This week, Pastor Jermaine introduced our series on Hebrews 11, a series on faith.
We believe that the author of Hebrews is writing to Jewish converts who are enduring hardship. Many of the Christian believers were walking away, while others were being imprisoned for their faith.
The author wrote the letter to encourage the church, asking them to consider the cost of radical devotion. He urged the readers to choose the dangerous direction of devout discipleship.
Hebrews 11 tell us that faith is the confidence in what we hope for. It gives substance to our hopes and is a deep and sincere belief in the unseen, and what is to come.
What we see from the story of Cain and Abel in this passage is that righteous living precedes and is more valuable than righteous giving. Abel’s sacrifice was acceptable to God because it flowed from a generous and obedient heart. It is not the quantity or the quality of the offering, but the condition of the heart from which it comes.
Pastor Jermaine challenged us to ask and answer the question: does what is In your hand match what is in your heart?
Hebrews Eleven | Abel
Faithful and Full of Faith
June 13, 2021 • Jermaine Stewart
Hebrews Eleven | Heroes
August 29, 2021 • Luke Isaacson
This week, Pastor Luke finished our Hebrews 11 faith series with verses 32-40 in a sermon titled “Heroes.” Pastor Luke broke his sermon down into three sections: 1. The weak but strong heroes (v32-35) This passage goes over several very flawed heroes of the faith: Gideon, a man who destroyed idols and altars but was also a coward who was weak and full of doubt. Barak, who beat the Canaanites but also lived in fear; only going into battle when he had the help of Deborah. Samson who defeated Ammonites, but lived a wild and rebellious life. Jephthah who defeated the Ammonites, but made a sinful vow that resulted in the death of his daughter. David who was a great King, a giant killer and a man of faith, but he also slept with another man’s wife, and then had him killed to cover up his indiscretion. This passage covers a list of flawed people who did not have clean records. They did not keep the law perfectly. Their confidence was not in themselves, but in a flawless God and therefore this list is more about God than it is about them – about having our faith aligned with Him. The life of faith is one where we recognize our strengths, leverage our weaknesses, and depend on God with all of it. The life of faith is not so much about our qualifications, but about God’s qualifications. We need to recognize our weaknesses and therefore our need to God. As C.S. Lewis says, true humility is not thinking less of ourselves but thinking of ourselves less. 2. The other heroes (v36-38) This passage then goes on to talk about various heroes of faith that were tortured and killed in all kinds of ways for their beliefs. They were marked by their conviction and courage. This passage begs the hard question: would we be willing to die for Jesus if the circumstance arose? The call to Jesus is to give up everything to follow Him. The difference between a head knowledge and a conviction is the action that puts feet to it, which often is most clear in the face of trials and hardships. In this hour we need to assess our convictions and our courage. God wants us to be people who truly live for His glory, and in order to do that our lives must be so aligned to His purposes. 3. The ultimate hero (v39-40). There is an author of this story called life and He is the Creator of all things. All of these heroes of faith did not get to see the culmination of what was then to come; Jesus – His life, death, and resurrection. But we do. We get to live in an age where we can not just know about Him, but we can also know Him intimately and live for Him passionately.
Hebrews Eleven | Rahab
August 22, 2021 • Jermaine Stewart
This week, Pastor Jermaine continued on with our Hebrews 11 faith series with the story of Rahab, starting in verse 30. Rahab is referenced three times in the New Testament, and is one of only two women in this Hebrews 11 passage. Like all the rest, she is mentioned because of her great faith. Through the story and example of Rahab we see that God has a way of meeting, using and encountering people where they are at. He will use people even as they are in process for His purposes. God can still accomplish His perfect plan through imperfect people. Rahab risked everything for her faith – she was undaunted by her circumstances. Her faith was in the majesty and mercy of God. Rahab had unorthodox faith, an undaunted faith, and an undeniable faith. Her faith was sincere and authentic, and we can tell because of her actions. The book of James tells us that faith without works is dead, and we show our faith by our works. We are not just saved to be good, we are saved to do good. We do good because we believe in the Lord and what He is doing in the world. We do good for His glory. Rahab was a woman who went from immorality to immortality, and our story can be thus so.
Hebrews Eleven | Staying Strong and Finishing Well
August 8, 2021 • Dr. Eric Smith
This morning, Dr. Eric Smith continued with our Summer faith series with Hebrews 11: 28-29. He spoke on staying and finishing strong in the faith. A faith that is damaging to the cause of the enemy occurs when we have zero reasons to follow the Lord, and yet we do it anyway. Walking successfully with God boils down to paying attention to and obeying what He says. The people who walk with God in the long haul are those who steep themselves in the word of God. The writer of Hebrews is writing to people who are actively being imprisoned and persecuted because of their faith. What the author is doing is saying – remember, remember the days when you endured, remember when you first heard the message. Our confidence in the Lord will be richly rewarded and so we need to persevere.