To Listen With Faith

HOUSES PASTOR EDITH CRUZ

BIBLE STUDY #787- CHURCH IN THE TUESDAY OCTOBER 15 -21, 2013

Topic: “To Listen With Faith” Galatians 3:5 What we need in our lives is FAITH and CONFIDENCE. Along the way in our walk in this path the faith begins to escape from some because it is left behind. How necessary faith is in order to be able to live this life! Luke 18:7, 8 “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, WILL HE FIND FAITH ON THE EARTH?” This probably refers to the kind of faith that according to the parable the poor widow had who insisted with the unfair judge. (Luke 18:1-5) She was a woman who continuously insisted to have justice done from her adversary. What happens is that when the Lord arrives there will only be a remainder that will remain faithful to God, those who will maintain their faith intact. May this parable be an encouragement so that we may also be like that woman who cried out with faith day and night! To the brothers of Galatia the cross should have separated them forever from the curse and the slavery of the law. Well, how could they return to the law and with the law despise the cross? (Galatians 3:1 “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.”) The laws are the rules for one to be alright with God, but as much as we try it can’t be done, in something of the law one always slips, if it is with our own strength. One of my daughters in the faith was telling me on Friday, “Well, I’m condemned according to the law!” And I wanted to explain to her, “It was in the cross that you received the forgiveness for your sins, Jesus is the one who justifies you, the law condemns you.” And that was what Paul wanted the brothers to know. (Galatia 3:11, “Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.”) When the grace is changed for the law it is because one is fascinated, seducted like by an enchantment to accept unsuspectingly falsehood for the truth. “Who has fascinated you”? Paul said. Here the “who” is in singular, so maybe Paul is suggesting that the Devil was the author of that false teaching. Galatians 3:2 “I would like to know just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? How did they receive the Spirit? By doing or by BELIEVING? Paul, by asking them the question wanted to make them understand this whole matter. When they converted it was all because they believed, thanks to what they heard with faith. No one has ever received the Spirit because they observed the law. There was no faith in the law, the law in itself was absolute authority, it didn’t depend on who listened to it; whoever took it would try to fulfill it in its entirety. The Galatians were probably persecuted by the Jewish fanatics who defended the law and detested the gospel of the grace. That led them to fear and they resolved to take the easy way out: they allowed those impious who wouldn’t believe to take their faith away. When Paul mentions in Vs. 5 “Who…”, he refers to God, who can provide the Holy Spirit. Paul would say “Have you suffered so much for nothing?” (Vs. 4) Being under the grace, is it in vain what is suffered? Is it in vain what you have received by means of the cross of the Lord? Is it in vain what you have lived? Have you not seen his powerful hand in all that you have lived? Has it been in vain? Are you turning to the law? Will you walk away from the faith that gave you eternal life? We have to remain in the faith that we have known! So turn back to the faith, and start again to listen with faith like in your first days when you heard about the cross and about His love for you. You cannot go back to the law that condemns you and despise the cross that sustains you when listening with faith what God wants to tell you. How many wonders does the one who provides the Holy Spirit in you to sustain you and maintain you firm to the end! The day when one believes, when one listens, is the day the faith is activated and the miraculous gifts granted by the Holy Spirit are received. Is that done by the deeds of the law or by listening with faith? When God has given you through the Spirit, has he done it because of the law or for listening with faith? The answer is FOR LISTENING WITH FAITH. One never gains or deserves for the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and do His work consequently but rather IT IS GIVEN BY GRACE AND IS RECEIVED THROUGH THE FAITH. In the same way the Galatians should have known by their own experiences that the blessings arrive by faith and not by observing the law. It does not arrive because of what we think we can obtain or because

of something else. What we have to do is to be listeners of the Holy Spirit that dwells in those who believe. It was a painful but “beautiful” cross that took a perfect body so that we could enjoy many and great blessings when believing. We only have to be listeners of Him and through faith listen and always believe Him. Let us not be confused by anything or anyone; “Who has fascinated you for not obeying the truth?” May the Devil not seduce you, or dominate or deceive you to stop obeying the truth through your faith. The one who went through the cross, our beloved Jesus, is the one who has given and keeps giving everything for you! Let us listen with FAITH! Live with FAITH! Amen.