WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.240 It is a great honor to be here this night with you. 00:00:07.080 --> 00:00:13.400 Well, Reverend Pastor Derek told me it should be just say a little bit about me. 00:00:13.980 --> 00:00:14.939 Well, my name is Israel. 00:00:15.660 --> 00:00:18.240 And I just finished my studies at ETS. 00:00:18.240 --> 00:00:19.859 I was doing my master there. 00:00:20.640 --> 00:00:25.760 And it's really good to be here this night or evening because the last months. 00:00:25.760 --> 00:00:32.880 We have been working with the Spanish speaking community back at Cornstone Free Church. 00:00:33.640 --> 00:00:40.359 So it has been really good for us to share the gospel in this beautiful language, Spanish. 00:00:40.920 --> 00:00:45.520 So it's beautiful actually, but difficult. 00:00:46.180 --> 00:00:48.680 But I'm not going to preach in Spanish. 00:00:48.680 --> 00:00:50.719 So I'm going to preach in English. 00:00:51.520 --> 00:00:53.520 And I'm going to preach about faith. 00:00:53.520 --> 00:00:58.220 So this is a good theme for me now because I don't have a good English. 00:00:58.720 --> 00:01:01.120 So I'm going to preach by faith now. 00:01:01.620 --> 00:01:09.020 So let's read again Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8 and 10 to 10. 00:01:11.620 --> 00:01:12.820 This is God's word. 00:01:12.820 --> 00:01:17.219 So let's read it with fear and joy at the same time. 00:01:17.219 --> 00:01:23.219 For by grace you have been saved through faith. 00:01:23.219 --> 00:01:25.219 And this is not your own doing. 00:01:25.219 --> 00:01:31.219 It is the gift of God, not the results of works so that no one may boast. 00:01:31.219 --> 00:01:39.219 For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand 00:01:39.219 --> 00:01:42.219 that we should walk in them. 00:01:42.219 --> 00:01:47.219 So we live in a society where unbelief is increasing every day. 00:01:49.219 --> 00:01:51.219 Nobody wants to believe in something. 00:01:52.219 --> 00:01:54.219 People don't fear God. 00:01:54.219 --> 00:02:01.219 If we talk about God outside there on the royal mile on Princess Street, nobody cares about that. 00:02:02.219 --> 00:02:04.219 So people don't believe in God. 00:02:04.219 --> 00:02:07.219 People don't believe. 00:02:07.219 --> 00:02:11.219 People don't believe. 00:02:11.219 --> 00:02:13.219 But are we sure about that? 00:02:14.219 --> 00:02:17.219 When people claims that they don't believe in anything. 00:02:17.219 --> 00:02:21.219 But at the same time they claim to believe in spiritual stuff. 00:02:21.219 --> 00:02:29.219 I don't know maybe in this cards or in the future or even on this Chinese cookie, you know. 00:02:29.219 --> 00:02:31.219 But people believe in something. 00:02:31.219 --> 00:02:37.219 Or other people could say, no, but sounds a little bit stupid. 00:02:37.219 --> 00:02:41.219 How can you believe in this Chinese cookies or I don't know. 00:02:42.219 --> 00:02:44.219 But at the same time they are believing in something. 00:02:45.219 --> 00:02:46.219 They believe in their careers. 00:02:46.219 --> 00:02:49.219 They believe in their bank accounts. 00:02:49.219 --> 00:02:52.219 They believe in their position on society. 00:02:52.219 --> 00:02:57.219 They believe in some political party to be the solution for this society. 00:02:57.219 --> 00:03:03.219 So I really want to say that everyone's believing in something. 00:03:03.219 --> 00:03:04.219 We are believing in something. 00:03:04.219 --> 00:03:06.219 So we have faith. 00:03:06.219 --> 00:03:11.219 But the question is, what is the object of our faith? 00:03:12.219 --> 00:03:14.219 So today I'm going to talk about faith. 00:03:15.219 --> 00:03:19.219 And maybe you can think, oh, a sermon again about faith. 00:03:19.219 --> 00:03:24.219 Even when Derek told me, you should preach about faith. 00:03:24.219 --> 00:03:27.219 And was like, faith, but we are talking about faith every day. 00:03:27.219 --> 00:03:28.219 We are Christians. 00:03:28.219 --> 00:03:29.219 We are evangelicals. 00:03:29.219 --> 00:03:30.219 We are reform. 00:03:30.219 --> 00:03:32.219 We are free church members. 00:03:32.219 --> 00:03:34.219 So faith is so common to us. 00:03:36.219 --> 00:03:41.219 But are we really living through faith? 00:03:41.219 --> 00:03:46.219 Do we really understand what faith is? 00:03:47.219 --> 00:03:53.219 So this is very important because we are not dealing here with something simple. 00:03:53.219 --> 00:03:54.219 Or I don't know. 00:03:54.219 --> 00:03:56.219 We are dealing with our souls. 00:03:56.219 --> 00:03:58.219 We are dealing with our salvation. 00:03:58.219 --> 00:04:00.219 We are dealing with eternal things. 00:04:02.219 --> 00:04:04.219 So we are not playing here. 00:04:06.219 --> 00:04:09.219 That's the reason that I want to preach about faith. 00:04:10.219 --> 00:04:12.219 Because people, they're outside. 00:04:13.219 --> 00:04:19.220 When they are shopping through this Black Friday, they are seeking something. 00:04:19.220 --> 00:04:25.220 They are seeking to trust in something, in their clothes, in their money or whatever. 00:04:25.220 --> 00:04:31.220 People are outside and people here, we are looking to trust in someone. 00:04:34.220 --> 00:04:39.220 But the problem is that we choose the wrong object of our faith. 00:04:39.220 --> 00:04:43.220 So we all need a savior, but we choose the wrong savior. 00:04:43.220 --> 00:04:51.220 This is the reason why these verses and the whole message of the Bible are very important for society. 00:04:51.220 --> 00:04:56.220 But not just for society, but even for us, the church. 00:04:59.220 --> 00:05:03.220 These verses talk about a thing that is vital for our soul. 00:05:03.220 --> 00:05:07.220 And without it, it is impossible to please God. 00:05:08.220 --> 00:05:10.220 I am referring to faith. 00:05:10.220 --> 00:05:14.220 The precious instrument of God for our salvation, faith. 00:05:15.220 --> 00:05:21.220 Because we are often so accustomed to some words, we lose the profound meaning of this. 00:05:22.220 --> 00:05:24.220 Faith, again? 00:05:25.220 --> 00:05:28.220 Perhaps one of you may be thinking, 00:05:28.220 --> 00:05:35.220 but this morning the excellent preacher, he just preached about faith, the gospel and everything. 00:05:35.220 --> 00:05:40.220 So why we need to hear again a sermon about faith? 00:05:40.220 --> 00:05:44.220 Because we live by faith, not by sight. 00:05:44.220 --> 00:05:49.220 So I want to share with you, I hope, briefly, three points. 00:05:51.220 --> 00:05:54.220 Because that is the rule that we learn in Samarit. 00:05:54.220 --> 00:05:56.220 No, just joking. 00:05:56.220 --> 00:06:02.220 So I want to talk about the nature of faith, the object of our faith. 00:06:02.220 --> 00:06:06.220 And third, the fruit of faith, good works. 00:06:06.220 --> 00:06:11.220 So the first point is the nature of faith, it's not about works. 00:06:11.220 --> 00:06:19.220 The object of our faith, Christ's work and person, and finally the fruit of faith, 00:06:19.220 --> 00:06:22.220 for created for good works. 00:06:24.220 --> 00:06:26.220 So the first point, the nature of faith. 00:06:26.220 --> 00:06:31.220 Faith is related, sorry, with certainty. 00:06:31.220 --> 00:06:33.220 But certainty about what? 00:06:34.220 --> 00:06:39.220 Surgency about the deepest and the simple things in our life. 00:06:39.220 --> 00:06:45.220 Faith is related with the purpose of our life. 00:06:45.220 --> 00:06:51.220 Faith is related even of the way of how we are walking every day, 00:06:51.220 --> 00:06:58.220 how we are preparing some food, how we are talking to our wives or husbands or children. 00:06:58.220 --> 00:07:03.220 Faith is related even of why we are here tonight. 00:07:03.220 --> 00:07:08.220 But faith is related mainly with our salvation. 00:07:08.220 --> 00:07:15.220 Again, and especially in our Christian circles, we tend to forget what the salvation really means. 00:07:15.220 --> 00:07:18.220 And because we forget what salvation is about, 00:07:18.220 --> 00:07:21.220 we forget what faith is. 00:07:21.220 --> 00:07:24.220 So we need to remember what salvation is. 00:07:24.220 --> 00:07:27.220 We need to remember what the gospel is. 00:07:29.220 --> 00:07:33.220 And on verse 8, and Ephesians chapter 2 said, 00:07:33.220 --> 00:07:38.220 For by grace you have been saved through faith. 00:07:38.220 --> 00:07:49.220 So here we can see the three words, sorry, grace, salvation, faith. 00:07:49.220 --> 00:07:55.220 So dear friends, brothers and sisters here, we born spiritually dead. 00:07:55.220 --> 00:07:59.220 And according to the first verse of chapter 2, 00:07:59.220 --> 00:08:05.220 we were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked. 00:08:05.220 --> 00:08:09.220 Children of wrath. 00:08:09.220 --> 00:08:16.220 So we are not children of mother nature, of children of something. 00:08:16.220 --> 00:08:22.220 We were born as children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 00:08:22.220 --> 00:08:25.220 Three things we can notice here. 00:08:25.220 --> 00:08:27.220 The first one is that we were dead in sins. 00:08:27.220 --> 00:08:33.220 The second is that the way of our daily walking was sin. 00:08:33.220 --> 00:08:41.220 And thirdly, the result of this is the wrath of God upon every one of us. 00:08:41.220 --> 00:08:46.220 So what is the meaning of being dead in our sins? 00:08:46.220 --> 00:08:51.220 It is a consciously breaking law walking. 00:08:51.220 --> 00:08:58.220 That is consciously not loving God, not loving my neighbor. 00:08:58.220 --> 00:09:08.220 That is hating God and hating the person that is next to me. 00:09:08.220 --> 00:09:18.220 When God is the most perfect, holy and beautiful being, full of joy and happiness, 00:09:18.220 --> 00:09:24.220 and who has created us to delight in Him, to find this pleasure in Him, 00:09:24.220 --> 00:09:29.220 but we decide to seek that pleasure in the most awful things. 