Faith

Hebrews 11

Faith of Offering:

             What is God looking for?

Genesis 4:3

  Both Cain and Abel made offerings.

Cain brought an offering, Abel also brought an offering.

Its not who brought first. its who brought the best.

By Faith He gave First and Fat ones.

Why is Cain and his offering rejected.

But Abel and his offering respected.

Cain also brought offering.

Abel considered God Worthy of Special offering of first fruit and fat ones.

Cain might have done - oh some thing to be done, oh some thing has to be given. 

example: like when we goto a movie because wee see the show we have to pay kind of attitude. do we do that on sunday morning.

Abel also might have recognised that the very fact that his flock gave birth itself is a gift from God.

Best mesaure of God is 1 Samuel 16:7

God looks at the heart.

Psalm 50:9 - God does not need bulls

1 John 3:12

We must not be like Cain who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. (1 John 3:12)

Can we see when compared, cains actions were considered evil.

In a christian life, anything that is not mixed with faith are evil.

Genesis 4:7 says

God says if you do well will you not be accepted.

  *   God accepted Abel's offering because  faith, love, and righteous deeds.
  *   God did not accept Cain's offering life full of jealousy, lack of faith, and evil deeds.

Cain might have thought my hard work i gave to God but not accepted.

Abel thoguht God blessed me with the produce and i will give to God.

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Abels actions were righteous because of faith.

Abraham was considered righteous because of faith.

Faith of Poor Widow - Mark 12:43,44

When offering was compared with rich people and this poor widow, Lord Jesus says that the poor widow has put MORE ..

 if you come and ask me who gave more in this Church then i will look at my accounts and say ok so and so has given more because the numbers are more.

For God the numbers dont matter.

For God MORE is faith filled giving.

God see what man overlooks.

The windows giving involves excellent sacrifice mentioned for Abels sacrifice.

the woman is in need of receiving.

In the abundance you have, when you give, it is like you give to a beggar.

Faith is tested in lack - when you are in lack how you give. because Faith works there, it shows up there.

our giving sometimes was shallow because oh will i have enough or will my needs be met.

but when we give best to God , we are assured of no lack.

God loves a cheerful giver<http://www.gotquestions.org/cheerful-giver.html>” (2 Corinthians 9:7<http://biblia.com/bible/esv/2%20Cor%209.7>), and He is faithful to take care of His own.

Dont give to God like you give to a beggar.

how much we give is related to how much we have.

Jesus noticed when the poor widow sacrificed. He didnt feel sorry poor widow, you dont need to put, but he lets her to put and then notices her and provides to her.

God notifices every sacrifice you do for Him.

Faith of Receiving:

11:11

11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

Sarah : By Faith, Sarah received.

So we know that by faith we can receive.

So the root of this receiving faith is Promise of God.

Do we live life of promises of God.

1) Knowing the promises of God.

2) Knowing about the God who made the promise.

3) Judging Him faithful who made the promise.

​and Receive

1) Knowing the promises of God.

    Do you know what Gods promises are for you.

sometimes we see and take the promise of God only dec 31st night.

there are total 3573 promises that God made in bible.

the word promise itself is mentioned 57 times.

Imagine if you are child of bill gates and he wrote a will what he is promising for you to inherit and you never read that and don't care about it. do you know what you are missing.

Great men and women of God lived by promise.

Is everyday a day of living by promise.

The difference between world and church is this the Church knows what is promised for them.

2) Knowing about God who made the promises

Psalm 89:34

My covenant I will not break,
Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.

God is not a man to lie.

Numbers 23:19New King James Version (NKJV)

19 “God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do?Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?​

3) Judging Him faithful who made the promise.

2 Corinthians 1:20 NJKV. "For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us."

that means when see a promise - we attest to it and say Yes Amen it goes up to heaven through Christ.

thats what Sarah did, She considered Him faithful and said Yes.

The result is Receving.

Even what is dead has come to life.

we sing we are here for you - lets what dead come to life is because of faith.

Faith of Rejecting world and living in godly fear.

Faith to reject world.
We cannot love both God and world,  of we love one then we hate another.
I sometimes think when the Word says if we love one we hate another,  why don't do that,  why is it we find ourselves lucid both. But in reality there is no loving both.
There is only loving one. I think we don't truly love. That's why we find in both boats.

Key 1: confess you are a stranger. V13

But it takes faith to reject world.
V 13 they confessed that they were strangers.
Our attitude is like this is my place,  my money,  forever here. We don't have a stranger attitude.
They confessed that they are pilgrims.
Every time they faced a situation they confessed an a stranger.
When Moses faced with situation to choose to be called son of pharoah daughter or hebrew,  he confessed that he is a stranger of egypt, 

Key 2: verse 26 :
esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.

Graham Stalin daughter said
I thank God that He considered my dad worthy to die for Him.

Is Christ preeminent in our lives.
Having reproach of Christ os better than riches of the world.
Example of vinod
Or aneesh n nisha.

Key 3: V7 godly fear.

Noah was warned by God about things to come flood. And moved in godly fear.
We know bible very well,  we know the warning signs very well, but do we move with godly fear.

Move with godly fear.
We many times are afraid of world.
What will people think of me. 
Example of idol in office.

When we move with godly fear we condemn the world.
The faith to reject the world Comes by moving in godly fear by heeding to the word of God.

Rejecting world Comes by faith.

