Paving the Way…to a Life of Faith
Hebrews 11:1-27
Faith Believes even when we don’t See it
Faith Sacrifices even when we don’t Have to
Faith Obeys even when we don’t Understand it
Faith Perseveres even when we don’t Want to
Slide - Intro
Last week we began a new series entitled “Paving the Way.”
We are talking through how the Lord can use this church and each of us to Pave the Way for others and for future generations to hear the gospel and have their lives transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Prayer Vigil
This past Friday and Saturday, we spent 24 hours in prayer as a church. If you were part of the prayer vigil, thank you. I know that the Lord answers prayer and He uses that time of communication to work inside our lives too.
As we began this series last week, we began by talking about how to prepare for a Miracle.
As we looked at the feeding of the 5000 we saw that, while the Lord doesn’t need us or any of our stuff, He chooses to work through each of us and what we offer Him to perform miracles in us and through us.
I am looking forward to the miracles that the Lord will be doing inside Hickory Creek as well as through the people of Hickory Creek.
Pave the way to a life of faith
Slide
This week, we are going to talk about how we can “Pave the Way” to a life of Faith.
Now Faith is a word that is used a lot, but what exactly is faith and does it matter what we have faith in?
I would argue that the object of our faith matters greatly.
You can have faith in someone or something and be let you down.
It is not Faith is not the important thing. The important thing is what you have your faith in.
That makes all the difference in the world
I may have faith that a piece of thread may hold me as I go mountain climbing, but odds are I will not be returning, regardless how strong my faith is.
I put my faith in the wrong thing.
Now the Bible tells us in the passage we are going to look at in a few minutes, that “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6)
Now this doesn’t mean that you just need faith. It means that to have a faith that pleases God, that faith must be in the true God of the Bible who is revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ.
I want you to listen to how the author of Hebrews, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, begins his letter.
Hebrews 1:1-3
Slide
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being,
God has made Himself known through His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the “radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.”
Jesus Christ is God and we can know Him and know about Him.
We can know He is good
We can know of his great love for us through His sacrifice.
Romans 5:8 - But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
We can know that he cares for us.
1 Peter 5:7 - Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
This is the God that we are to have faith in. Not just in any god we want, but in the One true God,
the only God,
the maker of heaven and earth,
the God who sustains all things by His powerful word,
the God who loves you and me and
the God who made salvation possible by going to the cross to pay for our sins.
It is that God that we must have faith in.
Ok, so we need to have faith in the God of the Bible revealed in Christ, but what exactly is faith and what does it look like in real life? That is what we want to ask and answer this morning.
Turn with me to Hebrews 11:1-8 and 24-27
Slide
We are going to start out there and read about God’s Hall of Faith.
In this chapter, the author of Hebrews goes through and lists many of the people throughout history up to that point who were men and women of faith.
I want to take a look at a few of them and see if we can learn about faith and what it is and how it manifests itself in our life.
Hebrews 11:1-8, 24-27
1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
3 By 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.
5 By 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. 6 And 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.
7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
Pray
The first thing we see is that
Faith Believes even when we don’t See it
Slide 4
Hebrews 11:1-Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Now this doesn’t mean that a biblical Faith is a blind leap into the dark against all things rational. Biblical faith is very rational, even though it may be a leap into what you cannot see.
Illustration – The Blitz
During the bombing of London during WW2, the Nazis would nightly bomb buildings and homes of civilians.
A father, holding his small son by the hand ran from a building that had been struck by a bomb. In the front yard was a shell hole. Seeking shelter as quickly as possible, the father jumped into this deep dark hole and held up his arms for his son to follow.
It was dark in the hole and the boy couldn’t see his dad. Terrified, yet hearing his father’s voice telling him to jump, the boy replied, “I can’t see you!”
The father, looking up against the sky tinted red by the burning buildings, called to the silhouette of his son and said, “But I can see you. Jump!”
