Faith To Face God Series

Faith to face God

Text: Hebrews 11:5-6

Introduction

A. One evening a woman was driving home when she noticed a huge truck behind her that was driving uncomfortably close. She stepped on the gas to gain some distance from the truck, but when she sped up, the truck did too. The faster she drove, the faster the truck did.

a. Now scared, she exited the freeway. But the truck stayed with her. The woman then turned up a main street, hoping to lose her pursuer in traffic. But the truck ran a red light and continued the chase.

b. Reaching the point of panic, the woman whipped her car into a service station and bolted out of her auto screaming for help. The truck driver sprang from his truck and ran toward her car. Yanking the back door open, the driver pulled out a man hidden in the back seat.

c. The woman was running from the wrong person. From his high vantage point, the truck driver had spotted a would be rapist in the woman's car. The chase was not his effort to harm her but to save her even at the cost of his own safety.

B. Likewise, many people run from God, fearing what he might do to them. But his plans are for good not evil-to rescue us from the hidden sins that endanger our lives. (Illustrations For Preaching & Teaching, Editor Craig Brian Larson, Baker Books, p. 98).

C. Heb 11:6, states, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

D. This passage reminds us that we are “to run towards” or seek God and not run away from Him.

E. Today is the third lesson in a series of lessons I am doing this year on “Faith to face the world.” Each lesson is looking at Heb. 11 and see how we can develop a strong faith to face the situations of that were very similar to the people in this chapter. This morning I want to try answer the question, “do we have the Faith to face God?”

Body

I. First we must understand that we must have Faith, to face God. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6).

A. God desires faith. He is not interested in how much money you make, the car you drive, the clothes you wear, or how good you look. He is looking for people of faith.

1. Heb. 11:1 explains faith and then makes it clearer in Heb. 11:6. Faith seeks God.

a. ILLUS: A grandmother took her three-year-old granddaughter into her lap and began reading to her from Genesis. After a while, noticing that the little girl was unusually quiet, the grandmother asked, "Well, what did you think of what I read, honey?"

"Oh Grandma, said the child, “I love it. You never know what God is going to do next."

b. That’s the kind of faith Hebrews is talking about here.

It’s “being SURE of what we hope for and CERTAIN of what we do not see.”

It’s living in excited anticipation of what God is going to do next!!!

i. I am not sure how God is going to use my life? I am not sure of all the particulars of Heaven!

ii. I guess I am like that little girls, “You never know what God is going to do next.”

2. This type of faith is confidence in God that leads to obedience to God. True faith is based on what God says and is demonstrated in what we do. People with faith do things for God, and God does things for them.

a. I may not know how God is going to use my life, but that does not stop me from obeying what I do know about God from His Word.

3. We see this in Heb. 11 Faith is not only explained but it is modeled.

a. ABEL - FAITH WORSHIPPING.

b. ENOCH - FAITH WALKING or living for God.

c. NOAH - FAITH WORKING (Idea from Mark Copland)

4. Abel, Enoch, and Noah did not know everything God was going to do with their life but they "obtained a good testimony" by their faith. Whether we are "worshipping", "walking", or "working", faith must be the motivating factor behind all we do for God.

B. Faith is not a luxury, it is not just for the elders or preacher; it is a necessity for all Christians. It is for common people and not just great leaders. (Note: Most of the people in Heb. 11 were “common” people until they put their faith in God; that is why they are mention.)

1. We need faith for worshiping (v. 4) as well as for working (v. 7), and for walking, “living” (vv. 8–9).