Title: The Meaning of Faith #1
Purpose: To move Christian to Total Faithfulness
Intro:
- Chapters 11 & 12 Are the High point of Hebrews
- Major themes are hope & faith (2 are interchangeable in Hebrews)
- 10:35 - Don’t throw away your confidence
- 10:36 - Have need of endurance
- 10:37-39 - My righteous one shall live by faith (we don’t shrink back)
- Leads up to the “faith chapter”
- Definition of Faith - a kid said “believin in what you know aint so”. (that’s not faith)
- Text: Hebrews 11:1-7
- Faith is
- The assurance of things hope for
- You stake your life on it
- Stake your family on it
- The conviction of things not seen
- Has anyone seen God lately? Seen Jesus?
- Yet you see evidence of him, and by faith you believe he is alive!
- This passage doesn’t stop with a definition, but gives examples from “men of old”
- They gained God’s approval through Faith. How would you describe faith? Ways-
I. Faith moves you to believe (v.3)
- It is interesting, he doesn’t start with men of old, but with us
- We understand God prepared the universe by faith
- Was anyone around when he created it?
- God said he did, and we believe it
- He made it out of nothing (something no one else can do)
- Notice he didn’t just “make it, but he “prepared” it
- Is there a difference between just making something and preparing?
- I Remember meeting Stacey’s family for first time
- I had to prepare to make sure everything was just right
- Instead, I found myself putting in a kitchen floor
- When you prepare something special, you take care with it
- God didn’t just make the world, he prepared it -- for us
- Man kind was the crowning creation of God after everything else was made
- God loves you - Do you believe it
- John 14:1-3 - Jesus is lovingly preparing a place for you
II. Faith moves you to worship (v.4)
- God has always wanted worship that comes from faith
- May do everything by the book, but if heart not in it, he could care less
- What he cares about is that your worship honors God
- The account in Genesis 4 says that God did not have regard for Cain’s offering
- Used to say it was because it was not a blood offering (but this was before law)
- Hebrews says it was by FAITH Abel offered a superior sacrifice
- How? Abel brought forth the firstlings of his flock
- How did offering the firstlings requrie faith?
- Abel a success at sheep raising, wouldn’t you want to display your prize sheep at the fair?
- Instead of keeping for himself, he honored God who blessed him
- Abel recognized that he did not make the sheep grow, nor the grass
- Remember offerings at the temple? Who did Jesus notice? poor widow(mk 2:41
- Worship is about giving your best to God
- The widow have ALL she had - don’t worry God will take care of you
- Stacey’s grandmother, wealthy, nice house, care, clothes. etc.
- At Christmas she gave her stained used clothes - how would you feel?
- Why do we expect that God will be pleased if we give him leftovers?
- 2 Sam 24:20-25 - David would not offer the Lord what cost him nothing & act like it was such a great thing
- Prov 3:9 - Honor the Lord from your wealth & from the first of all your produce
- Honor means to “value”
- How does what you give to God show how you value him?
- If I’ve got nothing better to do, I’ll give my time to God
- If I’m not to busy, I’ll read my Bible
- If I don’t have something important to do, I’ll pray with my kids
- Faith that moves you to worship says
- I know God has prepared so much for me (even sacrificed his only son)
- He gave me the very best, out of love I give him the very best
- I look forward to honoring my God
-This is why Psalmist said “I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the
house of the Lord” (Ps 122)
- When you give him your best, doesn’t it start on Saturday evening?
- The Bible calls it the “Lord’s Day”, prepare for that day
- Special day, the day when Jesus rose, the day H.S. given, church began
- Like Abel, faith leads you to give God your very best
III. Faith moves you to walk (v.5)
- Enoch had a very rare experience (Gen 5:21-24)
- Enoch did not see death because of faith
- How did Enoch have faith?
- Genesis says he walked with God (no details given)
- What does it mean to walk with God?
- Linda Thornton
- She used to walk around talking, I thought she was talking to self, but was talking to God
- Always said short prayer (like when looking for a house)
- She truly walked with God
- Suppose I had girlfriend & hide her when friends come around? How long last?
- I know Jesus died for me, forgiveness, will be in Heaven when world destroyed
- Yet when friends come around, I tell him to hide
- How much faith is that?
- Jesus saved me, and I belong to him, and he is coming for me
- I’m not going to stop walking with him just because people poke fun at me
- Do you have faith in God’s love, in his son?
- The faith will move you to walk with God ALL the time
- Walk with him when you leave here
- when go to bed at night
- when wake up
- when drive to work
- when with co-workers and friends
- when you have free time, fishing, golf, bowl
IV. Faith moves you to work (v.7)
- Noah worked in faith when building the Ark
- How it take faith. Imagine
- God says will destroy world with flood
- Some believe it never rained before this (Gen 2:6)
- Was warned by God about something not seens
- Noah begins to build 450X75 ft Ark 45 ft high, on dry land
- Spends 120 years building (think ever had 2nd thoughts)
- I Pet 3 says he preached during that time, no one listened
- He started his own zoo in the meantime (including bugs and worms etc.)
- Text says Noah built the Ark in reverence
- Synonymns: Respect, regard, awe, devotion, honor
- He honored God through his obedient trust
- James says faith without works/ actions is dead (useless) (James 2)
- Boating trip, faith in life jacket, but not put it on?
- Belief without any sort of action is useless
- Belief in Christ does no good unless you put him on
- Gal 3:26-27 - “for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ”
- When baptized you didn’t just get wet, you put on Christ
- He is now in you
- You are taking every thought captive to him
- You are being conformed to the image of Christ
- You are taking up your cross daily and following him
- You and he are a part of each other now
- Do you have faith in Christ? Does it show through faithful obedience? SONG: “Trust and Obey”
Concl:
- Even in the midst of challenges here you can gain approval from God (and be in Heaven) by faith
- This confident faith is one that
- Moves you to believe in what is unseen
- Moves you to worship God with your very best
- Moves you to walk with God every day
- Moves you to work for God in faithful obedience
- Read Verse 6
- Are you truly seeking God?
- God will reward you!
- Don’t throw away your confidence
- Don’t be distracted by what is seen
- Concentrate on the assurance of what you hope for (he is coming)
- and the conviction of what you do not YET see (Jesus is preparing a place)