Where Is Your Faith (1)

Chapter eight in the book of Saint Luke. Let's read just a little bit. You know, a lot of times I don't speak__ Well, sometimes I don't speak but about twenty minutes, sometimes thirty, forty-five minutes and then there have been times when we ministered a number of hours without stopping. But I think a lot of times the church world in general, they don't really know what it is to enter into a service, or enter into the spirit of worship, or to really grow in the knowledge of Jesus. They don't spend that much time in the things of God. They have the ritualistics of going to Sunday School and it's programed out to where somebody teaches them in Sunday School a few things and then they have a little church service and the preacher he gives them a sermonette. It is no wonder that the church of today is in the condition that it is in. Years ago they lived in God and the church was like home to them because that was a life to them. They lived that continually. And it possessed the reins of their heart and their entire life and being was given to it. Because of that the people were thoroughly taken by, interested in it, wrapped up in it, as we say. Going about from day to day doing everything they could for Jesus, or to live better. In the days that we're living in the devil has put it off like some hobby that we have. We do it in our spare time if we don't have anything else to do. And if we feel kind of melancholy we may pick up the Bible and read it a little, or we may say our prayers at night if we get to feeling bad. Or go to church and we have one or two prayers where we stand and say, Lord, help us, amen. And people live in the atmosphere of the world. They are interested in the things of the world. Their drive and ambition is for the educational side of life that their children may be secure in the world. And all of the vanities of life they are trying their best to obtain that they may have the comforts and conveniences of life. It is no wonder that they are in the condition that they are in. They are far from God and far from the ways of God, and until we come to the place to where we realize that religion is a way of life, that it is something we're suppose to do twenty-four hours around the clock, until we get to the place to where we realize that we're suppose to meditate in the laws of God day and night without ceasing, until we get to the place to where we realize that we must bring every thought of our mind into subjection to spiritual things and the ways of God, beloved friend, we're never going to have God, and we're never going to have a real God society. And we're never going to have the plans and blessings of God in this world. But I'm glad because I know there is a people that is going to come to the place that we're speaking of. I'm glad. Chapter eight. If you've got your Bibles let's read just a little bit, can we? "(1) And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: And the twelve were with him, (2) And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, (3) And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance. (4) And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: (5) A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. (6) And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. (7) And some fell among thorns; and thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. (8) And other fell on good ground and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. (9) And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? (10) And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. (11) Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. (12) Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. (13) They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. (14) And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. (15) But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. (16) No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. (17) For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. (18) Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have. (19) Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. (20) And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. (21) And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it. (22) Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. (23) But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. (24) And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. (25) And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and waters and they obey him." You know, there are two thoughts here that really catches my eye. One of them is in the tenth verse. It is given unto you to know the mysteries. To those that are without they are in parables that they might not understand. The other one, of course, is found in the twenty-fifth verse where Jesus ask the question, Where is your faith? You know, we wonder about a lot of things. We get ourselves in all kinds of turmoil