SERIES: “THE GROWTH FACTORS”
TEXT: HEBREWS 11:1-12
TITLE: “THE FAITH FACTOR”
INTRODUCTION: A. A long time ago, I heard a preacher tell a story about two fools and a flashlight.
It seems that two fellows who were not-too-bright were traveling home after a trip
to another town. It started getting dark and one fellow asked, “What are we going to
do? If it gets too dark, we won’t be able to find the footbridge that crosses the river
and we won’t be able to get home.” The other fellow replies, “Don’t worry. We’ll
figure out something when we get there.”
They finally make it to the river and not only is it dark, it’s also overcast. There’s
no moon visible. They can’t see very far in front of them.
One of the fellows remember that he has a rope in his traveling bag but they can’t
figure out how to use the rope to get across. The other fellow then remembers that he
packed a flashlight.
The first fellow gets real excited. He’s got an idea. He says, “I’ll tie the rope to
the flashlight. Then I’m going to shine it across the river. You walk across on the
beam of light carrying the rope. When you get to the other side, you pull the flashlight
across and I’ll walk across.”
The second fellow is shaking his head, “No.” He says, “Uh, uh! No way! I know
what’s gonna happen – I’ll get halfway across and you’ll turn off the flashlight.”
--For you IU fans, I know you’re thinking, “I heard that as a Kentucky joke.” I’m
here to tell you that I heard it as an Indiana joke, so let’s not go there.
B. To the world, faith is foolishness
1. It’s really no different than those two fellows in the flashlight story
--It’d be nice if it worked but good luck in the real life
2. The world sees faith as wishful thinking
C. The Bible teaches something different
1. Hab. 2:4b – “…the righteous will live by his faith.”
2. Prov. 3:5-6 – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths
straight.”
3. 2 Cor. 5:7 – “We live by faith, not by sight.”
D. Jesus spoke about two kinds of faith
1. Little faith
a. Mt. 8, there’s a huge storm on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus is asleep and the
disciples are scared to death. They scream and yell like little girls until Jesus
wakes up and stops the storm.
b. Mt. 8:26 – “‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and
rebuked the winds and the waves and it was completely calm.”
2. Great faith
a. Earlier, in Mt. 8, there’s a Roman centurion who asks Jesus to come and heal his
deathly ill servant. The centurion acknowledges that he knows where Jesus’
authority comes from and that if Jesus wishes, that his servant will be healed.
b. Mt. 8:10 – “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great
faith.”
E. Heb. 11:1-2 – “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do
not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he
lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is
God. By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was
barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had
made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the
seashore.”
F. So what is faith?
1. How does it determine our growth patterns numerically and in spiritual maturity?
2. What does it have to do with everyday living?
3. Let’s determine those things based on scripture
I. FAITH SHOWS ITSELF IN WHAT WE BELIEVE
A. Faith is defined in vs. 1
1. Faith is our “assurance”
a. It is our “title-deed””
b. It is our foundation for doing what we do
2. Faith is our certainty
a. We are convinced along certain lines
b. We’ve trusted in certain things
3. Both of those words are in sharp contrast to wishful thinking
--whether they want to admit it or not, Americans live by faith every day
a. We walk to a light switch, turn it on, and expect the light bulb to emit light
b. We go to the spigot, turn it on, and expect water to come out
c. We get in our automobiles, insert the key, and expect the engine to start
d. There’s a possibility that what we expect won’t happen but we do what we do because we’re
confidently assured that we’re going to get what we expect
4. Faith says, “I’ve seen just enough of God’s faithfulness in one area to trust Him in other areas.”
5. Darryl Dash: “Faith is the confident assurance that God is in control of the future and that he will keep
his promises to me because he has a purpose for me. Faith is building your life on the fact that God is in
control, and that God will fulfill his promises even when you don’t see those promises materializing.”
B. Faith becomes our calm assurance in the face of an unbelieving world
1. Faith anchors our hope in the creation of the world rather than evolution through blind chance
--that we were designed by a loving and caring Creator and we’re not just an accident of the universe
2. Faith anchors our hope in the future resurrection of the body because Christ was raised from the dead
3. Faith anchors our hope in the providence of God because the Bible tells us that He will supply all of
our need
II. FAITH SHOWS ITSELF IN HOW WE LIVE
A. Since God is in control and since we can trust Him to do what is right and best, will we do what He
wants us to do?
1. When God asks us to witness about Jesus to someone else, will we trust that He has made preparations
already in that person’s heart?
2. When God challenges us to examine our lives, will we trust that He will show us a better way?
3. When God says you’re too comfortable in your relationship with His Son, will we step out of our
comfort zone and grow closer?
4. When God leads us through tests and trials to teach us more about Himself, will we become bitter or
better?
5. When Jesus says, “I will build my church,” do we believe that or do we sit and ring our hands because
we don’t know what to do next?
6. When there’s ministry that needs accomplished, we will step out in faith and spend the money even
when we think we can’t afford it?
7. When something needs to be done, will we say, “I can’t do that?” or respond “I’ll do all that I can?”
8. When the Bible gives clear instruction concerning the purposes of the church, will we be committed to
accomplishing those purposes or will we sit back and say, “It’s too much to ask?”
