Kingdom Faith #6 Calling Those Things That Are Not As Though They Were
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Discover how calling those things that are not as though they were unlocks kingdom authority and transforms every area of your life through God’s Word.
Description
Calling Those Things Overview
In this sixth and culminating message of the Kingdom Faith series, the pastor of NTC Ministries opens with a foundational truth from Romans 4: God is the one who raises the dead and calls those things that are not as though they were. Drawing on the life of Abraham, he illustrates how God changed Abram’s name to Abraham — meaning father of a multitude — so that every time his name was spoken, faith was being released into the atmosphere. The sermon traces this principle through Revelation 1:5-6, Ecclesiastes 8:4, Matthew 12:33-37, Mark 11:22-24, and Genesis 11, showing how unified, faith-filled speech carries supernatural power. The pastor explains that believers are kings and priests in the earth, and that the words they speak either build or destroy, heal or harm, justify or condemn. Using the example of Job, the centurion in Matthew 8, and the tower of Babel, he demonstrates that agreement in God’s Word produces results nothing can withstand. The message closes with a passionate call for the body of Christ to rise above the cursed system of this world by consistently declaring the promises of God over every circumstance.
Calling Those Things Outline
- 0:00 – Opening Prayer and Series Recap: The pastor opens in prayer, then briefly recaps the six-week Kingdom Faith series, establishing that God’s kingdom operates by principles different from the world system.
- 8:30 – The Kingdom Transfer: Darkness to Light: A thorough explanation of what happens at the new birth, referencing Nicodemus in John 3, and how being born again gives believers the spiritual eyes needed to operate in kingdom principles.
- 18:00 – Abraham and the Power of a Changed Name: The story of Abram becoming Abraham is examined in detail, showing how God changed his name to father of a multitude so that every spoken word became a declaration of faith over his future.
- 28:00 – Kings and Priests: Your Words Carry Authority: Using Revelation 1:5-6, Revelation 5:10, and Ecclesiastes 8:4, the pastor establishes that believers are kings whose words carry royal authority, just as God created all things through His word.
- 36:30 – Job and the Sin of the Mouth: The account of Job is used to show that while Job did not blame God for his disasters, his own words eventually brought him into agreement with his suffering, revealing how idle and negative speech can prolong and deepen trials.
- 44:00 – Matthew 12 and the Danger of Idle Words: Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 12:33-37 is expounded: every idle word spoken will be accounted for, and by our words we are either justified or condemned. The pastor illustrates idle words as time-release capsules that keep producing fruit.
- 51:00 – The Centurion’s Great Faith and Mark 11: The centurion’s request in Matthew 8 and Jesus’ instruction in Mark 11:22-24 are joined to show that great faith is demonstrated by speaking to mountains and believing that whatever you say will come to pass.
- 57:30 – Genesis 11 and the One Language Principle: The tower of Babel account demonstrates that when people speak the same thing nothing is impossible for them, and the pastor applies this to the church: when believers speak God’s word in unity, no circumstance can stop what God has promised.
- 1:03:00 – Ephesians 4 and the Final Exhortation: The pastor closes with Ephesians 4:29-30, calling the congregation to let no corrupt word proceed from their mouth, to speak only what edifies, and to declare the promises of God without wavering in the season of darkness ahead.
Scripture References
Romans 4:17, Revelation 1:5-6, Revelation 5:10, Ecclesiastes 8:4, John 1:1-3, Isaiah 55:8-9, Psalm 24, Hebrews 11:1, 1 John 5:4, Luke 17, Matthew 12:33-37, Matthew 8:5-10, Mark 11:22-24, Job 1:22, Job 2:10, Job 6:24-25, Genesis 11:1-8, 1 Corinthians 1:10, John 17, Ephesians 4:29-30, Psalm 91, Isaiah 61, Psalm 103
Key Takeaways
- God calls those things that are not as though they were, and as kings and priests in His kingdom, believers are called to do the same with every promise in His Word.
- When God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, He was teaching that consistently speaking what God has declared over your life creates the conditions for that promise to be fulfilled.
- Your words are time-release capsules: they do not fall dead to the ground but continue producing fruit, which means every idle, negative, or fear-filled word carries lasting consequences.
- Great faith, as demonstrated by the centurion in Matthew 8, is the ability to trust so completely in the authority of God’s Word that a single spoken declaration is enough to change any situation.
- When the people of God speak the same language — the Word of God — nothing they set out to do will be impossible, just as God confirmed at the tower of Babel.
- Speaking corrupt or idle words grieves the Holy Spirit, while speaking faith-filled words aligned with God’s promises pleases Him and releases His power into your circumstances.
- You were never created to be depressed, defeated, or oppressed; those conditions belong to the kingdom of darkness, and your declaration of God’s Word is the instrument that keeps you living above them.
Calling Those Things Notes
Calling Things Into Existence Biblically
The theological foundation of this message rests in Romans 4:17, where God is described as the one who raises the dead and calls those things that are not as though they were. The pastor carefully establishes that this is not wishful thinking or positive confession divorced from Scripture. It is the operating method of God Himself, and because believers are born again, recreated in His image, and named kings and priests in Revelation 1:5-6, they are authorized to function the same way. The entire series builds toward this: the kingdom of heaven operates through declared faith, and believers are its ambassadors on earth.
