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Good morning. I'm glad I'm here. I'm always glad to be in God's house, wherever it might be. Fellowshiping with God's people. The first thing that was on my mind is that this is God's word. No matter who reads it, no matter how they clumsily fall over it, no matter what relationship they might have with the Lord, this is God's word. They might not be the right person reading it, or believing it, but this is God's Word. No matter what they think or say, cannot change it. That is God's Word. They might put their personal opinions in on it, disclaim foolishly upon it, It's still God's Word. Brother Jordan, I started off looking at Hebrews chapter 11. But it's amazing. Every time you look at it, you get a little bit something different. But like I said, it's God's word and his word is not changed. Many times I have read this first verse here in chapter 11 of the book of Hebrews, and it says, now faith is a substance of things hoped for. for the evidence of things not seen. And I always had seemingly had some kind of little trouble understanding why it said substance. To me, and this is the definition of substance by the way, substance is something you can hold on to. And I've been thinking about something tangible like this pulpit or my steering wheel in my car. It's something of substance. But God's word is substance. And it's something you can hold on to. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. Wasn't framed by your word. My word wouldn't get it. Brother George, my word has no power in it. My word has no truth in it, except for the grace of God, unless we're repeating his word. Know so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Now my whole thought is trying to get across that this substance that God has placed before us He has determined that if we properly use it, and I'm trying to get this out, I hope this substance that we can expound upon and portray reveals that we do have some sort of faith And it's amazing as we see the examples here portrayed in this particular chapter of these different men, how God had declared that there was faith in their life. Now, I cannot look at every single one of them. So, I would advise you to read this chapter time and time again. I desire to have faith in every word of God and everything that he teaches me and everything that I study that we have here. I pray that it adds to my faith. I declare that I believe in God's word. I'm going to look at Abraham's life first. Which is down in verse 8. Starts with verse 8. There are a number of them in here. But I'm going to basically look at Abraham here for a few minutes. It says, By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, You see that big word there, Joel? It says obeyed. That's the reason I said what I did about this is God's word. Now Abraham didn't have the written word as we have the written word. And he went out not knowing where he went. Do we know where we're going? Do we strive to be obedient to God's word? When he speaks to us by the spirit of God, do we strive to be obedient to his directions? by his word. Abraham didn't even have this written word brother Jordan. It's just right. It's the same word. Let's go. We're going to go over and read a portion of that. Let me finish reading this right here. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise. He didn't even know that he was in the land of promise. But he was obedient to that sojourn. What does sojourn mean? Joy, you know what sojourn means? Like what? Travel. Travel? Real good. That's an excellent description of it. That's what it means. He was sojourning. In my studies of my genealogical family, those who I might be kin to, which no longer matters that much to me anymore. I don't care who they were kin to. But there was a book written, Bruce, Somebody up in Virginia or North Carolina or somewhere in that part of the country. There was a book written by someone, I don't know the name of the person. All I remember is the title of it and it was Sojourners, Southern Sojourners. Now that gives some idea as to where they were going. It wasn't a command, it was just a report. And it had some information in there about the Sanford family and how they came down from the northeast and through North Carolina and South Carolina and Georgia and Mississippi and all the way over into Texas and all different kind of places. Some of them went to Florida. By the way, did you know there was a town in Florida by the name of Sanford? Do you know that there was a college by the name of Sanford University? How am I getting to it? I don't know. But Abraham here. No certain dwelling place. Is that what you said? That's right. No certain dwelling place. Well, they didn't know where they were going at first. This was a port. When they started down through there, they didn't know where they were going. They didn't know. Somebody said, well, the fishing is better over there in Texas. That wasn't what it was. Raising crops was better in Texas. So some of them come all the way across to Texas to raise their corn. Some through Georgia raised cotton. Abraham here, when God told him to go straight or turn to the left or turn to the right, he sojourned. and went in a particular direction not even knowing where he was going. But the thing about it, Joel, the word that we mentioned earlier, he was obedient to the directions that God give him. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise. He didn't, like I said, he didn't know that was the land of promise. He might have it. When it was all over with, he probably knew. as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. When we come here on Sunday morning, and even throughout the week, when we pick up God's word, we're seeking him and what he might have for us. Sometimes I read certain passages in the scripture because I'm seeking. Lately, I've been reading a lot of Psalms. And for some reason, I come over here and I looked at this passage here in the book of Hebrews. One time, a pastor, Brother Merle, And I told him, I said, Brother Merle, I said, I don't have very much faith. And he said, he said, if I lived in Houston, he said, I wouldn't be driving all the way over here. In other words, he was saying what we did was a portrayal of our faith. I'm not trying to talk about me. I'm just trying to demonstrate something to you. Brother JT, he drives some 90 