Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
January 12, 2014 - W1402

We begin with Abraham, the Father of our Faith. He is one of the honored inductees to Hall of Faith mentioned in Hebrews 11.  So how did they qualify to get in? Each had a faith that pleased God.

The Bible defines faith by saying, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,

the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval.” (Heb. 11:1-2) Some say that it really should read “the substance of things not seen” instead of “conviction”.

We should note that substantial things we cannot see are love and forgiveness.  We cannot actually see love and forgiveness. We only can see symptoms of love and forgiveness or their lack. Some of our greatest treasures are those we cannot see.

I was riding with a multi-millionaire in his luxury car when he pointed out his large and beautiful estate and began crying. He said that he missed his wife and family. He said that he would trade all that we could see for what we could not see.

The Bible says, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:16-18)

Remember, some of the things unseen are eternal. But how often we trade the unseen for the seen and end up with nothing!

It is like if I asked you to have faith that I have a coin in my hand but I do not show it to you. The reason is if I show it to you then it would be sight – not faith and God wants you to have faith. For some reason God decided that our faith grows more when you can't see it, but you believe that it's there because you believe what He said is there.  And when you can catch that, God says He will reward you. 

Faith is supposed to be built on what God says - not what we see.  Without faith, it is impossible to please God.

Do you remember in Matthew chapter 8 when the centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant? The centurion asked Jesus to simply speak the word and his servant would be healed.  Jesus turned around to His disciples and said, “Marvel at this man's faith.  I have not seen this great of faith not in all Israel.  Why?  Because he believed what I said, even though he can't see it.  He hasn't experienced it.”  See, Abraham was someone that says, “You know, if God's word says it, that's enough, and if God says it, that's it.”

You see, let me ask you this question:  What is God saying about you, about your soul?  What is God saying about what His will is for your marriage and your future?  What about what is God saying about Him wanting to bless you?  What about your inheritance, your legacy?  You see, we have to take a look at that and say, “What has God said?  What does His word say right here?” 

Matthew 24 says that heaven and earth will pass away ?? what you see ?? heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s word will never pass away.  What you see may.  What God says won't. 

And Abraham became a father of our faith because he believed God.  When God said that He was going to make Abraham a father of many nations, could he see it?  No.  Sarah was barren.  But did God say it?  Yes.  Did Abraham believe it? Yes! Your faith is going to grow a whole lot more without seeing it but believing it. Your eyes will deceive you.  God will never deceive you.  See that?  And when you catch that in faith, everything changes.

I was recently asked to serve on the Grand Jury. I was asked what I would do if the law conflicted with the Bible.  I replied that the Bible was the highest law in the land and that I would act accordingly. So we’ll see if I make the final cut.

But I was thinking that if God's word says it, that's it.  I hang onto it.  That's why Hebrews 11:6 says:  Without faith, it's impossible to please God.

In Hebrews 11, it says many of these patriarchs of faith all died without seeing the end result, but they knew it was in His hand.  Why?  Because He said it.  That's why they end up in Hebrews chapter 11.  That's the kind of faith that's going to change the world. 

As the Bible says, “Whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Rom. 15:4) Did you know that God had all of this recorded for you and for me?  Because He knew that we would be standing in the shadow of giants of faith who will be willing mentors, who will teach us about faith.

God for some reason felt that our faith would grow so much more when we can't see that quarter.  In fact, if you saw it, you may not be ready for it.  If you saw the future that God had, you wouldn't know how to handle it.

ABRAHAM’S LESSON

It is written, “By faith, when Abraham was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land…” (Heb. 11:8-9)

And God gave him a promise, and it's in Genesis 12.  Here it is, “And I will make you, he said, a great nation, and I will bless you.  And I will make your name great.  And so you shall be a blessing, and I will bless those who bless you.  And the one who curses you I will curse.  And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Some of you say, well, I made a lot of mistakes.  Correct back to God.  Just keep correcting back to God.  Doesn't matter.  Abraham made many mistakes, so much so that God said, “I'm going to change your name from Abram to Abraham.  Abram which is an exalted father to Abraham which means the father of many nations.”  And he changed Sarah's name from Sarai to Sarah which is princess to the mother of many nations.

The main point today is …

1. FAITH IS TENACIOUS.

Accordingly the Bible says, “Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” (Matt. 24:11-13) You are supposed to stick with Jesus no matter what.

Apostle Paul wanted you to be tenacious. He wrote, “Dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us…” (Phil. 3:13-14)

Abraham made lots of mistakes.  He had a lot of setbacks.  He went to Haran.  His father dies there.  He takes on Lot, his nephew.  Lot goes with them.  There's a famine in the land.  He has to go to Egypt.  He about loses his wife because he tells a fib about her.  And then he makes a mistake with Hagar, has a child that's out of the promise of God, but God still builds a great nation out of him.  And Abraham recalculates, recalculates, recalculates.  He does it again and again and again, and he ends up in the hall of faith.

I think our motto for this year has to be Psalm 57:7.  Would you read it with me out of your notes, go: “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed.”

(Ps. 57:7)

Why do you need to be so tenacious?  Is it just because we should be a persistent people?  No.  There's something far deeper.  You see, in your faith is wrapped up something greater than what you can see.  Because we often take a look at what we can see and we trade what we can't see for what we can - instead of trading what we can see for what we cannot.

See the switch?  Abraham caught the switch.  He began giving up what he could see for what he couldn't see, and God says, “You got it.”  Because the greatest treasures in the universe are those you can't see.

We had student orientation just the other day and I was walking out in the gravel lot and this beautiful Afro?American girl came.  Her hair was braided, beautiful smile.  And she jumped out of her car, and she says, “I've always wanted to meet you.”  So she came and gave me a big hug, and she said, “I just want you to know that when I was in Morocco, I would listen to you, and your sermons helped me to develop the faith to get here and go to Bible college.” 

Around the corner, another beautiful lady came, and she said, “I wanted to meet you.  I'm coming to sign up for the Bible college.  I used to listen to you when I lived in Brazil.”  Both of them said, “We just want you to know that people listen to you all around the world.”  And I thought, “That's a legacy that I didn't see back then.”

You see, if God says that you will touch people that you've never met, you got to believe that.  You just keep going.  You don't see it.  That's all right.  You just keep going.

I'd go up to the mainland and someone would come up and say, “I was in your youth group.  I am now pastoring such and such church”, and I thought, “Oh, there's nothing greater.  Could I see it back then?  No.”  God just said, “If you'll obey me, I have something for you.  People's lives will be touched.  Your kid's lives will be touched.  You'll have a legacy, dad.  You'll leave a legacy, mom.  I will honor you, but you got to believe what I say.  Because in this is wrapped up your blessings.  If you throw away what you can't see, you'll never get what I have said.”

The blessings of God will require a tenacious faith because it's far deeper than what you can see.

Study Suggestions

1.   What is faith?

2.   How can you develop more faith?

3.   Why does God hide the end result of our faith from us?

4.   Why should we be tenacious?