and fixes, but God, whenever we utilize faith, or utilize our abilities in Christ and use faith, He always comes to the rescue. Faith is a great thing. It's the most valuable asset that you will ever be endowed with in this life. It is treated with great carelessness, but it is the greatest thing that God has ever given you aside from His Spirit. To be a possessor of faith is a great thing. Most people take the outlook, Well, Brother Pike, I don't see anything so outstanding about that; everybody has faith. That's where you are mistaken. The Bible said all men have not faith. Therefore, though men have a power of believing; yet they do not have faith. I said this a number of times. There is a vast difference between believing and faith. How many of you understand by now that there is a difference between believing and faith? A lot of times somebody will say, and I hear them say this so often. They say, Brother Pike, I believed and it didn't happen. Or that's their attitude. I believed, but it didn't happen. That could be true. You might really have believed and it didn't happen, for if you believe there is one God, the Bible said, you do well; the devil believes, too. The devils believe, but believing is not faith. You may believe and what you believe, as we say, may not happen. But there is one thing for sure. There has never been a time where you ever used faith in something and it didn't happen. Never! Because faith is the substance of thing hoped for. It's the evidence of things not seen. But it the elders received a good report, because they had faith. I can be saved by faith. I cannot be saved by believing, but I can be saved by faith. You say, Brother Pike, what do you mean? Saved by faith, and maybe not saved by believing? All right, let's look at it. The Bible said you can believe a lie and be damned. I can be believing all the time that I'm going to heaven when I'm going to hell. I can believe that God is pleased with me when God isn't pleased with me. I can believe what some preacher said, what some doctrine said, what some church is teaching and still die and go to hell and be one of the greatest believers in the community. Look at Paul the apostle. Wasn't Paul a believer? Paul said, I persecuted and wasted the Church of God. Is that right? Why did he do that? Because he was a believer. He believed he was doing right. Do you think that Paul would have done that if he did not believe that he was doing the right thing? I was zealous, he said, far above them of mine own measure. I was zealous. Somebody said, Well, Paul just didn't know nothing about God. Paul said, As a Pharisee concerning the law I was blameless. He believed but, Brother, it didn't do him any good. See? So what is the difference? Oh, there is a great world of difference in faith and believing. I'm so thankful that we, as the people of God, have the privilege of faith. So then, do all men believe? Yes. All men believe one thing or another. Some believe in the ball games. Some believe in the races. Some believe in politics. Some believe in lust. Some believe in whoredom. Some believe in money. Some believe in lying. Some believe in cheating. A child is known by his believing, because his believing causes him to be a doer of what he believes. Is that right? So then, men believe but the Bible said all men have not faith. What is the difference then between believing and faith? The difference is you are born into the world believing. You believe. Just as soon as that little mind of yours, as an infant, gets to where it can do anything it begins to believe. If it's ever shown a bottle, if it's ever shown a nipple and it learns it can get a little milk out of the end of it, it begins to believe it that bottle and nipple. It believes. Children believe in mama and daddy and the supper table to the extent that when they get hungry they go to get something to eat. Is that right? People believe in education so much that they just cram it down their children, as we say, until they make dope addicts out of them and drive them insane with the tree of knowledge thinking they're doing them so good. See? You are born with believing but, Brother, Sister, you're not born with faith. The Bible doesn't say that you're born with faith. The Bible says faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. This is why it is so necessary for there to be preachers in the world, for how can they hear unless there be a preacher? How can he preach less he be sent? I know the Bible says that the heavens declare his handiwork so that we are without excuse. When we stand before God our believing will cause us to be without excuse, in that we know that we can believe. We know that around us there is the act of creation. We can read it in the printed page. We can tell it from history. We can tell it from people's talk. But real genuine God faith comes from hearing the word of God. Hearing the word of God. Somebody would say, Then, Brother Pike, when you preach