A Stronger Faith Series

Our Sermon today is all about Faith. What exactly is faith? Without relying on Daniel Webster, just off the top of your head, how would you define it?

Would you believe me if I told you that even though you might not be a Christian but instead a non-believer of sorts…that your whole life is based on faith.

So then it would be imperative that we define what it is before we clarify what I just said. Right?

Simply put, faith is believing in something unseen…

So, do we have faith that our heart is not going to stop today and that we will see the sun shine tomorrow?

Most of us do.

Do you have faith that your car will run that next time you turn the ignition switch with your key?

What kind of faith does it take if you can see something right before you…clear as a bell?

None. If the sun is shining, you can’t say that I have faith that the sun will shine today because it already is. But, you could say, that I have faith that the sun will continue until it gets dark. Right?

I have faith that the Pittsburgh Steelers are NOT going to the Super Bowl this year. I don’t see them winning without their star quarterback…so is this faith or not? Let us read what God has to say about the subject…shall we?

Before we start, let me warn you that we will be reading 40 verses today. I think though that you will find them a good review of who in our past showed a deep sense of faith in the unseen.

Hebrews 11:1-40

I guess now that you and I are in agreement that A) Faith has been around for a long time and B) that there are some pretty awesome people in our heritage that exhibited supreme levels of faith and C) it warms the heart to hear it…especially in our world today. Amen?

We have four POINTS to discuss this morning: FAITH is the BASIS of HOPE, FAITH is UNSEEN, FAITH is OFTEN misplaced and FAITH is ACQUIRED (or learned)

POINT #1

FAITH is the BASIS of HOPE

This appears in our very first verse this morning: FAITH is the substance of things HOPED for, the evidence of things NOT seen. It says that it was because of their strong FAITH, our elders in history received a good report (that would be from God of course).

It is ONLY through FAITH that we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. I love how we get a little gold nugget next in verse three: “so that things which are seen were NOT made of things which appeared!”

None of this universe and beyond were created by some act of NATURE or by some interstellar glue that occurs when stars and such come in close proximity…I have no idea what I just said or why I said it, other than, God Created All Things…and it was NOT by any accident but for His purpose alone!

It is important to note that God Himself instructs us here that “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

POINT #2

FAITH is UNSEEN

Noah had no idea what it was going to be like once the rains began and the earth opened up to raise the water so very high. He had no idea of the destruction powers of our LORD and water itself.

How much FAITH would it take to build an ark 450 feet long when you’re in some pretty arid country? How hard would it be to maintain that FAITH everybody around you is laughing at you and NOT with you?

I don’t even have sufficient FAITH in my own ability to install a handicapped bar in my shower, let alone an ark!

What is also important is that we understand that like Noah, we become heirs to God’s righteousness through our FAITH (v.7)

POINT #3

FAITH is OFTEN misplaced

Moses had no lapse in his FAITH when it came to that enormous river that stood between his people and the land promised by God.

Up until the waters of the Great Red Sea were parted by Moses, there had to be many…who doubted how they would sojourn these waters and return to their homes unscathed

It wasn’t long after this that they put their trust and FAITH in a golden calf the had created, all while Moses was with God on the mountain-top.

Because they put their FAITH in things that were created rather than He who creates, they lost their opportunity to see the Promised Land and wandered in the wilderness for forty years and then died.