Jesus Christ, Our Victory Of Faith
Text: Hebrews Chapter Eleven
Our salvation comes from "Faith" in Jesus Christ!
But "faith" is not new to the New Testament.
It was Adam's lack of faith that brought sin into this world!
Our Faith is the only way we can approach our God!
Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Jas 1:6 [But let him ask in faith], nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
We will not get any response from God if we do not have faith!
Saving "faith" involves three main things:
1.) Saving faith involves Knowledge: There are certain basic truths that must be believed for salvation.
We must believe that Jesus is who He says He is.
Joh 8:23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
Joh 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
We must believe that all men are sinners!
We must believe in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sin!
We must believe in His bodily resurrection!
2.) Saving faith involves Conviction: There must be an inner conviction that the Gospel is the truth and it is the truth that makes us free.
Conviction comes from the Holy Spirit who will convince each of us that the world is full of sin, and righteousness and judgment will come from the Godhead in Heaven.
3.) Saving faith involves Trust: As a result of the knowledge of Christ Jesus and the conviction of the Holy Spirit, we must make a decision to to place our lives in the hands of of God.
And, This must come from the heart of each of us.
Our "faith" is the greatest power we have in this world!
The "Bible Faith" is to have total confidence in "all" the Word of God!
We must believe regardless of circumstances or consequences!
We should have only one operation of our "faith".
God speaks and we hear and obey!
Because unbelief is the greatest sin against God and it is the only sin that cannot be forgiven, we need a testimony of "faith"!
This is the theme of today's lesson.
It is so easy to try to make our Christian life a series of rules.
We all think we need some kind of guideline to live by BUT it is our "faith" that gets us close to Our Father in Heaven and that only through His Son, we know as Jesus.
*****Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
First of all, Faith is not some blind opinion that everything happens for the best!
Faith is not That everything in nature is the order of the universe!
Our faith is not that everything in this universe will produce good!
God said man will wax worse as time goes by, so things can never get better!
our Faith is not based on believing in spite of the evidence to the contrary!
Our faith has to be based on the Word of God!
Our Faith must have substance!
Faith is a real thing!
The object of that real thing must be Lord Jesus Christ!
Faith is to a Christian as a foundation is to a house!
If foundation is not solid then the house will settle and fall.
Our "faith" is the substance of our "Hope"!
Our "Hope" must be in the promises that are recorded in the Word of God!
The evidence of our "faith" is the fact that we can believe on invisible things because we can see the visible evidence of those invisible things.
Evidence is something you can take to court to prove your innocence.
Our Faith cannot be just a leap into the dark!
Our Faith cannot be an "I hope so" statement!
"Faith" is real!
"Faith" is measurable!
And we can have evidence for our "faith"!
*****Heb 11:2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Who were these elders?
These were the fathers of the nation of Israel.
This chapter we are studying gives us a list of most of those elders.
That good report did not come because they were perfect people nor even because they were great leaders.
That good report came because they believed the Word of God!
God wants us to be saved by "faith" but we must not come up short because God also wants us all to "walk by faith"!
We have already seen that our prayers cannot be answered unless we have faith!
In fact God will not even hear us unless we have enough faith to believe He can accomplish what we ask Him to do!
Jesus says to pick up our cross daily and follow Him but there is no need to pick up that cross unless we are "motivated by faith" in the Word of God.
We must walk by "faith" and not by sight!
*****Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
We must totally accept Creation just as it is written down for us in the Book of Genesis, The Book of the beginnings!
Evolution had no part in God's Creation!
God spoke and things happened just as it is written!
There are many people in this world that place their faith in evolution. In fact it takes a greater faith to believe in evolution than it does in the facts of Creation written down for us.
BUT, Evolution is not a science it is simply another false religion!
Our "faith" in the Word of God allows us to see the future as present and the invisible, as things we can see.
Can you get a picture of your mansion in Heaven, well it's there and it's real and it is in God's House in Heaven!
If God did not make mankind, then man had to make God.
I find that to be impossible in my mind but all false religion is based on man-made gods or on objects that our true God created.
God started with nothing and we can see what He has created!
That word "framed" means that God made everything He created to fit perfectly together.
Isa 40:12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
*****Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
When we read this verse we see that we can approach God only in our faith!
Let's review:
Gen 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
Gen 4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Gen 4:6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
Gen 4:7 [If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door]. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
The Bible tells us:
Rom 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: [for whatsoever is not of faith is sin].
