Charles Capps - Kicking over sacred cows. Pts. 1-2

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

The Chastening of the Lord

First, I shall share with you some keys of rightly dividing the Word of truth. Then we're going to kick over some sacred cows. Many of the people in India worship cows, but would not dare eat them. The very thing God provided for food holds them in bondage. The blessing becomes a curse when they refuse to partake of it.

There are some scared cow scriptures in the Bible that are holding many people in bondage. The Word of God was given to fulfill the needs in our life. But when people worship the scripture and wouldn't dare partake of the Bread of Life, then it holds them in bondage. These are certain preconceived ideas that become a curse because people don't rightly divide the Word of God.

Knowledge of the Truth

We have all heard people talk about the chastening of the Lord. Well, what did the Bible say about it? All some people know about the Bible is what they heard that somebody said they thought they heard somebody say about it.

Well, that's not good enough. Let's find out what the Bible really said about chastening. Then apply that to your situation in life by rightly dividing God's Word. When you do that, the knowledge of the truth will set you free.

God said through His prophet Hosea,

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. (Hosea 4:6)

You see, he didn't say God's people were destroyed because the devil was so great or powerful. But he said, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

3IThen said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him. If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:31-32)

Notice, it's not just the truth that sets you free. Everyone who has the Bible has the truth. But you must have the knowledge of the truth. You can't believe any further that you have knowledge. You have to know the truth before it can set you free.

When you rightly divide the Word of God, you will kick over some sacred cows.

Faith Pleases God

But without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

The Word says you can't please God without faith. It's an impossibility . That's because God is a faith God, and all that God has given us, He has given through the avenue of faith. Every promise of God's Word is tapped into through faith. The apostle Paul put it this way: by faith you have access into the grace of God. There is no other way to get into the grace of God only through faith.

Law of Faith

Faith is a law. Under the old covenant there was what we call the old law. People had a limited righteousness under the old law. It was through the law of works.

But now our righteousness is through the law of faith. Faith is the law of the new covenant. The apostle Paul says in Romans three,

Do we make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law. (Romans 3:31)

The law he is referring to is the law of the new covenant, which is the law of faith.

Here the Word says, without faith it's impossible to please God,

... and he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Heb. 11:6)

It's not enough to believe that God exists. We must believe that God is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

God Is Not a Troublemaker

To please God, first we must come to Him. Then we must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder . He is not the One Who takes away. He is not the One Who causes us problems in life. God is not the troublemaker.

There has been an undercurrent in religious circles which says the trials, the tests, the problems you have in life are designed of God to make you stronger. Then someone said , God led the children of Israel through the wilderness for forty years to perfect them.

Disobedience Brought a Curse

You ought to check up on the wilderness experience. It wasn't God's will for the children of Israel to spend forty years in the wilderness. Their disobedience caused them to stay there forty years.

Then some suggest that it is the trials and the tests of life that makes our faith stronger. Well, ask yourself: did it make the children of Israel stronger?

No, it didn't make their faith stronger. It killed them. It will kill you, if you stay there long enough.

We need to understand that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

No Mixture of Faith

The children of Israel spent forty years in the wilderness because of disobedience. The Bible says they wouldn't mix any faith with the Word of God. God said, "I have given you the land. It belongs to you. Go in and possess it." But they wouldn't mix any faith with God's Words.

For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. (Hebrews 4:2)

There must be a mixing of our faith with God's Word. We must believe that He is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. God is a good God.

God is on our side. But millions of people don't know God is on their side. Through religious tradition and preconceived ideas, many have decided that God is a big old gray-headed man with a long beard and a big stick. And if you ever miss it, He's going to slap you down and put His foot on you.

But that is not our heavenly Father. He is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

Jesus: Author of Faith

Now let's go to the twelfth chapter of Hebrews.

1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith... (Hebrews 12:1-2)

This tells you that Jesus is the author of your faith. Jesus is also the finisher of your faith. Notice, it didn't say that trials and tests were the author of your faith. So the question is settled. Jesus is the author. And who was Jesus? Jesus was the Word.

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

14 The word was made flesh and dwelt among us. (And we beheld his glory.... (John 1:1 ,3,14 )

Jesus was the Word of God personified. Hebrews twelve actually tells us that the Word is the author of our faith.

Faith's Beginning

You can better understand that as you go to Romans, the tenth chapter and read what Paul said.

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17)

That's where faith begins. Faith has its beginning by hearing the Word of God. But if you don't hear the Word of God, faith won't come. That's why the apostle Paul says,

God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. (Romans 12:3)

Not a measure; the measure.

Measuring Faith

Think about it for a minute. How would you measure faith?

God's Word is filled with faith, and faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Then the only way you could measure faith is to measure the amount of Word that is in you.

If someone says, "Well, I just don't have faith to believe God for finances," that means there is a lack of the Word in them concerning the promise of finances.

You could be highly developed in your faith concerning healing, if you had been taught healing is for you today. But maybe you had grown up in a church where they were thumbs-down on the prosperity message. If you were taught every Sunday that it is wrong to be prosperous, and to be poor is humility, then more than likely, you will believe you should be poor. Not because it's God's will, but because that's what you believe God's will is, and you want to please God.