September 10, 2006 pm All
Stars of Faith Hebrews
11
By Ronald E.
George Jr. at the
What is Faith?
Hebrews11:1 (NIV) Now faith is
being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what
the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was
formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was
visible.
4
By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice
than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well
of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
Abel speaks even though he is dead. He speaks of offering a better sacrifice.
5
By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death;
he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken,
he was commended as one who pleased God.
6 And without faith it is
impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he
exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Enoch walked with God and pleased God. He speaks as one who did not die, but was taken.
7
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark
to save his family. By his faith he
condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
Noah built the ark on faith. His faith saved his family. His faith condemned the world.
8
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.
9 By faith he made his home in the
promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did
Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
10 For he was looking forward to
the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11
By faith Abraham, even though he was past age--and Sarah herself was barren--was
enabled to become a father because he {[11] Or By faith even Sarah, who was
past age, was enabled to bear children because she} considered him faithful who
had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on
the seashore. 13 All these people were still living by faith when they died.
They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them
from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.
14 People who say such things show
that they are looking for a country of their own.
15 If they had been thinking of
the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16
Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God
is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac
as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one
and only son,
18 even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring {[18] Greek seed}will be reckoned." 19 Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. Abraham and Sarah by faith went to a land where they had never been.
20
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future 21 By faith
Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons,
and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
The Fathers blessed their children by their lives.
22
By faith Joseph, when his end was near,
spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from
23
By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born,
because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the
king's edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as
the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the
people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He
regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures
of
30 By faith the walls of
31
By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed
with those who were disobedient. 32 And what
more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson,
Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered
kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the
mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the
sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle
and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life
again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain
a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were
chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they
were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins,
destitute, persecuted and mistreated-- 38 the world was not worthy of them. They
wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had
been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together
with us would they be made perfect.
· Faith is belief and understanding of the facts. Facts comes from hearing the word of God. Faith is the decision you’ve made based on the information you’ve been given along with the understanding you have of the situation. Just the facts, Ma’am.
· Faith is action. Action is the resulting steps taken produced by belief. A wrong belief can be disastrous.
· Faith is inspiration. Inspiration or Intuition is that little voice that leads you along the way. It is the Lord. He speaks to you in the scriptures, through the message, and through your heart.
· Faith is the test. Testing or Judgment that is the time of evaluation of your thoughts that have produced the actions you’ve taken.
· Faith is the healing that needs to take place. Healing comes when you have gone to the doctor who has diagnosed your problem and given you a plan for recovery to health. You have understood the problem and now you have the answer to give you the health you want. You understand the situation and you now know how to cure the problem. So, you do it. Then the healing begins. Healing comes from the Lord.