Although my notes were ready for Hebrews 11:20, I believe the Spirit of God was prompting me to do something different this morning.

I sensed in my spirit there were several folks in the congregation who needed help getting their cares up to the Lord. There were others that were ready to make that commitment to follow Christ either for the first time, or to re-commit their lives because of recent trials and difficulties.

Because we were ready this morning to also partake of the Lord’s Table, it made sense to me to just tie it all in and make a CALL TO OPEN OUR HEARTS TO GOD. When you view the video you will see what unfolded.

“THE FAITH OF THE PATRIARCHS – PART 1”

Hebrews 11:17-19

INTRODUCTION:

I. FAITH TESTED VV. 17-18

A. Letting Go into the Hands of the Lord

-in our last study we focused on Abraham’s faith in leaving his country, his family and his father’s house to go to a land that God would show to him

-Abraham made it step by step to the land of Canaan; it was after he entered the middle of the land that God confirmed His promises to him

-then because of famine he wandered down to Egypt on his own without asking counsel from the Lord; in doing so, he endangered his entire household

-he got into trouble with the Pharaoh when he lied to him about Sarah his wife

-he was rebuked by Pharaoh, sent away, came back into the land of Canaan

-it was then that his nephew, Lot, separated from him and went to live in the area of Sodom and Gomorrah

-just after that separation, which was the final ‘departing from his family’, God once again affirmed to him about the land and also his future inheritance

-this was the time where the Lord caused a wonderful thing to be written:

Gen 15:6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. NKJV

-Abraham’s faith had been a work in progress

-God had given him the faith by which to believe; we know from Josh. 24 that Abraham’s father was an idolater

-yet Abraham received the witness that there was only one God and it was Him that should be served; then he received the call to depart

-Abraham exercised that faith in each situation, step by step, albeit with a failure here and there

-through it all Abraham clung to God and to His promises; yet the ‘working out’ of those promises was something he had little knowledge of

-Abraham’s greatest test of faith, though, came when the Lord called him to offer up Isaac, the son upon which all the future promises was based

-Isaac was probably in his late teens or early twenties when this happened; Abraham would have been around 120 years old at this time

-Abraham’s faith in God was tested in this way: he had to let go of his own natural understanding on how God would fulfill His own promises

-Abraham had to put all into the hands of God

B. Lessons on Faith Tested

-the writer of Hebrews said at the end of ch. 10 that the just shall live by his faith

-he was quoting from the book of Habakkuk

-these Hebrew believers in Jesus had been through quite a lengthy time of trial

-their faith had been tested on numerous occasions; Heb. 11 was written to encourage them, to strengthen them, to let them know they were not alone

-Abraham had received God’s promise that in Isaac, not through Ishmael, the spiritual blessing would be passed down, culminating in the Redeemer

-Abraham knew that only through Isaac this was to happen; it was as if Isaac was  to Abraham his only begotten son

-this of course formed a foreshadow of things to come through God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ

-God the Father, offered up His only begotten Son, Jesus, and received Him back from the dead; He is now at the Father’s right hand right this moment

-just as Abraham’s faith was tested by God, so our faith gets tested by Him

-God does not test our faith to destroy it; He tests our faith to show what He’s already done in us

-that work–His work–can only be revealed through allowing trials and testings

-it’s similar to an engineer who has drawn up a schematic for a piece of computer hardware

-he can prove on paper that it will work; but it has to be tested to be shown that the project actually is valid and solid

-I believe the Lord does the same thing with us who are His children

-there will come times in our lives when the circumstances surrounding us collapse into a heap of rubble

-it may be a marriage that is failing; it could be the project you’re responsible for at work that is being rejected by the client

-possibly it is that tumor or that disease you never thought would happen

-and we find that the more we try to shore it up, the harder we seek to stop the hemorrhaging, the worse it gets

-we are at our wits end with no more strength, no more courage, no more means to deal with it

-it is at that time that we must–we must–we must–fall upon our Savior Jesus and cry out for mercy, for strength and for strategy

-Abraham, when he was tested, obeyed and offered up Isaac by faith; he had to trust God more than in his own understanding of ‘how will it happen?’

-is there an Isaac in your life? are you having to let go of something that is very precious to you?

-it’s not so much that you just let go; it’s that you commit it into the hands of God

-our perspective of “the right time” can be so different than God’s perspective of “the right time”

-I believe there are certain appointed times in our lives when God brings us to crossroads for purposes possibly far different than we initially thought

-an opportunity may have been presented to you to do this or that; and it has been on your mind and heart for a long time

-but the question needs to be, “Is this God’s timing?”; the need may be obvious, but it may not necessarily be the timing of God

-God’s desire is that the blessing we receive from Him is a 100% blessing of what He has in mind; but so often we settle for less through impatience

-how do you know when God is giving direction to do this or that?  5 tests

-1.) in the course of your daily reading of Scripture you keep coming across principles and phrases that bring to mind a particular direction or involvement of your life

-2.) you find a real desire to be involved in that particular endeavor

-3.) seasoned brethren in the Lord are a safe gateway through which to discern if a direction or opportunity is possibly God’s leading

-4.) there is peace in your heart and conscience over the prospect of being used in that way

-5.) the circumstances of your life seem to be pointing in that direction

-whether you step forward or wait until further notice, both will require you to step forward in faith

-waiting on the Lord is very much an active, forward movement on our part

II. FAITH FULFILLED V. 19

A. Setting Our Sights on God Instead of Our Reasoning

-v. 19 tells us that Abraham had to make sure his trust was in God’s ability to bring to pass His own promises

-it was a definite clear command from the Lord to offer up Isaac his son

-Abraham had walked with the Lord for many, many years now

-he had grown in his faith to know through experience and the witness of the Holy Spirit upon his spirit when it was really the Lord’s voice

-the questions on his mind as to the ‘how’ had to be left with God; he lifted his reasoning to a higher level

-he concluded that if God had given the promise in the first place, and now God was calling him to offer up Isaac, God was going to have to raise him from the dead to fulfill His own promise

-in this way he lifted his reasoning and faith to a higher level and rested his faith upon God instead of upon his own reasoning

-it’s not that you let go of reasoning altogether when you enter situations like this; it’s that you lift your reasoning to include the ‘God Factor’

-including the ‘God Factor’ means you understand that your collection of factors at hand are not complete; sound logic is based upon sound facts

-there may be some good initial factors that point to a direction; but the outcome of it has to be left into the hands of God

B. Setting Our ‘Isaacs’ Into God’s Hands

-what is your ‘Isaac’ right now? it could be your deepest hopes, your deepest desires, those things that are most precious to you

-it could be your ‘five year plan’, your upcoming marriage, your oldest child’s educational opportunities that you never had

-it’s not a time to get superstitious and think, “If I release these things into the hand of God, He will take them away from me and never give them back.”

