Hebrews 11:6

1. Intro.
1. Hebrews 11 is a chapter about faith
1. the people of this chapter could not do great things, so they trusted God to do great things for them
2. most of the people mentioned in this chapter were ordinary people who accomplished great things
3. the character trait that distinguishes these people is their faith
4. they all trusted God, and God used them to change the world
2. the recipients of this book needed the message of chapter 11
1. they were experiencing opposition and persecution - Hebrews 10:32-33
2. they were in danger of giving up the faith - Hebrews 10:35-39
3. we need the message of Hebrews 11 today
3. if we are to reach the goals set for us by God, we must understand what it means to live by faith
2. what is Bible faith
1. what Bible faith is not
1. it is not a faith in faith ("things will work out, I have faith")
2. it is not believing in spite of evidence (superstition)
2. what kind of faith did the people of Hebrews 11 have
1. they had a faith that acted
1. faith involves obedience to God’s Word - Hebrews 11:7, 8, 9
2. to run the race of faith, we must do something - Hebrews 12:1
2. their faith obeyed God in spite of feelings, circumstances, or consequences - Hebrews 11:7
3. their faith had an object (God)
1. everybody has faith in something (job, money, friends, political party)
2. the difference between a Christian & a non-Christian is not that one has faith and the other doesn’t
3. the difference is that the Christian has faith in God
4. it is the object of faith that makes the believer’s faith beneficial and helpful
4. the working place of faith is the invisible and the impossible - Hebrews 11:1, 29-30
1. the presence of faith gives us the assurance that we will receive what has been promised to us
2. no matter what the circumstances, faith assures us that God will prevail
3. no matter what the consequences, faith assures us that God will triumph
3. true Bible faith has to do with the inner person, not the outward circumstances
3. how does Bible faith work
1. the Word of God - II Timothy 3:16-17
1. faith is based on the Word of God (promises, instructions)
2. God has spoken, what are we going to do about it
3. the fact that we have a Bible is a very serious thing
4. faith is made possible by the revealed Word of God - Hebrews 11:7, 8-10
2. a walk with God - Hebrews 11:38 [shall live]
1. people of faith are those that maintain a relationship with God
1. many people only go to God in a crisis
2. when they don’t get what they want, they get angry with God
2. the purpose of faith is to please God - Hebrews 11:6, 5
1. not to become famous or to do great thing for God
2. otherwise, faith is a tool whereby we use God
3. if we want to please God, we have to walk with God by faith
3. doing the will of God
1. true faith involve the will
2. faith is obeying God in spite of our feelings, circumstances, or consequences
3. when people of faith obey God, sometime everything seems to go wrong
1. Abraham arrived in the Promised Land just in time for a famine
2. Moses was driven out by Pharaoh, and his own people turned against him
3. when Israel left Egypt, they met an impassable sea with Pharaoh following behind
4. what kept the people of faith going - Hebrews 11:6 (the reward)
1. eternal rewards
2. present rewards (personal relationship with God, the blessings of God)
4. who can have this kind of faith (every believer)
1. most people see the problems instead of the possibilities ( excuse for dropping out)
2. faith changes all kinds of people - Hebrews 11:32
3. faith conquers all kinds of problems
1. the life of faith is not free of difficulties
2. God doesn’t always work the same in all our lives
1. sometimes He delivers us from difficulties or enemies - Hebrews 1133-34
2. sometimes God takes us through the furnace - Hebrews 11:35-38
4. however God delivers us, it is the presence of faith that delights Him - Hebrews 11:39