Transcription downloaded from https://yetanothersermon.host/_/bbcsylmar/sermons/79266/concluding-the-case-for-faith/.

Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions.
Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt.


[0:00] And we're coming on what I'm going to just put together as a conclusion to this case for faith.

[0:10] ! And what we've studied is that faith is what fuels the Christian life.

[0:44] Without faith, you can't please God. And God expects you to operate in faith. He operates in faith with His child. He expects you to trust Him. Faith works.

[0:56] Faith has worked for all of these great figures in this chapter. And these have been given in the Bible record. God retained them on purpose for us to know and to read and to learn from.

[1:07] And then there's countless unnamed others that are in this book that are never mentioned in this chapter. And we also saw in all of this that faith is sufficient for the believer to live and to stand and to walk and to endure.

[1:25] It's essential for you and I in any endeavor we have to be a pleasure to God. Now what I'm going to call as if it's closing arguments today in making a case for faith.

[1:39] The writer to the Hebrews throws the book at them. Just finishes with a big bang and just bombards them with numerous, through these next few verses, numerous snapshots of further witnesses of men and women that obeyed God in faith, that endured incredible afflictions and trials.

[1:59] And the implication is that he could go on all day. Look at verse 32. What shall I more say for the time would fail me to tell of all the rest of them?

[2:14] The implication is that this could just go on forever. Now I want to read with you this 32 down to the end. These what I'll call the closing arguments here for a case for faith.

[2:25] And let's just let this list and these words speak for themselves. Verse 32. And what shall I more say for the time would fail me to tell of Gibeon and of Barak and of Samson and of Jephthah, of David also and Samuel and of the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness, were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

[3:05] Women received their dead raised to life again. And others, oh it turns now, it changes. And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.

[3:20] And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword.

[3:32] They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

[3:46] And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise. God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. What a list.

[3:58] And what powerful wording, and powerful statements, of those that have gone on before in the past, and have displayed faith toward Godward, in their life.

[4:10] Faith to God, their creator and savior. And there's a few truths that I'd like to consider, from these concluding verses, and kind of really summarize, the whole chapter, the whole study.

[4:24] Now remember what we did in the beginning, I'm just going to backtrack a little bit here, and be fast. We started with just a quick little glimpse, of what faith is, or just some thoughts on faith, and how it's what God expects of us, and that's, our relationship is going to be based upon faith.

[4:41] And then there's the example of Abel. And I showed you how there was kind of a, a progression to this. And what we studied was Abel's faith, we studied Enoch's faith, we studied Noah's faith in verse 7, then Abraham and Sarah, as a couple, obeying God, then Abraham as an individual, as a father, and then others that died in faith, with Isaac and Jacob and Joseph, then Moses' parents in verse 23, and then Moses himself, making a choice to choose to suffer affliction, with the people of God.

[5:14] And then the nation, leaving Egypt, were an example of faith. When the nation didn't have a way to go, God made a way for them, to cross the Red Sea, in verse 29.

[5:26] A new man, Joshua, comes on and fights new battles, that have never before been fought, by these tactics. We learn some things about spiritual warfare, in verse 30, with Jericho's walls coming down.

[5:36] And we saw Rahab reaching the lost, reaching her family, to get them delivered with her, through faith. And these examples, they're enough.

[5:47] I don't need to say anything more, is the idea. That's enough proof. That's enough to show you, this is the life we need to live, is a life of faith. And so I want to say three things tonight, and I think I'll be quick with you, and then we can go have ice cream.

[6:02] Three things tonight, that just to draw from these closing arguments, and kind of reiterate some of the material, we've even started with. The first thing is that, faith is available to all human beings, to everyone that's on the planet.

[6:16] All of these, a few are named, in verse 32, and then the rest are not, there's just the prophets, and then the rest are not named. You can kind of, kind of deduce a few of them, who they might be, when it talks about, stopping the mouths of lions.

[6:31] You might want to say, that's Daniel there. There's others, you could kind of pinpoint, say I think I know who that is, I think I know who that is. But some are named, some are unnamed, some are men, verse 35, there's women.