Cain clearly understood that if he had no faith then it was sin!
AND, Cain's lack of faith led to the first murder in the Bible!
God had made it very clear with the sin of Adam, when He had shed the blood of an innocent animal to make those first clothes.
Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Cain clearly understood these things yet He still rebelled against the Word of God.
God has made it very clear to us all:
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
To ignore the Word of God will bring eternal damnation!
God had revealed to Adam and his descendant the true way to worship. Abel obeyed God by "faith".
But, Cain showed his lack of "faith".
1Jn 3:12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
Cain was full of religion but he was not righteous!
Who was the first Martyr of faith? Then it had to be Abel the son of Adam.
Because of his "faith" Abel is still speaking to all who would read and study the Word of God!
Because of his death and his blood was shed by the wicked Cain, Abel is still speaking to the Father who will bring vengeance on this world.
And God says:
Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, [that speaketh better things than that of Abel.]
*****Heb 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.
The Book of Genesis gives us this information:
Gen 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
The Bible says clearly that Enoch did not die like other men!
Enoch was translated!
God took Enoch. The word "took" in Hebrew means God fetched him away, God carried him away!
In fact the word "took" can mean these things: to take, to get, to fetch, to lay hold of, to seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away
In the New Testament we find these words:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be [caught up together with them] in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
This what we believe to be the "Rapture" of the church before the tribulation period.
Those words "caught up" have a similar meaning: to seize, carry off by force, to seize on, claim for one’s self eagerly, to snatch out or away.
What happened to Enoch was was so unusual that no one else in the Old Testament had this experience before the flood and only Elijah had a similar experience after the flood.
2Ki 2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah [went up by a whirlwind into heaven].
We can see that Elijah was taken up, or brought up, or taken away.
These things happened to people that please God and God gives us the the exact same way to please Him!
*****Heb 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.
We come into our classroom every Sunday morning and flop down in these seats with "faith" enough in them that they will keep us from falling to the ground yet, we cannot have enough "faith" in the Word of God that brings rewards greater than anything that we can imagine!
What is our problem?
We just do not believe what God says!
Why is the nation of Israel suffering today?
Psa 78:21 Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;
Psa 78:22 [Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:]
What does God say to us all in the New Covenant?
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
We have God's Book of Facts!
We have God's remedy for a rewarding life!
We have God's answer to all our problems!
It's called "Faith"!
It is IMPOSSIBLE to please God without "FAITH"!
So, What are some examples of what "faith" can do?
*****Noah had never even heard of rain or thunder storms but he had "faith" in the Word of God. The world was destroyed but Noah and his family was saved.
God gives this example and this warning:
2Pe 2:5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
*****Abraham left his home seeking a city built of God. He knew it was not on this Earth because he lived in a tent!
Php 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
This our place of true fellowship!
*****Sara had enough "faith" to believe God would allow her to have a child, though she had not ever had one for 90 years, and to not only have this child but to raise this child.
She also had enough "faith" to believe that her husband, who was Abraham, though 100 years old could be a father and help her raise this child.
*****Abraham had "faith" enough in the promises of God to believe that even if he killed his only son that God could still raise him up from the dead and the nation of Israel would still be formed.
*****Isaac believed the Word of God and taught it to his sons!
*****Joseph knew that Egypt was not the place of the promises and requested that Israel take his bones to the promise land. He knew that it was not Canaan land because he knew it was not in this world.
*****Jochebed knew that God had plans that she could not totally understand and she was not about to let some King take her child Moses. Moses was given into the hands of God.
*****Moses knew though the world hated the children of God, yet he chose to be one of them.
Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
*****Moses knew that he served the living God and no king of this earth could change that fact:
2Co 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
2Co 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
*****Moses understood the absolute "Grace" of God when he was making the symbol of the cross on the threshold those homes.
1Pe 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
*****Moses understood the mercy of God and that no body of water could hinder the progress of God's people.
Psa 136:13 To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:15 But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy endureth for ever.
*****Joshua knew it would have to be God's plan and not his own that would bring down the walls of Jericho.
2Co 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
2Co 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
*****Rahab had faith as did Gideon, and Barak, and Samson, Jephthah, and David and Samuel and all those true prophets of God.
1Pe 1:10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1Pe 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
It is by "faith" our weakness are made strong, our bodies are healed, that we escape the evil of this world, and that we are strong enough to fight back.
