325 The Language of Faith

Today, I am continuing my series of sermons on Divine Healing and if you missed parts one or two, then write me for a printed copy of the texts. Today’s message is part three and we shall consider

“The Language of Faith” that is …

THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR WORDS

 

When you said that you couldn’t do it – the moment you said it, you were defeated. When you said you didn’t have faith – at that moment, doubt arose like a giant and bound you. Perhaps you’ve never realized to what great extent you are ruled by your words.

 

You talked failure, and failure held you in bondage. You talked fear, and fear increased its grip on you. Solomon (the wisest man who ever lived) said: You are snared with the words of your mouth, you are taken captive with the words of your mouth. Testifying – Witnessing – Confessing …Few Christians have recognized the importance of their words and the place they hold in their lives. Our words form our confession of what we believe or do not believe. When the word “confession” is used, some people automatically think of confessing sins, weakness, and failures. Yet this is only the negative side of the subject. The negative confession of your sins was only to open the way to the positive confession of God’s word.

 

Nothing in your walk as a believer is more important than

the words of your confession, though this is hardly ever mentioned in traditional theology. Christianity is called the “confession,” according to Hebrews, chapter three. The Greek word, Homologia which has been translated profession in the King James Version, is

rendered “confession” in other cases; and the word profession in Hebrews 3:1 is “confession” or “acknowledgment” in the original.

 

The two words are closely related, yet the difference is

important. The Greek word from which the word “confession” is translated actually means, Homo – Same Logia – (from Logos), Same Word “saying the same thing.” It clearly means, “saying what God says.” It means to agree with God in your testimony: saying what God says in His word about your sins, your sicknesses, your apparent failures, your health, your salvation, your

victories, or about anything else in your life.   In other

words, to testify to – or to acknowledge what God says.

 

Consider the TRIAL or TEST of our Confession.

For example: Sickness is trying to overthrow your

health. Symptoms of some disease are beginning to

appear. Satan is desiring to destroy your health and to

render your life ineffective in Christian service. But God has made provision for your health. He has made a covenant of healing with you. He has promised, You shall serve the Lord your God, and (He) will take sickness away from the midst of you because He promised, I am the Lord who heals you. Exod:15:v26

 

God’s word says He heals all your diseases. Jesus Christ has redeemed you from your diseases, because He Himself took your infirmities, and bore your sicknesses. Matthew 8:17.

Knowing all of this provides a basis, a foundation for your faith. If you know that Satan cannot lay a disease on your body, because Christ has already borne your diseases for you: therefore, you resist Satan and his lying symptoms of disease. You do not fear them.

You know that your redemption is a fact. You know that

your diseases were laid on the body of Christ and that He has

borne them for you. Believing this -You have nothing to fear.

Therefore you should boldly and firmly rebuke (forbid) Satan, your adversary, with the word of God, in the name of Jesus Christ

who died to set you free. You take a firm stand.

You SPEAK AS JESUS SPOKE

 

You do exactly as Christ, your example did, when tempted

by Satan in the wilderness: You say, Satan, it is written.

Then you quote him the word: By his stripes, I am healed.

He heals all my diseases. Christ himself took my

infirmities and bore my sicknesses.

This becomes your confession.

As I’ve said, Confession is saying what God says – talking the language of the Bible at all times. It is resisting Satan with “Thus says the Lord” – It is claiming your rights and confessing God’s word – God’s promises.

So remember that the Greek word from which confession is translated means, “saying the same thing”; that is, “saying what God says,” or “agreeing with God in your conversation”.

 

But more than this, your attitude should mirror the attitude of the Saviour, who was fully convinced of His Identity.

You should always remember whose you are, and whom you serve… but you should also know WHO you are.

Supposing a friend comes to you during your trial of faith and

suggests: “Oh, you must be careful. I know a person who died of this sickness or this illness. You must go quickly to your bed and call for help.”

But instead of listening to mans reasoning you begin to speak God’s language, because you believe what God says. You use His words on your lips – in your conversation. You boldly confess, The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? Christ has borne my sicknesses; and by His stripes, I am healed.

Under all circumstances, at all times, you speak God’s

language. You harmonize your language and your

thoughts with God. His attitude as set forth in His word is

developed into your life until Satan cannot prevail against

you, because God’s word has become part of your very life and

nature.   In Him, you live and move and have your being!

You become as irresistible as the Holy Spirit within you, because of God’s word that comes to control your prayers, your words, your

thoughts, and your actions.   If your Confession is affirming something that you believe, it is testifying of something that you know, and is witnessing to a truth which you embrace. God’s word is the exclusive subject of your confession – of your testimony.

 

Your WORDS ARE THE KEY

Jesus planned that the great message of Christianity should be given to the world through words; that is, through the confession of those who believe in Him.   Testifiers, witnesses, and confessors have been the great leaders and agencies of the new and revolutionizing life of Jesus Christ (Christianity) in the world. The major problem that we face, then, is to know what our words are to be?   The answer – simply God’s word, at all times, in the face of all adversities, under all circumstances.   Confession is affirming Bible truths. Confession is repeating with our lips (from our hearts), the things God has said in His word.

