“Wall moving faith.”
Hebrews 11:30
We have been going through Hebrews chapter 11:
- This is known as the faith chapter.
- It stretches into the beginning of chapter 12.
We have been reminded:
- all the way through this chapter,
- that anyone who has a relationship with God
- has that relationship based on faith and not works.
Hebrews 11 is a response:
- to the current view in those days
- that following a set of rules and ceremony
- rituals and morality would earn your salvation…
These examples in Hebrews 11:
- inform the reader that no one
- ever earned their own salvation
- not in the Bible and not today
- salvation has always been by God’s grace and our faith
We are not saved by our EFFORTS,
but by the WORK of JESUS on the cross…
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:8–9 (NIV)
Ephesians 2:8-9:
o Remind us that God saved us or we are not saved at all
o That no one comes to the Father except through JESUS
o It is God who saves us, we cannot save ourselves….
We are saved from Sin and saved for good works…
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Ephesians 2:10
So the Hero’s of the faith:
- Worked from a position of salvation
- They did not work for salvation
Oswald Chambers:
“Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.”
https://sermoncentral.com/sermons/principles-for-a-living-faith-john-dobbs-sermon-on-faith-241354
It is the same for believers today:
- We are saved by faith
- There is no other way to be saved.
Salvation is by faith alone.
- in verse 3, “By faith”; and
- in verse 4, “By faith”; and
- in verse 5, “By faith”; and in
- verse 7, “By faith”; and
- in verse 8, “By faith”; and
- verse 9, “By faith”; and
- verse 11, “By faith”; and on and on it goes.
Romans 5:1-2 NIV
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.”
So we are saved by faith:
- but faith only works if faith works
- because we know that faith without works is dead
We must live our faith:
- our faith is more than a feeling
- our faith must move, trust and build
- we must step out in faith
- to trust and believe in God as he leads.
It has been said that “God works in mysterious ways.”
- God rarely operates how in terms of what we think is normal.
- Many times God does a thing,
- while teaching people to trust Him
For instance:
- God told Abraham to kill his son Isaac, the son with a promise.
- God instructed Noah to build a giant ship, where there was no rain or water.
- Hosea was told to marry a harlot.
- Ezekiel - lay on your side for 390 days and eat a scroll.
- Peter was told to come walk on the water with Jesus.
True faith is courageous:
- To move forward at God’s command
- Often in a new, unusual, or confusing manner
- Because God said to and that’s all that matters.
We can all agree that:
- God’s way is the best way, and
- God has always been faith, and will always be faithful
- So we can TRUST HIM and OBEY HIM FULLY
Today we come to our text in Hebrews 11:30:
- Where God’s people once again face a seemingly impossible situation
- And God gives them really strange instructions
- And by faith they obey God and gain the victory
“By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.”
Hebrews 11:30
Let me set the scene:
- God delivered His people from 400 years of slavery in Egypt
- their disobedience, their UNBELIEF,
- led to their 40 years in the dessert
Recently Israel experienced:
- The miraculous of crossed the Jordan River in Joshua chapters 3-4
- The Israelites finally reach the edge of the Promised Land near Shittim.
- Their great leader Moses had died, and
- God had transferred power from Moses to Joshua
Jericho is the gateway to the Promised Land:
- to get to the land of milk and honey
- First, they must destroy Jericho
The story is given to us in Joshua chapter 6:
- let’s go back to that for a moment.
- You’re familiar with it.
- Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel.
No doubt the people of Jericho had learned:
- of the Israelites arrival and the Egyptian army’s slaughter
- They had been told that the children of Israel were nearby.
- The Israelites were now a feared ARMY.
“Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. 2 But the LORD said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. 3 You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. 4 Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. 5 When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.”
Joshua 6:1-5 (NLT)
There are times when what God tells us to do just doesn’t make sense to us:
By nature we are a people that find it extremely difficult to be submissive:
o We do not like being told what to do
o especially when what we are being told
o sounds completely irrational.
When God’s commands:
- do not make sense our faith is really put to the test
- It is during these times that reveal
- if Jesus is the Lord of our lives.
The story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho is:
- a powerful example of what can happen
- when people are willing to obey God,
- even when His commands do not make any sense.
(https://sermoncentral.com/sermons/faith-obeys-even-when-god-doesn-t-make-sense-scott-chambers-sermon-on-examples-of-faith-113216)
John MacArthur says…
“Just natural human skepticism would say, “Could you go over that again? What? We’re going to conquer how? We’re going to march around the wall once a day, for six days, and then on the seventh day we’re going to march around the wall, and the seventh time we’re going to shout at the top of our voice, and the walls are just going to fall out flat?”
I would conclude that obedience:
o to this command would be an act of faith; wouldn’t you?
o It seems such a strange thing. And,
o Of course, you know the story.
That’s exactly what they did, and then you come down to verse 20:
“When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it. 21 They completely destroyed everything in it with their swords—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys.”
Joshua 6:20-21 (NLT)
It was a massive slaughter:
- God’s peculiar plan worked
- God’s people obeyed and victoried was achieved
- One clear lesson stands out…
The lesson is this:
- It was God who won the battle
- This battle would have failed if God had no brought the victory
- Not one person could claim the Glory,
- The Glory belonged to God.
