Hebrews 11 - We are saved through faith in Jesus

Big Picture Question:

“How can we be saved? We are only saved through faith in Jesus.”

Welcome:

Are there stories about people who encourage you or give you hope?

What are the stories?

Why do they encourage you?

Introduce the Bible Story:

Big Picture Question:

“The last time we met, we learned a big picture question: How can we be saved? Does anyone remember the answer?

We are only saved through faith in Jesus.”

“Faith pleases God because it shows that we trust Him and love Him. Many people in the Old Testament put their faith in God and trusted His plan to bring the promised Messiah. We put our faith in Jesus for salvation and believe that we are only saved through faith in Jesus. We also trust that all of God’s promises will one day come true.”

Review the Timeline:

“Last week, we learned that Peter recognized that Jesus is God and worshiped Him. We can believe that Jesus is God and respond in worship of Him too. We are only saved through faith in Jesus. In our Bible story today, we will learn that long ago people placed their faith in God and obeyed Him because they trusted Him.”

Learn the Bible Story

What is faith?

Hebrews 11:1–6 “1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

Question:

What is faith?

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for - the conviction or evidence of things not seen

It is our trust in something or someone without all of the information

Faith is that evidence

How many of you checked your chairs for structural integrity before you sat in them?

No one. You had faith that it would hold you.

Can we please God without faith?

No. It is impossible to please God without faith

To not have faith in God is not to trust him

Noah

Hebrews 11:7 “7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”

Question:

How did Noah exercise or show his faith?

He obeyed God and believed his promises that he would save him and his family

Abraham and Sarah

Hebrews 11:8–12 “8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.”

Question:

How did Abraham exercise faith?

He obeyed and went into the land that God had promised him.

How did Sarah exercise her faith?

She obeyed God and believed the promise of God that she would have a child - and this child would be the first of a very, very long line of descendants.

What is the Gospel (Good News)?

God

God created all things

God created us

God tells us how we are to live

Man

Man rebelled, disobeyed God

Wages of sin is death (What we earned)

Jesus

Jesus came and lived a perfect life

Obeying all of God’s laws

Jesus paid the penalty for sin by dying on the cross

Jesus defeated death by rising again from the dead

Response

Jesus calls all men everywhere to repent and believe the good news

Repent and Believe

Repent of what? (Our sins)

Believe what? (The good news of Jesus)

God tells us to have faith in him (to trust him)

Christ Connection:

“The Bible gives examples of people who had faith, but the true hero of the Bible is Jesus. Jesus lived a perfect life, died on a cross, and rose from the dead. We are saved from our sins by faith in Jesus.”

So how were the people in the Old Testament saved?

The believers in the Old Testament were saved by believing the promises of God - specifically that he would send a Messiah to save his people from their sins.

Key Passage:

Hebrews 11:6 “6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

And without _________ it is impossible to ___________ him, for whoever would __________ near to God must __________ that he _________ and that he _________ those who _______ him.

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Song

Hebrews 11:6

G Am G/B C G D G (C G)

Without faith it is impossible to please him,

G Am G/B C G D G (C G)

Without faith it is impossible to please him,

C D G C D G

for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists

C D Em C D G (C G)

and that he rewards those who seek him.

Pray