Hebrews 11:17-29 Faith in Real Life
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Intro
Intro
Church News
New Member of our church
Elijah Dominic Arganda
Elijah Dominic Arganda
born 11/28 @2:06am.
20inches and 7lbs
all went well. Baby and mama are healthy.
Tammy Webb had successful hip replacement Surgery
Jennifer Smith will be going in for hip replacement on Monday
1000 people reached over the last month
Had over 500 people at Trunk or treat
Stuffed 450 stockings
We had 125 different volunteers
Read Hebrews 11:17-19
Read Hebrews 11:17-19
Transition
This morning we are going to look at the patriarchs, or fathers, of the church
Some were men of great faith, like Abraham and Joseph
While others came to their faith begrudgingly
What they show us is how to have faith in real life
We are going to see seven aspects of faith we need for real life
This isn’t high in the sky theology
These are practical steps you can take to grow in your faith
Faith has to be Tested vs. 17-18
Faith has to be Tested vs. 17-18
For faith to work in real life it has to be tested
Nothing is worth having unless it has been tested
Gold goes thru the refiners fire
Doctors go thru years of rigorous training
God tests the believers faith, at every level
Abraham is known as the father of the faith
He was called out of the land of Ur
Last week we saw his delayed obedience
This week we see the ultimate test of his faith
Abraham was 100 years old when he had his promised son, Isaac
He had been promised 25 years earlier that he would be the father of nations
Several times God had reiterated that by saying his descendants would be as many as the stars or the sands by the sea
When God finally gives Abraham Isaac he asks him to sacrifice him when Isaac was a teenager
After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
What?!?
He had waited so long
This was the son that God had promised
In the ESV is says only son
Abraham actually had another on, Ishmael, but Isaac was the begotten son of God
Why would God do this?
He wanted to test Abraham’s faith
Because Abraham went to Mount Moriah and was willing to do it he passed
vs. 19 Faith needs to Trust God’s Sovereignty
vs. 19 Faith needs to Trust God’s Sovereignty
Abraham was able to pass the test of faith because he trusted God’s sovereignty
He knew that God was in control and that even if Isaac had to be sacrificed God was able to raise him for the dead
Isaac was God’s chosen child
The nation of Israel was going to go through him
as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
God wouldn’t destroy that
But even more important than that, was Abraham knew that God wouldn’t go back on his promises
Trusting God’s sovereignty isn’t so much about what is in the future but what He has said in the past
God says, “Do not fear” 365 times in the Bible
He says, “I will never leave you no forsake you.”
Faith in the real life will be imperfect
vs. 20 Faith Yields Control
vs. 20 Faith Yields Control
The next example we see of faith in real life is Isaac
If you are someone who struggles with giving up control you have company
Isaac had two sons
Jacob was God’s chosen, but Isaac loved Esau
Esau was an outdoorsman who gave Isaac game he killed
Jacob was a momma’s boy
But when the twins were in the womb God chose for Jacob to be greater than his older brother
Isaac knew the blessing was Jacob’s but wanted to give it to Esau
Isaac was really in the flesh, not in faith, when he first intended to bless Esau instead of Jacob.
He wanted to bless Esau with the birthright for carnal reasons.
He should have chosen Jacob, whom God chose.
The faith in Isaac’s blessing came in after Isaac’s attempt to thwart the will of God was destroyed.
Isaac knew that his weak attempt to tell God what to do was defeated, and he responded in the faith that said, “O.K. God, You win.
One area that challenges our faith is giving into God’s will
We want our way even if it goes against what God is doing
Isaac was the same
vs. 21 Faith Wrestles w/ God
vs. 21 Faith Wrestles w/ God
The next aspect of real life faith is that it wrestles with God
Faith isn’t blind or dumb
It isn’t just agreeing with God on everything and reluctantly following
It is okay to wrestle with your faith
The next character we see is Jacob
His name means scoundrel and heel catcher because he was holding on to his brothers heel when he came out of the womb
He cheated his brother out of his birthright
Matched wits with his Father-in-law over livestock
But the defining moment in his life is when he wrestled with God
It lasted all night and at the end God touched his hip and he limped the rest of his days
At the end of his life he was blessing Joseph’s boys Ephraim and Mannesah, he bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff
As he leaned on his staff he remembered that God was great and held his future and the future of his descendants.
Therefore he worshiped, demonstrating his faith and dependence on God.
vs. 22 Faith Waits for Fulfillment
vs. 22 Faith Waits for Fulfillment
The next aspect of faith for real life is that it waits for fulfillment
In other words Faith is patient
Joseph was a man of great faith
He had dreams that his family would bow down to him
He was sold into slavery, accused of infidelity by Potiphar’s wife, and placed in prison
In all of those places Jospeh trusted God
He became prime minister of Egypt and led them through a famine
Dealt kindly with his brothers when they came for grain
Yet the example of faith that we see is that He instructed them not to bury him in Egypt, but in Israel
Why did the author choose to use this example?
Because Joseph knew they would come out of Egypt and return to their promised land and Joseph wanted to be buried there
For four hundred years his body laid in a box
Joseph knew that God’s promised would be fulfilled
Do you have the patience to wait for God’s Word to be fulfilled
vs. 23-27 Faith Forsakes Comfort
vs. 23-27 Faith Forsakes Comfort
vs. 28-29 Faith is Found in the Wilderness
vs. 28-29 Faith is Found in the Wilderness