Tangible Faith

Tangible Faith

Hebrews Chapter 11:1-10

This message was by prayer and resources from Sermoncentral

Introduction

I want to talk to you about faith.

I want to talk to you about your faith.

I realize when you talk about faith, people want to say it is a private thing.

They all have their definition of what faith is.

Faith stretches from people believing that faith is a crutch, it is what the weak put their trust in because they are weak in themselves. All the way to people who have enough faith that they can move mountains and change lives.

Question- where would you place yourself on that scale?

Don’t believe in faith? You have to show me everything.

To extreme faith- where you put your complete faith and trust in the Lord.

The next thing to realize is there is physical faith and spiritual faith.

While you can have both, they do not operate in the same manner.

Everyday we express faith in something.

You got in the car on the way here. You had faith that it would start.

You turned on that light switch, you expected and had faith that light would come on.

You didn’t build that pew, but you believed that it would hold you.

Physical faith is in objects.

spiritual faith:

you believe that there is someone or something bigger than you to put your trust in. Now I said it that way because spiritually, people don’t believe the same way.

Muslum’s believe in the Koran, Mohammad.

Humanist believe in himself.

Atheist believe in nature, happened by chance.

Christianity, put their spiritual trust in Jesus Christ.

Are you seeing something here?

Your faith is only going to be as good as the object or the person that you put your faith in.

Titled the sermon Tangible Faith.

By definition Tangible means:

capable of being perceived. Able to touch. Substantially real, capable of being identified or realized by your mind. Able to be appraised at or approximate value.

That’s the kind of faith I am looking for. That is what kind you should desire.

Able to identify it, realize that it is real. Having actual value.

Lets see what God’s word has to say about it.

Hebrews 11:1-10 read

Hebrews 11 is a classic. It is the chapter of faith.

Physical faith is built on what you can see.

The chair looks strong enough, I will sit down.

I didn’t build the building, but it looks strong. I’ve seen others come in and out, I’ll enter in.

But spiritual faith, more important, faith in God is different.

“Now faith is the substance(assurance) of things hoped for and evidence(conviction) of what we do not see.”

Walking in faith in God is believing in what we cannot see (yet)

This passage gives us two examples.

Noah - who spent 120 years building a boat on dry land. Spent that time trying to reach people, to only have 7 people except the offer. His family that would be saved. Telling people that God is providing an ark of safety, his way of protection. Put your faith in God

Today , that ark is Jesus Christ, the bridge, high priest, savior for mankind.

The second example is Abraham.

Called to leave his country, leave his comfort zone. To go somewhere that he did not know. He was looking forward to city with foundations, whose architect and builder was God.

We know faith is not by sight.

Without faith, we cannot please God.

We know that faith will take us out of our comfort zone.

The world says - seeing is believing, God says, believing is seeing.

People today, a lot are on spiritual journeys, unfortunately, God is not invited.

They are spiritually starving. Instead of being hungry for the word of God, they relay on what someone tells them.

How many quote the Bible out of context while trying to prove a point.

How many don’t know the Bible, but say that they love by it.

Barna resource:

60 % of Americans cannot name 5 out of the 10 commandments.

63 % cannot name the four gospels of the New Testament.

81 % believe that the quote- “God helps those who help themselves” is a direct quote from the Bible.

Most believe that Joan of Ark is the wife of Noah.

Faith is personal

It is a relationship with Jesus Christ. It is not an object.

It is not the 5 senses.

Seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and tasting.

It is common sense- that the promises of Jesus are true.

It is about the evidence, assurance, confidence that we put in out Lord.

It is realizing and living out that Biblical faith has power.

The power of real faith allows ordinary people to do extra-ordinary things.

It is realizing that Christ said in John 14