Habakkuk 2:4

Zechariah 2:4

This is one of those texts of which there are so many in the Bible, which, though they were spoken originally to one particular man, yet are meant for every man. They are worldwide and world-old. They are the law by which all goodness and strength and safety stand either in men or angels, for it always was true, and always must be true, that if reasonable beings are to live at all, it is by faith.

I. Think of the infinite power of God, and then think how is it possible to live except by faith in Him by trusting to Him utterly. He made us; He gave us our bodies; He gave us our life; what we do He lets us do; what we say He lets us say we all live on sufferance. If we are mere creatures of God, if God alone has every blessing both of this world and the next, and the will to give them away, whom are we to go to but to Him for all we want? It is so in the life of our bodies and in the life of our spirits. By trusting in Him, and acknowledging Him in every thought and action of our lives we shall be safe; for it is written: "The just shall live by faith."

II. This is not a doctrine which ought to make us despise men; any doctrine that does,does not come of God. When the Bible tells us that we can do nothing of ourselves, but can live only by faith, the Bible puts the highest honour upon us that any created thing can have. What are the things which cannot live by faith? The trees and plants, the beasts and birds, which, though they live and grow by God's providence, yet do not know it, do not thank Him, cannot ask Him for more strength and life, as we can. It is only reasonable beings like men and angels, with immortal spirits in them, who canlive by faith, and it is the greatest glory and honour to us that we can do so. Instead of being ashamed of being able to do nothing for ourselves, we ought to rejoice at having God for our Father and our Friend, to enable us to do all things through Him who strengthens us to do whatever is noble and loving, and worthy of true men.

C. Kingsley, Village Sermons,p. 34.

I. When this world has done its best and its worst, it will plainly appear that the great question between it and the Church is, whether it is better to trust in one's self one's own wisdom and fame, and riches, and high spirit or to go altogether out of one's self and to live entirely by faith upon the heavenly righteousness which God gives to His own people. The world rests upon itself, the Church lives by faith. The last day will show to all God's creation, as even man's death will show to him and convince him for ever, which is the right of these two and which is the wrong. It is the great concern of us all to make up our minds to this in good time, to make it the very rule of our life, that when the shadows of this world pass away, we may not depart helpless and unprepared into that other world where are no shadows at all; but dying with Christ's mark on us, and with our hearts full of Him, may both be acknowledged by Him whom we shall there meet face to face, and may ourselves know Him even as we are known.

II. The faith which keeps hold of our Lord, not only as bearing our sins in His own body on the tree, but also as uniting us to Himself and making us members of Him, strong in the strength of His Spirit to keep all we have vowed to Him such faith as this leads immediately to the obeying of all His commandments;. not one or two which may happen to come easiest to us, but all.

III. If our faith really tell us that we are in very deed brought so near to God in Christ as the New Testament everywhere implies, how certain must we feel, on the one hand, that none of our labour can be in vain in the Lord, that He counts and treasures up every one of our good thoughts, and actions, and self-denials; and on the other, that every wilful sin must tell for the worse upon our spiritual condition; it may be truly repented of, confessed, forsaken, but there is reason to fear that it never may nor can so vanish as if it had never been.

IV. Faith in Christ Jesus, just in proportion as it makes our actions important, will make our fortunes in this world of small consequence, because this thought will ever be in our minds God has put us on our way to heaven, Christ is abiding in us by His Spirit to help us thither; what real difference can it make how we fare and how we are employed in the worldly matters through which we must pass here? How we behave, how we think and feel, what our hearts are set upon thatmakes the difference, not how well we are provided for in this world.

Plain Sermons by Contributors to "Tracts for the Times" vol. viii., p. 236.

References: Zechariah 2:4. J. Keble, Sermons on Various Occasions,p. 428; Spurgeon, Sermons,vol. xxix., No. 1749; Ibid., My Sermon Notes: Ecclesiastes to Malachi,pp. 351, 354; Clergyman's Magazine,vol. xvii., p. 227; T. Hammond, Christian World Pulpit,vol. xx., p. 246; Preacher's Monthly,vol. iv., p. 185; S. Martin, Westminster Chapel Pulpit,4th series, No. 10. Zechariah 2:11. Preacher's Monthly,vol. vi., p. 286.