B. Faith is being obedient even when we don’t understand
--faith always involves a risk
1. Abraham was obedient even when he didn’t know where he was going
a. He was old, comfortable, and settled when God came and said, “I want you to go to a land of
promise”
--Gen. 12:4b – “Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.”
b. Yet, he packed his household and took off on the journey of a lifetime
2. Abraham was obedient even when he didn’t know how it was going to happen
a. If Abraham was too old and too settled to move from a place of comfort to a place of uncertainty,
he was way too old for the next promise from God
b. God had promised to make a great nation out of Abraham – that his descendants would be as
numerous as the stars in the sky
--that’s difficult when you’ve never had a child
1). When Abraham was 99, God came and said, “Now it’s time.”
2). Our scripture this morning says that Abraham was dead in the sense that he could conceive
children
3). It seemed such a ludicrous idea that his wife Sarah, age 90, laughed
--She was going to use her Social Security check to buy diapers and formula
C. Understanding faith more completely
1. Faith isn’t always comfortable
2. Faith involves commitment
3. Faith is a continual process
III. FAITH SHOWS ITSELF IN HOW WE GIVE
A. Abel
a. Heb. 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.”
b. Gen. 4:2b-5a – “Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought
some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of
the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his
offering he did not look with favor.”
B. Abraham
1. Heb. 11:17-19 – “By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had
received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him,
‘It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.’ Abraham reasoned that God could raise the
dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.”
2. Gen. 22:1-2 – “Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he
replied. Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of
Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." “
3. Gen. 22:6-8 – “Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he
himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said
to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here,"
Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham answered, "God himself will
provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.”
IV. FAITH SHOWS ITSELF IN HOW WE SERVE
A. Enoch
1. Heb. 11:5 – “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.”
2. Gen. 5:24 – “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”
B. Noah
1. Gen. 6
a. Rain never mentioned before in the Bible
b. Whether Noah had seen rain and flooding before, he’d never seen it like this before
c. It took quite awhile to assemble a large enough vessel and gather all the required species of
animals
--It wasn’t an easy task – especially for a man 600 years old who was neither an expert in ship-
building or animal husbandry
2. Heb. 11:7 – “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.”
--Noah’s faith accomplished God’s purposes in punishing a wicked sinful world and yet continued a
lineage of people through whom the Savior of all time would come
CONCLUSION: A. The faith that pleases God
--Heb. 11:6 – “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.”
--this faith shows itself in:
1. Our worship – Abraham and Abel
2. Our walking – Enoch
3. Our working – Noah
B. Here’s the challenge to First Christian Church, Washington, IN:
1. In October, 1864, a group of people started First Christian Church
a. They met in the courthouse for the first year then purchased the old Presbyterian
church building for $750.00
b. That start took faith
2. The first building erected on this site was dedicated on Feb. 21, 1897
--that took faith
3. The first building was destroyed by fire on Jan. 6, 1911
a. This facility was dedicated on May 9, 1912
b. That took faith
4. There was a split that occurred that formed the local Disciples congregation
--First Christian kept going and that took faith
5. In 1979, when a large contingent of people walked out of a worship service with the
preacher to form a new congregation, and leaving those left behind stunned, First
Christian Church kept going
6. Have we begun to think that we came through those things all on our own merits?
--No! It was faith in the God who said, “I will never leave you or forsake you. I will
uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
7. Faith accomplishes much more than we could ever hope or imagine
a. We have a God who is great, a Savior who is loving and kind, and the Spirit of God
within us
b. Because of that, we have all we need to move forward in the 21st century and
beyond being obedient to a God who is faithful to His promises and provides all we
ever need
c. God has left First Christian Church in Washington for a reason
1). Will we step out in faith and accomplish that purpose in a mighty way?
2). From today forward, the decision is yours
C. We need to be like the disciples who cried, “Lord, increase our faith!” and like the father
of the boy who needed deliverance from demon-possession who cried, “Lord, I believe!
Help my unbelief.”
1. 1 Cor. 2:5 – “Your faith should not stand on men’s wisdom but on the power of God.”
2. Jesus asks in Lk. 18:8 – “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith?”
3. 1 Jn. 5:4b says that our faith is “the victory that overcomes the world.”
D. Jesus spoke of faith the size of a mustard seed being able to accomplish great things.
1. It’s not the size of the faith, it’s the strength of the faith
2. The strength of our faith is only as good as the source of our faith
--The source of our faith is Jesus Christ and what He can do through us
3. Several years back, the evening news reported on a videographer who jumped from
a plane along with numerous other skydivers and filmed the groups as they fell and
opened their parachutes. On the film shown on the telecast, as the final skydiver
opened his chute, the picture went berserk. The announcer reported that the
cameraman had fallen to his death, having jumped out of the plane without his
parachute. It wasn’t until he reached for the absent ripcord that he realized he was
free-falling without a parachute.
Until that point, the jump probably seemed exciting and fun. But tragically, he had
acted with thoughtless haste and deadly foolishness. Nothing could save him because
his faith was in a parachute he never buckled on. Faith in anything but an all-sufficient
God can be just as tragic spiritually. Only with faith in Jesus Christ do we dare step
into the dangerous excitement of life and death.
