Faith It Till You Make It

38:25 draw me nearer nearer precious lord to thy precious bleeding side help me to plant the seeds to pull the weeds and meet the needs of your people lord i have one additional request spirit of the living God. Fall fresh on me now to the end that souls are saved and lives are changed. Pray that by this word you be glorified. Saints be sanctified. And the devil in hell be horrified. It's in Jesus name we pray with thanksgiving. We all said together amen. And thank God. Ship let me ask you a question. Has God done something for you today? that you couldn't have done for yourself. If that's true, come on, give him praise and glory all over this place.

39:21 You know I'm looking for a better response than that, so let me ask another question. Has God done something for you today that no man, woman, boy, or girl could do, even if they try? Well, come on, lift those hands up. Lean that neck back and give God the best praise. Come on, Shiba, I don't think that's your best praise. I said give him the best praise that you have he gave his best for us we ought to give our best for him come on someone from the rising of the sun till the going down of the same God's name is worthy to be praised hallelujah you can tell how much God loves a congregation by the pastor that he places over them and i can say without fear of contradiction that the lord must think a whole lot about the fellowship church can we praise god in absentia for our pastor the one and only pastor reginald wayne sharp jr come on he may be watching come on let's let him hear it amen and so often the pastor's wife is in the background but they truly are the backbone of our ministry can we praise god for my sister the lovely brie rihanna sharp amen we love you sis praise god for you and someone said it's a sad dog that won't wag his own tail and my beloved wife is here she is the frosted on my cake she's the cream in my coffee and she's the hot sauce on my fried chicken y'all give it up for my lovely sweetheart lynn f mackie and all three of our children are here timothy michael my oldest and my youngest daughter barbara can y'all give it up for my children being with us amen here today my father my biological father of flesh and faith is here today reverend pastor eugene mackie of the lily of the valley

41:31 church in memphis tennessee wave your hand dad amen praise god my big brother is here my little brother is here amen several of our mackeys are here today that who live in chicago come on all the mackeys just wave your hand brothers amen praise god for all them uncles amen thank god for them cousins in them amen praise the lord for them i know y'all wondering if i can preach this is my first time here but i'm wondering if you can pray because how many know when there's prayer in the seats there can be preaching in the pulpit and whether you know it or not prayer and preaching have been wedded together and what god has joined together let no man put asunder i want to call your attention in the second installment of these services to the book of ephesians ephesians chapter 6 i only want to focus on the 16th verse ephesians chapter 6 verse 16 amen sound engineer if i can get just a little bit more on the monitors i would be greatly appreciative amen ephesians 6 and 16 it reads from the king james rendering of the holy word of God it says above all taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench some no it says all the fiery darts of the wicked it says take the shield of faith look at your neighbors a neighbor today's sermon is faith it till you make it come on let's give god a big hand to praise come on faith it say neighbor i know you heard fake it till you make it no no you need to faith it till you make it you may have your seats in the presence of the lord faith it till you make it sound that you're just a little bit more faith it till you you make it thank you

43:45 so much it was the greek historian and philosopher plutarch who upon reminiscing the upon the importance of a shield to the spartan warrior recounts remembers recalls what the mother would say to her son before he is deployed to battle she would her son either come back with your shield or come back on your shield for the mother to tell the son that they could come back on the shield reveals that these are not the small circular shields you see in motion pictures used for target practice know this particular shield the greek rendering here in ephesians 6 and 16 of that shield that was used by the spartan and in our text by the roman soldier is called a thureos can the church say that with me thureos very good and a thureos would stand at least four feet tall and two and a half inches in diameter and for Paul to differentiate between the shield that the Spartan or the Roman Roman soldier would use he does not call this particular shield a shield of warfare he calls it a shield of faith where does this information emanate from It comes from Ephesians chapter 6, what is said to be the longest treatise we have in the Greek New Testament for spiritual warfare.

45:31 Don't you hear Paul saying in the annals of antiquity, finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. put on the whole armor of god he says for we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places and then he tells us how to put the armor on he said put on the belt of truth then he said put on the breastplate of righteousness then he said put on the shoes of peace then he stopped saying put on then he said take up he said take up the the helmet of salvation and take up the sword of the spirit which is the word of God and take up the shield of faith some theologians had a better translation of Ephesians 6 and 16 is take up the shield which is faith because if you've been walking with the lord for a while you've come to learn that faith operates like a shield because a shield secures you a shield supports you a a shield is there to stabilize you and i know you're saying pastor mackey i would love to find out how faith is like a shield but it's hard for me to know how faith is like a shield when I've forgotten or I'm not sure of what faith is that's why it's it advantageous for us to look at what the writer of the Hebrews said in 11 and 1 it said now faith is the substance of things hoped for it's the evidence of things not seen I know you've got the information but sometimes we need illustration to better understand the information concerning faith one day there was a lady who walked in a restaurant for lunch and she looked across the room and saw a group of handsome

47:42 gentlemen like myself sitting at that table and while they were sitting at the table she locked in on one of those gentlemen and his boy said hey man that lady over there is checking you out so that man did what most men do he he gathered up his courage and he went over to where that young lady was and he began to say what we usually say in those situations he said i normally don't do this but i notice that you were noticing me she said she said ma'am out of all of my handsome brothers over there why did you lock in on me said i locked in on you because you looked like my first husband. He said, I look like your first husband. You look like my first husband. He said, well, ma'am, I don't mean to get in your business, but when were you married? She said, I ain't got married yet.

