How Faith Preserves Our Soul

Transcription

1 LIGHTHOUSE MINISTRY LEADER S STUDY GUIDE Jesus: Loud & Clear; Front & Center (Hebrews) How Faith Preserves Our Soul Hebrews 11:1-40 R2R Distinctive: March 22, 2015 Week 21 of Jesus: Loud & Clear; Front & Center (Hebrews) This guide is designed to provide helpful hints in preparing and leading your Lighthouse discussion. If you need any assistance or further instruction on any part of this teaching lesson, don t hesitate to contact Chris at celler@ffclife.com. Announcements:! Be sure to focus on building relationships within your group. Seek ways to engage people in discussion and be sensitive to the Spirit s leading.! If you have any newcomers to your Lighthouse, be sure to take time for introductions and to welcome them to your Lighthouse. Contents! Overview of this Lesson! Introduction! Read the Text! Digging Deeper! Concluding Thoughts Overview of this Lesson Our focus this week is on the topic of faith. Clearly, this is a topic we could spend weeks discussing. Faith is the foundation of our relationship with God. Without faith, it is impossible to know God, to draw near to Him, or to please Him (Heb. 11:6). Hebrews 11 is such an important chapter in the Bible, we spent an entire summer teaching this chapter. As a result, we will only overview this chapter during our study of Hebrews. If members of your Lighthouse are interested in this in-depth study, please refer them to The focus of our study this week will be the first seven verses of Hebrews 11. We will get a good, working definition of faith, and see how faith played a part in three examples from the Old Testament Abel, Enoch, and Noah. We will then tie back to Hebrews 10 to remind us of the trajectory the writing to Hebrews is taking, which is not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide Spring 2015 Page 1 resources on this series are available at This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

2 so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised (vs. 10:35-36). Introduction 1. Looking back at your notes from this week s sermon, was there anything that particularly caught your attention, challenged or confused you? 2. As you observe a child, what are some ways a child shows trust in his or her parents? 3. What do you consider the greatest example of faith you have ever seen? Why? THIS WEEK S TAKE HOME TRUTH Faith in God is essential in our Christian journey as it keeps us focused beyond our temporary circumstances to our completed destination, which is glory. Read the Text (Hebrews 11) In Hebrews 11, the writer gives us a summary of the entire Old Testament with his lens focused on the role of faith in God s people. As you read this magnificent portion of Scripture, keep in mind that the men and women the writer is pointing us to were common people who exhibited uncommon faith faith that left others around them perplexed. These men and women didn t begin as great heroes of the faith, but they lived their life with an eye on something that was beyond the horizon, something that didn t make sense, yet something, or should I say Someone, who made them willing to risk everything to follow Him into glory. Read Hebrews 11. NOTE TO LEADERS: Our focus this week is on Hebrews 11:1-7. It is your choice if you want to simply read these verses as a group or have your group read the entire chapter. By Faith 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide Spring 2015 Page 2

3 things that are visible. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. 8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. 17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide Spring 2015 Page 3

4 who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, Through Isaac shall your offspring be named. 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. 20 By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones. 23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them. 29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. 32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide Spring 2015 Page 4

5 and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated 38 of whom the world was not worthy wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. Digging Deeper In this section, feel free to develop your own questions to help guide your group s discussion. Below are some suggestions. 4. Using Hebrews 11:1 as a guide, how would you describe faith to a child in your own words? Take some time and brainstorm as a group a simple, brief description using your own words. Try to picture explaining the concept of faith to a 5-year old. Chuck Swindoll describes faith as, Faith is not a blind leap in the dark; it's more like the sure step of a trusting child toward the loving arms of its mother. Faith is confidence in God, that He is there, that He cares, that He is faithful, that He intervenes and that He embraces us when we throw ourselves into His arms. 5. Read Matthew 21: What do you learn about faith from this gospel account? 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, Hosanna to the Son of David! they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, Do you hear what these are saying? And Jesus said to them, Yes; have you never read, Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise? Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide Spring 2015 Page 5