I hear the word of God, and I have faith in God. Maybe not. Maybe you hear the word of God, and maybe you believe, but maybe you still don't understand. You would say, You mean to tell me that's not faith? My Brother, Sister, if you genuinely believe in God's Word that is faith, because faith cometh by the hearing of the word of God. That is what faith is. Believing is just believing in anything. It's a spontaneous thing that comes forth from you, believing is. But faith is when you believe in God's Word. That's the difference. But, somebody would say, I've heard the word of God all of my life. I wonder if you really have. I wonder if you really have. How is it that the great spiritual moving of God in the old days among the prophets, how is it such great miraculous things took place? How is it such great anointing was upon the people? How is it such great spiritual things took place in their lives? How did it happen? How did it happen? Somebody would say, Brother Pike, you tell me how it happened. I'll tell you how it happened. This is why the terms are used in the Scriptures, Contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints. This is why they said contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints of God. I say this again. You know the people that said contend for the faith? You know the people that said contend for the faith? We say, Brother Pike, that's the people of today. Contend for the faith that James had, that Paul had. That wasn't it at all. It was Paul and James and the others that said, Contend for the faith, talking about Elijah and Moses and Abraham, Joshua. Contend for that faith. Contend for that faith. What was the difference, my Brother? What is the difference today? Somebody would say, Well, I don't understand. We've got such a great move of God in the world today. We've got such a great wonderful outreach in the world today. There is the Church of God. There is the Assemblies. There is the UPC. There is the Methodist. There is the Baptist. There is the Catholic. There are all of these other great and mighty moves of God. We're evangelizing the world. Are we really evangelizing the world? Oh, my Brother, my Sister, are we really evangelizing the world? Can it be said of us that we compass land and sea to make a proselyte two-fold more the child of hell? Can it be said that about us? You say, But, Brother Pike, we've got a great move of God in the world. We've got great denominations. We've got great people. People are churchy all over the world because they believe, because they have faith, because you say faith is by the hearing of the word of God. It's sad to say that many people in the world today, as I say, they believe in the ball games. They believe in the races. The churches have got everything but the Word of God in it; all kind of programs. This is why I do not agree when you take God's Word out of the church. I went down into a place one time, they took a great man of God's books, laid them on the Sacred Desk, took the Bible away. The very man that made the statement, Stay with God's Word, and they laid the book down there. A book with what he had said, a book with what everybody else that had commented had said. A book with what many people that are theologians had injected into it, to replace the word of God. My Brother, where is the quickening? Where is the faith? You say, But Brother Pike, you say there are many people in the world today that believe. They have faith because they hear the word of God, in that faith cometh by the hearing of the word of God. But, Brothers and Sisters, I want you to know that the Bible says everybody don't have faith. All men have not faith. All men have not faith. If you've got faith today what a wonderful treasure. What a great experience. What a great blessing if you've got faith, my Brother, my Sister. No wonder the Son of God stood and said, If thou canst believe. Jesus was speaking of faith. Jesus was speaking of faith. How do you know? Because He said, Have faith in God. Have faith in God. Who is God? The Word. Faith cometh by the hearing of the Word. Faith cometh by God. There is no faith outside of the Word. The Word is God. In the beginning was the word, and the word was God. The word of faith. The Word. No one but Jesus stood and said, If thou canst believe. Don't be afraid, Jesus said. Don't fear; only believe. Many times when they came to Jesus and they would beseech Him saying, Oh, help me. Master, come to my house. Or, Master, heal my child. Jesus would say, Now, don't be afraid. Now, don't be afraid. Like little children, you know. The Heavenly Father speaking unto them, Now, don't be afraid. Everything is going to be all right. Now, don't be afraid. See? Because if you are afraid that's the carnal mind. That's the middle wall of partition. That's that old evil power. That's the thing that cuts God's Spirit off from helping you. Don't be afraid now. Fear not, Jesus would say. Fear not. God is everywhere. He's