-release means that you count Him more important and worthy of more value than anything that is a part of your life here on earth

Luke 14:25-27

25 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.  27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. NKJV

-Jesus isn’t seeking to turn His disciples against family relationships; it’s just that He must have first place in the hearts of each of His disciples

-although family relationships are usually the most precious things to us (as it has been said, “The most precious things in life are not ‘things’”), we are usually more concerned about our own life more than others

-but even here Jesus calls us to release the concerns of our own life into His hands; choosing to follow the Savior Jesus will eventually get you into trouble

-this is the reality of the case in many countries today; yet when they trust Christ for their salvation, they realize they take upon themselves a ‘death-sentence’

-sold out, no turning back, total commitment…these are terms descriptive of Christ’s call to all His disciples, including you and me

“STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS”

Hebrews 11:8-16

INTRODUCTION:

I. THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM VV. 8-10

A. By Faith Abraham Went Out v. 8

-Abraham was considered the father of the Hebrew people

-these first century Hebrew believers in Jeshua needed to be reminded that the faith they were living by was the same faith as their forefather Abraham lived by

-we first read about Abraham’s journey of faith in Gen. 12, where at that time his name was Abram

-we don’t know how the Lord made it clear to Abraham that he was to leave Ur of the Chaldees

-the wording seems to indicate that he stepped forward and was given leading phase by phase

-we do know that there were some explicit instructions given to him as recorded in Gen. 12

-it is interesting to consider that he didn’t get a more full detail of things until he came right into the middle of the land of Canaan

Gen 12:1-8 NKJV

(1) Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. (2) I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. (3) I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

(4) So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

(5) Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.

(6) Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. (7) Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

(8) And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.

-it was by faith that Abraham obeyed; notice that here in Hebrews it clearly states that he went out not knowing where he was going

-it wasn’t that he was clueless; it’s just that there was such a strong sense in his spirit that it was the right thing to do, although he didn’t have all the details

-his trust was in the God who was leading him, not in his own understanding

Pro 3:5-7 NKJV Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; (6) In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (7) Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.

-I’m not here to tell you that good judgment, discernment and planning are unspiritual or shouldn’t be considered

-there are many Scriptures which encourage us to think through what is in front of us, to pray over those plans and then release them into the Lord’s hands

-but as was true with Abraham in this instance, it’s just that there will be times in our own lives as Christians when the leading of the Spirit is so strong that to disobey that leading would be considered sin for us

-this is how my family came to Arizona

B. By Faith Abraham Dwelt as a Foreigner vv. 9-10

-it is one thing to step out in faith in a direction that you believe God has led you; it is another thing to dwell in it and not run from it when things get tough

-Abraham did not immediately set out to build a house and settle in; he waited

-not only did he wait, but he taught his son and grandson about the future inheritance, looking beyond the physical land

-this shows that his faith was not in the tangible but in the intangible; he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God

-if the inheritance is only in the physical realm, then what happens when all things are dissolved and pass away? Is your inheritance gone?

-the reality of the case for believers in Christ is this: our inheritance is HIM; we don’t want the stuff; we want Him; if we have Him we have all things

-what inheritance are you looking for? it’s so easy to just get locked in on this life

-all it takes to discover your heart is when you find out there was a large bank account that was transferred to you at the death of your relative

-and then you find out that at the last minute one of your other relatives convinced them to transfer all those funds into their own name

Psa 16:5-6 NKJV O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. (6) The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance.

-did you know that the Lord counts you and I as His inheritance?

Psa 94:14 NKJV For the LORD will not cast off His people, Nor will He forsake His inheritance.

II. THE FAITH OF SARAH VV. 11-12

A. By Faith Sarah Received Strength to Conceive v. 11

-remember that Sarah was the one who suggested to Abraham that since she couldn’t conceive, her handmaiden Hagar should be a surrogate

-yet here Sarah’s lapse in faith is overlooked because although she laughed when she heard the message from God that she would have a child at 90 years old, she must have regrouped and trusted God in faith

-it says that she received strength to conceive seed; her faith in God’s promise and power brought healing to her internally to be able to conceive, even at 90 years old!

-it was also by faith that she bore the child; notice why: she judged Him faithful who had promised

-this is not faith in the dynamics of faith; it is faith in the person and promises of God Himself

-it must be remembered that God planned to do this first before He told Sarah

-God enabled her to conceive because it was a part of His plan for her and Abe

-to just read this section of Genesis and then automatically conclude that if you’re unable to have children God must work in this same way is presumption

-we don’t always know why things have worked the way they have; but God is faithful to bring His comfort to every situation we encounter and cary out His particular will and plan concerning us

B. By Faith Sarah and Abraham Became Parents of a Multitude v. 12

-this shows the result of their faith: from that simple step of faith on their part, it began the process by which a nation of Hebrew people were born

-Abraham was healed at age 86 to be able to have children; Ishmael was born as the result through Sarah’s handmaiden, Hagar

-thirteen years later, God healed Sarah and she had a child, Issac, when she was 90, Abraham was 100

-him as good as dead…there are many things in life that we wish would have happened which will not happen–ever in this life

-but God understands the deep need in our life for purpose and vision and significance; He is able by the Holy Spirit to bring us to that core fulfillment

-but we must let go of the ‘how’ and the ‘when’ and let Him do things His way

-maybe it will take place under different circumstances; maybe it won’t happen at all; but this is just where we must let go and invite Him to fill us completely

III. THE FAITH THAT PROCLAIMS WE ARE STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS VV. 13-16

A. Strangers and Pilgrims vv. 13-14

-there are three things I want you to notice in these verses

-first of all, they all died in their faith, that is, with their faith intact

-their faith wasn’t in the outward circumstances of the moment; their faith rested upon the Person and the promises of God Himself

-their faith gave them foresight, it gave them insight, it gave them hindsight

-secondly, they were assured of those promises, which led them to embrace them, cling to them, and hold on to them for dear life

-thirdly, it caused them to keep perspective that they were only strangers and pilgrims while they journeyed through this life

-strangers were those who were not citizens of the country in which they lived

-pilgrims were those who were on a journey to a religious or spiritual destination

-the Pilgrims who came across on the Mayflower were in search of living in a land whereby they could worship God freely according to their convictions

-they landed on 11/11/1620 at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts; half of them died the first winter here; I am a 12^th generation descendant of Edward Fuller

-true, we are physical citizens of USA; and as a citizen we are responsible to support this country with our taxes, our involvement and our prayers

-but ultimately as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we are citizens of heaven

