HEBREWS 11:1-40
Vs 11:1-2
We all have different things that we pray for in our lives. Our prayers are usually for the salvation of someone, finances, health or whatever the need may be. When it all seems impossible to our fleshly eyes and understanding then we have to rely on the faith of Gods promises to turn every situation around for the witness of Gods word. We are a generation that wants it and wants it now, but by faith if we wait on Gods timing which is always perfect then the blessings will be much greater and the witness of the blessing will bring others unto salvation of Jesus Christ. When we rely on faith, it brings with it Gods approval or Gods favor. God will grant unto his children the desires of their hearts through his grace, but also you must have forgiveness in your heart for others that do you wrong. (Mark 11:24-25)
Vs. 3
We believe through faith that God commanded the universe to be just by speaking it all into existence, even though we did not hear Him speak it or see it happen. We believe because we have seen signs and wonders of the glory of the Lord through his marvelous works that we know in our hearts can only come from God.
Vs. 4
God accepted Abel’s sacrifice because Abel gave his best from a pure heart of faith knowing that what he had, God had given to him. Cain gave from a corrupt heart of greed wanting to keep the best for himself, but knowing he had to give back something of his gain and God rejected his offering and then for his disappointment towards Cain’s sacrifice and killing his brother Abel God cursed him. God wants to bless us and give us his best gifts, but only if we have faith to believe and trust him for everything we need in this life and for us to give him our very best in all things. When we trust and believe then will the abundance of our hearts desires be manifested in our lives. (Luke 6:45)
Vs. 5
Enoch was the son of Cain, the father of Methuselah and walked in the ways of the Lord by faith knowing that even though sin was running rampant through the people of disobedience he did not fall into the temptations of evil, but stood strong on the spoken words of God. Enoch was taken up from the earth by God in a whirlwind (like a tornado that picks up objects and places them in other areas) and did not taste death because of his great faith in God, but no one knows where God placed him except to know he was taken out from those of disobedience. He also prophesied of the return of the Lord, with his saints, to judge the people of earth. (Genesis 5:24; 2Kings 2:11; Jude 1:14-15)
Vs. 6
How can we please God if he doesn’t even know who we are. Our good intentions and or good works towards helping others are only temporal for the moment and fade away like a drop of rain when the sun shines on it and it disappears. We can only please God by accepting his son Jesus through faith to believe in who God said he was in his word and to those who seek and find him are rewarded with eternal life with the father. Our faith is in Jesus whom the Father has sent to us to reconcile us back to the grace of God. Jesus sits at the right hand of the father making intercession for all those who believe and come to him through a repentant heart that wants to know the Lord. Faith takes us through every trial and tribulation and brings us out victoriously if we only believe in the one whom God has sent.
Vs. 7
Noah having favor of God because of his belief or faith in God listened and obeyed the instructions God had given him even though he had no understanding of why God wanted him to build an ark, (Genesis 6). Noah had no idea of what an ark was and never heard of rain before it came as it never rained from the sky before as God watered the earth from the dew that he rose up through the ground. Faith helps us to trust God in all things he commands of us without us asking why as we know when God speaks it is for the betterment of his children through instruction.
Vs. 8-19
By faith Abraham listen to Gods calling for him to leave the land he knew to go into another not knowing what would be ahead of him or why God would direct him to another place. Some died on that journey, but died knowing God even though they did not come into the land God promised them, but by faith went with Abraham to find that land of promise who God would be the foundation of the people through faith. When God asked him to take Isaac up and sacrifice him, he did not question God, but only exercised his faith that God would raise Isaac up from the dead because he was the promised seed and heir of the covenant God made with Abraham. (Genesis 12.)
Vs. 20-21
By faith Isaac gave the blessing and instructions to Jacob concerning the promise of the covenant God made with Abraham and all his seed to come. Esau lost his right to the promise because of his lack of faith, (Genesis chapter 25,26,27,28). Through faith and what God had showed Jacob he gave the blessing onto Ephraim as the seed of the covenant, (Genesis 48). God is not slack in concerning his promises. Even though Esau and Manasseh where the first-born and should have had the blessings handed down to them it was by faith in trusting in Gods instructions that Isaac and Jacob where shown who the true seed should be.
Vs. 22
Through and evil act of Josephs brothers Joseph still kept his faith in God to know God would bring good to that which was bad as Joseph and his brothers were still part of the promise God made with Abraham for them to be brought to a land of promise where God would be their foundation. God placed Joseph in a place of authority that he could care for his brothers until the day of his death and that they all would travel together to that promised land and his bones would be at rest to fulfill the promised covenant. It was by faith that Joseph forgave his brothers and cared for them and their families as God continues even today to place us in a Spiritual promised land by faith to be with him for eternity in paradise. (Genesis 50:15-26).