*****Heb 11:36 [And others] had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
Heb 11:37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
Heb 11:38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
These others are the unnamed army of God!
These are the true heroes of "faith"!
These are the ones who would not renounce their "faith" for any reason!
These things still happen to Christians right now in our day.
Christian persecution happens in all Muslim nations, in all Hindu nations, and in all Atheist nations which are mostly communist and it is on the rise in America.
It has even been said "why do not the Christians leave America if we do not like the changes".
I can say only one thing to that. This nation of America was founded by people seeking a place to worship the God of the Bible freely.
As a soldier I fought for the freedoms this nation offers to those that are oppressed!
I pray my faith is strong enough to join the ranks of the people mentioned in these verses.
The Apostle Peter wrote:
1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
Peter also wrote:
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, [yet believing], ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
It is in our "faith" that we can find joy!
The prophet Isaiah also wrote:
Isa 57:1 The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.
Isa 57:2 He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.
The world does not care when one of God 's children is killed or maimed but it is for sure that they have been taken away from the evil that is still to come in the future.
Rest assured not one of God's children will suffer in Heaven!
When we realize we are going to a better place then the trials of this Earth should be meaningless!
Life is precious and we should never rush to death but we should not be afraid of death!
2Co 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
Just as a child of God is not worthy of the "Grace" of God, the World is not worthy of those that love the Lord enough to lay down their lives for Him!
*****Heb 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
It is by "Faith" these others and these that are named were able to accomplish the things of God!
We are weak Christians when we try to blend into this world unnoticed!
This may be the biggest problem our young people face today because peer pressure is so great!
But we must all realize that we are not alone!
God's people and including Jesus Christ Our Savior, are going to be persecuted for what we believe in!
We have to turn that persecution into a motivational tool that keeps us going.
We still must realize the closer we get to God the Father and His Son the greater our protection!
And it should be our goal to get closer to the Lord Our God!
But, that does not mean that God will not let others see us suffer persecution or even death!
It's God's plan, we just need to get involved in His plan and we will all soon be going home!
These Old Testament saints look forward to the promises.
Job said:
Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
Job 19:26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
The New Testament child of God looks forward to the fulfillment of those promises!
The Apostle Paul said:
1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
We should all ask ourselves "where is our Faith"?
Questions?
Let's pray!
Text: Hebrews Chapter Eleven
Our salvation comes from "Faith" in Jesus Christ!
But "faith" is not new to the New Testament.
It was Adam's lack of faith that brought sin into this world!
Our Faith is the only way we can approach our God!
Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Jas 1:6 [But let him ask in faith], nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
We will not get any response from God if we do not have faith!
Saving "faith" involves three main things:
1.) Saving faith involves Knowledge: There are certain basic truths that must be believed for salvation.
We must believe that Jesus is who He says He is.
Joh 8:23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
Joh 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
We must believe that all men are sinners!
We must believe in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sin!
We must believe in His bodily resurrection!
2.) Saving faith involves Conviction: There must be an inner conviction that the Gospel is the truth and it is the truth that makes us free.
Conviction comes from the Holy Spirit who will convince each of us that the world is full of sin, and righteousness and judgment will come from the Godhead in Heaven.
3.) Saving faith involves Trust: As a result of the knowledge of Christ Jesus and the conviction of the Holy Spirit, we must make a decision to to place our lives in the hands of of God.
And, This must come from the heart of each of us.
Our "faith" is the greatest power we have in this world!
The "Bible Faith" is to have total confidence in "all" the Word of God!
We must believe regardless of circumstances or consequences!
We should have only one operation of our "faith".
God speaks and we hear and obey!
Because unbelief is the greatest sin against God and it is the only sin that cannot be forgiven, we need a testimony of "faith"!
This is the theme of today's lesson.
It is so easy to try to make our Christian life a series of rules.
We all think we need some kind of guideline to live by BUT it is our "faith" that gets us close to Our Father in Heaven and that only through His Son, we know as Jesus.
*****Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
First of all, Faith is not some blind opinion that everything happens for the best!
Faith is not That everything in nature is the order of the universe!
Our faith is not that everything in this universe will produce good!
God said man will wax worse as time goes by, so things can never get better!
our Faith is not based on believing in spite of the evidence to the contrary!
Our faith has to be based on the Word of God!
Our Faith must have substance!
Faith is a real thing!
The object of that real thing must be Lord Jesus Christ!
Faith is to a Christian as a foundation is to a house!
If foundation is not solid then the house will settle and fall.
