Skip to main content

The Journey of Faith - Faith is Hope That Lives On

This teaching is part of a series I've been doing at New Life Fellowship, where I serve as the Pastor-Teacher.  The series is entitled "The Journey of Faith" which means that our lives are meant to be lived by faith as we journey through it.  

Faith is the most basic aspect of our relationship with God.  While we use the word frequently, it's crucial that we understand what it means to "journey" through life by Faith.


Faith is an everyday thing - because it's a relationship with Someone, and not a religious something.  This teaching is a continuation of the Abraham story and what we see is the way in which HOPE is central to the way Faith works in our lives. 

We are looking at Hebrews 11 and the stories in Genesis that relate to the Hebrews 11 statements.  Last week we looked at Abraham, and this week I continue the Abraham story.

Hebrews 11:8-12
8  It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.
9  And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise...
11  It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise.
12  And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.

God had given Abraham a promise…

Genesis 12:1-3
1  The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.
2  "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
3  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

God has something in mind that is focused on the promise to Abraham of those 3 Big Things:  LAND< NATION< BLESSING… 

He’s leading Abraham – God’s Promise for His life is much bigger than he could ever dream.

God’s Promises to Abraham don’t negate the need to Learn as he experiences God’s work, his leading.  NOW, remember back in Hebrews 11.

Hebrews 11:6
6  …without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

I mentioned this last week…God blesses, and rewards Faith… BUT,
Faith is also about HOPE… Hebrews 11:1
1  Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Two phrases worth focusing on: 
·        Faith as God’s Reward
·        Faith as Our Hope
So, let’s start there today:
Faith Tests Our Hope

Abram comes to the land when he is 75 years old.  God’s promise to him is that he will get LAND, CHILDREN, BLESSING.

Genesis 15:1
1  Some time later, the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”

Abram is settled in the land, but years pass.  In fact, 20+ years pass.
He’s heard God’s word, and he has settled where God LED him to, but he hasn’t seen the fulfillment.

Genesis 15:2-5
2  But Abram replied, “O Sovereign LORD, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth.
3  You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”

By this time Abraham has been in the land God promised him for 25 years.
God had promised him the land, and the nation…descendants, but as of it, there were no children.
Abraham expresses his frustration with waiting for God to come through and
God speaks to Abraham to reassure him:  

Genesis 15:4-5
4  And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
5  And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

God makes this promise…and also is saying, “Abraham, will you trust, believe, and stick with me?”

Genesis 15:6
6  And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

When it says “He believed”… that’s Faith. 
To Believe means “to lean upon”…  Like sitting on a chair, I believe…and can trust in it to hold me.

What did Abraham believe?  He believed the LORD!

When God told Abraham to look up in the sky and see the stars, and promised him that he would have a child and from this child, a nation would come… Abraham said, “Yes Lord, I believe you.”

Abram’s confidence is in the LORD… His faith is in SOMEONE…not the Something that God promised.

It is a great thing to TRUST in GOD when it comes to the unknowns of our lives.  In the New Testament, Paul writes to the Romans about what this means:

Romans 4:16-21
16  So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.
17  That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.
18  Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”
19  And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.
20  Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.
21  He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.

That’s the best description of Faith I know… being “fully convinced”, not sort of, maybe, I guess God can… but “Fully convinced God is able to do whatever he promises.”

This is HOPE… the HOPE of Hebrews 11:1
1  Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

This is HOPE… Faith is our response to God’s word, and his promises, but it’s not based on a “I can see…” because whatever you and I can see, we don’t need faith for.

Abraham’s faith made it possible for him to say, “OK, God, I trust you…You alone…and nothing else.”

This is so important, and not just for things like eternal life, salvation, what happens after death…

This is everyday life… sickness, disease, depression, frustrations, jobs, marriage, parenting, parents… 

Faith is an everyday relationship with God trust.  