Vs. 23-29
God called Moses even before he was born to be a leader of Gods people to help set them free. When the time came for Moses to reveal his birthright as a Hebrew he had faith in God to know what he had to do, (Exodus 2:23-25, chapter 2-14). Moses faced many adversities and many temptations, but knew the pleasures he could have had were only temporal and that he would ever have to bow down to Pharaoh, but by faith in the true God his blessings would be far greater then anything Pharaoh could offer as Moses was predestined to set his people free and through faith accepted that calling from God.
Vs. 30-40
By faith Joshua knew that God would always deliver the enemy into his hands because of the covenant promise made to Abraham and all his generation that kept their faith grounded in Gods words. Rahab hid the two spies, (Joshua 2:1-24), sent to check out the city from the king; by faith she knew they were men of God and God spared her and gave her great faith. These covenant promises are the same today as they were with Abraham as we are of that same seed covenant through the promises of God as when we accept Jesus this makes us joint-heirs as being one body in Christ, (Romans 10:17). We need the faith of Jesus everyday in our lives to stand strong in times of trials and tribulations. When our world seems to be crashing in on us is when we only have to look up to the heavens and know that the promises of God will manifest in our life if we only trust and obey his word.
We have an adversary called Satan who wants nothing more than to try and steal our faith and have us denounce Jesus in our life as he wants to devour the children of God and he will use any measure he can to accomplish this. God allowed Satan to come against Job to prove that his faith was stronger then all he owned. Job lost everything including his family. His health was deteriorating from what
Satan caused to come on him, but Satan could not take his faith in God away from him even though Job was anguished and sorrowful for what he went through. Job gave God first place above all he owned, his family and even his own life and for what Satan put him through God blessed him even more and increased all that he lost because he was faithful in all things. This is where we need to be also that we are careful to be faithful in all things as Satan will always try and come against those who are in Christ. Never worry about what might come against you as when you put God above everything in your life and have trust and faith in his promises he will always deliver you from the snare of the fowler, (Psalms 91:3; Isaiah 54:17; 2Corinthians 10:3-6; James 4:7)
Vs 11:1-2
We all have different things that we pray for in our lives. Our prayers are usually for the salvation of someone, finances, health or whatever the need may be. When it all seems impossible to our fleshly eyes and understanding then we have to rely on the faith of Gods promises to turn every situation around for the witness of Gods word. We are a generation that wants it and wants it now, but by faith if we wait on Gods timing which is always perfect then the blessings will be much greater and the witness of the blessing will bring others unto salvation of Jesus Christ. When we rely on faith, it brings with it Gods approval or Gods favor. God will grant unto his children the desires of their hearts through his grace, but also you must have forgiveness in your heart for others that do you wrong. (Mark 11:24-25)
Vs. 3
We believe through faith that God commanded the universe to be just by speaking it all into existence, even though we did not hear Him speak it or see it happen. We believe because we have seen signs and wonders of the glory of the Lord through his marvelous works that we know in our hearts can only come from God.
Vs. 4
God accepted Abel’s sacrifice because Abel gave his best from a pure heart of faith knowing that what he had, God had given to him. Cain gave from a corrupt heart of greed wanting to keep the best for himself, but knowing he had to give back something of his gain and God rejected his offering and then for his disappointment towards Cain’s sacrifice and killing his brother Abel God cursed him. God wants to bless us and give us his best gifts, but only if we have faith to believe and trust him for everything we need in this life and for us to give him our very best in all things. When we trust and believe then will the abundance of our hearts desires be manifested in our lives. (Luke 6:45)
Vs. 5
Enoch was the son of Cain, the father of Methuselah and walked in the ways of the Lord by faith knowing that even though sin was running rampant through the people of disobedience he did not fall into the temptations of evil, but stood strong on the spoken words of God. Enoch was taken up from the earth by God in a whirlwind (like a tornado that picks up objects and places them in other areas) and did not taste death because of his great faith in God, but no one knows where God placed him except to know he was taken out from those of disobedience. He also prophesied of the return of the Lord, with his saints, to judge the people of earth. (Genesis 5:24; 2Kings 2:11; Jude 1:14-15)
Vs. 6
How can we please God if he doesn’t even know who we are. Our good intentions and or good works towards helping others are only temporal for the moment and fade away like a drop of rain when the sun shines on it and it disappears. We can only please God by accepting his son Jesus through faith to believe in who God said he was in his word and to those who seek and find him are rewarded with eternal life with the father. Our faith is in Jesus whom the Father has sent to us to reconcile us back to the grace of God. Jesus sits at the right hand of the father making intercession for all those who believe and come to him through a repentant heart that wants to know the Lord. Faith takes us through every trial and tribulation and brings us out victoriously if we only believe in the one whom God has sent.
