But the fact is, you can visit these wonderful soul winning churches to see how they do it, and come back and implement the same things they are doing in your church, and not get the same results, if any results at all.
Why? Because what might work for one church might not work for another. That has proven to be true over and over again.
But one thing is for sure, you can read the 11th chapter of Hebrews and see how they did what they did for the Lord, and IF WE DO THE SAME THING, WE WILL GET THE SAME RESULTS.
HOW DID THEY DO THESE WONDERFUL THINGS?
As you read about these great men and women of God, you see the words “By Faith” or “Through Faith” linked to their lives.
Look at:
• Verse 4, we read, “BY FAITH Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain”
• Verse 5, we read, “BY FAITH Enoch was translated that he should not see death…”
• Verse 7, we read, “BY FAITH Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house…”
• Verse 8, we read, “BY FAITH Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.”
• Verse 11, we read, “THROUGH FAITH also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age…”
• Verse 17, we read, “BY FAITH Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son.”
• Verse 20, we read, “BY FAITH Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.”
• Verse 21, we read, “BY FAITH Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.”
• Verse 22, we read, “BY FAITH Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.”
• Verse 23, we read, “BY FAITH Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.”
• Verse 24, we read, “BY FAITH Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;”
• Verse 27, we read, “BY FAITH he (Moses) forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.”
• Verse 29, we read, “BY FAITH they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.”
• Verse 30, we read, “BY FAITH the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.”
• Verse 31, we read, “BY FAITH the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.”
If you examine the life of any of these Heroes listed in God’s Hall of Fame, you will see that they were able to achieve what they did BY FAITH. “BY FAITH” or “THOUGH FAITH” in ALMIGHTY GOD!
We do not read in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews that they had their faith in anything or anyone other than in God.
If FAITH was that important in the life of these Believers, we need to make sure that we know what FAITH IN GOD MEANS.
WHAT IS FAITH?
The Word of God tells us. Look at Heb. 11:1, "Now faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of things not seen."
This verse of Scripture tells us two things about Bible Faith.
I. IT IS THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR
That is, we all have come to times when we could not -
• Turn to our FAMILIES in our desperate need, because as much as they would like to help us, they could not help us.
• Turn to our FAMILY DOCTOR in our desperate need, because as much as he would like to help us he could not.
• Turn to our BEST FRIENDS in our desperate need, because as much as they would like to help us, they could not.
When we reach this place in life, humanly speaking we have come to a dead end street. It seems like we have NO OPTIONS LEFT! None!
Illus: Kathy Dane of Rantoul, Illinois, said, “During the final weeks of my last year at Bible college, we were all busy with term papers, studying for finals, and taking care of other pressing matters. Amid all the worry and hustle, one of the students candidly expressed the feelings of many of us with this slight revision of 2 Timothy 4:7” : "I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith, but I doubt I'll finish this course." (Christian Reader, "Lite Fare.")
We all know that feeling.
We often feel like Hamsters in cages, running the rat race. They get on their wheels and run nine thousand miles, but never get anywhere. But if we will continue to keep our faith in ALMIGHTY GOD, WE WILL GET SOMEWHERE.
We all know that feeling, that we are doing everything that humanly we know to do, but it seems we are not making any progress whatsoever!
But then FAITH IN ALMIGHTY GOD comes into our life, and for the first time we now have some HOPE.
Our HOPE is built on the fact that:
• He can do things that our families can not do
• He can do things that our family doctor can not do
• He can do things that our friends can not do
The Bible says faith in almighty God puts SOME HOPE IN OUR LIFE.
Illus: This ray of hope brings a smile to our face and joy to our heart. All of a sudden we feel like we have just won the Reader’s Digest 10 million dollar sweepstake.
We had been living without HOPE, but now our life is filled with HOPE! Faith is HOPE, but the Bible reveals it is more than that-
II. IT IS THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN
That is, at the time we are praying for something that requires faith, WE CAN NOT SEE IT. If we could see it, it would not REQUIRE faith.
There are spiritual battles that we face almost daily and we do not know how we are going to get through them.
• We do not have the ABILITIES OR TALENTS to handle these problems.
• We do not have the RESOURCES to handle these problems.
• We do not have FAMILY MEMBERS OR FRIENDS who can help us with the problems.
We have two alternatives:
A. WE CAN WORRY
But that only adds to our problems.
Illus: Two shepherds lean on their crooks at the end of a long day and the first asks the second, "So, how's it going?" The second one sighed and shook his head, "Not good, I can't pay my bills, my health isn't good, my kids don't respect me, and my wife is leaving me." The first replied, "Well, don't lose any sheep over it."
