What Is God-Pleasing Faith Series

What is Faith?

What does is mean to have faith?

What is a God Pleasing Faith?

What God pleasing Faith is (Hebrews 11:1, 6)

Believing in the Person of God

Means Knowing Him

Means Trusting Him

What a God Pleasing faith does.

A God Pleasing Faith…

…Believes without Seeing

…Sacrifices when it’s not Required

…Obeying without Understanding

…Perseveres when it’s not Easy

What is Faith Video

Slide 1

What is Faith?

That is a hard question for many to answer.

We seem to know what it is, but it is hard to put into words.

Then when we try to put it in words, we wonder if we really do have faith.

There is no doubt that everyone has faith in something.

As we saw, some had

faith in themselves

faith in the country

faith in God.

But what does it really mean to have faith?

We are going to explore that question today and take a look at the examples of faith the author of Hebrews gives in Hebrews 11. turn there

Slide

The author of Hebrews devotes a whole chapter to faith and people of faith.

Why does he talk about this here?

We have just finished talking about growing relationships.

A Growing relationship with God and with God’s people and how those things are essential for us to experience the life God has designed.

Now he starts talking about faith.

Hebrews 11

1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.

3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age-and Sarah herself was barren-was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country-a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." 19 Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.