Vs. 7
Noah having favor of God because of his belief or faith in God listened and obeyed the instructions God had given him even though he had no understanding of why God wanted him to build an ark, (Genesis 6). Noah had no idea of what an ark was and never heard of rain before it came as it never rained from the sky before as God watered the earth from the dew that he rose up through the ground. Faith helps us to trust God in all things he commands of us without us asking why as we know when God speaks it is for the betterment of his children through instruction.
Vs. 8-19
By faith Abraham listen to Gods calling for him to leave the land he knew to go into another not knowing what would be ahead of him or why God would direct him to another place. Some died on that journey, but died knowing God even though they did not come into the land God promised them, but by faith went with Abraham to find that land of promise who God would be the foundation of the people through faith. When God asked him to take Isaac up and sacrifice him, he did not question God, but only exercised his faith that God would raise Isaac up from the dead because he was the promised seed and heir of the covenant God made with Abraham. (Genesis 12.)
Vs. 20-21
By faith Isaac gave the blessing and instructions to Jacob concerning the promise of the covenant God made with Abraham and all his seed to come. Esau lost his right to the promise because of his lack of faith, (Genesis chapter 25,26,27,28). Through faith and what God had showed Jacob he gave the blessing onto Ephraim as the seed of the covenant, (Genesis 48). God is not slack in concerning his promises. Even though Esau and Manasseh where the first-born and should have had the blessings handed down to them it was by faith in trusting in Gods instructions that Isaac and Jacob where shown who the true seed should be.
Vs. 22
Through and evil act of Josephs brothers Joseph still kept his faith in God to know God would bring good to that which was bad as Joseph and his brothers were still part of the promise God made with Abraham for them to be brought to a land of promise where God would be their foundation. God placed Joseph in a place of authority that he could care for his brothers until the day of his death and that they all would travel together to that promised land and his bones would be at rest to fulfill the promised covenant. It was by faith that Joseph forgave his brothers and cared for them and their families as God continues even today to place us in a Spiritual promised land by faith to be with him for eternity in paradise. (Genesis 50:15-26).
Vs. 23-29
God called Moses even before he was born to be a leader of Gods people to help set them free. When the time came for Moses to reveal his birthright as a Hebrew he had faith in God to know what he had to do, (Exodus 2:23-25, chapter 2-14). Moses faced many adversities and many temptations, but knew the pleasures he could have had were only temporal and that he would ever have to bow down to Pharaoh, but by faith in the true God his blessings would be far greater then anything Pharaoh could offer as Moses was predestined to set his people free and through faith accepted that calling from God.
Vs. 30-40
By faith Joshua knew that God would always deliver the enemy into his hands because of the covenant promise made to Abraham and all his generation that kept their faith grounded in Gods words. Rahab hid the two spies, (Joshua 2:1-24), sent to check out the city from the king; by faith she knew they were men of God and God spared her and gave her great faith. These covenant promises are the same today as they were with Abraham as we are of that same seed covenant through the promises of God as when we accept Jesus this makes us joint-heirs as being one body in Christ, (Romans 10:17). We need the faith of Jesus everyday in our lives to stand strong in times of trials and tribulations. When our world seems to be crashing in on us is when we only have to look up to the heavens and know that the promises of God will manifest in our life if we only trust and obey his word.
We have an adversary called Satan who wants nothing more than to try and steal our faith and have us denounce Jesus in our life as he wants to devour the children of God and he will use any measure he can to accomplish this. God allowed Satan to come against Job to prove that his faith was stronger then all he owned. Job lost everything including his family. His health was deteriorating from what
Satan caused to come on him, but Satan could not take his faith in God away from him even though Job was anguished and sorrowful for what he went through. Job gave God first place above all he owned, his family and even his own life and for what Satan put him through God blessed him even more and increased all that he lost because he was faithful in all things. This is where we need to be also that we are careful to be faithful in all things as Satan will always try and come against those who are in Christ. Never worry about what might come against you as when you put God above everything in your life and have trust and faith in his promises he will always deliver you from the snare of the fowler, (Psalms 91:3; Isaiah 54:17; 2Corinthians 10:3-6; James 4:7)