I had some trouble figuring out what I was going to say tonight; but in my spirit, I just couldn’t get away from "going back to the basics". So I sat around listening to tapes and mp3s from yesteryear of some young ministers speaking. Tapes of Evangelist Dustin Ivy, Presbyter Rusty Gwinner and of course my self, Pastor Precht... Now in your minds some of you are laughing at these ideas right now, but by faith and trusting in the Lord these could be our titles as the leaders of tomorrow.
Hebrews 11:1-2 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Dropping down to verse 6:
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
And now what I am going to focus on here, the latter portion of the fifth verse.
Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
When We come into the house of God and think that God cannot hear us, that God cannot heal us, that God cannot heal us or even that God cannot Save us, we have put this burden on ourselves and making these statements true....For as your faith is, so be it. When you have this attitude about us, we have a testimony of doubt, but tonight you can have a testimony of faith....
Tonight you can have faith in many things.
Have faith that your family will be saved, Just talk to Noah.
Have faith that the promise God made years ago WILL come to pass, look at Abraham.
Have faith that you can get a new way to walk, just ask Jacob hilting upon his thigh.
Have faith that He equips those he calls, Listen to Moses the stutterer.
Have faith that He will restore the backslider, Just ask the fallen King David.
Have faith that He will stop those that persecute you, just look at Pharaoh’s army doing the back stroke under the Red Sea.
Have faith that He will honor a heart given sacrifice, Don’t just take my word for it, ask Abel.
Have faith that You can worship your entire life, ask Joseph who was leaning on his staff.
Have faith that He will indeed perform a miracle, just ask Lazarus, Jairus’s Daughter, the thousands that were fed, the lame man at the Gate Beautiful, the damsel possessed with the spirit of divination, Paul & Silas’s Jailer, the woman with the issue of blood, and that list could go on forever.
But most of all Tonight have faith that if you walk with Jesus the way His Word says to, that He will take you to where He is, and if you don’t believe me, thats quite alright I know Brother Enoch does!
The Greek word inverse two that they translated as "good report" is martureo (mar-too-reh-o), the same word used in verse five that was translated as "testimony." That means that the Elders had the same testimony that Enoch had, which also means that tonight WE TOO CAN HAVE IT!!!! So its up to each one of us tonight whether we want to be in the mullygrubs with out testimony of complaisance doubt or whether we will rejoice standing on his promises and have a testimony of faith. I don’t know about you tonight, but as for me, I will strive for the Testimony of Faith, that I might please Him!