48:36 It's about a half, but I got faith to believe y'all ain't helping me that you gonna be my first husband because faith is the substance of things hoped for. It's the evidence of a wedding ring you ain't even seen. I wish I had some more help in here. Can I give you more and more descriptions about faith? Philip Yancey says faith is believing in advance what only makes sense in reverse. Martin Luther King Jr. said that faith is taking the next step when you can't see the staircase. But can I give you all the ship? My favorite description of faith is by Dr. Tony Evans. He said faith. Watch this, y'all. He said faith is believing it is so before it is so until it is so because God said so. I wish I, let me say it again for this side.

49:36 He said faith is believing it is so before it is so until it is so because God said so. Let me say it for the third time over here. I said faith is believing it is so before it is so until it is so because God said so. Well, what did God say? He said no weapon formed against you shall be able to prosper. High five your neighbor and said believe it is so before it is so until it is so because God.

50:17 He said so. The first thing I want to lift from the text is I see if you're going to faith it till you make it. Number one, I see the priority of the shield or the priority of faith. Let the church say priority of the shield. Because notice the text didn't say take the shield of faith. No. in the King James version in the revised standard version in the amplified version they all prefaced the verse by saying above all brothers and sisters does that mean that according to Paul here that faith is more important than the word of God because the caricature of the word in Ephesians 6 is the sword of the spirit but he says above all take the shield of faith it's Paul surmising that faith is more important than the word how can that be because Romans 10 and 17 said that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God so how can faith be more important than the word when it was the word that gave us faith in the first place.

51:42 So Paul what do you mean when you say above all according to the theologian Thomas Watson he says you got to remember that faith is what's called a grace. A grace is anything that helps the believer be all that God would have them to be and out of all of the graces in scripture faith is said to be the parent grace faith is said to be the most important grace because it is faith that gives strength and sustains all the other graces because the Bible says in this same book of Ephesians for by grace are you saved through faith because faith is the parent grace faith is the one that gives us strength to all of the other graces and brothers and sisters because what difference does it make for you to have on the belt of truth and you don't have faith to believe in the truth what difference does it make for you to have on the breastplate of righteousness and you don't have faith to believe but it's time to do the right thing at the right time what difference does it make to have on the shoes of peace when you don't have faith to believe that jesus is the prince of peace what difference does it make for you to have on the helmet of salvation and you don't have faith to believe that he's a heart fixer and a yeah a mind regulator what difference does it make for you to have the sword of the spirit which is the word of God and you don't have faith to believe in the word of God I know some of y'all think you made it because you were carrying your Bible but I need somebody that can testify I'm not here today because I've been carrying my Bible the reason I'm here because my Bible's been carrying me if there's somebody

53:53 in the church that can testify I'm here by faith in the word of God because some of y'all believe you gotta see it in order to believe it but how many know when you walk by faith you ain't got to see it to believe it you gotta believe it until you see it because you ain't got to see it to believe that it's real you can't see air but you know it's real you can't see oxygen but you know it's real you can't see the wind but you know it's real you can't see electricity but you know it's real you can't see gravity but you know it's real you can't see Wi-Fi but the reason you're playing on your phone right now is because you know it's real and guess what you can't see jesus but is there anybody in the church see i can't see him but i know he's real how you know he's real mackey because he walks with me he talks with me he tells me i am his own you've got to faith it till you make it that's the priority of the shield he said above all take up the text moves from the priority of the shield to the possession let the church say possession the possession of the shield above all take up the shield of faith the shield is no good on the ground the shield is no good on the wall for decorations take it off the wall and put it in your in your hand but many of us work from this misnomer work from this misconception that faith is all about

56:05 your belief but I want to challenge you in your area of faith that faith is just not about your belief it's likewise about your behavior because when you run through the roses, when you dance through the daffodils, when you're tiptoed through the tulips of the scripture, James says in James 2.17 that faith without, come on, help me preach, works is dead. Then when you go over to Hebrews 11 and 6, It said, for without faith, it's impossible to please the Lord. Here is the word, for he that come to God must believe that he is and he's a reward.

57:03 Here is the word, to them that diligently seek him. then 2 Corinthians 5 and 7 said we walk by faith and not by sight but can I give y'all some machiology I know it said we walk by faith and not by sight but it's hard to walk by faith when you're not willing to move your feet Because faith requires belief and behavior. You say you want the job, but you got to fill out the application.

57:48 Wish I had some help in here. You say you want the harvest, but when are you going to plant the seed? You say God wants you to open the door, but when are you going to knock on the door? Because it requires belief. And it requires behavior. Because faith. If I could reduce faith to its lowest terms. Faith means to live by the truth. Notice I did not say live by your truth. because there are certain people who live in the reverberations of their own ego. You hear him say stuff like I'm living my truth.

