I think it's important for a believer to
have an adequate understanding of the faith life
to camp out in Hebrews chapter 11 for
a while.
Hebrews chapter 11 has been called the great
hall of faith for in it are the
many heroes of faith and varied instances of
faith where faith was exercised for our understanding
and for our model.
Hebrews chapter 11 starts off with these words,
Now faith is the substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen.
Thus begins the exploits of these men and
women of faith, Abel and Enoch, Noah and
Abraham, Jacob and Moses, and these other worthies
of whom the world was not worthy.
We see the sufferings of the faithful as
well as the supernatural in the faithful as
seen in verse 33 and following.
Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained
promises, stopped the mouse alliance, quenched the violence
of fire, escaped the edge of the sword,
out of weakness, were made strong, waxed valiant
in flight, turned to flight, the armies of
the aliens, women received their dead, raised to
life again, and others were tortured, not accepting
deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection,
and others had trial of cruel mockings and
scourging, yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonment, they
were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted,
were slain with the sword, they wandered about
in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented,
of whom the world was not worthy.
I will stop there, friends.
Our focus today would be on the truth
in this text found in the words, obtained
promises, and that's the title of my message
today, friends, as we are in our faith
series.
I believe this message is one of the
hardest to grasp because of its metaphysical nature,
because, in its true sense, faith is metaphysical.
The very definition of metaphysical is a reality
beyond what is perceptible to the senses.
I'm telling you, friend, that the life of
faith will stretch you, bend you, strip you,
and flip you upside down because faith is
the substance of things hoped for, the evidence
of things not seen, not seen with the
physical eye, that is.
If you're going to live a life of
faith as God intends you to live it,
you better be prepared to go out on
a limb for God because God will kick
out all your props of self-preservation and
self-reliance to stretch your faith.
Let me ask you something, friend.
When you read the exploits of these men
and women of faith in Hebrews chapter 11,
can you honestly say that what you are
reading describes a cake walk or a country
fair?
Is it a namby-pamby, self-satisfied religious
life that takes no risk for God nor
risks one's neck for God?
It's quite the opposite.
I don't believe Hebrews chapter 11 is talking
about self-preservation or self-promotion or self
-recognition.
I believe the folks listed there are so
skinned and pruned and purged of self that
all that's left in their lives is the
glory of God and the power of God.
Their faith was tried.
Their faith was tested.
Every single one of them would not be
in there if they didn't have faith.
It says these all died in faith.
It says by faith Abraham when he was
tried.
By faith Noah being warned to God that
things not seen as yet moved with fear.
Talking about Moses it says by faith he
forsook Egypt not fearing the wrath of the
king for he endured as seeing him who
is invisible.
Remember the term metaphysical is the reality beyond
what is perceptible to the senses.
Moses sensed God at the burning bush and
had an experience of faith so that at
some future point he could by faith pass
through the Red Sea as by dry land.
The key verse of Hebrews chapter 11 is
verse 6 which states but without faith it
is impossible to please him.
Now why don't you go chew on that
for a while friend and as we go
forward to prepare our hearts to examine this
magnificent chapter of faith in our Bibles our
lesson today is aptly entitled Obtain Promises and
we will search the scripture to see what
this means.
But first let me give you my definition
of Obtain Promises.
This means that God has given you a
word a promise from the scripture that he
intends to make a reality in your life
and it may be so beyond your present
circumstance and frame of reference that in order
for you to accept it you must act
on faith just to believe it.
King David expresses the same thought in Psalm
27 in verse 13 where he writes I
had fainted unless I had believed to see
the goodness of the Lord in the land
of the living.
David was in a jam things were so
bad he didn't think he'd survive unless God
stepped in and performed a miracle to deliver
him so he exercised his faith by saying
unless I had believed to see the goodness
of the Lord in the land of the
living I'd be a dead man a dead
man.
It was his faith friend that sustained him.
His faith was what got him through.
I was going through a time in my
life that was very stressful I was working
15 hours a day and God was stretching
my faith.
I would rise at 4 30 every morning
to have my daily quiet time with the
Lord and it was during one of these
early mornings in the month of June of
a certain year God gave me a promise
out of his word from Isaiah.
His word from Isaiah 43 verses 18 and
19 left off the page and was burned
into my soul by his spirit.
I didn't understand at the time what the
words meant for me but it was crystal
clear that God was speaking to me and
giving me Isaiah 43 as a promise I
would obtain the words of that text read
remember ye not the former things neither consider
the things of old behold I will do
a new thing now it shall spring forth
shall you not know it I will make
a way in the wilderness and rivers in
the desert little did I know at the
time that God was preparing me for an
event in my life that would completely alter
it four and four months time from receiving
that scripture from God I will go through
the terrible tragedy of my wife's suicide the
promise of I will even make a way
in the wilderness and rivers in the desert
became a reality for me and my teenage
daughter as we were suddenly thrust into a
dark wilderness by that tragedy through the years
God has indeed made a way in the
wilderness time and time again for us and
his presence through it all has been like
rivers in a desert the life of faith
is a journey initiated by God orchestrated by
God and completed by a sovereign God we
are mere participants in the spiritual adventure God
delights in our participation he delights in our
spiritual growth he wants to continually build faith
in us so the world can see Christ
in us as a living reality as a
testimony to bring him glory obtain promises or
a strategic part of that faith journey God
will speak to us to initiate our participation
in his work then he will grow us
through trial and adversity to make us more
dependable to him so he can give us
more opportunities to serve him when God allows
adversity into our lives we must stay on
our knees and in our bibles until God
gives us a word to get us through
a promise we can stand on and exercise
faith in it is in the time of
receiving the promise from God in the time
of obtaining the promise of God that faith
is developed in our lives the more we
exercise faith the more we'll grow and expand
just like a bodybuilder lifts weights to gain
muscle he first must tear down the muscle
by stretching it before it can grow in
size this same principle is involved in a
life of faith where God is working through
us during times of trial and adversity stretching
our faith testing our faith proving our faith
building our faith by pruning our faith when
we get a word from God that is
our anchor where we can place all our
hopes and trust in God to do what
he has declared he will do that's faith
the war faith is waged here in the
heat of adversity resting on the promises of
God that you have received from him but
have not yet obtained and by faith hanging
on to those promises until they are seen
in your life until they become reality in
your life it is here friend where faith
is exercised by believing what you yet cannot
see but you know you will eventually see
as it becomes reality as God has declared
it onto you the faith life is the
most exciting life in the world