Enduring Faith

Enduring Faith

(Hebrews 11:7)

Yearly Theme:  “Love Does…”

Series Title:  Substance of Faith

December 22^nd, 2019

Something to think about:

What is it that gives certain men and women the wherewithal to press ahead?  What is it that beckons us to heed it’s call and to rise above the chaos in this world?  What keeps people focused on the higher calling of life even when the end result may not be seen in their lifetime?...  Faith and Hope.

As we continue in our “Faith” series today, we come to a passage that illustrates a type of faith that I like to refer to as “Enduring Faith.”  Let’s take a look…

Hebrews 11:8-22 (NLT)

⁸  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. ⁹  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. ¹⁰  Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.

¹¹  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. ¹²  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.

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. ¹⁴  Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. ¹⁵  If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. ¹⁶  But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

¹⁷  It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, ¹⁸  even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” ¹⁹  Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.

²⁰  It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau.

²¹  It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.

²²  It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left.

Here’s the key point this morning…

Key Point:  “Faith endures even when we may not see the fulfillment of what we hope for in our lifetime.”

What can we discern about the characters in this passage with regard to their faith and their determination?…

1. They lived as strangers in this world.

Hebrews 11:13c (NLT),  They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.

2. They never lost their vision or hope.

Hebrews 11:13a,b (NLT)  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.

3. They never wished to go back, but pressed on to a homeland that was beyond this world.

Hebrews 11:14 (NLT),  Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. 15  If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. 16  But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Something to take home:

Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph all pressed on in their faith in God because they knew that even if they didn’t get to see the fulfillment of God’s promises within their lifetime, all these things would come to pass because God is always faithful!

The characters of old in Scripture knew that this world wasn’t their home, that they were strangers in the land which their feet walked, but they kept their heads held high believing that God would lead them to a place of peace and rest and abundance.

The faithful men and women of the past never lost their vision or hope because they didn’t see with physical eyes the reality of God’s promises, but, rather, through spiritual eyesight that peered into the distant reality of the Kingdom of God, and they were satisfied by the part they played within His grand story.

And, finally, the great men and women of faith in the Old Testament never wished to go back to their old lives, but pressed on to a homeland that was beyond this world. 

You see, this world is not our home.  Jesus has gone to prepare a place for the men and women, boys and girls, that believe in Him and follow Him by faith and not by sight.  Heaven is the home we were made for; this “Paradise Lost” due to sin and death.  This broken world has no hope or a future, but there is a new Heaven and a new Earth that lay just off in the distance.  And, God’s children can see the light of hope on the horizon with the eyes of faith.

Let us remember…

Key Point:  “Faith endures even when we may not see the fulfillment of what we hope for in our lifetime.”