00:09:29.220 --> 00:09:31.220 That is sin. 00:09:31.220 --> 00:09:39.220 When God gave us gifts, as we are looking for this series about the gifts of the Spirit, 00:09:39.220 --> 00:09:48.220 so when God gave us gifts, talents, air to our lungs, food to our bodies, 00:09:48.220 --> 00:09:54.220 to be a blessing for our neighbor, but we use all these means, 00:09:54.220 --> 00:10:04.220 we use all these precious gifts to hurt our neighbor. 00:10:04.220 --> 00:10:06.220 That is sin. 00:10:06.220 --> 00:10:13.220 To be dead in sins is to see how the world is destroying and do nothing. 00:10:13.220 --> 00:10:18.220 It is to see my brother dying and do nothing. 00:10:18.220 --> 00:10:20.220 Sorry, no. 00:10:20.220 --> 00:10:28.220 It is to see my brother dying and run to destroy him again and again, 00:10:28.220 --> 00:10:32.220 raising false testimony against him. 00:10:32.220 --> 00:10:36.220 That is sin. 00:10:36.220 --> 00:10:40.220 So it's to see my brother dying and do nothing. 00:10:40.220 --> 00:10:46.220 It is to try to be a good Christian, clothed with legalism. 00:10:46.220 --> 00:10:48.220 That is sin. 00:10:48.220 --> 00:10:52.220 It is to try to not preach the whole counsel of God. 00:10:52.220 --> 00:10:56.220 That is sin. 00:10:56.220 --> 00:11:03.220 It is to live just by our good works and not live by faith. 00:11:03.220 --> 00:11:05.220 That is sin. 00:11:05.220 --> 00:11:11.220 So what do we deserve for sin against an infinite and holy God? 00:11:11.220 --> 00:11:20.220 This is very important because if we want to grab and taste this precious message of the gospel, 00:11:20.220 --> 00:11:22.220 we need to know this. 00:11:22.220 --> 00:11:27.220 What do we deserve for sin against an infinite and holy God? 00:11:27.220 --> 00:11:36.220 The only thing that we deserve because we sin against an infinite God, 00:11:36.220 --> 00:11:45.220 we deserve the infinite and holy wrath of God in hell forever. 00:11:45.220 --> 00:11:48.220 I know that this is very strong, 00:11:48.220 --> 00:11:53.220 but if we want to get the good news of the gospel, this love of God, 00:11:53.220 --> 00:11:56.220 that we learn all this we can here, 00:11:56.220 --> 00:12:01.220 we need to know this bad news. 00:12:01.220 --> 00:12:06.220 Five years ago, I used to work on cancer research back in Chile. 00:12:06.220 --> 00:12:11.220 So we were trying to develop some vaccines for skin cancer. 00:12:11.220 --> 00:12:14.220 It's really sad to talk about this. 00:12:14.220 --> 00:12:22.220 But when you see young people of 20 years old with this kind of cancer, 00:12:22.220 --> 00:12:30.220 with just four months to live, and they come into this lab seeking for a solution, 00:12:30.220 --> 00:12:36.220 they really love this vaccination, they really love the cure. 00:12:36.220 --> 00:12:41.220 Why we don't love the cure of the gospel? 00:12:41.220 --> 00:12:48.220 Because maybe we don't know what this all just is. 00:12:48.220 --> 00:12:55.220 Maybe because we don't know the meaning of sin against God. 00:12:55.220 --> 00:13:04.220 It is not just a dirty little secret, it's we are sinning against a holy God. 00:13:04.220 --> 00:13:13.220 So if we really want to appreciate the love of God, the amazing grace of God that we really like to sing, 00:13:13.220 --> 00:13:19.220 we need to know this, we need to understand this. 00:13:19.220 --> 00:13:23.220 And please pay attention to this. 00:13:23.220 --> 00:13:35.220 The only thing that we deserve, the only thing that we deserve is the infinite and holy graph of God. 00:13:35.220 --> 00:13:42.220 Therefore, every person that is in this room now or is walking there outside needs a savior. 00:13:42.220 --> 00:13:44.220 We need a savior. 00:13:44.220 --> 00:13:48.220 We need a savior who can save us from this graph, but at the same time, 00:13:48.220 --> 00:13:54.220 a savior that restore our relationship with God and with our neighbor, 00:13:54.220 --> 00:14:01.220 that restores our relationship with our brothers and sisters in order to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever, 00:14:01.220 --> 00:14:09.220 and also to enjoy our communion with our brothers and sisters in order to love my friend. 00:14:09.220 --> 00:14:14.220 And not just to love my friend, but even to love my enemies. 00:14:14.220 --> 00:14:15.220 That's the gospel. 00:14:15.220 --> 00:14:19.220 Sorry, that's the fruit of the gospel. 00:14:19.220 --> 00:14:25.220 So the first thing that is mentioned here is, Versailles, that by grace you have been saved. 00:14:25.220 --> 00:14:26.220 We are saved by grace. 00:14:26.220 --> 00:14:34.220 Do you remember that the only thing that we deserve is this graph of God, this hell? 00:14:34.220 --> 00:14:36.220 Well, please listen to this. 00:14:36.220 --> 00:14:42.220 Grace is the undeserved gift of God for our salvation. 00:14:42.220 --> 00:14:45.220 Do you deserve grace? 00:14:45.220 --> 00:14:47.220 No. 00:14:47.220 --> 00:14:51.220 So grace is for you. 00:14:51.220 --> 00:14:55.220 Grace is for us. 00:14:55.220 --> 00:15:03.220 The grace of God is for every kind of person, rich, poor, conservative, liberal, from left to right party, 00:15:03.220 --> 00:15:11.220 because all we have is the same spiritual disease and all we need is the same cure. 00:15:11.220 --> 00:15:25.220 Do you think that you deserve grace after the sin that you committed last night secretly in your room? 00:15:25.220 --> 00:15:30.220 If your answer is no, well, grace is for you. 00:15:30.220 --> 00:15:39.220 Grace, this amazing grace is for us, because we don't deserve it. 00:15:39.220 --> 00:15:45.220 Therefore, grace is for us. 00:15:45.220 --> 00:15:52.220 Do you think that do you deserve grace after living thousands of years of a double Christian life, 00:15:52.220 --> 00:15:57.220 one life here and another life in your house? 00:15:57.220 --> 00:16:00.220 Do you deserve grace? Do you deserve salvation? 00:16:00.220 --> 00:16:03.220 If your answer is no, well, grace is for you. 00:16:03.220 --> 00:16:06.220 Grace is for me. 00:16:06.220 --> 00:16:13.220 But not for tomorrow only, but for now, for this minute, for this second. 00:16:13.220 --> 00:16:16.220 So my friend, grace is for you. 00:16:16.220 --> 00:16:26.220 And God gave us a precious instrument to grab this, to hold this, and that is faith. 00:16:26.220 --> 00:16:31.220 But we are not saved by faith itself. 00:16:31.220 --> 00:16:41.220 We are saved through faith, because the only one that who can save us, it's not the size of your faith. 00:16:41.220 --> 00:16:47.220 It's the object of our faith, Jesus Christ. 00:16:47.220 --> 00:16:57.220 So what is faith? I want to go very quickly to this precious answer that we can find in the Westminster Shorter Catechism. 00:16:57.220 --> 00:17:01.220 I really like it. I know that you like it also. 00:17:01.220 --> 00:17:08.220 Question 86, what is faith in Jesus Christ? 00:17:08.220 --> 00:17:10.220 Good. 00:17:10.220 --> 00:17:19.220 Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation, 00:17:19.220 --> 00:17:23.220 as He is offered to us in the Gospel. 00:17:23.220 --> 00:17:32.220 So faith is a saving grace, that is, an undeserved gift of God, where we receive and rest in Christ. 00:17:32.220 --> 00:17:42.220 But here, we need to understand three important elements in faith, three elements that are involved in faith, 00:17:42.220 --> 00:17:54.220 our intellect, that's the first one, our affections, our emotions, and thirdly, our will. 00:17:54.220 --> 00:17:59.220 Therefore, we need to know the good news of the Gospel, describing our Bible. 00:17:59.220 --> 00:18:03.220 Remember, faith comes by hearing God's word. 00:18:03.220 --> 00:18:09.220 Therefore, my dear friends here, my dear Scottish friends, 00:18:09.220 --> 00:18:21.220 how can we have faith if we are not reading or studying or hearing about the Bible? 00:18:21.220 --> 00:18:26.220 So we need to read it, study it, and meditate upon the Bible. 00:18:26.220 --> 00:18:31.220 But this doesn't stop here, or affections are involved. 00:18:31.220 --> 00:18:39.220 So our intellect understands the good news of the grace of God, but we need to understand the truth of the scriptures of the Bible. 00:18:39.220 --> 00:18:43.220 But this is not just to say, for example, 00:18:43.220 --> 00:18:49.220 wow, grace is for me because I am a sinner. 00:18:49.220 --> 00:18:55.220 We can understand that in our minds, but our emotions must be involved in this. 00:18:55.220 --> 00:18:59.220 It is not just to say, oh, Christ died for me. 00:18:59.220 --> 00:19:05.220 Is Christ died for me? 00:19:05.220 --> 00:19:13.220 And please, I am not talking about to have emotion as some Latinas we can have, you know, these burning emotions. 00:19:13.220 --> 00:19:15.220 No, I am not talking about that. 00:19:15.220 --> 00:19:19.220 I am not talking to have a sea of tears here about the Gospel. 00:19:19.220 --> 00:19:34.220 No, no, no, I am talking to have hearts in flame of this joy because God loves me. 00:19:34.220 --> 00:19:39.220 I am talking about that your heart is in fire. 00:19:39.220 --> 00:19:43.220 God loves me. 00:19:43.220 --> 00:19:48.220 Even when he knows that I did last night or during all my life. 00:19:48.220 --> 00:19:52.220 His love is forever. 00:19:52.220 --> 00:20:04.220 How can this precious doctrine could be a dry or cold doctrine quite similar to the weather that we have now? 00:20:04.220 --> 00:20:07.220 But this is not all. 00:20:07.220 --> 00:20:11.220 You can even know this in your mind. 00:20:11.220 --> 00:20:19.220 Your heart could be in flame with all this, but that is not saving faith. 00:20:19.220 --> 00:20:28.220 We can know everything about this scandalous grace, about the love of God that we have been learning during all these years. 00:20:28.220 --> 00:20:31.220 But you can be lost. 00:20:31.220 --> 00:20:35.220 Why? 00:20:35.220 --> 00:20:40.220 Because our will must be involved in this. 00:20:40.220 --> 00:20:44.220 That is why the third element is very important, our will. 00:20:44.220 --> 00:20:50.220 It is not enough to have this information, this good theological definition. 00:20:50.220 --> 00:20:55.220 It is not enough to have thousands of books in our libraries. 00:20:55.220 --> 00:21:00.220 We are not walking libraries, my dear friends. 00:21:00.220 --> 00:21:06.220 It is not enough to have our tears singing about God's grace. 00:21:06.220 --> 00:21:13.220 Well, now we need to do one of the most difficult things that we can do. 00:21:13.220 --> 00:21:19.220 Actually, in our state of spiritual death, we hate to do this. 00:21:19.220 --> 00:21:25.220 It is really difficult to do this third element. 00:21:25.220 --> 00:21:30.220 It is impossible to do for someone who has not yet born again. 00:21:30.220 --> 00:21:37.220 It is impossible for someone who has not previously regenerated by the gracious work of the Holy Spirit. 00:21:37.220 --> 00:21:48.220 This impossible thing that I am referring, it is to receive and rest. 00:21:48.220 --> 00:21:55.220 We have born in a state where we always want to earn everything with the merit of our hands. 00:21:55.220 --> 00:22:00.220 And to work and work and work to be saved, but faith is different. 00:22:00.220 --> 00:22:05.220 Faith is the gift of God, not a result of work. 00:22:05.220 --> 00:22:13.220 And this is so difficult to believe, even for Christians, even for us, 00:22:13.220 --> 00:22:23.220 to really know that we are not saved by the size or the length of our prayers, of our theological knowledge. 00:22:23.220 --> 00:22:29.220 We are not saved by the Westminster Confession of Faith, my friends. 00:22:29.220 --> 00:22:37.220 We are saved by a great Savior. 00:22:37.220 --> 00:22:40.220 We are saved by grace through faith. 00:22:40.220 --> 00:22:45.220 That is resting, resting in Christ. 00:22:45.220 --> 00:22:50.220 And to rest is to do nothing. 00:22:50.220 --> 00:22:54.220 Wait a minute, this is to do nothing? 00:22:54.220 --> 00:23:06.220 Yes, when you are resting in your home, in your sofa or whatever, when you are in your holidays, what are you doing? 00:23:06.220 --> 00:23:09.220 Resting, resting. 00:23:09.220 --> 00:23:15.220 Because it is all about the gracious work of God in Christ for us. 00:23:15.220 --> 00:23:21.220 I repeat, to rest is to do nothing. 00:23:21.220 --> 00:23:23.220 But hold on, no. 00:23:23.220 --> 00:23:28.220 I'm sorry, no. It's not like to do nothing, nothing, nothing, no. 00:23:28.220 --> 00:23:33.220 Faith, it is not passive. 00:23:33.220 --> 00:23:36.220 We need to do something. 00:23:36.220 --> 00:23:44.220 And that is keep resting and keep receiving this precious Savior. 00:23:44.220 --> 00:23:48.220 Faith is not something passive, but very active. 00:23:48.220 --> 00:23:51.220 We are active in receiving. 00:23:51.220 --> 00:23:59.220 We are active in resting, in resting and enjoying and finding our delight and our satisfaction. 00:23:59.220 --> 00:24:10.220 Not in our good or bad works, but it's resting on the precious and almighty work of Christ. 00:24:10.220 --> 00:24:12.220 That is faith. 00:24:12.220 --> 00:24:15.220 You rest on Christ's work. 00:24:15.220 --> 00:24:19.220 You rest on Christ's bosom. 00:24:19.220 --> 00:24:33.220 You rest on the arms of the Almighty God, who with his fingers, he created all the universe. 00:24:33.220 --> 00:24:42.220 But with his all arm, he loves you, with all his heart, he loves you. 00:24:42.220 --> 00:24:44.220 That is faith. 00:24:44.220 --> 00:24:47.220 So you know this. 00:24:47.220 --> 00:25:00.220 Your heart is in flame on this, but now you run to rest in Christ. 00:25:00.220 --> 00:25:11.220 But when you are resting on your holidays and you're visiting some place, I don't know, Louis or the Highlands or the south of Chile, 00:25:11.220 --> 00:25:14.220 a beautiful place, you should go there. 00:25:14.220 --> 00:25:17.220 Or Peru, for example, or friend here. 00:25:17.220 --> 00:25:21.220 When you're resting, what are you doing? Just sleeping? 00:25:21.220 --> 00:25:29.220 Okay, yeah, you can sleep, but then you are beholding and contemplating something, the landscape. 00:25:29.220 --> 00:25:36.220 So in faith, we behold our Savior. 00:25:36.220 --> 00:25:40.220 We behold and contemplate the beauty of our Savior. 00:25:40.220 --> 00:25:45.220 So quickly, I want to go to the point number two, the object of our faith. 00:25:45.220 --> 00:25:48.220 Jesus Christ, don't forget this. 00:25:48.220 --> 00:25:51.220 Faith means no work, no works. 00:25:51.220 --> 00:25:52.220 But why is this? 00:25:52.220 --> 00:25:57.220 It is because the gospel tells us about the work and person of Christ. 00:25:57.220 --> 00:26:07.220 The gospel is not about your good works, but it's about the good, excellent and amazing work of Christ. 00:26:07.220 --> 00:26:12.220 We don't have faith in faith, but faith in Christ. 00:26:12.220 --> 00:26:16.220 That's the reason why faith is resting in Christ. 00:26:16.220 --> 00:26:22.220 Faith contemplates, receives and rests in the person and work of Christ. 00:26:22.220 --> 00:26:30.220 So the next question is, do you know Christ? 00:26:30.220 --> 00:26:34.220 Do you know the man who died on the cross? 