They Still Speak

Hello Everyone,

The first person in the Bible to die was Abel. Hebrews 11:4 says that though he is dead he still speaks.

By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

I think that is true of any person of faith. Their death is not the end of them. They still speak through their influence.

There are several attributes of faith I want us to see in Hebrews 11 this week. First they “Understood the Words of Faith”.

Let’s look at a Definition of Faith (11:1)
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
St. Augustine said, “Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe.”
One writer said, “Faith is voluntary anticipation.”

When a child is just starting to walk they may do fine on the driveway. But when they come to the edge where the grass starts, I’ve seen them reach up their hand for there mother or father to take it and then they would step off into the grass. They were walking onto new uncharted territory and they had full confidence when they held their dad’s hand.

We should explore new territory for God but don’t forget to put your hand into His hand.

We can move forward with confident faith holding to His hand.
A Declaration of Faith (11:6)
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

They knew that God rewarded faith. They knew that God is only pleased when we demonstrate faith in action.
The Destination of Faith (11:13-16)
13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Here is the end result of faith. When we understand this we can attempt great things for God.

I heard of a man who was witnessing in an inner-city housing project. One man who was on drugs pulled a knife and said he was going to kill him. In a flash of inspiration, he said, “You can’t threaten me with heaven.” The man with the knife moved on and the man continued witnessing.

Heaven is the reward, our final destination. It should make us BOLD!

Oh How He Loves Us!
Pastor Phil