Commendable Faith
Colton White
Sunday, September 25th, 2022
In Hebrews 11 we see three things that are required in order for someone to have faith; Understanding, conviction, and commitment. In each person mentioned in Hebrews 11 is evidence of those three things. An understanding of who God is, a conviction to live for the glory of God, and the commitment to obey God.
Abel: A Faithful Offering
Colton White
Sunday, October 2nd, 2022
We are all offering something in life. We give pieces of ourselves to our family, friendships, career, and for access to comforts in this world. When we do that we are putting faith in those things that I will receive something in return that is desirable. The question is, what are you offering and who are you offering it to? And, is that offering reflective of the worth of the one receiving the offering? What does your offering to God communicate about your faith in him? What does it communicate about His worthiness in your life? With Abel we see that he brought an offering to God that would result in God commending him as “righteous.” The good news for us is that there is an offering presented to God on our behalf. This offering has brought us righteousness and salvation, and it is only when we have faith in that offering that we can truly enjoy and know God. It is the offering that was presented in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Enoch: Walking in Faith
Colton White
Sunday, October 9th, 2022
Enoch is one of the most mysterious characters mentioned in Scripture. There are only five verses about him in all of our Bible, but those five verses are infinitely significant. In those five verses we learn that God commended Enoch “as having pleased God, we learn that Enoch “walked with God”, and that Enoch was “taken up” by God. Meaning that Enoch did not die. The big questions we will answer is, what does it mean to walk with God like Enoch did?
Noah: Righteous Faith
Rich Diaz
Sunday, October 16th, 2022
Sometimes God requires of us faith that is truly radical. It goes against every grain of our world, and the only logic that can be claimed is an unwavering commitment to a faithful God. Noah follows God’s call despite the circumstances, despite the mockery from others, and God looks at his faith and calls him “righteous.” We must walk with the same sort of faith in today’s world. A real encounter with God results in radical faith despite the circumstances and the mockery.
Abraham: Obedient Faith
Kyle Smith
Sunday, October 23rd, 2022
Abraham was told to leave everything, his family, his home, everything he knew. All Abraham had to hold onto was a promise from God. A great promise that would lead to the blessing of all peoples on the earth. By faith Abraham obeyed God and surrendered everything to God’s purposes and plan. Even though he never saw those promises fulfilled with his own eyes, he continued to believe.
Sarah: Faith in the Promiser
Colton White
Sunday, October 30th, 2022
Sarah is included in the list of the name of the faithful, despite her doubting God’s power at one point. She trusted that God would bring her a son despite her age. Including her in Hebrews 11 is a testimony that having a true faith doesn’t mean that we always have perfect faith, but that we can have faith in the midst of the doubt.
Abraham: Faith Tested
Colton White
Sunday, November 6th, 2022
God gave Abraham an impossible test — the offering up of his promised son. Abraham was obedient to God, even when it could come at a great cost to him, but he held onto the promise that God would provide a sacrifice in Isaac’s place. Sometimes faith requires us to embrace the cost of following God. It’s in that space that we see God truly work in our lives and provide for us in ways that we never thought possible.
Moses: Courageous Faith
Colton White
Sunday, November 13th, 2022
Moses refused to live a life that enjoyed the sinful privileges of belonging to Pharaoh. Instead he remembered that he belongs to God and chose to identify with the people of God. Moses displayed real faith in the midst of the the fleeting pleasures of this world. He remembered who he is and who God is, and for us, we must remember who we are in the midst of the fleeting pleasures of this world. We belong to God, and our faith must always remain in Him.
Moses: Saving Faith
Tristan Krider
Sunday, November 20th, 2022
Thousands of years before Jesus would die on a cross as a sacrifice for our sins, God commanded His people to offer up their own sacrifice. In the midst of the plagues that God would place on Egypt, God commanded His people to sacrifice a lamb and sprinkle the blood of the lamb over their doors. This would be a sign to God that the people in that home belonged to the people of God. It was but a shadow of the ultimate sacrifice to come. That sacrifice would be the perfect sacrifice for all sins. It required faith that saved; faith in the true sacrifice that could save us from our sins.
Rahab: Humble Faith
Colton White
Sunday, November 27th, 2022
Rahab, a Gentile and prostitute, showed remarkable faith by helping the people of God in a great time of need. She displayed what it looks like to have humble faith in a great God. God has the power to redeem and restore whomever He chooses. God chose Rahab not only to assist Israel's spies, but also to include her in the lineage that would lead to Jesus Christ. Her faith would lead to the coming of the true King and Savior that we have faith in today.
