If You Believed, You Would See the Glory Hebrews 11:1-3, NIV Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “If You Believed, You Would See the Glory” which is based on Hebrews 11:1-3. Up until today God gave his Word to us. Our bible is the given Word of God. When we read and meditate on the Word often a word will especially touch our heart. At that moment we are to take that word and hold on to it by faith according to the Word of God. “It will then be done just as you believed it would.” Isn’t it wonderful? Jesus did not say, “It will be done to you as it is written”. When we believe the Word, then it will be done to us as we believe it. Jesus said, “Everything is possible for him who believes." I have mustard seeds as my cellular phone accessory. Whenever I feel heavy with worries, I recall what Jesus said, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” I often look at the small mustard seeds and ask “Father, do I have faith as small as a mustard seed? Don’t I have faith small like a mustard seed? Help my little faith!” It can be frustrating because faith is invisible. Sometimes we feel like we have faith and sometimes we feel like we do not. Therefore it is not easy to make a decision according to the faith I think I have. When our faith is relying on emotions, we will waver. Our faith should stand on the rock, the rock of the promised Word of God. Our faith has its foundation on the Word. Even though our eyes cannot see, nor our ears cannot hear, nor our hands cannot touch, or it is still pitch-dark before us, we can still be reminded what is written in the Bible for us which tells us, “By his wounds we have been healed. Our suffering and agony are illusions and are in vain. According to the Word, ‘By Jesus’ wounds I have been healed.’” In that moment we can hang onto the Word by faith at last. Without faith we cannot rely on the Word. Without faith we cannot please God. For the Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” 1. What is faith? Then what is faith? Definitely faith is “being sure of what we hope for.” We all have something we are hoping for in our hearts. A dead man cannot wish. From the moment we wake up in the morning we wish for something. Before breakfast we would wish for “I’d like to have Bul-Go-Gi for my breakfast. I want my favorite sort of Gim-Chi, my favorite Chan-Ji, etc.” We all hope for something. How much more do we wish for our future if we have wishes even for our daily meal? We are expecting what will happen in 1 year, 10 year or 20 year to us. If someone does not have any wish, it is because maybe he is a dead man. Therefore if you have something you are hoping for you need to move on to the next step. You need to come to God with your wishes and pray so that you may gain faith and then it will happen to you. Although we pray fervently we can still be sure of what we pray for in our hearts. Faith is being sure of what we pray for. Faith is the content of what we are looking for. Without faith nothing is going to happen. Without the content there is only a superficial wish. In our prayers, our wishes will be changed into faith. At first we sort of want to pray but after we pray, we hope continually, which then turns into assurance. “It is possible. I can see it.” From the moment you feel confident, it is time to expect a miracle. Your wish will be fulfilled because you have the resource for it. Our resource is our faith. While we pray and are sure of what we hope for, our faith starts to work gradually and materializes in our hearts. Faith is the practical ability to achieve that hope. Do you have something to hope for? Pray earnestly. And you may know that it will be done to you only when you have faith in your heart. Jesus said, “It will be done just as you believed it would.” You faith is working on it. Faith is like the root of a tree you wish to have. Once the root is planted, branches and leaves will grow from it to form a tree. Then we can expect flowers in full bloom. Faith has its root in the heart. Without the root it is not faith but delusion. Of course the tree of faith can bear fruit after it has a healthy root, branches, leaves and flowers. It takes some time but we can experience the moment of our realization of faith after its root is planted solidly in our heart. We should have faith if we hope for something. Your hope will be realized by your faith. If you want your husband to come to church, pray and have faith for it. He does not have any choice but to come to church. Are you looking for a job? Look forward to your job and pray in faith. Your faith will be generated and you can have a chance to find a job. Faith is being sure of what you are looking for. When Christians face difficulties, they run to Prayer Mountain. They also come to church and tell God everything in earnest prayer. God listens to your prayer and changes it into faith. We can believe it by chance. Whether we stand up or sit down the faith you have will never leave you alone. When you pray faith will emerge instead of anxiety. The more faith grows strongly the more you can confess it with your lips and your faith will go out and work till miracles happen to you. The Bible says, “Faith is being certain of what we do not see.” Even though you may not see your house and land, a title deed in your hand is what proves your ownership. If your name is on the title deed of a certain land, it is yours. If you have your name on the title deed of a house, that piece of paper gives you legal proof that you own that house even though you have not as of yet seen it. The papers are important. When we buy and sell land we make a down payment, an intermediate payment, and at the same time write up a contract. Without receiving the title deed of the house we would never pay money. Brothers and sisters, faith is a title deed of what we hope for. Since you have faith inside of your heart, what you are hoping for is yours. It does not matter if you can see what you are hoping for or not, your faith is evidence that it already belongs to you. Romans 4:17 says that we believe “in whom - the God who gives life to the dead” Please let us read it together, “and (He) calls things that are not as though they were.” Faith is calling things that are not as though they were. We call it faith! Therefore “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Faith is your resource and evidence of what you hope for. If you have faith, you have an assurance in the same way as having a title of deed in your hand. Do you have hopes? Let us remember to pray and let us have faith in our heart. The Bible says, “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” (Hebrews 11:3). 