miles. One way. One way. One way. Dorothy, that's faith. And it's a need. We need him here. Yes, we need him here. And he might realize that, but more than that, I think the Lord had laid it on his heart. Now, I think Dorothy has mentioned this before, and I'm sure Brother Jordan agreed with it, but they used to come over to Pine Grove and they would visit with me over there and For several years, the Lord laid it on my heart to come be with them over at the other place and here also. The Lord laid it on, several years. And I resisted. I wasn't really, I didn't feel like I was resisting. I just wanted a better understanding of everything. And one day I said, well, it's time for me to go. So I come over here. I hope I was being obedient to the Lord, to his directions. I'm glad I'm here too. I have learned things here. I have learned things here. And that's not the subject matter, so I'm not gonna go there. For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Everybody here that belongs to the Lord is looking for a better place. For a future founder, I'm looking for a city with God. I covet that city. Is it wrong to say that, Brother Jordan? I'm waiting for that day that you spoke of recently. And by the way, I'm looking forward to more of those messages about that place or that city or that day that you spoke about. And every time I come across those words in the scripture, I get excited that day. And I don't believe there were two different days. I believe there was one day. Okay. I hope you know what I'm saying. There's one day that I'll be so glad when I, when we come before him on that day, we'll be standing there and we'll find that our name is written in that book that belongs to the Lord. I don't believe that it'll roll out there on a podium and there'll be a big book there and he looks through there and he looks for the S's and the J's and whoever might be in there. It's written on the mind and heart of God. What was the factor that God would declare as a sound faith? What was that factor? And that's the one thing that bothered me about that word there in the first verse there, Brother Jordan. Now, faith is a substance of things hoped for. What on earth was that substance? I had the substance all along and I didn't know where the substance was. It's right here in God's word. And he implies he impresses your heart with it. Obedience. Joel, I'm sorry I'm calling your name out. But the reason was because of that word obey. Obedience toward God. I wrote a few things down here. The way I felt about obedience toward God. Blindly going forth. That's what Abraham did. He blindly, now he could see that land out there, but we're speaking about his directions from God. He blindly went forth without hesitation. Now you say, well, he lived in this city, one city for several years and another city for several years. And he did all that, but he was still seeking out the Lord. knowing that Abraham's God would finish the course. Did I read that right? Knowing that Abraham's God would finish the course. We sat here today wondering Where is God going to use us? Where is he going to lead us next? What's going to happen in our lives? Whatever's going to happen will happen because of the providential care of God. And sometimes I see verses in the scripture that indicates that different things, some of them are scary. But what we gotta have is faith in the Lord. And it's his faith that he gives to us. And I know that. We saw this element in verse eight. Obedience. And I put a little note here that says, see Genesis 12 and one. Let's go over to Genesis. I already know that I could be I could be in this. Now, I'm going to come back over here later if I have enough time, and the book of Hebrews. I'm folding my pages over there. In chapter 12, verse 1, it says, now the Lord had said God's word. And he's speaking unto Abram. You can call him Abram or Abraham. I call him Abraham. Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee. How in the world, Brother Jordan, did you wind up out here on this piece of high hill, out here on this, in this? Dorothy, I agree. I know several people that have visited here. They look at the house and say, well that looks like a church. Brother Jordan wasn't looking for a church at that time. He was looking for a place to meet. Yeah, well that was a place to meet. And like I said before, by God's inspiration and his directions, we can find a place to meet anywhere. But the Lord spoke to Abraham and he told Abraham to do something. And guess what, Abraham did it. He said, go yonder. Abraham went. See these people, Abraham did it. Live here for a while, Abraham did it. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing. He was obedient unto the Lord, and the Lord blessed him for it. And when we're obedient unto the Lord, according to God's word, he will bless us. If nothing else, he blesses us spiritually. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curse thee, and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. I don't know how in all the different places that I've been blessed because of Abraham, but I know that I'm blessed just from the reading of the word here. There are probably places I've been blessed and I don't even realize it, Brother Jordan. Many places. So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken unto him. And Lot went with him. And Abram was 75 years old and he departed out of Haran. Haran, Haran, whatever you want to call it. They had lived before in the land of Ur. And they traveled up to this place here, Haran. And the Lord sent him home. And he went further north and then south through the promised land. Verse 8. and he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent having Bethel on the west and Hai on the east and there he built an altar unto the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. He had a church service right out there I call it a wilderness. To me it's a wilderness. For us, since we live in such a large city, we could probably call this a wilderness. They didn't have any buses out there. He didn't have any cell phones either. Bruce, it really disturbs me to go somewhere like Walmart or some shopping center, Kroger's, or down the highway, and you go, everybody's on their cell phone. Trying to drive the car. I'm not talking about me now, Bruce. I've never done anything like that. But Abraham didn't have those kind of communications