First Baptist Church
Fairbanks, Alaska
805 Sixth Avenue
(907) 456-4923
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Fairbanks, Alaska 805 Sixth Avenue (907) 456-4923 |
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“Faith Hall of Fame (Part 3)” A Study of the Book of Hebrews (Part 8) Hebrews 11 Mark Howdeshell (June 15, 2008) Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Introduction When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years. ~Mark Twain, "Old Times on the Mississippi" Atlantic Monthly, 1874 It would seem that something which means poverty, disorder and violence every single day should be avoided entirely, but the desire to beget children is a natural urge. ~Phyllis Diller A father carries pictures where his money used to be. ~Author Unknown
Faith………being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. As we celebrate Father’s Day today, and continue our series of the heroes of the faith, I ask that you again look into your life. What is your faith centered on? What have you learned over the years about faith? How many of you took pleasure in pleasing your parents? You really tried to do good so that they would recognize how hard you worked. You may have yearned for that positive acknowledgement………and may have never gotten it. How many of you try to please God with the way that you live your life and the way you treat others? Remember that without faith, you’re doomed to fail!! Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God….. The Meat of the Message Hebrews 11:5-7 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. 7 By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
i. Lived 65 years then became the father of Methuselah ii. WALKED WITH THE LORD for 300 more years iii. 7th Generation from Adam iv. Adam still alive for 308 years of Enoch’s life! v. Taken up by God--- Did not die!!
Gen 5:21-24 21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
i. Lived 187 years then became father of Lamech ii. Adam still alive for 121 years of his life iii. Lived 782 years more and died at the beginning of the flood iv. Oldest recorded man in history- 969 years old
i. Lived 182 years then became the father of Noah ii. Lived another 595 years then died before the flood
i. Lived 500 years then became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth ii. WALKED WITH THE LORD iii. 600 years old when the floods came iv. Lived 350 years after the flood
i. Lessons for us fathers 1. Live your example of faith 2. Teach the Word of the Lord that your faith is founded upon 3. Faith trumps the world ALWAYS ii. Enoch’s faith transcended the generations until it was the ONLY family of faith still alive in this world iii. All of Noah’s family had died prior to the flood so they would not be caught up on the water’s judgement iv. We must live like our faith is the only thing that matters with NO compromise
Jude 14-15 14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him
i. Few generations from total destruction of the earth ii. God stated that at the time of destruction, there were NO righteous left except the family of Noah, Enoch’s great-grandson
i. Without faith, it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God!! ii. Pleased God because he… 1. Fully surrendered to Him 2. Had a yearning to fellowship with God continually 3. Relied on his faith not his feelings a. Feelings come an go b. Feelings can lead you astray c. Faith in God is rock solid! 4. Took the yoke of the Lord and found rest in his soul
Matt 11:28-30 28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
5. His witness in the morally filthy world was pure and righteous iii. Walking with God through faith will cause your faith to continually grow in God
i. Enoch was no more because God took him away Gen 5:24 ii. Elijah was the other---(2 Kings 2:11-12 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. ) iii. Both men knew that they were condemned by the death penalty handed down at the fall of Adam-----and they clinged to the only One that could do anything about it iv. EXTREME FAITH led to EXTREME RESULTS
The Bottom Line There you have it. Fathers……on this special day I leave you with this. EXTREME FAITH leads to EXTREME RESULTS!!! Time and again our children grow up to be just like us. Take a look in the mirror and see the “YOU” that they see. Our challenge is to live our faith in a way that is pleasing to God. And remember, faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains!! How about it, Dad? Are you up for the challenge?
Invitation Have you placed your faith in the One that has faith in you? Jesus has enough faith in you to have already shed His blood for you, to die for you, and to set you free, if you accept it. Trust in Him and have just the faith of a mustard seed…….you’ll be able to move mountains.
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