Coming Out Of Egypt

Part 6. Dead Faith

May 2, 2007

Ron and Karen Schwartz

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Numbers 13:32-14:4 KJV

32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.

33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

14:1 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.

2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!

3 And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.

It is difficult to say what we would do if we were in this situation. We would all like to say that we would be like Caleb and trust God, but would we? The spies painted a bleak picture, believing they were up against impossible odds, so I suppose that the people could have blamed the spies for their failure. After all, weren’t the spies responsible for their despair?

There is also the question of why God even sent the spies. He must have known the despair their report would generate. These were not men of war. They were not used to liberty and luxury. They were ex-slaves who were used to getting by on just the bare essentials of life. How could God expect these people to become an army?

Numbers 13:1-2 KJV

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel

Didn’t God know that upon seeing the armies of the land and the fortified cities that fear would replace their enthusiasm? Yes, He did.

Central to both the New and Old Testament is the idea of faith. From the promise of a flood to Noah, to the promise of a son to Abraham, to the promise of a Messiah, to the promise of salvation from sin, to the promise of the resurrection of the dead, we find the need for faith. For, “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6).” To God, faith is not just a goal for us to aspire to reach. It is essential in our relationship with Him. Without faith, we have nothing.

Faith Or Procedure

Matthew 12:1-4 KJV (1 Samuel 21:1-9)

1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.

2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.

3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;

4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?

Jesus brings to the attention of the Pharisees what appeared to be an inconsistency in doctrine. They regarded King David as one of the greatest spiritual and political leaders of Israel. They also embraced the Mosaic teaching of the process by which priests, and only priests, could enter the Holy Place and eat of the shewbread. How, then, could they explain the fact that David, a man after God’s heart, seemingly disgraced the temple of God and the ordinance of God by not following God’s procedure?

In order for a priest to enter the Holy Place where the shewbread was kept and eat of it, he had to follow God’s procedure. To begin with, you had to be born of the tribe of Levi. And of all the families of Levi, only those who were descendants of Aaron could minister in the Holy Place. If they met the requirements, they still had a lengthy ceremony to observe before they could enter into the Holy Place and eat of the shewbread.

First, the priest had to be a circumcised male of the tribe of Levi and of the ancestry of Aaron. Then, sacrifices had to be offered for sin and consecration. The priest had to remove all of his clothes and wash himself in the laver. He had to put on the priestly garments in a meticulous manner and be anointed with oil. Eventually, after every requirement was fulfilled, he could enter into the Holy Place and partake of the shewbread.

But David was of the tribe of Judah. Not only was he not a priest, but he also disregarded the procedure required to enter the Holy Place. Did David bring shame to himself and blaspheme the Holy Place? Given the prophecies that followed in which God proclaimed that He would establish the throne of David forever, we know that this is not the case. Somehow David was able to leap past all the requirements and procedures that prevented men from coming near to God and enter into His very presence. How is this possible?

In this passage, we find the Pharisees offended with Jesus for not respecting their procedures. With them, procedure had come to replace a personal relationship with God. Therefore, to them, violating their procedures was also violating their relationship with God.

People who are entangled in religious bondage are quick to pick fights over what they believe. Christian leaders preach sermons and publish books that often battle over their beliefs. They embrace the conviction of their doctrine so tightly that soon it is their doctrine and not the Lord that defines them. They are not defined by their “love” or a common faith in Christ but by the doctrines they choose to cherish.

Additionally, the Pharisees’ form of worship placed men as priests between them and God. The priests worked for the Lord for them. The Pharisees did not need to work for God because a priest provided that function. The priests not only provided the work of the Lord but also sacrifice and worship. As a result, the priests enjoyed a relationship with God that the Pharisees would never know. The Pharisees were okay with this because it meant that less was required of them.

But consider David. David was NOT okay with the idea that someone else would replace his relationship with God. He was not okay with someone else worshiping God and doing God’s work for him. He wanted his own relationship with God. Therefore, David violated the Jewish procedure, just like Jesus did, and entered into the presence of the Lord, fellowshipping with God by eating the consecrated bread.

People go to church week after week following pharisaical procedures that place other men between them and God. True believers are not necessarily happy with others enjoying a closer relationship with God than they have, but they learn to bear it. At the same time, there are the Pharisees who go to church alongside them who enjoy the procedures. They actually like the idea that they do not need to work at a relationship with God, do His work, or even worship Him. Instead, they pay other men to do it for them.

But David did not trust other men with his relationship with God. So he violated the religious procedures and forced his way into the presence of God. He pursued God on his own. He was not satisfied with the relationship his priest had with God. He had to own that relationship himself.

We hear people cry out in their churches about the dryness they feel in their hearts. They want so badly to know the Lord. How is it possible to be part of a church that meets three times a week, has many classes, and yet the people are still dry? It is possible only when people allow other men to stand as priests/ministers between them and God. It happens when people allow procedure to replace a personal relationship with God.

Many people think of David as a great king. But that is not what God saw. Some people see David as a great and mighty warrior. Still, that is not how God saw him. Others claim that he was a priest after a greater priesthood (Melchisedec). But that is not what God saw. God saw a poet. God saw a man who knew how to worship Him. David had a faith in his heart that drove him to believe God. David was desperate for God. He would not be content with a dry relationship with God or waiting on a pastor to feed him. So he entered the Holy Place on His own and ate of the bread.

Unlike the priest and Pharisees who had head knowledge of how to approach God, David possessed heart knowledge. Head knowledge looks for commandments to follow and procedures to execute. Heart knowledge is determined to get one thing, and one thing only: to get close to God. Heart knowledge will not be prevented from God.