58:50 I'm speaking my truth. I'm living my life according to. But I hate to bruise your feelings. that just because it's your truth come on help me preach now don't mean it's the truth because if you're looking for the truth Jesus said I am the way I am the truth I am the life and then take a Holy Ghost hop and a sanctified scripture from John 14 to John 17 It said sanctify yourself because thy word is its truth. And brothers and sisters, some of us can't live by the truth because we're too busy living by the facts. see ship there the difference between facts and between truth facts change over time but I need somebody that can testify but the truth is the truth today it's the truth tomorrow it's the truth next week it's the truth next month it's the truth next year if anybody say I'm living by the truth and not by the facts.

1:00:17 If y'all's pastor was here this morning, he'll tell you one thing about me. I like to medal sometimes. Y'all don't mind about medal a little bit? I'm going to call this sports football team. I want you to watch people's faces. when I call this sports football team the Dallas Cowboys say that they are America's team. But I need some Chicago Bears fan.

1:00:53 I need some Pittsburgh Steelers fans. Some Kansas City Chiefs fan that can jump up and say facts change over time, baby. I wish I had somebody that can help me in here. But one thing about a Dallas Cowboy fan, y'all, that a Dallas Cowboy fan got faith. Because they believe they're going to the Super Bowl every year. I wish I had some help in this place that know that you got to live not by the facts. You got to live by the truth. And Donald Trump may be our president. That is a fact. But high five your neighbor. Say neighbor, yes, he's the commander in chief. but I don't live by the facts I live by the truth because the fact is Donald Trump may be in charge but the truth is God is still in control have I got somebody that can jump to their feet and say I live by the truth because the earth is still the Lord and the fullness thereof the world and they that dwell there I don't live by the facts I live by the truth and the truth will set you free Arggh.

1:02:04 above oh that's the priority of the shield take up the possession of the shield but if you're going to faith it till you make it then there's the purpose for the shield it's above all take up the shield of faith why that you may be able to quench extinguish put out some a few all the fiery darts of the wicked theologians of the fiery darts in this text represent the temptations that the devil points in our direction but it doesn't matter how fiery the temptations are because of the shield we can deflect we can quench every temptation the devil sends our way this text moves from hand to hand come back in ephesians 6 and 16 to guerrilla warfare i didn't say go really gerilla warfare what's the difference between the two to the first three in the armor are for face to face hand to hand combat the breastplate of righteousness the belt of truth the shoes of peace all of them are for if I'm fighting you hand to hand man to man but guerrilla warfare means you don't know where the enemy is shooting from the enemy is inconspicuous he can hit you from the blind side have anybody beside me ever been hit by the blind side

1:04:15 you got attacked and didn't even know where the attack some of y'all been attacked on facebook You've been attacked on Instagram. You didn't even know where the attack was coming from. But here's my question before I leave you. How can faith be like a shield to secure us and stabilize us and support us when I can't even see where the flaming darts are coming from? can I tell you it's tell your neighbor it still can support you faith can still stabilize you why because can I tell you what I learned in my research if you got that picture you could put it up on the screen I learned in my research that on the shield of the Roman soldier they had links on their shield they had hooks on their shield and when they had links and hooks on their shield what could happen is one soldier could be standing there with their shield but they would hook up with the person next to them and then that soldier would hook up with the person next to them And then that soldier would link up with the person next to them.

1:05:42 And then the soldier behind them would take their shields and put it over their head. And then the soldiers on the outer bed would take their shield and stick it toward the outpost. This is called a phalanx. And what happens is in a phalanx, when all the soldiers hook up, it don't matter. which side the enemy tries to shoot you from because I'm protected. Y'all ain't helping me on every side because I learned how to hook up with the person that's next to me. And if you're going to make it in this life with the shield of faith, you just can't make it with your shield. But you got to take your shield. Come on, y'all. And you got to hook up your shield with your neighbor's shield.

1:06:37 You got to hook up your shield with the person sitting beside you. I wish I had some folk here that would jump up on your feet and just start hooking up with the people next to you. Say, neighbor, you ain't saying neighbor. Say, neighbor, I don't mean to get in your business. But if we gonna make it, through what we're going through. You got to learn how to link up with the person next to you. Have I got a witness in here? Because even the Lone Ranger needed Tonto. Even Batman needed Robin. Even Shaggy needed Scooby. Even Bert needed Ernie.

1:07:32 Even Yogi needed Boo Boo. Even Moses needed Joshua. Even David needed Jonathan. Even Esther needed Mordecai. Even Ruth needed Naomi. Even Peter needed Andrew. Even Paul needed Ananias. Even Gladys Knight needed the pips. Frankie Beverly needed maize. Salt needed pepper. Michael John needed Scottie Pippen. Fellowship Church needed Reginald Sharp. Reginald Sharp needed Fellowship Church. And all of us need Jesus.