Faith that Moves the King! (2)
A lesson on how the power of faith moves the heart of God
Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
I. A Definition of Faith that moves the King!
I. Definition of Faith that moves the King!
What is Faith?
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see.
Many people would define faith as some wistful hope or premonition that something good is going to happen in their endeavor. But the faith the Bible speaks about is a belief in the Word of God as being true and believing it to the extent that you act according to the Word. Faith is more than a mental assent that the Bible is true, but it is an adjustment of one’s life to conform to the teaching of the Bible. Therefore do not boast of your faith if you are not obeying the Scriptures
II. A Demonstration of Faith that moves the King!
1. Abel (11:4a)
2. Enoch (11:5a)
3. Noah (11:7a)
4. Abraham (11:8a, 9, 12, 17–18)
5. Sarah (11:11a)
6. Isaac (11:20a)
7. Jacob (11:21a)
8. Joseph (11:22a)
9. Moses’ parents (11:23a)
10. Moses (11:24, 27a, 28a)
11. The people of Israel (11:29a, 30a)
12. Rahab (11:31a)
13. Gideon (11:32a)
14. Barak (11:32b)
15. Samson (11:32c)
16. Jephthah (11:32d)
17. David (11:32e)
18. Samuel (11:32f)
19. All the prophets (11:32g)
B. What they did (11:4b, 5b, 7b, 8b, 11b, 19, 20b, 21b, 22b, 23b, 25, 27b, 28b–30, 31b, 33–35a)
1. Abel gave the Lord an acceptable offering (11:4b).
2. Enoch left the earth without dying (11:5b).
3. Noah survived the great Flood (11:7b).
4. Abraham inherited a land (11:8b).
5. Sarah bore a son through a barren womb and began a nation (11:11b).
6. Abraham believed that God could raise the dead (11:19).
7. Isaac and Jacob both predicted the future (11:20b, 21b).
8. Joseph anticipated the Exodus long before it happened (11:22b).
9. Moses’ parents defied the king of Egypt (11:23b).
10. Moses forsook the pleasures of sin (11:25).
11. Moses left the land of Egypt and was not afraid of the king (11:27b).
12. The people of Israel kept the Passover (11:28b).
13. The people of Israel crossed the Red Sea (11:29).
14. The people of Israel shouted down a city (11:30).
15. Rahab protected some Hebrew spies (11:31b).
16. The prophets and judges subdued kingdoms, shut the mouths of lions, quenched flames, escaped the sword, exchanged weakness for strength, put enemy armies to flight, and a few even raised the dead (11:33–35a).
III. A Dependence on Faith that moves the King!
Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
A. Faith is the prerequisite!
in faith things hoped for become realized, or things hoped for take on (but s. 3 and 4 below) reality.
• Conversely, ‘without faith things hoped for would have no reality’.