above you. He's in you. He's through you. He's a present help in the time of need. And here is the name through which you can reach Him. Fear not now; don't get afraid. On the little boat there they were tossed to and fro and the wind a blowing, and the sea rocking the little boat. And here they were torn all to pieces. Maybe the disciples standing there saying, Oh, Master, wake up. Oh, wake up. Jesus maybe weary. I suppose he was weary. Have you ever prayed through the night? Then you know how he felt. He was a man; he would get weary. And the Bible said he continued all night long in prayer. And a lot of times supplicating to God He didn't have anything to eat. No doubt He was weary and laying on the boat, the wind blowing. There, if you've ever been out on the Sea of Galilee, and I'm sure that some of you have. I've been out there. It's such a wonderful thing, you know. You get out there and the breeze blowing, you get so comfortable, and you just want to rest a little bit, and you want to relax a little bit and you get out there and on, and about that time Jesus, no doubt, being human, he went off to sleep. He went off to sleep. Jesus sleeping in the little boat. A man just like I'm a man. A human being just like you're a human being. There He was, God, eternal God in human form, but He was asleep. Somebody would say, Was God asleep, Brother Pike? Certainly not. God doesn't sleep. The Bible says that He that keepeth Jacob, He shall not slumber. He doesn't sleep. You know, one thing God wants us to do, and that is recognize the Son of God. Brother, Sister, we've got to recognize the Son of God. The devil would love to do away with the Son of God. Do you know why he would love to do away with the Son of God? Because to do away with the Son of God that does away with the example for mankind. That does away with that human element. That does away with that part that you and I can relate to. That does away with that part that I can look at and take strength from. Isn't that right? So then, Christ Jesus, the man of God asleep on the boat. You know, when He came as a little baby there in a manger, the same Jesus, human. This same Jesus, born of a woman, made under the law, in the fullness of time. There He was, the same little Jesus, laying there. You know, some people they think about that Jesus, and they think, Here was God Almighty. Here was baby God. Now, you say, Brother Pike, you're going to get foolish. Paul said, I speak as a fool, to get my point over now. Bare with me a little in my folly. Here He lays in a manger. The little Jesus. Somebody says, Now, there He lay, baby God. Can't you just picture that now? There lay baby God, somebody said, and here's God on the inside. Here's God on the inside of a little baby. And can't you just picture, here's God saying, I've got to hurry up and get these limbs to grow out big. Get these legs to grow out into manhood. I've got to hurry up and get straightened out here and get everything grown out here to where I can become a man and be about this business I've got to take care of. Don't you know it wasn't like that at all? It wasn't like that at all. There was a little baby laying in a manger that thought as a baby. He was a baby. Had a baby's mind. He laid there as a baby. He cried. He sobbed. He took milk like any other baby. He was a baby. He was a human side of God. He was a human side of God that could relate to you and I. See? God is a spirit, beloved friend, but there is a human side of God. There is a person of God. There is a body. There is a tabernacle in which God, great Jehovah tabernacles to where He can relate to you and I. Personified Himself in a human being, God, the great eternal spirit. Oh! There He was, a little baby. Growing up His little mind had to mature. Can you prove that, Brother Pike? The Bible said that He grew in stature. He grew in stature. You'll agree to that. He grew from childhood to manhood. He grew in stature. It took the same amount of time as it does any other man. Somebody say I love Jesus. But the Bible said He also grew in wisdom. He waxed strong in the spirit. He suffered. He suffered. Therefore the Bible said, Being made perfect by the things that He suffered He became the author and the finisher of our salvation. God developing on the inside of Him. Oh, Christian friend, listen to me. Is God developing on the inside of you? Is God growing on the inside of you? Have you surrendered more to God today than you did yesterday? Is the Christ of Calvary greater in your life today than He was yesterday? Do you fit in the parable? Are you one of those that have choked the Word of God out, and the life out, by the desire of riches and cares of this life. Are you one of those that when the Word, the life, fell that it fell upon a stone that no root could take place. Are you one of those that as the seed that fell by the wayside that they evil spirits that Jesus referred to as fowls, came and devoured it up? Dear friend, are you