Our Faith Legacy

Main Point: Without faith it is impossible to please God.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. —Hebrews 11:1-3

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. —Hebrews 11:6

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. —Hebrews 11:7

Noah had a faith that didn’t need all the details.

Noah did everything just as God commanded him. —Genesis 6:22

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. —Hebrews 11:17-19

Abraham had a faith that wasn’t afraid to act.

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. —Genesis 22:6-8

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. —Hebrews 11:24-26

Moses had a faith that saw the big picture.

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. —Hebrews 11:32-34

Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. —Hebrews 11:35-38

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. —Hebrews 11:39-40

Takeaway: Don’t live your life without receiving the “something better” that God has planned for us.

Discussion Questions
1. Hebrews 11:1-3 talks about faith as confidence in what is not seen. Can you share an example from your life where you had to have faith in something that wasn’t immediately visible or certain?
2. The message mentions Noah’s faith that didn’t need all the details. How can we apply this concept of trusting God even when we don’t have all the information in our own lives?
3. Abraham’s faith is described as one that wasn’t afraid to act. Can you think of a time when you had to take a bold step of faith, and what was the outcome?
4. In the story of Moses, we see a faith that saw the big picture. How can we develop a faith that focuses on the long-term rewards and values, rather than short-term comfort and pleasures?

Table Discussion Question: The takeaway advises us not to live life without receiving the “something better” that God has planned. What do you think this “something better” might be, and how can we actively pursue it in our lives?