Phil 3:20-21

20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. NKJV

-there may come times when we will encounter laws or cultural mores in our earthly country that run contrary with the truths and principles of the Kingdom of heaven as revealed in Scripture

-when this happens, we must first seek to understand the true goal of the law or the moral

-we must seek to find a way to meet those goals IF they are not contrary to the Laws of the Kingdom of God

-but when they run contrary to those Kingdom Laws, and the goal is immoral and forces us to sin against God, then there comes a time for civil disobedience to the cultural mores of our society, come what may

B. Seeking the Heavenly Country vv. 15-16

-no turning back; fully committed; eyes on the prize, so to speak

Mark 8:38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” NKJV

Rom 1:16-17

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” NKJV

2 Tim 1:12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. NKJV

John 14:2-3

2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

“FAITH BEFORE THE FLOOD – PART 2”

Hebrews 11:7

INTRODUCTION:

I. BY FAITH NOAH PREPARED AN ARK v. 7a

A. Divinely Warned of Things Not Yet Seen

-the core of the verse reads, “By faith Noah…prepared an ark for the saving of his household…”

-God first gave the warning to Noah before he acted; His word first came to Noah; then faith came into Noah’s heart, a kind of faith which led to action

-this is the way it always is with God: the revelation of His word and will leads to changes in the heart

-it is interesting how the Holy Spirit of God uses the word of the Lord; the truth of the word of God is like light shining upon the darkness of the heart of man

-we are told in Rom. 10:17 that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God

-this principle still is valid today; the Holy Spirit begins to stir the hearts of people to seek the Lord God, and the word of God is used by Him with the same results

-this happened with all of us here today who have accepted Christ as our Savior

-and it continues to happen with us as the Spirit of God continues to lead us to follow Jesus in every arena of our lives

-so, what was going on in Noah’s life before that warning came to him?

Gen 6:9-10

9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

-Noah wasn’t considered perfect or righteous because of his works; his works were the result of his faith, by which he was considered righteous

-we mentioned last week that there were only two men in Scripture of which is was written that they ‘walked with God’: Enoch and Noah

-Enoch was Noah’s great-grandfather; Enoch passed down his faith to his son, Methuselah; Methuselah passed it down to Lamech, and Lamech to Noah

-what was the spiritual condition of the world during Noah’s day?

Gen 6:5 Then the Lord* saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. NKJV

Gen. 6:11-12

11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. NKJV

Gen 6:3 And the Lord  said, “My Spirit shall not strive* with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” NKJV

-to the average guy on the street in Noah’s day all looked pretty normal and ‘business as usual’; but God saw it differently

-but they had so hardened their hearts morally and spiritually against God that they didn’t even see the danger coming round the bend

Luke 17:26-27

26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. NKJV

-so what was the first warning God gave to Noah?

Gen 6:13-22

13 And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

14 Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. 15 And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.

17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark — you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. 21 And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.”

22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did. NKJV

-it must be remembered that Noah’s sons began to be born to his wife in his 500^th year

-we know from Scripture that Japheth was the oldest, and Ham was the youngest

-but then we are told that in the 600^th year of Noah’s life the flood waters came upon the earth

-the space of the warning was 120 years; this means that Noah was given the directions to build the ark BEFORE any of his sons were born!

-Noah’s brothers and sisters wanted nothing to do with Noah’s venture in faith

-his dad, Lamech, died five years before the flood and his grandfather died the same year as when the flood began; Noah’s great-grandfather was Enoch!

B. Determined to Follow Through In Godly Fear

-follow through; this is where a lot of us fall short

-it’s not that we don’t have intentions to do what is right; it’s that we find excuses and then don’t follow through

-what kept Noah building when everyone around him thought he was nuts? he was ‘moved with godly fear’

-what this means is that he followed through in obedience in the same way Abraham did later

Rom 4:20-22

20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”* NKJV

-his ‘follow through’ took over 100 years! how we can give up so easily when the going gets tough!

-how do you follow through? being moved with godly fear; if you fall, you get back up; you keep putting one foot in front of the other, even if baby steps

-Noah prepared an ark for the saving of his household; he ordered his life in such a way so as to be a godly influence upon his family

-yet even though Noah was a ‘preacher of righteousness’ as Peter wrote in his second epistle, none of his relatives responded to his testimony!

II. BY FAITH HE BECAME HEIR OF RIGHTEOUSNESS v. 7b

A. It Actually Happened as Written

-there are many that discount the record of Noah’s flood

-they say that it was at the most a localized flood; many count it as a legend intended to carry across a moral conclusion like Aesop’s fables

-but all through the history of the Hebrew people it was never viewed in this light

-and why would Jesus quote the flood of Noah as a literal event if indeed it was only a legend? the Son of God would never use a lie to communicate truth

-look at how the Amplified Bible translates the last part of Hebrews 11;7

Heb. 11:7 “…By this [his faith which relied on God] he passed judgment and sentence on the world’s unbelief and became an heir and possessor of righteousness (that relation of being right into which God puts the person who has faith).  AMP

-we tell people we love that Jesus died for their sins; we tell them that He ascended into heaven and will return to this earth in a literal fashion

-we warn them that there has been a day of judgment appointed for this earth in the very near future

-we call the people to turn from their sins and come under the blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world

-but if they choose to remain in their unbelief, that day will surely come to pass, just as certainly as the day when the rain began

B. It is by Faith that We are Counted as Righteous Before God

-Noah’s follow through in obedience to his faith was an act that condemned the world of its ungodliness

-they laughed at him while he was building the ark; but the judgment still came

2 Peter 3:1-13

1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us,* the apostles of the Lord and Savior, 3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us,* not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.* 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. NKJV

COMMUNION

“FAITH BEFORE THE FLOOD – PART 1”

Hebrews 11:4-7

INTRODUCTION:

-the faith that we live by as believers in Christ Jesus is the same faith that every child of God has lived by since the days of Adam and Eve

-faith is not merely a New Testament concept; it is a core element of righteousness that can be seen from the beginning

-when I say ‘faith’ I am referring to a kind of belief that is all-encompassing in its nature; it is not  merely saying ‘I believe’ something exists; it is a resting upon, a complete surrender to

-millions of people every day have faith in the structure and aerodynamics of an aircraft; they put their whole life on the line every time that aircraft takes off

-to stand on the tarmac and say, “Yes, I believe it can safely transport 300 people from one destination to another,” is totally different than entering it yourself and taking off

-many people today say they believe that Jesus came to die for the sins of the whole world, that He was a great prophet and religious figure, that He should be followed

-but they are like those staying on the tarmac in our illustration; they haven’t entered the craft, the ark as it were

-true Biblical faith is a total commitment of life, heart and soul to the One who died for them and bore their sin: Jesus, the Word of God incarnate