one of those? (Begin side two.) ...side of you. Is He growing into the manhood that God ordained that He should grow into? Go on, He said, to perfection, not turning again to lay the foundation of repentance of dead works and dead faith toward God. Let us go on, my Brother. Hallelujah! On to the doctrine of baptisms. On to the resurrection of the dead. On to the great power of the living God, the great world to come. Jesus said, Can you be baptized with the baptism wherein I have been baptized with? Oh, what a spring was coming. Can you understand the great baptism of God? and the baptism of fire? Can you understand the significance of what God is doing? Let us go on, beloved friend, to these great and these mighty things of God. So then, Jesus growing up, and all of a sudden here He is on the little boat, the Sea of Galilee, He's asleep. Jesus. Jesus the Son of God. The lovely Son of God. My! Wouldn't it have been wonderful to have met Him as a human being? Someday I'm going to do it. Someday I'm going to do it. You say, Oh, Brother Pike, you'll never meet Him as a human being. I know we've got such doctrines in the world. I know there are people that preach away Jesus, but someday, somewhere I'm going to meet Him as a human being somewhere. I know the Bible says we have known Him after the flesh, from henceforth know we no more after the flesh. I'm not to know my brother, sister after the flesh. I'm not to know the world after the flesh. I'm to know them after the spirit. Whether or not you are a quickening spirit, the sons of God. Whether or not they're devils incarnate out there, I'm to know you according to that. I know Jesus as the Christ, the resurrection of God, the great God Almighty. But someday I'll see him for myself. Job said, Though the skin works may devour my body; yet in my flesh I shall see God. I shall see Him for myself, not another. Not another. I shall see Him myself, for I shall stand in the last day, he said. I believe in the resurrection, don't you? I believe in eternal life, don't you? So then, Christ Jesus on the little boat, there He was asleep. Everybody frustrated, one running here and there, and they tell me that the Sea of Galilee is treacherous. They say everything can be nice and calm, and it's so beautiful. It's so peaceful. And all of a sudden out of nowhere there comes a turmoil. There comes a raging. There comes problems. And the whole Sea is like a boiling pot, just before you can even get out of the midst of it. It's an unusual sort of a thing. Now. But here was Jesus, and all of a sudden, here comes that great turbulence. What was it? God wanted to show His Son off. God wanted to show His Son off. Wouldn't you like for God to show you off? You know why God doesn't show you off? You don't give God a chance. You don't give God a chance. You never put yourself in a position for God to do it. God showed Daniel off. Oh, hallelujah! There was Brother Daniel. Brother Daniel; still talking about Christ now in you, the hope of glory. Old Brother Daniel. God got ready to show Him off. Isn't that right? Said, Put him in a den of lions. Put him in a den of lions. Throw him into the lions den; I want to show him off a little bit. Glory to God! I'll show you what Daniel can do. Put him down there with those roaring lions. They dropped him down there and the lions took a rest. Old Daniel was so peaceful those boys couldn't do nothing but just lay and sleep and walk around and be at peace. When Daniel got down there the devils and demons left that hole down there and those lions were so happy they didn't want to see Daniel leave. Somebody say I love Jesus. You say, Now, Brother Pike, where do you get such a preaching as that? Hallelujah! Glory to God. You say, Where do you get preaching like that, Brother Pike? The Bible said in the millennium over there that lion is going to lay down with the ox, that ox is doing to lay down and they'll eat straw together. Isn't that right? Christ was there in the heart of Daniel. Nothing shall harm in all of my holy mountain, saith the Lord. And there it was, the raging of the Sea. Jesus was on the boat. He was on the boat and they got all frustrated, and they got all nervous, and they got torn up, and those waves begin to dash against that boat and that boat begin to get topsy turvy, and began to look like they were going to be broken to pieces. And they got all torn up and they said, Lord, Oh, Lord, my! How in the world are You sleeping? What are you doing sleeping while we're about to die out here? Lord, wake up! Oh, God! wake up. Oh, God! wake up. You know, the old king he got over to that place, he'd been fasting and all and he said, Daniel, Daniel. You know, that king was torn all to pieces. He knew he'd done been tricked. He knew Daniel was down there in that lion's den. He wouldn't eat all night. He fasted all night. He got over there__ He was so afraid something would happen. He got over there. When he got near that lion's den he longed