Abraham’s Name Change as a Faith Pattern
One of the most vivid illustrations in the sermon is the transformation of Abram into Abraham. For twenty-four years after receiving the promise, Abram believed intellectually but had not yet aligned his daily speech with what God declared. God’s solution was radical: He changed the man’s name so that every greeting, every introduction, every conversation would force him to confess father of a multitude. Sarah’s name was changed simultaneously to mother of kings. Within a year of this consistent corporate declaration, Isaac was born. The pastor draws a direct parallel to the modern believer who needs to stop describing their present condition and start declaring their God-given identity.
Words as Time-Release Capsules
The pastor offers a memorable and practically useful illustration: words function like time-release cold capsules. Each capsule contains hundreds of small beads, each programmed to release at a different interval, ensuring the medicine keeps working long after the capsule was swallowed. In the same way, words spoken in faith or in fear do not expire the moment the conversation ends. They continue releasing their content into the spiritual and natural atmosphere of a person’s life. Job discovered this principle when he recognized that his own words, though never directed as accusations against God, had been working against him throughout his season of suffering.
The Tower of Babel and Unified Confession
Genesis 11 provides a striking, often overlooked argument for the power of unified speech. God Himself declared that when the people shared one language and spoke the same thing, nothing they proposed would be withheld from them. He had to confuse their language to stop their unified effort. The pastor applies this directly to the church: if a people bound together by fallen ambition could accomplish the impossible through unified speech, how much more can the body of Christ, speaking the living Word of God in agreement, see impossible things come to pass. Paul’s plea in 1 Corinthians 1:10 to speak the same thing carries the same logic.
Speaking God’s Word in End-Time Darkness
The sermon takes on prophetic urgency in its closing section. The pastor references Isaiah 61, which promises that even as gross darkness covers the people, the church will arise and shine. He connects this to current events, warning that believers are entering a season where unprecedented pressure from the world system will demand compromise of speech and identity. His exhortation is direct: the true church will be distinguished not by its buildings or traditions but by its refusal to speak the language of fear, blame, or defeat, and its commitment to declaring the promises of God regardless of visible circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to call those things that are not as though they were?
Romans 4:17 describes God as the one who calls those things that are not as though they were, meaning He speaks into existence what does not yet appear in the natural realm. Believers, as new creations in Christ and kings and priests according to Revelation 1:5-6, are called to imitate this by declaring God’s promises over their lives rather than simply describing their present circumstances. It is an act of faith rooted in God’s declared Word, not wishful thinking.
Why did God change Abram’s name to Abraham?
God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, meaning father of a multitude, after more than two decades during which Abram believed the promise but had not yet seen it fulfilled. The name change forced Abraham and everyone around him to constantly speak the promise aloud, turning every daily interaction into a declaration of faith. According to this message, Sarah’s name was also changed so that both husband and wife were daily calling their future into the present, and within a year Isaac was born.
What are idle words in Matthew 12 and why do they matter?
In Matthew 12:36-37, Jesus warns that for every idle word spoken, an account will be given on the day of judgment, and that by our words we are justified or condemned. Idle words are those that are not working toward any godly purpose, like a car left running in park, burning energy without going anywhere. The pastor explains that all words, whether idle, negative, or faith-filled, continue producing fruit long after they are spoken, making intentional, Scripture-aligned speech a foundational discipline for every believer.
How does the story of Job relate to the power of words?
Job 1:22 and Job 2:10 both record that Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing during his catastrophic losses. However, the sermon points out that Job later acknowledged his own words had been working against him, as seen in Job 6:24-25. His story illustrates that believers must guard not only against blaming God but also against speaking words of fear or agreement with suffering, because those words carry power and will eventually produce fruit in the natural realm.
What does the centurion’s faith in Matthew 8 teach about speaking God’s Word?
When the centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant, he refused Jesus’s offer to come in person and instead said speak the word only and my servant shall be healed. He understood the principle of delegated authority: just as his soldiers obeyed his spoken commands, the sickness would obey Jesus’s spoken word. Jesus declared this the greatest faith He had found in Israel. The sermon applies this to believers today, encouraging them to speak God’s promises directly to their circumstances with the same confidence.
How does Genesis 11 and the tower of Babel support the importance of unified speech?
In Genesis 11:6, God Himself acknowledged that because the people had one language and spoke the same thing, nothing they purposed to do would be withheld from them, so He confused their language to stop their unified effort. The pastor uses this to show that unified speech releases extraordinary power, whether for good or for ill. When the body of Christ speaks the Word of God together in agreement, it operates under an even greater covenant authority than the builders of Babel, making nothing spiritually impossible.
What does Ephesians 4:29-30 teach about the relationship between words and the Holy Spirit?
Ephesians 4:29-30 instructs believers to let no corrupt word proceed from their mouth, but only what is good for necessary edification and imparts grace to the hearers, and then immediately connects this to not grieving the Holy Spirit. The passage reveals that our words have a direct effect on the Spirit of God who dwells within us. Speaking faith-filled, edifying words that align with Scripture pleases God and creates an atmosphere where His power flows freely, while corrupt or faithless speech grieves the Spirit and hinders His work.
What is the difference between knowing the acts of God and knowing the ways of God?
The sermon draws on the contrast between the Israelites and Moses in the wilderness, noted in the Psalms: the people knew the acts of God, meaning they witnessed what He did, but Moses knew the ways of God, meaning he understood how and why God operates as He does. Knowing God’s ways requires intimate relationship and diligent study of His Word, as God invites in Isaiah 58:2. This deeper knowledge is what enables a believer to consistently cooperate with God’s kingdom principles rather than simply hoping for occasional miracles.
