Word.
Wisdom tries to reason and present a better way. Now, that's exactly what Satan told Eve. "Now, you're not going to die. Surely you won't, 'cause God's a good God."


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