[6:42] And in all of this, there's sinners, like David, in verse 32. And some of them, that have a, come from a less than perfect background, like Jebthah, also mentioned in verse 32, a less than perfect family situation.

[6:59] And some of them are mentioned, that have pretty big blots, on their names, but they're all individuals, men, women, born of a woman, grew up, matured, aged, died, and they're no different, than you and me.

[7:12] Don't think that these are just, some heroic figures. What they are, is witnesses. Look at chapter 12, in verse 1. It says, wherefore, because of all of that, chapter, wherefore, seeing we also, are compassed about, with so great a cloud of witnesses, then let us, do something about it.

[7:35] And these are all just witnesses, witnessing to us, of what it looks like, when you trust God, and you live by faith. It's available for every single one.

[7:46] Great men like David, who is a natural leader, of skilled man, a man that did not lack courage, and then you compare him, with somebody in the same verse 32, like Gideon, who did lack courage, and who was weaker, in faith, and had really no interest, in being used of God, was timid, intimidated.

[8:12] They're men, and women, strong, and weak. Earlier in the chapter, it highlighted brothers, married couples, parents, babies, old dying men, a nation of people, a harlot, and her family members.

[8:28] The chapter covers, a wide spectrum, of human beings. It's not angels, it's not spiritual beings, in the heavenlies, it's about faith, that's made available, to you and me.

[8:42] The examples are for you and me, to pick up, and learn from, and act upon. It's for us. It's faith to be exercised, in this life, not the next life, this life.

[8:55] And so, it's for human beings, you, and me. The faith that God offers, is for us to act upon. Why would we not act upon it? This is the time to live on, to walk by faith, to live by faith, to pick it up, and do something.

[9:11] To trust God, and just say, enough with this doubt, enough with this fear, enough with this flesh. I want to trust you Lord. I just want you, to guide me.

[9:22] And I'll walk with you, here's my hand, take it, lead me. It's for human beings, to trust God. And so, faith's available to us.

[9:34] There's something else, simple in this passage, it can, faith can be applied, to the entire, human experience. To all of the experiences, that we face in this life. The good, and the evil, everything in between.

[9:49] I talked about a progression, in the beginning of this chapter. I pointed out, there was faith for salvation, with Abel, offering unto God, a more excellent sacrifice. He offered, a blood atoning sacrifice.

[10:00] His brother offered, his best, and most diligent works. And that was, not accepted of God. And we saw a picture, of salvation, in this age. And after that progression, when you, apply the blood, blood of the lamb, to your soul, and are cleansed, then, then the progression, went into Enoch.

[10:18] And we learned from Enoch, that this man, approached God, in faith. And he sought the Lord, diligently. And the Lord can be found, of them that diligently, seek him.

[10:29] And so, Enoch, sought God, in a relationship, and he walked with God, by faith. And he was obedient, to what God asked. Enoch, pleased God. We saw, after that, that, there was examples, of being obedient, to what God asks.

[10:45] Even if it, sounded crazy, like build an ark. I'm going to destroy, this world, and condemn it, with just a flood. How about that? What are you talking about, God? No, yes, I'll do it.

[10:57] And Noah obeyed. Abraham, get lost. Go, go. I want you to go. Where to, Lord? Just go. I'll show you later. Obeyed. Others endured, some trials.

[11:10] They even preached, on dying faith, in verses 20, through 22, with those men, at the end of their life. It's a spectrum, also, of the human, not just human beings, but spectrum, of the Christian life.

[11:26] Faith can be applied, to all human experiences. In this closing passage, what we read, is that some, fought great battles. At verse, at verse 33, it says, who through faith, subdued kingdoms, like sitting on a throne, when it's all said and done, and I conquered.

[11:47] At the end of verse 34, it said, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight, the armies of the aliens. There were victories, that some experienced, where they fought, they battled, and they stood victorious, and just said, glory to God, we've won, we've defeated them, in the name of the Lord.

[12:07] How great is our God, how wonderful. And there's that high, mountaintop experience, that faith is present, and yet, right in, in turn with that, the next thing you read, is that, it wasn't like that, for everybody.