 

So then, WHAT are we TO SPEAK?

You cannot confess or witness of things you do not know. You must confess what you know personally about Jesus Christ and about who you are in Him. You know these facts through His word.

The secret of confession and of positive faith lies in getting a true understanding of 3 basics:

1. What Jesus actually did for you;
2. Who you are in Him as a result of it;
3. What the Bible promises you because of it.

 

This knowledge, coupled with a firm confession of these facts and actions which correspond, develops the highest kind of faith. This knowledge comes through the word of God. Simply to admire these facts in the Bible and to say that you believe them, is not enough, – to refuse (or neglect) to confess them boldly and to act on them,

robs you of faith when you need it most.

 

You must Consider yourself THE VICTOR not the VICTIM

When you know who Jesus is, what He did for you, what actually belongs to you now, and what you may enjoy in your daily life, it makes you a victor.   To know that Satan is defeated by your substitute, and that his defeat is effective and eternal, makes your redemption a blessed fact and a glorious reality. You can know that Satan’s defeat was administered by your own substitute; that this defeat was credited to your account; that in the records of the supreme courts of Heaven, you are now the master of Satan;

Satan recognizes that in the name of Jesus, you are his ruler.

 

When your heart knows this, as well as you know that two and two are four, then dominating faith, coupled with a new confession of authority, becomes natural.   You automatically talk like Jesus talked. You understand the facts of your redemption. Faith becomes as natural as fear was – before you were enlightened.

 

You know that God Himself put Satan and all of his kingdom beneath your feet … and that you are considered by the Father, and by Satan, as the victor. You have been liberated. Your language becomes that of a conqueror. You talk like someone of another race or kingdom; and that you are – a chosen generation, a royal priesthood. You have authority. God is backing you. You are bold. You speak God’s language as commonly as unbelievers talk of their fears.

 

Let me say a word or two about our Salvation.

What a miraculous change would be produced in the church today if Christian believers would rise to the place God has given them and would talk the language God desires His people to talk – speak as they are supposed to.   Not long ago, a Christian who boldly claimed present salvation, was considered sacrilegious. For someone to firmly believe and confess salvation as a finished work, and that it is a definite fact, was considered irreverent.   But gradually the light began to shine, and we have come to the knowledge of present salvation once and for all, an instant and definite work of God’s boundless grace.

 

But how few of us as Christians dare to confess boldly to the world

what the Bible declares we are?   Take this sample scripture: Therefore if any one be in Christ, that one is a new creature.

2 Cor 5:17 That does not mean that we are just forgiven sinners poor, weak, staggering, sinning church members. It means what it says: We are new creatures now. We have been created in Christ Jesus, with the life of God, the nature of God, and the ability of God within us. Old things (the old natural things) are passed away; behold all things have become new. (supernatural) The Ordinary has been replaced by the extraordinary!   Confess it. Believe it. It means what it says. We are new. All things are new. Old things are gone. Those old earmarks of sin, sickness, disease, failure, weakness, and fear have all passed away.   As far as God is concerned we have been made all over again – a NEW CREATION!   So stop looking over your shoulder to the past, live in the present and look to the future!

 

Yet most of us have failed to grasp this great Gospel and are walking every day in less than God wants for us. We have been short changed and deceived by the enemy of our souls.

Now we have God’s nature – His life, His strength, His health, His glory, His power. We have it now.   What a revolution would take place if Christians believed those things and began to talk like that, live like that, and act like that. Yet that is exactly dear friends what the heart of God our heavenly Father yearns for us.

 

You see yourself as a believer in a sick room where sickness had almost seized the life of a loved one: You are bold. You are a master, and you know it. You boldly confess: “Greater is He that is in me than this disease that is stealing my loved one.” You command that disease to leave; you speak in the name of Jesus and order Satan to release his hold. You calmly tell that loved one to arise and be made whole. The sick one is healed. What made the difference? You knew your new identity, your position, your authority, and your rights. Satan had to honour your command, and God confirmed His word.

 

Take Colossians 1:13-14 for another example: Where Paul speaking of what the New Birth means for us, writes: “Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: (present tense) In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins“. This means that Satan’s dominion has ended and Jesus’ dominion has begun. Satan’s dominion was broken over your life the very moment you were born again. You received a new Lord to reign over your life – and His name is Jesus.

 

We must learn how to live in his control.

Disease and sickness, weakness and failure can no longer rule over you. Old habits can no longer control your life. You are redeemed. You are saved. What a stir there would be if this scripture became a

Reality in our Churches today:   Fear not; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:10   and – “If God be for us, who can be against us?” Rom 8:31

This is the most revolutionary thing that has ever been

taught. Scriptures such as these must be your confession

as you stand before the world.

 

And what will be the Result of this kind of speaking?

You’ll face life fearlessly. You’ll know that greater is He that is

in you than all the forces that can be brought against you.

You’ll face those bills that you cannot pay. You face those enemies that you have no ability to conquer. You face them fearlessly.

You affirm with triumph: “My Shepherd prepares a table before me

in the presence of my enemies“.

