Sunday, November 18, 2012

All These Died with Faith

Heb 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

Abraham by FAITH stayed in a STRANGE country- not his homeland. What's so important about that? A lot of people today are constantly on the move. A lot of people I would imagine have lived in the same place all their lives- happily. Yes, we've seen lots of movies and such about people wanting to leave their small dinky towns and go to the big city, and vice versa, but a lot of those movies end with the people wanting to go back to their birthplace.  There is something special about living in the same place your ancestors have. The roots run deep.  For Abraham having to leave all his family and his homeland and go to the land of promise sounds like a good thing- a promised land, but at the same time he was called to do it ALL by faith.  That land wasn't an easy land to live in, he had NO real home but tents. This wasn't luxury at all. He was enduring all this THROUGH FAITH. His life was a life of endurance living for a promise of a future for all his descendents.  He had FAITH. He lived pleasing God because He lived for others! Seriously. He was all about loving his fellow man and THIS is what God demands of us.

Abraham BELIEVED in GOD'S promises! He BELIEVED. He would NEVER EVER live to see his descendents number as the sand of the sea, or the stars of the sky but HE believed GOD would make this happen. He BELIEVED what seemed toe be impossible from a human standpoint.

Many men have lived with the idea of their lineage ending with them. If they are an only son without heirs. They live and die with this as a reality. Abraham was childless with his wife and it was only through her he would have a legitimate heir.  They passed their childbearing years and still they believed. There were a few doubts, but NEVER an outright disbelief. There was a lack of understanding, a trying to figure it out in their own way, but never a REAL disbelief, never!

Heb 11:10  For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

No. He wasn't wandering the earth looking for this city.  He was looking FORWARD to being an occupant of GOD'S Holy City. He knew that GOD had this city and He was promised this city just as WE are promised this city- all by the GRACE of GOD.

Heb 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.

Sarah had FAITH as well. Did she laugh, did she question, did she try to work things out her own way? Yes to all of those. But she didn't lose her FAITH. She didn't lose her belief in GOD to do as He said He'd do.  We too live in a world that causes us to question, to doubt, to laugh and try to work things out our own way, but honestly none of that means we don't truly believe in GOD. Satan will try EVERYTHING to lead us to despair- a full doubt, a full disbelief one that is never retracted, one that never allows for a glimpse of hope.  As long as we have HOPE we can have FAITH, we can have BELIEF.  Sarah had faith, she had that bit of hope and that's all it took.  She placed her hope in GOD, not in herself, not in her husband, but in GOD.

Heb 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.

Their faith was rewarded.

They didn't have a whole passel of children to start out the fulfillment of the promise. Abraham and Sarah didn't conceive child after child after child more than was possibly normal.  They had ONE child together. A SINGLE child was born to them long after they were past a human's ability to conceive. God ALONE performed the miracle within both of them to bring forth their promised child. God brought Abraham's seed back to life, and Sarah's womb as well.  Abraham was as good as dead concerning the ability to have children.  Sarah was also as good as dead concerning the same. Yet life came from them both, SOLELY by FAITH in GOD. Had they lacked faith they would NOT have realized the promise as it was beginning to be fulfilled.

Heb 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.

They ALL died believing!
They ALL died without receiving the promises fully realized.
They ALL had FAITH enough to believe the promises would one day be fulfilled even if it were far off.
They ALL believed, they embraced the promises being fulfilled at a much LATER time.
They ALL believed they were STRANGERS.
They ALL believed they were PILGRIMS ON EARTH.

Heb 11:14  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

They ALL sought a COUNTRY.

Heb 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.
Heb 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.

They ALL by FAITH knew that the country offered by God in the future was better than any country they could possibly live in here on earth.
They ALL desired a HEAVENLY country.
They ALL desired to live with GOD in HIS country, in the CITY He prepares for them and no other.

They ALL DIED with this hope in them, every single one of them.

This FAITH, this AMAZING FAITH, we too need this FAITH, this BELIEF, this LOVE of GOD that goes so far beyond what we can truly imagine. Seriously, we need this FAITH.

God needs to be so real to us that we truly understand that we are PILGRIMS here on EARTH. We are STRANGERS here on EARTH. This sin corrupted earth is NOT the home we were designed for, not at all!

May God make this very real to us, very, very real!

Please LORD help us! SAVE US!

We believe Lord, we have Faith, help our unbelief, help our lack of faith. PLEASE LORD.

BLESS US!

All in YOU!
In YOUR love always!

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