Good morning. I pray that you are well and ready to worship with us. This morning we will be looking at Hebrews 11:29-34. Here Paul states that by faith people passed through the Red sea. By faith the walls of Jericho fell, and many more. It is by faith we conquer and that is my theme for this morning. Faith. Conquering Faith.
Let us begin this morning by singing; Standing On The Promises. No voices to accompany us so we have to sing louder.
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Lets go to our scripture reading for today.
Hebrews 11:29-34
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient because she had received the spies of Israel in peace. And what more can I say for time would fail me to tell of Gideon, of Barak, of Samson, of Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.
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As we entre into a time of prayer let us sing together; In moments like these.
Time Of prayer:
Heavenly Father, the struggles and difficulties of life seem to be swirling all around me like a misty fog in the blackness of night, and at times I just don’t know which way to turn.
Father, at times I just feel like giving up and walking away from everything, and yet I know that in life, “giving-up” is not an option. Give me courage and strength to face the future with You, and to trust You to walk with me every step of the way, for I know that the Bible tells me that You are with me every moment of the day.
Give me the courage to take my eyes off the difficulties of life and to unreservedly anchor my faith in You. And Lord, from this day forward, as I step out into the unknown future, may I have the courage to put my hand into Your hand and not to fear, knowing that You will never fail me nor forsake me. Thank You, in Jesus' name,
Amen.
Please share with me the Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
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Before we go to the word let us sing; He Leadeth Me.
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Conquering Faith
Faith is an awesome thing – it’s a gift from God and one of the reasons God gives us faith and then takes us through trials is to grow our faith, so that we can conquer the things of this world. That’s what the Bible teaches us. Problem is that when we’re in the middle of the conquering bit – well, that can get a bit scary.
There are times in our lives when we have to overcome obstacles. But let me say this, not every obstacle is for overcoming. sometimes we’re meant to be there, at least for a while and sometimes we’re meant to be there for a long while.
What do I mean by that? I don’t know if you can recall the Apostle Paul’s praying to God about the thorn in his side. He prayed three times and asked God to take it away and God’s answer was “no”, because that thorn in Paul’s flesh was there to keep him humble.
Even adversity plays an important part in God’s plan for our lives, but sometimes it’s God’s plan for us to overcome obstacles in our lives, to be conquerors of things out there that are holding us back.
Sometimes we need to be more than conquerors over our circumstances in order to achieve the things that God has called us to achieve and when that’s the case, when we have to conquer an obstacle that’s way beyond our power and our wisdom and our strength then we need to have faith in the One who does have the power and the wisdom and the strength to make those things happen. We need that sort of power that conquers the world, and that’s the sort of power I want us to think about this morning.
But before we look at that power, let’s not forget that not all obstacles can be broken down. You see, more often than not, it’s not the obstacles out there that need conquering, it’s the obstacles within us that need conquering. Just like Paul and his thorn that God did not take away.
Listen to what 2 Corinthians chapter 10 says:
Indeed we live as human beings but we do not wage war according to human standards for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human but they have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.
Let me say this, according to scripture strongholds in our hearts are the hardest obstacles to overcome. A stronghold is something that we hold on to so strongly, that try as we may, we can’t let go of it and lay hold of the good things, the blessings that God has planned for us. Our strongholds set themselves up against our knowledge of God, that’s why Paul calls us to take every thought captive to obey Christ. But whatever the obstacles, there are times when we need the sort of faith that’s going to conquer them.
So, let’s go back to Hebrews chapter 11 and see what God has to say today about world conquering faith.
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient because she had received the spies of Israel in peace. And what more can I say for time would fail me to tell of Gideon, of Barak, of Samson, of Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.
Isn’t that the most amazing passage? I mean I receive courage in my heart just reading that passage. So, what’s God saying to us this morning through His Word? When the nation of Israel fled from centuries of slavery in Egypt and after they had wandered for forty years in the wilderness, God finally led them into the land that He’d promised them through Abraham many centuries before.
Now, let me say this; You would have thought that if this was the land that God had chosen, the land that God had provided for the people of Israel, the land that God had promised and ordained for them. You would have thought would you not, that they’d just waltz in and settle down and take it over? The Almighty God had given it to them. It was theirs. He promised them a land flowing with milk and honey.
But it wasn’t like that, was it. The land was occupied by many nations and kings and tribes and the Israelites had to take the Promised Land battle by battle by battle. And let me say this. That’s often Gods way. That’s the way of life, is it not? That’s why, so often, life as a Christian seems to be one battle after another. That’s why sometimes we think to ourselves, “Why is following Jesus so hard? Why doesn’t it all just fall into place? What about all the promise of God? Ever thought that?
Well, the promises are there just like the Promised Land was there for Israel, but they have to be taken, battle by battle by battle. And those battles my friend’s require faith, and faith pleases God. And so those battles are our opportunity to grow in our faith as we rely on God’s promises to take us through and when we do that, it’s pleasing to God.
So, Israel took Jericho by faith. And Rahab, the prostitute who’d harboured the Jewish spies before the battle, she was saved by faith. And then the writer goes on and lists many situations and circumstances in the history of Israel, battle after battle that had been won when people stepped out in faith.
My friends, that’s what the Christian life is meant to look like, that’s what we’re meant to do and after each battle, after each trial, after each beating, after each victory you know what happens? Our faith grows. We don’t just become mighty men and women of faith by sitting in our chairs, watching television, we become mighty men and women of faith by using our faith, by exercising our faith so that it grows stronger and stronger with each battle. You see, so often we’re focused on a short-term victory in this or that, a victory that all too often involves saving our own skins. God in heaven is working out His ultimate victory in our lives and in order to realise that ultimate victory for a time we may have to suffer and our faith has a huge role to play in realising that ultimate victory.
Listen to what the Apostle John wrote, 1 John chapter 5, verse 4-5
For whatever is born of God conquers the world and this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Ultimately, it’s the one who believes in Jesus who He says will conquer this world because in Jesus Christ you and I have victory over death, victory over the grave, victory over this world, victory over troubled waters. As we’re travelling through the short-term pain of this lifetime that’s what keeps us pressing on to the end, the truth that in Christ Jesus we have eternal life.
Listen to 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 6:
In this you rejoice even if now for a little while you’ve had to suffer various trials so that the genuineness of your faith be more precious than gold though perishable, is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honour when Jesus is revealed.
To that we cry Hallelujah. Through Him we have victory. There are going to be times in this life when you and I feel like losers but in those moments God is faithful, His love is faithful, His promises are true and we have all that we need to make it through. Amen.
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Let us conclude our time together by listening to the Staff Songsters: Bow the Knee
And when you don't understand the purpose of His plan in the presence of the king,
Bow The Knee.
Come before God and give him everything you are and receive that Conquering Faith.
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The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.
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