By Faith... History is Laid (pt. 1)

Introduction

Today we’re continuing our series titled ‘The Faith of our Fathers’

We began by looking in depth:

God’s Definition of Faith: Heb. 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Without rehashing, we learned that through this verse that faith is believing something for which proof was provided

The Importance of Faith in the Eyes of God: Heb. 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

And so as we consider Faith in God specifically, this chapter deals with the Faith of our Spiritual forefathers, AND WHAT IT MOVED THEM TO DO.

Messages in this Series:

v4 ‘By Faith… Abel Sacrificed’

v5 ‘By Faith… Enoch Walked with God’

v7 ‘By Faith… Noah Feared God’

v8-10;17-19 ‘By Faith… Abraham Obeyed, Became an Outcast & Offered’

v11-12; 20-22 ‘By Faith… Come Blessings & Bones’

v24-29 ‘By Faith… Moses Walked’

The title of today’s message is By Faith… History is Laid

The reason being that we’re going to examine these other specific examples found in v30-32. And while we’ll not be able to go into great depth on any of these, the one over-arching theme that I hope you find is that throughout these examples - just as the ones before them, the history of the world is written. Through these people great events happened in the history of mankind and altered forever the landscape as to what would come after.

Which if you think of it, this is exactly the purpose of this series - it’s to look back at the history of what is encapsulated in this chapter and the effects that faith had on the world!

So ‘By Faith… History is Laid’ - it’s very important to understand that what God expects of you Christians concerning faith is not a new thing. It’s something that God has expected from His people from Time & Memorial, and because of these great examples, we can have CONFIDENCE in the God whom they served!

What I’m trying to do with this series is exactly what the writer of Hebrews was trying to do - he listed all these great examples of faith and then said: Heb. 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”

We need to look at these witnesses here, lay aside the weights of doubt & fear & the sin of unbelief - and run the race God has for us!

That being said, let’s look at our first example found in v30 in the COI themselves, and we’ll see that Faith Secures Victory

I. Faith Secures Victory (v30)

COI and the Walls of Jericho

Read Jos. 6:1-5 “Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.”

Give the Stories synopsis

Collective Faith

One thing that we should recognize is the fact that this miracle was brought about collectively.

The priests had to bear the ark

All the men of war had to march

The priests had to blow their horns

The men had to shout

And they all had to do this together.

Each doing their part - such as Paul’s admonishment in Eph. 4:16 “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”

Imagine what this church could accomplish if we all just exercise our faith in accomplishing God’s call on our lives working out our faith in Christ together!

Collective Faith Secures Victory

Consistent Faith

This was not a one time effort. Their faith was working day after day. It wasn’t here today & gone tomorrow, it was consistent!

This is something that is lacking in lives of many Christians today - we (as Christians) should be increasing in our faith as our walk progresses - (Ill.) It should represent a steady climb, however oftentimes we see Christians who are up & down, wishy-washy in their faith.

Let me tell you what will help with that… Get grounded in the Word of God!

Consistent Faith Secures Victory

Convincing Faith

Consider for a moment what this people’s faith accomplished! These great big walls that secured this city fells flat - Jericho had faith in their walls, but the COI had faith in their God!

But consider what a group of people - working together - doing what God has instructed them to do CAN do!

Do you want to see Walls come down & victory happen in America? Do you want to have victory over the walled cities of:

Sodomy

Abortion

Unbelief

Do you want to see the walls fall & secure the victory? It will come by Faith!

1 - Faith Secures Victory. 2 - Faith Separates

II. Faith Separates (v31)

Rahab

Prior to the COI sacking Jericho, In Jos. 2, Joshua had sent out spies into the city and there was a harlot that hid the spies when they were discovered. And this was what she said:

Jos. 2:9-13 “And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token: And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.”

Some Lived, Others Perished (The Result)

Jos. 6:20-22 “So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot’s house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her.”

Rahab & her family lived, while everyone else perished.

