God clearly says in His word that the righteous will live by faith (Habbakuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38). Well today, we hope to study and show how, in fact, we live by faith in the person and promises of God.
Before (A Place)
Hebrews 11:8-16
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
God has a new city, a heavenly Jerusalem prepared for those who love Him.
John 14:1-3
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
By His sovereignty, God calls you to both a place and a people to accomplish His will. There, by faith, we are able to see God birth posterity, which is to be the inheritance of every believer - be a disciple and make disciples.
“The Christian says, 'Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or to be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that country and to help others to do the same.” - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
During (A People)
Hebrews 11:17-20
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau.
There will always be a series of tests in the middle of the faith walk to see what you love more than Jesus or are willing to give up for Him.
Luke 14:25-27
Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
What do you love more than Jesus today?
Is it your comfort? Your career? A relationship in which you find yourself? Is it your idea of success, maintaining your own identity or creating your own happiness?
God will require even the thing that He's promised you to be placed on the altar if it gets in the way of your unadulterated love for, worship of and service to Him.
Is there a promise that you are clinging to more than you are clinging to the person of Jesus?
God tests the object of His promises in our hearts not because He doesn't want to give you the fulfillment of the promise, but so that you won't lose the promise maker in the midst of the pursuit of the promise. Our tendency as humans is to gravitate towards loving our stuff and our ideas of happiness more than the giver of life Himself. We like what we can control, not what we can't. However, we will never control God. We are called to give Him control.
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
- C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
After (A Purpose/Promise)
Hebrews 11:21-22
By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.
Your life of faith is meant to bring both blessing and structure to future generations who will also look to and honor Christ.
Repent and give Christ control at the cross today. Because of His death, burial and resurrection, He can make you new giving you a place, a people and a purpose/promise in His Kingdom.
Second City Church: Faith of Our Father Sermon Series 2016