6 The blind and the lame are being healed by Jesus, something the Bible describes as wonderful things, (v. 15). The children are rejoicing and worshipping Him, but the adults were skeptical and even became indignant. Follow up question: why does faith come so easily for children and yet is so much more difficult for adults? 6. According to this passage, what is the only way we can please God with our lives? Hebrews 11:6 tells us it is impossible to please God without faith. The walk of faith begins with a very simple first step: we must believe God exists. Second, we turn towards God, and lastly, we trust Him to keep His word to us. Notice the picture we see of a child taking his first steps. The child acknowledges the parent is there, holding out His arms waiting to catch the child. The child turns toward the parent and prepares to take his first initial step. The child trust completely and is confidant the parent will catch him and hold him tight in His loving arms. 7. What do we know about Abel, and how did he demonstrate faith in God? Genesis 4 tells us that Abel kept sheep, while his brother Cain was a tiller of the soil (v. 2). Implied in the account is an important fact that God had informed both brothers of the type of offering He expected. It was to be a blood sacrifice. Abel obeyed. Cain, however, chose to offer the work of his hands. Cain came to God by his own way; Abel came God's way. Abel's faith was evidenced in his offering; Cain's lack of faith was evidenced in his. 8. What do we know about Cain, and how did he attempt to please God? It's human nature to want to come to God in our own way, on our own terms, with the offering of our own good works. But that is not God's way. God's way is through another offering the shed blood of His only Son (Heb. 9:11-14). And when we come to God, it can be only through faith in Jesus; not through the work of our hands, no matter how hard or how long we've toiled or how plentiful the harvest. 9. What do we know about Enoch, and how did he demonstrate faith in God? Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide Spring 2015 Page 6

7 The biography of Enoch is, at best, sketchy. Besides this verse, we have only a couple of verses in Jude that remark on his public life (see vv ) and some verses in Genesis that collect a few fragments of his private life. Publicly, he proclaimed a message that his wicked generation resented and resisted. Privately, Enoch raised a son and walked with God. And Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. (Gen. 5:21-24) Perhaps it was the childlike faith Enoch saw in his son that prompted him to take the first steps in his walk with God. Perhaps it was the awesome responsibility of raising his son amidst the wickedness of his culture that turned him toward God. We don't know for sure. But we do know that his faith, which kept him in step with God and out of step with his wayward generation, pleased the Father. That faith not only put Enoch in Hebrews 11, it took him to heaven without having to experience death (Gen. 5:24). What do we know about Noah, and how did he demonstrate faith in God? Noah was a man of uncommon faith. The writer distills entire chapters of this man's life into just one verse. By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. (Heb. 11:7) Talk about being out of step with your generation Noah was definitely walking to the beat of a different drummer.4 Think of how insane the building project must have seemed in the eyes of his contemporaries. No rain had yet fallen on the earth. No large bodies of water existed within five hundred miles.' The boat was a thousand times too big for his family, being about twice the length of a football field, almost a football field in width, and four stories high (Gen. 6:15). And to make Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide Spring 2015 Page 7

8 Noah an even greater laughingstock, it took over a hundred years to build. Yet in spite of how crazy the building project must have seemed to Noah s generation, he obeyed the instructions of God (v. 22; 7:5, 9, 16). He acted in faith, believing God's word over the public opinion concerning his sanity. 10. Why do you think God sometimes leaves us in the dark about His will? 11. What are some examples from your life of both trusting God and doubting Him? As we conclude this lesson on faith, remember how the writer led into this study. In Hebrews 10, he was encouraging us to draw close to God, hold fast to His promises, and endure to the end. Perhaps a good summary verse is Hebrews 10:25-26 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. Able, Enoch, and Noah are examples we looked at from Hebrews 11. All common men, but each with an uncommon faith. Concluding Thoughts In this section, feel free to develop your own questions to help guide your group s discussion. Below are some suggestions. Let s review this week s Take Home Truth Faith in God is essential in our Christian journey as it keeps us focused beyond our temporary circumstances to our completed destination, which is glory. 12. As you journey through this life, with what do you need to trust God even though you can t see what the future holds? How can you show this trust? 13. Take a moment and ask the Lord if there are any areas of your life where you are struggling to show your faith. Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide Spring 2015 Page 8

9 Perhaps it is an area in life where you are trying to do things your own way, like Cain, rather than submit to God s prescribed way, as Abel did. Perhaps it is an area where you know what God is asking you to do, and you are not doing it, rather than submit to God s will, the way Noah did. Perhaps there is a person you need to share the gospel with, and in faith leave the results to God, the way Enoch proclaimed God. What steps do you need to take in one of these areas to follow the Lord in faith? A real Christian is an odd number anyway. He feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen, talks familiarly every clay to Someone he cannot see, expects to go to heaven on the virtue of Another, empties himself in order to be full, admits he is wrong so he can be declared right, goes down in order to get up, is strongest when he is weakest, richest when he is poorest, and happiest when he feels worst. He dies so he can live, forsakes in order to have, gives away so he can keep, sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, and knows that which passeth knowledge) A real Christian is an odd number anyway. He feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen, talks familiarly every clay to Someone he cannot see, expects to go to heaven on the virtue of Another, empties himself in order to be full, admits he is wrong so he can be declared right, goes down in order to get up, is strongest when he is weakest, richest when he is poorest, and happiest when he feels worst. He dies so he can live, forsakes in order to have, gives away so he can keep, sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, and knows that which passeth knowledge) A.W. Tozer Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide Spring 2015 Page 9