The boy jumped because he knew his dad and he had faith in him.
Accessed 3/26/2011 at http://bible.org/illustration/blitz
We may not always be able to see God in every circumstance that we face, but if we have received Jesus as Savior, He sees us and has us in His care during each circumstance.
Slide
Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. NIV
When we have faith in God, we don’t need to see every step. We just need to know that He does and that He is working for our good.
I am sure that each of us at times, have difficulty with this.
And I am sure that there are at least some here today who are struggling with trusting the Lord in faith because it seems that they can’t see Him right now working in their situation.
This is where we need to remember how God has worked in our lives before and remember that He is working for our long term, not just the moment.
There was a man in Mark 9:20-24 whom I am sure had some difficulties with faith, with believing in God. This man had a son who was possessed by an evil spirit.
He had been this way for years. The disciples encounter this man and son and they try to drive the demon out, but can’t.
The disciples end up bringing him to Jesus.
Slide
Mark 9:20-24
When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, "How long has he been like this?"
"From childhood," he answered. 22 "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."
23 "’If you can’?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."
24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
This is where many of us are at. We are all at some place between full belief that the Lord is good and working things out and our own “unbelief” in Him.
Ask for help
We need to be asking God to help us overcome our unbelief. I believe that as we ask, He will help us
by reminding us of His past work in our lives,
by the people He has put in our lives to encourage us, and
by the living word of God that as we read it, He continues to grow us.
Ask God to help you overcome your unbelief so you can walk by faith and not by sight.
A second thing we see about faith is that
Faith Sacrifices even when we don’t Have to
Slide
Hebrews 11:4
By 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.
Abel offered God a sacrifice in faith. When you go back and read the account in Genesis, we find that “Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock” (Genesis 4:4)
To you the fat portions might sound like the bad part, but that was the best part.
Abel gave God the best part of the first part of what he had, not because he had to, but because he wanted to.
When we sacrifice out of love when it is not required of us, we glorify the Lord.
That is faith.
If we sacrifice only what is required of us, we treat God as a seller of some service.
God I will give you this and you do this.
Or if you do this, I will sacrifice in this way.
We treat God like He is selling us something and we are trying to get the best deal.
Well, I will tell you that God isn’t in the sales business.
He is in the giving business.
He gave His Son
He has given us eternal life
He gives us blessings
He gives us His Spirit
He doesn’t want you to buy what He gives,
But He does want you to be
grateful for it and
recognize where it comes from.
When we are willing to sacrifice for God when we don’t have to, God gets glorified. Our ultimate purpose in life is to glorify God.
Apply to Paving the Way
As we go through this Paving the Way Campaign, each of us who calls Hickory Creek their home, will be asked to sacrifice.
We will be asked to sacrifice time so we can take on serving roles. As we fulfill our purpose in seeing people come to Christ and making disciples, we will all need to be serving together. Whether that is by helping Greet people at the front door, shuttling people from the Kohl’s to the church and back so they can worship with the church and hear the word of God, or if it is helping lead a small group or teach our kids, we need more of the body of Christ serving together.
We will also be asked to sacrifice financially so we can add parking and some additional building space so we can optimize the use of this site.
For all the details of what we are planning, we have had a number of informational meetings, and there is an informational brochure in the foyer that explains things in greater detail. The leaders here, including myself are always available to answer any questions you may have.
I am going to be speaking more about sacrifice next week, but remember that stepping out in faith is being willing to sacrifice when I don’t have to.
Thirdly,
Faith Obeys even when we don’t Understand it
Slide
Hebrews 11:7-8 - By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
Two great men of faith show us how to obey without understanding it all.
Noah
Let’s take a look at Noah first.
Imagine you are told by God to begin building an Ark in the desert.
Lord, Shouldn’t I build this by the water?
No, I am going to bring a flood.
What is a flood?
That is when I bring so much rain that water will cover the earth.
What is rain?
