WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE FAITH – Hebrews 11

 

Introduction:

A. [A tourist came too close to the edge of the Grand Canyon, lost his footing and plunged over the side, clawing and scratching to save himself.

- After he went out of sight and just before he fell into space, he stumbled upon a scrubby bush which he desperately grabbed with both hands.

- Filled with terror, he called out toward heaven, "Is there anyone up there?"

- A calm, powerful voice came out of the sky, "Yes, there is."

- The tourist pleaded, "Can you help me? Can you help me?"

- The calm voice replied, "Yes, I probably can. What is your problem?"

- "I fell over the cliff and am dangling in space holding to a bush that is

about to let go. Please help me."

- The voice from above said, "I'll try. Do you believe?"

- "Yes, yes, I believe."'

- "Do you have faith?"

- "Yes, yes. I have strong faith."

- The calm voice said, "Well, in that case, simply let loose of the bush and everything will turn out fine."

- There was a tense pause, then the tourist yelled, "Is there anyone else up there?"]

B. It’s one thing to talk about faith – it’s quite another to act on faith.

- Beginning today and running through the summer we are going to discover what it means to have Faith for Everyday Living.

- I want to try to help you to discover what faith is, and how it can help you in your struggle to be everything that you can be in Christ.

- Today, we simply want to get a grasp on what faith is — and there isn’t just one easy way to define it, so the next weeks we are going to define it with six different statements that are derived from the 11th chapter of the book of

Hebrews:

FAITH IS…

1. … BELIEVING WHEN I DON’T SEE IT

[It seems the pastor's small son was told by his mother that he should wash his hands because there were germs living in all that dirt.

- He refused and complained: "Germs and Jesus! Germs and Jesus! That's all I ever hear around this house and I've never seen either one."]

- “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  Hebrews 11:1

- It sounds like a contradiction, but the Bible teaches that faith is visualizing the future in the present.

- It’s being sure of what you don’t see – It is seeing it in advance.

- Man says: “Seeing is believing.” God says: “Believing is seeing.”

- [In 1960, JFK stood up and said: "Let's put a man on the moon by the end of the decade."]

- When he said that, the technology had not been invented to put a man on the moon – But some things have to be believed before you can see them.

- You’ve got to believe it in advance.

- Everything that’s happened in life was an impossibility before it became a reality and somebody had to believe it.

- Faith is simply trusting God to turn dreams into reality.

- Because nothing happens until somebody believes it’s possible.

- What do you see in your own future? What is your dream? What impossible thing is God going to do in your life?

- You have to have faith that it is going to happen for it to happen – you have to be certain that God can and will do these things in your life.

- What do you envision as the future of this church? – what can we be sure of, what can we know with certainty that God is going to do through us?

- I can tell you what I can see by faith – I can see a beautiful church facility built to the glory of God – I see a church ministering to hundreds, perhaps thousands, reaching the unchurched for Jesus Christ, discipling them to maturity – I see us training workers for the harvest and sending them out onto the mission field and to plant churches.

- I don’t think this is going to happen – I know it by faith – I can see it as clearly as I can see these words this morning.

 

Godspeed

Webpastor B

www.jesuspodkast.org

GRACE

A man from Norfolk , VA called a local radio station to share this on Sept 11th, 2003, TWO YEARS AFTER THE TRAGEDIES OF 9/11/2001.

His name was Robert Matthews.. These are his words:

A few weeks before Sept. 11th, my wife and I found out we were going to have our first child. She planned a trip out to California to visit her sister. On our way to the airport, we prayed that God would grant my wife a safe trip and be with her. Shortly after I said ‘amen,’ we both heard a loud pop and the car shook violently. We had blown out a tire. I replaced the tire as quickly as I could, but we still missed her flight.

both very upset, we drove home.

I received a call from my father who was retired NYFD. He asked what my wife’s flight number was, but I explained that we missed the flight..

My father informed me that her flight was the one that crashed into the southern tower. I was too shocked to speak. My father also had more news for me; he was going to help. ‘This is not something I can’t just sit by for; I have to do something.’

I was concerned for his safety, of course, but more because he had never given his life to Christ. After a brief debate, I knew his mind was made up. Before he got off of the phone, he said, ‘take good care of my grandchild. Those were the last words I ever heard my father say; he died while helping in the rescue effort.

My joy that my prayer of safety for my wife had been answered quickly became anger. I was angry at God, at my father, and at myself. I had gone for nearly two years blaming God for taking my father away. My son would never know his grandfather, my father had never accepted Christ, and I never got to say good-bye.

Then something happened. About two months ago, I was sitting at home with my wife and my son, when there was a knock on the door. I looked at my wife, but I could tell she wasn’t expecting anyone. I opened the door to a couple with a small child.

The man looked at me and asked if my father’s name was Jake Matthews. I told him it was. He quickly grabbed my hand and said, ‘I never got the chance to meet your father, but it is an honor to meet his son.’

He explained to me that his wife had worked in the World Trade Center and had been caught inside after the attack. She was pregnant and had been caught under debris. He then explained that my father had been the one to find his wife and free her. My eyes welled up with tears as I thought of my father giving his life for people like this. He then said, ‘there is something else you need to know.’

His wife then told me that as my father worked to free her, she talked to him and led him to Christ. I began sobbing at the news.

Now I know that when I get to Heaven, my father will be standing beside Jesus to welcome me, and that this family would be able to thank him themselves .

When their baby boy was born, they named him Jacob Matthew, in honor of the man who gave his life so that a mother and baby could live.

This story should help us to realize this: God is always in control.

We may not see the reason behind things, and we may never know this side of heaven, but God is ALWAYS in control.

Please take time to share this amazing story. You may never know the impact it may have on someone. God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures Forever.

Psalm 136:1

Godspeed

Webpastor B

www.jesuspodkast.org