Psalm 68

Glory of God in His Goodness to Israel

This psalm is a psalm of David and the Glory of God is revealed in His goodness to nation of Israel.

Who God is:
                       Father to Father less
                       Defender of widows

Our nature is we care about ourselves, our families, our needs.
but with God He looks who are helpless, who have no hope, who cannot defend themselves.

James 1:28 says 
Pure and undefiled religion is this:
To visit orphans and widows in their troubles.
How James can write this is because He knew who God is in His holy habitation.

Presence of God

1) Wickedness should perish
2) Righteous rejoice exceedingly.
3) God went out before His people, at His Presence 
        a) earth shook
        b) heavens dropped rain.
        c) Sinai itself moved

Gods presence is revealed like this
He sends plentiful rain
The congregation dwell in the rain. What a beautiful picture of Church being led by the Holy Spirit.
God confirms His inheritance by sending rain.

Ephesians 1:13,14
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who[b] is the guarantee of our inheritance until the 

Not only does He sends rain, but He also gave the Word.

*********************************Psalm 68: 21-35******************************
Verse 6: God makes lonlies into families.
Take this as Promise  for people who are waiting on God.
And the deeper meaning is that, if you are lonely soul where God brings that lonely soul and puts them in Godly family.
You are no more a single individual, you are part of the family.
where you will be cared, nurtured in the Word, supported, strengthened.

Now that the ark of God has come into camp of Israel. they were singing and dancing and playing the instruments.  David says these words.

V 28 : Your God has commanded your strength
v 34: Ascribe strength to our God the Rock His strength is in clouds.
v 35: The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people.

It is God who commands the strength for the weak.

When you go to interviews they ask what are your strengths.
We tell all things that we are strong in. like I say am a very smart engineer, i analyse the things very well.
I am a problem solver.

In our weakness, His strength is revealed.
Every time we are weak ,know that this is an opportunity for God to be glorified.

2 Corinthinas 12:9 :  in our weak areas Gods strength is made perfect.
As I shared before Acts 7:25,
when Moses was strong  at 40 He thought He could deliver.but during his weakness of 80 years old, God s strenght is made perfect, He could divide red sea, led millions of people through wilderness.



What is the strength or power for a Christian.

Paul says in Romans 1:16 that Gospel of Christ is the Power of God.
The very fact that Christ died for me is the strength  for me.
This gospel of Christ gives me Strength.
And paul says I am not ashamed of it.

In India, it is common things that if police catch you, then people say I know MLA.
they are not ashamed of MLA or MP m, because they know that there is power in that position.
Sometimes I think dont see this strength because we are ashamed of it.
we dont show ourselves as Christians , we feel shy of being seen as Christian and we dont see this power.
But Paul says I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.

Romans 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,[a] for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek

1 Corinthians 1:24 says Christ is the Power of God.

Phillipians 4:13 says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.



Where is your strength comes from today.
Psalm 28:7 says

The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him.

When we are connected in the Church, there is strength.

A rope is stronger than the individual fibres which make that rope.

The each individual fibre has weak spots along its length. and at those weak points they break easily.

but when connected with other fibres , they weakspots are evenly distrubuted.and the twist that is in the rope cancel out the weak spots and thats what makes rope stronger.

Church when God makes lonlies into families, the weak spots of individuals are corrected and the every individual is eddified in the congregation.

There the strength of God is revealed.

Where are we getting our strength from. our own talents, our treasures, our ancestral backgrounds or the influences of the world,

For the believer the strength is in gospel of Christ, Christ is the power of God.

and In Church , the power of God is revealed to every individual.

Joshua

Joshua - meaning Jesus  - God is my Salvation

If Moses took the people out of Egypt and crossed red sea, then it was Joshua who brought the Israel to the promised land.


Joshua life is life of a christian believer -
slavery - because he lived minimum of 20 yrs in slavery (Numbers 32:11)
red sea deliverance (baptism) - 40 years
after crossing jordan - he lived till 110 years of age. This is victorious christian life.

Chapter 1
v1 - Joshua Moses's aide, assistant.
It is not the sons of Moses who became the leader, not the elders of the tribes,it is not the council of ministers, or like priesthood its not like sons of Aaron, but to lead the nation of Israel to see every promise being filled .
God choose a man who is a assistant.
See numbers 27: 18-21. Moses asks for replacement for him, and God said bring Joshua.


Numbers 32:10,11,12 -  Everyone who came out of egypt who age is above 20 did not enter the promised land except Caleb and Joshua.

https://bible.org/seriespage/1-commissioning-joshua-joshua-11-18


V12-15 -
 2 and half tribes setttled east of Jordan - Numbers 32:1
These 2 and half tribes going to war with rest of brethern indicates that if you are at rest, doesnt mean you can really be rest untill your brethren live victoriously.

V16,17,18 - Just as we heeded Moses in all things. we will heed you.

Chapter 2 : V10
Faith comes by hearing.
Rahab heard that God of Israel has done great things for them.
When was the last time that you had some great acheivment and people realized that it is God who had done it.
story of december salary.

Being a witness to Christ, being a testimony.
Everything in this world needs testimony.
if you are born , birth certificate.
if you are married, marriage certificate.
for the world to know who true God is we should be the testimony.

Israel captured all the cities of Amorites.
Numbers 21 : 21- 25



Hebrews 4:8 - Lord Jesus gives eternal rest.