Living by Faith

[00:00:00] Today we're going to talk about living by faith. [00:00:04] And I'm going to be looking at Hebrews 11. [00:00:08] That's one of the most well known Bible chapters that gives us insight to living by faith and not by sight. The verses are going to be on the screen, but if you have your Bible with you and you'd like to follow along, please do. It's going to be a little bit of a Bible study style sermon where we're going to work through that chapter together. [00:00:31] As I started to look at it, I realized just how much there is in this chapter. [00:00:36] So if I talk too long, I give you the, what do you call it, words gone out of my head, the permission, that's it, to give me the wind up signal. Okay, so we're going to start at Hebrews chapter 11, verse 1. [00:00:58] Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. [00:01:06] That's the Bible's clear definition of faith. And it really doesn't get much plainer than that. [00:01:13] Faith deals with certainty. [00:01:17] There's no doubts, there's no maybes. It's not saying that maybe something we hope for will happen even though we can't see it. Now, faith's that certainty in our hearts and in our minds as well, that confidence of knowing without any tangible evidence. [00:01:40] So now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. [00:01:47] The rest of Hebrews 11 tells us more about living by faith. And verse two says, this is what the ancients were commended for. [00:01:57] And we're going to talk through how some of those things work for those ancients. [00:02:02] And you'll recognise a lot of the names as we go through. [00:02:07] So verse three is, by faith we understand the universe was formed at God's command so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. [00:02:19] Notice it says, by faith we understand. [00:02:23] So faith leads to understanding. It's not the other way around. [00:02:29] Some people wrongly say, I just need to understand it first and then I'll believe. [00:02:37] But with God, faith brings understanding. [00:02:41] Have you heard people say that? [00:02:44] Yeah, it's the other way around really though, isn't it? It's when we say, okay, God, I really don't understand, but I'm going to trust you. [00:02:56] That's when we really get that full understanding and that's when the scripture opens up to us and you get that wow moment. This is really real. [00:03:11] Faith believes in creation out of nothing. [00:03:14] It's not the Big Bang theory or things that haven't been Proved yet or evolution. [00:03:23] In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. [00:03:30] He simply created it. And it's our faith that gives us God's understanding that that's how it worked. [00:03:40] Do you notice also that faith shows the big picture? [00:03:45] It's not getting bogged down in little details, the universe being formed at God's command. That's not little detail stuff. That is seeing the big picture. [00:04:00] And in verse four, by faith, Abel brought God a better offering than what Cain did. [00:04:09] By faith, he was commended as righteous when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith, Abel still speaks even though he is dead. [00:04:21] So this verse introduces Abel as the first example of genuine faith and emphasizes that faith is the key to pleasing God rather than our outward appearance or the quantity of our offerings. [00:04:40] And it's definitely not just performing religious acts. [00:04:46] Do you remember this account? [00:04:48] Cain and Abel brought gifts to God as part of their worship. [00:04:53] Cain offered the fruits of the ground because he was a farmer, while Abel presented the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions, indicating his role as a shepherd. [00:05:07] Now, I don't know about you, but I read that and I thought, well, both of those things actually sound pretty good. [00:05:17] But God looked favourably on Abel's offering and rejected Cain's. [00:05:24] That led Cain to anger, so much anger that he actually murdered Abel. [00:05:32] It clearly illustrates the significance of worship and the differing attitudes between the two offerings. [00:05:43] It highlights the importance of sincerity in our faith, sincerity in our own devotion to God. [00:05:53] Abel's sacrifice was considered more acceptable because it was offered with a believing heart, unlike Cain, who offered from his own preference without any true faith. [00:06:12] So even though Abel was murdered, his faith continues to speak to us. [00:06:18] This illustrates that faith leaves a legacy, a legacy that influences others way beyond our time here on