Our "faith" is the substance of our "Hope"!
Our "Hope" must be in the promises that are recorded in the Word of God!
The evidence of our "faith" is the fact that we can believe on invisible things because we can see the visible evidence of those invisible things.
Evidence is something you can take to court to prove your innocence.
Our Faith cannot be just a leap into the dark!
Our Faith cannot be an "I hope so" statement!
"Faith" is real!
"Faith" is measurable!
And we can have evidence for our "faith"!
*****Heb 11:2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Who were these elders?
These were the fathers of the nation of Israel.
This chapter we are studying gives us a list of most of those elders.
That good report did not come because they were perfect people nor even because they were great leaders.
That good report came because they believed the Word of God!
God wants us to be saved by "faith" but we must not come up short because God also wants us all to "walk by faith"!
We have already seen that our prayers cannot be answered unless we have faith!
In fact God will not even hear us unless we have enough faith to believe He can accomplish what we ask Him to do!
Jesus says to pick up our cross daily and follow Him but there is no need to pick up that cross unless we are "motivated by faith" in the Word of God.
We must walk by "faith" and not by sight!
*****Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
We must totally accept Creation just as it is written down for us in the Book of Genesis, The Book of the beginnings!
Evolution had no part in God's Creation!
God spoke and things happened just as it is written!
There are many people in this world that place their faith in evolution. In fact it takes a greater faith to believe in evolution than it does in the facts of Creation written down for us.
BUT, Evolution is not a science it is simply another false religion!
Our "faith" in the Word of God allows us to see the future as present and the invisible, as things we can see.
Can you get a picture of your mansion in Heaven, well it's there and it's real and it is in God's House in Heaven!
If God did not make mankind, then man had to make God.
I find that to be impossible in my mind but all false religion is based on man-made gods or on objects that our true God created.
God started with nothing and we can see what He has created!
That word "framed" means that God made everything He created to fit perfectly together.
Isa 40:12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
*****Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
When we read this verse we see that we can approach God only in our faith!
Let's review:
Gen 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
Gen 4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Gen 4:6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
Gen 4:7 [If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door]. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
The Bible tells us:
Rom 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: [for whatsoever is not of faith is sin].
Cain clearly understood that if he had no faith then it was sin!
AND, Cain's lack of faith led to the first murder in the Bible!
God had made it very clear with the sin of Adam, when He had shed the blood of an innocent animal to make those first clothes.
Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Cain clearly understood these things yet He still rebelled against the Word of God.
God has made it very clear to us all:
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
To ignore the Word of God will bring eternal damnation!
God had revealed to Adam and his descendant the true way to worship. Abel obeyed God by "faith".
But, Cain showed his lack of "faith".
1Jn 3:12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
Cain was full of religion but he was not righteous!
Who was the first Martyr of faith? Then it had to be Abel the son of Adam.
Because of his "faith" Abel is still speaking to all who would read and study the Word of God!
Because of his death and his blood was shed by the wicked Cain, Abel is still speaking to the Father who will bring vengeance on this world.
And God says:
Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, [that speaketh better things than that of Abel.]
*****Heb 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.
The Book of Genesis gives us this information:
Gen 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
The Bible says clearly that Enoch did not die like other men!
Enoch was translated!
God took Enoch. The word "took" in Hebrew means God fetched him away, God carried him away!
In fact the word "took" can mean these things: to take, to get, to fetch, to lay hold of, to seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away
In the New Testament we find these words:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be [caught up together with them] in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
This what we believe to be the "Rapture" of the church before the tribulation period.
Those words "caught up" have a similar meaning: to seize, carry off by force, to seize on, claim for one’s self eagerly, to snatch out or away.
What happened to Enoch was was so unusual that no one else in the Old Testament had this experience before the flood and only Elijah had a similar experience after the flood.
2Ki 2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah [went up by a whirlwind into heaven].
We can see that Elijah was taken up, or brought up, or taken away.
These things happened to people that please God and God gives us the the exact same way to please Him!
*****Heb 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.
We come into our classroom every Sunday morning and flop down in these seats with "faith" enough in them that they will keep us from falling to the ground yet, we cannot have enough "faith" in the Word of God that brings rewards greater than anything that we can imagine!
What is our problem?
We just do not believe what God says!
Why is the nation of Israel suffering today?
Psa 78:21 Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;
Psa 78:22 [Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:]
What does God say to us all in the New Covenant?
