Intro:

Initial Thoughts:

• 3 thoughts - You are living what you believe, you can’t live out something long if you don’t believe it, the writer of Hebrews was writing to Jewish people who had put their faith in Jesus but it needed to endure. 
  1. You are actually living what you believe.
     • An Amish person is living what they believe when they don’t drive a car.
     • A muslim woman is living what she believes when she wears a hijab.
     • A orthodox jewish man is living what he believes when his hair grows in ringlets from his temples.
  2. You will not perpetually live something you don’t believe. You will eventually start living out what you believe. 
     • Either you are a TOTAL hypocrite 
     • Or you backslide on the belief and don’t hold it as strongly.
  3. The audience of Hebrews
     • Jewish people who had converted to Christianity but had considered going back to Jewish tradition. 
     • The writer was convincing them to not turn their back on Christ because He was better than everything else. 

Passage 1:

Hebrews 11:1–3 (NLT) — 1 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. 3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. 

• What faith is (Comments on first 3 verses) 
  1. Verse 1 - It is a firm conviction in the invisible based upon God’s promises and character
  2. Verse 2 - Faith is how we gain a good reputation with God
  3. Verse 3 - Faith begins with a conviction that what is seen comes from what is unseen 

Passage 2:

Hebrews 11:4 (NLT) — 4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith. 

Main Outline:

1. Abel - We WORSHIP by Faith
   1. Start with the story of Abel’s faith and Cain’s figuring
      1. Abel is faith -Abel chose to offer God what God desired,
      2. Cain is figuring - Cain offered God what he deemed good. 
   2. Whatever you offer God must be offered in faith
      1. Offer Jesus as your sacrifice, not your works
      2. Offer your life, not just your words
      3. Offer up prayers by faith
      4. Offer up worship according the Word of God
   3. Here’s the rule “we offer God only that which is of faith” 
2. Enoch - We WALK by Faith
   1. Hebrews 11:5-6 (NLT) —  5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. 6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
   2. The impossibility of pleasing God without faith
   3. Enoch pleased God - what an amazing statement
      1. God is not pleased with our perfection! 
      2. God is not pleased with our sacrifices
      3. GOD IS PLEASED BY OUR FAITH THAT MANIFESTS IN RELATIONSHIP
   4. If you want to please God you must believe
      1. He is
      2. He is a rewarder
   5. Walking with God by faith
      1. Faith is the thing that would cause you to get up every morning and talk to God, walk with God, be with God
      2. He walked with God by choosing every day to “pursue” God by faith. 
      3. He walked towards God and away from the world. 
   6. “God is pleased with my pursuit in faith”
3. Noah - We WAIT by Faith
   1. Hebrews 11:7 (NLT) — 7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.
   2. The WHOLE point of this chapter is understanding the WAIT of Faith.
   3. This is called FAITHFULNESS
      1. Faithful work - He kept working for over 100 years
      2. Faithful resilience - People kept making fun of him for all that time
      3. Faithful resistance - He didn’t participate in the things others did. 
   4. It may take a LONG time.
   5. Many times you don’t see the fulfillment of the promise in your lifetime, because you are only a link in the chain! 

Hebrews 11:32–40 (NLT) — 32 How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. 33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. 35 Women received their loved ones back again from death. But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. 36 Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. 37 Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. 38 They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. 39 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40 For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.

We lost a great friend this past Friday - Mario

Closing: How’s your faith? You are currently living out what you believe. Change what you believe, put your faith in Christ, believe He is the way. It will change your life.