God just proved true His promises in Joshua 1:
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
God’s people will see victory:
- When they live by faith
- When we trust God and reject fear
- When we seek God’s presence daily
1. Wall moving faith is prepared to confront immovable objects.
Didn’t say it was impossible and turn around.
Didn’t complain and doubt like in the early days and the Caanan spies report.
The reality was that they faced possible death and extinction
God spoke, they believed and had faith in God…
But they trusted God and moved forward
ACC has obstacles we must overcome:
- Making disciples of all nations is a big task, yet it is our task
- People are resistant to the message of the GOSPEL
- Our congregation is small and aging quickly
- Some are resistant to necessary changes
- Some are holding onto traditions that new people don’t understand
- Maybe the biggest thing is this…I think most of us are exhausted…
The message to ACC is this:
- Do not surrender or sit on the side line
- Stay in the fight
- Trust in the Lord
- Go another round, take another step of faith
- God is Faithful,
Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.
“For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.”
1 John 5:4 (NLT)
1. Wall moving faith is prepared to confront immovable objects.
2. Wall moving faith is ready to march to God’s cadence.
Band illustration:
- Marching band, drum line cadence,
- Our sole focus was in following the drum major and keep in step
- We did not beat the drum, we stepped to the drum.
We must not step to the beat of:
- Culture, opinion, traditions of men
- Nor to our own wisdom,
- But to the heartbeat of God
We may have to take some big steps of faith:
- We must be at least willing to be uncomfortable
- If it is Biblical and fulfills God’s purpose for this Church
- If it makes a lost soul more likely to be comfortable here…
Here is a good question:
“Does our comfort become something that trumps the great Commission of making disciples? Is it more important for me to like the music and the facilities, or am I willing to let someone else be comfortable so maybe they will be in heaven one day?”
The Apostle Paul speaks on this topic:
“Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”
Let us tune our hearts to the will of God:
- Choosing God’s way over our own way
- Choosing discomfort if it brings a soul to Christ
- For the believer we decided to follow God wherever He leads…
We think we know what is best.
Have we asked the Lord what He wants?
It does not matter much:
- What you or I think
- Our desire for things to be how they used to be
- Or even what other Churches are doing…
Everything just comes down to:
- Lordship, ownership.
- Jesus is the boss, He is the decision maker.
- We are His so God gets to say what goes…
1. Wall moving faith is prepared to confront immovable objects.
2. Wall moving faith is ready to march to God’s cadence.
3. Wall moving faith trusts God is the source of victory.
In opposition to the ideas that:
- If it’s to be it’s up to me
- Faith is God reliant, not us reliant.
God’s people learned faith in the dessert:
- Daily God provided for them
- Daily God fed them
- Daily God led them
They had lived their entire lives:
- With God as their provider
- If they needed it
- God gave it to them…
All that reminds me of one of our favorite verses…
Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and
I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Is the Lord your SHEPHERD?
WE have lived to much of our lives:
o Thinking that if we want it
o we don’t need to consult God or trust Him
o But rather, we need to just work harder and harder…
Our entire salvation:
- Is built on the fact that
- Jesus saved us on the Cross
- Because we could not save our selves
He loves us and we must live by faith!
We’ve all done our own thing and left God out of it…. many times
That is a bad plan:
- But many times Churches have that sort of thinking
- They look at the people, assess the assets and by those metrics
- Establish what the Church can do…
Where is God in all our plans????
WE know that method is a mistake because:
- God is not limited by our limits,
- God owns everything, lacks nothing
- And wants to give us whatever we ask according to His will
Matthew 6 reminds us the same thing:
- God provides for the birds
- God knows our needs and will provide those
- But we must change our focus from natural to the supernatural
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Matthew 6:33 (KJV)
Jeff Strite writes…
“In a healthy Church, “God chose(s) the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose(s) the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
God doesn’t win the battle with people of power:
- God wins the battle with people of faith. And
- People of faith often look foolish and weak to the world.
- But we still win because… GOD WINS THE BATTLE… not us.
Jesus has done all the heavy lifting:
He won the victory for us at the cross.
He did it all, and
all that remains for us to do is SHOW UP.
But does that mean we don’t DO anything to receive salvation?
No, when God destroyed Jericho, He expected:
- Faith and obedience from the Israelites
- to march around the city for 7 days
- blow their trumpets and shout.
We bring the faith and God brings the salvation….
In the same way:
- God doesn’t need our help to save us:
- But He still expects us to
- DO what He’s asked to receive Salvation.
He asks that we BELIEVE that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
He asks that we acknowledge that we’ve sinned at that we need to REPENT (or turn away from) of our past. And
He asks that we CONFESS that Jesus is Lord – which means we give all that we are and have to Him. And lastly
He asks that we allow ourselves to be buried in the waters of baptism
for the forgiveness of sins and
the gift of the Holy Spirit.
None of those responses to God “buys” our salvation or
- earns the gift of forgiveness He offers, but
- does respond to God in the ways He has requested.
https://sermoncentral.com/sermons/josh-and-the-big-wall-jeff-strite-sermon-on-archeologists-258833
How will you respond to God’s offer of salvation?
- Maybe later…
- Why not now????
- What is the hold up?
More credit for my research…https://youtu.be/orhhshdAB0Y?si=Ox2gX6eE42eTrSKV Jeff Strite provided some good material, I tried to give everyone credit. Most of the stuff I borrow I also edit. I milk a lot of cows but I church my own butter.