00:26:34.220 --> 00:26:43.220 He's not just a body who dies, a good man, a hippie man, you know? 00:26:43.220 --> 00:26:49.220 So sometimes it's very easy to talk about, oh, Christ died on the cross, but who is Christ? 00:26:49.220 --> 00:26:52.220 Who is Christ for you? 00:26:52.220 --> 00:26:53.220 Who dies? 00:26:53.220 --> 00:26:56.220 Who died on the cross? 00:26:56.220 --> 00:27:06.220 So we need to know about the object of our faith, Jesus Christ. 00:27:06.220 --> 00:27:08.220 Let me tell you something. 00:27:08.220 --> 00:27:13.220 I know that we are doing a series about the spiritual gifts and everything, but don't forget this. 00:27:13.220 --> 00:27:19.220 Christ is the most beautiful and glorious gift of God. 00:27:19.220 --> 00:27:34.220 God gave his beloved son, for God so loves the world, for God so loves the sinner, for God so loves us. 00:27:34.220 --> 00:27:43.220 That he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him, that whoever believes that God gave his son to live for you, 00:27:43.220 --> 00:27:52.220 that is to represent you in every step and walk, to represent you and me and to fulfill the law of God, 00:27:52.220 --> 00:27:59.220 loving God with all his heart, mind and strength, but also loving his neighbor. 00:27:59.220 --> 00:28:05.220 He lived the perfect life for us and paid the price in the cross of Calvary. 00:28:05.220 --> 00:28:19.220 So the main point of every of this sermon and on every Christian sermon must be Christ. 00:28:19.220 --> 00:28:22.220 It is not about the size of your faith now. 00:28:22.220 --> 00:28:26.220 It is not about the years that you have been a Christian. 00:28:26.220 --> 00:28:29.220 It is about Christ, my friends, my brothers. 00:28:29.220 --> 00:28:34.220 It is about Christ, behold the Lamb of God upon the cross, 00:28:34.220 --> 00:28:38.220 enduring all the wrath of God that we deserve. 00:28:38.220 --> 00:28:48.220 Behold the Son of God, bearing all our sins and suffering the flames of hell that you and I really deserve. 00:28:48.220 --> 00:28:52.220 Behold the blessed for all the ages. 00:28:52.220 --> 00:28:55.220 Please think about this. 00:28:55.220 --> 00:28:57.220 Let's do this exercise now. 00:28:57.220 --> 00:29:16.220 Think about the Holy God, the Holy, Holy, Holy God being a curse for us, being crushed by his Father. 00:29:16.220 --> 00:29:27.220 Behold the Holy God, the God, being sinned, enduring all the wrath of God. 00:29:27.220 --> 00:29:37.220 Behold the most beautiful being who is infinite, more beautiful than all the landscapes of Scotland and Chile together. 00:29:37.220 --> 00:29:43.220 More beautiful than all the galaxies of the universe. 00:29:43.220 --> 00:29:56.220 Behold Christ on the cross with no form or majesty that we should look at him and no beauty that we should decide him according to Isaiah 53. 00:29:56.220 --> 00:30:01.220 Because he bears our sins upon his shoulders. 00:30:01.220 --> 00:30:04.220 Christ is the object of our faith. 00:30:04.220 --> 00:30:07.220 Christ is the free gift for you and me. 00:30:07.220 --> 00:30:11.220 This is why faith is focused on the person of work of Christ. 00:30:11.220 --> 00:30:19.220 Faith is not focused on our work. 00:30:19.220 --> 00:30:21.220 So where is your faith? 00:30:21.220 --> 00:30:25.220 Are you trusting in the Lord or in you? 00:30:25.220 --> 00:30:32.220 Are you trusting in God or are you trusting in man? 00:30:32.220 --> 00:30:34.220 This is serious. 00:30:34.220 --> 00:30:38.220 We have a soul. You have a soul. 00:30:38.220 --> 00:30:43.220 Who is going to save you in your deathbed? 00:30:43.220 --> 00:30:48.220 Or who is going to save you in this very moment? 00:30:48.220 --> 00:30:52.220 The money that are you going to have tomorrow in your bank account? 00:30:52.220 --> 00:30:54.220 Or the grace? 00:30:54.220 --> 00:30:58.220 Your successful ministry or career? 00:30:58.220 --> 00:31:01.220 Or is Christ? 00:31:01.220 --> 00:31:09.220 So consider the words very briefly of Isaiah 30 verse 1, 2, and 15. 00:31:09.220 --> 00:31:11.220 I don't know if... 00:31:11.220 --> 00:31:16.220 Well, we can go to our Bibles like the other is. 00:31:16.220 --> 00:31:25.220 Ah, stubborn children declare the Lord who carry out a plan but not mine and who make an alliance but not of my spirit. 00:31:25.220 --> 00:31:30.220 That they may add sin to sin. 00:31:30.220 --> 00:31:33.220 And now verse 15, please. 00:31:33.220 --> 00:31:45.220 For does say the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in returning and rest and rest and rest, you shall be saved. 00:31:45.220 --> 00:31:47.220 Are you tired? 00:31:47.220 --> 00:31:54.220 Are you tired of being tired of sinning again and again against that... 00:31:54.220 --> 00:31:58.220 of battling against that sin? 00:31:58.220 --> 00:32:02.220 The Spirit said tonight, come. 00:32:02.220 --> 00:32:05.220 Come to Christ. 00:32:05.220 --> 00:32:08.220 Don't look upon your sin now. Please don't look at it. 00:32:08.220 --> 00:32:10.220 Come even with your sin. 00:32:10.220 --> 00:32:13.220 Come even with your struggles. 