2. How do we obtain faith? How do we obtain faith? We would ask how can we receive this faith in our heart and how can we nurture it to grow. When we believe in Jesus, God gives us faith according to our portion. Let us read together Romans 12:3. “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” Therefore God has given faith to each of us. There is no Christian who does not have a measure of faith. Every one of us who is sitting here has faith. No matter how great or small our faith is, we each have it. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God enlarges our faith. 1 Corinthians 12:3 says, “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:9 also says, “To another faith by the same Spirit…” To each one of us the manifestation of the Holy Spirit is given for the common good. To someone He gives faith as a gift. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” Salvation comes through faith and this faith is God’s gift. I am saved not because I had faith within myself but because God gave me faith so that I could believe in Jesus. Faith comes from hearing the Word of God. As we listen to the Word of God, faith springs up from within our heart. Today faith will be created greatly in you. While we are sharing God’s Word, our faith will be raised up and become alive. Romans 10:17 says, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.” If we have faith our spiritual immune system will be healthy. Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Can you imagine? Even if heaven and earth pass away the Word of Jesus will never pass away. Can you believe what Jesus said? If his word would pass away with heaven and earth, we could not trust the word. But we have supernatural connections because his words will be fulfilled forever. So we can rely on the word and the word guarantees us our genesis of faith. 3. What is the enemy of faith? But we need to be reminded that there is an enemy of faith. The devil is always trying to steal, kill and destroy our faith. We should be on guard against the one who interferes with our faith. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;” The devil never means good for us. He only comes to us in order to steal, kill and destroy us. Jesus said in Mark 16:17, “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;” We should constantly drive out demons. If you have abnormal feelings or thoughts it is because of the devil. Throw it away and it will be driven out from you. If your family faces unproductive tests or tribulation, then rebuke Satan. Victory is yours. In our contemporary school system there are many non-believers who teach our children atheism. They deny God and every spiritual thing. But Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” The devil is the foe of our faith. He tries every possible means to stop us from believing in God. He even tempts believers to give up their faith. He wants us to lose our footing in faith and to fall. Negative circumstances and emotions steal our faith from us. If we focus on negative circumstances and emotions we could easily lose our faith. Matthew 14:29-32 says, “‘Come,’ he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’ And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.” Before Peter saw the wind, he could walk on water. After Peter looked at the raging waves and wind he became frightened. The devil brings terror into our heart. As soon as Peter got scared there was no room for faith. He began to sink. When the Lord comes, he brings us faith but when the devil comes, he brings fear. We should not go where fear takes control over us. James 1:6-7 says, “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;” We should not walk on the way of doubt. Doubt takes away our faith. 4. According to your faith it will be done to you God did not tell us, “It will be done to you as you have tried or as you have studied or as you were born.” Every time he did say, “It will be done to you according to your faith.” Here is the key. How much faith influences our destiny? It is the decisive factor for our destiny. Faith is the assurance of a real substance. The faith you have right now is all about becoming you in the future. About what you are dreaming now will make you who you are tomorrow. If we want to build a house we draw a blueprint first. Every house, every machine has its blueprint. When you have a dream and faith you have the blueprint. Show me your dreams and faith. I will tell you about your future. Matthew 8:13 says, “Then Jesus said to the Centurion, ‘Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.’ And his servant was healed at that very hour.” A Centurion came to Jesus asking for help. His servant lay at home paralyzed. The Centurion said, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. Jesus you are God. Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” The Lord commended him and said, “I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And what happened? His servant was completely healed at that very moment. Little faith brings little substance, great faith brings great substance. Dreams and faith are the fundamental resources of our life. Do not pay attention to other people but show me your dreams and faith. I can predict your future. Jesus said in Matthew 17:20, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Today we’ve learned there are still many things we need to know about faith. Why do we hold on to a negative mentality? “I was born poor, raised poor, and will be poor. I am sick and will become sicker. I am suffering and will be continually suffering.” Shake it off! If we have faith as small as a mustard seed, we can say to this mountain “move from here to there” and it will move. Jesus says so. We are tending to forget about the power of faith. It will be more than okay with us if we have faith even as small as a mustard seed. All we need is faith. Psalm 81:10 says, “Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” Our God is an awesome God. Therefore we need to pray a lot before Him to receive heavenly faith. Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” God wants to do wonderful things more than we can imagine and he is able to do it. Fred J. Epstein, MD was an internationally renowned pediatric neurosurgeon at Beth Israel Hospital in New York City. He wrote a book which is entitled If I Get to Five. His famous book is based on real stories from his hospital. One day a little girl whose name is Naomi was rushed to be the emergency room. The four year old girl was brought in a comatose state because she was suffering from a brain tumor and it caused a cerebral hemorrhage. The emergency doctor said that she had little chance to live through such a serious condition. Fortunately he was proved wrong as her operation was successful. Naomi regained her consciousness. After a sophisticated brain operation Naomi lay in her bed with a bandage around her head. Her eyes and nose were scarcely noticeable through the bandage. When Dr. Fred would come to examine his little patient every day, with a twinkle in her eyes Naomi used to tell him about her dreams. Her dreams were impossible but she kept telling him about them anyway. “Doctor! If I get to five I will learn to skip a rope.” Next day she continued to tell him, “If I get to five I will learn to ride a bicycle. I mean not a tricycle but a bicycle.” And next day, “If I get to five I will read comic books like my brother does.” Naomi was aware that her terminal day was near. Her family knew it as well because the doctor had reported that she would not survive to see her fifth birthday. Naomi never said she would die at four but that she would learn to skip rope, ride a bicycle etc if she got to five. She was a girl of faith and dreams. The medical report did not tell her to have hope but she still kept dreaming about her future. She kept building her faith every day. This is what a child can teach us about courage and faith! She showed us the way toward positive thinking, compassion, hope, tenacity, and most of all, faith. With courage we need to confess our faith then we can lead a spiritual life in the fourth dimensional world. This little girl spoke about her dreams in that level. The one who will die at four speaks about her life at five. If I get to five I will do this and that. Do you know what happened? This little girl did not give up but struggled for a new life day by day. Nothing could stop the shooting of the seed of her hope. The medical report said there was no chance but a miraculous thing happened. Naomi gradually had her health restored and lived to become 30 years old. She is living and working as a clerk in a store. Once she was sentenced to live only four years, but she grew up and is still alive. Maybe she can live 120 years with faith and dreams. Brothers and sisters! We know that life isn’t always a bed of roses. There are many ups and downs and sometimes the wind of tribulation blows against us. At critical junctures in life, a four year girl had shown the way of hope and courage. Little Naomi was brave before death. As she was holding on to hope and speaking it by faith, she could experience a miracle and victory. As God’s children we should be storing up faith, speaking hope with courage, and drawng up blueprints for tomorrow. Let us live our spiritual life in a fourth dimensional world. Your dreams, faith, thoughts, and confession will move the hand of God. Dream with courage, speak by faith, believe in hope, and think about God who calls things that are not as though they were. We came to this world with empty hands but there are dreams, there is faith in our hearts. When we think and speak according to faith our future will be formed according to it. It will be done to you as you dream. It will be done to you as you believe. And it will be done to you as you speak. Shake off your negative attitude. Shake off any negative dreams. Please don’t say anymore, “It will turn out worse. I cannot do it. I am inadequate.” Shake off words of destruction, curses, and lamentations. Brothers and sisters you can dream your God-given destiny. We must have faith continually according to God’s will. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.” We need to meditate on the Bible diligently. We can enjoy a joyful life when we dream, believe, think, and speak in faith according to God’s will which is written in the Bible. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” You will receive a blessing. God pleases you and rewards you. He wants you to live an abundant life. Your soul and body will go well with you in all circumstances in Him. You must hold on to your faith until you see your hope become real. If we vacillate between faith and doubt we will lead to failure. Let us not sit on the fence. “It is okay with me whether the wind blows from the north or from the south. I want to be filled with the fragrance of Christ. I will believe and dream to the end.” Then a miracle of God will happen to us. As God’s people we have the potential of such endurance. Even in times of trouble we can still have faith and then everything will be okay. Dare to dream for tomorrow! Dare to expect better days! In Jesus you are people who will see the power of God who performs wonderful miracles. Hebrews 10:38 says, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” And Jesus said in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Conclusion: We read in the Old Testament that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, various men in the Book of Judges, and King David were all men of faith. Let us read Hebrews 11:33-34 together, “Who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.” Even today your faith is what brings about all sorts of miracles in your life. Never allow circumstances to control over you. Faith will lead you to overcome every obstacle. Suffering and tribulation are real in life but in the middle of this reality we have to expect God. Dream a dream and have faith in your heart. Wish earnestly then it will be done to you. We must be strong in faith and stand still fearlessly to the end and then a miracle of God will happen to us and His glory will be revealed in us. Brothers and sisters! You will see the glory of God. Our church will experience His glory and our nation will witness His victory. All of you are His treasure. You are not just thrown into the world. Dogs and cats cannot have such a dream. Because God breathed His breath into you, you can dream, you can believe, you can think and talk by faith. You have such ability. Through you impossible things will turn into possible, invisible things will become real and dead spirits will be alive. It will be done to you as you believe. Let us pray together! Lord! You are a living God. You are our Father. Thank you for your grace and love. Oh, Lord Almighty! Thank you for giving us this faith. Heavenly Father! Thank you that you are working on us through the Holy Spirit. Thank you for your miracle by your Spirit. We give glory to the most holy God. We give thanks and praises only to You. We pray earnestly before you. You are a living God who sits on the throne. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen. 1