earth. [00:06:31] Acts of faith have enduring spiritual impact. [00:06:37] And I'm sure you can think of people that are no longer with us that have had that spiritual impact on your lives. [00:06:47] I'm going to move on to verse 5. [00:06:49] By faith, Enoch was taken from this life so that he did not experience death. [00:06:55] He could not be found because God had taken him away. [00:06:59] For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. [00:07:07] That shows me that faith has unshakable confidence that God will take us away after this life. [00:07:17] That's something that I find pretty amazing and it's something that can sustain you through those times when life is a struggle. [00:07:29] God will take you away after this life. [00:07:33] It's a hope for the future and a comfort. [00:07:37] On a similar note, I'm going To jump on up to verse 13 and 16, it says all these people were still living by faith when they died. [00:07:46] They did not receive the things promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. [00:07:53] And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on Earth. [00:07:57] They were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. [00:08:04] So faith looks out over the horizon. [00:08:08] It doesn't live only for here and now. [00:08:11] It looks to the future and believes in the future. [00:08:17] And God has your future in his hands. [00:08:23] I believe our faith is strengthened too, by our view of eternity. [00:08:29] It's not living for here and now, but faith helps us to continue looking ahead to our heavenly home. [00:08:37] A belief for the future that God provides. [00:08:43] And without faith, it is impossible to please God because everyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him. [00:08:59] I stopped at that one and thought, well, how could we please God if we don't even believe in Him? [00:09:07] If we don't believe he exists by faith, not only do we believe that God exists, but also that he rewards us. [00:09:22] And faith gives us confidence in those two things. [00:09:26] God exists and God's a rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him. [00:09:33] That's our being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see that helps us believe that God exists, not only exists, but rewards those people who earnestly seek Him. [00:09:53] And verse seven by faith. Noah, when warned about things not yet seen in holy fear, built an ark to save his family. [00:10:03] By his faith, he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. [00:10:12] So that tells me that faith leads you to do things now before you see the results. [00:10:21] I'm guessing everyone's heard about Noah and the ark. [00:10:26] Do you believe it's a true account of what happened? [00:10:30] See a couple of nods. [00:10:34] Can you imagine what it was like for Noah and his family? [00:10:42] They spent years building this huge boat in a place where there was no water. [00:10:49] Now, imagine the reaction if someone right here in Summerhill started building a boat. A boat that was big enough to fit two of every kind of animal in it. That's a pretty massive boat. [00:11:07] I guess for a start, the neighbours might start asking a few questions. [00:11:13] I'm guessing as it got a bit bigger, the council might ask a few more. [00:11:19] They might even draw a little bit of media attention, or a lot of media attention. [00:11:25] Can you imagine the laughs? [00:11:29] People would find that hilarious when that was broadcast and Noah says, God's told me to build it because there's a huge flood coming and there he is sitting up here in Summerhill. [00:11:44] Seriously, where's the flood coming from to here? [00:11:49] Where's the flood coming from that's going to be big enough to float a boat that size that's sitting this far from that much water? [00:12:02] I expect a lot of people would think it's another one of those crazy sects and wonder, seriously, what's coming next? [00:12:14] But Noah had faith to believe what he hadn't seen yet. [00:12:20] How do you think he'd go with that? [00:12:24] It's pretty huge, isn't it? [00:12:28] How are you going stepping out in faith in your community and reaching people for Christ? [00:12:37] There's a huge harvest that's right here on our doorstep. [00:12:43] Do you believe that God loves all the people that live in Tassie? [00:12:50] Yeah, Got a couple agreeing with me, Duz. Good. [00:12:53] Do you believe that he wants a personal relationship with them? [00:12:57] Yep. [00:13:00] So do you believe that he can use you to do it? [00:13:06] When the rubber hits the road, it's a little bit more difficult, isn't