[12:25] Others, in the next few verses, verse 36, talks about them being, in bonds, and imprisonment. Others are destitute, and they're dying.

[12:37] They're being cut in half. They're being stoned to death. These didn't get to stand, on the mountaintop, and say, oh, glory to God. I'm sitting upon the throne, and peace has been made, because our God is stronger than, these, were in a prison cell, in filthy conditions, with disease in their bodies, and scrapes and cuts, and just marred, to who knows how much.

[13:02] And they laid there, and by faith, took it. And I'm showing you, that these examples, are showing us, that the point is, that faith is not just there, to imply that, if you have faith, Christian, God will do wonderful things, in your life.

[13:19] If you'll just believe in him, he'll heal you. If you'll just have faith, he'll pay that bill. He'll do these great things. People preach that garbage, all the time.

[13:31] And yet, the Bible shows us, that faith is there, for the whole spectrum, of the human experience. It's there for those, great victorious moments, and it's there, to be exercised, when you're dying, in a miserable, horrible way, when your enemy, is defeating you, and you're not getting out of it.

[13:53] The point is to teach us, that faith can be applied, to the whole spectrum, whether you're on the top, of the mountain, or you're facing, the hardest trial, you'll ever face, in this world.

[14:05] Faith, is able, it's available to you. It needs to be applied, in those situations, just like the others. In verse 23, it talks about, the birth, of a baby boy.

[14:20] In verse 22, it talks about, the death of an old man. In verse 17, it shows Abraham, doing one of the hardest things, a father ever had to face.

[14:33] In verse 8, that same man, was told to travel, to a destination, that God never told him, what it was going to be, and what it was going to look like, just go. In verse 7, Noah was told, to prepare an ark, for something, he had never, in his wildest dreams, heard of, or understood, not to mention, this undertaking, was going to take him, a long time.

[14:57] Build an ark. And faith, is available, to every human being, and it's applicable, in all the human experiences, every single one of them.

[15:10] For the experiences, of this life, that you haven't seen before, with your eyes. There's faith. When you don't know, where it's going to end up, if God says, go this direction, but I don't know, where that's going to end up, and I just don't know, how it's going to work out, and if, what's going to happen, to my kids, or what's going to happen, to these things, that I've worked so hard for, and God says, go.

[15:32] And there's faith for that. There's faith for that journey. There's faith for dealing, with things you've never dealt with before. There's faith for being put, in situations, that are uncomfortable, and hard.

[15:44] There's faith, for being put in places, that you don't see any way, that there'll be an escape, just like they were, by the Red Sea, and then God made a way. Faith is available, but faith must be applied.

[15:59] You've got to learn, to walk by faith, to exercise the faith, that God made available to you. There's another thing, I want us to consider, from this passage, is that our faith, can be advanced, by the word of God.

[16:14] meaning, the Bible record, is able, and is there, it exists, to grow your faith. The Bible record, this book, the words of this book, can advance your faith.

[16:30] These are Bible stories, that we're reading about here, that the writers just, one after the another, he's covered some in detail, and now just rapid fire, showing there's this one, and that one, and this one, and that one, and I can't even get into, all of these.

[16:44] But he says, these are Bible accounts, to teach us, about faith. The writer here, does not draw, from personal experience. He's not trying, to convince the reader, from his point of view.

[16:58] But he's pointing, to the word of God alone, to what God put in this book, for us to pick up, and read, and trust, and grow our faith. Just consider, God gave us, these stories, not Moses, not Samuel, not the prophets, God almighty, eternal God, omniscient God, perfect in knowledge, and wisdom, gave us these words, and said, give attendance, to reading, study, to show thyself, approved unto God.

[17:33] Get in the book, seek ye out, of the book of the Lord, and read, that these things, are written for our learning, and they're written, for our admonition, that we might have hope.

[17:48] God gave us, these stories, these truths, for a specific, and perfect reason. Faith cometh, by hearing, and hearing, you know, by the word of God.