The procedures involving men standing between the believer and God are observed in most churches and have created an atmosphere of institutional (dead) faith. Institutional churches are typically spiritually cold, and they do not understand why. Believers who cultivate their relationships with God find it difficult to understand why other believers feel so dry, barren, and lifeless. The difference between the two is that one embraces procedure and has institutional (dead) faith, while the other pursues an individual relationship with God and enjoys living faith.

Institutional Faith

People coming out of Egypt (religious bondage) believe that their dead faith is the genuine article, but it is not. They are like the Hebrew people who came out of Egypt, whose faith was strong as long as it was not tested.

James 2:15-17 KJV

15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

Spoiled and self-centered people tend to see faith as it pertains to their needs. To them, their faith is not considered in how it can help others but in how it can be used to help their own income, to aid in their own good health, and to make their children obedient. Faith is not seen in their actions but in God’s. You might say that they have a passive faith in an active God. With this kind of faith, God does all the work, and they are the recipients of His loving kindness. While it is true that we are the recipients of God’s good favor, it is only half of the equation. At least, that is how James saw it. To partake of God’s good favor and not return it to those in need meant that their faith was dead.

The Hebrew people who came out of Egypt followed God through the Red Sea, as long as He parted it. They ate manna, as long as God provided it. And they drank of water from a rock as long as God brought it forth. Their job was to believe, and God’s job was to act.

In this passage, however, James comes to profound conclusion. He casts faith in a totally different light. Faith, he concludes, is not really faith as long as it centers on self. Real faith is seen in how it directly benefits others. Therefore faith, as defined by James, is not just about believing that God will meet all our needs but is found in our obligation to be His body upon the earth.

James describes a Christian who lacks compassion for his brethren and takes no action to help them in their need. He then asks an important question: “What doth it profit?” Most Christians see the needs around them. They see the unsaved, the shut-ins, the homeless, the poor, the families in crisis, etc. They may not be able to solve every problem, but they could render some form of assistance. Instead, however, most Christians do little or nothing. Why?

Christians have been led by the institutions they attend to believe that their faith is enough. They have been led to believe that what God wants is for them, not from them. In other words, God wants for them to have rich Christian experiences, rich worship experiences, and rich blessings and comfort. Their only obligation is to support the church and the ministry. The church and ministry will decide how best to address the poor and needy. Therefore, Christians pour tremendous wealth into their churches. But instead of the unsaved being reached, the shut-ins being comforted, the homeless and poor receiving assistance, and families in crisis getting help, the church building is remodeled or a bigger one is built, new multi-media sound and visual aids are purchased, more staff is hired to support the growing church ministry, and professional musicians are hired. If there is anything left after meeting the appetites of the church, it may actually find its way into a church pantry. Maybe.

What we find in Western churches is not the faith James defined but an institutional or dead faith.

Dead faith is faith that only benefits self. Dead faith is faith that does not invest itself in others but only in personal satisfaction and self-fulfillment. Dead faith can be seen in Christians who pour their money into churches that have next to no effect on their communities. The money goes nowhere and accomplishes next to nothing. It is dead because it might as well have not been given. Dead faith is the fruit of institutional churches. It is, in fact, an institutional form of faith. It is what the Hebrew people who came out of Egypt had. They believed in God, but they did not believe God.

Filled With Faith

Acts 6:8-10 KJV

8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

9 Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.

10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.

Who was Stephen to be able to confound the wisdom arising from the “certain of the synagogue?” He was nobody. The Pharisees knew that the only thing that could destroy their procedures was action – or active faith. People who love procedure usually hate people of action because people of action usually have to destroy the procedure in order to get things done. David’s faith was active. It was alive. It would not be prevented. It drove him to kill a bear and a lion to save his sheep, and it eventually drove him to bring down a giant in order to save his nation. Active faith always invests itself in others. David’s faith invested itself in his sheep, the nation of Israel, and God. It was boundless. To the Pharisees, to whom Jesus spoke, it was out of control because it lacked procedure. But faith controlled by procedure is not faith at all. It is dead faith.

Stephen did not just attend synagogue and talk about his faith. He lived it. He did not own it. It owned him. Why, then, did the people of these synagogues have a problem with Stephen? He was not telling them to quit being Jews. He was doing good things like “wonders and miracles among the people.” But to them, what was wrong with Stephen was that his actions lacked their procedure and therefore their control. The institutional church is full of Pharisees who are bent on having their procedures followed regardless of the good it prevents.

Conclusion

Contemporary Western evangelism is probably the best example of dead, or institutional, faith. Rather than evangelizing the lost in the neighborhood and the city, institutional churches have found it much easier to “grow” by drawing Christians away from the neighboring churches. They do this by getting a better speaker, building a newer facility, having better programs, and offering fun social activities. Then, when Christians begin to arrive, they proclaim that God has “blessed” them. But if the number of Christians in a city remains the same, how can anyone say that God’s kingdom is growing? Do you really believe that God glorifies Himself by simply shuffling Christians from one church to another within each city? That is not “being blessed.” It is dead faith. It is nothing more than institutional faith, and it is a disgrace.

Christians with living faith find it impossible to remain in institutional churches. They know intuitively that their time and money is sucked into a lifeless vortex as long as they remain. Living faith needs to spread its life into others. Like planting seeds in others, living faith needs to invest itself.

Living faith finds it difficult to function in the confines of pharisaical procedures. It is never satisfied with someone doing the work of the Lord for them or living off of someone’s relationship with God. Living faith violates pharisaical procedure in order to draw near to God.

Perhaps C.T. Studd described living faith the best when he said: “Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell."

Amen.

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