Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture from Hebrews chapter 11 but before we do that I wanted to ask you a question.
As a child did you ever have to ride a school bus? I grew up a long way away from our school and that meant that I had to get up very early in order to catch the school bus. I would wake up and go down and take my shower and then eat my breakfast. Then I would go into my bedroom, get changed and pack my backpack. I glanced at my clock and realized that the bus was going to be there in just a few minutes. I truly believed that with all my heart so I got on my coat and my boots and said goodbye to everybody and walked out the front door to go wait in the driveway. A few minutes later the bus driver showed up to pick me up and away I went to another day of class.
When you believe something, it results in an action. If I really didn’t believe that the bus was going to show up I probably would have stayed in bed. Real faith is going to result in some kind of real action.
In order to inherit eternal life someday, the scriptures teach us that we need to believe. You can tell if somebody truly believes by the actions that follow their professed faith.
Think about some children at school. At lunchtime one of the children says that they are going to play kickball after school at the park. They invite you and tell you that you’re more than welcome to come. If you truly believe that they are going to be there, you will be at the park waiting patiently for them. When you really believe something in your heart, there is going to be some kind of action involved. It is the evidence of your faith.
Evidence is something that proves or disproves something. The Christian Life should have evidence or an outward sign unto others of what is going on inside of your heart.
Evidence shows that something exists or is true. That’s why I said in another study I can remember seeing a bumper sticker on a car that said,…
” Would there be enough evidence in a courtroom to convict you of being a Christian? “
All around us each day people are watching to see what you really believe. There are people who claim to believe in Jesus but there is no actual evidence to prove that statement. True faith in Christ is going to result in a change in your life. It’s going to result in an obedient heart. It’s going to result in becoming a doer of God’s Word. That’s truly what it means to believe, it means to become a person of action. That’s what I refer to as an active faith.
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
People cannot read our hearts and our minds but they can see your works and the things that you do.
When we hear the word of God preached and taught, it is an obedient heart towards God’s will that is evidence of something that is going on inside.
In a courtroom evidence is required to prove a case. When you prove something it means to demonstrate the truth or the existence of something by evidence. Do you remember the old saying that the proof is in the pudding? Somebody may claim to be a great cook but the evidence that shows that statement to be true is by producing something that tastes great out of the kitchen.
1 Thess 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
Ephesians 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
In order to prove something, you’ve got to have evidence. It is an outward sign that makes evident or an indication of something.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. If there is no evidence on the exterior then where is true faith in a person’s heart? Faith is having a strong belief in God or the doctrines and teachings of Christ. Faith is loyalty to duty or to a person. Loyalty is faithful adherence to a leader.
When a person claims to believe in Jesus Christ, that is just a statement. It’s just words. What a person needs to possess is evidence to support those words and their professed faith in Jesus Christ. You do that by proving to others what you really believe.
True faith will result in loyalty to Jesus and the things that he taught. That’s why I’ve taught for many years if somebody truly believes in Christ they should have a desire on the interior to do God’s will and to obey Him. If there is no desire, then it’s just words. True love for Jesus is to obey what he commanded.
People should be able to see what you believe. They should be able to see that you want to do God’s will. That is called evidence.
Let’s take a look at a few examples of faith in action found in the book of Hebrews chapter 11.
It teaches that by faith Abel offered up to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. Why did Abel offer a better sacrifice? The reason why is he truly believed in God in his heart. It resulted in his actions when he gave God a good sacrifice. That is what we refer to as Faith righteousness.
It teaches that Noah truly believed in God insomuch that he spent many years of his life constructing a huge ship to save his family from the flood. The ark was the evidence to the world of what he believed was coming in the future.
The parents of Moses had evidence of their faith in God when they hid Moses for 3 months. They were not afraid of the king’s commandment.
Moses had evidence that he truly believed in God. He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He forsook Egypt and all of its earthly treasure.
Real faith will result in activities and a changed life. People will be able to see it happening. It’s going to result in a changed person as you become obedient to Christ.
When you claim to believe in Jesus, it’s the evidence on the exterior that shows and proves that statement to be true.
We cannot see the unseen things of God right now, but people can see how much you believe in God by your obedience to the things Jesus taught.
If you were to go into a courtroom, would there be enough evidence to convict you of being a Christian?
James 1:22-25 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
If you truly want to be blessed, it’s required to do God’s will. It’s required to serve him instead of serving yourself. When you are trying to serve Christ faithfully, people are going to see that in your life. It is the evidence of what he is doing inside of you.
Saul had gone out and tried to prevent Christian churches from springing up. At one time of his life he was persecuting Christians but then he became a believer of the Lord Jesus Christ with all of his heart. He got forgiven for his sins and his life underwent a radical change.
The apostles percieved the grace that was working inside of his heart. God was causing a change to happen and the outward evidence of that change where the works that he was doing through Christ. He started to preach God’s word and help people to grow in their faith day by day.
These works were the evidence of things that God was doing inside of him. He was completely different than the person that he used to be. People were talking about him and saying that the man who was trying to destroy the Christian faith was now preaching Jesus. They were glorifying what God was doing inside of him.
Before we go today I just want you to think about a few things. Where are the works in your life that prove you are a follower of Jesus? What is the outward evidence in your life that people can see?
The life of Moses went through a complete change and he had evidence to prove it. The Apostle Pauls life went through a complete change and he had evidence to prove it. What is the evidence that you possess in your life that shows that you believe in Jesus? Obedience to the will of God and the teachings of scriptures show that you truly believe.
I think that’s we’re going to stop for right now but Lord willing will talk to you some more tomorrow. till then, bye-bye everybody.♥️
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