May 31, 2020
Morning Service

1Co 13:13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

            We are in the middle of series on these three foundational truths that we need in our walk with the Lord.  We have had messages on God’s unchanging love, the revelation that God is love and we had love defined to us by Paul.  Last week we had our second message on faith.  We first defined faith and highlighted its importance with these two scriptures.

 

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

 

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

            These then set the base for us to continue on in Hebrews 11 (the faith chapter) and look at some more examples of faith on display.  We reviewed the all familiar story of Noah and the longsuffering faith it took to build the ark.  We also began the story of Abraham and his faith to leave his comfortable home for a new land that he had never seen.  Scripture tells that Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.  It was not the “what” Abraham did that pleased God but the “why” he obeyed that justified him in God’s eyes.  It was his faith not the works that followed.  Today we are going to continue with the life of Abraham and see how there are several time in his life that he put his faith on display.

 

Hebrews 11:11-16 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.  (12)  Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.  (13)  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.  (14)  For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.  (15)  And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.  (16)  But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

            God seems to always have a flair for the dramatic.  He promised Abraham and Sarah a son, but waited 25 years until they were beyond the normal child bearing age to fulfill that promise.  They were able to do so through faith believing God to be true to His word.  We too need to display that type of immovable faith in our society of instant everything.  Faith is in it for the long haul; in it to win it no matter the time or effort involved because we too have found God faithful to His word.  Abraham never saw his many descendants nor the true promise land (heaven), but never wavered in knowing and believing it was there.  This world is not heaven; we do get glimpses of what it will be like but this is not it.  We must journey with Jesus knowing not to dig our roots here as we too are “strangers and pilgrims on the earth” just passing through.  We are to be looking for that city where God will welcome us home to a place He has prepared for us.  Now we see one of the most famous acts of faith, I believe in the entire scriptures.                 

 

Hebrews 11:17-19 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, (18) of whom it was said, "IN ISAAC YOUR SEED SHALL BE CALLED," (19) concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

 

Read Genesis 22:1-18

 

            Abraham so trusted God that he believed if he had killed Isaac, God would have raised him from the dead.  This is true faith on display; willingly giving to God the thing that is most precious to him.  This is also a shadow of God giving His only begotten Son for us.  What God asked from Abraham, he also asks from us today.  He asks us to love and trust Him so fully that we are willing to offer even our most valued possession if asked to put our faith on display.  I am sure that each of us who have followed Jesus for many years have our own testimony of what it was God asked us to offer up to Him.  Our wallet, our career, our relationship, even our time to display that our heart belongs to Him.  The story of Job in the OT tells how Satan asked permission from God to take away all the blessings that Job was enjoying claiming he would then walk away from his faith.  In a few moments of time he lost his entire family and all the wealth he had been attained, but stayed true to God.  He then even lost his health as he developed open sores upon his body that placed him in misery constantly.  Still he did not waver from believing God is good even when times are bad.  This does not happen if our roots of faith are only ground level.  It takes deep roots grounded into the Lord to hold on when you lose everything and truly have only Him to hold on to.  Most of us have never been there as God blesses us way beyond what we deserve, but maybe it is a time to again look into our spiritual mirror and check that we are building upon the Rock and not the sand.  Is there anything that God would ask you to sacrifice upon the altar that would cause you to hesitate or even walk away from Him?  Be assured that God tries our faith just as He did Abraham’s with the offering of Isaac.  Have faith and trust Him to be your All in All and then watch Him bless you even more as he did Abraham and Job.  He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him!  The rest of Hebrews 11 is full of more examples encourage us that God is able if we are willing to follow.

            Yesterday I was asked to preach a funeral for a family member who lost their newborn son before he even was a month old.  I have never seen such pain in the face of a father and mother in my life.  It is extremely difficult to stand in front of them and tell them God is still good in the midst of this tragedy; but it is also the truth.  Remember, this is not the promised land.  We have not entered into perfection and immortality yet.  This life can and will be hard and sometimes unbearably hard; but God is still good.  He is faithful to never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13) and walks with us down that dark valley.  We need faith to please God.  The questions each of us must honestly ask ourselves are these; “do I believe that He is and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him?”  “Is my life displaying that faith through my actions?”

 

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word that comes alive in guiding us to a closer walk with You.  Open the eyes of our hearts to clearly see, love, and know You allowing that close relationship to build our faith.