so to hear the voice of Daniel, because if he could just hear the voice of Daniel he knew that he was going to be all right. That's right. If those lions had torn Daniel he knew that was the end of his kingship. He came over there and said, Daniel. Daniel said, It's okay. Oh, hallelujah! It's all right. Hallelujah! He took old Daniel out there and that king got Daniel safe out of there and he said, Drop those other hypocrites down there. And the Bible said that just as fast as they hit the bottom of that hole the lions brake their bones. You know, the Lord let them do that. You know the Lord let them do that so these, so these__ How can you say it? Well, the word hypocrite is still good for today. So that some of these fellows with their psychological approach today, their scientific touch of today, their intellectual approach, couldn't explain it away and say, Well, they were just good tame lions anyway. They didn't harm nobody anyway. God wanted them to know there was a difference so he dropped somebody else down in there so that today when we look back we know those weren't some good tame lions. Those fellows meant business and they were good and hungry because they hadn't had anything to eat on. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise God! That's all right, Brother. Somebody say I love Jesus. So then, Jesus out there on that boat and they said, Lord, don't you care nothing about us. Don't you care if we perish? Jesus probably tired and weary, probably finally woke up in that boat, tossed about, and then He got at Himself. You know, like a human being. You wake up and you're tired and you've been up all night. And He got at Himself and He saw that little boat tossing about, and then all of a sudden, the human part of Jesus, He recognized their excitement. He recognized why they were all torn up, because the Bible said God can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities. When that little darling baby of yours is in your arms and you don't know what to do about it, and you say, Oh, here I am. Oh, God, this thing belongs to me. This has got my heart. This is my little girl. This is my little boy, but, Oh, God! what do you care? You're way up yonder and I'm way down here. Oh, God, it's dying. Oh, it isn't like that at all. You take that little one over there, you say, Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus, this is close to my heart. Oh, Jesus. And you could just see the tears dripping from Jesus eyes, you know, and see the blood dripping from His hand and you could here Him screaming out, Have faith. Have faith. Let me help you with that little one. Have faith in Me; don't let the devil tear him loose from you. Don't let the devil take him away from you. Now, have faith. Don't be afraid now. Everything is going to be all right. Just believe now; don't fear. And then you start calming down and you look over there and say, Hey! I believe he's a little better. You want to believe that any way, you know. You look over there and say, and you know, somebody else says, You know, there was no kidding about it; he really is better. And then you take courage. And then you through out your chest and you say, Glory to God! Jesus is with me. Hallelujah! That's what God wants us to do. We're His children. He wants us to believe. Trust Him. Show faith in God. Where is your faith, Jesus said. He stepped up on the bow of that little boat, and the wind blowing, perhaps the lighting flashing and the thundering, and whatever, and Jesus said, Where is your faith at, fellows. I've been preaching to you all of this time, where is your faith? You know what I think I'd have said, I'd have said, Jesus, it's in You; that's why I woke you up. I think that's what I'd have said. I'd have said, That's why I woke You up. That's all the faith I've got; it's in You. Jesus! He woke up and He stood there on the boat, and when He stood there on the boat, just lifting His hands to heaven and He spoke the words there saying, Peace. Peace. Oh, hallelujah! The prince of peace. Peace. You know, Satan is the prince of the powers of the air, and there the demons were raging and tearing everything up and trying to drown those people and Jesus said, Peace. You know, the children of God shall be called peace makers. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could live in the communities of today and keep down turmoil and keep down trouble that nothing would harm in our community. That we'd have such hold on God, and such faith in God, and prayed so much that there wouldn't be no turmoil. Wouldn't be no trouble. Wouldn't be no problems. Jesus said if your ways please God He maketh even thine enemies to be at peace with you. If America would please God, if America would love God, Russia wouldn't bother America. Nobody could bother her. Amen. Amen. Anywhere in the world today, if a nation fears God, the Bible said, righteousness exalteth a nation. The race is not to the swift. The battle is no to the strong. In that day no man shall save them. No president shall save them. It will not stand in the power of arms. The Bible says so. But, Brother, faith in God can do it. How many of you agree that faith in God can do it? But all men have not faith. Somebody would say, But, Brother Pike__ Jesus said, Where is your faith? But, somebody would say, But, Brother Pike, we believe. Why look at the great mass of people in the world today that have faith. You say faith, because you say hearing of the Word brings faith. But, Oh, my Brother, Sister, though it's the hearing of the Word; yet I ask this question tonight. Have they really heard? Have they really heard? The Bible said faith cometh by hearing. Faith cometh by hearing. Have they really heard? Heard in what way, Brother Pike? Can you hear what the spirit, what the Word is saying unto the church? That's the highest form of faith. That's the power of translation. Can you hear it? Then what are you saying, Have they heard? Have not they heard? The Bible said their sounds went to the ends of the earth. How is it that a prophet could say a thing like that? How is it a man could stand up and say that? He was prophesying. He was speaking of the future. He had a foresight; looking out yonder. Has not God sent people that have literally evangelized the world? But the end shall not come until the gospel be preached in all the world for a witness. Did not their sounds go to the end of the earth? He looked and said. But He said, Who hath believed our report? Unto whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Canst thou hear what the Spirit is saying unto the churches? Where is thy faith? Jesus said. Have you yet hardened your heart? Is it that you still don't understand? And they said, Lord, do something; we're going to perish. Look at this, and we're close in just a few minutes now. I just wanted to exhort you a little bit. Peter, walking on the water, I remind you again. A lot of people don't understand faith. You know, Peter walking on the water, there is the mighty Peter. The great and the mighty Peter. There he stands walking on the water. Why? Because the Word said, Peter, come to me. And there is Peter coming to Him, walking on the water. Why? Because he heard the Word and he believed the report. He believed and it was faith. Abraham's faith was imputed unto him as righteousness because he believed God, the Word. For the Bible said in that day the Word of God, the Scriptures, appeared unto Abraham. In that day in it's spiritual form, for the Word of the Lord came unto the prophets. Is that right? How many understand what I'm saying. Peter walking on the water, faith in God, when the rest of them couldn't do it. Faith. But then look. All of a sudden, there is Peter, down, down, down. Oh, Peter, what has happened to you? Do you know what had happened to him? The human part took over. When Jesus was asleep in that boat, do you know what happened to Jesus? The human part took over. Come on, now. You know what happens to you when you get hungry? The human part takes over. Isn't that right? When you get fearful, when you get afraid, the human part takes over. But we need to walk in the spirit. Abstain from fleshly lust that warreth against the soul. Let us walk in the spirit, children of God. And all of a sudden here is Peter walking in the spirit. Walking in the spirit. Walking in the mind of Christ. He said, Come. He said, Come. Faith. I believe it. He said, Come. And then all of a sudden, slower and slower, as we would say, and he began to look around him, and he began to think about what he was doing. The carnal mind is enmity with the Spirit of God. He broke that anointing. He broke that faith and down went Peter. And what happened? Did Peter have faith? Did Peter have faith? Why he had the same great masterful faith he always had. He had the same faith. That's why Jesus said to them on the boat, Where is your faith at? Where is your faith? He could have just rose up and said, See? You don't have any faith, that's what is wrong with you. But He didn't do that, did He? Because He knew that they had some faith. He said, What did you do with it? What is this? Oh, church of the living God, the greatest thing that ever happened to you is that God has given you faith. Ask what you will, Jesus said, and you can have it. If you say anything don't doubt in your heart; it shall come to pass. And if that man say something and believe in his heart, and not doubt he shall have whatsoever he saith. Peter, Peter, Peter, you're drowning. Where is your faith? There you are again. Where is your faith? Peter, what have you done? The same faith. Did Peter have the faith? Why sure he had the faith. How could he have walked on the water if he had not had the faith? Didn't the same Peter walk along the wall, children of God, and just the shadow of him inspired people so much that they were healed and miracles took place. Isn't that right? Somebody said, Just look at the faith of Peter