From Greenville, South Carolina, we present Let the Bible Speak. Let the Bible Speak is the radio ministry of the Free Presbyterian Church of North America, preaching Christ in all His fullness. Thank you for joining us for another broadcast of Let the Bible Speak, featuring the recorded messages of Dr. Alan Cairns, Minister Emeritus of Faith Free Presbyterian Church in Greenville, South Carolina. On today's broadcast, Dr. Cairns continues a message entitled Through the Cross to the Crown, part of this series of studies in the 11th chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews. We'll hear from Dr. Karen shortly. First of all, please enjoy this devotional thought taken from C.H. Spurgeon's collection called Faith's Checkbook. Our devotional for today is entitled A Strong Heart. The text is found in Psalm 27 and verse 14. Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord. Wait. Wait. Let your waiting be on the Lord. He is worth waiting for. He never disappoints the waiting soul. While waiting, keep up your spirits. Expect a great deliverance, and be ready to praise God for it. The promise which should cheer you is in the middle of the verse. He shall strengthen thine heart. This goes at once to the place where you need help. If the heart be sound, all the rest of the system will work well. The heart wants calming and cheering, and both of these will come if it be strengthened. A forceful heart rests and rejoices, and throbs force into the whole man. No one else can get at that secret urn of life, the heart, so as to pour strength into it. He alone who made it can make it strong. God is full of strength, and therefore He can impart it to those who need it. Oh, be brave, for the Lord will impart His strength to you, and you shall be calm in tempest and glad in sorrow. He who penned these lines can write as David did. Wait, I say, on the Lord. I do indeed say it. I know by long and deep experience that it is good for me to wait upon the Lord. Upon our blessed Savior, who is holy, just, and true, may we contemplate his goodness and his holiness pursue. Whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever cries may be, ♪ With all His things ♪ ♪ May there be many virtues and praise ♪ ♪ With all His things ♪ ♪ With all His things ♪ ♪ May there be many virtues and praise ♪ As we dwell upon our Savior, He renews our mighty shape, Gives us strength in times of weakness when our thoughts begin to stray. His wondrous grace. Think on His face. Think on His face. If there be any virtue and praise, think on His face. When we think of these things, may there be any virtue I'll praise, when we think of these things. May we think on each these. If there be any virtue and praise, may we think on each these. Where we take our next steps. As believers in Jesus Christ seek to witness to the unsaved, they are frequently met by a variety of questions. These might include such queries as, Why did Christ have to be God? Did God create evil? Or, How do we know the Bible is the Word of God? Dr. Cairns answers these and many other questions on a DVD presentation called Q&A with Alan Cairns. In all, Dr. Cairns responds to over 50 such concerns. We're happy to be able to provide you, free of charge, a DVD containing all of these video portions, about five hours of guidance from God's Word for problems which face the 21st century Christian. You may have a copy simply by requesting it. Just ask for the DVD, Q&A with Alan Cairns. You may email us at info at faithfpc.org. That's info at faithfpc.org. You may call us toll free at 866-877-LTBS. That's 866-877-5827. If you wish, you may write to us at Let the Bible Speak, 1207 Haywood Road, Greenville, SC 29615. That's Let the Bible Speak, 1207 Haywood Road, Greenville, SC 29615. Here's an excellent way to provide scriptural answers to family and friends regarding the challenging questions facing believers in this day. and and In this message called Through the Cross to the Crown, the focus continues to be upon verses 39 and 40 of Hebrews chapter 11. In an earlier message, Dr. Cairns dealt with the theological or doctrinal principles set forth in the text. Now he's presenting the devotional principles found in these verses. As he began this message, Dr. Cairns first of all dealt with the testimony of faith. True saving faith is absolutely essential before anyone can live rightly before God. Next he spoke of the trial of faith. There is no question but that the Old Testament saints believed intensely in God's promise of a Messiah, yet they did not see the fulfillment of that promise. An important lesson here is that faith does not necessarily receive what we want when we want it. Further, the text teaches us about the trust of faith. True biblical faith stands upon the revealed Word of God as it is found in the Holy Scriptures. The salvation of a soul depends upon what God has declared in His Word, not upon human supposition or reasoning. Now here is Dr. Cairns to continue this message called Through the Cross to the Crown. The text speaks of the trial of faith. These obtained a good report through faith, but they received not the promise, that is the fulfillment of the great promise I have already described to you what those words entail. Now clearly the faith of Hebrews chapter 11. There's not a laid back sort. I mean, this faith was so intense that people gave up fortunes. Moses gave up a place in a royal palace. Some scholars believe he gave up even a possibility of the throne. Moses gave up a life