The Ingredients of a Life of Faith

𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝟐𝟏/𝟎𝟐/𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏

𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫— Hebrews 11:1-3 & 6

𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞— Hebrews 11

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞— The Ingredients of a Life of Faith

Have you ever stopped to think about how you can get God’s approval in life?

1. Can we gain God’s approval by being religious?
2. Can we get God’s approval by going to church?
3. Can we get God’s approval by keeping the ten commandments?

The answer to those questions is NO. The reason why is in Hebrews 11:6 KJV:
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐝.

There are two ways to live in this life:

1. Live by sight— to base everything on what you can see.
2. Live by faith— to live believing and trusting in God who cannot be seen.

“(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)” 2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV.
Faith caused Abel to worship God. Faith caused Enoch to walk with God. Faith cause Noah to work for God.

Why do only a few people in today’s society walk in faith?
People do not want to take risks, they only want to invest in things they can see. People don’t like to take risks because it makes them vulnerable.
People in the world say “seeing is believing” but our God says that we should believe it and we will see it.

There are three ingredients in a life of faith:

1. 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐘 (Hebrews 11:8) Abraham’s life was filled with faith. At God’s command, he left home and went to another land— obeying without question. Abraham believed God’s promise (Genesis 12). We have to remember that faith without work is dead (James 2:26). He will take you to your destination with many blessings if you have faith in him.
2. 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐖𝐀𝐈𝐓 (Hebrews 11:11) God promised Abraham and Sarah a child. They waited 25 years before God’s promise came to pass, but the promise did come. We’re very impatient and we expect things to happen now but great things take time. In His own time he makes all things beautiful. Waiting time is never wasted time.
3. 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐀𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐄 (Hebrews 11:17-18) Abraham was willing to give up his son when God commanded him to do so. God gave the command to test Abraham’s faith. Instead of taking Abraham’s son, God gave him a whole nation of descendants through Isaac. If we are afraid to trust God with our most prized possessions, dreams, or person, we need to pay attention to Abraham’s example.

𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝, 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐀𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐦’𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡. 𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐖𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬, 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐧.

Message delivered by Pastor Mercy Richardson