Scripture

All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.

Observation

It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho, and by faith Rahab gave a friendly welcome to the spies.

There are many other examples from Scripture of people who, by faith, overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised.

But there were others who were tortured and killed. These were too good for this world.

All of them earned a good reputation through their faith, but none received all that God had promised. God had something better in mind.

Application

All of the people mentioned in Hebrews 11 are honoured because of their faith,Some we honour because they overcame evil, and others we honour because they refused to submit to evil.

But all of them had this in common – they did not receive the fullness of God’s promise. That was left for us.

God’s intention for all of history was that people move into full relationship with Him. What the patriarchs and prophets saw dimly was fully revealed in Christ. We now have the privilege to receive salvation by faith and to hold within us the Holy Spirit. They experienced God at a distance, as it were, but we know Him personally and intimately.

We were made for fellowship with God. Every human desire points to a higher fulfilment in Christ.

You and I have the privilege of being able to relate to God person to person, whenever we want.

This is the consummation of faith.

Prayer

Father God, I thank you for this awesome privilege of being called your child. Thank you for salvation in Christ and for the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Scripture

Moses thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasure of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.

Observation

By faith, Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He knew that God’s promise of me descendants through Isaac would come true, so he figured that God could raise him from the dead if necessary.

The patriarchs – Isaac, Jacob and Joseph – likewise lived by faith.

Moses parents defied the order of Pharaoh to care for their baby. By faith, Moses rejected all of the comforts, pleasures, and sin of the Egyptian royal family in order to follow the higher vision given to him by the Lord.

By faith, the people of Israel passed through the Red Sea, but the Egyptians drowned .

Application

Do we believe the promises of God and risk our comfortable lifestyle for a higher calling?

Moses turned away from the power and prestige of the Egyptian elite. God commanded him to set the Israelites free and to lead them to the Promised Land. He chose the path of obedience and suffering because there was a great reward that could not be seen in the natural.

Faith means that we put our trust in God, along with our personal desires and ambitions.

When we left our former denomination to plant a new congregation, we did so trusting that God would provide what we needed. A friend said it was the greatest act of faith he had seen. But to us it was not that heroic a step. We knew that God wanted us to do it, and to choose the way of safety and comfort would have made us miserable.

To obey God in faith means that we give up some things, but find a much deeper joy then we could have thought possible.

Prayer

Lord, the way of faith is challenging at times. Thank you for the promise that you will never abandon us when we trust you. Amen.

Scripture

But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Observation

By faith Abraham obeyed God and went to another land. He was looking forward to a city designed and built by God.

By faith Sarah was able to conceive and bear a child. She believed that God would keep His promises.

They died still believing the promise, even though they did not receive it. They saw it at a distance. They were looking for a heavenly homeland which God had prepared for them.

Application

Faith is the quality that enables us to see that God is greater than our circumstances. At its heart is the conviction that there is a better place, a heavenly homeland.

God has prepared a place for us. This is not just heaven in the afterlife, but a destiny in this life which we perceive as heavenly because God is in this place.

When we pour out our lives serving God according to His command, then we are in that heavely homeland, enjoying the grace and presence of God.

Faith is practical because it directs our movement and our actions.

When we live in this pattern of faith and obedience, God meets us as He welcomes us as co-workers in His plan of redemption. He is not ashamed to be our God, and He has prepared a city for us.

Prayer

Father God, you are with me as long as I choose to be with you. Thank you for your presence in this life and for that city yet to come. Amen.

Scripture

By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

Observation

Faith is confidence that God will fulfil our hopes and certainty about things we cannot yet see. It shows us that God created all things.

By faith Abel brought a better sacrifice than Cain, and by faith Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying. It is impossible to please God without faith.

Noah built his ark by faith. God warned him about things that had never happened before. Noah believed God and was saved in the flood that condemned the rest of the world.

Application

Hebrews 11 is often described as the faith chapter, because it starts with a definition of faith and then travels through the Old Testament to highlight the famous examples of men and women of faith.

We believe that God created everything with a few words of command. He created everything that can be seen out of nothing.

This is an awesome thought. in recent years, science has found more and more things that exist in our universe. All of this just demonstrates that God is infinitely greater than we can imagine.

Some scientists try to have us believe that everything just came from nothing in a “Big Bang.” Then, after things settled down a bit, life created itself with no help from a Creator.

We believe that there is a God who made it all, and that He loves His creation.

Prayer

Lord, the whole of creation sings of your glory. Praise be to God. Amen.