healing them. That wasn't the faith of Peter. That was the faith of the people in God through the life of Peter. That was just Peter's shadow. Just like the handkerchiefs and the aprons that went out from Paul. Like the Bible said, Paul saw a man and Paul perceived that the man had faith to be healed. It's just like Jesus, when the Bible said that many great mighty things He could not do because of their unbelief. But He just laid His hands on a few sick folks and healed them. But wherever God found faith God worked. Today God is the same, friend. Wherever He finds faith. Why is it we don't have the miraculous like we need the miraculous? It's a generation that is unbelieving. Unbelieving generation. A Laodicean generation that doesn't want to make salvation and religion a life, that are lukewarm. He's ready to spew them out of His mouth. They are not living like the apostles. They are not walking like the apostles. They are not living this thing every moment, every hour. They're not conforming to holiness. They're not thinking upon the things of virtue. So then, Peter, where is your faith? Where is your faith? Here is that same great powerful Peter walking up where a dead woman is, saying to Dorcas, (And I'll put it in my own words.) Get up, Dorcas. Oh, why lay there and sleep? There is too much to be done to go to sleep so early in the day. Arise, Dorcas, awake, go back to your sewing and making those lovely aprons and clothes. Oh, how beautiful was her work in the sight of God. A mind to labor, giving to the saints, going something. Get up. Get up, my sister and go back to work, and up she came. Oh, hallelujah! Where is you faith, Peter? The same Peter. But you know what? He had enough faith that he slipped up his hands. Oh, he'd lost his faith to the extent that he couldn't walk on the water, but I say again, he had not lost his faith to the extent he still had enough confidence and faith in God that Jesus would save his life. Oh, I perish, Master. Where is your faith at, people? I say this tonight in trying to find a place to close. Children of God, where is your faith tonight? I see some of you struggling. I see some of you not being able to do the thing God has commissioned you to do. I see some of you not being able to stand up in the face of the powers of opposition and the face of your enemies, against sickness and affliction. Where is you faith? You say, I don't have any, Brother Pike. That's not true. You could not be a child of God and not have faith. You are born of faith. His seed remaineth in you and you cannot sin because you are born of faith. So then, the same faith was in Peter. The same great Spirit of God was in Peter. But, Peter, wasn't utilizing his ability in Christ. He wasn't utilizing faith in God and it limited the Holy One just as they limited Him in the wilderness. It limited that same Jesus just as they limited Him when He tried to do great mighty miracles, and many great things He could not do because of their unbelief. One minute that great Jesus was doing things, making Peter walk on the water. The next minute that great Jesus couldn't do it because He was sinking beneath the water because he did not believe. Do you love Jesus? Oh, hallelujah! And so then, Jesus stood on the bow of the boat, lifted up His hands to heaven and God began to show Him off. And there He said, Peace, and the devils got back. The enemy fled away and everything began to calm down. The winds began to hush up, and like a cradle the old boat that was rocking by the waves, Jesus looked down at those waves and said, Now, you be still. Be still now. And they began to stop. They began to stop, and the little cradle stopped rocking and began to slow down. And there they were. Oh, hallelujah! Now don't you know after that they didn't want to get a peg away from Jesus. They didn't want to get a footstep behind. After they learn He could do things like that, I'll tell you what, if He'd had any doorsteps they'd have slept on them every night. They didn't want to get away from Jesus. Somebody said, Well, I don't blame them, Brother Pike. I wouldn't neither. Well, that's the way I feel about it today. I don't want to get away from Jesus. If He had any doorsteps I'd sleep on them for sure. Somebody say amen. Glory to God. I've got Him in my heart. I've got Him on my little boat and every time the storm starts I call upon Jesus and I ask Him to give me a helping hand and He always does. Don't you love Jesus? Hallelujah! What a beautiful name Jesus. Hallelujah! Where is your faith tonight, children of God? Where is it tonight? Let's stand together. Jesus, the present help in the time of need. Wonderful Jesus. Let's sing this little chorus together, can we? Wonderful, wonderful, Jesus is to me. Counselor and mighty God. Can we sing it? If I can't remember it Frank can. (Singing)

By Rev. George Leon Pike Sr.

Founder and first President of Jesus Christ’s Eternal Kingdom of Abundant Life, Inc.

Holiness Unto The Lord