-remember that the recipients of this epistle were Hebrew believers in Jesus as their Messiah

-they had the veil lifted from their hearts to understand that indeed Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah; they had trusted Jesus for their eternal salvation

-they had stopped trusting in the sacrifices of animals and offerings to gain for them right standing before God; they now trusted in the Lamb of God, Jesus, who was righteous

-but because of the difficulties that had come their way since believing in Jesus, some of them were considering going back to the old covenant under Moses’ Law

-so the writer of Hebrews sought to reason with them and show them why the sacrifice of Jesus was greater and more worthy than anything the old system could provide

-in ch. 11 we read of many who lived under that old covenant who actually chose a higher way of life than mere outward performance of ritual

-each of them had their own testimony of a life lived out in faith; this was brought out to show that the just shall live by faith, as mentioned at the end of the previous chapter

-today we are going to consider just the first two of these examples: Abel and Enoch

-each of their lives ended differently; each of them testify of some aspect of a life of faith in the promises and person of God

-I will bring out applications to our own lives as we explore these two testimonies of faith

-read Hebrews 11:1-7; pray

I. THE FAITH OF ABEL SHOWN THROUGH WORSHIP V. 4

A. Through Faith He Offered a More Excellent Sacrifice v. 4a

-the record of Abel’s life is found in Gen. 4; here is what we read:

Gen 4:1-8

1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord .” 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord . 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord  respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

6 So the Lord  said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” 8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother;* and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. NKJV

-Abel’s was the first recorded sacrifice in Scripture, other than the implied sacrifice of the animal slain to provide skins for naked Adam and Eve

-when Abel offered his sacrifice as an expression of his faith in God and in the hope of a coming Redeemer, it cost him his life

-his godly act of worship brought persecution and death to him

-this still is the case with those who worship the Father and the Son in faith

2 Tim 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. NKJV

Acts 14:22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” NKJV

-living godly is different that simply identifying oneself as a Christian; living godly means that you take every arena of your life and order it in the fear of God

-doing so will eventually cause some to belittle you, to disrespect you, to mock you, to even persecute you

-it is one thing to be obnoxious and to have an ‘in-your-face’ attack mode and then cover it with ‘I’m just serving the Lord’; that will bring trouble for sure

-but to deal respectfully, lovingly, gently with others as you live out your life according to the fear of God shines God’s light upon the darkness

1 John 3:11-12

11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous. NKJV

-Cain was religious, but not righteous; Cain brought his own efforts in fighting with the curse to produce a harvest; his was not a faith-based sacrifice

-Abel offered a sacrifice based on faith in the revelation laid out back in the garden with his parents

-Cain brought his sacrifice based on his own reasoning, showing his goodness through his efforts to be acceptable to God

-Abel was the first martyr of faith recorded in Scripture

-why was Abel’s sacrifice ‘more excellent’ than Cain’s? I believe for two reasons

-first of all the sacrifice followed revelation; secondly the sacrifice was offered in faith to the revelation

-Jesus referred to Abel in Mt. 23:35 as “righteous Abel”

B. Through Faith He Still Speaks v. 4b

-Abel’s sacrifice was an expression of hope in the Seed of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent

-how does Abel still speak? his testimony of faith pointed forward to a better sacrifice: that of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world

-these Hebrew believers to whom this epistle was written were living in the fulfillment of Abel’s hope

II. THE FAITH OF ENOCH SHOWN THROUGH WALKING WITH GOD VV. 5-6

A. The Faith that Passes Death v. 5

-let’s take a look at the section of Scripture that records Enoch’s testimony

Gen 5:21-24

21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. 22 After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. NKJV

-Enoch is the second example of a life of faith in Heb. 11

-with Enoch his life was not cut short by martyrdom but with rapture, a catching away to heaven, ‘God took him’

-Enoch walked with God three hundred years; what is implied in this term?

-fellowship with God; daily prayer and communion with God; bringing God into every arena of life and running all things by Him

-this term ‘walking with God’ comes from the implied desire of God at the very beginning of time when God first created Adam and Eve

Gen 3:8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord  God among the trees of the garden. NKJV

-this is still the desire of God: that we walk with Him daily; this is why the Christian life is referred to in the New Testament as a walk

- it is recorded that Enoch had sons and daughters besides Methuselah

-Methuselah was the oldest recorded living human being: 969 yrs. old–he died just before the flood came

-Methuselah lived during the building of the ark of Noah; maybe a room in the ark was being prepared for him

-what impact did Enoch have upon his sons and daughters? it must have been a pattern that affected them; but still they made their own choices of life

-the wickedness of the world was increasing at this time; Enoch’s generation included Lamech, who had married two wives and boasted of his murder

-Jesus said as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man

-we are approaching those days rapidly; but before Jesus returns at His second coming, He will be coming for His church to gather her to Himself

1 Thess 4:16-18

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. NKJV

B. The Faith that Pleases God v. 6

-pleasing God; this not only tells us that we CAN please God, it also implies that it is possible to displease Him

-whether God is pleased or displeased with an individual, He still loves them

-I want to live a life that pleases God; do I think that God will love me more if I please Him by the way that I live? no, the Scriptures tell me that’s not so

-so why should I live a life that pleases God? it centers on a loving relationship

-when a couple fall in love, they want to behave in a way that blesses the other person; to see them blessed causes blessing in the other person

-but without faith it is impossible to please God; living by faith involves risk, the risk of being wrong, the risk of having circumstances get worse because of the step you have taken

-we are told here that we must believe that He is…; this I believe is more than believing that God exists

James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe — and tremble! NKJV

-believing that God is ties in with His name, Jehovah, I AM; I AM what? I AM each and every thing that you need

-not only so but we must believe that He is a rewarder what we diligently seek Him; diligence implies there are things that resist that effort

-what are some of those things? temptations, laziness, selfishness, distractions of life, cares of the world, anxieties and fears

-pressing against them in faith, holding onto the promises and the person of God is the way through it all

]]> http://www.calvarynorth.org/2009/12/25/christmas-eve-candlelight-service/feed/ 0 00:01:01 no No http://www.calvarynorth.org/2009/12/20/834/ http://www.calvarynorth.org/2009/12/20/834/#comments Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:46:03 +0000 calvary-staff http://www.calvarynorth.org/?p=834 12-20-09

“HEREIN IS LOVE…”

1 John 4:9-11

INTRODUCTION:

-at this time of year we are inundated with advertisements to show our love by getting that special gift for a family member, a friend, a co-worker

- “Why, it’s on sale,” we say, “and at half off! How can I NOT get it (even though I’m out of work, the mortgage company is foreclosing on my house, my kids are sick, and my car just blew a gasket)!”

-to many, this time of year is a real trial; the family is broken up; your spouse is no longer with you; the season seems more materialistic than ever before; depression is setting in

-it is time to take control of the season and get our eyes off ourselves and onto the ultimate, highest gift of love ever sent to us; this gift was sent by the Father in heaven

-the greatest gift that has ever come to us is a Lamb: Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away our sin that we might be restored to full fellowship with God

-what motivated the Father and the Son to do this for us? God’s love

-on this Christmas Sunday morning, let’s consider once again this great love He has shown to us, personally and collectively, by sending us His Son to this earth

-after all, that is what we are celebrating when we say ‘Merry Christmas’, right?

-read 1 John 4:9-11; pray

I. THE MANIFESTATION OF LOVE v. 9

A. God Sent His Only Begotten Son Into the World

9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world,…

-in the epistle of 1 John the Apostle John penned the words ‘love or loves or loved’ 46 times!

-God’s love changes things; His love will change us…IF we let Him have His way with us

-what is the highest, most loving thing God could do for us? take care of our eternity!

-the Bible tells us that our sin has blocked us from a living relationship with God

-we were locked out with no way back to Him; our sin nature defiled all our efforts to reconciliation

-therefore God Himself, because of His great love wherewith He loved us, took the initiative and made the first step

-John used the word manifested, which means “to be clear or obvious to the eye or mind, to display or show by one’s acts or appearance, to demonstrate”

-in THIS the love of God was manifested, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world

-this is the greatest manifestation of love in all of eternity

John 15:12-14

12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. NKJV

B. God Wants Us to Live Through Him

…that we might live through Him.

-the goal of this love-expression was to give us His life as a gift

-the life that Jesus came to bring to us is called ‘resurrection life’

-the Greek word is zoe’, a quality of life that originates from heaven; when John speaks of eternal life, this is what he is referring to

-God has made it possible by means of the Holy Spirit that I can experience and partake of this life now as well as throughout all eternity

- ‘that we might live through Him’ tells me that I cannot experience this ‘life’ apart from Jesus

John 15:1-5

1 I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away;* and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. NKJV

-God created us to be in fellowship with Him

-this means that the very core of our life is filled with purpose and meaning from His hand; we were created for Him, not vise-versa

-the world in its arrogance has concluded that man creates his own god or gods that he might comprehend the meaning of life

-when man creates his own god, that puts him in the position of headship

-the Bible is God’s revelation of Himself, God’s revelation of who we are and how we got there, and God’s revelation of our world condition

-we read that God created us in His image, according to His likeness

II. THE MODEL OF LOVE v. 10

A. The Role Model of Love

10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us…

-v. 10 is where we get the title for this message, “Herein is love…”; I remember it from my first years as a believers reading only the King James Version

-the Apostle John wants us to understand that the true model of love is not found within man on his own

-in THIS is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us

-when did He love us? when we were deep in sin; not merely because we had sin in our members, but when we were living continuously in sin

-He loved us while we were sinning against Him, against others, against ourselves

Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. NKJV

B. The Removing of Wrath for My Sake

…He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

-here is this big word ‘propitiation’; but really there is no other word that adequately sums up what Jesus did for us by His death on the cross

-propitiation means in its literal sense to win or regain the favor, either of a god, a spirit, or a person, by doing something that pleases them

-my sin nature disqualifies me from winning or regaining the favor of God

-even if I am the best, the most moral person on the earth, my sin nature inherited from Adam defiles my best works before a holy God

-I cannot please God and be accepted of Him by my good works; my very sin nature cancels out my efforts

-therefore, because of God’s overriding love, He sent His Son Jesus to be the propitiation for our sins

-no other religion on earth has this as its foundation; no other sage, holy man, or religious leader has ever made this claim

-this is what separates Biblical Christianity from all other religions

III. THE MOTIVE FOR LOVING OTHERS v. 11

A. The Pattern We Follow

11 Beloved, if God so loved us,…

-Beloved: John uses this term of endearment nine times in his epistles

-it is usually an address just before a very important truth is presented

-it’s as if the Apostle John is grabbing us by the shoulders, looking straight into our eyes and then presenting this important truth

-the pattern for our daily lives is found in the One we follow, the One whose disciple we profess to be

-God’s love for us is the pattern we follow; His love for us while we were still in our sins; His love broke through, reached our hearts and reasoned with us

-His love pursued us through all the vanity, iniquity, impurity, disgusting behavior

-His love won us over

B. The Purpose: Love One Another

…we also ought to love one another. NKJV-

-the Son of God, Jesus, showed us what God’s love looked like in action

-if we say we are His disciple, then we must be obedient to His commands

John 13:34-35

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” NKJV

-God sent His Son into this world as a gift, the ultimate gift; this is why we celebrate Christmas;

-if God so loved us while we were in sin, what makes us think that God doesn’t love us now that we are His children through faith in Christ Jesus?

-we see our failures, our attitudes, our broken commitments as reasons for Him not to love us; but this is just where we need to go back to the truth

-God loves you and His work is not done in you, upon you, around you

12-16-09

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? – AN IN-DEPTH STUDY OF 1 COR. 13

“The Adventure of Walking in the Spirit” (#13)

INTRODUCTION:

-we have been studying ch. 13 of 1 Corinthians since the end of August; we now come to the last in this series of 13 studies I want to entitle: The Adventure of Walking in the Spirit

-we’ve examine the 16 attributes of God’s love as penned by the Apostle Paul; we found 8 of them were put in the positive tense and 8 were in the negative

-we considered the application to the Corinthian believers, as well as how God’s love is to affect our marriages, our families and all of our relationships

-we also looked at the excellence of God’s love over all the gifts of the Spirit; God’s love goes far beyond even faith and hope, as we studied last week

-tonight I want to do a short review of the last 12 studies, pointing out just a couple of things on each one

-then I want to talk about what it looks like for us to daily be ‘walking in the Spirit of God’

-I have chosen the word ‘adventure’ in connection with this because our pilgrimage with Jesus is fraught with risks, challenges, setbacks and victories

-rather than jumping to conclude that all is lost when we fail, God wants us to fall back upon His promises that ‘all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose’

-we need the Holy Spirit’s power and leading in dealing with the motions of sin that stir within us; we need the Holy Spirit’s power and leading in the interacting with others to share the love and truth of our Lord Jesus

-let’s read through the 13^th chapter of 1 Corinthians one more time; pray

I. THE KEYS TO A LIFE FILLED WITH GOD’S LOVE

A. God’s Love Originates with Him

-we began with being clear on the fact that love as it’s spoken of here in this chapter refers to God’s love, not mere human love

-we also brought out how that this special kind of love–agape’ is the Greek word–is the main fruit of the Spirit of God in our lives

-God has not called us to manufacture His love; He’s called us to be a distributor

-as a believer in Christ, you have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside you; you have all you need to walk in God’s love in every arena of your life

-the key is to yield to God in this area; if you find His love is lacking in your life, then just ask Him to show you what’s blocking the flow of His love

B. God’s Love Saturates Our Lives

-next we talked about being saturated with God’s love; some refer to this as the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, or being filled with the Holy Spirit

-God’s desire for us is not merely to be a container of His love, but to let His love saturate and overflow from our lives onto the world around us

-being baptized with the Holy Spirit means that you have been immersed in Him, just as a sponge soaks up water and is saturated with it

-instead of being drunk with wine, we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit

II. THE KINDNESS AND PATIENCE OF GOD’S LOVE

A. God’s Love is Patient

-the very first attribute of God’s love mentioned by Paul was patience

-this is more than mere waiting something out; it contains the elements of enduring even after being hurt or wronged

-longsuffering is another word used throughout Scripture that links with this

B. God’s Love is Kind

-kindness is the next word after patience; this quality also is translated gentleness in many Scriptures

-we touched on how that many people are uncomfortable with kindness because their own lives have been torn apart by abuse

-they become suspicious of kindness; as a result they have a constant battle with God over His kindness, thinking that there is evil from Him on its way

III. THE KINKS THAT FIGHT AGAINST GOD’S LOVE

A. God’s Love Doesn’t Envy

-these next eight qualities are put in the negative; that is, these are behaviors of the flesh that have nothing to do with God’s love

-we brought out during this study that this word envy as used here includes the idea of not wanting the other person to have what you desire

-it goes beyond covetousness; when we sense this kind of behavior or mind-set going on within us, we need to recognize it for what it is: the flesh

-it really is a manifestation of an ungrateful heart toward all that God has done for you, in you and in the future with you

B. God’s Love Isn’t Self-Centered

-there are four separate terms used that all center on self: to parade oneself, to be puffed up, to behave rudely, to seek one’s own

-these all have one thing in common: see me! even behaving rudely toward someone is a subtle way of telling others that you are better than them

C. God’s Love Doesn’t Have a Short Fuse

-selfish anger is not a quality of God’s love; so often we excuse our anger with the thought that we have our rights, and those rights have been violated

-yet more often than not, our anger comes from a mindset of selfishness and vindictiveness

D. God’s Love Keeps No Record of Wrongs Suffered

-thinks no evil is how the phrase reads; but the actual Greek wording includes the idea of letting go of the wrongs that have been done to you

-God’s love supersedes, overrules, covers the transgression; it motivates one to look beyond the offense to the goal of a changed life

E. God’s Love Doesn’t Rejoice in Iniquity

-holiness is an integral quality of God’s love; iniquity, sin and transgression is never the byproduct of the love of God

-although iniquity may have been at the center of one’s life before Christ, now He washes, cleanses, flushes out the defilement

-He brings in the truth of how and why He made what he made and purifies us

IV. THE ‘KEEPS-ON-KEEPING-ON’ QUALITY OF GOD’S LOVE

A. God’s Love Rejoices in the Truth

-then we looked at the last six of the eight positive attributes of God’s love

-God’s love rejoices when the truth wins out; this is truth from God’s vantage point, not man’s; the very gospel in which we believe is called ‘the truth’

-Jesus Himself said, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no man comes to the Father except by me.”

B. God’s Love Bears, Believes, Hopes, Endures All Things

-we brought out that the word ‘bear’ in the Greek means ‘to be a covering, a roof’; God’s love covers and protects us

-believes all things means to believe the best first; to look to the end that God has in mind for the events that occur

-hopes all things has as a foundation all the promises of God in His Word; God is faithful and will never lie to us; God’s love causes us to hope continually

-endure means that we never give up; we get back up no matter what has happened to us; God’s love motivates us to press on to the end

C. God’s Love Never Fails

-God’s love never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end

-no matter what happens in our life, God’s love is a constant; it is not an effect of some cause we have set in motion

-it is a constant love; the effect of God’s love affects us!

D. God’s Love More Enduring than Faith or Hope

-last week we brought out that God’s love will surpass even faith and hope; faith, hope and love are for this pilgrimage

-but faith and hope will be fulfilled when we meet the Lord; His love will continue on throughout eternity!

V. THE ADVENTURE OF WALKING IN THE SPIRIT

A. Adventure Land

-when we become believers in Christ, our lives take on an entirely new purpose

-no longer are we just out to fulfill our desires, our dreams, our plans

-we have surrendered our lives to the King of kings and Lord of lords: Jesus

-we have become His disciples; we are to now follow Him as we live out our lives in this world waiting for His return

-our perspective is completely different; His word is more important to us than all the philosophies of the world

-we battle with our own carnal desires in what we call ‘the flesh’; the Spirit of God desires the best for us; the flesh craves all selfish gratification

-God wants to take and use everything we encounter every day to bring about growth and spiritual maturity in us

-the wall between the sacred and the secular is torn down when you become a believer in Christ Jesus; He goes with you into your workplace

-He is with you even during your recreation times; He is the silent listener to all that you say, hear and think

-I call this an adventure because our life in Christ is full of the unknown, the risks, the surprises, the exhilaration of knowing that God will be working all things together for good–His good, His plan for us

-remember that this isn’t saying all things will be good that happen to us

-we naturally want everything to work out the best way possible, at the least cost to us, in the quickest way, with the least hurt to anyone

-but things don’t always work out that way; I’m not saying we should pray for trials or for evil to happen to us

-but even when things go awry, our part is to stop and ask the Spirit of God to bring us back to the place of peace and trust completely in Jesus

B. Adventures in Faith

-remember that this section of 1 Corinthians 13 is sandwiched between excellent instruction on the gifts of the Spirit, manifestations of the Spirit’s work

-God has distributed His gifts by His Spirit to be used in the natural, day to day living out of our Christian walk

-what does that look like? it begins with simple, loving interaction with people

-God’s loves people; they are souls He has created; Jesus died for all of their sins

-how will they respond to Jesus? how will you approach them? the first and foremost necessity is to be filled with God’s love

-otherwise it is just works on your part, seeking to get numbers logged into the kingdom instead of loving relationships that are built one life at a time

-when you examine the book of Acts, you find that the exercising of the gifts of the Spirit took place during the natural course of the day

-not one of these believers knew what was about to happen when they got up that day; they just went forward and maintained their fellowship with God

12-13-09

“FAITH IN THE BEGINNING”

Hebrews 11:1-7

INTRODUCTION:

