Fix Your Eyes on Jesus: Part 11 By Faith

By Faith

Hebrews 11

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

1. Faith is standing, waiting, and hoping. 

Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Hebrews 11:3 (NIV) “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”

2. Faith requires reliance and reaction. 

Hebrews 11:8-10 “It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.”

Hebrews 11:11-12 “It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.”

Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

James 2:15-17 “Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”

James 2:25-26 “Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.”

3. Faith requires patience and perseverance.

Hebrews 11:7 “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.”

Hebrews 11:32-37 “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. By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, 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. 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. Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. 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.”

Luke 12:42-44 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.”

Luke 12:48 “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.”

4. Faith requires hopefulness and help. 

Hebrews 11:13 “All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.”

Andy Crouch- “The story of every human being’s life is a story of a chain of person…If we are going to live adequately and maturely as the people of God, we need more data to work from than our own experiences can give us.” 

Isaiah 51:1 “Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance—all who seek the LORD! Consider the rock from which you were cut the quarry from which you were mined.”

Hebrews 11:38 “They were too good for this world…”

Eugene Peterson- “Every day I put hope on the line. I don’t know one thing about the future. I don’t know what the next hour will hold. There may be sickness, accident, personal or world catastrophe. Before this day is over I may have to deal with death, pain, loss, rejection. I don’t know what the future holds for me, for those I love, for my nation, for this world. Still, despite my ignorance and surrounded by tinny optimists and cowardly pessimists, I say that God will accomplish his will, and I cheerfully persist in living in the hope that nothing will separate me from Christ’s love.”