Hebrews 11 DEVO: The Hall of Faith

Chapter 11:
I like sports, especially football. Someday it would be fun to visit the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio to remember all the greats of the game. Chapter 11 of Hebrews is kinda’ like that when it come to faith. The phrase “by faith” appears 23x’s as the writer emphasizes the reason these people were accepted before God: by FAITH, not works!
All of us, in a sense live by faith (drink water, eat food, sit on chairs, etc…). Spiritual faith is similar (acting/accepting things we don’t understand) with one radical difference: The capacity for faith is created in us! Natural trust comes from natural birth, spiritual trust comes from God (spiritual birth). Ephesians 2:8-9
The writer defines faith for us: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Being sure of = the real vs. mere appearance, certain of = implies a response, an outward action. And “without faith it is impossible to please God.” Why? “because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” The author then goes on to list as examples, those who lived and acted “by faith”:
ABEL: Worshipped in faith.
ENOCH: Walked in faith, believed God is, that He rewards, he preached for God and entered God’s presence.
NOAH: Obeyed in faith! Dropped everything & started building an ark. Ummmm what’s an ark? What’s rain? Will this thing float? This may take a while………….120 years!
ABRAHAM: His was a LIFE of faith, not sight. He based his life primarily on what he could not see! Have a kid at 99 – Ha! (oops) Kill Isaac as a sacrifice - what?!~!
ISAAC: Was a liar & deceiver but by faith blessed Jacob knowing God would fulfill His promises.
JACOB: Had an up & down life of faith like his dad, yet by faith, believed God.
JOSEPH: Knew God would fulfill his promises and there fore wanted bones buried in promised land.
MOSES: He made decisions of faith! The course and quality of our lives are more determined by our decisions than by our circumstances. Moses, by faith, decided to accept God’s plans, though he often did not understand them: passing thru the Red sea, the walls of Jericho, etc…
RAHAB: Yep – her faith (not her profession) has been recorded here for millions to read over the centuries (Doesn’t God’s Grace ROCK!?).
AND TONS MORE… (32-40). What is the author’s conclusion? “…the world was not worthy of them. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”
SO WHAT?!
*Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that our faith is a gift given from God. We can’t earn it, but once we have truly received it, we can’t lose it either! Have you received the free gift of FAITH in Jesus Christ? There is NO GREATER GIFT! And without it, it is impossible to please God (6).
*Each of these examples put their faith into action, even though “They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.” What are you trusting God for that ONLY GOD can accomplish?
*Obedience to God is not always easy, but in the end, sin is much, much harder! The song is true: “Trust & Obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus than to trust & obey!”