Illus: I once heard the testimony of a woman who said she knew she was a Christian now by looking at her bed. When asked what she meant, she said, "Before, when I got out of my bed, it was all rumpled because I had tossed and turned all night. Now when I get out of the bed, it's as smooth as silk." (Steve Brown, "Forgiven and Forgotten," Preaching Today, Tape No. 139.)
When we face these difficulties in life, we can ALWAYS WORRY! OR…
B. WE CAN TRUST GOD TO HELP US
We can be like those in Hebrews 11. “By faith” or “Through Faith” we can lick this problem we are facing.
Our text verse tells us it is impossible to please God unless we exercise faith in Him.
There is a purpose in the trials that we face. Trails should cause us to trust God more and more!
Illus: Several years ago, the London Transit Authority had a problem. Buses were going right past passengers who were waiting at designated places to be picked up. They were at the bus stops, and the buses were sailing right past them. The London Transit Authority released a statement to explain their actions. The statement said it was impossible for them to maintain schedules if they always had to stop and pick up passengers. (Dave Stone, "Keep the Dust Off the Highchair," Preaching Today, Tape No. 143.)
The bus company forgot that the purpose of their existence was to transport passengers. As important as it was to keep a good schedule, the purpose was to TRANSPORT PASSENGERS.
You see, we have to live by FAITH IN ALMIGHTY GOD. We are placed here for that purpose.
Some people can not get it. They do everything they can possibly do so that they will not have to trust God.
• They want to trust their FINANCIAL RESOURCES, not God
• They want to trust their TALENTS, not God
• They want to trust their FRIENDS, not God
But God has placed us in these positions in life so that we have to trust in him.
Illus: Speaker and author, Carol Kent, was on the fast track to being an absentee parent -- until her young son, Jason, made a simple observation. She recalls: "We were eating breakfast together, and I had on an old pair of slacks and a fuzzy old sweater. He flashed his baby blues at me over his cereal bowl and said, 'Mommy, you look so pretty today.' I didn't even have makeup on! So I said, 'Honey, why would you say I look pretty today? Normally I'm dressed in a suit and high heels.' And he said, 'When you look like that, I know you're going some place; but when you look like this, I know you're mine.' (Jan L. Senn in Today's Christian Woman. Christian Reader, Vol. 33, no. 4. )
Often people think God placed them here for other things, but God placed them in these situations so that they might trust Him.
He allows things to come our way that seems hopeless from the human side of life. Then our only hope is in Him.
WE BECOME HIS WHEN WE TRUST HIM!
Conclusion:
1 Peter 5:7, we read, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
Many people have been raised on the wrong side of the tracks, and they know what it is to be rejected. They know the loneliness of having no one to care for them. So, as they experience this rejection year after year, they soon begin to think, “NO ONE CARES ABOUT ME!”
They even reach the place in life that they begin to think that even God does not care about them.
But before you get any help from God, you must have FAITH that when He tells you to cast your cares upon Him, He really does care about you.
Illus: If you children want to break the hearts of your parents, then the next time they are trying to help you, tell them, “You do not care a thing about me!”
And likewise, if you want to break the heart of God, just believe HE DOES NOT CARE ABOUT YOU.
But the truth is, HE DOES CARE ABOUT YOU.
After all, how much more can He do than what He has already done, to show you that He cares for you?
Illus: Many times, the reason people go to a psychiatrist and do not get the help they need is because many of the psychiatrists are in it for the money. Just think about it; if you go to one, you are having to pay a man to listen to your problems.
But if you go to a good psychiatrist, after a brief while you would feel terrific because everything that's negative about you gets transferred over to the psychiatrist. At the end of a session, a good psychiatrist is feeling terrible, and the patient is feeling great, because through the process of discussion, everything negative about you has been moved over to the psychiatrist. (Tony Campolo, "If I Should Wake Before I Die," Preaching Today, Tape No. 124.)
I want to remind you that God gave us Hebrews 11 for a specific purpose. We can see in the lives of all these great men and women that when they:
• Came to the end of the road and no one could help them, they found help in God. He was their only HOPE.
• They looked to God for the solution to their problems, and eventually what they had not been able to see, they were able to see.
So you have a problem today: what are you going to do with it?
Yes, you can join the multitudes and go to an early grave worrying yourself to death.
But you have another choice, “By Faith” or “Through Faith” in Almighty God, solve the problem!
What is FAITH?
I. IT IS THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR
II. IT IS THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN
