HASTE AND FAITH

ISAIAH 28:1

A. "HE THAT BELIEVETH SHALL NOT MAKE HASTE"
  1. Bible students interpret the meaning of our text differently:
    1. Some interpret "shall not make haste" to mean "shall not flee in time of danger"
    2. Others think that the foundation is so dependable that they are proud to build upon it.
    3. Still others interpret the words of our text to mean - that the foundation is so perfect that they that build upon it shall not be ashamed
  2. Which ever explanation we may choose:
    1. Haste and faith do not mix, because haste is indicative of a state of insecurity in time of danger
    2. Haste makes waste which is indicative of carelessness B. FAITH AND HASTE DO NOT MIX
  3. A Bible based faith is eternally secure:
    1. It builds upon God's promises and all God's promises are "yea and amen" - 2 Cor. 1:20
    2. All God's promises center in the person of Jesus Christ who is eternal and unchangeable - 2 Cor. 1:20; Heb. 13:8
    3. That faith rests on the plain teaching of the word of God, the Bible, which has been tried and therefore proven - Ps. 18:30; 119:140
  4. Haste is, in many instances, indicative of:
    1. Mistrusting - a feeling of insecurity; Examples: Lot and his family fleeing from Sodom - Gen. 19:22; David fleeing from Saul - I Sam. 20:38-40
    2. At times haste is a mark of a lack of faith - Examples: The experience of the disciples at the time our Lord was made a prisoner - Matt. 26:56; Mark 14:50; even Elijah as subject to that weakness - I Kings 19:3
  5. God never makes haste:
    1. Said Nehemiah, when speaking of God, "But thou are a God...slow to anger" - Neh. 9:17
    2. "Longsuffering to usward" - 2 Pet. 3:9
  6. Jesus never made haste:
    1. His attitude in the case of Bartimaeus - Mark 10:46-52
    2. His attitude in the case of the woman of Canaan - Matt. 15:22-23
  7. The world is in haste: - Dan. 12:4
    1. We are living at a time when events and circumstances pressure the people to do things at a pace never dreamed of by our forefathers
    2. A thousand things crowd our daily schedule to a point that many people become nervous wrecks
    3. Modern inventions make the things of yesterday obsolete overnight
    4. The danger of it all lies in the fact that the increasing pressures to haste will cause us not to take time to commune with God, to study the word of God C. DELIVERANCE FROM HASTE
  8. So it comes to this when all is said; it is our unbelief, our short-sightedness, our foolish eagerness for things that do not matter:
    1. Such a condition makes us blind to the realities of life - Luke 21:34-36
    2. They cause us to forget that the everlasting arms of the mighty God are beneath us, that He is our refuge in time of trouble
  9. Let us note four specific Bible facts which will save from being hasty or doubting in our relationship to God and His word:
    1. Keep our eyes firmly fixed upon the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus - Phil. 3:13-16
    2. Looking up to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith - Heb. 12:1-15
    3. Have Faith in God even when we are beset with divers trials and temptations; Examples: Job and his wife - "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him" - Job 13:15; said Moses to fearful Israel, "Stand still and see the salvation of our God" - Ex. 14:13
    4. Have faith in God at all times - 1 John 5:3-7


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