it? [00:13:12] Moving from theory to practice can be pretty scary at times. [00:13:18] It's not a spot we all feel so comfortable. [00:13:23] How do you go from being a friend to sharing our beliefs? [00:13:28] For some people, that's quite natural. [00:13:31] For others, it's a little bit more scary. [00:13:37] And sometimes in our minds, there's questions like, gee, I don't know, how much do I say? [00:13:44] Am I turning them off? [00:13:48] I really don't want to lose their friendship? [00:13:53] Or what do I even say? [00:13:57] When's the right time to speak out? [00:14:01] Many years ago, I attended a workshop by a man named Dennis Pethers. [00:14:08] He was all about turning a community contact into a faith conversation. [00:14:15] And, you know, the most important thing that I learned from that workshop is we don't have to share the gospel. [00:14:24] We don't have to know all the words. [00:14:26] We just need to be brave enough to be honest when there's openings. [00:14:33] Dennis told us about a friend at the gym. [00:14:36] He was there on his treadmill with his headphones in, and friend asked him, what are you listening to? [00:14:44] He hesitated for a second and thought, do I just say, oh, just the music, or do I be honest and say I'm actually listening to some worship songs? [00:14:56] Well, took a breath and he said, they're worship songs. [00:15:02] What's that? [00:15:04] It's Christian music. [00:15:06] I find it really uplifting. Instead of, you know, the songs about, oh, you know, I've lost my love and someone left me and all the standard things we listen to, and it started a conversation. [00:15:21] There were actually two other friends nearby that heard Them talking, and they chipped in, too. [00:15:29] How many times have you been in a situation like that where we hesitate to open our mouths? [00:15:38] Three men know a little bit more about Christ simply because he was honest. [00:15:47] That really stuck with me and it changed the way that I interact with people. [00:15:54] I work at the railway through the week, and I went out on track one day with one of the inspectors, and we talked about so many things through the day. [00:16:04] We talked about reincarnation, about the soul leaving your body when you die, about being raised in a household where you're taken to Sunday school every week, what happens when you die. [00:16:21] And on and on it went. It was fantastic. [00:16:25] But God confirmed for me that we need to take opportunities. [00:16:30] And, you know, it really wasn't as scary as I thought it might be. [00:16:37] And it wasn't in any way me preaching at him. [00:16:42] It was me listening to him and then responding. [00:16:50] I really like to encourage you to give it a go. [00:16:55] Listen to what people are saying to you and then just respond honestly. [00:17:03] Now, you know tomorrow's standard question is going to be, what did you do at the weekend? [00:17:11] So there's your first challenge. What's your answer going to be? Are you going to say, I went to church yesterday, or are you going to tell them about all the other things that you've done over the weekend? [00:17:28] God can use you just in small ways that will make an eternal difference simply by being honest in our conversations. [00:17:40] We're going to continue on through Hebrews. And the next couple of verses we're going to look at are about Abraham. [00:17:47] Verse 8 says, by faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he didn't know where he was going. [00:18:01] So faith doesn't command the Lord. [00:18:05] Faith obeys the Lord. [00:18:09] When you know God's call, faith leads you to obey and to go, even though you may not know what's ahead. [00:18:21] Now, I don't know about you, but when we think about being called, we quite often think about missionaries overseas. [00:18:30] But we're all missionaries here with that great harvest that's all around us. [00:18:39] So when you hear that still small voice, do you obey? [00:18:45] Do you make that phone call to that person that God's put on your mind? [00:18:50] Do you pop in and visit someone? [00:18:53] Do you stop for a little bit longer and listen to that person that needs someone to talk to? [00:19:02] Abraham was a man of faith. And when God called him, he obeyed. [00:19:09] Verse 11 says, 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. [00:19:25] That's a key insight for living by faith. [00:19:28] He considered him faithful, who has made that promise? [00:19:36] Abraham didn't stagger at the promise of God through unbelief. [00:19:42] He considered God to be faithful and God honoured that faith. [00:19:49] I've heard people say, oh look, I can't do too much now, I'm too old. [00:19:55] But seriously, God is still faithful to us. No matter our age, no matter our circumstances, he is always faithful to us and he can do all that he's promised, just like he did with Abraham, even though he was a great age. [00:20:18] Now we're going to move on to Joseph, verse 22 by faith. Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones. [00:20:33] I found that an unusual verse, took me a while to puzzle that one through. [00:20:39] But it showed me that faith is being so confident about God's plans that then we can go ahead and make our own plans. [00:20:49] Plans that fit into his vision. [00:20:54] That's something for us to think about as we move on with God's plan for each of us after today. [00:21:02] Today is not an ending, it's. It's a moving forward in God's plan for us and I mean individually and as a church. [00:21:11] We've heard about Steve coming in a few weeks time and in a way that's a new beginning. It's the next step, isn't it? In God moving us forward in his plans. [00:21:28] It's also following God over the long haul. [00:21:33] This church has sought to follow God's plans for years now. [00:21:37] It's not just a quick and fleeting thing, it's a long term everyday faith in God. [00:21:49] We've had the church review recently and the recommendations from the transition team that we can all begin to progress now. [00:21:59] And Steve coming is part of that plan. [00:22:03] And as we move forward, I know we can be confident in God's plan for this congregation, their plans to thrive and plans to reach this community. [00:22:17] In verse 23 by faith, Moses parents hid him for three months after he was born because they saw he was no ordinary child and they were not afraid of the king's edict. [00:22:31] That is huge. [00:22:35] I don't know about you, but I seriously can't imagine being in their shoes. [00:22:40] You know the account of Moses, the king had ordered all the babies to be killed. [00:22:48] And these parents really trusted God. They had the faith not to be afraid of that king's edict. [00:23:01] In Acts. [00:23:02] Peter, another person who fully trusted in God Said we will obey God and not man. And that's exactly what they were doing. [00:23:14] When you know you're following God, faith keeps you from fearing man. [00:23:21] It's another one of those easy to say, not so easy to do always things, isn't it? [00:23:28] Are you prepared to obey God and not man to have faith in God when the odds are stacked against you? [00:23:39] For Moses parents, the odds were stacked pretty high. [00:23:45] But they followed God regardless. [00:23:48] Not man. [00:23:52] Verse 28, it says by faith he kept the passover and the sprinkling of blood so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. [00:24:03] Do you remember how this worked? God told the Israelites to sprinkle blood around the top of their door and that would ensure that their household would be safe. [00:24:15] And those houses that didn't do that, they lost their eldest child. [00:24:23] Sometimes faith asks us to do things that seem really weird. [00:24:31] Like Noah building an ark. [00:24:34] Like the sprinkling of blood on a doorframe. [00:24:38] Like finding God's blessing in giving, not receiving, in trying to live a humble life, not a self promoting life like giving up your Sunday morning sleeping to be here seeking to serve, not be served. [00:25:03] We do these things because of our faith in God. [00:25:08] Today's theme is living by faith. [00:25:11] We don't do the same as everyone else does. [00:25:16] We do things because of our faith in God. [00:25:22] Verse 29. By faith, the Hebrew people pass through the Red Sea on dry land. But when the Egyptians tried to do so, the they were drowned. [00:25:34] This shows me the difference between faith and presumption. [00:25:38] The Hebrew people had faith in God and he provided a passage through the sea for them. [00:25:46] The Egyptians on the other hand, they had their own gods and they presumed when their commander told them to go that everything would just work out for them too. [00:26:01] So we have two different groups of people here, one following God and the other following man. [00:26:09] Faith obeys God's leading. [00:26:12] Presumption acts on man's leading. [00:26:18] And as you know, those two things had very different results. [00:26:27] By faith, the walls of Jericho fell after the people had marched around them for seven days. [00:26:34] Now Jericho is a fortified city on a hill. [00:26:41] Some of these fortified cities, those walls are so thick and