of ease for a life of affliction. He was willing to die rather than to give up faith in Christ. This was an intense thing. And it was based upon the promise of God. God held out Christ before these people. I want you never to forget that. Running throughout all the Old Testament. This is where so many people go wrong. They don't see Christ in the Old Testament. Running throughout the Old Testament, you have this line, God set Christ before these people. He set the promise of the Redeemer, that Christ would come and then he showed the glory that would follow. And they were longing for that day. That was their great desire. But they didn't see it. Many of them failed the Lord in various ways, but notwithstanding those failings, these people in Hebrews 11 were a people who were fully committed to living in the light of the promise of God, and yet they did not receive the promise. Now that tells you something very, very important. And if you learn this, I'm not gonna say it's gonna make life all a bed of roses and dead easy, but it will help you through various crises. And it's this, faith, true faith, Bible-based faith, God-given faith, faith that will yet be fully vindicated. Faith does not necessarily obtain what you want when you want it. These people wanted the promise and they were right in desiring that promise. And God intended to give them the fulfillment of the promise, and He will not fail to give them the entire fulfillment of the promise. But they didn't get it when they wanted it. And the intensity of their desire did not alter that fact. Now here's the trial of faith. Here's where it's really put to the test. When you have a promise from God, And you know that you have a promise from God. You know that what you're looking for and desiring and praying for is the very expression of the will of God. And yet you do not see it come to pass when you desire it and want it and expect it. What do you do? Do you give up faith? The devil tells you, well, it must have been your imagination. It's not real faith at all, because real faith would get it, not necessarily. You see, you think of Joseph. I have mentioned this great text on various occasions. Joseph, in Psalm 105 in verse 19, the word of the Lord tried him. Now, get what it's saying. It was obviously the Lord who was trying him. but the word of the Lord tried him. Until when? Until his word came. In other words, until it was God's time to fulfill it. The word of the Lord tried him. There is no greater trial than the trial that's brought about by the word of God. The trial that's brought about by the promise of God. Knowing that you have God's promise and yet somehow or other it doesn't seem to be working out. The devil would come and play havoc with your mind. Well, that is the point at which you've got to get back to basics. If God said it, it's true. If God says he'll do it, he'll do it. Come what may, he'll do it. And I'm simply going to have to trust him and repose entirely upon him and just let him work it out according to his will. 1 Peter 1, verse 7. Peter strikes a note that's very alien to people today. He says, the trial of your faith is much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire. If you and I were writing that, we would say, the fulfillment of your faith is much more precious than of gold that perisheth. The answer to your prayers is much more precious than a gold that perisheth. And I have no doubt there'd be a lot of truth in those sentiments. But that's not what Peter said. Peter said the trial of your faith, those days and nights of agonizing prayer, those long weeks and months of waiting upon God, those times when you're under the bombardment of the devil, when your mind is confused. And that's what was happening in 1 Peter 1. He says you're in heaviness through manifold temptations. And if you have a long memory, you'll remember that when we were looking through 1 Peter 1, I pointed out that the original language there speaks of intense, acute mental oppression. Peter says, this is much more precious than a gold that perisheth. It's important that your faith be tried. It's important that you go through the fire of trial and testing. It's important that the reality of your faith be put to the fire of trial. After all, how can you tell the difference between real gold and counterfeit? You put it to the fire. How can you tell the reality of true faith over against the counterfeit of an empty professed faith? You'll tell the difference when it's put to the trial. He says it's much more precious than a gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire. And what is the outcome of it? It will be found to the praise and honor and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faith will be tried. Remember what James says in James chapter one and verse three, he says, knowing this, that the trying of your faith, worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work. Now back up a little. Think again. We are so used to skidding over the words of scripture that we don't get their import. If the trial of your faith works patience and he immediately says, let patience have her perfect work. What is he saying? He's saying, be prepared for trial and don't try to shirk it. I don't believe like many Christians are pleading for troubles, asking God to send me troubles just to prove. I don't think that you've got to do that. You simply live for God and you have trouble enough. You'll have trouble in the flesh, for your flesh will not like