Shiloh Community Church July 9 2023

1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about 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 brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

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.

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 is in keeping with faith.

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 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing 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, admitting that they were foreigners 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 embraced 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 will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.

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.

22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.

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 fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.

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 and Jephthah, about David and 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. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed 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, living in caves and in holes in the ground.

39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud 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, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Lord, make me an instrument of your love, your words and your grace. Let your wisdom come through my works, let your thoughts come through my speaking, and let your message be heard by all those who this message is for. Open ears, and eyes and hearts. I dedicate this to you in Jesus name AMEN

Thank you for this opportunity to bring Gods word, as we prepare to for the week ahead.

I, like some of you I suspect, have the Our Daily Bread monthly devotional. I get it both in printed form, as well as the daily devotials sent to my email. In 2016, the July 30, 2016, Philip Yancey wrote the following regarding these scriptures that have been read today, Hebrews 11:

“It’s tempting to think of faith as a kind of magic formula. If you muster up enough of it, you’ll get rich, stay healthy, and live a contented life with automatic answers to all your prayers. But life does not work according to such neat formulas. As proof, the author of Hebrews presents a stirring reminder of what constitutes “true faith” by reviewing the lives of some Old Testament giants of faith (Heb. 11).

“Without faith,” the author says bluntly, “it is impossible to please God” (11:6). In describing faith he uses the word persevered (v. 27). As a result of their faith, some heroes triumphed: They routed armies, escaped the sword, survived lions. But others met less happy ends: They were flogged, stoned, sawed in two. The chapter concludes, “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised” (v. 39).

The picture of faith that emerges does not fit into an easy formula. Sometimes it leads to victory and triumph. Sometimes it requires a gritty determination to “hang on at any cost.” Of such people, “God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them” (v. 16).

What our faith rests on is the belief that God is in ultimate control and will indeed keep His promises—whether that happens in this life or the next.

Give me a faith that trusts You wholeheartedly, Lord.

Hebrew 11 makes mentions of thoes who had faith and willingly followed God, despite any hardships they faced. None of these were perfect, but because of their actions in Faith we still learn from their examples today.

I will only refer to a few of these, for as the author of Hebrews says in verse 32, “And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about..”

When I look at the word faith and think about faith in action, I can see it broken down into five words. Following, Accepting, Investing, Trusting and Heaven F-A-I-T-H

Dictionary Definitions from Oxford Languages:

go or come after (a person or thing proceeding ahead); move or travel behind.

go after (someone) in order to observe or monitor.

There is a famous and well known quote by Martin Luther King Jr. that says:

“Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.” Martin Luther King Jr.

We have to be following Jesus to have faith.

Faith is not blindly believing in something. You have to be confident in the one you are following.

We can be assured that there is a plan for our lives even when we can’t see the whole picture.

You have to be willing to do or go anywhere Jesus directs you.

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 is in keeping with faith.

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.

Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)

2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Dictionary Definitions from Oxford Languages:

devote (one's time, effort, or energy) to a particular undertaking with the expectation of a worthwhile result.

We have to invest our lives in Jesus’ plan not our own. Faith is not something that we just have. It is an action.

had to trust that God would get him and his family through the flood and that God would provide

26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

Dictionary Definitions from Oxford Languages:

consent to receive (a thing offered)

believe or come to recognize (an opinion, explanation, etc.) as valid or correct

To have faith you must believe that Jesus is the only salvation. To be called children of God we must accept Jesus in our lives.

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 is in keeping with faith.

Abram/Abraham

the covenenat between God and him

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.

had to accept God’s call on his life to be the one God was to use to free his people

accepted Jesus as their Saviour

accepted the fact that life as a Christian was not going to be easy but worth it

We have to accept Jesus as our Saviour just as the saints listed in the letter to the Hebrews accepted God as their only God.

Dictionary Definitions from Oxford Languages:

believe in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of

firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something

We have to trust God.

There is an old hymn still sung today because the words still ring true: “trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey.’

30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

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.

had to trust God’s plan for building the boat

had to trust God would not forget his family in the boat

had to trust God to stop the rain

17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced 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 will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.

had to trust that it was God instructing him from the bush

had to trust that God would free his people from Egypt

had to trust that God would provide

had to trust that Jesus was the Mesiah

had to trust Jesus’ teachings

had to trust that their inheritance was in heaven

Faith is knowing that our final goal is not on this earth but in heaven. Jesus told us that he was going to Heaven to prepare a place for us. Revelations shows us how Jesus will return for us to take us home.

10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Hebrews 11:13-16

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, admitting that they were foreigners 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.

As the end of chapter 11 states: “39 All these people are known for their faith. But none of them received what God had promised. 40 God planned to give us something better. Then they would be made perfect, but only together with us.”

That is what Heaven is, being made perfect together

Having Faith requires action on our part. As we go out from here, lets remember that having Faith is an action of Following, Accepting, and Trusting, which will end with Heaven. F-A-I-T-H

Lets leave here with the call from Hebrews 12:1-3

Hebrews 12:1–3 (NIV)

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud 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, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Heavenly Father, we pray that as we go about our daily routines this week that people around us will see our faith in action, to the glory of your name. Amen

Shiloh Community Church July 9 2023

FAITH IN ACTION

How Are We Living Out Our Faith

Main Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-12:3(NIV)

Prayer

Opening

Keeping Faith by Philip Yancey Our Daily Bread July 30, 2016:

FAITH

F – Following

Martin Luther King Jr. Quote

Noah

Abram/Abraham

Moses

The Early Church Christians

Hebrews 12:2

I – Investing

Noah

Abram/Abraham

Moses

The Early Church Christians

A – Accepting

Noah

Moses

The Early Church Christians

T – Trusting

Matthew 6:30 (NIV)

Hebrews 11:3

Noah

Abram/Abraham

Moses

The Early Church Christians

H – Heaven

Hebrews 11:10

Closing

Prayer