Faith Facts A BRIEF REVIEW 1 2 3

Faith Facts: A BRIEF REVIEW 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Faith believes what God has said and does not try to change it! Faith demonstrates a righteous life that God approves of! Faith desires to please God in all of life Faith seeks to live obediently for God out of reverence for God! Faith walks in obediently even in times of uncertainty

6. Faith trusts God to do the miraculous to fulfill His promises! 7. Faith presses on in hope and does not return to the old life! 8. Faith is not afraid to break traditional norms to be obedient to God! 9. Faith obeys God rather than the dictates of ungodly people!

#10. Faith refuses the things of this world to enjoy the people of God! Illustration: Moses (11: 24 -29) As Moses walked by faith he made critical choices: 1. He refused prestige! (vs. 24) 2. He chose “ill-treatment with God’s people” over “the pleasures of sin!” (vs. 25) He chose to make brick rather than the pleasure of Pharaoh’s castle. 3. He considered the reproaches of Messiah as greater riches than the treasures of Egypt! (vs. 26)

WHY? 1. He was looking to the reward! (vs. 26) 2. He saw Him who is unseen! (vs. 27) 3. He trusted God for salvation, not the Pharaoh! (vs. 28) 4. He obeyed God rather than man! (vs. 29)

The lyrics of the old song express a life of faith well: This World is not my home, I’m just’a passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue …”. Baron Justinian von Weltz and Eric Liddel are modern day examples of men of faith who refuses the things of this world to enjoy the people of God!

Are we such people? Francis Chan’s rebuke is needed today. He wrote: The light of the American church is flickering and nearly extinguished, having largely sold out to the kingdoms and values of this world. While most people see that there is a problem, few do anything about it, and most of those who do, run toward the wrong solutions.

#11. Faith continues to press on by trusting in the power of God even when life gets difficult and at times confusing. Illustrations: Joshua, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and many of the Prophets (11: 30 -38) All of these by FAITH … • escaped sure destruction (Rahab) • conquered kingdoms (Joshua, Gideon, Barak, Simon • performed acts of righteousness (Samuel)

• obtained promises (David) • shut the mouths of lions (David) • quenched the power of fire (three Hebrew men in fiery furnace) • women received back dead by resurrection (Elijah, Elisha) • experienced mocking, scourgings, imprisonment (Jeremiah) • were sawed in two (Isaiah according to tradition

Remember Oscar Eliason’s song? Got any rivers you think are uncrossable, got any mountains you can’t tunnel through, God specializes in things thought impossible, He will do for you what others cannot do! Andrew Murray stated it well: There is no power on earth that can stand before the power of faith, because the power of faith is the power of God working in us! Do we believe this? • Why could all of these Old Testament Saints endure things they did? “in order that they might obtain a better resurrection!!!” (11: 35)

• A FINAL CHALLENGE: Hebrews 11: 39 -40 — All of these Saints continued to press on in FAITH even though they never received all that was promised BECAUSE God had provided something better for US so that apart from US they should not be made perfect. ” God has provided for us the PROMISED Savior, Jesus Christ that not only provides US with salvation, but completes their salvation as well!