“Faith in all of its Fullness”
Hebrews 11:1-12
December 28, 2008
Warden Assembly of God
Pastor John L. Harper
Introduction: What is faith? Is faith the absence of fear? Do you have more faith than your neighbor? Faith is believing in God when there is no logical reason to believe in God. Faith does not mean you’re not afraid, it means even though you are afraid you still trust God for the outcome. Living by faith does not mean we are blindfolded to the problems around us, rather we see the problems around us and we choose to see our situation from the Lord’s perspective
"Do not be troubled because you must live by faith, nor grow weary because hope is deferred. Your reward is certain; it is preserved for you in him who created all things."
Peter Chrysologus
Today I want you to see how valuable your faith is, and that its value is worth working for. The work of faith will always lead to the way of faith, and that way is trusting God no matter what comes our way.
I. THE WEIGHT OF FAITH (vs. 1-3)
A. The substance of faith
1. The things that are unseen
"Faith believes what it sees not; for if thou seest there is no faith; the Lord has gone away so as not to be seen: He is hidden that He may be believed; the yearning desire by faith after Him who is unseen is the preparation of a heavenly mansion for us; when He shall be seen it shall be given to us as the reward of faith." [Augustine]
2. The things that are to be enjoyed
3. The things that are in the future
Hugo De St. Victor distinguished faith from hope. By faith alone we are sure of eternal things that they ARE: but by hope we are confident that WE SHALL HAVE them. All hope presupposes faith. (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary)
B. The support of faith
(Rom 8:25) But if we hope for that which we do not see, then we wait for it with patience.
Scratched on the walls of one of the Nazi prison camps were the words, “I believe in the sun even when it does not shine. I believe in love even when it is not expressed. And I believe in God even when He is silent.”...
Contributed by: Douglas Vincent
C. The sustaining force of faith
1. Faith commended our ancestors
2. Faith suspended the world on nothing
(John 1:1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(John 1:2) The same was in the beginning with God.
(John 1:3) All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
3. Faith set the world in order
"We were not spectators of creation; it is by faith we perceive it." (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary)
Application: Are you living by faith, or are you just hoping things will work out?
II. THE WORK OF FAITH (vs. 4-7)
A. The worship of the faithful
1. Excellent sacrifice
a. Abel gave God what he wanted
b. He did it God’s way (animal sacrifice)
2. Exemplary witness
a. He obtained the confirmation that he did what was right
b. He obeyed God without fear of what others thought
3. Eternal testimony
a. He was a witness in his offering
b. He was a witness to others, and referred to as righteous Abel
B. The walk of the faithful
1. Close to the Lord
a. Enoch had a close relationship with the Lord
b. Enoch’s heart was to please God
2. Compelling desire (please God)
a. He walked with God for 365 years
b. He did this without a Bible or the fullness of the Holy Spirit!
Faith honors God and God honors faith! A story from the life of missionaries Robert and Mary Moffat illustrates this truth. For 10 years this couple labored faithfully in Bechuanaland (now called Botswana) without one ray of encouragement to brighten their way. They could not report a single convert. Finally the directors of their mission board began to question the wisdom of continuing the work. The thought of leaving their post, however, brought great grief to this devoted couple, for they felt sure that God was in their labors, and that they would see people turn to Christ in due season. They stayed; and for a year or two longer, darkness reigned. Then one day a friend in England sent word to the Moffat’s that she wanted to mail them a gift and asked what they would like. Trusting that in time the Lord would bless their work, Mrs. Moffat replied, "Send us a communion set; I am sure it will soon be needed." God honored that dear woman’s faith. The Holy Spirit moved upon the hearts of the villagers, and soon a little group of six converts was united to form the first Christian church in that land. The communion set from England was delayed in the mail; but on the very day before the first commemoration of the Lord’s super in Bechuanaland, the set arrived. Unknown.
Contributed by: Paul Fritz
C. The witness of the faithful
1. Noah warned others as he was warned himself
2. He worked till the day of judgment
3. He weighed eternal destiny more important than temporary popularity
Application: Are you working out your faith? Faith is only proven when your works accompany it
III. THE WAY OF FAITH (vs. 8-12)
A. Respecting God’s promise
1. Abraham obeyed and went where God commanded
a. Leave your Father’s house
b. Go to the Land where I will send you
2. He obeyed and left some questions unanswered
a. When would he know he made it there?
b. What would he say to his father?
B. Resting in God’s promise
1. He dwelt in the land, and did not try to conquer the land
a. He was happy doing God’s will, and not trying to hurry God
b. He only asked for a place to bury his family
2. He raised his family and was ready to leave all this behind for the eternal city.
a. He didn’t get caught up in “how nice” Canaan was
b. He knew that the Promise Land was the eternal city
C. Receiving God’s promise
1. His wife bore him a son in his old age
a. Abraham thought Ishmael was the promised son
b. He was 100 years old
2. His wife became a mother when she was 90
a. She did not believe God at first
b. She offered her maid Hagar
3. His wife believed God and conceived a child
4. Her husband who was “dead” became the father of nations
a. His seed would be like the stars in the sky
b. His seed would be like the grains of sand on the seashore
Application: Do you still believe that God will do what He said He would do? If so, what can you do to let your faith evident to those around you?
