Hebrews 11 C

Hebrews
{11:7} By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
What faith! God warned Noah and Noah acted out of faith. Noah became an heir of RIGHTEOUSNESS by FAITH.
{11:8} By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. {11:9} By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as [in] a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: {11:10} For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God.
Abraham looked for a city with a foundation whose builder and maker is God!
Do we look for such a city? By faith he lived with promises.
{11:11} Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
All physical fact made it IMPOSSIBLE for Sarah to conceive a child, Impossible, not just unlikely but Impossible! Faith gave Sara strength and she conceived and delivered a baby past the age of being able to do so. Faith.
{11:12} Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, [so many] as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
The child born by faith was the continuation of a nation of people, a whole nation born by faith, a nation that wouldn't have existed without faith. How special is that?
{11:13} These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of [them,] and embraced [them,] and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
If you were promised to be a father of a nation and only saw a few generations out from your own would you believe there could be a nation from those few generations? As a rule, no. Who foresees a whole nation from their own offspring? Yes, there is generation after generation after generation. I've gone back through my family tree on my father's side and yes, I can see how extensively it branches out to the point you almost feel as if you could be related to just about anyone. A nation. Yes, a nation for God. The promise given, the promise believed, the promise realized even when you don't live to see it.
{11:14} For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. {11:15} And truly, if they had been mindful of that [country] from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. {11:16} But now they desire a better [country,] that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
Amazing! Desiring a better country, a heavenly home prepared by God. They knew this earth was just a temporary dwelling place that one day they would be heirs to the city made by God Himself, faith gives them and us the promise of the city.
Faith.
They didn't see the city yet they believed.By faith we live.Faith the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith gives us the hope we need to see that city made by God. Faith.
May our faith increase always. May our lack of faith be helped as we seek our Savior the only One that can help us.
By the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.