Faith to Live By!

(Heb.10:38)

1) Faith sees the invisible… vs. 1

1. Faith sees the future…faith sees the resurrection, Jesus’ second coming, the glorification of the saints.

2. Faith also sees the invisible works of God in the present…Jesus dying for our sins, interceding for us in heaven, the Holy Spirit and the angels ministering to us.

-faith sees Jesus in the midst of our services this evening.

-faith sees the Holy Spirit is among us…leading, guiding, directing.

-faith sees the angels looking into and beholding our worship.

-beloved, may the Lord open our eyes to see Him working in our lives!

2) Faith believes the impossible.

1. (vs. 3)…the miracle of creation…

-to understand how the universe could be created from nothing is impossible!

-but by faith we simply believe the testimony of the Word of God.

2. (vs. 4)…the miracle of redemption…

Some 4,000 years before the birth of Christ, Abel offered a sacrificial lamb that pictured the Lamb of God dying on Calvary for his sins. Now we look back to a time nearly 2,000 years ago when that Holy Lamb of God offered Himself a sacrifice for our sins: "One Holy Lamb!…One sacrifice…paid the price I could not pay!!!" One Holy Lamb…slain for all the sins of all of God’s chosen people!!!

-such a wonderful thing is just impossible to understand!

-but by faith we can simply believe the testimony of God's Word concerning His Son!

3. Faith looks for miracles.

1. (vs. 11-12)…miraculous birth.

-90 year old women just don't conceive and have children.

-this defies science, it defies nature, the skeptics today would say this could not possibly happen; but it did!

2. (vs. 35a)…the dead are raised again.

-the widow of Zarephath's son (1 Ki. 17:8-24); the Shunamite woman's son (2 Ki. 4:18-37); not to mention others in the New Testament!

-this defies science, it defies nature, the skeptics today would say this could not possibly happen…but it did!

-sometimes we need a miracle in our life. We may have a lost or wayward child who needs salvation or brought back into the fold, or a husband or wife with cancer who needs God’s healing. Yes, sometimes we need a miracle, and I believe God is still able; I believe God still works miracles.

4) Faith obeys the unthinkable.

1. (vs. 7)…Noah labored 120 years, building an ark 450' x 75' x 45' high and had never seen rain!

2. (vs. 8)…Abraham left his homeland, wealth, family, idols.

-just like the call to salvation; and the call to special service.

3. (vs. 17-19)…Abraham offered his son.

Abraham waited and prayed all his life for the birth of his son Isaac! Now he was going slay his son! This is truly unthinkable!!!

-this is the ultimate act of obedience, and pictured the ultimate sacrifice for sins.

-sometimes we called upon to do something, and we don’t fully understand why!!!

5) Faith seeks the incorruptible…vs. 9-10, 13-16.

-faith understands that this world and all its charm is going to utterly burn up.

-faith understands that these bodies are going to wear out some day.

-faith also understands that there is an incorruptible world just waiting to be revealed!

-we need to realize that this old world is not our home!

-we need to set our affections on things above.

-we need to be looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the Great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ!

6) Faith refuses the irresistible…vs. 24-27.

Moses refused the glory, the wealth, the vanity fair, the pleasures of sin!

-would this be an easy thing for you and I?…by faith it can be done!

7) Faith conquers the undefeatable.

1. (vs. 29)...children of Israel trapped between the red sea and Pharaoh's army with no weapons…but they had God!

2. (vs. 30)…no hope against that fortified city, they were a laughing stock…but they had faith in an almighty God!

3. (vs. 32-34)…we need conquering faith to defeat our foes today! Our flesh, Satan, the false teachers, the world and all its temptations.

8) Endures the unbearable…vs. 35-38.

-Through the centuries of the dark ages.

-by faith suffering saints yet today are still able to endure persecution, sickness, pain, heart ache and loss.

-we need enduring faith; sooner or later we are going to meet with a trial that will be too hard for us to bear alone.

Conclusion

We need faith to live by!!!

How can we stay strong in faith and be able to do all these great things that we've been talking about tonight?

Heb. 12:2 Looking unto Jesus!!!

-He is the author…

-He is the finisher…

-Do you have this kind of faith tonight? Do you believe God's testimony concerning His Son?

May God grant you faith tonight to believe the impossible! May God work a miracle in your life tonight and give you repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ!

If you have come to believe on Jesus, we invite you tonight to publicly acknowledge your faith, and to present yourself for scriptural baptism and to become a part of this local body of Christ.

(Sermon preached by Pastor Burke at the Faith Baptist Church of Lawtey, Florida)