[18:01] And so, as you and I, read and study, we're to draw, on them, and to learn, from the experiences, of these men, and women, and to learn, from the obedience, of these men, and women, and to learn, from the faith, that these men, and women, had in their God.

[18:16] You don't know, very much about Abel. I want you to write me, a 600 word essay, on Abel's life. You can't do it. Not from the Bible.

[18:27] You're going to just be, really fluffing it up. Because there's not, much to go on. But one thing, you know about Abel, is that Abel, offered a sacrifice, more acceptable to God, than his brother Cain did.

[18:40] He offered, the blood of a lamb. You know that by faith, he offered that blood sacrifice, and God accepted it. You don't know, a whole lot about Enoch. There's a few spots, in this big book, about Enoch.

[18:54] But you do know, that Enoch walked with God. You do know, that he approached God, by faith, and sought him diligently. And that God, was so pleased, with that man, he took him.

[19:06] Come up hither. He took that man, with him. You don't know, too much about Noah. You think you do. But the man, lived 950 years.

[19:19] You don't know, much about Noah. If we could, take that ratio, and apply it, to our lives today, somebody who lives, 95 years, that's a pretty healthy, pretty long lifespan, for this age.

[19:31] And to put the ratio, on our lives, that's like saying, I lived 95 years, of life, and the only thing, anybody knows about, is what I did, in my 50s.

[19:43] But nothing else, about me. That's what you know, about Noah, his 50s. One thing he did, I mean, it was a big deal. But you don't know him, like you think you do.

[19:54] God put that story, in his book though. He told us about Noah, in his 50s, his 500s. But you also know, that he walked with God, and that he feared God, and that he obeyed God, and he did it by faith.

[20:13] And so these accounts, as we read in this chapter, and at the end of this chapter, they're just snippets, of entire lives, that have been lived, that were born, and children, that were raised, in adolescence, and into teenagers, and young adult, and going through marriage, and moving forward, all the way through the life, that God gave them on this earth, and then died, and were returned to dust.

[20:41] And you just know, a snippet about them. Like God pulled that snippet, and that snippet, and that snippet, from just that one, out of thousands, and hundreds of thousands, just that one, and put it in his book, and stamped it in his book, and stamped another one, in his book, and recorded, these accounts.

[20:58] And he placed them, within the eternal, holy scriptures. Before I go on, could you try, to not take for granted, the holy scriptures, for a second.

[21:09] And try, I'll try this, it may not help you, but I'll try. To understand, what is here? What is in between, these covers, in the holy scripture.

[21:19] If you're, back in the old testament days, and you hear of a people, that this people have, the creator, almighty God, on their side, and with them, is the holy scripture.

[21:34] You don't have anything, like this. You've never heard, of anything like this. It doesn't exist, in your world. Holy scripture. You have some teachings, and some practices, and pagan rituals, and ceremonies, but it's not holy, and it's not, from God almighty.

[21:52] But this people, you hear of them, they have words, from God almighty, the true God, the almighty God, the most high. And he's given to them, the holy scriptures.

[22:06] It's got to have, this sacred aura, about it in your mind, this thought of, wow. Like, what would it be like, to know, what God said, to mankind, to be able, to hear it taught, what God said, the rules by which, should govern, the human race.

[22:28] To get a glimpse, into the mind, of that God. What would he have, to say to man? Could you just, put yourself there, and try to see, the holy scriptures.

[22:39] Wow. How amazing, that must be. How holy, and pure, and life changing, they must be, to have them. And, and in the holy scripture, are these, stories, of humans, of men and women, that God, put their names in there, and put their story in there, and put how they obeyed, his word in there, and how just reading, their story, would, fire me up, in my soul, to say, wow.

[23:13] They did that. If God ever asked me, to do something, I can do it, what they did, I could do it too, right? Wouldn't that energy, come from the text?

[23:25] Wouldn't that zeal, just, be infused, into your spirit, because of what you read, in the holy scripture? And sprinkled, within the pages, are stories of faith, and obedience, written for our learning.

[23:39] And the Bible record, is given, to advance, my faith, and your faith.