strong. [00:26:47] Yeah, amazing to see. [00:26:51] But through faith, astounding things can happen. [00:26:55] Walls can even fall down. [00:26:59] This includes too walls that sometimes we build between ourselves and our community. [00:27:08] But faith keeps us obeying God even after what might seem a long time. [00:27:14] With seven days in this instance, can you imagine walking around a city for the first day? [00:27:23] That would be okay. [00:27:25] Everyone would Be a little bit enthusiastic the first day, I expect. [00:27:30] Then the second day, then the third day, you'd start to think, okay, here we go. [00:27:39] Then there's the fourth day. And you'd think, oh, really? [00:27:43] And by the time you got to the seventh day, wow, where would you be at? [00:27:50] You've really got to trust that this is the right thing. Or you just wouldn't even go there the seventh time, would you? [00:27:59] But the people kept obeying and the walls came down. [00:28:06] You know, sometimes someone will tell a story and they'll say, oh, you just had to be there. [00:28:14] I reckon this was one of those moments. [00:28:18] You just have to be there. [00:28:22] Sometimes it's really, really hard to hang in for the long haul. [00:28:25] We get discouraged, or sometimes we even get angry with God when we don't get the answer yet. [00:28:33] But I see from these people who walked around the walls of Jericho for seven days that we need to persevere, keep obeying God. [00:28:44] And when we keep obeying God, astounding things can happen, like walls coming down. [00:28:53] Verse 32 says, and what more shall I say? [00:28:57] I do not have time to tell you about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jiphtha, Daniel, David, Samuel, and the prophets who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice and gained what was promised, who shut the mouth of lions, quenched the fury of the flames and escaped the edge of the sword, whose weakness was turned to strength, and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. [00:29:29] So much in all of that. [00:29:32] But each of these people had faith in God and he used them to do those great things. [00:29:40] They weren't special people. [00:29:44] They didn't have any extraordinary power or strength. [00:29:48] They were all just normal, everyday people who had faith to follow where God was leading them. [00:29:58] Now, faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. [00:30:06] Are you sure and certain that God exists? [00:30:11] If that is something that you have questions about, then I'd encourage you to talk to someone today. [00:30:22] There's lots of people here that would be happy to sit and talk through things with you. [00:30:27] If you are certain, then I'd encourage you to share that with someone today. [00:30:37] Do you have confidence in spending eternity with God? [00:30:44] If not, and you'd like to have that assurance once again, I would encourage you to talk to someone here today. [00:30:52] Can you trust for the future when you can't see where it's leading yet? [00:30:59] I ask that, both personally and as a congregation too. [00:31:05] Do you have faith to follow wherever God leads, regardless of how silly it might seem or how scary it might be? [00:31:19] Remember always God is faithful to you. [00:31:26] Let's pray. [00:31:29] Almighty God, I thank you and praise you for your faithfulness to us. [00:31:35] Ask you, please, to continue to grow and strengthen the faith that we have in you. [00:31:41] For we know with you there is nothing at all that's impossible. [00:31:46] As you've led each of these people we've spoken about today, I trust you to lead this group of people who form your church here at Summerhill. [00:31:58] We know that you created from nothing. [00:32:01] You have a place prepared for us when we leave this earth, that you're the God who rewards his people. [00:32:11] Thank you for the reminder that we're never too old or too young to fully trust and to follow your lead when we feel under the pressure. Lord, please strengthen our faith and help us just to stand firm. To stand firm with you, Lord. [00:32:34] I just ask too, that you forgive us, please, for the times that we've been prompted and we haven't moved or we haven't spoken out of fear. [00:32:45] Please take that fear, Lord, and give us faith to have honest conversations, to persevere when things seem to be taking way too long or when we just don't understand. [00:32:59] Thank you so much for the reminder that we can fully trust even though we can't see. [00:33:08] We trust you for our future and we know that you are faithful, Lord. [00:33:13] Amen.