CONCLUSION:
DEFINING MOMENTS OF FAITH Several years ago Jeff Strueker was a US Army Ranger posted in Mogadishu, Somalia. Today he is a master of divinity student at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. For him Oct 3-4, 1993 were the defining moments of his life. He was one of the troops called on to go into the center Mogadisu to secure a building as part of a larger operation. The movie “Black Hawk Down” came out about a year ago chronicling the events of those two days. In the first trip into the city he and most of his friends got out through a hailstorm of bullets. One man was shot and killed. It was then that he felt the fear. He began to pray. The humvee was painted with blood as they escaped the city with their dead and wounded comrades. The news soon worsened. A helicopter was shot down. The team received orders to return to the melee. Yet, his men understandably couldn’t fight in the bloody humvees. Struecker spent the next 30 to 45 minutes cleaning. No running water. Only sponges and buckets. "I began to talk to the Lord. I thought I was going to die," he said. Feeling his fear grow, he began to ask God to protect him. But his prayer soon changed. "I’ll never forget this for the rest of my life. ... A scene appeared in the landscape of my mind. The scene was Jesus in the Garden. ... He clearly and honestly knew that he was going to die. ... He also showed that he did not want to go to that cross and die. And I knew that I didn’t want to die that night. But Jesus courageously said, ’God, not my will, but yours be done.’ "If I die tonight, that’s fine, as long as your will is done," Struecker said. For the first time in his life, Struecker -- who had been a Christian since age 13 -- was prepared to die. "God spoke to my mind and my heart and said, ’I’ve been protecting you every day of your life,’" Struecker said. "He did not tell me, ’You will live through the night.’ He simply showed me my life has always been in his hands." Struecker and his men returned to the field of fire in Mogadishu that night and fought with a God-given courage. The sergeant first class would later be awarded the Bronze Star Medal "V" for valor. "I fought differently that night than everybody else ... because of my faith," Struecker said. God had given him a "supernatural peace" in the midst of pandemonium, further firefights and an ambush that nearly blew his humvee off the road. "I began to understand God’s omnipotent power," Struecker said. "He was orchestrating every single bullet that was fired that night. ... The peace that I had was not only for my own life, but for the lives of my soldiers. If any of them were to get shot, then that was part of God’s sovereign plan." And God chose to preserve Struecker that night. CITATION: http://www.family.org/teenguys/breakmag/features/ a0023481.html
Contributed by: Rick Stacy
: Let me tell you about Tess. Tess was a precocious eight-year-old little girl. One day she heard her mom and dad talking in a serious and somber tone about her little brother, Andrew. Tess didn’t understand everything that they were saying, but she got the gist: Her little brother, Andrew, was very, very sick… and they were completely out of money. They would have to move out of their house and move into a small apartment because Mom and Dad didn’t have enough money for the doctor bills and the house payment. On top of that, only a very expensive surgery could save Andrew now… and they could not find anyone to lend them the money. Just then, Tess heard her dad say to her tearful mother in whispered desperation, “Only a miracle can save Andrew now.” Tess ran to her room pulled out a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in her closet. She poured out all the change on the floor and counted it carefully. She then put the change back in the jar, put the jar under her arm, slipped out the back door and ran down to the Rexall Drug Store six blocks away. The pharmacist was talking to a man intently and at first he didn’t notice Tess standing there. She waited patiently for a while and then dramatically cleared her throat, but still, no luck – the pharmacist did not see her. Finally, Tess got his attention by taking a quarter out of her jelly jar and tapping it on the glass counter. That did it. The pharmacist noticed her and said, “Just a minute. I’m talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven’t seen for ages.” “Well,” said Tess, “I want to talk to you about my brother. He’s really, really sick – and I want to buy a miracle. His name is Andrew and he has something growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So… how much does a miracle cost? I have the money here to pay for it. It’s all that I have saved. If it isn’t enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much a miracle costs.” The pharmacist’s brother was a well-dressed man. He stooped down and asked Tess, “What kind of miracle does your brother need?” “I don’t know,” Tess replied, with her eyes welling up. “I just know he’s really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my parents can’t pay for it, so I want to use my money.” “How much do you have?” asked the man from Chicago. “One dollar and eleven cents!” Tess said proudly. “It’s all the money I have in the world, but I can get some more if I need to.” “Well, you are in luck,” the man said with a smile. “One dollar and eleven cents is the exact price of a miracle for little brothers.” He took the money in one hand and with the other he took hold of her mitten and said, “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.” That well-dressed man from Chicago was Dr. Carlton Armstrong who just happened to be a noted neurosurgeon. The operation was successfully completed without charge… and it wasn’t long until Andrew was home again and doing well. Tess’ mom and dad were so grateful. They were talking one night about the chain of events that had saved Andrew’s life. “That surgery,” her mom said, “was a real miracle.” And then she said, “I just wonder how much it would have cost.” Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost… one dollar and eleven cents… plus, the skill and graciousness of a great doctor… and of course, the gracious, sacrificial love of an eight-year-old big sister! Someone might say, “Well, it was only one dollar and eleven cents”… but, it was all she had! She gave all she had to save her little brother… and that’s an extravagant gift! Isn’t that a great story? It’s powerful because it reminds us in a dramatic way that the spirit of Christ can empower and enable us… to be extravagant in our generosity, to be extravagant in our gratitude, and to be extravagant in our graciousness.
Contributed by: David Yarbrough