[23:51] It can be advanced, by the word of God. Do you lack courage? Well, I think so did Joshua. And I think so did Gideon, mentioned earlier. And there's others. And you can get familiar, with their stories, and their excuses, maybe like Moses.

[24:07] And see how God, responded to that. And you can read, about a young David, that defeated a giant, because he approached him, in faith, saying, I come to you, in the name of the Lord.

[24:20] End of story. It was over, before it started. Do you lack resources? You read, about Elijah, how God fed Elijah, how God, sustained a widow, through a famine, how God fed millions, of people, in the wilderness, with bread, and with water, and sustained, every last one of them.

[24:42] Took care of them, so that their clothes, and shoes, didn't wear out. The hand of God's, provision and power, was evident, in their lives. And the word of God, reveals of those things, the care of God, toward his people.

[24:57] And then it tells us, in first Peter, that he careth for you. That knowledge, can, that knowledge, will, grow your faith.

[25:09] Entrusting his hand, to provide your needs too. Entrusting his hand, to provide, where you lack courage, in your heart. Entrusting that, that God that loves you, loved them, and the relationship, can be the same.

[25:23] God hasn't changed. He hasn't lost his power, or his drive, or his will. He's not willing, that any should perish. He still wills us, to call on him, and to seek him, and to walk with him, and to trust him.

[25:37] Not much has changed. And so our faith, can be advanced, by the word of God. Now in addition, to growing in faith, from reading the text, and reading the stories, in the scripture, understand also, that God can speak, to your personal heart, from the word of God.

[25:58] Now, I don't know, if you've ever experienced, this personally, if you've had to. It may not be, for you yet. And maybe it has happened. But God can speak, to you, not in an outside voice.

[26:12] It's an inside voice. It's where the words, of God, get a hold of you, in a way, that when it happens, you know it. there's nothing glowing, in the room.

[26:25] There's nothing moving, there's no wind blowing. There's nothing mysterious, or miraculous. But as your eyes, are reading the page, and if there's something, that the Lord, wants to convey to you.

[26:38] If, there's something, that the Lord, wants to convey to you, or deal with your heart about. He can just, make that verse, those words, just grab you.

[26:49] And it, it makes your eyes, just laser focus on it. And immediately, inwardly, you're like, coming alive. The new man is just saying, he's like, this is the word of God.

[27:00] He's talking, he's speaking. This is God's will for you. This is what he wants you to do. This is an answer. And you know it immediately. It's not confusing. It's not weird.

[27:11] It's, it's, spiritual. That's the best way I can say it. It's spiritual. It's a spiritual interaction, with a living book.

[27:23] The words of God, they're spirit, and they are life. John 6, 63. And as a spiritual new man, reads the words, God can, can connect some things, and teach you.

[27:35] I'm not telling you, everybody go home, and stare at the words, until they start. This isn't the, Urim and Thummim stuff, from Sunday, okay? This is something, of our new man. I'll give you the example, I've given you this before.

[27:48] Look at Psalm 37. This is just a personal one, for me. God can speak to your heart, from the scripture, when he has something, to say to you.

[28:00] And you'll know it, when he does, you don't have to go, looking for it. I would say this, and I can't, this is just a personal thought. See if it resonates with you, if you can receive it.

[28:12] That this voice of God, this speaking of God, from his word, will match, or really, really relate, to your salvation experience. Whereas, where you came to understand, I'm a sinner.

[28:25] And that, that tugging, that was going on, in your heart, that was saying, you need, to be saved, or, or you need a savior. However, it happened for you. However, it was, what you felt, was the Lord, dealing with your heart.

[28:39] And it wasn't a voice outside, it was something inside, just illuminating, your mind and heart, saying, you need, Jesus Christ. Or when you heard the gospel, whatever it was for you.

[28:52] It just happened, you understood it, it was clarity, and you responded. And I think, very similarly, the way God led you, to salvation, through the word of God, through the truth of God, in the word of God, now he can, speak to you.