available to him. No TV. no radio, no telephone, no Bible. God spoke to him. And Abraham was obedient to that word. And we have so many other advantages that we could be obedient unto the Lord. He worshiped the Lord. Go over to chapter 13, verse 4. I'll find it in a minute. Now, I don't have time to read all of these passages, so if it sounds like it's out of content, go read it. Verse 4, under the place of the altar which he had made there at the first, He went back to this place where this altar was made. And there Abraham called on the name of the Lord. Again, this was not a new place. New location is one where he had been there before and he worshiped the Lord and the Lord had blessed him. And he realized that the Lord had blessed him and that he was obedient to the Lord. I like to come over here because I learn a little bit once in a while. Well, I have another verse here. Let me see what's in 13 and 14, verse 14. And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, he lifted up now thine eyes and looked from the place where thou art northward and southward and eastward and westward for all the land which thou seest to thee, I will give it unto thee to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise and walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it, for I will give it unto thee. That's chapter 13 I was reading out of. Well, I just read verses 14 through 18. But what I'm pointing out is that the Lord has spoke to Abraham and he was obedient. Now quickly, let's go back to the book of Hebrews again. So, well, Brother Sanford, are you saying that only the times that you were obedient. Is that the only thing that defines faith? We have lots of room to discuss there. Verse four in chapter 11 says, by faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. Now I'm not going to spend an hour discussing this one. But it pleased the Lord that Abel had a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. I'm just going to point out a few of these because I'm out of time. Verse 5, by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him For before his translation, he had this testimony that he pleased God. Does our worship service please the Lord? I'm sure that there was obedience in Enoch's life. It has to be. But the Lord was pleased with the life of Enoch. Verse 7, By faith Noah being warned of God of things not seen has yet moved with fear. He moved with fear. Fear of God. Well, let's see if I can find another one here. Verse 20. By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. Folks, there's things to come. Do we believe it? We believe God's word. Verse 24, by faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. I refuse to be called part of the world, this world that we live in out here. I refuse to live like some of them live. I'm not trying to demonstrate anything on myself. I'm speaking for all of us. We're not to live like the world lives. We're to live like God wants us to live and it will please him and glorify him Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. You live in the world out here and you're not living according to God's Word. You're living in sin and with sin in your life. I'll read it again. Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. There's pleasure in sin out there in the world. And we're not to live that particular fashion. We're not to live in the pleasures of the world. We're to live in the pleasures of God's word. And it is a pleasure to read God's word. I love to read the Psalms, as I've already mentioned. Verse 27, by faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king. That's speaking of Moses. Verse 28, through faith he kept the Passover. And on and on we go through this particular book. And I'll just close with one scripture. And I want to encourage all of us to read this chapter again and then find out what it means to have this faith that these men had. Verse 40, God having provided some better thing for us that they without us should not be made perfect. I don't feel like that I'll ever be perfect except in Christ. That means that I have to read God's Word, study that Word. When He says turn to the left, I'll turn to the left. When He says turn to the right, Brother Jordan, I'll turn to the right. Hopefully that's the way I'll live. Living out there in the world is a dangerous place. And it does not please God for us to live without Him. Verse six, what chapter? But without faith, it is impossible to please Him. I will. I will. Don't be pushing your wife, brother. But I want us to get that principle in your mind right there. That's what it all boils down to. That's the conclusion of the whole matter. For 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. Joy, what does that word mean? Diligently? I can't hear you. Diligently. Dorothy. Diligently. Okay constantly would be closer probably. Brother Jordan, what does diligently mean? Diligently seeking. That's right. That's it. You work real hard, Joey. That's what it means. For he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. When we come to church, and study and open up God's word and read whenever it is, whether we're here or not. We might be in our master bedroom with the door shut and nobody else listening. But when we're reading and studying God's word, he's rewarded. He is a rewarder of them that diligently seeks him. That's the verse we need to memorize. There was a message by a preacher. He said if you weren't seeking the Lord, you don't belong to him. If you don't, if you're not searching out, seeking out the Lord diligently, you don't belong to him. I used to wonder what was the reward that if I find Don on me one day, the reward is him. And it goes back again to Abraham, doesn't it? I am thy, I will be exceeding great reward. So that faith is substance. It's not wishful thinking. It is harder than concrete. Harder than granite. That's the reason you find that little phrase several different places in the scripture. We know. We're not guessing at this thing. we know. And the first thing that we know is in the beginning God. So faith, substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things that are not seen.
The Substance of Faith
Series Faith
Sermon ID | 12319183258036 |
Duration | 41:25 |
Date | |
Category | Devotional |
Bible Text | Genesis 12:1-8; Hebrews 11:1-8 |
Language | English |
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