Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.06UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.06UNLIKELY
Fear
0.08UNLIKELY
Joy
0.69LIKELY
Sadness
0.11UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.67LIKELY
Confident
0.68LIKELY
Tentative
0UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.87LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.66LIKELY
Extraversion
0.11UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.83LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.72LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Review Chapter 10
Hall of Faith(Part 1) Hebrews 11:1-7
Discussion Questions
How does chapter 11 relate to chapter 10?
What, exactly is faith?
How would you define it?
What does assurance mean?
What are the things which we hope for?
What does verse 2 show pleased God a long time ago?
Do you think we please God the same way today?
What is the essential aspect of our faith in God?
What do we learn from verse 6? How can our faith grow stronger?
What do you think you need to do to follow the principles in this passage on faith?
The Definition of Faith
This chapter begins with a section which speaks of “faith in the unseen”
But what exactly is faith?
At it’s essence faith is a strong conviction
Assurance and conviction speak about what we are certain about
Faith is not a feeling, experience, or a positive attitude toward life
Faith is not just intellectual assent
It is a deep personal trust that God’s word is true
The object of faith focuses on what you can’t see
What we can’t see in the past is creation
By faith we understand that the universe was created
We were not there to witness the creation; thus we receive it by faith
Does this mean that our faith is blinded or grounded?
It is grounded in the truth of God’s Word
What we can’t see in the future is the New Creation
Our faith is in “things hoped for” - the writer was most likely referring to heaven or the return of Christ
“Hope that is seen is not hope.
For who hopes for what he sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Rom 8:24-25)
The importance of faith is that it is the only way we can please God
Faith is how the people of old received their commendation
Without faith it is impossible to please God
God’s favor is always by faith not by works
The writer does not list examples of works but of those who had faith
The writer provides lessons about faith
Abel: tells us that faith is Christ centered - relying upon His sacrifice not our works
God rejected Cain’s offering but accepted Abel’s, why - Abel offered a blood sacrifice as a symbol that his sin must be paid for, while Cain only offered grain
The point the writer is making here is that true faith approaches God on His terms, not ours
Self-righteous good works are not how we approach God
We approach God by confession of our sins and need of grace
Enoch: Shows us that faith is relational, he was focused on walking with God
Enoch pleased God by walking with Him
He would draw near to God believing that He rewards those who seek him
Faith is always directed toward a personal relationship with God
Noah: Faith is obedience and following God even when things don’t make sense
God asked Noah to do the impossible - build an enormous ark in the middle of the dry land
This took years and enormous expense
Noah embodies the idea that faith is focused on what is unseen
True faith always leads to obedience
These types of faith reflect the order of the Christian life: We must first trust in the sacrifice of Christ, we then walk with him intimately, and that leads to great acts of obedience
Which Home are you looking forward to?
Hebrews 11:8-22
Discussion Questions
What did God tell Abraham to do?
How did Abraham respond?
Wore there times that he demonstrated a lack of faith in God? When?
Why is Sarah mentioned in this list?
What were some of Sarah’s best character qualities?
What promises are referred to in v. 13 which these Old Testament characters did not receive?
What promises did they see fulfilled in their own lives?
Are there some promises which we will see fulfilled in our lives now and some which we won’t?
A Better Home Hebrews 11:8-10
Abraham’s story is probably as well-known as Noah’s, among Bible students
Abraham was originally a pagan named Abram
He was called by God into a life of faith, living in Canaan
The promise that God gave Abram was, that if he would leave behind the life he knew in Ur, including his family and livelihood, God would bless him with a great inheritance
That inheritance would be the promised land of Canaan and beyond
But as Abram first heard this promise, God didn’t reveal the location of that inheritance
As the writer reminds us in v. 9, God required that Abram follow in faith without even an understanding of where God would take him
Abram had to make a choice to follow God’s Word, based upon a confidence and hope of what God would do in the future
Imagine you are an unbeliever, with no prior experience in trusting and following the Living God
And then you hear God telling you to leave behind your home
and leave behind your family roots
and get in the card and drive to the airport
and fly to another part of the earth, where you will live forever
He promises that if you do these things, you will receive a great inheritance from God
This is the test placed in front of Abram
And Abram responded in faith
Vv. 8-12 focus on two foundational events in Abraham’s life that show his faith
first, his obedient response to God’ call for him to go to an unknown land
second, by faith Abraham, along with Sarah who was barren, was enabled to become a father, with the result that God would give them countless descendants
Abraham kept his eyes fixed on the established city of God that would be revealed at the time of fulfillment
A Better People Hebrews 11:11-12
Abraham faced a difficult challenge, in looking forward to the people that would be his descendants
God had promised him that his descendants would be “as many as … grains of sand”
But there was one small problem, Sarah was past child bearing age and he was “as good as dead”
So how would he and Sarah respond to this challenge present to them by God?
They believed!
Sarah received the promise by faith
And God kept His promise: Abraham had descendants like the stars of heaven and the sand of the seashore
A Better Hope Hebrews 11:13-16
The essence of faith is looking forward
We have a tendency to think of faith as looking backwards: can we believe that the events of the Bible actually took place?
But those patriarchs had a faith that looked forward
They believed without seeing
They died “not having received the things promised, but having seen them greeted them from afar”
This is the definition of faith discussed earlier: “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9