Hall of Faith - Hebrews 11

What is faith?
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." ~ Hebrews 11:1

By faith...

-we understand that the universe was formed at God's command

-Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did
-he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings
-he still speaks, even though he is dead

-Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death

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

By faith...

-Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family
-he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith

-Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going
-he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country

-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

-Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice

-Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future

-Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons

-Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones

-Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born

-Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter
-he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger
-he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood

-the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land

-the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days

-the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great clouds of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." ~ Hebrews 12:1

Call of the Chosen

Every believer is called.

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." ~ Matthew 28:19-20

To recognize the call, we must first grasp...

Who God is

and

Who we are

Let's look at a few prophets.

Isaiah 6:5 says:
"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty."

Jeremiah 1:6 says:
"Ah, Sovereign Lord," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."

Ezekiel 1:28 says:
Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Each of these prophets experienced the presence of God and acknowledged who God is and who we are.

Isaiah says God is the King, the Lord Almighty, and he himself is ruined, a man of unclean lips.
Jeremiah says God is the Sovereign Lord, and he himself is only a child and does not know how to speak.
Ezekiel says God is radiant, and he fell facedown.

When we as believers understand the core truth of who God is--the Lord God Almighty--and who we are--sinners created in His image and saved by grace, God will equip us and lead us into His good, pleasing and perfect will through transformation by the renewing of our minds.

Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Memory Verse: "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." ~ Jeremiah 29:13

Source of Strength

Jeremiah 17:5-8

(5) This is what the Lord says:

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord.

(6) He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.

(7) “But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.

(8) He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Verses 5-6:

            Source of strength: Man

-  Cursed is the one…

·         Who trusts in man

·         Who depends on flesh for his strength

·         Whose heart turns away from the Lord

            Result: Death

-  He will…

·         Be like a bush in the wastelands

·         Not see prosperity when it comes

·         Dwell in the parched places of the desert,

           in a salt land where no one lives

Verses 7-8:

            Source of strength: God

-  Blessed is the man…

·         Who trusts in the Lord

·         Whose confidence is in him

            Result: Life

-  He will be like a tree…

·         Planted by the water

·         That sends out its roots by the stream

·         Does not fear when heat comes

·         Its leaves are always green

·         Has no worries in a year of drought

·         Never fails to bear fruit

Who are you trusting today?

Memory Verse

But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

whose confidence is in him.

~ Jeremiah 17:7 ~

Trust

Over the past few months, God has been teaching me more than I ever thought possible in such a short period of time.

One key aspect of all He has been teaching me is to trust Him, to depend completely on Him alone, and to relinquish my hold on everything else. He is all I need.

"My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me." ~ Psalm 63:8

Another important aspect is to spend time with Him. Prayer, Bible study, and fasting are all good, but only if the focus is really on God. I used to think that to grow closer to God I had to read my Bible and pray everyday, and that is a part of it. But, now, I know more fully that to know God more intimately we have to spend time with Him, to dwell in His presence, and to be with Him.

"Be still and know that I am God..." ~ Psalm 46:10a

There are many ways to spend time with God, including Bible study, prayer, music, and anything where our focus is on God, rather than us or anything else in this world.

The final aspect I will highlight here is that fear is in direct opposition to all God wishes to accomplish and is an opposite to trust. To overcome fear, we simply need to trust God, which is much easier said than done but still possible!

"When I am afraid, I will trust in God." ~ Psalm 56:3

Apart from Him, we can do nothing, but all things are possible through Christ who strengthens us. (Taken from John 15:5 and Phil. 4:13)

When the founding fathers of America wrote "In God We Trust" on our money, they encapsulated one of the core truths of the purpose of life: To trust in God.

One Step At A Time

Since graduating from college, God has been teaching me how to rely on Him fully, trust Him completely, and love Him wholeheartedly.

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." ~ Psalm 27:14

One step at a time, God has opened doors and closed doors, and He will continue to do so for the rest of my life. My sole goal is to depend on Him completely.

As I do so, He leads me wherever He wishes in His time. Just the other day, I realized more clearly that my very breath comes only through God's grace and strength, let alone my work and my life.

"We walk by faith, not by sight." 2 Cor. 5:7

Main Point: Lean on God! Trust Him completely! He will never let you down or leave you. :)

Thank you, Lord Jesus! I love you!

Focus dude

Crush: Dude? Dude? Focus dude... Dude?
[Marlin wakes up]

From Finding Nemo, according to:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266543/quotes

This is one of my favorite movies, and I think Crush is a favorite for anyone who has seen the movie. Nevertheless, this cute quote has a profound message.

 Many problems in the world today are caused by a lack of focus. Take driving for instance, most accidents are caused by distracted drivers. When I googled "most common cause of car accidents," distracted drivers or distraction came up first on the first three websites listed.

Distractions can be dangerous not only for drivers but also for followers of Christ.

I have learned from experience that becoming distracted results in depression, self-pity, a warped perspective, anger, hurt, believing lies, and much, much more.

Maybe that is why God emphasizes focus in the Bible.

Hebrews 12:2 says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Hebrews 3:1 says, "Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess."

Proverbs 4:25 says, "Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you."

Now, we have to be careful what we focus on as well. These verses, especially the first two, tell us to focus on Jesus! Focusing on anything else is just as destructive as distractions.

Key Point: Focus on Jesus!

Secrets of Prayer

After many years of growth, these are just a few lessons I have learned about prayer.

First, prayer involves praising and thanking God for who He is and what He has done.

Second, prayer involves confessing what we have done wrong and turning away from sin.

Third, prayer involves lifting others before the throne of God.

Fourth, prayer involves accepting God's blessings and gifts.

An effective method for prayer involves praying Scripture, such as asking for and accepting the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22), putting on the armor of God (Eph. 6), and using the apostle Paul's prayers for the churches in order to pray for the people in your life.

These ideas are simply some of the areas where God has been teaching me.