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Mills River SDA Church

A Study in Hebrews

Cory Reeves

A Study in Hebrews 1: God Still Speaks

A Study in Hebrews Chapter 2: Aid to the Tempted

A Study in Hebrews, Chapter 3: Partakers of Christ

A Study in Hebrews, Part 4: The Promise of Rest

A Study in Hebrews 5: A Call to Grow Up

A Study in Hebrews 6: The Anchor of Hope

A Study in Hebrews 8: A Better Covenant

A Study in Hebrews 7: The Perfect Priest

A Study in Hebrews 9: Once for All

A Study in Hebrews 10: Hold Fast - Faith that Endures

Hebrews 11: Solid Faith in Something Better

Hebrews 12: Running: Focused on the Prize

A Study in Hebrews 13: Seek the City to Come

So today we're talking about a solid faith in something better.

Many of you know Hebrews 11 is the what chapter?

Someone even calls it the heroes of faith chapter.

Jesus is our ultimate hero, but there's a Steps to Christ, and it's a book I read last year at the beginning of the year, and I'm reading this year at the beginning of the year.

But there's a quote in there I want us to consider.

Here is open before us the history of the patriarchs and prophets.

As we read of the precious experiences granted them, of the light and love and blessing it was theirs to enjoy, and of the work they wrought through the grace given them, the spirit that inspired them kindles a flame of holy emulation in our hearts, and a desire to be like them in character, like them to walk with God." So as we look at Hebrews 11 today, my prayer is that you take the journey of these heroes of faith to heart.

And it grows your faith, improving your walk with God.

Dear Heavenly Father, as we read through Hebrews 11 today, speak to us.

Draw us into a deeper relationship with you.

It's my question almost every week lately.

In March 30, 1867, Secretary of State William Seward signed the treaty to purchase a massive track of land from Russia for $7.2 million.

How many people would buy land for 2 cents an acre today?

They called it Seward's Folly, Seward's Icebox, the Polar Bear Garden.

Why did we need to buy just a bunch of snow?

I heard that we wanted snow here today by many of you.

But why would we want to just go buy a bunch of snow?

This Alaskan territory, why did it matter?

While the land was cold, many people saw it as pointless.

He believed in the value of the land even though it looked barren to the naked eye.

Years later, many of us know, we had the Kalondike gold rush that happened, finding hundreds of millions of gold, of dollars of gold.

Then copper has been found, fisheries, oil has been discovered in Alaska.

This icebox turned out to be 1 of the wealthiest investments in human history.

Faith sees the gold when the world sees only ice.

Today we are going to look at this chapter on faith.

Faith is looking at a frozen wasteland, a promise God made that many feel looks empty right now, and seeing the gold underneath.

Faith is enduring the mockery of the world going against its culture because you believe or you see its value.

And today as we look at Hebrews 11, this hall of fame, this hall of faith, it is full of people who fully gave everything.

They invested everything in a promise the world calls foolish, because they saw something better.

So last time we were together, when we looked at Hebrews 10, we talked about Jesus perfected forever.

We can go, because of what Jesus has done, we can go boldly before the throne of God.

We need to hold fast to our faith, and we need to be a part of church.

This holding fast to our faith is where we're gonna pick up this week in chapter 11.

I would encourage you to open your Bibles to Hebrews 11, and we're going to tick down through this, this chapter, and as we go, there's some additional verses I'll put on the screen for you.

Hebrews 11, if I can get an amen when you get there.

And thank you, Olivia, for reading verse 1 for us.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The Greek word here for substance was often used for legal documents.

Much like when William signed to purchase Alaska, We had the title deed to Alaska.

This faith possesses the legal reality of God's promise before you.

It's before we possess it physically, right?

We who accept this promise are standing under the title deed of the kingdom of God.

We are not in heaven, but we have been led to it because of Christ.

The word evidence is the conviction based on proof.

How many of you go to your light switch in your living room, flip it on and just hope that light comes on.

We have faith that light comes on, right?

We can't see, How many people can see the electricity running through the walls up to these lights up here?

We can't see any of it, but we know when we flip that switch, that light is going to come on, right?

We know from history that that light is going to come on.

The history, the understanding, it sees the invisible.

Verse 2, for by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

We're going to spend quite a bit of our time today reviewing good testimony.

Verse 3, By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the thing which which are seen were not made of things which are invisible." We understand that the visible world was made by the Word of God, amen?

So we serve a God who speaks and it happens.

He has promised that whoever, whosoever, believes in Him should not perish but have.

John 3 16 and John 14 2 goes on and tells Jesus says I go to prepare a place for you right in these promises we have title deed a God's Word he cannot lie his word is truth His Word creates.

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Series

A Study in Hebrews

Hebrews 11: Solid Faith in Something Better

Transcript

Parent Series

Sponsor

Recorded

Out on a Limb

45m

Christianity 24-7

5. Assurance in the Time of Trouble

1h 18m

Abraham: Father of the End-time Faithful

Father Abraham: Stranger and Pilgrim

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A Faith Worth Believing

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The Anchor Holds

52m

Living the Word

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Cory Reeves Weekend

Our Response

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Revelation Today Crusade

20. The Final Prophecy

48m

Jeroboam’s Withered Hand and the Mark of the Beast

53m

Plenary

When Temptations Return

1h 18m

Expect Great Things, Attempt Great Things

39m

Sound Doctrine