 

You are filled with joy and victory because God has taken over your problems. He is fighting your battles. You are not afraid of circumstances, because you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. He is not only your strength, but He is by your side. He is your salvation. Whom should you fear? He throws light upon life’s problems so that you can act intelligently. He is your

salvation and deliverance from every trap that the enemy sets for you, and from every snare in which he would enslave you. God is the strength of your life; of whom or what shall you be afraid? You are not afraid of anything. You have no fear because God is on your side; and this becomes your confession.

 

This is the Language of heaven, the language of the Blessed.

Jesus’ continual bold confession is your example. He

continually confessed what He was. You are to confess what you are in Christ. You are to confess that you are redeemed, that your redemption is an actual fact, that you are delivered out of the dominion and authority of Satan. You confess these facts boldly,

with absolute certainty, because you know they are true.

 

You confess that you are a new creature, recreated in Christ Jesus; that you are a partaker of the divine nature; that sickness, disease, fear, weakness, and failure are all things of the past. Your language amazes your friends; it seems absurd and presumptuous to them. But to you, it is simply stating facts which are written in the Bible: it is the language of God’s family. You are speaking the same things that God speaks concerning you. I recon my Faith in this way …

I dare to stand in the presence of any natural or human evidence which may contradict Holy Scripture, and calmly declare that the word of God is true.

 

For instance, let’s say that physical evidence declares you

to be sick, bed-bound with a prolonged and incurable illness. You boldly confess that God laid that disease on Jesus, and that He bore it away for you, that Satan has no right to put it on you, that by his

stripes you are healed. You believe that firmly and, therefore, you hold fast your confession in the face of contradictory evidence which says and shows it not to be true; but your confession of God’s word wins, and you are healed – and that healing now finds the power to manifest in your body. The healing is in your words of faith and confidence!   Even when you don’t see it, keep saying it, and keep saying it, until you see it!

 

In Hebrews 3:v1, Jesus Christ is called the High Priest of

our confession. The next verse declares that He is faithful

to Him that appointed Him (as the High Priest of our

confession) as Moses was faithful.   In times of sickness, we boldly confess His promises to heal us. When we confess His words, then our high priest, Jesus Christ, acts on our behalf, according to our

confession of His word, and he intercedes to our Father for

the benefits of the promises which we are confessing. He is the High Priest of our confession. Between the time that we ask God for some benefit provided for us, and the time our Father grants that

blessing to be manifested, we hold fast (we hold onto) the profession of our faith without wavering or double-mindedness, for he is faithful that promised.

 

NOW THIS FINAL WORD.

 

We have been considering the Power of the Right Language,

But … WRONG WORDS ARE POWERFUL TOO!

A wrong confession is the confession of defeat, failure,

and of the supremacy of Satan.   Talking about your sickness and your fight or combat with the devil – how he has hindered you, how he is holding you in bondage and keeping you sick – is a confession of defeat. It is a wrong confession.   It glorifies your adversary.

It is an unconscious declaration that God, your heavenly Father, has failed you.   A while ago I spent the evening with some friends over dinner, and to my horror the subject of conversation amongst them was almost always about this one or another one who was sick and in fear of death.   Christians should not speak of sickness, it’s always suggestive that God has failed and most of the confessions we hear today glorify the devil and not the Saviour.   My dear friends, such confession continually saps the very life out of you.

It destroys faith and holds you in bondage.   Purpose today not to speak of the sick but only to speak of the “Great Physician” Jesus the Healer!

 

The confession of your lips that has grown out of faith in

your heart will defeat the adversary every time, in every battle.

The confession of Satan’s ability to hinder you and to keep

you from success gives him advantage over you. He fills

you with fear and weakness. But if you boldly confess your Father’s care and protection, and declare that God who is in you is greater

than any force around you, you will rise above every satanic

evil influence.

 

Every time you confess your doubts and fears, you

confess your faith in the devils power, and deny the power, ability and grace of God. When you speak of your weaknesses and your

diseases, you are unwittingly openly confessing that the word of God is not true and that God has failed to make it good.

 

Gods word declares: With his stripes you were healed; and,

Surely he has borne our grief’s ( the actual Hebrew word Kholee -means sicknesses), and carried our sorrows (again the actual Hebrew word Mackobah means afflictions – diseases). (Isa 53:3 ) Check it out for yourself, there’s a Hebrew Translation in the Library, or you can find one on the web. Instead of confessing that He has borne your sicknesses and put them away, you confess that

you still have them and take the testimony of natural evidence instead of the testimony of the word of God. In this way, my friends – you fail.

 

As long as you hold fast to the confession of weaknesses, sicknesses and pains, you will hold on to them. You may search for years for some man or woman of God to pray the prayer of faith for you, but it will be of no avail, because your unbelief will destroy the effects of faith.   As long as you confess your sins and your weaknesses, you are building weaknesses, failures, and defeats into your very system.

Read the Bible, Gods word. Talk the word. Confess the word. Act on

the word, until that word becomes part of You.

 

I will have more to say about “wrong teaching and erroneous traditions” next week so join me then,

God Bless you – AMEN