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
We have God's Book of Facts!
We have God's remedy for a rewarding life!
We have God's answer to all our problems!
It's called "Faith"!
It is IMPOSSIBLE to please God without "FAITH"!
So, What are some examples of what "faith" can do?
*****Noah had never even heard of rain or thunder storms but he had "faith" in the Word of God. The world was destroyed but Noah and his family was saved.
God gives this example and this warning:
2Pe 2:5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
*****Abraham left his home seeking a city built of God. He knew it was not on this Earth because he lived in a tent!
Php 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
This our place of true fellowship!
*****Sara had enough "faith" to believe God would allow her to have a child, though she had not ever had one for 90 years, and to not only have this child but to raise this child.
She also had enough "faith" to believe that her husband, who was Abraham, though 100 years old could be a father and help her raise this child.
*****Abraham had "faith" enough in the promises of God to believe that even if he killed his only son that God could still raise him up from the dead and the nation of Israel would still be formed.
*****Isaac believed the Word of God and taught it to his sons!
*****Joseph knew that Egypt was not the place of the promises and requested that Israel take his bones to the promise land. He knew that it was not Canaan land because he knew it was not in this world.
*****Jochebed knew that God had plans that she could not totally understand and she was not about to let some King take her child Moses. Moses was given into the hands of God.
*****Moses knew though the world hated the children of God, yet he chose to be one of them.
Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
*****Moses knew that he served the living God and no king of this earth could change that fact:
2Co 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
2Co 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
*****Moses understood the absolute "Grace" of God when he was making the symbol of the cross on the threshold those homes.
1Pe 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
*****Moses understood the mercy of God and that no body of water could hinder the progress of God's people.
Psa 136:13 To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:15 But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy endureth for ever.
*****Joshua knew it would have to be God's plan and not his own that would bring down the walls of Jericho.
2Co 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
2Co 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
*****Rahab had faith as did Gideon, and Barak, and Samson, Jephthah, and David and Samuel and all those true prophets of God.
1Pe 1:10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1Pe 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
It is by "faith" our weakness are made strong, our bodies are healed, that we escape the evil of this world, and that we are strong enough to fight back.
*****Heb 11:36 [And others] had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
Heb 11:37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
Heb 11:38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
These others are the unnamed army of God!
These are the true heroes of "faith"!
These are the ones who would not renounce their "faith" for any reason!
These things still happen to Christians right now in our day.
Christian persecution happens in all Muslim nations, in all Hindu nations, and in all Atheist nations which are mostly communist and it is on the rise in America.
It has even been said "why do not the Christians leave America if we do not like the changes".
I can say only one thing to that. This nation of America was founded by people seeking a place to worship the God of the Bible freely.
As a soldier I fought for the freedoms this nation offers to those that are oppressed!
I pray my faith is strong enough to join the ranks of the people mentioned in these verses.
The Apostle Peter wrote:
1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
Peter also wrote:
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, [yet believing], ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
It is in our "faith" that we can find joy!
The prophet Isaiah also wrote:
Isa 57:1 The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.
Isa 57:2 He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.
The world does not care when one of God 's children is killed or maimed but it is for sure that they have been taken away from the evil that is still to come in the future.
Rest assured not one of God's children will suffer in Heaven!
When we realize we are going to a better place then the trials of this Earth should be meaningless!
Life is precious and we should never rush to death but we should not be afraid of death!
2Co 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
Just as a child of God is not worthy of the "Grace" of God, the World is not worthy of those that love the Lord enough to lay down their lives for Him!
*****Heb 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
It is by "Faith" these others and these that are named were able to accomplish the things of God!
We are weak Christians when we try to blend into this world unnoticed!
This may be the biggest problem our young people face today because peer pressure is so great!
But we must all realize that we are not alone!
God's people and including Jesus Christ Our Savior, are going to be persecuted for what we believe in!
We have to turn that persecution into a motivational tool that keeps us going.
We still must realize the closer we get to God the Father and His Son the greater our protection!
And it should be our goal to get closer to the Lord Our God!
But, that does not mean that God will not let others see us suffer persecution or even death!
It's God's plan, we just need to get involved in His plan and we will all soon be going home!
These Old Testament saints look forward to the promises.
Job said:
Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
Job 19:26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
The New Testament child of God looks forward to the fulfillment of those promises!
The Apostle Paul said:
1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
We should all ask ourselves "where is our Faith"?
Questions?
Let's pray!
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