Mark 9:17-24
17  A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech…
20  So they brought him...
21  Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" "From childhood," he answered.
22  "…if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."
23  "'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."
24  Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

YOU SEE THE ISSUE?  LAST WEEK I TALKED ABOUT “SETTLING”. 
SETTLING HAPPENS WHEN WE STOP BELIEVING GOD CARES, THAT HE KNOWS, AND THAT HE CAN/WILL DO SOMETHING IN OUR LIVES.

Sometimes what we need to pray is, “Lord I believe, but I’m struggling right now, so please forgive me and help me to trust in you.”

Faith Tests What Our Hope Is In.

HOPE is what happens when we turn our lives to JESUS and ask him to “Breathe His Life” on to it.

HOPE ENTERS INTO EVERYTHING…in Marriage…in Children…in Vocation…in Relationships…In Disease…

HOPE…happens when God breathes His Life upon our prayer desires.

HOPE, Biblically is different from our culture.  In our culture, Hope means “I wish”.  We wish for new jobs, our spouse to change, the Packers to win, I wished I’d catch a fish, I wished our friend would be healed of cancer…but this is HOPE that is human/self-centered.

Hope, Biblically, is The Joyful, Faith-filled anticipation of God’s Good for You.  

It is an atmosphere in which Faith Grows.
Here's a suggestion to ponder...what do you want to have faith in hope?
Take time to create lists of HOPE…  Those places when you say, “Lord, I want to trust in you for ………………”

NOW…be careful…to make sure that we stay focused on God, and not the things we want…OTHERWISE…we’ll not experience Hope, but something else, which is what Abraham experiences next... tomorrow.

Peace


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The difference between defending and explaining

The news of recent has focused the suffering of Christians in the middle east who have been martyred for their faith in Christ at the hands of Islamic Terrorists. Through the centuries many Christians have lost their lives as a result of their faith. For us, who live in America, there is little chance that we would have this happen here - but it's entirely possibly that terrorism will strike out at Christians sometime.  But, for many Christians in the western world - especially here in the U.S. - being a Christians who believes God's word there is a form of persecution that is defined by words like "ostracized", "passed over", "ridiculed", and more. What do we do in the face of opposition to faith? When the Apostle Peter writes to the early believers who are undergoing great pressure, even persecution for their faith in Jesus, he gives them this charge. 1 Peter 3:8-18 8  Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly lov

Wednesday, Day 25: Christmas Eve - God Loves Us (So We Can Relax)

For Kids: There’s a lot of things we have to do each day. Get up from our sleep, Get dressed, Eat Breakfast, Get ready for School, Listen to the teacher, play with friends, eat our lunch, and after it’s all done, go back home. There’s time to play, Then we eat our supper… And eventually we have to get ready for bed and go to sleep! And then we do it all over again the next day. Sometimes there’s a vacation - like right now - and we get more time to play, to have fun and not have to do work at school. Our parents are good at helping us know what time it is and what we need to do next – even when we don’t want to move on to the next thing.  God is also good at helping us know what time it is, and what is next.  He doesn’t shout at us, or yell, or even scream…he does it peacefully, quietly.  He wants us to understand that he does it, most of all, for us. Christmas can be quite busy and there’s lots of things going on at once…but let us not forg

The Tabernacle

The readings today are Exodus 36, 37, 38 I wanted to post some pictures of what these various parts of the Tabernacle looked like. It's not the easiest read in the world, but if you persevere through it, you can get a picture of all the different pieces that made up the tabernacle. It is a replica of the various parts of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness: First thing in the chapter listed is the outside of the tabernacle which consisted of curtains tied together and put on cross bars through loops. Next at the beginning of 37 is the table and lampstand: Also, the altar of incense: And, the altar for the burnt offering which was in the courtyard: Finally, the courtyard which made it all come together: Hope that helps with what it might have all looked like. Most importantly, this was their "place" of worship they were building. I hope you have a great day of worship. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad