A Life of Faith
Hebrews 11:1 – 6
1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended for.
3By 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. 4By 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. 5By 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. 6And 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.
Do you face the future with your heart filled with fear, or do you face the future with your heart filled with faith in the goodness of God?
There are many things in today’s world that could cause anxiety in our minds. It is so easy for us to concentrate our attention on difficulties and problems rather than on our responsibilities and opportunities.
President Roosevelt said “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
When people forget God, they either tremble in fear as they face the future, or they run from danger, going away from the place of duty, responsibility, and opportunity.
Dr. W. F. Powell, expressed this truth as follows:
When faith in God goes, Man the Thinker loses his greatest thought.
When faith in God goes, Man the Worker loses his greatest motive.
When faith in God goes, Man the Sinner loses his strongest help.
When faith in God goes, Man the Sufferer loses his securest refuge.
When faith in God goes, Man the Lover loses his fairest vision.
When faith in God goes, Man the Mortal loses his only home.
We need to walk by faith in our relationship with the living God, He has always proven faithful in meeting our deepest needs when we trust him and obey his loving commandments for our lives.
I. To walk in faith we need to know that faith brings victory.
Many people do not have faith in faith.
The wise man admonishes: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths” (Prov. 3:5 – 6).
All of us can be tempted to put our confidence in human wisdom and understanding. We apply scientific and logical methods to the problems of life as well as to the possibilities of the future. If we achieve success by leaning on our own understanding, we become egotistical and conceited.
Many people lean on the counsel of the ungodly. The happy man, the successful man, the spiritual man, is one who stays away from the counsel of the ungodly (Ps. 1:1). The ungodly man is he who forgets God, ignores God, or rejects God. He approaches the problems of life as if God did not exist or as if God were unconcerned and unavailable to help.
We live in a day that emphasises the use of scientific methods for solving problems in life. The scientist poses a question, makes an assumption, performs an experiment to test a hypothesis.
But if people want to find the real meaning of life, they need to live the life of faith - not as an experiment - but as truth.
When people put their confidence in the invisible God and live according to the divine plan, they discover through personal experience the reality of the invisible God.
Real faith increases faithfulness. Genuine faith, victorious faith in the living God.
Faith produces faithfulness. Throughout the Bible and throughout Christian history, people of faith have been people of action. They have been people of moral and spiritual achievement.
When we put our full confidence in God, we accept God’s way as our way and God’s plans as our plans.
Hebrews 11, often called Faith’s Hall of Fame, shows us a beautiful display of the fruits of genuine faith. In each instance, faith manifested itself in terms of faithfulness, commitment, and involvement in the will and work of God.
1. Faith caused Abel to worship with his best (Heb. 11:4).
2. Because of his faith, Enoch walked day by day with God (Heb. 11:5).
3. Because of his faith, Noah responded to God’s warning (Heb. 11:7).
4. Because of his faith, Abraham walked in obedience to the commandment of God (Heb. 11:8 – 10).
5. Because of his faith, Joseph resisted the temptations of moral impurity in order to be pleasing to God (Heb. 11:22; Gen. 39:9).
6. Because of his faith, Moses identified himself with the unfortunate in their efforts to achieve freedom and liberty to worship God (Heb. 11:24 – 27).
Faith is necessary. The foundation of our spiritual progress is rooted in our fait. And the truth is that most of our failures can be found in our lack of a real faith in the living God.
The sin of ancient Israel was that of no faith or of little faith. They either refused or neglected to take God at his word or to depend on him to be faithful to his promises.
A lack of faith caused their hearts to tremble in fear at the prospect of entering the Promised Land. Because they refused to trust God and to move forward in obedience to God’s commandments, they wandered in the wilderness for forty years.
With the exception of Caleb and Joshua, only those who were too young to be held responsible for their nation’s refusal to trust God had the privilege of entering the land that God had promised for them (Num. 14:28 – 34).
Jesus continuously sought to instill within the hearts of the disciples a great faith in God.
Jesus encouraged faith in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:25 – 34).
Jesus encouraged faith by the parables he told.
Jesus increased faith by the miracles he performed.
Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6).
Our refusal to trust God is a denial of God’s ability or willingness to do that which he has promised to do.
This is an insult to God’s integrity; it is also an expression of an attitude of human self-sufficiency that cuts people off from the resources God wants to make available to them.
Faith is the human response to God that makes it possible for God to forgive our sins and to grant us the gift of eternal life (John 3:16; 10:10). Trusting Jesus Christ as the Saviour who died for our sins clears the way for God to remove the condemnation that our sin has created (John 3:17 – 18) and to bestow the gift of everlasting life on us (John 3:36).
The absence of this faith or the refusal to believe causes death under the penalty of his sin (John 8:24).
Genuine faith in God is essential for the forgiveness of sin and the receiving of eternal life, and also for the victorious walk of life (2 Cor. 5:7; 1 John 5:4).
The growth of faith. Faith in God, is a dynamic thing. It is never static or dormant. Faith is the gift of God but we need to exercise our faith so that it can grow.
The testimony of Scripture. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17).
Faith has been described as containing three elements: knowledge, mental assent, and trust.
As we read the Word of God, we gain information concerning the God who cares for us
In both the Word of God and in Christian history, we read about those who had personal experiences with the living God.
In the biographies and from the lips of the living, we hear testimonies about the trustworthiness of God. Other peoples testimonies can contribute toward growth of our faith.
The testimony of personal experience.
Think about your own personal experiences with God, your faith in him will deepen, and you will be encouraged to trust him more lovingly and more loyally as you face opportunities, responsibilities, and uncertainties.
A poet once wrote:
Have faith in God, He’s on His throne;
Have faith in God, He watches o’er His own;
He cannot fail, He must prevail;
Have faith in God, have faith in God.
Jesus Christ is Saviour and Lord,
receive him into your heart as a guest, as an honoured friend, as a physician for the soul. He is the only one who can meet your deepest needs in the present and make perfect provisions for your future in eternity. Trust him today and determine to walk in faith all of your days
