A Patient Faith Series

A Patient Faith

(Hebrews 11:23-31)

1. Some people hold faith in contempt or treat it lightly. Some churches also cheapen the faith, treating it as a business.

2. Two old Jewish men are strolling down the street one day when they pass by a church in a very affluent neighborhood. They see a big sign that says, "Convert to Christianity and get $10,000."

Murray, who has fallen on hard times, stops walking and stares at the sign. His friend turns to him and says, "Murray, what's going on?"

"Abe," replies Murray, "I'm thinking of doing it."

Abe says, "What, are you, crazy?"

Murray thinks for a minute and says, "Abe, I'm going to do it."

With that, Murray strides purposefully into the church and comes out thirty minutes later with a smile on his face.

"So," asks Abe, "did you get your ten thousand dollars?"

Murray looks up at him and says, "Is that all you people think of?"[ emmitsburg.net, altered]

3. What you do with Jesus Christ is the most serious matter you will consider. If you choose to follow Him, you need to have the real deal, genuine, heart-felt faith.

Main Idea: God’s kingdom advances by faith and recedes by unbelief. The kind of faith that proves itself best is a patient faith.

Let’s look at three considerations regarding patient faith.

I. Patient Faith Sees Him Who Is INVISBLE: Moses, His Family, and the Exodus (23-28).

A. In what sense was his family not AFRAID of the King’s edict (23)?

1. Hidden

2. Beautiful asteios

3. King’s edict (to destroy all newborn boys; Herod on small scale)

B. How did Moses choose to IDENTIFY with the Hebrews (24-25)?

• Some Christians are afraid to identify with the kingdom of God. They want to be cool, to fit in, to be accepted by their godless peers.

• We should try to relate to all; we have much in common with others. We may be ashamed of some believers, but we should not be ashamed of the Gospel.

C. How does his faith choice PARALLEL New Testament believers? (26)

1. Spiritual vs. material

2. Eternal vs. temporal

3. Forsaking riches for something greater

D. He fled Egypt with confidence because he saw the INVISIBLE (27).

1. Which fleeing? The first time after he killed the Egyptian, or the second time with the Hebrews during the Exodus?

2. Seeing the invisible sounds like an oxymoron. The idea of “the eyes of faith.”

3. Some of you need a glimpse of the invisible God right now. We have a number of folks with some painful, heavy burdens.

4. It takes patience and endurance to weather long term storms.

E. Moses and the Hebrews: Passed over because they believed God would protect them through the BLOOD of the lamb (28)

II. When the Time is Right, Patient Faith Acts QUICKLY: Through the Sea into Canaan (29-30).

• Patience: don’t confuse with lax behavior, evasion, procrastination, or apathy.

• Our search for a house: 6 months. (Basement, size, layout, maintenance). Put in bid the same day.

In our text, these two events happened 40 years apart, but, when the time was right, Moses and later Joshua led the people to act swiftly.

A. After 400 years, the Hebrews QUICKLY left the Egyptians behind.

God responded to Moses’ faith, but many Hebrews did not trust God. Their doubt would doom them to wander 40 years in the wilderness under the discipline of God.

B. After FORTY years wandering in the wilderness, the Hebrew people swiftly addressed [the matter of] conquering Jericho.

1. It took over 400 years before the Hebrews possessed the entire land of Canaan, during the days of King David.

2. The people of Israel cowered under a variety of enemies primarily because they would not trust and obey God.

C. It is neither good to run AHEAD of God nor to run BEHIND Him.

For some, waiting is the problem. For others, acting is the problem. For yet others, both waiting and acting are the problem. This is why we need to stay close to God.

III. Patient Faith Brings Great REWARD (31)

A. Think of what Rahab had against her!

1. She was a gentile, a Canaanite.

2. She was a prostitute.

3. In Luke 7:47, Jesus taught, “he who is forgiven much loves much…”

4. At Moody, some fellow students were MKs, PKs, etc., some, like me, were from lost but decent families, but some had been gang members…

5. Some great Christians have horrid backgrounds, like Paul.

B. From the perspective of the world, Rahab was a TRAITOR; from God’s perspective, she was a HERO.

C. Why did God honor her? Because of her FAITH.

Joshua 2:9-12a passim, “and [Rahab] said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea …. our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house.”