-the writer of the book of Hebrews wanted to take the first ten chapters and focus on essential doctrine regarding who Jesus was and what He had fulfilled in the plan of God

-the obedience of Jesus Christ fulfills all that the Law of Moses required for a person to be accepted of God

-now all who put their faith and trust in Him are counted as having fulfilled it; His righteousness is put to our account before God

-now that we are accepted of God through faith in Christ Jesus, God’s Son, our part is to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves

-the believers being addressed in this letter were those of Jewish heritage that had trusted Jesus as the promised Messiah

-they were being encouraged and exhorted to hang on to Jesus in faith and not go back to the old system of rules, regulations and ceremonial rites of Moses’ Law

-faith in Messiah Jesus would bring them safely into the harbor of heaven

-ch. 11 begins the final section of the book of Hebrews, which some Bible commentators have divided in the following manner:

-ch. 11, the walk of faith; ch. 12, the wisdom of faith; ch. 13, the work of faith

-read ch. 11:1-7; pray

I. FAITH AS THE CORE SUBSTANCE VV. 1-3

A. The Clarification of Faith v. 1

1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

-it is somewhat difficult to have clear cut chapter divisions within the book of Hebrews because of the interconnection with the verses going before

-the chapter divisions of the Bible were developed by Stephen Langton, an Archbishop of Canterbury around A.D. 1227

-then in A.D. 1448, the Old Testament was divided into verses by a Jewish rabbi by the name of Nathan

-a man named Stephanus was the first to divide the New Testament into standard numbered verses, in 1555

-the reason for these divisions was for ease in referencing verses

-we see that ch. 11 of Hebrews begins to focus on the nature and practice of faith among the elders of the Israelite history

-this is to encourage the believers that the heros of their heritage were men and women of faith, the same faith by which they were to go forward

-this nature and example of faith was brought up because of what had just been written at the end of ch. 10

Heb 10:35-39

35 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: 37 “For yet a little while, And He* who is coming will come and will not tarry. 38 Now the* just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”* 39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. NKJV

-in 11:1, the word ‘substance’ means ‘a foundation, an assurance, something you have in your possession that proves ownership’

-faith is the substance of things hoped for; even though the goal is not in your possession as yet, one’s faith is as tangible as the object itself

-but understand that our faith in not in faith itself; it is in God and in His Word

-to have faith in faith as a concept, apart from God and His Word, is like setting an anchor into the deck of a ship thinking that all will be safe in the storm

-the second half of the verse says, “…the evidence of things not seen.”

-the word ‘evidence’ means ‘the process that proves the fact’

- ‘things hoped for’, ‘things not seen’ goes way beyond the material

-it encompasses all that is included in the promises and plan of God for the individual, as well as for the entire people of God of all time

B. The Core of Faith in the Elders Testimony v. 2

2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

-the proceeding list of those ‘elders’ who acted in faith upon God’s direction and promise, such faith brought forth that testimony of God’s approval

-the writer of Hebrews was seeking to direct the focus of his readers to the faith of these heros of their heritage, rather than the works themselves

-their testimony or witness was not in how much they obeyed the ordinances of the Law of Moses; their witness of godliness came from their faith in God

C. The Creation Understood by Faith v. 3

3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

- “By faith we understand…”; we obtain a new perspective, a new comprehension when we exercise faith in the truth of God’s word

-man’s knowledge base changes as the years go by; science is continually making adjustments, and not just because new information has come in

-unfortunately there is also this changing interpretation of the knowledge and how it fits into the overall scheme of the current world-view held by the elite

-it is commonly known that for any scientist to be acknowledged as authoritative in his field, he must believe in the theory of evolution as a basis

-it is a closely held guild, which the movie “Exposed” sought to bring to light

- “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God…”

-the use of the word, worlds, encompasses not only that which is seen but that which is unseen; it includes all of time, space and matter–our universe

-but it also includes the spiritual realm such as the angels

-some Bible commentators include the seasons of man’s history because the word in the Greek is aeon, an age, a period of time

-framed encompasses the basic, foundational concept, including the fiat of God that spoke all things into existence

-have you ever thought about the fact that God framed your world? He has a plan for your life

-even the evils that have been committed against you, those broken pieces of the pottery of your life, are being taken by the Lord and put into the mosaic

-we judge so many things by our lot in life; if we haven’t reached ‘the good life’ we feel that we have been robbed of our rights

- “so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible”

-the word ‘created’ in Gen. 1:1 is the Hebrew word ‘bara’; it means to bring forth from nothing; time, space and matter are implied in v. 1

-when you do a search on this Hebrew word (1254 in the Strong’s concordance) you find that man and woman were ‘created’ in the image of God

-their bodies came from the earth; but their soul/spirit was brought forth ‘bara’

-the erroneous teaching that because we have been created in God’s image and likeness, we have the ability to ‘create’ our own reality

- “so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible”; the very word ‘atom’ is a Greek word meaning indivisible

-it was believed when first discovered in the 3^rd C. B.C. that the atom was the smallest component of all things

-we know now that an atom is composed of electrons, protons, neutrons

-we can’t see these things with the naked eye; we think we are so smart in creating the electron microscope to peer into things not seen

-but it goes even beyond what we are able to discern with all our technology

Rom 4:17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”*) in the presence of Him whom he believed — God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; NKJV

Rom 4:20-22

20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” NKJV

12-09-09

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? – AN IN-DEPTH SERIES ON 1 COR. 13

“FAITH, HOPE, LOVE” (#12)

1 Corinthians 13:8-13

INTRODUCTION:

-tonight we are in the second to the last teaching on this thirteen week series “What’s Love Got to Do with It?”

-we have looked at all of the sixteen attributes of God’s love as put down by the Apostle Paul in vv. 4-8; we’ve considered the applications to marriage, family and other relationships

-now we want to look at how love is even more enduring than faith and hope; as we will see love lasts throughout eternity, whereas faith and hope are for this life alone

-during our pilgrimage here, we live by faith, we live in faith, we live according to faith

-our hope is founded on the promises of who He is, how He has revealed Himself to be and the promises He has made to us through His Word

-but as we will see, faith and hope are only for this life; for when we see Him face to face, there will be no need for faith: we will know even as we are known

-our hope will be fulfilled by living in the reality of that hope; but love will still continue!