This is the Result of what happened in Jericho, next we see the Reason

Some Believed, Others Did Not (The Reason)

Rahab said ‘I heard, and I believe (I know)’

Faith Separates

It separates the sheep from the goats

It separates the Saved from the Lost

It separates the Sanctified from the Worldly

Faith Separates

We as Christians are called to walk by faith: Heb. 10:22-23 “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”

We are described as ‘peculiar people’: Tit. 2:11-14 “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

Faith Separates.

Christians today - some are Spiritual, some are Carnal - and the difference is FAITH! Not their heritage, not how much money they make, not what color they are - but according to the FAITH they EMPLOY!

1 - Faith Secures Victory. 2 - Faith Separates. 3 - Faith Seizes Opportunities

III. Faith Seizes Opportunities (v32a)

Gideon & Barak

These are two more Judges that God used to deliver the COI from the yoke of bondage in the book of Judges

Souls Needed Deliverance

Without getting into great detail for sake of time, these men were both faced with a similar situation.

The COI had sinned against God and God brought Judgment against them. Then the COI cried out for deliverance, so God tasked these men - Gideon & Barak (on two separate occasions) to deliver them from their bondage.

Souls Needed Deliverance - and They Seized their Opportunity

They Seized their Opportunity

They took advantage of the opportunity that God had set before them. This is something that we need to mimic:

Jesus exemplified this: Joh. 9:4 “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”

You and I have opportunities before us!

You and I have been called by God to a work in His Name!

You and I will either Seize our Opportunities by FAITH, or we’ll let them pass us by in our unbelief.

Q: “Preacher, what does faith have to do with it?”

EVERYTHING! God has called each of us to a work. A work that only you and I can do. Now we’re either going to set out to accomplish that work and BY FAITH BELIEVE THAT GOD WILL EQUIP US TO ACCOMPLISH IT, or we’ll be like so many other Christians looking at the walls and say “Those can’t come down”. We’ll look at the enemy and say “They can’t be defeated”.

Is anything too hard for our God?!?

1 - Faith Secures Victory. 2 - Faith Separates. 3 - Faith Seizes Opportunities. Next, 4. Faith is Strong

IV. Faith is Strong (v32b)

Samson

We’re talking about Samson here. Strongest man physically that ever lived

Faith is Effectual

What I mean by that is that Faith effects things - it makes a difference. In Samson’s case, Samson made a difference.

Samson killed a lion

Samson burned down the Philistines corn

Samson killed a thousand men with the Jawbone of an ass

Samson took the doors & bars of Gaza up the hill to Hebron

Samson brought the house down and killed a multitude

When we look at the life of Samson, there’s many things that we could say, but one thing that we can say is that Samson made a difference. And we see the strength of Faith in his life.

Faith is Effectual, but on thing that I see in Samson’s life is that Faith Effects Others

Faith Effects Others

What I want to do is go back before. Before Samson carried the doors & killed the thousands. I want to look at the announcement of his birth: (Read Ju. 13:1-14)

If you were to really study the life of Samson, one thing that you’d see is that Samson himself was not a Spiritual giant. But I do believe that Samson accomplished what he did because of the faithful obedience of his parents.

His parents believed the Angel of the LORD’s instructions - and abided by them according to Samson’s testimony unto Delilah in Jg. 16:17 “That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a rasor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”

FYI: Samson’s strength wasn’t in his hair, it was in the LORD - he lost it because he lost sight of it’s source.

Our Faith effects others: (Ill.) If I live by faith, in that if my decisions are faith based, they will effect others. If my children see me walking by faith, it will encourage them to as well. If I witness to others by faith, they can be converted. If I pray believing by faith, others can be delivered! Our faith effects others!

Faith is Effectual and Faith Effects Others

Conclusion

Today we’ve looked at several examples as to what Faith Does, but I want to go back to the first for a moment. The Title to this message is By Faith… History is Laid. All of these great things that were accomplished for God were accomplished by Faith - and it altered the course of History.

I don’t know about you. I don’t simply want to exist, I want to to make history.

I want to let God use me to effect others.

I want to Seize my Opportunities

I want to experience Victory

V. Faith Sets Things in Order (v32c)

Jephthae

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VI. Faith Slays Giants (v32d)

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VII. Faith Seeks God’s People (v32e)

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VIII. Faith Speaks God’s Words (v32f)

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Conclusion