it. You'll have trouble in the world, for the world won't like it. And you'll have trouble from the devil, for the devil won't like it. You don't need to pray for trouble, you'll get enough. But when it comes, you're told to get your eyes in the Lord. And you're told simply, thy faith in him, to obey his word, and the trial of your faith will work patience. Patience, that continuance. that solid going on. God is interested in making your life consistent, your Christian testimony consistent. There are so many of us who are just like flashes. We're bright one moment and we're gone the next. We go on stops and starts with a little spurt of spiritual energy and then we fall by the wayside. The Lord is working upon us in order that we may have this patient continuance in well-doing. That's the mark of the man of God. By patient continuance and well-doing, he is seeking for glory and honor and immortality. He's got his eyes on heaven, and he's going on with God. And in order to facilitate that, the Lord says, you'll have to have trial. Your faith is going to be tried. Let me come quickly to the trust of faith. Because when your faith is tried, you should not jump to the conclusion, A, that God has gone back in his word, or B, that you've misunderstood the word. Watch it carefully. Faith stands on the word of God, whatever the appearance or whatever the circumstances. Now, take this in various areas. Take it first of all in the matter of salvation. There are many Christians who go through periods of intense doubt. I was just reading something by C.H. Spurgeon this morning, and he was noticing this. He said that sooner or later, all true Christians have periods of doubt. So you're not unique in this. But take this matter of salvation and doubt. We have God's Word. Let me get back to John 6 and 37 that I was quoting a moment or two ago. And I love to go back to that because God used that particular text in my own life to bring me out of years of doubt and fear and trembling into the assurance of salvation. Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise, under no circumstances or for any reason, I will in no wise cast out. That's God's promise. I well remember, in the wee small hours of the morning in an all-night prayer meeting, wrestling with God over that very text, and the truth of God dawning in my heart, at last I've got my feet on solid ground. There's one thing I'm sure of, Jesus Christ can never lie. Jesus Christ can never shade the truth. And when Jesus Christ said, him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out, he said what he meant and he meant what he says. Lord, I come. I don't know that my words are right. I can't even frame my desires. I don't know my need. I can't see the depths of my heart. I can't repent the way I want to repent. I can't believe the way I want to believe. Everything I am and everything I do is tinged with sin and imperfection, but I come to Christ. And you have said you won't cast me out. Let the devil roar. Let the old evil heart of unbelief roar. Let the world contradict. The devil's a liar. My own flesh can be counted a liar. I will say like David, let God be true and every man a liar. If Jesus says it, I believe it. And that's an end of the matter. There may be times when you have great trouble. There may be times when you're going through the dark passages of life and the devil comes to you and says, oh, God has given you up. He never saved you at all, and if he ever did save you, he's changed his mind. You come back to the Word of God. Faith does not focus on the immediate circumstance. Faith does not focus on the immediate feeling. That's a natural thing for us to do. But faith is supernatural. Faith is the gift of God. Faith is based not on circumstance or feeling. It is based on the character and the Word of God. And if God says it, either He can tell the truth and nothing else, Or he can also tell a lie. But the Bible says God cannot lie. I'm sure of that. Now at times I'm not sure about how I feel. There's times I'm not sure about how I should interpret my circumstances. There's times when I don't understand what's happening. There's times when I don't begin to understand myself. But one thing I'm always sure about, God cannot lie. He can't tell a lie. And if he says it, faith takes its stand on the Word of God, whatever the appearance and whatever the circumstance. You've been listening to Let the Bible Speak, the radio ministry of the Free Presbyterian Church of North America. We hope you've enjoyed and benefited from today's program. We're here as your servants for Christ's sake. If we can be of any further help to you in the things of the Lord, we invite you to contact us. If you would like to receive our booklet, Separated Unto the Gospel, a booklet that sets forth the beliefs and standards of the Free Presbyterian Church, You may have a copy free of charge simply for the asking. Our mailing address is Let the Bible Speak, 1207 Haywood Road, Greenville, SC 29615. That's Let the Bible Speak, 1207 Haywood Road, Greenville, SC 29615. Our email address is info at faithfpc.org. That's info at f-a-i-t-h f-p-c dot o-r-g. If you would like to learn more about the Free Presbyterian Church of North America, or if you'd like to see if there is a free church in your area, we invite you to visit our website, www.fpcna.org. That's www.fpcna.org. On behalf of Dr. Alan Cairns, this is Charles Kelsch saying, thank you for listening and inviting you to join us again as we Let the Bible Speak.