00:32:13.220 --> 00:32:18.220 And behold Christ, young man, that you are in college. 00:32:18.220 --> 00:32:20.220 Behold Christ. 00:32:20.220 --> 00:32:31.220 Oh man, behold Christ. 00:32:31.220 --> 00:32:35.220 Are you trusting on Egypt or are we trusting in the Lord? 00:32:35.220 --> 00:32:39.220 Are we receiving and resting the person of Christ? 00:32:39.220 --> 00:32:41.220 Or this good and amazing message? 00:32:41.220 --> 00:32:46.220 It is something just to have for theological conversations. 00:32:46.220 --> 00:32:52.220 Just to be a good Christians because we like to talk about faith but do we have faith in Christ? 00:32:52.220 --> 00:32:56.220 Are we resting in Christ? 00:32:56.220 --> 00:33:00.220 Have you tasted the good word of God? 00:33:00.220 --> 00:33:05.220 Or it is something that are you feeding every day? 00:33:05.220 --> 00:33:08.220 Don't forget the promise of the Lord. 00:33:08.220 --> 00:33:11.220 In quietness and rest, you shall be saved. 00:33:11.220 --> 00:33:16.220 Be still and know that I am God. 00:33:16.220 --> 00:33:23.220 Be still but we love to always be very active to do something, to find peace. 00:33:23.220 --> 00:33:27.220 But be still. 00:33:27.220 --> 00:33:31.220 Be quiet and behold Christ. 00:33:31.220 --> 00:33:36.220 Return to your first love. 00:33:36.220 --> 00:33:41.220 Do you remember that day when you knew Christ? 00:33:41.220 --> 00:33:44.220 Return to that love. 00:33:44.220 --> 00:33:50.220 And finally, and I don't know, a couple of minutes, I hope so. 00:33:50.220 --> 00:33:55.220 Like Corey said every time. 00:33:55.220 --> 00:33:59.220 Third point, a living faith. 00:33:59.220 --> 00:34:05.220 So just with having this idea of faith and the object of our faith Christ, 00:34:05.220 --> 00:34:11.220 we can turn to the third point, a living faith, a faith that produces good works. 00:34:11.220 --> 00:34:16.220 And let's read again, in Ephesians 2, not a result of works, 00:34:16.220 --> 00:34:24.220 so that no one may boast, created in Christ Jesus four good works, 00:34:24.220 --> 00:34:30.220 which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. 00:34:30.219 --> 00:34:36.219 So we are not saved by works, but we are saved for good works. 00:34:36.219 --> 00:34:41.219 In a clear way, because we are already saved. 00:34:41.219 --> 00:34:48.219 We do. We must do good works. 00:34:48.219 --> 00:34:52.219 We don't do good works in order to be saved, 00:34:52.219 --> 00:34:59.219 but we do good works because we have been saved by the work of Christ. 00:34:59.219 --> 00:35:02.219 And why this is very important? 00:35:02.219 --> 00:35:05.219 Because through faith we are united to Jesus. 00:35:05.219 --> 00:35:08.219 We are united to Christ, the tree of life. 00:35:08.219 --> 00:35:14.219 Therefore, a good tree produces good fruits. 00:35:14.219 --> 00:35:24.219 A living faith produces good works, but a dead and false faith produces nothing. 00:35:24.219 --> 00:35:28.219 So why this is very important? 00:35:28.219 --> 00:35:35.219 Because we can even talk about faith, about Christ. 00:35:35.219 --> 00:35:45.219 But this must be something real in our lives. 00:35:45.219 --> 00:35:49.219 The gospel produces good fruits in our lives. 00:35:49.219 --> 00:35:54.219 The result of the gospel, remember, the gospel is not about what we can do. 00:35:54.219 --> 00:35:59.219 It's about Christ's work, but the result of the gospel, in all hearts, 00:35:59.219 --> 00:36:05.219 by the work of the Holy Spirit are good works. 00:36:05.219 --> 00:36:07.219 And why this is important? 00:36:07.219 --> 00:36:12.219 Because we are talking about the gifts of the Holy Spirit on this series, 00:36:12.219 --> 00:36:14.219 and when Derek told me about preaching about faith, 00:36:14.219 --> 00:36:21.219 there is a verse there that talks about faith as a charismatic gift of the Holy Spirit. 00:36:21.219 --> 00:36:27.219 But this gift is related to, for us, with a measure of faith 00:36:27.219 --> 00:36:30.219 that the Lord gave us to some people in different circumstances. 00:36:30.219 --> 00:36:35.219 When we are in danger, or troubles, or difficult situations, 00:36:35.219 --> 00:36:40.219 the Lord gave us this measure of faith to trust in God's promises, 00:36:40.219 --> 00:36:45.219 or to preach the gospel in a specific context. 00:36:45.219 --> 00:36:54.219 So quickly, how can we describe these good works that are a result of faith? 00:36:54.219 --> 00:36:57.219 The first one, faith makes us humble. 00:36:57.219 --> 00:37:03.219 Not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 00:37:03.219 --> 00:37:10.219 God finds pleasure in the humble man, in the humble woman. 00:37:10.219 --> 00:37:14.219 But he rejects the pride, the proud man. 00:37:14.219 --> 00:37:20.219 Faith in Christ leads us to recognize that even our good works are by God's grace, 00:37:20.219 --> 00:37:27.219 and that makes us humble. 