[29:07] And, it will probably be, it will be the same voice, it's the same God. Now here's what I think, here's what happened to me, in all of my fears, I've told you this before, of stressing over moving, to Los Angeles, and all the logistics, of moving, and affording a life, that was far larger, than life to, that we knew for sure.

[29:29] And, and after submitting, to coming, and surrendering, to coming, still all of this logistics, was like, wow, too big for me, to believe.

[29:39] You just, you have to understand, where we were, to what happened. And in verse number three, I read this, and God said this, just as clear as day, trust in the Lord, and do good, so shalt thou dwell, in the land, and verily, thou shalt be fed, like truly, he said, I'm gonna take, I felt the hand of God, just saying, son, I got this.

[30:05] And a piece, just went, just, like an inhale, of big breath of oxygen, peace just, inhaled in the new man, to where all that fear, and anxiety, and just, it was, it was nonstop calculating, and searching online, and looking for a place, and how can we afford, and what can we do, and it just went, just kind of booted, all the fear, and anxiety out, and I just sensed God saying, I'm telling you, I called you, this is my will, I got you, and I just laid the burdens down, just right there, it was from that verse, all of that took place, the Lord spoke to me, let me show you one, from another brother, that I learned of recently, look at Amos chapter 5, find a minor prophet, Amos, I'm gonna tell somebody else's story, here, here, there's a friend of mine, a brother, in Christ, that felt the Lord, was calling him, to the mission field, and so he surrendered to it, and he began deputation, to the mission field,

[31:13] Amos chapter 5, and he, he went from church, to church, to church, and began raising support, and it was just a slow, long process, and it started to make, everybody wonder, like really, like what's going on, why is it taking so long, and I never put any pressure on him, but I just wondered, you know, as years went by, it was six years, most missionaries, it takes two to three years, most of them, some are faster, some are longer, but he was six years, on this trail, of raising support, to go to the mission field, and he was at 75%, he is frustrated, and getting embarrassed, and just wrestling, with what is going on, why won't these doors open, why won't this happen, six years have gone by, since he got out, of Bible school, and hit the road, and surrendered, to this thing full time, there was a house, that they were staying in, that as things, because things were just kind of, fluid in different times, they weren't staying, in a travel trailer, for six years, but they were in a house, and the thing burned, to the ground, and they had, they lost all their possessions, and they barely had anything, they were staying, in a preacher's home, in his basement, and just saying, what in the world, is going on, they couldn't discern it, and finally, he just decided, you know what, forget it, we're going, 75% or no, everybody would tell you, do not go, under supported, that is a big mistake, and he said, some other words,

[32:42] I won't say, but he just was so like, I'm done with this, I'm out, we're going, and he started, drafting up a letter, to send to all his churches, saying, we're leaving, we're going to the field, we're going to trust the Lord, and you might think, hey, that sounds like faith, right, amen, that's what you want to do, brother, trust the Lord, with all that heart, but see, God didn't give a verse, that said, trust me, go to that land, you'll be fed, I'll take care of you, no, God didn't give him that, that was his, his frustration, his anxiety, his embarrassment, all of these confusion, he was just saying, enough of this, I can't take it, I'm going to do something, he was going to make a decision, and by the grace of God, the Lord God, in the basement of that pastor's house, as their family, he and his wife, with the kids, were reading the Bible together, the Bible spoke to them, both the husband, and the wife, in the same moment, and in verse number, five, verse number, four, they're reading, and it says, but for thus saith the Lord, unto the house of Israel, seek ye me, and ye shall live, but seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba, for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to naught, seek the Lord, and ye shall live, lest he break forth out, as the man and his wife, both heard clearly,

[34:09] God saying, do not go, do not pack up, and send that letter, and say we're out of here, where'd they get that, Amos chapter five, I love that stuff, I love when it's not a proverb, when it's a minor prophet, I told you about one, months and months ago, on a Sunday morning, that the Lord dealt with my heart about, from Leviticus chapter six, I love that stuff, you can't make it up, you can't pretend like, oh God's going to speak to me, out of you know some, you just would never suspect it, is my point, and so that man, like myself, although it was a little trying, for him to have to tell, all those churches, that I'm, we're done, we're not going, this, the Lord, what happened was, his faith grew, because in that moment, he knew what God wanted him to do, and the frustrations were over, and all the anxiety, of what's happening, is over, and God spoke to him, from the word of God, and gave him peace, and a little bit of light, for direction, going forward, and he could tell, the story himself, maybe one day, he'll be here, to tell his own story, that just right after that, somebody called him up, and said, hey would you come up here, and preach for me, and a certain thing, got going on, and he went to preach for him, and before he ever left, he said, would you pray about, moving up here, and helping me in this church, because I could use some help, and the Lord just, opened a new door, as soon as he shut one, and they went, and they had some good years, in ministry, and preaching, and serving God, at a local church, and helping out, the word of God, can advance your faith, it can do it, just by the stories, that God recorded, for you and I, to read, and study, and believe, but it can also do it, in those individual moments, and I have to say this again,

[36:09] I don't want to, put you on the wrong trail here, only when God wants to speak to you, about something, will he do it, don't go looking for it, don't go saying, oh God, just tell me something, just don't do that, just be faithful, to read the word of God, and fellowship with him, in his holy scripture, and when he wants to say something, he'll do it, he does it, in preaching, he does it, when you're in the pew, and something hits you, and he reminds you, and he just, you know what I mean, he reveals things to you, as you sit in the pew, he'll do it for you, when you're sitting on your couch, turning the pages, if he wants to, when he wants to, so don't try to facilitate that, that's my caution, I don't want to lead you, the wrong way, all right, so we're finishing up here, the final thing here, in this final thought, is, or the recap, is that faith, is what God expects, of his children, it's where he operates, it's not in signs, it's not in sight, it's by faith, faith, and so faith, faith must be exercised, by us, it must be applied, in the events, of our lives, both small and great, both easy and hard, victorious, and destructive, we need to exercise, faith, if you lack faith, get in the Bible, because that book, can grow your faith, faith, and it can reveal,

[37:44] God to you, not the God, that you imagine, in your mind, but it can reveal, the God of the Bible, the true God, these words, will always reveal him, in his trueness, what he reveals, about himself, and then you'll come, to know him, the right way, and trust him, and that comes, from a Bible, a relationship, in the Bible, so our faith, it's available tonight, for every human being, it needs to be applied, in every human experience, and it's this book, that's going to grow our faith, and take us places, if God sees fit, alright, so I think we're done, with Hebrews chapter 11, I don't know how many weeks, and sermons that's been, it's been 12 to 15 of them, and like I said, from the beginning, never intended to go into it, like that, but I've enjoyed it personally, for my own personal walk, and life, and ministry, and relationship with God,

[38:45] I've enjoyed this study, and whether anybody in here, got anything out of it, I'm telling you, I did, and I thank God, for that stuff, a lot, it's been a blessing to me, and so, that chapter's been in there, all this time, and I'm thankful, that we got to study it together, and I hope it was a help, and a blessing to you, and there may be, one more message, coming out of it, something I thought, and saw today, not really out of the chapter, but the next, so we'll see about that, but let's pray, Father, we want to thank you, for the truth, and this precious book, God may we not, take for granted, what this book is, help us to understand, and to believe it, help us Lord, also to exercise faith, in the good times, in the bad times, and to see it, from your perspective, and to learn to just, let go, and trust you, and I know it's easier, said than done, but God, you expect us to do it, so it's time for us, to do it, and so I pray, that these messages, would help each of us, to do that, and to grow in faith, and Lord, you work a work, you're the one, that knows how to do it,

[39:48] I surely don't, I'll just put this out, and let you take it, and do what you can with it, I pray you'll find fertile soil, I pray you'll find a healthy, and strong spirit in this place, among your people, and may you grow us, and grow this church, in maturity, and that we might, be a pleasure to you, like Enoch, and then you can, come and take us, to be with you, and so Lord bless the remainder, of our evening, and the fellowship to follow, and we ask your blessing, also on Maddie, and her endeavor, to go forward, and live for you, in her life, and we pray this, in Jesus name, Amen, alright, Amen.