Rsbc
February 15, 2004
Sunday Night
Subject: “ Strengthening Faith and Dying Faith”
Text: Heb 11: 11-13
Intro: What an arrangement the Holy Spirit put into these verses. What we have is a period between life and death. This was not arranged by men, it was not arranged by religious instructors, it was arranged by the Lord. The Apostle Peter said:
2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost. It was such a blessing when I read this and saw it. The Holy Spirit just pointed it out to me...move my mind to it, caused my eyes to see it and I just worshiped the Lord when I saw it.
Last Sunday we saw how faith is obeying the commands of the Lord, that it does not question the Lord. What kind of faith is in your heart tonight, is it real faith, active faith, obedient faith, a faith that pleases the LORD. Is it a faith that acts, or is it dead faith... which is no faith at all.
I... “ THE UNHEARD OF THROUGH FAITH”..VS 11
Clearly the scriptures defines it for us...
1st...“She Sarah received strength” This was a biological impossibility and yet it happen. I like what MH says about Sarah .. Footnotes...
Believe when I say tonight that God both promises and does that which is unheard of in the realm of reality, he keeps his promises concerning all that he hath promised and fulfills it.
2nd... “She denounced her unbelief and relied upon what God had said”
When you feel like giving up, when you feel like the burden of life is to hard to bear, when you feel like circumstances has so overwhelmed you look up to the LORD: Psalm 143:8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.
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Psalm 121:1‑3 A Song of degrees. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help [cometh] from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
3rd... “She believed in and trusted the faithfulness of the LORD”
Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he [is] God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
II... “ THE GREAT TRANSACTION OF STRENGTHENING FAITH”..VS 12
Isaac is born... the one through whom the nations of the earth shall be blessed because God will call his people. They see a with the eye of faith the great promise of the gospel... “The stars of the sky a multitude” the greatest blessing of this whole thing is God protecting the seed of the woman which one day was to bear the LORD JESUS CHRIST.
1st. Listen to the promise of Christ:
Matthew 8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
John Calvin said of this verse: “They shall enjoy the same life” which means that the same promises made to the fathers we are in that line of inheritance that spiritual kingdom of GOD.
It is similar to the statement made by Paul...Ephesians 2:6 And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:
2nd. The explanation .. Galatians 4:26‑28 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 For it is written, Rejoice, [thou] barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
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This my friends is that numberless multitude that John was ask about in the Book of Revelation. Revelation 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; Revelation 7:10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Are you in this number? I am. This infinity of people that is endless number are the ones that Christ was given, that Christ loved, Christ died for, Now we see they are with the LORD. What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see and I look upon his face the one who saved me by his grace when he takes me by the hand leads me through the promised land what a day glorious day that will be..
III... “THESE ALL DIED IN FAITH”..VS 12
They were born, they were called by the Lord, they lived on earth for the LORD , they experienced the many struggles of life. They saw loved ones die, they saw sickness and pain. The experienced the lose of many things. But they did not loose faith.
The clear faith stated... vs 12 “ they died”
Adam lived and died: Genesis 5:5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. All flesh both man and beast died.. Genesis 7:21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:
Kings die, presidents die, rich men die, poor men die, children die, teenagers die, old people die, it is the lot of humans to die. Ecclesiastes 3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up [that which is] planted;
Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
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Job 14:10 But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where [is] he?
The great blessing stated likewise: “ Died in faith”
How will you and I die?
Look at the death of the wicked in the Bible, Pharaoh, King Ahab, Jezebel, Judas, and many more died without hope they lived and they died unprepared to meet the Lord.
The ones of which he speaks of that died in faith is the numberless multitude that we spoke of early. What is meant that they died in faith? Good question let us see if we can answer it.
1st. They seen by the eye of faith the promises..vs 13
We haven’t seen the Lord, nor his heavenly city, except by and through faith. They died seeing him who was invisible as it is said of Moses... How many saints of God have I preached to, prayed with, held their hands in this life to see them fall asleep in the arms of Jesus their saviour.
Like Jesus said of Abraham: John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw [it], and was glad. What a blessing to be given spiritual eyes to see Chirst, to believe in him, to serve him, to love him and then one day die in the faith he has given us.
When Christ was brought to the Temple Simeon raised him up to heaven and said these words: Luke 2:28‑30 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
2nd. They were persuaded of them..vs 13
This word “persuaded” means that one has been convinced through faith that what is said is true and they will live by it and they will die by it. These saints of God did that very thing.
Listen to what Paul said of Abraham..
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Romans 4:19‑21 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
What a testimony to boost ours... we have been given these great stories of the saints of God to encourage us, lift us up, establish us. Again Paul said in that great 8th chapter of Romans...
Romans 8:38‑39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
3rd. It means that they embraced them...
This word embraced means to reach out and grab someone and hold them that is dear to you...another); a salutation was made not merely by a slight gesture and a few words, but generally by embracing and kissing, Such is given after a long absence of someone.
This is what they did by faith they heard and saw and was persuaded and then they embraced these great promises of the LORD.
4th. It meant they understood and confessed that these were not to be experienced in their life necessarily....vs 13
Matthew 13:17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous [men] have desired to see [those things] which ye see, and have not seen [them]; and to hear [those things] which ye hear, and have not heard [them].