Thank the Lord for 60-degree weather for the next few days until the cold spell comes through next week. So let's enjoy this while we can. That is what is wonderful about living in Texas. You can have 60 or 70 degrees anytime during the winter and usually once a week or so.
I am looking forward to seeing you all tonight. We are going to look at one of the most powerful chapters in the the Bible: Hebrews Chapter 11, the Faith Chapter of the Bible. There are 40 verses in Hebrews Chapter 11. The very first verse makes such a bold statement, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." The N.I.V. states, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Then, the Message states, "The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see."
I heard someone say that faith is like a 6th sense. Faith is often beyond realm of reason. We talk about a leap of faith. Tertullian, the great church leader, said, "Faith is understanding's step and understanding is faith's reward." I like that.
Faith is believing in something that we do not have in the present but hope for in the future. Often faith is mentioned along with hope in the scripture. Hope comes first, followed by faith. "Now faith is substance of things....hoped for...." I like the rest of the verse that says, "And evidence of things not seen." Wow, that really strikes me. Faith is substance and evidence. That means you can get a handle on it. Also, faith is NOW. "Now faith is." Well, that is just the way I reflect about that lst verse.
So many great saints of God are mentioned as examples of faith in Hebrews 11. I know you will enjoy our time together tonight. I look forward to a good discussion of this chapter with you tonight. See ya then and bless each one of you in this New Year.
Pastor Larry
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