00:37:27.219 --> 00:37:35.219 But the proud, he loves to build a tower of his good works 00:37:35.219 --> 00:37:39.219 in order to seek praise. 00:37:39.219 --> 00:37:43.219 So faith makes us humble, too, because faith is a gift. 00:37:43.219 --> 00:37:47.219 We become a gift. 00:37:47.219 --> 00:37:55.219 Our gifts are not given to ourselves, to myself, but to serve others. 00:37:55.219 --> 00:37:58.219 But what does it mean to become a gift? 00:37:58.219 --> 00:38:02.219 And I know that at seminary with Derek and Thomas, 00:38:02.219 --> 00:38:06.219 we know that we cannot talk about Greek words or Hebrew words, 00:38:06.219 --> 00:38:09.219 so I'm not going to talk about Greek or Hebrew words, 00:38:09.219 --> 00:38:12.219 but I'm going to talk about Spanish words or Latin words. 00:38:12.219 --> 00:38:16.219 So when I read here in Ephesians 2 about faith is a gift, 00:38:16.219 --> 00:38:23.219 the root for that word, it's a Latin word, donum. 00:38:23.219 --> 00:38:29.219 And that's the root for donation, to donate. 00:38:29.219 --> 00:38:37.219 So here, because we are united to the gift, capital T and capital G, 00:38:37.219 --> 00:38:45.219 we become a gift, a donation for others. 00:38:45.219 --> 00:38:55.219 So that's a way of how can we exercise faith as a gift of the Holy Spirit. 00:38:55.219 --> 00:38:58.219 And thirdly, so we walk by faith. 00:38:58.219 --> 00:39:05.219 We don't walk according to what we see or according to our emotions or experience, 00:39:05.219 --> 00:39:10.219 but we walk according to the Word of God, the Bible, through the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:39:10.219 --> 00:39:17.219 Therefore, our eyes are not fixed even in our good works. 00:39:17.219 --> 00:39:21.219 Our eyes are not fixed on the numbers of this congregation. 00:39:21.219 --> 00:39:26.219 Our eyes are not fixed in our good works. 00:39:26.219 --> 00:39:30.219 Our eyes are fixed in Christ. 00:39:30.219 --> 00:39:36.219 Remember Hebrews 11, talk about people who live by faith. 00:39:36.219 --> 00:39:43.219 Abraham, Sarah, and you know all these large lists of people that they live by faith, 00:39:43.219 --> 00:39:46.219 but there's a verse that said they die in faith. 00:39:46.219 --> 00:39:50.219 Why they die in faith? 00:39:50.219 --> 00:39:54.219 Because they live by faith. 00:39:54.219 --> 00:40:01.219 So if you die now, we can ask, who are we living? 00:40:01.219 --> 00:40:08.219 Are we living by faith or by our deeds? 00:40:08.219 --> 00:40:16.219 Can we say for me to live is Christ? 00:40:16.219 --> 00:40:23.219 Can you say that with Paul? 00:40:23.219 --> 00:40:28.219 For me to live is Christ. 00:40:28.219 --> 00:40:36.219 But if we see our lives, but by faith, through faith, 00:40:36.219 --> 00:40:39.219 we can say for me to live is Christ. 00:40:39.219 --> 00:40:42.219 How are we expressing our faith in Christ? 00:40:42.219 --> 00:40:48.219 How is our response when we see the cross of Christ? 00:40:48.219 --> 00:40:57.219 So it is not enough with just having a cup of tea, of coffee, after every service. 00:40:57.219 --> 00:41:00.219 We are not playing to be the church. 00:41:00.219 --> 00:41:05.219 We are not just living to have good times, good conversation, 00:41:05.219 --> 00:41:08.219 but in our homes we are other kind of people. 00:41:08.219 --> 00:41:11.219 We don't live by numbers. We don't live by success. 00:41:11.219 --> 00:41:13.219 We live by faith. 00:41:13.219 --> 00:41:18.219 We are always looking to Christ, to Christ our Savior. 00:41:18.219 --> 00:41:20.219 So yes, we need money for the kitchen. 00:41:20.219 --> 00:41:24.219 We need money to plan more churches. 00:41:24.219 --> 00:41:26.219 But you know what we need now? 00:41:26.219 --> 00:41:29.219 We need to be a man of woman of faith. 00:41:29.219 --> 00:41:33.219 We need to be a man of woman of God. 00:41:33.219 --> 00:41:39.219 College students, we must be, well, you must be, I am not a student, 00:41:39.219 --> 00:41:43.219 we need to be a man of God, full of the Holy Spirit, living by faith, 00:41:43.219 --> 00:41:47.219 not by your sins or by your failures or by your success. 00:41:47.219 --> 00:41:51.219 No, behold Christ. 00:41:51.219 --> 00:41:56.219 So let's fix our eyes in Christ our Savior. 00:41:56.219 --> 00:42:01.219 The gift to be a gift today for others. 00:42:01.219 --> 00:42:06.219 Let's pray. 00:42:06.219 --> 00:42:13.219 Father, we need your Holy Spirit. 00:42:13.219 --> 00:42:23.219 Lead us now in this moment to fix our eyes on Jesus. 00:42:23.219 --> 00:42:29.219 Remind us our first love. 00:42:29.219 --> 00:42:34.219 Give us this passion for Christ 00:42:34.219 --> 00:42:39.219 in order to be a gift for others. 00:42:39.219 --> 00:42:47.219 Because we know that you have sent your Son to live and die for us. 00:42:47.219 --> 00:42:56.219 Because you love us with an eternal and infinite love. 00:42:56.219 --> 00:43:03.219 So guide us to put this into practice right now. 00:43:03.219 --> 00:43:09.219 Guide us to live by faith in Christ. 00:43:09.219 --> 00:43:34.219 In your name we pray. Amen.