Let us continue our worship of God by learning again from Hebrews 11….
v1-3…… faith is somewhat defined
v4-38: God lists people who put their faith into action!
Putting all of this together, we can better define biblical faith = being certain of what God said and take action on it! God does not call us to blind faith. God reveals for us what we need to base our faith on!
This morning let us learn about the faith of Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses’ parents! Read along with me Hebrews 11:20-23…..
First of all, let us again note that every person sins against God which includes all the people listed in Hebrews 11 as faithful. If we dig deeper into the stories of the people listed in Hebrews 11, they were not faithful to God all the time (except perhaps Enoch, only God knows, but God tells us in Scriptures that every person, which includes Enoch to be a sinner). Romans 3:23…. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God! If all the people listed by God as faithful in Hebrews 11 sinned against God, why should they be allowed to go to heaven??
v39-40….
Who are the us in v40??
- Christians
What was the promise in v39??
- The Savior/Messiah Jesus Christ!
Romans 6:23… For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The people in Hebrews 11 were noted by God to be faithful even though they were sinners and will be in heaven only because Jesus Christ (The Promise) died for their sins!
The people in the Old Testament were called to live by faith and believe in the Promise of a Savior. The people in the New Testament (us today) are also called to live by faith with the reality of a Savior already given! What’s the point of Hebrews 11? We already defined faith. We are to learn from the resulting actions taken by faithful people in Hebrews 11.
How can we live by faith today? – We are to follow the examples of the faithfuls in Hebrews 11 knowing we are already going to heaven! And so….
v20: Why was it an action of faith for Isaac to bless his sons? What did God say to Isaac about his sons? Genesis 26:24…. Gen. 27:1-2…. What 2 things can we say about Isaac in connection with faith??
a. Isaac believed in the promise of God even though he was already dying! Isaac was dying but God promised many descendants through him.
b. Isaac knew that God’s promise had to go through his 2 sons! And so, Isaac blessed the sons who would continue the Promise of God!
v21: Why was it an action of faith for Jacob? - Genesis 48….. faith for same reason for Isaac!
Now look at Gen. 48:11-12…. We read that Jacob was faithful because of worship. Worship as faith? Why??
Jacob knew God was blessing him to be able to see Joseph and his grandsons! Jacob saw the involvement of God in his life; life isn’t just by chance; life doesn’t just happen; God is involved in every life, we just need to be alert to it!
v22: Genesis 50:24-26….. Spoke about God’s Promise and Joseph was so sure, he asked to be buried there in the Promised Land not yet found !
v23: 2 things we can we say about the faith of Moses’ parents??
a. something special about the child plus they knew God promised a “Deliverer” (could it be him?)!
b. faithful to God’s Laws not the Government!
How can we today follow……
1. Isaac’s faith??
Know God’s Promises and bless those who will be impacted by them! How do we bless people??
We bless people by considering them, communicating with them, loving and praying for them!
2. Jacob’s faith??
Always look for God’s blessings and worship Him!
3. Joseph’s faith….
Tell people about God’s Promises and prepare future based on those promises!
4. Moses’ Parents??
Be alert for God’s blessings to happen right in front of us! Miracles by God happen constantly and we can easily miss them if we’re not alert of God’s presence!
God’s Laws always take priority! Note Acts 5:29….