Many commentators believe, along with myself, that it had never rained before this time. The earth’s atmosphere was more like a green house and things got watered from streams that came up through the ground. (Genesis 2:4b-6)
Now, imagine that for a moment. God is telling you to do something that will take you years to accomplish, and bring about things that
You have never seen before and in fact,
have never even happened before.
And Noah obeyed. And because Noah obeyed, God glorified Himself and Noah got to be used in a powerful way for all the earth.
This is not easy
Now I imagine that this was quite difficult.
“Hey Noah, still building that boat in the desert? How many years are you gonna work on that?”
Noah, When is the “rain” supposed to come?
Imagine that going on for years, but continuing on in obedience when you don’t understand it all.
Abraham
Or consider Abraham. Called to pick up from the only place he had known and go hundreds of miles to a place he had never been to live among a people he did not know.
Hebrews 11:8 says he “obeyed and went.”
He did it even in the midst of not understanding
why or
what was going to happen or
how he was going to make it.
These 2 men are great examples of faith, of obeying without having an understanding of the situation. But they knew God.
God is faithful. When He tells us to do something, we can obey without worry. It may be hard at points, but He will bring us through, because He has a better plan than we have for our lives.
You may be in a position now of sensing God’s direction to do something, but your unsure of all the details. If you have
prayed and are convinced that God is directing you, and
it is in alignment with His word, and
you have sought counsel of mature Christians,
then follow in obedience.
Don’t fret about all the details. God will definitely work them out.
This is a scary time for all of us at Hickory. The leadership has spent time praying. The church has been praying. We believe that the Lord is leading us to do the things we have outlined, but how can we do it in this culture where people are already so busy and we need all of us serving and in this economic environment that is such a struggle when we need to have everyone sacrifice financially?
This is where we need to follow and trust the Lord’s leading and know that He has things in hand because we have faithfully been seeking His will.
Faith calls us to obey His leading even if we don’t understand how it will all work.
The final thing we see here about faith is,
Faith Perseveres even when we don’t Want to
Slide 7
Hebrews 11:24-27
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
There are times that things are going to be hard, maybe very hard.
It is then that we have to persevere.
Abel could have kept what He had for himself instead of sacrificing it.
Noah could have said this is too hard and
Moses could have said, I am going to stay and enjoy the riches I have here in Egypt. But he kept His eyes on God and persevered.
Some of you personally may be going through very difficult times right now.
Maybe you just feel like quitting.
Quitting your job
Quitting your marriage
Quitting serving
Quitting life.
Don’t quit.
Now is the time to persevere.
Now is the time to keep your focus.
Just as these men of faith have done.
Just as Jesus Christ did when faced with the cross.
At the beginning of the next chapter in Hebrews, chapter 12, the author after going over all the people of the hall of Faith
Hebrews 12:1-3
Slide
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Don’t lose heart.
Keep looking to Christ.
Small Group
This past week in our small group, we took some time to remember the things God has done over this past year in our life and to encourage each other in how the Lord has been working. Sometimes it feels like we have been praying and seeking after God and we feel we are in the same spot as before.
That is true sometimes. But the fact that we haven’t lost ground is victory.
Sometimes in persevering, the victory is that we were able to stand and not lose ground as the enemy attacked.
Ephesians 6:13
Slide
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. NIV
If you are not part of a small group Bible study, you need to be so you can persevere and so that you are able to stand.
Conclusion
For us to be the people that God wants us to be and the church that God wants us to be, we need to exercise the faith He has given us
By Believing and overcoming our unbelief
By Sacrificing
By obeying
By preserving
We are going to close worshiping the Lord and sing “Blessed Be Your Name”
Besides the great examples of faith that we spoke of today, Job is also a great example.
He had faith and persevered in that faith amid great hardship.
Let’s stand and worship Him who desires to do a work in our church and in each of our lives through this time.
Message outline partially based on Rick Warren’s - Building a life of Faith
