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 “ (Status Quo) A Study of the Book of Hebrews (Part 13) Hebrews 11 Mark Howdeshell (July 20, 2008) Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Introduction You’ve come into our service this morning. If this is your first time here, then I’m going to talk about you a bit. Trust me when I say that this is the exception rather than the norm. But as first time visitors, what are you doing this morning? a. Watching everyone around you to see what they’re doing. b. Listening to the words spoken by the preacher. c. Looking at the content of the music program. d. Seeing what we have to offer children. e. How many people are here? BOTTOM LINE: You’re evaluating this church and our worship service to see what our status quo is. You’re trying to determine what we normally do and if we worship God in a way that is compatible with your beliefs and whether or not you’re comfortable with us. That is perfectly acceptable and fine and is normal. We welcome it and we welcome you.
I submit to you, though, that what you’re doing here this morning, we all do every day of our lives. Sometimes it’s hard. Sometimes it’s easy. Sometimes it’s confusing. Sometimes it’s frustrating. You do it as a child, a teenager, an adult. You do it in school, at work, at church, in your retirement. What in the world am I talking about? Measuring our lives against the “Status Quo.” Status quo is a Latin term meaning the present, existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep the things the way they currently are. Watch this brief trailer about the “Abilene Paradox.” The Abilene Paradox, disaster through agreement. The Meat of the Message
i. Governmental laws ii. Precedents iii. Traditions or customs iv. Cultural norms
i. We must measure the status quo against our own belief system ii. Are we comfortable with it iii. Is it according to God’s will?
i. Go along with the status quo ii. Go along with it while voicing our reasons otherwise iii. Go against the status quo iv. Change the status quo Heb 11:23-28 23 By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
i. Kill all baby boys by throwing into the Nile ii. Follow all of the king’s edicts w/o hesitation iii. Take advantage of the situation (riches and power) that you can iv. Enjoy all of the “pleasures of sin” that you can
i. Is it right to throw my child into the river? ii. Whose law should I follow, God’s or the kings? iii. Is my dignity of greater value than the power, treasures, and title of being the son of Pharaoh’s daughter? iv. What is more important, identifying with my own people or the pleasures of sin for a short time?
i. Moses’ parents hid him for 3 months (as long as possible) because they saw that he was no ordinary child (fine, proper, beautiful from Exodus) ii. More afraid of God’s proper authority than the king’s law at the time and faith in God is always rewarded iii. Moses was 40 years old when he refused to be known as her son and knew full well of the ramifications. iv. Chose to ignore the pleasures of the world and was mistreated instead.
i. In order to properly evaluate/ react to the situation, 1. Be sure you know what you’re being asked to do 2. You have to know how God views it a. Prayer b. Study of the Word 3. You have to know what you believe in and why a. Prayer b. Study of the Word c. Fellowship with believers d. Relationship with God ii. Moses was commended because of his faith 1. He knew what God wanted him to do 2. He knew what he believed in 3. He acted upon his beliefs
i. Refused to be known as the Pharaoh’s daughter’s son ii. Chose to be mistreated when he could have an easy life
i. Regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ of greater value than anything on this earth ii. Looking forward to the reward promised by God if we only have faith in Him
i. God used him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt without fearing the king ii. Persevered because he saw Him who was invisible iii. Feared God more than man iv. Kept the Passover because of His faith in what God told him The Bottom Line Looking back at the Abilene Paradox, the key point is disaster through agreement. Individuals not willing to speak up against what they perceive the group wants. In reality, there are often times that the group really doesn’t want what is happening at all! Speaking up against the expected norm isn’t easy, but we are obligated to do so by God. We are not of this world, therefore, we are not to fear this world nor get caught up in its traps and shortfalls. In all reality, we often do. A good measure of our faith is our willingness to take the hard road when the easy road is staring us in the face. Moses was commended because he took that hard road, and stayed on it through many situations. Moses wasn’t perfect…in fact, he was a murderer. Regardless of what we’ve done, where we’ve come from, or where we’re at right now, we can change through the life cleansing blood of Jesus. Take a stand for Him and go against the status quo. He will bless those that do. Invitation Are you ready to buck the norm this morning? Are you ready to come to the front to join the church through statement, transfer of letter, or baptism? Are you ready to surrender to Him. Let’s start a new status quo……one whose foundation is that of Jesus Christ. |
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