-this particular section of Scripture from vv. 8-13 has been used as a proof text by some who do not believe in the operation of the revelatory gifts of the Spirit for our day (prophecy, word of knowledge, tongues)

-but I believe the overall context of ch. 12-14 causes us to see it in a more literal way pointing to the coming of our Lord Jesus for His church

-I also want to make applications of these truths to our marriages, to our families and to our many relationships both within the body of Christ and without

-read 1 Cor. 13; pray

I. UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT OF CH. 12-14

A. The Presence of Spiritual Gifts – 1 Cor. 12

-there are nine spiritual gifts listed within ch. 12; there are additional gifts of the Spirit found in Romans 12, Ephesians 4 and 1 Peter 4

-we must understand that the purpose of the gifts of the Spirit has to do with having power for service to the Lord

-the fruit of the Spirit is all about character change and development, that our character would be changed from glory to glory into the image of our Lord

-the fruit of the Spirit (love) is really more important than the gifts; God’s love lasts forever, it never fails; the gifts are just for this life

-the nine gifts of the Spirit found in ch. 12 can be grouped into three categories:

*Power Gifts: faith, miracles, gifts of healings

*Discernment Gifts: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, discernment of spirits

*Vocal Gifts: prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues

-as fascinating as these gifts are to observe in operation, God’s love trumps all of them; that was the purpose of Paul writing ch. 13

-because of the context of ch. 12-14, Paul is referring to knowledge and prophecy in ch. 13 as the gifts of the word of knowledge, prophetic utterance and the gift of tongues

-the gifts of the Spirit are for service now while we are on this pilgrimage

-God desires that we draw upon these gifts of the Spirit in our marriages, in our families, in all of our relationships

B. The Practice of the Spiritual Gifts – 1 Cor. 14

-in ch. 14 of 1 Cor. Paul lays out an orderly use of the more prominent gifts in use by the Corinthian church: speaking in unknown tongues, interpretation of those tongues and the gift of prophecy

-all was to be done decently and in order with God’s love overseeing their usage

-the Corinthian church had many problems with how they were flaunting these spiritual gifts

-it gave the impression that the person so gifted was more ‘spiritual’ or ‘in tune’ with the Spirit; yet they were missing the heart of God in the whole thing

-spiritual gifts are given to believers by the distribution of the Spirit according to the Father’s will; the church needed them then; they are still important

-but God’s love needed to govern their usage; it’s interesting to me that one can use spiritual gifts in a self-exalting way rather than in a God’s exalting way

-Paul had previously addressed the vanity of thinking that abundance of earthly knowledge was the way of spirituality

1 Cor 8:1-3

1 Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. 2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him. NKJV

1 Cor 10:32-11:1

10:32 Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. 11:1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. NKJV

-earthly knowledge is really only partial compared to all things that exist seen and unseen in our universe

-look at how man’s knowledge of so many things has changed the last 100 years

-those who were considered geniuses 500 years ago have been put into a lower category now compared to geniuses of our day

-just because you know the nuances of the Greek and Hebrew does not necessarily mean you have lined up your heart with God’s heart

-knowledge is useful when used in love; knowledge leads to arrogance when self is at the core of its use

-your spouse may be able to quote Scripture after Scripture regarding marriage; but are they living it out in love?

-you may be the most consistent disciplinarian with your kids, trying to be so obedient to specific Scriptures; but are you truly loving them as God is loving you?

-you may be a skilled Biblical counselor to those who are needy; but are you letting God’s love control your own life in every way?

II. UNDERSTANDING THE TERM, ‘WHEN THAT WHICH IS PERFECT HAS COME…’

A. Were the Gifts of the Spirit Only for the First Century?

-while all Bible scholars would affirm that the baptism with the Holy Spirit is for every believer in every generation, the gifts of the Spirit are another matter

-there are some Bible scholars that believe the revelatory gifts of the Spirit were only for the establishing of the church, and only for the Apostle’s use

-now that we have the agreed-upon canon of Scripture we have all that we need to grow to maturity and serve the Lord through our obedience to His Word

-those who would believe that the total sum of gifts of the Spirit are still valid and needful for today are misled and even dangerously influenced

-but the proof texts used to support these opinions are, I believe, weak as to the context of the book and chapter, as well as to the purpose of the church

-I believe some of their ideas stem from abuses that arose in their day with what were termed ‘gifts of the Spirit’

-to identify bizarre, confusing, carnal behavior as a gift of the Spirit would cause most to abandon trust in even true expression of the gifts

-but if the revelatory gifts of the Spirit are seen to follow the Baptism with the Holy Spirit (which baptism they believe is still valid and needful for today), why then would certain gifts of the Spirit be no longer needful?

B. What is Meant by ‘That Which is Perfect…’?

-some of the reasoning of those who believe that the completed canon of Scripture is what is being referred to here by Paul has to do with the neutral tense of the Greek word for ‘perfect’

-they say that if Paul was intending to mean Jesus, then he would have put it in the masculine tense

-but because it is in the neuter or neutral tense then it has to be interpreted as being the completed canon of Scripture written by those first century men

-actually, Jon Courson in his commentary says this view about ‘that which is perfect’ being the Word of God did not surface until after the Azusa Street Revival in 1906

-it was put forth by people who did not agree with the whole pouring out of the Holy Spirit and the gifts being for today

-it is interesting that Matthew Henry said “that which is perfect” referred to Jesus Christ, as did several other old and ancient commentaries

III. UNDERSTANDING THE EXCELLENCE OF GOD’S LOVE OVER WORDS OF KNOWLEDGE AND PROPHECY

A. Now and Then

-there is this ‘now and then’, back and forth reasoning that Paul uses to show the excellence of God’s love over words of knowledge, prophecy and tongues

-these were those being flaunted by some in the church in Corinth

-God’s love never fails, never fades out, becomes obsolete or comes to an end; it will last throughout eternity

-but the gifts of the Spirit will come to an end when this life is over; prophecies, tongues, words of knowledge will no longer be needed in the next life

-we see as in a mirror the reflection of what’s ahead but not the substance as yet

-I believe that the context of this section points to “that which is perfect or complete or fully mature” as a reference to the coming of the Lord Jesus for His church

-we will all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye

1 Cor 15:50-54

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed — 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”* NKJV

-I believe Paul is using the illustration of child/adult as a reference to our life here during this pilgrimage compared to seeing Jesus face to face

-right now we need all that God has for us because of our weaknesses

-we need the gifts of the Spirit in action in our everyday life, not just at the prayer meetings or afterglows

-right now we live by faith and hope and love; but faith and hope are for this life

Rom 8:24-25

24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. NKJV

B. Now Abide Faith, Hope, Love

-there are a few Scriptures that link faith and hope:

Rom 5:1-3

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have* peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. NKJV

Gal 5:5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. NKJV

Col 1:23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. NKJV

1 Thess 1:3-4

3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, 4 knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. NKJV

1 Thess 5:8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. NKJV

1 Peter 1:20-21

20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you 21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. NKJV

-we are to exercise faith in our marriages, in our families, in our relationships

-we are to exercise hope in God in the same

-we are to especially exercise God’s love in all of the above